145: One hundred thousand troops changed hands today
He suddenly wanted to laugh.
Laugh at how pathetic and ridiculous he was.
He was still reveling in the gains and losses of the throne, in the reputation of the so-called “Reign of Zhenguan,” being complacent, suspicious, and suppressive.
Yet his son had long since cast his gaze upon the… Heaven and Earth Chess Game, which even the gods would look at askance!
Perspective!
This was the difference in perspective!
He lost.
From the very beginning, he lost.
He didn’t lose to his son’s schemes, but to his son’s… vision!
“Haha… Hahahahaha…”
Li Shimin suddenly burst into a hysterical laugh, and as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.
He pointed at Li Chengqian, then at himself, laughing so hard he doubled over, looking like a madman.
“So that’s it… So that’s it… I was fighting with people, but you… you were fighting with Heaven!”
“I… didn’t lose in vain… not in vain! Hahahaha!”
This emperor of a thousand ages, at this moment, completely broke down mentally.
Outside the Xuanwu Gate, Su Dingfang and the one hundred thousand-strong army behind him also understood.
They might not understand Dragon Veins or Heavenly Tribulation.
But they understood the most crucial sentence.
Everything His Highness the Crown Prince did was to save this world!
The fear and reverence in their eyes, at this moment, transformed into the purest, most fervent… faith!
They looked at Li Chengqian as if they were looking at a… God walking among men!
This emperor, who once dominated the world and founded the Reign of Zhenguan, had his immensely proud heart completely shattered after learning this cruel yet grand truth.
He laughed with tears and snot streaming down his face, collapsing on the ground like a child who had lost all his toys, crying and laughing intermittently, muttering incoherently about “fighting with Heaven” and “not losing in vain.”
The surrounding eunuchs and Officials watched this scene, each one silent with fear, not daring to even breathe loudly.
An era, before their eyes, ended in the most tragic way.
And another era, on the body of that black-clad Crown Prince, was slowly rising.
Below the Xuanwu Gate.
Kong Boyuan and Li Daoxuan were still immersed in immense shock, unable to extricate themselves.
Daoist Qingwei’s words contained too much information, enough to overturn everything they had known for over a hundred years.
Especially Duke Yansheng Kong Boyuan.
His heart was in turmoil.
As the head of Confucianism, he had dedicated his life to “governing the country and bringing peace to the world.”
What he hoped to see was a prosperous era where the ruler was wise, the ministers capable, the common people lived in peace and contentment, and everyone followed the rites and laws.
Li Chengqian’s actions were undoubtedly “tyranny,” “cruel officialdom,” and the behavior he most despised.
Yet, behind this “tyranny,” there was a world-shaking secret of “saving the world.”
This plunged him into unprecedented contradiction and pain.
Could it be that to save this world, one must first destroy it?
Could it be that to let the common people live, one must first use thunderous methods to purge the so-called “upper class”?
Does this… conform to the Confucian Dao of “benevolence”?
He didn’t know.
He had lived for nearly two hundred years, and for the first time, he doubted the belief he had upheld his entire life.
“Duke Yansheng.”
On the city tower, Li Chengqian’s voice sounded again.
His voice pulled Kong Boyuan out of his chaotic thoughts.
Kong Boyuan looked up at the young man who was like a god or a demon.
Li Chengqian’s gaze was calm and profound, as if it could see through all the struggles in his heart.
“Your Saints taught you how to govern a prosperous era. But they did not teach you how to save a dying world.”
Li Chengqian’s voice carried a hint of indifference.
“Because this world is sick. Critically ill.”
“What you are doing is merely prescribing some mild tonics for a terminally ill cancer patient. But I am directly performing surgery, excising the rotten flesh, along with the bones!”
“The process will be very painful. The patient will bleed a lot.”
“But only this way does he have a chance to live.”
Li Chengqian’s words were simple, brutal, yet they pierced Kong Boyuan’s heart like a knife.
Yes.
To govern a chaotic world, use severe laws.
He understood this principle.
But he had never imagined that these “severe laws” would be so “severe” to this extent!
This was no longer “laws,” this was… a Heavenly Punishment!
“But… but there are innocent people among those aristocratic families! Not all the purged monks were utterly evil! How is your action any different from indiscriminate killing?!”
Kong Boyuan was still making his final, powerless rebuttal.
“Innocent?”
Li Chengqian laughed, his smile carrying a hint of cold mockery.
“When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.”
“They enjoy the privileges brought by aristocratic families and clans, they enjoy the offerings from Buddhist believers; they are part of this corrupt order. To build a new world, they must become sacrifices.”
“I have no time, nor interest, to distinguish one by one who is more rotten.”
These cold and ruthless words completely silenced Kong Boyuan.
He looked at Li Chengqian, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
The person before him could no longer be described as “human.”
He was the Incarnation of a Dao.
A ruthless Grand Dao that could abandon everything, sacrifice everything, to achieve its ultimate goal!
Li Daoxuan, standing beside him, felt equally complex at this moment.
Compared to Kong Boyuan’s struggle over “orthodoxy,” he cared more about the Li Tang Dynasty’s empire.
He cultivated Supreme Forgetting of Emotion, and had long since detached himself from worldly emotions.
The reason he came out to stop Li Chengqian was because, in his view, Li Chengqian’s actions were shaking the foundation of the Li Tang Dynasty, and destroying its own Great Wall.
But now, he understood.
Li Chengqian was not destroying the Great Wall; he was demolishing a dangerous building, preparing to rebuild a grander, more solid palace!
“If…”
Li Daoxuan spoke hoarsely, staring at Li Chengqian, asking the question he cared about most, “If you succeed, will this world still be the Li Clan’s world? Will this empire still bear the Li surname?”
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian turned his gaze to his “Imperial Uncle Old Ancestor.”
“Of course.”
His answer was decisive.
“This empire will forever bear the Li surname.”
“However, it will belong to me, Li Chengqian’s Great Tang! A Great Tang where imperial power is supreme, and no aristocratic families, powerful clans, or external forces can constrain it!”
“A… iron-blooded Great Tang where if I say one, no one in the world dares to say two!”
These words were both a promise and a warning.
Li Daoxuan understood.
Li Chengqian was telling him that the Li Clan’s throne would be preserved.
However, “Retired Emperor” figures like him, who could dictate to imperial power, would no longer exist!
Li Daoxuan fell silent.
He looked at Li Chengqian’s eyes, full of ambition and dominance, and then at the completely insane Li Shimin beside him.
He knew it was time to make a choice.
To cling to Li Shimin’s “orthodox” position and be crushed by the torrent of the new era?
Or… to follow the will of Heaven and leave a path for the future of the Li Clan?
The answer was self-evident.
Just then, outside the Xuanwu Gate, the one hundred thousand-strong army, which had been silent, finally stirred.
The commander, Su Dingfang, dismounted.
He took off the helmet, symbolizing the glory of a Great Tang general, and casually threw it on the ground with a dull thud.
Then, he took heavy steps, one by one, walking alone to the tightly closed Xuanwu Gate.
Under the gaze of everyone, including Li Chengqian.
This seasoned general, with a “thud,” knelt on one knee!
He lowered his proud head and, with all his strength, shouted like a resounding bell: “Su Dingfang, commander of the Great Tang Chang’an Garrison Army…”
“Wishes to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Su Dingfang knelt.
This most brilliant general of the Great Tang army’s new generation, Li Shimin’s most trusted Chang’an garrison commander, after several struggles and waverings, finally made his choice.
His kneeling represented not only himself.
It also represented the one hundred thousand elite Chang’an Garrison Army behind him, meaning Li Shimin’s last and most important military card had completely sided with Li Chengqian!
“We wish to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Su Dingfang’s roar echoed like thunder before the Xuanwu Gate.
Behind him, the one hundred thousand heavily armored soldiers seemed to have received a unified command.
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
Countless weapons were thrown to the ground, producing a deafening clang of metal.
Immediately after, a vast, dark mass, the one hundred thousand-strong army, like a tide, uniformly knelt on one knee!
They took off their helmets, revealing faces that were either young or weathered, but all filled with fanaticism and reverence.
“We, all of us, wish to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!”
The unified roar of one hundred thousand people converged into a sky-shattering wave of sound, rushing straight into the clouds, making the entire Chang’an City hum!
At this moment, the last bit of suspense of the Xuanwu Gate Incident vanished into thin air.
Li Chengqian, in an undeniable, overwhelming manner, won the final victory of this coup!
On the city tower, the Officials who were still standing, looking at the one hundred thousand-strong army outside the city, kneeling like a tamed giant beast, felt their legs turn to jelly, almost collapsing to the ground.
It was too terrifying!
His Highness the Crown Prince, without using a single soldier, merely with a few words, made an elite army loyal to the emperor defect on the spot!
What a terrifying method!
What dreadful prestige!
As for Li Shimin, the moment he saw Su Dingfang kneel, his insane laughter also stopped.
He just stared blankly at the dark mass outside the city, his eyes hollow, as if the last shred of his Soul had been drained.
It’s over.
His last army was also gone.
He was now, truly, a lonely man.
Kong Boyuan and Li Daoxuan, witnessing this shocking scene, were also filled with mixed emotions.
The army’s defection was the most direct manifestation of “popular sentiment.”
This proved that everything Li Chengqian said was not false.
He had truly won the hearts of the army, and the will of the people!
They, these two “old fossils” representing the old order, were completely isolated in the face of this torrent called the “new era.”
Li Chengqian stood on the edge of the city tower, quietly looking at the kneeling army below, his face still devoid of any triumphant expression.
As if all this was within his expectation.
He slowly raised his hand and pressed it down, as if pushing something.
The earth-shattering shouts outside the city instantly ceased.
The one hundred thousand-strong army was utterly silent, obeying orders to the extreme!
“Su Dingfang.”
Li Chengqian spoke indifferently.
“Your subordinate is here!”
Su Dingfang remained kneeling, his head bowed low.
“You are very good.”
Li Chengqian’s voice betrayed no emotion, “Your choice has won a bright future for yourself and for the one hundred thousand soldiers behind you.”
“From today onwards, the Chang’an Garrison Army will be reorganized into the ‘Shence Army,’ and you will continue to lead it, directly obeying my orders.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
Su Dingfang trembled with excitement.
He knew he had bet correctly!
His Highness the Crown Prince not only did not settle scores with them, but instead entrusted them with important responsibilities!
The Shence Army, directly obeying the Crown Prince’s orders—what trust and honor this was!
“All of you, rise.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
The one hundred thousand-strong army rose in unison, picked up their weapons from the ground, and their gazes towards Li Chengqian on the city tower were now like looking up at a god.
After dealing with Su Dingfang’s matter, Li Chengqian’s gaze returned to Kong Boyuan and Li Daoxuan.
His eyes were still as indifferent as ever, as if looking at two insignificant ornaments.
“Now, it’s your turn.”
His voice was calm.
“I give you two choices.”
“First, like them, submit to me and contribute your strength to my new world. Confucianism can continue to educate the world. The Supreme Dao can also continue its Legacy.”
“Of course, all must be under my rules.”
He paused, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth.
“Second…”
“I will personally send you on your way. Then, I will uproot Confucianism from this land. And I will purge all of the Li Clan, except for my own Bloodline.”
“I say it, I do it.”
This was no longer a threat.
This was… an ultimatum!
The air, in that instant, froze to an icy point.
Everyone’s gaze focused on Kong Boyuan and Li Daoxuan.
Their choice would determine the future destiny of Confucianism and the Li Clan.
To adapt to the times and live humbly?
Or… to cling to that ridiculous dignity and be utterly buried with the old world?
Li Chengqian’s words were like two cold knives held to Kong Boyuan’s and Li Daoxuan’s throats.
There was no third choice.
Either submit or be destroyed.
Li Daoxuan’s face was overcast with changing emotions.
He glanced at the completely insane Li Shimin on the city tower, and then at Li Chengqian, who was like a god or a demon, Dominator everything beside him.
The scale in his heart swayed violently.
As the Old Ancestor of the Li imperial family, his mission was to ensure the continuation of the Li Bloodline and the stability of the empire.
Li Shimin was clearly a useless man.
Relying on him, the Li Tang Dynasty would only perish with him.
And Li Chengqian… although his methods were ruthless and his actions domineering, the ability, courage, and terrifying strength he displayed all indicated that he would create an iron-blooded prosperous era far more glorious than the Reign of Zhenguan!
If the Li Tang Dynasty’s empire could continue, and even grow stronger, in his hands… Li Daoxuan began to waver.
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