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

In the late autumn of the twelfth year of the Tianbao reign, Chang'an drizzled for half a month, soaking the bluestone slabs of Pingkangfang until they shone. As Yang Guozhong waded through the mud into the History Office, the historians copying the "Biography of Li Linfu" paused, their ink dripping onto the silk, creating dark circles.

"There's no need to write Li Xiang's biography as usual."

Yang Guozhong shook off the raindrops on his brocade robe, his tone arrogant.

Behind him followed two burly guards, the swords on their waists gleaming coldly in the dim hall.

Chief Historian Wei Shu frowned, "Prime Minister Yang, national history must be based on facts. Although Li Linfu is controversial, he assisted Your Majesty for over thirty years and was in charge of government affairs..."

"Assist?" Yang Guozhong slammed the table, and the ink in the inkstone splashed all over Wei Shu. "He's forming a clique for personal gain! He's framing loyal officials!"

He tossed out a stack of files from his sleeve, "Look at these—In the 25th year of Kaiyuan, he falsely accused Crown Prince Ying of treason, which led to the execution of three princes on the same day.

In the fourth year of Tianbao, he squeezed out Pei Yaoqing and Zhang Jiuling and monopolized the power of prime minister.

Worse still, he secretly colluded with border generals and controlled military pay. Is such a treacherous act worthy of being recorded in official history?"

Wei Shu picked up the file, his fingertips trembling with anger.

Most of these so-called "evidences of guilt" were false evidence fabricated by cruel officials at the instruction of Yang Guozhong.

He looked up and was about to argue, but saw that Yang Guozhong's guard had already pressed the hilt of the knife at his waist, and the other historians in the hall all lowered their heads and remained silent - everyone knew that although this new prime minister did not have the cunning of Li Linfu, he was even more ruthless.

"Rewrite it." Yang Guozhong's voice was as cold as the rain outside the window. "Write about his 'sweet words but sharp tongue,' about his 'fawning over eunuchs and blocking the way for public opinion,' about his secret dealings with An Lushan. If he hadn't lived a short life, he would have rebelled long ago!"

Wei Shu closed his eyes and opened them after a long time. His voice was hoarse: "Your Majesty... obeys your order."

Three days later, the new "Biography of Li Linfu" spread throughout Chang'an.

In the gossip of the people, the "Prime Minister Li" who was once feared by all officials has become an unforgivable treacherous prime minister.

After reading it, Li Longji just said lightly "I know", and turned to watch Yang Guifei's newly staged "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Dress Dance" - to him, Li Linfu was nothing but a thing of the past. As long as the prosperous times before him remained, what did it matter how the history books were written?

Only An Lushan of Fanyang, when he saw the copied "Biography of Li Linfu", crumpled the silk into a ball.

"Yang Guozhong, this bastard, doesn't even spare the dead!"

He growled and shattered the glass cup on the table with his palm. "He accused Li Linfu of colluding with the border generals. He was clearly alluding to me!"

Gao Shang, a counselor under his command, whispered, "General, calm down. Yang Guozhong is eager to discredit Li Linfu simply to assert his authority."

"But the more anxious he is, the more it shows that no one in the dynasty can suppress him. This is actually a good thing for us."

An Lushan panted heavily, his thick, fat fingers tracing the location of Chang'an on the map: "He wants to force me to rebel? Then I will do as he wishes!"

In November of the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the cold wind from Fan Yang blew up snow particles, which crackled against An Lushan's tiger-skin tent.

Inside the tent, the generals of the 200,000-man army gathered together. The frost on their armor had not yet melted, and there was a restless fire burning in everyone's eyes.

"Everyone!" An Lushan stood up, and his three-hundred-pound body caused the felt carpet under his feet to sink.

"Yang Guozhong, the treacherous and corrupt official in power, has deceived Your Majesty and now accuses me of collaborating with the enemy and treason! I, An Lushan, have received Your Majesty's favor. How can I sit idly by and wait for death?"

He ripped open his shirt, revealing a hideous scar on his chest. "This scar was left when I accompanied Your Majesty to pacify the Khitan! I shed blood and sweat for the Tang Dynasty, but all I get in return is suspicion and framing!"

The generals roared in agreement. He Qiannian drew his sword, the blade pointing south. "General, they've rebelled! We will lead 200,000 cavalrymen to attack Chang'an, eliminate the corrupt officials, and kill Yang Guozhong!"

"Yes! It's the other way around!"

An Lushan raised his hand to signal for silence, then pulled out a pre-written manifesto from his bosom and read aloud, "I obey the imperial edict to attack Yang Guozhong! An Lushan swears with a heart of loyalty and righteousness to eradicate the treacherous and evil and restore the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty!"

After the proclamation was read, thunderous drumbeats could be heard from outside the tent. The 30,000 vanguard cavalry had already formed up, their black armor reflecting the gleam of snow, and the three characters "An Lushan" on their banners rustled in the wind.

Among them were Han people who had lived in Youzhou for generations, Khitan warriors who had fought with An Lushan for many years, and Xi tribes who were oppressed by Tang Dynasty border generals. For them, this "clearing the court" rebellion was not only for An Lushan, but also for their own plundered land and wealth.

When the news of the uprising reached Yizhou, the prefect Yang Wanshi was warming himself by the fire in his mansion.

He looked at the manifesto delivered by the express horse, and was so frightened that his hand trembled, and the fire chopsticks fell into the charcoal basin, splashing sparks.

"Hurry...quickly prepare the car, I'm going to surrender!"

Before he could finish his words, Li Xiulie, a military officer, had already unsheathed his sword: "Sir! Yizhou is the territory of the Tang Dynasty. How can we bow to a traitor?"

Yang Wanshi's face turned pale. "Two hundred thousand cavalrymen! With our limited numbers, resistance is a dead end!"

Li Xiulie glared at him: "My Li family has been enjoying the Tang Dynasty's salary for generations. We would rather die than surrender!"

After saying this, he turned and rushed out of the government office, gathering the civilians and soldiers in the city. "An Lushan's rebellion is a great thief to the country! Although our forces are small, we must defend Yizhou and buy time for the court!"

Among the people, there were white-haired old men and farmers carrying hoes, all of whom took up weapons.

They may not know about the disputes in the court, but they understand what the word "rebellion" means - it means burning, killing, looting, and the destruction of families.

Three days later, Yizhou City fell. Li Xiulie, struck by seven arrows, collapsed at the gate, still clutching the blood-stained Tang flag.

Yang Wanshi knelt at the city gate, watching An Lushan's cavalry trample over the corpses of his compatriots, his face pale.

When the news of the earth-shaking drumbeats from Yuyang reached Chang'an, Li Longji was watching the snow with Yang Guifei in Huaqing Palace.

Gao Lishi knelt on the ground, trembling, holding the urgent report: "Your Majesty... An Lushan has rebelled! Fanyang and Yizhou have fallen, and the army is marching towards Luoyang!"

Li Longji's wine glass clattered to the ground, spilling the wine onto the bricks. "Impossible! Lushan is my adopted son, how could he rebel?"

Yang Guifei also stopped plucking the strings of her zither, her face pale. "Your Majesty, could this be a false alarm?"

"False alarm?" Yang Guozhong rushed in from outside the hall, his face showing a strange excitement. "Your Majesty! I have long said that An Lushan would rebel! Now is the perfect time. Let him come. I will definitely capture him and prove my loyalty!"

Li Longji looked at him and suddenly remembered Li Linfu's tearful words before his death. A chill rose from his back.

He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Issue the imperial decree! Order the Anxi Jiedushi Feng Changqing to be appointed as the Fanyang Jiedushi and recruit troops to resist."

"Order Guo Ziyi as the governor of Shuofang and attack from the north!"

But the Tang Dynasty at this time was no longer what it was during the Kaiyuan period.

Most of the elite troops in the border towns are in the hands of the Jiedushi, and most of the Chang'an imperial guards are children of the market. They only know how to walk dogs and fight cocks on weekdays. How could they have seen real swords and guns?

When Feng Changqing arrived in Luoyang, the newly recruited soldiers could not even draw a bow, and they were defeated at the first blow against An Lushan's cavalry.

In December of the fourteenth year of Tianbao, Luoyang fell.

When the news reached Chang'an, panic broke out throughout the court.

A minister petitioned Li Longji to execute Yang Guozhong to appease Lushan's wrath, but Li Longji dismissed the request: "Guozhong is my brother-in-law. How can I kill a loyal and honest person for a traitor?"

He didn't know that at this time in Chang'an City, the people had already been complaining.

The price of grain in Chang'an rose three times a day. The rich families fled to Shu with their gold and silver, and the poor people left behind could only survive by digging wild vegetables.

An old soldier cried on Zhuque Street: "My son is a soldier in Fanyang. If An Lushan rebels, what should I do if he is forced to attack us?"