Chapter 44 4. Cutting wings: Li Shimin's right-hand man

In 621 A.D., after Li Shimin led the army of the Tang Dynasty to wipe out Dou Jiande, king of Xia, and Wang Shichong, king of Zheng in one fell swoop, Luoyang, the eastern capital, finally returned to the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin also became famous for this battle. Great shock.In recognition of his outstanding contribution, Li Yuan appointed him Tiance Admiral, took control of Luoyang, the eastern capital, and allowed him to open a mansion in Luoyang.Li Shimin took advantage of the situation and established his own power group in Luoyang - Tiance Mansion.In the Tiance Mansion, Li Shimin placed a large number of talents he had recruited, no matter whether he was a counselor or a general, they were all selected one in a million.

Prince Li Jiancheng was extremely dissatisfied with the establishment of Tiance Mansion. This self-contained institution was outside the scope of the imperial power's control, and it was in sharp opposition to the Eastern Palace.For Li Shimin to develop his power in this institution, this is a dangerous signal for Donggong.Once the power of Tiance Mansion erupts, it will be a great threat to the East Palace. On this day, Li Shimin came to the court to discuss matters with the ministers as usual, but Li Yuan issued an appointment that surprised him: Duan Zhixuan was appointed as the governor of Shizhou, and Cheng Zhijie was appointed as the governor of Kangzhou!

Li Shimin was unprepared for this, he was surprised and before he had time to ask what happened, Li Yuan had already retreated.Looking back, Prince Li Jiancheng and Qi Wang Li Yuanji were looking at him proudly, and Li Shimin understood in his heart: It must be the ghost of the two of them!He came to the harem and begged to see Li Yuan, but Li Yuan said: "Now Shizhou and Kangzhou need to be managed by reassuring people. I think Duan Zhixuan and Cheng Zhijie have won many battles with you, and they are very talented." , should be able to do it.” Li Shimin said: "Duan Zhixuan and Cheng Zhijie are both my servants, but I didn't know about this before..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Yuan said coldly: "Are you blaming me for not discussing with you first?" Concubine Yin De, who was accompanying her, also said: "The emperor appointed the two generals because he trusted them. Does King Qin think that these two people are not worthy of trust? They are all yours!" When discussing matters with courtiers, concubines cannot intervene.But this time Concubine Yin De taught Li Shimin a lesson openly, but Li Yuan turned a deaf ear and ignored him at all.Li Shimin thought to himself: It seems that Concubine Yin De was also involved in this matter, otherwise the father would not ignore her.But since Li Yuan has already said such a thing, what can he say?He had no choice but to say humbly: "I don't dare, I'm just worried that these two are military generals and are not familiar with local management, so they will let down the trust that the emperor has placed in them."

Li Yuan waved his hand and said, "It's okay, you can learn it after a while. If there is nothing else, you can step back." Li Shimin knew that Li Yuan would not explain to him any more, and he didn't dare to bring up the idea of ​​keeping these two people, because he knew that the answer could only be no. After leaving the palace, the depressed Li Shimin sat opposite Duan Zhixuan and Cheng Zhijie, accompanied by Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling and others, watching the King of Qin drinking the wine in a depressed mood.Fang Xuanling said: "It seems that this time the crown prince suggested to the emperor, while Concubine Yin De fanned the flames, so that the two generals Cheng Zhijie and Duan Zhixuan were dispatched."

Duan Zhixuan drank the wine in the glass, and said boldly: "The crown prince once sent me gold and silver, and after I refused to accept it, I knew he would have other tricks. I didn't expect that he would wait for me. Expatriate, it seems that he doesn't want us to stay in Chang'an." Du Ruhui said: "Now, everyone knows that the people in Tiance's mansion are the right-hand men of the King of Qin. The crown prince must have seen this too. First, he lures them, and if they fail, he cuts them down. They are dispatched to Shizhou, Kangzhou and other remote places. , once something happens, it can’t help. It’s like pulling out a bird’s feathers one by one until it can’t fly anymore!”

Everyone nodded and agreed with Du Ruhui's analysis.Li Shimin said, "If this bird wants to soar into the sky, it depends on its plump feathers. Now if they want to pluck its wings, it's like killing this bird!" Cheng Zhijie said loudly in a rough voice: "I followed King Qin and came back from the battlefield. It is not difficult for me to die, but it is really a crime for me to live like this. King Qin, you should plan early!" Du Ruhui and others also looked at Li Shimin, hoping that he could give a clear answer to this question.But Li Shimin shook his head and said, "It's not the time, it's not the best time yet."

With Cheng Zhijie and Duan Zhixuan gone, Tiance Mansion suddenly lost two strong generals.But Li Jiancheng's plan to reduce Li Shimin did not stop there.Soon, the northern Turks invaded the border again, and Li Yuan sent Li Yuanji to send troops to destroy it. After Li Yuanji took the order, he said to Li Yuan: "My minister is very confident in defeating the Turks this time. However, I hope that some strong generals will follow and go out with me, and we will surely return victorious." Li Yuan said: "Whoever you want to fight with you, the generals in the court can choose."

Li Yuanji said: "There are many military generals in the Tang Dynasty, but Yu Chigong, Qin Shubao and others are the most outstanding. They are all outstanding in terms of military strategy and marching formation. And they once fought with the King of Qin and the Turks. , if I can get the help of the two generals this time, I think I will be able to succeed immediately." Li Yuan smiled indifferently and said, "Are the two generals willing to follow King Qi and send troops to wipe out the Turks?" Qin Shubao and Yu Chigong looked at King Qin helplessly, and Li Shimin also looked at them helplessly.The two had no choice but to kneel down to thank the emperor, and followed Li Yuanji to send troops to the north.

Returning to King Qin's mansion, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling and others were very angry: "King Qi also has a lot of soldiers who are good at fighting, but he didn't bring his own people to send troops this time, but he had to bring Qin Shubao and Yu Chigong. He is clearly someone who wants to take over our Prince Qin's mansion!" Li Shimin said helplessly: "In the court, the generals appointed by the emperor can only be sent out with the army." Fang Xuanling said: "The request made by King Qi is reasonable, and the emperor will definitely agree. However, it can be seen from this incident that the crown prince and King Qi did not relax the reduction of King Qin's mansion. They are still attacking us step by step!"

Du Ruhui said: "Yes, it has already happened this time, and we have nothing to do. The only thing we can do is to prepare for their next move. Who will they deal with next?" Fang Xuanling said: "No matter who it is, it must be from our Prince Qin's residence. Therefore, the most important thing is for you, Prince Qin, to think about what to do!" Li Shimin walked to the window, looked at the peach blossoms in full bloom in the yard, and thought of chasing and playing with his brothers under the peach blossom tree.Those days are long gone now.He thought for a while, and said: "I just hope the crown prince will not go too far, the Prince Qin's mansion is not the meat of the king, let him slaughter it!" Du Ruhui's prediction was not wrong, the East Palace's plan to weaken the Qin Palace has not stopped, and the next target to attack is Du Ruhui. A few days after Qin Shubao waited to send out troops, the minister of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs told Li Yuan again: "Now the Ministry of Criminal Affairs has too many people to deal with, and everyone is too busy. We urgently need some talented people to fill it up, so as to meet the needs of handling affairs."Li Yuan thought for a while, and said: "People in various departments are very nervous now, and even the replacement officials have taken up their posts. If you can't find a suitable person for a while, I think we will wait." At this time, Prince Li Jiancheng suddenly stood up and said to Li Yuan: "There are many talented people in the Palace of King Qin now, and most of them are idlers. Why don't we just transfer a few people to work in the Ministry of Justice?" Li Yuan said: "That's fine, I don't know what King Qin wants?" Before Li Shimin could answer, Li Jiancheng said: "King Qin has always cared about the world, and now is the time to be loyal to the country. Since they are all loyal to the emperor, what's the point of contributing a few people? I think Du Ruhui in your mansion is resourceful and resourceful. Talented people, why not transfer him to the Ministry of Punishment." Li Shimin ignored the pressure from the emperor's order. He said: "The people in my mansion are also in short supply now. I was thinking of recruiting some useful people. Du Ruhui has always been a member of the mansion in my mansion. All affairs, big and small, must go through his hands, and I am afraid that he will not be able to get away from him for a while because of his busy schedule!" Being rejected by Li Shimin, Li Jiancheng felt very humiliated. He said in a strange tone: "King Qin is so reluctant, is it because Du Ruhui is keeping Du Ruhui for another plan?" Li Shimin smiled indifferently and said: "To be loyal to the country, of course I will never hesitate to die. But Du Ruhui is careless and dull. Last time, there were rumors that he beat Zhang Jieyu's father, which shows that he is a reckless person." People, if I hand over such a person to the Ministry of Punishment, I am also afraid that I will lose face in the Qin Palace." Two people are at war with each other, you come and go.This time, Li Shimin resolutely refused to give in, and Li Jiancheng was a little frustrated.Watching the two fight back and forth, Li Yuan waved his hands and said wearily, "Then let's just find someone to fill this gap first!" With Li Shimin's repeated insistence, Du Ruhui was finally able to stay in the Qin Palace.To Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were like his right-hand men. If they were all transferred away one by one according to Li Jiancheng's intention, what great things could the remaining lonely King of Qin do?Therefore, this proposal was firmly rejected by Li Shimin, even if it made Li Yuan unhappy. In the plan to weaken the Qin Palace, Li Jiancheng clearly realized the importance of the strategists and brave generals in the Tiance Mansion to Li Shimin, so he reduced them one by one. Li Shimin's purpose.After realizing this, Li Shimin did not sit still, he safeguarded his own interests, and gradually became clear about the confrontation with Donggong, and began to look for opportunities to take the initiative to attack instead of passively counterattacking.How could the ambitious King Qin be a thing in the pond? He has been standing still, not because he is respectful and obedient to the prince, but because he hopes to find the best opportunity to make a move.