I don't know how much wine they drank in one night, but these old generals were very happy. Li Xiang had already issued an order to start a limited investigation. Those who had no military merits and no family members at home were among the first group to be investigated.
The emperor handed the matter over to Chang Sun Chong. Chang Sun Chong had actually become a civil servant, but because he had been in charge of the Imperial City Office before, Li Shimin made a mistake and thought that Chang Sun Chong was still in that office. Now that the emperor had spoken, Chang Sun Chong had no choice but to put his own affairs aside first, and then borrow people from the Imperial City Office, and then work with some officials from the Ministry of War to start investigating the people below.
"I didn't expect that you would be implicated in this matter. When we went back to drink that day, my aunt told me that you haven't been going to the front line recently and have been staying at home. This is a good thing. At least it's safe. I didn't expect that I wouldn't have the opportunity to go to the front line, but you would have the opportunity."
Outside the city of Chang'an, Li Xiang said somewhat embarrassedly that when the matter was being discussed in front of the palace that day, Chang Sun Chong did not go there at all because he was working in the Ministry of Revenue. Who knew that after the matter was discussed, the emperor's people went there and asked Chang Sun Chong to go to the front line to investigate the matter first.
Everything has its priorities. Although the people under investigation are everywhere, the most important thing is the current front line. If something happens there, the first to suffer losses will be our army. Chang Sun Chong is now in his forties and is a relatively stable person. If it were someone else, the emperor might not be able to trust him.
In the original history, Changsun Chong probably did not have such ability. After a series of changes made by Li Xiang, this guy is now considered a cautious person, and it is safe to let him do this. Changsun Wuji knew that this was a muddy water and did not want to let his son participate because it would offend many people in the army.
General Moren is a traitor, but there are many people like General Moren in the army. They certainly don't have much power now, but as they develop in the future, they may very likely move to positions more important than General Moren. Once they reach such a position, some things may be hard to say.
So in this situation, if you can avoid getting involved in this muddy water, then don't do it. If you can't get out of it, it will not be good for anyone. Chang Sun Chong is now definitely the next generation head of the Zhangsun family. If he offends too many traitor generals in the army, not only his future will be in trouble, but the younger generations including Chang Sun Ze will probably not be in good shape either.
This is just from the perspective of the family. If we talk about it in the long term, the prince born to Changsun Pingting and Changsun Yunyi may not have a good future. Others may not be able to see this step, but Changsun Wuji has a very sharp eye.
Changsun Wuji can already think about the next three generations. Such a person is absolutely terrible. Fortunately, such a person has a relatively good relationship with us. If he stands on the opposite side, Li Xiang will probably not be able to sleep at night.
"Don't you know me well enough? If I stay in Chang'an City all the time, I'm afraid my whole body will become rusty. My experience in the Imperial City Office has also made me yearn for this. Don't take your aunt's words to heart. Don't come to our house as often as possible during this period."
In terms of seniority, Changsun Chong is Li Xiang's cousin. When there is no one else around, the two of them can chat so comfortably. Li Xiang is a person from modern society. If he kneels down to pay his respects at every turn, he will have the majesty of the court, but he will feel that he has few friends.
"Enough of the small talk, let's hurry up and get going. The first place we need to go is Shuzhong. After we've dealt with that, we can head to the northwest. My third uncle is no ordinary man. You two are closer to him than I am, so go visit him more often."
According to Li Shimin's order, Shuzhong was the first place to go. It was too close to Chang'an. If someone committed treason, this place had to be cleared out first. Otherwise, the rebels would most likely reach Chang'an City the next day, which would be of no benefit to them.
"The last incident didn't involve your third uncle. I know you said a lot of good things about him. To be honest, your third uncle and I don't have a good relationship. When I was a child, I stood on your father's side, then on your second uncle's side, and then on your side. I can't get along with your third uncle. I'm going to Chengdu now, so I'll be lucky if he doesn't cause me any trouble."
Chang Sun Chong said helplessly that he only had ten days, mainly because the task was too difficult. If he could not handle the affairs in Shu in these ten days, he would have to go to the northwest immediately.
In fact, according to Li Xiang's idea, there is no need to go to Sichuan to deal with these things.
Sichuan was indeed a dangerous place in the past. Both the local indigenous people and the mountain people might betray the court. However, after so many years of development, it is no longer the same as before. But Li Shimin has never been there, so Li Shimin still has his old-fashioned ideas. The area around Chang'an City has always been the most important. Even if there is chaos in the northwest, it will not affect the foundation of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Xiang is unable to understand this now. Perhaps only when he really reaches that position can he understand Li Shimin's good intentions. In this situation, preserving the foundation of the Tang Dynasty is equivalent to preserving everything. The northwest front seems very important, but it is too far away from Chang'an. Even if a war breaks out there, it will not threaten Chang'an.
The two men have different perspectives, so the decisions they make are also different, but the current emperor is still Li Shimin, so Chang Sun Chong must be taken to Chengdu first.
Li Ge, who was in Chengdu at the moment, also received the imperial edict from the court. Li Shimin asked him to keep this matter secret. Although you are the King of Shu, the army here belongs to the court. You can only cooperate and cannot interfere.
Because of his son's rebellion, King Li Ke of Shu had faded out of the court, but the arrival of Chang Sun Chong and his party brought King Li Ke of Shu into the core circle. Whether this matter had anything to do with him or not, that would have to wait for Chang Sun Chong's investigation.
