Yu Chengjie was completely confused by Ang Lee. He didn't understand what Ang Lee wanted to do. He was tired and didn't want to go to Cuandi. Was this still Ang Lee? However, the imperial edict had been issued. It was the Emperor of the Tang dynasty who forced him to quell the rebellion.
What did it mean to rely on the King of Yunnan? Did he want to give up the leadership of quelling Cuandi to his father?
A series of questions made Yu Chengjie's forehead wrinkle into a big knot. He paused and looked at Ang Lee, "What do you mean, Officer Li? You can speak frankly."
Ang Lee looked into the room and said softly, "Second Prince, let's go in and talk, how about it?"
Yu Chengjie pursed his lips and extended his hand to make an inviting gesture, "General Li, please come in."
After entering the room, Ang Lee and Yu Chengjie sat down separately. There were only two steps between them to facilitate the conversation.
"General Li, if you have anything to say, you can say it now."
Yu Chengjie asked curiously.
Ang Lee smiled first and looked at Yu Chengjie, "Second Prince, do you know the current situation of the Tang dynasty?"
"The current situation of the Tang dynasty?"
Yu Chengjie frowned and thought for a moment. He shook his head and said, "Xiao Wang doesn't understand what General Li means. General Li, if you have something to say, just say it."
Ang Lee nodded and said seriously, "I treat Second Prince as a friend, so I won't hide some things from Second Prince. At present, our Tang dynasty is facing Turkic civil strife in the north, Tibetan threat in the west, and the two Tibetans in the northeast often invade the border. Last year, there was a major snowstorm in Hebei Province. Now, there is a rebellion in Cuandi. It's really a double whammy. The imperial treasury is in urgent need, so there is not much money and food to send the main force to quell the rebellion in Cuandi."
Hearing this, Yu Chengjie pretended to be sad and said, "Xiao Wang has always heard that the Tang dynasty is rich and populous, but I didn't expect that there would be a time when the national treasury is empty. Xiao Wang is deeply saddened. But since this is the case, why didn't Your Majesty agree to let Nanzhao be in charge of suppressing the rebellion? Our Nanzhao has unified the Six Zhao for many years, our national treasury is abundant, and our military is strong. We can definitely defeat the rebels in Cuandi."
Ang Lee frowned and looked at Yu Chengjie. "Does Second Prince really not understand His Majesty, or is he just pretending to be confused? How can Second Prince not understand such simple logic?"
"Xiao Wang really doesn't know. Please tell me, General Li."
Yu Chengjie humbly asked for advice.
Ang Lee pretended to be mysterious. He stretched his neck closer to Yu Chengjie and whispered, "His Majesty is the ruler of the Tang dynasty, the Heavenly Khan of the grassland, and also a very proud person. Even if the national treasury of the Tang dynasty is empty, we can't let others laugh at us. The Cuandi tyrants rebelled against the Tang dynasty, so it should be the Tang dynasty that should suppress the rebellion. If all the responsibility of suppressing the rebellion is given to Nanzhao, won't it show that the Tang dynasty is incompetent?"
Yu Chengjie touched his forehead and nodded. "What General Li said is very reasonable. Then what is His Majesty's real intention?"
"His Majesty's real intention is still to use Nanzhao's military to suppress the rebellion in Cuandi. But on the surface, he wants to send me to lead the troops to show the Tang dynasty's determination to suppress the rebellion and save the face of the imperial court of the Tang dynasty."
Yu Chengjie nodded and suddenly understood. "So that's the case. Then what does Xiao Wang need to do?"
Ang Lee saw that the time was ripe. He took a step closer and whispered, "In five days, I will lead 600 soldiers to Luzhou to take charge. In fact, I will bide my time and do nothing. Second Prince can return to Nanzhao as soon as possible and tell His Majesty's real intention to the King of Yunnan. Let the King of Yunnan lead the troops to suppress the rebellion in Cuandi as soon as possible."
Yu Chengjie nodded repeatedly and looked at Ang Lee gratefully. "Thanks to Captain Li's reminder, Xiao Wang thought that he did not complete his father's task. I didn't expect that His Majesty's real intention is still to let Nanzhao lead the suppression of the rebellion. In this case, Xiao Wang can rest assured."
Ang Lee sneered in his heart. In his opinion, Yu Chengjie was really a big fool. He believed whatever others said and completely followed the thoughts of others. If this kind of fool was the king of Nanzhao, he would definitely not be a threat to the Tang dynasty. At most, he could only barely maintain the current territory of Nanzhao with the help of virtuous ministers.
"Second Prince, I will set off in five days. If Prince has nothing to do in the capital, why don't we go together? In this way, I can also protect Second Prince's safety."
Ang Lee was worried that Yu Chengjie would be trapped by the beautiful life in Chang 'an and would not want to return to Nanzhao. In this case, the chance of seizing the throne of Nanzhao would be greatly reduced, which would be detrimental to the future interests of the Tang dynasty.
Hearing this, Yu Chengjie felt that Ang Lee's words were very reasonable. Since his mission in the capital had been completed and his purpose of making friends with the officials of the Tang dynasty had been achieved, there was no need for him to stay in Chang 'an. It was better to go back early and report to his father.
"General Li, you are right. Xiao Wang is planning to do so. In five days, Xiao Wang and General Li will go together and return to Nanzhao as soon as possible."
Yu Chengjie said happily.
Ang Lee's purpose had been completely achieved, so it was meaningless to stay here and talk with Yu Chengjie. He got up and said, "Second Prince, have an early rest. I will take my leave."
"Xiao Wang, see Captain Li out."
Yu Chengjie smiled and got up to personally see Ang Lee out of the gate of the Honglu Guild Hall. He watched Ang Lee walk for a long distance before he turned around and went back, humming a little tune.
Seeing Yu Chengjie, who had a gloomy face just now, suddenly become a different person, the three confidants were all stunned.
Since the conversation between Ang Lee and Yu Chengjie took place in the room, they naturally could not hear it, let alone know what had happened.
"Second Prince, what made you so happy?"
One of the confidants asked boldly.
Yu Chengjie grinned and said, "General Li just said that His Majesty's original intention is still to let Nanzhao be in charge of suppressing the rebellion. But for the sake of face, he let General Li take a few hundred people to Cuandi. Think about it, isn't it obvious that a few hundred people of the Dragon Martial Army can defeat tens of thousands of rebels in Cuandi?"
"Second Prince, I'm afraid it's not that simple. I heard that the Emperor of the Tang dynasty asked General Li to recruit three thousand soldiers. If it's not for suppressing the rebellion, what's the purpose of recruiting so many soldiers?"
"Yes, Second Prince, Ang Lee is a valiant commander. A few months ago, he used thousands of soldiers to wipe out the 20,000 soldiers of Tibet. This time, he went to Cuandi to recruit soldiers. I'm afraid it's not as simple as just taking a walk."
Several of his trusted subordinates put forward different opinions.
Yu Chengjie looked impatient and scolded, "What do you know? Do you know how difficult the Tang dynasty is now? Their national treasury is empty. Even if they want to mobilize a large number of soldiers, they don't have enough money and food. So, you don't have to worry too much."
One of the confidants frowned and said, "It's very likely that this is true. Recently, the Tang dynasty has been issuing national bonds and borrowing from the rich people in the world. If the national treasury is full, why would they do this?"
"Is the rich Tang dynasty really running out of money?"
"The Tang dynasty is rich, but its family business is also big. For many years, it has been fighting the Turks, Tibetans, and the two Tibetans. It must have suffered a great loss. Last year, there was a snowstorm. You can imagine the difficulties. I'm afraid the national treasury is really empty."
"Even with the strength and wealth of the Tang dynasty, there will be times when the national treasury is empty. Things are really unpredictable."
"If the national treasury of the Tang dynasty is empty, it will be difficult for them to send troops to the south on a large scale. This is a good opportunity for Nanzhao to send troops to Cuandi. Even if we occupy Cuandi, the Tang dynasty can only admit it."
The confidants, combined with the recent events of the Tang dynasty, all believed that the national treasury of the Tang dynasty might really be empty.
Yu Chengjie looked very proud and looked at the three attendants. "Xiao Wang has said that this trip to Chang 'an will definitely complete the task given by my father. Now that things are almost done, we should go back to Nanzhao."
"Second Prince, when do you plan to return?"
Yu Chengjie smiled softly. "Five days later, General Li will go to the south. We can take care of each other on the way."
"Yes, Second Prince. Then I'll let everyone get ready to set off in five days."
One of the attendants said.
Yu Chengjie smiled and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He waved his hand and said, "No hurry, no hurry. There are still five days. There is no need to prepare so early. Alas, Chang 'an is so prosperous. Since we have come here, we can't just go back like this. At least, we have to experience the good life in Chang' an and see the beautiful scenery of Chang 'an.
At least we can be worthy of ourselves. "Obviously, these days, Yu Chengjie had been sitting on pins and needles, so he was not in the mood to go out and play. Now, everything had been settled. Moreover, they would return to Nanzhao in five days. For Yu Chengjie, if he did not stay in Chang 'an and enjoy himself in the most prosperous city in the world, he would be too sorry for himself. After returning to Nanzhao, he would not be able to show off his story to others.
The three henchmen had followed Yu Chengjie for many years, so they knew their master's character like the back of their hand. They knew that Yu Chengjie's old habit was acting up again. The top courtesans of Chang 'an would probably make a lot of money again.
Walking out of the Honglu Guild Hall, Ang Lee felt relaxed. At present, everything was going according to the trajectory he had planned. Yu Chengjie, a fool, could be coaxed with a few words, and the following situation in Cuan Land was naturally under his control.
"General Li, General Li."
A young man who looked like a servant ran over, panting.
Ang Lee, Kun Xiong, and Fei Yu stopped at the same time and looked back at the young man.
"General Li, Alang, the Right Prime Minister, invites you to his house."
Ang Lee was slightly stunned. "Why did Li Linfu invite me again for no reason? Is he up to no good again?"
"Do you want to go now?"
"Yes, Alang is in the house, waiting for General Li at any time."
Li An was stunned again. Li Linfu was the Minister of the Right of the Imperial Court. He was a powerful official in the Imperial Court who was second only to one person. Why would he specially wait for him at home? This was giving him too much face. Wouldn't it be too much for him?
However, no matter what, since Li Linfu was already waiting at home, then he could not let him wait for too long. He had to go as soon as possible.
"You go back first, I will be there soon."
Ang Lee dismissed the servant of the Right Prime Minister, looked at Kun Xiong and Fei Yu, and said softly, "I don't know what the Right Prime Minister wants me to go, but he is a powerful official in the imperial court. Big Brother has to go. You go back first."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Ang Lee spurred the horse and quickly rushed to Li Linfu's residence.
In the Right Prime Minister's residence, Li Linfu and a guest were sitting in the main hall, talking about topics of mutual interest.
This guest had a scar on his cheek, and was dressed very luxuriously. He was none other than the eldest son of the current Emperor Li Longji, Prince Qing Li Tan.
According to Li Longji's request, princes could not casually come into contact with officials. But this time it was Li Longji's personal order for Prince Qing Li Tan to go to the Right Prime Minister's residence to represent him to visit Li Linfu, who was slightly ill, and to discuss with Li Linfu the matter of Nanzhao.
It must be said that Li Linfu's body was still fine, but after all he was a little old and under a lot of pressure. It was normal for him to occasionally catch a cold, have a fever, eat something bad, and so on.
Of course, as a high-ranking official, sometimes he was too tired and didn't want to go to work in the imperial city. He could use illness as an excuse to rest at home. This wasn't something shameful, and was very common in ancient times. For example, he couldn't go to court due to illness, and so on.
Li Linfu had always supported Prince Shou Li Mao, but after Wu Huifei's death, Prince Shou's position in Li Longji's heart plummeted, and he no longer had any hope of resisting the Crown Prince. Thus, Li Linfu turned to support Prince Qing Li Tan, because Li Tan was Li Longji's eldest son, and had a certain legal basis for succession.
But Li Tan also had a fatal flaw, which was that when hunting, his face would be scratched by prey, leaving behind ugly scars. Although appearance didn't mean anything, the Son of Heaven was the highest ruler of a country, and appearance was still very important. This was the main reason why Li Longji didn't choose Li Tan as the Crown Prince. Of course, at present, other than Prince Qing Li Tan, there really didn't seem to be anyone who could resist the Crown Prince. Supporting Prince Qing Li Tan was also Li Linfu's helplessness.
In order to show that his body was unwell, when chatting with Li Tan, Li Linfu would occasionally cough a few times and use a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.
"Alang, General Li has arrived outside the residence."
His trusted aide Li Zhonglin walked into the main hall and reported softly.
"The Right Prime Minister has a guest, so Li Tan will take his leave first."
Li Tan said modestly.
Li Linfu hurriedly waved his hand and said softly, "Prince Qing, there's no need to leave. The more the merrier."
As he spoke, he stood up, and with Li Zhonglin's support, he personally walked out of the main hall to welcome Ang Lee.
Seeing Li Linfu stand up to welcome Ang Lee, Li Tan naturally couldn't sit in the main hall. He also hurriedly stood up and followed behind Li Linfu, walking towards the main door.
"Open the middle door to welcome him."
This time, Li Linfu still chose to open the middle door to welcome him, to show his good impression of Ang Lee. And on this day, the middle door of the Right Prime Minister's residence was already opened for the second time. The first time was naturally to welcome Prince Qing Li Tan.
The middle door of the Right Prime Minister's residence wasn't opened casually. Even when Li Linfu himself went in and out, he used the side door. Otherwise, the axle of the middle door wouldn't have rusted and creaked.
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