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

Chapter 1630 Yangzhou is in danger, Yangzhou falls
The night was hazy, and after a busy day, Wei Juyuan finally returned to Weiqiao.

As soon as he got off the carriage, Wei Juyuan was called over by someone sent by Wei Shishi.

Lanterns are hung on the corners of the pavilion, and the breeze from the lakeside blows away the summer heat.

"Uncle!" Wei Juyuan stood outside the pavilion and bowed to Wei Shishi in the pavilion.

Wei Shishi sat at the stone table, looking at Wei Juyuan, who was wearing a dark crimson official robe. He nodded gently and said, "Come over and have a cup of tea."

"Yes!" Wei Juyuan walked carefully to Wei Shishi's side, took a sip of tea, slowed down, and then continued to bow.

Wei Shishi raised his head, looked at Wei Juyuan and said, "Have you prepared any food and fodder for King Peng's eastern expedition?"

"My uncle, Prince Peng seized Wang Xiaojie's military rations in Tianshui, which is enough to support the army for three months. The grain in Chang'an Taicang is also enough to support it until next year. It's just that there is no tax grain from Yongzhou Prefecture this year, so the rest will have to rely on supplies from other places, especially Jiannan Road." Wei Juyuan said seriously.

Wei Shishi nodded and said, "Prince Peng came back too quickly. Yizhou was totally unprepared. Although the Duke of Hejian had never served in Yizhou, the transportation of grain and grass has always been what he is best at. In addition, Yizhou has been managed by the Duke of Liang for many years, and the Prince of Hejian, Li Rong, has been a military officer in Yizhou. With the assistance of Yao Yi, there will be no problem in transporting grain and grass for another half a year."

"But it definitely won't last until next autumn harvest." Wei Juyuan looked serious.

"Harvest next autumn." Wei Shishi nodded slightly, then looked up at Wei Juyuan and asked, "Shisilang, what do you think is the chance of King Peng taking Luoyang this time? How long will it take? What do you think?"

Wei Shishi immediately threw out a series of questions. Wei Juyuan was slightly stunned, then he said thoughtfully: "King Peng will send troops eastward in three days. Judging from King Peng's actions today, he is not a man who rushes forward. At least he wants to ensure that there is no worry for his retreat.

In this way, when he reaches Hangu Pass, at least he won’t have to worry about Luoyang attacking in the short term.”

Wei Shishi nodded slightly, said nothing, and continued to stare at Wei Juyuan.

Wei Juyuan continued, "However, once Hangu Pass is taken, Maojin Ferry will be immediately blocked. Unless the army crosses the river, Maojin Ferry cannot be crossed, not to mention that there are Shanzhou City, Xishi Pass and Yanling Pass behind, and then the Luohe Plain.

Even if we kill them, the army in Luoyang is already prepared, so a fierce battle is inevitable."

"The ancient Dongqiao-Hangu Road." Wei Shishi nodded. He knew it was not easy to reach Luoyang from Hangu Pass.

Especially compared to the divided people in Chang'an, Luoyang was full of Wu Zetian's confidants, who could easily organize an army of tens of thousands. Relying on the natural barrier of Hangu Pass, it was not easy to capture it.

"Go on." Wei Shishi raised his head and said, "What do you think King Peng has?"

"Go north to Hejin and enter Bingzhou, go south to Hanzhong and enter Nanyang, and attack Luoyang from the north and south." Wei Juyuan couldn't help but look a little excited.

Master Wei was stunned and asked, "Where did you hear this?"

"It was Li Bi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War." Wei Juyuan smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Li Bi is responsible for coordinating military rations, military equipment and soldiers. He said a lot in the Ministry of Revenue today."

Wei Shishi pondered deeply, and finally shook his head gently, saying: "Although Prince Peng has taken Chang'an, there are still many people in the court who are connected with Luoyang. Li Bi is a confidant of Prince Peng, and has been handling miscellaneous matters in Chang'an and Luoyang for many years. Although it is a bit extraordinary to be promoted from a military officer in Prince Peng's mansion to a military assistant, now that the Taiwei Mansion is in power, it is difficult for others to say anything. However, this is the time for him to show his ability. Why would he casually talk about military secrets?"

"After all, nephew... uncle still thinks that Li Bi did it on purpose?" Wei Juyuan looked at Wei Shishi in disbelief.

Wei Shishi sneered and said, "If King Peng only acts like this, he can forget about fighting his way out of the Qiao-Han Ancient Road and through the Luoyang Plain, not to mention that there is an important city in the world, Luoyang, waiting for him."

Wei Juyuan suddenly felt a basin of sneer pouring down on him.

Luoyang, Luoyang.

Compared with Chang'an, Luoyang is also the strongest city in the world.

Even Emperor Taizong took eight months to capture Luoyang. It was far from easy for Li Xuan to take Luoyang.

"So King Peng must have some means to target Luoyang." Wei Shishi lowered his head, thinking, and finally raised his head and said: "No matter what, tell the children in the family to fully support King Peng. As long as Luoyang is captured and the Queen Mother is welcomed back, it is the most important thing for my family."

"Yes!" Wei Juyuan bowed seriously and felt slightly relieved.

Picking up the teacup, Wei Shishi took a sip of tea, then looked at Wei Juyuan and asked, "What do you think of King Peng?"

Wei Juyuan's expression suddenly became heavy, and then he said solemnly: "There are too many people in the court who are related to King Peng. In addition, King Peng seems to have reserved a place for everyone in Luoyang. My nephew always feels that King Peng is very thoughtful."

When Li Chongzhao ascended the throne, according to Wei Juyuan's idea, it would be best to dismiss and imprison all the officials in Luoyang. However, Li Xuan now left many positions vacant, as if he was planning to merge the two dynasties.

Moreover, in Chang'an, Liu Rengui was Li Xuan's father-in-law, and others such as Lu Yuanfang, Cui Zhiwen, and Li Yiyan all had a good relationship with Li Xuan.

In addition to Zhang Da'an, Wang Fangyi, Xiao Siye, He Yiqiu and others, all of his people held key positions in the court.

To put it bluntly, Li Xuan is ascending the throne now...

Thinking of this, Wei Juyuan shook his head.

On paper, Li Xuan does have the ability to ascend the throne, but once he really shows such ambition, I'm afraid none of the people Wei Juyuan was thinking of just now will support him.

Even Liu Rengui is the same

Wei Shishi smiled and said, "It's not surprising that King Peng could become the Pacifier of Luosi Road and the Governor of Fanzhou. Naturally, there are a group of people who follow him and wait for promotion and wealth. However, Fanzhou is Fanzhou. Once you enter Chang'an City, it will be different. When you face something, your mindset will also change."

"Yes!" Wei Juyuan vaguely understood what Wei Shishi meant. Wei Shishi sighed and said, "Prince Peng is not bad. At least he is really sincere to Emperor Zhongzong. It is necessary to choose a new place to bury Emperor Zhongzong's mausoleum. After all, the Queen Mother will be buried with Emperor Zhongzong a hundred years later. My family needs to do our best in this matter."

"Yes!" Wei Juyuan nodded seriously. They and Li Xuan had the same interests in many things.

"But." Wei Shishi's expression suddenly turned cold, and he looked at Wei Juyuan and said, "My family should do their best in the court, and you are not allowed to touch any of the family's resources, especially the family's food and craftsmen, and you are not allowed to go to support the army."

Wei Juyuan opened his mouth little by little and looked at Wei Shishi in disbelief. He didn't understand why Wei Shishi suddenly made a 180-degree turn.

Wei Shishi took out an envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Juyuan, saying solemnly, "This is a secret letter sent back from Luoyang before King Peng came to Chang'an. The situation in Yangzhou is very unfavorable, and it may not last long."

"Ah!" Wei Juyuan quickly took the envelope, opened it, and saw the words "Xuzhou was defeated, Huaibei was lost, retreat to Yangzhou, and choose an opportunity to cross the river" written on it.

Wei Juyuan's throat suddenly felt dry. How could this happen? If Yangzhou was defeated, then their carelessness would be completely lost.

"Prince Peng...Prince of Linzi?" Wei Juyuan suddenly realized something, raised his head and looked at Wei Shishi in horror.

Wei Shishi nodded gently and said, "Since Prince Peng entered the capital, the news from the east and west has been completely cut off, so there will be no problem for the time being. As long as he can successfully enter the Luohe Plain, capture Luoyang, and bring back the Queen Mother and Prince Ping'en, everything will be fine.

If it is not favorable, he will retreat to Chang'an, take Hangu Pass as the leader, establish the Prince of Linzi as the emperor, and then divide the world. At that time, it will be disadvantageous to my family. "

Li Guangren is the grandson of the Pei family and has nothing to do with their Wei family.

"So?" Wei Juyuan looked at Wei Shishi nervously.

"Before King Peng is defeated, in addition to the resources of my family, all the forces in the court will be mobilized to support King Peng. But if King Peng is defeated, then my family will take action in Chang'an." Wei Shishi raised his head, looked at Wei Juyuan and said, "So, after King Peng leaves the capital, you have to start to win over three people."

"Yes!" Wei Juyuan nodded seriously and listened to Wei Shishi say the name.

"Gao Chongli, the General of the Left Guards, Cheng Chuzheng, the General of the Right Guards, and Yuan Jiazuo, the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou." Wei Shishi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yuan Jiazuo?" Wei Juyuan frowned. He could understand Gao Chongli and Cheng Chuzheng. One of them was the son of Gao Kan and the other was the son of Cheng Zhijie, but Yuan Jiazuo?
"Don't you see that King Peng intends to let Yongzhou Prefecture take control of the real power? The power held by Jingzhao Prefecture back then was much greater." Wei Shishi's breathing became heavy.

Li Xuan's methods were indeed powerful. He transferred 500 Jiujian soldiers to the control of Yongzhou Prefecture. In addition, he controlled the household penalties in Chang'an and Wannian counties. Yuan Jiazuo, the Chief of Yongzhou Prefecture, had become the top governor in the world.

"Yes!" Wei Shishi knew what was going on as soon as he heard the word Jingzhao Prefecture.

"In the future, if King Peng can't even defend Hangu Pass and is forced to retreat to Chang'an, then my family will have one more trump card to play." Wei Shishi raised his head and said softly, "Before you think about victory, you must think about defeat first. That's it."

……

Under the cover of night, a black horse-drawn carriage slowly moved towards Kaihuafang.

Forty hundred Jinwu Guards escorted them from front and back, and they walked calmly on the deserted Chang'an Street after the curfew.

Suddenly, three crossbow arrows as thick as a child's arm and as long as a meter came fiercely from mid-air and pierced through the black carriage before anyone could react.

The black carriage exploded completely in an instant, revealing the empty interior.

"Kill!" In the center of the four hundred Jinwu guards, Li Xuan, dressed in red and golden armor, suddenly swung his right hand. The next moment, in the darkness, countless black figures had fiercely pounced towards the direction where the arrows came from. As they turned around, the sound of fighting was everywhere.

After a while, the fighting stopped. Qiu Zhenmu, covered in blood, returned to the street. He looked at Li Xuan, who was standing in the middle of the crowd of 400 people who hadn't moved, and said, "Reporting to the commander, almost all the assassins were killed, and only three were deliberately let go."

"Yes!" Li Xuan nodded and said, "Brother Qiu will handle the rest by himself. Make sure to eliminate all of the Queen's secret guards in Chang'an City."

"Yes!" Qiu Zhenmu bowed and then stepped back.

Soon, the Jinwu Guards continued to move towards Kaihuafang.

Only after the Jinwu Guards' backs completely disappeared did Qiu Zhenmu couldn't help but look at the tall watchtower in the middle of the long street in the distance.

Many people don’t know that after Li Xuan returned to Chang’an, the first order he gave was to raise the watchtower by one floor.

Just with this level, all those powerful and wealthy families who were originally out of reach were now within Li Xuan's sight.

……

Prince Peng’s mansion was empty with no one in sight.

Li Xuan walked into the courtyard alone. Although his mother Ouyang and his wife Pei Shitong had returned to Chang'an, Li Xuan did not let them return to Prince Peng's Mansion, but placed them in the palace, just like he did not bring Li Chengqi back.

All of this is a setup, and the palace still needs to be cleansed.

Zhang Huan walked out quickly, and when he saw Li Xuan, he immediately bowed and said, "General, the Left Prime Minister is here."

"Hmm!" Li Xuan was slightly surprised, then stood up to greet Liu Rengui.

Liu Rengui quickly walked into the courtyard. When Li Xuan blocked his way, Liu Rengui took out a secret letter from his arms, stared at Li Xuan and said, "My dear son-in-law, Yangzhou has fallen."

(End of this chapter)