The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 320 Shocking Change
Phantom Square.

Fanyin Tianzheng was sorting out some rosters. The Fengxiang martial arts performance would be held in the next few days, and soldiers from other towns had already moved into the camp outside the city. She had been very busy these two days.

The task of coordinating the banquet that Li Maozhen assigned to her was just a small matter. Fan Yintian already had experience with it. In previous years, she was the one who arranged the banquets for the military governors when the empress entertained them, and there had never been any mistakes.

But this martial arts performance was only a cover for Li Maozhen to gather troops, and the target was still Guanzhong. Fanyintian needed Huanyinfang to cooperate with Qi Wangwei to block the news leaks near Fengxiang and spy on the intelligence of Liang army in Guanzhong. In addition, there were various small matters piled up together, making her quite anxious.

In addition, she needs to select things that are 70% true and 30% false to confuse Li Maozhen as much as possible and minimize the risk of the empress's plan. The pressure during this period is not small. The secret negotiations with Xiao Yan were also arranged by her. It is like walking on a tightrope.

During this period of time, Fanyintian often felt like sitting on pins and needles. It was impossible for her to pile all the affairs of Huanyinfang on her. She still had the assistance of the holy ladies such as Miaochengtian, and Fanyintian had also trained a small team of her own. They were able to handle these matters with ease for the empress, and she had never experienced such great pressure.

It was not until this time that Fanyintian finally felt truly grateful to Miaochengtian for his dedication in helping her take over Huanyinfang. After all, there had been some unpleasant frictions between Fanyintian and Miaochengtian over the years, which was most obvious with Miaochengtian's sister Xuanjingtian. If Miaochengtian had brought his dissatisfaction to real business over the years, Fanyintian would have suffered.

But when she thought about it carefully, Fanyintian discovered that Miaochengtian had never done anything to trip her up behind her back. Instead, he always put the overall situation first and was completely humble to her as his senior.

Fanyintian felt very guilty. She had reflected on her many shortcomings during this period of time. She could only remember them well. If she could get through this, she would find a chance in the future to make up for the sisters who had been bullied by her over the years.

Fortunately, perhaps because she knew that Fanyintian was under great pressure, Xiao Yan rarely sent people to contact her people. The last time he passed on information to her was ten days ago.

Although Fan Yintian was relieved about this, he was also secretly anxious. He didn't know how to contact Xiao Yan's people. At the same time, he didn't dare to act rashly for fear of revealing his identity.

The newly formed Qi Wang Guard is very troublesome.

Or it should be said that the fake Li and the dozen or so bad guys he added to the Qi Wang Guard were very troublesome. They were very experienced and had the trust of Li Maozhen. In Fengxiang City, they were like eyes hidden somewhere unknown. Fan Yintian often felt like a thorn in his back, so he had to often go around Li Maozhen to reduce the vigilance of the Qi Wang Guard against him.

Fortunately, the Naqi Wangwei has not yet obtained any clues. It seems that Xiao Yan is very cautious in this matter.

Besides this, there was even one thing that particularly disgusted Fan Yintian. For some reason, the fake Li had inexplicably become interested in her, and had been pestering her in various ways recently. Fan Yintian had no choice but to put on a perfunctory smile and even had to hide in Huanyinfang and not show up in public easily. With all these pressures and this kind of shitty thing in between, she was really exhausted both physically and mentally.

Due to the rise of Qi Wangwei, Fan Yintian had little say in Li Maozhen, Guangmutian and other holy ladies had not appeared for a long time, and the status of Huanyinfang in Fengxiang plummeted suddenly, which was irreversible. Therefore, Fan Yintian had to suffer from some anger from time to time. Those rude old things, if she got the chance, would make them sit on the bench for the rest of their lives.

Thinking of this, Fanyintian felt more and more powerless and sighed.

A waitress came in with a lunch box and a sad face.

Fanyintian pretended to be surprised and frowned, "You didn't eat again?"

The waitress said cautiously, "The Empress has not eaten for the third day. We are powerless to persuade her. Saint Fanyin, do you think it is possible..."

Knowing that the empress wanted to see him, Fan Yintian rubbed his brows pretending to be helpless, and was indifferent for a while in front of the maid and several other assistants.

This was a very safe approach, otherwise Fanyintian would not be able to meet the empress so openly at any time. Sometimes, even when she went to the empress with a food box, she would deliberately act as if she did not give any face to anyone, which gave Li Maozhen a headache.

Li Maozhen naturally could not go to persuade the empress in person, otherwise the empress would embarrass him, so he handed the task to Fanyintian. This was what the empress had instructed Fanyintian to do, and it could be considered that she had taken control of her brother.

However, just as Fanyintian was about to take the food box with a helpless look on his face, the light at the door dimmed, a figure walked in, and then the waitresses on both sides bowed.

Fanyintian was shocked, but he bowed with joy: "Greetings, Your Highness."

"She refuses to eat again?" Li Maozhen looked at the food box, frowned, opened the lid casually, and saw that the side dishes inside were all exquisite. His frown deepened.

The more the empress disapproved of him, the more uncomfortable Li Maozhen felt, but he had no way back and would not compromise over such trivial matters. He just stared at Fan Yintian and put pressure on him: "Didn't you say you had already persuaded him last time?"

Fan Yintian looked embarrassed, but she had already thought of an excuse in her mind. She smiled bitterly and said, "I did say that, but I'm afraid that the matter you mentioned last time when you went to the Empress is..."

Li Maozhen frowned.

Some time ago, he listened to the advice of Fake Li and decided to take the empress to the battlefield to prevent a fire in Fengxiang's backyard. He was already so wary of the empress's Huanyinfang lineage. He knew that the relationship between the brother and sister could no longer be eased, so he simply didn't bother to pay attention to it. Compared with the great cause, the so-called brother-sister relationship can only be abandoned temporarily.

Unexpectedly, after I told the empress about this last time, she didn't react much, but now she is protesting in this way.

What a childish approach.

Li Maozhen was a little angry, but he came here today to discuss important matters with the empress, and he was too lazy to lose his temper in front of Fanyintian and the others. He just said to Fanyintian with a cold face: "I will go with you to take a look."

Fanyintian was troubled, but seeing Li Maozhen's surprised expression, an idea flashed through her mind, and then she said carefully: "Your Highness, I have an idea, maybe it can be of some use..."

"Speak, don't hide it."

Li Maozhen was in a bad mood and just kept walking ahead.

Fanyintian then carried the food box and said from behind: "The Empress is resentful, and I don't think it's all directed at you, Your Highness... I've never been treated well by her. But I've recently thought that the Empress might be too lonely. I heard from people downstairs that the Empress often goes downstairs and wanders around Huanyinfang alone..."

Li Maozhen put his hands behind his back and paused.

After thinking about it for a while, he could hardly hide his guilt.

This is indeed the case. The Empress has been in power in Qi for fourteen years and is very good friends with the former Crown Prince Li Jiu (Xiao Yan) of Tang. He dare not help but be on guard against her. Whether it is the maids serving the Empress or the people who monitor the entire Huanyin Square, they are all carefully selected by him. Those who can get close to the Empress are all people he trusts.

Under such circumstances, the empress probably hadn't spoken any true words to anyone for more than half a year. According to the people below, the empress often stayed in the attic alone, not allowing others to enter. She never went downstairs for several months, and except for bathing and eating, she would not see anyone.

Li Maozhen sighed and said, "What do you think?"

Fanyintian said, "I think Guangmutian, Duowentian and Yangyantian are very much loved by the empress. After your return, Your Highness, they have all been regarded as confidants by the empress. I am afraid that only these three people can relieve the empress's mood this time... If Your Highness can release one of them to accompany the empress, this hunger strike may be resolved by herself."

As she spoke, she covered her mouth and laughed: "Maybe the Empress and His Highness can ease up a little bit. The Empress is very proud. If she gets a way out, maybe she will stop being so tense."

Li Maozhen glanced back at Fanyintian, thinking about this matter in his mind, but he didn't think much about it: "Your suggestion is good, it was my negligence."

Fanyintian was delighted, but she said, "Your Highness is the one who makes the major decisions. It is my negligence that I failed to help Your Highness with such a minor matter."

Even though Fanyintian had gained Li Maozhen's trust, he was not qualified to know the place where Guangmutian and others were imprisoned. Last time, Xiao Yan's people speculated that the place where Guangmutian and others were imprisoned might be the base of Qi Wangwei, so Fanyintian did not dare to confirm it.

I had an idea today, which was a pleasant surprise.

Only then did Fanyintian realize that her brain was still quite useful, unlike what Xuanjingtian had said before, that she was just a big-breasted but brainless person.

After Li Maozhen made the decision, he immediately wrote a letter and gave it to a Qi Wangwei who was accompanying him, asking him to bring someone over. According to Fanyintian's suggestion, Guangmutian was the closest to the empress among the nine people, so he quickly sent someone to bring him over.

Guangmutian seemed to be fine. Li Maozhen didn't want to order his men to torture Guangmutian and the others. After all, Fanyintian had told him everything he wanted to know. Guangmutian and the others didn't have a close relationship with Xiao Yan. Locking them up was to prevent them from having the chance to do bad things and to threaten the empress.

However, in the past six months, Guangmutian has lost a lot of weight. His face looks much thinner and his complexion is a little sickly pale. Even in front of Li Maozhen, he did not give the King of Qi a good look, and stared at Fanyintian with murderous eyes.

The secret between the empress and Fanyintian was known only by Fanyintian in Huanyinfang. Even when Guangmutian wanted to go to Bianjing to report the news, it was Fanyintian who captured him personally.

Fanyintian didn't dare to look at Guangmutian. It was impossible for her to give any explanation now.

In Li Maozhen's eyes, the two of them broke up because of him. Li Maozhen had no ill will towards Guangmutian, but admired her loyalty to her master. However, she did not have much feeling, just looked at her coldly, and went up to the attic where the empress was with the two women. As expected, the empress did not even give Li Maozhen a glance, just treating him as a royal brother, and was also indifferent to Fanyintian.

However, Guangmutian's existence made the empress happy after all, and the atmosphere eased a lot. She stopped her hunger strike. Li Maozhen felt a little relieved and walked around the room by himself. He first looked at the calligraphy and paintings copied by the empress, but of course he didn't try them.

He waited until the empress did not ask to drive them away before he slowly said, "This time we march into Guanzhong, we have a great chance of success. Jin will contain the troops of Zhu Liang in Heyang, Hebei, and most of Henan. We have agreed to attack Liang and have secretly signed a blood alliance. Jin will send a large army this time."

"Zhu Wen has always regarded Li Keyong as a great enemy. I am afraid he will unite the whole country to fight. If Qi attacks Guanzhong, if things go well, it may be possible to take Luoyang in one battle. At that time, it can approach Zhengzhou and directly threaten Bianliang. At that time, all the heroes in the world will respond. Zhu Liang will certainly be unable to contend and can only let the world be divided. If Qi can take the lead, the Central Plains may be able to start in one fell swoop, and Qi's great cause can be prosperous overnight!"

Li Maozhen spoke calmly, but Fanyintian could hear some excitement in his voice.

"At that time, Qi and Jin will rule by the river, and our Qi can slowly plot to conquer the south of the Yangtze River. With the Longquan treasure in hand, why worry about the unrest in the world?!"

Fanyintian couldn't help but be amazed.

The Prince of Qi's vision was so far-reaching that even she felt a little excited. However, the Empress immediately poured cold water on her hope.

"Brother Wang, since you have great ambitions, just go and do it yourself. Why are you looking for me?"

Li Maozhen said in a deep voice with his hands behind his back: "I need your help. This time, I will lead the troops of the five towns to Guanzhong. Even if Zhu Wen uses his entire country to defend, I will still be able to fight. However, you have been in charge of Qi for many years on my behalf, and I need to ask you for advice on the details. If you are willing to join me in the expedition, our chances of victory will be even higher!"

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The empress laughed dumbly: "Brother, why don't you be more straightforward? You are personally leading the expedition to Guanzhong, and Fengxiang is keeping me here. You are worried, right?"

Li Maozhen's expression remained unchanged. He just said sincerely, "Can't you understand my painstaking efforts? If you and I can put aside our differences, why worry about the failure of our great cause? Qi has been established for more than 20 years. If the country's strength is no longer sustainable, what's the harm in offering it to Li Jiu? However, Qi still has the strength to compete for hegemony. The great cause is right before our eyes. Why should we give it to that kid for nothing?"

He sighed and said, "Has the evil that Li Tang has committed over the past century been enough?"

The empress shook her head: "Why don't you make friends with them first and sit down to discuss plans together? Is what you are going to do now better than what Li Tang has done for a hundred years? In the past two years, Qi has been thriving and prosperous in Longyou. It does not seek foreign wars, nor does it provoke wars. Zhu Liang regards Jin as a great enemy and has no intention of coveting Qi for the time being. However, once you start a war, Qi will never have peace again.

Zhu Liang is like a formidable enemy in front of us. Does Jin have good intentions? Not to mention that Shu has been coveting Longyou for many years, even Dingnan and Shuofang are like a thorn in Qi's back. In the current situation, why should we provoke Zhu Liang with Jin? Isn't it like courting death?"

Li Maozhen frowned, his face looking slightly unhappy. He was unwilling to give up the great opportunity in front of him. How could he be willing to listen to the words that the empress had said countless times? He just thought that the empress still had a huge prejudice against him as her brother.

Veins popped up on the back of his hands, and he felt a surge of anger that he had nowhere to vent. He just stared at the empress and said, "Are you really unwilling to make peace with me?"

The empress smiled sweetly, but there was no sign of concession in her phoenix eyes, "If you want to resolve the past grudge, why do you have to keep sealing my power? If I let you release it right now, would you be willing?!"

Li Maozhen was furious and wanted to tell the empress the method to remove the poison in a fit of anger, but in a moment, reason prevailed and he just stared coldly at the empress. Especially after seeing the latter's slightly cold eyes, he became even more angry. He sneered and left.

"Incomprehensible!"

His voice echoed faintly outside the door: "When the army sets out, you must accompany the army. This is not something I discuss with you!"

All the maids in the attic kept silent and held their breath, fearing King Qi's anger.

Guangmutian had been sitting beside the empress with a pale face from beginning to end, guarding her. Now, seeing Li Maozhen leaving, he stared at Fanyintian with a sarcastic look and almost cursed him out loud.

"There was some misunderstanding..."

The empress squeezed her hand without further explanation.

But Guangmutian was smart and understood it immediately. He was stunned at first, and then immediately looked at Fanyintian with surprise.

Fanyintian sighed quietly, not daring to say much. He just looked at the stern-faced empress, and the two of them exchanged a few simple words using lip language.

No matter what, it was a pleasant surprise that Guangmutian was released.

------

Li Maozhen returned to Prince Qi's mansion in anger, but he did not bring any harm to the people around him. He quickly adjusted his state and asked the shogunate to summon the military generals to discuss matters as usual.

Since the empress refuses to cooperate, he is too lazy to care about the family ties between them. When everything is settled, the empress will understand the painstaking efforts of her brother!
Since the fake Li was not included in the military discussion, Li Maozhen adjusted the arrangements and decided to launch the army immediately on the day of the military exercise. Since he had learned in advance that Guanzhong was on guard, the Liang army had retreated to Chang'an and he could not find out the strength of the Liang army.

But because of this, there was almost no obstacle between Fengxiang and Chang'an. The Qi army could go straight to Chang'an along the Wei River, and the baggage could also be transported to Xianyang via the Wei River. With speed being the essence of war, they first surrounded Chang'an and then sent a large army to approach Tongguan, control the Weinan area, and cut off the connection between Chang'an and Huazhou.

The main forces of the Liang army in Guanzhong are Chang'an, Huazhou and Tongzhou. Because of Liu Zhijun's surrender to Qi last year, the Liang army's garrison in Tongzhou is new, and the connection between it and the first two will not be too close. Li Maozhen wants to quickly separate the Tongzhou garrison and attack Tongguan in a battle led by him, the King of Qi. If Tongguan is taken, Chang'an can be surrounded and the reinforcements can be attacked. This is the first step in seizing Guanzhong, that is, to take Jingzhao (Chang'an, Huazhou, Tongzhou) first.

At that time, the Jin army would immediately provide support in Hedong, and how the Liang army would choose would become Li Maozhen’s second plan.

The Bianliang Imperial Guards were elite, but Li Maozhen was not afraid of them. Once Jingzhao was captured, the eastern capital Henan Prefecture (Luoyang) would be right in front of him. If he could take control of Luoyang, he would not be afraid that the princes of the south of the Yangtze River would not be tempted.

Li Maozhen did not want to make a small-scale attack, he was determined to capture Guanzhong!

The generals present were also excited. There were some who were hesitant, but they were few. Qi State had not had a major war for many years. Judging from King Qi's plan, the national treasury that had been accumulated for many years seemed to be going to spend 70% to 80% in one go in this battle. The day for the generals to make achievements was just around the corner, so they were naturally eager to fight.

In this battle, King Qi personally took the lead, and Liu Zhijun was the deputy commander. The generals did not have much objection. As a deputy commander, he did not have many opportunities to lead the army. If he really wanted to make achievements, it would depend on the leading generals of each army.

This military meeting was very strict and only high-ranking generals were qualified to participate. Li Maozhen had ordered that anyone who dared to leak military intelligence would be executed immediately.

However, the military meeting was only halfway through when an uninvited guest rushed in.

Li Maozhen was very unhappy, and the person who came was a fake Li.

But seeing that the latter looked unhappy, he frowned slightly and took the fake Li to the back of the hall for the time being.

The fake Li looked a little furious. He took out an urgent report and said in a low voice, "Damn it, Dingnan and Shuofang are making a large-scale troop movement..."

Li Maozhen was stunned.

------

That afternoon.

Another piece of information was added to Xiao Yan's wall that was already covered with intelligence.

The Qi Wang Guard's garrison is located in the southeast block of the armory. There is a prison inside. The eighteen bad people, including Duo Wentian and Yang Yantian, are all imprisoned there. The manpower is unknown. It is only three streets away from Qi Wang's Palace, so you need to be careful.

Xiao Yan stood in front of the wall with his hands behind his back and nodded slowly.

"It's almost time."

Behind him, a group of figures were holding Tang swords at their waists, with cold light in their eyes.

(End of this chapter)