Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4835: Narrow-minded
Liu Li returned to the official residence of the Secretariat, and stayed in the duty room alone. He drove away all the clerks and did not see any officials who came to apply for review. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. There is nothing wrong with military reform. It is a necessary means to prevent local armed forces from becoming bigger and stronger. Once local armed forces collude with local government and aristocratic families, it is very likely that the situation of "feudal towns" will occur, which only recognizes local interests and ignores national interests, or even disrespects the emperor's orders.

But now the "feudal regimes" have not yet appeared, but the "warlords" have already taken shape. The Anxi Army and the Royal Navy are nominally two armies, one belonging to the imperial army and the other the emperor's private army. But which army can Your Majesty mobilize without going through Fang Jun?
The Royal Navy has leased many ports overseas, established many fertile fields, and even rented, bought or robbed countless mineral deposits. It is completely independent of the entire imperial center. If the Anxi Army also uses military farming to ensure its own food and salary consumption in the future, these two armies will no longer be under the control of the center. Why can't we say that they are Fang Jun's private army?
Fang Jun alone may not be able to achieve anything, but what if everyone imitates him?
If things continue like this, the country will no longer be a country!

Liu Li could no longer sit still, so he stood up and walked out of the Secretariat's official residence, took a few steps towards the Taiji Palace, thought for a while, and turned back to the Shangshu Province.

The officials of the Secretariat were a little surprised to see Liu Ji, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, coming in person. They hurried forward to greet him and ask him about something. When they learned that he was looking for Li Ji, they hurriedly invited him into the official residence and reported to Li Ji. A moment later, Li Ji ordered him to be taken to the duty room of Shangshu Zuo Pushe.

Li Ji was making tea when he saw Liu Ji come in. He asked him to sit down and said with a smile, "It is a great honor for the Shangshu Province to have the Zhongshu Ling come to give us instructions! We just met and separated, but you came right after me. What's the important matter?"

As he spoke, he placed a cup of tea in front of Liu Li, held the cup in his hand, and sat on the mat in front of the window with Liu Li.

Liu Li took a sip of water and said his worries directly without beating around the bush. At the end, his tone was heavy and his expression was worried: "Duke Ying is a famous general of the time. His military attainments are not inferior to Duke Wei. You should know that what I said is true and I am not worrying about nothing. I am not targeting a certain person, but I think this kind of thing must be stopped. Otherwise, once a 'warlord' is formed, it will inevitably become too big to be eliminated. If you want to eliminate it, it will inevitably cause a huge shock, and then it will be too late!"

There is a "three-legged tripod" situation in the current Tang Dynasty army. Duke Wei Li Jing is praised as the "God of War" with outstanding prestige and godly military tactics. However, due to many reasons in the past, he only has prestige but no real power.

Duke Ying Li Ji had made great military achievements, his subordinates were spread throughout the army, and he had the bonus of being the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, so he could be called "the best man in the army."

Fang Jun was a rising star, but he also had outstanding military achievements and made great contributions to the improvement of the Tang Dynasty army's tactics and strategies. He also promoted and placed a number of young generals and had several armies under his command, which posed a threat to Li Ji's position.

Only Li Ji can suppress Fang Jun, even His Majesty is helpless...

Li Ji sat upright with a calm expression, took a sip of tea slowly, and said slowly: "Since even you can see such drawbacks, how can we in the army not notice it? Not only me, but even Fang Jun knows the harm of it."

Liu Li was stunned: "Knowing the harm and avoiding it are two different things. Now Fang Jun has benefited from it, how can he take the initiative to change it? Lord Ying is the head of the prime minister and the number one person in the army. He must not sit idly by!"

Li Ji asked, "How do we change it?"

Liu Jie: "..."

If I knew how to change it, why would I need you, the head of the Prime Minister? Get off and let me take your seat!
"Since we know the disadvantages, there are naturally ways to solve them."

Li Ji shook his head. "How can it be that simple? For example, the Anxi Army. Today's Anxi Protector Pei Xingjian is almost equivalent to Fang Jun's disciple, and Xue Rengui is even more obedient to him. You say that the Anxi Army is Fang Jun's private army, but there is only one way to change this situation, that is to replace the main generals, transfer Pei Xingjian and Xue Rengui from the Anxi Army, but who should be sent to take over? The successor does not know how to command the generals and the soldiers, which will inevitably lead to a sharp drop in the combat effectiveness of the Anxi Army. The Western Regions now seem calm, but undercurrents are surging. The Turks are still thieves, the Arabs are ready to move, and the Tibetans are eyeing them covetously. It can be said that they are surrounded by enemies and see enemies everywhere. Once the change of commanders leads to internal disputes in the Anxi Army and affects the strategic situation of the entire Western Regions, who will be responsible? Who can be responsible?"

Seeing Liu Li remained silent, Li Ji continued, "It's not just the Anxi Army. The Navy, the Hanhai Army, the Annan Army, the Andong Army, etc. are all like this. If one move affects the entire body, the chaos is simply unimaginable."

Liu Li said helplessly: "So we know that the 'warlords' are forming and that the armed forces of one side will definitely harm the empire, but for various reasons we are helpless?"

Li Ji was somewhat speechless. He glanced at Liu Li, drank a sip of tea, and still couldn't help asking, "Then why do you think Fang Jun took the lead in setting up such a ridiculous 'Military System Reform Committee'? Is this just a joke?"

After a pause, he said earnestly, "People in the market say Fang Jun is a fool, but as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, you don't think so too, do you? Fang Jun sometimes does things that are unexpected and inconsistent with worldly principles, but he is definitely not a selfish person. His mind is much broader than you think."

Liu Li blushed a little. You said Fang Jun is broad-minded, so the implication is that I am not broad-minded?

But I also have spies in the "committee", Pei Huaijie and Zheng Rentai. Why have I never heard these two people mention this in their reports?
Li Ji seemed to know what Liu Li was thinking, and also knew that Liu Li had spies in the "committee", so he said bluntly: "The military system of the Tang Dynasty is inherited from the 'Fubing System' of the Six Garrisons of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is deeply rooted, and even every military order and every military regulation has a very deep connection and cannot be easily changed. If you want to eliminate the malpractices, you must clear them up from the root one by one. This is a complex and extremely long-term plan, involving thousands of interests and complex conflicts. How can anyone know everything in detail after a few meetings?"

The implication is that this is an extremely high-end plan, with a meticulous design and complicated steps. Before the whole thing is revealed, your two informants simply don't have the ability to see through the interests involved...

Liu Li smiled awkwardly and said frankly: "I am a mean person and I am judging others by my own standards. It is best for Lord Ying to know about this matter and not spread it to others."

He was really afraid that if the complaint he made to Li Ji about Fang Jun leaked out, that guy might even knock on the door of the Secretariat...

Li Ji smiled and said, "It is a good thing that the Minister of the Central Secretariat performs his duties conscientiously and is loyal to the country. He is concerned about the country and the people. No one will misunderstand it. However, this matter is indeed serious and involves a wide range of people. Once it is spread out, people will definitely panic. Let's stop here."

"That's great, great. I still have some business to attend to at the Secretariat, so I won't bother you, Lord Ying."

"Okay, okay. The affairs of the Shangshu Province are not as busy as those of the Zhongshu Province. I am also bored sometimes. If the Shangshu Ling has some free time, you can come over and sit down, chat, drink tea, and relax a little."

After seeing Liu Li off, Li Ji returned to the mat and drank a sip of tea, then shook his head speechlessly. Liu Li was a man of talent but lacked magnanimity. Although he was a prime minister, he was trembling with fear and treading on thin ice. He barely completed his duties but had no long-term strategic considerations. At best, he was just doing his job conscientiously. Fang Jun seemed to be ignorant of worldly affairs, rough and unruly, and could not take care of every detail, but he could have a bird's-eye view from a strategic level.

One can only serve the present, while the other can lay the foundation for the empire's fortune for hundreds of years. It is obvious which one is better.

However, there are always more hardworking and pragmatic people in the world, but fewer people with extraordinary talents. If there were people with extraordinary talents like Fang Jun everywhere, wouldn't the world be in chaos?

*****
In the golden autumn of October, the weather turns cooler and the summer heat in Chang'an City disappears completely. In the Hibiscus Garden in the south of the city, the golden osmanthus is fragrant and the water is sparkling. The leaves are gradually turning yellow. The ginkgo trees are covered with yellow leaves, like colorful fallen petals. The scenery changes day by day, and it is quiet and beautiful.

After bathing, he embraced the beauty of Silla and lay on the soft couch, drinking tea, his hands stroking her wet hair and her sharp shoulders, recalling the Queen's enthusiasm and initiative, which were different from before, and her unrestrained demands, and said with a smile: "If you are willing to give up your previous status, then enter my family. I can't give you the position of wife, but I will never treat you harshly in all other positions."

"Oh," Jin Deman laughed, with an indescribable sense of arrogance in his tone: "Then you'll be on par with Wu Meiniang and Xiao Shu'er? I won't do that."

In any case, she was once the king of Silla, of noble blood and extraordinary respect. It would be fine if she was the legal wife, but how could she live in the same room with a concubine and allow herself to degenerate?
Fang Jun was silent for a moment, then said softly, "But if you insist on having a child, you won't even have a name for the child after it's born..."

Princess Changle gave birth to a child for him without a name or status. It was okay now, but when the child grew up, it would inevitably attract criticism and might become biased and discriminated against. However, he would give Princess Changle a name sooner or later, so it was okay to let her suffer some grievances in the short term.

But if Jin Deman is unwilling to marry him and enter the Fang family, then wouldn't the child be nameless and without status forever when he grows up?

An adult may feel wronged, but he doesn’t want his children to feel the same way.

"In my lover's heart, am I just a slave of a conquered country, a nobody?"

Jin Deman stood up, her black satin-like hair draped over her snow-white back, her waist as slender as a girl's, and she walked barefoot on the floor to the window, not caring at all about exposing her delicate body to the air, leaving the man with a beautiful back view, and her straight legs seemed to poke the man's heart...

"Even if my whole clan submits to the throne, I am still the queen of Silla, my people still live in Silla, and my children, regardless of gender, will be princes of Silla as soon as they are born. Even if I have lost my country and land, the nobility in my blood cannot be desecrated. How can I be nameless and without status?"