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

Chang'an, the Zheng family residence.

Although it was already dark, the Zheng family mansion was still brightly lit.

Whether it was the women of the Zheng family or the elders from various branches of the clan who came from Xingyang, they all sat quietly in the room with gloomy faces and shifty expressions.

Even the children seemed to realize at this moment that something was amiss.

They all huddled nervously beside their mothers.

They are waiting.

We await the arrival of their patriarch, hoping he might bring back the news that would allow the Zheng family to survive.

Time passed by, second by second.

The steward stood guard nervously at the entrance of the mansion, and even some of the younger generation who couldn't bear the somber atmosphere stood quietly at the entrance of the Zheng family mansion.

Zheng Wuling, the eldest son of the Zheng family, tried to remain calm.

However, the sweat on the back of his neck and the clenched fists beneath his robe clearly indicated the tension he was experiencing.

He glanced subtly towards the alleys and courtyard walls surrounding the Zheng family mansion.

Ever since the day the five clans and seven powerful families jointly forced the emperor to abdicate, the eyes lurking in the shadows around their residence seem to have multiplied even more today...

Just when everyone was so silent that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from one of the street corners, emanating from not far away.

Everyone looked at the sound.

Their faces immediately lit up with joy.

Zheng Wuling and Zheng Jiang's children, the steward, and the heads of the other households hurriedly went to greet them.

"Master, how is the master?"

"Master, has His Majesty agreed to our journey north? The family..."

The crowd gathered around, and when they saw Zheng Jiang, covered in wounds and disheveled, inside the carriage, their hearts sank.

It's over, it's all over...

The color drained from everyone's faces.

However, a loud laugh suddenly came from inside the carriage.

"Hahaha, we're alive! The Zheng family is alive!!!"

Zheng Jiang laughed loudly.

Despite the wound on his forehead from the brutal beating by that old scoundrel Changsun Wuji still bleeding, he looked at the various expressions on the faces of his clansmen around him.

Zheng Jiang, however, excitedly pressed his face against the carriage window.

He grabbed his eldest son, Zheng Wuling, who was still in a daze.

"Go, quickly inform the elders! His Majesty has granted permission! My Zheng family can live! My Zheng family has not rebelled!"

Zheng Wuling, as if waking from a dream, finally came to her senses, and a blush of relief instantly spread across her pale face.

They couldn't care about anything else.

He hurriedly ran towards the mansion.

He staggered as he ran, shouting excitedly all the while.

"We're alive! The Zheng family is alive!"

"His Majesty has granted us permission to travel north!"

"Elder, our Zheng family is alive!"

Instantly, the women who heard the voice couldn't help but sob, weeping with joy.

Several elders of the Zheng family stood up tremblingly and walked to the door frame.

Hearing the gradually clearer voice, everyone felt a sense of relief, and their legs went weak as they hurriedly kowtowed towards the direction of the palace.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise and magnanimous!"

Zheng Jiang, the head of the Zheng family, who was covered in wounds, was being carefully supported by a group of his clansmen and younger generations.

Despite his disheveled state, everyone looked at Zheng Jiang as if he were a god.

Zheng Jiang gritted his teeth and persevered. His somewhat hunched body felt the gazes that had been present in the darkness gradually disappear, and tears streamed down his face.

He couldn't help but murmur the words "alive" over and over again.

In the mansion.

After being examined and bandaged by the clan doctor.

Besides Zheng Jiang, only a few elders of the Zheng family remained in this study.

The area within a hundred meters of the study was cleared away by the Zheng family members to ensure that not a single word of today's internal conversation would be leaked.

"What?! Changsun Wuji really brought back 50,000 soldiers from Bingzhou?!"

When everyone heard that Zheng Jiang had just received Li Shimin's forgiveness and that he had decided to reinstate him and spare the Zheng family, they were shocked.

Shortly after, Changsun Wuji brought back 50,000 suits of armor from Bingzhou, all of them made of fine iron.

Upon entering the Ganlu Hall, he shouted that he would make all five surnames and seven noble families die and be exterminated.

They were all startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

risk!

No, this can't even be described as dangerous!

This is a chance for life that their ancestors in the Zheng family had to kowtow to in the underworld until their heads were smashed!

One can imagine what would have happened if they had spent more time discussing things today.

Or perhaps something unexpected happened on Zheng Jiang's way to the palace.

Or perhaps they couldn't persuade Zheng Rentai, who had been removed from the Zheng family's genealogy, to help them...

If they make one wrong step, the Zheng family will surely be doomed.

Just as Changsun Wuji said, their Xingyang Zheng clan was isolated in Henan Province, and they were located near the Yellow River and adjacent to Luoyang.

Ten deaths and no life!

"May our ancestors protect us, may our ancestors protect us..."

Some people, with tears streaming down their faces, murmured and bowed.

Zheng Jiang took a deep breath.

"Elder, the Zheng family is currently in a precarious situation. Above, His Majesty has allowed members of the Zheng family to be reinstated to their original positions, and below, His Highness the Crown Prince has granted us the honor of traveling north... Although the journey is extremely dangerous, it is also an opportunity that allows the Zheng family to weather the storms of two reigns."

“I have decided to immediately expedite the mobilization of manpower and resources from the Zheng family of Xingyang, and to sell all of the properties of the Zheng family of Xingyang in Bingzhou, with all proceeds invested in the conquest of the Turks in the northern border.”

"The Wang family of Taiyuan managed to survive the war against the Turks, so how are the sons of my Zheng family any less capable than them?!"

Zheng Jiang still had injuries on his face, but at this moment, under the candlelight...

His eyes, however, were exceptionally fierce and resolute.

burn one's boats!

Upon hearing this, the clan elders exchanged glances and a few meaningful looks.

suddenly.

“Master, with you in this generation of the Zheng family of Xingyang, we old folks can rest assured.”

Zheng Jiang was taken aback, and then he saw his eldest son, his uncle Zheng Zhiye, slowly get up.

He had a smile on his face, but that smile made Zheng Jiang's heart skip a beat.

"I am sixty-seven years old this year. Fortunately, I have practiced martial arts for many years and have not neglected it. I still have some strength left to ride a horse and draw a bow. At this age, I don't have many years left to live..."

Zheng Jiang's expression changed.

He stood up as if to say something, but his shoulder was pressed down by Zheng Zhixing, the elder of the second branch of the clan.

The latter smiled and shook his head.

“Patriarch, you must understand that although we have survived this ordeal, neither His Majesty nor His Highness the Crown Prince trusts the Zheng family. His Highness sent us north, claiming it was for the country and the people, but in reality, it was firstly to make us pledge our loyalty, and secondly... to weaken the power of the Zheng family.”

"You're telling me to wait until people die?"

“We old folks still have some strength left, and we are elders of the Zheng clan. It is better for us to die than for Wu Ling and the younger generation of the clan to die. However, the lives of us elders of the Zheng clan should be enough to serve as a pledge of allegiance to the royal family.”

Zheng Zhiye and several other elders of the Zheng clan nodded with smiles.

Zheng Jiang remained silent for a long time, tears streaming down his face.

At this moment, all he could do was respectfully bow deeply to the group.

The next day.

The powerful and influential circles in Chang'an were in an uproar.

Eight elders from various branches of the Zheng family in Xingyang were present, all dressed in mourning clothes, with servants carrying their coffins behind them.

He personally led a team of over two thousand members of the Zheng family, both direct and illegitimate.

Head north to Bingzhou.

Upon hearing this news, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and others were all astonished and puzzled.

The other spies and entourages of the Five Clans and Seven Families in Chang'an were horrified.

Only Changsun Wuji, who had just woken up from a deep sleep and hadn't even had time to wash up, was so angry upon hearing this news that he smashed the toothbrush and toothpaste he had bought in Bingzhou on the ground.

"Snapped!"

"The Zheng family is a wicked villain! They are truly cunning! Their actions were so swift!"

"Guards! Prepare the horses immediately! I must go to the palace to see the Emperor!"

Imperial Palace, Ganlu Hall.

Changsun Wuji was quite fast, but ultimately, due to the fatigue of these past few days, he slept for a rather long time last night.

When he rushed here, Fang Xuanling and the others had already arrived ahead of time.

When Eunuch Gao saw Changsun Wuji, whose face was gloomy and whose gait was brisk, yet who seemed to have a sword at his waist even though he didn't actually have one, his expression changed slightly.

Is His Majesty inside?

Eunuch Gao nodded and went inside to report.

He quickly came out and said, "Your Excellency, please..."

Changsun Wuji nodded with a gloomy face. Just as he stepped into Ganlu Hall, a loud shout came out of his mouth.

"Your Majesty, we must not let those treacherous officials and traitors from the Zheng family of Xingyang go free!"

Eunuch Gao: "..."

Inside the Ganlu Hall, Zheng Jiang, who was presenting a memorial written by an elder of the Zheng clan and praising the emperor, trembled.

Damn it! Why didn't that old scoundrel Changsun just die in his bed tonight?!

Changsun Wuji moved with lightning speed.

As soon as they entered, their eyes immediately fell on Zheng Jiang, who was kneeling on the ground.

Anger instantly flared in his eyes.

"Zheng Jiang! Do you think you can fool His Majesty by groveling and fawning like this?"

"You're dreaming! The ugly faces of your noble families were already fully revealed on the day of the interrogation..."

"Your Majesty! You must not fall for this scoundrel's treacherous scheme!"

"A moment of carelessness will surely lead to endless trouble in the future!"

Changsun Wuji unleashed a barrage of attacks from the start, his eyes constantly glancing at the long swords at the waists of the surrounding guards, leaving Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Pei Ji, and the others dumbfounded.

This person.

Is he really the cunning old fox Changsun Wuji they remember?

Isn't he always the type to hide in the back and try his best not to show his face?

Having just visited Bingzhou, why do I have this absurd feeling of being possessed by His Highness the Crown Prince?

"Fuji! Calm down! The Zheng family is loyal and righteous, and now Zheng Qing is even willing to take out the family's collection of books to help the prosperity of our Tang Dynasty's literature. Why do you always want to kill the Zheng family?!"

Li Shimin frowned and gave a dismissive rebuke, feigning displeasure.

Changsun Wuji was astonished.

Staring blankly at Zheng Jiang kneeling on the ground beside him, he secretly regretted not being faster yesterday.

If we can get back to Chang'an before the Zheng family of Xingyang surrenders.

Tonight will be the night when the entire Zheng family of Xingyang is imprisoned in the imperial jail!

And he, Changsun Wuji, will become the executioner of the renowned Zheng family of Xingyang, one of the five most prestigious families and seven prominent clans!

aside.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jiang hurriedly kowtowed again.

"Your Majesty, the elders of my clan have already departed for Bingzhou today. My Zheng family sent messengers on horseback to Bingzhou last night to sell off our clan's local properties ahead of schedule. All the proceeds will be used by our Great Tang to pacify the Turkic herdsmen!"

"All I do and all I wish for is for the surrounding barbarians to submit to the Tang Dynasty, and for Your Majesty's might to overwhelm all directions!"

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction, then glared at his brother-in-law, who was about to say something.

"Very good. Minister Zheng is loyal to the country, and the Zheng family of Xingyang is indeed worthy of being a prestigious family of our Great Tang. Such an important matter must be publicized throughout the Great Tang, so that those rumors and gossips against the Zheng family today will be completely eradicated!"

The story of the Zheng family of Xingyang surrendering without a fight.

With the rapid spread of the news among various factions in Chang'an, along with the galloping horses and the carrier pigeons that flew out of Chang'an that day...

As it flew towards the ancestral lands of the various clans that were watching from all corners of the world.

Bingzhou Circuit, Taiyuan Prefecture.

Li Chengqian frowned as he looked at the report from Hou Junji in his hand.

"These Turkic dogs are even more barbaric and insane than I imagined, forcibly reducing some small tribes to slavery... Have they gone mad?"

The report featured a string of glaring numbers that made Li Tai, who was looking over, gasp in shock.

"Thirty thousand slaves?! Hiss! How many people are left in the Eastern Turkic Khaganate?"

"They actually managed to produce 30,000 slaves just for our weapons? And they're all Turks?!"

"this......"

The two brothers were both shocked.

However, Li Gang, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, shook his head and sighed.

"Your Highnesses need not be so surprised. This is the Turkic people. Not to mention the Turkic people, nomadic peoples have always been like this. In fact, the Turkic people today have more or less been influenced by Han culture."

"If we consider the earlier Xiongnu... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were savages who looked like humans but were like beasts."

Li Gang explained patiently.

“Your Highness, although the Turkic steppe is now called the Turkic Khaganate, the divisions and tribal conflicts within it have a long history. When the Ashina clan of the paternal lineage and the Ashide clan of the maternal lineage under Jieli were powerful enough to suppress them, it was still manageable.”

“The Uyghurs, as well as medium-sized tribes such as Chumukun, Huluju, Shesheti, Turgesh, and Shunishu, can still be commanded.”

"But right now, the Ashina clan of the Turks has suddenly produced four so-called Great Khans. The Ashide clan, the maternal lineage that supports Jieli, has suffered heavy losses in several major battles, and the situation is completely out of control."

"Past conflicts now pose a direct threat to our very survival..."

Li Gang shook his head, his eyes filled with sighs and smiles.

"Your Highness's actions and strategies have precisely struck at the heart of the Turks' weaknesses."

"Who knows, this winter, Your Highness might just be able to truly expand the territory of our Great Tang!"

Li Tai was greatly agitated by Li Gang's words.

Li Chengqian simply nodded.

Then, looking at what Hou Junji mentioned in his letter, there were quite a few strong and capable men among these Turkic slaves. If they could be turned into his own, his loyalty would be guaranteed.

It could absolutely become the biggest weapon on the Turkic steppe.

Think about this.

Li Chengqian suddenly stood up.

"I intend to personally make a trip to Yanmen Pass!"

Li Gang smiled and said, "Your Highness wants to win the hearts of these Turkic cavalrymen? That's a good idea, but Your Highness... it's easy to win the hearts of the Turkic herdsmen, but it's difficult to win the hearts of the Turkic cavalrymen."

Li Chengqian gave a cold laugh.

"It doesn't matter, I just want to try and see if I can control these ferocious wolves!"

That day, after giving instructions on some matters concerning Taiyuan Prefecture, Li Chengqian immediately led the six guards of the Eastern Palace northward to Yanmen Pass.

In the carriage.

Li Tai sighed, "Ever since we returned from Jingle County that day, Third Brother has become elusive. I haven't seen him for several days now."

Li Chengqian paused slightly as he was reviewing documents.

third child?

This kid has probably already taken the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Hedong Road by now, hasn't he?