Li Zhi entered the palace with the servant. He wrote a letter a few days ago to ask for Chu, but there was no response. Today, the emperor finally called him into the palace, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed. The discussion was held in the imperial study room. Emperor Yong Li Yuan was sitting behind the Longshu desk, squinting slightly, with a hesitant expression, while beside him sat a beautiful young woman in palace costume, sitting on the chair on the left side of the desk. Prince Li An, Prime Minister Wei Guan, and Duke Cheng Shu of Wei were seated in order. Except for the first seat on the right, there were General Qin Yi of Fuyuan and King Li Xian of Qi. Li Xian was still pale and a little sick, but The spirit is not bad.
Prince Li An, who is thirty-six years old this year, is two years older than King Yong Li Zhi, but he has never practiced martial arts, and is not as radiant as Li Zhi. With a hint of exhaustion, he looked at Li Zhi's admirable heroic appearance who came in from the outside, and a trace of jealousy flashed in his eyes. Li Zhi walked directly to the Longshu case, and bowed down to the tunnel: "Erchen knocks on the father emperor." Li Yuan said: "Zhier, why did you come so late?" Li Zhi smiled and said, "Erchen just received espionage from Jiangnan before he came, so I sorted it out. Bring it over for a while, so that the emperor can see it."
Li Yuan looked at Li An strangely and said, "An'er, haven't you already handed over the Jiangnan espionage?"
Li An smiled and said, "It must be the second brother who doesn't know yet that the spies from Jiangnan have already arrived at my place."
A cold smile flashed in Li Zhi's eyes, and he said, "The espionage on Jiangnan from His Royal Highness's place came from Liang Wan, and the espionage channels here are different, so there must be some things that the father and emperor don't know yet."
Li An's expression froze. He did everything possible to control the Jiangnan spy network. He didn't expect that Li Zhi still had other information, so why didn't he hate it, and said coldly: "So it is, a few days ago, the sixth brother attacked Xiangyang. Bring out that information, presumably the sixth brother won't lose so badly." He only cared about his own pleasure and attacking Li Zhi, but he forgot Li Xian's mood, and a shadow flashed in Li Xian's eyes.
Li Zhi said calmly: "My younger brother only realized that our espionage network in Jiangnan was not complete when the sixth younger brother failed to attack Xiangyang for the first time. When she was sent to the Ministry of War, she did some tricks. It can be seen that the espionage network in charge of Miss Liang has been noticed by people of insight in Nanchu. When the Chu war begins, our espionage network will inevitably be destroyed. Because of this situation, the younger brother has to re-wire the wiring. Finally, it is quite successful. His Royal Highness does not know the details. , so I didn't support the sixth brother in time." Having said that, Li Zhi glanced at Li Xian and bowed slightly apologetically. Li Xian shook his head slightly and said he didn't mind.
As soon as Li Zhi came in, he quarreled with the prince Li An. Seeing that they stopped temporarily, except for Emperor Yong, the young woman and Li An, everyone stood up to greet Li Zhi. King Qi Li Xian was about to stand up, but saw Li Zhi. With the anger in An's eyes, he sat back again. Li Zhi took his seat and agreed to everyone. The beautiful woman in the palace dress had eyes like ice when Li Zhi accused Liang Wan. After Li Zhi sat down, she said, "Listen to what Your Highness said, my nephew Wan has been working hard in Jiangnan, but he still ended up, didn't he?" When she opened her mouth, Li An bowed her head slightly, with a smile on the corner of her mouth.
Li Zhi bowed his body and said, "My concubine, my sons and ministers dare not underestimate Miss Liang's achievements. When Changle was married far away, the father and the emperor and we all took pity on Changle, and her temperament is gentle and gentle, so the noble concubine sent Miss Liang to go to Southern Chu with Changle. , Li Zhi is also very grateful. Over the years, we have been so successful in Southern Chu, and Miss Liang has contributed a lot, but now that the situation has changed, Miss Liang has almost been placed in the light, so Erchen has to establish another espionage network, lest Miss Liang After being forced to retreat, we lost control of Jiangnan."
The young woman showed a faint smile on her delicate and beautiful face, and seemed to accept Li Zhi's explanation. That smile like a plum blossom in the snow queen made all the men in the study unmoved, but since she was a noble concubine, she quickly became acquainted with her. looked away.
Seeing that the atmosphere had improved, Li Zhi said, "Since the father has obtained the espionage brought by His Royal Highness, he must have seen the "Book of Remonstrance to the Jin Emperor"?" Li Yuan picked up a copy from the bookcase and said. "Yeah, this Jiang Zhe is really talented. The prince and the king of Qi have both recommended this person to me. I have seen his poems, especially the broken time, a small poem, killing the king of Shu, he is really talented. Peerless, seeing this book today, I believe that this person is not only a talented person, but also a capable minister. If Nan Chu reused this person, but the disaster of Dayong, now this person has been removed from office, he must be recruited. ."
Li Zhi smiled and said: "Father is right, this person is really extraordinary, my son is in the middle of Shu, and the sixth brother has seen him in Southern Chu, but unfortunately this person has little fame and fortune, and he is also a loyal minister of Southern Chu, I am afraid that he will not submit to him. Bar?"
Li Yuan nodded and said: "Yes, this king is also worried about this. Seeing this person's form, he should be a loyal minister of Southern Chu, but as the saying goes, worthy ministers choose their masters and serve. I see that this person's poetry is free and easy, it should not be A stubborn person?"
Li Zhi heard him say this and knew that Li Xian did not tell Li An about his encounter with Jiang Zhe in Xiangyang, so Li Yuan would not think that Jiang Zhe might not submit, he glanced at Li Xian, Looking a little uneasy, Li Zhi smiled slightly and continued: "Yeah, because I got Jiang Zhe's badge this time, I checked it carefully and found that this person is closely related to Zhao Jue, Prince of Germany. Just for Zhao Jue, counselor. It is said that he was recovering at home for more than two years, but he kept writing letters to Xiangyang. This time Liang Wan sent someone to assassinate him on the way. It was the servant he sent to save Zhao Jue, and he went to Xiangyang to meet him Zhao Jue's last meeting, Erchen found out that Lu Xin and Jiang Zhe also knew each other, the new governor of Southern Chu. Before Jiang Zhe did not reach the first place, he was the west seat of Lu Xin's son Lu Can, so Erchen thought that this person would not easily submit ."
Li Yuan listened with relish, while Li An and Concubine Ji secretly exchanged glances, it seems that they didn't pay so much attention to Jiang Zhe. Li Yuan looked at Wei Guan and asked, "Wei Xiang, what do you think?"
Wei Guan replied: "Your Majesty, don't worry, now Nanchu is exhausted, it will only take a few years to pacify the south, when the world will be leveled, the wise men will come back naturally, Jiang Zhe, seeing his poetry and prose is not a stubborn person, how can he not Feng Zhengshuo."
After listening to his answer, Li Yuan couldn't help but say with a bright face: "Wei Xiang is right, although this person is worthy of reuse, he doesn't have to worry too much. After the peace of Nanchu, I will order him to enter the court and become an official."
Li Zhi looked at the crowd and found that both Li An and Concubine Ji had a faint look in their eyes. Only Li Xian was full of ridicule, knowing that his goal had been achieved. Pay attention, if you want to secretly arrange to win over Jiang Zhe, it is difficult to avoid the attention of Li An and others. It is better to show the horses and horses to express their importance, then other people's eyes will focus on Jiang Zhe's surface. Talent will not really understand the importance of Jiang Zhe, nor will he fight against himself for an "ordinary" celebrity. Only Li Xian can see through his own strategy. He also understands Jiang Zhe's talent, but presumably he also hopes Taking Jiang Zhe under the account, for this reason, he will never expose what he has done. Next, he only needs to secretly compete with Li Xian.
Li Zhi, who had achieved his goal, said cheerfully, "The royal father has sent his ministers to discuss the matter of attacking Chu. I don't know what the royal father's plan is?"
Li Yuandao: "This time Dayong lost his troops in Xiangyang. I'm worried that Nanchu will be out of control from now on. I'm going to send you to lead troops to attack Chu. Now that the lord of Nanchu is proclaiming emperor, it just gave us the best excuse. Last time we used the excuse of virtue. The prince's bad intentions are not good for my Dayong, the excuse is too far-fetched, and now it is natural for us to attack Chu, what do you think?"
Li Zhi said: "Father is right, the military in Southern Chu is in chaos now. According to my son's original plan, the army should encircle and cut off the connection between Jingxiang and Jiangnan. It will take a few years and slowly It consumes Nanchu's military strength and people's hearts, but now it seems that if they are given time, their army will stabilize again. Without more than ten years, it is impossible to capture Nanchu. If the father and emperor allow it, the son wants to take a risk. , give Nan Chu a heavy blow, make them lose their determination to fight against me, Dayong, and then pacify the resistance forces one by one. Although this may take a long time, within three years, Erchen can guarantee that Nan Chu will be taken over. Return to Dayong's territory, and then spend another 20 years slowly regaining the hearts of the people, what the emperor thinks."
Li Yuan heard what Li Zhi meant, and according to his idea, the most perfect thing is to wipe out Nanchu in one fell swoop, but now it seems that Nanchu still has something to do. It was decades of turmoil, but it should not affect the situation in the Central Plains, and by then he would no longer have to worry about it. The desire to build his career surpassed everything, so he agreed with Li Zhi's opinion.
Concubine Ji's eyes flashed a hint of darkness. She knew that there would be many years of chaos in Jiangnan and Li Min would suffer, but she didn't stop it because she knew that Li Yuan had already made a decision, and she once again determined that the door owner's decision was right Yes, although King Yong is very talented, in comparison, the mediocre Li An is more suitable to be the master of Dayong.
Seeing that Li Yuan had agreed, Li Zhi put forward a detailed plan. According to the information, Nan Chu's military power is now scattered. Because of the battle with Dayong, Nan Chu has strengthened its defense in the middle of Shu, preventing Dayong from breaking through the middle of Shu and going down the river. , and Xiangyang was attacked twice, and the soldiers suffered heavy losses. In order to supplement the soldiers, the Southern Chu military was almost stretched, and there was a long Yangtze River defense line. It can be said that Nanchu is now in a situation of strong external power and central dry power. Li Zhi proposed to attack and siege from the two places of Shuzhong and Xiangyang first, so that Nanchu could concentrate on the two wars, and then he brought a fine cavalry to break through the Yangtze River and advance to Jianye. According to common sense, Jianye City will not be attacked for a few months. Those who can't come down, a few months are enough for the Southern Chu army to cut off Li Zhi's back road and diligent Wang Jianye, but now Jianye is empty, and then using Dayong's internal response in Jianye, Li Zhi is confident that he can do it within a few days. The capture of Jianye, and then the plundering of the Southern Chu royal family and hundreds of officials to Dayong, when the Southern Chu group was headless, not to mention that even the capital city was breached, and the lord was captured, which would be a great blow to the morale of Southern Chu, even if they stood up otherwise. After being the lord of the country, it will be difficult to fight against Dayong again, and then Dayong will be able to pacify Jiangnan in the name of Zhao Jia. Although this plan will actually take more time to completely rule Jiangnan, and there will be more troubles later, but Li Yuan hopes to make Nan Chu a minister earlier, so he still agrees to this plan.
Although Li An is not very proficient in the military, he also knows the troubles of this kind, but he thinks that if Li Zhi really takes Nanchu completely, then he will not be able to keep his storage position. Li Xian failed to attack Nanchu this time. Thinking that there is still a possibility to save their faces in the future, so neither of them objected. Although Cheng Shu, the Duke of Wei and General Qin Yi of Fuyuan, both disagreed, they also understood the mystery and knew that it was useless to object. In this way, such a plan to attack Chu, which was criticized by later generations, did not conform to the art of war and was passed. Except for Li Zhi and Shi Yu, no one knew that Li Zhi's biggest purpose was to get Jiang Zhe alone.
Everyone's discussion has been settled, Li Yuan sighed: "Zhi Er, this time you attack Jianye, you must ensure the safety of Changle, you must bring her back safely, for Dayong, she has sacrificed too much, I'm sorry for her. ."
Li Zhi sighed slightly, Princess Changle was the father's beloved daughter, and her mother, Concubine Changsun, was known for her virtuous virtue. Changle herself was dignified and gentle, so Changle was most favored by her father. The emperor's seventh son, Li Jin, died at a young age. Therefore, in order to comfort Concubine Changsun, the emperor promised that Princess Changle and Ji would be able to choose their own son-in-law. Princess Changle already had someone she liked, and the emperor also agreed to give her a marriage. However, because he wanted to marry Nan Chu, his father ordered Chang Le to marry Zhao Jia, the prince of Southern Chu. At that time, Concubine Changsun cried in front of his father, and sooner or later, Dayong and Nan Chu turned against each other. If Chang Le married, what would he do in the future. But the royal father still made up his mind. The desperate look in Princess Changle's parting eyes made Li Zhi still unforgettable to this day. Although he cleverly arranged to let Yong Nu compete for Zhao Jia's favor and prevent Princess Changle from having too much emotional involvement with Zhao Jia, but When he knew that Princess Changle was living a secluded life, he still felt very sorry, especially after knowing that Princess Changle was pregnant, after several thoughts and resolutely aborting the child, Li Zhi could almost see Changle's grief and despair. How cruel everything will be faced in the future, that's why I made this determination.
Thinking of this, Li Zhi said categorically: "Father, don't worry, this time, my son will definitely take back the emperor's sister, the emperor has sacrificed a lot for me Dayong, and the son will definitely ensure her safety and bring the emperor back to the father. Rejoice on your knees."
Li Yuan sighed and said, "After taking it back, after a while, I will choose another son-in-law for Changle, so that she won't look like a widow when she is so young and young."
Everyone hesitated for a while, but Wei Guan said, "Your Majesty is free, but if Zhao Jiaruo is captured here, he will still need to use his name for a short time. The princess is the Queen of Nanchu. The gnashing of teeth hates Dayong."
Li Yuan said angrily, "Can't I let my daughter suffer forever?"
Wei Guan was at a loss for words. In his opinion, it didn't matter whether Princess Changle was happy or not, but he didn't dare to say that.
Li An said in a roundabout way: "Father, Emperor Wei, what Wei Xiang said also makes sense. Why don't we choose a husband and a husband for the emperor's sister first, and let them secretly make a marriage contract. After a few years, Nanchu is slightly settled, Zhao Jia After it has no effect, it is justifiable to marry the emperor's sister."
Li Yuan nodded slightly and said, "That's it, don't let this matter go out for now, and wait until Changle comes back. Okay, I'm a little tired, you go."
Li An, Li Zhi, Li Xian, Wei Guan, Cheng Shu, and Qin Yi all got up to leave, and Concubine Ji supported Li Yuan out of the imperial study. Everyone also left, Li Xian did not go with Li An, but deliberately stayed behind and said to Li Zhi, "Second brother, do you think Jiang Zhe will definitely submit to you?"
Li Zhi said lightly: "Why, the sixth brother also wants to keep him under his command."
Li Xian rubbed his fists and said: "Second brother, that Jiang Zhe, I felt a good match when I saw it. You have many ministers and generals under your command, so give this Jiang Zhe to me."
Li Zhi smiled slightly and said, "Do you think that if he doesn't vote for me, he will definitely vote for you?"
Li Xian said: "I think this kid is quite knowledgeable sometimes. If he is willing to vote for me, I will worship him as a teacher and obey him. He will definitely agree, as long as the second brother doesn't rob me."
Li Zhi smiled bitterly. He didn't expect Li Xian to hand over in such a sloppy manner. He didn't want to argue with Li Xian, so he said: "I don't know if he will surrender to Dayong. We fought too early. By the way, you and When will Miss Qin get married?"
Li Xian smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, the name has been decided. Qin Zheng's master and father both want me to hurry up, so I'm going to get married next month."
Li Zhi said with a smile: "Then I can't make it back. You, you have dragged on for several years, but Miss Qin is waiting for you."
Li Xian sneered: "If it wasn't for Concubine Ji Gui urging the father and the emperor to order, I would still wait. There are so many beauties outside, how can I be so busy, the Liu Piaoxiang I saw last time in Nanchu is really a natural Youwu, if it wasn't for Qin Zheng, I would have gotten it. Second brother, this time you are in Nanchu, you might as well go see her, she is a peerless beauty, a hypocritical woman like Liang Wan, can't compare to her. , woman, why are you worrying about the country and the people?"
Li Zhi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell my younger brother and sister to go and let her know that you look down on her." Li Xian quickly apologized.
Although Li Zhi had a smile on his face, his heart was cold. Li An now has the support of Fengyimen and Li Xian's arm. If Li Xian is more mature, then Li An can really stand up to himself, instead of relying on his father. The emperor's favoritism, thinking of the increasingly dangerous situation around him, Li Zhi once again determined that he must get Jiang Zhe, and he needs a help that can help him break through many obstacles.
〖In September of the first year of Zhihua, King Yong Li Zhi offered a strategy to calm Chu and led an army of 400,000 troops to the south, causing Jingxiang to shake.
- "The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties: The Biography of King Yang of Chu"〗