Luoyang 10,000 empty alleys, the south of the city is crowded with people, the flag is displayed, the civil and military officials are among them, the soldiers of the six armies and the guards are standing beside the road, and the people of Luoyang are watching.

Today, the six armies of the Tang Dynasty will go out here to fight. This move also means that the long-planned war against Shu has finally begun.

The commander of the Tang army, the eldest son of the emperor, Li Jiqi, the king of Wei, was already under the altar, neatly draped, heroic and extraordinary, and behind him stood hundreds of civil and military officials, Guo Chongtao was the head of this group of officials who wanted to go on the expedition, and he was also brightly armored.

The hour has not yet come, and they are waiting for Li Cunqiao to arrive.

In addition to the civil and military officials, who formed a group and surrounded the middle front, the other civil and military officials were separated on both sides. Autumn is high and cool, and it is the season of wind and sunshine. Spring is not a war, summer is not a fierce battle, autumn is the most appropriate time to raise troops.

Although it was autumn, as the sun got higher, the temperature still rose a little, and thousands of people stood in the square under the altar, the heat did not dissipate, and it was inevitable that there would be some dryness. Li Cunxuan returned to Luoyang for these years, because he resigned at home, there was no hard work, and Li Cunxuan ordered the imperial doctor to recuperate for him, and the serious illness went down day by day.

Although he ignores the government and politics, when he encounters such a major event, he is in Luoyang, but he is also going to appear, after all, although he has no official position, he still has a title. In today's Tang Army, Li Cunxian is a well-deserved first general, no one is older than him, and the credit is greater, it is good that he does not appear, and he will be at the top as soon as he appears.

Next to Li Cunxian, who was dressed in a black robe, stood Li Siyuan, the first general in the Tang Army, in terms of prestige, Li Siyuan was only slightly inferior to Li Cunxian, the same as Guo Chongtao, and even more than that. This is also the reason why whenever Li Cunxian appears in public, Li Siyuan is always by his side. is different from Li Cunxian's robe, but Li Siyuan is armored and majestic.

It's just that the years have left indelible marks on Li Siyuan's body, the wrinkles on his face are becoming more and more obvious, and his beard is gradually graying, after all, in two years, Li Siyuan will also be at the age of ear shun.

"Among the princes of the world, Xishu is called the country of abundance, outstanding people, many generations of talents, there are mountains and rivers outside, Shu Road is difficult to go to the blue sky, it is a strong country at that time. I Datang dominates the Central Plains, the first battle is to cut down Shu, what is important is the manpower, material and financial resources of Xishu, if you can get the capital of Xishu, it will be greatly conducive to conquering the world. In addition, from the west of Shu to the east, along the river to the east, you can fight the tiger and the rabbit, directly take the south of the Yangtze River, and strategically naturally dominate. These two are the reason why my Tang Dynasty fought the first battle against Shu. The empire has been planning for a long time, and it is reasonable to say that it should have been done a long time ago, but why did it delay until today before the sacrifice went to war, the reason for this, do you know the source? Li Cunxian wiped the beads of sweat that appeared on his forehead and said to Li Siyuan.

"The stakes are very high, and it should be planned for a long time." Li Siyuan said steadily, thinking for a while, and said: "I have also heard that it is difficult to establish the coach this time. ”

"Not only is it difficult to establish a coach, but the selection of generals and their subordinates is also very particular." Li Cunxian smiled, but Li Siyuan, as the first general in the army, is the same in terms of prestige and combat power, but this time he went out to conquer Shu, such a big battle, not to mention that Li Siyuan was in charge, even in the battle sequence, he did not have his share, as the primary hero of the destruction of Liang, it is not difficult to imagine what Li Siyuan's mood is.

Li Cunxun could understand Li Siyuan's mood, and since he spoke, he continued: "When the court discussed the matter of cutting Shu, in the matter of the commander, it was the Xuanhui envoy Li Shaorong who recommended Li Shaoqin (Duan Ning) as the commander, and the privy envoy Guo Chongtao tried his best to dissuade him. ”

"Duan Ning is just a veteran of the country, he has no talent, and the reason why he can steal a high position is nothing more than relying on flattery and flattery. When he fought against him on the river, Congjing defeated his army with inferior troops, and almost took his head, how could such a person be the commander of the Shu army? Rao is Li Siyuan was in a relaxed mood, and when he heard Duan Ning's name, he couldn't help but be a little annoyed, "Li Shaorong has followed His Majesty to fight for many years, and often follows him around, how can there be such remarks?" ”

In the Battle of Weizhou that year, when Li Congjing fought Zhang Lang, he was jealous of Wei Jingzhong, and Li Shaorong also mentioned Li Congjing.

"Duan Ning is not capable, can Li Shaohong know it?" Li Cunjun said, there is something in these words, at this time, the promotion of Duan Ning is undoubtedly a good intention, Li Shaorong is favored by Li Cunqing, his identity is extraordinary, but it is good to Duan Ning, it can be seen that the old generals of the Liang Dynasty have formed what kind of force has been formed in the Tang Dynasty today.

Seeing that Li Siyuan was silent, Li Cunzhen continued: "After Guo Chongtao dissuaded His Majesty from denying Duan Ning, the ministers recommended a person, and this person is you Li Siyuan. ”

Duan Ning, as the leader of the old generals of the Liang Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, after his nomination was denied, it was the turn of the old ministers of Hedong to play the cards, and among the old generals of Hedong, there is no doubt that Li Siyuan is the most influential person, so it is only natural for them to recommend Li Siyuan.

But it's a pity that Li Siyuan was also denied.

The person who denies Li Siyuan is still Guo Chongtao.

Guo Chongtao said to Li Cunqiao: "The Khitan is in full swing, the army is attacking Shu, and there must be no unscrupulous generals in the country to deal with the Khitan, and it is not appropriate for General Manager Li to go on the expedition." Li Siyuan is now the deputy head of the inner and outer Han Dynasty, so Guo Chongtao called him the head of Li.

Guo Chongtao was also an old minister of Hedong, and it stands to reason that he should stand on the side of the forces of the old ministers of Hedong and support Li Siyuan's expedition to Shu. But the truth is not so simple, through the battle of destroying Liang, Guo Chongtao with great contributions, not only firmly in the position of privy envoy, among the civil and military officials, the prestige has been able to compete with Li Siyuan, as if he is now the big man among the ministers of the Tang Dynasty. Although he has no enmity with Li Siyuan, Guo Chongtao is a person with a strong desire for power, Li Cunxian was originally his teacher, and he still wants to desperately block his return, just because he is afraid that Li Cunzhen will seize his power, how can he tolerate Li Siyuan's meritorious service in Shu at this time, and overpower him in terms of credit?

Guo Chongtao denied and offended the forces of the old ministers of the Liang Dynasty and the old ministers of Hedong this time, so what did he want to do? Quite simply, he wanted to personally lead the army to defeat Shu. But he couldn't say it clearly, so when Li Cunqiao was a little annoyed, Guo Chongtao said: "The king of Wei is the heir, but he has not yet made meritorious service, please let Your Majesty order the king of Wei as the commander, and let the king of Wei establish his prestige." ”

This is Guo Chongtao's cleverness. He is not good at recommending himself, so he recommended a commander who does not have the strength to lead the army to destroy Shu, and this commander is reasonable, and it is for the sake of Li Cunmiao's country and his taste, so Li Cunmiao will definitely not refuse. Not only will they not refuse, but they will gladly agree.

As the future king of the Tang Dynasty, he must lead the ministers, and in this troubled era, he must not have military merits, otherwise he will not be able to suppress the ministers. Because of Guo Chongtao's words and Li Cunmiao's appetite, it is impossible to say that Li Cunmiao originally meant this.

Sure enough, after listening to Guo Chongtao's words, Li Cunqiao was very happy, and immediately said: "King Wei is a little young, he can't go alone, there should be a deputy marshal." Glancing at Guo Chongtao, "Qing is known for his high talent, and the battle of destroying Liang is also fortunate to have Qing's advice, so that I can smoothly enter the Central Plains. ”

Guo Chongtao didn't even refuse, and accepted the appointment.

Then you may have to ask, Guo Chongtao is so blatant about taking private power, and even does not hesitate to "suppress" Li Siyuan, will this offend the old ministers of Hedong? Guo Chongtao was originally born in Hedong, not to mention that he naturally couldn't go with the old ministers of the Liang Dynasty, Guo Chongtao himself was arrogant and looked down on the old ministers of the Liang Dynasty, which made it impossible for him to become the same force as the old ministers of the Liang Dynasty. In the current situation where the two forces of the old ministers of Hedong and the old ministers of the Liang Dynasty control the power of the Tang Dynasty, Guo Chongtao is guilty on both sides, even if he finally gains greater authority by virtue of his great achievements in cutting down Shu, will he become a loner because he is rejected by all forces?

No matter how high the status is, there is no one under him, what is the use of becoming a bare-bones commander?

Someone also asked Guo Chongtao about this question, and Guo Chongtao laughed when he heard this.

The man asked, "Why is the privy envoy laughing?" ”

Guo Chongtao snorted coldly and said: "I laugh at your short-sightedness, you only know one thing, you don't know the other, you only see the appearance, but you don't see the fundamental thing." ”

The man held back his anger, "I want to hear about it." ”

Guo Chongtao then said: "In today's world, there is a big dispute in the world, what is the one who is fighting? Only in the word power. As long as you are in a high position and have power, your words and deeds can determine life and death, and your every move can ambush millions of corpses, and it is too late for the world to scold you, how can they sneer at you because of some previous subsections? The world is bustling, all for profit, the world is bustling, all for profit, you want you to backhand, can destroy their interests, can give them benefits, they will stammer with you in every way, willing to be a slave and a servant for you to drive! As long as I cut down Shu Dacheng, I will have this merit and this right, who dares to disagree, who will disagree? ”

The man was dumbfounded, "This ......"

Guo Chongtao squinted at the man and sneered: "Besides, this time I am the commander, and the army of Shu is under my control, and whoever is meritorious and who is not meritorious is up to me." Once the success is accomplished, the generals will return to the dynasty with merit in exchange for glory and wealth, how can they not be grateful to me? At that time, they are all my minions, how can I be alone? ”

The man was speechless, held back for a while, and held back a sentence, "But how can the privy envoy know that His Majesty will definitely use you this time?" The battle of Shu has not yet begun, how can the privy envoy be so sure that this battle will be successful? ”

When Guo Chongtao heard this, he laughed and left, "Born in this world of great contention, if you don't have this bit of courage, then what are you fighting for?" It's better to hit your head and die! ”

After Li Cunxian and Li Siyuan said these words, a long time has passed, and after glancing at the sky, seeing that Li Cunxuan had not yet appeared, Li Cunxuan said: "Siyuan, you say, now that I am in the Tang Dynasty, will the Khitan take the opportunity to attack my Heshuo land?" ”

The previous conversation made Li Siyuan silent for a long time, and when he heard Li Cunxian's words, Li Siyuan replied very easily: "Don't worry, the old general, the Khitan has no time to look south to Heshuo now. ”

"Why?"

"Because the Khitan is now busy attacking the Bohai Kingdom."

"Really?"

"From what Jing said, it should be true."