A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Rest assured, my lord. Ever since the court issued the order that the military governors would hold all the power in the army, I have foreseen the current situation. A military governor who holds both military and political power is not someone a normal emperor can accept. They will inevitably turn against each other in the future."

"Therefore, starting more than a decade ago, I have been carefully preparing a set of identities for my lord's family, just in case."

"After more than a decade of operation, these identities are all real and can be verified."

"My lord, you can rest assured that the identities of these young masters and ladies will never be questioned."

Huang Ce explained his arrangements, which reassured Zhang Huai.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huai's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his eyelids to hide the strange look in his eyes. "Then I'll trouble you, sir."

Huang Ce's long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled. In his excitement, he failed to notice the strange look in Zhang Huai's eyes and got up to leave.

He has made ample preparations for his future rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, and now it is time to reveal all his trump cards.

As Zhang Huai watched Huang Ce's departing figure, a hint of doubt gradually crept into his once trusting gaze.

Huang Ce had foreseen this matter more than a decade ago. So, was Huang Ce loyally assisting him all these years, or was he supporting his own ambitions?

Is his current predicament, where he is forced to oppose the imperial court and faces the risk of having his family and clan wiped out, also due to Huang Ce's scheming?

Sometimes, once a seed of doubt is planted, it quickly takes root and sprouts, and many things that were originally normal will be questioned and become confusing.

The inseparable relationship between Zhang Huai and Huang Ce also developed a rift without Huang Ce's knowledge.

If Huang Ce knew, he would definitely feel wronged.

The earliest Jiedushi (military governors) did not have that much power; they were merely generals who guarded a region.

He had no power to interfere with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's (Li Longji's) decisions.

He was also very surprised when Li Longji established the Jiedushi (military governors) as having both military and political power.

This was entirely due to An Lushan, Gao Lishi, and Yang Guifei; it had nothing to do with Huang Ce.

It was precisely because of them that the position of Jiedushi (military governor) inevitably led to a break with the royal family.

No matter how you look at it, Huang Ce can't be blamed for this.

But the human heart is just that unreasonable. When suspicion arises, no matter how you look at it, there is always something to suspect.

This rift became one of the triggers for future defeats in the war, and also a major reason why Huang Chao, a descendant of the Huang family, raised an independent army instead of continuing to support the Zhang family.

After leaving, Huang Ce opened a long-sealed secret vault, which contained 10 sets of Mingguang armor, 5 sets of full-body horse armor, and 10 Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword).

The equipment in this secret vault alone is comparable to the entire armament of a military governor.

Some of the weaker military governors couldn't even muster 10 sets of Mingguang armor.

Not to mention the even more expensive full armor for horses. The only forces in the entire country capable of producing 5 sets of full armor for horses were the central army of the imperial court and the elite border troops under the command of Prince Wu'an.

Now a third one has appeared: Zhang Huai, the military governor of Yunzhou.

After donning these equipment, the combat power of the entire Yunzhou army instantly increased by more than one level.

The Yunzhou army, having received their new equipment, were filled with gratitude towards Huang Ce, and Huang Ce's influence within the Yunzhou army steadily increased.

Seeing the army's morale, Zhang Huai was pleased but also somewhat wary.

Huang Ce had hidden so many Mingguang armor, full-body horse armor, and Mo Dao right under his nose. What else had Huang Ce hidden besides these?

Is this still his Yunzhou?

Or is it that Yunzhou is already Huang Ce's Yunzhou?!

However, now is still the time when he urgently needs to rely on Huang Ce's strength. Without Huang Ce, he has no way and no confidence to fight against the imperial court.

Therefore, he suppressed his inner doubts and received the military governors of the other eight prefectures in Yunzhou.

"Gentlemen, you should all have received the message from the imperial court."

"The imperial court's 30 troops are about to be transferred north. The purpose of these 30 troops is self-evident: to intimidate us and prevent us from rebelling when the imperial court is conquering the western frontier."

Zhang Huai's tiger-like eyes swept over the crowd present. "I don't believe that the people in the Western Frontier can withstand the imperial army, even if they have connections with those foreign forces."

"But these foreign powers will never openly wage war against the Tang Dynasty for their sake; at most, they will provide some logistical assistance."

"With this help, the war in western Xinjiang may last longer, one, two, or even three years."

"Three years later, when the war in the western frontier is quelled, do you think the imperial army will return to the capital, head north, or march south?"

Zhang Huai's words resonated with everyone, as this was exactly what they were worried about.

If the Western Frontier is pacified, the Eight Garrisons in the South will be nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings. The South has always been a place where people are content with their lot, good at defending but not good at making progress.

Throughout history, all the feudal lords and powerful families in the north have aimed to pacify and unify the country.

The feudal lords and powerful families in the south, however, were always hesitant and timid, only thinking about using the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to defend themselves, and did not think about making progress.

Therefore, the feudal lords of the north have always looked down on the feudal lords of the south.

Moreover, the rule has always been achieved from the south to the north; historically, no dynasty has ever come to power through a successful north-south conquest.

Therefore, the fighting power of those guys in the south is negligible; at most, they can only hold back some of the imperial army.

Without the Western Frontier lords, the imperial court will surely send troops with all its might to conquer the northern towns. At that time, even if the nine northern towns join forces, they will find it difficult to resist the imperial army that is now free to fight.

Therefore, the only choices they faced were to rebel now or to be defeated in the future.

No one who can become a regional military governor is a fool; they all have a clear understanding of the situation.

That's why they all gathered in Yunzhou to discuss what to do.

"If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Gentlemen, after the ten military governors of the Western Frontier are destroyed, it will be our turn."

"The court's attitude is very clear: all the regional military governors must completely submit to the court; there is no other possibility."

"If we don't want to die, we have no choice but to seize this opportunity to head south and take Luoyang while the imperial court is currently weakened!"

Du Hong, the military governor of Hedong, spoke first, his tone firm, clearly having been prepared beforehand.

One of the military governors looked disdainful. "Who doesn't know that Hedong, Fanyang, and Pinglu are practically inseparable? An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, and Shi Siming, the military governor of Pinglu, have both rebelled. Who knows if Hedong has also harbored rebellious intentions for a long time and is now trying to drag us down with them?"

Upon hearing this military governor's words, the other military governors also showed unusual expressions.

The imperial decree only revoked the human, military, and financial power of the other military governors; it did not remove them from their positions.

However, if it is found that someone is involved with An Lushan and Shi Siming, they will naturally be punished for treason.

Among the many military governors present, there was indeed one who had some connection with An Lushan and Shi Siming, and that was Du Hong, the military governor of Hedong who was speaking now!