The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 177 Assassin
"The gold merchant is trapped."

"The Tang army has passed Xiangyang."

"Saint Li stayed at Mount Wudang, and his presence was like clouds of flags, with a pomp and ceremony comparable to that of Emperor Wu's tour. He ordered Minister of Agriculture Li Qun and Zhao Kuangning to recruit troops from Jin, Shang, Jun, Fang, Xiang, and Deng to build a temporary palace."

Recently, Bianliang has been a bit nervous, with frequent news about Li Ni. He built a Lingxiao Palace that was more luxurious than Changchun, Renshou, and Huaqing, and also said that the Bian thieves invaded the patrol officers and forcibly relocated the residents of the four states of Jinshangjunfang to the seven counties of Qingyang, Xinqin, Shang, Beidi, Liangzhou, Jincheng, and Yin.

On March 19, Jingzhao Yin Sun Weisheng, Sili Xiaowei Han Yi, and Yushi Zhongcheng Wu Gongdu came from Chang'an to supervise the matter and urged the rich and powerful, officials and gentry to go west first. On the 23rd, soldiers were used to drive the common people to follow, and the old, weak and swaddling were all there, making the road full of crying.

Zhu Wen could not sit still. Li Shu had just gained three states, and his power had risen to a new level, while he was standing still. No, he was actually regressing. How many states had been lost? Chu and Hao were trapped by Xing Mi. Zhu did not want to make another enemy, so he not only accepted it, but also followed Li Zhen's plan, sending envoys to invite Xing Mi to work together and praise him - he deserved to be the king, why not the emperor of Chu?
Suzhou is occupied by the traitors Shao Guangchou and Hou Song, and has not yet been pacified.

The rebellion of Liu Hai and Yuan Qingji in Xuzhou was just beginning. Zhu Wen had sent his capable generals, Xu Huaiyu, the military governor of Changjian Army, and Wang Tan, the governor of Shunyi, to intensify the suppression. Unlike the saints, Zhu Wen was really afraid of the rebellion of people with the surname Liu. Don't forget that the Golden Knife prophecy was still in full swing during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.

Caizhou governor Cui Hong was also ready to make a move.

In addition to the instability in the territory, there were also undercurrents. In February, Jingxiang held the first imperial examination, but the number of candidates was only a hundred or so, which was really embarrassing for the court and hurt Zhu Wen's self-esteem. This shows one thing: people of insight did not have a good impression of Daliang.

No, it's more of fear.

In the second year of Zhide, after the imperial army recovered Chang'an, Cui Qi, the chief censor, gathered the surrendered civil and military officials together and ordered them to stand bare-chested and barefoot on the imperial road of Hanyuan Hall. After standing there, they were ordered to kneel on the ground, beat their chests and kowtow to repent for their crimes, surrounded by a group of warriors who were watching them eagerly. The officials of Lingwu were also called to watch and receive an on-site education of "this is the fate of traitors".

Luoyang was taken back, and more than 300 fake officials including Chen Xilie were taken back to the capital. Emperor Suzong ordered a pardon, but the Censorate disobeyed the order and continued to torture them. Then they were thrown into Dali and Jingzhao prisons, where they were executed if sentenced to death, and their clans were exterminated. All their family members and old friends who had any relationship with them were also imprisoned and charged.

During the Chaos, traitors were punished, and women were not spared. If a concubine was considered a traitor in a noble family, she would be beheaded.

After Zhu Mei's rebellion was quelled, the emperor issued an edict to those who had attached themselves to the vassal states - "The fake prime ministers Zheng Changtu and Pei Che should be beheaded in all places. There were many officials at that time, and they were all punished to the fullest extent of the law." Xiao Ke was sentenced to death at Yongle Posthouse.

The poet Wang Wei was appointed by An Lushan and sentenced to death. If the censor had not found his work "Ningsi Pool" expressing the pain of the country's demise in his home, and if his brother Wang Jin had not rescued him, he would have been beheaded.

Obviously, there was almost zero tolerance for traitors. In order to win the hearts of the people, Emperor Suzong issued a clear decree of leniency, but the court outside the court did not listen and killed people all over the city. What happened to the aristocratic families like Xiao Ke? The aristocratic families who became traitors were punished even more severely.

In today's situation, the emperor of Chang'an is still in power, and the vast area west of Tongguan is still under his rule. The risk of being a traitor is too high, and most scholars dare not make a rash bet. Look, didn't Jian, Ling, Hu, Jin, Yan, and Hebei accept Li's edict on the surface, and bitterly expressed their irreconcilable hatred with Zhu Ni? An Lushan and Huang Chao at least occupied Guanzhong for a short time, but Zhu Wen went to Bo twice but got a head injury. How can you make everyone sure that you will succeed? We all have to survive, and there is little hope, so why bet with you?

In addition, the accumulated conflicts between the couple continued to ferment, and the quantitative change turned into a qualitative change - that night, intermittent gasps echoed in the cold and lonely Pepper Room until dawn. The Queen was tied up and hung in the air, and Zhu Wen beat her.

The two have been dissatisfied with each other for a long time.

Zhang Hui hated Zhu Wen for attacking Tongzhou, because it indirectly led to the killing of her first husband and parents, and caused her and Yucheng Jun to fall into the devil's den. She hated his murderous nature, and laughed at him wearing a yellow robe. Once he put on a yellow robe, he would be the emperor? She was disgusted that he led her and her son to the abyss of hell. She was disgusted that he took Wang Yu by force; she regretted being the wife of such a wicked beast.

Zhu Wen was also unhappy with her.

Because the Queen Mother was determined not to give him another child, she restricted him in every way. Because of Wang Yu's incident, the Queen Mother refused to give him advice and help him preside over the court. Because the Queen Mother said something about widows and orphans, he felt cursed.

The couple was completely divorced and they were like strangers. Zhu Wen was no longer obsessed with Bai Yueguang. He wanted to break up. He had been a licker for ten years and the sunk cost was a bit high. He was reluctant to let go. Moreover, this woman was of great value, and he wanted to continue to use her to win over people's hearts.

It's just... very conflicted.

Zhu Sheng sat in the chair with his head tilted back with lifeless eyes, looking as if he had lost all desire to live.

Zhen, Xiang, Di, and Fu came together. They saluted Zhu Sheng and did not move.

The four of them looked at each other, all feeling a little embarrassed: How could His Majesty, who was always full of energy and enthusiasm, become so decadent and discouraged?

Although I was weak in the past, I was on the rise, and I felt a sense of achievement every day, so I was naturally positive. Now I am on the decline, how can I be the same?

Not to mention Zhu Sheng, even Li Zhen, who had always been high-spirited, was a little depressed. He had completely lost the sharpness he had when he first raised the flag, and he felt a little uneasy in his heart - was it true that the destiny of the Pseudo-Tang Dynasty had not changed?
Several confidants sat down.

Seeing Zhu Sheng lying there pretending to be dead and not saying anything, Jing Xiang brought up the topic: "Daliang has taken over the Central Plains, and the Tang ruler is still alive and kicking. The four directions are in turmoil. How should we govern the world?"

"We must first kill the Tang emperor to destroy the world's hope. If Li the traitor surrenders, the remnant Tang will fall apart, and then the world will not be peaceful." Li Zhen said. He still had the old idea. Hebei, Qi, Lu, and Jiangnan should not panic. Kill Li Ye first and slaughter the entire Li family. Otherwise, it would be really outrageous. Once Li the traitor dies, the princes who already have their own ulterior motives will not be able to unite. Otherwise, if they continue to be exhausted like this, they will die!
"How?" Zhu Sheng poked his head out and said, "I am eager to drive out the invaders and eliminate the demons, and to clear up the world. I wish I could strangle this great thief Li Shu right now. I will eat his flesh, sleep on his skin, drink his blood, and kill his wife and daughters."

"Chengzong was humble but fearless, and he and Li Shidao plotted hundreds of evil schemes. They burned the Heyin warehouse and killed Wu Yuanheng. At that time, assassins from Zhao and Qi launched surprise attacks everywhere, destroyed Buddhist temples in Xiangyang, cut off the halberds at the gate of Emperor Suzong, burned Emperor Gaozu's bedroom, and planned to ambush and massacre people in Luo..." Li Zhen said vaguely.

"Use assassins?" Zhu Sheng asked.

They all lowered their heads and did not answer.

The Tang Dynasty was the period in Chinese history when assassins were most popular.

Yuanji hid many fugitives and gave them generous rewards to serve them.

Crown Prince Chengqian secretly recruited assassins including Hegan Chengji and more than a hundred warriors to murder Prince Tai of Wei.

On the night of October 18, thieves broke into Fuguo's house, killed him, and fled with his head.

Xue Xiong was the governor of Weizhou. Chengsi tried to persuade him to surrender, but Xiong refused. Chengsi sent bandits to kill him and massacred his family.

The trend was particularly strong in the middle Tang Dynasty. During the Yuanhe period, assassins roamed the country, ambushing and killing the ruling team. They danced on Li Yuan's grave. They destroyed the Shinto gate of Li Heng's tomb. They burned palaces and temples. There was even a large-scale terrorist incident in which assassins sneaked into Luoyang to prepare for a massacre.

The trend of the late Tang Dynasty still exists.

Zhu Mei wanted to attack Keyong in the imperial court, so he sent several people to sneak into the capital, burn the accumulated goods, or assassinate the attendants, and spread the news that it was Keyong who did it.

Li Maozhen had his gang gather hundreds of thousands of people, and they watched the army and asked Ximen Chong to report it on horseback, saying, "General Qi is innocent, and we should not punish him, which has caused the people to suffer." This time I caught you halfway and issued a warning, but I'll do it next time, haha.

Junior officer Han Wu tried to mount his horse in the envoy's hall several times, but the guards tried to stop him. Wu said angrily, "The prime minister allowed me to be the governor!" Wang Jian sent someone to assassinate him.

When the envoy returned with the imperial edict, Yang Fugong sent his confidant Zhang Wan to assassinate him.

When Zhu Wen was besieging Qi, Wang Shifan sent assassins into the pass - "When they arrived at Huazhou, the patrol suspected something was wrong, so they opened the carriage and looked inside, and found weapons. Everyone shouted, killed Jingsi and fled." He killed the town commander on the street and left in style.

Zhixun first learned military skills from Zhu Jin, who taught him with all his might. Later, he asked for a horse from Jin, but Jin refused. Zhixun sent strong men to stab Jin at night, and Jin killed several of them with his own hands.

But then again, although this is a common phenomenon, it is still despicable. How would people view the gathering of saints and prime ministers to discuss using assassins to kill Li Ni? Are they at their wit's end? So Li Zhen dared to bring it up, Zhu Wen dared to ask, while Jing Xiang, Pei Di, and Xiao Fu refused to say a word.

Zhu Sheng was a little discouraged.

He was not stupid. Scholars always seek fame, and Li Zhen was one of the few who was not discouraged by the world's criticism. Organizing the assassination of the emperor, regardless of success or failure, was bound to bring about the infamy of Jia Chong and Li Ru.

Jing Xiang and the others didn't say anything, so I could only ask Li Zhen.

"You go out." Zhu Sheng waved to the attendant sitting in the corner. He was planning a conspiracy, how could such a thing be recorded and tarnish his reputation? If it succeeded, wouldn't there be an extra line of words in the history books thousands of years later - Liang Zu sent assassins to Chang'an because his ministers had tried to punish the emperor but failed. On the Jiazi day, they broke into the Daming Palace and took away the emperor's head, and the country was revived?
The attendant looked at him in surprise, shook his head and said, "Emperor Taizong was so arrogant that he only wanted this note. How could an emperor chase away the historian?"

"Cui Zi, kill him!" Zhu Sheng was furious and slammed the table to threaten.

The attendant looked at him, then looked at Li Zhen, Jing Xiang, Pei Di, and Xiao Fu one by one, packed up his things and strode away. Usually, they were all pointing out the world and writing passionately, but when it came to difficult and complicated cases, they suddenly became dark and dared not show it to others.

Suddenly I felt like they were just playing house. Forget it, I'll just resign and leave. Whoever wants to be the historian of Daliang can do it.

"It's not enough to just kill the thief Li. The likes of Du Rangneng and Liu Chongwang have been in power for many generations..." After the attendant left the hall, Zhu Shengfang picked up the topic again. He spoke in a very low voice and looked around at the same time, as if he was still afraid of being heard.

"If we get rid of these two, we will cut off one arm of the thief Li." Li Zhen agreed, rolled his eyes, and added: "Wang Congxun, Zhao Fu, Zhao Jia, Zha Zhu, and Zheng Yanchang are also running dogs, they must be killed. In addition, Princess Zhao's son Zhengyang is fostered in Xuandu Temple, and the eldest son Jingshen has already left the palace and opened a house to live alone..."

It can be seen that he had this intention long ago and had done sufficient intelligence work.

"What should we do when Li Shu comes to the imperial carriage on duty?" Zhu Sheng interrupted as he cared about this the most.

"We can select a few hundred strong men and disguise ourselves to enter the pass. Then we can bribe his left and right guards, concubines, eunuchs, and officials close to the Imperial Academy. We can use both strategies at the same time." Li Zhen said without hesitation, "Li Ni slaughtered the palace with blood, and banned him from holding power and military power, and only made him a sweeper and chores. The eunuchs are his enemies."

Zhu Sheng thought this was a good idea. The eunuchs just stopped participating in politics, but they were still there. If he could contact a few people who hated him and had the courage of Yu Hongzhi and Liu Keming, he would have a high chance of success! However, the eunuchs and the imperial concubines lived deep in the Tang Palace, so how could he make friends with them?
"We need to find a solution now." Li Zhen took a sip of tea and said, "This matter cannot be done overnight, so we must not rush it."

It was so easy for us to hook up with them. Are the Xuanhui Envoy Yuwen Rou, Feilong Envoy Zhang Chengye, and Palace Chief Yang Kexi fools?

Madam, don't underestimate me.

They are also part of the eunuchs. The seven departments of ceremonial, food, sleeping, clothing, palace, merit, and museum are deeply involved in every aspect of the emperor's work and are an important part of the Northern Department. Without their cooperation, how could so many emperors, concubines, and heirs die suddenly? There are also many female officials working in Xuanhuiyuan and Zuozangku. It is also common to see snake women who kill people like flies. Do you really think that Yuwenrou and other vicious women are just vases?
"We'll discuss this later." Zhu Sheng became more and more excited as they talked, and he struck while the iron was hot, "Who can be the envoy in selecting an assassin to enter the pass?"

"Kou Yanqing is both civil and military, extremely intelligent, experienced and capable." Li Zhen replied.

"Him?" Zhu Sheng was immediately unhappy and refused: "Yan Qing, you are my divine general, you must not enter an unpredictable and dangerous situation."

Li Zhen frowned. How can you catch a wolf if you don't want to sacrifice your child? He can commit adultery with his daughter-in-law and Jing Xiang's wife, so why pity Kou Yanqing? He dared to abandon his entire clan, but Your Majesty is too soft-hearted. If you do big things and cherish your capital, how can you be a founder!
"Zhang Cunjing, the commander of the Hezhong camp, and Ding Hui, the chief of Huazhou, are both suitable candidates." Li Zhen thought for a moment and said.

"Don't mention Cun Jing and Ding Hui!" Zhu Sheng got angry and was quite indignant when he heard it.

Zhang Cunjing was full of compassion for the world all day long. He had adopted seven fake sons and daughters in less than a year in the river. Who was he pretending to be kind to? Was he trying to cultivate public opinion and military morale? Moreover, he suspected that Zhang Cunjing had improper thoughts about the Queen Mother. A few days ago, he sent an envoy to report to the Queen Mother, and he also sent a batch of spring bamboo shoots and seasonal fish in a unique way, saying that they would nourish the Queen Mother's body...

Zhu Sheng was almost pissed off. His woman needs your concern!
And there was Ding Hui. He would yell and cry in the palace at any time. A governor of a state was obsessed with mourning?

Who are you howling for?

Li Zhen sighed and stopped talking. This won't work, and that won't work, so just figure it out yourself.

"I'll look for more." Zhu Sheng turned to other things. "The defeat at Yangchuan had a profound impact, and there is no need to elaborate. Wang Yanzhang made a big mistake, lost his army and humiliated the country, and was killed by Li Ye, who barely escaped with his life. It's ridiculous... I don't know what kind of people Li's army is. They are good at defending the city, but not good at field combat. How could they defeat my 20,000 infantry and cavalry? I want to execute Wang Yanzhang to correct military law."

"No!" Jing Xiang, who had been silent all this time, could no longer hold back and said, "I have also read the memorials of Chen Lingxun, Shao Zan, and Liu Chongba about this battle. The fault is not with the generals. Moreover, Wang Yanzhang has fought bravely since he joined the army and made outstanding contributions. Although he sometimes speaks in a rebellious manner, it is understandable. This is the trend. Do you expect all warriors to be Guo Ziyi, Li Sheng, and Ma Lin? If they are killed after a defeat, who will dare to take the initiative to fight in the future?"

Isn't it funny to think that the civil officials in the court are all Pei Du and Ji Shao, and the military generals are all loyal and courageous civilized people, and the court is full of people.

In today's world, there are not so many loyal ministers!

Besides, you yourself are a traitor who "took over by force", and yet you still expect your subordinates to say nice things to you?
But it would be unreasonable not to punish Wang Yanzhang after he suffered such a great defeat.

"We can dismiss him from his post as General of the Left Winged Guards and appoint Jin Shangjun of Ruzhou as the Defense Commissioner," Jing Xiang suggested.

Zhu Wen hesitated for a long time, opening and closing his eyes, closing and opening them again, repeating this several times, before he said softly, "Let this fellow go."

Xiao Fu was watching from the side. Fortunately, His Majesty did not lose his mind due to rage. Wang Yanzhang was highly appreciated by the Empress Dowager. On the day he escaped and entered the palace to meet the Emperor, the Empress Dowager not only did not blame him, but also comforted him. If he was killed, the two emperors, who were already sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, would probably have no room for reconciliation.

"Li Shu's image of a glutton and a tiger has already emerged. This year he has gained the gold merchant, which has opened up the way for him to conquer the towns of Jingchu. If this continues, his power will be difficult to control. It's time to make a decision on the remaining situation." Li Zhen reminded.

"This giant thief!" Zhu Sheng was annoyed when he heard the word "Li Shu". Jingchu was a remote place. In summer, it rained continuously and snakes and insects were everywhere. It was not easy to intervene militarily. The princes were also generally weak and difficult to support. It was inevitable that they would be defeated by Li Ni. It was just a matter of time.

However, Daliang lacked the navy, troops, and generals to manage Jingxiang, and Li Ni did not have them either, but he could rely on his damn righteousness to weaken the opponent's will to resist. Even if the southern princes resisted, their resistance was limited. The Jin Shang was a current example. After Wang Yanzhang was defeated, Lu Chongju and Yao Chang surrendered immediately, and more than half of Feng Xingxi's 10,000 troops fled.

Other effective plans to restrict Li Ni's eastward invasion might be to try Tong and Pu again, or to send more troops to Shaanxi and Hezhong, showing a posture of being ready to launch a large-scale attack at any time, forcing Li Ni not to leave Guanzhong easily.

"Why not attack from Ru and Xu and seize Nanyang? Using it as a base, we can accumulate heavy troops to guard against the traitor Li, just like the story of Chuzhou spying on Huainan." Jing Xiang had a sudden idea.

Zhu Wen lowered his head and pondered for a long time.

It is indeed possible to take Nanyang as a nail.

But now the area is occupied by Zhao Kuangning, and he is sending troops to Nanyang. Li Shu can't just sit back and watch, and he has already developed a psychological shadow on Li Ni. Every time he loses, it increases the prestige of the other side; how can he not be traumatized?

Unless he has no other choice or has an absolute advantage, Zhu Sheng really doesn't want to fight Li Ni. This thief is just a toad, he can't bite people to death, but he is disgusting to death.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing Zhu Sheng in a trance again, Jing Xiang shouted loudly.

"I, I'll think about it again." Zhu Sheng cheered up a little. Tongguan was frustrated, E and Wei rebelled, Hou Song and Shao Guangchou rebelled; Puguan failed, Ziqing and Wei Bo launched a large-scale attack, Yicheng Army rebelled, and Xuzhou Liu Hai and Yuan Qingji rebelled. The consequences of fighting against Li were frightening.

"Why should you be discouraged, sage?" Seeing his sad face, Li Zhen advised: "Victory and defeat are common in the military. In the past, An Qingxu retreated to Yecheng, and the Yan people were on the verge of collapse. Who would have thought that Shi Siming would turn the tide and defeat the Nine Towns? If Siming had not been harsh on his son, and Chaoyi had not killed his father, it would still be unknown whether the Tang and Yan would die. Li Shu's army is only tens of thousands, and it is rampant for a while, and it is just a flash in the pan. When the destiny is gone, who has the talent and strategy to exert the power to rebuild? Sage, please don't worry, take steady steps, and get rid of the demons in your heart."

Zhu Wen heard that this made sense, but then he remembered Li Shu's stinky face, the contempt, ridicule, and indifference in his pupils, the humiliation of having his banner shot off by an arrow on Mount Shouyang, and the admiration, curiosity, and appreciation that bitch Zhang showed whenever she mentioned Li Ni. His shame and anger rose again: "You are not a fish, how can you know the pain of a fish!"

After saying that, he ran away angrily, leaving several people looking at each other in bewilderment.

Your Majesty's temper is becoming more and more unstable.

******
Wudang Mountain was bright and beautiful in March, with peach blossoms in full bloom at the foot of the mountain and bees and butterflies flying around. Li Ting took off his shoes, was searched by the guards, and was led into the temple gate by Nangong Chongyan - inside was the Wanshou Courtyard. There were rockery, ponds, ginkgo altars, peach forests, and stele pavilions. Under the ginkgo tree that could be hugged by one person, the saint sat quietly in the green shade, closing his eyes and dozing.

There were several women around me, some working, some making cakes, and some talking.

"Li Ting, the secretary of the Jingnan Jiedushi, pays homage to the emperor."

"Zi Gongdu?"

"Yes."

"At the age of 24, he became a Jinshi and was appointed as a proofreader. Not long after, his mother died. His family was too poor to bury her, so he begged along the way for money before his death. After his mourning period, he was summoned to be an imperial censor, but he could not take up the post because he had no money. Cheng Li was stationed in Jiangling and appointed him as the chief secretary. I heard that he is from Dunhuang? Secretary Li is handsome, has the ability to compose poems and economics, and has the moral character of an ancient benevolent person. He is much better than those mediocre officials in my court who hold office but do nothing." The sage listed all the treasures and sighed slightly.

"Your Majesty..." Li Ting looked surprised.

"Get him a cushion to sit on." The saint said to Wenren Chuchu.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The woman who was steaming cakes came over with a plate and placed the freshly made cakes on the table in front of the saint.

"Are you Zhao Ruozhao?" Li Ting asked subconsciously after seeing her appearance.

(End of this chapter)