Chapter 5320: High Winds and Rough Waves

Chapter 5320: High Winds and Rough Waves

On February 15th of the sixth year of the Renhe era, the Tang Dynasty navy split into two routes. Vice General Yang Zhou led the ships in a surprise attack on Zhigun, located at the mouth of the river. After defeating the local Champa army, they sailed up the river and entered Tonle Sap Lake. Hundreds of ships with masts and sails standing tall and banners like clouds sailed majestically towards Borobudur on the east side of the lake.

Although Zhenla is not officially divided, in reality, the situation of the north and south governing themselves has already taken shape. Borobudur is an important town in the south of Zhenla and has become the capital of "Water Zhenla" in a practical sense.

Another force, under the command of Deputy General Xi Junmai, conquered Thonburi, defeated the local armed forces, and landed. The 5,000 troops also went upstream along the Chao Phraya River, and eventually joined forces with Liu Renyuan, who crossed the Wuwen Pass and turned north, to launch a pincer attack on the city of Thachhu in Chenla.

The three armies marched in great numbers, conquering cities and fortresses with unstoppable momentum.

*****
Spring rain nourishes and all things flourish.

The Imperial Study was filled with the aroma of tea and the wafting fragrance of sandalwood.

After the New Year holidays, Li Chengqian gradually lost weight and looked more energetic than before. His grown beard also added to his mature and capable appearance.

On the floor mats by the window, Li Ji, Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, Zheng Rentai, Liu Rengui and others were all seated, some drinking tea with their heads down, others listening to His Majesty's words.

Li Chengqian knelt in the center, his eyes sweeping over the entire court, and went straight to the point: "Since the coup d'état in Changsun Wuji's palace at the beginning of the Renhe era, the six guards of the Eastern Palace have made great contributions in supporting my ascension to the throne. They also made outstanding contributions in the subsequent coup d'état in Taiji Palace. These generals and officers have made remarkable achievements, yet they have only been rewarded and have not been promoted. Clear rewards and punishments are the foundation of good governance. This time, I wish to reward the meritorious officials of the past by demoting them to their posts and assigning them to their respective positions. What do you think, my dear ministers?"

The scene fell silent instantly. Everyone had different thoughts, but they all knew that His Majesty's move must have a deeper meaning.

First, the commander of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" was replaced, and then the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace were targeted... Although not explicitly stated, His Majesty's intentions were obvious.

What is particularly worrying is that several of the people present were Grand Councilors. His Majesty did not discuss this matter concerning the transfer of the six officers of the Crown Prince's Guard in the Grand Council, but instead summoned them in the Imperial Study. Is he trying to undermine the Grand Council?
However, it is understandable. Chief Grand Councilor Fang Jun was in Huating Town, which was the weakest point of the Grand Council. It was the perfect time to target the Grand Council. By the time Fang Jun returned to the capital, it would be too late.

Everyone was puzzled and fell silent for a moment.

The newly appointed Minister of War, Liu Rengui, spoke with a respectful expression: "Your Majesty's rewards and punishments are clear and fair, and your unity between the inner and outer courts is truly that of a wise ruler. We, your subjects, have all obeyed the imperial edict. However, the merit-based evaluation of all the officers and soldiers of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace is quite complicated. We will wait for the Ministry of War to carefully review and verify the information before reporting it to Your Majesty for a final decision."

Everyone looked at Liu Rengui, who was sitting upright, with slight surprise.

The so-called "careful review and discernment" is nothing more than a delaying tactic; Fang Jun will have his own plans once he returns to the capital. If His Majesty is allowed to dismantle the Military Affairs Department or even strip the Ministry of War of its authority at this moment, the Ministry of War's authority will be suppressed.

These really are Fang Jun's "lackeys and henchmen," that a mere newly appointed Minister of War dares to openly contradict His Majesty's edict...

Li Chengqian was never one to hide his emotions, and upon hearing this, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He said displeasedly, "Grand Commandant is stationed in Huating, commanding the Central and Southern War. He is overworked and exhausted from serving the country. Why bother him with such a trivial matter? Let's just leave it at that."

Liu Rengui nodded and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I will obey your command. After returning, I will instruct the officials of the Ministry of Personnel to review the merits of the meritorious officials and then present them to Your Majesty for a decision."

The others all turned their heads in disapproval.

They claimed to be "obeying the emperor's orders," but their stance remained unchanged, still insisting that the Ministry of War should take charge.

Li Chengqian suppressed his anger and glared at Liu Rengui.

The Ministry of War is controlled by Fang Xuanling, and even I, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, cannot interfere.

This is simply unreasonable!
Li Jing's beard had long since turned white. In the past two years, he had devoted himself to teaching students and writing books, paying no attention to or caring about the affairs of the court. But at this moment, he could not remain indifferent.

"Your Majesty is wise. The six officers of the Crown Prince's army have made outstanding contributions in the two coups, and many students from the academy have also participated. Therefore, this time, the number of people involved in the commendation is large. We must carefully review and verify their contributions to ensure that those who have made contributions are not rewarded or are rewarded less, and we must not allow those who have made little or no contributions to falsely claim military merits or fill the ranks. We cannot do this hastily. If any mistakes are made, it will not only disrupt the commendation system, but also damage Your Majesty's prestige."

Li Chengqian's face was ashen, and he remained silent.

He realized that Li Jing and Liu Rengui, knowing they lacked the prestige to persuade him to retract his order, had adopted a delaying tactic. They planned to stall until Fang Jun returned to the capital, at which point Fang Jun would take charge.

However, the two men were in the right, leaving him helpless. He couldn't very well bypass the Ministry of War and appoint meritorious individuals at will, could he?

That's bound to cause problems.

The Ministry of War can handle the commendation of meritorious service, but the decision-making power must be in our own hands, and it cannot be delayed indefinitely.

He looked at Li Ji: "What does Your Excellency think?"

Li Ji sighed inwardly.

He often felt that Emperor Taizong's intention to change the heir apparent was not wrong. Regardless of their abilities, in terms of "decisiveness in killing and ruthlessness," Li Chengqian was far inferior to Li Zhi.

Think of Li Zhi, who, with the support of Changsun Wuji, resolutely rebelled and led his troops straight into Taiji Palace. What a decisive and ruthless act that was!
If it were Li Zhi today, he would have already given a firm order to the Ministry of War to cooperate and produce a list of those to be commended for their merits first thing tomorrow morning, and forcibly appoint, dismiss, and promote them. Would the Ministry of War really dare to disobey orders?
However, His Majesty is unwilling to directly clash with the Ministry of War now, lest he be in the wrong when facing Fang Jun in the future.

That's fine, but they want to bring him out to fill the gap...

Despite their reluctance, they had no choice but to cooperate.

"As Duke Wei and Minister Liu have said, there are countless meritorious individuals among the six guards of the Crown Prince's palace. Their review and screening must be conducted with utmost care and caution, and no mistakes can be made. This requires a huge investment of manpower and a very long time, and cannot be decided hastily..."

At this point, the tone shifted: "However, officers of the rank of colonel and above can be reviewed in advance and then rewarded by His Majesty after being reported. Others can be postponed."

He looked at Liu Rengui: "The Crown Prince's army has more than 10,000 soldiers, but there are only a few dozen officers above the rank of colonel. Moreover, all of their merits have been recorded. I presume that the Ministry of War's Bureau of Personnel can complete the review and verification within a day and present the results to the Emperor by this time tomorrow... Is there any problem?"

Liu Rengui had no choice but to nod and agree: "No problem."

My heart is filled with worry; His Majesty is about to make a move against the Crown Prince…

Why was everything calm when Cui Dunli was in office, but turmoil arose as soon as I took office?
Moreover, His Majesty appointed Li Jingye as the commander of the "Hundred Cavalry Division," and Li Ji so strongly supports His Majesty, clearly indicating that an alliance has been formed, especially since the Grand Commandant is not in the capital at the moment...

Thinking of this, I was suddenly alarmed. Could His Majesty be planning to change the heir apparent while the Grand Commandant is away from the capital?
If that were the case...

Liu Rengui was sweating slightly.

……

After returning to the Ministry of War, Liu Rengui locked himself in his duty room, his mind filled with worries.

If Li Ji were to truly ally with His Majesty, it would completely overturn the balance of power within the Grand Council. His Majesty would hold the reins of power, and his words would be law, while Li Jing, having no military rank or troops, would be powerless and practically a figurehead. Cheng Yaojin, Zheng Rentai, and others, though seemingly wavering in their stance, would actually be more or less inclined to change the heir apparent.

After all, the Grand Commandant has put too much pressure on everyone, and now he's strongly supporting the Crown Prince. When the new emperor ascends the throne, those people will still have to live their current bleak lives...

After pondering for a long time, he picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote a letter. After blowing away the ink, he put it in an envelope and sealed it with sealing wax. He then called the clerk in and instructed him: "This letter must be sent to Huating Town by the Ministry of War via the 800-li express route. You must personally deliver it to the Grand Commandant and then bring back the Grand Commandant's reply."

"Here."

The clerk looked nervous and hurriedly left with the envelope.

The Ministry of War has its own fast channels for transmitting military intelligence; a round trip to Huating Town takes only half a month...

*****
As I said before, "Taiji Palace has no secrets"...

In the morning, His Majesty summoned a group of military generals for a meeting. By noon, the news had spread like wildfire. Everyone in the palace and throughout Chang'an, as well as those with connections within the palace, knew the situation clearly. Naturally, this caused undercurrents to surge, and all factions turned their attention to the matter.

The current Six Guards of the Eastern Palace are all from His Majesty's time as a prince. They made great contributions to protecting His Majesty during the two coups. However, everyone knows that "foundation" is not the same as "confidant". When it comes to the influence of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace, Fang Juncai is second to none.

His Majesty's intention to reward and demote the officers and soldiers of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace is quite clear: he intends to eliminate them from top to bottom to achieve complete control.

The purpose of doing so is obvious.

Inside the Prince of Jin's residence, Li Zhi paced back and forth in the flower hall with his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed and his expression full of worry.

Princess Consort of Jin walked in, placed the tea tray on the tea table, took out the tea and pastries and arranged them, and said softly, "Your Highness has not had lunch yet, please have some pastries to fill your stomach, and then have dinner directly later."

"Ah."

Li Zhi sat back down on the stool, took a sip of tea, but remained lost in thought.

Princess Jin sat beside him and asked curiously, "What's troubling you, Your Highness?"

Li Zhi put down his teacup and sighed: "Troublesome matters are fine, but I'm afraid they might turn into disasters!"

Princess Jin was taken aback, her expression changing slightly. She hurriedly asked, "Where did this come from? We've been staying quietly in the palace, waiting to go to sea and assume our fiefdoms. We hardly ever see outsiders. How did we end up causing trouble?"

"If there's really trouble, why bother provoking it? The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease; disaster may strike from the sky!"

Li Zhi sighed deeply.

Princess Jin was both bewildered and terrified: "Your Highness is foolish and ignorant. Why don't you speak plainly? It will help me to be more careful in my actions."

Li Zhi said, "This matter has nothing to do with us, but we are very likely to be involved. Forget it, it would be better to set sail and get away from Chang'an as soon as possible."

If changing the heir were truly a matter of the emperor's word, he would have become the Crown Prince long ago.

If even Emperor Taizong could not do as he pleased in the matter of changing the heir apparent, how much less so His Majesty today?

If anything happens to the Crown Prince, the court will inevitably be in turmoil, and people will inevitably bring up the fact that Emperor Taizong intended to make him the Crown Prince.

He is now like a broken sampan; how can he withstand the high winds and rough seas?
(End of this chapter)