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

Chapter 1552: General of the Left Guard, Duke of Pingyang, Xue Rengui, dies

In April, the summer is here and the rain is crisp and drizzling.

It was rare for Empress Wu not to be in the Buddhist temple. Instead, she sat in front of the door of Huiyou Hall, watching the drizzle outside like a curtain.

The inexplicably irritable mood finally gradually calmed down.

There was a large simple map on the table in front of Empress Wu.

From Changzhou to Fanzhou, the entire plateau is on the map.

Empress Wu's gaze went straight past Shuzhong, because although there was a downward passage for merchants and travelers in Shuzhong, it was only suitable for a few people to pass through.

If a real army of tens of thousands wants to descend from the plateau and reach Chang'an directly, it must pass through Changzhou.

Cheng Wuting is now in charge of Changzhou, and Li Xuan is in charge of Fanzhou.

Changzhou and Fanzhou seem close, but in fact they are very far away.

Especially when you reach the Maji Snow Mountain, the road becomes increasingly difficult to travel on.

The further you go, the fewer places there are to stay.

Maduo, Chengduo, Tongtianhekou and Chamdo are the four most important key points along the way.

However, since Li Jinxing moved the Changzhou Military Governor's Office down from the plateau the year before last, Maduo and Chengduo have gradually become deserted.

Finally, a sparsely populated and desolate area was formed between Chamdo and Xinghai.

If they go down from the plateau, Cheng Wuting will be able to wait in Xinghai and stop Li Xuan no matter how many people he sends.

This was Empress Wu's original plan.

After all, if Li Xuan returned to Fanzhou and did not go to the Western Regions, but turned around and led his army back to Luoyang, even if Wu Zetian's people could stop him, they would have to pay a huge price. So before that, Wu Zetian needed to make adequate preparations.

Cheng Wuting's going to Changzhou was one of Empress Wu's important plans.

Now, this sign is becoming more and more obvious, because the unrest in Changzhou is still continuing after two months.

……

Taking a deep breath, Empress Wu raised her head slightly and looked at Shangguan Wan'er and said, "Wan'er, read it."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed her head slightly and said, "Your Highness, the Chief Secretary of King Peng and the Sima of Fanzhou, Wang Yinke, reported that since King Peng returned to Fanzhou in February, he entrusted the political affairs of Luoshui Road to the Deputy Envoy of Appeasement Heichi Changzhi, and the state affairs of Fanzhou to the Chief Secretary of Fanzhou Zhang Da'an. He personally went to various states in Luoshui Road to tidy up the waterways, encourage farming and sericulture, graze on time, and inspect officials.

During the past two months, I have traveled to all the states in the Luoshui Circuit without missing a single one. I have accompanied you. Matters in other states have nothing to do with the Luoshui Circuit. "

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but frown and flipped open the memorial.

The page below clearly records where Li Xuan went and what he did on which day.

"So, Prince Peng's running back and forth has nothing to do with the current chaos in Changzhou?" Empress Wu raised her head slightly.

Shangguan Wan'er hesitated for a moment and said, "My Queen, Wan'er feels that Prince Peng's visit is intended to make things more obvious."

Everything is fine, why are you running around all over the place for no reason?

If you do too much, people will inevitably think that you are trying to cover up something.

"Maybe." Empress Wu nodded slightly, then sighed and said, "But the secret guards have been monitoring Fanzhou for so long, and Wang Yinke is with Prince Peng. Even if Prince Peng has some contact, it is mostly with Chang'an and Luoyang, but there is no private letter to Changzhou."

Although Shangguan Wan'er frowned, she still nodded slightly.

Indeed, although Li Xuan seemed to be trying to cover up his crime, in fact, he and Changzhou had not found any evidence of a conspiracy.

There isn't even a clue.

"Cheng Wuting has disappointed me so much." Empress Wu couldn't help but sneer, gritting her teeth and saying, "In Changzhou alone, the unrest between Eastern and Western Tuyuhun has not been resolved for more than two months, and it has even affected the spring ploughing. Once the war in the Western Regions requires military rations, Changzhou should be the first place to be dispatched. If he delays the important work..."

Shangguan Wan'er was listening at the side, and her expression couldn't help but become solemn.

What happened in Changzhou is nothing more than just a few things.

The riot at the Western Tuyuhun Jade Mine was easily quelled at first. A large army was mobilized to kill a few people and it was quelled.

Cheng Wu stepped forward as the general of the Right Guard. Even though he had just arrived at the Right Guard, with his status, he could easily mobilize enough troops to quell the rebellion.

But he still insisted on killing people to establish his authority.

But the problem is that Changzhou's Right Guard has little to do with Li Xuan.

Under Li Xuan's command were Heichi Changzhi and Li Duozuo.

The troops in Changzhou were those of Li Jinxing, Duke of Yan, and more than half of them were Mohe people.

Cheng Wuting killed people to establish his authority, which seemed to have intimidated people on the surface. However, when these people went to Western Tuyuhun to quell the rebellion, they immediately found various reasons not to return to Changzhou.

Anyway, there was unrest in the jade mines of Western Tuyuhun. As soon as one place was settled, another one would break out.

However, there was East Tuyuhun blocking Changzhou and West Tuyuhun, so it was impossible for Cheng Wuting to go there in person.

Jade mines are one thing, salt mines are another.

After all, jade mines are for the upper class, and ordinary people cannot afford them at all, but salt mines are related to the hearts of people all over the world.

The Tang Dynasty had waged numerous foreign wars over the years, but the reason why people's hearts at home remained stable was that the court kept selling salt at low prices.

With lower salt prices, the cost of living is lower, so naturally people will have fewer complaints.

However, as soon as the accident happened in the salt mine in Changzhou, the price of salt in the entire Longxi suddenly rose.

If Cheng Wuting could handle the salt mine issue well, Empress Wu would not have said much to him, but the salt mine issue was linked to Chi Hongzang's death.

Most of the salt mines in Eastern Tuyuhun are located around Chaka.

Chaka is only a hundred miles away from Qugou.

Once Chi Hongzang died, Qu Gou was in chaos.

Once the Qugou incident happened, the situation at the salt mine, which was already experiencing riots, became even more difficult to deal with.

Cheng Wuting did manage to recapture the salt mine, but all the salt miners had fled.

Cheng Wuting had no choice but to mobilize soldiers to mine salt. But in order to make up for the losses during the days of suspension, Cheng Wuting not only forced the soldiers to mine salt day and night, but also did not give them good treatment.

Now even the soldiers started running away.

The key point is that it was spring, a good time for spring ploughing. Li Xuan transferred He Zhizhang, Zhuge Minghui, Yuan Wei and others, and Cheng Wuting offended the local Tuyuhun people.

The whole spring ploughing thing is a complete mess.

But when Cheng Wuting asked Fanzhou for help, Li Xuan ignored him.

There are things to do, and even Li Xuan is busy as hell, so why would she care about you, a stranger with malicious intentions.

Everything was chaotic enough in itself, but at this moment, the secret guards sent a message that there was unrest in Fuxi City.

Although the Tang Dynasty established Changzhou on the plateau, Eastern and Western Tuyuhun did not perish, but existed on the plateau as vassal states.

There is no way, there are too many Tuyuhun people from the East and the West.

Murong Nuohebo, the king of Tuyuhun who lived in Fuxi City, the capital of Eastern Tuyuhun, had always been ambitious.

It’s just that before, both Li Xuan and Li Jinxing were wary of them, but Cheng Wuting had just taken office in Changzhou, and so many things happened as soon as he arrived. There were even signs that the situation was out of control and becoming increasingly chaotic. It’s no wonder that the Tuyuhun people began to have ambitions.

……

"I really didn't expect that it would be fine to make him a general of a guard, but it would be so disappointing and a mess to make him a governor of a state."

Empress Wu couldn't help but scold Cheng Wuting a few words.

"Empress, General Cheng has just arrived in Changzhou and is not familiar with the situation, but we still have to help. Otherwise, we can transfer someone from Fanzhou." Shangguan Wan'er whispered to comfort Empress Wu.

After all, Cheng Wuting was chosen by Empress Wu. Even though he had some problems, he couldn't turn around and slap Empress Wu in the face.

"How?" Empress Wu looked at Wang Yinke's report with amusement, shook her head, and said, "Prince Peng went to the Western Regions this time. Except for Heichi Changzhi's men, he has basically mobilized all the others who can be mobilized. He himself thinks that there are not enough people, so how can he manage Changzhou?"

Empress Wu saw very clearly that Cheng Wuting was the person she chose. If he really couldn't handle the current situation, then by the end of the year, Li Xuan would impeach Cheng Wuting.

Changzhou plays an important role in Fanzhou's logistics.

If Cheng Wuting cannot do these things, it only shows that he is incompetent.

How could an incompetent person stay in the position of Governor of Changzhou.

"What's more, if Prince Peng really sends people into Changzhou, that would be the most troublesome thing." Empress Wu glanced at Shangguan Wan'er, shook her head and said, "The most important thing now is to wait for Prince Peng to send troops to the Western Regions. Once he arrives in the Western Regions, everything won't be so troublesome."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed slightly. The moment she lowered her head, her expression was solemn.

In fact, both she and Empress Wu knew in their hearts that the events in Changzhou must be closely related to Li Xuan.

Because Li Xuan needed to ensure that after he left Fanzhou, Cheng Wuting would not lead people to kill in Fanzhou.

That’s why we’re in such a mess now.

It’s just that Li Xuan’s method was very clever. He simply revealed the deep-seated contradictions between Tuyuhun and the Tang Dynasty that had always existed in Changzhou.

This would be enough to tie Cheng Wuting down in Changzhou.

It's really interesting. Empress Wu was afraid that Li Xuan would not go to the plateau and return to Chang'an, while Li Xuan was afraid that after he left Fanzhou, Empress Wu would send Cheng Wuting to attack Fanzhou.

This is fine, under this strange balance, the situation is good for everyone.

"But the matter must be resolved eventually." Empress Wu pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, the late emperor's coffin will be returned to Chang'an on the seventh day of the fifth month. The Prince of Xihai and the King of Tuyuhun, Murong Nuohebo, will be ordered to come to Chang'an to mourn. The late emperor will be buried on the twenty-third day of the sixth month."

"The Queen is wise." Shangguan Wan'er cupped her hands and praised, "Now that the Tuyuhun king has arrived in Chang'an, the Tuyuhun people dare not act recklessly. Moreover, without the support of the Tuyuhun king, it will be difficult for them to do anything they want."

“If the King of Tuyuhun is still restless after arriving in Chang'an, let Cheng Wuting lead the Right Guard to completely destroy Tuyuhun. Anyway, too many people are dissatisfied with his status as the General of the Right Guard. It will be better for him to have the merit of destroying a country.” Empress Wu calmed down.

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed her head.

Empress Wu's eyes fell on the map again and she said softly, "But now, the key to the problem is not Changzhou, but Fanzhou."

Shangguan Wan'er stopped talking.

After a moment of silence, Empress Wu finally said in a cold voice: "Tell Wang Yinke that on the second day of May, if King Peng does not send troops to the Western Regions, or if the route of his troops is questionable, then unite the generals in the army and directly seize King Peng's military power."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed slightly.

"You go." Empress Wu waved her hand.

Shangguan Wan'er immediately turned back to her duty room. He Miao had already ground the ink and retreated into the small room next door.

Shangguan Wan'er lowered her head and wrote quickly, but her mind was involuntarily diverted.

In fact, she had known for a long time that Empress Wu had placed someone around Li Xuan, and that person was even a trusted general of Li Xuan.

If you think about it carefully, with Empress Wu's personality, how could she allow Li Xuan to develop his own confidants among tens of thousands of soldiers? Anyone would feel uneasy.

The same was true of the late emperor.

But King Peng is a very useful person. If he can stabilize the Western Regions, the Tang Dynasty will be able to prosper for decades.

This is true no matter who is in charge of the government.

But the key point is that Li Xuan wanted to go to the Western Regions instead of returning to Chang'an when Empress Wu's plan was in full swing in the court.

If that happened, Li Xuan would be dead.

……

Standing in front of the palace gate, Shangguan Wan'er handed the letter to Empress Wu.

After taking a look at the letter, Empress Wu directly used her seal and then handed it back to Shangguan Wan'er.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the rain. The next moment, Qiu Huan was already standing in front of the palace, bowing with sorrow and saying, "Empress, something has happened. The Duke of Pingyang has passed away."

Xue Rengui, Duke of Pingyang, Governor of Daizhou, and General of the Left Guard.

Died of illness.

(End of this chapter)