Li Shimin returned to the main hall and immediately summoned Fang Xuanling to the palace. Not long after Fang Xuanling left, he returned to the office. He was thinking about the things he had discussed with Li Shimin. Before he could sit down, he was summoned by Li Shimin. He could only rush to the main hall to have an audience.
Li Shimin said directly, "Take a seat. No need to be so polite."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Fang Xuanling lifted his robe and sat down.
Li Shimin said directly, "Minister Fang, I've made up my mind."
Fang Xuanling said, "Please tell me, Your Majesty."
Li Shimin said, "I've decided to fight Du Qi to the end. If he wants to threaten me, I'll accompany him to the end. I've arrested Xia Xia's businessmen and won't release them. I'll even confiscate all of Xia Xia's businesses. "
Speaking of this, Li Shimin's face became more serious. He said, "Since we've already started a full-scale war with Xia Xia, then this time, I'll accompany him to the end."
Fang Xuanling said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
In fact, he felt that it was difficult to make a choice. Now that Li Shimin had made a decision, Fang Xuanling immediately chose to agree.
"Reporting!"
At this moment, a chamberlain came in.
The chamberlain bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Pei Qingsong wants to see you outside the palace."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows and looked surprised.
Pei Qingsong was the oldest person in the Pei family. He was already over eighty years old and close to ninety years old. People at this age were like gods in the Tang dynasty, not to mention that Pei Qingsong came from the Pei family in Hedong and was also a master of Confucian classics.
Pei Qingsong had a great influence in the scholarly circles.
Although Pei Qingsong's influence was not as great as that of Kong Yingda, the descendant of Confucius, it could not be underestimated.
Li Shimin ordered, "Summon Pei Qingsong to the palace."
The chamberlain immediately went to pass the order.
Fang Xuanling frowned and said, "Your Majesty, Pei Qingsong rarely goes out. Now, he's nearly ninety years old and has come to Chang 'an. I'm afraid something big must have happened. "
Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "We'll know when we see him."
Fang Xuanling suddenly said, "Could it be that this matter has something to do with Du Qi and Xia Xia?"
Li Shimin said, "I don't know yet."
Fang Xuanling's face was solemn. He said in a deep voice, "I think it's very likely to be related to Mr. Xia. Although His Majesty has decided to fight against Mr. Xia to the end, he won't release the Shang Man. However, if Pei Qingsong has any requests or advice that might anger Your Majesty, I hope Your Majesty will consider them carefully. "
After a pause, Fang XuanLing continued, "On one hand, Pei Qingsong is from the Pei Clan in the east of the river and has great influence. On the other hand, Pei Qingsong is old and has a reputation. On the other hand, Pei Qingsong is a scholar and a senior in the scholarly circle. So no matter what, we have to give Pei Qingsong some face. We can't directly slaughter him. "
Li Shimin nodded.
Not long after, an old man with white hair strode in.
He was Pei Qingsong.
He was dressed in simple coarse hemp clothes, and his sparse and gray hair was fixed with a wooden hairpin. When he walked, he leaned on a walking stick and his back was hunched. When he entered the main hall, his footsteps were steady and he didn't look old at all.
Pei Qingsong stood still and said, "This old man greets Your Majesty."
Li Shimin said, "You don't have to be so courteous. Speaking of which, you have been recuperating in Wenxi County in the east of the river. Now the weather is gradually getting hot. Why did you come to Chang 'an?"
Pei Qingsong said, "Your Majesty, this old man came to Chang 'an because of the arrest of Mr. Xia's Shang Man."
Li Shimin's face suddenly darkened.
Sure enough!
It was because of the arrest of Mr. Xia's Shang Man.
A mere Shang Xia's Shang Man was arrested, but the Pei Clan in the east of the river, as one of the largest clans in the world, supported Mr. Xia's people and even brought out an old antique like Pei Qingsong. It was really surprising.
Li Shimin said, "Are you here to persuade me to release him?"
"Yes!"
Pei Qingsong answered directly.
Li Shimin said, "What if I don't release him?"
Pei Qingsong shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler and a person who really benefits the people. You won't refuse to release him."
As he spoke, Pei Qingsong had already taken out a letter from his sleeve. This letter was quite thick, at least two inches thick. He held the letter in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, this is the Book of Ten Thousand People, which is presented by the Pei Clan's Shang Xia's Shang Xia's Shang Man and the rest of the Tang dynasty's Shang Man. Your Majesty, please read it."
Tang Zhen immediately walked over and took the letter.
Li Shimin took the letter and quickly skimmed through it. When he finished reading the contents of the letter, his face was already gloomy. The content of the letter was that they hoped Li Shimin would release all the Shang Xia's Shang Man.
Because Li Shimin's actions had already made the situation of the Tang dynasty's Shang Xia's Shang Man unfavorable, and even affected the Shang Xia and the Tang dynasty's business. Another part of the letter said that they supported the Tang dynasty's war with the Shang Xia, but they begged Li Shimin to consider the safety of the people and the situation of the Shang Man.
They could start a war, but they couldn't directly detain the Shang Man. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the Tang dynasty's Shang Man to run the Chamber of Commerce in the Shang Xia. The letter was full of signatures. At the end, it was densely signed by all the Shang Xia's Shang Tang dynasty's Shang Man.
After Li Shimin finished reading it, he didn't even look at the content of the signatures. He threw the letter aside and said angrily, "Elder Pei, the Shang Xia's Shang Man is aggressive and has already killed his way into the Tang dynasty's territory. At this time, I still haven't fought back. Do you think the Shang Xia's Shang Man will kill me before the Shang Man is satisfied? "
Pei Qingsong said, "Your Majesty, you're being too serious."
Li Shimin said, "What's so serious about it? This is the implication of the letter. Elder Pei, I won't give in. The Tang dynasty will not be threatened by anyone. "
Pei Qingsong said, "It seems that Your Majesty is not going to care about the life and death of these Shang Xia's Shang Man."
Li Shimin said, "It's not that I don't care, but that I can't. The most important task now is to eliminate Du Qi's spies in Chang 'an and other places. Capturing the Shang Man is the most direct way. At least most of the Shang Xia's Shang Man have been captured. Even if some of them escape, it won't affect the overall situation. "
Pei Qingsong said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is really stubborn. Your Majesty is so determined to detain the ordinary Shang Man. It's disappointing."
Li Shimin said, "If you want to be disappointed, then be disappointed."
"Reporting!"
At this time, there was the sound of hurried footsteps.
It was a chamberlain who hurried in.
The chamberlain came to Tang Zhen's ear and whispered something. Then Tang Zhen's expression changed slightly. He quickly put his mouth next to Li Shimin's ear and whispered the chamberlain's words.
After listening, Li Shimin's expression also changed again and again. After he finished listening, he waved his hand and said, "Elder Pei, if there's nothing else, you can leave now."
When Pei Qingsong heard this, he was immediately humiliated.
He felt that Li Shimin's means were humiliating him, so Pei Qingsong said, "Li Shimin, you are so stubborn and self-opinionated. You will regret it. A just cause enjoys more support, while an unjust cause finds little support. For your own selfish interests, in order to occupy the Western Regions, you actually captured the Shang Xia's Shang Man. It's really shameful. "
Li Shimin said coldly, "Then Du Qi threatened the officials of the Tang dynasty and said that he would assassinate them. Isn't Du Qi's behavior shameful? What's more, Du Qi has already killed his way into the territory of the Tang dynasty. He's extremely ruthless. If we don't take down Du Qi, the consequences of the Tang dynasty will be unimaginable. "
Pei Changqing said, "Since our paths are different, let's not work together."
"Goodbye!"
Pei Changqing saluted and left.
Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "Xuanling, I just received news that officials have resigned around Chang 'an and even around Chang' an City. One after another, officials have resigned because they are worried about being killed. After all, in the current situation, officials who stay in office are a threat. "
When Fang Xuanling arrived, he was shocked.
Because he didn't expect that Du Qi's response would be so fierce. In fact, Fang Xuanling had already expected that Du Qi would attack, but Du Qi's attack was so strange.
It was said that before the troops and horses moved, the provisions would move first. But now, Du Qi took a different approach, making all the officials of Xia Xia resist the Tang dynasty. They even took the initiative to withdraw if they didn't provoke them.
It was shocking and admirable.
Du Qi's means were too ruthless.
Li Shimin said, "First, the people of the Pei family from Hedong pleaded for mercy. Now, countless officials have resigned. The officials of the Tang dynasty are all pleading for mercy. The situation is very unfavorable for us!"
Fang Xuanling said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this is the price of fighting to the death. Since we have decided to fight against Du Qi, these things will naturally happen. And this is Du Qi's intention. Why didn't Du Qi directly assassinate the officials, but first spread the news that he would release the officials if Your Majesty didn't agree to release them? He deliberately arranged this so as to disturb the public opinion. Even so, countless officials will stand on the opposite side of Your Majesty. "
Li Shimin's face was very cold.
But there was more fighting spirit in his eyes.
The more Du Qi was like this, the more he would not admit defeat. This was because if he admitted defeat this time and submitted to the requests of the officials of the world, submitted to the requests of the great clans, then if anything happened in the future, it would be the same situation again.
He would be restrained again.
Li Shimin said, "Xuanling, I've decided. No matter what, we will fight to the death. I don't care about Du Qi's threat. Previously, it was only in Chang 'an and the surrounding areas. Arrest all the merchants of Xia Xia. Next, all the merchants of Xia Xia in the Tang dynasty will be arrested and interrogated one by one. In addition, all the properties of Xia Xia will be seized and turned into the imperial treasury. If Du Qi wants to fight, I will accompany him to the end. I don't believe that he can do anything. At most, he will incite some scholars and officials. He won't be able to do anything. Especially since these people have already jumped out. We only need to mobilize the bad people and keep an eye on all the people who jump out. If there are any strange movements, kill them directly. "
Fang Xuanling's heart trembled.
The situation had escalated.
The imperial court's response had become stronger.
Even under such a punishment, the confrontation with Xia Xia had officially entered a situation where only one side would stop.
Fang Xuanling said, "Your Majesty, don't you want to think about it?"
Li Shimin said, "No."
Fang Xuanling said, "In that case, I'll arrange it."
Li Shimin said, "Go."
"I'll take my leave!"
Fang Xuanling turned around and left.
Next, he had to arrange many things to implement Li Shimin's decision.
It was a big project.
Li Shimin sat alone in the hall. His eyes were deep, and there seemed to be a flame burning in the depths of his eyes, showing a fierce fighting spirit. He knew that this decision would inevitably arouse Du Qi's hostility. But even so, Li Shimin was not afraid. The Tang dynasty would not be threatened. In particular, Du Qi intended to use the public opinion to force him to submit. But Li Shimin would never agree. He was willing to fight to the death.
Only one of the Tang dynasty and Xia Xia could exist.
May passed in the blink of an eye.
In June, the weather became hotter and hotter. The entire Tang dynasty was surging in this month. Because countless officials were assassinated in various places. Even though the imperial court had responded, some officials were still assassinated. After all, assassinations were impossible to guard against. Officials could not stay in the office all the time. As long as they went out, they might be killed.
Officials were killed in various places, and at the same time, merchants of Xia Xia were arrested.
The situation was surging.
In addition, the major families continued to arrange people to persuade the emperor to release the merchants of Xia Xia. Because the cause of all this was that Li Shimin arrested Xia Xia's merchants. Otherwise, Xia Xia would not have taken such an extreme strategy.
Especially on the side of Xia Country, they had already notified them in advance. Therefore, the public opinion was more inclined to support Du Qi and believed that Du Qi's actions were not wrong.
Li Shimin's reputation was declining.
Merchants and scholars all thought that Li Shimin was now militaristic. Few could understand Li Shimin.
Even if the news from various places was gathered, Li Shimin was unmoved. Since the news had been carried out and the order had been carried out, Li Shimin had nothing to hesitate about. He just carried it out directly.
Therefore, the operation to arrest Xia Xia's merchants had been continuing.
This was to completely eliminate Du Qi's informants.
To eliminate all the informants in one fell swoop.
Li Yuan also paid attention to this news. Originally, he had ignored the world's affairs because he really had no energy. But at that time, after Li Shimin met him and said his decision, Li Yuan was worried about the situation, so he also paid attention to the changes in the situation.
Now, the world was surging.
Although it was still stable, the general direction was not stable, so Li Yuan was very worried.
The matter lasted for more than a month and had not subsided.
Li Yuan sat in the main hall. He was a little worried, so he arranged for someone to inform the emperor to come. For more than a month, Li Yuan never went to see Li Shimin, nor did he let Li Shimin come. In fact, he did not want to distract Li Shimin. Now, more than a month had passed. Although the matter was still going on, it was not as big as the beginning, so Li Yuan arranged for someone to inform him.
Not long after, Li Shimin entered.
The current Li Shimin had wind and frost on his temples. Although his fighting spirit was high, there was fatigue on his face.
It could be seen that Li Shimin was under pressure now.
Even if Li Shimin was at the rear, the pressure at the rear was no less than Li Ji and the others in Suzhou.
Li Shimin saluted and said, "Imperial Father!"
Li Yuan said, "Emperor, sit!"
After sitting down, Li Shimin said, "I wonder why Imperial Father summoned this son?"
Li Yuan slowly said, "What else can it be? Naturally, it's related to Xia Xia. Now that more than a month has passed, this old man heard that this matter is still in full swing, and there is no conclusion. Emperor, can the Tang dynasty withstand such turmoil? "
Li Shimin said, "Imperial Father, rest assured. The Tang dynasty will not be affected. What's more, Du Qi's assassination was actually a threat first. At this time, countless people left, but the people who really stayed were the mainstays of my Tang dynasty. In times of crisis, the true colors of a hero are revealed. For my Tang dynasty, this is actually a great wave washing away the sand. Those who stay are the most important. "
Li Yuan said, "Forget it, this old man won't ask you about this. This old man will ask you one more thing. How much has the current tax situation been affected? "
Li Shimin's complexion stiffened.
The originally strong expression on his face suddenly lost its color.
Because this was the biggest trouble.
Li Shimin sighed and continued, "Imperial Father, the current tax situation has indeed suffered a loss like being cut in half. The current tax situation is almost back to when the Tang dynasty was just founded. Because Du Qi's industry is involved in all aspects, after these aspects are damaged, the Tang dynasty's business is also damaged, so the loss is huge. "
"But Imperial Father, this son thinks this is a good thing."
"Because after this incident, Du Qi's influence has been completely eliminated. If Du Qi really used business to hit us hard in the decisive battle, then we will be caught off guard and will most likely be greatly affected. "
Li Shimin said, "But now, we can get through it. The reason is very simple. Our Tang dynasty has been rich for so many years, so even if we are affected, there won't be too much of a problem. "
Li Yuan said, "That's good."
After a pause, Li Yuan said, "If so, then we must be prepared for the decisive battle with Xia Xia. This old man thinks that this final battle is not far away. "
Li Shimin, however, had a smile on his face. He said, "Imperial Father, this son thinks that the problem won't be too big. The reason is very simple. The Persian people will definitely send troops. With Persia attacking Xia Xia from the west, Du Qi will be attacked from both front and rear. Even after Du Qi is killed, there will be turmoil in the country. Then Du Qi will definitely not be able to hold on. Even if Du Qi can survive, Du Qi will also be seriously injured. So this son has enough confidence. "
Li Yuan said, "Listening to you, you will definitely take the initiative to send troops. Once Persia launches an attack, you will take the initiative to attack. "
Li Shimin said, "Of course, this son has been replenishing the troops. The losses we suffered in several battles have been recovered a lot in the past few months. Our Tang dynasty has a deep foundation and is not something that Du Qi, a newly established small country, can contend with. "
Li Shimin's eyes were full of fighting spirit.
He refused to admit defeat.
Why should Du Qi suppress the Tang dynasty?
Even if Du Qi had extremely powerful weapons in his hands, Li Shimin was full of fighting spirit at the moment.
Li Yuan said, "Forget it. You can take care of it yourself."
"This son will take his leave!"
Li Shimin stood up and left the hall.
Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin's departing back and sighed again. Because things had developed to this point, Xia Xia and the Tang dynasty were even more irreconcilable and must be destroyed. However, Du Qi's strength was getting stronger and stronger, and Li Yuan was very worried.
When Li Shimin returned to the hall, Fang Xuanling arrived.
Fang Xuanling said, "Your Majesty, all the soldiers have been recruited. And now the replenished regular troops are all complete. The number of troops gathered in Chang 'an has reached 200,000 again. At present, the army is drilling to form combat effectiveness. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Drilling is necessary, but after all, they are all government soldiers and have a certain combat effectiveness. Xuanling, the soldiers' pay and meals in the army must not be embezzled. At present, the morale of the army must be stable and the fighting spirit of the soldiers must be encouraged, so the soldiers' food and pay must not be short. "
Fang Xuanling said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Although the imperial court's taxes have been greatly reduced, the Tang dynasty's treasury has been enriched in recent years. And the granaries in various places are sufficient to supply. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "That's good."
A light flashed in his eyes and he said, "We are now waiting for news from Persia. Once Persia sends troops, we will also send troops quickly. But in the direction of Suzhou's Jiuquan, I hope Li Ji can delay as much time as possible. "
Fang Xuanling said, "Li Ji is a person good at planning, he will arrange it. After all, Your Majesty has already told him before. So now, Your Majesty only needs to wait and see. "
After a pause, Fang Xuanling said again, "But we should still send a message to inform Li Ji and let him be prepared to defend. Because if Persia does not take action, Li Ji may not be able to defend for so long. In short, let Li Ji make a decision on the spot. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "You arrange it."
The monarch and his minister were talking about the frontline war, they were also looking forward to it.
Everything was ready and waiting for news from Persia.
Although the storm in the Tang dynasty continued, after the region stabilized, Jiuquan was even hotter in June.
Li Ji, who was guarding Jiuquan, was under more and more pressure.
During this period, he had been guarding.
After all, he did not go to war.
And Du Qi's side had never attacked.
For Li Ji, the more Du Qi did not attack, the more pressure Li Ji had to bear. On the contrary, if Du Qi attacked, because Li Ji was well prepared and could use the city wall to block the bombardment, his 60,000 soldiers were also enough.
On this day, on the city tower.
Li Ji was patrolling the defense on the city tower when a soldier came to inform Li Ji that Zhangsun Wuji had invited him. Li Ji could only stop patrolling and directly return to his room.
Li Ji looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Duke Qi, why did you ask me to come back?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Manager Li, now there is news from Chang 'an. In the Tang dynasty, His Majesty has wantonly captured the merchants of Xia, and His Majesty has once again gathered more than 200,000 soldiers. When Persia sends out troops, His Majesty will send out troops to fight Du Qi again. His Majesty's message now is to stall for as much time as possible, the longer the better. Of course, if we can't defend and Persia doesn't make a move, then we have to find a way out ourselves. "
Li Ji nodded and said, "It's fine now, after all, we can still hold on. Now, we still have enough food and other things. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "In short, we have to prepare for a way out."
Li Ji nodded.
He and Zhangsun Wuji discussed carefully and planned the follow-up arrangements. Since they were going to make arrangements, they naturally had to arrange everything properly to ensure that there would not be unexpected situations.
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