Chapter 29: Prophecy (Part 1
Zhang Xuanning walked down the bridge. It was already three days later. Chang'an was worthy of being the imperial capital. There was an endless stream of carriages and sedan chairs. There were even many pedestrians wearing Hu clothing. It was so prosperous, but one would have thought that this imperial court was heading towards destruction.
Zhang Xuan walked intently, his mind full of thoughts. The road to hegemony was bumpy and difficult. Not only was he in danger of being crushed to pieces at any time, but more importantly, it would bring disaster to his family, and even the families of his subordinates. It would be a piece of cake for tens of thousands of people to be implicated.
So timing is critical.
Zhang Xuanning, who has regained his sanity and obtained the treasure of Yang Gong, has already calculated the whole world into a chess game, and has a keen insight. The so-called game of the world is nothing but a game in his mind.
To conquer the world, the biggest enemy must be the Li family.
There is no need to talk about the other preparations beforehand, and there is no need to talk about the three attacks on Goryeo and all the complicated things involved. Let's just talk about the eleventh year of Daye, which is this year. Emperor Yang of Sui had already regretted his actions and returned to Chang'an. At this time, he still had 200,000 elite troops. Even if he could not dominate the overall situation, it was more than enough to maintain the situation on one side.
In August of this year, Emperor Yang of Sui went on a northern tour with the original intention of suppressing the situation in the north. However, he was besieged at Yanmen by Shibi Khan of the Eastern Turks. In September, the siege was lifted and he had to return to the Eastern Capital. The following year, he moved to Jiangdu, leaving King Dong of Yue and others to guard Luoyang.
In the third year, that is, the 13th year of Daye, Li Mi killed Zhai Rang and occupied Luokou. In April, the Wagang Army approached the Eastern Capital and held a stalemate with Wang Shichong. In fact, the passage between the north and the south had been cut off, and Emperor Yang of Sui lost control of the north.
As soon as he got the news, in the next month of that year, in May, Li Yuan started the rebellion in Jinyang. In July, he marched into Guanzhong. In November, he captured Chang'an and made Dai Wang You the emperor.
Seeing that the Li family had the upper hand in the north and were almost ready to become emperors, the Yuwen family had no choice but to take the risk. In March of the following year, the Jiangdu army mutinied, killed Emperor Yang, and established Qin Wang Hao as emperor. They led hundreds of thousands of elite troops and returned west to Guanzhong. However, it was just a last-ditch struggle, and the death of Emperor Yang of Sui provided an excuse. In May, Li Yuan deposed Emperor Gong of Sui, proclaimed himself emperor, and named the country Tang. He was known as Li Yuan, the Emperor Gaozu of Tang.
What a big chess game! The Li clan was originally of Hu race, so it was natural for them to collude with the Turks. I don't know how many benefits they promised, but they allowed hundreds of thousands of Turks to besiege Yanmen, which made Emperor Yang of Sui feel that the north was full of crises. In fact, they moved south, and the north became a blank land. They also endured until Li Mi attacked Luoyang and cut off the north-south passage. Only then did they brazenly start an uprising. Within a few months, they occupied Chang'an and Guanzhong, and reproduced the momentum of Qin's conquest of the six kingdoms.
This chessboard, this preparation, this setup, are all breathtaking. It can be said that the plan is lofty and the intention is extraordinary.
Of course, this game of chess took place over a period of at least twenty years, when Li Shimin was still a child. It was not Li Shimin's doing at all. The talk that Li Shimin forced his father to rebel and that Li Yuan was indecisive is all bullshit. I wonder how much talent or knowledge the people who say this have.
Although both of them colluded with foreign invasion, the differences in means and strength, as well as the evolution of opportunities, led to completely different results. The winner will be an emperor for all ages, while the loser will be despised by the world. It's nothing more than a winner takes all.
Who could have thought that by colluding with the Hu people and relying on the powerful family, one could enjoy the glory of the prosperous times, occupy the land of China, and continue the prosperous Tang Dynasty?
In history, there was a woman named Yang who disturbed the prosperous Tang Dynasty. There was also An Lushan, who was also a Hu people, who rebelled and caused the prosperous Tang Dynasty to decline. Was this the retribution for colluding with foreign races?
How many people in the world could see through this kind of setup? Even if it was Song Que, the Heavenly Blade, who was in the middle of the situation at this time and place, he might not be able to see through it. As for Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, they had never even touched their shadows in their entire lives.
How much sadness ? He entrusted the fate of his family and the divine rule of China to this ignorant, incompetent, but self-righteous ungrateful person.
Zhang Xuanning also felt sad.
There are no heroes in Chinese culture, which allowed the barbarian villains to usurp the sacred artifacts. People only think that the Five Barbarians' invasion of China began in the Sui Dynasty, but they don't know that Li Tang was originally a barbarian!
If we look at it from this perspective, in the distant past, for hundreds of years, there was the internal spread of Buddhism, the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, the Cihang Jingzhai, and the connection between religion, politics and race. In the recent past, there was the setting up of the Li family and the demise of the Sui Dynasty II. All the preparations and arrangements are clear and there are no secrets anymore.
This is the breadth of mind and magnanimity that people all over the world have to understand the world's chess!
"Ha! Ha! Brother Shi is so bold that you actually walk around Chang'an openly. Don't you know that the Jingzhao League and Yang Wengan are offering a reward for your head?" A voice said .
Zhang Xuanning woke up from his thoughts and said in astonishment: "Who called me like that? My last name is not Shi!"
At this moment, he was dressed in green, looking like a young man, without any bloody smell.
At this moment, a maid came down from a carriage, bowed respectfully, and said, "Please come forward, sir."
When the carriage was pulled away, Hou Xibai appeared. He smiled and said, "Why, you still don't admit it? The man who killed Lianxing Society's leader Qian Ye three days ago was also carrying a knife with a yellow glow!"
Zhang Xuanning was secretly shocked and realized that he was confused at that time. Although he wore a mask and changed into new clothes, he forgot his long sword "Pojun" with a yellow glow, and anyone with a discerning eye could make the connection.
"It turned out to be Brother Hou. You scared me. How come you are in Chang'an?" Zhang Xuanning knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he took out the mask and said, "I practiced the Yueshan Heart Method and the Sun-Changing Method given by Shi Qingxuan, and I was filled with murderous intent that I couldn't suppress. I did all these things a few days ago. Fortunately, I have this mask, otherwise I would be in trouble."
Hou Xibai looked at him carefully and smiled nonchalantly: "Yes, Yueshan's mental method is radical, and the Sun-Changing Method is even more bizarre and mysterious. You have to practice it carefully!"
After a pause, he picked up the mask and continued, "This mask is really delicate. When you wear it on your face, no trace of it can be seen. Hey, it can even let in air and sweat. It's really amazing. Where did you get it?"
"When I was practicing Ba Dao in Luoyang, I unexpectedly met an old man. After seeing my sword skills, the old man seemed to be deeply moved and said that it was the sword skills of an old friend, so he gave it to me." Zhang Xuanning said with a little regret: "It's a pity that I don't know who this person is!"
This answer was far beyond Hou Xibai's expectations, but he showed a thoughtful expression. After a long silence, he smiled and said, "Then why did you have time to come to Chang'an?"
"Haha, I can't say that. Brother Hou, are you willing to help me do something big?"
"Oh, we hit it off right away. If you have anything to say, just tell me. If I can do it, I will never refuse." Hou Xibai's eyes lit up and he said sincerely.
"Hou Xibai, have you ever heard that peaches and plums are the best in the world?"
"It's the song of peaches and plums, right? Peach and plums, don't talk nonsense, the yellow swan flies around the mountain, and dances in the garden." Hou Xibai said: "Back then, even Li Yuan was implicated, but there were many people with the surname Li, so killing Li Hun was enough."
He also said: "There were many people with the surname Li at that time. Li Hun succeeded to the Duke of Shen, and was successively promoted to Guanglu Dafu and Youxiaowei Dajiangjun. He was in charge of the imperial army and was naturally the most suspicious. Therefore, he was sentenced to death and his property was confiscated. Other people with the surname Li were not allowed to hold military power."
Zhang Xuanning nodded in agreement. When Li Yuan arrived in Taiyuan, although he was the prefect, he had no military power. Later, he was able to take charge of the army under the pretext of suppressing civil unrest, and he killed Wang Wei, the deputy governor of Taiyuan, and Gao Junya, who were monitoring him.
It can be said that the prophecy has greatly weakened Li Yuan's power in the open. As for his power in secret, no matter how hard he tries, it will be useless. It can be said that the power of the Li family has been established and can no longer be stopped. He smiled and said, "Can you spread this rumor again? The Eighteen Sons will be the masters of the divine weapon. Several times, Jiaolong played out the events of the past, bringing peace to the world and helping the people in Chang'an. The two palaces gossiped in the deep, and who can tell whether they are right or wrong!"
Hou Xibai was stunned, and read it silently several times, his eyes lit up with surprise: "What does this mean?"
"Haha, no matter what your meaning is, are you willing to help?" Zhang Xuanning asked with a smile.
After taking a deep look at Zhang Xuanning, Hou Xibai smiled and said, "Interesting. I'll help you then. Within three days, this ballad will spread all over Chang'an and will never cease to be heard. Is that okay?"
Seeing that he agreed, Zhang Xuanning breathed a sigh of relief. Although the demonic aura in his body was deeply hidden, it could not be concealed from him. Fortunately, Yue Shan was also a master in the Demon Sect, and the mental method that came with his Ba Dao was of course also from the Demon Sect. It was natural for him to have some demonic aura in his practice. Moreover, Lu Miaozi was a good friend of Yue Shan. He was practicing Yue Shan's Ba Dao, and it made sense for him to give him a mask when he met him.
Of course, this can only make Hou Xibai and the people behind him doubtful, so there must be a planner to divert attention. It just so happens that it is about time to plot against the Li family. Throwing this out should be enough to attract attention!
