The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1194 Li Ji's Fate

Cen Wenben stroked his beard with his hand, pondered for a moment, and said with a smile: "Thank you for coming to tell us, young eunuch. We already know about this matter. Go back and tell eunuch Wang, I will discuss with Lord Zhang to see how to deal with it."

"Okay, I'll take my leave."

After the young eunuch left, Cen Wenben turned around and asked, "Master Zhang, what do you think about this matter?"

Zhang Xuansu had been very scared during this period. He did not expect the Turks to be so fierce. They would rather kill 1,000 enemies and lose 800 of their own to kill the Tang cavalry. Fortunately, Hou Junji was seriously ill this time, so he did not go with him.

Otherwise, the one kneeling there now would be Hou Junji, and he would end up being condemned by everyone.

Sai Weng lost his horse, how do you know it is not a blessing?
Hou Junji's illness happened at the right time.
"Wenben, I don't know much about military affairs. You have been in the central government for a long time and are highly trusted by the emperor. I have to listen to you on this matter." Zhang Xuansu was now afraid of getting involved as much as possible. Military affairs were too difficult to grasp, so it was better for him to stay away from them.

Zhang Xuansu, who had previously been proud of his knowledge of military affairs, now immediately became a pure civil official.

People in the officialdom are all seeking profit and avoiding harm. Cen Wenben did not mean to look down on him. He nodded slightly without changing his expression and said solemnly: "The mistake Li Ji made this time is really too big. Even beheading him is not too much."

"Although the court announced a great victory in order to stabilize the people's hearts, we all know what actually happened. This matter is not only a matter of losing troops and humiliating the country, but also involves the core interests of the Guanlong clan."

"I'm afraid even the emperor is in a difficult situation, so this has been put on hold for the time being."

"I think there will be some twists and turns. As long as the emperor doesn't ask, we should not intervene. The water is too deep. Once we get involved, it will be useless if we do it well. If there is a mistake, we will offend a lot of people. It is really not worth it, right?"

As Hebei was defeated, many ministers had heard about the Longxi Flying Cavalry.

Matters like this involve the game between the imperial power and the aristocracy. Who would dare to interfere? Haven't you seen that even Changsun Wuji has been hiding in his mansion for half a month on the pretext of recuperating from an illness, and no one has been seen since?
This kind of thing is hard to discuss even in private.

Zhang Xuansu said with a look of fear: "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Wenben, it's not easy for us to get to where we are today. The situation is serious now. It's better to be conservative and not make mistakes. Just do your own things well. The emperor will take care of the rest."

During the conversation, the two decided on a strategy of sitting on the sidelines and watching from the sidelines, and then they talked in a low voice for a few more sentences and went about their own business.

Wang De on this side received the report from the young eunuch. After a while, no important officials came, so he understood what these people meant.

He didn't know how to deal with this matter, and wanted to seek the wisdom of these prime ministers to discuss it. He didn't expect these people to come forward. Now he saw that these adults all adopted the same attitude as the emperor.

I know that this matter may not be determined in the short term, and I don’t know how much more bargaining will be involved.

I looked at Li Ji who was kneeling upright on the steps. In just a short while, a thick layer of snow had fallen on his body. From a distance, he looked like a snowman.

Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward and said, "General Li, it's snowing too hard outside. You are an old man, you can't stand being soaked like this. If you really want to apologize, you might as well go into the palace, so you can hold out for a little longer."

When Li Ji heard this, he knew that there was probably no hope for him to have a good ending, and he felt even more grief-stricken.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Since entering the palace, everyone has been avoiding him as if he were a disaster. Now, looking at this kind-hearted Wang De, he seemed to think of Li Shimin in the past. He choked up and said, "Eunuch Wang, thank you very much."

"However, the 200,000 heroic souls from the Hebei battlefield are watching me from the sky."

Li Ji shook his head with a sad look on his face. "I have no intention of living after returning to the capital this time. But I was entrusted with such an important task by your majesty. I dare not die in Hebei before the bodies of 200,000 soldiers are cold. I only want to return to Chang'an to apologize to your majesty in person."

"If I can die outside of Chengqing Palace, I can also ease the guilt in my heart a little."

Li Ji was originally the backbone of the Tang army after the old generals were retired and the new generation of generals failed to grow up. He was hailed as the first person in the future Tang army. As long as the victory in Hebei was beautiful, he would be the new generation of Tang army god, replacing Li Jing's position in the army.

Unfortunately, the great prospects, the bright future, the favor of the nobles, the pillars of the court, all of these disappeared with the annihilation of the Longxi Flying Cavalry. After thirty years of hard work, they returned to the time before the rebellion overnight.

Even worse, at least when he was young, he still had a lot of time and ambitions, without the heavy burden he has now.

His status in the Tang army also plummeted, and Cheng Yaojin's life or death was unknown. Now all the negative emotions were placed on him.

A month ago, out of an army of 200,000 soldiers that marched eastward, only one man returned safely.

This is a shame for any general, a shame that can never be washed away in a lifetime. If nothing unexpected happens, Li Ji's life will be over. Not only will he lose his official position and title, but he will also most likely be executed.

Once upon a time, Li Ji thought he could control his own destiny.

After Li Shimin left, the nobles and the imperial power came to win him over, and his prestige in the army and his status in the hearts of the soldiers were also very high. At this time, Li Ji was also a little flattered, and had a bit of a sense of waiting for the price to be estimated. Compared with the general courtesy of the emperor, the attitude of the nobles was more attentive and they gave more, so he turned to the nobles.

Because of this, he knew more than others and knew the status of the Longxi Flying Cavalry in the hearts of the Guanlong nobles. It was the trump card on which they relied for survival and the ultimate trump card to restrict imperial power.

But now he was ruined by himself and Cheng Yaojin.

The Guanlong nobles wanted to pull out his tendons, peel off his skin, grind his bones and scatter his ashes, but they still could not vent their anger.

His only way to survive was to hope that the emperor would save his life because he still had value. The weakening of the power of the nobles was corresponding to the implicit strengthening of the imperial power. The defeat in Hebei was a disaster for the nobles, but it might not be a bad thing for the emperor.

But now seeing Wang De’s attitude, I know that the emperor must be very indifferent to him.

That's right. I used to ignore the emperor, but now I can't reach him. The emperor's advantage is the result of the natural development of the situation, not something I took the initiative to fight for the emperor. Why should I take credit for it?
Generally speaking, killing 200,000 cavalrymen in one battle was indeed a serious crime.

Li Ji's heart sank slowly. He had offended the Guanlong nobles and would not be tolerated by the emperor. Is it possible that in such a big world, there is no place for him, Li Ji, to stay?

Half a month ago, he was still the reserve military god of the Tang Dynasty, respected by everyone, and a stamp of his foot would shake the Tang Dynasty three times. In just over ten days, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and he became a criminal who was hated by everyone and despised by ghosts. The future was bleak and there was no light in sight.

The weather in midwinter was exceptionally cold, and the clouds in the sky took on a yellowish hue, obviously indicating the presence of heavy snow.

It was getting darker and darker, and the whole world was gray.

The snow got heavier and heavier, gradually blocking his sight. A feeling of despair rose in his heart. The heavy snow and cold weather outside could not hide the grief in his heart.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, after just two hours, Li Ji fell to the ground in the snow in front of the imperial steps with a thud.

Wang De was well prepared for this. He ordered the guards to carry him to the side hall, and called the imperial physician who had been prepared to come forward to treat him.

The guards quickly untied their armor and used snowballs to wipe Li Ji's body.

After his body warmed up slightly, the imperial doctors poured ginger soup that had been prepared long ago into his stomach. After a group of people worked for a while, Li Ji slowly opened his eyes and woke up.

Seeing Wang De standing by, he knew that it was Wang De who saved him. He struggled to stand up and thanked him, "Eunuch Wang, you saved me?"

"Don't say that. This is all ordered by the Emperor."

Li Ji's eyes lit up, and when he was about to say something, Wang De said solemnly, "General Li, the emperor has ordered that you have been traveling hard during this period. The weather is very cold, and today is the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month."

"I guess your family is waiting for you to come home for the holidays, so go back now!"

"The Emperor is busy with official duties, so he won't see you for the time being. During this time, you should stay in the palace and don't have to go to court. Take a good rest and wait for the Emperor's order!"

Li Ji's expression froze, and the light of hope that had just risen in his eyes dimmed again.

The fact that the emperor did not see him meant that he had not yet decided how to face him. The fact that there was no punishment for him in the oral decree did not mean that the matter was over. He would rather the emperor's decree included words of deprivation of title and dismissal from office, so that he could feel at ease with the punishment.

If there is no punishment, it means that the matter is too big to be dealt with.

Once the court controlled by the aristocratic families discussed it, would he still be able to get away with it? He was lucky that he had Gonggao City behind him and had saved some lives of the aristocratic children. But Cheng Yaojin, that rubbish, had his entire army wiped out.

Among the more than 20 core families in Guanlong, which one has not lost a son or daughter?
They couldn't cause trouble to Cheng Yaojin for a while, but they wouldn't let him go easily. But there was no other way now. Since the emperor couldn't see him, he had to go back. See if he could find Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, or Li Jing, Hou Junji, Yuchi Gong and other veterans to ask for help.

Thinking of this, after recovering for a while, Li Ji stood up, put on his armor, bowed to Wang De, turned around and left.

After he left, Wang De went into the study and reported to Li Yan.

Li Yan still said "hmm", then continued to review the memorials without any other action. Wang De also withdrew.

After Wang De left, Li Yan raised his head. Although he had some ideas about Li Ji's matter, he had to delay and see the situation.

(End of this chapter)