Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Su Dingfang pretended to be excited. He stood up and saluted Li Ji with his fists clasped.

"Thank you, British public grace!"

He did not sit down, but continued to ask Li Ji.

"Duke Ying, now that all the rebels in Youzhou have been pacified, do you need me to lead my cavalry to Sishui Road to help?"

A few days ago, Xi Junmai sent someone to bring back a secret report, saying that the King of Wei and his rebel army had not yet arrived at Sishui Road.

Su Dingfang believed that the cavalry under his command would march faster than the 5 infantry led by the Duke of Ying.

Maybe after some haste, they could reach the Sishui Road before the King of Wei reached the shore.

Moreover, the Duke of Ying's marching speed was too slow. It took their 5-strong army half a month to reach Youzhou after starting from Laizhou.

By the time they arrived at Sishui Road, they didn't know when it would be.

Li Ji shook his head and said, "General Su, you can lead your troops back to Liaodong Road. As the governor of Liaodong Road, you cannot leave the station for a long time."

"As for the King of Wei and the remaining rebels under his command, this general will work with General Xi to wipe them out."

Hearing Li Ji's words, Su Dingfang frowned slightly.

He had a vague premonition that the King of Wei's escape seemed to be intentional on the part of the Duke of Ying.

Otherwise, why would the Duke of Ying mobilize more than 5 heavy troops to block Dezhou and Jizhou in the north, while there were only infantry led by Xi Junmai in the vast territories of Zibo, Yanzhou and Dizhou?

After all, the main force of the King of Wei was in Zibo and Yanzhou areas, and there were only 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses in Dezhou and Jizhou in the north.

After thinking for a while and having no clue, Su Dingfang had to clasp his fists and reply.

"As ordered!"

Perhaps all this was just his guess. Duke Yingguo stationed a large number of troops in the north just to prevent the King of Wei from escaping to Youzhou.

Just then, a guard ran in from outside the gate to report.

"Reporting to Lord Ying, General Xi sent someone to deliver the news that the King of Wei and the remaining rebels are heading in the direction of Japan!"

what!

King Wei led the rebels to surrender to Japan?

This thought suddenly occurred to the generals in the hall.

Don't blame them for thinking this way, because the King of Wei had a history of colluding with Goguryeo last year.

Even when Xueyantuo sent troops to attack the crown prince, the shadow of King Wei was probably behind it.

Li Ji's expression changed slightly, and he asked in a deep voice.

"Is the news true?"

The guard quickly replied: "General Xi said that fishermen saw hundreds of warships sailing in the direction of Japan, and there were Japanese warships leading the way!"

Real hammer!

The King of Wei actually defected to Japan!

Yingzhou Governor Cheng Mingzhen stood up and said with a serious expression.

"Duke Ying, the King of Wei has actually defected to Japan. We must report this to His Majesty immediately!"

"If Japan refuses to hand over the King of Wei and the rebels, we will ask Your Majesty to fight us and send our army to attack Japan!"

The rest of the generals also stood up, clamoring to ask His Majesty for a fight, to build warships and to defeat Japan.

After the generals stopped talking, Li Ji stood up and spoke.

"Su Dingfang, listen to my order. You will lead your cavalry to Sishui Road immediately and assist Xi Junmai in guarding the road for two months!"

"If there is no war within two months, you will lead your cavalry back to Liaodong Road!"

Su Dingfang, who received the new order, quickly clasped his fists and said.

"I will obey your orders!"

Just when the other generals thought that Li Ji would order them to fight, Li Ji gave an order that surprised everyone.

"The rest of the generals, lead your soldiers back to your respective garrisons and are not allowed to leave without your majesty's order."

"This general will return to Chang'an tomorrow!"

this...

Everyone's expressions were stunned.

The Duke of England's meaning was very clear, that is, the battle to quell the rebellion ended here.

Although they felt somewhat helpless, they still did not dare to disobey the orders of the supreme commander Li Ji, so they all saluted with their fists.

"I will obey your orders!"

...

Six days later.

Li Ji led a small number of imperial guards and rushed back to Chang'an at full speed.

Moreover, the first thing he did when he returned to Chang'an was not to go back to the Duke of Ying'an's mansion to rest, but to rush to the palace to meet Li Shimin.

Inside the Manna Hall.

When Li Shimin heard Li Ji say that the King of Wei had fled to Japan, a hint of relief appeared on his face, but he quickly covered it up.

After Li Ji finished his report, Li Shimin said with a hint of anger on his face.

"Li Ji, your performance in this battle is so disappointing to me!"

"In this battle, you led an army of more than 200,000 elite soldiers, but you only fought against a group of rebels who were temporarily recruited, and the King of Wei escaped. Do you think I should punish you?"

Li Ji's face was filled with shame, and he quickly knelt down and said.

"I failed to lead the army effectively. Your Majesty, please punish me severely!"

Li Shimin looked at Li Ji who was kneeling on the ground and nodded approvingly.

It has to be said that Li Ji is a smart man who has fully figured out his inner thoughts, and so is Cheng Yaojin, that scoundrel.

A few breaths of silence.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Li Ji, you go back and rest first. As for your punishment, I will leave it to tomorrow's court meeting to discuss it."

"As ordered!"

Li Ji responded respectfully, then strode out of Ganlu Palace.

Watching Li Ji's leaving back, Li Shimin called out all the eunuchs in the hall and several historians sitting behind the curtain.

He was the only one left in the empty Ganlu Palace.

Li Shimin walked to the screen, looked at the name Li Tai written by Guanyinbi, and murmured with a complicated expression.

"Qingque, this is all that father can do for you."

"As for whether you can defeat Japan later, it depends on your own ability."

"Although we will never see each other again, I didn't kill you myself. After a hundred years, I will be able to give an explanation to your mother in the underworld."

"Hey..."

Following a sigh, the Ganlu Hall fell into a long silence.

There were many things Li Shimin could not say in front of the historian. Only when he was alone did he dare to express his true feelings.

...

The next day.

A meeting of hundreds of officials.

When the civil and military officials saw Li Ji, they all showed mocking expressions on their faces.

Apparently the news that King Wei had escaped with the remaining troops had already arrived.

Li Ji's expression did not change at all despite the pointing and strange looks from the officials.

Not long after, Li Shimin arrived.

After the court meeting began, Li Shimin did not talk about the suppression of the rebellion first.

The court meeting followed the normal order, with the heads of the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples and five academies reporting on the affairs of their departments.

After all the departments had finished their reports, Li Shimin turned his attention to Li Ji and spoke to him.

"Li Ji, please report on the process of suppressing the rebellion."

coming!

The expressions of the civil and military officials changed, and they all turned their eyes to Li Ji.

"Sir, obey the order!"

Li Ji stood up and responded respectfully, then explained the process of the battle in a clear and logical manner.

In particular, he praised the generals who performed well without hesitation. As for the failure of this mission, Li Ji took all the responsibility on himself.

The faces of civil and military officials were full of confusion about Li Ji's behavior.

"What on earth does Li Ji want to do?"

"Is he living a comfortable life and wants Your Majesty to punish him severely?"