At the moment when the flames rose on Wei Wensheng's corpse, Li Jiancheng turned his face slightly. He didn't want people to see his gaffe, but his clenched fists kept shaking.

The fire on the Liao River haunted him and kept him restless day and night. And today, the nightmare is finally over. The people who set fire to the retreat of the soldiers despite his obstruction paid for their sins with their own corpses. He Li Jiancheng is no longer an "unreliable" coach. The first to climb the city wall of Chang'an were the warriors under his command, and the first team to rush into Chang'an was the left army led by him! He once again proved that his abilities were no worse than any hero of this era, at least, no worse than his second brother Shimin...... Thinking of this, he quietly glanced at the corner of his eye and saw that his younger brother Shimin's heroic face was full of regret.

Li Jiancheng understood what his younger brother Shimin was regretting. Ever since the army marched south, although Shimin himself had performed badly on the battlefield, there was a kind of good fortune that had always followed him. Fighting Huoyi, Li Shimin was passed by Song Laosheng in front of him, but Liu Hongji, who was born under the city wall, was precisely a general under Shimin. Attacking the Yellow River, Li Shimin's troops were attacked by the enemy, and the whole army almost collapsed. But at the critical moment, Chai Shao, who crossed the river from elsewhere, detoured behind Sang Xianhe, the chief general of the Sui army, with hundreds of cavalry, and once again pulled Li Shimin back from the brink of defeat. Although Chai Shao had been promoted to the head of the horse army directly under his father at that time, the cavalry led by this person at that time was the Flying Tiger Army trained by Hou Junji and Wu Shiyu. After that, the credit is still indispensable, and Li Shimin's share is still indispensable. When the army approached the Beijing Division, after a little support, Liu Hongji and Hou Junji under the command of Li Shimin shined again, expanding the land for hundreds of miles between raising their hands, gathering tens of thousands, and beating Wei Wensheng, who led the troops to meet him, to the point that he vomited blood, and died of shame within a few days after escaping back to the Beijing Division.

With the support of these contributions, Li Shimin's pressure on Jiancheng to be his brother has become more and more obvious. Although on the surface, the two are brothers, friends and brothers, and they are still as close as they were five years ago. But Li Jiancheng clearly knows that if he doesn't take some decent credit, his position in the family will be replaced sooner or later.

If it's his own talent and virtue, it's far from his brother's. Li Jiancheng will take the initiative to hand over the identity of the Duke of Tang, no, who is now the first heir of the King of Tang. It was necessary for him to do so, both for the prosperity of his family and for his personal safety. can ask yourself, Li Jiancheng really can't see that in addition to luck, where is he inferior to his second brother Shimin?

Indeed, when he was on the Liao River, he did not keep the retreat of the grain protection team. But at that time, Xu Guogongyu Wenshu was also there, and even he couldn't stop Wei Wensheng from setting fire to the bridge, how could he hinder the younger generations by himself?

Although it was not his own fault, he paid a huge price for it. After the incident, everyone thought that they were "unreliable", Liu Hongji and Wu Shiji, who came back alive, and even Wang Yuantong and Qi Poning, who had returned to their father's command after being separated for many years, refused to work for themselves anymore. And Liu Hongji is under the command of the second brother, the warrior is under his father's account, and Wang Yuantong and Qi Poning are behind Wan'er, and they have all made great contributions! As a result, those credits belonged to the second brother, to the father, and to Wan'er, and as their old boss, they didn't get anything!

Indeed, the performance of his own Left Route Army after the army was raised was far less fancy than that of the Right Route Army of the Shimin Institute. But the Left Route Army did not make any mistakes that threatened the survival of the entire Li family. Compared with the steady and steady play on the left side, the actions of the right army fully exposed the gambler nature of the second brother Shimin. If it weren't for Liu Hongji and Hou Junji to cover for him, the entire army would have been completely buried by him!

In terms of being a person, Jiancheng thinks that he is far more calm and tolerant than his second brother Shimin. In terms of government affairs, he has many years of experience in assisting his father in managing the local area, and he is far behind his second brother, who likes to do everything spontaneously. The only ability that the people of the world can compete with themselves is military affairs. The second brother can take the credit of Liu Hongji and Chai Shao on his own head, and even take some of the achievements achieved by cooperating with the Women's Army for himself. But in front of hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes, the first to attack the fortified city of Chang'an was the soldiers of the Left Army. This battle alone for the Left Route Army was enough to overshadow all the merits of the Right Route Army since the beginning of the war!

Since his abilities and contributions to the family in all aspects are no worse than his younger brother, Li Jiancheng certainly can't give up the position of the son. For a long time, the people of the younger brother have been pressing step by step, and he, the elder brother, has to endure again and again because of the notoriety of "burying the potential help of hundreds of families". From now on, he will no longer retreat before the aggressiveness of the people. He has personally avenged the brothers of the grain protection team who died on the east bank of the Liao River, and he has personally proved his excellent ability to employ people and lead the army. The next thing he had to do was to lead the main force of the Li family to the north to defend against the Turkic wolf cavalry side by side with the champion general Li Xu according to the agreement before the capture of Chang'an. And by the way, he brought Li Xu's reward of the hussar general and the hereditary king of Boling County to Li Xu from the hand of his father's fake new emperor Yang Yu, and then merged the six counties of Hebei with Hedong and Gyeonggi.

If this matter is left to Shimin, with his domineering character, he will definitely mess up again. And leave it to himself, Li Jiancheng thinks that he has a chance of achieving his goal. First of all, Xuzi has always respected himself as if he was his own brother, and he has always been interacting with each other as a brother, and there is an indelible family affection between them, even if some things can't be discussed, they can bargain openly and honestly, and they will not turn their faces on the spot because of inconsistent opinions on the future development path of the six counties in Hebei; Second, before repelling the Turkic wolf horse, he would not talk about two families and do one's business, so as not to make Xuzi feel that the Li family in Hedong was taking advantage of others. Through the bloody battle side by side, the officers and men of the Boling Army will fully see the current strength and future prospects of the Li family in Hedong, as long as Xuzi himself does not have the ambition to be a lonely widow, it is almost natural to merge with each other; Third, even if Xuzi is no longer the Xuzi of the past, he has a higher goal in life and has more desire for power. He should also be able to see that it is almost impossible to sweep the world with the land of six counties. And as long as he is willing to put forward conditions, he will do his best to meet his requirements as the first heir of the Li family. With Xuzi's personality and intelligence, he should be able to see the sincerity shown by the Li family in this matter.

If there is Asahiko to help....... His eyes swept over the black smoke, and Li Jiancheng once again looked at the silent Liu Hongji, the eldest grandson Wuji and Hou Junji. Together, these talents in the world can't compare with Xuzi's ability. His position as a son will be as stable as a rock, and no one will be able to threaten him anymore. The Li family will also be more lush in their own hands, surpassing their father, and their father's father, reaching unprecedented glory.

"Is the prince ready to go? Is there a need for the general's service? Sensing Li Jiancheng's slightly critical gaze, the warrior closest to him hurried forward a few steps and asked in a low voice.

Although he has been named the prince of Taiyuan County, the warrior still maintains the respect for the young master of Jiancheng and the people. This is a habit he has developed under the fence for a long time, and he can't change it even if he wants to change it for a while. Li Jiancheng was very satisfied with this attitude, his sharp gaze suddenly became gentle, he thought about it, and replied with a smile: "Uncle Chen has been in charge of this matter, I have too many things today, and I haven't had time to ask him yet!" If the Duke of Taiyuan can spare some time later, I will ask General Dou to go to you to get some crossbow arrows for defending the city. Zhuo County has two great walls inside and outside, which is conducive to defending against danger. Our army should bring more feather arrows over, it should come in handy! ”

The samurai smiled and nodded, "I've already called up all the feather arrows in the army's inventory. In addition, there are four thousand sets of vests, all of which can be taken away if the prince needs them. After we arrived in Hebei, we were a guest army, and if we didn't bring enough ordnance, we would inevitably be laughed at by others! ”

"Then where are the other soldiers and horses going to get the feather arrows if they need them?" Li Jiancheng didn't expect the warrior to be so generous to him, so he paused for a moment, and blurted out a questioning voice.

"The last general has already told Tang Gong to start cutting down the royal gardens outside the city from tomorrow. The timber from those gardens has been raised for more than twenty years, and it's time to come in handy! Wu Shiyu had been prepared for Li Jiancheng's question, smiled, and gave the answer in a low voice.

The reason why he deliberately highlighted the difference between Hebei and Hedong in his words was to avoid teaching the truth. But as busy as he could, he had done his best for his former friends. The quality of the feather arrows produced is definitely not as good as the original inventory, but the enemies faced by both sides are also different. On one side were bandits with rudimentary weapons and cheap armor, and on the other side were hundreds of thousands of wolf riders who were pouring in. Which side is more threatening, smart people should be able to distinguish in their hearts.

Li Jiancheng definitely belongs to the category of smart people. After a little hesitation, he decided to count the samurai's actions as a means to get closer to him. Since he led his troops to attack Chang'an first, he has encountered similar close-up moves more than a dozen times a day, so it is easy to get used to nature.

Although the martial arts family in Bingzhou is not a famous family, this time Chang'an was entitled, in addition to the county prince of the samurai, there is also a samurai Ling who was also named the county duke. With the title of one family and two dukes and the wealth of half of the state, the take-off of the martial family is just around the corner. Such a person can be used as a helper, and it is naturally good to push the boat down the river and collect it under the account. Even if you can't get his allegiance for the time being, you can't just watch him run forward and backward for others.

Considering the above factors, Li Jiancheng's smile looked more and more peaceful, "General Wu always wants to be ahead of everyone when he does things. With you in charge of the baggage, I don't know how much worry you have saved along the way. If it weren't for the fact that your father had appointed you as the general of the Si Zhengqing, the post of the grain supervisor of the Northern Expedition Army, it would definitely be Shiyu! ”

"Thank you for your love, what Wu has done is just a matter of duty. It's not a matter of planning. Wu Shiyu was taken aback by Li Jiancheng's unscrupulousness, and hurriedly diverted the topic to military affairs. He didn't want to offend Li Jiancheng, who was in full swing at the moment, but he was far from being a philistine to the point where he immediately changed his court when he saw that the other party might have the upper hand. Besides, he knows that his foundation is shallow, and he is not as good as the eldest grandson Shunde and Liu Wenjing. Therefore, it is better to stay away from the matter of not mixing with the establishment of the prince and seizing the heir.

Before the warrior could clear himself, Dou Cong, Li Jiancheng's henchman Zuo Sanjun, immediately came over and said in a strange manner: "As the old saying goes, the soldiers and horses have not moved, and the grain and grass go first. If what Brother Shi Yu did was not considered to be in front of the plan, then some people who didn't even have eyesight frames would be in vain to bear the name of resourcefulness! ”

When he said this, Dou Cong's eyes stared at Li Jing who was standing beside Li Shimin without blinking. stared at the other party and lowered his head, exposing all the gray hair behind the official hat, before he snorted triumphantly and raised his chin high.

"There are still some things to be a prisoner, and Wu will go first. Don't blame the son! Fearing that he would get himself into more trouble if he continued to talk, the samurai quickly bowed down and retired.

"General Wu walks slowly. General Dou will look for you later! Li Jiancheng smiled indifferently, and did not take the samurai's push as a grievance. On the contrary, the more the other party is like this, the more respectful it is to him. Compared with the samurai, Li Jing, who was being squeezed by Dou Cong with words, was too much worse in his mind. That guy is just over forty, his hair is nearly half white, and his face is full of gloom as if he owes others hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he doesn't look like a good person! . Therefore, although his subordinates deliberately provoked first, Li Jiancheng did not want to stop it. In the depths of his heart, there was a very strong sense of pleasure mixed with longing, waiting to see how Li Shimin stood up for Li Jing, a snobbish.

If this matter is placed at an ordinary moment, and there is friction between the prince and the second son, most of the people around him will definitely find an excuse to hide away like the samurai. But today, most of the people who accidentally heard Dou Cong's words turned their eyes from before the fire to the friction scene. Eight of the ten were full of contempt for Li Jing.

Everyone can't figure out which tendon is wrong with the ordinary and witty second son in the past few days, and he is trying to provoke Li Wan'er, the commander of the Niangzi Army, and Li Yuan, the king of Tang, to be unhappy, so they have to protect Li Jing from the ghost knife? Although before Li Jing was executed, he shouted, "The public rejuvenates the volunteers, and if they want to quell the riots, they kill the strong men with personal grudges!" "It sounds like a good way, but there are so many people who can talk big these days, and I haven't seen a few of them really do the right thing.

In the eyes of everyone, Li Jing at this moment is dirty and sloppy, which is even more annoying than a rat crossing the street. Twenty years ago, he had been very famous, and he had been mixed until he was forty years old, and he had not made a career comparable to his reputation. The Li family reorganized their armies in Taiyuan, and as a refugee who fled into Taiyuan from Liu Wuzhou, the family did not miss the grace of the Tang family at all, but took the denunciation of the Li family in Hedong as a great opportunity to advance. As a result, after arriving in Chang'an, he first gave the Yin Shishi an idea to destroy the ancestral tomb of the Li family, and then tried to incite the people of the city to confront the Li family's army. If it weren't for the late Jingzhao Yin Guyi's good thoughts at the end, the entire Chang'an might have been martyred for Li Jing's utilitarian heart.

In addition, the guy also personally shot and killed several generals of the Women's Army, including Gongsun Hua of Wuxiang County. Even Zhang Chuchen, who was unanimously regarded as a fairy-like figure by the young generals, almost died at his hands. I heard unverified news that Li Jing's wife had a white head appointment with others in order to escape for his life. The reason why Zhang Chuchen is still in the boudoir is actually waiting for Li Jing.

is such a ruthless, unrighteous guy who does not hesitate to kill people for his own selfishness, and the second son Li Shimin still wants to redeem him with his military exploits? He actually asked Tang Gong to entrust him with an important task based on this person's performance when he was defending the city? Fortunately, Tang Gong was not old and confused, although he pardoned this person's guilt, he only let him join the army as a seven-grade person. Otherwise, everyone will have to be in the same column with this generation every day when they deliberate, which is really shameful and shameful!

The hostility revealed in his eyes made Li Shimin feel pressure. But he was convinced that he had done nothing wrong. The road of Li Jiahua to turn his family into a country has just begun, and at this time, he should use his talents, not his virtues. When my father sits firmly in the country, if he doesn't like those guys who have a deficit in virtue, give him a vacant position and hang it high, and he must not behave too squarely now, so that those courtiers of the former Great Sui Dynasty will not dare to come to defect one by one. If you talk about private morality, Yu Shiji, Pei Ju, Pei Yun, Yu Wenshi and others who are currently running around Emperor Yang Guang are not more insidious than Li Jing. But if any of them took refuge in it, it would be tantamount to tens of thousands of soldiers for the Li family.

Therefore, no matter what others think, Li Shimin will never give up on Li Jing. He smiled at his brother first, softening the heat that was blowing in his face. Then he turned his body lightly and used his back to block all the hostility that was shooting at Li Jing.

"Senior Brother Yao, I remember that when I discussed with you yesterday the strategy of going east to suppress bandits, there were still some details that were not completed. You can go back and help me deal with it first. Let's continue to supplement and improve later! Deliberately raised his voice a few points, Li Shimin solemnly ordered.

"The last general, subordinates, subordinates will never live up to the trust of the second son!" Li Jing, who was stared at by everyone, didn't expect Li Shimin to be willing to stand up for himself at this time, first stunned, then bowed down and replied in a trembling voice.

"When you first joined our army, you haven't had a chance to show your talent. If you had come a few months earlier, you would have stood out. Li Shimin patted Li Jing lightly on the shoulder, and although his tone was peaceful, there were a few edges and corners that could not be concealed. After that, he personally straightened Li Jing's clothes, and then watched the other party leave slowly. When Li Jing walked away, he turned his head and gently hugged his fists at everyone. "If Li Jing has offended on the battlefield, please look at my thin face and don't pursue it. It turns out that he and we are enemies, and naturally all the means at their disposal are exhausted. But now, he has become a member of the Li family and can no longer be regarded as an enemy. ”

Although these words may not convince everyone, they are better than being polite and courteous. Many of the generals who had come over with the mentality of watching the excitement returned the salute with a smile and returned to their position in a sneering manner. Some of the former Sui generals in the counties along the way who came over because their troops were defeated by the righteous army and "abandoned the darkness and turned to the light", but they felt that Li Jiancheng and his generals were narrow-minded and Li Shimin was magnanimous, which added a few points to his favorability towards Li Ergongzi.

Seeing that the second brother was talking and laughing, he melted away Dou Cong's deliberate blow, and piggybacking on a few soft nails for himself. Li Jiancheng didn't feel a little annoyed in his heart. But because he was accustomed to forbearance, he couldn't find anything for a while that would not only lose his status as a brother, but also combat the arrogance of the people. The smoke billowed from his chest and abdomen, as if the smoke and dust on the entire fire had been sucked into his stomach.

For a while, the atmosphere around the fire was a little awkward. The order to burn Wei Wensheng's body in public was given by Li Yuan himself, saying that it was to pay tribute to the 800 heroes who were buried on the other side of the Liao River by Wei Lao thieves during the first expedition to Liao. Looking at the entire Li Family Army, whether it is directly under Li Yuan, or under the command of Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Wan'er, there are many generals who were born in your grain protection team back then. Therefore, there are no ministers and generals, and everyone comes to watch the ceremony with the mentality of making good connections. Unexpectedly, Wei Wensheng's body had not yet turned to ashes, but the flames had already spread to the Li family brothers.

"Li Jing did such a wrong thing in the past, although his father said that he would not pursue it, everyone occasionally said a few words of gossip to him to vent his dissatisfaction, which is not excessive." Li Wan'er didn't want everyone to see that her brother and younger brother were not compatible, so she had to come forward to play a round. In her memory, her elder brother Jiancheng and her younger brother Shimin should not be like this at all. She remembered that in the year she got married, the people of the world still pestered her brother all day long, and regarded the latter as the biggest barrier in the world. And the elder brother also did his best to meet all the demands of the people. The eldest brother is like a father, and this word could not have been more apt between two brothers at that time

It's only been a few years! Li Wan'er sighed secretly in her heart. Pretending to be smiling, she continued to say to her brother and younger brother: "Take me as an example, in business, naturally I won't trouble Li Jing anymore." But if he still treats everyone as a stepping stone in private, then don't blame me for settling old accounts and new accounts together. I'm a woman, and I'm not as broad-minded as you men. Especially for the guy who has hurt the general of my women's army, you can accept him as an official in the same dynasty, but don't expect me to give him a good face! ”

For some reason, for his second sister, who was born with a manly spirit, Li Shimin always had respect and awe in his heart. Although he was a little unhappy, he still took half a step back and replied with a smile: "That's natural, the second sister is fast." Public is public, private is private. Since Li Jing has made mistakes, he should suffer some small losses in language! ”

"The second sister is right!" Li Jiancheng was foreshadowed and finally saved a little face. first thanked his sister who was upset, and then turned his head to instruct Dou Cong, "I read that you were also out of righteous indignation just now. Forget what you've said. But don't trouble Li Jing again in the future. Otherwise, people will think that you are bullying the small! ”

"Yes!" Dou Cong solemnly clenched his fists and replied loudly.

A little verbal dispute almost turned into a public conflict between the two brothers, and Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin both found it very boring. Seeing that the coffin containing Wei Wensheng's body was swallowed up by the flames little by little, Li Shimin first found an excuse and left the fire with his staff and cronies. After a moment of boredom, Li Jiancheng also turned around and jumped on horseback under the pretext of preparing for the military affairs of the Northern Expedition.

The smell of burning bones was terrible, so after a while, the civil and military officials who had come to watch the ceremony and pay tribute to the 800 heroes dispersed one after another, and slowly, only Li Wan'er and her subordinates were left by the fire. Knowing that many people may not like to accompany her, Li Wan'er was not embarrassed by everyone, turned around and waved her hand at everyone, and ordered in a low voice: "Everyone go back and prepare." When the food and grass are raised, most of you will follow me north! ”

If it weren't for the respect for Wan'er, the generals would have fled long ago. Therefore, hearing her order, Qiu Shili, Ren Huan, Xi Shiling and others immediately retired. Only Wang Yuantong and Qi Poning chose to stay, standing on Li Wan'er's side on the left and right, like two towering peaks.

The three of them stood side by side, silently watching a pile of flames leap in front of them. If it weren't for the fire, many people would have taken a very different path than they do now. Wang and Qi will not be captured as slaves by the Yan people, and of course they will not have a later career in the green forest. As for Wan'er, she will definitely marry Chai Shao, that is her responsibility to the family as the daughter of Tang Gong, and she can't get rid of it at all. But before getting married, she will rely on Li Xu for a long, long time, leaving unforgettable memories in each other's lives......

"Let's go. It's too cold, and your body may not be able to hold it after standing for a long time! After the flames weakened a little, Wang Yuantong turned to the front of Wan'er and whispered advice.

"Let's go. Get a few sergeants, put out the fire, and scatter the ashes on the pipes outside the city! Wan'er sighed softly and responded.

What made her regret was not only her youngest daughter's wish back then. That fire changed the fate of many people, including his brother. If the bridge continued back then, it must have been a matter of course for Xu Zi to become his brother's arm. Liu Hongji and Samurai will not be estranged from their brother. In that way, the younger brother Shimin will not have contempt for his brother because his wings are getting harder and harder!

"Actually, the reason why the two brothers are making a very unpleasant quarrel today is because of the position of the commander of the Northern Expedition Army, not Li Jing's turtle grandson!" Qi Poning has always been used to going straight with Wan'er, and he knows what the other party is thinking, so he doesn't hide his opinions.

When he said this, Wan'er felt a little better. But at the same time, I am very skeptical about the correctness of this statement. After thinking for a moment, he hesitantly asked, "The Turkic wolf rider is not easy to get along with, why should they be so unhappy about this?" If you want to rush to make a contribution, aren't there many enemies in the four miles that are easier to deal with than the Turkic wolf? ”

"That's different. Since ancient times, in the eyes of those of us who are soldiers, we have valued foreign wars more than internal wars. Internal strife for millions of corpses may not be considered a skill, and reluctance to give up an inch of land in an external war must be a hero. That's why General Fubo, Ma Yuan, and Dingyuan Hou Banchao can have such a big reputation. The task of fighting against the Turkic wolf cavalry is a little more arduous, and if it is won, it will be the credit of saving the Tianhe. Wang Yuantong shook his head and explained the problem to Wan'er from a man's point of view.

For the rest of the words, he didn't need to continue to remind Wan'er. A person who has made such a great contribution, even if Tang King Li Yuan wants to treat him badly, I am afraid that there are many people who will speak up!

It's a risk, but it's also a God-given opportunity for a man who is good at grasping. This point, Li Jiancheng's advisers will not be unable to see it. And Li Shimin, who is known as wise, may have seen it clearly a long time ago.

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