There was a deathly silence in the meeting hall of Hongwen Hall. It was in sharp contrast to Yuchi Jingde's previous vigorous commotion.
Everyone looked at Fang Xuanling, who was still very weak from the illness.
Changsun Wuji, after all, is a man who has seen the world and gone through ups and downs. At this time, he actually did not show any panic, just smiled lightly and said: "It is a good thing that Xuan Ling's position is so clear and resolute. Now, of the four prime ministers in charge of the central government, two support the war and two oppose the war. If , We are still at a stalemate. We have no choice but to go and ask His Majesty for help."
"The military situation is so fierce, how can we delay?" Li Daozong said, "Situ, we are sitting here drinking tea and talking, not panicking or anxious, but every moment on the front line, hundreds of people may face life and death and bloodshed. Fang Xuanling's words are reasonable and reasonable. If we continue to do so, we will be mistreating the government and harming the country. The dispute caused the lives of the frontline soldiers to suffer. How can it be so embarrassing? "
"Then what can you do according to the wishes of the prince?" Changsun Wuji spread his hands and said helplessly, "Now, all the courtiers are divided into two equal factions, each insisting on their own words and refusing to give in. No matter where they follow, If one party has an opinion, the other party will definitely be dissatisfied. In this way, there will be a huge conflict in the court. No matter how much trouble the Tubo makes, it will not destroy the Tang Dynasty and cannot seize the country of the Central Plains; if we start from Internal chaos is about to break out, which will cause serious problems. Nowadays, the stability of the court is more important than anything else. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Changsun Wuji's words were so tactful that Li Daozong no longer had any faults. Li Daozong was hit with a soft nail and could only nod his head: "Then... let His Majesty the Emperor make a decision!"
"Your Majesty is seriously ill, how can he manage the government?" Fang Xuanling said, "If he could come, why would he wait until now?"
"Hey..." Everyone sighed and shook their heads.
The current situation is a stalemate, which is really not good.
At this time, Wei Zheng suddenly stood up and called his servants to wait for him to leave. Changsun Wuji was surprised: "What is Xuancheng going to do?"
"Wei, please take your leave." Wei Zheng sighed, bowed to everyone, and said, "It seems that Wei is indeed a little old. When this person gets old, he gets confused easily. From now on, this person will When it comes to important matters in the court, Wei will not participate in them, so as not to mislead himself or others. "
"Why did Xuancheng say this?" Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling both asked in surprise.
"Hey... I only have a few days to live!" Wei Zheng shook his head and smiled, "Before I die, I don't want to make any more serious mistakes and make people laugh. Xuanling, in the final analysis, you are the wiser. ! Wei has never obeyed others in his life, but I will obey you this time. You are right, Lanzhou should go to war."
"Why?" Many people asked in surprise.
Who doesn't know that Wei Zheng is a man of iron bones, and even if the emperor threatens to kill him, he will not change his original intentions and opinions; who doesn't know that Wei Zheng has made countless suggestions in his life, and only a majority of them have been accepted by the emperor. His insights and opinions have always been the most outstanding and praised. The success of the Zhenguan Tang Dynasty today was closely related to Wei Zheng's integrity and opinions. Even Li Shimin said that before Zhenguan, Fang Xuanling had the first credit; after Zhenguan, Wei Zheng had the first credit.
In the impression of almost everyone in the world, the word "change of opinion" should not be in Wei Zheng's dictionary!
But today, for the first time in an important imperial meeting like Hongwen Hall, in front of all the important officials of the court, he completely changed his views!
"Ask me why?" Wei Zheng smiled lightly. This tough-necked old man had a rare gentle face and even a little shyness. He said, "The scholar's metaphor mentioned by Fang Xianggong reminded Wei of himself. When he was young, it is known that Wei came from a poor family. When he was studying in his early years, Wei did not go home for visits every three or seven years, and he always heard that a relative had died or died. What kind of disaster has happened to my hometown? Why don't you let me know so that I can do my filial duty? Wei often blames his compatriots at home. Wei still remembers his father's words. He said that since he went out to survive, he had to do his duty. Study honestly and don't think about anything else. If you are always thinking about your family and farm at home, why not just throw away the pretense of studying and just live on a few acres of farmland at home? You can also let us accept our fate and treat you. The future is free from such unwarranted expectations.”
After everyone listened, they were silent.
Wei Zheng smiled and said: "Some old things made you laugh. In fact, Wei wanted to say that there is some turmoil in our Tang Dynasty court, but it will not damage the foundation. After all, His Majesty the Emperor still rules the world. , the country of the Tang Dynasty cannot be ruined; Lanzhou indeed consumed a lot of money and food and once became the biggest burden of the Tang Dynasty, but now Lanzhou has got out of this predicament and can at least be self-sufficient if peace is made at this time. , if you give up halfway, it will be a waste. Fang Xuanling is in charge of Datang's finances. No one knows how to calculate this account better than him. Xuanling, let me ask you. , How much will it cost to start from scratch and prepare again?”
"Xuan Cheng's question is on point. This is why Fang supports Lanzhou in the war. As the saying goes, if the arrow is on the string, it has to be fired. If you don't stop the momentum and then start again, you will lose the opportunity. , more laborious." Fang Xuanling said, "Fang has carefully estimated that if the war with Tubo ends at this time, all the previous investment in Lanzhou will be in vain. After one or two years of construction, Lanzhou has become a wasteland. An important business travel center in the western border, the income from money and food is very considerable, and the army and horses are strong enough to use force. If the war is stopped at this time, the business travel wealth on the Silk Road will be equally divided with Gaochang, Tubo, and Western Turks, and the Tang Dynasty will lose several Western Region vassals. . In addition, the powerful military front of Lanzhou will be reduced. In this way, Lanzhou will become a pool of stagnant water. Not only will it be difficult to maintain its former wealth and prosperity, but it will also have to withdraw its troops and relocate its people. Return to the Central Plains. How much manpower and material resources will this cost? - Speaking of which, how long can the so-called peace between the Central Plains and the Yi countries really last? It is hard to say whether Tubo is willing to seek peace. With a arrogant attitude, I think it is because the Tang Dynasty is afraid that he will have to break up with me. The barbarians have no faith. Although the marriage can temporarily ease the conflict between the two countries and let the war stop, who can guarantee that the arrogant heart will stop. How long can the Tubo people be honest before starting another war? By then, Lanzhou, which has lost the supply of living water from the Silk Road, will no longer be as prosperous as it is today. It can be expected that in ten or twenty years, Lanzhou will inevitably return to a situation where the people are unable to make ends meet. State. How much money does the imperial court spend every year to defend the Western Front? Not only that, but the short-lived and false peace can make people slack and numb. If the troops in Lanzhou are neglected when the Tibet invades, they will lose their strength... Everyone , Fang Mou said so much, but actually he only has one meaning - on the surface, it seems that it is not the right time to start a war with Tubo, but in fact, fundamentally speaking, it is very cost-effective! "
"That's why, Xuanling, Wei Mou has convinced you, the great steward of the Tang Dynasty!" Wei Zheng nodded and smiled, then shook his head and said, "I have waited for the official position and the official position, but I can't do it like you. Likewise, think from the long-term perspective of the country. Wei is really old... Well, gentlemen, Wei takes his leave! For the first time in his life, Wei retracted and changed his opinion during an important court meeting. I support Lanzhou’s use of troops! Farewell!”
Two servants helped Wei Zheng out of the house, lifted him onto a simple sedan chair made of bamboo and wood chairs, and carried him away with a creaking sound.
Everyone's eyes were watching Wei Zheng disappear, and they were speechless for a long time.
Today's meeting was full of twists and turns and was too dramatic. At first, many people thought that Changsun Wuji would overwhelm the main war faction with absolute superiority, showing a one-sided situation. However, Wei Zheng shattered Changsun Wuji's illusion as soon as he took action and asked everyone to express their stance. Qin Mubai came up with a wonderful pen The "democratic voting" caught Changsun Wuji off guard, thus greatly diluting Changsun Wuji's personal influence and deterrence.
Immediately afterwards, Yuchi Jingde disrupted the situation, Fang Xuanling suddenly appeared, and Chu Suiliang unexpectedly neutralized, all of which exceeded many people's expectations.
The situation seems to be tilting in favor of the main war faction.
Changsun Wuji remained calm.
Although he is currently unable to completely defeat the main war faction while suppressing Bai Qiao, he is fully confident that as long as he persists, no one can surpass his last line of defense.
Fang Xuanling couldn't do it, Wei Zheng couldn't do it, and Chu Suiliang couldn't do it. The three of them combined couldn't do it either!
"How can we, the leader, be as emotional as Wei Zheng when we are planning for the country? Wei Zheng, Wei Zheng, you are so smart and confused for a moment! You actually changed your attitude because Fang Xuanling's analogy was similar to your experience when you were young and studying. If this matter spreads, it will damage your reputation forever!" Changsun Wuji shook his head and smiled. Instead of losing his temper, he calmly said, "As you said, Wei Zheng is indeed old. He has been seriously ill and has been away from the court for a long time. It is normal for his opinions to be slightly inconsistent with the current situation. Mr. Wei, please don't listen to what you say. Don't believe it completely, let alone lose your own opinions. "
Qin Mubai's heart trembled: Changsun Wuji is indeed an old Jianghu! In such an unfavorable situation, we can still hold on to the pole and the rudder. His words were clearly meant for the many courtiers present. Firstly, they were meant to boost morale, and secondly, they were also meant to intimidate!
"Auxiliary engine, let's put it this way..." Fang Xuanling said, "As the prince said, the military situation is like a fire, and it is not appropriate to postpone such important military matters. Please tell me a plan, how can we reach a result? We can't Just fight here for three days and three nights. By then, Lanzhou may have been bleeding for thousands of miles, and it will be too late!"
"Xuan Ling's words make sense." Changsun Wuji nodded lightly and said, "Let's do it again, let's use the voting method suggested by Qin Mubai. But this time, the person in charge of the cabinet center will The official prime ministers and assistants, the deputy prime ministers under Tong Zhongshu's sect Ping Zhangshi, as well as the servants of the third rank and above, Shang Cheng, Shangshu, and general officials, these people are all core members of the Tang Dynasty Central Committee, even more so. Authoritative and persuasive. Public voting also avoids irresponsibility and blame-shifting. ”
Qin Mubai's heart was filled with confusion: Cunning! Who doesn't know that most of the core confidential officials in the three provinces and six ministries are your confidants, Changsun Wuji, or they dare not challenge you because of your authority? Among the generals of the Sixteenth Guards, except for a few such as Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Zhijie, although they have a stand, they have no choice but to dare to openly oppose your eldest grandson Wuji? What a “public vote”!
Changsun Wuji, this time he was able to outdo the others and became extremely arrogant!