Chapter 401 Condolences
The news of the death of Emperor Cao Yuanjing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty was quickly transmitted all the way to Luoyang.

Upon learning about this, Li Yuanhui, who was watching Cuju in Luoyang, immediately returned to the office from the stadium.

"Cao Yuanjing is dead?"

"Yes, he became seriously ill after the fifth battle of Ruxu two years ago. He has been recuperating for more than a year. Cao Yan has been in charge of the government. Now is the end of his life, so there shouldn't be any mistakes."

Li Chunfeng, the secretary who was in charge of the minutes in the palace, replied.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanhui's expression remained calm, showing no joy or anger, but his heart was already in turmoil.

Now that Cao Yuanjing is dead, is that a good opportunity to attack Eastern Wei?

"Order everyone to come here to discuss the matter."

"promise."

Soon, all the civil and military officials in Luoyang gathered in the office.

Li Yuanhui looked at the crowd and said, "Now that Cao Yuanjing of the Eastern Wei has passed away, can we use this opportunity to raise an army and take over Jiangdong in one fell swoop?"

After hearing the news, everyone was a little surprised, and then there were calls for fighting one after another.

"I was originally the vanguard, please give the order, Your Majesty."

"With the death of Cao Yuanjing of the Eastern Wei, there is no leader left. I think it is the right time to attack Wei, and we will surely succeed."

"I second the motion."

After all, compared to the cavalry of Northern Yan, it is easier for the Jianghuai Army to defeat its old rival Jiangdong.

Chang Yanheng had been granted the title of Duke of a county because of his military exploits in Qingzhou, which was considered a very high title among ministers of other surnames. This also made everyone envious, and now that there was an opportunity to capture Jiangdong, they were naturally very motivated.

If military generals want to gain high positions, they naturally need military achievements. This is what is meant by "joy at the hearing of war".

Li Yuanhui was very satisfied when he saw that everyone was eager to fight.

However, he has always been cautious, although at this moment he is also inclined to use troops in Jiangdong to conquer Eastern Wei.

If we can win in one battle and gain the manpower and material resources of Jiangdong, then the Tang Dynasty will be able to unify the world.

But the problem is that although Cao Yuanjing is dead, the situation of Eastern Wei is still unknown. If there is no internal dispute, it will be difficult to take over Jiangnan even if the emperor is changed.

The current accumulation in the Jianghuai area does not give an overwhelming advantage to the south of the Yangtze River, and the prerequisites for sending troops are not mature at this time.

Therefore, Li Yuanhui did not immediately accept the request for battle. Instead, he stretched out his hand to suppress the generals who clasped their fists and asked for battle, indicating that they should be patient.

At this time, Li Qinglian had also prepared a plan in his mind, and he said with a cupped hand: "Your Majesty, I think it is not appropriate to invade Jiangdong at this time."

Li Yuanhui frowned upon hearing this, and then said, "Qinglian can speak frankly."

"Although Cao Yuanjing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty died of illness, his son Cao Yan is no easy man. He started an uprising with Cao Yuanjing when he was a teenager. He was brave and good at fighting. People in Jiangzuo all said that he had the courage of a tyrant. Cao Yuanjing made many northern expeditions, and Cao Yan stayed behind. However, Jianye has never had any unrest because of Cao Yuanjing's absence, which shows that he has some talent. The king of the Eastern Wei Dynasty has just passed away. If we send troops at this time, even if the people of the Eastern Wei Dynasty want to fight for power, they will temporarily put aside their prejudices and concentrate on dealing with foreign enemies because of our Tang Dynasty's troops. But if our Tang Dynasty does not send troops, then they will naturally feel relieved. So I think it is better to let them fight first. Cao Yan is the new king and has a strong temperament. He will inevitably have a gap with the old ministers and the powerful families. As long as they can fight, it will be a great opportunity for our Tang Dynasty to send troops."

Li Yuanhui nodded after hearing this. Although he wanted to send troops immediately, what Li Qinglian said made sense.

It was not just Li Qinglian. Zhu Deyu, who was very experienced among the generals, also expressed his own opinion, which was very similar to Li Qinglian's. "I think what Sima Li said is prudent. Although the Eastern Wei did not achieve success in the five northern expeditions, their fighting power is not to be underestimated. If we go south to attack Wei, it is likely to be the same as the Eastern Wei's expedition to Ruxu. I think we should follow the example of Wei's battle to destroy Wu and kill them with a single blow. We should not delay for too long."

Li Qinglian and Zhu Deyu both said this, which dampened the generals' desire to fight.

Needless to say, Li Qinglian was the trusted adviser of the King of Qi and had served as a military guard many times. He was also very familiar with the generals of Jianghuai. Everyone knew that this gentleman was a real talent and his advice almost always came true, and all his predictions almost always came true.

As for Zhu Deyu, he was a big shot and representative figure in the Jianghuai army. He had made great military achievements and was also an old friend and confidant of the King of Qi.

The weight of his words is very significant within the Jianghuai faction.

However, the one who made the final decision was Dugu Ying, who came from a noble Xianbei family in Luoyang.

"Your Majesty, I think it is not a good time to attack Wei now. If the war drags on, Northern Yan will take advantage of the situation and invade. Then we may not be able to hold on to the Central Plains."

Li Yuanhui breathed a sigh of relief. He had now basically completely given up the idea of ​​attacking the Eastern Wei.

However, he still had a thought in his mind, so he said, "Let's put the matter of conquering the Eastern Wei on hold for now. Our Great Tang is also a great country. When a vassal state is in mourning, we should send envoys to express our condolences. Besides, I just married the daughter of Cao, so I am somewhat related to the Eastern Wei."

When everyone heard this, they also understood what Li Yuanhui was thinking. He was not giving up yet.

However, they still approved of Li Yuanhui's idea. Sending envoys to Jiangdong to express condolences could help them understand the truth and verify the intelligence obtained by Jianghuai's spies in Jiangdong.

If there really is an opportunity and unrest occurs in Jiangdong, then we can naturally take the opportunity to attack Wei.

So, Li Yuanhui wrote a letter to the Emperor of Eastern Wei in his own handwriting, praising his old rival Cao Yuanjing as a hero of the time and a man of the spirit of Han Zhaolie.

This comment actually has a bit of an insulting meaning, but the insult is not directed at Cao Yuanjing but Cao Yan.

Because the son of Emperor Zhaolie of Han was the famous Adou.

But it is a great honor for people to say that your father is Liu Bei. Even though the Wei Dynasty unified the world, the spirit and courage of the Shu Han regime were still praised.

Even in the Great Wei, if you belittle Emperor Zhaolie, you are belittle your ancestor Wei Wu.

Most of the time, Cao and Liu are mentioned together. They are opponents that your ancestors have fought with all their lives.

In fact, this was not the first time that Li Yuanhui wrote a letter to the Eastern Wei. When Zhang Hongping, the late Sikong, Lu Shangshushi, and Duke of Langya of the Eastern Wei, who was posthumously named "Zhongwu", passed away, Li Yuanhui also wrote a letter, praising him as "Zhuge Wuhou".

This is what it means to praise someone while disgusting them.

Because in the end, the second emperor of Shu Han died. Even though it had a very rare spirit, it was still a separatist regime.

Li Yuanhui's meaning was very clear. I admit that you are very powerful and can rule your own region, but the final result will be the same. You cannot change the overall situation, just like Shu Han.

This letter was sent to Jianye by Li Yuanhui's cousin Dou Shi as an envoy to Jiangdong.

In the palace of Jianye Imperial City, Cao Yan read the letter and sighed repeatedly, "When the late emperor was alive, he often said that if there was no Li Qi Wang to rule the Jianghuai River, the restoration of the Wei Dynasty would be impossible. Today, I saw the handwriting of Li Qi Wang. It turns out that Li Qi Wang also regarded the late emperor as a hero."

Dou Shi said: "My great king once said that Cao Gong is a descendant of the imperial family. Although he is engaged in the salt business, he has great ambitions. If such a person gets the right time, he will be like Emperor Guangwu of Han and rebuild the country. If not, he can also be like Emperor Zhaolie of Han."

Upon hearing this, Cao Yan burst into tears and said, "The one who knew the late emperor was the King of Qi."

(End of this chapter)