My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

"Oh, did Songtsen Gampo go to talk to my father about this matter?" Li Chenggan asked.

"Yes, Songtsen Gampo's attitude was very tough," Wei Zheng said.

"I understand, Songtsen Gampo is afraid something will happen to me."

When Princess Wencheng learned that Songtsen Gampo had gone to confront the emperor alone, she admired his courage and boldness even more.

Su Wan's expression turned worried: "Lord Wei, the armies of the five kingdoms have suddenly approached Chang'an to rescue the Crown Prince. This should be a good thing, but..."

but,

That might be a bad thing.

Princess Wencheng didn't understand, so she asked, "Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"

Doesn't this fully demonstrate that the Emperor has a high reputation among all the countries?

This is a good thing, how could it turn into a bad thing?

"That's the problem. You must understand that although the Emperor is a wise and benevolent ruler, he is also inherently suspicious."

This is often a common problem among wise rulers.

Even Emperor Wu of Han, a man of great talent and ambition, did not doubt his crown prince Liu Ju?

If Emperor Wu of Han had not suspected Liu Ju, how could the witchcraft incident have occurred?

Liu Ju committed suicide, and Wei Zifu also died.

The more capable an emperor is, the more he tends to worry about others taking his throne, even his own son or crown prince.

The reason why Emperor Wu of Han's army was able to suppress Liu Ju was because Liu Ju did not hold military power.

Unable to mobilize the imperial army, Liu Ju could only gather his household servants and attendants, which meant he was destined to never amount to much.

But now the situation is different:

Your Highness's prestige is enough to mobilize the armies of multiple countries.

The troops that arrived in Chang'an this time numbered approximately 60,000.

In addition to Ashina She'er's 10,000 cavalry, the rest of King Sanbee's army, and the Silla army, the total strength exceeded 100,000.

An army of 100,000 is more than enough to conquer the world.

Think at the beginning,

When the retired emperor and the emperor raised their army in Jinyang, they probably didn't have this many troops.

Do you think the Emperor wouldn't be suspicious? Wouldn't he be worried?

Everyone agreed that Su Wan's analysis made sense.

This was also what Li Chenggan was worried about.

Li Chengan put his hands in his sleeves: "Actually, they didn't need to send troops."

You only need to send a message to me by carrier pigeon and communicate with me. Why make such a fuss?

Wan'er has already asked her mother to persuade her father to rescind the imperial decree.

"How could they know these things when they are thousands of miles away?" Su Wan stood up, placed her hands in front of her abdomen, and paced back and forth in the hall. She said slowly, "There is also a group of ministers led by Fang Xuanling who are afraid that the world is not chaotic enough. Those ministers keep their eyes on the Crown Prince all day long, looking for faults in him."

Now that they know about this, how could they not stir up trouble in front of the Emperor?

"Your Highness, there's no need to worry too much," Wei Zheng said, sitting upright in his chair and waving his hand. "Before I came, I spoke with His Majesty. I said..."

When I arrive in Luoyang, if anyone tries to spread rumors before Your Majesty, Your Majesty must not listen to their gossip and change your mind.

The Emperor agreed to all of them.

Su Wan praised, "Lord Wei, you are indeed very thoughtful."

However, if only one or two people distort the truth and spread rumors before the emperor,

I doubt the Emperor would believe it;

but,

If many ministers said the same thing, the emperor might waver.

Wei Zheng sighed: "I don't know why, but lately, I feel that Your Majesty is different from before."

She became suspicious and indecisive, and easily swayed.

Li Chengan cleared his throat: "In that case, I will go back and persuade them to withdraw their troops."

Su Wan shook her head: "Your Highness, now that you have arrived in Luoyang, I advise you not to leave here easily."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan frowned: "Since the teacher has come, how can I not go back?"

"I don't think it's appropriate for you to go back now."

You should know that many people, many eyes are watching you.

"I'm afraid that before you even reach Chang'an, the people who came to arrest you will have already arrived."

Wei Zheng nodded: "Your Highness, what the Crown Princess said is not without reason."

then,

When the Lü clan rebelled, Zhou Bo and Chen Ping joined forces to eliminate them.

Then, after discussion among the civil and military officials, they invited Liu Heng to return to Chang'an to become emperor.

Liu Heng was unsure whether the outcome was auspicious or inauspicious, and remained indecisive.

Liu Heng then sent men to Chang'an to gather information before making a decision.

"Yes, better safe than sorry. We must be careful with every step we take," Su Wan paused, "Why don't you write a letter to Songtsen Gampo, Tuoba Chici, Murong Shun, Prince Fengzhang, and King Shanbei?"

Tell them to withdraw their troops from Chang'an and station them at Tongguan.

Tongguan Pass is located between Chang'an and Luoyang, and its geographical location is very special. It is the first dangerous pass east of Chang'an.

By controlling Tongguan, one can control the western entrance to the ancient Xiaohan Road, thus demonstrating the extreme importance of Tongguan's military position.

Think at the beginning,

Ma Chao sought revenge for his father.

The Battle of Tong Pass with Cao Cao

At the beginning, Ma Chao had the upper hand, defeating Cao Cao badly. Cao Cao cut off his beard and abandoned his robe, and was almost captured by Ma Chao.

but,

Cao Cao, a cunning and shrewd stratagem, used a counter-espionage tactic to sow discord between Ma Chao and Han Sui, ultimately defeating Ma Chao.

"Wan'er, you're absolutely right, Tongguan is indeed very important."

"But would it be appropriate for me to let the five-nation coalition do that?" Li Chenggan asked with some concern.

Your Highness,

I think it's not safe for you to return to Chang'an at this time.

"What's unsafe about it? Didn't Father say he had already rescinded the decree to arrest me?" Li Chenggan said dismissively.

"Yes, His Majesty revoked that decree. It was issued before the arrival of the five-nation coalition."

But now the situation has changed.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng thought to himself, "No wonder people say Su Wan is extraordinary; she is much more mature than her peers at such a young age."

Generally speaking, girls her age are still children in their parents' eyes.

Living a life where food is served to you and clothes are put on your back.

However, Su Wan, through trials and tribulations, has gradually grown into a true Crown Princess and a virtuous wife.

Su Wan is not only good at making money, but also quite intelligent, always considering Li Chengan's needs.

Wei Zheng then said, "The Crown Princess is right."

"Wait a moment, you don't need to go back. Write a few letters for me to take back and give to them."

So Li Chengan quickly wrote down several letters and handed them to Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng put the letter away and tucked it into his pocket.

Wei Zheng then inquired about Li Chengan's arrival in Luoyang.

Li Chengan then recounted his experiences after arriving in Luoyang.

Everyone who heard this sighed with emotion.

Wei Zheng shook his head and said, "Your Highness, this is too risky."

I never imagined Zhang Shigui would turn out like this.

"Yes, Zhang Shigui and his four sons are very arrogant."

When Zhang Shigui recruited soldiers in Hedong

He handed over the recruited old, weak, and disabled soldiers to the imperial court.

Then, he secretly left behind 30,000 strong and capable men.

"What? Zhang Shigui actually did such a thing? He's plotting a rebellion!" Wei Zheng, with his wealth of experience, understood immediately. "This matter might be related to Luo Yi."

"What exactly happened to Luo Yi?"

"He was originally a subordinate of Li Jiancheng, just like me."

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, I was originally a subordinate of Li Jiancheng, but later became a monk. Having long since become indifferent to life and death, I planned to end my life.

I never expected that your father would value me so much and treat me with such courtesy.

Your Majesty's magnanimity and breadth of mind have also moved me.

Therefore, I, your humble servant, have pledged allegiance to Your Majesty.

but,

Luo Yi is different; he overthinks things and doesn't even understand what he actually did.

Perhaps he knew too much about the history of Liu Bang killing his meritorious officials after establishing the country, and he always felt that the emperor wanted to kill him.

He was terrified and committed suicide!

"It's a pity that such a great general died like this, teacher. I heard that he had a son named Luo Cheng."

"Yes."

"Is Luo Cheng still alive?"

"Yes, Luo grew up to be exceptionally handsome; he was a real heartthrob."

With a five-hooked, gleaming silver spear in hand and a white dragon steed astounding as lightning, he was invincible.

His signature move is the "returning spear," which almost no one can dodge.

People often say that Luo Cheng, with his cold noodles and cold spear, is the one they are referring to.

When we became sworn brothers, he was the youngest.

"Then do you know where he is?"

"This humble servant is not sure either. When a suitable opportunity arises in the future, this humble servant will introduce him to Your Highness."

"Very well, I have long heard of his great reputation and hope to meet him soon."

"Your Highness is eager to find talented people, and I can already sense that."

"It's quite a coincidence that you were able to recruit three assassins and Xue Rengui this time."

Su Wan smoothed her hair with her hand: "Lord Wei, I don't think this might be a good thing."

"Why would the Crown Princess say such a thing?"

"You've all probably heard of Lü Bu, right?"

Initially, Ding Yuan treated Lü Bu very well, adopting him as his son and intending to groom him properly.

Lü Bu was incredibly brave and invincible in battle, and Dong Zhuo suffered repeated setbacks because of this, which greatly troubled Dong Zhuo.

Lü Bu had a fellow townsman named Li Su, who served under Dong Zhuo.

Having suffered a loss at the hands of Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo asked Li Su, "Do you have a way to deal with Lü Bu?"

Li Su said to Dong Zhuo, "If you give me enough gold, silver, and the Red Hare horse, I can recruit Lü Bu."

Dong Zhuo said, "That Red Hare is a fine steed capable of traveling a thousand miles; I can't bear to part with it."

Li Su laughed and said, "One Lü Bu is worth a thousand soldiers, so why should you care about a mere Red Hare?"

Dong Zhuo thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Li Su brought generous gifts and the Red Hare horse to see Lü Bu. After some persuasion, Lü Bu indeed decided to surrender to Dong Zhuo.

After Dong Zhuo obtained Lü Bu, he was overjoyed and adopted Lü Bu as his son.

Of course, Lü Bu's martial arts skills were undeniable.

People often say, "Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare."

Dong Zhuo's Xiliang soldiers were already very powerful.

None of the eighteen warlords were a match for Lü Bu.

Even when Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei joined forces, they could not defeat Lü Bu.

This shows that Lü Bu's bravery was indeed unparalleled.

but,

What happened in the end?

Situ Wang Yun first betrothed the singer Diao Chan to Lü Bu, and then gave her to Dong Zhuo, in order to sow discord between the father and son.

The final result is,

Lü Bu also killed Dong Zhuo.

Please think about it: if Dong Zhuo hadn't taken Lü Bu in, would there have been all those later disasters?

Dong Zhuo had many great generals under his command, such as Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and Hua Xiong, all of whom were very brave.

Therefore, it can be said that Dong Zhuo's recruitment of Lü Bu was tantamount to digging his own grave.

Now, Hegan Chengji, one of the three assassins, is fickle and opportunistic, even worse than Lü Bu. If such a person is kept by one's side, won't trouble arise sooner or later?

Wei Zheng also felt that Su Wan's analysis of this matter made sense.

Wei Zheng said to Li Chenggan, "Your Highness, why don't you just send Hegan Chengji away?"

Li Chenggan disagreed: "Teacher, you are overthinking it. Lü Bu is Lü Bu, and Hegan Chengji is Hegan Chengji. We can't condemn him just because he once did something for Li Tai."

He Gan Chengji's swordsmanship is superb, reaching a state of perfection, and he can fight ten opponents at a time in critical moments.

We are currently lacking talent.

Cao Cao's slogan was "Only the talented are appointed."

When Cao Cao selected talents, he did not specify that they should possess both virtue and ability.

This is what we call special times, special treatment.

"However, Hegan Chengji's character is questionable."

Li Chengan waved his hand: "Teacher, there's no need to worry. I know what I'm doing."

Wei Zheng also knew Li Chengqian's temperament; he was very stubborn.

Seeing that he was determined not to listen, there was no need to persuade him any further.

"So, what's the story with Xue Rengui?"

Li Chengan nodded: "Xue Rengui is indeed a rare talent."

I have never seen anyone with such high martial arts skills.

It can be said that his martial arts skills are only above, not below, those of the three great assassins.

Unfortunately, Zhang Shigui refused to let him join the army both times he tried.

Wei Zheng's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Is that so?"

"Yes!" Li Chenggan nodded.

"Zhang Shigui has blocked talented individuals from serving the country. If this is verified, it is a serious crime. His Majesty is eager for talented people and has repeatedly issued orders to all regions to recommend capable individuals to the court, whether they are civil officials or military officers."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Shigui dared to disobey the imperial edict; this was outrageous!

Su Wan stared intently at Li Chenggan with her beautiful eyes and asked, "Your Highness, do you know why Zhang Shigui is so arrogant and domineering?"

"On the one hand, he was arrogant because of his great achievements. The court had treated him very well and had already rewarded him by making him a duke. What more could he want?"

On the other hand, his daughter married Li Daozong.

Li Daozong had also made many contributions in the past.

Recently, Li Daozong quelled a rebellion in Lingzhou and made another contribution.

Therefore, the emperor valued him highly and ordered him to lead 30,000 troops to garrison Luoyang and wipe out the remaining forces of the Turks.

"How's the cleanup going now?"

"It doesn't seem very good."

Princess Wencheng was the daughter of Li Daozong. She said, "Ever since the Emperor entrusted my father with the task of wiping out the remaining forces of the Turks, my father has been working day and night, even losing his appetite, for fear that something might go wrong and he would not be able to complete the task."

However, what was unexpected was that the remaining Turkic forces were quite large and cunning.

Completely eradicating them will not be that simple.

After listening to Princess Wencheng's words, Li Chengan said, "You don't need to worry too much. I have already sent Ashina Jieshe back to the Turkic Khaganate to reorganize the old troops."

Ashina Jieshe also said that he would lead the Turkic subjects back to Chang'an and surrender to the Tang Dynasty.