The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 552: Prison Cell Conversation (End)

At this time, Yang Ji naturally thought that if he could adjust his previous ideas, and then wait until Li Shimin, Jie Li and Luo Yi were all defeated, he would directly support Li Chengqian to succeed to the throne. Wouldn't that be much more convenient?

"You have a good idea, but it's unrealistic."

Without waiting for Yang Ji to argue, Li Yan said directly: "Father is a veteran of many battles. He conquered half of the Tang Dynasty. Now there is Luo Yi in the north and Li Xiaochang, Li Youliang and other traitors in the south. He and the Turks are both defeated. Do you think he will fight to the death with Jie Li in this situation and let those who sit on the sidelines enjoy the benefits?"

"I know what you mean. Father is the one defending the city, and the decision-making power is not in his hands."

"But don't forget that the situation of Jie Li Khan of the Turks on the grassland is similar to that of my father. He ascended to the throne by bloody means. Many of the tribes under his command were not convinced, but they had to temporarily submit because of Jie Li's power."

"Jie Li also knows this situation. He launched the Nanqing Campaign to divert trouble from outside, use the war with the Tang Dynasty to divert the instability of the people inside, and take the opportunity to integrate the people. If he can win two battles and gain some benefits, he can establish his prestige and strengthen the authority of the Khan, and he can also subdue the tribes and temporarily unify the people of the grassland."

Li Yan said with a gloomy look in his eyes: "So, he can only win, but not lose. Once he loses, his dignity will be lost, and the dissatisfied tribes and ambitious people inside will rise up in rebellion and drive him out of power. So, in this situation where people's hearts are unstable, does he dare to fight a powerful force like the Tang Dynasty with all his might?"

"what?"

Yang Ji felt that although Li Chengqian was superior to him in politics, when it came to military affairs, that was his forte. Facing the conflict between the two major forces in the north and the south, he naturally had his own judgment. In fact, the Yan Liao army, including Luo Yi, had been paying close attention.

When he heard Li Yan say that they couldn't fight, he was shocked and asked, "My Lord, are you saying that neither the Turks nor the Tang Dynasty have any intention of a decisive battle?"

"Do you think that if there are ambitious people like Luo Yi and Li Xiaochang on the border of the Tang Dynasty, then the Turks under Jie Li will be a solid block?"

Li Yan said in a cold voice: "It only took the Jie Li vanguard Zhishishili four days to cross the Longshan Mountain, while the second Khan Tuli and Qibiheli took eight days to cross the Longshan Mountain. Now there are frequent wars along the Weishui River. You can take a closer look to see if Tuli and Qibiheli are really working hard to capture cities and territories."

"If Jie Li takes over the Tang Dynasty, those who don't obey Jie Li will be met with calamity."

"They are waiting for the Tang soldiers and cities to weaken Jie Li's power. When Jie Li really fights Tang Li regardless of everything, they will certainly join the battle. But at the critical moment, whether they will attack Tang Li or Jie Li is unknown."

"Haven't you heard the story of the whip stopping the flow of water?"

As soon as Li Yan finished speaking, a huge wave of emotions instantly surged in Yang Ji's mind, and he looked at Li Yan in shock.

The Yan-Liao armies sent out a large number of spies to the north of Chang'an every day to monitor the war between the two sides. Therefore, Yang Ji knew much more about the inside story than Li Yan who was squatting in the warehouse. The specific details were exactly the same as what Li Yan said.

Two days ago, Luo Yi was reading the military report in the commander's tent and cursing Tuli. In such a good situation, the army was dragging its feet, marching so slowly, and attacking the city so ineffectively. If it continued like this, they would miss the opportunity to eliminate Li Shimin.

The direction that Tuli was responsible for was exactly the defense line that Chai Shao was responsible for.

Everyone in the Tang Dynasty knew that compared with famous generals like Chai Shao, Li Jing and Li Ji, Chai Shao was just a fool, a filler. He only managed to gain a foothold in the Tang army by marrying Li Yuan's daughter. When it came to fighting, he lost five out of ten battles, and in the remaining five, he neither lost nor won. He had no military achievements worth boasting about in his life.

Yang Ji was still wondering why Tuli, as the second Khan, couldn't even take down a small fry like Chai Shao. After listening to what Li Yan said today, he suddenly realized that this was the root of the problem.

When the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked; when the bird is dead, the bow is put away!
It seems that things on the grassland are similar to those in the Tang Dynasty. Everywhere there is a struggle for power and a life-and-death struggle.

Li Yan analyzed the war from another perspective, and with just a few words, he convinced Yang Ji. Because Yang Ji stayed in Luo Yi's tent all day, listening to Luo Yi's analysis of the situation. But every time he talked a lot of nonsense, he belittled Li Shimin as a pile of shit, and boasted about how powerful Yan and Liao were.

I am so happy with myself, but I can't come to any bullshit conclusion.

Always let the people below explore again and again
Damn, the pawns below only know who started the war, how fierce the fight was, and how many casualties there were. Can they explore the nature of a war and predict the outcome?
You can't see clearly, you can't understand, you don't have a sense of the overall situation, and your brains are not enough. So why are you taking your anger out on the people below?
Seeing Li Yan's few casual words, the confusing situation suddenly became clear, allowing Yang Ji, a veteran on the battlefield, to see it clearly and be convinced.

Li Yan smiled playfully when he said this, and dealt another heavy blow to Yang Ji: "When I came here, I heard a minister in the palace suggest that if it really doesn't work, all the treasures in the Tang Dynasty treasury can be given to Jie Li."

"If that's the case, Chang'an City is like a piece of bone without flesh. Who would fight to the death to attack it?" Uh.
Yang Ji choked when he heard this, and after a moment of thought, he took a breath of cold air. That old dog Luo Yi analyzed everything over and over again, and his final conclusion was without exception that Li Shimin would definitely die, and Chang'an would inevitably fall under the iron hoof of the Turks.

But unexpectedly, someone had already thought of a way to break the impasse half a month ago.

The northern Turks came to the Central Plains to burn, kill and loot, but their ultimate goal was to steal treasures and the like. In the remote cities in the Central Plains, one could neither train horses nor graze livestock, so if they got any benefits, they would surely return.

If Chang'an City really had no way out and had to hand over the treasures, what would the leaders of the northern nomadic tribes choose? As someone who had guarded the north for many years, Yang Ji naturally knew this, and this catastrophic disaster would naturally be averted.

What's more, the Turks were not a monolithic group. The Tuli and other forces under Jie Li were always hindering and passively avoiding war.

Since both sides have their concerns, there is a high probability that a life-and-death battle will not ensue in the end. If this is the case, Li Shimin, who has freed his hands, will certainly not let Luo Yi off.

And what about Luo Yi?

Apart from anything else, from the fact that Luo Yi just stayed in Jingzhou and watched from the sidelines, and asked Li Shimin for a hostage to be brought to the camp, Yang Ji knew that Luo Yi had no confidence at all in dealing with Li Shimin.

In this case, Luo Yi will definitely be the one who fails in the end. If I follow him, I will probably be liquidated in the end.

Thinking of this, Yang Ji no longer had any hope and made up his mind, saying, "The Lord's analysis is indeed very thorough and profound. I am convinced."

"Please continue to give instructions on what to say in the memorial to the Emperor."

Li Yan picked up the wine bowl, took a sip, and then said: "Explain again that although Luo Yi forced Zhao Cihao to die, he actually died at your hands. You feel that your crime is unforgivable. Why don't you ask the emperor to remove all your duties and put you in prison to atone for your crime?"

"Finally, I will say that I have always been loyal to the emperor and have never had second thoughts. I wanted to kill Luo Shi and his colleagues on the spot to confess my crime to the emperor. However, as a minister, I dare not act on my own, so I report to the emperor and obey the emperor's orders. No matter thunder or rain, they are all grace from heaven. I have no regrets and will do as soon as I see the order."

In the original play, Yang Ji listened to Zhangsun Wuji's tricks and beheaded Shangguan without authorization. Although this helped Li Shimin a lot, it actually violated a taboo. Before, it could be said that Luo Yi forced him to kill Zhao Cihao, but later, killing Luo Yi without authorization showed that he was bold, lawless, and disrespectful to the emperor.

It is no different from Lu Bu, who was a slave of three surnames. Who would dare to trust you, and who would dare to use you? So for the same thing, if the details are not done well, what was originally a credit will become a sin. It is natural that he later disappeared from the court.

Li Yan was well aware of the seriousness of the matter. The emperor was a general commanding troops, and even when he was sleeping, one of his eyes was open. Who was he staring at? Could it be those powerless civil servants?
Of course not, it’s those important generals in the army who command heavy troops and act lawless.

It doesn’t matter what you did, whether it was good or bad, the most important thing is that you did these things without reporting to the emperor, and you made the decision on your own.

If you can kill Shangguan today, will you dare to kill the emperor tomorrow?
But things would be different after the report. The emperor would feel that Yang Ji was a general who knew the importance of things and took the emperor's orders very seriously. He would not make decisions on his own on important matters of right and wrong. Such a general would be easy to control and would not make the emperor feel uneasy.

Bravery and daring are two different things. Those who are brave and obedient will eventually take charge of the army. Those who are brave but daring will eventually hold high positions and be respected, but they will no longer lead the army alone. This is the reason.

Yang Ji has not yet surfaced, nor has he slid too far, so he can still be saved. That's why Li Yan has spent so much time and energy on this person.

When Yang Ji heard Li Yan asking him to request an imperial decree to relieve him of all his duties, he subconsciously wanted to argue, but he saw Li Yan staring at him coldly.

I couldn't help but tremble slightly in my heart, and I didn't dare to disobey, so I had to agree.

Li Yan said so much, his brain was working at high speed, quickly weighing the pros and cons. Now that he saw that it was almost done, his tense nerves relaxed. As his mind relaxed, a strong feeling of fatigue surged into his heart.

Although doing things like this does not require physical effort, it requires the use of the brain, which is very exhausting!
I've explained it over and over again, but you still don't understand it even if I say too much. It takes years of immersion to gain an understanding of high-level politics. Can it be explained clearly in a few words?

(End of this chapter)