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

Chapter 1847: The Emperor Enters Hebei, and All Sides Are Shocked

The emperor entered Hebei and took the daughters of the Cui and Lu families as concubines.

After reading these twelve words, Jiang Xia's face turned pale instantly.

He couldn't help but wave his hand, and his guards immediately went down the city wall.

"What happened that scared you like this?" Guo Huihui walked out from behind and looked at Jiang Xia with some surprise.

Jiang Xia took a deep breath and then handed over the secret letter in his hand.

Guo regretted taking a look, his breathing instantly became heavy, his pupils contracted, and he could not help but curse: "Don't the Lu and Cui families consider themselves to be upright families? How come the women of the Lu and Cui families would marry into the palace?"

"That's not surprising." Jiang Xia couldn't help but shook his head slightly, then said: "The truly upright family is the Lu family. The Cui family had children entering the palace during the reigns of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong. You forgot that the mother of Prince Deng was Concubine Cui of Emperor Gaozu, but because Prince Deng died early, Prince Deng's lineage was not prominent in the court, so it didn't attract attention. There was also Concubine Cui during the reign of Emperor Taizong, who ultimately had no children."

Compared to Guo Hui, who had a bumpy youth and later fought in Tubo for more than ten years, Jiang Xia had a clear understanding of these things.

"Then what about the Lu family? Why would the Lu family be like this?" Guo's face was filled with regret. The Lu family was adjacent to the Northland, and the Lu family's surrender was equivalent to limiting their range of actions in the Northland.

"In recent years, apart from Lu Zhaolin who is in poor health and Lu Zangyong who is still young, no one in the Lu family has a close relationship with the emperor. This means that within ten years, the Lu family will not have anyone serving as prime minister." Jiang Xia smiled bitterly and said, "When the Wei family and the princess were planning something before, they just sat back and watched. Now that the situation is clear, they will marry their daughter into the palace immediately. What they are fighting for is not the present, but Silla!"

“The Lu family is also going to use the emperor as a tool to attack Silla?” Guo’s regretful face became uglier and uglier.

The more forces supporting the emperor, the more people will not let this conquest fail.

"Given the emperor's character, once the war starts, will he let the war fail?" Jiang Xia said calmly.

Guo's face turned completely dark with regret.

After all, Li Xuan fought his way to the throne step by step.

Starting from Tuyuhun, they killed all the way to Tubo, and finally to Western Turkestan, and then fought back from Anxi.

Changzhou, Lanzhou, Chang'an, Luoyang, and finally back to Chang'an.

At this point, it was just a matter of whether he wanted to ascend the throne or not.

The Wei family, the Cui family, and Princess Taiping all took the lead in launching rebellion for this reason.

As long as Li Xuan didn't fall, they couldn't sleep well.

But unfortunately, they were the ones who fell in the end.

"The emperor hasn't led the army for five years now." Guo Hui said with a bitter voice.

"Have you forgotten the battle between China and Turkestan that year?" Jiang Xia sneered.

"What do you mean by saying this? If the emperor is invincible, will we do nothing? But now that the emperor has transferred you back to the center, you think you can change your allegiance." Guo regretted becoming visibly irritated, and he spoke more and more recklessly.

"It is the Lu family who thinks the emperor is invincible." Jiang Xia shook his head slightly and said, "As for me, do you think it is really a good thing for me to be transferred back to the center?"

"Of course it's not a good thing. Without you, Governor Dou's control over Youzhou has been much weaker." Guo regretted and shook his head.

"The problem is not here. If I return to the central government, I will not be able to participate in the future imperial army's expedition against Silla. This is the real problem." Jiang Xia couldn't help but shake his head. The emperor transferred him back to Chang'an because he didn't want to see him make any achievements. This was the fundamental reason.

Without merit, Jiang Xia’s official position would be suppressed.

"What about Youzhou?" Guo Hui looked at Jiang Xia seriously. Youzhou was the key to their actions this time. Without the support of Youzhou, they would be in big trouble.

"Don't worry, even if my father-in-law is transferred back to Chang'an, Youzhou will be fine. The real key is not with us. We have already paved the way. What we lack are people who can really fight their way in." Jiang Xia stared at Guo Huiyue.

"Don't worry, the Silla people are already tempted." Guo Huiyue sneered and said, "Qin Dunjiaogan is already contacting his companions in Silla, and the forces in the north of Silla have begun to gather. At the critical moment, the Silla people can mobilize a thousand elite troops to enter Youzhou..."

"Not enough..." Jiang Xia shook his head slightly and said, "Even if these 1,000 people killed the emperor, they would be wiped out quickly. If they could follow them into Anton..."

"Don't think we haven't thought of this kind of plan." Guo Hui looked at Jiang Xia calmly and said, "But Li Duozuo, who is in charge of Andong, is not easy to deal with... Of course, he may be easier to deal with, but behind him is Di Huaiying."

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, the emperor once praised Di Huaiying as the Wei Zheng of the modern era.

He even rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice in the imperial court, but only took up a post in a local government after he requested to be transferred to another place.

However, Li Xuan had already attached great importance to Di Renjie and even made him the governor of Yingzhou. But only two years later, Di Renjie became the commander-in-chief of Yingzhou.

Under his rule, the tribes in Yingzhou were stable, and even Andong and Youzhou were affected.

"The most important thing is, are you not sure whether Di Renjie has the emperor's secret order in his hands?" Guo Huiyue added.

Jiang Xia fell silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "Princess, can't you convince Di Renjie? After all, he asked to leave the capital, which was enough to show that he was dissatisfied with the emperor's accession to the throne?"

"No, you are wrong. He asked to leave the capital when the Queen Mother just died. And don't forget, it was the Queen Mother who put him in prison and used him to threaten the Emperor. He left because he saw through the future disputes. If he was willing to support the princess, he would have supported her back then." Guo regretted and smiled bitterly.

"Then we may have to kill him." Jiang Xia looked at Guo regretfully coldly.

"Are you willing to do that?" Guo Huiyue asked back.

Jiang Xia fell silent. After a moment, he said softly, "Although our current strength is enough to kill the emperor, after that..."

"That's not something you should consider." Guo Huiyue looked at Jiang Xia gently with cold eyes.

"The princess still needs to have a face-to-face meeting with her father-in-law." Jiang Xia's expression grew cold. He wanted to know more of Guo Huiyue's cards, but the other party did not reveal anything.

Although his father-in-law Dou Huaiqi was the governor of Youzhou, his control over the Youzhou soldiers had been declining rapidly since he was transferred away from Youzhou.

Now that the emperor is dead, they may be able to control part of the army, but Youzhou alone is not enough.

They also needed Dingzhou, Jizhou, and other powers, but Guo regretted holding them tightly in his hands.

Everything can only wait until autumn when the emperor returns to Chang'an.

……

Pingzhou, Qinhuangdao.

The sea is surging and the rocks are crouching.

"Your Majesty." Di Renjie's familiar voice sounded behind Li Xuan.

"Mr. Di, do you think I can successfully destroy Silla?" Li Xuan turned sideways and looked at Di Renjie.

"Yes!" Di Renjie nodded confidently, and then said: "Now everyone in the army, the court, the local noble families, and the royal family hopes to gain military merit and wealth through a battle with Silla. Your Majesty has gathered the power of the entire world and has many wisdom and strategies. With all your efforts, there is no reason why Silla will not be destroyed."

(End of this chapter)