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

Chapter 656 The Prince's Political Philosophy

But for military generals, if there are no more wars to fight, they will return to the court and the soldiers will be scattered in the wild. Although it cannot be said to be the case of "the dog is abandoned after the rabbit has died", it is the same as "the horse is let go to the mountain to the south". It also means that the military families that have passed down their family traditions through military means are bound to decline.

It would definitely not be a good thing for them if they were to have a weak, conservative and unambitious monarch.

This is also why the second-generation military generals like Cheng Huailiang and Chai Zhewei would gather around the King of Shu, who is quite skilled in military strategy and similar to Li Shimin. In fact, this is not only their own wish, but also represents an implicit attitude of the generals in the court, expressing to Li Shimin that they support the King of Shu, who has extraordinary military strategy.

If they were not afraid of provoking Li Shimin, there would probably be more people who would surrender. Although the two younger generations, Cheng Huailiang and Chai Zhewei, were insignificant, they expressed a very worrying attitude.

Because at the same time, the second generation of military commanders did not gather around Li Chengqian to make the decision that a normal family would make to spread the risk and bet on both sides. Doesn't this clearly illustrate the true thinking of the military commander system?
Including Cheng Yaojin's test in the ninth year of Wude, wasn't it a subconscious expression that the military generals did not like the weak prince? A weak crown prince would seriously lower the ceiling of the military generals. In order to support the cowardly grandson Zhu Yongwen, Zhu Yuanzhang of later generations killed people so much that rivers of blood flowed, and all the elites of an era were slaughtered.

Military commanders must express their own inclinations even if it is for their own sake.

Li Ke's mission to the Turks was also dangerous, but the generals did not take advantage of it to kill Li Ke. Instead, they sent Chai Zhewei to follow him.

So, some attitudes are right there, it just depends on whether you are willing to discover them.

They were not betting left or right, but clearly expressed their political inclinations in an attitude, leaning towards Li Ke. This was something Li Shimin could not ignore. After all, sitting on the dragon throne depended on the group of people who held the guns. Li Shimin could choose to ignore the preferences of one or two people.

But Li Shimin had no way to go against the attitude of the entire military system. It was not as simple as killing one or two people.

Unless you do what Zhu Yuanzhang did, ignoring the country's weakness and sweeping away all the generals of an entire era.

But this was an era left over from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties when aristocratic families and the royal family jointly ruled the world. Even a strong emperor like Li Shimin could not do it. The emperor could not afford to offend this group that could decide the fate of the country.

Therefore, the dethronement of the weak Li Chengqian was already inevitable. A sheep cannot sit firmly on the throne in a world full of tigers and wolves.

After considering various things, Li Yan thought for a long time before he made up his mind to spread his political ideas through the incident of Cheng Yaojin and subtly influence the military system, although some things were not explained.

However, the poems I wrote contained my appreciation for heroes like Wei Qing and Li Guang who contributed to the expansion of borders. I believe that after reading them, those generals would naturally understand my ambition, which is to be a monarch with great talent and strategy like Emperor Wu of Han, rather than a monarch who only maintains the status quo like Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing.

Without worries about the future, it is actually much less risky for the generals to support the crown prince than to support an ordinary prince. At least it is legitimate. The crown prince is the heir apparent appointed by the emperor. Supporting the crown prince means supporting the emperor, and there will be no suspicion from the emperor or hatred from the other kings.

If the prince falls and then surrenders to someone else, he will not be seen as fickle and indecisive.

This poem about going out to the frontier is gentle yet firm yet cunning. Although it praises the tyrannical Qin and the strong Han, the characters of the two generals Wei Qing and Li Guang are calm and steady. They are not like Huo Qubing who is sharp, murderous and aggressive.

In the process of development, it is somewhat restrained and implicit, and seems to have the intention of guarding the territory. It can be said that it has restrained some of the edge, and has the meaning of both offense and defense, and both civil and military affairs. It will not be too stimulating to the civil officials, so it is very suitable.

After reading this poem, Cheng Yaojin did not hesitate any longer and decisively chose to take side. This was also the result of many considerations. In the face of such major interests, even if he knew that one of his sons was killed by the prince, he would not care too much.

As a person who puts family interests first, he considers the safe continuation and long-term future of the family. He only has one son, and as long as the family exists, he can give birth to eight or ten of him at any time. The purpose of reproducing bloodline is to serve the family, not to drag the entire family into it for the sake of his son.

This kind of hatred, in the face of huge interests, is not as important as the long-term future of the family. In fact, the main reason why Cheng Yaojin returned to Beijing this time was not because he lost a son, but because he was afraid that this was revenge by the emperor or the prince.

This means that the family will soon face a huge crisis in the future. Being hated by the emperor or the prince is a burden that no minister can bear.

If Cheng Yaojin had known earlier that it was Prince Yin and his gang who were responsible, he would not have made this unnecessary trip. He could have gained more by repairing the relationship between the Cheng family and the prince. After gaining the prince's appreciation, Cheng Yaojin could go to the front line with peace of mind.

Cheng Yaojin's considerations were not actually unreasonable. If he could not repair his relationship with the prince, and the prince's position was very stable, the emperor would certainly get rid of the ministers who had grudges against the prince, especially the generals who held military power, before passing on the throne, to clear the way for Li Yan's ascension to the throne in the future.

The military commanders in the court did not easily take sides on the surface, and the same is true. But did they really not take sides?

Is it really possible for generals to not take sides?
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But their identities meant that they would be very subtle about their stance. By sending an unimportant son to hang around, they had already made their stance clear, and there was room for maneuver, allowing them to attack or defend. Instead of openly supporting someone, if they made the wrong choice, the entire family would face a catastrophe.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Li Yan finally decided to turn hostility into friendship, show his great wisdom and magnanimity in making peace and forming alliances, and spend some time to resolve the hatred and subdue Cheng Yaojin.

Besides, since Cheng Huailiang was killed by me, I have no grudge against him anymore. The only thing I am worried about is that Cheng Yaojin can't let it go, and Cheng Yaojin is worried that I can't let it go. Everyone is worried that over time, they will definitely become enemies.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to bring the two closer together, spend time together day and night, and use the general trend to force them to unite in the common interests. This way, no one will have any worries.

There are no losers in this cooperation. Cheng Yaojin feels relieved, but what Li Yan gained is more than just a military general. What he gained is far more than Cheng Yaojin got!

Li Yan suddenly thought of something. He had no intention of intervening, but since Cheng Yaojin had surrendered to him, he might as well give it a try. After thinking for a while, he said, "General, you have been guarding the border town in Dingxiang all year round. It is not easy for you to come back to Beijing once, and it is even more difficult for you to come to my place."

"Rengui, tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes. I'll have a drink with General Cheng later and we can have a good chat."

Li Yan turned his head and gave instructions. Before Cheng Yaojin could refuse, he said enthusiastically, "My father often told me that as a crown prince, I must understand border affairs. If border affairs are not stable, the internal affairs will be unstable. Usually in Chang'an, it is rare to meet a general like you who has returned from the front line. Today is a good opportunity. You must tell me about the border affairs later."

Cheng Yaojin originally thought that having dinner in the East Palace would have too much of an impact and wanted to decline, but he had just officially surrendered to the crown prince and had previously rejected the crown prince's offer of the position of General of the Left Guard Army for his eldest son. Instead of blaming him, the crown prince gave him a poem as encouragement.

The prince is so enthusiastic, isn't this what I have always dreamed of?

He thought that since he had chosen to join the prince, there was no need to be hesitant. He was not like Yuchi Gong, who was trusted by the emperor, but with the prince as his backer, he might not be too bad.

Besides, the prince also gave him an excuse. The emperor asked him and the border ministers to learn more about border affairs.

With this in mind, Cheng Yaojin agreed: "In that case, I'll bother His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"It's nothing to worry about. People come and go here all year round. Although there aren't many people who stay to eat, there are still a few. Today, a brave general like the general is here in person, which makes my East Palace more glorious!"

Li Yan saw that Cheng Yaojin was still a little reserved. There was nothing he could do. They were not very familiar with each other before and there were even conflicts. By chance, he met him earlier than other generals. It was normal that they were not close.

But the relationship between people is like this, eating, drinking and chatting together, after a long time, the relationship will be established and will no longer be so distant.

After Xue Rengui responded and gave the order, Li Yan waved his hand, and Xue Rengui immediately withdrew the maids outside and the guards at the door. Seeing this scene, Cheng Yaojin was a little nervous, wondering what important matter the prince wanted to talk about?

"General, have you heard anything in Dingxiang?" Li Yan lowered his voice and asked mysteriously.

Cheng Yaojin was stunned for a moment, and asked in confusion, "What does Your Highness mean?"

"Father intends to unite the prefectures, counties and districts along the Yunzhong line, including Changze, Shuofang, Ningshuo, Xiazhou and Hengshan, to set up a Dingxiang Road camp and appoint a marching general to unify the command of the front-line defense against the Turks."

"What?"

Cheng Yaojin was shocked. He wondered why he had never heard of this before. When he came back this time, he met with veteran generals in the capital such as Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, Li Jing, Duan Zhixuan, and he also visited important officials in the prime minister's office such as Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Changsun Wuji, but he had never heard of such rumors.

Thinking of this, Cheng Yaojin's heart sank and the pressure increased. He didn't even know about such a big thing. Didn't it mean that he was marginalized?
(End of this chapter)