Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

When Li Yuan returned to Tongzhou, Zhongwai Mansion was still holding a banquet to celebrate the new concubine of Yuwen Jue, Duke of Lueyang.

In the past period of time, Yuwen Jue has also worked hard to unify the hearts of the people. In addition to recruiting and strengthening his trusted troops, he also used other means to win over the members of Zhongwai Mansion, and marriage was one of the main ways.

Although Yuwen Tai had already married the Tuoba princess to his legitimate son, it did not prevent Yuwen Jue from taking concubines again. He took in many women from the families of Zhongwai Mansion officials who he thought were worth winning over.

Today, Zhongwai Mansion is filled with an atmosphere of chaos and tyranny. Many people are convicted at any time, and even the cells where prisoners are held will be overcrowded. Therefore, even if some Zhongwai Mansion members are unwilling in their hearts, they dare not refuse when the time comes. In order to avoid disaster for their families, they can only send the women in the door out.

Yuwen Jue is also very enthusiastic about Li Yuan's return. Now he did not feel that he was being tyrannical and absurd, because from his perspective, it was thanks to his decisiveness and high-pressure control that Guanzhong could maintain a stable situation despite repeated bad news.

Li Zhi was now his most trusted right-hand man, and Li Yuan was his father's trusted general, so Li Yuan's return made him feel that his power had grown a little stronger, but he said to Li Yuan a little embarrassedly: "Today I am accepting a new person into the room, and I am not greedy for sex or disorderly. The coffin of the master has not yet returned to the mansion, and I am now under the command of a person in danger, and my prestige is shallow, so I can only rely on this inferior strategy to appease the public..."

Li Yuan was even more depressed when he heard this sophistry, and did not respond to Yuwen Jue's goodwill.

Li Zhi, who was sitting at the lower table, saw that Yuwen Jue's expression was gradually unfriendly, and hurriedly stood up to respond to him on behalf of his father, and then led his father to leave.

As soon as the father and son entered the side hall, Li Yuan kicked his son to the ground, roaring angrily: "Evil son, who taught you to do such a great evil? Do you really want to exterminate my entire family before you are satisfied!" "Father, please listen to my explanation..." Li Zhi was about to argue, but Li Yuan was furious and completely out of control. He raised his fist and hit Li Zhi again: "The expeditionary army was defeated, and the power of the people and horses in the palace has been greatly damaged. Now the King of Taiyuan has won a great victory and his power is unstoppable. When he enters the court to ask about the past, how can you just die?" Li Zhi was beaten so hard that he couldn't make a sound and could only hold his head and wail. Li Yuan was indeed extremely depressed and beat his son for more than a quarter of an hour before stopping. When he saw Li Zhi struggling to get up and draw his saber, his face suddenly darkened again: "Rebellious son, what are you going to do?"

"Since Father thinks that I have caused such a disaster that my death is not worth it, then kill me in the hall! I will die without regrets if I die in Father's hands!"

Li Zhi drew his saber and threw it at his father's feet, choking with sobs: "When Father comes back, he will blame me for my crimes, but are the difficulties and tortures I have suffered recently what I deserve? Is it my fault that the situation in the country has fallen to this point? But if Many famous ministers and generals were able to show their power in Heluo and return victoriously, so why would there be such a thing? Lord Lueyang was arrogant and reckless, setting fire to and killing the Grand Marshal. How can I deal with the disaster? "Li Yuan saw his son's sad tone, and his anger was suppressed for a while, but he snorted and said coldly: "Even if Lord Lueyang made a big mistake, you should not continue to help the tyrant. Can't you be careful and wait for the return of the Eastern Expedition? Now the situation in the country has collapsed, and the King of Taiyuan has led his troops westward. You are still arrogant and do your job, I don't know that I'm going to die!"

"Not to mention that the Grand Marshal was lured into my trap, and the Duke of Lueyang was violent and violent. If I didn't obey him, I was afraid that I would die with him. And how many of the things that happened later could I stop? The Grand Master of the Imperial Clan and the people in the country seemed to be in cahoots with us, but in fact they all watched us go crazy and die. Even my uncle in Chang'an, didn't I know that he was hiding the relatives of the King of Taiyuan? My uncle refused to save me, but I couldn't bear to hurt him..."

When Li Zhi said this, he also looked aggrieved and sad: "Aye, It is not a pity to blame me for death, but from beginning to end, my biggest crime is that I was chosen by the master to stay in the Zhongwai Palace to assist his violent son! These onlookers in the country do not want to work together, so I can only stir up personnel to save myself! "

"What kind of self-help plan are you doing now? When the King of Taiyuan returned to the west, even the people in Tongguan were worried and helpless. With the chaos in the palace you made, how can you stop it? "

Hearing his son's angry words, Li Yuan couldn't bear to continue to scold him, and then he said with a worried face.

Li Zhi restrained his expression at this moment, motioned his father to come closer, and whispered: "It was indeed beyond my expectation that the King of Taiyuan could win a complete victory. I thought that even if he could win, he would probably be unable to travel west by then. But the situation has not reached the worst yet. You must know that the emperor is still in the palace! "

"What are you going to do?"

After hearing this, Li Yuan frowned and stared at his son and asked in a hurry.

"I don't know if I want to live, I also want to strengthen my family! Aye, do you still remember the time when the master took over the power of Heba Gong? Isn't the situation now similar to the old time?"

Li Zhi's eyes became deep when he said this: "If Tongguan can't stop the King of Taiyuan from entering, why should we be trapped in Guanzhong? We can follow the Duke of Lueyang to take you west and return to our hometown of Yuanzhou. We can occupy the old town of Pingliang in front and the Helan Mountains in the back. With my family's long-term management in the hometown, it is not difficult to establish a separatist regime temporarily..."

"No, this is really... You are too bold and reckless. Li Boshan is strong and sharp. He will never allow us to take you away! It's too risky and the chance is not great!"

When Li Yuan heard his son's plan, he was so frightened that he shook his head and waved his hands, feeling that the hope was slim and difficult to realize.

Li Zhi continued: "Aye, you don't need to be too conservative in your plans. At present, Cai Chengxian in the country is a party member of our hometown, and he is happy to see the glory of his hometown. Zhu Wuwei is deeply involved in the chaos with Lueyang Gong, and it is difficult to escape. We and others have taken advantage of him. You have left, and Li Boshan has no righteousness to hold on to. If he wants to stabilize the situation in Guanzhong, he can only think of the Eastern Thief He Liuhun's plan, but it will restrain him a little. We have returned home, and by then we will form alliances with Turks to consolidate ourselves. Li Boshan He didn't dare to attack easily.

When our separatist regime is established, we can plan to coexist with each other. We will hold Lueyang Gong as a tribute, and auxiliary Cheng Gong and others will be the main heirs. When the time is ripe, it will not be difficult to follow the story of Xiliang and build a high-level ancestral temple. Whether things succeed or fail, there is still room for struggle, which is better than being trapped in the pass and waiting for death! "

"But, but, Li Boshan has already sent his army to march westward, I'm afraid he won't have time..."

Li Yuan already had a preference for Li Zhi, his son. When he heard what he said was serious, he couldn't help but secretly agree with it. Instead of just waiting for death, it would be better to take a risk. As long as he succeeds, there will be a world of difference.

The Gaoping Li family rose up in troubled times, and they also fought for their lives to gain wealth, but this time their future is even greater! But when he thought that Li Boshan was marching from the west, he still felt a little hesitant.

"The enmity between Lord Zhongshan and Li Boshan has existed for a long time, and it will be difficult for them to get along with each other. Da Situ and others are the first to gain power. They will not let Li Boshan easily enter the pass. They will definitely defend Tongguan for the time being and determine the situation before entering the pass." Release. There is still some time to plan this matter. I have recently advised Duke Lueyang to search for the relatives, friends and subordinates of the Li family in Longxi, and they can be taken away together now."

At this point, Li Zhi looked towards the direction of Chang'an and said: "If uncle is willing to cooperate with this matter, it will be smoother. We will enter Xianyang via Chang'an and go north along the Jingshui River. But uncle has always disliked me, so I'm afraid he won't listen to me. count."

"I'm going to persuade Xianqing. It's about the future of the family and the country, and the family's plans. How can we tolerate selfish thoughts?"

Li Yuan said seriously after hearing this. At this time, he had been completely convinced by his son and planned to take advantage of this last moment to fight hard. He took the initiative to go to Chang'an to persuade Li Mu to cooperate with him.

Not to mention the grand plans of Li Yuan and his son, Yu Wenhu and others in Tongguan became more and more anxious because of the passage of time.

"Reporting to Duke Zhongshan, the Taiyuan King's Brigade has arrived in Hongnong."

When he heard the report from the scouts in front of the pass, Yu Wenhu suddenly looked surprised and said: "So fast? How many people are there?"

"There are more than ten thousand people in attendance, but it seems that the formation is not neat and tidy, and it looks like defeat and chaos."

After hearing this, Yu Wenhu frowned and pondered again. He did not dare to hide such an important situation. The commander summoned Li Bi, Da Xiwu and others to inform them, and then said: "Although the Taiyuan King's Brigade won, , must have suffered heavy losses, because he was eager to move in after hearing the chaos in Guanzhong, and it was indeed a bit impatient. It would be better to send an army to Hongnong to meet him, and provide him with materials to help his army, and wait for his soldiers to rest and recuperate. Please enter the customs later?”

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. They are all in tangled moods at the moment. With Li Tai's victory over the Qi army in Heluo, foreign aggression is no longer the first problem that needs to be faced, but internal order adjustment is unavoidable.

Just as Li Zhi had judged before, those who were trapped in Tongguan did not dare to make enemies of the newly victorious King of Taiyuan, but they were worried that after King Taiyuan returned to Guanzhong and took power, he might do something unfavorable to them. decision making. If possible, of course they still hope to be able to seek a more lenient treatment.

Hearing that the scouts had returned and reported that Li Boshan had tens of thousands of subordinates and looked quite defeated, it can be seen that the Heluo War was probably a miserable victory. Therefore, it is a relatively safe approach to temporarily block them in front of Tongguan Pass and wait until they reach a consensus that can be recognized by all parties before welcoming them into Tongguan.

So Yu Wenhu first arranged for a team of soldiers to transport a batch of supplies to Hongnong, which was a show of goodwill and asked Li Tai not to march impatiently, while they all still gathered together to discuss how to negotiate.

After all, everyone's situation and position are different, and their needs are also different. Without Otsuka Zai to unite the masses, it is still difficult to reach a consensus.

However, when they argued endlessly all night until daylight was still uncertain, as the morning sun gradually climbed higher, cheers resounded through the sky suddenly outside Tongguan City: "The King of Taiyuan is mighty! Welcome the king back to the country!"