Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4891 Supreme
Often we have to talk about "positions". What is a "position"? It's just about interests. Whichever side is in line with one's greatest interests is one's position. That's all.

Of course, "interests" are not just power and money. Sometimes they can also be ideals and beliefs. They are nothing more than personal pursuits. There is no distinction between praise and criticism in "interests" and right or wrong in "positions".

In Zheng Rentai's opinion, although Liu Li became the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty with the support of His Majesty and held the high position of "Zhongshu Ling", His Majesty might not be in Liu Li's "interests". After all, His Majesty always trusted and relied on Fang Jun more. No matter in terms of royal favor, merits, power, influence and so on, Liu Li was always inferior to Fang Jun.

A de facto prime minister had to be firmly suppressed by a prime minister who was not a prime minister. How could Liu Li, who was very ambitious and fame-seeking, be willing to accept this?
Therefore, Your Majesty may not necessarily share Liu Li’s “position”.

As long as Your Majesty can stabilize the throne and suppress the rebels, the situation in the court will not change. In fact, once Fang Jun makes some meritorious contributions again, he will be appointed to an extremely important position to reward his merits, and his position will become more stable.

On the contrary, if the thief succeeds in his rebellion, the court will be turned upside down.

The fate of Fang Jun is foreseeable. No matter who comes to power, the chaotic court needs a minister with sufficient qualifications, status and official position to stabilize the situation... Who else but Liu Ji?

As for the words "loyalty to the emperor", they were just talk. When Emperor Taizong died suddenly, Liu Li's hand and feet in it might not be so clean...

……

Zheng Rentai suddenly discovered that since the death of Emperor Taizong and the ascension of the new emperor to the throne, the most noble belief in history, "loyalty to the emperor", seemed to be collapsing bit by bit. Everyone seemed to be not so keen on who would be the emperor. As long as they were the descendants of Emperor Taizong and the orthodox of the Tang Dynasty, it didn't really matter who was on top or who was below.

Everyone cares more about the survival of the empire and the rise and fall of the country, because it is related to their own interests. Perhaps more people are willing to "face death with equanimity" and "die on the battlefield" when fighting with foreign races, but are not willing to sacrifice their lives for the honor and disgrace of the king.

Are all those who have such thoughts traitors?
This is not the case, because the vast majority of people are still loyal, but they are no longer "loyal to the emperor" but "loyal to the country."

For people at a certain level, the Confucian teachings can no longer deceive their cognition. They clearly realize that the country is not only the country of the king, but also the country of everyone. As long as everyone is loyal to the empire, the rise and fall of the empire concerns the interests of everyone. If one prospers, all prosper, and if one suffers, all suffer. What does it matter who the emperor is? As long as everyone is loyal to the empire, there will be no loss.

As Fang Jun often says: national interests are above all else.

……

"National interests are above all else!"

Liu Li looked at the two men with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice: "No matter how the situation develops, I just want you to put the interests of the empire first. We need to support everything that is beneficial to the interests of the empire. On the contrary, everything that harms the interests of the empire must be abandoned or even opposed!"

Pei Huaijie was stunned: "What do you mean..."

Liu Li said decisively: "It's not that I'm a traitor, but if the situation really collapses, you must remember this sentence, the interests of the empire cannot be trampled on!"

These words were passionate and powerful, but in Zheng Rentai's understanding, if His Majesty was against the interests of the empire, then the interests of the empire would take precedence...

He nodded and said: "Mr. Zhongshu is loyal to the country and faithful to his duty. He is truly a role model for our generation."

Pei Huaijie suggested: "Since Chang'an is in turmoil and threatened at any time, and the garrisons in various places are unclear about their positions and their future is uncertain, why not simply transfer the troops stationed in Hexi back to Guanzhong to suppress the situation?"

Tens of thousands of elite Anxi troops under Pei Xingjian's command are stationed in Hexi. If they enter Guanzhong, it will inevitably cause an imbalance of power among all parties. Who would dare to rashly start a rebellion?

Liu Li shook his head and said, "Your Majesty will not agree."

Your Majesty's intention is to induce Li Shenfu and his ilk to commit rebellion so that you can catch them all in one fell swoop and show your imperial power. If you let Li Shenfu and his ilk be cautious and keep silent, wouldn't this whole plan be in vain?
Your Majesty does not want to bear the infamy of "massacre of royal family members", so he can only wait for Li Shenfu and others to rebel before he fights back. If Li Shenfu does not rebel, Your Majesty can only endure it... However, as a king, how can you endure it when you know that your subjects are rebellious?

Therefore, Your Majesty will never allow the Anxi Army to be transferred back to Chang'an.

Zheng Rentai echoed this: "The Anxi army must not move lightly."

Although their conclusions were the same, his views were completely different from Liu Li's.

In his view, Pei Xingjian's implementation of the "Tibetan Strategy" while stationed in Hexi was a long-term strategy formulated by the court's "Military Affairs Council" that was crucial to the struggle between Tang and Tibet for the next hundred years. It could not afford to fail. Once successful, Tibet would be severely damaged and plagued by internal troubles, and it would be almost impossible for it to recover its current strength. If it failed, the Gar tribe might counterattack and directly invade the four towns in Hexi, causing severe shocks in Guanzhong and the Western Regions.

Moreover, after this incident, Tubo will surely be united and become a thorny threat to the Tang Dynasty, causing the Tang Dynasty to expend countless national resources on the Tang-Tibetan border, seriously hindering the long-term development of the empire.

This is the true meaning of "imperial interests above all else."

In short, anyone can be the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but Tubo must die...

Zheng Rentai suddenly realized that perhaps His Majesty felt that "imperial interests are above all else" had seriously violated the power that the emperor should have, so he was willing to take risks and act on his own, not only wanting to establish his own prestige, but also wanting to completely take back the supreme power of imperial power.

After all, "imperial interests are above all else" and "imperial power is supreme" are at odds with each other and are even full of contradictions...

In other words, the aristocratic families may not necessarily advocate "imperial interests above all else", but their selfish nature will definitely not want to see "imperial power is supreme". Who would want their life and death, prosperity and decline to depend on the emperor's will?
Fang Jun advocated "the interests of the empire are above all else" and opposed "the supremacy of imperial power", but he also joined forces with His Majesty to suppress the aristocratic families...

There are still many contradictions.

Zheng Rentai felt that he was not smart enough and his realm was not high enough. For a moment, he was confused and could not see clearly the positions of all parties.

Ever since Pei Huaijie left his "home court" Luoyang and entered Chang'an alone, he has been confused by the complicated situation in the court. The most serious thing is that although he is dependent on Liu Li, he does not think that this is in his greatest interest. He is trapped in a cage and unable to break free, so he can only temporarily use Liu Li's place as a shelter.

I am unwilling but powerless.

*****
Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion.

The study was as warm as spring. Looking out the window, one could see snow falling in the courtyard. The notes and pens on the desk were put aside, and placed on them were a few side dishes and a pot of hot rice wine. Li Shenfu and Li Daoli sat opposite each other, with Li Demao accompanying them.

Li Daoli took a sip of rice wine and asked, "What did Li Xiaoyi say?"

Li Shenfu shook his head, his expression gloomy: "This kid said very well, but judging from his expression and his character, I'm afraid he may not support me. It's no wonder, both his father and son are mediocre, but they have a smooth life, so naturally they don't want to gamble with our lives."

Li Daoli was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "Comparing yourself to others will only make you angry to death."

Li Shenfu was filled with melancholy and raised his glass to take a sip.

When talking about Li Xiaoyi's father and his deceased brother Li Shentong, Li Shenfu had a lot to complain about but nowhere to vent.

It’s said to be envy, but in fact it’s jealousy.

Li Shentong has fought for half his life and has almost never won a battle, but he has been defeated every time.

Emperor Taizong once said, "When the banner of rebellion was first raised, everyone had aspirations. Although my uncle led the troops to the front, he never personally led the troops to fight. When Shandong was not settled, I was entrusted with the task of leading the army. When Jiande invaded the south, the whole army was defeated. When Liu Heita rebelled, my uncle defeated him at the first sight..."

However, when others lost a battle and lost their troops, they would be punished and reprimanded, but Li Shentong was always promoted and rewarded. This was because Emperor Gaozu was afraid that his cousin would be in a bad mood after losing a battle, so he promoted him and rewarded him so that Li Shentong could be happy...

As for Li Shenfu, if he made the slightest mistake, he would be scolded and despised by Emperor Gaozu.

The reason why Emperor Gaozu was so tolerant and hospitable to Li Shentong, an incompetent person, was because he supported Emperor Gaozu with all his strength at the beginning of the rebellion. At that time, many Li family members were afraid of being liquidated by the Sui Dynasty and thus distanced themselves from Emperor Gaozu. Only Li Shentong not only gave his full support, but also gave up his family and career to recruit soldiers and horses to respond actively. He joined forces with Princess Pingyang to capture Huxian County and sweep Guanzhong. After Emperor Gaozu crossed the Yellow River, he went to meet him and then pacified Chang'an together.

At the beginning of the rebellion, when the whole world was hostile, it was Li Shentong who served as the Minister of Zongzheng, in charge of the guards and horses, and ensured the safety of Emperor Gaozu. This shows how much Emperor Gaozu trusted him.

Therefore, in the eyes of Emperor Gaozu, although ability is important, such loyalty is more important! At that time, Emperor Gaozu had many brave generals and counselors, each of whom was extremely talented and outstanding, but how many of them were so loyal?
What does it matter if we lose the battle?

The most important thing is whether my brother is happy...

Li Demao said, "But Emperor Taizong was not close to the Huai'an Palace. He once said, 'Xuanling and others have made great contributions to the country, so Xiao He of the Han Dynasty, although he had no sweat and horse, pushed the wheel with his fingers, so his contribution ranked first. Uncle is the closest relative of the country, and he really has no love for him. He must not be rewarded with meritorious officials because of personal preference.' This made my uncle so angry that he stayed indoors and died soon after... Although Li Xiaoyi was promoted to Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan, he was actually the highest official among the brothers. He should be dissatisfied with Emperor Taizong in his heart, and he also had many dissatisfactions with Li Chengqian. But why didn't he follow us to make achievements?"

Li Shenfu shook his head and said, "Everyone has their own aspirations, why bother?"

Li Daoli thought about it, leaned forward, and asked in a low voice: "I wonder if the troops that Uncle Wang contacted are reliable?"

Li Shenfu stared at Li Daoli with eyes as fast as lightning.