Chapter 463 Tang Lost His Deer

Chapter 463 Tang Lost His Deer

Lan Rong wanted to pack up the entire city of Nanyang and give it to his daughter to take away, but unfortunately, even though he was the prefect, Nanyang was not his.

"Dad, you can't let me drive the convoy to Dongdu."

Lan Ling was speechless as she looked at the servants directing the loading of the truck outside the government office.

"Not much. Even if you go to Dongdu, we can't live under someone else's roof. Dad will send someone to Dongdu to buy you a house in advance. Move your things over first, and you can stay there for a few days before leaving."

Zhao Yushu squatted aside pretending to be a coward. He was the one who kidnapped the girl, and it would be too much if he didn't let the girl pack up her things.

"Ling'er, you haven't been back for a long time. Take Xiaocao for a walk. Zhao Yushu, come to the study. I have something to discuss with you."

Zhao Yushu kept saying he didn't dare and followed him to the study.

"I have some letters here. Please take a look."

Arriving at the study, Lan Rong took out a few envelopes and handed them over: "These letters are top secret. Just keep them in your heart after reading them."

Zhao Yushu nodded, opened the first letter, and his eyes suddenly widened.

This letter was written by Li Huan in Chang'an. The letter began with harsh words, questioning why Lan Rong did not openly oppose Li Jian of Dongdu's enthronement, and why Nanyang, located at the throat of Dongdu, was reluctant to block the important land routes of Dongdu.

However, in the second half, the tone softened, stating that Chang'an had already gained the upper hand on the front battlefield, and the execution of the traitors was just around the corner. As long as Lan Rong stood in line, Chang'an would reward him greatly when the day was clear.

"The position of the Prince of Nanyang has been vacant for a long time."

Li Huan gave his price tactfully but directly.

"how?"

Seeing that Zhao Yushu had finished reading the first letter, Lan Rong spoke calmly.

"Half truths and half lies."

"Where is the truth? Where is the falsehood?"

"It is true that Chang'an urgently needs Lord Lan to stand on its side, and it is also true that we have achieved a small-scale victory on the front battlefield. However, it is false that we have all the advantages, and it is also false that we have the position of the Prince of Nanyang."

“How come you see?”

"If we have all the advantages and can take over the Eastern Capital without Lord Lan's help, why should we give this position to you? If Lord Lan's help is necessary, is a mere prince worthy of being called a dragon's follower?"

Lan Rong narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth slightly: "You are not a completely unlearned martial artist."

Zhao Yushu's face fell immediately. After all, he was the sixth master of the academy, the representative of scholars, how come you guys made him a warrior who only knew how to chop people? Although I didn't study for many days.

"Keep watching."

Zhao Yushu said "oh" and opened the second letter. Not surprisingly, it was from Li Jian.

Li Jian was better than his useless brother. It might be because he had developed the ability to read people's expressions and be cautious over the past twenty years. Even when facing his own subjects, Li Jian's tone was much more polite.

Li Jian first reminisced about his ancestors for a long time, then expressed his emotion about the 400 years of power of the Tang Dynasty, and then mentioned that Nanyang and Dongdu have been interdependent since ancient times, and the nobles of Dongdu have always been grateful for the hard work and efforts that Nanyang has put in as the barrier of Dongdu.

Li Jian's demand was very simple. Nanyang did not have to publicly submit to Dongdu. It could just remain neutral. After Dongdu cleared out the rebels, it would be returned to the old capital. The nobles in Dongdu had already discussed that they must give Nanyang Lan's family a hereditary position, or at least a duke.

"I have heard that your daughter is a lady of noble character and has the appearance of a princess."

It has to be said that Li Jian's grasp of people's hearts is more than one level higher than Li Huan's. The position of Duke is neither outrageous nor shabby. People know that Lan Rong is a daughter slave, so he promised her the position of Princess in a clean and neat way. Both father and daughter are successful, and their sincerity is great.

The most important thing is that they don’t ask for anything, and they don’t even want you to make a public statement, so you just need to maintain the status quo.

"It looks like Li Jianzhen has lost the battle."

"General Wang was stationed at Tongguan. Li Jian was ambitious and wanted to take over the throne in one fell swoop. He deployed all his best troops, but failed to take Tongguan after a long siege. Not only did he suffer heavy casualties, but the military leaders of Hebei and Hedong provinces immediately stopped moving when they saw that the situation was not right. Some of them even had other ideas. Hehe, who said that only the Li family could rule the world?"

"What about Hangu Pass?"

"The Duke of Yue recommended a man whose ability was average, but he had one strength that ordinary people could not match. As a result, Chang'an could not be taken for a while, and could not even be attacked."

Zhao Yushu showed doubts on his face.

"This person is the fourth prince of Liao."

"what!"

Zhao Yushu was horrified.

Chang'an has already borrowed troops from the Liao Kingdom, and Dongdu has even directly invited the fourth prince of the Liao Kingdom to guard the most important Hangu Pass. Isn't Li Jian afraid that the other party will turn against him?

Zhao Yushu let out a long breath. Li Jian was really not afraid.

Because the Liao Kingdom was betting on both sides.

If the fourth prince of Liao guarded Hangu Pass, the soldiers borrowed from Liao would not attack Chang'an from there. They forced the emperors of the two capitals to move the main battlefield to Tongguan, turning the most important pass of the Tang Dynasty into a meat grinder and completely wearing out the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty.

When the Tang Dynasty was exhausted and infighting broke out, it would be easy for the Liao army to take control of the Central Plains or support a puppet emperor.

If Li Jian does not obey, the Liao army will not only come from the direction of Chang'an, but may also take the Hebei Road to attack the Eastern Capital directly. Those in Hebei Road who have evil intentions may turn a blind eye and may even give way on their own initiative.

This is a conspiracy.

The only way out for the Tang Dynasty was for one of the two capitals to decisively surrender, and the two sides would join forces and, taking advantage of the internal strife within the Red Lotus Sect, go all out to the north, defeat a large number of elite Liao troops, and return to a strategic offensive posture against the Liao Kingdom.

However, some expert in the Liao Kingdom already knew exactly what kind of people these two brothers were.

Even if they had to drag the entire Tang Dynasty with them to be buried with them, they would not give up the throne they had already sat on.

"Deserves to be killed!"

Zhao Yushu gritted his teeth and wished he could return to Dongdu right now and chop Li Jian to death with a single blow.

"Hey, the Li family has hundreds of descendants. Even if you kill Li Jian and Li Huan, can you change the current situation? Childish!"

Lan Rong mocked without hesitation: "Keep watching."

"Yes."

Zhao Yushu opened the third letter and his eyes widened even more.

"You guys, want to rebel?"

This was a joint letter. Zhao Yushu did not recognize the signatories, but he had heard of their official positions. These people included the chief officers of Shouzhou and Luzhou, who were near Jiangning; these people included the chief officers of Songzhou and Xuzhou, who were near Dongdu; these people included the military leaders of Hedong Road and Hebei Road, who could surround Hangu Pass at any time.

No matter which side these people belong to now, as long as they move together, Dongdu will instantly become an isolated city.

The content of the letter was very simple. Everyone was united as one, watching the fight from a mountain, and waiting for the right moment to act. If Li Jian was going to lose, he would directly take over Dongdu and Jiangning and surrender to Chang'an. If Li Jian was going to win, he would also take over the two places. He could advance to establish his own regime, or use them as hostages to seek the position of Jiedushi.

This letter has been passed around to many people and is now in Lan Rong's hands. If Lan Rong agrees, he will sign his name and stamp it with the seal, then pass it on to people he thinks are reliable. If he disagrees, he can just hand it over to the emperors of the two capitals to see if he can get himself wealth and glory.

To attach oneself to a powerful person or to establish oneself as a king?

When Tang lost its deer, the whole world chased it.