Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4965 Cheng Wuting: The Marshal is a lucky general!
Fang Jun and Li Ji stood side by side outside the Lizheng Hall, letting the heavy snow fall all over their helmets and shoulders. They stood in the snow with many feelings and were both worried.

After a while, Li Ji sighed as he watched the soldiers quickly clear the battlefield. He said helplessly, "The ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son. This is the order of heaven and earth. Even if there is some disappointment, I should just do my duty as a minister, give honest advice, and perform my duties. That's all."

Having said that, I increasingly feel that Fang Jun's previous statement of "restraining imperial power" seems to be outrageous, but in fact it is necessary. A monarch who is stubborn and often handles problems in extreme ways is not a good thing for the country, his subjects, and the people.

If the imperial power cannot be restricted, and he is allowed to hold the power of life and death and decide state affairs with a single word, it will inevitably be a disaster for the entire world.

Fang Jun said calmly: "During the time of Emperor Yang of Sui, the ministers in the court probably thought the same as Lord Ying."

Since the Sui Dynasty, thousands of years later, Emperor Yang of Sui has been recognized by almost all emperors as a "lesson from the past". Whenever an emperor does something inappropriate, his ministers will use Emperor Yang of Sui as an example...

In fact, judging purely by talent and ability, Emperor Yang of Sui might be among the top ten emperors of ancient and modern times, and he is by no means comparable to those stupid and mediocre ones.

However, it was precisely because of his eagerness for quick success and his stubbornness and conceit that many policies that could have made him famous for generations instead shook the foundation of the country.

Digging the Grand Canal, the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, even the creation of the imperial examination system, and the tour of Hexi to develop the Western Regions, which one was not a feat that benefited the present and will benefit future generations?

As a result, because of its haste to achieve success, it ended up being a strategy that led to the country's demise.

If the imperial power of Emperor Yang of Sui could have been restricted so that he could not act on his own, would the outcome of the Sui Dynasty have been different?

Will all the people in this world not become pigs and dogs and live in misery?
Li Ji was silent.

He also agreed with what Fang Jun had just said, that no matter what position one is in, one should do things that are in line with that position.

As a king, he should be upright and dignified. Even in a crisis, he should sit firmly in the center of the army and command with confidence, rather than rushing forward and taking risks. Especially after this victory, he will cultivate the belief that he won the victory by luck, and will follow suit when encountering crises in the future.

I can be lucky once, but can I be so lucky twice or three times?

……

"Your Highness, Lord Ying, the battlefield has been cleared. We will conduct identity verification later. The dead will be transported outside the palace for burial, and the injured will be treated with all our strength. The Queen, the Crown Prince, and Your Highnesses Changle and Jinyang are summoned to the palace to meet you."

Cheng Wuting returned in a hurry, interrupting their conversation and contemplation.

The two men came to the front of the hall, shook off the fallen snow on their bodies, adjusted their helmets and armor, and then stepped onto the steps and walked into the Lizheng Hall with broken doors and windows and smoke and fire.

The positions in the palace had been withdrawn, and many guns and ammunition had been moved away by the soldiers. The Queen and the Crown Prince sat side by side on the main seat, the former with a solemn expression, while the latter looked around curiously. This palace where he had lived since he was born was now in ruins and in disrepair...

Changle and Jinyang were nowhere to be seen.

"Your Highness Li Ji (Fang Jun) is here to see Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty the Crown Prince."

During the Han Dynasty, the ministers addressed the empress as "Your Highness", and addressed the empress dowager and the grand empress dowager as "Your Majesty". In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the empress was addressed as "Your Majesty" when attending court, and "Your Highness" when not attending court...

"My two beloved ministers, please do not hesitate to take your seats."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. We are wearing armor and dare not take a seat."

The queen sighed softly, her beautiful face full of anxiety and worry, and asked, "Is there any news from Wude Hall? How is His Majesty?"

Although we know that Your Majesty has made preparations in advance, it is still a risk to your life. Who knows if there will be any accidents?
just in case……

Fang Jun said: "I led the troops into the palace to eliminate the rebellion, but I have not yet arrived at the Taiji Palace, so I do not know the details of the situation. However, Your Majesty has made plans and preparations in advance, so safety must be foolproof."

The Queen said, "The Crown Prince and I are fine. Please go to the Wude Hall as soon as possible. Your Majesty's safety is extremely important."

"Here."

The two men responded. Li Ji moved his feet and found Fang Jun standing there without moving. Confused, he also stopped and turned to look.

The Queen also saw Fang Jun looking around, and understood what was going on. She said softly, "Changle and the child are not frightened. It's just that this place is in ruins and the cold wind has invaded. I asked them to stay in the back hall to prevent the child from catching a cold. State affairs are more important. The Commander, please go to the Wude Hall first. When the situation stabilizes, you can come back to visit them and their child."

This powerful, wise and decisive minister of the dynasty was so sentimental that he ignored state affairs and thought about his wife and children instead...

However, the queen was not annoyed. On the contrary, all the officials in the court put the country and their own interests first, and were usually stingy, cold and strict. It was gratifying to see someone who valued feelings suddenly appear.

Fang Jun originally wanted to see Changle and her son. After all, they had just been through a brutal battle, and he didn't know if they were frightened or not. He wanted to comfort them...

But since the Queen had said so, it was not good to sacrifice public affairs for personal reasons, so he could only say, "Please rest assured, Queen, I will go right away."

He took three steps back, turned around, and left Lizheng Hall with Li Ji and headed for Taiji Palace.

After leaving the palace gate, Li Ji stopped and looked towards the Chongwen Hall on the east side. He hesitated for a moment and said, "How about we also climb over the wall to the Wude Hall?"

As a subject, knowing that the king was under siege by rebels, he naturally had to rush to the emperor's presence as quickly as possible. Climbing over the wall was naturally the shortest distance and the fastest speed.

However, one of them is Shang Shu Zuo Pushe, and the other is the current Taiwei. Knowing that His Majesty has been prepared and there is no danger, they still want to climb over the wall. If it gets out, it will inevitably be suspected of "fawning on the emperor" and there may be rumors...

Fang Junze whispered, "Duke Ying is a meritorious official of the Zhenguan Period and a role model for the country. He has always had great prestige and a high status. How could he do such a flattering thing? So please leave from the Zhide Gate and enter from the Xuanwu Gate, walk leisurely and calmly, so that everyone in and outside the palace and in Chang'an will know that the situation is under control, so as to reassure people."

Li Ji nodded, thinking it made sense. If the first and second most important ministers in the court both defected at this time, it would easily cause public opinion turmoil.

But he immediately realized that these words were only about him, but not Fang Jun himself, so he asked: "What about you?"

Fang Jun said with a look of regret: "I am different. I am young, low-ranking, and inexperienced. Naturally, I have to bear more at this critical moment. Even if I may be impeached by the censors and ridiculed by the world because of climbing over the wall, it is my duty."

Li Ji: “…”

I will go through the palace gate and you will climb over the wall, and then you will rush to His Majesty as soon as possible to show your flattery and loyalty, right?

By comparing the two, loyalty and treachery, good and evil are clear at a glance, right?
"Not a son of man!"

In anger, he threw his sleeves and left.

If the situation was urgent, he would naturally have to climb over the wall to come to the king's defense, but since he knew that there was no danger on His Majesty's side, he really couldn't do the act of climbing over the wall and wagging his tail to fawn on him...

Seeing Li Ji leading his personal troops to the north and heading straight to Zhide Gate, Fang Jun turned around and led Cheng Wuting and others to find the path behind Chongwen Hall and came to the palace wall. He looked up at the palace wall that was more than ten feet high and waved his hand: "Knock down this wall."

Cheng Wuting: “…”

Aren't you going to climb over the wall?
It seems that what Mr. Ying said was right. He is indeed insidious and cunning, and he is not a good man...

Looking around, he saw several fallen pillars at the foot of a wall not far away. This wall was where Jin Wang's mutiny took place. Jin Famin and the "Three Thousand Hwarang" hid in the East Palace. After knocking down the wall, they suddenly rushed out and killed Li Daozon by surprise.

The wall was rebuilt afterwards and supported by wooden pillars to prevent it from collapsing. After the wall was dry, the wooden pillars were put aside and not removed.

He then ordered his soldiers to carry several wooden pillars in groups of four, using them as "battering rams", and run a distance before slamming the wall hard.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ten-foot-high wall collapsed with a loud bang, and the snow on the ground splashed everywhere. When the snowflakes dispersed, they saw the seriously injured and embarrassed soldiers in the Taiji Palace across the wall. They were all shocked, and then they looked at the collapsed wall and the Zuo Jinwu guards who broke through the wall, and were stunned...

Li Wenliang led a group of royal family members to abandon the attack on Wude Hall and intended to return along the original route to evacuate the East Palace. However, just when they arrived under the palace wall, they saw the wall collapse with a loud bang. A surprise force suddenly appeared in front of them after the flying snow stirred up by the collapsed wall fell. They were horrified. Who could be so good at calculating the time of their escape so accurately and block their escape route in advance?
But at this moment, escaping is the most important thing. Even if someone is blocking the road, you must rush over and fight your way out. If someone blocks the way, kill him. If Buddha blocks the way, kill him!
Holding the sword in hand, he shouted, "Charge into the East Palace, escape is the most important thing! Follow me!"

However, before the others could react, they saw a man wearing a helmet and armor, walking like a dragon and a tiger, and shouting, "Fang Jun is here, why don't you put down your weapons and surrender quickly? Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed without mercy!"

The royal clan rebels looked at each other, at a loss as to what to do.

How come I happened to meet this person?

Looking at the muskets raised in unison by the Zuo Jinwu Guards, the sharp blades of their swords looked like a jungle of blades under the firelight, and then looking at Fang Jun who was standing on his horse with his sword drawn, they glanced at each other, and all their courage was gone at this moment. They dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Not to mention the well-equipped and powerful Zuo Jinwu Guards, Fang Jun alone, a brave general who is the best among the three armies, is enough to intimidate people and make them willing to give up some resistance...

Li Wenliang looked ashen and was in complete despair.

He knew that he would never be able to leave the palace in this lifetime, so he hesitated for a moment while holding his sword, but still couldn't muster the courage to commit suicide...

Life is not even a hundred years long, like the morning dew, the past days are filled with suffering.

However, since ancient times, the only difficult thing is death. When faced with the last step of ending one's own life with one's own hands and falling into eternal darkness, how many people have the courage to do so?
Those who bravely face death can be called heroes, but those who hesitate are just ordinary people.