A month later, the newly married prince Jiancheng led 20,000 Tang troops and left the imperial capital Chang'an.

In this expedition, the prince Jiancheng was the commander, the king of Qi Yuanji was the deputy marshal, the prince Xian Ma Wei Zheng was the military division, and the six guards of the East Palace led the commander Feng Li as the vanguard, and the 20,000 troops led by the Tang Dynasty were all Tang elite cavalry, according to the military division Wei Zheng, only waiting for the rebel Liu Heimin's grain and grass, the supply was cut off, and when the army was scattered, the Tang Dynasty chased the thief Liu Heimin, and these 20,000 elite cavalry will inevitably come in handy.

More than ten days later, the crown prince Jiancheng led the army to the eastern capital of Luoyang.

Li Daoxuan, the king of Henan, and Luo Shixin, the prince of Tan Guogong and the governor of Jiangzhou, were reluctant to stay in the eastern capital, but they had to go out of the city to greet them.

After a salute, Qi Wang Yuanji suddenly stared at Li Daoxuan and Luo Shixin, his eyes rolled, and a poisonous plan appeared in his heart.

Luoyang City, the residence of the prince, King Yuanji of Qi said to the prince: "Brother Prince, brother of the courtiers suggest that Li Daoxuan and Luo Shixin be transferred into the army of the prince's brother. For the great cause of the prince's elder brother, the two of them were recruited, which could not only fight against the traitor Liu Heimin, but also weaken the strength of his Qin king Li Shimin. ”

The crown prince Jiancheng instantly understood the thoughts of King Yuanji of Qi, so he laughed and said: "Good idea, I will recruit his confidants of Li Shimin, the king of Qin, to take Li Daoxuan and Luo Shixin as my subordinates, and let them resist the traitor Liu Heimin." ”

Chang'an, Taiji Palace, Emperor Li Yuan respectively ordered to the leading general stationed in Lingbao, Li Jing, the general of Lingzhou, the general Zuo Weiwei stationed in Tongguan, and Li Ji, the general of Tongguan: "Appoint Li Jing as the commander, Li Ji as the deputy commander, command the 200,000 Tang army, follow the prince Jiancheng behind, once the prince suffers defeat, be sure to save the prince and defeat the rebels of the traitor Liu Heimin." If the crown prince is victorious, he does not need to show up, and quietly returns to his respective station. ”

After Li Jing and Li Ji received the holy decree, they led their armies to meet outside Tongguan and quietly approached the eastern capital Luoyang.

Qin Wangfu, Qin King Li Shimin was depressed and borrowed wine to kill his sorrows.

His heart was very bitter, he knew very well his strength and prestige in the army, if he wanted to, he had many opportunities, get rid of the crown prince, and even force his father to the throne for himself. However, the Confucian education he received since he was a child taught him to be a loyal and filial person, a loyal character, a filial piety character, deeply soaked in his bone marrow, and now he himself is using these two words to teach his sons. There is no doubt that he was a warrior who never knew fear on the battlefield, but now that he was asked to challenge Tadashi and Takayo, he became cowardly and could not move his steps.

The situation is becoming more and more unfavorable for himself, the crown prince Jiancheng took away the tiger talisman and the right to lead the troops, and now he has the support of the Shandong Hao clan, one of the three major political forces in the world other than his father and Qi Wang Yuanji, and his momentum is strong. When the crown prince is built and pacifies the traitor Liu Heimin, he will be able to form a comprehensive suppression of himself. The crown prince was able to pacify the rebel Liu Heimin, and Li Shimin was convinced. Not to mention, the ability of Yuanji, the king of Qi, who actually led the troops, and Feng Li, the commander of the six guards of the East Palace, even the Tang Emperor would never allow the prince to fail, and the Tang Emperor would protect the prince.

Once you resist, it means challenging the concept of loyalty and filial piety formed since childhood, as well as the Confucian moral system that has been inherited for nearly a thousand years in the world, showing the whole world that you are a wicked person who violates the Confucian moral system and kills his brother and father. This notoriety will be passed down from generation to generation, and it will be morally condemned.

Li Shimin had no choice but to lock himself in the study alone, drunk and dreaming of death, avoiding all these disputes.

Li Xuan slowly walked into Li Shimin's study.

Li Shimin looked at Li Xuan blankly, and said weakly: "You are here." ”

Li Xuan looked at Li Shimin, the king of Qin, who had always been heroic and extraordinary, and he felt very heartbroken at this time, so depressed and so borrowed. He replied, "I'm coming." ”

Li Shimin, the king of Qin, raised the wine glass in his hand and said to Li Xuan: "It's good if you come, come, drink together." ”

Li Xuan didn't say a word, just poured a glass of wine and drank it all.

Li Shimin raised his head and looked at Li Xuan in surprise.

Li Xuan said to Li Shimin: "Life is not as good as it should be." In the face of suffering, many people will be depressed and have no fighting spirit, but the suffering has always been there, and there is always a way to solve it. People, you can't be completely defeated by suffering, it's not right to stay in front of this suffering all your life, and you can't get over that hurdle. ”

Li Shimin smiled silently and bitterly.

Li Xuan continued: "I know that His Highness is bitter. The biggest enemy of a person is himself, and the saddest thing is his own heart. The price to pay for crossing this hurdle is very large, and it may completely shatter the moral concept formed since childhood. But this hurdle can't be overcome. When it passes, there may be a sharp pain that has never been felt before, this kind of severe pain is like a fish jumping over the dragon gate, or when the phoenix is reborn from the fire, it is a kind of spiritual pain that is hundreds or thousands of times more painful than the first, and it is a kind of pain that cannot survive and die, but His Royal Highness King Qin, I want to say that only after such pain and such suffering, His Royal Highness can transform into the only true dragon in the world and become the real master of the world. ”

"You?" Li Shimin, the king of Qin, stood up, pointed at Li Xuan, and was speechless in surprise.

Li Xuan's words hit the key point in his heart. The main reason for my heartache is not because I was suppressed and I was powerless to resist, but because of my inner struggle. On the one hand, it is the moral concept of loyalty and filial piety that has been instilled in Confucianism since childhood, and on the other hand, it is unwilling to sit still and have the courage to try to resist. He once strictly demanded self-sacrifice and compromised with loyalty and filial piety according to Confucian moral standards, but he asked himself again and again in his heart whether this kind of self-sacrifice was really valuable, and until now he has not given himself an acceptable answer in his heart. In the torment of this struggle, the prince Jiancheng and the Tang Emperor, Qi Wang Yuanji formed an alliance without an alliance, the Guanlong nobles and the Shandong wealthy families also joined the prince's camp one after another, and then the prince Jiancheng forced himself step by step, and the once powerful Qin Wangfu was like a ship that lost its sails, helplessly drifting in the surging waves. Now that the entire Qin Wangfu and his henchmen have been driven to the edge of the cliff, it seems that they are no longer able to resist the strength of the crown prince, and eventually they will be forced off the cliff together and buried in the deep sea. The pain in Li Shimin's heart, because of the struggle, because of the pain, was tightened to the extreme, like a rope that was about to be broken, just waiting for the crisp sound when it finally broke.