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

Chapter 1612 Brother Xiaojie, did you kill Emperor Zhongzong with your own hands?

On the long mountain road, a cavalry slowly moved towards Lanzhou along the mountain road. The speed was not fast.

On one side of the Huangshui River, a series of stone interception dams have gradually taken shape.

However, the stone dam was not completely blocked, and the water could still flow through the gaps in the stones.

Trenches have been dug out on the surrounding mountain roads.

There were also straw bags filled with soil piled up next to it.

It can be blocked at any time.

Xue Shao was sitting on his horse, his eyes involuntarily shifting from the dams to behind Li Xuan.

Li Xuan was serious about building dams and attacking cities.

Although the current water flow is not enough to destroy the city of Lanzhou, it is enough to completely submerge the city of Lanzhou.

Xue Shao couldn't help but feel a little worried about Lanzhou City.

Once Lanzhou City was broken, facing the vast land of Longxi, Xue Shao was really worried that no one would be able to stop Li Xuan.

As if feeling Xue Shao's gaze, Li Xuan turned around, smiled gently at Xue Shao, nodded, and continued walking.

Xue Shao immediately felt relieved.

Never mind, let’s go back to Chang’an first.

After receiving the letter from the emperor, Li Xuan let him go back to Chang'an without much hesitation. This was a great sign of deep friendship towards the emperor, Taiping and himself, Xue Shao.

……

Li Xuan was riding on a horse, turning sideways and saying something to Gong Siye.

Not knowing what Li Xuan said, Gong Siye's expression became increasingly ugly.

Before we knew it, Lanzhou City was right in front of us.

Li Xuan stopped his horse, and thousands of cavalrymen stopped immediately.

Uniform, without any exceptions.

On the city wall of Lanzhou, flags were flying and soldiers were in silence.

Li Xuan raised his head and looked at the soldiers in blue and golden armor on the city wall. He said softly, "Wang Xiaojie has entered Lanzhou City."

A deep murderous look flashed across Li Xuan's eyes.

Wang Xiaojie, Wang Xiaojie.

Li Xuan knew long ago that Wang Xiaojie would definitely become Empress Wu's confidant in the future.

He once tried to change this, but unfortunately, the emperor chose to transfer Wang Xiaojie back to Chang'an, which eventually led to the opportunity for Wang Xiaojie and Empress Wu to come into contact. The result is naturally self-evident.

……

Li Xuan rode his horse slowly forward, and with unusual precision he stopped at the edge of the Fuyuan crossbow's range, then shouted loudly to the city wall: "Brother Xiaojie, since you are already here, there is no need to hide, come out."

"I have no intention of hiding." Wang Xiaojie walked forward calmly, dressed in blue and golden armor. The entire city wall was covered with his personal soldiers.

How could Wang Xiaojie not be alert when he saw that Min Wen Gu and Cao Ling had been tricked by Li Xuan using Fan Yunxian before?

King Peng has always been an expert at manipulating people's hearts. He doesn't want to be like Min Wengu and Cao Ling, who were directly sentenced to death by the Queen Mother.

Li Xuan raised his head and looked at the left guards on the entire city wall. He didn't know how many of these people had followed him to kill the enemy, but unfortunately, today they all stood opposite him. What a pity.

"Brother Xiaojie, it's been a long time since we last met. I never thought that our reunion would be in such a situation." Li Xuan was filled with emotion.

Wang Xiaojie's gaze fell on Li Xuan. Although Li Xuan looked very casual while riding on the horse with his long sword hanging casually, the long spear on the side of the horse could be held directly in his palm at will.

The alertness is obvious.

Wang Xiaojie's eyes were filled with fear.

Although he always told others that Li Xuan cared more about people's hearts and the overall situation, Wang Xiaojie never dared to underestimate his ability to conquer on the battlefield.

You have to know that in those years, they fought side by side on the battlefield more than once. Compared with him, Li Xuan's charging speed was not slower at all.

He, Li Xuan, Li Duozuo, Heichi Changzhi, I'm afraid only Heichi Changzhi can suppress him, but unfortunately...

Wang Xiaojie looked at Li Xuan and said calmly, "Prince Peng, Prince Peng has always been known for his wisdom, but what Prince Peng did today was really unwise. If Prince Peng is willing to return to the court peacefully, Your Majesty will definitely entrust Prince Peng with important tasks to govern the country and nurture the world. Why should Your Majesty do this?

Why don't you and I stop fighting now, and Your Majesty will follow me back to the capital. I will have some face in front of Your Majesty, and now that Your Majesty hasn't made a big mistake, there is still a way to turn back."

Li Xuan smiled, then nodded and said, "Brother Xiaojie is a sincere man. He knows that he cannot convince the Queen Mother, so he only mentions the puppet-like Majesty instead of the Queen Mother. He is indeed a sincere gentleman."

With a "puff", Xue Shao behind Li Xuan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Wang Xiaojie's face was slightly gloomy, but he soon calmed down. He was surrounded by his trustworthy soldiers, so he didn't care what Li Xuan said.

Li Xuan looked at the expressions of the many left guards on the city wall, looked deeply at Wang Xiaojie, then looked at Gong Siye and said, "Brother Gong!"

"Your Highness!" Gong Siye bowed solemnly.

"It has been a real pleasure talking with Brother Gong these past few days. But given our current situation, it's really not easy to give any gifts, and I may even have to trouble Brother Gong." Li Xuan sighed lightly.

"Your Highness, you are too polite. No matter what it is, I will do my best." Unlike the dissatisfaction he showed when he first arrived, Gong Siye now has great respect for Li Xuan.

Li Xuan nodded, took out a blue cover memorial from his bosom, handed it to Gong Siye and said, "Brother Gong, please take this memorial to His Majesty."

"Yes!" Gong Siye bowed and took the memorial.

……

Wang Xiaojie frowned as he looked at Gong Siye who was approaching step by step, especially the blue memorial book in Gong Siye's hand.

The city gate opened a little, Gong Siye was a little surprised, but still walked in calmly.

As soon as he entered the city, the streets were densely packed with countless Left Guard cavalry. As long as Li Xuan dared to lead his men to attack the city, Wang Xiaojie would definitely not mind taking advantage of him to kill them directly while he was attacking the city.

Just because General Min Wengu of the Zuowei Guard didn't dare to do something doesn't mean that the Zuowei Guard wouldn't dare to do it either.

Gong Siye did not go deeper into the city. He had just walked out of the city gate when he was invited to the city gate by the left guard.

Wang Xiaojie looked at Gong Siye with a cold expression: "Doctor Gong, what about the memorial?"

Gong Siye looked at Wang Xiaojie indifferently: "Why, the general even wants to read the memorial that Prince Peng gave to His Majesty? It seems that the general really does not take the emperor seriously."

Wang Xiaojie frowned and snorted, "Memorial?"

Gong Siye sneered and then handed the memorial to Wang Xiaojie.

Wang Xiaojie looked at the memorial in front of him, turned angrily and looked at Li Xuan under the city: "King Peng, what do you mean by this?"

The blue memorial has always been used for the memorials left by old ministers, or when the emperor or his blood relatives die.

Naturally, Li Xuan would not send any suicide note, so when he wrote this memorial, was he cursing the emperor for his imminent death, or was he cursing the empress dowager for her imminent death?

Li Xuan sneered and said, "Brother Xiaojie, if you think there is a problem, you can open it and take a look yourself."

Wang Xiaojie paused slightly.

Although Li Xuan is now raising an army to attack the central government on the orders of the new emperor of Yangzhou, and countless people in the court hate him to the core, the emperor may not think so.

Now, with a personal letter from the emperor, Prince Peng is about to send his son-in-law back to the capital.

Prince Consort?

Only then did Wang Xiaojie remember Xue Shao.

……

Li Xuan saw Wang Xiaojie's eyes fall on Xue Shao, knowing that he would not open his condolence letter, and shook his head slightly.

Li Xuan waved behind him.

Forty-nine guards dressed in white mourning clothes looked at wooden stakes, white banners and many other things, quickly walked up to Li Xuan and began to set up the mourning shed.

When Wang Xiaojie on the city wall saw this scene, his face instantly turned gloomy.

The last time Li Xuan came to Lanzhou, he built the mourning shed for Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Zhongzong directly in front of Min Wengu and Cao Ling.

Afterwards, he questioned Fan Yunxian in front of the mourning sheds of Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Zhongzong about the cause of Emperor Zhongzong's death.

This incident caused a sensation not only in the entire army, the entire northwest, but also in the entire court.

This is especially true for some people.

For example, for those who knew the cause of Emperor Zhongzong's death, or even those who witnessed his death with their own eyes, the shock was extraordinary.

Damn it, he did this again today...

Wait, that's not right.

Why are there three mourning sheds?
Li Xuan turned sideways, looked at Xue Shao and said, "Prince Consort, Prince Consort is going back to the capital now, go and burn some incense."

"Okay!" Xue Shao looked extremely ugly, but there was nothing he could do, when he was under someone's roof he had to bow his head.

Li Zhu, who was standing by, personally held the white linen mourning clothes and came to Xue Shao. Xue Shao had no choice but to step forward, put on the white linen mourning clothes, leave Li Xuan, and quickly walk to the mourning shed.

In fact, he was also very curious, how come there were suddenly three mourning sheds?

The mourning shed on the far left is that of Emperor Zhongzong, the one in the middle is that of Emperor Gaozong, and the one on the far right is that of Prince Yong Li Xian.

Looking at the name engraved on the tablet, Xue Shao was stunned.

How could this be the spirit tablet of the deposed Crown Prince Xian? There was never any mention that Li Xian was dead.

……

"Plant melons under the yellow terrace, the melons are ripe and the seeds are scattered. Pick one to make the melons good, pick again to make the melons sparse. Pick three times and it's still okay, pick all but one and carry the vines home."

Li Xuan raised his head and looked towards the top of the city wall, gritting his teeth and yelling, "Brother Ma, you've been hiding for so long, why don't you show up?"

After Li Xuan's words, Wang Xiaojie immediately looked towards the city gate tower behind him. Then, Ma Sizong, dressed in red and golden armor, walked out of the city gate tower.

Looking at the third mourning shed and listening to the Guatai Ci recited by Li Xuan, Ma Sizong raised his head and asked indifferently, "Did King Peng send people to Bazhou?"

"Yes." Li Xuan sneered and said, "If I hadn't sent someone to Bazhou, I would never have thought that General Ma would go to Bazhou in person and send the deposed Crown Prince Li Xian to heaven... Oh, no, he shouldn't be called the deposed Crown Prince. He is now the Prince of Yong. The Emperor personally restored the deposed Crown Prince Xian to the throne of the Prince of Yong in Yangzhou."

Ma Sizong looked at Li Xuan, who was clenching his fists and looking angry, and shook his head and said, "It is precisely because the prince and the Yangzhou authorities have not forgotten him that he must die."

"But that's her son, her own son. How could she do that?" Li Xuan's infinite anger suddenly turned into sadness. He whispered, "Yes, this isn't the first son she's killed. Maybe it's the third one."

"King Peng!" Wang Xiaojie couldn't help but interrupt Li Xuan and scolded him rudely: "How can you slander the Queen like this?"

"Did you slander her?" Li Xuan looked at Xue Shao in front of the mourning shed and asked coldly, "Prince consort, you come and tell the world how Emperor Zhongzong died?"

Xue Shao shuddered suddenly.

Today, when he saw these three mourning sheds, he knew that Li Xuan would definitely ask this question today.

Because that day, he was also in the court.

He also witnessed the death of Emperor Zhongzong with his own eyes.

"Oh, by the way, this matter should not be asked to the prince consort, but to General Wang." Li Xuan raised his head and looked at Wang Xiaojie: "Brother Xiaojie, Zhang Qianxu was named the General of the Imperial Guard because he assisted the Queen Mother in seizing the throne, and Brother Ma was named the General of the Left Jinwu Guard because he personally killed Prince Yong Li Xian in Bazhou. Then, what about you, Brother Xiaojie, who did you kill to be named the General of the Left Guard?"

Wang Xiaojie was about to open his mouth to refute when he saw Li Xuan's eyes fall on the mourning shed of Emperor Zhongzong on the far left: "So, Brother Xiaojie, tell me, did you kill Emperor Zhongzong yourself?"

After Li Xuan's words, Wang Xiaojie, who was on the top of the city wall, suddenly felt a black screen before his eyes, and then a rustling sound rang in his ears.

He opened his eyes and looked around. The guards around him looked at him with strange eyes.

(End of this chapter)