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

Chapter 234: Intrigue and scheming, each with their own agenda

"Father, we have to be on guard. Lou Shide has shown many unusual behaviors before. The drum sounded and ordered the entire army to defend the central army camp. Why did he dare to go against the order? This is one of the doubts."

"He is only a regiment commander, yet he dares to act on his own and disobey orders. If we give him higher authority, will there be risks?"

Zhang Shenwei spoke slowly, which made Zhang Liang suspicious.

After all, what they are doing is treason, so why can't others rebel against them?

"General Zhang, now is the time to employ people. We should trust people we employ and not employ people we doubt. Since we have already employed Lou Shide, we should trust him."

Cheng Gongying felt that this was not a good thing, as it was an act of self-destruction.

"Master, there are indeed many suspicious points about Lou Shide. In the battle with the Tang army, he had exchanges with the generals of the Tang army. When the Tang general left, he also asked Lou Shide to act according to the circumstances and take my father's head to Chang'an City to ask for a reward."

As expected, the plan of sowing discord that Wang Fangyi planned when he left finally reached Zhang Liang's ears.

"My Lord, this is clearly a plot by the Tang army to sow discord among us commanders. There is no need to worry about it."

Cheng Gongying gently waved his feather fan and said nonchalantly.

"Master, that's true, but people's hearts are hidden. How can we possibly know what Lou Shide is thinking?"

"The more brave Lou Shide is on the battlefield, the greater the threat he poses to us."

Zhang Shenwei said again that what they were doing would lead to the extinction of their clan, so they had to be careful.

And Lou Shide only joined the group halfway and could not be considered one of our own.

"What Shen Wei said makes sense. We must be on guard against Lou Shide."

For Zhang Liang, who rose to power by betraying people and selling information, this is extremely suspicious.

Just with this mention, Lou Shide's status in his heart plummeted.

"But Lou Shide is a talented person, and we can't blame him. Shen Wei, you must handle it properly after you go down."

"Don't let any talented people go unpunished, and don't let any spies go."

After thinking for a while, Zhang Liang came up with what he thought was the best solution.

He had already witnessed Lou Shide's talents.

None of these people can compare to him.

Naturally, I admire it very much.

But I am also afraid that I will put my trust in the wrong person.

"Young Master, when you are arranging the personnel, you must not let them know anything. You can use them as guards to monitor them."

In the end, Cheng Gongying had no choice but to follow their wishes.

I felt even more sad.

Not only did Zhang Liang lack military talent, he was also extremely suspicious. Under his actions, even the generals who were loyal to him would be driven away.

Thinking of this, Cheng Gongying had no choice but to seek another way.

Otherwise, you will not only fail to gain fame and fortune, but also lose your life here.

"How about this, let me go and test his attitude first."

Cheng Gongying stood up and came up with another plan in his mind.

"It would be great if the Immortal Master could help."

Zhang Liang and his son have always worshipped Cheng Gongying as a god and have never had any doubts about him.

"As the eldest master said, if Lou Shide harbors suspicion, we will all die miserably."

"If this is just another counter-espionage plot by the Tang army, and we allow it to happen, we will be cutting off our own hands and feet."

Cheng Gongying walked slowly towards us, his words were so convincing that people could not believe them.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble the Immortal Master to take action."

Zhang Liang did not ask about Cheng Gongying's strategy, obviously trusting him very much.

However, Lou Shide, who returned to the military camp, became uneasy and could not fall asleep for a long time.

I have always wanted to achieve great things, but now I realize that there is no way to serve my country.

While thinking, he couldn't help but think of Wang Fangyi's words.

"Commander-in-chief, there is a general in the army who wants to see you!"

Just when Lou Shide was drowsy, he heard footsteps beside his ears.

“Is there another one coming?”

Lou Shide didn't know why, but he didn't dare to delay any longer. He quickly got up and walked out of the tent.

At this time, the sky was already turning pale.

In the army, he was not the only one who did not sleep all night, most people did the same.

"General Lou, I am here to bother you again."

Outside the camp, Cheng Gongying smiled and waved his feather fan lightly, then asked the other soldiers to retreat.

"General Lou, please excuse me for a moment."

Lou Shide had no time to react before Cheng Gongying pulled him back into the tent.

"I don't know what your name is, General. What are your instructions for coming here this time?"

Lou Shide did not know the strategist beside Zhang Liang, but judging from his position tonight, he was highly trusted by Zhang Liang and was Zhang Liang's confidant.

"I am Cheng Gongying, a poor Taoist priest. I do not deserve the title of general. I have come to you in a hurry to discuss important matters with you."

Cheng Gongying lowered his voice, as if he was on guard against something.

"Please give us your instructions, Military Advisor Cheng."

Lou Shide bowed his head respectfully, not knowing what medicine Cheng Gongying had in his gourd.

Normal military orders don't need to be so secretive.

"General Lou is so upright, so there is no need for me to hide it."

"Zhang Liang has evil intentions. He used the name of redressing the injustice for Crown Prince Li Chengqian to actually seek the supreme position. If it weren't for tonight, he got carried away and let the cat out of the bag, and I would still be kept in the dark."

“What I said before was just to excuse the general and myself. Otherwise, neither you nor I would be able to leave the general’s tent tonight.

Lou Shide kept his head down, said nothing, and listened silently to Cheng Gongying's performance.

Is the temptation coming so quickly?

As Zhang Liang's confidant, Cheng Gongying said that he didn't know the inside story. Isn't this just deceiving the devil?

"Why, General Lou, you don't believe what I said?"

Seeing this, Cheng Gongying's expression became serious.

Lou Shide remained silent, as if he had not heard anything.

"I have been studying Taoism since I was young and learned the art of looking at qi. Naturally, I can see that General Chu Lou is a righteous man and will definitely not conspire with Zhang Liang. I dare to be so open with the general because I am a traitor."

Cheng Gongying was fearless and his position depended entirely on Lou Shide's attitude.

Lou Shide raised his head and looked towards Cheng Gongying, trying to find some clues from his expression.

However, how could Cheng Gongying's thoughts be so easily seen through?

"I know that the general still has doubts about me. I hope the general will consider today's matter more."

"If we can subdue Zhang Liang and his son in the army, I don't know how much war disaster can be avoided." "This will not only be a contribution to the country, but also save lives."

Cheng Gongying said worriedly again, with a righteous look of concern for the country and the people.

For a moment, Lou Shide couldn't tell his true appearance.

"Military Advisor Cheng, please forgive me for being so stupid that I failed to understand the deep meaning of your words."

Lou Shide shook his head, spoke vaguely, and did not express his opinion immediately.

"General Lou, if you have figured it out, you can come to me directly. If you really want to go all the way, you can go to Zhang Liang and report me."

"I believe that my head can also help to elevate the general's stature."

Cheng Gongying turned around and left. Everything was under his control.

If Lou Shide sincerely wanted to join Zhang Liang, he would definitely report himself and use this to obtain a higher military position.

By then, Lou Shide will be able to trust him completely.

Under the command of such a good general, it is not difficult to capture Chang'an City.

But since Lou Shide is truly loyal to the court, that's fine. Cheng Gongying can also take this opportunity to capture and kill Zhang Liang and his son, and make them the stepping stones for his own advancement.

Although, it is not as great a feat as Conglong's.

But his contribution in suppressing the rebellion was not small, enough to allow him, a commoner, to hold a high position.

Cheng Gongying was a strategist who planned for the world only for his own benefit.

In history, Zhang Liang's crime was exposed because of Cheng Gongying's report.

Indeed, Zhang Liang was just a fat pig that he raised.

He first deceived Zhang Liang by saying that he had a destiny.

This made Zhang Liang more confident and he recruited death squads.

In the end, Cheng Gongying had Zhang Liang beheaded with just a piece of evidence, while Cheng Gongying was rewarded generously for his meritorious reporting.

Zhang Liang has always been just a fat pig that he raised.

As for how to kill and eat the meat, there are different ways of killing.

"Go slowly, military advisor. I'll see you off!"

Lou Shide's thoughts were clear as always, and he hurried forward.

"No need, General Lou is busy with military affairs, so please stay here."

Cheng Gongying turned around and waved his hand.

The extremely tense atmosphere just now collapsed.

Looking at Cheng Gongying's figure walking away, Lou Shide felt a heaviness in his heart, as if a heavy burden was pressing on him, making him suddenly fall into a dilemma.

The reason why he was so confused was that he knew very little about Cheng Gongying.

If Cheng Gongying is really as he said, he is an innocent person who has been kept in the dark.

This time, undoubtedly, was a golden opportunity. It was entirely possible for the two of them to work together to turn the tide, restore order, and thus save countless lives from the raging flames of war and establish immortal merits.

However, what if all this was just a conspiracy and temptation carefully designed by Zhang Liang?
The consequences would be unimaginable! If he were to step into this trap carelessly, he would probably end up dying without a burial place.

What's worse, he has little time left to think and make a decision.

If this was really a trap set by Zhang Liang, and he was reluctant to make his position clear, as time went by, it wouldn't be long before he was assumed to have ulterior motives.

"A real man stands between heaven and earth, and he should act with integrity and have a clear conscience. He should not only live up to the conscience of heaven and earth, but also live up to loyalty, filial piety, righteousness and morality."

Lou Shide clenched his fist tightly, and felt a slight stinging sensation in his palm, but he had no time to care about it at the moment. After a fierce inner struggle, he finally made up his mind.

Lou Shide suddenly raised his head and looked firmly in the direction where Cheng Gongying left. Then he took a big step without hesitation and rushed out in a hurry.

He chose to believe what Cheng Gongying said.

Because he has been forced into a desperate situation.

As daylight came, the entire chaos was settled.

"Failed, or succeeded?"

Fang Xuanling frowned, looking at the enemy camp in the distance with a solemn look, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on his heart. His heart, which had always been hanging high, was now like being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and he could not relax at all.

"Duke Liang, the morning court is almost here, let's hurry into the palace."

Chu Suiliang on the side reminded softly. His voice broke the silence of Qingcheng, but it did not alleviate Fang Xuanling's worries at all.

The two of them stood quietly on the top of the city wall, and before they knew it, a long time had passed.

Recalling the scenes of last night, all the unexpected events happened before their eyes.

There were flames shooting up into the sky from the enemy camp, and shouts and screams were heard one after another. It was obvious that the enemy was in great chaos.

However, after this long night, when looking back at dawn, the entire enemy camp did not seem to have suffered any substantial impact.

The endless rows of tents were still arranged neatly, and the soldiers were still patrolling and standing guard in an orderly manner, as if the riot last night was just an insignificant episode.

Including the three surprise attack legions, none of them turned back.

They also don't know whether the strategic goals have been achieved.

"Go into the palace first and meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Fang Xuanling turned around with a serious expression. He knew very well that this matter was of great importance and he must report it to Li Zhi as soon as possible.

At this time, Li Zhi in the palace had already stood up and was not overly indulged in the gentle arms of pleasure as imagined.

The morning light shone through the window lattice into the Liangyi Hall. Li Zhi, dressed in a bright yellow robe, was sitting at the desk, holding a piece of letter paper tightly in his hand.

"Your Highness, according to the latest news from the Bad People, our army successfully burned the rebels' food supplies last night. This battle has achieved significant results!"

However, Li Zhi did not show much joy on his face. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Although this operation has achieved some results, I am afraid that in the short term, it will still not be able to force the rebels to withdraw. They still pose a threat to Chang'an City."

Yuan Tiangang, who was standing in front of the emperor, bowed and said respectfully:

"Your Highness, I think we should consider taking decapitation action to eliminate the rebel leader directly to relieve the danger in Chang'an."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi looked at Yuan Tiangang sharply and asked:

"Are you absolutely sure?"

After saying that, he suddenly tore the letter in his hand into pieces. The pieces fell like snow, as if foreshadowing the cruelty and impermanence of this war.

"Although the Bad People have successfully infiltrated the rebels, the traitor Zhang Liang is suspicious by nature. He is always closely guarded by his adopted sons. It is difficult for ordinary people to get close to him, so there is no complete confidence."

Yuan Tiangang looked solemn and reported the situation to Li Zhi truthfully.

You know, for anyone who holds power, the guards responsible for protecting their personal safety must be loyal and brave men who are willing to die for them.

After all, if these guards were not loyal enough or weak enough, many people in power would have met with accidents and died long ago.

"The Bad People can adapt to circumstances and find the right time to strike. If we can successfully eradicate this cancer, Zhang Liang, and put an end to this rebellion, that would be the best thing ever."

After hearing this, Li Zhi nodded slightly to show his agreement and agreed.

However, at this moment, Yuan Tiangang thought of another thorny matter, so he quickly reminded Li Zhi:
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing you need to pay more attention to. That is Fang Xuanling privately mobilized the army without the emperor's order. I am afraid this matter can no longer be concealed. Now all the officials in the court have gathered outside the Xuanwu Gate. At today's morning court session, I am sure someone will take the opportunity to impeach Fang."

Li Zhi stood up and faced Yuan Tiangang with his back to him.

"I am ill and cannot attend the court these days. If there is anything, please transfer it to the Ministry of Personnel for handling."

Governing by doing nothing is actually also a kind of governance.

(End of this chapter)