Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 103 I am destiny!
night.

In front of the Tang army camp gate.

Just a few hours later, Zhang Chengye, who looked several years older, stared in shock at a high wooden platform in the camp.

A white, auspicious light enveloped the high platform.

Ethereal and otherworldly.

The Imperial Preceptor, dressed in white, sat serenely amidst the ethereal atmosphere.

Meanwhile, a zither melody that sounded similar to, yet distinctly different from, the General's Command was resounding through the night sky.

"please!"

He spoke to Guo Daizhao, who was in charge of receiving him.

Zhang Chengye calmed himself, put on a smile, and followed the young general, who claimed to be Guo Daizhao, the son of the Prince of Yangdi who had been missing for nearly three hundred years, toward the high platform. While most people didn't believe these people's identities, Zhang Chengye could only say he was half-convinced, because historical records about them did indeed exist.

Of course, these records lack credibility for people today.

It was simply too absurd.

Furthermore, it was common practice for emperors to fabricate stories to demonstrate their divine mandate.

The Li family even claims to be descendants of Lao Tzu!
Moreover, even if the final record states that it was Li Siye who was taken away by the gods, it was still Li Siye.

It has been more than a hundred years.

More than a hundred years!
That's enough to make you forget a lot of things.

Moreover, in the past hundred years, the Tang Dynasty has experienced one war after another, coupled with the Huang Chao Rebellion. Even the descendants of these people have been scattered like stars, and their whereabouts are unknown.

But Zhang Chengye was a eunuch, and he could see more things in the palace.

He was skeptical.

but now……

The level of faith is still deepening.

Guo Daizhao led him down from the platform, where he was stopped by Kan Leng, who was guarding the area below. After learning Zhang Chengye's identity, Kan Leng immediately went up onto the platform and then came down again, gesturing for Zhang Chengye to proceed. Zhang Chengye quickly climbed the ladder, carefully ascending to the top of the wooden platform, which was over three zhang high. However, the ladder was at the back, so he could only see the Grand Preceptor's back.

The latter, dressed in a white robe, knelt beside the guzheng and was still playing the instrument.

However, the method used puzzled Zhang Chengye.

After all, he does know a thing or two.

"What does Li Keyong want you to say?"

Yang Feng said without turning his head.

Zhang Chengye immediately knelt down.

"Your Excellency, I am not acting on the orders of the Prince of Jin. I have come here on my own initiative to seek your guidance."

He said.

"So you were able to leave Jinyang City without Li Keyong's orders?"

Yang Feng sneered.

“Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, this servant dares not deceive the Imperial Preceptor. This servant has served in the Prince of Jin's army for many years. Although nominally a military supervisor, this servant is in fact like a general manager. All the officers and soldiers in the Prince of Jin's army treat this servant as an elder. If this servant wants to leave the city, this servant does not need the Prince of Jin's order. However, after this servant leaves the city, they will definitely report to the Prince of Jin.”

Zhang Chengye quickly offered an explanation.

"So some of Prince Jin's men are already thinking of playing both sides."

Yang Feng said.

Zhang Chengye fell silent.

But he quickly kowtowed to Yang Feng again.

"Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, that is indeed the case."

He said.

"Tell me, what do you want to ask?"

Yang Feng said.

"Your Excellency, I have a question. The system of military governors has been in place for nearly two hundred years. Although it has indeed left behind the dangers of regional separatism, it has not actually harmed the Tang Dynasty. After all, it is not the regional military governors who bring chaos to the world. If it were not for the regional military governors, the Tang Dynasty would probably not have survived until this year. Since the suppression of the An Lushan Rebellion, although there have been many regional military governors who have rebelled over the past hundred years, it was also the regional military governors who quelled the rebellions. The court has been weak for a long time, while the power of the regional military governors is held by the court. If there were no Tang emperor, who would recognize a military governor?"

Without the assistance of regional military governors, the Tang Dynasty could have perished at the hands of bandits, the Tibetan Empire, or powerful ministers.

The Tang Dynasty survived thanks to the regional military governors.

The regional military governors relied on the Tang Dynasty for their survival.

They rely on each other.

The one who destroyed the Tang Dynasty was not Zhu Wen, but Huang Chao. If it weren't for Huang Chao's rebellion, which caused the country to fall apart, and in order to eliminate Huang Chao, it would have been necessary to use the rebel as a regional governor. Otherwise, Zhu Wen and his ilk would still be nothing more than troublemakers.

Moreover, the reason why regional military governors (jiedushi) are so difficult to eliminate lies not in the governors themselves, but in the people. It is the people of these regions who need the governors, not the other way around. The imperial court is always plagued by corrupt officials and endless exorbitant taxes, with the wealth of the empire flowing to Chang'an and Luoyang. Thus, the people of the land support the princes and nobles of these two cities, who live in luxury and extravagance while famine rages across the land. Meanwhile, not a single penny of the wealth of the regional military governors reaches the capital. Even if the governors are extravagant, the money ultimately doesn't leave their regions. Furthermore, even the governors dare not be excessively extravagant, lest they perish in a mutiny.

Even though the regional military governors were weak, the imperial court did not dare to make excessive demands.

This is the root cause of why it is so difficult to eliminate regional military governors.

If the court cannot be made incorruptible, the emperor wise, and the people trusted, then forcibly abolishing the regional military governorships will likely only incite more resistance.

Zhang Chengye mustered his courage and said.

His idea was not surprising, after all, the system of regional military governors was deeply ingrained in people's minds at that time.

This is determined by interests.

What is a regional military governorship (藩镇)?
They don't pay taxes to the imperial court!

Of course, not everyone paid taxes. People from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and the Huai River region, including Fujian and Hunan, could still pay taxes in full. But in other places, it was a matter of luck whether they paid taxes or never paid them at all. People from places like the three towns of Hebei were lucky if they didn't ask the court for money, let alone pay taxes. The rest, including areas from Hedong to Longyou, never paid taxes.

Or rather, they use all their tax revenue for themselves.

Even if the military governor levied exorbitant taxes, the money would ultimately remain in the local area. Besides, if things went too far, the chances of being beheaded were extremely high.

Arrogant and fierce soldiers.

Behind every arrogant and fierce soldier are ordinary people!

Their subordinates were all locals, and those farmers who would happily cut off their hoes and use them as spears to kill and burn as soon as they heard about war were the foundation of the warlords!

What, couldn't those hoes they cut off and used as spears kill the military governor?

So where was the most densely populated place in the Tang Dynasty?
It is Weizhou.

The Weizhou of the Weibo Jiedushi (military governor).

The arrogance of the Tang Dynasty's regional military governors was also a sign of the highest population density in the Tang Dynasty. Weizhou alone had a population of over one million, comparable to Henan Prefecture, where Luoyang was located. However, Weizhou's territory was much smaller than Henan Prefecture, and it almost drove out Chang'an.

This means that the economy is also extremely prosperous.

but……

"So, the Tibetans in Longyou have been driven away? The Khitans above you have been defeated? Last time, Li Keyong and Abaoji became sworn brothers, so next time he comes, should he become sworn father and son? He fought with Liu Rengong and his son, so you became sworn brothers with him and joined forces to fight Liu Rengong. Next time, if Liu Rengong can't beat him, can you surrender to him and join forces with him to destroy you? When you can't beat Zhu Wen and are desperate, can you offer up Youyun in exchange for Abaoji to send troops to help you?"

Don't say Li Keyong didn't think about it; he relied entirely on Abaoji to provide him with warhorses.

Look, this is what a regional military governorship should be like.

There is no country, only oneself. When foreign enemies invade, one can surrender; for the sake of interests, one can offer land to foreign enemies; and even, if necessary, recognize foreign enemies as one's father.

They are very good at fighting.

This is a fact.

But they use all their fighting skills on internal strife within their own country.

What you said is somewhat correct, but you must understand that the Tang Dynasty is a country, and a country can only have one center of power. The head must issue orders to make the limbs do what they should do, instead of the limbs doing their own thing. As for your concern about rebellion, what, do you think I am Emperor Dezong?
Am I destiny itself?
Who dares to resist?

Yang Feng said.

Zhang Chengye wanted to say something more.

Yang Feng suddenly smiled, raised his hand to stop him, turned around and picked up something that looked like a spindle but had a tail, then put it into a tube next to him that was pointing to the sky.

Before Zhang Chengye could react...

"Tom!"

A sudden, loud bang.

Flames and thick smoke were shooting out of that pipe, as if something was flying into the sky.

The next moment, a bright object suddenly appeared in the sky, illuminating the area below as if it were dawn. Yang Feng then picked up a second one and shot it into the sky in the same way, and a second bright object appeared. This object had a small umbrella on it, and they slowly descended below, emitting light that illuminated the area below even more clearly.

And down there...

Below them were countless soldiers.

"The war has begun."

Yang Feng said with a smile.

Then, to Zhang Chengye's astonishment, he loaded the third 120mm illumination round into the mortar.

Flares were fired into the sky, illuminating the area below. All the attacking enemies around the Tang army camp could be seen clearly, coming from all directions, even behind them. However, the Tang army was a square camp, similar to a hollow square formation, so they were already on high alert.

War is inevitable.

Li Keyong is not Li Maozhen.

The latter has now settled down and has long since lost any ambition. His daily routine consists of praying to Buddha. So, between fighting to the death and relinquishing power to enjoy his retirement, he ultimately chose the latter.

But Li Keyong truly still harbored ambitions to dominate the world.

immortal?

Even the gods couldn't control these arrogant and ruthless soldiers who had long been ruthless killers.

Few of these people are afraid of death.

Gods can scare away those who are afraid of death, but they can't scare away those who are used to being stabbed. In their minds, if anyone dares to touch their interests, even a god will be stabbed first.

To say that Li Keyong's group had any affection for the Tang Dynasty is a joke. This only applies to Zhang Chengye. Although they seem to have the strongest feelings for the Tang Dynasty—after all, they still use the Tianyou reign title and claim loyalty to Emperor Zhaozong—in reality, they only use it as a basis for their separatist rule. They don't want to respect the Tang Dynasty's reign title; they want to be independent. During Emperor Xizong's reign, they almost rebelled alongside Huang Chao, wanting to seize control of Daibei. During Emperor Zhaozong's reign, they openly threatened the emperor: "If you dare appoint a prime minister we don't like, we'll march on Chang'an tomorrow!" They even sawed through Sun Kui, whom Emperor Zhaozong sent to suppress them.

Loyal minister?

Loyal officials who burned, killed, and looted in the capital?
All they wanted was to establish a separatist regime; everything else served that purpose. When Zhu Wen usurped the Tang throne, in order to maintain this separatist regime, they could continue to recognize the Tang dynasty's reign title and proclaim themselves loyal subjects of the Tang.

If the Tang Dynasty were still in existence.

They then claimed that the court was controlled by treacherous officials, and that they wanted to eliminate these traitors for the sake of the country.

In short, whether the Tang Dynasty existed or not, they would still carve out their own territory. It didn't matter what the court was, whether it was the Great Liang or the Great Tang, whether it was a treacherous minister or a loyal minister, whether it was a wise ruler or a foolish ruler. It didn't matter. As long as they weren't allowed to carve out their own territory, they would be enemies. Even if a god prevented them from carving out their own territory, they would still die.

What kind of deity?
That was clearly a demon.

"Kill! Kill that demon!"

Under the light of the flares, a Jin general pointed at the high platform and roared.

After saying this, he led his elite troops and charged madly towards the Tang army.

This man was clad in heavy black armor and carried a two-handed longsword, but he wasn't on horseback. In fact, he couldn't possibly launch a mounted assault on Tang infantry in formation, especially with the Tang army's formation reinforced by a barricade. Such an attack would be a brutal slaughter by heavy infantry. Under the cover of archers on both flanks, he swiftly charged through the barricades. His men, braving the Tang arrows, continuously moved aside the barricades, and soon they crashed into the Tang formation. In a clash of steel, the iron-clad soldiers began a frenzied hack-and-slash. The clashing of armor, the impact of weapons, and the screams of the wounded instantly coalesced into a bloody symphony. Broken limbs, splattered blood, and sparks from clashing steel, all bathed in the ghastly white light of flares, created a hellish scene.

At the same time, the Jin army from other directions also launched an attack.

However, these are clearly constraints.

The real main force of the assault was this guy in black armor.

He relentlessly slashed forward amidst the Tang army's resistance, and the latter were even struggling to hold on. Those who followed him were clearly handpicked, almost all wearing the same armor. They were like a black torrent, gradually tearing through the Tang army's defenses.

Although these Tang soldiers had surrendered earlier, their combat effectiveness was not an issue.

The enemy was simply too strong.

"Wielding Wu spears and clad in rhinoceros armor, chariots clashed and short weapons clashed. Banners obscured the sun, enemies were like clouds, arrows rained down and soldiers fought valiantly..."

On the high platform, Yang Feng was still reciting poetry.

His voice also resounded across the battlefield through loudspeakers.

"Meet the enemy!"

And a roar came from beneath his feet.

Wielding a giant, ten-foot-long Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), Kan Leng and his Mo Dao squad quickly formed a battle formation below the high platform.

Kan Leng himself took a few steps forward and stood directly in front of the Mo Dao team.

His long sword was too long to coordinate with others.

Under the cold glint of the longswords, all the soldiers silently watched the battlefield ahead.

"Get out of the way, let them through!"

Kan Leng shouted.

The Tang troops blocking their path immediately split up to the sides.

Without hesitation, the fierce general charged through the defensive line, bringing with him a black torrent of energy, and slammed into Kan Leng. Kan Leng raised his massive longsword, and the fierce general raised his longsword as well. The moment they met, both swords slashed down simultaneously. Two flashes of cold light collided with a crisp, loud sound. Amidst the sparks, the fierce general's longsword was also severed in an instant. The next moment, Kan Leng's massive longsword swept past him, and his shoulder fell to the ground.

He immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Good knife."

He said blankly.

His subordinates behind him were all stunned for a moment.

They probably never imagined that their commander would be killed with a single blow.

"Send your name."

Kan Leng sheathed his Mo Dao and said.

"Li Cunzhang, the envoy of the Yi'er Army under the Prince of Jin."

The latter collapsed immediately after speaking.

Kan Leng leaned on his long, ten-foot-long Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), watching the Jin army behind Li Cunzhang. Amidst the latter's fear and unease, Kan Leng passed by Li Cunzhang, who had already fainted from excessive blood loss. At the same time, the Mo Dao troops behind him advanced, but the Jin army opposite them hesitated to move forward.

"You won't kneel before the emperors of three hundred years, you won't kneel before the gods, what exactly do you want?"

Kan Leng shouted.

(End of this chapter)