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

Li Ke gave the two Imperial Guards a wink.

The two slowly removed the embroidered spring knife from Cui Xiaoguo's neck, while Cui Xiaoguo's wife and daughter, who were originally behind Li Ke, hurriedly ran to their husband's (father's) side.

Cui Xiaoguo looked at the stone table in the courtyard with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

Li Ke slowly sipped his tea.

After comforting his wife and daughter, he took a deep breath, glanced at his home which was now completely under the control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and stepped forward to Li Ke.

"Sit down and talk."

Li Ke spoke calmly, and Cui Xiaoguo obediently sat down.

"I wonder why His Highness the Prince has come to my humble home with the Imperial Guards. What is the purpose of such a large mobilization?"

Li Ke's gaze swept over the other person.

"Cui Xiaoguo, a collateral branch of the Boling Cui clan, has a respectable background, but in reality, he can't integrate into the circles of aristocratic families at all. After his parents' funeral a few days ago, his family had no extra money left, and now he can only go out to work as a regular shop assistant to make a living..."

"I'm quite curious. You're a strong man with considerable martial arts skills, why don't you rob someone, or simply go to the Cui family of Boling and find a job as a guard? That would earn you more than carrying heavy loads for someone else, wouldn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Xiaoguo remained neither humble nor arrogant.

“My martial arts skills are not used to bully others, much less to steal or cheat. If my ancestors’ martial arts were used for such unorthodox methods, what difference would that make from disgracing our ancestors?”

Li Ke clicked his tongue twice.

Shake his head slightly.

"If that's the case, I'm afraid your wife and daughters are destined to suffer if they follow you in the future."

Li Ke paused slightly, then suddenly smiled and looked at Cui Xiaoguo in front of him.

"How about I give you a task?"

"Jinyiwei?"

"Hmm! That's right, in the words of powerful families, they're the imperial court's lackeys..."

Cui Xiaoguo was taken aback.

"This... Your Highness, as you yourself said, I am a member of the Cui clan of Boling. It would be inappropriate for me to serve as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wouldn't it?"

however.

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because when Li Ke heard him claim to be from the Cui clan of Boling...

He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He pointed to the dilapidated courtyard around him, and from his angle, he could still see a wooden basin in the inner room used to collect rainwater.

"If you can be considered a member of the Cui clan of Boling, then why did my father and brother go to such lengths to build up this aristocratic family? With your dilapidated house, once a heavy snow falls in winter, won't you members of the Cui clan of Boling be wiped out on the spot?"

Li Ke smiled and waved his hand, ignoring the other person's obviously embarrassed expression.

He reached out and tapped on the table.

"My presence here is naturally the result of my investigation and consideration of you. You are a fairly upright person, capable, and have military merits, although those merits have fallen into the hands of others..."

At this point, Li Ke keenly noticed the twitching muscles on Cui Xiaoguo's face.

And those clenched fists, clenched with resentment.

He couldn't help but smile faintly.

"What? Powerless? Angry? Or confused?"

"This is the inevitable result of the aristocratic families controlling the local areas and the imperial court. My father, the emperor, and my elder brother, both understand this very well. Therefore, the aristocratic families must be destroyed!"

Upon hearing Li Ke's words, Cui Xiaoguo's family was immediately horrified.

"Is the imperial court really going to take action against the Cui family of Boling?"

"Heh, the way you're talking makes it sound like the Li Tang royal family is trying to force the people to rebel..." Li Ke sneered, and a Jinyiwei guard handed a scroll to Cui Xiaoguo in front of him.

When Cui Xiaoguo saw the contents of the document after being prompted by Li Ke's gaze, he was instantly horrified and stood up abruptly.

His face was filled with horror and disbelief.

"This, how is this possible? The Cui clan of Boling is going to rebel?! They're really going to rebel?!"

Li Ke gave a cold laugh.

"Didn't you see the recruitment notices for all of the Boling Cui family's businesses today? All of them are hiring, and the pay is quite generous. And what you don't know is that the Boling Cui family's carriages have been frequently leaving the city and entering the surrounding mountains and forests under various pretexts lately."

"Then the carriage would return that night, loaded with firewood, supposedly in preparation for winter, but... the ruts couldn't have been made by that weight of firewood."

Li Ke spoke slowly.

However, with each point he mentioned, Cui Xiaoguo's face darkened further.

"How dare they? His Majesty has fought his way out of a chaotic era! How dare they?"

“The Cui family of Boling alone is certainly not enough, but what if there are also the Cui family of Qinghe, the Li family of Zhaojun, and the Lu family of Fanyang?” Li Ke shook his head.

"They are attempting to manipulate public opinion, using the entire Hadong Province as a base. We do not yet know what pretext they intend to use to deceive the world, but one thing is certain."

"If we really let them plot and then act... the Hedong region will surely be plunged into chaos and death!"

"Countless people will be displaced!"

Sweat instantly beaded on Cui Xiaoguo's forehead. He silently and with a gloomy face read through all the intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard on the scroll.

Cui Xiaoguo took a deep breath and slowly sat down in front of Li Ke again.

“Your Highness, do you want me to stop all of this? But Your Highness should know better than anyone the current situation of Xiao Kingdom... Apart from his martial arts skills, he has nothing else to offer, and he is not recognized by the Cui clan of Boling.”

“I am a nobody, and even if I were to speak up, they would absolutely not accept it, and I would lose my life.”

Li Ke shook his head slightly, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

He looked at the other person calmly.

"Leaving those aside for now, I have a question for you today. If our Tang Dynasty were to establish a military examination system similar to the imperial examinations, allowing martial talents like yourself to demonstrate their skills, and also to set up an imperial military academy, taught by renowned generals like Li Jing, Li Shiji, or even my father, the Emperor, to teach military strategy..."

"After graduation, I will be directly assigned to the military to expand the territory of our Great Tang Empire."

"You, Cui Xiaoguo, are you afraid to fight with others?"

As soon as these words came out.

Choi Hyo-guk's eyes widened instantly.

Martial arts examination? Imperial military academy?!

These two things, which he had never heard of before, were only briefly mentioned by Li Ke in a few words, yet they instantly conjured up a glorious future for soldiers in Cui Xiaoguo's mind.

Li Ke smiled slightly: "Bingzhou is currently undergoing new policy reforms. The compilation of textbooks for engineering schools suitable for the promotion of craftsmen, as well as official schools specifically for various types of officials to govern the local area, has been initially completed."

"The military examination and the Imperial Military Academy were also ideas of my elder brother. This move will not only make the promotion of soldiers in our Great Tang Dynasty cleaner, but also strengthen our Great Tang military power and weaken the influence of aristocratic clans."

"Therefore... this move must be implemented!"

"Wow!"

Choi Hyo-guk, who had just sat down, stood up in shock once again.

His face flushed with excitement.

"If our Great Tang Dynasty truly implements the policy of military examinations and military academies for promotion, what do we warriors have to fear in a battle! It's simply a matter of proving ourselves through skill; if we lose, it's because we're simply inferior in ability!"

Li Ke smiled and nodded.

He wanted to stand up and pat the other person on the shoulder, just like his elder brother had encouraged Xue Wanche and the others, to offer his encouragement.

However, after glancing at Choi Hyo-guk's height, which was almost twice his own, he immediately chose to remain seated in his original position.

He reached out and took a token from the hand of a guard standing nearby.

It was pushed in front of Cui Xiaoguo.

"The aristocratic families are of no benefit to the court or the country. They are like bookworms that suck the essence from a big tree. They not only hinder the growth of the tree, but also occupy the place where new buds should sprout."

"You are a born soldier. You have the ability to earn military merit. Don't let the aristocratic family become a burden to you."

As Li Ke spoke, he slowly stood up.

He watched as the Imperial Guards placed a flying fish robe, which they had prepared long ago, on the table.

Suddenly, it was as if something had occurred to him.

"My elder brother once said, 'Where leaves dance, fire will never die.' The fire will continue to illuminate thousands of households in the Tang Dynasty and allow new leaves to sprout."

"I, in my capacity as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Eastern Palace of the Great Tang Dynasty, hereby issue this order to you."

"Slay the traitors! Serve the court!"

"I will have the manpower you can mobilize prepared for you. In addition, if you have any trustworthy people who are also dissatisfied with the aristocratic families' control of the court, you may also employ them..."

Li Ke's voice gradually faded away as the Imperial Guards left one after another.

In the small courtyard, Cui Xiaoguo looked at the Jinyiwei flying fish uniform that represented the imperial privilege in front of him, and the embroidered spring knife that no man could help but love.

I couldn't help but take a deep breath, and it felt as if I had been reborn in that instant.

He slowly drew the embroidered spring knife from his hand.

Looking at his reflection in the moonlight on the blade.

She couldn't help but murmur softly to herself.

"Where the leaves dance in the air, the fire will never cease. Its light will continue to illuminate countless homes in the Tang Dynasty, and will inspire new leaves to sprout..."

at the same time.

Today, the ancestral home of the Cui clan in Qinghe, Hedong Province, is where the heads of four prominent families from Hedong Province have gathered.

"Gentlemen, that old bastard Zheng Jiang of the Xingyang Zheng family is a coward. He handed over his ancestral legacy so easily and sent his descendants to the desolate Turkic grasslands. Now, he has saved us the trouble of making arrangements in Henan Province." Lu Zhaojing's eyes flashed.

As he spoke, he gestured and pointed at a geomantic map of Hedong Road.

He seemed like a general who was truly planning and strategizing.

"We have now secretly taken control of four regions: Mingzhou, Weizhou, Zhaozhou, and Cangzhou."

"Among them, the granaries in Mingzhou have ample reserves, and the garrison commander is someone secretly supported by my Lu family; he is certainly capable of being used."

"Weizhou and Zhaozhou are relatively close to the Cui family and can be used to defend against attacks from the Hedong army."

"Furthermore, Cangzhou is located by the sea, and my Lu family has prepared enough ships. If anything changes, we can escape at any time. The clan's valuables and valuables have already been loaded onto the ships..."

Under the firelight, the face of everyone present was filled with ambition.

Although this ambition, as the candlelight flickered, seemed so fierce yet weak, it did not make them, like the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang, relinquish everything and obediently allow the royal family to take whatever they wanted.

They can't do it!

Cui Minshi of the Qinghe Cui family shook his head slightly.

"Not enough! If we can take Yizhou, we can block potential enemies from Bingzhou. That Crown Prince sees our aristocratic families as enemies, so we must be on guard!"

Cui Mingan of the Boling Cui clan, who was standing to the side, took a deep breath and suddenly spoke.

"My Cui family of Boling also has an overseas fleet, consisting of desperados and Japanese samurai. If we allow them to land, they can be used in a battle."

Immediately, everyone present turned their heads to look.

Lu Zhaojing of the Lu family in Fanyang was especially surprised.

They thought that hiding a large fleet of ships overseas would be enough to conceal their activities.

Unexpectedly, the Cui clan of Boling was secretly raising overseas military forces.

It should be understood that maintaining armed forces overseas carries far fewer concerns compared to operating within the Tang Dynasty's borders.

Suddenly.

The initial trepidation in everyone seemed to have been replaced by a surge of courage.

All of a sudden.

The atmosphere within the Tang Dynasty was now unusually tense and unpredictable.

Local government offices in Hadong Province began to receive frequent orders from the imperial court to dismiss officials and mobilize troops.

The major clans of Hedong Road are not following the rules.

Ultimately, under Changsun Wuji's constant instigation, His Majesty the Emperor of Tang decided to resort to force.

Under the deliberate cover-up by those at the top.

Fifty thousand soldiers, armed with fine iron armor and steel swords, were transported out of the palace in several batches.

The equipment was then distributed to the Left and Right Guard Generals' Mansions.

Under Li Shimin's orders, Li Jing officially became the General Commander of the Hedong Circuit, with Cheng Yaojin and Li Xiaogong as his left and right deputies.

On the other hand, Changsun Wuji was appointed by Li Shimin as the governor of Henan Province.

Li Shiji was appointed as the Sima of Henan Circuit.

In addition, Hou Junji, who was still stationed at Yanmen Pass in Bingzhou, also received a warning from Chang'an to be wary of the Turks taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble...

Hou Junji was completely bewildered upon receiving the imperial decree.

what?

Turks? Rebellion?

He glanced at the peaceful breeding area below the parapet, the wool textile factory under construction in the distance, and further away, a garrison of Yanmen Pass fully equipped with fine iron armor, armed to the teeth.

They were carefully checking and registering the Turkic herdsmen who had come to seek refuge with the Tang Dynasty.

The government then hired or leased cattle and sheep that these people had purchased from tribes such as the Tuli, and had them manage them.

Everything was thriving. Even he, the commander-in-chief of Yanmen Pass, spent his days not only idly training his troops, but also instructing the newly formed Yanmen Pass cavalry.

He went to the wool workshop with a cheerful smile to check the accounts from recent days.

Turkic rebellion?

This general has been waiting so long his neck is about to break!

Hou Junji was unconvinced and was about to have the imperial edict put away.

Suddenly, outside Yanmen Pass, on the cement road that runs through the breeding area and all the way to the main entrance of Yanmen Pass.

A cavalry unit on horseback galloped rapidly towards them.

The cavalryman still had two arrows stuck in his body.

At that moment, Hou Junji heard a roar from afar.

"The Zheng family of Xingyang successfully persuaded Ashina She'er's troops to surrender, but were ambushed by Jieli's camp! The mission suffered heavy losses!"

"The Turks have attacked our Tang Dynasty delegation!"

Amidst a series of footsteps.

As if he had received the news earlier, Li Chengqian suddenly appeared on the city wall, catching Hou Junji completely off guard.

"Duke of Lu! Order the garrison at Yanmen Pass to prepare for battle!"

"Xue Wanche, order the Crown Prince's six cavalry to prepare immediately!"

Hou Junji was startled.

"Your Highness, do you intend to wage war directly against the Turks? Using the pretext of attacking the mission?"

Li Chengqian paused as he prepared to step back into his armor, turning back to find his eyes blazing with excitement and aggression.

"And one more... free trade!"