knife

Chapter 318 Everything is ready, all we need is the east wind

Crown Prince Li Tai of Qin was publicly killed outside the eastern city of Chang'an.

Then came news that the entourage escorting him to Chang'an was also ambushed and wiped out halfway.

Everything was pointing to one goal.
The Wei clan, who actually controlled Chang'an.

Public sentiment surged, and the whole country was in an uproar.

The emperor died young, and the crown prince was assassinated in the street. These shocking events happened one after another. To outsiders, it seemed that the Wei family was about to usurp the throne, or at the very least, establish a puppet emperor.

Tolerable or unbearable!
How can the loyal and righteous people of the world allow such treacherous officials and villains to do as they please?

Naturally, we must raise the banner high and gather loyal men from all over the world to punish this traitor!

The world was in turmoil, and undercurrents were also surging in Chang'an.

Wei Zhengdao offered no explanation.
Because he knew that at this moment, nothing he said would make a difference.

A truly intelligent person would certainly have thought of this; it would never have been something they did themselves.

Because it is most advantageous for them to live as long as the emperor and the crown prince are alive.

Their deaths were, in fact, the greatest loss for the Wei family.

But the vast majority of people in this world are fools, followers, and people who just parrot what others say and believe everything they hear.

Excessive explanations will not help you in the slightest; they will only make you a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.

What's meant to come will come.

Therefore, the best answer is to defeat all invading enemies on the battlefield.
After thoroughly defeating all those with ulterior motives, then tell the world...

I didn't do this.

The words spoken at this moment are the most powerful and effective.

The heroes of the world rose up to attack him?
joke!

How many true heroes are there?
Of course, to repel external threats, we must first secure internal stability!
To defeat the invading enemy, it is essential to first purge the internal forces, eliminating those who are disloyal and disloyal.

We tolerated them before because we could use them when necessary, right?

Just in time!

Chang'an needs bloodshed to rally morale and boost confidence.

Wei Zhengdao raised the butcher's knife.

Within a few days, more than ten high-ranking officials of the third rank or above were arrested in Chang'an. Without any trial, their entire families were arrested, taken to the execution ground, and executed. It was truly clean and efficient.

Meanwhile, the entire Black Ice Guard was mobilized to search everywhere, and all sorts of spies, whether overt or covert, were arrested.

Within Chang'an City, the air was thick with tension, and even the smallest things seemed like potential threats.

At the same time, tens of thousands of imperial guards received a large amount of rewards, and the Wei family used the huge amount of wealth confiscated to start a frenzied expansion of the army. In a short period of time, this force, named the Tiger Legion, expanded to 50,000 men, becoming an auxiliary force to the imperial guards.

In the midst of the anxieties and fears of Chang'an, the Zhang family mansion remained a peaceful and tranquil haven, a veritable paradise.

Even when soldiers pass by outside, they will subconsciously slow their pace and stop shouting and yelling.

Clearly, this place was a forbidden zone for the fierce Imperial Guards, and they were absolutely not allowed to trespass or offend it.

Inside the study, Zhang Qingyun stared at Li Dachui, who sat at the head of the table, with eyes full of admiration.

Chang'an originally seemed peaceful and prosperous, as if it could hold out for a long time. But after this person arrived, the city was immediately thrown into turmoil and chaos!
Think about Luoyang, where they killed Kou Zhong and Yang Jian, two masters of the Innate Realm!
He then went to Chang'an, killed the emperor, and even executed the crown prince Li Tai in the street, making the situation even more chaotic.

Consider this man's past record in the Northern Yuan.

A true master of causing trouble.

What a jinx who brings disaster to the country and its people!

Chang'an will soon become a battleground for four sides, with heroes from all sides making conquering Chang'an and defeating the Wei clan their first step on the road to hegemony.

Whoever is the first to storm Chang'an and take Wei Zhengdao's head will then occupy the moral high ground and point fingers at others.

Because he avenged the Qin emperor and wiped away his hatred.

Of course, during this process, all the princes and grandsons of the Qin emperors who were qualified to succeed to the throne died in vain in the ruthless war, and all sacrificed themselves heroically in the struggle against the Wei clan, so that there was no legitimate successor.

What to do? The one who led everyone to victory could only reluctantly perform a trick of three invitations and three refusals before donning the imperial robe and becoming the new ruler of the world.

As for whether he can quell the rebels and dissenting voices from all sides, that depends on his abilities.

Of course, it's possible that many more people claiming to be descendants of the Li family will emerge in the Qin region and declare themselves emperors in some place. Therefore, it's necessary to clarify the origins of the lineage.

There will also be straightforward heroes who refuse to accept defeat. They believe that fortunes change, and anyone can become an emperor. They'll claim their own territory, declare themselves king, and experience the thrill of being an emperor.

In short, it's like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique abilities.

Just like hundreds of years ago, after the collapse of the Great Yong Dynasty, the Li family took over Chang'an, established the Qin Dynasty, and then waged wars in all directions, pacified all sides, and finally became the ruler of the world.

Humanity never learns from history; it simply repeats itself over and over again.

Chang'an's plan to seize control of Sichuan has been proceeding at a rapid pace.

Zhang Songlin returned for over a month, and amidst ridicule and embarrassment, he quietly began to gather manpower, achieving remarkable results. Now he is just waiting for the army to seize Jiange Road and then march straight into Shu.

For decades, Zhang Songlin endured humiliation and swallowed his pride. Even though he held the rank of third grade and was the Minister of War, in the eyes of others, he was still insignificant and nothing more than a puppet.

This time, he had to return to Sichuan, ostensibly to oversee the tribute and taxation affairs of Sichuan. However, the real person in charge of this matter was the Ministry of Revenue official who had been stationed in Sichuan by the imperial court. Zhang Songlin only showed up on important occasions when he had to be there, made a few jokes, and said a few polite words.

In serious matters, his habit of glancing at the Ministry of Revenue official's every few words was met with disdain from the powerful figures in Sichuan.

They also believed that this guy simply couldn't stay in Chang'an any longer and had no choice but to return to his hometown to seek refuge.

As one sensational news after another arrived from Chang'an, everyone suddenly realized the truth.

Wei Zhengdao is going against the grain.

Zhang Songlin was timid as an official, but he was still perceptive. He must have sensed that something was wrong early on, so he slipped away and ran.

From this perspective, this person is someone who can be won over.

Even though they looked down on him, he was still an official who had served for many years. He wasn't very capable, but he still had some connections.

These powerful figures in Sichuan harbored a strong desire to carve out their own territory and become kings.

However, he had absolutely no ambition to lead troops out of Shu to contend for the world.

Therefore, in order to preserve this small part of Sichuan, it is not unacceptable to accept a native like Zhang Songlin.

Moreover, the Zhang family is indeed very wealthy.

So while the atmosphere of war intensified in Chang'an, Zhang Songlin's days in Shu actually got better day by day.

Of course, that official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue is definitely having a tough time now.

The change in circumstances allowed Zhang Songlin to thrive even more, and his behind-the-scenes actions became increasingly bold.

In the words he passed on to Li Dachui, everything was ready except for the final push.

"What did Wei Zhengdao say?" Li Dachui asked, looking at Wu De.

On the surface, Wu De is now Zhang Songlin's ally, so Wu De is currently in charge of the negotiations with Wei Zhengdao.

"Chief Minister Wei is in a state of panic right now, fearing that we might turn against him at this time and deliver a fatal blow!" Wu De laughed. "Speaking of which, I have to thank Miss Qingyun. A year ago, when Miss Qingyun asked me to strike while the iron was hot and set up the inspection team, I didn't take it seriously. Now, the inspection team has really given me the leverage to negotiate with Chief Minister Wei. Otherwise, Chief Minister Wei wouldn't even give me a second glance."

“Political power always comes from the barrel of a gun!” Li Dachui laughed. “You have tens of thousands of strong troops under your command, how dare he touch you now? Of course, your willingness to take five thousand men to Sichuan is also a relief for him. Firstly, it proves that you do have the intention to form an alliance with him, and secondly, he no longer has to keep an eye on you while he sleeps.”

Wu De nodded and said, "So he agreed to our conditions almost without hesitation. Protector-General, after we take over Shu, our people will occupy more than 70% of the important positions in the open, and our covert arrangements will allow us to completely turn them into spectators when necessary! However, Chief Minister Wei is not giving an inch in Hanzhong!"

Li Dachui laughed loudly: "Of course. With Chief Minister Wei's vision, he wouldn't be able to see that Hanzhong is the key to Shu. It's alright, let's give it to him first. In cooperation, we can't take all the benefits. After we take Shu, we should do our best to support him and let him hold out in Chang'an for as long as possible!"

"That's for sure. The more he can wear down Linghu Ye and the others, the easier it will be when the Protector General enters the pass!" Wu De said with a smile.

“We’ll set off in a few days,” Li Dachui said. “The importance that Shu places on Jian Ge Dao is beyond compare. This small Jian Ge Dao actually has two experts at the peak of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan, and the main and secondary passes are defended by more than 20,000 people. It will not be an easy task for us to take it down with only a few thousand men!”

"With the Protector General here, what is Jian Ge Dao?" Wu De said dismissively. "Unless Jian Ge Dao has a Xiantian master guarding it and can restrain you, Protector General, we can take down Jian Ge Dao even if we fight head-on."

"Sichuan is a land of outstanding people and talents. Although we have been able to track down the innate master in Sichuan, who knows if there are any other innate masters who have kept their whereabouts a secret?"

"There shouldn't be any more, right?" After hearing Li Dachui's words, Wu De was also a little unsure.

"When I went to ambush the Tiele in Beiyuan, I never expected that Duanmu Miaomiao was by his side. This information gap almost cost me my life!" Li Dachui still feels lingering fear when he talks about it now. "So, it's always better to be careful. Even a lion has to go all out to fight a rabbit."

(End of this chapter)