Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4959 Who rules the world?
Li Ji dismounted and walked forward. He glanced at Liang Jianfang and snorted, "Zheng Rentai has led his army to Chengtian Gate, intending to turn the tide and protect him, but you are hiding here to avoid the wind and snow and drink tea. You really don't know what you are doing."

Liang Jianfang laughed and pointed at the Yanxi Gate: "I do want to go to the Chengtian Gate, but Zheng Rentai has sent people to block the Yanxi Gate and stop me outside the imperial city. I can't rush in with my troops, right? I don't have that much courage."

"Haha," Li Ji sneered, "You are much braver than Zheng Rentai."

As the general of the Left Guard, when the court changed, he not only did not enter the palace to support the king, but instead hid aside and watched the fun. This was simply dereliction of duty.

Liang Jianfang said nothing more. He stepped aside and invited Li Ji to sit under the tent. He then took a teacup in a very servile manner, picked up the small teapot with a handle, and poured the red and clear tea in the pot into the teacup. A rich aroma wafted out with the steam.

Li Ji leaned forward to take a look, and saw that the teapot was filled with tea leaves, dried dates, and several Chinese medicinal herbs such as Ophiopogon japonicus and Pueraria root...

He picked up the cup and looked at the tea, wondering, "How can you drink so many messy things?"

Fang Jun smiled and said, "This is the lung-moistening tea created by Immortal Sun. It is extremely effective and is best drunk hot in winter."

Then he waved to Li Zhen who was standing beside him and said, "Brother Shi, come over and have a drink too."

As he spoke, he poured another cup of tea.

Li Zhen loosened the reins and walked over. He stood in front of the simple wooden table, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded, "It warms the heart and stomach, and is very delicious."

"Father and son do not sit at the same table." Since Li Ji was present, there was no reason for him to sit down and he could only stand aside.

Li Ji took a sip of tea and praised the situation. He then said, "Fortunately, the clerks in Chang'an and Wannian counties were investigated and punished, and a lot of the money used to repair the endangered houses was recovered. Otherwise, who knows how many more people would be affected and left homeless by this heavy snow."

Fang Jun added water to the teapot and put it back on the stove to boil. He said, "People are greedy. It's hard to resist the temptation to take money that's right in front of them. There are honest officials, but there are more corrupt officials. This is how officialdom works. We have to investigate and punish officials from time to time to remove some of the bad apples among the officials. It's impossible to get rid of them once and for all."

Li Ji drank tea and couldn't help recalling the past, with some emotion: "You are young and don't know how corrupt the government was and how miserable the people were in the chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty. The poem "Song of the Grassland" by Emperor Wu of Wei is the most realistic portrayal. We encountered chaotic times and had ambitions, so we gathered in Wagang, robbed the rich and helped the poor, and then rose up to resist the tyranny. We had some ideals to save the people. It's a pity that we are entangled in fame and fortune today, and have long forgotten our original intentions. This world seems prosperous and splendid, but in fact it is full of hidden diseases. If we are not careful, we will fall into chaos. Today, all the wealth and prosperity will disappear."

Among those heroes who rose up in rebellion in troubled times, there were certainly those who believed that "the emperor should be the one with the strongest soldiers and horses, not the one with the strongest blood", but there were also those who wanted to save the people from danger and restore peace and prosperity.

Of course, regardless of whether the government is corrupt or not, the current situation is thousands of times stronger than that at the end of the Sui Dynasty. The reason why Li Ji said this is actually to warn Fang Jun: Don't think that everything is under control. Once an accident occurs, the consequences will not be something you can afford...

Fang Jun naturally understood. He turned his head slightly and listened to the sound of gunfire and fighting in the East Palace across the wall. He felt a little helpless: "Some people think that this world does not belong to everyone, but to one family. Even if the world collapses and there is no hope for recovery, he will shoulder the responsibility... Who can do anything about it?"

Since ancient times, "the power of the emperor is supreme", so there is the saying "All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are the king's subjects". However, apart from the "king" himself, is there really anyone who wants the power of the emperor to be supreme and irrefutable?

of course not.

"The emperor is very scary. He sits on the dragon throne, and when he is unhappy, he will kill people. He is not easy to deal with. So you can't just give him food. If it is difficult to get, he will want it again after eating it, but it is not possible at the moment. For example, if he wants to eat melons in winter and peaches in autumn, but he can't get them, he will get angry and kill people."...

This is a truth that even an ignorant woman can understand. How could the people of the world not understand it?

However, while the "king's power is supreme", not only did the king obtain supreme power, but his ministers also obtained secondary power at the same time. In this way, they could suppress it layer by layer and eventually dominate the people.

But even so, who can really tolerate having an emperor who holds the power of life and death over their heads?

Once the emperor realizes his supreme authority, trouble will arise. Since "all under heaven belongs to the emperor", he will start to act recklessly and even say "I got it myself, I lost it myself, why should I hate it?"
The world belongs to my family and my surname. I will destroy it myself. What does it have to do with you?

Liang Jianfang was confused and asked doubtfully, "Then is this world a world for all people, or a world for one family?"

Li Ji shouted, "You are such a blockhead, you only need to charge into battle. Now take up your sword and stand guard in front of the Yeonhee Gate!"

"...here."

Liang Jianfang felt very aggrieved, but he did not dare to act like a troublemaker in front of Li Ji. He could only hold his knife in frustration, put on his helmet, and stand outside Yanxi Gate in the wind and snow.

Although Fang Jun's power had greatly increased and he could be called the "number one person in the court", in terms of seniority and prestige, he was far inferior to Li Ji.

Only Li Zhen was left. Li Ji drank a sip of tea and asked, "What do you want?"

The tea on the stove boiled. Fang Jun took the small pot and filled Li Ji's cup first. Then he said, "It's not about what I want, but what kind of country you want."

All problems ultimately come down to whether it is "rule by man" or "rule by law".

No one is willing to face the unrestrained imperial power. Once someone stands on the clouds and looks down on all living beings, it means that everyone's life, family property, and descendants are in his hands, and life and death depend only on the joys and sorrows of imperial power.

But on the contrary, the "legal system" also limits the power of the entire ruling class. How can the vested interests oppose their own class?
Li Ji shook his head and sighed, "It's not the right time yet."

He was not only an invincible commander, but also an excellent prime minister. He was both civil and military, and had great talents. Of course, he understood the key to it. It was not whether the imperial power was unbridled, nor was it where the subjects would go. The most crucial point was actually just two words.

It’s just “people’s wisdom”.

Fang Jun also nodded and said, "Yes, it's not the right time yet."

A bottom-up, vigorous reform requires the participation of the entire society. Everyone should know what they are doing and what they want to achieve, rather than passively following certain people and making trouble.

All of this can only be achieved when people’s wisdom is awakened. Otherwise, it will be like water without a source and trees without roots. Even if it is born into the world, it will only be a flash in the pan.

Li Ji drank the tea in the cup, looked at the East Palace with flames rising to the sky, stood up and said, "No matter what you think in your heart, you should still be loyal to your duties. It's time to enter the palace."

Fang Jun also stood up and said to the soldiers around him: "Pass my order, order Cheng Wuting to immediately go out of Xing'an Gate and enter the East Palace from Zhide Gate to cut off the rebels' retreat. Don't let any of them escape!"

"Here!"

The personal soldier rushed to the warhorse, jumped on the horse, and galloped northward along the long street outside the East Palace wall.

Li Ji asked curiously, "Aren't we going to the East Palace first?"

Fang Jun was calm and composed: "The rebels cannot mobilize a large army to attack the East Palace. Cen Changqian is more than capable of handling them with just a few soldiers from my family."

The firearms in the Eastern Palace are enough for more than a hundred people to fight a protracted war lasting a month. As long as Cen Changqian does not lose his mind and abandon the defense but instead attacks out of the palace, it will be enough to withstand the fierce attack of thousands of regular troops. Li Anyan and some clan members are not a concern.

Li Ji raised his eyebrows: "You trust Cen Changqian so much?"

This is not an ordinary time to practice. The safety of the prince is related to the overall situation and cannot be lost. However, Fang Jun has great trust in the young man Cen Changqian and entrusts him with such an important task without any doubt.

Fang Jun took the helmet and put it on his head. He walked out of the tent, stepped on the snow, and said with a smile: "Don't employ people you doubt, and don't doubt people you employ. Some people are born to do great things. No matter how dangerous the situation is, they can turn defeat into victory and turn danger into safety. What's more, they have made so many preparations in advance. Don't worry, Lord Ying, I have always been very accurate in judging people."

"Ah."

Li Ji nodded, and sighed: "In terms of literary and military strategy, you are the best among the second generation, and even among the meritorious officials of Zhenguan, there are few who can match you. But what I admire most about you is your ability to identify and employ people. No matter what kind of person they are, as long as they catch your eye, you can distinguish the true from the false. So far, none of the people you have promoted and employed have made mistakes. It's incredible."

The tide of time rolls forward, and the old is replaced by the new. Whether it is power or status, it is ultimately up to like-minded people to lift you up, and only then can you be at the top. When the merits of the older generation gradually fade away from the power center, and there are no new people to replace them, they will naturally gradually decline.

The reason why Fang Jun has achieved what he has today, in addition to his own outstanding abilities, is that he has promoted a large group of rising talents who are both civil and military, which is the most important point.

Su Dingfang, Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, Cui Dunli, Liu Rengui... It was these people who lifted Fang Jun to the throne of "Grand Marshal" that even Li Ji envied.

As they were talking, the two men arrived in front of the Yanxi Gate. The right-hand guard on the gate tower was quite nervous and shouted, "The Marshal has ordered that no one is allowed to enter the imperial city without permission! Lord Ying, General Fang, please don't make things difficult for us!"

Li Ji kept his face down and said nothing. Fang Jun sneered and said, "Open the city gate immediately, or you will bear the consequences!"

With a wave of his hand, the soldiers behind him rushed forward, aiming all kinds of firearms and crossbows at the gatehouse, as if they were ready to start a war at the command.