"madness!"

In the study of the Qin Prince's Mansion, Li Shimin was furious and couldn't help but curse. He had just received the news that his father was preparing to give up this opportunity to attack Hedong, but was tied up by an agreement. He was extremely annoyed.

The person who sent him the news was Dou Guan, the Minister of Revenue. Since Li Shimin and Dou Gui jointly dealt with the Western Qin State in Longxi, the two established a good personal relationship, which also made the Dou family gradually lean towards Li Shimin.

Since Dou Wei died at the beginning of the year, Dou Wei should have been replaced by Dou Wu as prime minister, but the prince Li Jiancheng strongly recommended Chen Shuda, which made the Dou family lose their position, which made the Dou family very dissatisfied with the prince, and in turn, the relationship between Li Shimin and the Dou family became closer.

In fact, the top leaders of the Tang Dynasty also had fierce factional struggles. Pei Ji, Liu Wenjing, Dugu Zhen, Xiao Yu, and Dou Wei, these are the five prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty. The five prime ministers were originally a relatively balanced power structure. Liu Wenjing and Dugu Zhen supported the prince Jiancheng, Pei Ji and Dou Wei supported the Qin King Li Shimin, and Xiao Yu was a centrist.

However, after Dou Wei's death, the court unanimously agreed that Dou Wen should be the prime minister, but the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng strongly recommended Chen Shuda. Li Yuan also considered to weaken the power of the Guanlong nobles, so he changed everyone's expectations and promoted Chen Shuda to become prime minister. The Crown Prince's power occupied three places at once. Li Shimin's power was very weak, breaking the original balance.

The huge political pressure forced Li Shimin to end the battle in Hehuang and return to Beijing to serve as the Minister of State to make up for the weakening of his power in the court. However, he, the Minister of State, was completely different from Yang Yuanqing's Minister of State. He was just a position and had no real power, which made Li Shimin, who returned in triumphantly, extremely depressed.

However, Li Shimin also understood that his military strength would inevitably make his father support the prince politically and make the prince politically strong. If he is strong in military strength and politically strong, he would threaten the position of the prince. This is something that the father would never tolerate.

Li Shimin walked a few steps in the room with his hands behind his back, and asked Dou Feng again, "What is the attitude of the father? Is the father just supporting their so-called righteousness?"

Dou Wen bowed and bowed, "Report to Your Highness, I heard that the emperor wanted to take the opportunity to attack Hedong, but was persuaded by the prince and others and gave up the idea of ​​attacking Hedong."

"No, I want to persuade my father. The Sui army attacked Hebei and the troops in Hedong are empty. If we give up this opportunity, we will regret it in the future."

Li Shimin could no longer sit still. He wanted to persuade his father to change his mind before the final decision was made. Li Shimin left the mansion and hurried towards the palace.

He came all the way to the door of the Imperial Study room, and a eunuch went in for him to report. www.51o.net Li Shimin walked back and forth in front of the Imperial Study room with his hands behind his back. The Sui army seized Youzhou also made him deeply worried. Yang Yuanqing had taken the first step of expansion to capture Youzhou, but the Tang army was trapped in Guanzhong due to the failure of Hongnong County.

If the Tang army had only Hedong in the past, and its strength was slightly inferior to the Tang Dynasty that captured Guanlong Hexi and Bashu, then once the Sui army captured Hebei and Hebei were connected together, it would form a confrontation with the Tang Dynasty.

Yang Yuanqing has now become their number one enemy. When dealing with such a strong enemy, his father actually has to talk about justice. He is simply the second Duke Xiang of Song.

"Your Highness!"

An eunuch said at the door of the imperial study room: "Your Highness the Supreme Lord Xuan will meet you!"

Li Shimin sorted out his clothes and quickly walked into the imperial study room. In the imperial study room, Li Yuanzheng and Prince Jiancheng were discussing the imperial examination. Next month, the Tang Dynasty would also hold the first imperial examination after the founding of the country and select talents from all over the world. There were a lot of details to be handled. Li Jiancheng volunteered to serve as the chief preparatory officer of the imperial examination.

While the father and son were discussing, Li Shimin walked in and knelt down to kowtow to his father, "I would like to pay my respects to my father!"

Generally, ministers do not need to kneel down to the emperor, but Li Shimin met his father as a son, so his etiquette seemed particularly respectful.

Although Li Yuan was dissatisfied with Li Shimin's delay in launching the battle to wipe out the Liang Shidu, he was his son after all. Moreover, Li Shimin defeated the Liang Shidu with very little losses and obtained more than 40,000 surrendered soldiers and tens of thousands of war horses, which made Li Yuan extremely happy.

Li Yuan smiled and said, "The emperor doesn't have to be too polite. There are only three of us father and son here, so it's better to be casual."

"Thank you, Father!"

Li Shimin stood up and bowed to his elder brother Jiancheng again. Li Jiancheng nodded, "Second brother, sit down and talk!"

Li Shimin sat down and bowed first and said, "My son must first thank the father for his reward!"

After the Hehuang Battle, Tuyuhun presented 200,000 cattle and 300,000 sheep to the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan rewarded them all to Li Shimin's army, and Li Shimin gave them all to his soldiers and asked them to take the cattle and sheep home, which further won the morale of the army.

Li Yuan nodded, "That is the reward that the soldiers deserve to make contributions. Is the emperor here for this?"

"No! I came for the Sui envoy."

Li Jiancheng's face immediately became a little solemn. He vaguely guessed that his second brother might have come for the Sui army, but now he guessed it correctly.

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Yuan's eyes. He quickly covered up his uneasy expression and smiled and said, "The Sui envoy is here to congratulate us on destroying the Liang Shidu. Does the emperor think there is anything wrong?"

Li Shimin glanced at Li Jiancheng with a brief look. He didn't want his brother to be by his side at this time, but the elder brother obviously had no intention of leaving. The arrow was already on the string and Li Shimin would not be allowed to fire.

"Father, the Sui Dynasty is our number one enemy. In the past, now, and in the future, their main force is in Hebei, and Hedong is empty. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attack the Sui Dynasty and regain Hedong. If we give up this opportunity, then we will have no chance in the future. Father, we must not miss it!"

"this....."

Li Yuan did not expect his second son to say this, and he was speechless for a moment. He had just decided to abide by the agreement in the morning. Now the second son is here to turn the tables, and he is very vocal.

"Second brother, the court has decided on this matter."

Li Jiancheng next to him tried to explain in a gentle tone to keep the prince calm, "The court believes that since the two sides have an agreement, and it is an agreement between the two courts, it should be abide by it and cannot be broken in the world. This is related to the credibility of the country. There will be opportunities. But the lost credibility is irreversible. Don't persuade the father anymore."

The anger in Li Shimin's heart was burning rapidly at an irresistible speed, and his blood almost broke through his head. But he still strongly restrained his anger and took a deep breath and said, "Brother Emperor, the agreement cannot represent the fundamental interests of the country. The so-called credibility is just a matter of face. It concerns the danger of my Tang Dynasty and whether my Tang Dynasty can win the world. But for the sake of the so-called face, we have lost the only chance to defeat the Sui army. Brother Emperor, don't you think the price paid for a credibility is too high?"

Li Jiancheng was also slightly angry, and he said in a deep voice: "Second brother, reputation is not face. It is the trust of a country. The agreement we signed in the name of the court has the signature of the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty and the seal of the father. You can tear it down as you wish. How do you let the people in the world view the Tang Dynasty? How can you bear the word "betrayal"? A hundred years later, how can our descendants evaluate us? Second brother, faith is the foundation of the country. Don't take the word "trust" too lightly."

The argument between the two sons made Li Yuan very confused. In fact, both sides agreed. He felt that the eldest son was right and could not break his trust in the world, but he also felt that Shimin was justified. If he missed this opportunity, he might not have any more. He was extremely conflicted and sighed.

"Shimin, you think too simply about the Sui army. If we move troops, the Sui army will immediately withdraw from Hebei. The last fierce battle is good if it wins. If it fails, it will be a shame to lose its troops and generals, and it will be a bad reputation for being a breach of trust. It will not be worth the loss!"

Li Shimin ignored Li Jiancheng and leaned forward to his father and said, "Father, the soldiers are secretly strange but no longer silence. The soldiers are the most important. I am willing to raise five thousand cavalry and rushed to Yan'an County quickly. I'm afraid that before the news reaches Hebei, I have already taken Taiyuan. At the same time, I sent two troops to seize Feihu Xing and Jingxing, blocking the main force of the Sui army in Hebei, and Hedong will take it down. If the father is worried about the court officials' criticism, we can use a plan and send soldiers to invade Guanzhong in advance. Then we will say that the Sui army first breaks the agreement and attack Pujin Pass. As long as we make a big announcement, the court officials will believe that the people in the world will not know who is right and who is wrong. Father, we must not miss the opportunity!"

"Father, the Tang Dynasty established its country with integrity. It was not a heroic thief like Dou Jiande and Li Mi. He could not overturn his credit, nor could he use such despicable tricks. There would be opportunities in the future, and he would never be able to show off his temporary speed!"

The two brothers competed against each other and no one allowed them. Li Yuan's conflict reached the extreme. He lowered his head and pondered for a while, and said to Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin: "You all retreat first! Let me think about it alone."

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin stood up and gave their father a deep gift. They both retreated and retreated outside the imperial study room. However, they did not look at each other and left.

Several eunuchs shook their heads when they looked at their backs. They were brothers, how could they be the level of rebellion?

Li Yuan paced back and forth in the imperial study with his hands behind his back, lowering his head to ponder, and sighing to the sky. Li Yuan was actually moved by Li Shimin's suggestion and sent a surprise soldier to retake Taiyuan. He knew that this was an opportunity and could be done, but how did he explain to the court officials?

This is not only a problem of breaking trust in the world, but more importantly, he broke the trust in the court officials. Ninety percent of the ministers in the court advocated keeping trust, but he betrayed. Perhaps he could use some methods to make the Sui Dynasty lose trust first. As Shimin said, he sent people to impersonate the Sui army and invade Guanzhong first and deceive the court officials.

Just then, a rapid run sound came from outside the room, and a eunuch panted at the door, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother... The Queen Mother is not good!"

Li Yuan was startled and hurriedly headed to the inner palace. Empress Dowager Dugu was the sister of Yang Jian's wife Empress Dugu, and the daughter of Dugu Xin, who married Li Yuan's father, Li Bing, Duke Tang.

Li Yuan was extremely filial to his mother. During this period, his mother was in poor health. The imperial physician hinted that he might have to prepare for his funeral. So Li Yuan was worried about his mother every day. He ran to the palace gate and heard crying from the palace. Li Yuan's heart seemed to fall into the abyss. An old eunuch knelt down in front of Li Yuan and cried, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother... is dead!"

Li Yuan's eyes turned dark and he fainted on the spot.

In February of the second year of Wude, the empress dowager of the Tang Dynasty passed away, and Li Yuan conquered his deceased mother as Empress Yuanzhen. He was extremely sad and issued an order to confer filial piety on the whole country and to grant weapons for three months. No further discussions on attacking Hedong within three months.
Chapter completed!