Chapter 12 the pain of isolation

After the banquet, the crown prince and King Qi launched an unprecedented wave of powerful attacks on King Qin. First of all, they used all the political power in the court and the harem to continuously exert influence on Li Yuan, which effectively aggravated Li Yuan's deeper suspicion and antipathy towards Li Shimin.Among all the divisive words, the words of an important official in the court seemed to reach Li Yuan's heart all at once. This person is Feng Deyi. In the political game between the Prince and the King of Qin, Feng Deyi is a very special figure. Because each side regards him as their own.

Li Shimin always believed that he was a loyal Qin royal party, Li Jiancheng also believed that he was an out-and-out princeling, and Gaozu always regarded him as a confidant.It wasn't until the early years of Zhenguan, after the passage of time, that is, several years after the death of Feng Deyi, who was "hidden and hidden by people at the time", that his true face before his death was known to Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty-it turned out that he had been "hiddenly holding two secrets". The end, the yin attached to the building." After the poisoned wine incident, the slick Feng Deyi persuaded the Prince of Qin to attack the prince on the one hand, and persuaded the prince to get rid of the prince on the other hand. Next. If it is not established, I hope it will be established as soon as possible!" ("Old Tang Book · Prince Yin Jiancheng Biography")

The literal meaning of this sentence is very simple: the king of Qin takes credit for his pride and is unwilling to be inferior to the crown prince. You know this, Your Majesty. Since it is impossible for you to dethrone the crown prince and replace him with the king of Qin, you should make plans early. Feng Deyi is very smart, he didn't say clearly what his plan should be, but his subtext is nothing more than - get rid of King Qin as soon as possible to prevent future troubles. At this moment, Li Yuan could not but be greatly shocked.At the same time, he had to admit that Feng Deyi's advice was reasonable.According to the current situation, sooner or later, everything will become unmanageable.

But the problem is - the old emperor can't do this. For an old man who is over sixty years old and full of children and grandchildren, what is more cherished than the harmony of a family?Is there anything more likely to make people feel happy than the love between father and son and family happiness? there is none left. Power is of course important, the country and society are of course important, but it is too cruel for an old man to sacrifice his family and even get rid of his own son for these things. Therefore, even though Feng Deyi's words were to the point, and even though the bowl of water in Gaozu's hands was shaking more and more, he could only hold it down helplessly.

Other than that, Li Yuan couldn't do anything. Fortunately, the old emperor was not completely opposed to King Qin.For example, another confidant Chen Shuda is on the side of King Qin.He said to Gaozu: "The king of Qin has made great contributions to the world, and he cannot be deposed. He is also stubborn. If he is frustrated, he may be overwhelmed with sorrow and anger, or have an unexpected illness. How regrettable is your majesty!" (Volume 191) Chen Shuda's words relieved Li Yuan's inner pain to some extent, and also gave him another reason to continue carrying the water down.So one day not long after, when King Qi Li Yuanji blatantly persuaded the old emperor to kill King Qin, Li Yuan pushed him back unceremoniously: "He has the merits of ruling the world, and now he has no obvious crimes. You Is there any reason to kill him?"

The king of Qi gritted his teeth and said: "When Luoyang, the eastern capital, was conquered, he lingered and refused to go to work immediately. He also distributed a large amount of gold and silk to establish personal favors, and he disobeyed the imperial order. It is not a rebellion, but it should be killed quickly. !" Li Yuan closed his eyes and didn't want to say a word. King Qi only heard a long silence. Although the old emperor was old, sometimes it was unavoidable to be credulous and suspicious, but he was not as old as Li Yuanji hoped. The pressing force of the Prince's camp made the people in Prince Qin's mansion panic all day long.

They felt an invisible noose around their necks, and the air around them was growing thinner. Fang Xuanling couldn't bear it any longer, and he said to King Qin's brother-in-law and eldest grandson Wuji: "Now that the grievances have been settled, once disaster breaks out, not only will the court be full of blood, it will be a disaster for the whole country! Why don't you persuade King Qin to follow the example Zhou Gong (killed Guan and Cai) to save the country. The opportunity of life and death cannot be delayed, and must be launched as soon as possible." Changsun Wuji said: "I have intended this for a long time, but I dare not say it out loud. What you said today fits my heart. I will tell King Qin right away."

When Changsun Wuji confided their thoughts to King Qin, Li Shimin pondered for a long time. Changsun Wuji saw that his originally gloomy and stern face became more dignified.Although this young brother-in-law, who was only 28 years old, was still very heroic, Changsun Wuji still noticed that the years of war and horses had already carved the years of wind and frost on King Qin's face prematurely, and he followed closely behind. This protracted political game, which is difficult to deal with, has made his originally clear eyes become increasingly cloudy and gloomy. After a long time, Changsun Wuji heard King Qin say in a low and slightly hoarse voice, "Chuan Fang Xuanling."

After Fang Xuanling arrived, he said to his face, "Your Majesty has done great things and should inherit the empire. Today's crisis is just an opportunity given by God. Please don't hesitate anymore, Your Majesty!" After a while, Du Ruhui also hurried away. into the chamber.They persuaded the King of Qin with one voice—to make a decisive decision and kill the prince and King Qi. Li Shimin's eyes stayed on their faces for a long time, and there seemed to be a ray of light in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. Fang Xuanling and the others looked at each other helplessly.

What happened to King Qin?What the hell is he thinking? In this wave of attacks launched by the crown prince and King Qi, in addition to further alienating the relationship between Li Yuan and Li Shimin, there is another important step-cutting off Li Shimin's wings by any means. Li Jiancheng first set his target on a well-known general under Li Shimin's command. He is Yuchi Jingde. Li Jiancheng sent someone to send him a letter and a cart of gold and silver utensils.He said in the letter: "I offer this meager gift, hoping to gain the favor of the elders and enhance our personal friendship."

Yuchi Jingde wrote back immediately: "Jingde is a grassroots man. He suffered from chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty and became a grassroots bandit for a long time. His crime will not be pardoned! The King of Qin gave me the grace of rebirth, and now I am a member of the Qin family. Report! I have done nothing to Your Highness, so I dare not accept a heavy reward rashly. If I have a personal relationship with Your Highness, it is two-hearted; if I abandon loyalty for the sake of profit, what is the use of Your Highness wanting such a person?" At the same time, the prince also sent a heavy bribe to Duan Zhixuan, another general of the Qin Palace, but Duan Zhixuan also sternly refused. Yuchi Jingde then showed the prince's surrender letter to King Qin.Li Shimin was greatly moved and said: "Your determination is as firm as a mountain. Even if you pile up gold to the stars, I know you will not betray you. If he has any gifts, you just accept them. Why avoid suspicion! You can Wouldn’t it be a good idea to take the opportunity to spy on them? If you don’t, you might be in danger.” Li Shimin's judgment was correct. After reading the reply, the prince suddenly became furious. Shame on the face, toast and not eat fine wine! If the tiger doesn't show its power, you think I'm a sick cat! At dusk that day, an unexpected visitor appeared in front of Yuchi Jingde's mansion. To be precise, this is an assassin. An assassin sent by King Qi. Yuchi Jingde knew this well.With a sneer on his face, he ordered his subordinates to open all the doors in the house, and then he lay on the high bed, waiting for the assassin to come in as if nothing had happened. The assassin was dumbfounded. After so many years of walking in the rivers and lakes, I have never seen such an assassination target. The door was open in front of him, but he couldn't walk in so grandly. As usual, the assassin flew into Yuchi Jingde's mansion, and suddenly felt that there were countless eyes staring at him. Yuchi Jingde was lying on the bed in the inner room with his eyes closed, resting his mind, and swinging his legs leisurely.The assassins outside had unprecedented fear and hesitation.He backed out in frustration several times, and touched back unwillingly several times. In the end, however, the assassins still dared not strike. When this subordinate came back empty-handed in despair, King Qi suddenly jumped three feet high—I don't believe that I can't take care of you, Yuchi Jingde! King Qi immediately went to the palace to accuse Yuchi Jingde of treason to Gaozu.Of course Li Yuan knew that this was an unprovoked crime, but cutting off King Qin's wings was actually in line with his ideas, so he immediately took Yuchi Jingde to prison. Just when King Qi was about to attack Yuchi Jingde in prison, King Qin rushed into the palace to express his feelings to Gaozu, trying his best to prove Yuchi Jingde's innocence. The so-called rebellion is nothing but nonsense after all, since King Qin tried his best to protect him, Li Yuan had nothing to say, so he had to order Yuchi Jingde to be released. Although the tiger showed its might, it couldn't hurt a single hair of King Qin's man, so it was still suspected of being regarded as a sick cat. The prince and the king of Qi had no choice but to adjust their strategies, instead adopting the method of repelling and expelling, and encouraged Gaozu to transfer Cheng Zhijie, the general manager of the Zuoyi horse army of the Qin palace, to be the governor of Kangzhou (now Chengxian County, Gansu).Cheng Zhijie ignored the court order and went to see Li Shimin at the risk of death, saying: "The king's wings have been cut off, how long can the body live? Zhijie would rather die than go to Kangzhou. I hope the king will make a plan soon." At the same time, the prince changed the offensive method of casting nets to precise strikes. He said to the king: "Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui are the only feared think tanks in the Qin palace." As a result, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui Du Ruhui was also quickly expelled from Qin Palace. So far, all the confidantes around Li Shimin have been expelled, leaving only one eldest grandson Wuji. The situation is extremely dangerous. Changsun Wuji immediately summoned his uncle Gao Shilian (who was the governor of Yongzhou at that time, that is, the chief executive of Gyeonggi Province), Hou Junji, the chariot and cavalry general of Youhouwei, and Yuchi Jingde, who had escaped from death, all to Qin Wangfu, and tried hard day and night to persuade Qin Wang It is better to act first, and kill the prince and King Qi. To everyone's great disappointment, at this critical juncture of life and death, Li Shimin, who was usually brave and decisive, became hesitant at this moment.No matter how everyone persuaded him, King Qin was noncommittal. In fact, Li Shimin understands the seriousness of the situation better than anyone else, and at the same time wants to take action more urgently than anyone else.But his first concern is that his military strength in the capital is far inferior to that of the crown prince and King Qi. Once he really wants to fight to the death, he must try his best to win as many political and military alliances as possible before taking action. For this reason, Li Shimin locked two people. They are Li Jing and Li Shiji.At this moment, both of them are holding heavy troops, stationed on the northern border to defend against the Turks.Li Shimin hopes that they can secretly provide military support, and at least hope that they will be consistent with him in terms of political stance. Faced with Li Shimin's temptation and win over, what choice will Li Jing and Li Shiji make? In this regard, various historical records vary.According to the "Old Tang Book: The Biography of Prince Yin Jiancheng", Li Jing and Li Shiji took the initiative to show their loyalty to the King of Qin before he could speak, and repeatedly persuaded him: "The king is suspected because of his meritorious deeds. Jing and others are asking for the power of a dog and a horse." However, the records in the book are very different: "(Shimin) asked Li Jing, the governor of Lingzhou, and Jing resigned; asked Li Shiji, the commander-in-chief of the army, and Shiji resigned." That is to say, the two generals rejected Li Shimin unanimously and chose neutral. So, which of the above records is more credible? Our answer is: the latter. The reason is obvious.If Li Jing and Li Shiji really joined the King of Qin Group, and volunteered to serve as "the power of a dog and a horse", why are there no traces of these two famous generals in any historical materials during the entire Xuanwumen Incident? As we all know, in this dangerous bloody coup, everyone in the King of Qin Group tried their best - it goes without saying that Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, Hou Junji, Zhang Gongjin and other generals all rushed to the front line. Even civil servants like Changsun Wuji had to go into battle with King Qin, and even Li Shimin's wife, Changsun, had to visit the scene in person to boost morale. ("Old Tang Book·Biography of Empress Wende's Changsun's Family": "It's hard to do. Taizong was at Xuanwu Gate. Fang led the soldiers into the palace to confer armor. His relatives comforted him. Everyone was grateful.") And Gao Shilian, the uncle of the eldest grandson brothers and sisters When the situation was critical, the prisoners had to be released, given weapons, and led them to help the King of Qin. All of this is enough to show that the King Qin Group is on the stage as a whole, putting all their eggs in one basket.There is simply no extra force to act as a reserve.If Li Jing and Li Shiji had participated in this coup, no matter directly or indirectly, the military strength of the Qin Palace would not be so stretched, and there would be traces of them in the historical materials (the other 10 or 20 people who participated in the coup were in the two Even if no specific deeds are left in the various biography of "Book of Tang", their names are also left). Therefore, the so-called Er Li's "willing to act like a dog and a horse" is likely to be a fiction when Zhenguan Shichen compiled "Taizong Veritable Records".The reason why there are such false records is nothing more than to show that Li Shimin has been widely supported, thus providing more legitimacy for this bloody coup. Facing the rejection of Li Jing and Li Shiji, how did Li Shimin react? "Tongjian" said that he "respected the two from the truth", that is, he respected their choices from the bottom of his heart, and he respected them more and more from then on.Judging from Li Shimin's attitude towards them afterwards, this statement should be credible.Generally speaking, during the Zhenguan period, Li Shimin maintained his trust in the second Li as always, and reused him again and again. Although Li Shimin didn't hold any grudges because of this, the feeling of being rejected is always uncomfortable.What's more, in this situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, the lack of support from these two brave generals will definitely make Li Shimin feel a great sense of helplessness and disappointment. However, no matter how disappointed he was in his heart, and no matter how disparate the power between the enemy and himself, the prince had already taken the lead, and a life-or-death situation had formed. No matter what, this imminent vicious battle had to be fought. The only question is, how to fight this battle? The biggest problem lies not only in the disparity in strength, nor in the timing and choice of tactics, but in the nature of this war.In other words, what Li Shimin is facing at this moment is an unprecedented special war. This time the opponent was none other than his elder brother and younger brother, and his father. Waving the butcher's knife to one's own flesh and blood relatives requires more than wisdom, courage and strength. But what else is needed? Li Shimin didn't know. He found painfully that with his twenty-eight years of life experience and ten years of political experience, it seemed that he was still not enough to answer this question satisfactorily, nor was it enough for him to escape an unprecedented moral dilemma. Everything that I thought I had in my chest, turned out to be so confused and lost. It turns out that brotherhood is not as easy to give up and as insignificant as I always thought. It turns out that the most difficult thing to conquer in this world is not those powerful enemies and fortified cities outside, but the most untouchable place in the depths of one's own soul. No one around Li Shimin could empathize with all of this. Facing their anxious faces and earnest gazes, Li Shimin could only respond with silence, an almost numb silence. Besides, what else could Li Shimin give them? At least until the end of this disturbing moral torture, Li Shimin can't give any answer.The prince and King Qi have already sharpened their swords, but Li Shimin's soul is still struggling and thinking. At this time, wars broke out on the northern border again, and East Turkic General Ashina Yu led tens of thousands of cavalry to besiege Wucheng (now south of Dingbian County, Shaanxi), and the battle report quickly spread to Chang'an. The prince and King Qi laughed. A plan to completely destroy Li Shimin quickly took shape in their minds.