Although Chang 'an was still prosperous, there was a hint of gloominess in Chang' an at the end of August, as if a storm was coming. Because Xia Xia was now close to Ganzhou and was eyeing the Tang Dynasty covetously. At the same time, the Tang Dynasty was attacked by Tibet and Goguryeo at the border, which put a lot of pressure on the Tang Dynasty.
Whether it was the officials or the common people, they were all in a state of panic.
They were all worried that the Tang Dynasty would be unstable.
Li Shimin had been keeping a close eye on the news among the people. After all, the bad people under his command were scattered all over the country and had been monitoring the local situation. Therefore, Li Shimin knew about the public opinion.
Even if Li Shimin knew, there was nothing he could do. Now that Tibet and Goguryeo were attacking, he had already arranged for the troops to resist. Moreover, he had sent gunpowder to the troops at the border so that they could fight against the Tibetan and Goguryeo troops. What Li Shimin needed to do now was to stabilize the domestic situation and suppress all the chaos.
The most important thing was Xia Xia.
That was the key.
If Du Qi continued to attack, Li Shimin would not be able to stabilize the domestic situation even if he wanted to. The reason was simple. Du Qi was too strong. Li Shimin could not resist him at all if he did not do his best.
Once Li Shimin did his best to resist, the domestic situation would continue to worsen. As for adopting Li Chengqian's suggestion, the problem was that once Li Chengqian's suggestion was not carried out, the situation would be even more difficult to control in the end. Therefore, the most important thing was to seek peace with Du Qi. First, they had to stabilize Du Qi, stabilize the domestic situation, and solve the border problems. Only then could they compete with Du Qi.
Now, Li Shimin was dealing with government affairs in the main hall all day long.
He did not go to the harem anymore.
Even if there were other concubines in the harem, he was not in the mood to pamper them. Since Zhangsun Wugou's death, Li Shimin felt that a large part of his heart was missing. Now, he only wanted to stabilize the Tang Dynasty. When Li Shimin was dealing with government affairs, Fang Xuanling hurried in.
Fang Xuanling looked anxious. He entered the main hall and bowed when he saw Li Shimin. Then, he said, "Your Majesty, there is news from Prime Minister Wei in Ganzhou."
As she spoke, Fang Xuanling handed over the letter.
Li Shimin took the letter, opened the envelope, and took out the letter to read. After he quickly skimmed through it, his face had completely darkened. His gaze was incomparably sharp as he berated, "You've gone too far. Du Qi has gone too far."
Fang Xuanling said, "Your Majesty, what conditions does Du Qi want in order to make peace?"
"Du Qi needs the entire Longyou Dao," Li Shimin said, "He wants Zhen to cede Longyou Dao, only then will he agree to sue for peace. The entire Longyou Dao is the western barrier of the Tang dynasty. Once Longyou Dao falls into Du Qi's hands, it will be easy for Du Qi to break into the pass. For us, this is an extremely unfavorable matter. In fact, this is like cutting flesh from my body. Xuanling, Du Qi this boy is really incomparably ruthless. We really regret letting him off back then! "
Fang Xuanling was speechless.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have done it in the first place.
It was useless to regret now.
Of course, it was impossible for Fang Xuanling to say such words. He slowly said, "Your Majesty, Du Qi's conditions are indeed like a knife to the heart. His conditions are extremely ruthless. Agreeing to Du Qi's conditions will certainly have a great impact on the Tang dynasty. But if we don't agree to Du Qi's conditions, Du Qi will break into Longyou Dao and we will be in a difficult position. In short, this is a dilemma. "
Li Shimin said, "Minister Fang, what do you think I should do?"
Fang Xuanling said, "I don't know what to do. It's difficult to agree, but it's also difficult to disagree! "
Li Shimin raised his head and looked ahead. Looking at the sunny scene outside the hall, he couldn't help but sigh. It was really not easy for him to be in charge of the Tang dynasty. When his father was in charge of the Tang dynasty, the Tang dynasty was peaceful, the world was united, and everything was thriving.
Now that he was in charge of the Tang dynasty, it was only a few years from the peaceful era to the rising flames of war. Today's Tang dynasty was like a house with holes on all sides, swaying in the wind and rain.
Fang Xuanling sat below and didn't speak, because it was really difficult for him to make a decision when it came to this decision.
So he didn't suggest it.
Everything was up to the Emperor.
Li Shimin ordered, "Summon the Crown Prince."
The chamberlain immediately went to pass the order.
Not long after, Li Chengqian hurried in. His position as the Crown Prince was now more stable.
After all, the domestic situation was not stable at the moment, and there was no time to fight for power. Li Tai was also more honest, so Li Chengqian's position as the Crown Prince was much more stable. In addition, Li Shimin also suppressed Li Tai's power for the stability of the imperial court, so that Li Tai couldn't influence Li Chengqian even if he wanted to.
Moreover, Li Chengqian was now a regent several times and had a group of talents under his command. Li Shimin was very satisfied with Li Chengqian and gave him some power.
Li Chengqian said, "Father!"
Li Shimin waved his hand to let Li Chengqian sit down, and handed the letter sent by Wei Zheng to Li Chengqian, saying, "Crown Prince, in this situation, what do you think we should do?"
Li Chengqian was angry after reading it. He said, "Father, I think we have no choice in the current situation. If we ask Du Qi for peace and cede Longyou Road, how will the subjects of the world look at you? How will they look at our Tang dynasty? Since Du Qi wants Longyou Road, we might as well prepare for the worst. "
Li Shimin said, "What plan?"
Li Chengqian gritted his teeth and said, "My plan is to follow the previous arrangement and not change the previous plan. Our Tang dynasty will recruit knowledgeable people to go to Longyou Road to resist Xia Xia's troops. But this time, there will be a change in the reward. Anyone who can stop Xia Xia and defeat Xia Xia will be conferred the title of Lord of Longxi by the imperial court and Longyou Road will be his fief. He will be allowed to inherit the title of Lord of Longxi and rule Longyou Road forever. "
Fang Xuanling's expression changed slightly as soon as he heard this.
There was a look of disbelief in his eyes because Li Chengqian's arrangement was actually quite vicious, and it could even be said that it was quite powerful. If they could stop Du Qi under this condition, it would be like driving a tiger to swallow a wolf. There would be no problem.
However, once this plan failed, the situation of the Tang dynasty would become more and more dangerous, and it might even become the enemy of the whole world. Because Xia Xia, Tubo, Goguryeo, and other countries would not give up attacking the Tang dynasty.
It depended on whether this plan could be maintained. However, Fang Xuanling did not have much hope in his heart. The reason was very simple. Even the power of the whole country could not stop Xia Xia, let alone other people.
After hearing this, Li Shimin thought in his heart.
He was even a little moved.
In Li Shimin's view, the situation had already deteriorated to this point. Even if it worsened again, it could not get worse. Therefore, Li Shimin somewhat agreed with this plan.
"Reporting!"
At this moment, a chamberlain came in.
After the chamberlain stood still, he took out a letter and put it in his hand, saying, "Your Majesty, a scout has brought back the latest news about Longyou Road."
Li Shimin said, "Bring it to me."
The chamberlain handed over the letter and then turned to leave. Li Shimin opened the letter and his expression changed slightly. He said, "Du Qi is really a thief. He arranged people to spread the news in Longyou Road that our Tang dynasty is asking for peace. At the same time, he said that the Tang dynasty is very likely to cede Longyou Road in order to seek peace. As of now, this news has already spread throughout the Longyou Path, causing everyone to panic. "
Li Chengqian gritted his teeth and said, "Du Qi is really hateful. Father, I have always believed that reaching an agreement with Du Qi is like asking a tiger for its skin. It is absolutely impossible. Du Qi is not trustworthy because Du Qi will not suffer losses. "
After a pause, Li Chengqian continued, "So now, we have no other choice but to fight Du Qi to the death. At present, rumors are flying everywhere. We need the imperial court to come out and clean up the source and wash away the rumors. "
Li Shimin nodded, but he had not yet made a decision. Instead, he looked at Fang Xuanling and asked again, "Fang Xuanling, what do you think of the Crown Prince's proposal?"
Li Chengqian said, "Father, why are you still hesitating?"
Li Shimin scolded, "Shut up!"
Li Chengqian shut his mouth.
Li Shimin's eyes fell on Fang Xuanling because Fang Xuanling was resourceful. Even if Fang Xuanling lacked decisiveness, Fang Xuanling could analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the situation so that Li Shimin could make a decision.
Fang Xuanling thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, the Crown Prince's proposal is not impossible. As the Crown Prince said, the situation has come to this point. It is not impossible to take out the Longyou Dao and offer a reward for the heroes of the world. "
"Of course, the imperial court also needs to prepare for the worst. That is, once the Crown Prince's arrangement affects the whole world, once the Crown Prince's army is unable to stop Xia's army, and eventually Xia Xia quickly takes over the Longyou Dao, then under this premise, the negotiation with Xia Xia will be different. The situation will be more unfavorable and tricky. "
Fang Xuanling was still worried.
Li Shimin said, "That's true. The advantages and disadvantages are very obvious. Fang Xuanling, I have decided to fight with Xia Xia again. Send an order to the whole world. Whoever can recruit troops on his own and block Xia Xia's army, I will allow him to be the king of the Longyou Dao. The imperial court will confer him the title of Longxi King, hereditary. "
Fang Xuanling said, "I will arrange it immediately."
Li Shimin said, "Go."
Fang Xuanling got up and left.
In the hall, only Li Shimin and Li Chengqian were left. Li Chengqian said, "Father is wise. The Tang dynasty is not afraid of Xia Xia. We must fight Xia Xia to the end. If we cede the Longyou Dao now, the people of the world will be disappointed in the Tang dynasty, and they will be disappointed in Father. So for now, fighting to the end is the right thing to do. "
Li Shimin said, "Crown Prince, in the current situation, nothing is right or wrong. What we can do now is to block Xia Xia's army. No matter what the method is, it is good as long as it works. "
After a pause, Li Shimin continued, "If we really can't stop Du Qi's army, then I may adopt the strategy of seeking peace. Because under this premise, we can ensure the safety of the Tang dynasty and preserve the Tang dynasty. For me, as long as the final result can be achieved, there is nothing I can't accept. However, the strategy you proposed can not only take into account the Tang dynasty, but also the dignity of the Tang dynasty. That's why I adopted your suggestion now. "
Li Chengqian was quite shocked to hear this.
Because Li Shimin's words just now made him a little surprised.
Li Shimin said, "Well, go do your thing."
"Yes!"
Li Chengqian got up and left.
Li Shimin sat alone in the hall. In fact, he was still a little hesitant to adopt Li Chengqian's suggestion. Moreover, it also involved the lives of Wei Zheng and Kong Yingda, so it was a little complicated.
"It's Heaven's will!"
Li Shimin sighed.
His hoarse voice kept echoing in the hall, and finally there was no more sound.
Only Li Shimin was left sitting alone.
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