Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Therefore, Yang Yan argued that Minister Liu's reforms could only address the symptoms, not the root cause. To stabilize the finances, the only solution was to start with taxation. He suggested verifying the number of households in each prefecture and county and classifying taxes according to land and property—in short, those with more land should pay more taxes, those with less land should pay less, and those with no land should only pay a poll tax.

Liu Yan immediately rejected the idea—it's easy to say, but do you know how difficult it is to do? First of all, a nationwide census is a huge undertaking, and the imperial court simply cannot afford it; secondly, classifying land by rank is inconvenient to implement and prone to corruption, and the final result would probably be detrimental to ordinary people and reduce national revenue—including taxes within each prefecture and town.

Now that Yan Zhenqing has brought up this matter, he says that he thinks Yang Yan's suggestion has its merits, but it is not convenient to implement it all over the country immediately. However, it can be piloted in our Weibo Town first. The land annexation in the two prefectures is very serious. If we continue to follow the original tax system, I'm afraid it will drive all the remaining self-cultivating farmers into bankruptcy, and you will not be able to collect enough money and grain to support 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers.

Li Ji stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before asking, "Is it permissible for local governments to drastically change tax laws without an imperial decree?"

The fiscal and tax policies are controlled by the central government and cannot be changed by a mere military governor—even those traitorous generals wouldn't dare to do that.

Yan Zhenqing smiled slightly: "Just come up with some names."

Local officials, building upon the existing land tax and labor service system, have been adding various local taxes under different pretexts to exploit the people and enrich the government treasury. This is not considered taboo, and everyone has been doing it since the end of the Tianbao era, for over a decade now. So, let's not talk about classifying taxes by household, but just about adding a property tax. The imperial court has no reason to object, right?

“When I knew the false Yan, there were customary taxes in various prefectures of Hebei for raising horses, traveling, building houses, planting seedlings, and even for the marriage of concubines by the governors. Now, General Li has abolished these redundant taxes and miscellaneous duties and reduced rents and taxes, which will surely please the people. Furthermore, he collects grain according to the number of fields, claiming it is for supporting the army and preventing theft. Even wealthy households may not dare to resist.”

At this point, Yan Zhenqing's face hardened: "To be honest, General Li's plan to gradually curb the trend of land annexation and return the land to small farmers is too slow and may not be able to meet the urgent needs."

Li Ji thought for a moment and then asked, "Checking the household registration and counting the land will cost money and grain, and with the autumn harvest approaching, I'm afraid we won't have enough time. What should we do?"

Yan Zhenqing waved his hand: "Why waste money and grain? There's no need to hire manpower. We, the military governors, can each lead a few dozen soldiers to go to the countryside to inspect. As for the fear of not having enough time... we can just sleep a few hours less each day."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Old man, do you really have to push yourself so hard?" Yan Zhenqing's words seemed to make a lot of sense, and Li Ji was happy to see it happen, but could such a huge project really be completed before the grain harvest? Could it really achieve its intended effect without causing any adverse effects or even triggering unrest? He couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he replied perfunctorily, "This matter is very important, we can discuss it further."

Yan Zhenqing frowned slightly, then gave Li Ji a look, signaling him to dismiss the others. Once only the military governor and the military commander remained in the hall, the old man rolled his eyes: "The autumn harvest is approaching, and the matter of taxes and corvée labor cannot be discussed any further. If Commander Li trusts me, he will entrust this matter to me; if he doesn't... after Commander Li leaves, I will still do it this way!"

Li Ji was taken aback: "What do you mean, 'after I go'?"

Yan Zhenqing did not answer at first, but leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Does Commander Li know why the court sent me to Weibo?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Of course I know. You've been working in Hebei for many years and are quite familiar with the situation, so you assigned me as your deputy." Besides, he'd also uncovered some secrets these past few days, things that even Yan Zhenqing himself probably didn't know—

Li Yu originally intended to summon Yan Zhenqing back to the capital to serve as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. However, before Yan Zhenqing arrived in Chang'an and before the imperial edict was issued, he was blocked by Cheng Yuanzhen, Yuan Zai and others. They said that the old man was too difficult to deal with. If he were to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel, how would we put our cronies and cronies into the key departments?

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Shi, Li Bi, Li Qijun, and other talents suggested that Yan Zhenqing be placed in Weibo because Li Ji was not yet familiar with Hebei politics and urgently needed a good assistant.

However, Li Ji would not easily reveal the inside story to Yan Zhenqing. Instead, he followed up on the other's words and asked in return, "I really don't know. Yan Sima taught me."

Yan Zhenqing then revealed the answer: "The court sent me here to temporarily take command of Weibo in place of Commander Li, and to summon Commander Li back to the capital for an audience..."

Upon hearing the words "return to court," Li Ji was startled—he had only been in Weibo for a few months, why was he being summoned back? Hearing the words "attend to the emperor," he calmed down slightly—it turned out to be just a temporary return to court to pay homage to the emperor…but what important matter could it be that he had to travel thousands of miles to Chang'an before he could even settle in?

Yan Zhenqing pulled a scroll of paper from his robes and handed it to Li Ji, saying, "This is the Emperor's secret decree." He then explained, "The Emperor summoned Commander Li back to court for the sake of the war against the barbarians..."

At this time, the border between the Tang and Tibetan territories shifted more than a thousand li eastward from Menggu and Chiling, temporarily stopping at Longdi. The Tang court repaired Dazhen Pass to prevent the Tibetan army from attacking the capital region and threatening the western capital Fengxiang and the central capital Chang'an.

Ma Chongying's decisive blow struck at the heart of the Tang Dynasty, severing Anxi, Beiting, Hexi, and even Shu from the capital region. The Hexi army, to enter the capital, had to detour through Shuofang; the Jiannan army, to enter the capital, had to detour through Shannan. The journey was long and arduous, making responsiveness in times of emergency difficult. Therefore, if the Tibetan Empire continued its eastward advance, the closest and most readily available reinforcements would be from Shuofang and Shannan East Road.

Unfortunately, the Shannan East Circuit is now in Liang Chongyi's hands, and the Shuofang Army, which was the main force in suppressing the An Lushan Rebellion, is exhausted from long-term fighting and may not be of much use. Moreover, there are dozens of Western Qiang tribes that are rampant between Shuofang and Fengxiang. If the Qiang tribes join forces, Fengxiang and even Chang'an will be in grave danger.

Therefore, Li Bi suggested taking the initiative.

In previous years, the Tibetans would launch their campaigns after the autumn harvest, usually around August, and retreat by spring—if the winter was too cold, or even if there was heavy snow, they might retreat even earlier. Li Ji suggested that this autumn, before the Tibetan invaders arrived, the Tang dynasty should first gather troops in Guanzhong and station them between Huating and Longshan Pass to intimidate the Qiang tribes and prevent them from colluding with the Western Tibetans to cause trouble. Once most of the Qiang tribes expressed their willingness to submit to the Tang rule, a detachment would be sent west from Longshan Pass to advance from the north and south alongside the Hexi army, aiming to recapture Lanzhou and Weizhou, and threatening the Tibetan army's flank.

In this way, the barbarian bandits will not dare to launch a full-scale attack on Dazhen Pass, which will reduce the pressure on Fengxiang, and Chang'an will naturally not be alarmed.

Li Yu agreed with Li Mi's suggestion, but he was also worried that if the army's march went poorly, the area between Fengxiang and Chang'an would become vulnerable, and what would happen if the barbarian bandits raided it with light cavalry? Li Mi said, "Now the Northern Army has nearly ten thousand imperial guards. Can't they protect the capital region? Your Majesty, do not worry."

However, Li Yu was rather timid and not without worries. His main concern was that while the Northern Imperial Guards were numerous, they lacked capable generals to lead them. His trusted confidants, such as Li Ji, Li Sheng, and Ma Sui, had already been deployed, and while eunuchs like Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming were trustworthy, they lacked experience in commanding troops. Of course, some recommended Guo Ziyi, who was sidelined in Chang'an, but Li Yu dared not entrust the entire Imperial Guard to the old Grand Tutor; others recommended Yu Chaoen, but Cheng Yuanzhen quickly rejected the idea.

In the end, Li Shi suggested: "The Guandong region has just been pacified, and people are eager for stability. Even the various towns in Hebei are unlikely to rebel in the short term. The most important task now is to pacify the people and support the farmers, which is not Li Changwei's forte. It would be better to appoint a military commander from Weibo to manage the people for Changwei, and secretly order Changwei to return temporarily and stand by Your Majesty's side. Then there will be no worries."

Li Yu immediately agreed: "I need the Dharma Protector Weituo by my side... If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have rushed to send Li Ji to his post." Only then were Li Shi, Li Bi and others able to recommend Yan Zhenqing, who was about to return to the capital, instead of sending him back to Lizhou.

Now Yan Zhenqing explained the reasons to Li Ji in detail, and said: "That is why I just said that the matter is urgent and can be resolved in one or two days. All the armies in the capital region have already set off, and Commander Li should hurry back to Chang'an. As for the matter of taxes and corvée labor this autumn, please entrust it to me. I will certainly not fail the court's order and Commander Li's trust."

Li Ji unfolded the secret edict and read it, then couldn't help but smile bitterly—what else could he say? He was just destined to be a busybody…

Li Ji approved of Li Bi's preemptive strike strategy, believing it to be quite promising—even if they couldn't seize the opportunity to recover Lan and Wei, they wouldn't allow the Tibetan army to breach Dazhen Pass and threaten Fengxiang—there was no need for him to return to Chang'an to oversee the situation. However, the problem was that Li Yu was inherently timid, a fact Li Ji knew well—his slight display of courage that night in the Flying Dragon Stable, at least not losing his composure, was an exception—if Li Ji hadn't been by his side, the fellow might have acted like his grandfather and father, who knows?

Back then, when Tongguan Pass had just fallen and the rebel army was still several days away from Chang'an, Li Longji hurriedly fled the city with his family, putting the country in grave danger. Later, when the Tang army and the rebel army were locked in a stalemate at Heyang, the time for a counterattack was not yet ripe, but Li Heng could not withstand the political pressure and forced the army to retake Luoyang, which led to a major defeat...

This is all because the emperor's mental fortitude is too poor, and he insists on interfering in frontline military affairs. There is no guaranteed way to win an army; setbacks due to unforeseen circumstances are common. Just as Li Yu feared, what if Ma Chongying sent a mobile force, or a certain tribe of the Western Qiang rallied the barbarian rebels, threatening Fengxiang or even Chang'an? Li Ji believed that Chang'an wouldn't fall so easily, but he worried that if the alarm sounded, Li Yu would panic and hastily order the generals at the front to return east to defend the emperor, or even, like his grandfather, abandon the city and flee…

By then, it's estimated that neither Li Shi nor Li Bi will be able to stop him. Only by leading the Imperial Guards to defend the city can Li Yu's mind be somewhat calmed.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Rebellion in Hedong

In Lhasa, Ma Chongying, intending to prepare his troops for another invasion of Longshang, came to report this to the Zanpu in person.

Trisong Detsen listened to Ma Chongying's report with a blank expression, remaining silent for a long time. Ma Chongying knelt on the ground, his heart filled with unease—although the emperor was young, his prestige had grown daily since he plotted to eliminate the powerful minister Xiangzhong Bajie, and he was praised as the resurrected emperor who had abandoned the Zanpatriarch. Even Ma Chongying often felt uneasy and breathless in his presence, as if walking on thin ice.

Crucially, Ma Chongying had no ambition and did not want to become a powerful minister like Xiangzhong Bajie, who controlled the Zanpu (Tibetan king) and commanded the entire Tibetan kingdom. In a sense, Ma Chongying was indeed a loyal minister of Tibet. Because Tibet's political system was relatively primitive, he regarded Trisong Detsen not only as a king but also as a lord, and he was afraid that a careless word might displease his master.

But Trisong Detsen remained silent, and Ma Chongying dared neither ask nor urge him, so he could only bow his head before the emperor and wait quietly. Finally, a soft sigh was heard from the throne.

"What worries does the King have? Your Majesty, I will share your burdens."

Trisong Detsen then slowly said, “The world is full of troubles and afflictions, which cannot be overcome without great wisdom. Ordinary people often cannot see their own true nature. Even if they once attain wisdom and see it, they will be deluded by karmic obstacles and fall into the sea of ​​suffering. Great treatise, do you still remember your original vow? What was it all about?”

"Your Majesty, I only wish for your health, prosperity, and the continued success of Tibet for generations to come..."

"These are all empty words, distant dreams. But how can we turn dreams into reality?"

Ma Chongying roughly guessed what Trisong Detsen wanted to say, and a wave of sorrow welled up in his heart: "Your Majesty, I am guilty... My original wish was to take advantage of the decline of the Tang Dynasty to seize Anxi and Beiting, to spread Buddhism and teach its teachings, to repel evil spirits in Lingxi, to let the Tsangpo (Tibetan king) be bathed in the golden light of the Buddha, and to let all the people of Tibet be free from karma and bathed in auspiciousness..."

Trisong Detsen interrupted him: "You originally told me that we should advance into Longyou, cut off the connection between Chang'an and Hexi, and then we could pacify Anxi and Beiting, and divide the area between the Tang and the Tibetans into Longyou as the boundary, making the east and west into one great power. Now Longyou is in sight, and the Tang has quelled the rebellion in the east, yet you come to advise us to advance eastward... Why not northward?"

Ma Chongying stammered in his defense, "I have not forgotten my long-cherished ambition, but the officials have earnestly requested that we take Fengxiang directly..."

Trisong Detsen's lips curled slightly: "Yes, we fought a hundred battles to gain control of Longyou, and acquired many Tang people. The tribes divided the spoils equally, and the officials are all well-fed and clothed. But people's hearts are always greedy and insatiable. In the end, Longyou is much easier to travel than Anxi, and its population is also more prosperous." He paused slightly, then his voice deepened: "But are you the Grand Secretary appointed by me, or the Grand Secretary jointly recommended by the officials of the various tribes?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chongying trembled, his face turned pale, and he hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Your subject has something to report."

“I’m eager to hear your account; speak now.”

"With the Tang army pacifying the eastern rebellion and the western troops gradually returning to their posts, they will surely seek to recover Longyou. I fear that the main force will advance northward, and Longyou will be lost. Therefore, I hope to break through Dazhen Pass in one battle, threaten Fengxiang and even Chang'an, and force the Tang emperor to send envoys to negotiate peace—either to demarcate Longyou as the eastern and western borders, or for our Tubo to withdraw from Longyou in exchange for Anxi and Beiting."

Trisong Detsen shook his head: "Impossible. The Tang people are very resilient, and the Tang emperor also cares about his reputation. He might be willing to cede territory and make peace, but Anxi and Beiting are too vast, and they would never easily give them to me."

"I wish to give it a try. If it succeeds, then there will be fifty years of peace between Tibet and Tang, and Tibet can also become strong and powerful."

Trisong Detsen's eyes flashed, and he suddenly asked, "Are you planning to betray the Zanpu Bell?"

Ma Chongying nodded and said, "Your Majesty, you have a keen eye for the future—in the past, when our Tubo made peace with Nanzhao, the first Zanpu addressed Geluofeng as Zanpu Zhong, originally to resist the Tang. However, if Tubo and Tang can be at peace, Nanzhao will be useless. That land is deep and dangerous, with dense forests and difficult roads. Even if the Tang people get it, they cannot threaten our Tubo. Therefore, it would be better to give up Longyou and Nanzhao in exchange for Anxi and Beiting. In my opinion, as long as the Tang emperor agrees, even if it requires our Tubo to send troops to attack Nanzhao from both sides, it is negotiable."

Trisong Detsen pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Very well, you have your strategy, and I won't hinder you. Let's see how things go this autumn. I will pray to Buddha in Lhasa for your blessing, hoping for a successful start..."

Having finally gained the king's understanding, Ma Chongying left the palace, only to find his back drenched in cold sweat. A mountain breeze swept by, and he couldn't help but shiver again. Just as he was about to return home to attend to his affairs and muster his troops, a minor official suddenly rushed over, prostrated himself before him, and paid homage with great respect.

"what's up?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, an envoy from the Tang Dynasty has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chongying frowned slightly: "Are they from Chang'an? Seeking peace or a challenge?"

"They were not sent from Chang'an, but... from the Shuofang Army. They say they have a matter of utmost urgency and request an audience with the Grand Master to report it in person..."

----------

Li Ji received a secret imperial edict and rushed back to Chang'an, entrusting all the affairs of the military governor's office to Yan Zhenqing. He was also quite looking forward to it, hoping that when I returned, this Yan Sima would be able to successfully collect this year's taxes and fill the treasury at least halfway.

He led only twenty horsemen, including Yuan Jing'an, and traveled non-stop, arriving in Chang'an in just half a month. It was already afternoon when they entered the city, so they were not in a hurry to pay their respects and instead returned to their residence in Pingkang Ward.

Cui Cuo welcomed him in, but said, "An imperial envoy came this morning. If you, Young Master Yun, return to the capital in the next day or two, please go to the Daming Palace to pay your respects at any time."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned and asked, "What's the rush? Have the armies within the capital region been dispatched yet?"

Cui Cuo said that, as far as he knew, the armies of Fengxiang, Binning, Fufang, and Tonghua had all received imperial edicts and were gradually assembling towards Longguan, but the Emperor was in a hurry to summon the young master, seemingly for some other matter...

As she spoke, she pulled a slip of paper from her sleeve: "This was secretly sent by my elder brother, who wants me to give it to my husband."

Li Ji took it and glanced at it, only to see a line of words hastily written on it:

"Upon returning, you should immediately go to the palace to see the Emperor. Do not mention Lai Zhen or the eunuch in charge of military affairs to him. We will discuss it later."

Li Ji was completely bewildered, not understanding what message Li Bi was trying to convey... Could it be that what he feared most had come to pass, and Lai Zhen's death had triggered some kind of chain reaction? Was a certain military governor harboring rebellious intentions? Or did the emperor intend to eliminate Liang Chongyi at this critical juncture?

With war about to break out with Tibet, it is really not advisable to draw another front.

He returned in plain clothes, so he quickly changed into robes and, accompanied only by Yuan Jing'an, rode to the Mingfeng Gate of the Daming Palace to pay his respects. Soon after, a young eunuch came out to greet him and led Li Ji through the Hanyuan Hall and Xuanzheng Hall, directly to the inner court. It wasn't until dusk that he was finally seen by the emperor in the Penglai Hall.

Upon entering the hall, Li Ji saw Li Yu sitting cross-legged on the couch, looking worried. There was also a woman sitting on the couch with him... Li Ji assumed she was a concubine, most likely Consort Dugu, and unlikely to be Consort Shen, so he didn't dare to look closely. To the left and right of the imperial couch were several low stools, where Li Bi, Li Shi, and Cheng Yuanzhen were sitting.

Li Ji bowed deeply, but Li Yu raised his hand and said, "My dear minister, there's no need for such formality—please take a seat." A eunuch then brought over a low stool and placed it below Li Bi. Li Ji sat down sideways, clasped his hands, and asked, "Your Majesty summoned me to the palace so urgently; may you have something to ask?"

Li Yu glanced sideways at Cheng Yuanzhen, who understood and immediately stood up, handing a scroll of memorial to Li Ji. Then, he spoke, his words like a thunderclap: "Pugu Huai'en is plotting a rebellion!"

Li Ji was greatly alarmed—he had anticipated that there might be signs of instability in a certain town, but he never imagined it could be Old Pugu! He hurriedly unfolded the memorial to read it. Li Bi, who was beside him, took the opportunity to briefly recount the cause and effect in the simplest terms—Li Ji only gradually learned the details afterward.

After Pugu Huai'en returned to the capital in triumph, he did not immediately lead the Shuofang army back to its garrison. Instead, he was ordered to first send the Uyghur reinforcements out of the pass. Thus, he traveled from Jiangzhou through Jin, Fen, Taiyuan and other places, and finally parted ways with Emperor De in Xinzhou.

The original plan was to turn southwest and cross the river at Shizhou, so that Hexi would be Yinzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of Shuofang. However, Pugu Huaien had a conflict with Xin Yunjing, the military governor of Hedong and the prefect of Taiyuan, and they almost came to blows.

Xin Yunjing had a past grudge against Pugu Huaien. He and Li Huaiguang had jointly submitted a memorial impeaching Pugu Huaien. Although Li Yu ultimately approved Pugu Huaien's strategy of controlling the surrendered generals in Hebei and did not approve Xin and Li's memorial, it is said that Pugu Yang declared in the army: "I must cut off the head of that Hexi bandit to relieve my hatred!"

Xin Yunjing was originally from Lanzhou, but his hometown was in Hexi, hence he was called "Hexi Bandit". To be honest, Li Huaiguang was also a member of the Shuofang faction. Afterwards, he went to Pugu Huaien to explain that his actions were all for the sake of the country and that he had no intention of disrespecting the deputy commander. However, Xin Yunjing never expressed any opinion, which made Pugu Yang resentful.

Therefore, Xin Yunjing, fearing that Pugu and his son might use public office to settle personal scores and return to Taiyuan first, used the pretext of guarding against the Uyghur army looting the city—such situations were quite common, and Li Ji's warnings outside Luoyang were utterly ineffective—to keep the four gates tightly closed and refuse to let Pugu and his party in. Later, Pugu Huaien parted ways with Di De and returned south from Xinzhou. This time, Xin Yunjing had no excuse, but the gates of Taiyuan were still tightly closed as soon as news of the Shuofang army's arrival was heard.

Pugu Huaien was furious. He was in no hurry to return to his town. He personally led tens of thousands of Shuofang troops to garrison Fenzhou, ordered Pugu Yang to garrison Yuci, and sent other troops to garrison Qixian and Jin and Qingzhou, threatening Taiyuan from afar. At the same time, he submitted a memorial to impeach Xin Yunjing.

Xin Yunjing naturally wanted to retaliate, so he summoned the supervising eunuch Luo Fengxian and told him that Pugu Huaien was colluding with the Uyghurs and even the Tibetans, and had already harbored rebellious intentions. However, Luo Fengxian and Pugu Huaien were old acquaintances, so he volunteered to go to Fenzhou to resolve the conflict between the two families—the key was that he had to pass through Fenzhou to return to the capital to report, so there was no way to avoid it.

Pugu Huaien hosted a banquet for Luo Fengxian in Fenzhou, and even invited his own mother to play the bad cop, scolding him to his face: "You and my son swore brotherhood, but now you are close to Yunjing. Why are you trying to please both sides?" Luo Fengxian repeatedly stated that this had nothing to do with him. He was just returning to the capital to report and was passing through this place. He said that if they had any conflicts, they should talk it out for his sake.

The atmosphere at the banquet that day was quite harmonious. Pugu Huai'en drank a few more cups and then stood up to perform a dance for Luo Fengxian. Luo Fengxian didn't know how to dance, so he gave Pugu Huai'en a headscarf in return. Afterwards, Pugu Huai'en said, "You don't need to rush. We can have another feast and enjoy ourselves on the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow."

However, Luo Fengxian was somewhat flustered by Pugu Huai'en's mother's scolding and dared not linger, insisting on leaving. Relying on their old friendship, Pugu Huai'en simply hid Luo Fengxian's horse. Luo Fengxian said to his attendants, "My mother scolded me during the day, and now she's hiding my horse at night; she's trying to kill me!" He then fled over the wall that very night.

Upon arriving in Chang'an, Luo Fengxian submitted a memorial accusing Pugu Huai'en of plotting a rebellion. At the same time, a false accusation by Pugu and his son, claiming that Xin Yunjing and Luo Fengxian were also plotting a rebellion, was also delivered. Li Yu was greatly alarmed upon reading the memorial and hurriedly asked Li Bi to draft a resolution to settle the feud between the two families. However, Pugu Huai'en was relentless and submitted another memorial—the very one in Li Ji's possession.

The memorial first recounted the previous events, explaining how Xin and Luo closed the gates of Taiyuan, preventing the Uyghur soldiers from entering, which angered the Uyghurs who planned to plunder. It was only after my repeated persuasion that they agreed to peacefully cross the border. Then, fearing that I would impeach them to the court, those two actually filed a false accusation...

"After careful consideration, I find six faults: First, when Tongluo rebelled, I quelled the rebellion in the Hequ region for the late Emperor; second, my son Bin was captured by Tongluo but escaped and returned home, and I executed him to set an example for the soldiers; third, I have two daughters who were married off to foreign tribes, and they helped to maintain peace and quell the enemy; fourth, my son Yang and I risked our lives to serve the country; fifth, Hebei had recently submitted, and the military governors all held powerful armies, so I pacified them to quell their unrest; sixth, I persuaded the Uyghurs to come to my aid in times of crisis, and after the country was at peace, I sent them back to their country… I have received immense favors from the Emperor and think of serving him day and night, but since Lai Zhen has been executed and the court has not revealed his crimes, which military governor is not filled with suspicion and fear…"

Li Ji skimmed through it, cursing inwardly, "Who wrote this memorial for you, you old bastard? You're asking for it!"

Faced with the court's suspicion and colleagues' impeachment, one should adopt the correct attitude and honestly submit a memorial to express loyalty. How dare you be so sarcastic and speak the opposite of what you mean? Let alone Li Yu, even if Li Ji wanted to punish someone under his command, that person would pat his chest, first boast about his merits, and then say that he was guilty and deserved to die because of these merits... Li Ji would not tolerate that!

Moreover, Pugu Huai'en openly questioned the emperor why he wouldn't publicly declare Lai Zhen's crime before executing him. This will chill the hearts of all the regional military governors, do you know that?

Li Ji finally understood why Li Bi had passed him that little note.

Pugu Huaien was so enraged that he rolled his eyes at the emperor and blurted out this memorial without thinking. It did not solve the problem at all, but instead added fuel to the fire. The root cause was actually a minor matter, as the court was actually happy that the military governors of the various towns were not on good terms. The two key points were the death of Lai Zhen and the eunuch supervisor.

The former caused Pugu and his son to lose trust in the court, while the latter was due to Luo Fengxian deliberately exacerbating the conflict.