Chapter 42 Chapter Forty-Two

In April of the first year of Dashun (890 A.D.), several fast horses came to the capital with a shocking news.The news quickly spread to the palace and reached Li Ye's ears. "Great! Great!" As soon as Li Ye returned to the harem, he couldn't restrain the joy in his heart. Ever since the former Prince Shou ascended the throne and became the emperor, Lian Che hadn't seen Li Ye's smile for a long time.Seeing her beloved happy, Lian Che's heart suddenly brightened.While ordering Ah Qian to bring the freshly boiled lotus seed soup, she changed the court clothes for Li Ye herself.

"My lord, what makes you so happy?" "It's such great news! Concubine, I just received a report from Weizhou that Li Keyong was defeated by the Jiedu of Hedong! The Shatuo cavalry he used was defeated miserably! His general An Jinjun was shot to death, Shi Jun was captured alive, and even Shen Xin defected to Helian Duo..." Lian Che said with a smile: "The emperor has said so many unfamiliar names, how can the concubine remember it? It is Li Keyong, the concubine knows. If there was no him back then, Huang Chao would not have been defeated so early. Why is the emperor Happy because he suffered a defeat?"

"Hey! That's right, he was the one who led the Shatuo cavalry into the pass to destroy the yellow bandits and regained Chang'an. But if he hadn't conspired against him, my brother and I wouldn't have escaped twice. You still Remember, Brother Huang almost lost his life on the burning plank road!" Thinking of that frightened displacement, Li Ye unconsciously attributed the root of all suffering to the Shatuo people, "He is from Shatuo! He is not a Han Chinese. .The late emperor had the ancestor's precepts long ago, and those who are not of our race must have different hearts!"

While speaking, Ah Qian had already brought the lotus seed soup over.Lian Che took the jade bowl, winked at Ah Qian to let her go down first, and handed the bowl to Li Ye herself.She first filled a small spoonful, blew it a few times with her red lips, and brought the spoon to Li Ye's mouth.Immediately, the warmth of this kind of family resolved the loneliness of the king.Li Ye took the bowl with a smile. Lian Che said with a smile: "You are the emperor, and everyone in the world is your courtier. You must not deal with government affairs based on your personal hatred, and you must not act emotionally!"

"You're right! I just vented my emotions just now. Naturally, I won't be glad that Li Keyong was defeated because of my hatred for him. Think about it, if we want to revive the Tang Dynasty now, we must strengthen the power of the imperial army and at the same time weaken Local military strength. Although Chang’an built a new 100,000 forbidden army, it is insignificant compared with Li Keyong, who has the largest military strength. I have already taken Xichuan first, and the current war is going well, but Li Keyong has a huge army in northern Shanxi. If he can take advantage of his failure this time and cut off his wings in one fell swoop, the other feudal towns will be much easier to deal with, and the revival of the Tang Dynasty is just around the corner... You say, this Wouldn't it make you happy?"

What Lian Che impressed Li Ye was not only her beautiful appearance, but also her kindness.Her intelligence enabled Li Ye to find a suitable listener every time he returned to the harem, which made Li Ye trust and love Lian Che even more.After hearing this, she thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, don't forget that not long ago, the invincible Qin Zongquan was escorted back to Beijing by Zhu Quanzhong and beheaded for public display. The Shatuo people were defeated, and it was Zhu Quanzhong who benefited more. Li Keyong and Zhu Quanzhong and Zhu Quanzhong, whoever becomes more powerful will not benefit the imperial court. If you are really determined to weaken Shatuo's forces, you must not act hastily, but must discuss carefully with several prime ministers and make a cautious decision." This speech made Li Ye calmed down again.Li Ke used half of his merits and demerits to the court, but he was not considered a traitor.What he is facing now is a decision concerning the destiny of the country. Where will the future of Datang go in this decision?

Only a few days later, Zhu Wen in Bianzhou, Li Kuangwei in Youzhou, and Helianduo in Yunzhong wrote letters almost at the same time, asking to kill Li Keyong.Zhu Wen wrote in the memorial book: "If you can't get rid of it, it will eventually become a national trouble. Because of its defeat, I invite the three armies of Shuai Bian, Hua, and Meng to join forces with the three towns in Hebei to eliminate it. Beg the court to order the minister For the Commander." Li Ye deeply felt that this matter was of great importance. Once he made a decision, it would probably affect his life, and even directly affect the future fate of Datang.Although Li Keyong repeatedly harassed the states, he, like Wang Jian, only wanted to take the opportunity to seek his own interests in the troubled times, so he was not considered a traitor.On the other hand, even though Li Keyong forced the first emperor to flee, he also contributed to the revival of the Tang Dynasty:

That was a few years ago.At that time, Zhu Mei rebelled on the plank road, and the emperor fled to Xingyuan under the protection of Wang Jian and his party.But Li Yun, a member of the royal family, unfortunately fell into Zhu Mei's hands.When the troops were withdrawn and returned to Fengxiang, Zhu Mei ignored the objections of the courtiers and resolutely established Li Xuan as the emperor, changed Yuan Jianzhen, and respected Li Xuan as the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.When Li Keyong learned of this, he still resolutely supported the emperor's brother as the monarch of the Tang Dynasty, and issued an appeal to the whole country, claiming to send 30,000 troops to rebel against him.Although Li Keyong wanted to use this to clear himself of the crime of coercion, he kept his brother's throne and did not let Zhu Mei usurp power.

If you think so, Li Keyong is kind to Li Tang's royal family.If you take advantage of his defeat to attack at this time, how will the world think of you?However, once this opportunity is missed, Li Keyong's power will expand day by day. As the most powerful vassal in the world, even if he himself does not feel rebellious, a hundred years later his descendants will rely on such a powerful army and land, and it will be very difficult for everyone. Don will always be a threat.Right now is indeed the best time to cut off Li Keyong's wings. Once this opportunity is missed, the imperial court will never be able to control the feudal town.

Li Ye wanted to hear the opinions of the prime ministers, so he called officials from the three provinces and Yushitai to discuss the matter.As soon as they heard that the emperor was going to attack Li Keyong, most of the officials, including Yang Fugong, the envoy of the Tenth Army, Liu Chongwang and Du Rangneng, the prime ministers, did not agree to send troops.This made Li Ye a little discouraged. However, the other two prime ministers, Kong Wei and Zhang Jun, took the lead, especially Zhang Jun, who was very resolute: "Your Majesty, it was Shatuo who made the first emperor's fortune in the south of Shanshan. I am often worried that he and He Shuo will be in the same place. , so that the imperial court could not control it. Now Lianghe Fanzhen is asking for it together, this is a once in a thousand years. But begging His Majesty to pay the ministers and soldiers, it will be peaceful in ten months. If you don’t take it now, you will regret it!"

Kong Wei said: "Your Majesty, what Zhang Xiang said is very true. I think that sending troops now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. May Your Majesty see clearly." Yang Fugong said: "Your Majesty! The relocation of the previous dynasty was due to the domineering feudal lordship, but it was also related to the mishandling of the officials in the court. Now that the ancestral temple is safe, it is not appropriate to build more troops!" Li Ye ignored Yang Fugong, and asked Zhang Jun: "Ke Yong has made great achievements in revitalization, and I took advantage of the danger to attack him. How will the world think of me?" Kong Wei said first: "What your Majesty said is for a moment; what Zhang Xiang said is for the benefit of the world. Yesterday, I have carefully calculated the expenses for the use of troops, transportation, and rewards. There will be no shortage in one or two years. Now everything is done. Everything is ready, your Majesty only needs to make a decision!" Li Ye glanced at Yang Fugong who was looking at him in a panic, and suddenly thought that Li Keyong had Yang Fuguang's support in the first place before he was used by the late emperor again.After all, Li Keyong and Yang Fugong and Yang Fuguang, the two eunuchs, were inextricably linked.Yang Fuguang, on the other hand, led the Zhongwu Army and made contributions to helping the country throughout his life. He was still remembered by the soldiers many years after his death; while this Yang Fugong in front of him, although he helped himself to the throne, he did not take me seriously.If this person is not eliminated, I will be a puppet after all.If Li Keyong can be defeated, it will not only realize my vision of suppressing the feudal towns, but also deter Yang Fugong and establish the prestige of the imperial court in the world.If so, there is hope for Kuangfu Datang.Li Ye shook his heart and said loudly to Zhang Jun and Kong Wei: "I will leave this matter to you two, don't embarrass me!" "Your Majesty, I will never give up!" In May of the first year of Dashun (AD 890), Li Ye resolutely issued an imperial edict to deprive Li Keyong of his titles and withdraw his surname from the imperial court. At the same time, Han Jian, the envoy of Zhenguo Jiedu, served as the Marquis of Yu and provided food for the army, Zhu Quanzhong was the envoy to the south, Wang Rong was the envoy to the east, Li Kuangwei, Helian Duo is the principal and deputy recruitment envoy in the north.A war against Hedong has begun again. After the cold dew, the plum rain fell sparsely for two days, and the whole city of Chengdu appeared a little bleak after the rain.Most of the residential houses in the north of Mochi were soaked in rainwater. A few homeless wild dogs trampled on the muddy water, looking for food along the way. It gradually became quiet outside the window, but the sound of the weak wind blowing through the bamboo forest could still be vaguely heard.Pushing open the window, an earthy smell mixed with the fragrance of bamboo leaves floated into the house.Although there are still sounds of fighting outside the city from time to time, but not far from the west gate of Shaocheng, there is such a peaceful and peaceful world.It seems that these bamboo forests and rockeries can forever cut off the disputes in troubled times.Keeping this garden clean, can you really escape into Taoyuan?Xu Geng smiled and touched the wound on his buttocks. He was not as handsome as his friend Feng Juan. After all, he was involved in this war. "Father, the medicine is ready." While speaking, an eleven or twelve-year-old girl came slowly from behind the bamboo forest with a tray in her hand. "You can just send a girl around, why come here in person." Seeing her father getting out of bed alone, the girl quickly put the tray on the side table beside the desk, and came to Xu Geng to help her father onto the bed, and said, "The doctor ordered that you can walk around after three days. It's only been two days, and Dad still needs to rest." Xu Geng smiled and glanced at the innocent face of his youngest daughter. The sorrow brought about by the officialdom and the war, as well as the despair of this ever-changing world with a gloomy future, all disappeared immediately.A warmth welled up in his heart, making him forget the pain both physically and mentally.He has two daughters. Although they are still young, it can be seen that the eldest daughter is as beautiful as frost, and the younger daughter is as beautiful as clouds.He regards his two daughters as the apple of his eye and loves them very much. He lay down slowly with the support of his little daughter, and at the same time said calmly: "It's just a little flesh injury, I've been lying down for so long, I just want to get up and get some air." After that, he looked out of the window again, I saw a bamboo leaf was detaching from the branch, swirling and falling gently into the courtyard. "That's not okay," the little girl said in a soft voice, but her tone was indisputable insistence, "Mother said, let me watch you rest. Oh, by the way, just now Uncle Feng came to visit you..." Xu Geng was startled: "Don't dare to neglect him, I'll go to the front hall right now..." After saying that, he was about to get up. "My virtuous brother is always nice, Mr. Feng comes in uninvited, but he is very unruly!" Before Xu Geng finished speaking, hearty laughter came from outside the door.The person who spoke was Feng Juan. He was in his mid-fifties, with a square scarf on his head, and a look of detachment on his thin face. He was not too tall but had a straight back.Xu Geng was overjoyed, and stood up sideways with the support of his younger daughter: "Brother Xin isn't planting his own vegetable field by the Ximo Pool, how can he have the time to visit my Zhulin Residence?" Feng Juan lifted up his robe with one hand, sat directly beside Xu Geng, and joked: "Self-indulgence of prisoners and disobedience to military orders are both capital crimes. Taishi Chen only rewarded you with fifteen boards but was persuaded by everyone. The officer has been very popular all these years!" Xu Geng's brows were knit together again, and he murmured: "Oh! I only want to learn literary and martial arts, and sell the goods to the emperor's family. I never wanted to meet such a broken man. And he committed himself to Xi Chuan, who is angry with the king and the people." He sighed, raised his eyes to look at Feng Juan, and said, "I have been transferred from Meizhou, and my brother has been in Shu for more than a year. He will not be able to take office these days. And go, brother, don't you have some resentment?" Feng Juan was taken aback when he heard this, and then clapped his hands: "Your brother is a bit too pedantic, right? Haha, even if there are two idiots above the palace in Chengdu, the people outside the city who attack the city every day and scold them are robbers? My brother is a romantic and talented man. Xichuan has been mediocre for several years. Is this because of the idiots? Now that you have privately contacted the secret agents sent by Wang Guangtu to Chengdu, you are not afraid that the idiots in the city will find out that you have liaison with the robbers outside the city? At that time, even the immortals will not be able to save you... ..." "Brother Xin, keep your voice down!" Xu Geng lowered his voice, "If Tian Lingzi's subordinates want to hear it, my whole family will be killed by urinating!" soft.Although he and Feng Juan haven't been together for a long time, they hit it off very well.The silver-haired gifted scholar in front of him has the completely opposite temperament from himself and many other literati.If the words just now had come from someone else, he would have issued an order to evict the guest long ago, but it was not surprising that they had come from Feng Juan's mouth.Xu Geng couldn't tell whether he admired Feng Juan's arrogance, or envied him for his calmness in troubled times. Feng Juan got up, but turned around and looked up and down the daughter of the Xu family who was standing beside her, and praised: "Miss Luo'er is so slim at her age, good!" Xu Yanluo smiled a little embarrassedly Laugh, but keep silent. Xu Geng was happy to hear him praise his daughter, but he said: "My daughter, no matter how beautiful she is, she will marry someone..." "My brother, don't you hear about Bai Letian? If Miss Luo'er marries a real dragon and has three thousand pets in one body, it will really be 'to make the world's parents feel like they will not be born again as a boy but a girl'..." "Brother Xin knows how to joke, how can I, a lowly girl, have such a rich life?" "Not necessarily... Hehe, I heard from a eavesdropper that when my virtuous brother took office in Meizhou, there was a phase worker who met my virtuous brother, saying that Xu Zhai is surrounded by two phoenixes... My virtuous brother, let me put the words here first, if The tacit understanding between you and Wang Guangtu has escaped Grand Master Chen's eyes, after all those years, I'm afraid what I said may not be a joke..." Xu Geng was stunned, he wanted to refute a few words, but he didn't dare to tell himself about his contact with Wang Jian, so he kept silent.Feng Juan, however, was as comfortable as going in and out of his own shabby room, and without saying goodbye to his master, he strode towards the bamboo garden, reciting to himself: "If you don't follow the vulgar things, they will become soil, but when the time is right, you will make up for it." sky……" After late autumn, the cold on both sides of the Fen River in the south of the Great Wall suddenly picked up, and gusts of wind blew from time to time, causing the leaves of poplars along the way to fall suddenly.Looking at such a scene, a calm heart can feel a little sad, let alone a person who is full of resentment, anger, and shame! Zhang Jun lowered his head and rode a Yili bay red colt that also bowed its head, bumping rhythmically.In front is Hezhong Mansion, Tongzhou, and Chang'an ahead... Rout!Unprecedented defeat!The newly formed 100,000 forbidden troops were wiped out overnight, which is more like an elegy for the sunset of the Tang Empire.Sadly, he, who was once full of enthusiasm, now beats the evening drum with his own hands.Zhang Jun knew that after this defeat, the emperor who loved him so much would never be able to mend this broken country again. He thought of Yang Fugong.This treacherous minister who once flattered him, promoted him, and hated him.He thought of the boldness and heroism he had when he led the troops out of the customs, the look on his face when he turned his head to deal with the eunuch contemptuously before leaving, and the oath he had made for the emperor to quell foreign rebellion and eliminate internal troubles ... It's gone, everything is gone... Zhang Jun, who is over the age of 30, is just a scholar, or in other words, a scholar who only knows how to talk.He regretted, was angry, and annoyed by this failure, but he would never know that fighting on the battlefield is far less simple and pure than playing on a chessboard.When he thought that the 100,000 imperial imperial army would be able to go out in a mighty way with the Sanlu Jiedu Fanzhen, Zhu Wen, who had been clamoring for the extermination of Hedong, had his own wishful thinking in a sophisticated way.But before the army left the capital, Yang Fugong, who held a grudge, had already secretly reported to Li Keyong.The vassals and towns from all walks of life have not yet assembled, and the imperial court's deployment strategy has already been placed on Li Keyong's desk—this may not have been thought of by Zhang Jun, who is ambitious but too sharp.War is not just a vigorous fight, but also a political competition behind it.Zhang Jun's eagerness for success and great success ruined his future, and also ruined Li Ye's ambition to restore the country.He knew that waiting for him in Chang'an would be a tragic death to thank the world... Three generations of ministers and sons, four dynasties of benevolence, breaking Pang Xun, clearing the Huangchao, and deposing King Xiang, it is easy to settle, so that His Majesty today crowns the crown of the sky and wears the white jade seal. It may not be the power of the minister.If the offense of attacking Yunzhou is a crime, then Tuoba Sigong will take Fuyan, and Zhu Quanzhong will invade Xu and Yun, so why not take it alone?Rewarding one another and punishing this one, how can I have no excuses!Moreover, when the imperial court was in danger, the ministers were honored as Han, Peng, Yi, and Lu;Those who hold soldiers and make meritorious deeds today are not afraid of His Majesty's scolding in the future!If Kuangchen committed a serious crime, the Sixth Division would conscript him, and he would have his own punishment. Why should he be lucky to be weak and then take the evil...