Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

Inside the Minister of War's residence, the carved sandalwood window lattice was half-closed, and the setting sun shone in obliquely like blood, casting long and narrow shadows on the blue brick floor.

Li Jingye's knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the desk, his brows almost twisted into a knot. He looked at Mr. Qi sitting opposite him, his eyes full of confusion and resentment.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe.

"Master Qi, do you mean that I was wrong?" Li Jingye's voice was low and suppressed, with a bit of shock that was hard to conceal.

He suddenly stood up, the hem of his dark brocade robe sweeping across the military manuals spread out on the table, causing several bronze tiger talismans to creak slightly. "But what have I done wrong? The Evil Queen stole the sacred artifacts and persecuted the Li Tang royal family! This world was conquered by Emperor Taizong with his cavalry, and it belongs to the Li family!"

He strode to the window, gazing out at the distant streets of Yangzhou City, his voice rising. "My Xu family, once granted the surname Li by Emperor Taizong, has been blessed by heaven. Shouldn't we step forward and support the Li Tang dynasty?"

On the streets, people were walking in a hurry, their faces full of fatigue and fear.

Some children were playing on the street corner, but they didn't dare to make too much noise.

As Li Jingye watched all this, his belief became stronger. He believed that only by overthrowing Empress Wu could the Tang Dynasty be restored to a peaceful and prosperous era.

Mr. Qi picked up the celadon teacup, took a sip, and the tea soup created tiny ripples in the cup.

He watched Li Jingye pace back and forth in the room, listened to his increasingly excited words, and finally spoke slowly: "General Li, please calm down for a moment."

Mr. Qi's voice was calm and steady, like a bottomless lake, making it impossible to fathom his inner thoughts.

"The evil queen has usurped the throne. If I don't raise an army to support Prince Luling, how will I face my grandfather after my death? How will I face Emperor Taizong?"

Li Jingye turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. "Grandmaster Qi, my mistake was not supporting Li Tang sooner and pulling the Demon Queen down from the throne!"

"Her sitting there is simply desecrating this supreme throne that symbolizes the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty."

"This is the Tang Dynasty, not the Zhou Dynasty!"

His words were filled with anger and unwillingness, as if all the emotions that had been accumulated for a long time burst out at this moment.

Mr. Qi put down his teacup and made a soft sound. "I, Qi, naturally understand General Li's sincere heart towards Li Tang."

His voice was steady, yet it held a power that compelled one to stop and listen. "But General, have you ever considered what the Jiangnan region would look like if you raised your arm and called out?"

Li Jingye was slightly startled, as if he had not expected Mr. Qi to ask such a question. His mind could not help but reflect on the scene in the past few days when, in order to prepare military supplies, the soldiers forcibly confiscated the people's food and robbed their only property.

The people knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, their cries shaking the sky, but none of this could stop the soldiers' atrocities.

"Nine out of ten houses in Yangzhou have been emptied out to provide for the army."

Mr. Qi stood up and walked over to the hanging map of the Tang Dynasty. He traced the Jiangnan region with his aged finger. "Since you started your rebellion, how many young men have been conscripted, how much farmland has been left barren, and how many women, children, and the elderly have starved to death in the streets?"

"The general keeps saying he's supporting the Li Tang dynasty, but aren't the foundation of the Li Tang dynasty the millions of ordinary people?"

Li Jingye's face flushed red as he argued, "This is just a temporary solution! As long as we overthrow the Demon Queen and bring back Prince Luling, the Tang Dynasty will soon be able to recover!"

There was a hint of urgency in his voice, trying to convince Mr. Qi and himself.

"Revived?" Mr. Qi turned around, his eyes piercing. "Li Jingye, your grandfather and I were quite close friends."

"Indeed, as you said, you feel that after your death, you will not be able to face your grandfather and Emperor Taizong."

He paused, his tone suddenly becoming more serious, "Then let me ask you a question, how is Emperor Qianwu?"

Seeing Li Jingye's doubtful expression, Mr. Qi continued, "When Emperor Qianwu was in power, he realized that the world was not ruled by one family or one surname."

"Your Majesty promotes the imperial examination system, promotes the talents of the common people; emphasizes agriculture and sericulture, develops water conservancy projects; encourages commerce, and makes the lives of the people better and better."

"Your Majesty proposed 'the world belongs to all,' but the idea of ​​the supremacy of imperial power is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."

He slowly walked up to Li Jingye, his eyes filled with regret: "You started the rebellion, and the people of Jiangnan suffered terribly. How many innocent people died in the war."

"Do you have the nerve to go before Emperor Qianwu? Even if you helped Prince Luling obtain the throne, the Tang Dynasty was in ruins at the time. Do you have the nerve to go before Emperor Taizong and your grandfather?"

"I'm telling you, don't worry about the gains and losses in front of you." Mr. Qi's voice trembled slightly. "Our Great Tang is strong because of the unity of the people. It is so strong that no barbarian will dare to covet our China anymore."

"But even a powerful nation can collapse. A thousand-mile dam can be breached by a single ant hole. If everyone in the Tang Dynasty thinks like you, then war will break out everywhere. Will our soldiers kill each other?"

"Back then, the Three Thousand Battalion and the Black Armor Army were utterly destroyed at Xuanwu Gate. Both sides fought to the death, with casualties exceeding 90%. It's a pity to see such elite troops die in this power struggle."

Li Jingye opened his mouth, but didn't know how to refute.

These days, he was only thinking about raising an army to support the king and never thought about these issues.

He only saw Empress Wu's "usurpation of the throne" and the crisis of the Li Tang royal family, but ignored the suffering of the people and the huge trauma that the war brought to the country.

"Now I finally understand what Your Majesty was so worried about back then." Mr. Qi looked toward the fading sunset, his tone filled with emotion. "The only thing that can destroy the Tang Dynasty is the Tang Dynasty itself! Do you understand?"

As he spoke, he slowly took out the military token from his arms and waved it in front of Li Jingye, "Let me take a good look at what this is!"

The hammer and sickle military symbol flashed a cold light in the setting sun, and Li Jingye's pupils shrank slightly.

He recognized the military talisman. It was the tiger talisman that symbolized the Grand Marshal of the Army. With it, Emperor Qianwu could mobilize all the troops in the world.

Now, this military token is in the hands of Grand Tutor Qi, as if it is a mockery of him.

"Before His Majesty died, he gave me this military token."

Mr. Qi's voice grew deeper, "His Majesty said that it should not be used unless absolutely necessary."

"But now, seeing you putting the people in dire straits for the sake of so-called 'orthodoxy', I have no choice but to stand up."

"Master Qi, you..." Li Jingye took a step back, his face full of disbelief.

He suddenly realized that his behavior might really be wrong. He always thought that he was upholding justice, but he didn't expect to bring such a huge disaster to the people.

"Li Jingye, stop here. Withdraw." Mr. Qi placed the military token in his arms. "Although Empress Wu changed the country's name to Zhou, which of her policies wasn't for the benefit of the people? As long as the people live well, what does it matter whether the country is called Tang or Zhou? If you are truly loyal, you should let go of your obsession and restore peace to the people of Jiangnan."

Don't use the name of loyalty to the emperor to actually engage in division.

You were deceived by your ancestors and inherited the title of Duke of England. You should know that for an official, the most important thing is not loyalty to the emperor.

But loyal people.