Li Yuan had been staying in the city of Laoxian until more than half of the second watch before leaving the city, and His Royal Highness Yang Xuan, the King of Qi, who had a very happy conversation with Li Yuan and had reached some secret agreements, was just about to fall asleep, but his confidant Pei Gai suddenly came to report, saying that Chen Yingliang had sent Li Jing, the Cheng of Mayi County, to come to visit, and there was a major military situation to report to Yang Xuan. Hearing this news, Yang Xuan, who had been holding back his anger after failing to recruit Chen Yingliang during the day, suddenly became a little angry, and shouted: "When is it, what major military affairs can't be said tomorrow?" Tell him to fuck off, and talk about it tomorrow! ”

In normal times, Pei Gai must have gone to get rid of Li Jing according to the order without saying a word, but the time is different, Pei Gai, who is not a traitor to the extreme, also rarely advised Yang Yin, and arched his hand and said: "Your Highness, King Qin is a big matter, not only related to the life of His Majesty the Emperor and the safety and survival of the Great Sui Imperial Court, but also related to Your Highness's top priority in the future, since Chen Yingliang has a military intelligence report to you, if you don't see his messenger, it will inevitably fall into the truth, once it reaches the ears of the emperor in the future, I am afraid that something is wrong, for the sake of Your Highness, I think you'd better meet him. ”

felt that Pei Gai's words were reasonable, and Yang Xuan, who wanted to be the prince and was about to go crazy, also changed his mind, snorted coldly and agreed to meet him, Pei Gai hurriedly went out to summon Li Jing inside, and after a while, Li Jing, who had dark circles on his face, walked in quickly, and saluted Yang Jian very respectfully, and said loudly: "Li Jing, the prince of Mayi County, Weichen, knock on His Royal Highness King Qi, His Royal Highness Jin An." ”

"Tell me something." Yang Jun yawned and replied angrily, not even bothering to say a free courtesy.

"His Royal Highness the King of Qi, Chen Dashuai ordered Weichen to inform you, the military situation is like fire, tomorrow morning our army will be marching to the Yanmen battlefield, please Your Highness sit in the city of Laoxian and wait for good news." Li Jing said respectfully.

"What? Tell His Royal Highness to stay in Lao County? Yang Yan was furious when he heard this, and said angrily: "Father, he was trapped in the city of Laoxian by hundreds of thousands of Turks, His Royal Highness was so anxious that he couldn't sleep at night, and he didn't think about tea and dinner. What kind of thing is he, and why should His Highness obey his orders? ”

"Sure enough, I want to follow to the Yanmen battlefield." Li Jing snorted coldly in his heart, and said respectfully: "Your Highness forgives your sins, Chen Dashuai is the commander of the Qinwang army and horses personally edicted by His Majesty the Emperor, and the soldiers and horses of the Qinwang must listen to his orders." ”

"Chen Yingliang is the commander of King Qin who was enshrined by my father, but he still has no authority to command and restrain His Royal Highness." His Royal Highness the King of Qi Yang Xuan really played a scoundrel, and said confidently: "Don't forget, the soldiers and horses under the command of His Royal Highness are not the army of King Qin, but the escort soldiers and horses that protected his father before. ”

"Chen Yingliang said it right, and he really used this excuse to play a scoundrel." Li Jing sighed lightly in his heart, but his face was silent, he just arched his hand and said: "I see, Weichen understands, Weichen leaves." ”

After that, Li Jing saluted again, and really got up and turned around to leave, but as a result, Yang Yun, who was a scoundrel, was a little weak-hearted, and hurriedly said: "Wait, why do you say just go?" Why did you leave without saying anything? ”

"Your Highness, have you made it clear?" Li Jing asked very strangely, and said: "Your Highness, you have made it clear, you are leading the escort soldiers and horses, not under the command and restraint of Chen Dashuai, Weichen is here to communicate the military information for Chen Dashuai, and after receiving your reply from Your Highness, of course Weichen has to go back to talk back to Chen Dashuai." ”

Yang Yan was speechless, and Pei Cai, who was next to him, hurriedly stood up and asked, "Li Juncheng, what should we do with His Royal Highness King Qi?" Tomorrow Chen Dashuai will lead the army north to Yanmen, what will we do with the escort army under the command of His Royal Highness King Qi? ”

"Pei Ji Room, why are you asking me this question?" Li Jing smiled bitterly, spread his hands and said: "Xiaguan is just a mere county, he is not qualified to make decisions for Chen Dashuai, let alone dare to send and mobilize the escorts and horses under the command of His Royal Highness King Qi, how will His Highness act next, how will Xiaguan know?" ”

Pei Gai was also a little stammered, but Yang Yan had already come back to his senses, and hurriedly said: "Then you go back and tell Chen Yingliang, just say that His Royal Highness will also go to the Yanmen battlefield to participate in the battle, rescue my father and emperor, and my army will go with him." ”

"Your Highness, what if Chen Dashuai doesn't agree?" Li Jing suddenly changed his tone and said in a deep voice: "If Chen Dashuai categorically refuses your request, does not let your army go with the soldiers and horses of King Qin under his command, and does not let your escort army enter the camp of King Qin's coalition army, what will you do?" ”

"He dares!" Yang Jun was even more angry, and said angrily: "His Royal Highness is the son of His Royal Highness the Emperor, if he dares to disobey His Royal Highness, he will be guilty and rebellious!" ”

"Your Highness, you really can't threaten Chen Yingliang like this." Li Jing said with a stern expression: "Your Highness, although your status is noble, but His Majesty the Emperor has not given you the power to restrain the hundred officials, if you force Chen Yingliang to obey your orders, it will only make people say that you are arrogant." If Chen Yingliang has any more conflicts with you, endangering the affairs of King Qin, once His Majesty knows about it in the future, what will be the consequences, have you considered it, Your Highness? ”

Speaking of this, Li Jing arched his hand to Yang Jun again, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, please don't forget, although your brother Prince Yuande unfortunately died early, he left behind three imperial grandsons who were deeply loved by His Majesty, his eldest son, His Royal Highness King Yan, is twelve years old this year, always by His Majesty's side, and the two little imperial grandsons are also entrusted with the important task of staying in Daxing and Luoyang, Your Highness, behind you, there is also a five-year-old brother, His Royal Highness King Zhao, who is also deeply loved by His Majesty, and His Majesty the Emperor is only forty-five years old this year, The dragon body is healthy, the spring and autumn period is prosperous, Your Highness, it is too unwise for you to anger Your Majesty at this critical moment. ”

Yang Jian was also a little dumbfounded, and subconsciously glanced at Pei Gai next to him, Pei Gai was also a little dumbfounded, and it took a lot of time to come back to his senses, and then Pei Gai hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Li Juncheng, aren't you the person sent by Chen Dashuai to spread the word?" How can you say such a thing to Your Highness? ”

"Pei Ji room, it's very simple." Li Jing said in a low voice: "It's true that I am Chen Dashuai's temporary subordinate, but I am also the courtier of His Majesty the Emperor, and it is likely that I will be the courtier of His Royal Highness King Qi in the future. ”

After quietly glancing at Pei Gai, His Royal Highness King Qi smiled and hurriedly changed his friendly face, and greeted: "Li Juncheng, please sit down, sit down, sit down and talk slowly." ”

Li Jing was not polite, and after saluting and thanking him, he sat down in the position designated by Yang Jun, and then Yang Jin gave Pei Cai a look again, and asked Pei Gai to check that no one was eavesdropping around, and Yang Jin said in a low voice: "Li Juncheng, there are no outsiders here, if you have anything to say, just say it directly, His Royal Highness the King listens." ”

"Your Highness, you must not take risks at this time." Li Jing said in a low voice: "Prince Yuande unfortunately died early, although you are older in age, but His Majesty has never revealed the intention of canonizing the crown prince, at this time, if you fight for power and deliberately embarrass Chen Yingliang, once the emperor knows about it in the future, the consequences will definitely be unimaginable." Therefore, Weichen believes that this time, Your Highness, your goal of competition must not be King Qin's military power, but should be King Qin's first merit. ”

"But without military power, how can this king get the first merit of King Qin?" Yang Xuan said very depressedly: "My father handed over the military power to Chen Yingliang, defeated the Turks and rescued my father, how can King Qin's first merit be Chen Yingliang's, this king is only a foil at most, how can he fight for merit?" ”

"Your Highness, I would like to remind you that this first merit of King Qin is not something that can be obtained by those who lead King Qin's army to break through the Turks." Li Jing said in a low voice: "But whoever can break into the siege first, who can rush into Yanmen City to meet His Majesty first, who can win the first merit of King Qin." ”

"Your Highness, please think about it." Li Jing described: "The emperor has been surrounded by the Turks for more than a month, and he is eager to see through the reinforcements of King Qin, Your Highness, as the son of His Majesty, you are the first to lead King Qin's army into the siege, and the first to rush into Yanmen City with King Qin's army to meet His Majesty, so how grateful should the Emperor be to you, and what appreciation should you have?" Under the great joy of the dragon's face, is it possible for His Majesty the Emperor to let you fulfill your long-cherished wish on the spot? Compared with such a merit, what can be regarded as such a small merit in commanding King Qin's army to break through the Turks? ”

After listening to Li Jing's description, our Royal Highness the King of Qi was immediately moved, and his heart said yes, if I am the first to lead the army into Yanmen City to meet my father, my father will be overjoyed and canonize me as the crown prince on the spot. Compared to the crown prince's throne, the credit for commanding the army to defeat the Turks is a fart? Does Lao Tzu still care about that official reward? What Lao Tzu cares about is the crown prince's throne, the future throne!

Thinking of this, Yang Jun was greatly moved, and at the same time, he began to think about it again, and said in a deep voice: "The words of the pharmacist are indeed very reasonable, but the question is, how can this king get this credit?" Besides, there are only more than 4,000 troops under the command of this king, most of them are wounded, and the strength in his hands is too weak, how can he be the first to enter the encirclement and be the first to meet his father? ”

"Regarding this, Wei Chen came up with an idea for His Highness on the way here." Li Jing smiled and said: "An idea that has the best of both worlds, can not only give His Highness the strength to enter the encirclement to meet His Majesty, but also ensure that Your Highness establishes this Qinwang miraculous feat, and even allows Chen Yingliang to cooperate with Your Highness at any cost to establish this feat, and use all the power in his hands to help Your Highness enter Yanmen City first." ”

"What's the pharmacist's plan? Please tell us about it. Yang Jun asked happily.

After looking left and right again, and even looking up at the beams and bending down to check under the table, Li Jing said in a low voice: "If Your Highness doesn't give up, Weichen is willing to thread a needle between Your Highness and Chen Yingliang and negotiate a deal." ”

"What deal?" Yang Jun hurriedly asked.

"Your Highness, you help Chen Yingliang get angry, and Chen Yingliang helps Your Highness to establish Qinwang Qigong." Li Jing lowered his voice as much as he could, and said softly: "The grievances between Chen Yingliang and Ambassador Li Yuan, Your Highness, you should have heard of it, right?" ”

Seeing Yang Xuan nodding solemnly, Li Jing said softly: "Because of Ambassador Li's son-in-law, Chen Yingliang and Ambassador Li have long formed a deep hatred and hatred for each other. In this case, if Your Highness, you take over Ambassador Li's army and control Ambassador Li's army to make meritorious contributions on your own, how can Chen Yingliang not be happy and unhappy and not support you in doing so? ”

"I'm taking over Ambassador Lee's army?" Yang Jun was dumbfounded when he heard this, and blurted out: "But I ......." ”

When the words came to his mouth, Yang Yan hurriedly swallowed it back, but Li Jing seemed to be unconscious, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, rest assured, the army under the command of Ambassador Li has a total of 30,000 people, including many elite divisions, and the number of cavalry is the first among the armies of King Qin, and the strength can definitely guarantee that Your Highness will take the lead in entering Yanmen City to meet Your Majesty, and Your Highness, after you take over the soldiers and horses under the command of Ambassador Li, Chen Yingliang will not only breathe a bad breath, but also think about his future, and will fully cooperate with Your Highness to establish this miraculous feat." ”

Yang Jun looked hesitant and embarrassed, and even more hesitant in his heart, and only said in a low voice after a long time: "But how can I take over Ambassador Li's military power?" Also, if you do this, this king will also be tantamount to forming a deep hatred with Ambassador Li? ”

"Your Highness, compared to your crown prince's throne, is the crown prince's throne important? Or is the vendetta with Ambassador Lee important? Li Jing whispered very directly, and then said in a low voice: "Also, Your Highness, please rest assured, Weichen has a way to prevent you from coming forward to be a villain, so let Ambassador Li obediently hand over the military power to you." ”

"What's the solution?" Yang Jun quickly looked up.

"King Qin's army has 140,000, and the cost of grain and grass is huge." Li Jing smiled and said: "Weichen can persuade Chen Yingliang to arrange for Ambassador Li to return to Taiyuan to supervise the transportation of grain and grass, the Taiyuan army has no leader, Your Highness, isn't it reasonable for you to take over the military power in Taiyuan?" ”

Yang Xuan showed some joy, his heart began to waver, and after thinking for a while, our Royal Highness the King of Qi also resolutely put the secret agreement he had just concluded with Ambassador Li behind, nodded heavily and said: "Okay, just do it, you go and tell Chen Yingliang, as long as he promises to let this king be the first to enter Yanmen City to meet his father, I will fully cooperate with his command and fight, and I will also help him out of this evil breath!" After the deed, I can't treat him badly! ”

"Weichen respectfully obeys His Highness's decree." Li Jing agreed, but Li Jing was still a little uneasy, and whispered: "Your Highness, please remember that the commander of the Qinwang coalition army will not be able to charge at the front line in person no matter what, and there is absolutely no possibility that he will be the first to enter Yanmen City to meet His Majesty!" Therefore, this Qinwang boss is actually of no help to His Royal Highness, and taking it may backfire, which is not conducive to His Highness's future plans! ”

"Rest assured, this king knows." Yang Yun nodded and said in a low voice: "You can tell Chen Yingliang by the way, as long as he helps me with this, I will never interfere with his military command, after taking over the Taiyuan army, this king will definitely obey his command and will never cause trouble for him." ”

………………

When Li Jing returned to the Qinwang coalition army with Yang Yin's reply, the time was already the first moment of the third watch, but Chen Yingliang's sleeping tent was still brightly lit, Li Jing knew that Chen Yingliang must still be waiting for his news, so he was not polite, and immediately entered Chen Yingliang's sleeping tent to meet him, but Chen Yingliang really didn't sleep, and was still buried in the pile of official documents, until the soldiers came forward to report that Li Jing asked to see, Chen Yingliang raised his head, and then jumped up, and couldn't wait to ask: "Li Juncheng, how is it?" ”

Looking at the exhaustion on Chen Yingliang's face and dark circles under his eyes, Li Jing sighed lightly, and said in an extremely hypocritical whisper: "Handsome, although you are young, you also have to take care of your body, why don't you rest?" ”

"It's okay, I can resist." Chen Yingliang replied casually, waved his hand to drive the soldiers out of the tent, and asked in a low voice, "How is it?" How did His Royal Highness King Qi reply? ”

"It's finished." Li Jing nodded and said softly: "His Royal Highness the King of Qi promises, as long as you promise to let him be the first to enter Yanmen City to meet His Majesty, he will promise not to interfere with your command, not to cause chaos for you, and will also fight with Ambassador Li for the military power in Taiyuan." The two of them pinched up, and your handsome position can be as stable as Mount Tai. ”

Relieved, Chen Yingliang hurriedly saluted Li Jingji, bowed to the ground, and thanked him in a low voice, Li Jing hurriedly returned the salute, and said with a smile: "The handsome don't have to be like this, the lower official is just a gesture of effort, how can you afford such a big gift?" ”

"Li Juncheng, whether you are doing this with your hands or not, I know better than you." Chen Yingliang shook his head and said in a low voice: "I know very well in my heart how dangerous it is to negotiate with the prince in private, or to act like this when the emperor is worried about the national crisis when the emperor is besieged by the Turks. I don't know how to thank you for taking such a big risk in order to eliminate hidden dangers for me, to divide my two biggest and most dangerous opponents. ”

Li Jing smiled, first picked up Chen Yingliang, and then said in a low voice: "Commander, please remember, don't really drive Ambassador Li back to the rear, just let him and His Royal Highness King Qi pinch each other." In doing so, first, it can prevent His Royal Highness King Qi from sitting big and giving birth to greater ambitions; The second is that the Taiyuan army has strong combat effectiveness, which is very helpful to you, and if you really hand over this army to His Royal Highness the King of Qi, it is equivalent to abolishing this army and leaving Ambassador Li, who is deeply versed in military affairs, so that you can use this army better and more effectively. ”

Chen Yingliang nodded and sincerely thanked Li Jing for his guidance, but Li Jing refused to give up, and said in a low voice: "Also, if possible, you must try your best to keep your promise and help His Royal Highness King Qi to meet His Majesty first." There are two reasons, the first is that you are the boss, it is impossible to charge at the front line in person, and it is almost impossible to win this credit, this credit is not cheaper than others, it is better to really give it to His Royal Highness King Qi, and it is more effective to prevent Ambassador Li from counterattacking. Second, you are still young and have a long future ahead of you, and you have to prepare for your future. ”

Chen Yingliang nodded again, and wanted to open his mouth to thank Li Jing for his considerate guidance, but his eyes suddenly went dark, and he almost fell directly to the ground. After that, Li Jing hurriedly put Chen Yingliang on the bed.

"It's fine." Chen Yingliang shook his head strongly, and said in a low voice: "There is another possibility, Li Juncheng, Ambassador Li and His Royal Highness King Qi may still make that move, how big do you think this is possible." ”

"If they dare to make that move, it will be the time of death for both of them." Li Jing replied in a low voice: "Please rest assured, Ambassador Li and His Royal Highness King Qi should not have that guts, the lowly position will keep an eye on them for you, even if they dare to do so, the lowly position will inform you in advance." ”

Chen Yingliang nodded, just said a word of please, the person had been pressed on the bed by Li Jing, and then just after being pressed by Li Jing to lie down, Chen Fuliang had already snored loudly and fell asleep, Li Jing touched Chen Yingliang's forehead with some worry, until it was confirmed that Chen Yingliang did not have a fever, Li Jing carefully covered Chen Yingliang with a quilt, and his movements were gentle and careful.

The bedroom was unusually quiet, only Chen Yingliang's tired snoring echoed, looking at Chen Yingliang's tired face, and gently stroking the messy hair in front of Chen Yingliang's forehead, Li Jing sighed softly, his expression was gentle, and he muttered softly, "Child, this is just your first big trouble, and there are countless difficulties and dangers waiting for you." Still, it's okay, I ....... ", it's very helpful to you, if you really hand over this army to His Royal Highness King Qi, it is equivalent to abolishing this army and leaving Ambassador Li, who is deeply versed in military affairs, so that you can use this army better and more effectively."

Chen Yingliang nodded and sincerely thanked Li Jing for his guidance, but Li Jing refused to give up, and said in a low voice: "Also, if possible, you must try your best to keep your promise and help His Royal Highness King Qi to meet His Majesty first." There are two reasons, the first is that you are the boss, it is impossible to charge at the front line in person, and it is almost impossible to win this credit, this credit is not cheaper than others, it is better to really give it to His Royal Highness King Qi, and it is more effective to prevent Ambassador Li from counterattacking. Second, you are still young and have a long future ahead of you, and you have to prepare for your future. ”

Chen Yingliang nodded again, and wanted to open his mouth to thank Li Jing for his considerate guidance, but his eyes suddenly went dark, and he almost fell directly to the ground. After that, Li Jing hurriedly put Chen Yingliang on the bed.

"It's fine." Chen Yingliang shook his head strongly, and said in a low voice: "There is another possibility, Li Juncheng, Ambassador Li and His Royal Highness King Qi may still make that move, how big do you think this is possible." ”

"If they dare to make that move, it will be the time of death for both of them." Li Jing replied in a low voice: "Please rest assured, Ambassador Li and His Royal Highness King Qi should not have that guts, the lowly position will keep an eye on them for you, even if they dare to do so, the lowly position will inform you in advance." ”

Chen Yingliang nodded, just said a word of please, the person had been pressed on the bed by Li Jing, and then just after being pressed by Li Jing to lie down, Chen Fuliang had already snored loudly and fell asleep, Li Jing touched Chen Yingliang's forehead with some worry, until it was confirmed that Chen Yingliang did not have a fever, Li Jing carefully covered Chen Yingliang with a quilt, and his movements were gentle and careful.

The bedroom was unusually quiet, only Chen Yingliang's tired snoring echoed, looking at Chen Yingliang's tired face, and gently stroking the messy hair in front of Chen Yingliang's forehead, Li Jing sighed softly, his expression was gentle, and he muttered softly, "Child, this is just your first big trouble, and there are countless difficulties and dangers waiting for you." Still, it's okay, I ....... ”