In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Enraged by being exposed, Yin Hongzhi shouted, "You're talking nonsense!!"

"Li Shimin changed the chief secretary time and time again, wasn't it all to keep an eye on Prince Qi? And he reprimanded and punished Prince Qi again and again, was it instigated by me, Yin Hongzhi?"

Li Yuanchang remained unmoved and composed. He understood that popular support was crucial for a rebellion, and he needed to seize this high ground before the fighting began.

"Enough with the nonsense!"

"The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. Not to mention the Prince of Qi, even the crown prince would be reprimanded, punished, or even confined by His Majesty."

"His Majesty has never targeted any individual!"

"As for Quan Wanji, he was just doing his job. If he was truly wronged or betrayed, he wouldn't deserve to die!"

"King Qi, don't listen to him! He's the real traitor. If you surrender now, it won't be considered a rebellion. There's still time!"

The rumbling sound carried upwards, and Yin Hongzhi's expression began to waver. He felt that if things continued like this, Li Yuanchang would really flatten him with a single word.

But before he could speak, Li You roared out.

"Li Yuanchang, I will not allow you to insult your uncle like this!"

Its voice was deafening, its eyes were bloodshot, and it was intoxicating.

"Besides monitoring me, reprimanding me, and distrusting me, what else can my father do?"

"My uncle wouldn't hurt me!"

"From childhood to adulthood, my uncle has always protected me. When I was injured, it was my uncle who applied medicine to me. When Quan Wanji disciplined me, it was my uncle who comforted me."

"You've attacked, and my uncle is still helping me!"

"Anyone who dares to harm my uncle, I will never forgive them!!"

A furious voice emanated from his thin body, revealing a loss of control and rage.

Li Yuanchang, standing beneath the city wall, was unusually silent, lost in thought.

He actually saw in Li You's eyes a resolute determination to protect family ties with all his might.

It's not that he thinks the other person is right.

Instead, he suddenly realized that Li Shimin's sons almost all had one thing in common: they lacked love and security, and were almost distorted under long-term high-pressure management.

Yin Hongzhi's actions made him a true traitor in history, instigating rebellion and smuggling in his own agenda.

But Li You listened to him, even if it meant rebellion, he just couldn't trust his own father.

The problem here is tinged with sadness.

It was a tragedy for the feudal dynasty, and also a tragedy for Li Shimin as a father.

When someone listens only to their uncle and rebels against their own father, that speaks volumes.

Perhaps for Li You, no matter how bad Yin Hongzhi was, he was indeed the person he trusted most.

The saying "The mother waits for her uncle until her death" has been passed down to later generations, and there's some truth to that.

At this point, the situation has reached a dead end.

Li You's rebellion and loss of control seem to be beyond redemption.

Li Yuanchang actually sympathized with him, but he had an imperial order to obey.

He stopped trying to persuade him.

Instead, he asked, "Where is Du Xingmin, the military officer of Qizhou?"

Yin Hongzhi sneered: "This man colluded with Quan Wanji to frame and oppress Prince Qi, and attempted to assassinate him. He has already been killed by us!"

boom!

These words shocked Li Yuanchang.

He was killed?

That's not right!

Historically, Li You's rebellion was suppressed by Du Xingmin, who was subsequently appointed governor and marquis.

How did he die?

At this point, in order to demonstrate his power and to prevent any possible surrender within the city, Yin Hongzhi ordered the corpses to be displayed in their entirety.

Dozens of heads were flung out, tied with a rope, and hung in mid-air, almost falling down along the hair.

The soldiers of Kyushu Prefecture were filled with angry curses!

Li Yuanchang's eyes were extremely ugly, and he was displaying dozens of human heads; there were probably even more dead people.

The situation has escalated to this point, and there is no hope of a turnaround.

But he couldn't understand why Du Xingmin, who had successfully quelled a rebellion in history, was killed.

Could it be that I caused some kind of butterfly effect? ​​That doesn't make sense!

He said nothing more and simply retreated silently.

"Your Highness!"

"The Minister of Personnel!"

Li Yuanchang's face was grim: "Persuasion is useless; we have no choice but to fight."

"Issue my military order: the three armies shall retreat two li. The troops from Luoyang, Bianzhou, and Haizhou shall go and blockade the other three directions of Qizhou City."

"Surround them without attacking, awaiting my next command."

"Also, you few go and gather all the literate people in the entire army."

"Set up the catapult first."

"Yes!" The group clasped their hands in a fist salute.

Before long, the Kyushu Prefecture troops, who had just besieged the city, began to retreat briefly.

Moreover, this retreat lasted for an entire day, with absolutely no intention of launching an attack.

This left the Qizhou rebels completely bewildered, leaving them with no choice but to prepare for battle.

This suffocating and tense situation continued into the dead of night. Qizhou City was brightly lit, while Li Yuanchang's army was eerily quiet.

The only sound in the military camp was the swishing of pens.

Stacks of Xuan paper and cloth were piled up like mountains, with large red characters written on them in cinnabar: "The King of Qi has rebelled. Surrender and you will not be killed. If you hold a knife, you will be beheaded!"

These items were Li Yuanchang's final preparations before the war. They were not intended for the desperate criminals, but for the city's residents and some government soldiers.

Taking Qizhou City wouldn't be too difficult for Li Yuanchang; his only worry was that Yin Hongzhi, that bastard, would use the common people as shields.

Even if we manage to break through, a huge number of civilians will die.

He didn't want it to be like that.

As long as I reveal the truth and get these "leaflets" in, those civilians and soldiers won't blindly follow me down this dark path.

The entire preparation lasted all night.

As the winter sun pierced the frigid dawn mist, the Tang army's drums began to thunder.

A large number of Tang troops were gathering, and the situation was so dire that it affected the whole city of Qizhou. The city was on high alert, and a large number of government troops poured in, seemingly determined to fight to the death.

But Li Yuanchang didn't take it seriously. He believed that as long as the opponent was at a disadvantage, they would surely be routed.

"put!!"

At Li Yuanchang's command, dozens of catapults roared to life.

Boom!

woohoo hoo...

Dozens of large black spheres streaked across the sky, heading towards Qizhou City.

The soldiers on the city wall screamed, shouted, and scattered in panic.

However, none of these black balls landed on the city wall and caused any damage; instead, they all flew over their heads and entered Qizhou City.

As it plummeted at high speed, the notes attached to it began to scatter throughout the city like petals falling from the sky.

This may be the first time in ancient military history that a "leaflet distribution" tactic was used.

At other times, the most they would do was issue a letter of surrender or shout at the city gate, but that wouldn't reach the people inside the city or some of the soldiers who were kept in the dark.

Such a drastic tactic was something Yin Hongzhi couldn't react to at all.

When he received the note, the news had spread throughout the city.

Yin Hongzhi held the cinnabar note in his hand, trembling with anger, his face ashen, feeling as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

"Immediately eradicate all notes; anyone who dares to keep or spread them will be executed without mercy!!"

"yes!"

"Li Yuanchang, you despicable scoundrel!"

"You won't be allowed to set foot in Qizhou City!" he roared.

"..."