"You've forgotten Hou Junji, right? He also had many capable men under him. After Hou Junji died, these people went into hiding. Now that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu has risen to prominence, these people have already come over. If I'm not mistaken, some of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu's men are veterans under Hou Junji. Otherwise, how do you think his central army's combat effectiveness would be so strong?"
Cheng Yaojin saw that the three young men's attention was all on him, so he didn't keep them in suspense. After hearing what Cheng Yaojin said, Li Xiang couldn't believe his ears. This was a big mistake on his part.
When Hou Junji was killed, Li Shimin also agreed. Unfortunately, Li Xiang did not think of this step at that time. If he could think of this step, he could take advantage of the situation to round up the people under Hou Junji, which would be a perfect victory. But now he is charging in the front, and King Wu Li Ke has taken advantage of it.
The people under Hou Junji are no joke. They followed Hou Junji in his expeditions and after destroying Gaochang, they were stationed on the southwestern border and often fought with enemy countries. Although they have returned to Chang'an in recent years, their combat capabilities are no joke. If the King of Wu really recruited them, they would definitely shine on the battlefield of this eastern expedition to Goryeo.
“What a pity…”
Li Xiang drank the wine while shaking his head. Each of the founding generals of the Tang Dynasty had his own abilities, and the troops under each of them were no joke. Although Li Shimin repeatedly forbade them to form factions, the army was a place for forming factions, but everyone did it behind the back of the court. Now Li Xiang had missed out on a big piece of cake.
At that time, Li Xiang did not take these troops seriously. He thought that he had his own troops in the system and there was no need to take these troops. It would also arouse Li Shimin's suspicion. But now that King Wu Li Ke has taken these people in, it is a challenge for Li Xiang. Once King Wu Li Ke achieves results on the battlefield, according to Li Shimin's current mentality, he will definitely push King Wu Li Ke up.
Li Xiang knew that the throne would be his in the end, but he couldn't afford to fight for it in the middle. At the beginning, King Wu Li Ke was very good, but no one could withstand the temptation of power. When King Wu Li Ke thought he could compete with him, he would definitely not give up. If the two of them were to waste time on each other, it would not be good for the entire Tang Dynasty.
Li Xiang had put a lot of effort into the current situation, calming the Five Clans and Seven Families. The surrounding countries were also in a state of submission. At this time, we should vigorously develop the strength of the Tang Dynasty and must not allow any form of internal friction. If there is internal friction, Li Xiang's desire to unify the world will be jeopardized...
"There's nothing to regret. Even if you had come out, you could only have conquered a small part of it. The largest part has always been in the hands of the emperor. In this place in the capital, no one can outsmart the emperor. The only one who can escape is you, but you have returned from Tubo. If I were you, I would rather not get involved in Goguryeo's affairs than come back from Tubo."
Cheng Yaojin took a sip of wine and said, "It is said that those who are involved in the matter are often confused. Now Li Xiang realized that coming back was a wrong move. Li Xiang did not want to miss any opportunity, but you also have to see what the road ahead is like."
"But isn't everything fine in Tibet, Father? There's nothing good that can come of staying there, right?"
Cheng Chuliang said with some surprise that if he stayed in Tubo, no matter what the result was, his merits would have reached the top and there would be no way to gain new merits. The only way to gain merits was to follow the army to the east to attack Goguryeo.
"You young people are so naive, haven't you ever heard of a phrase? What's 'nurturing the enemy to protect yourself'?"
Cheng Yaojin looked at these people with contempt, and Li Xiang also slapped his head. If he had known that Li Shimin had this idea, why did he do these things so quickly? He should have created some loopholes. Now look what happened. He has gotten himself into this situation and can't go back even if he wants to.
If the border area was to become a little chaotic, Li Shimin would definitely pay more attention to Tubo. After all, Goguryeo and Tubo were not on the same level. Li Xiang was able to deal with Tubo, which cleared the way for attacking Goguryeo. Otherwise, would Li Shimin dare to go?
Unfortunately, Li Xiang wanted to cut the Gordian knot, deal with Tubo as quickly as possible, and then follow the emperor to the east to attack Goguryeo. This approach is correct, but you have to see what the emperor thinks. If the emperor is dedicated to the public, then your approach will please him. But if the emperor wants to suppress you, will you get any credit by following him?
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Now that things have come to this, there's no point in regretting it. I can't let them cause chaos now. If they do, I can certainly return to Tubo, but the entire Tang Dynasty is already in turmoil because of Goguryeo. Such a major adjustment in direction will be detrimental to the entire Tang Dynasty. If anything goes wrong, the people of the Tang Dynasty will suffer."
After Li Xiang said this, the three father and son present all looked at Li Xiang with admiration. They were also high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty and could do anything for their own interests. Including all the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty now, they would not consider the lives of the common people. If Cheng Yaojin was in Li Xiang's position, it would probably really make Tubo prosperous, which would disrupt all of Li Shimin's paths and also win a certain voice for Li Xiang. However, Li Xiang did not do this in order to allow the Tang Dynasty to go further.
"Now I'm not your father-in-law, so just think of me as an ordinary citizen of the Tang Dynasty. Let's drink this glass of wine."
Cheng Yaojin was born into a poor family, so he naturally knew what life was like for ordinary people. If someone could think about them, then these people's lives would definitely get better slowly. Li Xiang was such a person.
The Cheng Chuliang brothers also raised their glasses. They had been in high society for a long time and paid less and less attention to the common people. However, after meeting Li Xiang, they suddenly realized that their previous way of thinking was wrong. They should put the common people first. Only in this way can they win the hearts of the people and go further...
