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

Chapter 658 Completely Standing Together
Cheng Yaojin knew that if he fell behind, he would fall behind step by step. If the middle and low-level generals saw that he was incompetent in the court, who would follow him?

If this continues, will I still have a position in the court?

As someone who once rose to the top of the imperial court, Li Yan knew that power was a matter of factionalism. Even if you didn't want to fight for it, the people below you would urge you to do so.

You have no control over it unless you are willing to be a lone subject.

Moreover, even if you don't care about your followers, don't form cliques, and don't develop your power, even if you are a lone minister, you still need the emperor's trust, right?
From a certain perspective, the emperor's trust and importance are directly proportional to the use, just like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you will move backward.

If you don't take up certain positions, other close ministers will take them, and over time, the emperor will forget about you. When you are pushed to the edge, with no support from above and no power below, you will not be able to keep your current power, and your position may be vacated by others at any time.

Li Yan knew this very well and was not afraid that Cheng Yaojin would fall into his trap. After explaining the seriousness of the matter, he stopped talking, leisurely picked up the tea bowl on the table, and tasted it carefully. From time to time, he glanced at Cheng Yaojin, whose expression kept changing and who was obviously very uneasy.

Wait for the other party to think through the pros and cons of this matter, and don't be afraid that the other party will not give in.

The room fell into an eerie silence. Cheng Yaojin pondered for a long time, his face changing constantly, sometimes he was lost, sometimes he frowned, and after hesitating for a long time, he seemed to have made up his mind. Finally, he gritted his teeth, stood up, and knelt on the ground with a loud bang, like pushing a golden mountain and knocking down a jade pillar, and arched his two arms as strong as copper and iron.

He said with emotion: "Your Highness, I, Old Cheng, have always supported you! You must help me fight for this position. Since I was absent from the Xuanwu Gate, I have become a second-rate general and was sent to the border by the emperor. I am not taken seriously. If I lose this opportunity to serve the Tang Dynasty again, I will die with regret!"

"I, an old minister, have no other backers in the court. I am willing to serve the Crown Prince and serve him till death. I hope His Royal Highness will accept me!"

After saying this, Cheng Yaojin bowed his head to the ground, making his feelings clear.

Cheng Yaojin was also a smart man. He knew that if there was no solid reason, the prince would not fight for such an important position. He didn't know how much political resources the prince would consume. No matter how many words of gratitude he said, it would be useless. He had no choice but to surrender.

For an important general like Cheng Yaojin in the court, once he has made a choice, he will not change it easily, otherwise, he will definitely not be able to gain a foothold in the court in the future.

Moreover, once you choose to side with Li Yan, it is tantamount to rejecting other princes. This is not just a simple talk. When the prince needs it, you must stand up and express your attitude and firm support. Taking sides at the top is no joke and you cannot change your mind overnight.

Because no matter which faction, they all hate those who are fickle, and they attack the traitors of the other side, in fact, to set an example for their own people, not to betray their master and be fickle. This is the need of all forces, so the end of traitors has always been miserable, and it is also to set an example for others.

If traitors can have a good beginning and a good end, and enjoy wealth and glory, then who would be a loyal minister? If everyone does this, how can we lead the team?
Seeing that Cheng Yaojin had finally come to this point step by step under his operation and had clearly stated his position, Li Yan hurriedly helped Cheng Yaojin up and said, "General, you have entrusted your life and property to Cheng Qian, and Cheng Qian is grateful. I have only one thing to say, and you must remember it."

"If the general doesn't let me down, I will never let you down!"

Arrived
With these words, Cheng Yaojin felt relieved and kowtowed to Li Yan again. After Li Yan accepted it calmly, the master-servant relationship between the two was confirmed.

Li Yan was also very happy at this time. Although Cheng Yaojin looked rough and careless, he was actually very meticulous, had a very flexible mind and was very good at dealing with people.

He is very successful in the military and has many friends, but he is relatively low-key. He is a person who pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger, which is more in line with Li Yan's appetite. What's more important is that this person is long-lived and lived to the era when the Queen was in power.

Unlike generals like Chai Shao, Duan Zhixuan, Zhang Gongjin, and Zhang Liang, who didn't even survive the Zhenguan period, I have no choice but to help them. They died before I could use them. Maybe I have to help take care of the second-generation playboys left behind by them for the sake of my character of being loyal and righteous. It's just a burden.

But Cheng Yaojin was different. Although he was about the same age as Chai Shao, in his early forties this year, he was actually seventy-six years old. He still had more than thirty years to live. After he came to power, he could still serve him for a while.

Accepting Cheng Yaojin is equivalent to accepting a large group of forces. Cheng Yaojin will be able to deal with the generals in the army for you.

As for the Xuanwu Gate Incident that Cheng Yaojin had always been concerned about, in Li Yan's opinion, this was actually an advantage of Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and Li Jing. It was not that they did not want to help Li Shimin, but that they did not dare to attack the palace, let alone attack Li Yuan.

As former generals of the Prince of Qin's Palace, didn't they know that now that Li Shimin was defeated, their future would be bleak?
This is their duty as a subject.
After all, Li Yuan was the emperor at the time, and Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were of royal blood. When Yuchi Gong, Hou Junji, and Zhang Gongjin and other generals captured the palace, they also lost their respect for the royal family. Especially when Yuchi Gong personally beheaded Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and held their heads to force Li Yuan to abdicate, the face of the entire royal family was trampled on the ground. As the initiator, Li Shimin was not unaware of this, but they were people in the same boat. To attack them in this way was to deny himself. Li Shimin had no choice but to rely on these people who had no way out like him.

The awe for the royal family that they lacked was very important to people like Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and Li Jing.

As a prince in peacetime, in order to rule the world and educate the people, Li Yan could only praise loyal ministers and filial sons who stick to their duties, rather than ministers like Yuchi Gong who dared to do anything.

This is also the difference between Emperor Taiping and rebellious emperors like Li Shimin.

The thought flashed through his mind for a moment. When the two of them confirmed their master-servant status and Cheng Yaojin sat on the chair again, his expression had relaxed a lot. He said with a calm demeanor, "Your Highness, do you have any ideas?"

"Originally, I was planning to persuade my father to give up this idea, because the Eastern Palace does not have any veteran generals who can take on this position. Since General Meng is willing to give up, Cheng Qian will also do his best to fight for the position of Dingxiang Road's marching commander for the general."

Li Yan spoke casually, but his words made Cheng Yaojin happy. Although he was inferior to Yuchi Gong in terms of the emperor, he had the upper hand in terms of the future emperor. Having the prince take care of him was much better than running around blindly.

For the first time, Cheng Yaojin felt the peace of mind of having someone to back him up. He quickly picked up the teapot beside him and brewed a cup for Li Yan. Then he asked, "Then, Your Highness, is there anything I, Cheng, can do? Just tell me what you want me to do. I will obey your orders."

"Um"

Li Yan nodded and said with satisfaction: "Don't worry about the emperor, I will speak for you, you can rest assured."

"But you know that father is a man of his word. His ideas are very accurate. No one knows whether they will succeed or not. I have said this before. If it succeeds, it will be your blessing. If it fails, you should not be resentful."

"That's right. Your Highness can speak for Old Cheng in front of the Emperor. I am very grateful to you."

Cheng Yaojin immediately patted his chest and said, "Whether it succeeds or not, it is all a favor from Your Highness to me. I am only grateful and have no complaints. Your Majesty is wise and decisive, and generally will not be influenced by others. I have dealt with the emperor for more than ten years and I know his temperament very well. Your Highness, please don't force it, just let it go!"

Li Yan first said something ugly in advance so that Cheng Yaojin could be mentally prepared, and then the two began to enter the discussion stage.

"Well, since Huai Mo doesn't want to return to the capital for the time being, why don't you give the position of General of the Left Tunwei Yifu to Li Ke in exchange for the position of the Chief of the Dingxiang Road Army? Father gave the Left Tunwei to Li Ke, so he can't give him the position of the Chief of the Dingxiang Road Army as well, right?"

Li Yan thought for a moment and said, "If he gets all the good things in the world, then he won't die of bloating. That doesn't make sense."

Cheng Yaojin naturally nodded his head like pounding garlic. Even if there were ten or eight Lieutenant Generals of the Left Garrison Guard, they could not replace a general manager of the army. There were more than 100,000 troops in the Dingxiang area, not to mention such an important pass. He asked curiously, "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"

"Well, General, do this first and then do this tomorrow. I will handle the rest."

Li Yan gave the orders in a low voice, and heard Cheng Yaojin's big head nodding in agreement. Finally, his eyes became brighter and brighter. From time to time, smiles of success could be heard from the living room where the two of them were. Xue Rengui, who was standing guard at the door, ignored him and glanced around with an unchanged expression.

In the afternoon, Cheng Yaojin was drunk in the East Palace and went to the mansion. The man as strong as a mountain was swaying on his horse, with a lot of thoughts in his mind, which made the guards around him worried that their master would fall off.

Cheng Yaojin still finds it unbelievable that the prince, at such a young age, can drink as much as he does. Of course, to say that he can drink as much as he does is to overestimate himself, as he was actually defeated.

This rough and rude man is usually invincible when it comes to drinking in the army.

Although the generals below had some intention of flattering him as the vanguard, Cheng Yaojin was a man with a rough appearance but a meticulous mind. He knew how many men in the army there were, and there were really not many who could beat him in drinking.
(End of this chapter)