Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 292 Anxi Controller

After leaving Ganlu Palace, Li Zhi took a nap for most of an hour at Guanhu Terrace and ordered someone to take the memorial to Guanhu Terrace for processing.

While he was reviewing, Wang Fusheng came jogging from a distance.

Li Zhi glanced at him and said, "Have you checked it out?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Your Majesty, we have thoroughly investigated. Xu Jingzong had contacted Xiao Siye, who in turn had contacted Zheng Rentai. This is why Zheng Rentai opposed the attack on Goguryeo."

After listening to this, Li Zhi nodded.

He naturally noticed what happened in Changchao today.

Not only did some officials begin to oppose the attack on Goguryeo, but they even came into conflict with Yuchi Gong.

It was for this reason that he was able to easily reject the request of Li Ji and others to attack Goguryeo.

Xu Jingzong obviously made great efforts in this matter.

When he met Jin Yan that day, he only called Xu Jingzong over at Wu Meiniang's suggestion.

Although he later intended to tell the story of Baekje through Jin Yan to let Xu Jingzong understand his attitude against attacking Goguryeo.

However, he still didn't expect that Xu Jingzong was so capable. He immediately contacted the court officials and confronted Li Ji and others, which made things much easier for him.

No wonder emperors of all dynasties have liked ministers who are willing to obey the emperor regardless of their own opinions. They are really easy to use.

Of course, such people often only pursue power and status. They may be useful, but they are definitely not good ministers for governing the world.

It is okay to keep one or two of them in the court, but they cannot be allowed to control power, otherwise they will only become treacherous ministers like Li Linfu, Cai Jing, and Yan Song.

In any case, the war in the northeast can come to an end.

In the past few years, the Khitans have been a thorn in Li Zhi's heart. Although he knew they were going to rebel, he could only wait and see.

Now that he has finally rebelled, he feels much more relaxed.

Wang Fusheng continued, "Your Majesty, on my way here, a eunuch informed me that Dai Zhide, Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple, requested an audience and was awaiting your orders outside Chengtian Gate."

Only in December and January could officials from the Honglu Temple directly enter Chengtian Gate to seek an audience with the emperor. They were not qualified to do so at other times.

Li Zhi said: "Do you know why?"

Wang Fusheng said, "I heard that Silla sent two more envoys, one is Jin Renwen and the other is the crown prince of Silla."

Li Zhi snorted and said, "The Silla people must have seen Baekje's damage and want to invite us to attack and destroy it."

Wang Fusheng said: "It should be."

Li Zhi took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

If it were him in the past, he would be too lazy to see them because of his disgust for Silla.

Now he has a broader vision and considers things at a different level.

In his eyes, Silla would eventually become a prefecture of the Tang Dynasty, so he would no longer care about those personal emotions.

"Go tell Dai Zhide to bring Jin Renwen and the Crown Prince of Silla to see me directly at Ganlu Palace." He waved his hand.

Wang Fusheng said, "I obey your order."

Li Zhi lowered his head and continued to deal with the memorial.

After a long time, a eunuch came to report that Dai Zhide and the Silla envoys were already in Ganlu Palace waiting for orders, and then they set off towards Ganlu Palace.

He walked through the corner gate, arrived at the main hall, and sat on the dragon throne.

Looking down, he saw three people kneeling at the steps. In addition to Dai Zhide and Jin Renwen, there was also a strange young man, who was probably the Crown Prince of Silla.

All three of them kowtowed, and Li Zhi could only see the backs of their heads.

He raised his hand and said, "Everyone, get up."

This is Jin Famin's first visit to Chang'an.

Before coming to the Tang Dynasty, he was quite arrogant. After entering the Tang Dynasty and seeing the prosperous city of Chang'an, he immediately became much more honest.

"Foreign minister Kim Beom-min, on behalf of the King of Silla, wishes the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty a long and prosperous reign!" he said respectfully.

Li Zhi looked at him carefully and said with a smile, "No need to be so polite. This is your first time in the Tang Dynasty, right? Why did the King of Silla send you here?"

Jin Beommin hurriedly said, "A few days ago, my third brother returned to Silla and told us that Baekje, Goguryeo, and Khitan had joined forces and were planning to invade the Tang border. My father and I were extremely shocked and furious when we learned of this. We immediately assembled our troops and planned to attack Baekje."

"But I didn't expect that Baekje was so foolish as to dare to challenge the Tang navy. The three-party alliance was easily defeated by the Tang Tiger Division."

"I'm ashamed to say that when the Tang Dynasty defeated them, we had just gathered our troops and were ready to attack Baekje and relieve the Tang Dynasty of its worries. However, we were a step behind. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "You are willing to send troops to help, which is very thoughtful. Please tell me what the current situation is in Baekje."

Jin Beommin smiled and said, "I was just about to report to Your Majesty that the 20,000 naval forces that Baekje used to attack Yingzhou were newly assembled in recent years. They originally intended to attack our nation, but were completely destroyed in the Battle of Balhae."

Li Zhi had already heard Liu Rengui's report on this point.

Except for a portion of the Baekje navy that surrendered to the Tang army, the rest were either killed in battle or drowned, effectively annihilating the entire army. Despite their heavy losses, they suffered no further damage due to their advantageous geographical location and the presence of Goguryeo in their front lines.

The only one who could attack them was Silla.

Li Zhi asked, "How did you go about sending troops to Baekje?"

Jin Beommin said with great joy, "Your Majesty, our Silla general, Jin Yushin, has led a 30,000-man army and has captured five cities of Baekje."

"The entire country of Baekje is in shock. The King of Baekje, in his terror, has even killed his sister, Princess Yuya!"

Li Zhi's heart moved and he asked, "Why did he kill his own sister?"

Jin Beommin laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know that Princess Yuya has Mahan blood. Baekje was ruled by the Buyeo people. Because of this defeat, the Mahan people were dissatisfied with the Buyeo people. The King of Baekje was afraid that Princess Yuya would lead the Mahan people to overthrow his rule, so he killed her!"

He thought that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty could not possibly understand the situation in Baekje, and by telling such a lie, the Tang Dynasty would know how chaotic Baekje was.

Little did he know that Princess Yuya's daughter was in the palace right now.

Li Zhi didn't expose his mistake, and said calmly, "So, now is a good time to attack Baekje?"

Jin Famin hurriedly said, "That's right. Baekje is in chaos right now. As long as the Tang Dynasty sends troops, it will surely be destroyed. Silla is willing to send troops to help!"

Li Zhi asked, "If we conquer all of Baekje, will it belong to you or to the Tang Dynasty?"

Jin Famin's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you are joking. Silla was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. After conquering Baekje, it naturally became part of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Okay, when I send troops to attack Baekje in the future, I will send someone to notify you."

Jin Beommin hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, when will you attack Baekje? If you wait until the end of the year, when the weather turns cold, it will be troublesome."

Li Zhi said, "Maybe it will take a few years. In recent years, the Tang Dynasty has been at war year after year, and the people have been burdened. They need a few years to recuperate."

Jin Famin said anxiously, "Your Majesty, Baekje alone won't require many troops. The Tang Dynasty can destroy them with just 50,000, no, 30,000!"

Li Zhi's tone deepened as he asked, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Jin Famin was shocked and said quickly: "I dare not."

At this time, an eunuch came in and whispered something to Wang Fusheng. Wang Fusheng came to Li Zhi and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of War Xiao Siye requests an audience."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "You can leave now."

Jin Famin was about to say something else but was pulled back by Jin Renwen. He then bowed and left the hall with Dai Zhide.

Not long after, Xiao Siye arrived at the main hall and said, "Your Majesty, Tingzhou Governor Cui Zhibian has submitted a memorial impeaching Pei Xingjian."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment and said, "Bring the memorial here for me to see."

Wang Fusheng took the memorial and handed it to Li Zhi. After reading it, Li Zhi fell into deep thought.

Su Dingfang is still in Tubo, and the current Anxi Protectorate is under the charge of Deputy Protector Pei Xingjian.

A while ago, Li Zhi sent an order to Anxi, asking Pei Xingjian to summon chiefs from various countries to help Kangguo restore its country.

Cui Zhibian's memorial impeaching Pei Xingjian was related to this matter.

It turned out that after Pei Xingjian received Li Zhi's order, he did summon the kings of various countries.

However, he invited kings from various countries to hold banquets and took warriors from various countries to hunt on the grasslands. He was only concerned with pleasure and forgot about the important affairs of the court.

Cui Zhibian believed that Pei Xingjian was in charge of the Anxi Protectorate at such a young age and was obsessed with power and pleasure, so he was not suitable to lead the Anxi Protectorate anymore.

Li Zhi naturally didn't believe that Pei Xingjian was really getting ahead of himself. He believed that there must be a reason behind his behavior.

Pei Xingjian is different from Xue Rengui. Although Li Zhi has always valued him very much, he has not achieved any outstanding achievements so far.

This is also the reason why Cui Zhibian doubts him.

Li Zhi looked up at Xiao Siye and said, "Mr. Xiao, what do you think of Cui Zhibian's memorial?"

Xiao Siye pondered for a moment and said, "I've often heard that Deputy Protector Pei has inherited the true teachings of General Su. I believe he wouldn't do something so unwise."

He changed the subject and said, "But this is a matter of national importance. I think we should send someone to investigate thoroughly. If it is true, we should also ask Deputy Protector Pei why he did so."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "I understand this matter. You may leave."

After Xiao Siye left, Li Zhi summoned Gao Youdao and said to him, "Mr. Gao, I have an errand I'd like to assign to you."

Gao Youdao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please give your instructions."

Li Zhi said slowly, "Tingzhou Governor Cui Zhibian has submitted a memorial impeaching Pei Xingjian for dereliction of duty. I hope you will go to Anxi to investigate the matter and report to me. Secondly, you can also observe the people's livelihood in Anxi for me."

He ordered Wang Fusheng to show Cui Zhibian's memorial to Gao Youdao.

After reading it, Gao Youdao asked, "Your Majesty, if my investigation proves this to be true, how should we deal with it?"

Li Zhi said, "If it is true, go find the people in the Tingzhou Prefecture and have them pass the news to me. I will take care of it."

Gao Youdao bowed and said, "I obey your command!"

(End of this chapter)