Chapter 469 The Fundamentals of Success

The triangle is the most stable structure.

The current stability of the Tang Dynasty also depends on the tacit understanding and mutual checks and balances among the three brothers: the Crown Prince, the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Qi.

Under such circumstances, Li Yuanhui naturally hoped that his second brother could continue to stabilize Guanzhong.

Because if Crown Prince Li Er is unable to handle affairs of state, the next person to govern Guanzhong will definitely be Prince Jin, and the two have quite a lot of overlapping supporters in Guanzhong.

The court officials and the Guanzhong nobles were all supporters of the two men. It could be said that except for the East Palace's confidants, it didn't make much difference to the rest of the people whether it was the Crown Prince or the Prince of Jin. But there were too many variables in the situation.

Li Yuanhui hoped to take over Hebei and then solve internal problems with his brothers.

This is also the consensus of the three.

Now it seems that I can’t wait any longer.

However, there is no point in thinking too much now. The most important thing for the Tang Dynasty at the moment is to recover its vitality and prepare for a long-term confrontation with the Han army.

Li Yuanhui's reply to Guanzhong had not yet been sent, and Li Yuan, who had just returned from summer vacation, began to make arrangements to return to Guanzhong.

This is somewhat unexpected.

As for why Li Yuan wanted to return to Guanzhong, there were two reasons. The first was the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty. Li Yuanhui had a hunch that Liu Xuanji would still focus on the direction of Luoyang.

Second, Li Yuan still had a huge influence on Guanzhong. He also knew that Li Er had not been in good health recently, so he couldn't help but have some thoughts.

Luoyang's administrative team and many other guards and troops, including the Left and Right Wuwei, the Left and Right Weiwei, and the Tiance Mansion, were all established by Li Yuanhui himself. His influence as an emperor was really limited, but it was different in Guanzhong.

In the court of Chang'an City, there are still many of his people. And he also has a large number of royal family members and relatives to rely on.

His influence in Guanlong far exceeds that of Li Er.

Li Yuan proposed to return to Guanzhong, and Li Yuanhui really couldn't stop him. Li Yuan was the emperor, not a prisoner. Unless you built a Xuanwu Gate to imprison him, what could you use to stop him from traveling normally?

Moreover, if Li Er's health condition really had problems, it might not be a bad thing for the old man to go back. However, he still delayed it as much as possible and suggested that Li Yuan spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in Luoyang before returning to Guanzhong.

Li Yuan finally nodded in agreement.

Li Yuanhui sent messages to Guanzhong and Hedong respectively, telling them that Li Yuan would return to Guanzhong after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Ahem, ahem." In the East Palace, Li Er stood up with the help of Crown Princess Gao. He drank the medicine and found it too bitter. "Honey water, please."

After drinking a mouthful of honey water, Li Er let out a long sigh and asked the Crown Princess beside him, "Is there any news from Luoyang?"

The Crown Princess said: "Luoyang is only about 700 to 800 miles away, and we have to take the Qiao-Han Road, how can we get there so quickly?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a eunuch coming to report that the Prince's Secretary Xue Shou and Zuo Chunfang Fang Qiao wanted to see him.

Li Er was about to ask them to come in, but when the words came to his lips, they turned into: "Change my clothes for me."

The Crown Princess asked, "Why did your Highness go through all this trouble?"

Li Er shook his head and said nothing. The Crown Princess sighed and could only signal with her eyes. The eunuch and the maid hurriedly brought a set of casual clothes and dressed Li Er.

Li Er walked a little unsteadily, but still declined others' help and went to the front hall to sit down. Then he had Xue Shou and Fang Qiao brought in for an audience.

"But is there any news from Luoyang?"

Xue Shou said, "Your Highness, the King of Qi just sent a letter, and the King of Jin also sent a letter from Hedong."

Li Er was a little surprised when he heard this, and then asked, "What's the matter?"

"The official documents from the King of Qi and the King of Jin both stated that Liu Xuanji had proclaimed himself emperor in place of Yan."

"What?" Li Er asked, then quickly returned to normal, "What else?"

Fang Qiao directly handed over a letter, "This is a private letter from the King of Qi to Your Highness. We dare not take over it."

Li Er finally tore off the seal and unfolded the letter. He was relieved at first because Li Yuanhui said without any hesitation that he would transport 200,000 to 300,000 shi of grain to support Guanzhong.

This was good news, but the news that Li Yuan was coming back made him feel a little depressed.

According to normal plans, he should have completed control of the court by now.

But the problem is that since last autumn, the Turks have been wreaking havoc in the south, and all his energy has been focused on guarding against them.

Then came this year’s drought and his poor health.

In this way, Li Er would have no energy or opportunity to target the court.

Although he can enforce discipline now, it is hard to say how much power he will have after Li Yuan returns.

Especially now that he is in poor health, don't underestimate this point.

The three brothers gathered in Guanzhong at that time, and with the right time, place and people, they forced Li Yuan to agree to hand over power.

As he was the crown prince, it was only natural for him to take over the power. Instead, the sudden alliance between the King of Qi and the King of Jin made the Golden Casket Alliance, which made Li Er feel like a thorn in his throat.

But now these are all things in the past. Li Yuan is coming back. What should we do?
Although there could be some grudges between the father and son after what happened in Luoyang, they were still father and son after all, and there was no way Li Er could do anything to the old man.

If we really dare to do something, it is hard to say how the King of Jin and the King of Qi will react.

"What a troubled time."

Sighing, Li Er felt helpless and suddenly remembered that Silang had advised him not to charge into the enemy lines every time, and that health was the primary asset for doing great things. Then he smiled self-deprecatingly, "Silang's wisdom and strategy are far beyond my reach," and waved his hand, motioning the two to leave.

Xue Shou and Fang Qiao were a little worried when they saw this. They could see that Li Er was not in good health, and they could also see that the letter might not say anything good.

But Li Er certainly couldn't discuss with them at the moment, so he could only retreat with worry.

After leaving the main hall, Xue Shou said, "Your Highness's health is getting worse and worse. There have been too many things going on lately, so you can't concentrate on recuperating. This is not a solution in the long run."

Fang Qiao said: "From your expression just now, it seems that the letter from the Prince of Qi is a mixture of joy and sorrow."

Xue Shou was stunned for a moment, then he recalled Li Er's expression in the palace just now, nodded, and then an idea came to him: "I guess His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi agreed to transport grain to Guanzhong to solve the urgent problem. His Royal Highness must be happy about this, not worried..."

Fang Qiao sighed, "If my guess is correct, then His Majesty should be preparing to return to the court."

"what?"

Xue was a little surprised after listening to it, but then he realized that Fang Qiao's guess should be true.

Whether Northern Yan became Northern Han or Great Han, these cannot change the current situation between the two sides. Moreover, in a series of major battles last year and the beginning of the year, both sides suffered heavy losses, and the consumption of food and military supplies was even greater.

The Northern Han Dynasty reformed its military system and recruited many new soldiers. It seems that they have no plans to mobilize troops in the short term. The Tang Dynasty needs time to recover and recuperate, which means that neither side can afford to fight again in the short term.

The ones who can truly influence the Tang Dynasty are the Li family father and son and brothers.

Li Yuan's previous stay in Luoyang also mitigated the impact of the defeat to a certain extent, but if he came back at this time, whether the court would still be in the same structure is debatable.

The prince's health is really worrying.

Although the group in Luoyang had already confirmed Li Er's position as regent, the counselors in the Eastern Palace were also thinking about stabilizing the situation as soon as possible and completing the transition of power. So after a year or so, they would plan to have the emperor abdicate and pass the throne to the crown prince, making the emperor the emperor emeritus. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
But if this is the case, it is really hard to predict what changes Li Yuan's return to Chang'an will bring.

(End of this chapter)