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

Chapter 87: Replace the generals and take full control of the military power
"How dare you! My father, Wei Ting, is a high-ranking official in the imperial court!"

"I am a descendant of the Yang family, Liu Rengui. If you dare to kill us, our major families will never let you go!"

"Liu Rengui, you damned fellow, how dare you..."

Those who were taken to the guillotine again were all terrified and shouted loudly, trying to grasp the only remaining chance of survival.

Liu Rengui turned around and sat back in the tent, his face as cold and ruthless as ice.

"cut!"

Following Liu Rengui's order, he swung his hand violently, the knife flashed, blood gushed out, dyeing the white snow red, the bright red color was particularly dazzling.

The entire army was silent and everyone looked solemn.

From this moment on, no one dared to look down on Liu Rengui, and he truly became a well-deserved naval commander.

Wei Xingzong collapsed on the ground, like a dying dog, and was dragged to the guillotine by two soldiers.

The hot blood splashed on him, making him sober up instantly.

"General Liu, please give me another chance. I will definitely bring the food and grass back."

Wei Xingzong struggled to escape, but how could he resist the soldiers who had already given the order?

Liu Rengui still had a blank expression on his face. A merciful man is not suitable for commanding an army. At this moment, his decisiveness in killing was fully demonstrated, shocking all the soldiers in the army.

Dozens of noble generals were beheaded. Many people did not know what crimes they had committed to be beheaded on the spot, and the entire army was allowed to watch the ceremony.

The strong smell of blood spread, casting a layer of gloom over the entire military camp.

"Du Yin, Wang Mo, Cui Yuan..."

Liu Rengui read out the names one after another, which sounded like thunder to some people.

"I will...I will be here!"

As soon as the words fell, a group of generals stepped out quickly, without any sign of the procrastination as before.

More than twenty senior generals stood in front of the big tent.

Moreover, they are all children of aristocratic families, so it is obviously targeted.

Since the aristocratic families cut off the food supply, Li Chengqian had no choice but to raise his sword and see who would give up first.

"I order you to set out immediately to transport the food and fodder. If you fail to do so, this will be your fate. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain."

Liu Rengui displayed the spirit of a great general and shocked the entire army.

"promise!"

Many generals had to swallow their words when they were about to speak, otherwise they would most likely lose their heads.

"Go ahead. If you delay the opportunity, you will be subject to military law."

Upon hearing this, all the generals quickly turned around and retreated, running away in panic. They were racing against death.

"Pei Xingjian, Cheng Chumo, Li Zhen, and Li Dejian, come forward and listen to my orders!"

Then Liu Rengui continued.

The four of them stepped forward in unison and stood in front of the formation.

"I will appoint you as Lieutenant Colonel of the Left and Right Naval Armies, each with its own army, and you will obey my orders."

"We will follow your orders!" the four said in unison.

From then on, the actual control of the navy was entirely controlled by Li Chengqian.

From now on, when we issue orders, there will be no other opposing voices.

"All soldiers must obey orders, otherwise they will be punished by military law. Now we are all soldiers who receive salaries. Since we receive salaries from the emperor, we should be loyal to the emperor."

Liu Rengui stood up and raised his fist to the sky. The payment of military pay was also to stabilize the morale of the army, improve the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, and was also a measure to consolidate the imperial power.

All the soldiers in the army also looked towards the northwest. They were all living people, and bound by Confucian teachings, they were all grateful to the royal family.

Even with such an arrangement, the problem of the Eastern Expedition Army has not been solved. After all, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

In the marching camp in Liaodong.

Several high-ranking military leaders, including Li Ji, Li Daozon, Zhang Shigui and Xue Wanche, also did not sleep all night.

It's all about food and fodder. The aristocratic families are not only cutting off the supply of the navy, but also the food and fodder of the army.

They wanted to take advantage of the difficulties in the army to counter Li Shimin and force him to compromise.

Li Chengqian's series of measures have broken the balance between the royal family and the aristocratic families in governing the world together.

"What happened in the court? Why is there no food and grass being delivered?"

Xue Wanche slammed the table and huffed.

This is his character. Even though he is a general, he cannot change his bad habits.

When he was dying, Li Shimin said to Li Zhi that Xue Wanche should be used with caution, because if used well he could be a surprise attack, because he had a hot temper and would either lead to a great victory or a great defeat in a battle.

"I heard that it was the nobles in the capital who were causing trouble."

A hint of worry flashed across Zhang Shigui's eyes. Although he was guarding the border, he was also well aware of the struggles in the court.

"This group of nobles really deserve to be killed. Soldiers are bleeding in the front, but they are actually using the lives of soldiers to plan their own interests behind the scenes."

The more Xue Wanche talked, the angrier he became.

"Before, when Your Majesty used the case of Prince Wei's rebellion to suppress the powerful families, there were certain hidden dangers. Now they are just waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble."

Li Ji pounded the table. He was very sensitive to the political situation and knew the limits, otherwise he would not have been able to hold so much power and get away with it.

"The affairs of the court are not what we should discuss now. What we should discuss now is how to solve the problem of food shortage. Otherwise, in this freezing cold weather, we can still go to war. The soldiers will collapse."

Li Daozon's face was equally filled with worry. His battle-hardened army was about to be disintegrated by someone within.

He also knew that the rebellion of the aristocratic families was definitely not only because of the Wei Wang's rebellion case and Xu Jingzong's taking advantage of the issue, but more importantly, it was probably the move to pay military salaries.

The issuance of this decree caused their control over the troops in various states to plummet.

The most deadly thing is the Royal Press's transmission of messages, which allows government orders to quickly reach the grassroots level.

Public opinion is the will of the people.

Today's public opinion is controlled by a few pieces of paper, which caught the aristocratic families off guard.

Before, the lower class people were all controlled by the gentry.

The imperial power was too high to mobilize public opinion at all.

The common people have no idea what the policy is, and they don’t even know that the dynasty has changed.

Such information gap allowed the gentry to deprive people of their property at will and even incited the people to rebel.

And now, with the combined efforts of the Royal Press and the Bad Guys, the foundations of the aristocratic families have been shaken.

Otherwise, the aristocratic families would not have resisted so violently. This is treason, and they are just short of raising an army.

Li Shimin also saw that Li Chengqian's series of actions had already shaken the foundation of the aristocratic families, so he was so supportive and firm in his stance, confronting the aristocratic families.

"Contact Zhang Jian and ask the foreign tribes to provide food and fodder for our army. After we capture the city, the treasures and money will be returned."

Li Ji said that if the problem was not solved in the court, then the grain problem would not work.

"We have an army of more than 60,000 people, and this little bit of food is just a drop in the bucket," said Li Daozon.

(End of this chapter)