Chapter 90 Eighty-nine

Thirteen Dragons It was getting dark, Cen Wenwen and Hou Junji hurried to the gate of the East Palace, Hou Junji shouted: "Open the palace gate quickly, there is an urgent military situation to report to the Supervisor!" The sleepy face asked: "Why do you want to find the prince so late? Can you let me report back first?" Hou Junji snatched a bow from a guard beside him, put an arrow on the palace gate and shouted: "What are you talking about, if you don't open the door, I don't want your life!" It brushed past the guard's face, making him shrink back in fright.The door creaked open, Cen Wenwen tripped over the threshold and fell, the guard stepped forward to help him, and he hurried forward again.The guard shouted from behind: "My lord, your boots!" Cen Wenwen didn't care about wearing only socks on one foot, and walked in without looking back.

The news they wanted to report to Li Chengqian was urgently sent by Yuchi Jingde eight hundred miles away. Zhishisili led the army to besiege Mayi for three days, and according to the secret letter sent by Zhang Xuansu from the cloud, Mu Yikuan's The caravan just entered Mayi City at this time.While Li Chengqian hurriedly put on his clothes, he asked nervously: "That is to say, it is possible that the father is besieged in Mayi?" Cen Wenwen comforted him: "It's just a guess right now." Li Chengqian asked again: "Could it be that the so-called alliance is really a trap laid by Jieli?" Cen Wenwen showed some grief on his face: "Nine times out of ten, I'm afraid this is the case. I have already persuaded the emperor not to take this risk. He just can't listen! Alas, it's too late to say anything now!" Hou Junji said from the side: "I don't think so, if this is really a trap, Hu Kou knows the whereabouts of the emperor, or he will attack the city at any cost. Either they will make a big splash, attract our army to help, and then gather together to annihilate them. But from the newspaper here, tens of thousands of Hu Qi have not captured Mayi so far, and Yuchi Jingde has not mentioned that the emperor was besieged. This shows that Hu Kou did not Don't know the truth."

Cen Wenwen showed a look of admiration, and praised falsely: "Yes! Duke Lu is a famous general in hundreds of battles, and his analysis is thorough!" Li Chengqian asked Hou Junji: "Mr. Is there any chance of breaking the siege of Mayi with your combat power?" Hou Junji shook his head and said, Zhishisili's subordinates are all Jieli's elite, and with the strength of Yunzhong's army alone, there is little chance of winning.If Li Shi and Chai Shao were moved east and west to move closer to Yuchi Jingde, and the three troops joined forces to attack and hold their arrows, they might be able to break a gap in the enemy's encirclement and rescue the emperor. On the back road, with Zhishi Sili attacking from both sides, these three troops are in danger of being wiped out.

Li Chengqian said: "Then I will personally lead the sixteen guards from Chang'an to help the front line, and then recruit 200,000 government soldiers from various states to support them." The decisive battle with Xieli is ahead of time, and all the preparations for the Northern Expedition have not been completed. If you use the whole country to fight the Hu Kou hastily, if you lose, you will be in danger of subjugation." Li Chengqian resolutely said: "Even if you risk the country's subjugation, you can do it. Go save the father!" Soon, Cen Wenwen and Hou Junji drafted the decree to supervise the country, and Li Chengqian hurried to Qiyun Palace to bid farewell to his mother. Empress Changsun almost fainted when she heard the news that her husband was besieged.But after all, she is a person who has gone through a lot of major events, so she immediately stabilized herself, told her son not to act rashly, and sent a fast horse to Luoyang to send Fang Xuanling back, and said that Fang Xuanling must be asked about military affairs. next words.

At this time, it was reported outside the door that the sixteen guards had assembled, and Cen Wenwen, Hou Junji and the ministers were all waiting for the crown prince to order the expedition.Empress Changsun shouted to the eunuchs outside in a firm tone: "Go and tell Cen Wenwen that the empress is seriously ill and the prince cannot leave!" Li Ke was reciting the mantra of pure heart under a Buddha statue in a corner of the study, when the door of the study was pushed open, Quan Wanji hurried in, and said as he walked, "Your Highness, something serious happened." Li Ke opened his eyes and asked "What's the matter?" Quan Wanji replied: "The emperor is besieged in Mayi!" Li Ke looked surprised: "Mayi? Didn't the father go to Luoyang? How did you get to Mayi?"

Quan Wanji told Li Ke that it was all a cover-up!The emperor actually went to the north, as if he was going to do something important.A while ago, the imperial court planned the Northern Expedition, and the Ministry of Education was a little short on manpower. After Cen Wenwen's maneuver, Quan Wanji was transferred from Honglu Temple to Hongwen Hall to help. He came over suddenly to dispatch troops, and when several people were discussing secretly in the inner hall, he accidentally overheard all this from the next door. Li Ke frowned and said, "Father is on a tour of the north? Why didn't Cen Wenwen tell me about it? Ever since the matter of searching the Hou's mansion, he has kept me cold and never entered my door once, but This matter is no small matter, he should say hello to me no matter what." Quan Wanji defended Cen Wenwen: "I don't think you can complain about Mr. Cen. It can be seen that few people in the court know about this matter. Before the Holy Majesty left There must be something to explain, and they dare not say it easily."

Only then did Li Ke turn his mind from blaming Cen Wenwen to caring about his father's safety, with a sad look on his face, although his father had made the choice to establish Li Chengqian instead of him, and even though the dead had been brought back to life a while ago. He was severely punished for the matter of the human being, but it was his father who was besieged after all. Even if Li Ke was a hard-hearted person, how could he not feel sad? Quan Wanji didn't think about these things, what he thought about was how to use the opportunity in front of him to take revenge on the Eastern Palace Party and get back the losses he suffered last time.He said to Li Ke: "If the news is true, Your Highness's opportunity will come!" Li Ke glanced at Quan Wanji and asked, "How do you say that?" Quan Wanji whispered to Li Ke, and he The biggest plan is to spread the news to the capital, especially to let the princes and ministers know as soon as possible, so as to force Li Chengqian to send troops.If the emperor can be saved, the emperor will definitely suspect that the prince deliberately exposed his whereabouts and tried to put him to death when he comes back; Force him to step aside.

Doing so would undoubtedly put the emperor in danger. Li Ke really couldn't bear it. A fierce light appeared in Quan Wanji's eyes: "Your Highness! If you want to achieve great things, you must not be soft-hearted!" This sentence was so decisive that Li Ke's heart was shocked , He sat down in front of the Buddha and fell into deep thought.Desire and family affection started a fierce fight in his heart. This silent fight lasted for half a night. Li Ke sometimes seemed to be covered in fire, and sometimes fell into an ice kiln. The expression on his face was sometimes painful and sometimes numb. In the end, desire defeated affection, and he accepted Quan Wanji's idea.

Li Chengqian, Cen Wenwen, and Hou Junji sat anxiously in the Hongwen Hall and waited for Fang Xuanling. The fourth son of the emperor, Wei Wang Li Tai, and other princes and ministers came in, and Li Ke, Quan Wanji, etc. were also among them.This Li Tai is the fourth eldest among Li Shimin's sons. He is a compatriot of Li Chengqian's mother. Xi, as soon as he entered the door, he asked eagerly: "Brother, what's wrong with the mother? Why didn't you let us visit." Li Chengqian said with a tired face: "Last night, my mother's tuberculosis relapsed, and I coughed all night. Fainting, the empress ordered, she needs to recuperate, so she doesn't want to see anyone."

Li Tai asked again: "Brother, I just heard that the father was besieged in Mayi, is this true?" Li Chengqian and others were shocked when he said this, and Cen Wenwen bowed his hands to Li Tai and asked: "His Royal Highness King Wei, how did you know about this?" Li Tai replied angrily, "The Sixteenth Guards have assembled, and there are rumors everywhere in Chang'an City. I still knew about it too late."