Jiuxi

Chapter 812: 810 [Want to Take It]

"Your Majesty, please calm down."

The first thing Li Shizhi did was not to continue to incite the emperor's hatred towards Lu Chen and Xiao Wangzhi. Instead, he tried to comfort them and calm them down. Obviously, he also knew that if the emperor and his subjects directly fell out, it would be a disaster for Da Qi.

Li Zongben was very pleased with such a loyal attitude.

Li Shizhi continued, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report that the problem of military merits being too powerful to be eliminated is a problem that all dynasties have faced, not just our dynasty. When the previous emperor was alive, the border troops and the capital troops were able to check and balance each other. In addition, the previous emperor had the merits and prestige to rebuild the Great Qi, so those military merits did not dare to act rashly. Even so, when they were forced into a corner, they still dared to take risks and threaten the imperial power, which was the rebellion of the capital troops three years ago."

Li Zongben nodded slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable.

On the surface, the Beijing army rebellion that night had nothing to do with him, but in fact, relying on Han Zhongjie and the Han family's influence in the Beijing camp, he had been fanning the flames from the very beginning and even tried to get the eldest prince killed in the chaos.

However, no matter how much he trusted Li Shizhi, he could not reveal any information about this matter. Fortunately, after two years of training, Li Zongben could at least keep his emotions under control.

Li Shizhi lowered his head and continued, "Your Majesty, Duke Qin and Duke Rong are in the frontier army, one is in the center, and the other is in the central government. They help each other and support each other. If one of them is attacked, the other will be angered. In comparison, Duke Rong knows how to consider the overall situation, but Duke Qin has a hotter temper because of his young age. This is why Duke Rong came forward first at the court meeting yesterday. He was worried that if Duke Qin could not control his temper, he would make a scene in the court."

In fact, before Lu Chen returned to Beijing, Li Zongben had reflected on it and tried to repair his relationship with the young powerful official.

However, the imperial banquet he had carefully prepared did not win Lu Chen's concession. The turmoil at yesterday's court meeting made him completely disappointed. Therefore, he conveyed a clear idea to Li Shizhi - he could no longer tolerate this imbalance between the monarch and his subjects, and would not allow his subjects to continue to challenge the emperor's majesty.

After a brief silence, Li Zongben said coldly: "Humph, I knew they would become arrogant because of their achievements."

Li Shizhi's heart was slightly moved, and he said cautiously: "Your Majesty, you cannot punish without teaching."

Hearing this, Li Zongben couldn't help but frowned slightly.

At some point before, he did want to solve this problem in the most direct way.

Lu Chen lived in the capital. Although he had three thousand elite cavalry outside the city, there were also more than 100,000 troops from the capital camp outside the city. These three thousand cavalry could not make any waves.

As for the city, Li Zongben was confident that he had enough power to kill Lu Chen and his personal soldiers, and he did not need to use the name of the emperor.

But he also knew the consequences of doing so, so it was just a fleeting thought.

As expected, Li Shizhi continued to persuade him, "Your Majesty, the powerful enemy in the north is still there, and the importance of the border army is self-evident. Killing Duke Qin is certainly possible, but it will directly lead to the separation of the border army and the court. Yang Guangyuan's lesson is not far away, how can we repeat the same mistake? Moreover, although Duke Wei asked his son to leave the court, he still wants to marry his daughter to Duke Qin. Under normal circumstances, Duke Wei will not sit idly by and watch Duke Qin disrupt the court order, but if Duke Qin dies in the capital for no apparent reason, how can Duke Wei sit idly by?"

These words made Li Zongben's face even uglier, and at the same time he forced himself to calm down, and the murderous intent was gradually suppressed.

Just as Li Shizhi said, Li Tianrun is definitely loyal to the court and will not be ambiguous on major issues of right and wrong, but this does not mean that he will be blindly loyal.

If Lu Chen had not crossed the line and instead died inexplicably in the capital, Li Tianrun would definitely step forward despite his old age.

Li Shizhi looked at the emperor's expression and sighed, "Dukes Li and Xiao have different positions. The only thing that can make them join forces without scruples is that Duke Qin has an accident. Your Majesty, I know you are very unhappy, but this is absolutely not allowed. If Duke Qin really dies, there will be chaos inside and outside the court, and the border soldiers will not be willing to guard the border. The powerful enemy will take advantage of the situation to make a comeback, and the Great Qi will be in danger of being overthrown. Even if it can be resolved in the end, it will be a loss of 800 for every 1,000 enemies injured."

Li Zongben nodded.

Li Shizhi added: "This is based on the possibility of success. If Duke Qin is not killed and is allowed to escape back to Jiangbei, I am afraid that a considerable number of border troops will be coerced by him and a substantial separatist regime will be formed."

His analysis was comprehensive and detailed, and finally made Li Zongben completely give up that unrealistic idea.

Then came a more agitated mood. Li Zongben said coldly, "What can we do?"

A faint smile suddenly appeared on Li Shizhi's face.

He said slowly, "Your Majesty, why should you worry too much? Although the court cannot solve the hidden dangers of military officials with military honors and power by means of a quick and decisive method due to various concerns, will Duke Qin dare to push his luck? You must know that the logistics lifeline of the border army is always in the hands of court officials. Not to mention how many border soldiers will rebel, even if the entire Dingzhou Governor's Office follows Duke Qin's lead, as long as the court cuts off the logistics supply, won't those hungry and arrogant soldiers eat Duke Qin first?"

"I understand this truth, but the court cannot cut off the food and wages of the border troops for no reason."

Li Zongben's answer was not too stupid.

Li Shizhi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, what you said is very true. I explained this point only to prove one thing. Under the premise that both sides have concerns, Your Majesty and the court naturally occupy the righteous position. There is no need to resort to conspiracy and calculation. You can just force Duke Qin to follow the rules of the court in an open manner. This is the benefit of open conspiracy." Li Zongben was very pleased to hear this, and there was a bit more appreciation in his eyes.

Recalling what had happened recently, Li Shizhi had indeed been planning and considering for him all the time. Even the whole plan of transferring Xu Zuo back to Beijing, letting Ding Hui go to Dingzhou, and thus vacating the position of Minister of War to allow Han Zhongjie to be reinstated, was the work of Li Shizhi.

From Li Zongben's perspective, Li Shizhi was a loyal minister who cared about his monarch wholeheartedly.

If before this, Han Zhongjie held the most important position in his heart, now Li Shizhi has surpassed him.

Thinking of this, Li Zongben smiled and said, "I think you have made a plan, my dear?"

Li Shizhi asked calmly, "I dare to guess that Your Majesty has never thought of asking Duke Qin to give up all military power. He just wants to put enough restrictions on him to prevent the situation where a warrior would cause chaos in the country. Is that right?"

Li Zongben nodded and said, "That's right."

It was precisely because he had a vision and wanted to restore the old country and become the revival leader of Da Qi that he was able to suppress the anger in his heart in the Imperial Garden that day.

His worry came from Lu Chen's growing prestige and status in the army. He hoped to make use of the abilities of this young powerful official, but at the same time he did not want to see too many acts of usurpation and rebellion recorded in history books. That was why he was conflicted and indecisive.

After receiving a positive answer, Li Shizhi said clearly: "I will try to help your majesty analyze the purpose of Duke Qin's return to the capital this time. The first is of course to receive the reward, the second is to marry the daughter of Duke Wei, the third is to discuss the next plan of the border army with your majesty, and the fourth is to find out your majesty's thoughts from a close distance."

"The first point is self-evident. Your Majesty has conferred him the title of Duke of Qin, and the generals of the border army have also received corresponding rewards. Even if Duke Qin is picky, he has nothing to say about this matter. The third point requires Your Majesty to be cautious and try not to give him too clear a promise. This is related to the future power structure of the border army."

"As for the fourth point, I suggest that Your Majesty not give Duke Qin any excuse to get angry in the next two months. Your Majesty should give him whatever he wants. Since he is firmly opposed to reinstating Lord Han, Your Majesty should be patient for the time being. After all, there will always be opportunities in the future. After subduing Duke Qin, Duke Rong will be alone and weak and not to be feared. Your Majesty can even directly reinstate Lord Han."

At this point, Li Shizhi paused slightly and emphasized his tone, "In short, Your Majesty must let the people of the world know how well you and the court treat and trust the meritorious officials. Regardless of whether Duke Qin believes it or not, as long as the world believes this, he will be in an unbreakable yoke. From ancient times to the present, even in troubled times, people with evil intentions must work hard to establish an image of loyalty, filial piety, and benevolence, otherwise they will never succeed!"

Li Zongben pondered and said, "I understand. My dear minister, you want Lu Chen to be cautious."

"That's right. The better His Majesty treats him, the more he must not cross the line, otherwise he will be despised by the world."

Li Shizhi smiled calmly, and then said: "I recommended Lord Ding to Dingzhou not because of his ability. I never thought that he could suppress Duke Qin on the border, but to firmly control the logistics lifeline of the border soldiers without violating the court regulations. If Duke Qin does something wrong, such as causing Lord Ding to die in an accident, then Your Majesty can issue a clear decree to summon him back to the capital. If he does not return, the reputation of loyalty he has built over the years will be ruined. If he returns, Your Majesty can take away his military power as a matter of course."

Li Zongben thought about it carefully and nodded repeatedly, saying, "If he does nothing, Ding Hui will be able to exert a strong clamp on him."

Li Shizhi said respectfully: "That's right."

Li Zongben's heart gradually settled down, but he still felt that it was not perfect, so he asked: "Just now, my dear minister, you mentioned four reasons for Lu Chen's return to the capital. Is there any mystery in the second one?"

"This is the most important trump card I have prepared for Your Majesty."

Li Shizhi lowered his head and said softly, "Your Majesty, Duke Qin and Duke Wei's daughter are getting married, and their relatives will definitely come to the capital to attend the wedding ceremony. After the two are married, Your Majesty can issue an order to allow Duke Qin's relatives to stay in the capital and be supported by the court, so as to show Your Majesty's love and respect for talents."

Li Zongben's eyes suddenly lit up.

Li Shizhi continued, "Just now I suggested that Your Majesty show favor to Duke Qin in the next period of time, so that this last step can be smoothly implemented. And a few days ago I privately suggested that Your Majesty let the Ministry of Works build a brand new and spacious Duke's Mansion in the capital, also to make sure that Duke Qin has no reason to refuse, unless -"

He looked up at the young emperor and said with a smile: "Unless Duke Qin has a rebellious heart and wants to take all his relatives to Jiangbei. If he really does this, the whole court and the people of the world will be able to see his wolfish ambitions, and he will become a traitor despised by everyone. Then, Your Majesty, what will you be afraid of? Why not just kill this beast?"

"it is good!"

Li Zongben could not help but stand up and said happily: "I am so lucky to have you as my assistant!"

"This is my duty as a minister."

Li Shizhi bowed his head and saluted with utmost respect.

(End of this chapter)