Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 203 Deceit and Intrigue Arise! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

This news was like a bolt of lightning, instantly shattering the illusion of a "golden age" that enveloped the Tang Dynasty.

This also completely shattered the facade that Li Longji had painstakingly maintained.

He can't control everyone in the end.

The so-called golden age is gradually fading away due to his various actions.

A strong sense of crisis instantly spread throughout Kyushu.

This is no small matter.

Now, enemies are invading from all sides of the border, and a lot of troops have already been drawn from various places. The people under An Lushan's command are elite troops.

How could this situation not cause panic?
Luoyang, the Imperial Palace.

"An Lushan rebelled?"

"He...he's really rebelled?!"

Li Longji stared at the assembled officials, whose faces were clouded with worry, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Are you all framing me?"

Even with overwhelming evidence, he still couldn't imagine that An Lushan would dare to rebel!

Where did that barbarian get such audacity?

The image of An Lushan feigning stupidity and flattering the emperor in front of him is still vivid in my mind.

How could such a sycophant, who fawns over him, dare to rebel against him?

It must be a frame-up by the court officials!

That's right, it must be a frame-up!
Li Longji repeatedly comforted himself with this thought.

But seeing the still solemn expressions on the faces of his ministers, no matter how much he tried to deceive himself, he eventually had to accept this reality.

A deathly silence enveloped the hall; no one dared to speak.

Li Longji's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the crowd, as if he wanted to squeeze the words "framing" out of their faces.

In the end, however, his taut body seemed to have all its tendons and bones removed, and he slumped limply onto the dragon throne.

Between their lips and teeth, only broken murmurs echoed back and forth:
"Has he really rebelled?"

At this moment, he no longer possessed his former high spirits, nor even his usual imperial majesty.

Perhaps we've been living in peace for far too long.

This caused the emperor, who was quite remarkable in the first half of his life, to lose everything, even his former self.

At that moment, he didn't even have the courage to stand up.

He knew perfectly well what this meant.

If An Lushan really rebelled, then the invasion of these barbarians from all directions must be related to him, since the Tang Dynasty's elite troops were already on the frontier.

The central command is full of new recruits.

Even the number of new recruits was less than that of An Lushan's troops.

How should we fight this battle?
Even if these people can return to help, what will happen to the barbarians from all sides if they make a move?

If the Tibetans were to invade Guanzhong...
Is he, the emperor, really still alive?
At this moment, Li Longji's body even began to tremble, he no longer had any of his former glory, and he couldn't even speak.

After a long while, he calmed down a bit and asked, "Gentlemen, what should we do?"

A series of whispers immediately broke out.

If it were any other time...

Li Longji would definitely reprimand everyone for their lack of decorum before the emperor, as he cared about these things the most, but now he had no mind to care about them at all.

He suddenly heard the words "Grand Tutor" faintly.

A moment!

Li Longji, as if grasping at a lifeline, immediately stood up: "Yes!"

"I also have the Grand Tutor!"

"The Grand Tutor has long seen through the wolfish ambitions of the An Lushan rebels and must have a foolproof plan!"

Li Longji's face was filled with fanatical hope as he scanned the crowd. "Where is the Grand Tutor?"

"Quickly! Summon the Grand Tutor to an audience at once!"

"I want to discuss with him the strategy for quelling the rebellion!"

"With the Gu family's loyal protection, our Great Tang Dynasty will surely be able to turn the tide!"

His expression was extremely anxious, so much so that he had forgotten that Gu Hao was dead and that the position of Grand Tutor had been vacant for a long time.

"His Majesty!"

Standing at the head of the assembled officials, Yang Guozhong looked at the emperor before him, who had lost all his former glory, and couldn't help but remind him, "The Grand Tutor has long since passed away!"

As if struck by an invisible thunderbolt, Li Longji froze on the spot, the fervent hope on his face solidified, shattered, and finally turned into ashes.

Only at this moment did he remember that Gu Hao had already passed away, and he had even been happy about it at the time.

The more excited I was just moments ago, the more desolate I feel now.

Having just managed to stand up with a fraction of his strength, he collapsed back onto the dragon throne, his mind a complete mess.

"Your Majesty! This old minister is still alive!"

Suddenly, Yang Guozhong's voice, like a booming bell, abruptly drowned out all the whispers in the hall, resounding throughout the entire hall.

He stood at the head of the assembled officials, cupped his hands in greeting once more, and instantly captured everyone's attention.

Li Longji's unfocused gaze involuntarily drifted towards him.

Yang Guozhong, with a solemn expression and piercing gaze, strode forward and knelt heavily on the ground, his voice resounding: "Your Majesty! Although I dare not presume to compare myself to the loyal and righteous Gu family, my heart is sincere, and Heaven and Earth can bear witness!"

"Your subject volunteers! I am willing to lead the royal army to defeat the rebels!"

"We must behead the traitor An and present his head to the emperor!"

This is a golden opportunity!
This was a golden opportunity for Yang Guozhong, who was extremely power-hungry.

Of course, we cannot stand by and watch the Tang Dynasty fall.

Similarly, he also wanted to take this opportunity to compete.

Although the battles he participated in did not yield good results, the problem was that Li Longji was unaware of this, as Yang Guozhong would always tell Li Longji that he had won.

Just like in the original history.

At least in Li Longji's eyes, Yang Guozhong was definitely a capable person.

Whether it's sharing the emperor's burdens or fighting wars!

There was silence.

Li Longji was also stunned. Looking at Yang Guozhong, who was so "loyal" and even seemed to have the will to die, that sense of security surged up again instantly.

Perhaps it was truly because of excessive fear.

At this moment, he was no longer afraid. He took a deep breath and suddenly stood up.

"As Yang Qing says!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than voices of dissuasion rang out.

"Your Majesty, in such a critical moment, even if General Yang is truly able to quell the rebellion, we cannot be careless. We must summon the Gu family immediately!"

"Hebei is a strategic location. As long as the Gu family is here, they can keep the Gu family's hearts at ease."

"."

Voices of dissuasion continued to rise.

Upon hearing this, Li Longji's eyes narrowed instantly, and he was about to agree.

But then another shout rang out.

"What kind of person do you take His Majesty for? Everyone in the world is saying that His Majesty killed the Grand Tutor, and even the traitor An used this as an excuse to rebel."

"Given the current situation, if His Majesty were to reinstate the Gu family, wouldn't that be telling the world that His Majesty has bowed down to the Gu family?"

"If that's really the case."

"How should future emperors of our Great Tang Dynasty behave? How should posterity view Your Majesty?"

"."

—These are Yang Guozhong's men. Clearly, they've sensed Yang Guozhong's intentions and don't want the Gu family to steal Yang Guozhong's credit again at this crucial moment.

Again.

Who wouldn't want to become the next Gu family?
In this time of great chaos, this is their only chance!
The two sides started arguing in the court. Li Longji stared blankly at the scene, his expression extremely complicated.

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.

He hesitated for a long time, and finally shook his head, not taking that step.

These people enlightened him.

As an emperor, how could he possibly bow down to his subjects?
This matter was decided under these circumstances.

The news spread instantly.

Gu Yi was not at all surprised by Li Longji's decision; Li Longji was already beyond saving.

The fact that he could treat Gu Hao this way, even knowing the precedent set by Emperor Li of Han, already shows the extent to which he has been changed by power.

How is this any different from what Emperor Li of Han did?

Do not--

Li Longji was even more excessive; even the former Emperor Li of Han did not force the head of the Gu family to his death.

Gu Hao's health is no secret.

Whether Li Longji's actions had any deeper meaning is not worth discussing.

As for Yang Guozhong, there's no need to elaborate.

At this point, he was too lazy to even manipulate Gu Xuan into doing anything; he simply wanted to wait silently for Yang Guozhong to mess everything up.

He is not Feng Changqing.

Yang Guozhong has absolutely no chance of winning.

However, he will definitely use Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing. Gu Yi has already made preparations. As long as Yang Guozhong shows signs of weakness or makes a mistake in command, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing will gather his troops.

This is the time for him to truly make his move.

Gu Yi could not allow the Gu family to go too far, as this would tear away the most important facade of the Gu family. He had to wait until Li Longji truly gave up everything.

Only then can you act decisively!
The news spread in all directions.

The people of the world were shocked by Li Longji's decision. Even those who initially did not believe that Li Longji would do what Emperor Li of Han did began to have doubts.

Now that things have come to this, why doesn't the emperor give the Gu family an important position?
Does this mean we really have to give up on the Gu family?

The various rumors instantly made the already restless people even more agitated.

This was naturally a scene that An Lushan was happy to see.

He was indeed far superior to the original historical figure, both in terms of his ability to unite with foreign powers and his timing in rebellion.

Such behavior, which could influence public sentiment, was naturally welcomed by An Lushan.

He might even take the initiative to push all of this forward, just like before.

This is where An Lushan's brilliance lay.

As a non-Han Chinese, he was well aware of the Gu family's influence among ordinary people, and the banner he raised was in stark contrast to Li Longji's actions.

This might not fool scholars.

But for ordinary people at the very bottom who don't even know much about the year of issue or anything like that...

This is also a deadly move!
An Lushan wanted to deliberately create chaos and gain power amidst the turmoil!

The entire Kyushu region was in turmoil.

An Lushan's army marched out of Fanyang, just as in history, intending to use swift, accurate, and ruthless rapid marching tactics to strike directly at the heart of the Tang Dynasty and seize its central hub.

And it was under these circumstances that Yang Guozhong finally left Luoyang.

He personally guarded Tongguan Pass.

They want to take advantage of this turmoil to make a full-fledged rise to power.

Countless messages continued to spread, and just as An Lushan had predicted, when various rumors about Li Longji resurfaced, some people finally began to support him.

No one wants to live in a chaotic world.

For ordinary people, no matter how difficult life is, it is enough as long as there is a glimmer of hope to survive.

And that's exactly what happened—

After the death of Emperor Li in the past, the whole world was in chaos for far too long!

Nobody wants to see this.

At the same time, due to the chaotic command system of the Tang army, the Tibetans also officially entered Longyou and began to enter the pass with all their might.

This was not because the Tang army was weak.

no way--

As if by divine will, the military governors of Hexi and Longyou fell ill!

Just a few months ago, Geshu Han suffered a stroke while indulging in wine and women at Tumen Army on his way to the capital, resulting in hemiplegia. The matter had already been sent back to the court.

According to the original history.

He should have returned to Chang'an to recuperate, but due to various factors, the Tibetan Empire still managed to conquer Longyou and even occupied Chang'an.

But things are completely different now.

Before Geshuhan could even return to the capital, he was attacked by the Tibetans.

In some respects, this is already much better than the original history, after all, Geshu Han's experience is far better than Zhou Bi's.

But it was precisely because of his physical condition that Geshuhan was unable to concern himself with too much about matters on the battlefield.

He was a man who was paralyzed on one side.

How could one possibly have complete control over the ever-changing battlefield?

At the same time, with such unparalleled momentum, several counties around Fanyang surrendered without resistance, and the troops of Goguryeo and Baekje, along with pirates, also sailed out to attack the Tang Dynasty.

This unprecedented chaos across the Nine Provinces has officially begun!
------

“Lu Shan had long harbored rebellious intentions, but he deeply feared the Gu family of Hebei.”

The Gu family had been a powerful and influential clan for generations, with deep-rooted connections in Hebei and Hebei. Although they held high positions in the government, the people of Hebei remained loyal to them. Despite Lu Shan's numerous schemes to win them over, he ultimately failed.

At the end of the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era, the head of the Gu family, Hao, was disliked by Emperor Xuanzong and died of grief.

Lu Shan secretly sent spies to spread rumors in Hebei and the two capitals, claiming that "the emperor betrayed the Gu family and was like the tyrant of Han." As a result, public opinion surged and slander reached even the palace.

Lu Shan was secretly pleased, thinking that chaos had been created.

Knowing that the people of Hebei were not loyal to him, Lushan decided to take a risky step and form an alliance with the barbarians to shake the world.

The most important figure was Trisong Detsen, the Tibetan king.

Trisong Detsen was a man who had recently murdered his ruler, Trisong Detsen, and established himself as emperor. He was ambitious and greedy.

In the third month of the fourteenth year, An Lushan's secret envoy arrived at Lhasa, promising the land of the Nine Bends of Hexi and the vast Western Regions, enticing them to join him in the uprising.

The envoy told the king, "I have led 150,000 elite troops from Fanyang, along with the forces of Goguryeo and Baekje, totaling 200,000. We will march south along the Grand Canal and capture Luoyang within 20 days, thus controlling the grain transport and locking down the vital passage through the Guanzhong Plain."

May the Zanpu (King) unleash a thunderous army, breaching the Dazhen Pass and capturing the Longshan Mountains within ten days. Then Geshu Han will be under the control of Longyou, and the fertile plains west of Chang'an will be yours to roam freely!

His words hit the nail on the head regarding greed, and Trisong Detsen clapped his hands and said, "Yes."

He then sent envoys by sea to collude with pirates in the southeast and the remnants of Goguryeo and Baekje.

At that time, maritime trade was extremely profitable, which led to the rise of pirates. Lu Shan offered huge profits to incite their resentment towards the Gu family, and they conspired to harass Mingzhou, Panyu, and Donglai, causing war to break out along the coast, cutting off trade routes, thus hindering the Tang Dynasty's powerful navy and preventing it from sending reinforcements to the north, which shocked the world.

At that time, Emperor Xuanzong was troubled by public opinion, but he refused to issue an edict blaming himself and also refused to reinstate the sons and brothers of the Gu family to pacify Hebei.

The rumors spread by Lu Shan became increasingly rampant, causing unrest in Hebei.

The Tibetans raided the borders, and urgent reports from the coastal areas arrived one after another, causing great turmoil throughout the land, with everyone knowing that a major upheaval was imminent.

Seeing the turmoil both at home and abroad, and knowing the time was ripe, Lu Shan raised an army of 200,000 in Fanyang in July of the fourteenth year of his reign. He issued a proclamation that read: "The current emperor is foolish and treacherous, having betrayed and killed meritorious officials. He is abandoned by the whole world! Lu Shan respectfully carries out Heaven's punishment, deposing the foolish emperor and establishing a wise ruler!"

Although Hebei was not entirely under its control, the long period of peace had caused panic and disarray in the prefectures and counties, with some collapsing and others doubting its existence.

—From the Biography of An Lushan in the Book of Tang

(End of this chapter)