Li Zhen followed the chamberlain into the palace, he wrote a few days ago to ask for Chu Chu, but there was no reply, and now his father finally summoned him to the palace, and he couldn't help but be a little overjoyed. The discussion was held in the imperial study, Emperor Yong Li Yuan sat behind the dragon book case, squinting slightly, looking uncertain, and beside him sat a beautiful young woman in palace clothes, on the chair on the left side of the bookcase sat the prince Li An, Prime Minister Wei Guan, Wei Guogong Cheng Shu, on the right side in addition to the first seat, sitting Fuyuan general Qin Yi, Qi King Li Xian, Li Xian is still pale, a little sick, but the spirit is not bad.

Prince Li An, Chinese New Year's Eve is thirty-six years old this year, two years older than Li Xian, the king of Yong, but he has not practiced martial arts, not as heroic as Li Xian, although because of good maintenance, it doesn't look very old, but there is always a trace of fatigue between his eyebrows, he looked at Li Xian's overwhelming heroic posture coming in from outside, and a trace of jealousy flashed in his eyes. Li Zhen walked to the front of the dragon book case, bowed down to the ground and said: "The son knocks to see the emperor." Li Yuan said: "Zhen'er, why did you come so late? Li Zhen smiled and said: "Erchen just received a spy report from Jiangnan before he came, so he sorted it out and brought it over so that his father could see it." ”

Li Yuan looked at Li An strangely and said, "An'er, haven't you already handed over the Jiangnan spy report?" ”

Li An smiled: "Presumably the second brother doesn't know yet, the spy report from Jiangnan has already arrived with me first." ”

A cold smile flashed in Li Zhen's eyes, and he said: "His Royal Highness the Prince's Jiangnan spy report was sent by Liang Wan, and the spy channels here are different, so there must be some things that the father and emperor don't know yet." ”

Li An's expression was grim, he did everything possible to control the Jiangnan spy network in his hands, he couldn't imagine that Li Zhen still had other information, how could he not make him jealous, and said coldly: "I see, a few days ago, the sixth brother attacked Xiangyang, if the second brother also took out those information, presumably the sixth brother would not be defeated so badly." He only cared about his own pleasure and hitting Li Zhen, but he forgot Li Xian's mood, and a trace of gloom flashed in Li Xian's eyes.

Li Zhen said unhurriedly: "The younger brother only found out that our spy network in Jiangnan was incomplete when the sixth brother failed in the first attack on Xiangyang, and the Xiangyang military defense map we got was very rough, and it must have been done by the Xiangyang garrison when he submitted the military department, it can be seen that the spy network in charge of Miss Liang has been noticed by people of insight in Southern Chu, but because of the maintenance of the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu, they dare not clear them, so that when we officially start a war with Southern Chu, our spy network will inevitably be destroyed, hindered by this situation, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not know the details, it was not that the younger brother was blocked, but the new wiring had just been effective, so he did not support the sixth brother in time. Speaking of which, Li Zhen glanced at Li Xian and bowed slightly to apologize. Li Xian shook his head slightly to show that he didn't mind.

As soon as Li Zhen came in, he had a quarrel with the crown prince Li An, and seeing that they stopped temporarily, except for Emperor Yong, the young woman and Li An, everyone else stood up and saluted Li Zhen, and Li Xian, the king of Qi, was about to stand up, but when he saw the anger in Li An's eyes, he sat back again. Li Zhen sat down in his seat and agreed to everyone. The beautiful woman in the palace costume had eyes like ice when Li Zhen accused Liang Wan, and after Li Zhen sat down, she spoke: "Listen to Your Highness, my nephew Wan has worked hard in Jiangnan, and he has actually fallen, hasn't he?" Seeing her speak, Li An lowered his head slightly, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

Li Zhen bowed and said: "Guifei Niangniang, Erchen does not dare to take advantage of the merits of Miss Fei Bo Liang, when Changle married far away, my father and we all pity Changle, and her surname is gentle and gentle, so Guifei Niangniang sent Miss Liang to Nanchu with Changle, Li Zhen is also grateful, these years, we have been so smooth in Nanchu, Miss Liang has made a lot of contributions, but now that the situation has changed, Miss Liang has almost been placed in the clear, so Erchen has to establish another spy network, lest Miss Liang be forced to retreat, we lose control of Jiangnan." ”

The young woman showed a faint smile on her delicate face, and seemed to accept Li Zhen's explanation, and the smile like a plum blossom after the snow made all the men in the study feel moved, but since she was the identity of the concubine, she quickly looked away.

Li Zhen saw that the atmosphere had improved, and said, "Since my father has already received the spy report brought by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he must have seen the "Book of the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty"?" Li Yuan picked up a copy from the bookcase, and said: "Yes, this Jiang Zhe is really talented, the prince and the king of Qi have recommended this person to me, I have seen his poems, especially the one that broke the array, a small song, forced the king of Shu to death, it is really talented, I saw this excerpt today, I believe that this person is not only a talent, but also a capable minister, if Nan Chu reuses this person, but the disaster of Dayong, now this person has been dismissed, presumably can be recruited." ”

Li Zhen smiled and said: "Father is right, this talent is indeed extraordinary, the son is in Shuzhong, and the sixth brother has seen him in Southern Chu, but unfortunately this person is indifferent to fame and fortune, and he is a loyal minister of Southern Chu, I am afraid that he will not be obedient, right?" ”

Li Yuan nodded and said: "Yes, this king is also worried about this, seeing this person's seal, he should be a loyal minister of Nanchu, but as the saying goes, a virtuous minister chooses the lord to serve, I see that this person's poetry is free and easy, he should not be a stubborn person, right?" ”

When Li Zhen heard him say this, he knew that Li Xian did not tell Li An about his encounter with Jiang Zhe in Xiangyang, so Li Yuan would not think that Jiang Zhe might not be obedient, he glanced at Li Xian, Li Xian looked a little uneasy, Li Zhen smiled slightly, and continued: "Yes, I got Jiang Zhe's seal this time, so I checked it carefully, and found that this person has a close relationship with Zhao Jue, the prince of De, in Shuzhong, he is Zhao Jue's counselor, it is said that he has been recuperating at home for more than two years, but he has been writing to Xiangyang, this time Liang Wan sent someone to assassinate on the way, It was the servant he sent who saved Zhao Jue, and he personally went to Xiangyang to see Zhao Jue for the last time, and Erchen found out that the new Southern Chu Governor Lu Xin and Jiang Zhe also knew each other. ”

Li Yuan listened with relish, while Li An and Ji Guifei secretly exchanged a look, it seemed that they didn't attach so much importance to Jiang Zhe. Li Yuan looked at Wei Guan and asked, "Wei Xiang, what do you see?" ”

Wei Guan replied: "Your Majesty doesn't have to worry, now that Nanchu is tired, it will only take a few years to pacify the south, and when the time comes, the four seas will be leveled, and the wise men will naturally return. ”

Li Yuan listened to his answer, and couldn't help but smile: "Wei Xiang is right, although this person is worth reusing, but you don't have to worry too much, after Nanchu is pacified, I will edict him to enter the court as an official." ”

Li Zhen looked at everyone and found that Li An and Ji Guifei had a faint look in their eyes, only Li Xian was full of ridicule, knowing that his goal had been achieved, he admired Jiang Zhe in front of everyone, it was in order to hide his attention to him, and if he wanted to secretly arrange to accept Jiang Zhe, it was difficult to avoid the attention of Li An and others, it was better to show the carriage and horses and show their attention, then other people's eyes would focus on Jiang Zhe's superficial talent, but they would not really understand Jiang Zhe's important surname, nor would they be for an "ordinary" The only one who can see through his plan is Li Xian, he also knows Jiang Zhe's talent, but presumably he also wants to take Jiang Zhe under his account, for this reason, he will never expose what he has done, and then, he only needs to fight with Li Xian secretly.

Li Zhen, who had achieved his goal, said happily: "My father and the emperor's ministers came to discuss the matter of Chu Chu, I don't know what my father's plan is?" ”

Li Yuan said: "This time Dayong lost troops in Xiangyang, I am worried that Nanchu will not be controlled from now on, and I am ready to send you to lead the army to attack Chu, and now the lord of Nanchu is called the emperor, just gave us the best excuse, last time we used the excuse that Prince De was ill-intentioned and prepared to be unfavorable to my Dayong, the excuse is too far-fetched, and now we take it for granted, what do you think?" ”

Li Zhen said: "What my father said is that now the Southern Chu military is very chaotic, according to the original plan of the son, the army should be encircled, cut off the connection between Jingxiang and Jiangnan, and spend a few years slowly consuming the strength of the Southern Chu army and the people, but now it seems that if they are given time and their army is stabilized again, it will be impossible to capture Southern Chu without more than ten years, if the father allows, the son wants to take a risk and give Nanchu a heavy blow, so that they lose the determination to confront my Dayong, And then one by one to pacify the rebels, although this may be long-lasting, but within three years, the sons can guarantee that Nanchu will be returned to the territory of Dayong, and then spend another twenty years to slowly regain the hearts of the people, what does the father think. ”

Li Yuan heard what Li Zhen meant, according to his idea, the most perfect thing is to wipe out Nanchu in one fell swoop, but now it seems that Nanchu still has a future, thinking that Nanchu can be conquered within three years, although the cost is decades of turmoil, but it should not affect the situation in the Central Plains, and then he doesn't have to worry about it, and the hope of establishing a meritorious career surpasses everything, he agreed with Li Zhen's opinion.

A hint of gloom flashed in Concubine Ji's eyes, she knew that in this way, there would be many years of chaos in Jiangnan, and Li Min would suffer, but she didn't stop it, because she knew that Li Yuan had already decided, and she once again decided that the decision of the master of the door was right, although King Yong was eloquent, but in comparison, the mediocre Li An was more suitable to be the lord of Yong.

Seeing that Li Yuan has agreed, Li Zhen put forward a detailed plan, according to intelligence, now the military strength of Southern Chu is scattered, because of the battle with Dayong, Southern Chu strengthened the defense in Shuzhong, to avoid Dayong breaking through Shuzhong, down the river, and Xiangyang received two attacks, heavy losses in soldiers, in order to replenish the troops almost Southern Chu army is almost overstretched, and there is a long Yangtze River defense line, it can be said that Southern Chu is now a situation of foreign strength and middle cadres. Li Zhen proposed, first from Shuzhong, Xiangyang two places to attack and besiege, so that Southern Chu to concentrate on the two wars, and then he brought a fine cavalry to break through the Yangtze River, into Jianye, according to common sense, Jianye City is not a few months can not be attacked, a few months of time, enough time for the Southern Chu army to cut off Li Zhen's back road, Qinwang Jianye, but now Jianye is empty, and then use Dayong in Jianye's internal response, Li Zhen is confident that he can capture Jianye within a few days, and then loot the Southern Chu royal family and hundreds of officials to Dayong, when the Southern Chu group of dragons has no leader, What's more, even the capital has been breached, and the lords of the country have been captured, which is enough to greatly damage the morale of Nanchu, even if they set up another lord, it will be difficult to confront Dayong again, and then Dayong can pacify Jiangnan in the name of Zhao Jia. Although this plan would take more time to actually completely rule Jiangnan, and there would be more troubles in the future, Li Yuan preferred to let Nanchu become a vassal earlier, so he still agreed to this plan.

Although Li An is not very proficient in military affairs, he also knows such troubles, but he thinks that if he really lets Li Zhen completely capture Nanchu, then he is afraid that his position will not be able to be kept, Li Xian failed in this attack on Nanchu, and thought that there is still the possibility of recovering his face in the future, so neither of them objected, although Cheng Shu, the Duke of Wei, and Qin Yi, the general of Fuyuan, both disagreed, but they also understood the mystery and knew that it was useless to oppose, so that's it, Such a plan to attack Chu, which was criticized by later generations and did not conform to the art of war, was thus passed. Except for Li Zhen and Shi Yu, no one knew that Li Zhen's biggest purpose was to get Jiang Zhe alone.

Everyone has decided, Li Yuan sighed and said: "Zhen'er, this time you attack Jianye, you must ensure the safety of Changle, you must bring her back safely, for Dayong, she has sacrificed too much, I am sorry for her." ”

Li Zhen sighed slightly, Princess Changle is the beloved daughter of her father, her mother's eldest grandson Guifei is known for her virtue, Changle herself is dignified and gentle, so Changle is the most favored by his father, Li Xian, the fourth son of the emperor born to the eldest grandson, was killed by assassins in order to protect Li Yuan, and the seventh son of the emperor, Li Jin, died young, so in order to comfort the eldest grandson and concubine, the father promised Princess Changle and Ji that she could choose her own son-in-law, and Princess Changle already had a favorite person, and her father also agreed to marry her, but because she wanted to marry Nanchu, The father ordered Changle to marry Zhao Jia, the prince of Southern Chu, when the eldest grandson and concubine cried in front of her father, Dayong and Nanchu would turn against each other sooner or later, if Changle married in the past, how would he deal with himself in the future. But the father still made up his mind, Princess Changle's desperate eyes when she parted made Li Zhen unforgettable, although he cleverly arranged to let Yongnu compete for Zhao Jia's favor, to avoid Princess Changle and Zhao Jia have too much emotional involvement, but when he knew that Princess Changle lived almost in seclusion, he still regretted a lot, especially when he knew that Princess Changle was pregnant, and after several considerations, he resolutely killed the child, Li Zhen could almost see Changle's grief and despair, She knew how cruel everything this child would face in the future if she was born, so she made this decision.

Thinking of this, Li Zhen said categorically: "Father, rest assured, this time the retainer will definitely take back the imperial sister, the imperial sister has sacrificed a lot for my Dayong, and the retainer will definitely ensure her safety and take the imperial sister back to celebrate under the knees of the father." ”

Li Yuan sighed and said: "After taking it back, after a while, I will choose another son-in-law for Changle, so that she will not be so young and like a widow." ”

Everyone hesitated for a while, and Wei Guan spoke: "Your Majesty's mind is good, but if Zhao Jiaruo is captured and comes here, he still needs to rely on his name in a short time, the princess is the queen of Southern Chu, if Your Majesty openly chooses a son-in-law for the princess, the subjects of Southern Chu will definitely hate Dayong." ”

Li Yuan said angrily: "Is it impossible to let my daughter suffer forever? ”

Wei Guan was speechless, in his opinion, it didn't matter whether Princess Changle was happy or not, but he didn't dare to say this.

Li An played a round and said: "Father, what Wei Xiang said is also reasonable, it is better to do this, let's first choose a good husband for the imperial sister, let them secretly make a marriage contract first, and wait until a few years later, Nanchu is slightly calm, and Zhao Jia has no effect, and then justifiably complete the marriage for the imperial sister." ”

Li Yuan nodded slightly and said, "That's it, don't spread this matter first, wait until Changle comes back." Okay, I'm a little tired, go ahead. ”

Li An, Li Zhen, Li Xian, Wei Guan, Cheng Shu, and Qin Yi all got up to say goodbye, and Concubine Ji Guifei helped Li Yuan out of the imperial study. Everyone also left, Li Xian did not go with Li An, but deliberately stayed behind, and said to Li Zhen: "Second brother, do you think Jiang Zhe will definitely submit to you?" ”

Li Zhen said lightly: "Why, the sixth brother also wants to keep him under his command." ”

Li Xian rubbed his hands and said: "Second brother, that Jiang Zhe, I felt that I fell in love as soon as I saw it, there are so many generals under your command, this Jiang Zhe will be given to me." ”

Li Zhen smiled slightly and said, "Do you think that if he doesn't vote for me, he will definitely vote for you?" ”

Li Xiandao: "I think this kid is still quite knowledgeable about current affairs sometimes, if he is willing to vote for me, I will worship him as a teacher, obey him, he will definitely agree, as long as the second brother does not rob me." ”

Li Zhen smiled bitterly, he didn't expect Li Xian to be so bent and handed over, he didn't want to argue with Li Xian, so he said: "I don't know if he is willing to return to Dayong, we fought too early, by the way, when will you and Miss Qin get married?" ”

Li Xian said with a smile: "I'm not in a hurry, anyway, the title has already been decided, Qin Zheng's master and father both want me to hurry up, so I am ready to get married next month." ”

Li Zhen smiled and said: "Then I won't be able to come back, you, you have dragged people for several years, and Miss Qin is waiting for you." ”

Li Xian sneered: "If it weren't for Concubine Ji Guifei urging my father to make an order, I would have wanted to wait a little longer." There are so many beauties outside, where can I be busy, the willow fragrance I saw in Nanchu last time is really a natural stunner, if it weren't for Qin Zheng, I would have been able to get it, second brother, this time in Nanchu, you might as well go and see her, she is really a peerless beauty, a fake woman like Liang Wan is not as good as her, woman, why are you worried about the country and the people. ”

Li Zhen smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell my younger sister to go and let her know that you look down on her." Li Xian hurriedly said goodbye.

Although Li Xian had a smile on his face, his heart was cold, Li An now has the support of Fengyimen, and Li Xian's help, if Li Xian is more mature, then Li An can really fight against himself, instead of relying on his father's favoritism, thinking of the increasingly dangerous situation around him, Li Zhen once again determined that he must get Jiang Zhe, and he needs a help that can help him break through many obstacles.

In September of the first year of Zhihua, Li Zhen, the king of Yong, offered advice to level Chu and led an army of 400,000 to the south, and Jingxiang was shaken.

- History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties; The Legend of King Yang of Chu

;