Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Li You felt a deep sense of crisis.

The most pressing problem now is that the opportune moment for rebellion is not in our own hands.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty was not engulfed in war. Even if he had a group of people following him and willing to obey his orders, like the Wang brothers just now, Li You could not establish a stable base in a short period of time, thereby expanding his power and turning the snowball into an avalanche that would destroy the entire empire.

Therefore, the next steps are of utmost importance, and we must not make any mistakes.

Fortunately, although Tang society was stable at this time, various contradictions still existed, and they were quite acute.

This can be seen from the fact that Li You, relying on a few thousand people in Qizhou, was able to gather tens of thousands of rioters in a short period of time to cause chaos.

It's obvious that these people didn't live a very good life normally. They would be willing to take the risk if they could have a better life. Because... people in ancient times had very short lifespans; many didn't live past 40.

Lifespan is already short, why not go all out?

……

The Zheng family of Xingyang is an ancient family whose lineage can be traced back to the distant Zhou Dynasty.

From the Han Dynasty, through the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, members of the Zheng clan served as central government officials.

During the Zhenguan era, Zheng Shanguo rose to the position of Minister of Works. Among the other descendants of the Zheng family, one of the more outstanding was Zheng Shanguo's cousin, Zheng Yuanshou. He was both a scholar and a warrior, with military merits, and his highest position was Minister of Ceremonies and General of the Left Martial Guard.

Without Li You and the tens of thousands of rioters under his command, the Zheng family of Xingyang would have contributed even more officials to the Tang Dynasty, including ten prime ministers over the next century.

But now, all of this is about to vanish into nothingness.

The Zheng family's assets, land, and servants far surpassed those of the Langya Wang family and the Gaoping Xi family. Their mansion was also more luxurious, stretching for miles and containing over a thousand rooms. They also kept more servants than the other two families.

Therefore, their resistance was much more intense.

Li You delegated military command to Yan Hongxin, who was clear-headed, and put him in charge of the attack on the Zheng family.

This was also the first time Yan Hongxin had commanded a war involving so many people, so he was inevitably a bit flustered.

After discussing with the others, they divided the team into three groups and launched attacks from different directions. They originally intended to act simultaneously, but in the end, the attacks were launched sequentially, making simultaneous attacks impossible. This is the tuition a newbie must pay.

The attack did not go smoothly. One contingent of troops, facing a much smaller number of Zheng family retainers, was actually routed and began to flee. It was only thanks to the ruthless commander of this contingent, Zan Junmo, who killed twenty or thirty fleeing soldiers that the troops were able to stabilize their position. After regrouping, they launched another offensive.

Li You stood on the high slope, looking down at the chaotic scene below.

So this is war, and a war that we started ourselves.

Li You didn't interfere too much with his generals. He understood that if he went up there himself, he might not be as good as them. He couldn't have done what Zan Junmo had just done—his relentless, deadly attacks. Killing people is physically demanding and requires a lot of energy.

They worked from morning till afternoon, but the Zheng family servants finally couldn't hold on any longer.

They remained loyal, sending out their last elite forces, mounted on fine horses, to escort the core members of the Zheng family out through a secret door, beginning their desperate escape.

Yan Hongxin quickly spotted the group and immediately gave chase on horseback.

Unfortunately, the Zheng clan members were caught, bound hand and foot, gathered together, and brought before Li You.

As local bullies who have dominated Xingyang for hundreds of years, they acted extremely arrogantly.

"Do you know who the Zheng family is? Anyone who dares to offend them will surely be punished by Heaven!"

One of the older men made a harsh statement to Li You.

Li You pursed his lips but did not give a reply.

I knew your Zheng family's background and what you possessed, which is why I led tens of thousands of people, traveled nine hundred miles, and swiftly wiped you out.

If it were any random, unknown person, I wouldn't even bother going there.

Making threats?

See what you can do.

As for divine retribution, it's nothing more than death.

Historically, Li You was forced to commit suicide. The Li You who has traveled through time simply wants to live a little longer. If he can successfully rebel, he won't have to be executed.

At the Sishui River near Xingyang, members of the Zheng clan were tied up in a row, ready to be executed.

Before the execution, the Zheng family's precious genealogy was burned to ashes.

Flames rose, and the Zheng family members all wept bitterly.

The surrounding people cheered with joy.

Because they had just received a promise from the King of Qi that the Zheng family's hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land, as well as many other assets, would be divided equally among them.

Moreover, they could get even more if they agreed to join the King of Qi's rebellion.

With a single command, the five surnames and seven prominent families that had existed since the Sui and Tang dynasties were reduced to only four surnames and six prominent families.

Looking at the scene before him, for some reason, Li You recalled a rebellious poem from a famous novel he had read before.

My heart is in Shandong, but my body is in Wu; adrift on the rivers and seas, I can only sigh in vain.

If he ever achieves his lofty ambitions, he will dare to laugh at Huang Chao for not being a true man!

Historically, it was Huang Chao who brought an end to the five surnames and seven clans.

This person was also the most outspoken Tang Dynasty poet; his verses were full of struggle.

If Huang Chao hadn't struck that blow in Chang'an, the Nine-Rank System might have continued to plague the nation for another thousand years, and the Central Plains dynasties might have developed a caste system.

Dare to laugh at Huang Chao for not being a true man?

Clerk Song is not very bright and lacks vision; he doesn't understand what a true man is.

Huang Chao, you are the true hero.

……

The earth-shattering riot that broke out in Shandong reached Chang'an through various channels.

Among them, news of the Prince of Qi's rebellion was sent to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, very early on.

As emperor, his information network was extremely efficient, perhaps even the most efficient in the entire world.

Upon receiving the news, Li Shimin blurted out four words.

"Obstacle, traitor!"

Knowing son Moruo father.

Li Shimin was well aware of the Qi King's stubbornness and ignorance.

But his audacity in raising the flag of rebellion was still beyond the emperor's expectations.

Of his sons, Li Shimin was mainly worried about two.

One was Crown Prince Li Chengqian, and the other was Prince Wu, Li Ke. If either of them launched a rebellion or even a palace coup, Emperor Taizong (Li Er) would not be surprised at all.

As for Prince Li Tai of Shu and Prince Li Zhi of Jin, these two children were much more well-behaved and less troublesome.

Moreover, Crown Prince Li Chengqian has been acting increasingly outrageously lately, even keeping male lovers in the Eastern Palace.

I won't interfere with your keeping women; keep as many as you want.

Because I, too, like beautiful women.

So you end up keeping a man...

Li Shimin also understood the sorrow of Supervisor Ma.

In his anger, the emperor had already considered putting Prince Li Tai of Shu on the throne.

However, changing the crown prince was too troublesome, so Li Er did not act rashly and decided to wait and see.

As for the King of Qi's rebellion, although it was unexpected, it still needed to be dealt with, and it had to be done quickly.

In ancient times, transportation was very underdeveloped. If local rebellions were not dealt with quickly, it would be very difficult to quell them once they gained real power. It would often cost more money and resources and cause greater damage to the local area.

"Immediately summon Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Hou Junji, Gao Shilian, Li Ji, Li Jing, Chu Suiliang... and also summon the Crown Prince and Qingque."

The eunuchs on either side knew that something urgent had happened, and they quickly prepared to go out and summon the person.

"Wait... Qingque is frail, he doesn't need to come. Only the Crown Prince should come!"

"Yes, I understand."