Ji Tang

In the evening, Ji Song was carried into the carriage, and the two brothers Ji Ze and Ji Run sat on the shaft and drove slowly towards the palace.Tonight, the emperor's grand banquet is a meritorious official. He is going to support everyone, so as not to be bullied by those literati.

When the carriage entered Zhuque Street, the number of people gradually increased. Anyone who saw Ji Song's carriage involuntarily stopped and let the carriage go first. Slowly, a group of generals gathered behind Ji Song, waiting to fight. The Suzaku Sect team is even larger.

"Congratulations to Duke Xi!"

Zhang Wei came to Ji Song alone and said loudly.

"Congratulations to Duke Xi!"

This was the voice of the other officers. Yes, his position as general was cancelled. In terms of position, except for his position as commander of the Southern Navy Fleet of the Tang Dynasty, all other military positions were cancelled.

This is also what it should be. The rules have been set when Wuying Pavilion was established. Otherwise, if he sits in the No. 1 position in the military and holds the military power of Chang'an City, no matter how ambitious the emperor is, he will probably fall asleep. Don't sleep!

Ji Song didn't care, but many people complained about it and thought the court was unfair.

He opened the curtain, glanced behind him, and said to Zhang Wei in front of the carriage: "Tell them to go and do what they are supposed to do. What are you doing behind me? They are making nonsense!"

Zhang Wei was stunned for a moment, but when he saw Ji Song's serious eyes, he suddenly became excited and said quickly: "I'll go right away!"

After saying that, he ran back, but Ji Song didn't wait any longer and entered the Suzaku Gate directly, while the others were blocked outside.

A general wanted to step forward but was stopped by Zhang Wei. Seeing that the general could not be seen, he suddenly became furious: "Get out of the way!"

Zhang Wei said expressionlessly: "It is His Majesty's permission that Duke Xi enter the palace in advance. Who do you think you are? Do you want the same treatment as Duke Xi?" Hearing this, the other party became even more furious, but Su Lie stopped him at this time. .

"How presumptuous! Is this a place for you to show off your power? Why don't you back down!"

Although the man was unwilling to give up, he was also embarrassed when facing Su Lie, so he could only retreat with a cold snort.

"Thank you, Mr. Qinghe County, for rescuing the siege!" Zhang Wei bowed and expressed gratitude.

Su Lie shook his head and said: "It doesn't have to be like this!" He glanced at the group of guys behind him and said disdainfully: "A group of guys who don't know what they are called. They just have no brains. They don't even have a wink. Don't pay attention to them!"

Then he whispered: "Is it the order from Duke Tan?"

Zhang Wei nodded, and Su Lie immediately understood something. For some reason, he suddenly felt a little disappointed. Is there a time when the general who is so arrogant in the Western Region and has surrendered to all forces should avoid suspicion?
-
As soon as he arrived at the Tai Chi Hall, he was called to the side hall by Chen Shou. As soon as he came in, he saw the emperor and Changsun playing chess. When he saw Ji Song coming, he waved to him to let him do as he pleased!
He was not polite, picked up the snacks and started eating. Drinking later would be unavoidable. If you want to be full at the banquet, don’t even think about it. You are still almost full after drinking, so you don’t dare to eat more at this time. I couldn't even vomit when the time came.

After taking a look at the battle between the two, the corner of his mouth suddenly curled up. They were all stinky chess pieces, and they looked quite normal. I didn't know, I thought I had encountered an eternal endgame!

bang~
Ji Song's wheelchair moved backwards, and he quickly stopped. When he looked up, he saw Li Shimin's murderous eyes and his eldest grandson's cannibalistic look.

"What are you kidding about? What? You don't like me and the queen's chess skills? Why don't you come and try?"

He shook his head quickly, isn't this looking for death?It's not fun to win, but well, it's impossible to lose. I didn't lose when I went with the Supreme Emperor. As for the angry Supreme Emperor chasing me all over the palace, that's another matter.

"Hmph, I think your kid only cares about eating and not fighting. If I and the Queen hadn't stopped you, you would have been beaten up by your father. I'm surprised. Where did you get the courage?"

"Hehe, isn't this what you gave me? How about saying that you are the Eternal Mingjun?" But seeing the unkind look in Changsun's eyes, he quickly said: "Of course you are also the Eternal Mingjun."

"Huh, let me pass the test!"

Carelessly stroking the chess pieces off the chessboard, Li Shimin felt his teeth hurt. He was about to win, so why did he cheat?You can’t afford to lose, right?
Changsun ignored the emperor's resentment, looked at Ji Song's face and nodded: "It seems that he has recovered well in the past few days!"

"Of course, how about eating well and drinking well?" Li Shimin said in a strange tone.

Ji Song rolled his eyes and wanted to say something, but before he could speak, Changsun said: "I was worried about your health before. Since you are well rested, let's go to Wuying Pavilion to be on duty tomorrow!"

Ji Song: "."

Well, I thought Changsun Liangliang found out and wanted to take care of him.Sure enough, under the dregs of feudalism, there is no human rights at all. As long as they are used to death, they will be used to death. How can I expect anything in return from them?
Seeing Ji Song's unhappy look, Li Shimin became furious.If others were sitting in that position, they would be too happy to sleep, but this bastard looked like he was forcing himself, and it looked like he was hitting someone.

He would not be chosen if there were other candidates, but there is really no suitable person now. Yu Chigong was in charge before, but actually he looked around and saw that Li Ji was working.A lot of things have accumulated just like this, and I feel like I have a headache just looking at them!
It's not that I can't do it, but it's something that I, the emperor, shouldn't order.

"Don't be unhappy, just think of it as helping Cheng Qian. Now Wuying Pavilion is in a mess, Yuchi is even more worried, and Li Ji has too many jobs to take care of. If you don't take care of it, Wuying Pavilion will become a joke. !”

Ji Song was stunned and could only nod in the end. He had already said it to this point. If he continued to act ungratefully, he would be disrespecting the emperor.

"Okay, but don't just catch me trying to pick up the wool. It's time to find a candidate to take over Wuying Pavilion. I can still lead them now, so I won't be in a hurry later."

Li Shimin deeply agreed, but after thinking for a long time, he shook his head and said: "Su Lie seems to be good now, but looking at his shortcomings and qualifications, he cannot convince the public even if he sits in that position. It is not a good thing for him to intervene too early."

"By the way, do you have someone you can choose? Your ability to read people is astounding even to me. If you tell me, I will give you a reference!"

Speaking of this, he had to admire Ji Song's ability to see people. Not to mention his four major disciples, he was the one who discovered Su Lie. The original incident had been hidden in Su Lie for several years, and he had already gone into battle and became famous all over the world.

In addition, there are many middle and low-level generals, but they are young now. With a few years of experience, they will definitely become the first generals of the Tang Dynasty. "How about Gao Kan?" Ji Song asked.

"Gao Kan?" Li Shimin was stunned and thought for a moment: "What do you think?"

Ji Song smiled and said: "Gao Kan comes from the Bohai Gao family, but he is not the main lineage. He can reach his current position only by his own ability step by step. In addition, there is not much relationship between the DPRK and the Central Government, so He can be impartial. He has little to do with the family, and he is not afraid of his butt sitting crookedly. As for military achievements, the two battles in the Western Regions are very impressive. As long as I practice a few more times in the future and cultivate the overall situation, I can take it with me for a while. , even if you can’t be in charge of Wuying Pavilion in the future, it’s okay to be a deputy.”

Li Shimin thought for a moment, and the more he thought about this person, the more suitable he was. Without any worries about his life experience, there was no reason why any family would keep a distance.So he nodded and said: "Okay, I will make arrangements at this time. Now tell me what you plan to do next? Can there be reforms in the military?"

Ji Song was startled and looked at the emperor in surprise.At this time, Changsun stood up and said: "I will go out to see how they are preparing. Let's chat with you, monarch and ministers!"

After saying that, he walked out. When he was done, he kicked out all the people in the hall and closed the door!
"Why did your Majesty say this? Reform? Change to what? Do you know how involved it is at this time? If one move goes wrong, the finally stable situation of the Tang Dynasty will be shaken."

"I know all this, but I have to change it, and I have to change it. I am still fine, and even if there is turmoil, it will not change the world. But it is not possible to accept Qian. I am the most likely to succeed if I do this. Once I can't succeed, Success, Cheng Qian can also overthrow and gain the support of military commanders."

Ji Song was silent for a long time, then said in a solemn voice: "What do you want to change?"

Li Shimin did not speak, but asked Chen Shou to take out the map and unfold it.Looking at the huge territory under his feet, Ji Song was also filled with pride.But when he saw the flags on it and their positions, he suddenly had a guess in his mind!

But it’s just because you guessed it that you feel bitter. Is it really to the point where you have to change it?Although I knew that such a day would come sooner or later, when I really knew that this day would come, I still couldn’t accept it!

"Disarmament. Your Majesty, are you ready for the counterattack?"

Li Shimin shook his head solemnly, but then nodded and said: "Although it is hard to accept, it has to be done!"

"At this time in the Tang Dynasty, the Haiyan River is clear. Although there are some turmoils in some places, they are all under control. If we don't change it now, it will be really difficult to wait until the Qianji is inherited!"

Ji Song understood his determination and said solemnly: "How much? How many do you want to cut?"

"You know, there are more than [-] troops in Zaize now. Although it is a bit too many, it is indispensable for stabilizing the place."

More than half a million, not counting the troops stationed in the local area, plus the soldiers who rushed to Yingyang Mansion, this number may be doubled.

Therefore, the amount of disarmament is a difficult problem. If it is too much, local borders will not be affected. If it is too little, everyone will feel itchy, which is not very interesting and will not solve the big problem at all!
"Although taxes in the Tang Dynasty are rising year by year, the expenditures are also the same. The increasing number of officials, local allocations, the construction of various water conservancy facilities, and changes in people's livelihood on the border all require money. There is also the reform of weapons, which is also a problem. Gold-swallowing beast. Last year, military expenditures alone accounted for more than half of the Tang Dynasty's taxes. If it weren't for the money you got from the food, and the fact that most of it was raised locally during the war, the imperial court would have exploded. pot!"

"So, disarmament is imperative!"

Li Shimin pondered for a long time, his face changed and he said: "I only want to keep 50 troops, 20 at the border, [-] at the local level, and [-] at Guanzhong. This is the bottom line, no more, otherwise the court will not be able to last long."

"50" Ji Song looked solemn. This means that at least 50 troops have to be laid off, and wherever they are laid off, the elites on the border will definitely be mobilized.

Thinking of the millions-strong disarmament in later generations and the years of turmoil, he was hesitant. Do we really want to dismantle so many troops?

"That's right, just keep 50, but how to keep the 50 still needs to be decided by you. You are the most familiar with this matter, and only you can do it to minimize the opposition!"

There was another reason he didn't say out loud, and that was that once the matter was presided over by Ji Song, he would be completely relieved.Dismantling the military is bound to offend many people, and others will not be able to bear the backlash.But Ji Song can. Not to mention Ji's influence, at least the civilian officials don't have to worry. The military also has many connections. Even if the soldiers are dissatisfied, they won't fight Ji Song to the death.

"You're a good minister!" Ji Song smiled bitterly. He knew that when the emperor told the matter, he knew that he had no room to refuse.

However, Li Shimin did not hesitate at all. As an emperor, he could not act emotionally and protect Ji Song without any bottom line just because he loved him. Not only would this fail to achieve his goal, it might also harm Ji Song.

"I will accept this matter! But..."

He looked at the emperor and said solemnly: "I need rights, not only the rights of the military, but also the power of appointment and dismissal below the local chief officials. In addition, I kindly ask your majesty to allow the dismissed generals to find their own way out, and it is not allowed." Stop it, even if it means leaving the Tang Dynasty."

"Otherwise, even if I have all the power, I can only apologize!"

Li Shimin's face changed. He understood what Ji Song meant, which was to place some generals to serve in local areas. As for finding their own way out of the Tang Dynasty, that was to allow them to be recruited.And the people who recruited them are most likely from overseas territories.
Regardless of the emperor's ugly face, now is not the time for tenderness.Since you want your son to take the blame, you have to do it in your own way. Otherwise, whoever wants to do it will do it. At worst, he can just go out on the sea and ignore this bad thing.

"Your Majesty, you need to know that overseas expansion has reached a critical moment at this time. However, due to the imperial ban, everyone is tied up and even if they are determined to develop, they are powerless. Once this matter is stopped, it will be more difficult for future generations to change. But it will be abolished. The army is the best opportunity to break the situation."

"Even if they are in the bad army, they are still the regular army of the Tang Dynasty. They are not comparable to the aristocratic families or family guards. Once they go to sea, they will be like a monstrous and unstoppable force, completely making up for the shortage of force in overseas development. One piece."

"Of course, there are still restrictions, such as restrictions on armor, cavalry, etc. Now the military reform of the Tang Dynasty has entered a revolutionary moment. Once the weapons are upgraded, the Tang Dynasty will still be able to maintain its absolute advantage. This is not what those overseas can do. Than."

"Whether it succeeds or not, Your Majesty will give you a word!"

"If it works, I will die to minimize the backlash of this matter. If it doesn't work, I will pretend that I didn't say anything. But the number of layoffs must not be so large. You know that once 50 people are well-trained and have several military qualities , the troops who have fought and survived the war come in to see what they will face."

"The riots, the skyrocketing fees, and the local turmoil. If someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of us again, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Li Shimin did not answer, but started walking back and forth, murmuring: "Let me think about it, and think about it again." (End of Chapter)