A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 635 Xuanwu
The date for our return to Beijing has been set for the first day of the third lunar month.

Du Ruhui even checked the date, and it turned out to be an auspicious day for travel.

Li Shimin was also very worried about returning to the capital, but he still decided to go back. Although Fang Xuanling had told him that returning to the capital was a bad idea, and the better option was to stay in Daibei.

As for the best strategy, both Changsun Wuji and Li Yi had hinted at it to the King of Qin.

However, the King of Qin still had not made up his mind.

However, as core members of the Qin King's faction, Li Yi and Changsun Wuji arranged to meet with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, and Gao Shilian, and they secretly chatted for half a day.

After finishing a pot of tea,

The six men reached a consensus: when the King of Qin returned to the capital, they needed to prepare two contingency plans for him. One was to try and win the King of Qin's favor, so that the King could directly change the heir apparent and establish a new crown prince.

If this path is blocked, or even if the King of Qin is suppressed and there is danger, then the only option is to activate the backup plan and take a risk.

The six of them worked together to develop a backup plan, codenamed Xuanwu.

Li Yi's main task was to continue guarding Daibei, controlling the 100,000 troops there, and to cultivate a good relationship with Tuli Khan, maintaining a close alliance.

If Li Shimin were to suffer a loss in Chang'an, he could immediately return to Hedong, at which point Li Yi could raise an army in response.

While in Daibei, Li Yi was also able to recruit heroes and provide guards for Li Shimin.

For example, the Wolf Fang Battalion, which he had just formed, was to be sent south with Li Shimin. This battalion consisted of only 500 men, most of whom were sons of Turkic nobles.

But precisely because they are a nomadic tribe from beyond the Great Wall, and have no connection or ties with the Chang'an court, they might be more useful in crucial moments.

Having already bet on the King of Qin, there was no need for further hesitation.
Go all in, go all out.

Li Shimin may not have made up his mind yet, or even thought that far ahead, but as the core of the Qin King's faction, Li Yi and Fang Du need to make contingency plans in advance.

This is not only for Li Shimin, but also for everyone.

We're all in the same boat.

Ultimately, this is a matter for everyone.

If Li Shimin ascends to the throne, even his chickens and dogs will rise to heaven; if Li Shimin fails to ascend, they will all suffer the consequences.

Even if Li Shimin really wanted to back down now, and no longer wanted to be the crown prince or the emperor, it was too late.

So many people have followed him, all of them have staked their fortunes on him, how can we let him back down?

Whether you want to be the crown prince or not, you have to; whether you want to be emperor or not, you have to.
People will force him to sit in that seat.
Even if that position ultimately requires killing one's brothers and imprisoning one's father, one must still take it.

This is just like the military governors and soldiers of the late Tang Dynasty. Everyone will push you to the top, and even if they force you to wear the imperial robe in the end, you have no choice in the matter.

Li Shimin is everyone's banner.
He cannot back down, much less fall.

Rebellion, if it fails, means death and the extermination of one's clan.

But why must it be a failure?

This kind of thing can only succeed and cannot fail.

Behind Li Shimin's back, the six men had already devised a plan for him to seize the position of crown prince, and even ascend to the throne.

Such a big event,

The protagonist wasn't involved, and wasn't even told.

The six men made their plans and then went off to prepare.

Before Li Shimin set off, Li Yi drank and chatted with each of the Shandong faction generals under the Prince of Qin.

The ten sworn brothers from the Battle of Guzhou.

Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, Luo Shixin, Niu Jinda, and Wu Heita—all five generals were present.
Liu Demin and Tian Liuan were appointed governors of Hebei.

Li Junxian often stationed troops in Chang'an.

He brought out several jars of persimmon liquor and set out some snacks to go with the drinks. Li Yi got straight to the point with his five sworn brothers.

They were all from Shandong, and in terms of background, they were certainly not as well-off as the military nobles of Guanzhong.

Luo Shixin and Qin Shubao were both generals of the Sui Dynasty who followed Zhang Xutuo in suppressing bandits in Henan. Qin Shubao and Fang Xuanling were from the same hometown of Licheng, and the Qin family was considered a powerful family in Licheng. However, Luo Shixin came from a very ordinary background. In his early years, he was a middle-aged man recruited by the government and worked as a tailor for Zhang Xutuo.

After Zhang Xutuo's death, they surrendered to Wagang with Pei Renji, followed Li Mi for a period of time, then surrendered to Wang Shichong, and finally joined the Tang Dynasty. Their experiences were quite complicated.

Nowadays, all those who have received the titles of "Honors" and "Pillar of State" or "Duke of State" are honorary titles and ranks obtained through meritorious service under the King of Qin.

Cheng Yaojin came from a local strongman family. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he organized local militia and later joined the Wagang Army.

Niu Jinda was the son of the county magistrate. He also organized local militias to suppress bandits and eventually joined the Wagang Army. Wu Heita was the son of the registrar of Puyang. He later followed Zhai Rang to Wagang.

These people are all from Shandong.

Now there are five people: three dukes and two county marquises.

He has achieved great success.

"I heard that the Crown Prince greatly admires you all, and he will surely give you important positions when you return to the capital."

Luo Shixin scoffed, "That cowardly prince, what's there to admire?"

“But he is the Crown Prince, the heir apparent,” Li Yi said. “He’s only the heir apparent, not the monarch yet. With his appearance, it’s hard to say whether he can even sit on the throne,” Luo Shixin said without hiding anything from his brothers.

Li Yi said to Luo Shixin, "Although the Crown Prince is only the heir apparent, he is still a ruler. If you do not accept his offer of a hand, you will face his retaliation, and you will lose your position as the Governor of Jinzhou."

"Does he have the final say?" Luo Shixin sneered. "We have rendered outstanding service to the court. Are we to be punished instead of rewarded just because we don't want to deal with that cowardly crown prince?"

“Nothing is impossible. That’s the Crown Prince. Not to mention us, even the Prince of Qin’s return to the capital this time will likely be very troublesome, or even dangerous,” Li Yi sighed.

“Danger? How could the King of Qin be in danger after such a great achievement?” Luo Shixin asked.

"It is precisely because of his unparalleled achievements that he is in danger."

Cheng Yaojin frowned. "You mean the Crown Prince can't tolerate the King of Qin, and believes the King of Qin threatens his position as heir apparent?"

"Before the King of Qin went on his expedition, I accompanied His Majesty to the King of Qin's residence. His Majesty personally promised the King of Qin that he would defeat the Turks and make the King of Qin the Crown Prince."

As soon as this word comes out,
Qin Shubao and the other five generals were all surprised.

Niu Jinda said, "The achievements of the King of Qin are indeed far superior to those of the Crown Prince who only knows how to run away and even wrongfully killed a general. Making the King of Qin the Crown Prince is a wise and brilliant decision by the sage."

Qin Shubao nodded as well.

Cheng Yaojin went even further, saying, "We all firmly support making the King of Qin the Crown Prince."

Li Yi poured wine for the five men, saying, "But I received news that after the Prince of Qin returns to the capital, he will not only not be made crown prince, but will also be completely sidelined."

The Shaanxi Eastern Circuit Grand Hall was abolished.
The Six Guards of the Prince of Qin's Mansion will also be abolished, and all the generals and officers under the Prince of Qin's Mansion will be transferred to other places.

If you don't switch your allegiance to the Crown Prince,
That would probably mean being transferred to places like Lingnan, Jiannan, or Longyou to serve as a prefect, or even a chief clerk or military advisor.

"Is there no justice left in this world?!" Wu Heita slammed his fist on the table in anger.

“Yes,” Li Yi picked up his wine cup and took two sips. “I’d like to give you brothers a piece of advice: if the Crown Prince tries to win you over after you return to the capital, just accept it. You won’t lose out on wealth and honor.”

Since the chaos of the Sui Dynasty, my brothers have survived countless battles, crawling out of piles of corpses. It has been no easy feat for them to have come this far.

Qin Qiong frowned, "Wu Yi, what are you saying?"

"Exactly! What do they take us for? We've been following the King of Qin for four or five years, and he's treated us incredibly well—truly heartfelt."
"How can we be so selfish now?" Old Cheng glared at Li Yi.

Luo Shixin picked up the wine jug and filled Li Yi's cup with wine. "Wu Yi, back when we swore brotherhood in Guzhou, you were the youngest, so we called you our old brother."
Today, since this isn't a courtroom, I'll call you Wu Yi, and I won't address you as King or Minister of Works anymore.

You have always been resourceful and wise, and the King of Qin trusts you greatly. Now, in this situation, you must step forward to help the King of Qin.”

“Yes, you have to help,” Old Cheng shouted.

Li Yi didn't pick up his wine glass; he just shifted his position slightly.

"The current situation is very difficult; it can be described as a dead end. The emperor has broken his promise and will not change the name of the Prince of Qin as the crown prince. Naturally, he will protect the crown prince and will completely sideline the Prince of Qin, who poses a threat to him."
Even the King of Qin might be assassinated or poisoned, thus completely eliminating the threat.

"How can this be allowed!" Luo Shixin exclaimed angrily.

Qin Qiong's square face also showed anger, and he lost his composure. "You must have a way."

"There is a way, but we have to risk our lives."

"Moreover, if we fail, we will not only lose our heads, but also our wives, children and elderly parents."

Li Yi's words did not deter the five men. Luo Shixin slammed his fist on the table and said, "Who do you think you are?"

“That’s right. Haven’t we been risking our lives all these years?” Cheng Yaojin added.

Qin Qiong nodded to Li Yi, "If you have a solution, just say so. We are not the kind of selfish people."

Li Yi looked at them.

"There is only one way: to save both the King of Qin and everyone else."

"Hurry up and say it, stop dawdling." Cheng Yaojin, with his short temper, almost wanted to punch Li Yi.

"The solution is for us to support the King of Qin in seizing the throne. If necessary, we can even stage a coup to put the King of Qin on the throne." Li Yi spoke slowly, but his voice was deep and powerful.

Every word carries immense weight.

Even Qin Qiong and the other five generals, who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, couldn't help but change color slightly.

They all understood what Li Yi meant.

“Brothers, there is only one road, and it is full of thorns and the most difficult road to walk. Every step is like walking on thin ice. If you take one wrong step, you will be doomed and your body will be gone forever.”

Cheng Yaojin chuckled, "You can't scare us, kid. I know you have a way. Even if it really comes to that, you can help everyone get through this."

Just tell us what you want us to do. We're good at wielding swords and spears, but we're nowhere near as good at scheming as you. You even managed to get that old wolfhound Jieli to dance in Chang'an.

"That cowardly Crown Prince is no match for you. Just tell us what you want us to do."

Qin Shubao, Luo Shixin, Wu Heita, and Niu Jinda all nodded in agreement.

Seeing their attitude, Li Yi smiled and nodded. Although he had come prepared and believed that they would stand on the side of the King of Qin, hearing their promises with his own ears made him feel more at ease.

"What you brothers need to do is very simple: if it really comes to that, then draw your swords."

(End of this chapter)