Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 227 I want you, but I also want your heart

Has this day finally come?...

Li Jing sighed deeply, but he was not as surprised or frightened as imagined, or regretful for not pretending to be dead and escaping earlier.

He just felt endlessly tired.

After being held at knifepoint by two generations of the Li family for half his life, he was tired of hiding.

"Oooooh...!" Li Jing's wife Zhang Chuchen cried and shouted in the quilt, trying to rush out like crazy, but was held down by Li Jing.

Zhang Chuchen faked his death and escaped last year, and now he is in a state of being exposed to the public.

Your Majesty is not a bloodthirsty person, and he will not easily "surrender his entire family", but you must not use tricks such as resurrection from the dead to challenge Your Majesty's bottom line.

"Huh?" The leading captain of the Wuhou Guard raised his eyebrows when he heard a noise in the quilt.

Li Jing smiled bitterly and said:
"My beloved concubine is young, and I am intimidated by the angel's power, to the point of doing this."

The captain's eyebrows almost touched his bangs, and his eyes widened in surprise, with admiration in his eyes.

The old general is still strong!
"It's okay, it's okay. We've both lived enough at our age. There's always a first and a last."

Li Jing spoke softly, patting the quilt gently.

The person under the quilt slowly quieted down, but was still trembling slightly and suppressing sobs.

Li Jing then slowly stood up, and with the help of the captain, he resigned himself to following the executioners out of the room.

"Lead the way."

As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he smelled a strong smell of blood.

The tiger that was kept at home was now lying in a pool of blood, motionless like a blanket.

Next to the tiger's corpse, several soldiers were bandaging the wounds of a poor guy. His neck and chest were covered with bright red claw marks, and he was screaming in pain.

"Damn, this beast is such a fucking bastard..." the soldier cursed.

But when they saw General Li Jing, everyone shut up, even the wounded stopped talking.

The king's orders must not be disobeyed, and the salute is the soldiers' final respect to the god of war.

Li Jing's breathing suddenly became heavy and he closed his eyes to avoid looking at it and them.

The road out of the house was as long as his life.

When I stepped out of the room, the courtyard was already filled with fully armed soldiers, all of them looking like they were facing a powerful enemy.

"I'm just a powerless old man. Why do you have to make such a fuss?" Li Jing said with a hint of sarcasm.

The captain said respectfully:

"The general is so brave and unstoppable, I dare not treat him with disrespect."

Li Jing: "Who gave the order? Your Highness the Regent?"

The captain shook his head: "I dare not say."

Li Jing: "Or your majesty?"

The captain nodded: "You are embarrassing me, old general."

Li Jing looked at the captain, and the captain looked at him.

I always feel like this boy on duty is hinting at me... Li Jing continued to ask:

"Your Majesty is far away in the south of the desert, how could you suddenly think of my withered bones in the tomb?"

The captain shook his head: "I don't know."

Li Jing: "Did your majesty encounter any problems at the front line?"

The captain nodded: "It is not for me to know the right and wrong."

With the opponent's letting him go, Li Jing roughly guessed the whole story -

His Majesty the Emperor was not idle at the front line, and suddenly he had the urge to give Brother Li Jing a scare.

Most likely he had given the order before going on the expedition, so that if anything happened to him, this hidden danger would be eliminated in advance to ensure the smooth succession of the crown prince to the throne.

After all, His Majesty Li Shimin still did not believe in the wisdom of future generations and did not dare to leave this potential huge threat to the next generation.

Li Jing could only blame himself for living too long, which resulted in a ruined reputation in his later years...

"In other words, Your Majesty really suffered a setback on the Xueyantuo front line?"

The captain really didn't dare to reveal this life-threatening question and pointed to the carriage parked at the door.

"Please, Lord Li Wei, follow me into the carriage."

Taken to the execution ground.

Li Jing sighed tiredly again, looked back at the cage-like house with melancholy, and was about to get in the car.

"Leave people under the knife!"

Suddenly, a dozen thugs on horseback rushed out from outside the mansion gate, shouting and yelling.

The firelight shone on them, reflecting the metallic luster.

It's armor! Those are armored cavalry!

Li Jing was stunned.

Weren't Xiao Daoguang's troops hiding outside the city? How did they get wind of it in advance and rush into the city?
The soldiers escorting him immediately became alert.

The captain gave a stern warning:

"Hey! The Wuhou Guards are escorting the prisoner. Who dares to break into the prison?"

"I'm your boss!" the other person shouted.

Huh?
The captain was stunned.

The two people cursed at each other, one said "I am your uncle" and the other said "I am your ancestor".

But "I'm your boss" is quite rare...

In the blink of an eye, the rider who had been arguing with him had already taken the lead and landed in front of him.

The captain took a closer look in the light of the fire and was surprised:
"General Su?"

The person who argued with him was actually his immediate superior, Su Dingfang, the Left General of the Central Army!

However, although General Su was an acquaintance, the dozen or so cavalrymen he led were all unfamiliar.

Not only that, although it can be seen that the cavalrymen were wearing standard Tang army armor, it was obviously much stronger and more comprehensive than the sloppy half-body armor of Wuhouwei.

What was even more bizarre was that there was a fat boy sitting quietly in General Su's arms, pointing fingers at them:

"Let him go."

No, who are you?

"Your Highness?!" Li Jing widened his eyes in surprise.

Your Highness? Which Your Highness? Your Highness the Regent?

The captain was stuck in a stubborn mind.

"Why don't you let him go?"

Li Ming frowned.

Su Dingfang, who was an accomplice to the evil, immediately roared:
"Did you hear that? Let it go!"

The captain immediately showed a conflicted look on his face:

"But the military registrar said that Mr. Fang Xuanling said that His Majesty had said that if, by any chance, His Majesty encountered..."

As he spoke, his voice gradually faded away.

It is said that the county magistrate is not as good as the current manager.

On one side was His Royal Highness the Regent himself, who came to supervise the matter personally.

On the other side is the "Emperor's Edict" that has passed through countless hands.

Even the most stubborn and stupid person knows what to choose.

“Hey…hey hey.”

The captain slowly loosened his grip on the old man Li Jing, brushed him on the shoulder, and laughed awkwardly:
"Um...your clothes are wrinkled."

Li Jing patted him with a smile:
"You are a good young man."

The captain almost cried.

"General Li, time is running out so I'll make it short." Li Ming said immediately:

"There has been a change in the capital. My father and I have been framed by treacherous officials. Come with me to Liaodong so that you can fully demonstrate your talent as a leader!"

Is the fourth legitimate son going to start a civil war... Combining the speculation that His Majesty is in trouble, Li Jing subconsciously made a guess.

Unless there is a need for war, which ruler would dare to release him?
You, the Li Tang family, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, all just treat me as a disposable war machine...

After escaping death from the butcher knife of the old Li family for the third time, Li Jing was really tired. With infinite sadness in his heart, he deliberately said:
"I have something else to do. If it's urgent, Your Highness, you can leave first. I will be there soon."

Su Dingfang almost fell off his horse.

No, old leader...your life was saved by His Highness Li Ming, why are you still acting so arrogantly at this time?
With just one word from him, he can make your head move at any time!
Just like Li Junxian!
Su Dingfang shouted loudly in his heart, but he only dared to shout in his heart.

This scary little meatball is still in his arms...

"Okay, it's a deal!"

Unexpectedly, Li Ming agreed readily and waved his hand casually:

"Walk."

Didn't move.

"Ahem." Li Ming coughed dryly and tugged at Su Dingfang's clothes secretly:

"What are you standing there for? Go!"

"Ah? Oh oh oh!" Su Dingfang finally woke up from his shock, spurred his horse, and led a dozen riders to gallop away.

The young lieutenant looked at the billowing smoke and dust going away, and exchanged glances with his men, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

"Um... sorry to bother you." In the end, he, the small leader, had to bite the bullet and bow to Li Jing to apologize:

"Shall we go first then?"

A group of grassroots civil servants who had been working overtime late at night left in disappointment, carrying the injured.

Li Jing still stood there, unable to calm down for a long time. He didn't expect that the legendary "that" prince who was vindictive, tyrannical and violent would let him go so easily.

Is it because he feels that his control is strong enough and Li Jing can escape but the monk cannot escape the temple?

But looking at Li Ming's embarrassed look as he hurriedly fled to Liaodong, it didn't seem like he had a full grasp of the overall situation...

"Could it be that... the only one who truly doesn't fear me is the prince who built a world from scratch..."

Li Jing muttered, and suddenly slapped his head, rushed into the house, ignoring the tiger corpse in the corridor, and shouted all the way:
"I'm fine! I'm fine!"

When he rushed into the bedroom, the old woman had just stood on a stool and put the noose around her neck, looking at him in surprise.

"Fool, you fool!"

Li Jing hurriedly put Zhang Chuchen down and hugged her with mixed feelings:
"I knew you were going to be stupid..."

An elderly couple hugged each other tightly.

After a long while, Zhang Chuchen asked curiously:

"What's going on? My dear, why is she..."

"It's Li Ming. His Highness Li Ming let us go!" Li Jing said hurriedly:
"Let's go! Chang'an is not a place to stay for long. His Highness Li Ming has left, so we have to hurry. Call Xiao Daoguang's 500 cavalrymen and head north as soon as possible!"

"Going to South Buyeo Baekje?"

"Go to Liaodong!"

…………

"Your Highness, it's not..." Su Dingfang was puzzled.

"We took great risks and wasted precious time to come to Li Weigong's mansion, but we are going back empty-handed?"

Now that you're here, why don't you take Li Jing away with you? Did the old man just let him go with just some excuse?

"He can come or not. If he doesn't want to come, let him be. It's useless to tie him up and take him to Liaodong." Li Mingdao.

"Besides, he does have something to do."

"What could it be? Packing your belongings?"

"Gather the troops. Don't you know? Your old leader has hidden 500 fully armored cavalrymen in the suburbs of Chang'an."

“?!” Su Dingfang was shocked.

He suddenly understood why His Majesty was so wary of Li Jing, who was once his immediate superior.

This old guy is really young at heart!

A private collection of one set of armor is enough to play the game of Nine Clans Candy Crush. A private collection of 500 sets is still in the suburbs of Beijing.

Is this going to be a game for the nine royal clans to play?

In a battle of a large scale, these five hundred armored heavy cavalry are enough to turn the tide of the battle!
"If these five hundred people can join us, it will be a great help. If Li Jing can gather these people for me separately, it will be great."

Li Ming explained.

The journey out of Chang'an may not be smooth.

Although the territory of the Tang Dynasty was vast, there were only a few roads in the country that could accommodate hundreds of cavalrymen for long-distance travel.

Maybe we will run into Li Tai's troops.

Five hundred people are needed to escort us along the way.

Even in Liaodong, these 500 people can play a huge role.

Because the two states of Liaodong, no matter how much they develop, only have a total of more than 200,000 people, and at most three or four thousand soldiers can be mobilized to fight in the field (which requires much higher standards than a defensive battle to defend the country).

This was already considered very aggressive, as nearly one-tenth of the men of military age were conscripted, and expensive horses, armor, equipment, training, and logistical support of civilians at a ratio of 1:5 to 1:10 were included...

A force of three to four thousand people would almost exhaust the young and strong labor force in Liaodong, almost stagnate production development, and drag down the entire regime in the long run.

Therefore, five hundred armored cavalrymen really play a big role.

A good cook cannot cook without rice. It is much more cost-effective to set Li Jing free and let him lead his troops to surrender than to tie him up as a lone commander in Liaodong.

Even if there is a real risk that Li Jing will go back on his word and run away, it is a risk worth taking for the sake of those five hundred people.

"No matter what, we, a dozen light cavalrymen, are traveling fast enough, and the Duke of Wei's Mansion is close enough to the Imperial Palace, so we can arrive at Yong'an Bridge at the same time as Her Majesty the Queen's large army."

Su Dingfang said with a sigh of relief.

After a brief contact with Li Ming, he found that although His Highness always had some wild ideas, these arrangements were actually reasonable and feasible.

"There's still time, right? Then go pick up another person." Li Ming slapped his head.

Su Dingfang just wanted to slap himself.

Take back what I said just now, His Highness Li Ming's offlineness is the norm!
"Go to the Duke Zhao's Mansion."

Su Dingfang thought about it and was surprised:
"The residence of Lord Changsun Wuji? He is not..."

Isn't he your political enemy?

Did you instigate the uncles of the King of Wei and the King of Jin to rebel? !
…………

Duke Zhao's Mansion.

Changsun Wuji tossed and turned on his bed, unable to sleep that night.

Li Ming, Fang Xuanling, Hou Junji...the fourteen traitors who were in the way all disappeared.

From now on, all the court officials will obey me completely. I am the emperor of the new Tang Dynasty!

Although Changsun Wuji was old, he couldn't help but laugh out loud with his head buried in the quilt.

"No, you can't laugh yet." The old grandson came back to his senses and started thinking.

"His Highness Li Ming is treacherous and cunning. How could he suddenly run to Liaodong and easily hand over the power of governing the country to me? He even exiled all the obstacles in the court to the northeast for me..."

If someone is being nice to you without any reason, it must be a sugar-coated bullet.

Changsun Wuji thought about it over and over again, and always felt that there was a high probability that Li Ming had set a big trap for him.

But based on the information he currently knows, he still has no idea where the pit is exactly.

During this period, the uncle of the emperor could be said to be "closing his eyes and ears"——

Li Ming, Li Tai, Li Chengqian and their gang were planning some big news, but they were definitely doing it behind his back.

What he found hard to accept was that even the well-known good boy, his nephew and young master, Li Zhi, was secretly hanging out with the bandits in Wagangzhai...

"No, I can't figure it out even if I try my best."

After thinking it over, Changsun Wuji felt something was wrong. He sat up from the couch, put on his clothes, and shouted to the maid waiting outside the door:
"Light the lamp, I'm going to the study!"

Soon, the servants holding lanterns surrounded Master Changsun, walked through the corridor, and hurried towards the study.

Changsun Wuji decided that he had to report to Prince of Jin Li Zhi as soon as possible about the fact that he was wearing the yellow robe tonight.

It is impossible for him to handle such a big matter as governing the country without the knowledge of His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin.

After all, their Changsun family is just a high-level employee. Even if he had ten thousand guts, he would not dare to really undermine Li Zhi of the Li family.

Moreover, if multiple heads were thinking together, maybe Li Zhi could figure out where Li Ming had dug his trap...

"The question is, where is His Highness Li Zhi hiding?"

Changsun Wuji was a little at a loss.

These days, Li Zhi suddenly disappeared.

Not in Lizheng Hall, nor in Duke Zhao’s Mansion.

Nor is it in the residences of former Wagangzhai generals such as Li Shiji and Cheng Zhijie.

It was as if he had suddenly disappeared from the world and no one knew his exact whereabouts.

"If you can't find it, then you can't find it. Anyway, I have already informed him immediately. I am not responsible. Any problems will be the responsibility of Prince Jin..."

Zhang Sun Wuji was thinking in a bureaucratic manner, but he seemed to vaguely hear the sound of horse hooves coming from outside the yard.

Someone is riding a horse at this time? Aren't you afraid of breaking curfew?
rustling.

Just then, there was a slight noise in the grass near the wall in the courtyard outside the veranda.

It seemed like some animal was crawling along the wall.

"Who! Which thief dares to break into the Duke's Mansion?!"

The servant immediately shouted in the direction of the sound and raised the lamp in his hand.

The expanding firelight illuminated a dark figure sitting on top of the wall.

"Chang Sunyan?!"

Changsun Wuji saw the black shadow clearly and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Ung?" Chang Sun Yan was caught climbing over the wall in the middle of the night. He smiled awkwardly and touched his head, looking like a simple farmer in the field.

"What are you doing climbing up the wall so late at night? Come down quickly!" Changsun Wuji was angry and puzzled.

"Sorry, Aung, plans have changed."

Chang Sunyan showed Chang Sun Wuji a simple and honest smile:
"I may have to leave half a day earlier to go to Liaodong."

From outside the courtyard wall came a familiar, childish voice that even Changsun Wuji could recognize even if he turned into ashes.

"Chang Sunyan! Stop dawdling and hurry up! If it's too late you won't be able to get out!"

It was the voice of His Royal Highness Regent Li Ming.

"Well, Aung, see you later!"

Changsun Yan clasped his fists towards Aweng, jumped without hesitation, and quickly disappeared from Changsun Wuji's sight.

Ta-da-da...a series of cheerful horse hoof sounds were heard again on the street.

Surrounded by his servants, Changsun Wuji was alone and disheveled in the late autumn night breeze.

"Da Lang, it's cold, be careful not to catch a cold..." the servant reminded cautiously.

Only then did Changsun Wuji wake up from his dream, his expression changed.

It's the middle of the night, why did His Highness Li Ming choose to set out at this time?
Can't even wait until tomorrow?

And why ride a horse instead of a car?
Leaving the palace in such a hurry?

Did something happen in the palace?
Or what is about to happen in the capital... in the entire Tang Dynasty?
"And your Majesty, your whereabouts at the front line are unknown..."

Changsun Wuji chewed over the news over and over again, as the biting north wind blew mercilessly on him.

(End of this chapter)