Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 127 Visiting Li Ji
Soon, Gao Youdao came to the main hall and bowed to Li Zhi.

"Your humble servant Gao Youdao greets Your Majesty."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. What brings you to see me?"

Gao Youdao said, "I heard that General Xue killed many surrendered soldiers in Yancheng. I think there must be a reason for this."

Li Zhi looked up at him and said, "Mr. Gao, do you want to plead for Xue Rengui?"

Gao Youdao hurriedly said, "I'm not begging for mercy, I just have some humble opinions on this matter."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Don't be nervous. Xue Rengui has helped you a lot. I won't blame you for pleading for him. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Gao Youdao said, "As far as I know, Yancheng was a small city in the Western Turkic region. Helu plundered Tingzhou and abducted thousands of civilians, all of whom were imprisoned in Yancheng."

Li Zhi shuddered slightly and said, "Go on."

Gao Youdao said, "I have read a memorial from the governor of Tingzhou. It shows that Helu was extremely cruel to the Tang people who plundered him."

Li Zhi stared at him. "Are you trying to say that Xue Rengui was furious because the Turks mistreat the people of Tingzhou, and that's why he killed the Turkic surrendered soldiers?"

Gao Youdao hurriedly said, "This is just my speculation. Your Majesty can wait for General Xue's memorial to arrive. Perhaps it will explain the reason."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "The memorial written by Xue Rengui to me has arrived."

Gao Youdao hurriedly asked, "Did General Xue explain the reason for killing the surrendered soldiers?"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "He did explain it. Your guess isn't entirely correct, but it's not far off."

Gao Youdao asked, "Then how does Your Majesty plan to deal with General Xue?"

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Gao, if we want to help Mr. Xue completely exonerate himself, we need to make some plans. Are you willing to help him?"

Gao Youdao bowed and said, "I have no choice but to accept this!"

Li Zhi said, "Very good. I will hold an impromptu court meeting tomorrow to discuss Xue Rengui's killing of the surrendered soldiers. I have already thought of everything else, but I'm still unsure of the generals' opinions."

Gao Youdao asked, "Your Majesty, do you want me to help you test the generals?"

Li Zhi looked at him and said, "My main goal is to test the thoughts of Cheng Zhijie, Li Ji, and Yuchi Gong. Do you have any ideas?"

Gao Youdao thought for a moment and said, "I will complete this matter before tomorrow's court meeting."

Li Zhi said happily, "Very good. You will be responsible for testing Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong. As for Li Ji, leave it to me."

Gao Youdao accepted the order and withdrew.

……

Right Jinwu Health Department.

Yuchi Gong slammed the table.

"I'm a slave to you. These civil servants are nothing. They're making such a fuss just by killing a few surrendered dogs!"

Cheng Zhijie took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Hei Lang, you've been cooped up at home for too long. Things are different now than when we were conquering the world."

Yuchi Gong said, "I don't see the difference. In war, there's always a killing spree. After a big battle, everyone's furious. How can we calm down if we don't kill a few surrendered soldiers?"

Cheng Zhijie laughed and said, "In the past, we followed the late emperor and conquered the world without any worries. Now, what we seek is peace and stability in the world and peace on the border."

Yuchi Gong said, "Kill all the barbarian dogs, and peace will naturally come."

Cheng Zhijie snorted, "That's easy for you to say. Where there's grassland, there's cattle and sheep, and where there's cattle and sheep, there's the Hu people. How can we kill them all?"

Yuchi Gong grinned and said, "That's not easy? We can kill them every ten years and keep their number below 100,000. Who would dare to invade our border?"

Cheng Zhijie said angrily, "Kill, kill, kill! That's all you know! Why didn't you bring this up to His Majesty?"

Yuchi Gong suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, he stood up and walked out.

Cheng Zhijie asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"

Yuchi Gong said, "Of course I will see His Majesty. I think Xue Rengui has done a good job. We cannot let him suffer any injustice."

Cheng Zhijie hurriedly said, "Don't be so impulsive. If you speak up for Xue Rengui at this time, you will easily become a target of public criticism."

Yuchi Gong glared and asked, "Are you scared?"

Cheng Zhijie said, "I'm not afraid, but His Majesty's attitude is unclear right now. It's not too late to observe for a while before taking action."

Yuchi Gong thought about it and sat back down.

At this moment, a soldier walked in from outside and said to Cheng Zhijie, "General, General Pang wants to see you."

Yuchi Gong asked, "Which General Pang?"

Cheng Zhijie frowned and said, "Li Jing's old subordinate, Pang Yi, lost both legs on the battlefield and was placed in a blacksmith shop by Su Lie."

Yuchi Gong smiled and said, "It's him. I remember that guy."

General Pang was carried in, and as soon as he entered the room, he started cursing.

"Cheng Zhijie, the older you get, the more timid you become."

When Yuchi Gong heard him scolding Cheng Zhijie, he immediately laughed.

"Well done!"

General Pang glanced at him sideways and snorted coldly, "The black-faced slave is here too."

Yuchi Gong was furious: "What did you say?"

General Pang said, "I thought you, Yuchi Gong, were a man of blood, but I didn't expect that as you get older, you become as timid as Cheng Zhijie."

Yuchi Gong chuckled and said, "Looks like a mad dog, he'll curse anyone he catches!"

Cheng Zhijie said in a deep voice, "Pang Yi, for Li Jing's sake, I will give you some leniency. Please don't go too far."

General Pang glared and said, "If the Duke of Wei was still in the army, he would never let a man like General Xue suffer the slightest injustice!"

Yuchi Gong was stunned and asked, "Are you here for Xue Rengui?"

General Pang said proudly, "That's right."

Yuchi Gong laughed heartily and said, "Then you were right to curse me just now. It is a curse recognized by everyone!"

Cheng Zhijie frowned and asked, "Where did you hear about Xue Rengui?"

General Pang snorted, "A junior college teacher told me that. He's just a scholar, but he's more courageous than you two!"

Yuchi Gong was stunned and said, "Where did this little university scholar come from?" General Pang glanced at him and said, "We don't even know the newly crowned number one scholar. This little university scholar has been granted the emperor's favor and is involved in confidential matters. He might even become a prime minister in the future."

Cheng Zhijie's heart moved, and he asked, "What did he say?"

General Pang said, "The junior college secretary said that too many people have accused General Xue, and no one has pleaded for him. The sage has already planned to recall General Xue to question him."

Yuchi Gong angrily said, "Did you hear that, Cheng Shorty? Because you stopped me, I almost killed Xue Rengui!"

Cheng Zhijie ignored him and asked General Pang, "Did he tell me what the sage's attitude is?"

General Pang said, "He said that the Sage originally did not want to punish General Xue, but because so many people impeached him, he decided to summon General Xue back to question him."

Cheng Zhijie stood up suddenly and said, "Hei Lang, let's go and plead for mercy on Xue Rengui!"

Yuchi Gong said, "That's right."

The two men strode away.

When General Pang saw the two men coming to plead for mercy, he said to the soldiers carrying him, "Carry me back to see General Gao Kan."

……

The Duke of England's Mansion, back garden.

Li Zhi did not allow the Li family members to report and went straight to the back garden.

Li Ji was seen sitting on the shore of the lake, wearing a conical hat, brown clothes, and holding a fishing rod, just like an ordinary fisherman.

"Mr. Li, you look so comfortable." Li Zhi walked over with a smile.

Li Ji turned around and was startled. He quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, why are you here? Why don't you summon me into the palace?"

Li Zhi walked to the lake and said with a smile, "No problem, I also want to go out for a walk, let's sit down and talk."

Li Ji gave his own stool to Li Zhi and ordered someone to bring another one.

Li Zhi got straight to the point and said, "Mr. Li, have you heard about Xue Rengui's killing of the surrendered soldiers?"

Li Ji said, "The news is spreading like wildfire in the city. I, an old minister, cannot help but hear about it."

Li Zhi said, "Then what do you think about this?"

Li Ji said slowly, "Your Majesty, our Tang soldiers are willing to kill any enemy on the battlefield, but they don't kill those who surrender. Do you know why?"

Li Zhi said, "Are you afraid of provoking even greater resistance from them?"

Li Ji said, "That's right. This is the experience passed down by our ancestors. To deal with the enemy, the most important thing is to attack their hearts. Killing the surrendered will only provoke more stubborn resistance from them."

Li Zhi said, "I understand."

Li Ji said, "Therefore, I, your Majesty, request that you suppress your selfishness and refrain from protecting Xue Rengui in his affairs."

Li Zhi frowned slightly and said nothing.

Li Ji continued, "Your Majesty should make your position clear: you will not tolerate or condone the killing of surrendered soldiers."

Li Zhi remained silent.

Li Ji said, "Your Majesty's attitude is for all foreigners to see, to relax their will."

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "So we're going to punish the general for this?"

Li Ji smiled slightly and said, "I did not say anything. Let Your Majesty punish General Xue."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment and said, "Then what the old general means is..."

Li Ji asked, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the late emperor's attitude when Jie Li Khan wanted to surrender during the Tang Dynasty's conquest of the Eastern Turks?"

Li Zhi said: "The late emperor agreed to Jie Li's surrender."

Li Ji smiled and said, "That's right. The late emperor agreed to surrender just to show the world. Then, the old man and the Duke of Wei attacked Jie Li Khan. Will the late emperor punish us?"

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he said, "Lord Li, I've always wanted to ask you, when you launched the surprise attack on Jie Li, did you have the late emperor's secret order?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "No, this is our own decision."

Li Zhi smiled, but didn't believe it in his heart.

Li Ji said, "We attacked Jie Li because we knew that after he surrendered, he would rebel again."

Li Zhi nodded.

Li Ji asked, "The late emperor also saw this, but he still agreed to surrender. Why?"

Li Zhi sighed, "It's to make Jie Li relax his vigilance."

Li Ji said, "The late emperor was trying to appease the Turks. If the order to attack Jie Li had come from the late emperor, the Turks would have resisted to the end."

Li Zhi nodded: "I understand."

Li Ji said, "Your Majesty, you must make the barbarians understand that you are tolerant and merciful and will not kill them all. When they are left with nowhere else to go, they will come and submit to the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi asked, "Where is Xue Rengui?"

Li Ji said, "In the court, I, this old minister, will defend General Xue to the death. Your Majesty can then pardon him."

Li Zhi nodded.

Li Ji wanted him to occupy the moral high ground and let him play the bad guy, but the result was the same.

Li Zhi suddenly asked, "Mr. Li, do you know why Xue Rengui killed the surrendered soldiers?"

Li Ji said, "I haven't heard anyone mention it."

Li Zhi took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to him.

After reading it, Li Ji's eyes lit up.

"In this case, the court scene will be easier to sing."

Li Zhi said, "Xue Rengui has sent Zhou Zhidu back to Chang'an to explain this matter to me in detail. He will arrive in Chang'an tomorrow."

"I plan to hold an impromptu court meeting tomorrow. Once the officials have settled their arguments, I will invite Zhou Zhidu to the court to explain the situation."

Li Ji bowed and said, "At tomorrow's court meeting, I, this old minister, will fully cooperate. As for Duke Lu and Duke E..."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "I have already made arrangements for the two old generals. Lord Li, don't worry."

(End of this chapter)