Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Amidst the fluttering sound of wings.

In Chang'an, at the residence of the Zheng family of Xingyang.

Zheng Jiang looked at the letter he had taken from the carrier pigeon tube in his hand. A moment of relief flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a gloomy expression.

aside.

Zheng Zhiye, the eldest patriarch of the Zheng family, remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"Going to the Turkic Khaganate is tantamount to seizing the Turkic people from the four Turkic tribes. Even if there is some non-aggression pact... on the vast grasslands, it is a matter of life and death."

Beside Zheng Zhiye, Zheng Zhixing, the elder of the second branch of the clan, shook his head.

"My second son, Zheng Wuyang, has more than a dozen members from collateral branches of the family with him. They are skilled, but they are enough to handle things within the Tang Dynasty. However, if they go to the Turks, I'm afraid not one out of ten will survive."

Zheng Jiang nodded, took a deep breath, and read through the description of the attitude of the Taiyuan Wang family towards their families, which Zheng Wuyang had specifically mentioned in his letter.

He shook his head with a complicated expression.

"If only we had known then what we know now, we would not have done it in the first place. Even if we are unwilling, we are already at the mercy of others, with no way to change our situation... I will send my eldest son, Wu Ling, to Yanmen Pass. In addition, my eldest son's branch can provide more than three hundred men."

Standing to the side, Zheng Zhixing, the elder of the second branch of the clan, took a deep breath: "The second branch will send three hundred people. In addition, there are people in the second branch's caravan in Bingzhou who understand Turkic. I can also send them north."

Subsequently, several elders of the Zheng family from the third and fourth branches also began to gather numbers by talking amongst themselves.

Everyone's expression was unusually solemn.

They knew all too well that once these people left the border, given the current situation on the Turkic steppe, the slightest disturbance could mean their demise in the wilderness.

however.

The Zheng family of Xingyang had no choice but to gamble.

If the four families of Fanyang Lu, Qinghe Cui, Boling Cui, and Zhaojun Li, whose ancestral territories are all located in Hedong Road and form a triangular relationship with each other, were to truly commit acts against Heaven.

They could also use the Hedong Road as a base to plot against each other.

However, the Zheng family of Xingyang is a separate family located in Henan Province.

Furthermore, Xingyang is located near the Yellow River.

If Li Shimin were to launch a campaign against the enemy, he could directly transfer troops from Chang'an without even using the garrison troops in Henan.

They used the Grand Canal for grain transport, and then took inland waterway transport down to Luoyang.

If the Zheng family of Xingyang rebels today, the Chang'an army will be at the city gates by the day after tomorrow at the latest.

Once the Zheng family of Xingyang had finalized their manpower, Zheng Jiang immediately set off for the palace without delay.

Yet at the same time.

Inside the Lu family mansion in Fanyang, Chang'an.

The letter, from Lu Wenhu of the second wife, contained almost the same content as Zheng Wuyang's.

However, this caused quite a stir within the entire Lu family.

"This Crown Prince wants us to use the lives of our clan members and descendants to fill this hole! My Lu family of Fanyang is a family of scholars and poets, with countless ancestors who were ennobled and appointed as prime ministers. How dare he despise us like this?!"

Lu Zhaojing and several elders from the Lu family's eldest branch beside her had extremely gloomy faces.

"We cannot agree to this! Going to the Turks would mean certain death!"

"What do you mean by 'nine deaths and one life'? That was a few days ago. Now the Turkic war is even more intense. Jieli and Tuli are almost insane. They are fighting on the grasslands and they don't even spare the old and weak of the enemy's tribes."

"Going to the Turks now? You're guaranteed to die!"

"Let us, the sons of the Lu family, go to the grasslands to win the hearts of the people for Li Chengqian, and use our lives to sing his praises. Li Chengqian is dreaming!"

“Not a single member of my third branch will be spared! As the head of the third branch, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch our sons, who should have entered the imperial court with dignity, die under the hooves of the Turks in such an inexplicable way!”

“My fourth branch won’t send anyone either! We’ve already agreed to help them implement the new policies in Bingzhou. If those new policies are implemented in my Hedong Circuit, how much will the Lu family of Fanyang lose?”

"The current Crown Prince is simply too greedy, leaving us no room for maneuver at all!"

Lu Zhaojing took a deep breath.

His gaze fell upon Lu Zhaoxuan, the second branch of the clan, who stood to the side.

"Brother, what are your thoughts, second branch of the family?"

Lu Zhaoxuan's expression was complicated. Noticing the gazes around him, he opened his mouth.

"Wenhu has already led the sons of my second branch of the family to Yanmen Pass. Even if I send men to chase after them at full speed, we will never be able to catch up."

“Brother, why don’t we just give in? The royal family is now all-powerful, and our influence in the army is waning day by day. The generals who were once close to us now avoid us like the plague…”

The words are not finished yet.

The patriarch of the third branch of the Lu family interrupted angrily.

"Second brother! Our submission to the Li family father and son is a gamble, and our uprising is also a gamble. Why not gamble even bigger?!"

As soon as these words came out.

Immediately, responses resounded throughout the Lu family ancestral hall.

Lu Zhaojing gestured for everyone to be quiet, and after pondering for a while, he suddenly spoke.

“My eldest son’s branch has sent several dozen people to Yanmen Pass. The rest of us… should immediately contact the other families in Hedong Road. In addition, we need to prepare for the worst regarding the clan’s businesses.”

Royal palace, royal garden.

"Lizhi, let me have a bite, just one bite, a tiny bite..."

Li Shimin's handsome face was now adorned with a shameless, wicked grin, as he looked at the torch-like, milky-white object in his beloved daughter's hand—something that looked delicious.

Suddenly his eyes lit up.

They came closer.

"No! Father is the worst! He always tries to trick me out of candy. This ice cream is one I just made using the method my brother taught me, I don't want it..."

What bad intentions could a child possibly have?

It's simply that his wise and powerful father, who could have simply bought it with money, or even sent someone to ask her for it, chose instead to cheat and steal from her...

Li Lizhi hid behind Empress Zhangsun.

It seemed as if they were afraid that their father would treat the young slave the same way he had treated him last time.

Like picking up a chick, he forcibly pulled the lollipop that the other person had just put in their mouth out.

As Li Lizhi spoke, she quickly licked the ice cream with her little tongue.

Despite the weather gradually turning colder, this cool yet sweet sensation is irresistible to Tang Dynasty people who are just getting to know it.

"Second brother, you are the emperor now, how can you always think of taking food from your own children?"

Empress Zhangsun was helpless, but the smile on her face showed that she was happy at the moment.

He reached out and handed the bowl of ice cream in front of him to Li Shimin.

"No, I want to eat Lizhi's. Lizhi, how about I trade you this bracelet?"

Li Shimin smiled and, as if by magic, produced a jade bracelet.

He's quite wealthy now.

The sea salt business had only been running for less than two months, yet the profits had already exceeded 800,000 strings of cash.

This was after some had been distributed to those old scoundrels like Cheng Yaojin.

"No! Father is bad!"

Li Lizhi quickly turned her back and licked the ice cream even more vigorously with her little tongue.

Just as Li Shimin was about to use the same trick again, raising the price to tease his precious daughter.

Suddenly, the personal eunuch, Eunuch Gao, came quickly.

"Your Majesty, Zheng Jiang, the head of the Zheng family of Xingyang, is requesting an audience outside the palace... Accompanied by General Zheng Rentai."

Li Shimin was taken aback.

Just as she was about to refuse, she suddenly heard Eunuch Gao mention Zheng Rentai, and her brows furrowed.

He snorted coldly.

"This Zheng Jiang is quite resourceful. Zheng Rentai has followed me all this way, but I have never seen the Zheng family of Xingyang provide him with any help?"

“Even his father, Zheng Detong, the governor of Pingzhou, rose to the position of governor of a prefecture step by step based on his political achievements.”

"And they've got it all figured out. Now that I've raised my sword, they're thinking of this collateral descendant?"

Grandpa Gao was uneasy; he dared not interrupt in such a matter.

He cautiously inquired, "Does Your Majesty wish to summon me?"

Li Shimin snorted coldly.

"Tell them to wait for me at the Ganlu Palace!"

"Yes......"

Upon seeing this, Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but offer her gentle words of comfort.

“Zheng Rentai is brave and skilled in battle. He also followed you, my second brother, in your campaigns to eliminate Liu Wuzhou, Song Jingang, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and other warlords in the Central Plains. He participated in all of these campaigns.”

"Furthermore, there's still a lot to be done regarding the Xuanwu Gate incident; Second Brother, you should take it seriously."

Li Shimin nodded.

"If it weren't for Zheng Rentai's unwavering loyalty, the Zheng family of Xingyang would have had no way out when they forced the emperor to abdicate that day!"

Ganlu Temple.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty! May Your Majesty be blessed with boundless fortune!"

Zheng Jiang had a fawning smile on his face; you couldn't imagine seeing him like that in real life.

Even before this, who could have imagined that the head of the prestigious Zheng family of Xingyang would have such an expression on his face?

Li Shimin snorted coldly.

"Your humble servant? Ha, Zheng Jiang, you must have a bad memory. You are no longer officials of my Great Tang Dynasty. You come to see me, this tyrannical and immoral ruler, and you call me Your Majesty. You should be called traitors to the country."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiang immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"Your Majesty, I would never dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts. The Zheng family of Xingyang is also loyal to Your Majesty and to the Tang Dynasty. Please, Your Majesty, make a wise judgment!"

Before Li Shimin could say anything more...

Zheng Jiang hurriedly pulled out a memorial he had prepared in advance from his bosom.

“Your Majesty, my cousin’s son, Zheng Wuyang, has heard that I have benefited greatly from Your Highness’s new policies. A few days ago, I went to Bingzhou to seek Your Highness’s assistance in implementing your new policies and contributing to the prosperity of our nation.”

"Your Highness has heard that he has been granted a post to serve the country loyally, to go north to the border, to take in the Turkic people as citizens of our Great Tang, and to educate them. This is a great deed. However, I know that my nephew is not capable enough, so I have written this letter."

Zheng Jiang paused slightly, then raised the roster even higher with both hands.

"After discussing with the elders of the clan, I have determined that the Zheng clan of Xingyang now has 323 members in the first branch, 307 in the second branch, 177 in the third branch, and 98 in the fourth branch, in addition to a thousand servants from the clan's merchant caravans, totaling more than two thousand people!"

"I am willing to leave the pass and head north! To spread education and civilization to the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Shimin was taken aback, and then his gaze turned to Zheng Rentai, who had been bowing silently since entering Ganlu Hall, and he gave a cold snort in annoyance.

"Alright, what are you kneeling there for? No wonder this fellow was able to persuade you; I thought you still remembered your identity as Zheng Guang!"

Zheng Rentai, originally named Zheng Guang, was a member of a collateral branch of the Zheng family of Xingyang...

"This humble general has overstepped his bounds, and his actions today have put Your Majesty in a difficult position. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately rolled his eyes in annoyance and shouted, "Get lost!"

Zheng Rentai then obediently stood up and stood to the side.

At this moment, Li Shimin finally looked with a deep gaze at Zheng Jiang, who was still kneeling in front of him, holding the roster with both hands.

"Going north to the Turks is tantamount to suicide. If so many people are all elites of the clan, the Zheng family of Xingyang will be finished. Why not rebel?"

"Since it's going to lead to the extermination of the entire clan anyway, what if it succeeds?"

Zheng Jiang's body trembled, and his head involuntarily lowered even further.

"My eldest son, Zheng Wuling, is among them. A man should be loyal to his country. As a subject who receives the emperor's salary, I should be loyal to the emperor and defend the country! I humbly request Your Majesty to allow my family members to go north to serve the country!"

Li Shimin remained silent; the Zheng family's sudden bet had taken him somewhat by surprise.

half an hour.

"Minister Zheng has been unwell recently, which has caused the Court of State Ceremonial to have a lot of work piled up..."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiang's face, which was already covered in sweat, instantly lit up with a joyful expression, as if he had been given a new lease on life.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

Li Shimin smiled and, while gesturing for Zheng Jiang to stand up, flipped through the list the other party had prepared, nodding occasionally and muttering words of praise.

“They are all outstanding individuals. If all the noble families in the world were like the Zheng family of Xingyang and the Wang family of Taiyuan, what worries would there be about the prosperity of our Great Tang Dynasty?”

Zheng Jiang repeatedly said he dared not, and just then, a palace guard suddenly ran in to report.

"Your Majesty, Minister Changsun has returned and requests an audience..."

Li Shimin's expression immediately brightened: "Then let him come to see me as soon as possible. I am curious about what level my crown prince has achieved in Bingzhou."

As he spoke, he waved to Zheng Jiang and Zheng Rentai, who were about to bow and leave.

“You all stay and listen too.”

The guard was somewhat embarrassed: "Your Majesty, the Minister of Works brought a lot of things into the palace."

Li Shimin frowned: "Have you violated any rules?"

The guards thought for a moment and realized that they had armor but no soldiers, and all of them were loaded into carts.

"Uh, no, it's just something..."

"Then there is no need to worry! Go and quickly summon Fuji to see me!"

Seeing the guards leave quickly, Li Shimin stood up from his seat with some anticipation, stroking his beard with a smile as he looked at Zheng Jiang and the other man beside him.

"It must be my Crown Prince who asked Fu Ji to bring me some special products from Bingzhou. I didn't expect that he brought quite a lot."

Zheng Jiang bowed and smiled modestly: "Your Highness is loyal and filial. Even though you are in Bingzhou and dealing with government affairs day and night, you still feel grateful to His Majesty and the Empress."

Li Shimin nodded, his smile becoming even more gentle because of the double joy of the day.

however.

Just as Li Shimin was waiting to see what his son had asked his brother-in-law to bring back,

It sounded like the auxiliary machine I remembered, but it also revealed a hoarse and frantic tone.

It suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty! Fifty thousand! Minister..."

"Your Majesty, His Highness has sent fifty thousand..."

Li Shimin and the others were puzzled. What, fifty thousand?

At that very moment, Changsun Wuji, supported by two young eunuchs, finally rushed into the Ganlu Hall.

As soon as he entered the room, he knelt down in front of Li Shimin as if he hadn't even seen Zheng Jiang standing to the side.

His eyes were bloodshot.

"Your Majesty! I have brought back 50,000 pieces of fine iron armor, enough to form a mighty and valiant army."

"Crush the five surnames and seven clans!"

Zheng Jiang, who had been all smiles just a moment ago, suddenly felt his legs go weak.

"thump......"