Hearing Li Xiang's address, Li Shimin's face turned even worse. In the past, when he was angry, Li Xiang would call him grandpa to make him happy and to narrow the distance between them. But what happened today?
Changsun Wuji's face didn't look very good either. This could be regarded as a provocation from Li Xiang to the emperor.
Fang Xuanling still had the same expression. He had managed to remain calm even when faced with a huge crisis. However, what he was thinking in his heart was probably only known to himself. What happened to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
As for Wang De, the eunuch beside the emperor, he was now sweating with nervousness. Among all the people, he was the least cunning, so when he heard Li Xiang's address, he naturally felt intimidated by Li Xiang. Was he going to have a showdown with the emperor?
In the minds of contemporary people, Li Shimin set a bad precedent, that is, he was disrespectful to his father, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan. When the Xuanwu Gate Incident happened, Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, was still capable of continuing to govern. Although he did not do very well, he was not bad either.
Li Shimin always wanted to reverse this situation and had been instilling the concept of filial piety between father and son into his subordinates, but unfortunately he was not very successful.
As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked. How did you obtain the throne? I am afraid you know better than anyone else. You yourself are not filial to your father, how can you expect others to do the same? So when Li Xiang said this, Wang De naturally thought that Li Xiang was going to show his hand.
"Wake up. I haven't been back to Chang'an for more than two years. Do you feel that Chang'an has changed?"
Li Shimin reacted quickly. Although he was unhappy, he could not let Li Xiang continue to kneel. This time, Li Xiang solved two big problems. One was that he conquered Goguryeo, which was a demon that troubled Li Shimin.
Secondly, it resolved the rebellion of the Turks in the north. If Li Xiang had not gone there at that time, it is very likely that the rebels would have marched south. The Tang Dynasty's army was indeed very strong, but no matter how strong you are, if you can't stop them, the people in the north will be in disaster.
This was not only a puzzle for the common people, but also a complaint among the ministers in the court. When Li Shimin insisted on letting the King of Wu go to war, many people were dissatisfied. You obviously had His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was better at fighting, but you insisted on letting the King of Wu, who had never fought a war, lead the troops.
If you win, everyone from top to bottom will be speechless and will have to praise you for knowing how to appoint the right people and for discovering a famous general for the court.
But now you have lost the battle, not only have you suffered heavy casualties, but your entire army is almost wiped out. If it weren't for Li Xiang's efforts to turn the tide, the court's losses in the north would have been even greater. Even if Li Xiang had saved this team, do you think everyone would have forgotten the scene of the signs hanging everywhere in Chang'an City that day after they had a sleep?
The more successful Li Xiang was in the north, the more Li Shimin seemed to fail. The King of Wu naturally had to take responsibility this time, so he became a marginalized prince in the court. Apart from an empty title, he had no power at all, and even Concubine Yang was marginalized.
But apart from the King of Wu, shouldn't other people be held responsible for this?
There has never been a shortage of careful people in Chang'an City. These careful people reviewed the King of Wu's military expedition and found that in addition to the King of Wu's mistakes, Li Shimin was another person who made a big mistake.
In addition to the mistake in selecting people, Li Shimin kept urging King Wu to send troops in order to create a time difference, hoping that King Wu would have already led his troops to send troops before the news reached Liaodong.
You have to know that this is a war between two countries, not a child's play. All preparations must be in place. When a lot of preparations were not completed, Li Shimin had already ordered the King of Wu to send troops. At the beginning, I could still rely on enthusiasm to win, but later, as long as there was a slight deviation, you would know what a miserable defeat felt like.
The King of Wu had his own reasons for his failure, but Li Shimin also had to bear certain responsibilities. Although this matter was not stated explicitly, everyone is not a fool and everyone can see the problem here. The King of Wu also took the blame for Li Shimin.
On the other hand, even if Li Xiang provided aid to the north, he had already completed all the tasks around Goguryeo. In addition to conquering several countries on the peninsula, Li Xiang also trained the Dengzhou navy.
This didn't cost a penny, as all the money was used as spoils from the battlefield. It didn't bring any burden to the people. Instead, it transported goods from the south to the north, and it was transported by sea.
The Tang Dynasty attached the most importance to grain transport, and spent a lot of money every year to repair the Grand Canal to keep the north-south waterway open. However, with the advent of sea transportation, the cost has dropped a lot, but the money does not have to be spent. With the interaction between sea and inland shipping, economic exchanges between the north and the south have increased more than before. These are benefits that can be seen with the naked eye.
The most important thing is that a large amount of grain and other goods were shipped to the Tang Dynasty by sea, which caused prices to fall further. This made many people who could not afford to eat very grateful. If it were not for His Royal Highness's overseas layout, how could we have so much grain every year? The most important thing is that this food is so cheap.
"In reply to the emperor, Chang'an City still retains its splendor, and this is all thanks to the emperor."
Li Xiang answered honestly, "You ask a question and I will answer it. Anyway, what belongs to us will not run away, and what does not belong to us does not need to be fought for."
Listening to Li Xiang's harsh words, anyone can hear the dissatisfaction in his words. Of course, this is normal. Li Xiang is leading his men to fight on the front line, and you are just making things difficult for us from behind. Fortunately, we are more capable, otherwise, with your ability to cause trouble, a disastrous defeat on the front line is possible.
"Your contribution is not small, but I have no more rewards to offer you now. What do you think we should do?"
Li Shimin sneered and said that Li Xiang was, after all, a hero who had returned from the front line, and the greatest hero at that. Such an attitude was really disheartening.
However, Li Shimin was telling the truth. Li Xiang was now the crown prince. If he wanted to reward him, he could only give him some valuable things. But Li Xiang's family was richer than the national treasury. Would he be interested in the things you gave him?
"I am fighting abroad for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, so I have no demands."
Li Xiang retorted firmly, "If you don't want to reward me, then forget it. Let's see what people in the world will say. Will they say something about me or you?"