Chapter 295: Give Li Shimin confidence, musket!
When Xiao Yu returned home, he received a visiting card from a noble family.

It’s from a Shandong family.

He refused without a second thought.

Xiao Yu is not that naive. In front of the emperor, he did not stand with Changsun Wuji, but he had to react for his own benefit.

It’s understandable.

But later, the Shandong family wanted to win him over, that is, they wanted to get close to the Jiangnan gentry.

That must be impossible.

At this juncture, he absolutely could not meet anyone from the Shandong family, either in private or in public.

This is a matter of principle.

The prince helped the Jiangnan gentry rise up because he was dissatisfied with the Shandong families’ arrogance and helped them gain a foothold in the court.

They had to oppose the Shandong family in all aspects and could not go the same way.

If, he joins forces with the Shandong family and comes together.

Then what is the meaning of existence?

The prince would naturally not tolerate the Jiangnan gentry to act rashly.

It was difficult for the prince to kill the Shandong noble family, but killing the Jiangnan gentry was as easy as stepping on an ant.

The fact that Xiao Yu is still active in the court today represents the power of the Jiangnan gentry and also because the prince still supports him.

If there were no prince, would the Jiangnan gentry be where they are today?
Can they go against the Shandong family?
I have long lost the right to sit at the table, so how can I have any room for discussion or decision-making?

The Jiangnan gentry were still in the dark about how the imperial court divided up the Jiangnan area.

Therefore, Xiao Yu was very clear that he could criticize some of the actions of the Commissioner of Taxation in the Jiangnan newspapers, and he could fault Xu Jingzong and point out his mistakes.

That’s because Xu Jingzong did violate fundamental interests, and moreover, there was no clear indication from the crown prince.

Since there is no crown prince, it must have been Xu Jingzong’s personal act.

You can target Xu Jingzong, but you cannot oppose the crown prince.

Before the prince takes action, Xiao Yu can speak for himself, but once the prince comes forward to threaten him, he should understand what to choose.

That’s the political stance.

He was supported by the prince, he was under the prince’s banner, and he must follow the prince.

This is known to everyone. The Jiangnan gentry can never wash themselves away from it, nor dare they deny it.

You can have differences on some issues, but you cannot make them public, break with the prince, and go your separate ways.

Solve it privately, and discuss it when it cannot be solved.

“Fortunately, the prince did not speak at the moment.”

“We can also accuse and criticize the tax commissioner for his actions.”

Xiao Yu said: “If the prince opens his mouth, we will have to change our stance.”

At this moment, he missed his nephew, King Wu Li Ke.

If Li Ke was in Chang’an, he would be much more confident.

Lu Dunxin hesitated and said, “Duke, in the end, things got out of hand. If the tax commissioner insists on doing what he wants, will the Shandong family take any action?”

“This time, the Duke declined to meet with them…”

Xiao Yu frowned. He knew what Lu Dunxin was thinking. He wanted to leave some room for him.

“madness!”

Xiao Yu said angrily: “You are confused.”

“Let’s not talk about what the prince said, let me ask you, how do you react after meeting with the Shandong family?”

“You may have forgotten about Li Yifu.”

Lu Dunxin hesitated and waved his hands quickly.

“In the case of Li Yifu, what the Shandong family did behind the scenes was shocking.”

Xiao Yu said in a deep voice: “Those great monks in the temples made such a big noise, but they were soon liquidated by the court.”

“They were used as pawns by the Shandong noble families. What do you think happened to them?”

“How many temples were closed down, how many monks had their heads chopped off and were exiled.”

He paused, and shuddered at the thought of the turmoil caused by Li Yifu’s incident.

Xiao Yu was very clear about the storm behind the scenes.

The Shandong family hid behind the scenes, and even though the attack was launched, they were not hurt at all and escaped unscathed.

It wasn’t affected at all.

Even if His Majesty and the Crown Prince are clearly aware of their existence, it is difficult to implicate them without any evidence.

All I can say is, if you are too smart, you will be used as a gun by others.

That’s what the monks in those temples are like.

“Why do you think they want to ease relations with us?”

“They just want us to be the vanguard.”

Xiao Yu said: “In their eyes, we are just a tool to gain benefits for them.”

“Otherwise, will they lower their stance?”

“Do you want to repeat the fate of Li Yifu on us?”

Lu Dunxin shook his head and asked worriedly, “What should we do now?”

“The tax department is taking action and has already started the investigation.”

Xiao Yu took a sip of tea and said, “Don’t panic. For the time being, we should maintain the current situation. Before the Crown Prince makes his position clear, we can’t rush to the front.”

“It can’t be too much.”

“Jiangnan is still far away.”

“If the sky falls, there is a big head to support it. Let’s wait and see what happens and act when the time is right.”

He still didn’t believe that the Shandong family, with its larger size and greater interests than theirs, would be able to sit still longer than them.

From the moment they came to our door, we knew they were anxious.

……

“Why did you decide to come to my house?”

Li Jing asked calmly.

“Is it not enough for me to come?”

Li Xiaogong said unhappily, “I don’t want the good wine, but the good food and beauty have prepared it for me.”

Li Jing’s mouth twitched. Do you think this is your house?

Although he was older than Li Xiaogong, he had served as a deputy general under him and was considered his senior.

The two of them just sat there, neither speaking.

Li Jing was drinking tea and waiting to see who would be the first to speak.

“I say, old man, why don’t you ask me what I’m doing here?”

Li Xiaogong shouted.

“You will definitely tell me what you want to tell me. It’s meaningless if you don’t tell me after I ask you.” Li Jing said.

“Old thing!”

Li Xiaogong cursed.

Li Jing asked, “Is something wrong?” “Yes!” Li Xiaogong said in a muffled voice.

“What did your Majesty say?”

“I have already made it clear to His Majesty that the Ministry of War will resolutely obey His Majesty’s leadership and decisions.”

Li Jing was silent for a moment, “Then you have to do other things well.”

“I’m here now. I’ll tell you first, and then we can go tell the others together.”

Li Xiaogong said: “Let’s test their attitude.”

“What about the bad attitude?” Li Jing asked.

Li Xiaogong was silent for a moment, “Then you can’t blame me.”

The meaning of this is to tell Li Jing.

He has promised Li Shimin that he will have to do it himself and it has nothing to do with Your Majesty.

Li Jing sighed and said, “If that’s the case, I have nothing to say.”

“When you get old, you still have to go through a storm like this.”

He looked outside and said quietly, “Your Majesty, it’s time to inspect the armies in Chang’an.”

“You old thing, you should hate yourself for not dying earlier.”

Li Xiaogong laughed and scolded, “That’s it.”

“We just need to do our own thing.”

“Your Majesty is giving everyone a chance.”

Li Jing did not comment, he just nodded slightly.

He knew His Majesty’s tactics very well.

I can also guess what His Majesty will do next.

It is inevitable to inspect and tour the various military forces in Chang’an, which is to send a signal to the outside world.

Everyone can fight, but they must never cross the red line.

What is the red line?

Inspecting the various military units is to tell everyone where the red line is.

Anyone who dares to threaten the emperor’s position will shake the foundation of the country.

Then the emperor will have to strike hard and eliminate the disaster with thundering force.

Li Xiaogong is gone.

Li Jing whispered, “In terms of prestige in the army and control of military power.”

“Who can compare to Your Majesty?”

“There is no chaos.”

“Anyone who acts recklessly will only bring about his own destruction.”

……

The facts were the same as Li Jing had guessed.

In the following period, Li Shimin frequently summoned military officers from all walks of life to the palace, and even some military officers who were away were recalled to Chang’an.

Afterwards, Li Shimin inspected the troops in Chang’an.

Li Chengqian has never spoken out, he is just doing his own thing.

In his opinion, Li Shimin’s behavior was to cover up this major event.

It is unknown to what extent the incident will develop and what kind of changes will occur.

But Li Shimin had to hold on to the bottom line.

Within the area he has drawn, let everyone have a good fight.

“However, this weight is still not enough.”

“Let’s give him some stimulants.”

Li Chengqian pondered secretly, and then shouted: “Huaiying, where is His Majesty?”

“Your Highness, His Majesty is in the New Army.”

“Send someone to invite His Majesty immediately and tell him that I am waiting for him at Tiangongyuan and ask him to come over.”

“Yes!”

Tiangongyuan.

Li Chunfeng and others welcomed the two palaces.

He has also been paying attention to the situation in Chang’an and knows that the situation has become a little delicate recently.

“It’s timely this time.”

Yuan Tiangang said as the two stood together and talked in low voices.

“It finally lived up to my expectations.” Li Chunfeng said, “With this thing, I believe the situation will become much simpler.”

Yuan Tiangang sighed and said, “The Crown Prince fully supports Tiangong Academy. We have received His Highness’ grace and we must repay the Crown Prince…”

“That makes sense.”

At this moment, the Emperor and the Crown Prince arrived.

Li Shimin and Li Chengqian were both riding horses, and they dismounted when they got close.

“The prince said he wanted to show me something good.”

“Li Chunfeng, what new things have you come up with at Tiangong Academy?”

Li Shimin laughed out loud, and he seemed to be in a very good mood.

From this we can see that his inspection of the various armies this time obviously received extremely good feedback.

“Your Majesty, please move and take a look.”

Li Chunfeng bowed.

“it is good.”

Li Shimin and Li Chengqian walked in sync, talking about something from time to time.

This made Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang look at each other.

Among the rare times they saw the emperor and the prince traveling together, this was the first time they were so close.

Has the rift between the Crown Prince and Your Majesty been resolved?
They only dare to think, not ask.

soon.

They came to the test site.

Li Chunfeng introduced: “Your Majesty, Your Highness, the weapon on display this time is called a musket!”

“Its power and lethality are extremely great…”

“Seeing is worse than hearing. Show me a demonstration.”

“According to the order!”

Immediately, Li Chunfeng ordered his men to start the demonstration.

At the launch, first one person shoots with a musket, then more people shoot, and finally they line up and shoot at a distant target.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Shimin who was holding a telescope.

This is what gives him the confidence to give it a boost.

(End of this chapter)