Chapter 6 Chapter IV Raising Preparations

When Li Yuan heard that the army was defeated in Mayi, he secretly complained, and hurried back to Taiyuan City with Liu Zhenghui and Tang Jian.Right now, although he is dissatisfied with the emperor, he also has objections in his heart, but he deeply feels that his strength is insufficient, so he needs to accumulate in secret.Shimin has recruited more than ten thousand soldiers and is stepping up his training. He himself raises money to support customers, and has made many heroes who are willing to do their best.However, everything is still in progress, and it still takes time to recruit more talents. He really doesn't want to turn against Emperor Sui Yang at this time, and make a target of public criticism.

When Li Yuan returned to the courtyard, he saw Gao Junya and Wang Rengong waiting there. Because of the defeat, Gao Junya had lost her usual arrogance and stood respectfully, waiting for Li Yuan to leave.Li Yuan knew that how to punish Gao Junya and Wang Rengong had to be decided by the emperor.It is very likely that the emperor will not deal with Gao Junya, but may take advantage of the defeat of Mayi to take advantage of himself.Thinking of this, I was startled, but walked up to Gao Junya with a smile, and said: "Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. I can only blame my poor arrangements. When the emperor convicts me, I, Li Yuan, will bear it."

Gao Junya usually insists that she is the emperor's confidant, and secretly entrusts the emperor with the order to supervise Li Yuan, so she doesn't respect Li Yuan very much.This time he defeated Mayi, and he pleaded for his life again.Originally thought that Li Yuan would definitely become angry, humiliate himself, and then hand it over to the emperor.Unexpectedly, Li Yuan didn't blame himself deeply, and said that the emperor's crimes were committed by Li Yuan.Gao Junya was so moved for a moment, her knees went limp, she knelt down in front of Li Yuan, and said in a sobbing voice, "I'm guilty."

"Deputy Gao, stay behind, please hurry up, let's discuss the remedy." Li Yuan said, taking a step forward, reaching out to support Gao Junya. Wang Rengong listened and watched, feeling deeply that Li Yuan was righteous, so he couldn't help but knelt down in front of Li Yuan.Li Yuan had just helped Gao Junya up, but when he saw Wang Rengong kneeling again, he felt amused in his heart, hesitated for a while, stepped forward to help Wang Rengong up, and said: "The prefect can return to Mayi quickly, and arrange the defense together with Li Jing. There should be no more mistakes. If the emperor sends someone here to investigate, Li Yuan will try his best to excuse the prefect."

When Wang Rengong heard this, he couldn't help but burst into tears of gratitude, and immediately got on his horse and rushed back to Mayi.Just as Wang Rengong left, the special envoy of Emperor Sui Yang arrived. Li Yuan, Wang Rengong and others knelt down to receive the imperial edict: "Execute Wang Rengong immediately, and send Li Yuan to Dongdu to face the saint." After listening to the imperial decree, Gao Junya hurriedly said to the special envoy before Li Yuan could speak: "Now Taiyuan is extremely unstable, and Li Liushou must not leave. I am willing to go to the Eastern Capital with the special envoy, and face the Holy Lord, and lead Mayi to the crime of defeat."

Hearing the words, the special envoy thought for a while, nodded to Li Yuan, and said, "Stay behind and take care, I will take Deputy Gao to stay behind and go to face the saint." "Thank you, thank you!" Li Yuan bowed his hands and sent Gao Junya and the special envoy away. Back in the mansion, Li Yuan summoned Li Shimin, Pei Ji, Liu Zhenghui, and Tang Jian to discuss countermeasures.Li Yuan guessed how Emperor Sui Yang would deal with him in the next step, but he was not very sure, so he first asked for everyone's opinions. "I think there are three possibilities." Liu Zhenghui said: "First, the emperor wanted to take you to Dongdu, but it was just a moment of anger, which made you a false alarm, and then everything returned to the original state; This will hit you hard and cut off your military power; thirdly, the emperor may take this opportunity to kill again."

"I don't think things will be so serious. Now the world is in chaos and the emperor is surrounded by enemies. He won't do anything to stay behind. It should be the first possibility." Tang Jian took Liu Zhenghui's words. "Not necessarily, the emperor does not recognize his six relatives, and he was suspicious of his father before..." Li Shimin said, looking at his father. After hearing this, Li Yuan nodded slightly, feeling that his second son was expressing his worries, he couldn't help but sighed a long time.Seeing him, Pei Ji was about to speak, but was stopped by Li Yuan.With another long sigh, Li Yuan said sadly:

"I don't have any other worries, I just worry that my family will be ruined and I will laugh for the hero." Li Shimin stood up when he heard this, and said: "My father feels the same. Now Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty is immoral and immoral, the people are poor, and the outside of Taiyuan City is already a place of war. If we only know how to be loyal to the Sui Dynasty, we will not be able to calm down the people. The chaos caused by the incident was punished by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, which harmed himself and was of no benefit to the country. It is better to respond to the trend, follow the people's will, raise troops and raise troubles, and you can turn disaster into blessing and create some fame."

When everyone heard this, their emotions were high and they responded one after another.Liu Zhenghui, in particular, raised his hands and said: "What the Second Young Master said is to the point. The most urgent thing at the moment is to raise troops to fight. The reputation of staying behind, with heavy soldiers in hand, only needs to climb up and shout, and there will be like clouds..." "That's all." Li Yuan glared at Liu Zhenghui, motioning him to stop talking.Then he shook his head noncommittally, and said: "No one needs to mention the four words "raising troops and raising troubles" from now on. No matter where you are, you must remember: don't mention it! Otherwise, don't blame Ben for staying behind and showing no mercy."

Li Shimin couldn't persuade Li Yuan to raise troops immediately, worried in his heart, and returned to the mansion without saying a word.When Changsun met, he asked about the situation and said to him, "Why don't you call all your brothers and discuss it together. I believe there will be a good solution." Li Shimin listened, and hurriedly recruited Wuji, Liu Hongji, Shunde,?Hou Junji, Duan Zhixuan, Yin Kaishan and others discussed the countermeasures.Wuji said: "The problem of staying behind is that the power is not strong enough, so it is hesitant." "That's right, but now the emperor is going to attack him, I'm afraid it will be too late and he will be more passive." Changsun Shunde said.

"We are all juniors, and we are left behind and have our own opinions. I'm afraid we can't persuade them." Liu Hongji said. "For this matter, I'm afraid the second son can only do his best to persuade him to stay behind." Hou Junji said bluntly. After hearing this, Li Shimin didn't groan. After thinking for a while, he thought of Liu Wenjing and said, "Okay, let me think of a way to do this. I want to go to the Taiyuan Prison again to see Liu Wenjing. This person I like I have been in contact with him a few times, and he is very insightful about the political situation. My father has a deep affection for him, and he also knows my father very well. Maybe he can do something to persuade my father to act as soon as possible." "Okay, I'll go with you." Hou Junji said. "You, and Wuji all come with me, the three of us are together, so we can discuss things together." When the sun was about to set in the afternoon, Li Shimin brought Hou Junji and Changsun Wuji to the familiar prison.Because of Li Shimin's greeting, not only did Liu Wenjing not suffer any severe beatings, but the food was pretty good.At this moment, he was slowly chewing a crispy yellow chicken leg, when he saw Li Shimin coming in, he hurriedly put the chicken leg to greet him. Li Shimin sat down, filled the table with the food and wine he had brought, poured two glasses of wine, handed one to Liu Wenjing and said: "The county minister is suffering." "Where, where! Thanks to the care of the second son, it is very quiet." "That's good!" "Did the second son come here this time, did something just happen outside?" Liu Wenjing asked, staring at Li Shimin. "Exactly." Facing Liu Wenjing's gaze, Li Shimin replied: "Half a month ago, the Turkic soldiers surrounded Mayi, and my father led Gao Junya to lead the troops to rescue them. Who knew that they were defeated by the Turks, causing heavy casualties to the troops. The emperor learned that a special envoy was sent yesterday to execute Mayi prefect Wang Rengong, and he also wanted his father to go to the Eastern Capital to accept the crime." "Why, stayed behind and went to Dongdu?" Liu Wenjing couldn't help asking nervously. "No, it's thanks to Gao Junya who voluntarily went to Dongdu to face the saint, so father can stay in Taiyuan temporarily." "Gao Junya volunteered to go to Dongdu?" Liu Wenjing asked Li Shimin. "Yes, when the special envoy read out the imperial edict, my father was going to go with the special envoy, but Gao Junya stood up and persuaded the special envoy." "Being a stay-at-home man won the hearts of the people. Even the emperor's cronies would speak for him in this way. He is really a leader!" Liu Wenjing said with emotion.He let out a long sigh of relief. "However, the Sacred Heart is unpredictable. Gao Junya may not be able to convince the emperor to rest assured of his father if he goes here. Maybe there will be another disaster in a few days." Li Shimin said worriedly. "It's easy to handle, as long as you don't let the disaster come." Liu Wenjing said confidently: "Now Emperor Yang is far away in Yangzhou, and rebels are everywhere. It is said that Li Mi is leading the Wagang Army to attack Luoyang. If it is true, the emperor will not take care of himself." Ya, how dare you make trouble again? As long as you stay in Taiyuan and raise your arms, within a few days, tens of thousands of troops will be gathered, and when the time comes, they will march into Guanzhong and take over the world with ease." When Shimin heard this, his face burst into a smile, but then it dimmed again.Liu Wenjing saw her and hurriedly asked: "Is there anything else?" Li Shimin nodded and said: "The minister's opinion is exactly what I want. It's a pity that my father doesn't want to fight for a while. I'm afraid that something will happen in time and I will be passive." "I don't want to be a soldier for a while, what about the people around you?" Liu Wenjing asked. "They all agree with you and me." "Where's Jinyang Palace Supervisor Pei Ji?" "Pei Ji?" "Yes! Pei Ji. As long as he thinks it's better to raise troops as soon as possible, things will be much easier." Liu Wenjing said confidently. "If that's the case, I can go and convince Pei Ji first." Li Shimin said. "Are you sure?" "It should be possible. Pei Ji doesn't just want to be a palace supervisor. Besides, if something happens to father, he doesn't have to be a palace supervisor." "Yes, that's right." Liu Wenjing looked at Li Shimin excitedly and said, "Your analysis is very good. I think you will be able to convince Pei Ji. Once you convince Pei Ji, things will be easy. I have known you for so long I know that he has a resolute personality and has his own opinions on everything. It is difficult for others to change him when he considers good things. However, he can listen to Pei Ji's opinion. Even if he has a different opinion from Pei Ji, I believe Pei Ji can still persuade him. " "Really?" Li Shimin was very happy when he heard that. "Really, go back quickly, convince Pei Ji, ask him to help you, and convince your father." "Okay, I'll take my leave now. I'll be the first to pick you up when the army starts. Take care, Shimin is gone." "Second Young Master, hurry up, I'll wait for your good news here." When Li Shimin returned to the mansion, he asked Changsun to prepare a lot of food and wine, and went to Jinyang Palace himself to invite Pei Ji to the family banquet.Seeing that Li Shimin was extremely cautious, Pei Ji couldn't help asking again and again: "What's the matter?" Li Shimin smiled but didn't answer, insisting on asking him to go.Pei Ji admired Li Shimin very much, but also hindered Li Yuan's face.He didn't ask any more questions, and followed Shimin to the mansion. Mrs. Changsun personally took the cup and poured wine for Pei Ji.Pei Ji took the wine, looked at Li Shimin and said: "What is the matter, the second son needs to explain first, otherwise, this wine will really be undrinkable." "It's about the life and death of my Li family. I want to ask the palace supervisor to settle it." "Is it a matter of life and death for the Li family? Can I settle it?" Pei Ji put down his glass and looked at Li Shimin uneasily. "It's none other than you." Li Shimin said with a smile, "As long as you try your best, you will definitely be able to do it." "Second Young Master, tell me quickly, what exactly is it? As long as I, Pei Ji, can do it, I will be smashed to pieces." Li Shimin frowned, slowly put down his wine glass, and said: "Now that Mayi has been defeated, my father has been transferred to the Eastern Capital. Although I have to stay behind Gao Junya to face the saint, I can only postpone the emergency for a while. The emperor may at any time Another murderous plan, my father may encounter misfortune at any time. This really makes people feel like they are sitting on pins and needles, and there is no rush. But on the other hand, it is actually a god-sent opportunity, as long as the father is willing to stand up and raise his arms Huh, there will be a lot of people who will definitely respond. Not only will you be able to avoid being killed by others, but you will also be able to accomplish something earth-shattering. It’s just that my father has too many scruples and is still hesitating. If this continues, the emperor will take action. Father's situation must be in dire straits. It will harm himself, not to mention our family members, but also many good brothers like you who are close friends with him. For this reason, Shimin invited the palace supervisor to explain the matter I implore the palace supervisor to come forward and convince my father." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass again, looked at Pei Ji expectantly, and said, "Shimin's words have been exhausted, if the palace supervisor agrees, please drink this glass of wine." Pei Ji pondered for a while, then suddenly picked up the wine glass, drank it down, and said: "I admire Liushou as a man very much. I think Liushou, who is not a person in the pool, will do something earth-shattering. However, he has his own way of doing things. Principles and insights, to convince him, you have to devise a plan." Having said that, Pei Ji raised his head, looked at Shimin, and then at Changsun. "Retire first for my wife, and ask Pei Gongjian to teach the people a lot so that he can help father out of the predicament." Mrs. Changsun stood up and saluted, and left after speaking. Pei Ji looked after Changsun, nodded frequently, and then whispered into Li Shimin's ear, telling his plan in detail.Li Shimin listened, nodded with a wry smile and said: "Although this plan is a bit nasty, but a man should do things in order to achieve his goal, and he should be careless. What's more, it is for the future of my Li family, so that's the only way to go." It turned out that Pei Ji and Li Yuan had known each other for a long time, and Li Yuan had nothing to say to him, so he was very clear about Li Yuan's thoughts.From the point of view of being an official, Li Yuan is indeed a decent person, and he is not that greedy for women.But he is a big man after all, when he entered Jinyang Palace for the first time, he acted unnaturally when he met the two beauties who were one of the best in the palace.Pei Ji knew that he was moved, and he didn't dare to reveal the matter to the emperor's face.Now, since he wants to fight against the emperor, why not take his women?Thinking of this, Pei Ji secretly felt complacent.This is a way to kill two birds with one stone, Pei Ji is full of hope for his own ideas. At noon the next day, Pei Ji hosted a banquet in Jinyang Palace and invited Li Yuan to drink.Li Yuan was upset at first, but Pei Ji persuaded him enthusiastically, and Li Yuan appreciated it.This time, not only was the food and wine particularly plentiful, Pei Ji also specially arranged for Sui Yang Emperor's most favored two beauties, Shuzhen and Shuhui, to accompany him.Li Yuan saw these two long-awaited beauties, although his eyes lit up and his heart was full of enthusiasm, but when he thought of Emperor Sui Yang, he became timid and said solemnly to Pei Ji: "How can this be done, let them retreat." Pei Ji pretended to be helpless, and said to Shuzhen and Shuhui, "I can't help it if I don't like you." "Who doesn't like it, it's just..." "Since you like it, why make things difficult for Palace Supervisor Pei?" The two beauties were very enthusiastic, hugging left and right, and surrounded Li Yuan in their clouds.Li Yuan felt the sultry woman's breath, smelled the fragrance of their flesh, and heard his heart beating non-stop.While struggling, I heard Shuzhen's Yingying words again: "Please don't dislike staying behind, it's Shuzhen's voluntary choice. From the first time I saw Liushou, Shuzhen's heart has always been left behind." Shuhui was more honest, she didn't know how to speak very much, so she took Li Yuan's hand and gently rubbed her breasts.Li Yuan was drunk, but sober again, and boldly said: "Okay, I will let you two stay with me, and we will drink together. If the emperor blames me in the future, I will accept the crime together with you." "Look at what you said, there are only the four of us here, and the rest are only heaven and earth. Could it be that Pei Gongjian will betray us?" Shuzhen said with a smile. "If you want to betray us, we'll say you arranged it." Shuhui pointed at Pei Ji and said. "I, betrayed?" Pei Ji laughed, raised his glass and said, "Good night, fine wine, beautiful woman. Come on, if you don't drink, God will laugh at us!" "Drink!" Li Yuan picked up the wine glass and drank it down. By the time the sun was about to set, Li Yuan was already very drunk.Under Pei Ji's signal, the two beauties helped Li Yuan to their bedroom.Both Shuzhen and Shuhui were selected into the palace by one in a million.They were both only thirteen years old at the time.In the blink of an eye, five years have passed, only after Emperor Sui Yang passed through Yanmen Pass once.That time, Emperor Yang personally watched them, picked them out of five hundred court ladies, nourished them all night, and left early the next morning.Before leaving, I said like all clients: I will come to see you when I have time!The result is still gone.Although they didn't wait for the emperor, but because of the first time, they felt that they suddenly grew up a lot.At the age of twenty-eight, with the beauty of the sky and the country, she can only be bored in the Jinyang Palace, guarding the empty space alone.Although rich in clothes and fine food, they cannot enjoy human nature. Feeling panicked, Pei Ji came to discuss with them about serving Li Yuan.After hearing Pei Ji's plan and arrangement, and seeing Li Yuan's handsome appearance, the two of them had already felt like spring water, turbulent.Seeing that Li Yuan was very drunk, he followed Pei Ji's instructions and laid Li Yuan on their bed, embracing and flirting with each other from left to right.Although Li Yuan was drunk, his instincts were not lost.He has just arrived in the year of destiny, and has been very busy with business affairs for a few days. Li Yuan doesn't care about men and women.So he resorted to the horse-riding skills passed down from the Li family's ancestors, turned over, "grabbed" and then "stabbed", and "killed" until the two beauties were in full bloom, shouting heaven and earth. "Compared to the emperor, how will it be?" Li Yuan asked proudly. "It's cool, it's ten times better." Shuhui, who was not very good at talking, answered bluntly with half-closed eyes. Li Yuan laughed out loud when he heard this, then fell down and fell asleep soundly. When Li Yuan woke up, it was already daylight, and he saw two beauties looking at him with admiration. He closed his eyes and thought, what happened last night was vivid in his memory, and he couldn't help being shocked. "Pei Ji harmed me, and Pei Ji harmed me!" Li Yuan shouted while hurriedly getting dressed and walking out of the beauty's bedroom.Seeing that Pei Ji was already there to meet him, he couldn't help yelling: "Pei Ji, why did you hurt me?" "Please stay behind to appease your anger. There is nothing Pei Ji can do about it." "How do you say that?" "In the past few days, I saw that the left behind was unhappy, so I had to use this to make the left behind happy." "Happy, Concubine of the Su Emperor, do you know what crime this is?" "No crime?" "You also said that this is obviously a serious crime to kill the nine clans." "Who else can kill you. If you stay behind and take advantage of this to raise troops, what can the emperor do against you?" "you!" "Now the Lord has lost his virtue, the world is full of turmoil, and the country of the Sui Dynasty is on the verge of collapse. The emperor is suspicious of you again, and sooner or later he wants to stay behind to die. When things have come to such a situation, staying behind even if you care about the details will not help the matter. In the end, it will only harm the world and yourself. If you stay behind and raise an army, you can end the turmoil in the world and return peace to the people; Pei Ji begs to stay behind and don't hesitate any longer." After hearing this, Li Yuan shook his head and went back to the left-behind mansion, closed the door and thought for three days, then recruited Li Shimin and Pei Ji, and said firmly: "I have made up my mind, and I am determined to raise troops immediately!" Li Yuan was determined to raise troops, and sent someone to quietly release Liu Wenjing from Taiyuan Prison.In Jinyang Palace, together with Li Shimin, Pei Ji, Tang Jian, Liu Zhenghui, as well as Changsun Wuji, Hou Junji, Changsun Shunde, Liu Hongji, etc., they secretly discussed the matter of raising troops.Li Yuan first said: "Although I stay in Taiyuan and have heavy soldiers in my hands, the emperor's army is still in front of me, and it is not my banished lineage. If there is any danger, it is difficult to fight the enemy with one heart. Therefore, if you want to make trouble, first We need a strong relegation army. Only in this way can we fight against powerful enemies from all directions and finally capture Chang'an. Now, thanks to the efforts of Shunde, Hongji, Yin Kaishan and Duan Zhixuan, Shimin has more than ten thousand soldiers However, due to the small number of these soldiers, insufficient training, and more importantly, they have no actual combat experience, so their strength is still too weak. The top priority: first, strengthen the training of recruits, and second, quickly expand the force. Only in this way , so that we can form a relatively large and powerful army of our own as soon as possible. After we raise our troops, we will be invincible. On this matter, please come and discuss together, who has Goodbye, please clarify." After Li Yuan finished speaking, he looked at the crowd.Pei Ji stood up and said: "This matter really needs to be carefully considered. If you openly recruit soldiers, you must arouse the suspicion of the emperor's cronies who stay around, expose the target too early, and cause unnecessary trouble; if you don't make it public, how can you recruit soldiers? "Pei Ji said, and looked at Liu Zhenghui. "I have a plan, but I don't know if it's feasible?" Liu Zheng smiled knowingly at Pei Ji, looked at Li Yuan and asked. "What's the trick, tell me quickly." "Now your majesty is thousands of miles away. Even if I have planted anti-Sui flags all over here, he may not be able to know. The reason why he can know everything about us is because he has many eyes and ears. If we make a sudden attack , his eyes and ears..." When Liu Zhenghui said this, he wiped his neck with his hand, making a murderous gesture. "This matter is absolutely impossible." Li Yuan said: "The emperor is not an idle person. The cronies he has placed by my side must be open and secret. It is difficult for us to catch them all. If we massacre them, even if we kill ninety-nine people , As long as one person exposes the net, he will be fully exposed." "Yes, you can't act recklessly in this matter." Pei Ji agreed, "We still need to think of a better strategy." "I think it can be like this?" Liu Wenjing, who has been listening carefully, looked at Li Yuan and said, "Since it is difficult to eliminate the traitors who stay by our side for a while, we might as well use our plan. In the name of the emperor, we will forge an edict and carry out conscription. Those traitors who know It’s the emperor’s decree, so don’t doubt it, even if you have doubts, you can only go to Dongdu secretly to find out the truth. After they clarify the situation, wouldn’t we have already completed the work here.” "Wonderful." Although Pei Ji was not very friendly with Liu Wenjing, but out of his loyalty to Li Yuan, he couldn't help clapping his hands and praising him. Hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help standing up and saying, "Father, I think this method is feasible. As long as we gain a certain amount of time, we have a strong army of our own. It doesn't matter if the emperor knows about it by then." "Okay!" Li Yuan nodded, and said, "Magistrate Liu should not show his face for the time being. I will ask Tang Jian to assist you in this matter. One of you will be in the open and the other will be in the dark. The county magistrate Liu will make specific arrangements." The next day, Tang Jian took Liu Wenjing's forged edict, saying that he would conscript men aged 20 to 50 from Taiyuan, Fenyang, Yanmen and other places to conquer Korea.In less than three days, more than 20,000 soldiers were recruited, and people panicked. They all scolded Emperor Sui Yang for being too bloodthirsty and completely disregarding the suffering of the people. Seeing Li Yuan, he was secretly happy in his heart, and asked Li Shimin and others to step up training the recruits.At this moment, news came from Chang'an that Princess Pingyang was going to marry Chai Shao, and he, the father, was invited to attend the wedding. Li Yuan's son-in-law, Chai Shao, whose name is Sichang, is from Linfen, Jinzhou.Chai Shao's grandfather, Chai Lie, was a general of Hushi in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and was granted the title of Duke of Champion County; his father, Chai Shen, was the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, and was named Duke of Julu County.Chai Shao was born in the general family and received good training since he was a child. He not only has courage and strength, but also can restrain the strong and help the weak. He was very famous when he was young.Dou fell in love with Chai Shao at first glance before he was alive, and after discussing with Li Yuan, he arranged this marriage for his daughter.Li Yuan almost forgot about it because he was busy with his official duties.Fortunately, Chai Shao himself did not forget it. Seeing that the previous engagement date had arrived, he sent someone to tell Li Yuan that he, Chai Shao, had decided to get married in the near future, when Pingyang turned thirteen years old.For his daughter's wedding, Li Yuan naturally wanted to go very much.However, facing all these things now, how can Li Yuan go?Li Yuan thought about it again and again, but he couldn't do anything, so he found Li Shimin again and said: "My son, your father should go to the important matter of your Pingyang sister's marriage. But right now, I really can't escape here, so I ask you to do it for my father and go to Chang'an." Li Shimin has a deep relationship with Sister Pingyang and his younger brothers, and he wants to go to Chang'an from the bottom of his heart to see his younger sister, Xuanba and Yuanji.However, Shimin felt a little regretful that his father would not go to his sister's big wedding, so he looked at his father with some embarrassment.Seeing this, Li Yuan knew Shimin's heart, heaved a long sigh, and said: "Father really wants to go, and misses the marriages of his children time and time again, even your mother's death... Sigh!" Shimin saw that his father's eyes were red and he was about to shed tears, so he said sensiblely, "Father, don't be sad about these things. The child will obey the father's order and go to Chang'an to marry the younger sister." After hearing this, Li Yuan nodded silently. The original defenders of Jinyang were the emperor's relegation line. Although Li Yuan stayed behind, it could not affect the army's loyalty to the emperor.But now, due to Liu Wenjing's false edict to recruit troops, not only more than 20,000 soldiers were recruited, which angered the people and caused complaints from the army.On this day, when Wang Wei inspected the army, he found someone who publicly cursed the emperor, so he was tied up and taken to the tent where he stayed. Li Yuan looked at the tied officer seriously.Said to Wang Wei: "If you have to go to work first, I will definitely punish you severely when I ask about the situation." After hearing this, Wang Wei hesitated for a while and had no choice but to leave.As soon as Wang Wei left, Li Yuan asked someone to untie the officer, sighed and said: "Go ahead, I can understand your feelings, but you must be careful in your words and deeds in the future, and don't let Wang Wei and the others know that you have returned without incident." The officer knelt down and looked at Li Yuan gratefully. At this moment, someone came to report: Mayi County Prime Minister Li Jing asked to see him. After hearing this, Li Yuan waved to the officer, thinking: "Li Jing is not in Mayi, but why did he come here suddenly? Maybe it's another Turkic attack?" Just as he was thinking, Li Jing came in with ragged clothes and muddy water. When Li Yuan saw him, he was shocked and asked: "Why is the governor like this?" Seeing the question, Li Jing sighed, and told Li Yuan about the chaos that happened in Mayi. It turned out that the school lieutenant Liu Wuzhou once went to the prefect's mansion to ask for orders, and he fell in love with one of Wang Rengong's maidservants. At that time, the two were flirting with each other.In this way, the two committed adultery many times, and finally revealed the clues.Liu Wuzhou was worried about Wang Rengong's severe punishment, so he decided to act first and rebel.He personally led dozens of soldiers, broke into the prefect's mansion, killed Wang Rengong with his own hands, and then raised the flag to revolt, claiming to be the Son of Heaven, and the country was called Dingyang. When Li Yuan heard this, his surprise turned into joy, but he could only hold it in his heart, because he knew that Li Jing was absolutely loyal to Sui Yang Emperor.He stroked his beard, tried to calm down, thought for a while, and made up his mind: "Lord Li is tired all the way, go and rest." Li Yuan said to Li Jing: "Let me handle the matter of Mayi." "If we send troops now, I can go to Mayi as an internal response." Li Jing suggested. "Understood, wait for me to discuss first. If you need Master Li, I will send someone to invite you immediately." After Li Yuan finished speaking, he looked at Li Jing politely, seeing that he was about to speak, he immediately stopped him with gestures, and then told his attendants, "Hurry up, take Master Li to rest." Li Jing is well versed in military affairs, originally he still had many suggestions to say, but Li Yuan was like this, so he had no choice but to obey.Follow the attendant and go to the post house to rest. After Li Jing left, Li Yuan immediately had people summon Pei Ji, Liu Wenjing and others to discuss.After introducing Mayi's situation, Li Yuan said proudly: "I think this is a great opportunity from heaven. How much power does Liu Wuzhou have? He is a villain who is called king and emperor just after the incident. And we can use the name of crusade against Liu Wuzhou to recruit troops from all walks of life with great fanfare. , to further expand its strength." Pei Ji, Liu Wenjing and the others were overjoyed after hearing this, and agreed that Li Yuan's analysis was accurate, and that this was indeed a god-sent opportunity to further expand his strength.After listening to everyone's opinions, Li Yuan said: "Since this is the case, let's discuss it again and come up with a specific strategy for the second major recruitment. What I mean is: this time, we will not only recruit new soldiers, but more importantly, recruit small troops from nearby places." As a result, everything proceeded in an orderly manner according to Li Yuan's opinion.In less than a few days, tens of thousands of people joined the army directly controlled by Li Yuan.Li Yuan was overjoyed, in Jinyang Palace, drinking and talking with Pei Ji, he didn't realize it was sunset again.Seeing that Li Yuan was happy, Pei Ji looked at him and said, "Should I call the two beauties Shuzhen and Shuhui over again, so that I can stay and have fun?" Li Yuan narrowed his eyes when he heard this, and was about to speak when Tang Jian hurried over, met Li Yuan and said: "Stay behind, Gao Junya has returned, he wants to see you." "Did he come back alone, or..." "He's the only one. I think he looks relaxed. He probably brought good news to the left behind." "Anyway, I have to go and see you." After Li Yuan finished speaking, he stood up. "It's really disappointing that the senior deputy stayed behind, but it's a pity..." Pei Ji said with a smile. "The future will be long, I'll go." Li Yuan smiled boldly, nodded to Pei Ji, and quickly walked out of Jinyang Palace with Tang Jian, went to the proud son waiting outside, and soon came to Liushou Mansion. Gao Junya and Wang Wei were waiting in front of the mansion earlier, when they saw Li Yuan, they rushed up to meet him, and said proudly: "Trust Hong Fu to stay behind, everything will be done." "It's all done?" Li Yuan nodded pretending to be pleasantly surprised, and said, "Thank you, please come into the mansion to talk." The four of them entered the mansion and sat down. Gao Junya said, "Thanks to the emperor's grace, I will not be held accountable for the defeat of Mayi, and of course I will not be held accountable for the left-behind servants. He also spared Wang Rengong's death penalty and let him perform his crimes." .” "Thanks to the emperor for his generosity, the emperor's kindness is so great!" Li Yuan said with emotion, and sighed pretentiously: "It's a pity that Wang Rengong has already become a ghost under the knife and died at the hands of one of his school guards." Already!" "This is really a loss for us at the Sui Dynasty, and it is also Wang Rengong's misfortune." Gao Junya said. "Why, you already know?" Li Yuan glanced at Wang Wei and asked pretending to be surprised. "Understood, Wang Fu stayed behind and told me to listen. It's only because of benevolence and respect, that he is not blessed to enjoy the emperor's grace; he is also to blame... Sigh, why did you let a subordinate commit adultery with your maid?" "Yeah, he is not blessed, and he is a bit self-inflicted." Li Yuan said: "I am blessed to enjoy the grace of the emperor, and I really want to thank Jun Ya for her righteous words and excuse me from guilt. I want to welcome Jun Ya to show my gratitude I mean." At this point, Li Yuan shouted: "Come here, prepare the food and wine." After hearing this, Gao Junya smiled complacently at Wang Wei.During the dinner, Li Yuan said to Gao Junya and Wang Wei: "Now that Liu Zhouwu is rebellious and proclaimed the emperor, he is coming in a menacing way, and he intends to replace the great Sui Dynasty. We must guard against it." "For a small military officer like him, it's really beyond his capabilities for such a small county to turn the world over." Wang Wei said angrily. "Having said that, it's just that there are too many rebels now, and it's not easy to add him to the crusade. As important ministers of the country, we can't make any mistakes. If there are mistakes, how can we be worthy of the emperor? " "Yeah, that's right. If there is a mistake, how can you be worthy of the emperor?" Gao Junya agreed, not daring to make up her own mind. "I originally wanted to send troops to Mayi to wipe out Liu Wuzhou's army, but I heard that he surrendered to the Turks. Liu Wuzhou has the support of the Turks. At present, there is a shortage of major generals in Taiyuan. Mayi is not easy to win. I want to recruit some The army is also afraid that the emperor will blame us, so I would like to ask you two, how to deal with this matter?" "I don't know what worries about staying behind?" Gao Junya asked. "Both of you know that when the court uses troops, its actions are based on restraint. Now Mayi is rebelling, and the incident happened suddenly, hundreds of miles away. Now the emperor is thousands of miles away. What's more difficult is that the road along the way is dangerous, everywhere Anti-thief. In this serious situation, please die!" Gao Junya heard this, and said: "The stay-at-home is a relative of the emperor and a loyal minister. Now when dealing with the rebels, you should be able to decide for yourself. After the rebels are wiped out, I will report back to the emperor." Li Yuan was secretly happy when he heard this, and said: "The top priority is to mobilize troops vigorously, and secondly, to adjust the deployment of the army so as to wipe out the rebels." "Everything is up to those who stay behind." Gao Junya and Wang Wei said at the same time. Li Yuan laughed in his heart when he heard this. Li Yuan waited for Gao Junya and Wang Wei to leave, and leisurely went to Jinyang Palace in arrogance. At this time, Li Shimin had returned from Chang'an, and was waiting with Liu Wenjing, Pei Ji, Changsun Shunde, Yin Kaishan and others. "It's as one wishes." Li Yuan said, unable to restrain the joy in his heart. "Could it be that Gao Junya and Wang Wei agreed to conscription?" Pei Ji asked. "Not only the conscription, but also the adjustment of the deployment of the army, they have no scruples." After Li Yuan said, he laughed.When everyone saw it, they couldn't help laughing. "Now, I'll adjust the deployment of the army: Chang Sun Shunde will be the commanding army, Liu Hongji will be the deputy commanding army, and Yin Kaishan will be the head of the Metropolitan Government..." Li Yuan loudly announced the new appointment, and in the name of adjusting the deployment of the army, he adjusted and replaced officers at all levels in the army, and placed his cronies in the army to hold important positions. "That's great!" After listening to Li Yuan's reading, Pei Ji slapped the table happily, and said with a smile on his face: "In this way, the power of soldiers and horses, armored staffs, military defense opportunities, recruitment and rewards, military and civilian conscripts, and so on will all be in the hands of the people. Stay in control." "Yes, in this way, we will have a team under direct control and command." Changsun Shunde nodded in agreement. "However, with such an adjustment arrangement, will Gao Junya and Wang Wei be suspicious?" Yin Kaishan said worriedly. "Even if they are suspicious, we have to do this." Li Shimin said decisively: "We must have our own main force if we want to make great achievements." "Shimin is right, this time we can't take care of a lot, the arrow is on the string, we have to shoot!" Li Yuan said. "Gao Junya and Wang Wei are really suspicious. When they want to attack us, we will kill them first." Li Shimin's words were full of pride. Everything was properly arranged, Li Shimin and Hou Junji came out of Jinyang Palace talking and laughing. "This time I can finally give it a go, how refreshing!" Hou Junji said cheerfully. Li Shimin was about to speak, when he suddenly found Li Jing passing by, and hurriedly touched Hou Junji with his lining.When Li Jing left in a hurry, Li Shimin shook his head at Hou Junji and said, "He must have heard what you said just now." "I didn't say anything, even if he heard..." “不，你不知道。依我看来，李靖是非常聪明的人，就凭你刚才一言，定可使他对我等产生怀疑。” “唉，都怪我。”侯君集一拍自己的脑袋。 “君集不要自责，人非圣贤，孰能无过，这只怪我没有早一点嘱咐你。今后大家都要记住：在任何场合中，不要有半点得意的言语行动，否则必招来祸患。” “这事，怎么办，我去杀了李靖？”侯君集问。 “不可，只要派人盯住他就行。” 李靖本是闲得无事随处走走，不想竟遇见李世民与他的慕僚们从晋阳宫走出，还听了侯君集说出那样的话。李靖确实是聪明之人，当时就感到不妥，回家想想，更感到其中必有缘由，于是开始暗中了解查访李家父子的所为。当他知道李渊接连征兵时，不由大吃一惊。 “李渊意欲谋反，此事已明。”李靖在心里对自己说，却又苦于无人相告。如今的他，只不过是个败兵之将，无路可走，闲居于此，又见高君雅、王威与李渊关系密切，实在摸不清他们是不是一伙，因此也不敢对谁去讲这件事。 “看来，我只能前往扬州，面见圣上，告发此事了。”李靖是个敢作敢为的人，想法已定，便连夜出了太原，直奔扬州而去。侯君集派出的暗探，很快发现了李靖的踪迹。侯君集得知李靖南下扬州后，立即告诉李世民。 “此事不足为虑。”李世民微笑着说：“如今兵荒马乱，他李靖一时走不到扬州。你看呢？”他问侯君集。 “是不可能走到扬州，待他走到了，怕是我们早拿下了长安城。”侯君集哈哈一笑说。 "Are you so confident?" “我认为长安迟早归我们拿下。不过，我认为，李靖既然如此，不管他能否走到扬州，我们还是把他杀了算了。” “不行！”李世民对侯君集说：“我们不能滥杀忠臣，象李靖这样的人，迟早会为我所用的，你不要去管他。你现在最重要的事情，就是对王威和高君雅，严加监视，一有异常，即来报我。” 太原副留守高君雅因马邑兵败，李渊不落井下石反而愿为其承担责任，由此对李渊产生好感。从扬州回来，高君雅更加信任李渊，可是听李渊宣读了新的军官任命之后，立即发觉问题很大。因为在李渊新的军官任命书中，不但削夺了他与王威参与军机要务的权利，还将长孙顺德、刘弘基、殷开山等人委以重任，掌握兵权，不由大惊，对王威说： “长孙顺德和刘弘基都是私自逃离战场的罪犯，李渊不但不予以治罪，还让他领兵，这是何故？” “我认为，李渊必反无疑。”王威说。 “这可如何应对是好？” “如今皇上远在千里之外，沿途又战乱四起，赴扬州面圣，恐难成行”王威说：“只是这里事情严重，如不果断行事，李渊一但谋逆，怎么对处住皇上？” “是啊，到时候，我俩命也休矣！” “既然如此，不如拼死一搏，若能成功，既对得住皇上，又保住了我们的性命。到时候，太原为我俩掌控，岂不是赢得一世英明。” “只是如何拼死一搏，你可有主意？”高君雅问得很急切。 王威听了，微微一笑，说：“这里的乡长刘世龙，手里有上千的精兵，我与他很早就认识，现在可以进一步施恩于他，利用李渊在晋祠求雨之机，使刘世龙伏兵杀了李渊，以清君则。” 高君雅听了，沉思片刻，缓缓点头，说：“王副留守之计甚妙，只是刘世龙能否为我所用？” “重赏之下，必有勇夫。以你我的身份，给尽他好处，能不为所动。” “既然如此，我们需得迅速行动起来。” 于是，王威命人召来刘世龙，言说李渊欲谋反之事，承诺刘世龙若杀了李渊，他二人必在皇上面前力保他为太原令。刘世龙听了，果然感激涕零，对着王威，瞌头发誓：不杀李渊，誓不为人。 “既如此，你可速去准备，兵伏晋祠，待明日李渊来时，杀之。” 刘世龙领命前去，高君雅与王威开怀畅饮，只等明日诛杀李渊，夺得这天大的功劳，到皇上那儿请功。正相互庆贺，畅谈美好前程时，有留守府唐俭前来，请高、王二人前去府中议事。 高、王二人相顾一看，随了唐俭，来到府中。李渊见了笑脸相迎，正要开口，忽见刘文静领刘政会上来，口称有密状要给李渊。 “快呈上来！”李渊对高、王二人笑笑，吩咐道。 “下官要告的是高、王两位副留守，还请留守亲自过目。”刘会政大声说。 “告高、王两位副留守？”李渊故作吃惊地说完，接过状子，徐徐展开。仔细看过之后，李渊突然抬起头来，怒气冲天地指着高、王二人，厉声说：“皇上历来待你们不薄，却还要勾结突厥入侵太原，实在可恨！来人，给我拿下这两个叛贼。” 高君雅与王威听了，正要辩解，早有卫士上前，狠狠地敲打几下，拖了出去。 李渊做梦也没有想到，第二天，始毕可汗果真领兵来犯。李渊不由得非常吃惊。原来，他指责高君雅与王威勾结突厥入侵太原之事，只不过信口说说而已。没想到，这事竟成了真？以太原目前的兵力，也不怕突厥来犯。只不过，自己有大事要做，犯不上与突厥血战，伤了元气。这么想着，李渊突然有了主意，下令大开城门，引军冲出。 两军结垒，李渊却并不引军冲杀，只将高、王二人拖到军前，当众处死。始毕可汗见了，莫明其妙，忍不住哈哈大笑。李世民见了大怒，挺枪跃马，欲前往撕杀。李渊见了，一把拽住世民，说：“我儿稍安勿躁，为父有话要对始毕可汗说。”言罢策马上前，远远地对始毕可汗一揖说：“可汗别来无恙？” 始毕可汗见李渊施礼，也还礼说：“还不错，只是有些想关内的财物美女，要给留守流些麻烦了。” “素闻可汗英勇无比，本留守也很想好好地会一会。”李渊微笑着说：“只是，今日处决内奸，想明日再与你大战。”说罢，不再去理会可汗，下令鸣金收兵回城。 可汗见到李渊气宇轩昂，身边大将如云，部队阵列整齐，一时也不敢轻动。李渊回到府中，召来文臣武将，共商破突厥之策。 刘弘基说：“以我们现有的实力，打退突厥，并不是难事，我们不如明日全军出动，一举击溃围城的突厥。” 李渊听了，并不言语，犀利的目光扫过文臣武将，想多听一些看法。 “我以为，眼前我们最需保存实力，以进攻长安。看敌我双方的实力，应该是旗鼓相当，如果我们前去与突厥大战，虽然击溃他们，必定伤亡惨重，这于我们非常不利。”刘文静说。 “难道我们与突厥讲和不成？”刘政会问道。 “具体该怎么办，文静还拿不出万全之策，愿听诸位高见。” “我看可以讲和。”李世民言出，众人皆惊，他却并不去理会，望着父亲重复道：“我认为凡事需从大计考虑，为此，暂时只有与突厥讲和，方可图我们的大计。只是，在讲和之前，需让他们知我强大，先行退兵。” “既不开战，突厥又何以知我强大，又怎么能自行退兵？”刘政会追问。 “突厥向来多疑，在雁门勤王时，我们就是以疑兵使其退兵。人的本性难移，现在同样可使疑兵令他退兵。” “何以退之，请二公子速速道来。”刘弘基着急地说。 “我们可一面严加守备，一面又大开城门，城墙上不树旗帜，不露士兵，突厥不明底细，自然不敢入城。到了夜间，我们派兵出城，第二日白天再重新入城，突厥一定疑我援兵到达，心生恐惧，自行退兵。” 众人听了，无不称之妙计。李渊也是心头大喜，欣慰地望着李世民。又经过一番详细地讨论，李渊下令：按照李世民的疑兵之计，调兵遣将，安排布置。没出五天，突厥兵果然全部撤退。李世民等率部掩杀，斩敌千余，大获全胜。 李渊在府中大宴文臣武将，庆祝大败突厥的胜利。席间，李渊却神色凝重，并无半点高兴。裴寂见了，忙问： “留守这是为何？” 李渊说：“而今突厥兵虽然退去，不久肯定还会前来，此隐患不除，何以能图大计。” 裴寂听了，默然不语。这些，李渊身旁的李世民都看在眼里，一边喝酒，一边沉思。 酒席散，目送文臣武将皆离去，李世民对李渊说：“父亲，要使我们大事能成，稳住突厥，尽可能为我所用，其实也并不难。” “有何想法，我儿快言。” “只需一方面对他们表示尊重，另方面承诺待我们事成，一定分给他们许多利益。这样一来，突厥就一定不会再来骚扰我们。我们没有了后顾之忧，才可以全力举兵长安。” “我的儿……”李渊欣喜地唤了一声，然后闭目沉思良久。突然睁开眼来，双目放光，炯炯灼人，大声对李世民说： “你的想法，正合我的意思。你小小年纪，就有这样的想法，真令为父高兴。有你这样的儿子，我何愁天下不得。既然我们父子想法一致，事情就好办了，现在，你速去做好这两件事情：一、安排心腹，前去长安接回你的兄弟还有平阳与柴绍一家；二、速唤刘文静来，我要让他出使突厥。” 李世民去后不久，刘文静匆匆赶来，李渊说：“为今之计，我欲与突厥通好，以绝其攻我之心，思来想去，此事还请你北上去会会始毕可汗，言明我的意图。” “一切还请留守示意。” “你可与突厥言明，若能从我，不侵我地，我征伐所得金银玉帛，皆归可汗所有。就是说，仗由我去打，他可以坐享其成。我事成之后，人众土地归我，财帛金宝归他突厥。” “此言唐公当真乎？”刘文静问。 “真真假假，一切视情况而定。”李渊回答。 刘文静听了，欣喜万分，说：“国公计谋，高出常人；国公眼光，十万八千里之外，实在让小丞敬佩不已。” 李渊听了，说：“我料此事郡丞早已想到。英雄所见略同，有你去办理此事，我就放心了。” 于是，刘文静欣然领命，北使突厥大帐。见了始毕可汗，呈上书信，并将李渊的意图详细言明。始毕可汗闻言，哈哈大笑，笑毕对刘文静说： “回去告诉你们唐国公，他若自作天子，我则从行；他若欲迎隋主，我不能从”。 刘文静听了，飞马回到太原，对李渊说： “突厥果然疑心太重，他知唐公与杨广的关系，心疑你不会真心反随。” 李渊沉思半晌，说：“你有何计？” 刘文静笑了笑说：“适才我一路回来，只见军旗飘飘，先是突厥，后是大隋。谁之天下，一看分明。” “你是要我……”李渊说到一半，突然一甩手说：“罢！罢！罢！我就改旗明志，以示突厥，让他知我决心反随。” 第二日，刘文静拿了李渊新制的旗帜又来到始毕可汗帐中，说：“这是唐国公的新旗帜，请可汗过目。” 始毕可汗接过旗帜，看了良久，并不说话。突然，他一撩披风，大步跨出帐外，蹬上一匹黑骏马，扬鞭策马，向南飞驶。始毕可汗帐前的将军们见了，纷纷上马，紧追而去。 刘文静见了，立刻明白了始毕可汗的用意，不由微微一笑，静静地等着始毕可汗归来。果然，始毕可汗一口气跑到与李渊军队的交界处，远远地看到一面面李渊刚换的新旗帜，这才放下心来。捋着密实的胡须，始毕可汗瞪大小眼珠望着蓝天，又一阵哈哈大笑。然后一拉马嚼，飞驰而回，眼睛放光，大声地对刘文静说： “好，好，好，既然唐国公决心反随，我始毕可汗一定与之为友。康鞘利！” “末将在。” “我令你带旗下的二千铁骑，再挑选两千匹良马，一起随刘郡丞去太原，为唐国公效命。” 刘文静见了，心中欢喜不尽，表面上，又作推辞说：“唐国公说了，可汗只需坐收其利。” 始毕可汗摇了摇头，说：“我们突厥人，什么东西都是凭自己的双手，要么做出来，要么抢过来，绝不坐收其利！”言毕哈哈大笑。 刘文静望着始毕可汗，微笑着点点头。