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

Chapter 1227 Personnel Adjustment
"Fortunately, Li Shimin will not live long."

Li Yan was shocked and said excitedly, "I was worried that this was some trick played by Li Shimin to lure me to send troops and then get rid of me in one fell swoop. So I let Shi Luodie go to the Tang Dynasty to test the situation."

"After a year of careful investigation and verification, I have finally confirmed that Li Shimin is indeed finished."

"I see."

Gu Rentu was stunned, then suddenly realized, "I thought Shi Luodie escaped on his own, but it turns out that the king let him run away on purpose. The king is wise."

Well.
When Li Yan heard this, his old face turned slightly red and he glared at the killer fiercely, leaving Gu Rentu looking puzzled.

The corners of Heermu's mouth twitched and he shook his head.

Gu Rentu, what a fool! The king said this and you just listened to it. Why are you responding to him? Can't you respond properly?

So he quickly interrupted and agreed, "Your Majesty is right. I heard that Li Shimin is now like a living dead, with only one breath left, lying in the Daming Palace. If he was really pretending, Shi Luodie would have messed up the Tang Dynasty like this."

"There is no reason for him not to come out and watch his two sons kill each other. Since he hasn't appeared yet, it means he is really powerless."

"Hahahaha, Li Shimin is the pillar of the Tang Dynasty. Once he falls, the entire Tang Dynasty will collapse in half."

Li Yan smiled brightly, stood up suddenly, looked towards the south with a look that looked down upon the world, and said, "I knew that time was on my side. Li Shimin is old and will definitely not outlive me, but this opportunity has come earlier than I expected."

"His era has fallen, and next is my era."

"This king will unify the grasslands and the Central Plains, establish an unprecedentedly large empire, and achieve supreme achievements, and you will all be witnesses."

Heermu and Gurentu quickly stood up and flattered: "We are loyal and will follow the king until death."

"Hahaha, everyone sit down!"

Returning to his seat, Li Yan said confidently: "Li Shimin, the pillar of the country, had just fallen, and Li Chengqian's prestige had not yet been established. At this time, the Li You Rebellion broke out, and the Tang court transferred all the heavy troops from the north to quell the rebellion. This was the time when the Tang Dynasty was at its weakest."

"Instruct the soldiers of the three armies to attack Guanzhong in one fell swoop before they can react. Take over the entire Hetao area, and then march to the gates of Chang'an. I want to take back my throne."

Heermu suggested, "In that case, Your Majesty, why don't we raise the banner of Li Yuan's eldest grandson? I think that way, the resistance of the Tang Dynasty will be much weaker. There is even the possibility that some noble families will secretly surrender to us, which will increase our chances of winning."

"No need."

Li Yan shook his head. "These noble families plundered the people and controlled the government. They are all troubles. I am afraid that I can't get rid of them. How can I allow them to continue to run rampant? If I make it clear that they surrender, it will be difficult for me to deal with them."

"Humph, it was because they supported Li Shimin that my adopted father died such a tragic death. Both publicly and privately, I have no sympathy with them."

"It's a good opportunity to take advantage of this trip south to clear out these people, so that when I ascend the throne, I can travel light."

The two men below did not comment. They had been on the grassland for a long time and had only a vague understanding of the situation in the Central Plains. Seeing that their king had made the decision, they did not say anything more.

"Gu Rentu, the generals below, please be more strict."

Li Yan said with a sharp look in his eyes: "This time the army is heading south, and I am going to take over the throne. Tell the people below not to harm the people. After all, it won't be long before they will all be my subjects. I don't want them to oppose me because of your atrocities."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your order." Gu Rentu's heart trembled, and he raised the red line several levels again.

"Well, when a large army is engaged in battle, military orders must be strict."

Li Yan gave a reminder, and then ordered: "Although we cannot harass the common people, we don't have to be polite to the nobles. There are many noble families in the many cities in the north. They are rich enough to rival a country, and the grain and property in the warehouses are innumerable."

"You can rob these wealthy people at will, and as long as they hand over all their property, you can also let them go. Of course, for those who would rather die than give up their property, don't be polite and kill them without mercy."

Finally, Li Yan said murderously: "Heermu, you are a civil official, you are more careful, you know what I mean. In the next battle, you must keep a good balance for Gu Rentu, control the direction, and don't make mistakes."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Both of them agreed, and then looked towards the south with confidence. It wouldn't be long before they conquered the beautiful mountains and rivers there. And the Right Wise King would become the first emperor in history, ruling the most vast land and empire in history.

Chang'an City, Taiji Hall.

While the court meeting was in progress, Hou Junji handed over the important task of defending Tongguan to the experienced and reliable General Liu Rengui of the Left Guard, and returned to the court to discuss how to quell the rebellion.

At this time, he was reporting on the military preparations: "Your Majesty, after a month of mobilizing troops, the 400,000 soldiers and horses drawn from the north and the western regions have all been stationed in the capital. Please give your instructions."

"Well, thank you for your hard work." Li Chengqian nodded, then glanced at Wang De next to him.

Wang De quickly unfolded the yellow silk in his hand and began to read in a rhythmic manner: "I appoint the Grand Commandant Hou Junji as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition Army, with full authority to control all the troops in Beijing. The Left Military Guard General Su Dingfang and the Right Guard General Liang Jianfang are the deputy commanders of the Eastern Expedition Army, assisting Hou Junji in leading the army."

Hou Junji is fine, he is the only one who can really do anything in the court.

Su Dingfang and Liang Jianfang were extremely excited. They thought that after joining the Jinyiwei, they would never have the opportunity to lead troops again in their lives. They did not expect that the emperor would appoint them as deputy commanders and shoulder such an important task.

This was really a double blessing. Being able to leave that intelligence agency and become a general with dignity, commanding troops legitimately, was what they had always dreamed of. From the third year of Zhenguan to the first year of Kaiyuan, a full seventeen years, they finally got what they wanted.

It was not a nominal position like the Sixteen Guards Generals, but a real commander of the army. After the rebellion was quelled, with this great merit, they would be able to rise to become the pillars of the Tang military in one fell swoop, on par with Hou Junji, Yuchi Gong and others.

Both of them were calm and steady veterans. They suppressed their excitement and stepped forward with Hou Junji to receive the order, saying, "We accept the order and thank the emperor for his grace."

After that, the three of them withdrew, and Wang De continued to read: "Appoint Xue Rengui as General of the Left Guard, Wang Xuance as General of the Right Guard, Liu Renyuan as General of the Left Guard, Sun Renshi as General of the Right Guard, Xi Junmai as General of the Left Guard, Gao Kan as General of the Right Guard, Xiao Siye as General of the Left Guard, Li Jinxing as General of the Right Guard, and Li Jingxuan as General of the Left Guard."

The heavyweight military positions that usually require difficult negotiations and compromises to be created are now being offered one after another. However, the civil and military officials in the court turned a blind eye and had no opinions at all.

Li Chengqian sat on the dragon throne and nodded with satisfaction.

As the war was imminent, the aristocratic families were afraid that the emperor would make peace with Li You, so they made huge concessions in order to gain the emperor's support.

The means used to restrain the imperial power had to be put aside at this time. If they still wanted to fight among themselves when the enemy was almost at their doorstep, they would have no way out. Li You chose to rely on the common people, and there was no chance for him to reconcile with the aristocratic families.

What's more, the aristocratic families have been operating for dozens or even hundreds of years, and many grassroots officers are their people. Giving up some high-level positions will not have much impact on their control over the army.

These generals in the Eastern Palace, who were well-educated, were all amazing generals in the original history.

In the battles of these years, they have also stood out and demonstrated their excellent combat capabilities. In the next war, putting these brave and combat-savvy generals in more appropriate positions will help achieve the final victory.

The highest rank among the Sixteen Guards is the General of each guard, a third-grade military position.

Generals like Hou Junji, Qin Shubao, Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin and Li Ji all held such positions.

According to the military system of the Tang Dynasty, each general could theoretically command 50,000 to 100,000 soldiers and horses. However, in the capital, there were not so many soldiers and horses, and the emperor would not allow them to command such a powerful force.

These positions were symbolic in Chang'an, and were not much different from titles. But with this level, when sent out, one could serve as the general commander of a place and actually command the battle. Without this distinction, it would be basically impossible to stand alone.

Secondly, each guard is equipped with two third-rank generals. According to the system, a general can command 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses. Although it is not enough to intimidate one side, they are already senior generals in the army. Each of these people is a real backbone of the army.

Next up were the fourth-rank Zhonglang Jiangs, who commanded a varying number of troops in each guard. They were not allowed to command more than 5,000 troops and were the backup force for the senior generals. Generally, only the Zhonglang Jiangs in the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards, who were under the personal control of the emperor, could actually command troops.

Most of the Lieutenant Generals of the Sixteen Guards were in name only, and enjoyed the same treatment as the Grand Generals and Generals, which was equivalent to the Lieutenant Generals.

Li Chengqian's followers in the Eastern Palace, after sixteen years of hard work, had to deal with frequent wars in those years, which gave them many opportunities to make meritorious deeds. With the blessing of being born in the Eastern Palace and the secret care of Li Shimin, they were able to get the position of General of the Central Army. This shows how difficult it is to get promoted in military rank.

The third rank was a very important threshold, which basically divided heaven from earth. Some generals could never cross it in their lifetime. But this time, by chance, the nobles gave up these positions in order to make the emperor completely turn to them.

(End of this chapter)