Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 157: The conspiracy against Li Chengqian
"Brother Feng, please don't say any more. Now I have no connection with the army, so it is really inconvenient for me to go there again, let alone lead the army."

In an attic, Xue Wanche raised his glass and declined.

"Brother Xue, you have done nothing wrong, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has privately deprived you of your military affairs and taken control of the military and political power. His intentions are sinister. How can you sit back and do nothing? Aren't you afraid of betraying His Majesty's trust and kindness in you?"

Feng Li put down the wine glass in his hand with an unhappy look on his face, feeling very disappointed with Xue Wanche's response.

In the past few days, Feng Li secretly investigated and found more shocking secrets. It turned out that the advice given in the court was not groundless.

"What I followed was naturally the will of His Majesty. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was appointed as the general commander of the Eastern Expedition Army. Due to the needs of the job, I was transferred to the local area to govern the people. This is also a reasonable arrangement. As for him cutting off my position in the army, it is also within his power."

Xue Wanche knew very well that the water was deep. He had just managed to get out of this whirlpool with great difficulty. How could he fall into it again just because of Feng Li's words of persuasion?
"We are colleagues. Brother Feng, you are here to convey the emperor's will. Now that you have conveyed it, you should return and report as soon as possible."

"I am not simply here to convey an imperial decree. His Majesty personally ordered me to bring His Royal Highness the Crown Prince back with me. Now that the Crown Prince is not going back, how can I go back alone?"

Feng Li said with an embarrassed look on his face. He also had the emperor's order and had no choice.

"Brother Xue, please come forward and lend me a helping hand. This will also be a great achievement."

Feng Li looked at Xue Wanche eagerly, hoping to get his help. Although Xue Wanche had been dismissed from military service, he still enjoyed a high reputation in the army. With his help, there was still a great chance of turning the situation around.

However, Xue Wanche shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Brother Feng, I really can't help you. We haven't seen each other for many years, so let's talk about our past friendship. As for other things, I really dare not say more."

Xue Wanche is now successful and famous, so naturally he is unwilling to take this risk again.

Feng Li felt helpless when he saw this. He originally thought that he could use Xue Wanche's help, but he didn't expect that the other party would refuse so firmly.

"In that case, I'll take my leave now!"

Feng Li had no appetite for drinking and left the table angrily, thinking of another way. Since he had discovered Li Chengqian's plot, he must get to the bottom of it.

Looking at Feng Liyuan's back, Xue Wanche sighed deeply.

"What a pity! Since the prince has the intention to rebel, how could he not be prepared? You still want to stir up trouble here. You really don't know the immensity of the world. If you don't leave in time, I'm afraid you will be buried here."

He knew in his heart that the success of this coup was unpredictable, and choosing to stay out of it was the wisest decision.

Besides, he now has such an opportunity.

"General Gao Yanshou, Crown Prince Li Chengqian is a ruthless person who massacred the Goguryeo royal family, deposed the clan and destroyed the temple. Are you going to stop here? Don't you have any blood in your veins?"

In Gaimu City, Wei Xuanzhen met with Gao Yanshou privately on the pretext of handling military affairs.

After the battle of Zhubi Mountain, Gao Yanshou led his subordinates to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

In order to stabilize the morale of the people and the army of Goguryeo, Li Ji did not severely punish Gao Yanshou. Instead, he allowed him to lead his original troops to garrison Gaimu City.

"What do you mean?"

Gao Yanshou was furious. Surrendering to the Tang Dynasty was a helpless act. He just couldn't bear to watch his subordinates die tragically under the iron hoofs of the Tang army.

How could I be willing to do that?

"My meaning is very clear. Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won't allow you big families to survive, are you just going to sit there and wait for death?"

Wei Xuanzhen said with disdain.

"Bang!" Gao Yanshou slammed the table angrily, unable to vent his inner resentment.

They were like lambs to be slaughtered, unable to fight back.

"If you are here just to ridicule our misery, please go back."

Gao Huizhen, who was standing aside, also spoke in a very unfriendly tone.

"I'm afraid you two have misunderstood something. I came here not to ridicule you, but to feel sorry for you. With your reputation, if you raise your arms and call for action, those oppressed families will surely respond immediately, and restoring the country is not impossible."

Wei Xuanzhen threw out the bait, and the two men were stunned at once.

"Now, Crown Prince Li Chengqian is in Liaocheng. If you two can capture Li Chengqian, why worry about not being able to recover Goguryeo?"

For the sake of one's own interests, the interests of the country are not worth mentioning at all.

A century-old dynasty, a thousand-year-old family.

In order to achieve his goal, he even went so far as to instigate the old forces of Goguryeo to rebel.

"Since we have already surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, we are already Tang's subjects and have no second thoughts. Goguryeo is a thing of the past."

Gao Huizhen was alert. They didn't know what Wei Xuanzhen's intention was, but they did not rule out the possibility that this was Li Chengqian's method of setting a trap for them.

"Don't worry, both of you. We all have a common enemy, that is Li Chengqian. There are some things that are inconvenient for us to do, and you and Li Chengqian have a grudge for the destruction of your country and the hatred of your family. If you do it, it won't attract attention. For example, recovering Goguryeo, killing the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, etc."

Wei Xuanzhen spoke slowly and calmly. With such a great temptation and catering to their preferences, he could definitely use Gao Yanshou and Gao Huizhen for his own benefit.

"If you still have the ambition to recover Goguryeo, we can lend you a helping hand."

Wei Xuanzhen wanted to incite unrest in Goguryeo and disperse Li Chengqian's military strength.

Gao Yanshou and Gao Huizhen looked at Wei Xuanzhen together, as if asking, what was he relying on?
He also wanted to see whether Wei Xuanzhen's words were true or false.

"You don't have to doubt it. If Li Chengqian ascends the throne of the Tang Dynasty in the future, he will treat the clans and families of the Tang Dynasty just like he treated you. So we don't want him to ascend the throne. It's that simple."

"So, you want to use us to get rid of Crown Prince Li Chengqian."

Gao Yanshou believed it to some extent, as he had heard about the political struggles in the Tang Dynasty.

"That's not the case. We are mutually beneficial, aren't we? You have restored your country, and we have also gotten rid of the worries in our hearts." Wei Xuanzhen replied.

"I don't think so. If Crown Prince Li Chengqian dies at our hands, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will surely vent his anger on us. By then, we won't be able to even survive, let alone restore the country."

Gao Huizhen shook his head. Compared with before, their strength was not just a little bit weaker. Many soldiers had suffered psychological trauma from the attacks by the Tang army.

"No, Crown Prince Li Chengqian has already shown rebellious intentions and has become alienated from Your Majesty. Li Chengqian is trying to establish himself as the ruler of his own country. If you don't start a rebellion now, how long do you want to wait?"

Wei Xuanzhen lobbied further.

The court exerted pressure, the army seized power, and the Goguryeo surrendered soldiers were all instigated to rebel, all of which were accomplished with the joint efforts of the major clans.

(End of this chapter)