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

Deep in the Luoyang Underground Palace, water droplets condensed on the damp stone walls, and the dripping sound continued to echo in the empty palace, intertwining with the uncontrollable excited discussions of the secret party members.

Li Jingming had just received the news that An Lushan had been killed, and before he could finish his words, the hall was in an uproar.

"Great!"

"The traitor An Lushan is finally dead. Now the Tang Dynasty is saved!" A man in green tights slammed the stone table, causing the oil lamp on the table to shake slightly. The firelight illuminated his face with excitement.

"That's right! Once An Lushan dies, the rebels will lose their backbone and their morale will be in chaos."

"In my opinion, within two years, once the imperial army arrives, they will be able to put down the rebellion, and world peace will be just around the corner!"

Another old man with a goatee stroked his beard, his eyes full of longing.

Everyone was talking at once, their excitement evident in their expressions. Only Mr. Qi, who was sitting in the main seat, had a frown on his face and sighed repeatedly, which was out of tune with the lively atmosphere around him.

Li Jingming was filled with confusion. He quickly walked up to Mr. Qi and bowed. "Sir, An Lushan is dead, and the rebels are leaderless. This is a good time to restore the Tang Dynasty. Why are you sighing?"

Mr. Qi slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes bloodshot. He motioned for everyone to be quiet, then his gaze fell on Li Jingming. He said in a hoarse voice, "Jingming, you only see the surface, but you don't see through the root of this mess."

"As long as An Lushan is alive, there may still be a glimmer of hope for us to resolve the rebellion peacefully."

"But once he dies, the chaos in the north will probably get completely out of control."

The hall suddenly became quiet, the smiles on everyone's faces froze, and they all looked at Mr. Qi in confusion.

The man who had just slammed the table couldn't help but say, "Sir, what you said is wrong."

"An Lushan is the ringleader of the rebellion. As long as he lives, there will be no peace in the north."

"Now that he's dead, the rebels are leaderless. We can unite with the imperial court and wipe them out in one fell swoop. How could they get out of control?"

Mr. Qi shook his head slightly, stood up, and walked to the stone wall of the underground palace. He stroked his fingers over the map of the Tang Dynasty territory engraved on the stone wall and said slowly, "Do you think An Lushan is really just a simple traitor?"

"Have you ever wondered why he could gather hundreds of thousands of troops with just a wave of his hand, and why so many people in the north were willing to follow him in rebelling against the imperial court?"

Everyone looked at each other, speechless for a moment. Li Jingming pondered for a moment and said, "Sir, could it be that because the imperial court has been burdened with heavy taxes in recent years and the people are suffering, An Lushan is taking advantage of them?"

“That’s right, and it’s not right.”

Mr. Qi turned around and glanced at the crowd. "The heavy taxes are only superficial. The deeper reason is that the people of the north have long harbored resentment towards the imperial court."

"Since the current emperor has been on the throne for a long time, the court has favored relatives and eunuchs, the government has been corrupt, and local officials have exploited the people. This is especially true on the northern border, where there have been constant wars. The people have to bear heavy taxes and perform heavy labor service, and they have long been suffering."

He paused and continued, "Although An Lushan is a Hu person, he has been operating in the north for many years."

"He understood the suffering of the people and, in the areas under his jurisdiction, reduced taxes, appeased refugees, and even opened granaries to distribute grain to disaster victims."

"Over time, in the hearts of the people in the north, An Lushan was no longer a foreign general, but instead became a 'savior' who could bring them a way out."

"But he rebelled against the court after all!"

The old man with a goatee couldn't help but retort, "No matter how good he is to the people, rebellion is rebellion. This is an irrefutable fact!"

"To put it nicely, it was a rebellion; to put it bluntly, it was actually a peasant uprising, a concentrated outburst of the anger of the northern people towards the imperial court."

Mr. Qi said in a heavy tone, "As long as An Lushan is alive, he is the symbol of the people's hearts in the north."

"Although he has rebelled, if we can seize the opportunity and pacify him with more favorable terms, promising to reduce taxes in the northern regions and improve people's livelihoods after pacifying the rebellion, perhaps we can even get him to give up his military power and submit to the court."

"By then, when the people of the north see that their beloved 'savior' has surrendered, they will naturally stop resisting, and the rebellion will be quelled without a fight."

After hearing Mr. Qi's words, everyone fell into deep thought. Li Jingming frowned and asked, "Sir, but An Lushan is very ambitious. He has already proclaimed himself emperor. How could he easily surrender to the court?"

"Yes, An Lushan is ambitious, how could he be willing to give up power?" someone echoed.

Mr. Qi sighed, "I know An Lushan is ambitious, but he also knows that it would not be easy for him to completely overthrow the Tang Dynasty on his own."

"Over the years, the rebels and the imperial court have been fighting, with both sides winning and losing. Both sides are exhausted."

"If we can extend a generous enough olive branch, coupled with the mediation of the Hebei gentry, it may be possible to pacify them."

"After all, for An Lushan, rather than fighting to the death, it would be better for him to accept the offer and preserve his wealth and glory."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious: "But now, with An Lushan's death, everything has changed."

"His generals, such as Shi Siming, were all ambitious and unwilling to submit to anyone else."

"When An Lushan was alive, he could suppress them with his prestige. Now that An Lushan is dead, they will definitely kill each other in order to fight for power."

"By then, the rebels will be divided and fighting on their own. If the imperial court wants to quell the rebellion, it will have to eliminate them one by one. This will undoubtedly prolong the war and cause the people to suffer more."

"More importantly, once An Lushan died, the hopes of the people in the north were shattered."

Mr. Qi went on to say, "They originally thought they could live a good life by following An Lushan, but now that An Lushan is dead and the rebels are in civil strife, they see no hope for the future, and their anger has only intensified."

"By then, they will no longer be fighting for An Lushan, but for their own survival."

"In this way, the rebellion is no longer a simple military conflict, but a war in which all citizens are soldiers."

"What the imperial court will face is no longer an organized rebel army, but millions of ordinary people filled with resentment towards the imperial court."

"By then, even if the imperial court can quell the rebellion, it will have to pay a heavy price, and the foundation of the Tang Dynasty will be shaken."

The hall was silent. The excitement on everyone's faces had long since disappeared, replaced by worry.

The man who had just slammed the table muttered to himself, "I never thought that An Lushan's death would bring such serious consequences. What should we do now?"

Mr. Qi slowly walked to the stone table, picked up the oil lamp on the table, looked at the dancing flame, and said, "Now that things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time."

"The most urgent task is to quickly send people to contact the Hebei nobles to understand the internal situation of the rebels. At the same time, we must also convey this message to the imperial court, asking them to change their strategy and stop blindly suppressing the rebellion with force. Instead, they should adopt a combination of kindness and force to appease the emotions of the people in the north."

He looked at Li Jingming and said, "Jingming, you just came back from the north and are more familiar with the situation there."

"I order you to head north again. On the one hand, you must contact our informants in Hebei and learn about the rebels' movements."

"On the other hand, we must secretly reassure the people, telling them that the court is aware of their suffering and is seeking a solution. Remember, you must be cautious and not reveal your identity."

Li Jingming bowed and accepted the order: "Please rest assured, sir, Jingming will definitely live up to your trust."

Mr. Qi nodded and said to the others, "You must also perform your duties and closely monitor the developments in Luoyang and the surrounding areas. Report any signs of trouble to me immediately. No matter how great the difficulties we face, we must not retreat."

Everyone stood up and saluted: "We obey your command!"

Mr. Qi looked at the determined eyes of the crowd and felt a little relieved.