.

When Bu Yi and others discussed the war in Hedong, Li Yuan was already in a state of confusion. He came one by one, constantly hitting his confidence.

Li Jing defeated Dingxiang. The chasing Turkic soldiers cried. Xu Shiji defeated Jueya's tent and beaten the Turkic soldiers to a slump.

Shimin returned in a disastrous defeat. The state army returned to the entire line. Taiyuan was surrounded.

Xiao Buyi sent troops to attack Yuan Gaisuwen. I heard that Gaisuwen only fled back to Liaodong with dozens of people. Xu Shiji defeated Liaodong City. The Western Liang army was as powerful as a rainbow.

All the news came one after another, constantly testing Li Yuan's patience. Now, spring is here. Yuan's middle is like the cold winter month.

The Xiliang Army began to attack Hedong with all its might. He wanted to repeat his route to attack Guanzhong. At present, Taiyuan was in a hurry. Jiefu was in a hurry. Taigu Pass was in a hurry. Taigu Pass was in a hurry. Tianjing Pass was in a hurry!

There are urgent matters and difficult problems everywhere. The most serious thing is that Li Yuan still has hidden dangers in Hedong and Li Tang has hidden dangers. He cannot fully devote himself to the battlefield in Hedong.

Li Nanyan.

Li Yuan was hesitant about the use of Li Xuanba like never before. He wanted to use Li Xuanba and was scruples. Finally, it proved that Li Ba's suggestions made since he led the army in Hedong were completely correct.

Li Xuanba suggested taking the initiative. Whether it was Xiao Buyi, who was attacking the West, captured the thief and captured the king, or attacking Changping from Shangdang, overwhelming Luoyang, forcing Xiao Buyi to withdraw his troops. In short, you cannot wait for the opponent to attack. Li Xuanba suggested not to isolate Youzhou. Li Xuanba said that although foreign troops can be powerful, how can they use their own people to do their best to fight the world? Li Xuanba suggested that he never expects the Turks and Liaodong to defeat Xiao Buyi and Dong to defeat the Turks and Dong. Li Tang was in danger!

Li Yuan knew that Xiao Buyi was not bad. Xiao Buyi was even more aggressive when he was competing for dominance in the world recently. But Li Yuan still did not believe in the huge Turks and the tenacious and tenacious Liaodong. He could not lose both sides with Xiao Buyi.

Li Yuan did not believe Li Xuanba's advice and finally decided to sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight.

Facts proved that Li Yuan's move was very wrong. The Turkic retreat in Liaodong all verified Li Xuanba's vision. Xiao Buyi showed a strong momentum to attack Hedong, which proved that Li Xuanba was right.

But these very correct suggestions. The stubborn Li Yuan didn't listen to a single suggestion. It was conservative to a certain extent. Even if the stubborn Li Yuanzi was still a conservative person, he also resisted Li Ba's suggestions. Now Li Yuansan is very impressed. He thought that if he did it again, he would rather let Li Xuanba show off. Unfortunately, this world has made time turn around.

How to deal with Li Xuanba? Li Yuan is in unprecedented ways.

Li Xuanba has always been arbitrary in his advice recently. Li Yuan was a little confused. Even Pei Ji was a little confused. Because from where to look, Li Xuanba’s actions are impeccable and loyal to the country. Let’s ask such a person. If Li Yuan openly killed him, what would the ministers think? If he plotted against him, it would not be so easy to kill Li Xuanba! Li Yuan must have a one-hit hand to give Li Xuanba the chance to fight back.

Sitting in the hall, Li Yuan's face was gloomy and sunny. He was waiting for his confidant.

When Pei Ji entered the palace, the color was also a little strange. Li Yuan asked, "Pei Pushe, what's the situation?" Pei Ji whispered, "Master, I have already found out from Yuan Ji. It turns out that Yuan Ji's news was from the relatives of a close maid who had been a long time ago.

”

Li Yuan frowned and said, "How could Yuanji have a heart to explore? Empress Dou's close-up girl is dead?" Li Yuan's thoughts flew around and thought that he had assassinated the news after Empress Dou's death. Empress Dou had promised to keep his mouth shut and would never reveal the matter. How could that maid talk too much? "Yuanji knew he had been abandoned by Empress Dou and was full of grudges." Pei Ji smiled bitterly: "According to what he said, one day he vented his dissatisfaction. While drinking, he met the maid's uncle. The man was a gangster in the city. Seeing Yuanji unhappy, he took the opportunity to approach Yuanji and asked him for some money. Then he told him the consequences."

Li Yuanhen said, "Where is that gangster?"

"The gangster. I heard that Yuan died the next day." Pei Ji frowned and said, "Yuan Ji wanted to listen more to the whole story. Unexpectedly, when he found the gangster the next day, the gangster got drunk and fell into the gutter and drowned. But since then, Yuan Ji has kept this in mind. Although there is no conclusive evidence. If Xuanba has a problem with his identity, then Shimin will of course have problems. Yuan Ji is not jealous of Xuanba. After all, Xuanba has been weak and sick since childhood. He is low-key. But Shimin undoubtedly has a lot of publicity. He is bright and Yang Guang's trust. He has also chosen Changsun Wugui for him by the emperor. All of them make Yuan Ji envious and hateful, so he slandered Shimin."

Li Yuan sighed: "So that's it. I have always thought that Yuan Ji was just showing off his words. I never thought that everything was caused by Li Xuanba."

Pei Ji said in surprise: "Why did the priest say this?"

Li Yuan sneered: "Li Xuanba is really smart in his work. He is just too smart. I think Queen Dou is very steady. The Yuwen incident back then was so stormy. The maid he chose was even more suitable to follow since childhood. It was very appropriate to not leak the news. How could the gangster have learned such important news? No need to ask. It was not the maid who told him. It must be Li Xuanba who leaked the news!"

Pei Ji asked in disbelief: "Li Xuanba? Why did he leak the news? What's the benefit of this?"

Li Yuan sighed: "This scheming is very scheming. It is rare for me. Just because I know his origin is secret, I also feel that he must have deliberately concealed it. Unexpectedly, he was the first to reveal it. If the gangster is not dead, I am still a maid who talks too much. But the gangster died the next day. It must be Li Xuanba's move. He broke the rules and leaked the news. There is no need to ask. Of course, it is to pull Shimin. Shimin is easy to be impulsive. It is the bargaining chip he used. He supported Shimin and made achievements surpass the Tai. He spread the news in the capital that Shimin should be made the crown prince. In addition, Shimin and Yuan Ji's usual grudges only hope that Shimin can achieve a battle with both sides and bear the throne with just right."

Pei Ji was sweating coldly and said, "Li Xuanba really has such a deep scheming?"

Li Yuan said: "I didn't believe it at first. But all facts prove that he has been planning for a long time. If this son is not eliminated, I am afraid that it will be unfavorable to Jiancheng Shimin. But now I can't kill him right now. I am afraid that Jian Shimin will puzzle... and surprise the ministers..." He pondered for a moment and said: "Is Wen Dalin right by Zi's side now?"

"He brought the master to protect the prince closely. It should be fine. Jiancheng was a little confused about Wen Dalin's actions. We will treat the prince with a little confusion.

The masters around Xiao Buyi are like the war in Hedong. It is impossible to send masters to assassinate them like this. The old minister of the priest deceives the prince. Please forgive me."

"You did a good job, right?" Li Yuan said with satisfaction: "According to my observation, Li Xuanba will not attack Jiancheng for the time being."

"Why?" Pei Ji asked.

"He is very greedy and wants to inherit my throne. He attacks Jiancheng too early, which will probably trigger my murderous intention. Since that's the case, he still has to wait for the opportunity. But we... don't have to wait anymore." Use your hand to make a slashing gesture. Pei Ji asked: Start now?"

"No need to be now. But you have to wait for the best opportunity!" Li Yuan no longer hesitated, prompting himself to make up his mind. "I was originally sympathetic to him, but today I realized that he had already started to plot against me! This disaster must be eliminated. Even if he has the ability, he can raise a tiger to cause trouble!"

Pei Ji said: "Okay. The old minister is at ease now. Look for the opportunity."

Li Yuan nodded slowly and asked suddenly, "What's wrong with Li Xiao now?"

Pei Ji said: "Someone monitored his actions...." Before he finished speaking, a palace servant rushed to him and said a few words in Li Yuan's ear. Li Yuan frowned. "Are you sure you are dead?"

Gong said: "The prince is indeed dead. But his face is so rotten that his body is also black. He is afraid that he will humiliate the holy eyes, so he did not bring it over.

”

I was silent and realized that Li Xiaogong had been poisoned and died. Everyone felt that Li Xiaogong could not live long. But I didn't expect that he would continue to persevere. Unexpectedly, when he felt that he could still survive, he died silently.

"Cut the prince's body into the palace." Li Yuan pondered.

"But..." The palace servant was very hesitant.

"I order you don't listen to it?" said unhappy.

The palace maid knelt down in a hurry and said, "The body is full of anger. I'm afraid it's the body of the Lord..."

Pei Ji also said, "The Master," what people say makes sense. I have thought that Li Xiaogong had been a Miao people for a long time. I heard that the poison spreads extremely hard. Li Xiaogong was also hard to defend himself. So he kept restraining. Once he died, he was afraid that the poison would be harmful to the Master. It would be really a loss."

Li Yuan knew that Pei Ji was thinking about him. He hesitated for a moment. He waved his hand to let the palace servant retreat and whispered: "Pei Pushe. Li Xiaogong and Li Xuanba have a very good relationship... He has always been Li Xuanba's soundtrack. And he is just like Li Xuanba. He is full of tricks. I'm just afraid he will be a fraud..."

Pei Ji wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He thought that Li Xiaogong was like that. Do you still need to pretend to die? It's obvious that Li Yuan was so cautious. He could only ask. He died and his face was rotten again. Besides, after being poisoned by the poison, he was also thin and not decent. How could he pretend to die?"

"I'm always worried." Li Yuan hesitated: "I remember... there was a scar on his upper arm of his left hand. It was when he was practicing martial arts with Xuan. I accidentally saw Pei Pushe. You ordered the coroner to see if there were any scars on his arm."

Although Pei Ji felt that Li Yuan was a little suspicious. In order to be safe, he personally ordered the coroner to go for inspection. After turning around, he said, "There is indeed a scar in the position you mentioned."

Li Yuan then said with relief: "Good death. He has been colluding with Li Xuanba. This time I die. I finally feel relieved. Pei Pushe. You go to Hedong and wait for an opportunity to move. Remember... Don't let me down this time."

Pei Ji responded: "Old minister obeys the order."

Seeing Pei Ji leaving, Li Yuan suddenly shouted: "Wait."

"What are the Lord's instructions?" Pei Ji asked.

Li Yuan hesitated for a moment. "Pei Pushe. I am not worried about Jiancheng's leadership. I am afraid that Shimin's impulse to defeat him and return to his previous recklessness. If you have time, please... persuade him more. As for Yuanji... I will not let him go around. If the war in Hedong begins, I may still be the same as before. Hedong supervises the war. I only hope... to repel the Xiliang Army and make other plans."

Pei Ji nodded repeatedly and immediately took his confidant to Hedong. But along the way, Li Xiaogong's face before his death, he always felt a little uncomfortable.

When Li Jiancheng saw Pei Ji coming, he was very happy and asked, "Master, can you be safe?" He was discussing solutions with the generals to see Pei Ji coming. He paused the discussion. For the sake of this battle in Hedong, Li Yuan sent all the ministers who were very confident to Li Jiancheng. Qu Tutong, Tang Wen Dalin, Lu Shaozong and others were in the tent. He frowned and obviously was not optimistic about the situation.

Pei Ji saw that Li Jianchengqian and Chang Xin were still thicker than water. The emperor said nothing to the prince. The prince said nothing to the emperor. He smiled and said, "|-Everything is fine, but he is worried about the prince being busy in Hedong, so the old minister came to help."

"Pushe Helper. Then I have a clear idea in my heart." Li Jian said.

Pei Ji felt comfortable and said, "The prince is too modest. He wants the old minister to lead the army to be less than one. This time he came here. It's just a waste of money."

Li Jiancheng laughed and tried his best to make the atmosphere in the tent relaxed. La Pei came to discuss together. Pei Ji knew that he was fighting an amateur. He fought in Jiexiu and threw away his armor and was shy for life. He simply hid his weakness in front of everyone. He only listened to everyone's discussion.

Among the people, Qu Tutong had a sharp view on the war. Qu Tutong was originally a general of the dynasty. Although he was less capable than Zhang Xutuo, his qualifications were older than Zhang Xutuo. He was as famous as Yang Taipu and Fan Zigai back then.

Li Jiancheng was not outstanding in leading the army. But one advantage he had is humility. He could always choose the one that was most suitable for the current situation from the opinions of the people. He led the army and won the battles he should win would not be exported. Li Yuan ordered Li Jiancheng to fight Hedong in a decisive battle. Obviously, he also valued Li Jiancheng's ability.

"It is difficult to keep the Bird and Mouse Valley. We must be mentally prepared." Qu Tutong said in a surprising way.

Tang Jian opposed: "I think that the Guqi Rat Valley is a natural danger. It is blocked. There are 20,000 troops stationed. Those who are not seen cannot be defended."

"We have to face a fact." Li Jiancheng said: "Xiliang has extremely sharp crossbows. We don't have one!"

Everyone fell silent. They thought of the sharpness of the crossbow, and couldn't help but be shocked.

Li Jiancheng said: "During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the crossbow was extremely bulky. One crossbow required six cows to pull it. The emperor gave up this idea. But he didn't expect that Li Jing actually improved the crossbow, making it much more flexible and more suitable for combat. The Xiliang Army did not move the crossbow until it broke through the pass. It can be said that it was a deliberate plan. The Jiahu Fort and Huo Yi two were indeed superior. But they only defended but did not attack. With the power of the crossbow, it was not impossible to destroy these two. Once the city was destroyed, the soldiers there would definitely not be able to withstand the Xiliang Army. Therefore, General Qu said that it was a great way |."

Li Jiancheng explained the whole story in detail. He just wanted the generals to work together and not to have disputes. It was also a good intention. Pei Ji saw him.

head.

After hearing what the prince said, Tang did not refute. He frowned and said, "The crossbow chariot is sharp. How can we resist?"

Li Jiancheng said: "The crossbow chariot is sharp. It has also been improved by Li Jing. It is still very heavy. It is useful to attack cities and defend camps. But if the battlefield is really wide, there are still many disadvantages. In the past, the Xiliang army bullied us and could not fight. Then he used crossbow chariots to attack the city. At present, Baibi controlled the waters based on the mountains and the gullies and the cavalry was not good. The crossbow chariots were even more difficult to play. As long as we were both offensive and defensive, we echoed each other in the east of Baibi River. We don't have to be afraid of their crossbow chariots."

Everyone nodded and said that what the prince said made a lot of sense.

Seeing that the army was calm, Li Jiancheng looked at Qu Tutong: "General Qu. I am talking about military affairs on paper. But the specific way to face the enemy depends on you, General."

Qu Tutong politely said: "I have passed. Now the river is located on the Yellow River in the east and west directions. It can be said to be a natural defense. Don't worry too much. The Xiliang Army has three attack points against Hedong. One is in the Jushi Valley, the other is in Shangdang and the other is in Changping. The Yongkang King is guarding it. In addition, the situation there is a narrow place. The Yongkang King has been defending for many years and has been well-defensive. It is very difficult for the Xiliang Army to drive straight from here. But Shangdang still has hidden worries..."

Li Jiancheng said humbly: "General Qu, please speak."

Qu Tu Channel: "Shangdang and the county are in a remote way. However, the road between the two is rugged and it is inconvenient to transport grain. Now Taiyuan can no longer provide support to Shangdang. Shangdang's grain and supplies need to be transported by Guanzhong. In this way, if the Western Liang Dynasty cut off the Shangdang's grain route, I am afraid that King Yongkang will be unable to support it."

Li Jiancheng asked: "So the key to keeping the grain! But who should I protect it?"

"If the King of Guards has a leader, he should protect the grain road without worries."

The water flows south through Changping, Shangdang. When Yangguang opened the Yongji Canal, it led Qinshui to flow eastward to Qinghe and poured into Yongji Canal. It was conquered for years. The land route was blocked. The upstream of this waterway was controlled by the Tang army and fell into the hands of the Western Army. Shangdang had a narrow momentum and was inconvenient to plant food. All the grains were provided by Hedongzhi. At present, the land route was not transported by water.

Pei Jitutong recommended Xuan Ba ​​to the point of his heart. Do you want it? Finally, he still held it back.

Li Jiancheng hesitated and said, "Since the king has great talent, will he be useful to let him guard the food road?"

Qu Tu Channel: "Preserving the food road is important. How could it be a waste of talent? I wonder if Xu Shiji had always been in charge of the East Capital and was unknown? But Xiliang has been smooth over the years. It can be said that it has a lot to do with him."

Li Jiancheng thought, how can this be compared? But there are not many debates. He temporarily agreed to this plan.

Qu Tutong saw the prince agreeing and said, "In fact, King Wei is not as simple as guarding the food route. You must know that Xiliang divided troops into three places to attack Hedong. If you let him defeat Huoyi and kill him to the county. Pei Xingyan of Changping crossed Qinshui to join them. After that, the Dongdu soldiers were continuously transported to Hedong from this route. Then we are really in danger. Therefore, King Wei not only had to guard the food route, but also cooperated with King Yongkang to resist Changping's attack. They must never let them attack the county. Only in this way can we concentrate on dealing with the attack from Qushigu."

Everyone nodded and felt that it made sense. Qu Tutong said again: "If King of Wei, King Yongkang, can block Changping's attack, then we can concentrate on dealing with the invading enemy in Queshi Valley. The prince and the old minister also want to recommend one person."

"Please speak with General Qu."
To be continued...