Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 377 The Tang Dynasty Also Has a Citizenship Declaration! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Upon hearing of the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince, the high-ranking officials rushed to the palace to inquire about the situation. Some of the more radical officials even prepared a proclamation calling for the destruction of the Xiongnu.

While Liu Ao was wailing in front of Liu Shi, he was surprisingly calm when facing the court officials and earnestly recounted the entire process of the assassination attempt by the Xiongnu envoy.

She could cry in front of Liu Shi because he would fall for it, but she couldn't do that in front of the court officials.

As the crown prince, he was crying and couldn't handle anything. What would the court officials think of him?
After killing the Xiongnu envoy at General Wei's residence, Gan Yanshou told Liu Ao a lot until Liu Ao fully understood, and then the two went to the palace to meet His Majesty.

It can be said that Gan Yanshou had already thought of this plan when he heard that the Xiongnu envoy was at General Wei's residence.

With the charge of assassinating the crown prince, even if Huhanye kowtowed until his head was smashed, he could not expect to gain Liu Shi's forgiveness.

Indeed, when Liu Shi heard that his son had been assassinated, he immediately ordered all of Huhanye's letters and gifts to be destroyed, completely turning against him.

Of course, there were also those who took advantage of the chaos. For example, the supporters of Liu Kang, the King of Dingtao, subtly inquired about the details, feeling that there must be some hidden story. Why would the Xiongnu travel all this way just to assassinate the crown prince?

These courtiers requested to interrogate the Xiongnu envoy, and then they saw a dozen or so piles of minced meat... With Gan Yanshou in charge, how could he possibly give the Xiongnu a chance to recant their confession?

The mother of the King of Dingtao urged Liu Kang to visit his elder brother and show his brotherly affection, in order to win Liu Shi's favor.

As a result, Liu Ao's blood-stained clothes were never changed. This guy was calm and composed, but Liu Kang, who had been raised in the deep palace, couldn't stand it. As soon as he saw Liu Ao, he couldn't help but start vomiting. After smelling the blood, he vomited violently in the palace.

Unfortunately, Liu Ao had ill intentions. He patted his younger brother on the back and handed him water, showing great concern, which made Liu Kang vomit bile.

Faced with bloodshed, the two brothers reacted in vastly different ways, a fact observed not only by the court officials but also by Emperor Liu Shi himself.

After witnessing his second son's disgraceful behavior, Liu Shi waved his hand and ordered someone to help Liu Kang away... From now on, he should focus on studying music in his fiefdom and not get involved in matters of state or military affairs.

If someone who vomits at the smell of blood were to become emperor, he would surely be a disaster for the Han Dynasty!
Then Liu Shi told Liu Ao to quickly change his clothes. "You're really something, wearing blood-stained clothes to scare your younger brother."

Liu Ao left the main hall and was about to return to the East Palace to change his clothes when Wang Zhengjun, who was waiting at the door, grabbed his ear and twisted it.

"You've killed someone at such a young age. If anything happens to you, how will your mother live?"

Liu Ao said with a grin:

“General Wei held the token the whole time he made his move. If anyone retaliated, the heavenly lightning would strike in an instant, and there would be no accidents… Mother, your son wants to be a crown prince who can bring prosperity to the country and ensure its peace, not a heir apparent locked in a gilded cage.”

Wang Zhengjun patted her obedient son's head and said:
"Go change your clothes. Don't wash the blood-stained clothes. Keep them for the court officials to see. After you ascend the throne, hang these clothes in the main hall so that the court officials will always remember your assassination attempt."

Liu Ao thought he was ruthless enough at killing people, but compared to his mother, he suddenly seemed like a greenhorn.

"When I ascend the throne, I will write an article to commemorate your words. I will name it 'My Iron-Blooded Mother.' What do you think?"

Wang Zhengjun tapped Liu Ao on the head:
"Go away, you never do anything proper all day. Remember to go to your master's house before dark, so your master's wife won't worry."

"My son, I obey!"

After Liu Ao left, Wang Zhengjun watched her son's retreating figure, feeling increasingly gratified.

Just a few months ago, he was a clueless little monkey, but after becoming an apprentice, this kid has changed so much... The saying "one is influenced by one's company" is really true.

Just then, Wang Feng, fully armed, rushed to the palace, wanting to avenge his nephew.

Wang Zhengjun said:
"Brother, you're too late. General Wei has already led his men to meet the Hu barbarians."

Wang Feng felt very guilty:
"As the current Imperial Guard Commandant, I have failed in my duty to protect you. I hope Ao'er will not blame me."

After Wang Mang broke away from the Wang clan, the entire Wang family fell apart. Wang Feng moved out to live alone, Wang Tan and Wang Chong followed Zhai Fangjin in impeaching Chen Tang and were killed by Gan Yanshou. The remaining members of the Wang clan were demoted to commoners by the court on some pretext and all went back to their hometown to farm.

Wang Zhengjun did not want to see this situation, but since her own brother had a problem with her son, she naturally could not let him off easily.

The most powerful maternal relatives, the Wang clan, fell apart, leaving Wang Feng and his cousin Wang Yin as the only two remaining officials. Wang Feng wanted to do something for his nephew to make up for his past mistakes, but no matter what he did, he was always a step behind.

Wang Zhengjun said:
"Brother, you should just live your own life. Ao'er has his master backing him up. If you have time, I suggest you visit Mang'er more often and keep in touch during festivals. It will do you good."

Wang Feng knew all this, but relying solely on family ties wasn't enough. After some thought, he finally decided to take a different approach:
"Sister, if I were to request His Majesty to confiscate the fertile land occupied by nobles in Guanzhong, would this be feasible?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhengjun couldn't help but glance at her elder brother again:
Aren't you afraid of offending people?

Wang Feng gave a dry laugh:
"My nephew is the future emperor. Even if I offend people, what can they do to me?"

Wang Zhengjun painted a rosy picture for her elder brother:
"If you can do that, I can ask General Wei to send drones to assist you. When Ao'er ascends the throne, I will grant you a position among the Three Dukes."

Land is the lifeblood of aristocratic families, and Wang Zhengjun was well aware of this. Therefore, she promised her eldest brother a position among the Three Dukes on the spot, so that he could do whatever he wanted.

As for whether Wang Feng will eventually wield immense power, Chen Tang certainly wouldn't allow it. Moreover, the officials Wang Feng has offended won't cooperate. It can be said that Wang Feng has embarked on the path of becoming an isolated official.

With her sister's support, Wang Feng was full of confidence and immediately went home to write a memorial, intending to tear off the glamorous facade of the Great Han and expose the poisonous sores inside.

Before the skin dies extensively, an emergency surgical operation should be performed immediately.

Outside Chang'an, Gan Yanshou, clad in the magnificent armor of the Tang Dynasty, addressed his subordinates:
"Deploy drones to find the traces of the Xiongnu and kill them without mercy!" To prevent missing the target, he dispatched 500 cavalrymen to pursue Huhanye along the south bank of the Wei River towards Tongguan, and another 500 men to intercept him along the Zheng Guo Canal in the northern part of the Guanzhong Plain. As for Gan Yanshou himself, he led the remaining 1,000 cavalrymen across the Wei River and then proceeded eastward in a scattered pattern.

On the other side, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Ne led his army to Weizhou, the source of the Wei River, and the situation at the front became increasingly clear.

Wang Zhihuan carried a precious sword on his back and a Tang Dynasty knife at his waist, ready to massacre the Tibetans.

He pulled a small bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) from his pocket, unscrewed it, took a sip, and exclaimed in admiration:
"It has a refreshing taste, but then it explodes in the body like charcoal fire, making all the internal organs feel extremely hot, making one want to look up to the sky and roar loudly... It is indeed a divine brew, much better than the Green Ant Wine of my Great Tang Dynasty."

Cen Xun flipped through his notebook and said:

“You’ve already drunk ten bottles, and you owe Taibai the heads of twenty Tibetans. If you keep drinking, I’ll start adding interest to your account.”

Wang Zhihuan waved his hand dismissively:

"Fine, get out then, and you might as well owe ten thousand... The day I pay off all my debts, the Wang family genealogy of Taiyuan will definitely give me a separate page!"

Yuan Danqiu laughed:
"Good heavens, I let you drink, and you're already thinking about getting a separate family tree. That'll cost extra... I've heard that after our Tang soldiers make a name for themselves, they'll be used by foreign tribes to scare children. Back in the day, General Xue's father was used by many foreign tribes to stop children from crying. This time, as we march west, why don't we have a competition and see who becomes the nightmare of the foreign tribes first?"

This suggestion caught Wang Zhihuan's eye:
"Then I need to give myself a resounding name... What do you think of the title 'Ruthless Swordsman'?"

Xue Ne rarely had free time to chat with everyone, and said with a smile:

"No, this name sounds like something a scholar would embellish, it's too elegant. In my opinion, even 'Scarface Killer' would be more intimidating than 'Ruthless Swordsman'."

Li Bai, thinking of Xue Rengui's recent achievements on the Liaodong battlefield during the Zhenguan era, said to Xue Ne:

"General, if you could speak with your father, what would you most like to say to him?"

Xue Ne thought for a moment and then said seriously:

“Tell him that he was not at fault in the Battle of Dafeichuan, and that he doesn’t need to die with resentment and bitterness.”

The children of a family of famous generals, when they finally manage to talk to their elders, still discuss war.

Hu Ziyang asked:
"Taibai, can you really talk to Lord Xue?"

Li Bai nodded:

"Within two months at most, pilgrims from the Zhenguan era will be able to reach the Liaodong battlefield, where they plan to wipe out Goguryeo in one fell swoop, thus adding a large number of laborers to the Tang Dynasty."

As they were talking, a large number of Tibetans appeared on both sides of the road ahead. Although they looked Tibetan, they wore Han Chinese clothes and their manners, such as bowing, were no different from those of Han Chinese.

Xue Ne stopped and asked the magistrate of Long County who had come to greet him:

Why are these Tibetans blocking the army's path?

The magistrate bowed and replied:

"They heard the imperial edict and hoped to join the army to kill the Tibetans, earn military merit, and secure titles and honors for their wives and children."

When Li Longji issued the order to kill the Tibetans in the court, before the people of Guanzhong and the Central Plains could even show their enthusiasm, the Tibetans who had been assimilated into Tibetan society stirred up trouble.

Killing a hundred Tibetans and being granted an official position—this deal was far simpler for them than trading yaks in the mountains.

Moreover, even if one dies in battle, one's wife and children can be entrusted to someone else, unlike in Tibet, where if a person dies, his wife and children will simply become someone else's property.

Xue Ne asked:

"How many are there in total?"

"Reporting to the old general, there are more than a thousand people in total, all residents of Long County. The oldest has lived here for three generations. They are law-abiding citizens and absolutely good citizens."

They were able to move from Tibet to the Tang Dynasty on their own initiative and multiply generation after generation, typical of the Tibetan Runren people.

Xue Ne wanted to recruit them and form a suicide squad, but he was worried that these people might have Tibetan spies who could collude at a crucial moment and affect the entire war situation.

He looked at Li Bai and asked for his advice:

"Does Master Qinglian have a solution?"

Li Bai calmly took out a pre-written "Declaration of Naturalization" from his robes and said:
"Make them swear an oath as written above. If they are not struck by lightning, the old general can trust them!"

After saying this, Li Bai took out his token, preparing to reap the rewards...

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Thank you so much to reader [Lying on the Beach for Three and a Half Years] for the 10,000 book coins! You've really gone to a lot of trouble!
(End of this chapter)