Chapter 43 3. Buying people's hearts: gold and slander

As early as the beginning of Li Yuan's army in Taiyuan, he taught Li Shimin face-to-face tips, hoping that he could make friends with many heroes in the world and make them useful to me.For this strategy, Li Shimin has always insisted on implementing it. In the process of continuous conquest, Li Shimin explored from different channels such as the folk, the gentry, and the rebels.Among them, they included close associates Hou Junji, Changsun Wuji, counselors Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, generals Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, etc. The counselors of the East Palace are very worried about the current situation of Li Shimin's talented people.Xu Shimo then said to Li Jiancheng: "Throughout the ages, those who achieve great things need to be assisted by heroes. Now in the prince's mansion, there are counselors and generals gathered together. After a long time, they will definitely pose a threat to our East Palace."

Li Jiancheng said: "I am also very dissatisfied with King Qin's way of constantly winning people's hearts. But there is no way." Xu Shimo said: "To put it bluntly, these people went to the King of Qin for the sake of wealth and glory. I think, as long as we are willing to give gold and silver, we can definitely win them over and use them for me." Li Jiancheng was not confident about this proposal. He said: "Some of these people are captives who surrendered on the battlefield, and some are gentry who surrendered. Can money buy them?" Xu Shimo said with confidence: "Those who can surrender and be incorporated are those who are greedy for life and afraid of death. In fact, this kind of person is the most easily seduced by interests. As long as the prince is willing, let alone others, I can guarantee that you will Bring him over first."

For Xu Shimo's statement, counselor Wei Zheng did not support it.He was originally Li Mi's old subordinate. After Li Mi's death, he became an aide in Li Jiancheng's mansion. What he wanted was not wealth, so he said to Xu Shimo: "Wealth and glory are useful to those who seek them, but to those who do not seek them." , there is no attraction at all. Since those people in Prince Qin's mansion can be called talents, they will not bow down for a bucket of gold. I heard that Yu Chigong is a warrior, and he is definitely not the person you said. " Xu Shimo glanced at Wei Zheng disdainfully, and said: "Yu Chigong was originally Liu Wuzhou's subordinate. During the Tang army's crusade, he once killed several of my generals. For this reason, the emperor once decided to kill him. He was left behind. From Liu Wuzhou's defeat to his surrender to the Qin Palace, didn't he seek to save his life? After saving his life, he naturally sought wealth. How could such a person without integrity be tempted by interests? ?”

Wei Zheng wanted to say something more, but Li Jiancheng stretched out his hand to signal them to stop arguing, and then said to Xu Shimo: "It's useless to talk more, no matter what method you use, as long as you can win Yu Chigong over, I will credit you once." Xu Shimo said confidently: "The subordinates will definitely fulfill their mission." A few days later, Xu Shimo wrote a letter and secretly sent it to Yu Chigong. Yu Chigong was very puzzled when he saw that it was someone from the Eastern Palace who sent the letter to him. When he opened it, it turned out that it was Prince Jiancheng who showed his kindness to him. After many compliments, he humbly said that he hoped to make friends.Yu Chigong closed the letter, and resolutely said to the person who sent the letter: "I was born in a lowly background, and I am also a general. The King of Qin has always treated me with courtesy. All I can do in this life is to be loyal to the King of Qin, and there will be no second one." I’m a lord, so I can’t make friends with the prince, and I won’t betray King Qin.”

But the messenger said: "General, don't be in a hurry to refuse. There is still a gift from the prince in this car. You can take a look before you talk about it." Then, he pulled the curtain on the car, and it turned out that there was a gift in a carriage. It was full of gold and silver utensils, and it seemed to be waving to Yu Chigong brightly. But Yu Chigong sneered and said: "If a man is bought by these things, how can he be considered a hero? My mind will not change, you just go and reply to the prince." Not only Xu Shimo was taken aback when the messenger returned to the East Palace in desperation, but Li Jiancheng was also very angry when he heard Yu Chigong resolutely rejected him.But after hearing Yu Chigong's report, Li Shimin said with a smile: "Why are you so eager to refuse? A cart of gold and silver is worth a lot of money, why don't you accept it and reply?"

Yuchi Gong said frankly: "Of course I know what that load of gold and silver means. If I accept it, wouldn't it mean that I am willing to defect to the East Palace? That would be a betrayal of you. I, Yuchi Jingde, would not do such a thing. Yes." Li Shimin patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "If you really accept the gift and go to the East Palace, it's a good thing!" Seeing Yu Chigong's puzzled look, he said: "You can take the opportunity to find out for us. , What are the Crown Prince and King Qi planning!" After hearing Li Shimin's explanation, everyone couldn't help laughing, and jokingly said to Yuchi Gong: "Yes, Brother Yuchi only needs to be in the East Palace and his heart in my Qin Palace. You can also harvest a lot of treasures. why not?"

Yuchi Gong said solemnly: "I have always demanded myself to be aboveboard all my life, and I can't do this kind of thing." Li Shimin held back his smile and said seriously: "Actually, I'm not worried about the prince. I'm just afraid that if the prince fails to seduce you, he will become angry from embarrassment, which will be bad for you!" Yu Chigong smiled and said: "My life was picked up from the battlefield, and it is not so easy for the crown prince to take it." As Li Shimin expected, after being rejected by Yu Chigong, Li Jiancheng and Xu Shimo became furious and sent assassins to secretly assassinate Yu Chigong to avenge their shame.

The assassin came to Yu Chigong's house stealthily, and found that in several courtyards, the courtyard doors were all open, and no one was walking in and out.When he sneaked out of Yu Chigong's room, he saw that the door of Yu Chigong's bedroom was also wide open. When he poked his head around, Yu Chigong was sitting under the oil lamp reading. The assassin wondered: Why is there no one in this house, but the door is still open, and only Yu Chigong is sitting here reading a book in the middle of the night?Could it be that he knew I was coming to assassinate tonight, so he had an ambush already?While thinking about it, he suddenly heard Yuchi Gong said: "Since the guest is here, why don't you come in and sit down?"

Hearing this, the suspicious and nervous assassin was scared out of his wits and ran away. In the East Palace, Xu Shimo reported the process of the assassination to Li Jiancheng, and he felt very ashamed: "Unexpectedly, Yuchi Gong made up his mind and we would go to the assassination, so we were prepared, but the assassination failed." The two were discussing, and suddenly someone reported: Qi Wang Li Yuanji is visiting.Li Jiancheng told Li Yuanji about this, upon hearing this, Li Yuanji laughed loudly and said, "It's really a waste for the crown prince to spend so much thought on a small general in the Prince Qin's mansion!"

Seeing what he said, Li Jiancheng knew that he had a solution, and asked: "Then what can the fourth brother do, to vent this anger for brother?" Li Yuanji said: "It's actually very simple to convict Yu Chigong. He was originally a surrendered general, and my father has always held grudges against him. We can use a knife to kill people without doing it ourselves." Upon hearing this, Li Jiancheng and Xu Shimo hurriedly asked, "What is the method of borrowing a knife to kill someone?" Li Yuanji pretended to be mysterious and said: "You don't need to ask, just leave it to me! I will definitely satisfy His Royal Highness!"

The next day, after Li Yuan came to the court to inquire about politics, all the ministers were about to withdraw from the court, when Qi Wang Li Yuanji suddenly stood up and said: "The minister has his own performance." Li Yuan asked, "What's the matter with King Qi?" Li Yuanji said: "I received a secret report today, saying that someone is plotting to rebel." Li Yuan was taken aback, and hurriedly asked, "Who is so bold?" Li Yuanji said: "This person is hiding in the Qin Palace now, it is Yu Chigong!" When all the officials heard the words, they all looked at King Qi and then King Qin suspiciously.Li Shimin was extremely angry at this sudden accusation, but he tried his best to suppress his anger, and asked Li Yuanji, "King Qi said that the central part of our mansion will rebel. Is there any evidence?" Li Yuanji smiled at Li Shimin, pretending to be relaxed and said: "King Qin, don't worry, I believe you don't know about these things. I received a secret report that Yu Chigong had gathered a group of murderers outside Chang'an City in an attempt to kill the emperor. Assassinate the Emperor while out hunting in the city." Li Shimin said: "Yu Chigong is honest and loyal, he would never do such a thing." Li Yuan, who was full of anger after hearing King Qi's report, saw his two sons arguing in the court hall, so he interrupted them and said, "Let's leave this matter to the Ministry of Punishments to investigate." Li Shimin knew that Cui Jiu, the servant of the Criminal Ministry, had always been Li Jiancheng's confidant in the East Palace. Once Yu Chigong was detained in the Criminal Ministry, even if he was not guilty, he would lose his skin.Therefore, when the Ministry of Criminal Justice sent someone to detain Yu Chigong, he forcefully sent him back, went to the palace to meet Li Yuan, and explained the details to him, hoping that Yu Chigong could be cleared of false accusations. Li Yuan was very dissatisfied with Li Shimin's pleading, he said: "If it is a general crime of corruption and theft, it will be fine. He is going to murder me now. Do you want to watch him assassinate your father and remain indifferent?" Li Shimin knelt on the ground and begged: "Yu Chigong is loyal, he has always followed me, I know him best, this kind of thing is impossible." Li Yuan said indifferently: "But once this kind of thing happens, it will be too late!" Seeing that Li Yuan refused to forgive the crime, Li Shimin had no choice but to grit his teeth and said: "Since the emperor is willing to listen to King Qi's one-sided words, Yu Chigong is my subordinate. If he wants to rebel, I should also sit down. Please ask the emperor to kill me too!" As soon as this remark came out, all four were shocked.Pei Ji and others hurried forward to dissuade him: "King Qin, don't be arrogant, you can't say such words easily!" Li Yuan saw that Li Shimin was so resolute in defending Yu Chigong, and Qi Wang Li Yuanji couldn't produce any evidence that Yu Chigong was trying to murder the emperor, so he had to let Yu Chigong go, but told Li Shimin to take good care of his subordinates and prevent similar situations from happening again. . This struggle made Qin Palace even more wary of the East Palace.Because they knew that Li Jiancheng would not stop there, and perhaps more violent storms were yet to come.