Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 415 The Chang'an affair is over, but war breaks out again! [Seeking monthly votes]

East of Chang'an, deep within the Imperial Guard's prison.

There is a water dungeon specifically designed for serious offenders.

At this moment, the damp, decaying smell unique to water prisons, mixed with the stench of blood, weighed heavily on every corner.

Hou Junji was bound to the cross rack by cold, fine iron chains. The heavy shackles dug deep into his thick wrists and ankles, chafing his flesh and drawing blood. The blood mixed with the dirty water dripping from the water prison, forming a small dark red puddle at his feet.

The once imposing General of the Left Guard and Minister of War is now stripped of his armor, leaving only a tattered and filthy prison uniform.

His hair was disheveled and plastered to his forehead, his face was ashen, and his lips were chapped and peeling. Only his eyes, in the dim, flickering torchlight, still burned with the madness and resentment of a trapped beast.

Wow——!
A bucket of icy, dirty water was poured over his head.

Hou Junji jolted awake, coughing as he shook the water off his face. His cloudy eyes were fixed on the dark figure slowly emerging from the shadows ahead.

Li Chengqian has arrived.

He was not wearing the prince's usual attire, but only a neat black outfit. His steps were steady, and he walked almost silently on the wet, slippery stone ground.

Behind him followed Pei Xingjian and two expressionless Imperial Guards.

"Minister Hou, how does it feel to be a prisoner?"

Li Chengqian's voice was not loud, but it pierced the deathly silence of the water prison like an icicle.

"Pooh!"

Hou Junji spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, grinned, and revealed a ferocious smile:

"Li Chengqian! Don't try to act like a prince in front of me! The victor is king, the loser is villain, I admit defeat! Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you! But don't even think about prying a single word out of me!"

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian stopped a few steps away from Hou Junji, looking at his disheveled yet still arrogant demeanor with great interest: "As expected of a fierce general who fought alongside Father Emperor to conquer the world, he has a tough backbone."

He strode forward, his gaze sweeping over the wounds on Hou Junji's body sustained during the siege. His tone was calm yet undeniably authoritative: "However, even the hardest bone, I can crush and mold into a human form, and then make it speak!"

"Hahaha!"

Hou Junji laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, his chains rattling loudly, aggravating his wounds and causing him to grimace in pain, yet his laughter grew even more manic:
"You? A wolf cub who murdered his brothers, forced loyal officials to their deaths, and even schemed against his own father? Li Chengqian, you will die a horrible death! This Tang Dynasty will be destroyed in your hands sooner or later!"

"Be bold!"

Pei Xingjian shouted sternly, his hand resting on the hilt of his knife.

Li Chengqian raised his hand to stop him, his face even carrying a strange calm: "Finished cursing? If you're done cursing, let's get down to business."

His gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife, piercing Hou Junji's eyes: "Why did you collude with the Shouzhulang? With your current status and the importance my father attaches to you, you seem to have no reason to rebel. Why are you acting so irrationally?"

He knew that the reason why Hou Junji followed the cripple in the rebellion in history was because when Hou Junji attacked Gaochang, he was not only greedy for money, but also dared to mock the Gaochang king and his ministers, which made Li Shimin dislike him.

Although he was spared execution because of his past merits, his future was ruined.

That's why he colluded with the cripple to rebel.

But now, he has neither attacked Gaochang nor been disliked by Li Shimin. Li Chengqian really wants to know what the reason for his rebellion is.

But Hou Junji seemed to be a tough nut to crack. He gave a cold laugh, turned his head away, and remained silent, resisting with silence.

"Not going to talk?" Li Chengqian chuckled lightly, a smile that appeared particularly cold in the dim light. "It's alright. I have plenty of time to waste with you. Pei Xingjian."

"Chen is here!"

"Wake up Minister Hou. Make him remember how his father carried him out of a pile of corpses under the walls of Luoyang. Remember how his Hou family's glory and wealth were bought with the blood of countless loyal souls. And remember how many of his former comrades have been shed for his own selfish desires at Anhua Gate today!"

"Yes!"

Pei Xingjian's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he gave a wink to the Imperial Guards behind him.

A member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward, holding a rough leather whip soaked in salt water.

The other person carried a charcoal brazier, inside which a red-hot branding iron sizzled and emitted a terrifying smell of burning flesh.

Hou Junji's pupils contracted sharply, but he gritted his teeth and chose to remain silent.

"Snapped!"

A whip lashed across his body, causing him to grimace in pain.

Immediately afterwards, the red-hot branding iron sizzled and imprinted itself on his body.

"what--!"

He finally couldn't hold back and screamed in agony.

But Li Chengqian didn't look at him again. Instead, he walked straight out the door, instructing Pei Xingjian as he went: "Don't let him die before he confesses!"

"Yes!"

Pei Xingjian immediately bowed.

But then Li Chengqian asked, "How are the preparations for tomorrow's trial going?"

"Your Highness, everything is ready. We are just waiting for you, Chancellor Fang, and Lord Li to conduct the public trial!"

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Once these matters are resolved, everything should be fine!"

As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and frowned, asking, "Have all the remnants of the garrison commander been wiped out?"

"It's been completely cleared out!"

Pei Xingjian reported, "The seven secret strongholds of the Garrison Commander in Chang'an have all been wiped out by Yang Nannan and her men!"

"Ha, as expected, heroes are finding heroes, and good men are finding good men. This Yang Nannan is really useful in dealing with the guards!" Li Chengqian laughed.

Pei Xingjian nodded in agreement: "Yang Nannan has indeed grown a lot this year. And her Gu techniques have also improved a lot."

"Also, there is one more thing."

He paused, then continued, "I've found out about that first generation of Bad Guy that night, and Bad Guy Mountain."

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow: "Tell me about it!"

"Yes!"

Soon, Pei Xingjian reported the information he had found to Li Chengqian in detail.

Li Chengqian frowned deeply, and after a long while, he said in a deep voice, "I will go to find him, but not now."

After saying this, without waiting for Pei Xingjian's reaction, he walked straight out of the water dungeon.

……

The next morning.

After a night of bloodshed and fire, the air in Chang'an still carried a faint smell of gunpowder and blood, but order had been restored.

On both sides of the wide Zhuque Avenue, the Imperial Guards, clad in bright armor, stood solemnly like a forest, their swords and spears gleaming coldly in the midday sun.

In the middle of the street, a tall temporary courtroom was erected, its dark wood exuding an air of authority and grimness.

Below the stage, a dense crowd of Chang'an residents, survivors of the catastrophe, had gathered.

They remained silent, their gazes filled with complex emotions as they looked at the figures on the stage who had once been prominent but were now prisoners.

Fear, anger, disdain, and a hint of bewilderment at the new order were intertwined on every face.

Li Chengqian, dressed in a black casual robe, sat upright in the main seat, his expression calm and undisturbed, his eyes deep and unfathomable like an ancient well.

On his left and right sat Fang Xuanling and Li Jing, their faces solemn.

A number of important officials, including Sun Fujia, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Dai Zhou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, were also present.

"Bring in the criminals!"

Pei Xingjian's voice was like the scraping of cold iron, exploding in the silent street.

The first to be brought in was Hou Junji.

This once powerful and influential duke now had disheveled hair and beard, tattered armor, his hands bound behind his back with heavy iron chains, and he walked with a limp.

His eyes were gloomy, but the moment they met Li Chengqian's gaze, they erupted with deep-seated resentment and madness.

If it weren't for the fact that he caused a rebellion in the water dungeon, he probably wouldn't be on the execution platform today, and would be tortured indefinitely, wishing he were dead.

"Hou Junji!"

But Li Jing spoke first, his voice booming like a bell, drowning out the subtle commotion from the audience:
"You are a Duke, a minister whom His Majesty relies on, yet you do not think of serving the country, but instead harbor disloyal thoughts!"

"You colluded with the guards, arbitrarily mobilized troops, and brazenly attacked the capital, causing heavy casualties among the soldiers and civilians of Chang'an, with rivers of blood flowing! Do you know your crime?!"

Hou Junji suddenly raised his head, looking like a madman: "Confess your guilt? Hahaha! It's all about the victor and the vanquished!"

As he spoke, he completely ignored Li Jing, turned to look at Li Chengqian, and roared hysterically again:
"Li Chengqian! You calloused brat, relying on your little bit of cleverness, you disregard familial bonds and eliminate dissidents!"

"When I rendered outstanding service to the Tang Dynasty, you were still suckling at your mother's breast!"

"My defeat today is not due to a lack of skill, but rather to the unfavorable hand of Heaven! I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this!"

His roar echoed through the empty streets, filled with desperate madness.

"Dissatisfied?"

Li Chengqian finally spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, carrying a chilling aura.

"Under Anhua Gate, arrows rained down like locusts. Those soldiers you drove to charge into the city of their comrades and died under the boiling oil and molten gold, did they ever ask you if they submitted?"

"Those old brothers who followed you for years, only to be shot dead on your orders in the end, did they ever ask you if they were convinced of their loyalty?"

"How many loyal souls and bones will pave the way for your ambition?" "How many drops of blood and tears from your comrades will your defiance be worth?!"

Hou Junji was speechless at these hurtful words. His face went from madness to deathly pale, and his lips trembled, but he could not utter a single word.

He seemed to see Wang Kuo's figure on the city wall, brandishing his sword and roaring, and the old soldier he had ordered shot rolling down the wall.

Those scenes he had deliberately ignored were now gnawing at his heart like venomous snakes.

Li Chengqian stopped looking at him and instead glanced at Li Zong, Yuchi Huan, Cheng Huailiang, and the others who were being escorted up behind him.

Li Zongqiang tried to remain calm, but his eyes darted around.

Yu Chi Huan held his neck stiffly, still displaying the stubbornness of a spoiled young master.

Cheng Huailiang's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with fear and regret.

"King Li Ke of Shu and King Li Yin of Liang are accomplices!"

Li Chengqian's voice was as cold as ice: "Instead of sharing His Majesty's burdens and serving the country, you all intend to overthrow the Crown Prince and bring chaos to the nation!"

"Yuchi Huan, Cheng Huailiang, and Li Zong, you are descendants of meritorious officials, yet you do not cherish the glory of your fathers, but instead aid and abet evil, framing the crown prince. Your crimes are unforgivable!"

"Your Highness! I've been wronged!"

Cheng Huailiang could no longer hold on and collapsed to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "It was His Highness the Prince of Shu who coerced me! I was just confused for a moment, Your Highness! Please, Your Highness, spare my life for the sake of my father's many years of fighting for the country!"

At this moment, all he wanted was to survive; he had no regard for loyalty.

"Cheng Huailiang! You spineless coward!"

Yu Chi Huan's eyes widened in anger, and he cursed loudly, "You dare to do it but not admit it! Crown Prince! Kill me or torture me as you please! I, Yu Chi Huan, am no hero if I even flinch! I only regret that I was unable to seek justice for His Highness the Prince of Shu!"

The atmosphere changed abruptly when the name of Li Ke, the King of Shu, was mentioned.

After all, Li Ke still holds some unforgettable memories in the hearts of the people of Chang'an.

"justice?"

Li Chengqian's lips curled into a cold smile: "Yuchi Huan, you keep saying you want to seek justice for Prince Li Ke of Shu, but do you know that Li Ke not only colluded with the guards in Chang'an, but also used the epidemic to cause trouble?"

"They even colluded with the mastermind behind the assassination of Prince Yan, Li You, to frame me. They wanted to use my father's decree to imprison me and then poison the entire city!"

Wow!
As soon as this statement came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

Even Li You suddenly raised his head, a look of disbelief and surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Take Yin Zhihong!"

Pei Xingjian shouted again.

Yin Zhihong was brought up by two fierce-looking Imperial Guards.

His previously composed face instantly turned pale when he saw Li Chengqian's all-knowing eyes and the evidence Pei Xingjian held up.

"Yin Zhihong!"

Li Chengqian's voice was like a gavel of judgment: "As the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Yan's Palace, you were deeply trusted by the Prince of Yan, yet you secretly sided with the Guard Commander, instigated his assassins to kill Prince Li You of Yan, intending to frame me, incite conflict within the royal family, and plot rebellion in Chang'an for the Li brothers! Do you plead guilty?!"

Pei Xingjian stepped forward at the opportune moment, holding up a tray on which lay the murder weapon used to assassinate Li You, along with several confessions from the guards bearing their fingerprints: "The evidence is overwhelming! Yin Zhihong, what else do you have to say?!"

"Slander! This is slander!"

Yin Zhihong screamed and struggled violently: "Your Highness! You are eliminating dissidents! Framing loyal officials! Your Highness Prince Yan! Your Highness Prince Yan, you must avenge me!"

His gaze urgently fell on Li You, whose face was ashen.

Li You suddenly stood up, pointed at Li Chengqian, his voice trembling with anger:
"Li Chengqian! How vicious you are! Not only did you send assassins to kill me, but now you're framing my uncle! What exactly do you want? Are you only satisfied when you've killed all of us brothers?! Father! Father will not let you get away with this!"

Faced with Li You's roar and Yin Zhihong's denial, Li Chengqian simply raised his hand slightly.

Pei Xingjian understood and immediately ordered his men to bring in the two captured guards and assassins.

One of them looked up, staring at Yin Zhihong with venomous eyes, and hissed:
"It's him! It's this guy surnamed Yin! He gave us the portrait of the Prince of Yan and that dagger!"

"You surnamed Yin, have you forgotten?! You ordered us to disguise ourselves as women, lure the Prince of Yan into a trap, and then assassinate him!"

"You even said that after the deed is done, you will frame Crown Prince Li Chengqian and be richly rewarded!"

"This is Wu Bing, and you too! We discussed this face to face! You beast who plotted to assassinate your own nephew!"

Boom!

The entire audience was stunned.

The evidence is irrefutable, with witnesses and physical evidence linked together.

Yin Zhihong instantly collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

Li You was utterly dumbfounded. His finger, pointing at Yin Zhihong, trembled violently, and his lips quivered. After a long while, he finally let out an incredulous cry: "Uncle...you actually, you actually!!"

He recalled his trust in Yin Zhihong, and the overwhelming hatred he had felt for Li Chengqian because of the 'Crown Prince assassination attempt.' A surge of anger and the shame of being fooled overwhelmed his reason, causing him to rush towards Yin Zhihong without regard for anything else: 'I'll kill you!!'

Soon, the Imperial Guards stepped forward and stopped him.

The audience was completely silent, then erupted into a huge roar.

The people suddenly realized that the mastermind behind the assassination of the Prince of Yan was actually his own uncle.

In just a moment, their gazes toward Yin Zhihong were filled with utter contempt and anger.

"Kill this viper! Damn it! Damn bastard!"

"He deserves to die! This remnant of the previous dynasty absolutely deserves to die!"

"Death by a thousand cuts!"

The outcry nearly overturned the judge's bench.

Li Chengqian slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over all the prisoners on the platform, finally settling on Hou Junji, whose face was ashen.

His voice, carrying the power of thunder, clearly suppressed all the noise:
"Hou Junji, colluding with foreign enemies, plotting rebellion, and slaughtering his comrades, is guilty of heinous crimes! He is sentenced to death by slow slicing and the extermination of his entire clan!"

"Yin Zhihong betrayed his master for personal gain, assassinated a prince, and framed the crown prince. His crimes are unforgivable! He is sentenced to be cut in half at the waist and executed in the marketplace!!"

"Li Ke, Li Yin, Li Zong, and the already deceased Chai Zhewei, as members of the imperial family, plotted rebellion; their crimes are heinous!"

"But considering that the brothers Li Ke and Li Yin have already been murdered by villains, and Chai Zhewei has already been brought to justice, we will not pursue the matter further. As for Li Zong, he is also a member of the imperial family, so let him commit suicide with a white silk ribbon!"

"Yuchi Huan and Cheng Huailiang, for their treasonous acts and framing of the Crown Prince, are unforgivable! They are sentenced to immediate execution!"

"The remaining officers and soldiers who colluded with the rebels, as well as the garrison commanders and their remnants, shall be severely punished according to the law and executed immediately!"

Every verdict struck like a hammer blow to the hearts of the prisoners and the onlookers.

Hou Junji closed his eyes, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and then fell silent.

Yin Zhihong collapsed to the ground, defecating and urinating, and let out a desperate whimper.

Li Zong collapsed like a limp rag doll.

Yuchi Huan looked up at the sky and laughed bitterly.

Cheng Huailiang completely broke down, wailing and calling out his father's name.

"Execution!"

Pei Xingjian gave the order.

The executioners strode forward.

The gleaming saber was raised, reflecting a blinding cold light in the midday sun.

Just as this chilling and bloody atmosphere reached its peak.

"Report——!"

A shrill, urgent roar, as if tearing through the air, came from afar and grew closer.

A lone courier, covered in blood and with three blood-stained feathers stuck in his back, charged like an arrow, breaking through the imperial guards' blockade and rushing straight to the trial platform.

"Urgent dispatch! Urgent dispatch!!"

The courier tumbled off his horse, barely catching his breath, and raised a sealed copper tube high with both hands, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Urgent report! The Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo has personally led an army of 200,000, in alliance with Qu Wentai, the ruler of Gaochang, and Ashina Helu, the Yabghu of the Western Turks, to invade our Great Tang Dynasty simultaneously in three routes!"

"Hexi is in dire need of help! Anxi is in dire need of help! Longyou is in dire need of help!!"

"boom--!"

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded over Chang'an.

The people and officials, who had just been immersed in the somber atmosphere of the trial, were instantly stunned by this sudden and shocking news.

The lingering smell of gunpowder from the recently quelled war seemed to have barely dissipated when an even more ominous shadow of war suddenly descended upon the entire city of Chang'an with overwhelming force.

Li Chengqian suddenly stood up.

The calm on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an icy solemnity and a fighting spirit as sharp as a knife.

"Choke!"

He abruptly slammed the wine cup he had just picked up but hadn't yet drunk from onto the ground.

The crisp cracking sound, like a war horn, pierced the deathly silence.

"Relay my order!"

Li Chengqian's voice, like a dragon's roar from the heavens, resounded through the sky with unwavering resolve and iron will: "Immediately muster the troops and prepare for the western expedition!"

(End of this chapter)