Linzhi

When He Zhan was in Lingnan, seeing the great chaos in the world, he might not have had a thought of competing for the Central Plains and aspiring for the throne. This kind of thinking became more and more intense when Chang'an fell, Li Kuan was in chaos, and rebels rose. As a prince, he has military power , and capable, if he doesn't have a little bit of selfishness, how can he be called a man of iron and blood?Even when he learned that the third brother stood by and did not go south to help Chang'an, He Zhan felt resentful, and he might not have the idea of ​​"take the throne and see how you deal with yourself".

But at the moment when he saw He Rong's face full of wind and frost, what He Zhan gave birth to was not gloating, but heavy sadness.

It was also at that time that he realized that his attachment to imperial power was actually not as deep as he had imagined.

When brotherhood and power were in front of him, He Zhan finally made his own choice.

There are always trade-offs in life.

But this time, he chose something more important to him.

Seeing He Zhan's statement, Tan Jin and Xiao Zhong looked at each other, and they both cupped their hands and said, "Please Your Highness, please declare yourself emperor as soon as possible, so as to reassure the people!"

Meeting He Zhan's eyes, He Rong's heart felt slightly hot, but he didn't get carried away. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Now is not the time."

"Your Highness..."

He Rong waved his hand to stop what Tan Jin wanted to say: "The Turkic people are still in the Central Plains, and we haven't returned to Chang'an yet, so what's the deal?"

Tan Jin understood what he meant. Chang'an was the imperial capital of several dynasties, and its significance to this dynasty is also extraordinary. At the beginning, the late emperor left Beijing in a hurry and went south, saying it was a temporary escape, but in fact he was fleeing. Now it is a chaotic world, and everyone can't care about other things. It is concluded that the decision of the first emperor will definitely damage his reputation after death, and also make the successors face difficulties. If he can return to Chang'an first, it will naturally be more justifiable.

King An was not blinded by the victory in front of him and everyone's support, which made Tan Jin feel a little happy. After all, no one wants the lord they follow to be a short-sighted person.

He Rong looked at Xiao Zhong: "Although the Turkic people were defeated in this battle and Fu Nian was seriously injured, they will definitely try to retreat to the outside of the pass. When you lead your troops all the way to chase them, if you have a chance, gold and silver will come next. They will release the captive slaves, but they also need to leave a way for them to retreat, so as not to jump over the wall in a hurry and force them to fight with their backs, which is not good."

Xiao focused on taking orders and went out to organize the army.

He is already a person who is familiar with military affairs, so he doesn't need He Rong to babble and explain a lot. The battlefield changes rapidly, and He Rong does not have the desire to control the generals to obey his orders at all times. He can do more than he imagined.

He Rong said again: "Zhenshi, Ah Lin, you two, get ready and set off with me back to Chang'an. When we are about to arrive in Chang'an, you will send a letter to Lingzhou to invite the queen back to Beijing."

Tan Jin and Sang Lin hand in hand, and Ying Shi resigns and prepares to go down.

The remaining two brothers.

He Zhan was a little surprised: "Third brother, do you want me to deal with Li Kuan?"

He Rong said: "What about your own thoughts? If you don't want to, you can go north, or go back to Chang'an with me, where Li Kuan is, and I will let Xiao Zhong go."

What does He Zhan's kneeling mean? Although no one has said it, it doesn't mean that He Rong doesn't understand.

He Zhan blinked: "Then I will go to Chang'an with you, and I will make fried bugs for you every day."

He Rong smiled but said, "I don't support idlers around me. If you come back to Chang'an with me, I will leave all the affairs of the Gaomen family to you."

The corner of He Zhan's mouth twitched, thinking that this is really his brother.

He thought for a while and said, "There should be an end to what Li Kuan did to our family. Let me go. If there is a chance, I will definitely ask him face to face."

Ask him why he attacked the third brother's biological mother, and ask whether he was involved in the palace coup launched by King Qi back then.

He Rong understood what he was talking about, and smiled mockingly: "It doesn't matter if you ask or not, a dead person cannot be brought back to life."

Whether it's his biological mother or He Jia, I'm afraid that even the bones have been assimilated with the dust and cease to exist.

The death of He Jia was a thorn in the hearts of all the brothers in the He family. When the discord between the crown prince and King Ji first appeared, He Rong gave He Xiu something in the name of He Jia, and immediately put the other party in his heart. The restlessness and dissatisfaction in their hearts were all appeased, but no matter how many times they ran up the tower in their dreams to hold He Jia who was about to fall, when they woke up, they still faced cold eyes.

"Third Brother..." He Zhan felt a pain in his heart, but he couldn't say a word.

He Rong beckoned him to go over, touched the top of his head as he did when he was a child, and said softly: "Li Kuan is a man who knows how to fight, even if he hasn't been on the battlefield for many years, don't underestimate him. If you are not sure, don't force him." .I want you to be safe than to defeat him."

He sighed softly, as light as the flowing clouds dissipated without a trace: "Father is gone, elder brother and second elder brother are gone, Jia Niang has also left long ago, and mother Yuan is even more... Our family is dead and scattered. , Monastics, you are the only one by my side."

"I see."

He Zhan's eyes were a little sore, he held He Rong's hand.

"Don't worry, I won't abandon you, third brother, I still want to watch you become a wise king, and see the sea and rivers of the world."

……

Li Kuan loosened his hand, and the call to action fell to the ground lightly.

"It's just a fake order." He sneered, "Who wouldn't forge a will? Who can tell whether Queen Pei in Lingzhou is real or not? In order to seek power and seize the throne, King An declared orthodoxy, fabricated a will, and faked it. How strange is it to claim the emperor's order?"

King Wei frowned, hesitantly said: "But..."

When the news that He Zhan and He Rong met and defeated the Turkic people, King Wei was a little shaken. He began to regret that he was on Li Kuan's boat too early. Now it is not so easy to get off the boat.

Compared to his helplessness, Li Kuan was calm.

"What are you panicking about? Although the Turkic people are retreating, it is impossible to stop there. He Rong must allocate troops to continue to deal with them. Now we are only one step away from the Yangtze River. As long as we cross the river, there is no need to be afraid. In the end, at most It’s just the ending of planning to rule the river. As for the proclamation, if the Pei family can post it, we can naturally post it. It is said that the Pei family murdered the first emperor and committed suicide after the failure. The one in Lingzhou is fake, and He Rong borrowed Pei Pei The queen's hand announced it to the world, but she wanted to win the title for herself. In the last emperor's decree, the ten princes were appointed as heirs, and the jade seal was stamped. No matter what, it can't be faked."

Although it was a pity not to be able to see his brother fight against the wall, Li Kuan didn't think he just lost like this.

He Rong has soldiers, so does he. He Zhan did not take all his troops with him when he went north from the south of Lingnan. He Rong still had to divide his troops to deal with the Turks. The number of troops that can be divided to fight against him is currently smaller than his own. Everyone is evenly matched, which is just right. For a good fight, Li Kuan looked down on someone like King Wei who said he was defeated before a fight, and his tone was naturally not so polite.

Seeing the restless King Wei being sent away, the British Duke Lu Yun was a little worried: "I'm afraid this person is not good at planning, will he secretly run to join He Rong?"

Li Kuan shook his head: "Don't worry, he's already stuck on the back of a tiger, and now he's just struggling for nothing. Even if he goes to seek refuge with He Rong, how can the other party believe him? He Hui is not a fool, I can figure it out myself."

After a pause, he looked at Lu Yun with a half-smile: "Or, my brother doesn't believe me either?"

Lu Yun hurriedly said: "Brother, what are you talking about? If I didn't believe you, why would I come here along the way? Just like you said, He Rong has soldiers, and we also have soldiers. Whoever loses and who wins may not be sure. But Zhang Song, do you want me to talk to them and try to win them over? It's an extra boost."

Li Kuan smiled slightly: "It's funny to say, when the first emperor was here, he repeatedly tried to weaken the power of the aristocratic family but failed. In the end, both sides had to compromise and balance. Now that the Turkic people came, they disrupted the situation in the world. After the rapid decline, they actually accomplished what the late emperor wanted to do but never did. In this regard, don’t they have merit?”

The late emperor he was referring to was naturally not the Emperor Jiayou who had passed away not long ago, but the earlier Emperor Wende.

Although He Rong and Li Kuan are old enemies, they are surprisingly consistent in their views on the aristocratic family. If He Rong heard Li Kuan's words, how would He Rong feel.

"Centured insects are dead but not stiff. After this turmoil, those noble families will inevitably decline day by day. Even in the court, I don't have to consider their thoughts and positions anymore, which is convenient."

Lu Yun heard his overtones, and said in surprise, "From what my brother said, Zhang Song and the others are nothing to worry about, but they are still useful?"

Li Kuan nodded: "That's right, He Rong will definitely rush back to Chang'an. At that time, we will only have to deal with the army of He Zhan. If there is a weakness, then as long as we beat him back, He Rong won't be able to do anything to us when we get to Jiankang. As time goes by, it will be even more difficult for him to move us."

Lu Yun suddenly realized that from the very beginning, Li Kuan's plan was to rule the river, so he encouraged Emperor Jiayou to retreat all the way to the south, leaving the north for the Turks to spoil, and let other people compete and consume each other. The south is far away from the flames of war, and is relatively wealthy. After a little business for two or three years, and then crossing the river to the north, it may not be impossible to succeed and win the north.

What he was most afraid of now was that Li Kuan himself could not decide to pay attention. Like King Wei, he was so confused. Since the other party had a plan in mind and planned every step of the way, Lu Yun let go of his heart that was hanging in the air.

"Brother is wise, so I can rest assured."