People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1596 If You Go Back Like This, You Will Die
Inside the big tent, Li Xuan sat in the central seat, looking at the imperial edict in front of him in a daze.

Xue Shao and Zhao Gong sat on the left, and Fan Yunxian stood with his hands hanging down.

Fan Yunxian's gaze involuntarily fell on Li Zhu and Chen Ziang who were standing next to Li Xuan.

Calculating the distance silently.

After a long time, Li Xuan finally came back to his senses. He looked at the imperial edict and said woodenly, "So, now Sanlang is dead and Silang is the successor?"

"Yes!" Xue Shao had to respond, since he was the mastermind behind this trip.

After a short pause, Xue Shao said carefully: "No one had expected the shocking changes in the palace. The Crown Prince's concubine Yang and the Imperial Guard General Zhang Qianxu had ulterior motives and secretly used witchcraft, which eventually led to the murder of Emperor Zhongzong... At that time, because the Crown Prince was in Chang'an and the fourth brother was in Luoyang, for the sake of the world, the Queen Mother made the fourth brother the emperor and heir to the throne."

After saying that, Xue Shao couldn't help but look up at Li Xuan, who had a wooden expression, with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Zhao Gong and Fan Yunxian remained silent as they looked at Xue Shao's frightened expression.

They knew what he was worried about.

He was simply afraid that Li Xuan would ask about the crown prince.

The Eastern Palace was massacred and the whereabouts of Crown Prince Li Chongzhao are still unknown.

If we continue to inquire into this matter, the truth will inevitably be revealed.

"So, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed titles on his ministers, and I was also given the title of Sikong." Li Xuan suddenly felt like laughing.

Li Xian died, but he was promoted.

Xue Shao, Zhao Gong, and Fan Yunxian, although seeing a smile on Li Xuan's face, they felt a deeper sadness emanating from Li Xuan.

"Sikong is one of the Three Dukes."

Zhao Gong opened his mouth and said, "King Han is the Grand Tutor, King Huo is the Grand Master, King Shu is the Grand Protector, King Lu is the Grand Commandant, King Ji Li Shen is the Minister of Education, and Da Lang is the Minister of Works. All the kings thank the emperor for his great grace."

At this point, Zhao Gong took out a letter from his sleeve and gave it to Li Xuan, then said: "This is a personal letter from the emperor. In the future, the affairs of the Western Regions will still require Dalang's help. However, the emperor will hold a coronation ceremony at the beginning of next year, so he asked us to come and summon Dalang back to the court."

"Give priority to the war in the Western Regions." Xue Shao interrupted and said, "Everything should be given priority to the war of the prince's uncle. If the war in the Western Regions is turbulent, the prince can postpone it and there is no need to rush back to the capital."

"It's okay." Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "Everything in Western Turkestan is under control. It's just that the matter of the Arabs needs to be arranged, so there is a delay. Now we just need to order Qiu Zhenmu and Tang Zhenxing to fight with all their strength. There should be a result within half a month."

"I see." Xue Shao nodded, but still said carefully: "In any case, it is better to be careful."

Li Xuan looked at Xue Shao in surprise, nodded gently, and said, "That's fine, it's better to slow down a bit. After all, we still need to make more arrangements to help Persia restore its country in the future. Xuan originally didn't plan to return to Beijing this year. He wanted to make a thorough arrangement for Persia's restoration. Now it seems that they have to speed up their pace."

"Okay!" Zhao Gong nodded, and Fan Yunxian didn't say much.

The most important thing now is to make Li Xuan willingly return to the court. As for other things, they can be put aside.

If they had dared to promise solemnly before arriving at the army, they would be able to make Li Xuan return to Chang'an before the New Year's Day court next year, but after joining the army, the extremely strict black-clad Right Guard Army had already made them feel deep pressure.

Although there were only Li Zhu and Chen Ziang beside Li Xuan in the big tent now, there were dozens of elite black-armored soldiers patrolling back and forth at the door.

And their manpower has been quietly isolated.

If they really force it, they will be the only ones to die.

Li Xuan raised his head, glanced outside, and said with a wry smile: "Xuan is a bit inappropriate. The Prince Consort, Uncle, and Supervisor Fan have traveled a long distance and have not had a good rest. So, General Chen, you send the imperial envoys back to rest..."

Li Xuan paused halfway through his speech and looked at Xue Shao, Zhao Gong and Fan Yunxian and said, "By the way, Prince Consort, Uncle, we need to wait a while before telling the generals in the army about the news from the court... We are in the middle of a war, and if we want to end the war as soon as possible, it is better not to distract them."

"It should be so." Xue Shao bowed first.

Li Xuan smiled and stood up, saying, "Later, Xuan will prepare a table of good wine and good food. It's a rare opportunity for you to come to the Western Regions, so you should try some of the delicacies of the Western Regions."

……

As the sun set, Zhao Gong and Li Xuan strolled casually around the military camp.

In the densely packed military camp, those far away cannot be seen, but nearby, who knows how many black-clad guards are hiding, protecting Li Xuan's safety at any time.

Li Xuan looked at the small town of Andukang in the south and whispered, "Uncle, although this is Kangguo, it is actually the Anju Governor's Office of our dynasty. Further north is the Dayuan Governor's Office. In between is the Syr Darya River for irrigation. If we manage it carefully, it is possible to establish a huge country."

Zhao Gong stopped walking, frowned and looked at Li Xuan and said, "Da Lang, you don't really want to establish a country and become king here, do you?"

"Da Lang has thought about it, but unfortunately, my nephew has no roots in this place." Li Xuan turned to look at Zhao Gong and said, "Uncle, the Queen Mother is actually most afraid that my nephew will lead the army back to attack, right?"

Zhao Gong paused, and he sighed softly: "Can you?" "No." Li Xuan shook his head and said: "The army's food and weapons are now supported by Fanzhou's harvest last year. The food in the court has long been cut off. If the court stops supplying, then the tens of thousands of troops under my nephew will not be able to stand here, not to mention that they may not necessarily listen to my nephew."

Zhao Gong fell silent. Finally, he looked up and asked, "Did you know about the incident in Luoyang a long time ago?"

The allocation and supply of food and military equipment in Luoshui Road had been gradually reduced since mid-May. Coupled with the losses along the way and the manipulation of officials in various states, the amount that finally arrived in Fanzhou was far less than expected. It was normal for Li Xuan to notice this.

Li Xuan sighed, looked towards Chang'an, and said softly: "Uncle, you all seem to have forgotten that the relationship between the nephew and the emperor has never been severed."

Zhao Gong was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed drastically: "It's those letters."

“Hahaha!” Li Xuan smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, “My nephew has been sending several letters to the East Palace every month since the time of the late emperor, and they eventually fell into the hands of the late emperor. Before leaving Luoyang this time, he also made an agreement with Sanlang to keep sending letters.”

Zhao Gong's expression became increasingly uglier.

"In the past, the Eastern Palace might not reply to the letters written by my nephew, but Sanlang had just ascended the throne and he had to discuss many things with my nephew. Then, all of a sudden, Sanlang's letters stopped." Li Xuan paused for a moment, then said, "At first, my nephew didn't care much, but after not receiving a reply for a month and a half..."

"Add to that the issue of food and military equipment, which is enough for you to sense the crisis." Zhao Gong nodded and said, "So, after you sensed the crisis, you sent people back to Chang'an."

"July." Li Xuan recalled briefly and said, "We set out in July, so we should have just arrived in Chang'an at this time."

"No, the focus is not on Chang'an, but on Luosi." Zhao Gong looked at Li Xuan and shook his head in disbelief. "With your sensitivity, when something happened in the central government, you would immediately think of Wang Yinke in Luosi. That's why your people returned to Luosi in August, and in September... you had already taken Luosi back."

Li Xuan did not deny it, but said with a melancholy look: "Changan, Changan, if it was just Silang, everything would be fine, but the Queen Mother, if the nephew goes back, will the Queen Mother let the nephew live?"

Zhao Gong fell silent for a long time before he said softly, "You know, Huan'er and Qi'er are both in Luoyang, so the Queen Mother said that she would let you return to Chang'an and become the Imperial College Priest. She even said that if you were not a member of the royal family, she would even let you become the Prime Minister. However, she attaches great importance to your advice."

Li Xuan looked at Zhao Gong seriously and asked, "If my nephew returns to the Central Government, he will be like a lamb to be slaughtered. So, uncle, do you believe what the Queen Mother said? Will she let my nephew live?"

Zhao Gong's expression became solemn, and he subconsciously turned sideways to glance behind him.

In the distance, the inner guards who came with him were watching from afar.

Zhao Gong took a deep breath, nodded gently, and said: "You are right. If you return to Chang'an, your life and death will be in the hands of others. In the end, you will die in the palace like Li Xian, without even the chance to resist."

Li Xuan nodded silently, then asked in a low voice, "Uncle, what happened to Sanlang's death? Why would the Queen let him die?"

"I don't know." Zhao Gong shook his head and said, "At that time, I was sent to Suzhou to investigate the case of Prince Ze's treason. When I came back, everything was a foregone conclusion. Moreover, I had just returned to Chang'an and had no time to investigate anything. The Queen Mother sent me and the Prince Consort to the Western Regions. There was not even a day in between."

"The Queen doesn't want you to know more, and doesn't want me to know more." Li Xuan smiled bitterly, then looked towards Chang'an and whispered, "But what can I do? Although I know it's risky, I still have to go back."

The food, fodder and military equipment supplies of Luoshui Road were all controlled by the imperial court. Since June, Empress Wu had imposed restrictions intentionally or unintentionally, and by July, it had become blatant.

Wang Yinke Li Xuan regained control, but Empress Wu had other people around Li Xuan.

"In fact, in the eyes of the Queen Mother, it is not easy to make up her mind to deal with you." Zhao Gong hesitated for a moment and said, "The royal family, Ouyang Shangshu, the left prime minister, the emperor, and the imperial censor, all don't want to see you get into trouble."

Li Xuan nodded and said, "That's true, but it still depends on the situation in the court. Although Silang has been on the throne for some time, the situation is not so easy to calm down."

"With your talent, there should be some way, right?" Zhao Gong turned his head to look at Li Xuan. The reason why he was willing to come to Luoshe was that he wanted Li Xuan to find a way to solve the current dilemma.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "The three leaders of the Western Turkic tribes that are now in the hands of my nephew are all willing to marry their daughters or nieces to the emperor, so I might as well get something festive for Silang."

"Marriage." Zhao Gong looked at Li Xuan with some understanding and said, "You want to use the Western Turks to threaten the Queen Mother."

"No, it's using Silang to threaten the Queen." Li Xuan shook his head and said, "Using marriage to resolve the instability of Western Turks is extremely important for Silang to consolidate his position. If the Queen wants to kill her nephew, then marriage is not an option. In this case, the one who will be hurt the most is Silang, unless she wants to kill her own son again..."

Li Xuan's eyes were cold, and her gaze seemed to have instantly passed through the corridor of time and seen the future.

"You still have a way." Zhao Gong nodded and said, "Then I can go and write back to the Queen Mother."

When Zhao Gong, Xue Shao and Fan Yunxian arrived in the Western Regions, their first task was to see whether Li Xuan was willing to return to the court.

As long as he is willing, then everything will be fine.

Li Xuan smiled and said, "My nephew also has to write a memorial to the emperor, congratulating him on his ascension to the throne."

Zhao Gong sighed softly: "Yes, he is the only one."

……

After sending Zhao Gong back to the tent, Li Xuan returned to the central military tent.

Looking at the sand table in front of him, he whispered to himself, "How many soldiers should I bring with me this time?"

(End of this chapter)