Chapter 476: Open the Door to Welcome Thieves

In the garden beside the Taiji Hall, Li Yuan, Li Yuanhui, several young princes, and two princes from the Qi Palace were walking on the carved railing bridge overlooking the water. When they reached a small pavilion, Li Yuan felt a little tired and said he wanted to sit down and rest for a while. Li Yuanhui naturally knew that he had something to say.

When they entered the palace the day before, although the father and son were in the palace, they talked about family affection.

And the next day when they entered the palace, Li Yuan and Li Yuanhui talked about official business while walking in the entertainment area.

Li Yuan asked the guards and eunuchs to follow the children to play elsewhere in the garden. He sat by the railing of the waterside pavilion, grabbed a handful of fish food from the white porcelain plate and threw it down. He said with concern: "Silang, I believe you also know that your second brother and third brother are currently arguing over the issue of whether to go south first and then north, or north first and then south. In your opinion, what should we do?"

Li Yuan asked directly without probing. At this time, the guards were standing far away, tactfully not interrupting the conversation between the emperor and the King of Qi.

Li Yuanhui looked at the koi in the lake and was silent for a long while before he spoke: "The only one who could achieve success in the Northern Expedition to Hebei from the Central Plains was Emperor Wu of Wei. This was because the brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang fought against each other, which gave Emperor Wu of Wei an opportunity to take advantage of. Now that Jinyang is not in our hands, we do not have the advantage of geographical location."

"Moreover, the Han army is valiant and fierce in battle, and Hebei is a prosperous place with fertile land. Liu Xuanji has the support of the scholars in Hebei, and his prestige is growing day by day. This is a harmonious relationship between people."

"It is unwise to use military force against Hebei at this time."

Li Yuan didn't expect that Li Yuanhui would express himself so directly. It didn't seem like he was trying to reconcile the conflict. It felt like he was here to support Li Sanlang.

But he is in charge of the Central Plains and undoubtedly knows the situation in Hebei best.

His strategic vision alone is worthy of attention, not to mention the support of the forces behind him.

Li Yuan said: "So you support Sanlang? Will you attack Jingzhou first?"

Li Yuanhui did not answer the question directly, but changed the subject and said, "Qin conquered the six kingdoms by first taking Bingzhou and then going out of Taihang to conquer Zhao. Han Xin swept Hebei by also going out of Taihang. So if you want to destroy Northern Han, you must first take Bingzhou. If you want to take Bingzhou, you must first take Jinyang. Jinyang is a strong city. Back then, Zhi Bo led the Han and Wei families to besiege the city for a long time without breaking it. Liu Xuanji set up heavy troops to guard Jinyang. If you want to capture it, you will need at least hundreds of thousands of troops, millions of stones of grain, and more than three years. You must prepare like the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao before you can attack Jinyang. Aye, do you think we are fully prepared now?"

Li Yuan was silent after hearing this, and then asked: "Are you going to use these arguments to convince your second brother?"

Li Yuanhui shook his head and said, "Since the sixth year of Wude, the offensive and defensive positions of our Tang Dynasty and the Northern Han Dynasty have changed. Every winter, we have to break the ice on the Yellow River to prevent the Han army's cavalry from crossing the river and harassing the heartland of the Central Plains. My second brother is a master of military tactics and has never been defeated on the battlefield. I can see the situation, and he can see it clearly, or he can see it better than me. The terrain of Jinyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack, which is not conducive to our army's operations. The Central Plains' northern expedition is an upward attack, which is a disadvantage in terms of terrain. So even if I say something fantastic, my second brother will not change his mind just because what I say makes sense."

"Then how do you plan to persuade him?" Li Yuan now fully understood Li Yuanhui's position. He did not support attacking Northern Han first.

Li Yuanhui said: "Persuade? Father, who do you think Second Brother will listen to now? If he joins hands with Third Brother to suppress him, the day when brothers will fight against each other and fight against each other will not be far away."

Li Yuan said helplessly: "Then tell me, what should we do?"

Li Yuanhui paused for a moment, then asked, "Aye, do you still remember what happened in Luoyang?"

Li Yuan was stunned when he heard this, and then his face changed slightly.

Because he might know why Li Er insisted on conquering Northern Han under unfavorable circumstances, instead of taking Jingzhou first, which was more prudent.

He might want to prove that what you, old man, can't do, I can do. What I promised in Luoyang, then implement it for him.

In the fifth year of Wude, in Luoyang, the four fathers and sons made the Golden Casket Alliance. Li Yuan handed over power and abdicated. Li San and Li Si got the title of succession from the elder brother to the younger brother.

So according to the agreement at that time, Li Yuan should abdicate the throne to Li Er after returning to Chang'an.

But the problem was that Li Er was ill at the time and unable to manage affairs, so he called on the Prince of Jin to preside over government affairs. When Li Er recovered and took over government affairs as the crown prince again, he could not take back all the power, as the Prince of Jin's power and reputation in the court were enough to compete with him.

Moreover, Li Yuan returned to Guanzhong, which made him lose his reputation as a righteous man. So Li Er was actually very depressed in the past few years, but this decision was actually a helpless one.

Li Yuan was naturally unwilling to abdicate and become the emperor emeritus, so he pretended to be confused. As for Li Er, since the Prince of Jin had already established himself in the court and could not even completely control Chang'an, how could he abdicate and become the emperor emeritus?
Therefore, Li Er wanted to seek greater military merit and prestige to suppress Prince of Jin and Li Yuan.

But undoubtedly, the Western Wei, a regime in a remote corner, was not that important. The Eastern Wei was Li Yuanhui's backyard, and without seizing Jingzhou, it did not have the advantage of upstream, so it was not suitable either.

The Northern Han, which had been established for several years, was the biggest competitor of the Tang Dynasty in its attempt to unify the world.

If Li Er could recapture Jinyang and destroy the Northern Han, he would naturally be able to put the matter of the Tang Dynasty unifying the world on the agenda. By then, his prestige would naturally far surpass that of Li San, Li Si, and Li Yuan.

Whether the Golden Casket Alliance will still be valid at that time is another matter.

Therefore, although there were many uncertainties in the expedition against Northern Han and the hope of success was not great, the situation faced was also very difficult.

But for Li Er, this is a breakthrough method that can solve many problems.

And it also makes sense strategically to eliminate the strongest opponent first and solve the biggest problem.

In fact, there were many court officials who supported Li Er because his previous military achievements were so outstanding. He won all the major battles he presided over. In terms of military affairs, he was very influential.

The entire Prince’s Eastern Palace has also made a number of plans for this purpose.

Li Yuan already understood Li Si's intention, and he offered to abdicate in exchange for Li Er and the Eastern Palace forces giving up the fight for strategic dominance.

Then his face began to look ugly.

But he couldn't refute Li Si because he found that this might be the only way to break the deadlock.

Otherwise, we will have to watch the Jin Palace, the Eastern Palace and even the Qi Palace fight for power and profit, causing the Tang Dynasty to fall into division.

But he didn't want to give up this seat.

The emperor and the emperor emeritus are different.

Now he also understood the meaning of Pei Hongde's words in the morning about opening the door to welcome thieves. It was really very appropriate.

"Father, you should think about this matter more. The Tang Dynasty cannot afford another Baigou War."

Li Yuanhui's words made Li Yuan furious. He glared at him and then walked away.

The Battle of Baigou? What a ridiculous topic.

But Li Yuanhui's intention was not to rub salt into his wounds, but to remind him that after the Battle of Baigou, Li Si directly summoned his brothers to Luoyang and worked together to sideline him.

Five years later, although the Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince are now full of conflicts, they can still be reconciled with the help of the Prince of Qi and driven by their own interests.

Is it difficult to force the emperor to abdicate again?

(End of this chapter)