Chapter 4979: Military Power Falls

Chapter 4979: Military Power Falls
The official residence of the Secretariat was located inside the Youyanming Gate on the west side of the Taiji Gate, adjacent to the Sherenyuan. Because it was the government office that directly assisted the king in handling state affairs, it was extremely large and occupied a very large area. It ran west from the Xingren Gate to the Qingming Canal, which led into the palace. Many of the houses were the official residence of the Secretariat.

Liu Li entered the palace from Chengtian Gate early in the morning, passed through Youyanming Gate, and arrived at the duty room of the Secretariat to begin his day's government affairs.

Sitting in the duty room, drinking the strong tea brewed by the clerk, he looked at the gloomy sky outside the window and the dry branches in the courtyard with bloodshot eyes, a little dazed.

Last night, he spent the whole night in the Zongzheng Temple interrogating the criminals related to the "treason case" and did not sleep all night. At dawn, he simply washed up, drank a bowl of porridge and rice, and went directly to the Secretariat.

Although Your Majesty has set a bottom line for the "rebellion case", "only the mastermind will be executed, and the rest will not be questioned", this case has wide implications after all, and many people are involved in it, and it is also intertwined with another "Zhaoling case". There are many things to consider, and we cannot go against Your Majesty's wishes, so we naturally have to pay attention everywhere.

Many people's confessions even had to be hinted and guided, otherwise a large number of people would be implicated...

It's really exhausting.

I had just sat down and hadn’t finished my tea when I saw the eunuch Wang De, led by a clerk, coming over quickly…

Liu Li was startled, and before Wang De could speak, he asked, "Did His Majesty summon you?"

Wang De bowed and said, "That's right, Your Majesty summons the Minister of the Central Secretariat to see you."

Liu Li did not dare to delay. He put down his teacup, tidied his clothes, and followed Wang De out of the Secretariat.

As they crossed the Taiji Palace Square, Liu Li asked in a low voice, "I wonder why His Majesty has summoned me to an audience?"

Wang De kept walking and shook his head, saying, "I don't know."

Liu Jie: "..."

This old slave has always been cautious in his words and actions, and has never been polite to the civil and military officials in the court. He is really hateful.

He changed his approach and asked, "Besides me, Your Majesty, do you want to summon anyone else?"

This time Wang De hesitated and replied in a low voice: "There is also the Minister of the Court."

Ma Zhou?

Liu Li thought for a moment and asked again, "But is it related to the morning naval battle report?"

Wang De simply shut his mouth and quickened his pace...

Liu Li was helpless. The old slave was too tight-lipped and he could not get any information out of him, so he was unable to prepare in time.

When they arrived at the Wude Hall, Liu Li stayed outside the door. Wang De went inside to report, and returned a moment later to invite Liu Li to see him...

"I have an audience with Your Majesty."

"No courtesy, just stay on your own."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Li stood up and sat on a chair beside the imperial desk. He took the fragrant tea offered by Wang De, nodded in greeting, and gently put it aside.

The sky is dim today, and there is not enough light in the imperial study, so candles are lit.

His Majesty sat behind the imperial desk, his face slightly gloomy, but he showed no joy or anger, so it was impossible to guess what his mood was.

Probably because the Jingzhao government office is outside the palace, so Ma Zhou has not arrived yet...

"I wonder if your majesty has summoned me for something important?"

Liu Li asked tentatively.

Li Chengqian was still working on the memorials at his desk, and signaled Wang De to hand the battle report on the imperial desk to Liu Li.

Liu Li took the battle report and read it carefully. He didn't notice any problems. But if there were no problems, why would His Majesty summon him and give him the battle report? He lowered his head and frowned as he read it again. Finally, he noticed some problems.

The Governor of Shilof Port signed the contract in his personal name to actively seek peace, but the huge compensation was not paid in real money, but by several Tang Dynasty businesses... There is no need to ask more, there must be some private dealings between the Governor of Shilof Port and these Tang Dynasty businesses.

But does this matter count in the eyes of Your Majesty?
Your Majesty is busy all day and night, so why would you care about the private activities of a few businesses?

Ok?
wrong!

Liu Li blinked his dry eyes hard, read the battle report again, and finally found out where the problem lay.

It was a war between two countries, with more than a thousand ships mobilized by both sides and tens of thousands of soldiers participating in the war. They even signed a compensation clause for defeat. The navy not only obtained compensation, but also forced the other side to open ports and reduce commercial taxes. It was undoubtedly a war of far-reaching significance... But from beginning to end, the war was initiated by the navy, the contract was signed by the navy, and even private businesses of the Tang Dynasty participated, but there was no discussion from the central government, let alone approval from His Majesty!
The two countries went to war, and took the initiative to attack, but there was no imperial decree to approve it?

hiss……

Thinking hard.

"Your Majesty, if this precedent is set, there will be endless troubles!"

The Royal Navy is a very special army in the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that Fang Jun founded this army, and all the people from top to bottom are his trusted subordinates. Emperor Taizong was broad-minded and ambitious. Although he was nominally the commander of the navy, he delegated the command to Fang Jun, believing that Fang Jun would be loyal to the king and the empire.

that's the truth.

Fang Jun controlled the army and vigorously expanded outward, opening up new shipping routes one after another. Relying on his strong ships and powerful guns, he roamed the seven seas with his invincible military power. Not only did he open up countless trade routes, but he also continuously transported overseas gold, silver and copper mines back to the country, making the royal treasury more full than ever before.

But after the death of Emperor Taizong, this army was completely out of the control of the royal family and almost became Fang Jun's private army.

It would be fine if they were private armies, but the Sixteen Guards were nominally national armies, but in reality they were all controlled by a commander-in-chief, and the soldiers under his command followed his lead.

But now the navy is arbitrarily starting a war overseas, ignoring the central government and His Majesty... Where does this put the national structure of the supremacy of the monarchy? !
Li Chengqian said "hmm" but did not look up, still working on memorials at his desk.

Liu Li didn't know what the emperor was thinking for a moment and didn't dare to say much, but his heart was filled with turmoil and anxiety.

"Your Majesty, the Minister is here to see you."

"please."

"Here."

Soon, Ma Zhou, dressed in official uniform and with a gaunt face, walked quickly into the imperial study and bowed.

"I have an audience with Your Majesty."

"No need to be polite, just take a look at the battle report."

"Here."

Ma Zhou was confused and glanced at Liu Li beside him. The two nodded to each other, then sat down and picked up the battle report.

He had naturally heard about the messenger entering the capital, but he didn't know what it was about, let alone that His Majesty had summoned him to the palace for this matter...

After reading the battle report twice, Ma Zhou frowned and saw the same problem as Liu Li.

Li Chengqian then put down the brush in his hand, rubbed his wrists, washed his hands with the help of Wang De, dried them with a towel, walked out from behind the imperial desk and sat opposite the two of them, drank a sip of tea, and asked, "My two beloved ministers, why don't you tell me your opinion on this matter?"

Liu Li sat upright but did not speak.

He had just said, "Once this precedent is set, there will be endless troubles," but His Majesty ignored him until Ma Zhou came and asked about it... Regardless of whether he valued Ma Zhou more or not, he had some opinions in his mind, so he pretended to be reserved and expressed his attitude slightly without making it too obvious.

Ma Zhou glanced at Liu Li and said, "The Minister of the Central Secretariat oversees all the ministers and assists Your Majesty. I would like to hear your opinions."

"To oversee all the prime ministers" is a description of the prime minister, but the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty was not only the Minister of the Secretariat. In fact, the heads of the three ministries were all prime ministers, but the Shangshu Zuo Pushe were not the heads of the Shangshu Province. But because the emperor was the de facto Shangshu Ling, the Zuo Pushe were equivalent to the emperor's deputies, so they were the de facto prime ministers. Although the Minister of the Secretariat was not as close to the emperor as the Zuo Pushe, he was the head of the Zhongshu Province after all, so it was not wrong to say that he "oversees all the prime ministers". As for the head of the Menxia Province, Shizhong, he was ranked lower.

Liu Li thought that Ma Zhou was the one who was most impatient with hypocrisy and affectation. If he was polite and reserved but was taken seriously by the other party, it would be bad.

He then said bluntly: "The royal power is supreme. Your Majesty is the commander-in-chief of all the troops in the world. No army can start a war without your Majesty's permission. The royal decree should be issued to punish the people related to the navy, and their commander should be severely reprimanded and punished accordingly, so as to set an example and serve as a warning to others!"

Fang Jun has absolute power over the navy, but the nominal commander of the navy is the Grand Admiral Su Dingfang. Severe punishment of him would be a good way to deter others.

Li Chengqian did not comment and asked Ma Zhou, "What do you think, Minister?"

Ma Zhou pondered for a moment and said slowly, "There is nothing wrong with what the Minister of the Central Secretariat said. All the troops in the world must accept the control of Your Majesty. How can they act on their own? But it is not good to generalize. The merchants of the Tang Dynasty were extorted and slaughtered in the port of Shilafu. If they cannot fight back, not only will they suffer heavy losses in their trade, but the prestige of the Tang Dynasty will also plummet. However, the Persian Sea is tens of thousands of miles away from Chang'an. If we wait until the messenger sends the news back to Chang'an, the central government will discuss and draft an imperial edict before sending it to the Persian Sea... I am afraid that it will miss the opportunity to fight and be unfavorable to the situation."

Liu Li retorted: "You must know that this is not a small-scale conflict, but a war between the navies of the two countries. How can a war of this scale be left to the naval officers to decide on their own? If so, where does the military system and the emperor fit in?"

"The Minister of the Central Secretariat is exaggerating. Perhaps the Arab navy did try its best, but the Royal Navy is just a small detachment. More and bigger warships are deployed in the East and South Seas. How can it be said that they tried their best to attack at full force?"

"Minister, you are confused! Is this a question of how many troops participated in the war? This is a question of principle! The navy has no respect for the emperor and no discipline at all. If we indulge this trend, I am afraid that something unbearable will happen!"

"Let's just talk about the matter. Why can the Zhongshu Ling extend his power indefinitely? What I said is reasonable. The territory of the Tang Dynasty now covers the four seas and stretches thousands of miles. There are more than one million troops. It is impossible that every military information needs to be sent to the capital urgently and discussed with the central government before being sent to the army. Is it? If so, I am afraid that the borders will be full of wars and it will be difficult to deal with them."

"To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country. If we cannot even control the army, how can we conquer the four seas and traverse thousands of miles? I am afraid that one day we will suffer from chaos!"

The two of them held different opinions and were deadlocked, and they actually got into a quarrel.

Instead, Li Chengqian was drinking tea slowly, watching the two ministers quarreling with deep eyes, without saying a word.