r18novel Page 270
Page 270
Upon seeing Yuan Benxi, Zhao Chun said resentfully, "Teacher, has this Li Chang'an been biding his time all along?"
"When I first heard this news, I really wanted to abolish the feudal lords and kill people."
Yuan Benxi smiled slightly, "Li Chang'an is not hiding his abilities, but rather seeking survival in the face of death."
"If he doesn't want to be stripped of his fiefdom by His Majesty, standing against Northern Liang is a risky move, but it's almost his only way to survive."
Zhao Chun said worriedly, "I intend to give Li Chang'an some power so that he can oppose Xu Xiao."
"But I still have some doubts. After all, Li Chang'an is a remnant of the former Southern Tang dynasty."
Yuan Benxi said, "It was my idea to let Li Chang'an inherit the title of prince back then."
“Yongzhou is a place of constant warfare. Even if Li Chang’an had some ability, he would not be able to restore the country.”
Zhao Chun gave a wry smile and said, "I'm just afraid that something might happen, and that another Xu Xiao might be raised up, becoming too powerful to control."
Yuan Benxi slowly analyzed, "Liyang has a strong army and horses, and is not afraid of the remnants of the Eight Kingdoms at all."
“What we are really worried about is the dispersion of power and the fact that the vassal kings hold a large military force.”
"If Li Chang'an really gets too powerful, then let the vassal kings quell the rebellion and make them both suffer heavy losses!"
"Regardless of the outcome, hasn't the goal of weakening the feudal lords been achieved?"
Upon hearing Yuan Benxi's words, Zhao Chun's last remaining doubts were completely dispelled!
It sounds like we're winning either way!
Generous gifts to Li Chang'an will bring him countless benefits and no harm whatsoever!
"Thanks to the teacher for guiding me through the confusion."
Yuan Benxi solemnly said, "Li Chang'an is nothing to fear; the King of Beiliang and his six clan princes are the real threats!"
Zhao Chun nodded repeatedly, and an idea immediately came to him.
"Then reward Li Chang'an according to the standards of a small country!"
"And... no one dares to disturb the hornet's nest on Qingcheng Mountain."
"Let Li Chang'an go. Whether it's the Prince of Tang or the Prince of Qingcheng, we can begin formally reducing the power of the princes after either of them dies!"
"The King of Qingcheng has had a rather ambiguous relationship with Beiliang over the years. If he really sides with Beiliang, then his life is over!"
Yuan Benxi smiled slightly, "Using one tiger to devour another, Your Majesty's insight is brilliant!"
In the current Liyang Dynasty, power is decentralized, and many places are governed independently.
In the original timeline, the Li Yang court had allowed the Western Chu to restore its kingdom.
Then, the imperial court mobilized troops from the princes and local military commanders to quell the rebellion.
The seemingly absurd plan actually served to strengthen the main trunk and weaken the branches.
Li Chang'an, with his foresight, knew the nature and weaknesses of the Li Yang Dynasty.
He knew that this court, in order to unify its power, would definitely support him in opposing Northern Liang.
Yuan Benxi then said, "Your Majesty, now that Chu Lushan has fallen into the hands of the court, we must not let him go."
"You can send a reliable person to Yongzhou to secretly negotiate terms with Xu Xiao."
"If Xu Xiao is willing to permanently relinquish the hereditary title of King of Beiliang, then Chu Lushan can be returned to Beiliang..."
After Yuan Benxi finished speaking, the two looked at each other and laughed, revealing a cunning smile.
Northern Liang, the Prince's Palace of Qingliang Mountain.
Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang, was playing chess with Li Yishan, his face dark with anger.
"Yishan, I never expected that someone would dare to provoke me!"
"A prince who's just putting on airs actually dared to castrate my adopted son! And forcibly detain my daughter!"
"Do you really think I, Old Xu, can't lift a knife anymore?!"
Li Yishan was also quite surprised; the development of this matter was completely beyond his and Xu Xiao's expectations.
He spent his days in Tingchao Pavilion analyzing the state of the world. Northern Liang spies were everywhere, and their information network was extremely efficient.
He truly hadn't expected that Li Chang'an would manage to deceive the Northern Liang's spies, not only achieving minor mastery of martial arts but also gaining control of the governor of Yongzhou.
"What does Your Highness intend to do?"
Xu Xiao will not send troops; he didn't even raise an army back then because of Wu Su.
Now, Chu Lushan would be even less likely to allow Xu Xiao to rebel.
"Li Chang'an, do you want to be a sword hanging over the head of the imperial court in Beiliang?"
Li Yishan nodded slowly and said, "He is trying to survive against all odds, and he really has a chance to live."
"Furthermore, the Second Princess... I'm afraid she'll never come back."
"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Li Chang'an actually broke the assassin's mind-sealing technique!"
Xu Weixiong was exceptionally talented, which is why Xu Xiao spared her life.
In Xu Xiao's plan, once Xu Weixiong is honed, he will become a sharp blade in Xu Fengnian's hands!
However, the blade was only half-forged before Li Chang'an broke it.
"That Li Chang'an deserves to be torn to pieces!"
A cold glint flashed in Li Yishan's eyes, and his expression turned serious.
"Your Highness, General Xu Weixiong is a formidable enemy of Northern Liang!"
"Must die!"
Xu Weixiong and Beiliang are mortal enemies, and he will definitely take revenge on Beiliang in the future.
Xu Xiao, who had spent his life on killing, knew that those who could not be used by him should be eliminated completely!
"Arrange for someone to kill Li Chang'an and Xu Weixiong as soon as possible. As for Chu Lushan, let's wait and see what the court's attitude is."
Li Yishan nodded slowly and said, "Your Highness is wise."
"Li Chang'an detained Xu Weixiong and castrated Lu Qiu'er. The Crown Prince must be very angry."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiao's face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Yeah! That brat's going to be so angry he'll die!"
"Oh dear! Oh dear!"
"Thinking about that, I'm not so angry anymore!"
Chapter 177 First-Rank Vajra Realm! Xu Wei Xiong Attends to the Emperor's Bedchamber! (23)
Thinking about Xu Fengnian's possible reaction, Xu Xiao couldn't help but smile.
"Feng Nian has never wanted to learn martial arts, nor is he willing to take over Bei Liang."
"This is a perfect opportunity for him to experience firsthand how people can bully someone who has no martial arts skills and no power."
“Feng Nian is a stubborn piece of iron that can’t be sharpened, and Li Chang’an can use it to make a whetstone for my son.”
Xu Xiao, a great figure, built a considerable empire over his lifetime.
His wish was to consolidate his power and position and pass it down from generation to generation.
Cultivating Xu Fengnian as a successor is more important than anything else.
Xu Xiao had just stepped out of Tingchao Pavilion when a boot was thrown at him!
"My lord, be careful!"
Wei Shuyang and Huang Zhentu, who were at the entrance of Tingchao Pavilion, gave timely reminders, but neither could keep up with the speed at which Xu Fengnian threw his boots.
Xu the Cripple, being a second-rank minor grandmaster, easily dodged the attack.
"Xu Fengnian! You dare to rebel against the Heavenly Gang, I'll beat your father!"
When Xu Xiao gets angry and curses, most people would be scared to death, but Xu Fengnian is an exception.
Xu Xiao got angry and started cursing, which made Xu Fengnian even angrier.
"Xu Xiao! You old bastard! My second sister was kidnapped, and Lu Qiu'er was castrated!"
"You didn't even react? You, the dignified King of Beiliang, are you such a coward?"
"Back then, when my mother was framed, you endured it silently. Now that someone is riding roughshod over you, you still have to endure it!"
Enraged, Xu Fengnian grabbed Xu Xiao by the collar without any politeness, scolding him like an old servant.
"Lu Qiu'er is a groom every night; castrating him is worse than killing him!"
"Li Chang'an even allowed Lu Qiu'er to eavesdrop on his bedchamber every night in the brothel! Is this something a human being would do?"
Xu Xiao said repeatedly, "Son, I'm here to discuss countermeasures with your master."
Xu Fengnian roared relentlessly, "I heard that Second Sister was taken in as a maid by that bastard!"
"My second sister is so proud, how could she allow Li Chang'an to humiliate her like this!"