The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Feng Ang raised his hand and patted Feng Zhidai, signaling him to stop talking.

He naturally understood Chen Huai'an's background and knew that it was not easy for the other party to get to this point. There must have been a lot of scheming and intrigue along the way.

Having faced life-or-death crises several times, how could I easily trust people?

"Last time, you talked to Dai'er about the emperor and the noble families. Later, Qiao'er wrote those words down in a letter and sent them to me." Feng Ang changed the subject. "Personally, I think what you said makes a lot of sense."

"However... the Feng family is different from the aristocratic families in the Central Plains. Our Feng family is indeed doing our best to cooperate with those in power, but what we hold in our hands means that we are bound to be suspected."

"It's like before I came to Chang'an to report on my duties, I was thinking about all sorts of situations I might encounter after arriving in Chang'an, and what I should do if His Majesty wanted to take away the military power in my hands?"

"Please rest assured about this, Uncle Feng." Chen Huai'an explained seriously, "His Majesty will not take away your military power for the time being. The situation in Lingnan is quite complicated, with various forces intertwined. They are not on the same side as you, Uncle Feng, towards the court."

"Only when you hold military power will you have sufficient deterrence to ensure the stability of Lingnan, and only then can the imperial court gradually gain control over Lingnan."

Feng Ang's concerns were not unfounded, but he still did not fully understand what kind of person Li Shimin was.

He didn't care at all about the excessive power and influence of his subordinates, because he was too young and confident that he could control everything, which was indeed the case.

Moreover, there are many chieftains, big and small, in Lingnan. The reason why Feng Ang was unable to escape before and could only send Feng Zhidai as a hostage was because he was suppressing another chieftain at the time and was unable to come to Chang'an.

In this situation, if Feng Ang's military power is taken away and Lingnan descends into chaos, who will suppress it? How can we obtain huge profits through the Grand Canal and generate revenue for the national treasury, and gradually gain control over Lingnan?

Furthermore... Chen Huai'an himself would also guarantee that Li Shimin would not take away Feng Ang's military power, otherwise he would lose a way out, as well as the capital that would allow him to stand in the world no matter what happens in the future.

"Then... what if Your Majesty wishes to send someone else?" Feng Ang asked again.

This situation is not impossible. He did not feel that his position in Li Shimin's heart was comparable to that of his trusted ministers or the generals who had fought alongside Li Shimin through thick and thin.

Chen Huai'an chuckled and said, "Uncle Feng, you're being far too insecure. In the Lingnan region, you're the best choice; there's no one else."

In terms of prestige in Lingnan, Feng Ang, as Lady Xian's grandson, was undoubtedly the most prestigious, and no one was more suitable to be in charge of Lingnan than him.

Feng Ang was taken aback, then quickly realized what he meant and nodded: "There's one more question."

"What if all the major and minor forces in Lingnan submit or are eliminated, and the imperial court gains complete control over Lingnan?"

That hits the nail on the head.

There are several main reasons why Li Shimin will not take away Feng Ang's military power now.

First, Feng Ang voluntarily submitted, sending his son as a hostage and his daughter as a marriage partner.

Having gone this far, it's really unreasonable for you to turn around and take away their military power.

Secondly, currently only the Feng family in Lingnan can handle this situation; no one else can.

However, the canal transport between the Central Plains and Lingnan had been opened up, and the imperial court had sufficient conditions to gradually take control of Lingnan.

Once all the major and minor forces in Lingnan have submitted or been eliminated, and the imperial court has established a firm foothold in Lingnan, how will the Feng family conduct itself?

And was Feng Ang still alive at that time?

Is Li Shimin still alive?

If Li Shimin could tolerate the Feng family, what about the subsequent emperors of the Tang Dynasty?

Military power is always the most sensitive issue.

The emperor doesn't care whether you have the intention to rebel, he only cares whether you have the ability to rebel.

As the absolute hegemon of the Lingnan region, your soldiers are all brave and fierce, and most importantly, you are financially self-sufficient. Who can trust you?

"Is Feng Bo very concerned about military power?" Chen Huai'an asked in return.

Feng Ang fell silent. Feng Zhidai looked left and right, opened his mouth as if to speak, but realized that these were topics he shouldn't be involved in, so he closed his mouth again.

Do you think Feng Ang cared about military power?

Of course I care.

Because this is the foundation upon which the Feng family has been able to establish itself.

However, the very foundation upon which they stood posed a tremendous threat to the emperor.

Feng Ang didn't necessarily want to hold onto military power; all he wanted was for the Feng family to prosper for generations and for his descendants to live well.

But times change, the sun rises and sets; if you have nothing to rely on, how can you pass it down?

Since the time of Qin Shi Huang, how many once-famous families have disappeared without a trace in all these years?

Just like the character "Han" in Han Xin's name, which was split into "Wei" in order to survive.

If he had other means of support, Feng Ang would be willing to relinquish his military power.

Unfortunately, the Feng family did not have such support, so they could only cling tightly to military power.

"I have no choice." Feng Ang shook his head. "As things stand, apart from military power, I have not found any other means to guarantee the stability of our Feng family."

"Of course, I also know that the military power I hold may be gradually taken back after my death."

"So I'm still looking."

As he said this, Feng Ang gazed intently at Chen Huai'an.

He wasn't a superstitious person, but that old woman from Lingnan really did have some real skills.

She said that the key to the Feng family's prosperity for generations lies with Chen Huai'an, so he sent Feng Qiao'er and himself, thus gaining Chen Huai'an's great trust.

Chen Huai'an seemed to have guessed what he meant, and then smiled and said, "Because of that old woman?"

Feng Ang nodded: "Perhaps you don't know, but Grandma is a very special person. Her dreams have never been wrong so far!"

"The only problem is... that it needs to be understood correctly."

"Just like the last prophecy, there were two suns in the sky, one that would eventually fall, and the other that would burn eternally. To this day, we still don't understand what it means!"

Chen Huai'an: "...You'll understand what I mean in the future."

"As for relying on..."

"You already have it!" He tilted his chin slightly. "Perhaps you don't realize it yet, but you definitely have it."

"Furthermore... I can guarantee that the imperial court cannot take away your military power!"

Feng Ang was waiting for these words, and he looked at him intently: "With your words, I can give up my military power."

"But... what exactly is this so-called 'reliance' you just mentioned? Can you tell me now?"

Chen Huai'an chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Perhaps it's the eternally burning sun that the old woman talked about!"

"..."