Master Cui Sanye has his own intelligence system, which is even more powerful than Li Shimin's, so if he wants to find out something, it is very easy. The most talked about topic in Chang'an City recently is why Li Xiang was not used in the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, but the King of Wu who did not lead many troops was used instead.
To be honest, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu has a good reputation among the people, and everyone thinks he is a very good person. However, leading troops is different from being a human being. If there is even the slightest mistake, it could cost tens of thousands of lives. There are so many ordinary people from Chang'an City in the army. If His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu does not do well enough, then every family will probably be in trouble.
In the eyes of the common people, even if a royal family member had to be appointed, it should be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness has been on the battlefield for a long time, and everyone knows his ability. Has the emperor lost his mind? Leaving a grandson who knows how to fight and instead pushing forward his son who can't fight, if this fails, how can your position be secure?
Ordinary people can only see things on the surface, they cannot see what is going on inside. Of course, what Li Shimin cares about most is his throne, so on the surface he uses Wu Wang Li Ke as the commander-in-chief, but he lets Li Xiang go with the army, just to create a situation where if Wu Wang Li Ke fails, then it is normal to change commanders before the battle, and then push Li Xiang to the throne.
But there are always unexpected events. If Prince Wu Li Ke does a good job, then Li Xiang will have no chance. You can serve as a reserve in the army, and you can get some credit in the end. As for Prince Wu Li Ke, he can become another knife in Li Shimin's hand.
Cui Sanye and Cui Yuncheng were both smart people. They understood Li Xiang's thoughts. How could Li Xiang be a reserve player for others? He himself was also very talented, and now so many people were approaching. If Li Xiang just endured it, perhaps he would be willing to do so, but his subordinates would not be willing to do so.
How was Li Shimin able to recruit so many talented people back then? Wasn't it because those people saw Li Shimin's strength and ability, and believed that he had a bright future, so they tied their lives to him. But if Li Xiang lost his strength and allowed the emperor to control him, would these people still be tied to him?
To be honest, the Cui family was also a member of Li Xiang's warship. They asked themselves that if Li Xiang just endured it, they would also suffer. So if Li Xiang wanted to resist, these people were willing to contribute their efforts. After all, helping Li Xiang was equivalent to helping themselves.
"We all understand your Highness's affairs. Please tell us how we should proceed."
Uncle Cui San said this without any hesitation. If it was half a year ago, it would be impossible for him to say this, and even Cui Yuncheng would feel panic. But now, the uncle and nephew felt that this was very normal.
"I know that the Third Master is very capable and has placed many of his own pawns in Chang'an City. I need him to do two things. One is to help me persuade my Third Uncle and make him understand his situation. The other is to investigate his team thoroughly."
When talking to his own people, Li Xiang didn't beat around the bush and just said what was in his mind. Master Cui San also nodded beside him. Li Xiang always had two plans in mind. If he could persuade someone successfully, then the latter one would not matter. But if persuasion failed, Li Xiang would probably take action in advance and cut off the source of the trouble for King Wu Li Ke.
"Your Highness, if you don't mention this, I'm also ready to recommend myself. But Your Highness, don't hold your hopes too high. As far as I know, that old fellow Xiao Yu has come forward and is helping Your Highness the Prince of Wu recruit his old subordinates, including Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang."
Now that things have come to this, there is no need to hide it anymore. Uncle Cui Sanye told Li Xiang the news he had received. Li Xiang immediately looked very happy. He had thought that there were not many people on his uncle's side, but he did not expect that the two generals who went on the expedition had all become Li Ge's subordinates.
If this was said by someone else, Li Xiang might have verified it. After all, there are many things that have no evidence, so such words cannot be said casually. However, Mr. Cui San is Li Xiang's staunch ally, and the Cui family's intelligence network is extremely terrifying. Li Xiang still hasn't figured it out. After all, this is a big family with a history of two or three hundred years. Their foundation is not something you can catch up with in the past few years. Since Mr. Cui San said so, there must be solid evidence.
When Li Xiang was controlling Lu Dongzan, if it weren't for the help of Mr. Cui Sanye, Li Xiang probably wouldn't have gotten such important information. So Li Xiang believed it firmly in this matter.
"I never thought that the King of Wu, who usually seems to be indifferent to everything, now has his own team, and it's making a big splash."
Li Xiang smiled self-deprecatingly. Ever since he was reborn, all his attention has been on Li Tai and Li Zhi. It was really because these two people had too high a reputation. And like his father Li Chengqian, they were all the legitimate sons of Empress Zhangsun. In history, Li Zhi also became Emperor Gaozong of Tang. It was normal for Li Xiang to keep his eyes on them.
"Your Highness has too many things to look after, so it's normal for him to have missed something. However, based on what we've learned, the remnants of the previous dynasty are quite numerous, including some of the great families that have already failed. If Xiao Yu were to unite them all, they would quickly become another major faction in the court."
After Mr. Cui Sanye finished speaking, Li Xiang raised his eyebrows. What he feared most were these big families. Even the Taiyuan Wang family and the Longxi Li family that had already declined, Li Xiang did not dare to underestimate them. On the surface, these big families suffered heavy losses, but it was really hard to calculate how much they had bought secretly.
"Both the Wang and Li families have come over?"
Li Xiang said nervously that the most terrifying thing about these big families was not their power on the surface, but their hidden power. Although Li Xiang had already reduced these two big families to second-rate families through the grassland and loan issues, and even their status as second-rate families was no longer secure, Li Xiang didn't know how much power they had hidden in secret. If they counterattacked, the force would definitely be huge.