Chapter 738 Making up for the situation before it is too late
Chapter 738 Making up for the situation before it is too late
Li Yuan sighed for a long while and said to his eldest son Li Jiancheng: "The facts have proved that your suggestion at that time was correct. We should temporarily abandon Hedong and concentrate our forces to attack Longyou. If we had listened to your advice at that time, we would not be so passive today. It's too late to regret now!"
Li Jiancheng did not dare to show any dissatisfaction. He bowed and said, "Father, it is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. We still have some resources and strength in our hands. If we concentrate these resources and strength, I believe our army will be able to recover Longyou within a few months."
Li Yuan said anxiously: "But if we use all our resources to attack Longyou, what if the King of Jin suddenly attacks us? How can we resist?"
"Father, this is what Pei Changshi meant just now. We must first endure the humiliation and bow to King Jin. When he ascends the throne, we will abolish the dynasty and submit to him. We will do whatever he asks us to do, and buy time and space to wipe out the Xue family father and son as soon as possible."
Li Yuan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He certainly understood what his eldest son and Pei Ji meant. He should surrender to Xiao Xia and concentrate his forces to attack Longyou. But if surrender was really useful, he would not care about his face and would surrender when necessary. He was worried that surrender would be useless. Once the King of Jin discovered that Guanzhong was short of troops, he would send troops without hesitation. This was what Li Yuan was worried about.
After a long while, Li Yuan sighed and said, "All of you please leave! Let me think about it carefully."
Li Jiancheng and Pei Ji both left, leaving Li Yuan alone, pacing back and forth in the hall, sighing.
Dugu Wudu rushed back from Luoyang, and Dugu Tuo immediately summoned him to the study, and Dugu Can also participated in the meeting.
Dugu Wudu said to the head of the family and his elder brother: "I met Yuan Xiaoju and had a heart-to-heart talk with him. There is a reason why Yuan Hongsi was appointed as the Minister of War."
Dugu Wudu then told Dugu Tuo and Dugu Can in detail about his conversation with Yuan Xiaoju.
Dugu Tuo's face changed drastically, and he realized that he had made a big mistake. He supported King Tang with 800,000 strings of cash. If he wanted King Jin to forgive him in the future, the Dugu family would have to pay at least double the money. How could the Dugu family come up with such a huge fortune?
Dugu Tuo was stunned for a long while, then he sighed and said, "Why didn't I think about the problem of balance?"
Dugu Can also fell silent. He realized that the head of the family had made a big mistake by supporting King Tang at the critical moment. How could King Jin let them go?
Think about the Yuan family. They decisively withdrew from the Wuchuan Association and left Chang'an for Luoyang. They don't have to bear a penny here and spend the money wisely. The Yuan family has risen again. How far-sighted they are.
The Dugu family has clearly chosen the wrong side, and if they want to correct it, they will pay a heavy price.
Dugu Can suddenly became dissatisfied with the aging and incompetence of the patriarch, whose decision might very likely ruin the entire Dugu family.
Dugu Tuo pondered for a moment and asked, "How much money do we have left in Luoyang?"
"Reporting to the master, it is about 500,000 strings of cash."
Dugu Can finally couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Master, this is not a question of money. It's a question of whether we want to give money to King Jin or not!"
"What do you mean? Are you dissatisfied with me?" Dugutuo said with a gloomy face.
"Master, supporting King Tang with 800,000 strings of cash is the most foolish decision. It will completely destroy our Dugu family!" Dugu Can was also determined to take the risk.
Dugu Tuo was furious and slammed the table, saying, "Were you unaware of the money being given to the King of Tang? Did you object? Didn't you participate in the decision-making as well? Now you are pushing the responsibility onto me, don't you feel guilty?"
Dugu Wu was so scared that he quickly advised: "Now is not the time to quarrel. Quarreling will not solve the problem, but will only make things worse. We should face the reality and think about how to solve the current predicament."
Dugu Tuo nodded, "I am the head of the family, I will bear the consequences. Yuan Xiaoju is right, attitude is the most important. If the attitude is right, then the King of Jin should be able to accept the donation."
Dugu Can also admitted his mistake and said, "I was too impatient just now and said something I shouldn't have said. The head of the family is right. Attitude is the most important thing. The Dugu family should move out of Guanlong first. I suggest going to Taiyuan. We have several manors in Hedong, and our Dugu family has inextricable ties with Taiyuan. Of course, this does not mean that we will give up our interests in Guanlong, but our main ancestral temple will move to Taiyuan, and in the future it will be called Taiyuan Dugu Clan. Our interests in Guanlong will remain unchanged." Dugu Tuo no longer hesitated this time. He said decisively, "The most urgent task is to transfer the wealth and children out of Chang'an. Chang'an will remain an empty shell, and I will be in charge. If the King of Tang comes to squeeze us again, I will not give him a penny. He can kill me or cut me up, it's up to him!"
Dugu Tuo and Dugu Can immediately summoned all the important Dugu descendants to discuss the matter in the inner court. The family unanimously agreed to the head of the family's plan to move their wealth and descendants out first.
As the coronation date was getting closer, the night before the coronation, Xiao Xia and his wife Cui Yu took a slow walk in the garden. Cui Yu asked with a smile: "My husband will be on the throne tomorrow. Are you nervous?"
Xiao Xia smiled and shook his head. "It's just a ceremony. Nothing will change. Am I not the emperor now?"
Cui Yu smiled and said, "He is still a prince now, and the emperor's pomp and ceremony is much greater than it is now. Moreover, the emperor cannot continue to go to war in person. He cannot be like the previous emperor, who would lead the army in person at every turn!"
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "The emperor will lead the army to Chang'an at most. I plan to have my men recover Hebei. As for the Turks, I may lead the army in person. As for the pomp and circumstance, I advocate frugality and will definitely not be as extravagant as my father. I think I will be more like my grandfather."
Cui Yu sighed and said, "My husband's royal grandfather really had good eyesight. He saw that my husband was extraordinary all those years ago."
"Aren't you the same?"
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "I have seen your husband's extraordinaryness over the years, and you have given yourself to me!"
Cui Yu took her husband's arm and said with a smile: "The one who really has good eyesight is Xiaomei, not me!"
"It's true!"
As he was speaking, Li An, the chief eunuch of the palace, stepped forward quickly and said, "Your Highness, a very strange thing has happened in Shangyang Palace."
"What's weird?"
"Two Taoist priests suddenly appeared in front of the eunuch, left something behind and then disappeared without a trace."
"One is very tall and fat, with a full beard, and the other is thin and small, with white hair and beard. They said they are old friends of Your Highness and came to congratulate Your Highness on his ascension to the throne!"
Xiao Xia's heart moved. Could it be Zhang Jue?
After the Wagang Army surrendered, they could not find Zhang Jue's whereabouts. One of Zhang Jue's subordinates said that he saw him leaving with an old Taoist priest.
"Where are the things they left behind?" Xiao Xia asked anxiously.
Li An waved his hand, and two eunuchs placed a long box on the stone table. Xiao Xia opened the long box and was stunned. There was a whisk that was almost bald and a flying knife.
This is Yuan Shoucheng's whisk, Zhang Jue's flying knife, and a note.
Xiao Xia opened the note, which contained only one sentence, "Congratulations on your promotion. I will travel to the West with Taoist Zhang again. See you in thirty years!"
It was Yuan Shoucheng's handwriting. Xiao Xia's nose felt sore and all kinds of emotions suddenly flooded into her heart.
(End of this chapter)