In late September, the king returned to the capital. Because the military order was not resolved, of course, there was no excitement of the masses going out to greet him, and the acting king was only temporarily stationed in the military camp at the foot of the Beibi Mountain with the Suyue army.

Wang Fangqing immediately won a position as an envoy to reward the army, and led a group of officials from southern provinces, loaded with wine and food, and went straight to the military camp in the north of the city.

When the group arrived here, the Suyue army was still entering the camp in batches. Although most of them are newly recruited athletes this year, it can be seen that they have been quite ranked, after all, there are strict standards for recruiting athletes, among which there are many old government soldiers and military households.

The group waited outside the camp for nearly half an hour before the sergeant came out and led them to the location of the Chinese army's tent.

When I arrived at a camp, I saw that there were many ragged people detained in the fence, and I guessed that it should be a group of more important prisoners of war collected by Suyue on this trip.

However, there is a very conspicuous prison cart in which only one person is detained, relatively neatly dressed, and he is standing cross-legged in the prison cart, his beard covering his face, and his face is not visible.

"What is the crime of this prisoner that is so unique to the crowd?"

Wang Fangqing also asked casually, after all, the Suyue Army was unusual, and many military reports were not sent through Southern Province. Therefore, the specific experience of the king's absence for more than three months is not well known to the people in the southern province.

Zhao Changxing, who was in charge of guidance, grinned when he heard this, showed a mouth full of big white teeth, pointed to the prisoner car and said with a smile: "Wang Zuocheng misunderstood, it was not a prisoner from outside, but the deputy chief of King Anping." ”

When Wang Fangqing heard this, his knees were soft and almost fell, and he looked at the prisoner car from a distance a few times, and then he was a little surprised and said: "What did King Anping do, so ...... should he be?"

Zhao Changxing just shook his head this time, and only said that he didn't dare to leak the military plane.

While speaking, the big tent of the Chinese army was already in sight, and Wang Fangqing also saw His Royal Highness the Acting King in military uniform standing outside the tent smiling, and hurriedly approached the front and arched his hand: "I was ordered to welcome the Su Yue army, and His Royal Highness returned the triumphant song this time, which is really gratifying!" ”

The acting king in military uniform looked a little thinner than before, a little less handsome and easy-going, but more heroic and mighty, and just smiled after hearing this: "It's just a idle envoy, I don't dare to boast of merit, there is Lao Zuocheng." ”

As he spoke, Li Tong took a step back and invited Wang Fangqing into the big tent.

After taking a seat, Wang Fangqing first greeted and said: "Your Highness's military trip this time, you have read a lot, and your talents are stronger, and they are overflowing in shape!" ”

Li Tong casually said a few words of modesty after hearing this, and I have to say that this march has indeed greatly increased his knowledge.

Although there is no strong enemy fighting and no trek to a cold and bitter place, after all, the Rong Brigade is different from usual, there is no leisurely living, and there are many camps to worry about every day, which is indeed a rare experience growth.

It is worth mentioning that this march originally felt that Shi Suwei, the marching commander who played soy sauce, helped a lot, especially in the camping and marching, camp defense and diet, almost all of them were handled by Su Weiwei, while Li Tong was just watching and learning.

After all, an army of as many as 5,000 people, plus all kinds of auxiliaries and military service that followed, is a large team of several thousand people, even if it is just an ordinary team building, it is far from being able to properly handle it by a young white like Li Tong.

Not to mention that although the Suyue army has no strong enemies, it does have specific military tasks, and the strength of those bee thieves who are active in the countryside and mountains is not enough, but the wandering nature is extremely high. Once encountered, it is also quite a test of the ability to deploy the main platoon and dispatch on the spot.

In short, after experiencing this march, Li Tong realized that it was still not to be underestimated.

Although Su Wei left an ambiguous and faint name, he also had the experience of following the expedition of the army, and he was selected as his son-in-law by Pei Xingjian's appreciation during the march, and he also had a lot of military literacy.

In the early Tang Dynasty, it was not a lie, and the people who could mix with the prime minister did have their background. It is still somewhat inaccurate to judge the level of talent by only focusing on the moral character of the character displayed by the character in the political fight.

After some greetings, Wang Fangqing finally couldn't help but ask: "I don't know what happened to King Anping's criminal, and he was directly escorted back to the capital?" ”

When Li Tong heard this, he smiled and said, "It's not a big deal, didn't the imperial court arrange for me to escort the southbound envoy a few days ago?" I led the army to escort him, but he couldn't do it, and he was still roaring and arguing in the barracks, so he was robbed of his military post and put him on trial. ”

Wang Fangqing's eyes widened when he heard this, he thought that Wu Youxu had committed a great crime to be treated like this, it turned out that he just didn't want to run errands, and he didn't want to be excluded from the army by the acting king, so he was escorted back to the capital by a prisoner car.

Wang Fangqing really didn't know how to evaluate this, and only sighed after a moment of silence: "Although it has been more than a few months, the situation in Jinai has been renovated. King Liang in the political hall...... Alas, it would be best if we could endure each other. ”

Li Tong also frowned slightly after hearing this, and just said: "The recent situation in Duzhong, I also heard about it on the way. King Liang, heh, after resuming his military life, I will see him at the right time. ”

Seeing that the acting king's expression was already a little unkind, Wang Fangqing couldn't help but be even more worried, and muttered: "Everything has been spread out, and the country's profits and losses come from this. The autumn tax escort is in charge, and it is not appropriate to force a battle of will......"

Speaking of this, Wang Fangqing noticed that the acting king's eyes turned sharp, but he still stubbornly continued: "A lowly Jiangnan person, so His Royal Highness Jing Cong is a great talent, and he has a national plan in mind. It is completely different from the vain but obscene and obscene kings of Wei and the king of Liang. Jiangnan Shimin has the desire to serve the country, so His Royal Highness can call and get the ...... of the group."

Li Tong sat in the middle of the seat, and saw Wang Fangqing's serious expression, presumably these words were also weighed in his heart for a long time. waited until Wang Fangqing finished speaking before he spoke: "Then according to Zuo Cheng's view, how should I deal with the current situation?" ”

"Yangzhou Gechangshi has been attacked recently, and the situation has been endangered, and it is difficult to regain the edge of the town. Whether Yangzhou can keep it or not is related to the success or failure of the matter, and this matter must be taken seriously. A few days ago, the DPRK intended to make His Royal Highness go south to Yangzhou, the prefecture of ......"

Hearing this, Li Tong looked up at Wang Fangqing: "Zuo Cheng also thinks the same?" ”

After hearing this, Wang Fangqing shook his head and said: "The humble position is to persuade His Royal Highness not to take this matter lightly, Yangzhou Metropolitan Governor Cheng is a heavy position, but the old things in this realm are not far away, once you rush here, you will inevitably be soaked in pollution for a long time." ”

Hearing Wang Fangqing say this, Li Tong's expression improved slightly, Yangzhou used to have Xu Jingye rebelled, although this matter has been ten years long, but it has never been completely forgotten, and it has been frequently mentioned. It seems that it is not a loss to exchange his current Jinnai hastily for a feudal situation, but once he really goes to Yangzhou, it is the situation of being hung up and beaten.

"His Royal Highness has been in Gyeonggi for a long time, and although he is very important, he is inevitably angry. It is not a good plan to retreat bravely in this stalemate and carefully go through the place. Although Tiannan is remote, the characters are quite fearful. If His Royal Highness is not afraid of the long journey, he is willing to be a fence and a pioneer for His Highness, so as to gain a foothold, step by step north, and gradually collect the use of Su and Yue, and wait until the time is clear and re-enter Yangzhou, which can be a long picture! ”

Wang Fangqing also thought about it for a long time to say this, he admitted that he did have some private plans when considering these issues, but more importantly, after saying these words, he was related to the Rong loss of the acting king, and it was absolutely difficult to cut it again.

The acting king is different from the Wei king, the Liang king, the maternal relatives of the holy emperor, and after becoming the heir, he is already the eldest grandson of the holy emperor. Although the history of the acting king is still shallow, and there are two deposed emperors in the previous generation, Li Dan, the heir of the emperor, and Li Xian, the king of Luling, outside, this layer of blood connection has not yet been fully highlighted in terms of etiquette.

But as time goes by, as the operation of the king in the current situation becomes more and more profound, what should be highlighted will eventually be highlighted.

If the acting king remained in the Shendu, the place where the struggle was most intense, there would be limited room for progress, and there would be more and more provocations. Under the nuisance of many miscellaneous feelings, even if you want to do something, you will inevitably get twice the result with half the effort.

Rather than still trying to maintain the overall situation, it is better to take a break and concentrate on the business. In this way, we can not only get more room for advance and retreat, but also get greater care for the holy family.

Of course, if only from the current situation, there is no need for the acting king to make such a degree of weakness. However, instead of retreating step by step under the pressure of people, it is better to directly open up a larger space, and take retreat as advance, so as to regain the initiative.

Even if King Liang and the others still do not forgive, they will not lose the power to fight back at the moment, especially if they can win the holy will to stand on the side of the acting king, which is more advantageous than blindly-for-tat in everything.

After listening to Wang Fangqing's suggestion, Li Tong was silent for a long time, and Wang Fangqing also knew that it was not easy to let the acting king make this decision, so he did not urge, but waited patiently.

After a long while, Li Tong raised his head again and said to Wang Fangqing: "Zuo Cheng's plan will be carefully considered, and I will face the saint later, so I won't leave Zuo Cheng more." ”

After Wang Fangqing heard this, he got up and said goodbye, but before leaving, he said: "If it is really difficult to decide, please go to Yangzhou." It's just that Li is not a person who can support big things, and Ou Gong's entry into the prime minister can be maintained. ”

Li Tong nodded after hearing this, and sent Wang Fangqing out of the camp, but when he came back, his face had become a little heavy.

In the past few months, although he has been out of the army, he has also kept in touch with Duzhong, and he is no stranger to the formation of the current situation, and he already has a plan in his heart to deal with it.

It's just that he didn't expect that the first thing he ushered in after returning to the capital was not the oppression of Wu Sansi and his ilk, but the suggestion from Wang Fangqing who was almost forcing the palace. Of course, it is not accurate to say this, at least Wang Fangqing's various statements made Li Tong quite emotional, and the strategic statement alone was almost famous.

However, after all, it was in a different position, and Wang Fangqing thought that he could calmly slow down the plan, Li Tong could not accept it, so he could not adopt it at all.

Wang Fangqing hopes to be able to tie the future status of Caoyun and even Jiangnan people in the current situation more deeply, but in Li Tong's position, he also knows that this aspect alone is not enough to ensure that he can advance and retreat calmly, and even succeed in cutting the queue.

Li Jingyi's blind tossing in the capital is the direct reason for Li Tong's dilemma now. This also does expose a weakness of his shallow foundation, and the Hebei clans are moving closer to him, considering more borrowing him to succeed than helping him succeed.

If there was some hesitation in his heart before, then now Li Tong is more sure of the way out he chose, damn Lao Tzu, no one can rely on anyone, just do it if you want!

The Suyue army returned to the camp at noon, and in the evening, a palace envoy summoned him like this. Before entering the palace, Li Tong summoned Di Guangyuan and said to him: "This time I enter the palace, I will recommend Di Gong as the prime minister, if it fails, and as before." Di Lang doesn't have to stay in the camp, go home and tell the letter. ”

Di Guangyuan was shocked and suspicious when he heard this, his father had previously passed a letter to the acting king through his hand, and Di Guangyuan did not dare to read the details privately, because he did not know the details.

But when he heard the acting king say this, he immediately realized that his father and the acting king should have reached some great consensus, so he nodded and said: "Humble and take orders, and then go home to worship my father." ”

After arranging for Di Guang to stay away from the camp, Li Tong followed the palace envoy to the forbidden place.

All the way through several small cities on the north side of Ouchi, when he arrived at the Xuanwu Gate, Li Tong saw that the two generals of the Yulin Army were stationed at this gate.

Left Yu Lin Yu Chongyu was as unsmiling as always, and the eyes of the right Yu Lin Wu Youning looking at him were quite unkind, and the news that Anping Wang Wu Youxu was brought back by the prisoner car had spread in Beiya, which naturally made their Wu family very dissatisfied.

Li Tong nodded to Lu Chongyu, and glanced at Wu Youning, not even maintaining the superficial politeness.

The forbidden palace was full of twists and turns, and when he came to the hall where the holy car was, the sky was already completely dark.

Before entering the palace, Li Tong heard the song of silk and bamboo sheng coming from inside, and when he entered the hall, he found that his grandmother Wu Zetian was not only in the hall, but also his family and Princess Taiping's family were also in the palace.

Everyone in the hall looked at the acting king, and their feelings were different, Li Tong responded slightly to the eyes, and then walked forward to salute.

"Rong Xing is hard, there is no need to be formal, today's special family banquet, He Erlang is triumphant, hurry up and enter the table."

Wu Zetian lowered his eyes and looked at Li Tong, with a gentle smile on his face.

Li Tong got up after hearing the words, and then greeted the Niangniang Fang and Princess Taiping with Wang Wuyouji, and then retreated into his own two ladies' seats, patting the back of the lady's hand with both hands, and each had his own feelings.

Because there were not too many miscellaneous people present, the atmosphere of this so-called family banquet was good, and as soon as Li Tongfang entered the table, the second brother Li Shouli was impatient to ask him about his experience in foreign affairs.

The affairs of the march have long been compiled into a book with the military and submitted to the ban, and it is inconvenient for Li Tong to reveal too much in this regard. But in addition, there is no shortage of scenery and people to say along the way, and as Li Tong told the story, everyone present also showed their own fascination.

Wu Zetian's face was also full of yearning, and after a while, he said with a smile: "You don't have to envy the scenery in vain, you will have the opportunity to enjoy it in person after the New Year." ”

When everyone in the hall heard this, their expressions changed slightly. Li Tong frowned, he knew that his grandmother had been actively preparing for the sealing of Zen since the second half of the year, which was also the main reason for such a situation in the DPRK.

Listening to the meaning of his words, it should be that he intends to set the period of sealing Zen a few days after the New Year, putting aside the consideration of the court situation, from the perspective of the venue alone, Li Tong feels that the time is too rushed.

The topic of sealing Zen was as early as the Gaozong Dynasty, and Li Siwen proposed it during the Heavenly Grant period. Although these two trips did not take place, some construction was also carried out in Songshan. This time, Li Tong went to Songshan to conduct a site inspection, and the team even brought a special painter to depict the scene for the Holy Emperor's reference.

According to Wu Zetian's extravagant character, what he wants to do is a great gift like Feng Chan, and the current supporting facilities in Songshan are of course not in line with his wishes, and he must be built on a large scale.

But now it's the end of September, and according to the weekly calendar, the New Year is only two months away. If you want to build a good place for sealing Zen in these two months, you must have to do a lot of labor.

Thinking of this, Li Tong couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He vigorously promoted the reform of Cao Shi this year, and achieved certain results, and the flying money in Guanzhong also had a certain blood transfusion ability, but Xue Huaiyi's expedition and this Fengzen may not be enough to fill in, and maybe there will be a famine.

Thinking about it, Li Tong was a little silent then. The crowd only thought that he was tired from the long journey, so the feast did not last long and ended.

Li Tong let his family leave first, while he stayed. When only the ancestors and grandchildren and some palace people were left in the palace, he cheered up and prepared to present the matter.

Wu Zetian was in a good mood today, drank a few glasses, looked slightly drunk, looked at Li Tong and smiled: "The princess is dignified and decent, and with this internal help, there will be less disturbances." Huaiyi story, you don't have to read it for a long time, I will give you an explanation soon. ”

"The ministers have everything, all of them are given by their relatives, and they will never dare to have any obsessions about right and wrong."

Hearing his grandmother talk about this, Li Tong got up and replied.

The corners of Wu Zetian's mouth curled up after hearing this: "If your words and deeds are really the same, how can you be escorted back by your prison car?" He is a rare person in the sect who is quiet and indisputable, and this time he suffered misfortune, which is really a bit unreasonable. ”

After Li Tong heard this, he was silent, Wu Zetian saw him like this, and changed the conversation again, and said: "Recently, some miscellaneous discussions between the DPRK and China have been about you, have you heard of it?" ”

If it was before, Li Tong's heartstrings would have tensed when he heard this, but he didn't feel much at this moment, he just nodded and said: "Zuo Cheng, the king of Wenchangtai, entered the camp to sacrifice the army, and he once said it. ”

Seeing that Li Tong did not have an obvious change in expression, Wu Zetian couldn't help but be slightly stunned, and then said: "Since it is known, what do you think about it?" ”

"The minister thinks that the minister can do things in Yangzhou, and the heart can be punished!"

Li Tong was also not polite, and replied directly: "Although the old rebellion and chaos in Yangzhou have been restrained for a short time, it is not a short-term effort for the people to return to simplicity. The ministers are backward, and their prestige is not solid, so they rush into the other, and only use heavy atrocities to show that they are not dirty. may be able to be all in one reputation, but the folk customs of Yangzhou may be even more corrupted due to the minister's selfish intentions. ”

Hearing Li Tong say so directly, Wu Zetian's face couldn't help but flash a trace of embarrassment, and the atmosphere of the conversation was a little subtle for a while.

After a while, Wu Zetian squeezed out some smiles again: "You have been tired for several months, and you have just returned to the capital, you don't have to rush these current affairs to discuss for a while, you can recuperate with peace of mind in the near future, and accompany your family in the ban." ”

Although the tone is still kind, the smile on his face is not as natural as it was during the family dinner.

"Since we are standing in the world, we may be idle, but how can we stop disturbing things. In previous years, the ministers were self-assured of being less strong, and they could not appreciate the painstaking efforts of their relatives to accumulate and raise a small stream, and there were many competitions. Only now do I feel it, and the slight force is large, and it is inevitable to be coerced and touched. ”

Li Tong sighed and continued.

When he said this, he was indeed inspired by the fact that the predicament he is facing in the political situation now, no matter what the reason seems to others, but in his opinion, the reason is actually very simple, that is, to defeat the big with the small.

He interfered in too many aspects, but he did not have enough prestige and talent reserves. For example, Wang Fangqing and Li Jingyi, who were arranged before leaving Shendu, the former was conservative and pessimistic about the future, and the latter put his own interests above the interests of the acting king.

In fact, the crisis we are facing this time is not very big. For example, in the old years, he chose to retreat bravely before the Wuzhou Revolution and went to Xijing to mourn and guard filial piety, so that he could live in peace under the protection of his grandmother, even if there were many people killed in the Shendu City, it did not disturb his life.

It's just that he has been too aggressive in the past year or so, so making some trade-offs now is far more implicated than before.

From this point of view, his grandmother is really good to him, at least in terms of the selection of in-laws.

If it is changed to Guanlong or Hebei famous families, it is possible to take the lead in a few minutes and completely kidnap Li Tong on their chariot, for example, this time he appointed Li Jingyi as his chief historian to summon public resentment.

When Wu Zetian heard this, he couldn't help but sigh, but he still said: "If no one is young and strong, then the years will be wasted." Although your childhood career was not smooth, you have not experienced real hardship. Without personal feelings, no matter how much the parent's teachings are, they are just lies, and they may even cause boredom. Now that you have your own understanding, you can rest assured in the palace and in the north, and you don't have to worry about the rest of the things. ”

Although he had already made a decision in his heart, Li Tong still felt a lot of feelings when he heard his grandmother say this. His childhood career was not only unstable, it can be described as miserable. But this is not that his grandmother is deliberately targeting him, but that he has no way to escape as a Li Tang bloodline and Li Xian's son.

But since he stood in front of his grandmother, although his grandmother is accustomed to power and has a lot of tricks over him, she treats him well on the whole. Although there is no ordinary family affection, it is also caring for and sheltering.

But life is not between two or three people after all, if you want to truly transform, you must learn and get used to parting ways.

He blinked his eyes a little sour, and said in a low tone: "The minister is ashamed of himself because of this understanding. King Wei, King Liang and Master Xue, the humerus of the king's credit, or the difference in temperament, the ministers did not know how to converge when they were young, and they are no longer compatible. The minister can't bear to be alone, if it will increase the worry of his relatives, please expelled himself.

At first, Wang Zuocheng also had guidance when he entered the camp, although Guangzhou was far away from the south of the sky, but there were many sea treasures, if it could be used in the sky, it would be the icing on the cake in my Zhou world. Please go far away to Guangzhou, follow the facts, and worship the king again in the next year, so that you can be worthy of ......"

When Wu Zetian heard this, her brows furrowed slightly, and she took a deep breath before she said again: "Wu Ren's narrow plan, can you guide my grandson to stay?" Do you know, I ...... That's right, this is what you mean by the heart? ”

"Words from the bottom of their hearts, the ministers have long been gone, and those who are admired in the world are only gracious and personally granted. I am willing to use my meager strength to spread the royal road in Tiannan, but I can achieve something, and I will not be able to live up to my kindness. ”

Li Tong bowed his head again, his tone was low but firm.

Wu Zetian opened his mouth, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but there was a slight self-deprecation in this smile, and he sighed after a while: "My grandson has ambitions, and I enjoy the world, is there no place for you to explore?" Ge Fuyuan can stay in Yangzhou, and you can also recommend a good talent who can support big things for the imperial court. ”

"Sibin Shaoqing Di Renjie, although the minister does not know it well, he has been famous for a long time."

Hearing this, Wu Zetian frowned slightly, and only after a moment did he shake his head and said, "I just said that I had an understanding, and then I did it again." Di Renjie has a profound belly, and it is not something you can measure and teach. That's it, there is still time, and before you can do it, you can choose calmly. Be cautious, if you go to Tiannan, Jun En may not be able to cover the favors. ”

"The gentleman's grace is heavy, and the ministers and ministers are worthy of it!"

When Li Tong heard this, he couldn't help but be slightly moved. Lingnan Liuren, can still be sent to kill, looking at the world, what kind of favor can not be overcome? When his grandmother said this, she was really thinking about whether he could return to the dynasty next year. But alas, he didn't plan to go at all.

"I am thin on kinship, bloodline is passed on, and there are only a few people. Be cautious, both inside and out, don't despise this kinship. ”

Wu Zetian sighed abruptly, lowered his eyes and looked at this grandson seriously, with a rare trace of kindness between his eyebrows.