Li Yuan waved his hand and said, "Zhangsun Wuji, you withdraw first. I have something to say to the Emperor."
Zhangsun Wuji looked at Li Shimin.
Li Shimin nodded.
Zhangsun Wuji got up and withdrew, quickly walking out of the tent.
In the tent, only Li Shimin and Li Yuan, father and son, were left. Li Shimin said, "Father, you sent the auxiliary machine away. Do you have something to say to me alone?"
Li Yuan said in a deep voice, "You have already decided to admit defeat. That means that right now, you must ask for peace again. Then let me ask you, how are you going to ask for peace with Du Qi? "
Li Shimin said, "Naturally, I will negotiate with Du Qi."
Li Yuan said, "If you want to negotiate, I will go for you. After all, you are the Emperor. It is not appropriate for you to negotiate personally. I am already old. While I can still live for a few days, I will go personally. But if you want peace, what are the conditions you can give? "
Li Shimin was silent for a while, then said, "Father, the condition I can give now is to give up Suzhou and admit that Suzhou, Shazhou and Guazhou all belong to Du Qi."
"Not enough!"
Li Yuan shook his head and said, "Shazhou and Guazhou have already been seized by Du Qi. The location of your battle is already here at Changbai Slope. Even I know about this information, let alone Du Qi. If you were Du Qi, now that you have seized most of Suzhou and occupied an absolute advantage, would you accept such conditions? "
Li Shimin said, "Father, what do you think should be done?"
Li Yuan said, "Other than giving up Suzhou, Guazhou and Shazhou, three places, give Zhangsun Wuji to me. In this way, I will throw away my old face and have Du Qi call a truce. "
"Impossible!"
Li Shimin shook his head and answered.
Zhangsun Wuji was his brother-in-law. Letting Zhangsun Wuji apologize, Li Shimin could reluctantly accept it. After all, it was only an apology and did not involve his life. But to give Zhangsun Wuji to Li Yuan was equivalent to saying that Zhangsun Wuji would be given to Du Qi to vent his anger. Under this premise, Zhangsun Wuji would certainly die.
Li Yuan said, "Emperor, Zhangsun Wuji is the key. Every time you fought with Du Qi, it was always Zhangsun Wuji who calmed down Du Qi's anger. Without this condition, it is absolutely impossible. "
Li Shimin said in a heavy voice, "Father Emperor, Du Qi now is not without hidden dangers in the rear. Within Du Qi's Xia 'Xia, there are people from the Tang dynasty who are instigating chaos and facilitating the internal strife in Xia' Xia. The west border of Xia Xia was attacked by Persia. Although Du Qi had sent reinforcements, he was faced with the counterattack of the Brahmin and Kshatriya nobles in the Xia 'Xia, as well as the attack of hundreds of thousands of Persian soldiers. Even if he wanted to defend, he would not be able to. We don't necessarily have to beg Du Qi for peace. "
Li Shimin continued, "Giving up Suzhou, Guazhou, and Shazhou is already my bottom line. I don't believe that Du Qi will not solve the problems in the rear and will dare to invade on a large scale. My Tang dynasty is not stable internally, and Xia Xia is not much different. "
After hearing this, Li Yuan did not speak for the time being.
He was thinking about something.
A moment later, Li Yuan continued, "Emperor, your idea is not bad. But let me ask you, if Du Qi's internal problems on Xia Xia's side have been solved, how will you deal with it? "
Li Shimin said, "Impossible!"
Li Yuan shook his head and said, "The word 'impossible' does not apply to Du Qi. Once, did you think that Du Qi would establish an independent country and attack the Tang dynasty instead? You definitely thought it was impossible; once, did you think that you would fight with Du Qi and lose again and again? You definitely thought it was impossible; once, did you think that a ten-year-old child could establish a foundation in a short period of time and even make the Tang dynasty unable to advance or retreat? You still think it is impossible. "
A series of words made Li Shimin speechless.
Li Yuan continued, "Emperor, if the Persian side can win, it will be for the best. If Xia Xia's internal situation is really chaotic, it will also be for the best. It will save a lot of unnecessary trouble. The problem is that there is no news at all now. Obviously, the Persian state and Xia Xia's internal situation have not succeeded. In fact, I don't even know what exactly happened. "
"You are the Emperor. You should consider things clearly. You must consider the worst case scenario first."
"If Du Qi quells the rebellion."
"If Du Qi defeats Persia."
"What should you do?"
Li Yuan said, "At that time, how are you going to ask for peace with Du Qi? So, in everything, you must at least prepare for the worst. When it really reaches the point where Du Qi has the advantage, are you really going to risk your life with Du Qi and not care about the rear? "
Li Shimin was also quite talkative.
This time, he was stunned.
He did not know what to say.
Li Yuan said, "When people do things, they are most afraid of being overconfident. Overconfident, not overconfident, but conceited. You are someone who came out from the battlefield. You should understand this principle. Alright, this old man and you will not talk nonsense. Leave Zhangsun Wuji to me. This old man will facilitate the negotiation between both sides. "
Li Shimin did not respond.
Because at this moment, giving up Zhangsun Wuji was equivalent to cutting off one of his own arms.
Li Yuan put his hands on his knees and slowly stood up. He still had a hunched back, his head slightly lowered. He looked at the silent Li Shimin and said in a deep voice, "This old man is not discussing with you. I am just informing you of this matter."
Li Shimin looked up at Li Yuan and said, "Father, it is impossible. The auxiliary machine is not only my family, but also my Tang dynasty's subject. If I give up the auxiliary machine, how can I face the Guanyin maid, how can I face the civil and military officials? An Emperor who cannot even protect his own subject is not worthy of being a monarch. "
Li Yuan had already turned around and was about to leave, but when he heard Li Shimin's words, he said lightly, "If you want to protect Zhangsun Wuji, then this old man will walk out of this tent and die in the camp. You don't want this Tang dynasty. Anyway, the Tang dynasty is going to be chaotic. This old man will leave first. So as to avoid seeing the Tang dynasty being attacked and occupied in the future. "
Swoosh!
Li Shimin's expression changed greatly.
He looked at Li Yuan. His cheeks twitched slightly, and his expression kept changing. After a long while, Li Shimin said, "Father, don't force this son."
At this moment, Li Shimin was somewhat hesitant.
He was also somewhat helpless.
This once arbitrary Emperor was now in an unprecedented dilemma because of the war with Xia Xia. On one side was his father, and on the other side was Zhangsun Wuji. Li Shimin was in a dilemma. Especially this difficult problem, which was proposed by Li Yuan. Moreover, Li Yuan did this not for his personal rights, nor for his own interests, but for the Tang dynasty.
Li Yuan was already in his twilight years, and could die of illness at any time. He could not even walk steadily, but he still came to the front line. Everything Li Yuan did was without selfishness. Because of this, Li Shimin could not refute Li Yuan.
Li Yuan said in a deep voice, "Li Shimin, do you know why you were estranged from Du Qi? From the beginning, you were Du Qi's elder. In the end, you were estranged from Du Qi. "
Li Shimin said, "Because this son is the Emperor."
Li Yuan nodded and said, "Well said. Because you are the Emperor, you can't consider your personal feelings. You can only consider the overall situation, the overall situation of the Tang dynasty. That's why you and Du Qi are where you are today. All of this cannot be said to be your fault. It can only be said to be fate. Now, when it comes to Zhangsun Wuji, are you going to forget your duty as the Emperor and consider your personal feelings? "
At this time, Li Yuan was unprecedentedly strict. He almost scolded, "You are the Emperor. You should consider the overall situation. The Emperor is a loner. For the sake of the Tang dynasty, he can give up everything. When necessary, you can even throw me, your father, out. As long as I can protect the Tang dynasty, I have no complaints. Therefore, now that Zhangsun Wuji is involved, don't act like a son and daughter and make me look down on you. "
After Li Shimin finished listening, he already made a decision. He looked at Li Yuan and said, "Father, this son understands. This son will go see the Auxiliary Commander now and tell him about this matter. "
"No need!"
Li Yuan shook his head and said, "You don't need to go personally. In any case, you are the monarch. This matter of being the bad guy, it is naturally this old man who will go. Now, you only need to sit in the tent and wait for the result. This old man will do his best to stop Du Qi's army. "
After saying that, he walked out with a hunched back.
At this moment, although Li Yuan's back was hunched, that was already a thin and weak back. However, in Li Shimin's eyes, it was incomparably tall. So much so that Li Shimin even had an illusion that even if his Father was facing greater difficulties, he could still face danger without fear and would not have any panic.
This back was enough to block all wind and rain.
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