Since ancient times, no matter which dynasty suffered a major natural disaster, suffered a major military defeat, or experienced instability in the dynasty... they would introspect and hold them accountable. If no one took responsibility, the emperor could only issue the "Edict of Sin".

He took all the responsibilities on himself and apologized to the people of the world. However, no emperor was willing to take this step unless it was absolutely necessary, because once the "Edict on Sin" is issued, it will seriously affect the image and majesty of the emperor.

Being trampled to the ground will cause the emperor to become unstable forever.

The Li Tang Dynasty is no exception now. Since Li Yuan came to the throne, they have suffered successive major defeats. First, they failed to merge the states, and then they were forced to withdraw from Guanzhong. In last year's Eastern Expedition, the Tang army first won a great victory, and then suffered a disastrous defeat, and all the land they gained was lost.

He said that even Xiyang and Nanyang were lost, and if the Sui army had not stopped, even Xiangyang might have been lost, and now even the 30,000 lone rebels who had penetrated deeply had annihilated more than 100,000 of their soldiers.

One disastrous defeat after another filled the Tang Dynasty with pessimism. Although Li Yuan expanded the number of Beizhen Army, in order to appease people's hearts, he first reduced the number of Beizhen Army to 20,000, but now it is said to be 50,000. Everyone

If you are not a fool, how can you believe such a self-contradictory statement? What's more, the Beizhen Army is running rampant in Xiangyang County, and there are many people who know the exact number. It is impossible to deceive people by deception.

The officials in the court were also full of pessimism. Some officials saw that the upright dynasty could not even defeat the rebels outside the imperial capital, and they repeatedly cheated. They were disappointed and ran away. The huge pressure made Li Yuan sick.

After falling down, the illness lasted for three days.

Just when he was about to convene the ministers for discussion, a vigorous demonstration took place that night.

Torch after torch under the night sky, like fireflies, gathered towards the south gate of Tai Chi Palace. Every corner of the square in front of the gate was filled with people, and there were still people coming slowly like locusts. These people were holding spiritual tablets in their arms.

The people were all family members of the Tang army soldiers who died in Gucheng. They demanded that the court severely punish the incompetent Li Shimin and give justice and an explanation to the fallen soldiers. This cry in front of the palace was not organized by anyone, and no one was instigating it behind the scenes. It was purely

It was a voluntary act by the families of the fallen soldiers.

They sang mournful songs mournfully, and every sound contained the pain and sorrow of their deceased loved ones, which made people's hair stand on end. Occasionally, some people would be squeezed to the ground, and soon the surging crowd would trample them into mud.

The screams filled the hearts of the Tang soldiers on the palace wall with panic and uneasiness. They claimed to be the most elite warriors of the Tang Dynasty, but tonight, for the first time, they felt fear...

At this moment, although these unarmed soldiers and their families were old, young, and skinny, even the most ferocious and brutal Wuchuan Guards were too frightened to take action, but their eyes full of death made them unable to stop.

It gave rise to an unspeakable chill.

The sound of weeping souls filled the sky and could be heard clearly in the depths of the inner palace. The wails composed of bursts of crying and the tolling of the death knell made the stars in front of Li Yuan's eyes shoot straight towards his forehead.

It was just a matter of mourning. The key was that during the day, news came from the Anyang County garrison that there were groups and brigades of mass exodus in the military camp.

And this sudden storm was so violent that Li Yuan did not dare to use the army to suppress it. If he really wanted to use bloody methods to suppress the families of more than 100,000 martyrs, I am afraid that the officers and soldiers in the palace would be the first to rise up against him.

The Qiang soldiers allowed their families to be forced into the city. It can be seen that they have a sad heart and sympathize with these people. They are not only afraid that one day they will be led to death by the incompetent general, but also afraid that they will not get any explanation after dying in battle.

, the slightest pension, thus causing the elderly parents, widows, young children to starve and freeze to death.

Li Yuan also knew that the people outside the palace city were not only the family members of the soldiers who died in Gucheng, but also the family members of many soldiers who died in the Eastern Expedition. The reason was that when Li Yuan's treasury was empty, he did not pay pensions and did not properly arrange for the soldiers.

Family members, and when he had money and food in hand, and because Jingbei was about to become the land of the Sui Dynasty, he did not want to distribute it, but the soldiers and their families could not survive, so when someone took the lead, he suppressed many countless dissatisfaction, and on this day at the same time

If the outbreak is not handled properly and the reasonable demands of the soldiers and their families are not met, the "Tai Chi Palace Incident" may happen immediately tonight.

Li Yuan sat on the throne, trembling lips, but could not say a word. If Li Shimin was still in Xiangyang at this time, he would definitely cut off his head in front of everyone to thank the world.

.But Li Shimin has already escaped, and he also issued a formal decree to punish Li Shimin before. Now even if he removes Li Shimin as a citizen and kills Li Shimin, these people outside the city will think that he is unwilling and without sincerity.

Can't solve the problem.

Could it be that by issuing the "Edict of Guiji", he admitted that he was protecting the traitor? When he thought of this, Li Yuan's face turned pale.

Yu the Great issued an edict to punish himself because when he saw the person who committed the crime, he cried sadly and asked about the reason. Yu said: "In the time of Yao and Shun, the people all regarded me as the heart of Yao and Shun, and I was the king, and the people all regarded me as king."

Its heart is the heart, so it hurts."

Shang Tang issued an edict to sin against oneself in order to appease the people, "The guilt of one person is not as great as that of ten thousand men, and the guilt of ten thousand men lies with one person."

King Cheng of Zhou issued an edict to punish himself, which was to "punish him and avoid future troubles."

And what about him? Was he forced by a group of unruly people to issue an edict to punish himself? But Li Yuan also knew that if he did not give a satisfactory explanation to the families of the fallen soldiers and the army, then the phenomenon of soldiers fleeing would sweep the entire army, and ultimately end up with everyone betraying their relatives.

.

He locked himself in the imperial study, refused to meet anyone, and thought worriedly all night. In the early morning of the next day, he managed to think of a general rule of law, and then finally fell into a drowsy sleep.

At dusk, Li Yuan finally opened the door to the imperial study and stopped under an old locust tree in front of the door. The breeze after the rain mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees blew into his face. The eunuch at the door hurriedly saluted the emperor. Li Yuan looked indifferent.

He asked coldly: "Are those people outside the palace still there?"

"Gone partly." The eunuch replied quickly.

"Tell me, are you still there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, these people have been crying outside the palace and refused to leave. His Royal Highness had no choice but to set up a porridge relief in the name of the imperial court." The eunuch glanced at Li Yuan cautiously.

"Then what?"

The eunuch lowered his head and said: "No one accepts His Highness's kindness. They only ask the court to give them justice and to pay the full amount of the stipulated pension."

"Convene the ministers to discuss matters." Li Yuan said coldly.

.......

When the ministers heard that the emperor had summoned him, they hurried from the back door and the side door and gathered in front of Wude Hall.

I saw Li Yuan standing in front of the palace gate, closing his eyes and concentrating like a Taoist master. Everyone couldn't help but murmur in their hearts: "Is it possible that the Holy One is discouraged and wants to imitate Xiao Yan and abdicate as a monk?"

As if he heard the voices of many civil and military officials, Li Yuan finally opened his eyes, glanced at everyone lightly, and said: "I have called you here to announce four things:

1. I did not replace the mediocre and incompetent King Yelang in time, which led to the tragic defeat of Gucheng. Therefore, I will issue a "Edict of Sin" to apologize to the families of all fallen soldiers and distribute pensions one by one in accordance with the rules.

In the same place, Li Shimin was stripped of all his positions and titles and demoted to a commoner. The crimes he committed will be liquidated one by one in Yizhou.

2. The capital was settled in Chengdu. Ten days later, officials from the central and middle courts accompanied them to move the capital. Zhao Cijing was appointed as Jingzhaoyin, and Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, was appointed as the general, in charge of Shu County, Xincheng and Suining. Li Sixing was the general of the left guard, Dou

Fengjie was appointed as the Right Guard General, and Zhang Yuan served as the Imperial Guard.

3. Set up the Yinping Dudufu, Zhipingwu, Yicheng, Wenshan, Jinshan, and Pu'an military and political counties. Confer Dou Gui as Taiwei, Shangzhu Kingdom, and Yinpingdao Dudu. Tang Jian is appointed as the Chief of the Dudufu, and Li

Xi Zhi was the Sima of the Dudu Mansion; the Badong Dudu Mansion was established to govern Badong, Fangling, the Western Regions, and the military administration of Tongchuan. He named Li Xiaogong the King of Jing and the Governor of Badong. He named Gao Shilian the Chief of the Dudu Mansion and Chai Shao the Governor.

Sima of the Prefecture; the Governor's Office of Brazil was established to govern the military and administration of the four counties of Brazil, Danqu, Qinghua, and Fuling. The eldest son Sun Shunde was appointed as the Governor, the warrior Yi was the chief historian of the Governor's Office, and Li Gaoqian was appointed the Sima of the Governor's Office.

Fourth, I want to enthrone the crown prince Li Jiancheng..."

'boom'

There was an uproar outside the hall.

Everyone was shocked by the emperor's words, "I want the Zen crown prince Li Jiancheng."

The founding emperor of the Li Tang Dynasty actually abdicated the throne to the prince? And it was at a time when the people were surrounding the palace. What kind of profound meaning does this contain?

Some simple-minded ministers couldn't understand it, and they didn't want to think about it at all. They felt as refreshed and happy as drinking iced grape wine on a dog day in summer. They hoped that this was not a lie and that Li Jiancheng might really succeed to the throne.

In the end, everyone was extremely disappointed with Li Yuan.

When the heroes were separatist, the Tang Dynasty was originally the best in the world, and its strength was unparalleled in the world. Even Yang Tong, who was so powerful outside the region, his comprehensive national power was far inferior to the Tang Dynasty, which was presided over by the Long nobles, Guandong gentry, and southern nobles. However, it was short-lived.

In a short period of time, the Tang Dynasty, which was once prosperous and unparalleled, suffered continuous defeats and lost territory. Why did it decline to this point?

The real reason is not that Li Shimin, Li Xiaogong and other generals are incompetent, but that Li Yuan interfered too deeply in the military campaign. He planned the overall situation of the war with his close ministers and formulated the battle plan. It is okay to say that it is correct, but he was far away in the imperial capital, but he interfered in all the details of the war and demanded

The generals at the front must implement the established plan meticulously, otherwise they will be severely punished; the generals at the front are like puppets, knowing that they are wrong, but they can only copy the battle plan and fight; even if it is a temporary modification, it must be reported to the court, and it can only be approved by Li Yuan

Execution. But back and forth, the exchange of information can be as fast as two or three days, or as slow as half a month, and the battlefield changes rapidly. When Li Yuan approved the reply in the imperial capital, the war may have ended. In fact, Li Yuan not only interfered too deeply in the military

, he also has many, many other problems, such as focusing on letting the clan control the military, while generals who are good at fighting have no opportunities to display their talents and promotions, etc...

Except for Li Yuan who can pinch soft peaches like Liang Shidu, Zhu Can and Xiao Xian, he can't deal with anyone. Not to mention Yang Tong, even Xue Ju almost killed Daxing City, again and again, and again

And San's disastrous defeat ruined the good situation.

The Guanlong nobles went from heroes who founded the Tang Dynasty to pioneers against the Tang Dynasty. Wasn't it Li Yuan who was disappointing and disappointing?

All these problems are actually open secrets. If Li Yuan really gave Li Jiancheng the throne, it would be the great fortune of the Tang Dynasty and the blessing of the people.

At this moment, a man came out of the queue and cried loudly: "Why is this so great, Your Majesty! Gou Jian still has the courage to survive and make a comeback; Wang Mang usurped the throne, and Guangwu and Liu Xiu stepped forward; in the disputes at the end of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei also revived the Han family.

Country. Although our Tang Dynasty is severely weakened today, the soldiers are still loyal to the Holy One. There are still millions of subjects in Shu. As long as the monarch and ministers work together and manage well... It is not known whether Jingzhou, Yongzhou and Bingzhou will be recovered. How can it be tolerated for a while?

Are you cold and disheartened after the setback? Even though Gucheng was defeated, Your Majesty is still the pillar of our Tang Dynasty. If Your Majesty were to step down, our Tang Dynasty might completely collapse. Your Majesty, think twice! Your Majesty, think twice!!"

Speaking of the pain point, the man took off his ceremonial crown, prostrated himself on the ground, and shouted loudly: "I beg you, Your Majesty, to take back my life to save the Tang Dynasty!"

Many ministers looked closely and realized that this person was Pei Ji. This Pei Ji had no other abilities, but he was unrivaled in flattering others. Being disturbed by him like this, many ministers reacted belatedly, and they all reacted accordingly.

The imitators took off their hats and prostrated themselves in the stagnant water, shouting sincerely: "I ask the Holy One to take it back and make it complete, so as to save the Tang Dynasty!"

"I ask the Holy One to take it back and complete it in order to save the Tang Dynasty..."

"I ask the Holy One to take it back and complete it in order to save the Tang Dynasty..."

"Your Majesty, think twice! The Tang Dynasty fell to this point not because of your Majesty's fault, but because Yang Tong's son was too treacherous."

"The Holy One is sincere in serving the country and the people. If Yelang, er, the nobles of Guanlong hadn't interfered with it, causing our army to suffer repeated defeats and losing countless strengths, why would our government be like this?"

"That's right, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is right. What's wrong is the Guanlong nobles who are colluding with the enemy, and what's wrong is the insidious and cunning Yang Tong kid..."

"..."

Having said this, many ministers probably believed even themselves that "it's not that Li Yuan is incompetent, it's just that Yang Tong is too cunning." So everyone was wailing and crying, and the atmosphere was inexplicably sad, making it seem like Long Yu was mourning.

Everyone is like this. Even Li Jiancheng, who knew all his father's thoughts, had no choice but to kneel down and squeeze out tears to show his loyalty and filial piety.

But Emperor Li Yuan looked at it expressionlessly, as if he was watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.

Everyone cried for a long time, but found that the emperor never showed any signs. One or two began to feel guilty, and the cries gradually became silent. However, there were also some people who were too deeply involved in the drama and couldn't contain themselves for a while.

, although she stopped crying, she still sobbed and cried like rain.

——————
Chapter completed!