People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1551 Will King Peng not go to the Western Regions?
Logix, the pacification envoy is in the side hall.

In the center was a table filled with delicious food and wine, but unfortunately, there was no meat.

Li Xuan sat on one side, looking at Heichi Changzhi opposite him apologetically and said, "The late emperor has not yet been buried, so I still have to be more careful. Today, I can only ask the county lord to make do with it."

Heichi Changzhi bowed his hands earnestly and said, "It should be so."

Li Xuan shook his head and said, "Originally, the title of Right Guard General should have been yours, as well as the post of Governor of Changzhou. However, the late emperor considered that I would be going on an expedition to the Western Regions this year. If there were any setbacks, I would not be able to return to Fanzhou within three or two years. Therefore, Fanzhou will have to be handed over to the Duke of Fuyang for the next three or two years."

Fanzhou will be given to Heichi Changzhi, and Changzhou can only be given to someone else.

By the way, even the position of General of the Right Guard was handed over to someone else.

"The late emperor left a will, and Your Majesty and the Queen Mother have no other choice but to do this." Li Xuan stood up and poured a glass of wine for Heichi Changzhi.

Li Xuan needs to observe some etiquette, but Hei Chi often does not.

Li Xuan was a member of the royal family and the emperor's cousin, while Heichi Changzhi was just the emperor's subject.

Heichi Changzhi picked up the wine glass, looked at Li Xuan and said, "Duke Yan told me that the prince had advised the late emperor more than once to let me serve as the governor of Changzhou and take over the position of the Right Guard. But he also said that there was great resistance in the court, and many people were eyeing the position of the governor of Fanzhou and the pacification envoy of Luoshui Road after the prince left office."

Li Xuan couldn't help but fall silent.

Before conquering Tubo, he had predicted that once he was transferred back to Chang'an from Fanzhou, the person who would take over his position would definitely not be Heichi Changzhi, but only a relative or a confidant of Empress Wu.

The emperor didn't believe it at that time, but look at him now.

……

"Perhaps only when the prince resigns and is transferred back to Chang'an, the new general of the Right Guard will be transferred to Luoshui Road, and then I will be appointed as the governor of Changzhou."

Heichi Changzhi smiled calmly, and said with a bitter smile: "If he does a good job as the pacification envoy of Luosi Road, I will never have the opportunity to serve as Fanzhou again."

Li Xuan calmly shook his head and said, "He can't do it well. His only mission in Fanzhou is to plunder the wealth that the inner court failed to plunder from Fanzhou in the past two years and send it back to Chang'an.

Only in this way can he secure his position... If he secures his position, Fanzhou will be unstable."

Heichi Changzhi nodded. He had to admit that what Li Xuan said was indeed the truth.

"When Fanzhou is unstable, it will be time for you to be transferred back to serve as Fanzhou's pacification envoy." Li Xuan sighed and looked at Heichi Changzhi and said, "Jun Gong, don't you think I am useless? I saw what would happen several years ago, but I didn't even have the ability to change it."

"Your Majesty has done his best." Heichi Changzhi sighed and said, "But many things cannot be decided by your words."

Heichi Changzhi thought of his homeland Baekje. If possible, he would not want Baekje to perish, but Baekje was gone.

"Please, Your Highness!" Heichi Changzhi raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Xuan held the water and drank it all in one gulp.

One drink and the past is over.

……

"Duke, I am accompanying Duke Yan back to the capital this time, and his health..." Li Xuan had just said half of his words when a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

Li Xuan and Heichi Changzhi looked back in surprise at the same time.

"Your Highness!" Wang Yinke appeared at the door with a solemn expression.

"What happened?" Li Xuan stood up immediately.

He hosted a banquet for Heichi Changzhi today, nominally on the orders of Empress Wu, to appease Heichi Changzhi.

Wang Yinke naturally knew about this. He had been waiting in the front hall, but now he suddenly appeared here. He was afraid that something really happened.

"A letter from Changzhou." Wang Yinke walked quickly into the room and handed an unopened official document to Li Xuan, saying, "Something happened in Changzhou. There was a riot at the jade mine of Western Tuyuhun, a riot at the salt field of Eastern Tuyuhun, and some members of the Eastern Tuyuhun tribe were killed. The tribe members are uneasy, and all official business has been delayed."

Li Xuan's face changed involuntarily. He opened the letter and read it quickly. After reading it once, his face changed drastically in an instant: "Damn Cheng Wuting, Tuyuhun is not Chang'an. Killing people to establish authority will not work in Tuyuhun."

It was clearly written in the official document that half a month ago, Cheng Wuting had just arrived in Qugou when he received a call for help from the Shaofu. The miners at a jade mine in Western Tuyuhun could not bear the exploitation and had rioted, and all the Shaofu officials in the mine were killed.

But at that time, Cheng Wuting had just arrived in Changzhou and was unfamiliar with everything, so he could only send the nearest left and right leading military guards to suppress the rebellion.

However, when the nearest Right Army Guard arrived, he found that the position was empty.

Just as the Right Guard garrison was retreating, a riot broke out in another mine.

In a blink of an eye, the chaos spread throughout Western Tuyuhun.

It seemed as if in an instant, the entire Western Tuyuhun had decided to completely rebel against the Tang Dynasty.

At this time, the Right Army Guard, after receiving the military order from Cheng Wuting, stopped moving rashly. They sent out half of their troops to move forward slowly, and would withdraw immediately at the slightest sign of trouble.

Just at this time, Eastern Tuyuhun was in chaos again.

Whether it is a salt field or a jade mine, they are places that consume a lot of manpower.

If they were the people of the Tang Dynasty, they might have shown a little mercy, but they treated the local Tuyuhun people almost like cattle and horses.

As soon as trouble arose in Western Tuyuhun, Eastern Tuyuhun immediately became unstable.

Especially at this time, the magistrate of Qugou County, Chi Hongzang, died.

As soon as Cheng Wuting arrived in Qugou, he scolded the already elderly Chi Hongzang for no reason.

You know, when Li Xuan conquered the capital of Tuyuhun, Chihongzang made great efforts, and Li Xuan was even convinced for a time. But unfortunately, after Li Xuan arrived in Fanzhou, the relationship between Chihongzang and Li Xuan began to become distant rapidly, and now the governor has been changed several times.

But it is undeniable that Chihongzang enjoys great reputation among the local Tuyuhun people.

He was reprimanded by Cheng Wuting that day and hanged himself in his home the next day, leaving the entire Qugou in chaos.

No, because of these three things, the whole Changzhou was in chaos.

... "General Cheng requests that the king transfer General Li Duozuo of the Left Guard to Changzhou to quell the rebellion." Li Xuan calmly handed the document to Heichi Changzhi and asked calmly, "What does the Duke of Fuyang think should be done?"

Heichi Changzhi looked at the document, frowned and said, "Since he is the general of the Right Guard, why doesn't he transfer the Right Guard? Besides, there are enough Right Guard troops in Changzhou for him to dispatch to suppress the rebellion. Why does he have to involve Luo Xidao in this matter?"

"He is asking if the things in Changzhou have anything to do with me. If not, he will start a massacre."

Li Xuan sneered at Wang Yinke and said, "Chief Secretary, please reply. General Li Duozuo of the Left Guard will accompany me to the Western Regions to fight. He must start preparing for the expedition and cannot leave. Please let him figure out the matter of Changzhou himself."

"Yes!" Wang Yinke immediately bowed his hands in response. Li Xuan's words were very clear. The affairs of Changzhou had nothing to do with the Luoshui Road, and the rest of the matters were Cheng Wuting's own business.

"Also, tell him that in the autumn of this year, Luosu Dao will draw military rations from Changzhou. Please ask him to be prepared. If the military ration supply is insufficient, I will ask for an imperial decree to remove him from the post of governor of Changzhou and ask the court to send someone else." Li Xuan looked at Wang Yinke coldly.

Wang Yinke immediately bowed and said, “Yes!”

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and Wang Yinke immediately turned and left.

Wang Yinke quickly returned to his official residence, his brows tightly furrowed.

Sitting at the desk, Wang Yinke picked up his pen, but no words came down on the paper for a long time.

He knew that Li Xuan arrived in Changzhou before Cheng Wuting. Although he only stayed in Qugou and Xinghai for three days, countless people came to visit him during these three days.

Li Xuan welcomed everyone who came and received everyone warmly.

However, when Li Xuan met with these people, Wang Yinke was always by his side.

Wang Yinke did not notice any additional arrangements made by Li Xuan. As for whether Li Xuan summoned these people privately after he left, Wang Yinke believed that he did not.

Because the people Li Xuan met were also put under secret guard surveillance after Li Xuan met them.

However, something happened in Changzhou, and it happened right after Li Xuan left. It is hard not to suspect that these things were related to him.

Cheng Wuting's test was not completely unreasonable, because Wang Yinke also suspected that these things were related to Li Xuan.

Especially the last sentence Li Xuan said today.

In the autumn of this year, the Luosu Dao will draw military rations from Changzhou.

Changzhou is not very suitable for growing crops. It was only after many years of hard work by Li Xuan and Changzhou officials that this result was achieved.

When Li Jinxing was in office, nothing had changed at all. However, not long ago, Li Xuan transferred He Zhizhang, Zhuge Minghui, Yuan Wei and others away.

Cheng Wuting is not the kind of person who knows how to farm.

Wang Yinke could imagine how embarrassed Cheng Wuting was.

Shaking his head, Wang Yinke finally started writing the letter.

……

Luoyang, Huiyou Palace.

Empress Wu, dressed in white linen mourning clothes, calmly walked out from the back hall and then went into the study.

Shangguan Wan'er did not dare to delay and quickly placed the memorials from Cheng Wuting and Wang Yinke in front of Empress Wu.

Empress Wu frowned, opened the memorial, and asked, "Wan'er, what do you think about this matter?"

Shangguan Wan'er hesitated for a moment, but then she said seriously, "Queen, this is a bit strange?"

Empress Wu did not raise her head and asked directly, "Why is it strange?"

"It seems that Prince Peng is plotting against Cheng Wuting." Shangguan Wan'er bowed slightly and said solemnly, "Prince Peng has always been unparalleled in his conspiracy. Although his conspiracy is unknown, judging from the secret records in the palace, he is definitely overbearing. Now what happened in Changzhou is too obvious."

Empress Wu nodded slightly and sighed, "Yes, it's too obvious. It's as if he has triggered all the hidden dangers in advance."

Shangguan Wan'er lowered her head slightly and said nothing more.

"But, do you think he would be so kind?" Empress Wu looked up at Shangguan Wan'er, who shook her head slightly.

Empress Wu smiled and said calmly, "He is trying to contain Cheng Wuting!"

contain?

Shangguan Wan'er's eyes widened, and she said carefully, "Is Prince Peng trying to divert General Cheng's attention to other places so that he can't take action against his old subordinates?"

"That's right." Empress Wu sighed and said, "The transfer orders of He Zhizhang, Zhuge Minghui, Yuan Wei and others have been sent to Changzhou. Once these people leave, only some of Peng Wang's old subordinates in Changzhou are left. With what has happened now, Cheng Wuting can no longer take action against these people, not to mention that the water is already muddy."

"What about the jade mines and salt mines?" Shangguan Wan'er asked subconsciously.

"If you squeeze too much, something bad will happen sooner or later. King Peng just happened to be in such a situation. Of course, if he had anticipated this several months ago and made arrangements in advance, then it would be as if I didn't say anything."

Empress Wu glanced at Wang Yinke's memorial and said coldly, "Reply to Cheng Wuting. If he can't settle the current situation, then he should stop being the governor of Changzhou."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed solemnly.

"Prince Peng, he will leave Fanzhou in May, and Wang Yinke will keep an eye on him and make sure he leaves." Empress Wu sneered.

"Yes!"

……

Under the moonlight, it's red.

Li Xuan looked at Luoyang with a sneer.

Empress Wu understood the importance of Changzhou, but didn't Li Xuan understand it? How could his methods be so simple?

(End of this chapter)