Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 23
The sunshine in August dyed the golden curtains red, and the whole bedroom looked more luxurious and mysterious in the shining red and gold.Mrs. Changsun was leaning on the head of the bed, Li Shimin's young and noble head rested on her plump breasts.At this moment, he, who was always full of energy, was tired and rested in the arms of his beloved woman.He looked like a big child, like a big child who had just experienced a brutal blow, with a kind of pitiful remorse on the corners of his mouth.

Changsun clearly remembered the face of her husband when he just returned from the battlefield, the face full of shame and indignation.She seemed to understand what had happened, and after being a little surprised, she didn't say a word, but stretched out her breasts, stretched out her jade arms, and hugged him tightly.The defeated husband trembled all over, his lips moved, as if he wanted to say something.Finally, without saying anything, he picked her up and walked into the bedroom.It had been a whole night, and he just leaned against her breast like this, and fell into a deep sleep before he seemed to have time to speak.

She looked at his black hair, broad forehead, thick eyebrows... She liked his dimples, and she didn't want to see his frowns, so she used her white and slender hands to gently replace him Softly.She felt that his frown was very strong, and she knew that this failure had hit him too hard.Since marrying him, except for his mother's death, she has never seen him so sad.Alas, victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs, why be so sad!Sighing, she looked at him very lovingly and heartbrokenly, and finally couldn't help but lowered her head and kissed his brow.She kissed and couldn't help but burst into tears.He moved slightly, but she didn't notice it.He finally woke up, opened his bright eyes, and looked at her quietly.

"You cried because my failure made you so sad?" he asked.

She shook her head and said, "I saw that you were frowning too tightly."

"Really? I should have wrinkled tighter. I shouldn't have lost, but I did."

"Do you know why?"

"I know, it's because of my whim. Alas! Everything was well arranged, as long as..." He sighed heavily.

"People are not sages, they are familiar..."

"You don't need to comfort me." He interrupted her: "I shouldn't make such a mistake, how can I be arrogant? Alas!"

He sighed again, shaking her heart like a giant thunder, and the tears flowed out again, she hugged him tightly and said:
"You are still young, not yet 20 years old."

"However, I am already the King of Qin, the commander-in-chief of an army of 10,000+. I shouldn't, and I can't be arrogant."

"Don't be so sad."

"I can't help being sad, because I lost the battle that I had a good chance of winning in a moment of impulsiveness. Moreover, the loss was so miserable that the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers were lost in vain! There are also several generals such as Liu Hongji and Li Anyuan. , were all captured alive by Xue Ju."

Li Shimin sat up here and knocked his head hard.

"Don't do this." She grabbed his hands and said with tears in her eyes: "There will be more big battles in the future. This lesson can teach you a lesson. Those tens of thousands of soldiers will not die in vain. Liu Hongji and the others A great general will not be captured and humiliated in vain."

"Yes! I must remember this lesson. I must... From now on, I can no longer act on my will. What a terrible thing to act on my will. The people around me are all first-class advisers and generals. Their opinions can definitely lead me to victory. However, I just want to hear a few words, for a little temporary so-called face. Sigh, how could I be so naive, and behave like a child?"

Changsun hugged Li Shimin tightly again, and said softly: "You have such an understanding, you will definitely win next time!"

"Yes, I still have the next time, and the future. I will never make such a mistake again. I must win next time, after I win."

"I believe, I believe in you."

"Thank you, my beloved concubine, I will go to apologize to my counselors and generals, and then go to my father to ask Xue Ju to be recruited again."

"You go, I'll wait for you here." Changsun loosened his arms, took out a piece of silk, raised his head, and carefully wiped away the tears on Li Shimin's face.Then turn to his side and tidy up his messy clothes.Li Shimin kissed her again and left resolutely.

She looked at his back for a long time.When she couldn't see her, she suddenly rushed out of bed, barefoot, and rushed out the door.She finally saw him again, walking hurriedly in the morning breeze.His long robe was blown up by the wind, and his black hair fluttered like a fairy in the cold morning wind.

"My husband, King Qin, you are so beautiful!" Changsun murmured in her heart.Suddenly, she saw Li Shimin turn around and shouted at her:

"My princess, you are so beautiful!"

She laughed, and all the worries and sorrows just now melted away in this laughter.Her heart was happy again, like an oriole in spring, just wanting to sing loudly.

5
Following the golden light in the early morning, Li Shimin hurried to the military plane.From a distance, he heard Hou Junji's voice accusing Liu Wenjing:
"Everything was well discussed. I really don't know why Na Yan asked the marshal to send troops, and he didn't inform the military adviser. Why?"

Li Shimin opened the curtain and went in, only to see Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan sitting opposite Hou Junji in frustration.Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, etc. were all whispering in frustration.Seeing Li Shimin coming in suddenly, everyone stopped and their eyes fell on him in unison.

"You..." Li Shimin nodded towards everyone, showing discomfort in front of them for the first time.Seeing Fang Xuanling, he took a step forward and said:

"Prince Qin, please sit down."

Li Shimin nodded at Fang Xuanling to express his thanks, then turned his head and said to Hou Junji:
"Don't blame Liu Nayan, it's not his fault."

"I know that the main fault is not his. But, when he sees you... he should tell the military division."

"Looking at the situation at the time, even if the military adviser came to persuade me, it would be useless. Alas!" Li Shimin shook his head, couldn't help sighing, paused and continued:
"I am responsible for this big defeat. For others, don't pursue it anymore."

"Hey!" Hou Junji yelled out the word heavily, and lowered his head in pain.Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and others all looked at Li Shimin, as if they wanted to ask him something.Li Shimin was about to ask a question when Du Ruhui walked up to Hou Junji, patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Don't be like this..." After saying these four words, he paused, turned his gaze to Li Shimin, and continued: "I just want to know, besides wanting to take responsibility for this failure, King Qin, what else did you think of?" ?”

"I... think a lot and take responsibility. This is just an inevitable thing. I think the reason for this big defeat is that I was too impulsive and I didn't pay enough attention to everyone's opinions. I am here now to tell you : From now on, I must try my best to use my will and fully respect your opinions. I want to tell you that you are all first-class counselors and generals in my Tang Dynasty, and each of you has very rich knowledge. Experience and extensive knowledge. From now on, your opinions will never be overturned by my willfulness. I will set up a rule for myself now: If I want to change anything that is settled in the future, I must first ask you opinion. I... this defeat, the lesson is too heavy!"

"Ah!" Fang Xuanling couldn't help shouting, he looked at Du Ruhui, looked at everyone, stepped forward excitedly and pulled Li Shimin, and said loudly: "King Qin, you have not failed, you have won a big battle, You just won another big victory! Ruhui, everyone, tell me, did King Qin win another big victory, a big victory that will guarantee eternal victory?"

"Yes, King Qin, our King Qin. I dare say that in this world, among the recorded princes, there is no king who is more tolerant of other people's opinions than you. If this is the case, there is no king in this world who can win more than you You are the king." Du Ruhui also stepped forward, took Li Shimin's hands, and said loudly: "Compared to what you know now, what is that failure? King Qin, you won! You finally won again! We will There are still too many battles to fight, I believe in you. With the understanding now, you will definitely be able to keep winning!
Changsun Wuji, Liu Wenjing, and Yin Kaishan were all happy when they heard this.Everyone walked towards Li Shimin, Hou Junji took the lead and shouted loudly:

"We won, our King Qin won again!"

After hearing this, everyone shouted in unison: "Win, win! Our King Qin has won again!"

"Yes, I lost and won again. The lesson of failure is so severe, and the victory to be won will be brilliant. Because, I have good brothers like you!" Li Shimin said excitedly, stretching his arms vigorously arms.When everyone saw it, they stretched out their arms, and hugged each other tightly, unwilling to let go for a long time.

"You have us brothers, and we brothers are also because of you. We are just stars, but you are the red sun in the east. We shine because of you, and we can shine our own dazzling light because of you." Fang Xuanling With tears in my eyes, I walked and said.

Everyone looked at Li Shimin, the frustration of failure was long gone, only the infinite longing and joy for a bright future.At this time, Zhang Heng, a guard from the palace, came with a special order from Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan to take away Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan.Seeing this, Shimin stepped forward slowly and said to Zhang Heng:
"Don't take Liu Nayan and Duke Chen there for now, wait until I go with you to report to Emperor Father, and it won't be too late to take them there then."

Zhang Heng listened, nodded in agreement, followed Li Shimin, and walked into the palace together.

60,

After Li Yuan sent Qin Wang Li Shimin as the marshal to attack Xue Rengao in the west, although he was more at ease.For the sake of safety, on the one hand, a special envoy was sent to Liangzhou to communicate with Li Gui in the Hexi area, so that he could restrain Xue Rengao from the west to advance east, so as to reduce the pressure in the Guanzhong area and ensure Li Shimin's victory in attacking Xue Ju in the west.

In order to be able to unite with Li Gui, Li Yuan, who had already become the emperor, repeated his old tricks and did not hesitate to humble himself in order to win the support of others.In a letter to Li Gui, the emperor called him "Congdi".As a result, Li Gui was very happy when he received the letter from "Brother Cong". He not only generously agreed to all the tasks assigned by Li Yuan, but also sent his younger brother Li Mao to Chang'an to express his friendship with the city.When Li Yuan met Li Mao, he worshiped him as a general.At the same time, Li Gui was enshrined as the governor of Liangzhou, and he was granted the title of king of Liangzhou.When the matter came to this place, Li Gui naturally tried his best to restrain Xue Rengao from the west to advance east.

For Li Shimin's victory in attacking Xue Ju in the west, Li Yuan worked hard with good intentions and tried his best to do everything that should be done, aiming to ensure Li Shimin's chances of winning more or less.Unexpectedly, just as Li Yuan was so pleased with himself, news came that Li Shimin had returned in defeat.Li Yuan was angry and annoyed, and even more worried.

Although he is said to be the emperor now, in the world at this time, there are Xue Ju, Liu Wuzhou and others who are also emperors at the same time. Even Li Gui, who is begging for perfection to Li Yuan, may come to be an emperor at any time.If Xue Ju can't be defeated, when Liu Wuzhou and Wang Shichong have settled, and then they come back to fight for the world with Li Yuan, things will be much more difficult.What's more, it was obviously a battle with a certain chance of winning, how could it be so messed up? !

Li Yuan really wanted to call Li Shimin over and scold him severely.But he held back, remembering what his son had done in the years since he raised his army. "He is simply a military genius. I can't blame him for this failure. What's more, this long-term battle to unify the world will require him to fight year after year." Li Yuan thought to himself: "I can't just stop here I want to give him some time to reflect on his self-confidence. Only when he knows what is wrong can he avoid repeating the same mistakes in future wars."

Thinking of this, Li Yuan gradually calmed down.He successively sent several counselors around Li Shimin to inquire about the situation in detail one by one.When he learned that Liu Wenjing, Yin Kaishan and others had supported Li Shimin and started a war with the enemy by mistake, he couldn't help being furious.Long Yan was furious and ordered Zhang Heng to arrest Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan immediately.

"I want to kill the chicken and show it to the monkey. This is good for Li Shimin's awakening." After Zhang Heng left, Li Yuan said to himself.

Soon, Zhang Heng came back, but did not bring Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan, but came in behind Li Shimin.After Li Shimin performed the big ceremony, Li Yuan nodded slightly to him, covered Zhang Heng with his eyes, clearly asking: "Where is the person I want you to bring?"
Zhang Heng knelt down on his knees in horror. He had worked in the palace for several years, and he knew deeply that when the emperor got angry, it was not a joke, he wanted to kill someone.His feet were shaking, and he looked at Li Shimin beggingly.

"Father, it was my son who asked him to keep Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan temporarily." Li Shimin said sincerely: "My son wants to clarify the truth first. call."

"Tell me what the truth is." Li Yuan looked at him coldly.

"Father, what happened is like this..." Li Shimin slowly narrated the real situation at that time: he talked about what he heard from the night watchmen when he visited the camp, how he changed his mind, how he summoned Liu Wenjing, Yin Kaishan, how to form an army to meet the enemy...

Listening, Li Yuan frowned more and more, and finally couldn't help it, and yelled loudly:

"Absurd, it's simply absurd. A marshal with more than [-] troops is acting so hastily! So reckless! Hearing the discussion of several soldiers, he actually..." Li Yuan was stunned and speechless for a while.After a long while, he said word by word: "Battle war is deceitful. If the enemy uses some tricks again, what will you do?"

Li Shimin remained silent, bowed his head, and stood respectfully in front of Li Yuan.Li Yuan was tired of cursing, so he stopped.Li Shimin was still like that, standing motionless.

"You...you...ah!" Li Yuan sighed heavily: "Tell me, what do you think now?"

"I know I was wrong." Li Shimin replied honestly.

"What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't be impulsive, and you shouldn't ignore the strategies that everyone has discussed."

Li Yuan raised his head and looked at Li Shimin quietly. Since he heard that Li Shimin was defeated until now, he has only breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

"A Confucian knows his mistakes and can correct them, so he can be taught. It seems that he is still worthy of a great job." Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin, thinking in his heart, and blurted out:
"What are you going to do now?"

"I beg my father to allow me to reorganize the army, and I will fight against Xue Ju in half a month."

"Are you sure you can beat him?"

Li Shimin nodded firmly.

"Okay, my son. Father, I will forgive you this time. This kind of thing is not allowed to happen again. Remember father's words, you have won a hundred times in wars, and if you lose once, It may never be won again. So, treat every war with caution. Understand?"

"My son understands. My son will never let this kind of thing happen again. But, my son still wants to ask Father, not to punish Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan for their crimes."

"This……"

"Father, please agree."

"Okay, I promise you." Li Yuan finally said helplessly.

(End of this chapter)