Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5163 Fear
Liu Shi glanced at Liu Rengui, shook his head, and said, "I was commissioned by the Duke of Yue to build and manage the Foundry. I have no way to repay this kindness. I have already made up my mind to manage the Foundry for the Duke of Yue. As for promotion, it is just a trivial matter."

Why tempt me with promotion?

All I have to do is say a word to Duke Yue and I can get a promotion if I want. The reason I am still in the Foundry today is because I don't want to be promoted.

Liu Rengui laughed heartily and praised: "Liu Langzhong is kind and trustworthy. I really admire him. Duke Yue has a subordinate like you who is loyal to him. Why should he worry about not accomplishing great things?"

Liu Shi had already sensed Liu Rengui's motives, so he did not comment on his words, but smiled and said, "Could it be that Minister Liu was unkind, untrustworthy, and unfaithful to the Duke of Yue?"

Liu Rengui said: "Hey, Doctor Liu, what you said is wrong. We are all officials of the Tang Dynasty. We are loyal to His Majesty first and the Empire second. How can we be subordinate to one person? If you say that, if the Censorate spots you, it will cause trouble for Duke Yue. How can we privately transfer state assets? Be careful."

"I am only a doctor, far from the level of Minister Liu. Naturally, I am also loyal to the empire and Your Majesty..."

Liu Shi smiled and shook his head: "But it is enough for Your Majesty to have a loyal minister like Liu Shilang in front of him. We, the insignificant officials, only know how to repay the kindness of our benefactors and protect the interests of our benefactors. We are not very promising."

Liu Rengui looked calm, as if he didn't understand the sarcasm in these words. He smiled and said, "Doctor Liu is too modest. I will repay the kindness of knowing me, but I should also keep the national interests in mind. After all, the national interest is above all else."

Liu Shi nodded: "I understand."

"Haha, I was deeply touched after visiting the foundry today. I really want to discuss this with Doctor Liu in depth, but there are still some urgent matters to be dealt with in the government office, so I'll take my leave first."

"Minister Liu, please take care. I won't see you off."

……

Liu Rengui walked out of the foundry with his hand, met with a few servants and returned to the city, sighing in his heart and feeling a little regretful.

I was too impatient...

However, it was also out of helplessness. Although he was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, he did not have much real power. Cui Dunli above him came from a prominent family and had outstanding abilities, and the Right Vice Minister Guo Fushan below him had been in charge of logistics affairs in the Ministry of War for many years and had extensive connections and a good reputation.

He was stuck in the middle and had too many constraints. He said he would take over Cui Dunli's job in the future, but he couldn't wait.

He coveted the Foundry, but Liu Shi was Fang Jun's confidant. If he could make some arrangements to get him promoted and transferred to a distant position, he would naturally take over the Foundry, "the best workshop in the world", which would be a great help to his career. However, he was rejected.

He hoped that Liu Shi could convey his intentions to Fang Jun, and Fang Jun, grateful for his obedience over the years, would hand over the foundry to him...

*****
All the ministers left one after another, but Liu Li was the only one who stayed behind.

After everyone had left, Li Chengqian stood up and walked out from behind the imperial desk, sat down on the mat in front of the window, and waved to Liu Li to come closer.

Liu Li walked over and knelt down opposite the coffee table.

The eunuch poured a new pot of tea and placed it on the tea table, then brought out some snacks and dried fruits, then bowed and left.

Li Chengqian took a sip of tea, patted his injured leg, motioned Liu Ji to drink tea, and asked with a smile: "Zhongshu Ling, is there anything else?"

Liu Li held the teacup, hesitated for a moment, and sighed, "Your Majesty is wise and brave, and you can see through everything. I don't need to worry about being attacked and slandered by others. However, since the Duke of Yue went on the Western Expedition, I have worked hard day and night, exhausted all my energy, and struggled to support the countless food and fodder in the Western Regions. Even if I have no merits, I have worked hard, right? But now, just because of a word about the difficulty of supply and the heavy burden, I am accused of being 'lacking in breadth of mind and ability to manage all the ministers'. I am really angry and heartbroken."

After a pause, under Li Chengqian's probing gaze, he smiled bitterly and said, "I am not complaining to Your Majesty, but I feel that my ability is limited and my energy is insufficient. I am afraid that I am not qualified for the position of Zhongshu Ling, let alone assisting Your Majesty in achieving the imperial ambitions... Therefore, I am willing to resign."

Li Chengqian was stunned, feeling unhappy, and said calmly: "The Minister of the Secretariat has worked hard and made great contributions, why should you care about a few criticisms? I know that you have made great contributions to the country, so you don't have to care about other people's words. On the contrary, the more you are criticized, the more you should make achievements to show them. Throughout history, those who have held high positions have all been slandered and praised. Don't say such words to shirk responsibility in the future."

Different positions, different interests, different styles... will all lead to criticism and opposition. There is only one position of Zhongshu Ling, and it is inevitable that others will covet it. In the face of criticism, what you need to do is to be firm in your ambition, be careful about yourself, and be as solid as a rock and impeccable.

You can't expect everyone to coax you, right?

What's more, you were so enthusiastic when you criticized Fang Jun all day long, but now you can't stand others criticizing you?

Why, be strict with others and lenient with yourself?

Liu Li looked gloomy and somewhat helpless. He was not "making a complaint" in front of the emperor, nor was he pretending to be pitiful or trying to gain sympathy. He really wanted to resign from his post. Even if he could not retire and return home, he would give up his post as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the position of Prime Minister, and live a leisurely life in an idle government office.

The pressure is just too great...

As Fang Jun made rapid progress and won battle after battle in the Western Regions, the military's morale was soaring and unstoppable, and he, as a civilian leader, was in an extremely difficult situation.

As a leader, he should take into account the interests of the civil servants. The military is at its peak and in high spirits. He can't completely cut off the Anxi Army's food and fodder supplies and use this to blackmail the military, right?

But if the military is allowed to gain power, it will lead to dissatisfaction among the civilians...

As the Minister of the Central Secretariat, his current situation is like a rat in a bellows, being bullied from both sides.

I really want to step down completely and leave this mess to Ma Zhou.

But since His Majesty was dissatisfied, he naturally didn't dare to say it again.

Then he changed the subject: "The Anxi Army has won great victories in Hengluo City and Kesan City. Next, they will pursue and annihilate all the invading Arab troops. If this move succeeds, it will certainly resolve the crisis in the Western Regions and eliminate border worries for 30 years. However, the battle line is thousands of miles long, and the amount of food and fodder consumed is simply an astronomical figure. If they fail, all of this will be wasted... In my humble opinion, perhaps we should warn the Grand Commandant and restrain the Anxi Army, and stop when it is enough, and there is no need to take such a big risk."

Li Chengqian remained silent and hesitant.

The Anxi Army won victory after victory and pursued the enemy to the north, which was naturally a good thing. As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, of course he would like to see "outstanding military exploits" and "great military achievements", but Liu Li's words were not without reason.

In order to support this war in the Western Regions, almost all the treasuries in Longyou and Guanzhong were drained, and countless grain, fodder, weapons, and supplies were transported to the Western Regions day and night. No matter what the final outcome of the war was, Guanzhong and Longyou must have ten years of recuperation before they can recover.

The cost is too great.

Of course, this is just one of them.

Secondly, precisely because he is the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he has to consider another question: Will the Anxi Army become increasingly powerful and difficult to control as a result of the acquisition of massive resources in this war in the Western Regions?
The empire needed the Western Regions as a strategic buffer, but could not accept a powerful army that roamed the Western Regions and posed a threat to the center.

I still remember that when Zhangsun Wuji rebelled, Fang Jun led the Youtunwei and Anxi Army to rush thousands of miles to Chang'an for support, and they were unstoppable and irresistible all the way.

Of course, he believed that Fang Jun would not use the Anxi Army to rebel against him, but now Fang Jun was openly expressing his loyalty to the Eastern Palace. The stronger the Anxi Army was, the more stable the Eastern Palace would be. In addition, many civil servants in the court also expressed their support for the Eastern Palace...

As an emperor, the biggest threat never comes from external enemies, but from within.

In other words, the person who can pose the greatest threat to the throne is only the person closest to him.

If one day the Eastern Palace becomes more powerful, with a military team and official support, will they invite him, the emperor, to the Daming Palace and welcome him to the position of "Taishang"?
After a long pause, Li Chengqian slowly said, "As the saying goes, 'a general is not subject to orders from the emperor when he is away from home'. The Grand Commandant is far away in the Western Regions, personally commanding the Anxi Army to fight. We are sitting in Chang'an and do not know the situation on the front line. How can we interfere and make decisions?"

With Fang Jun's power, status and reputation, as long as he decided to pursue the Arab army all the way to Damascus, no one in the court or the country could order him to change his course.

Even he, the emperor, can't do it.

Powerful officials have this kind of confidence.

Liu Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is wise! The commander is at the front line and knows the situation well. The decisions he makes cannot be interfered with by the rear. Otherwise, if the war goes badly, who can bear the responsibility? But Suiye City is thousands of miles away from Damascus. There are dense rivers and deserts along the way. There are also high mountains and dangerous passes. Logistical supply is really difficult! The supply of the Anxi Army plus the consumption along the way is already an astronomical figure. It is impossible to rely on Longyou, Guanzhong, and Anxi Protectorate to transport it! We can only allocate food and fodder from other places, but I am afraid that there will be delays in time..."

It is impossible to stop Fang Jun from chasing the Arab army, but food and fodder cannot be produced out of thin air. What can be done if the supply cannot keep up?
If you have the ability, you can “fight to support the war”, then no one will care about you even if you fight to the horizon!

Li Chengqian nodded: "War is a test of national strength, but no matter how powerful an empire is, its national strength is limited, and it is inevitable that it will be unable to meet the requirements... But after all, the soldiers are fighting outside, and the Minister of the Central Secretariat must do his best to provide them with supplies."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will do my best!"

The emperor and his subjects had a tacit understanding.

Liu Li was both happy and worried.

What makes me happy is that His Majesty is indeed deeply afraid of Fang Jun, but what makes me worried is that this fear may not come from Fang Jun himself, but is related to the ownership of the Eastern Palace.

Once His Majesty is determined to change the crown prince, what position should he, as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, take and what should he do?