"Disintegrate factional strife?"
Li Gancheng frowned and pondered for a moment. Then, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, his pupils widened.
"Could there be something fishy going on within the Tiger Warriors themselves?!"
When Li Gancheng got to this point, Yao Tianzheng and Sun Jian exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
"hiss!"
Li Gancheng gasped, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief.
He began to quickly gather all the information in his mind.
In recent years, as his father's health has deteriorated, the factional struggles in the court have become increasingly serious.
Aside from the many veteran officials led by the Emperor, three factions have emerged in the court.
The most powerful force was naturally the faction of the powerful minister Lin Xuanfu. Lin Xuanfu was the head of the Three Dukes and commanded the Six Ministries. He had been cultivating his influence in the court for many years, and his faction was widespread, deeply rooted, and extensive. Even his protégés had infiltrated various military camps.
The remaining two forces are the Crown Prince's faction and the Second Prince's faction.
But recently, it seems that the balance of power has begun to tilt. The Second Prince's faction is frantically trying to win over important officials in the court, and Lin Xuanfu, who was originally neutral, has also begun to form cliques for personal gain. Even the old ministers, led by His Majesty, have begun to choose sides.
Minister of War Wei Xian was originally from the Emperor's lineage, and the reason he dared to take action against Sun Jian this time was ultimately because of this.
If this factional strife is not controlled, at best the imperial power will change hands, and at worst the country will perish.
The Tiger Warriors are the emperor's army, a powerful force responsible for protecting the capital. How could such a powerful force be reduced to a tool for factional strife?
Sun Jian was the one chosen by Emperor Qianwu to break the deadlock.
"If the Tiger Legion itself has problems, then regardless of whether Wei Xian will take action against Brother Sun, Brother Sun taking over the Tiger Legion's military power was something that was planned long ago?"
"That is indeed the case, Your Highness."
Yao Tianzheng nodded heavily.
"While allowing Mr. Sun to eradicate the cancerous growth of the Tiger Army, we can not only take over the Tiger Army and increase the strength of the Crown Prince, but also promote Mr. Sun to become a powerful minister with both political and military power, thereby indirectly restraining and disintegrating other factional forces in the war."
Upon hearing Yao Tianzheng's words, Li Gancheng's eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood.
His father was indeed extremely cunning...
It turns out that from the very beginning, when the Emperor met with Sun Jian in Hongnong County, and even tested him, it was all for the sake of this moment.
This plan is truly far-sighted...
Sun Jian shook his head with a wry smile and continued to Li Gancheng, who was still in shock, "Your Highness, this matter is far more than that! His Majesty is far more powerful than we imagined."
"oh?"
Li Gancheng paused for a moment, his expression towards Sun Jian filled with a desire to hear more details.
Do you remember the first time I met the Emperor?
Sun Jian shrugged helplessly.
Li Gancheng nodded. That day was when Sun Jian returned to the palace to express his gratitude to the emperor and met with him. It was also the first time he learned the true identities of his father and himself. Xiong Juzheng was also present at the time, so how could he not remember?
"Yes, that was the day His Majesty put me in charge of potato planting on the imperial estate. He also said he would provide me with monthly allowances and manpower for my use."
"It's him."
After speaking, Sun Jian pointed to Gu Hu standing beside him.
"Gu Hu, Commandant of the Left Guard Cavalry."
When Gu Hu exchanged pleasantries earlier, Sun Jian had already introduced him to Yao Tianzheng and Li Gancheng, but did not reveal his identity.
Gu Hu clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
Sun Jian continued, "Think about it, the people His Majesty sent, they didn't come early or late, but just when I appointed the deputy commander of the Tiger Guard, Gu Hu came to report to me."
"With Gu Hu and the 1,000 armored soldiers of the Left Guard Army, I have much more leverage and security in my operations within the Tiger Legion."
"Not only did it allow the imperial estate to grow potatoes normally, but it also protected my servants and retainers. When I took office in the Tiger Legion, it prevented me from being isolated and helpless. It was a triple win."
“It was only from the moment Gu Hu appeared that I finally understood the cause and effect of these things. What does this mean? It means that His Majesty had already guessed the development of the whole game. He was just letting people and things happen at the right time.”
"I see……"
Li Gancheng nodded in shock, his eyes filled with admiration and respect for his father.
At this point, Sun Jian turned his gaze back to Yao Tianzheng, who was beaming with smiles. "Lord Yao, I suspect that even your manipulation of the court that day was part of a performance to cooperate with His Majesty, and you were secretly pushing things along?"
"Haha, you are right, sir. These are indeed His Majesty's intentions. I just happened to guess what His Majesty was thinking."
Yao Tianzheng was quite satisfied with Sun Jian's intelligence.
The younger generation is truly formidable!
Sun Jian shrugged and chuckled awkwardly, "Lord Yao, Lord Yao, it's just not possible, is it?"
"This matter... I'm afraid you and His Majesty have been planning this for a long time, haven't you?"
What do you mean?
Yao Tianzheng still pretended to be unaware.
Sun Jian was furious when he saw the old man asking a question he already knew the answer to.
They were all cunning and shrewd, with terrifyingly deep minds.
They're all ancient foxes, what kind of ghost stories are they trying to tell me?
Do you really think I'm not smart enough?
Sun Jian said calmly, "I suspect His Majesty has left me two backup plans."
"Firstly, fearing that I might not notice in time, he arranged for Eunuch Su from the Directorate of Ceremonial to answer my questions. Now that I think about it carefully, even if I didn't ask Eunuch Su about the inside story of the Tiger Army, he would have taken the opportunity to tell me."
"And what about the second one?"
Yao Tianzheng asked Sun Jian with great interest.
"The second one is related to you, Lord Yao. I'm afraid that back then, the Emperor and you deliberately left Liu Shiyun in the Tiger Legion, who was already planning what happened today."
"Liu Shiyun?"
Upon hearing this familiar name, Li Gancheng also lowered his head in thought.
Yao Tianzheng's smile was even brighter at this moment, and could even be described as both gratified and shocked.
"Liu Shiyun is the General of the Tiger Guard, a general who commands archers. He is also a protégé of Lord Yao. He was promoted by Lord Yao in the seventh year of the Qianwu era for his meritorious service in suppressing the Wuhuan tribe."
Sun Jian explained to Li Gancheng from the side.
"Clarify the purpose, explain the situation, and tell me that Gu Hu's guards are providing assistance from the outside, and Liu Shiyun is acting as an inside agent from within."
"This is probably what Governor Yao wants to talk to you and me about today."
"Am I right? Lord Yao?"
Yao Tianzheng nodded. "Not bad!"
After saying that, he let out a long sigh: "Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older generation!"
"Okay! Okay! Okay!"
Yao Tianzheng said "good" three times in a row, "It seems that I am no longer needed to answer your questions today, as you have already guessed everything."
"With such a genius as you assisting His Highness in the future, how can I not bring peace to Dagan and unify the world!"
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