Chapter 355 Leaving Chang’an
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

“Call the doctor, quickly!”

The Taiji Hall was immediately thrown into chaos.

His Majesty the Emperor suddenly worked hard (physics) on his way to court, which should have been a great achievement that would be passed down through the ages by historians.

But if you are frightened to the point of vomiting blood by the enemy…

If this were recorded by historians, our country would become a laughing stock of the international community.

In the midst of the chaos, Crown Prince Li Zhi remained exceptionally calm and said:
“Don’t be alarmed, your majesty just drank too much deer blood this morning and is feeling nauseous.

“In other words, this is deer blood.”

The court suddenly fell silent, and Li Zhi’s calm voice echoed in everyone’s hearts for a long time.

Deer blood, oh…

Li Chengqian looked at the young man who was talking nonsense with a look of surprise. He was about to refute, but because he was too angry, he started to cough violently:

“Cough cough!”

While coughing, he inserted his index finger deep into the body and poked the little brother angrily.

Li Zhi pretended not to see it and exchanged glances with the eunuch.

The latter understood and said sharply:
“If you have something to report, go back to court if nothing happens!”

Now that things have come to this, even if I am in a hurry to jump out of my pants, I have to hold it back.

Before leaving the court, Liu Li raised his hands with a strange expression:
“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself.”

For the continuation of the Tang Dynasty, Your Majesty is forcing yourself to do this.

Meaningful.

“Cough cough cough!” Li Chengqian responded to the other party’s concern with a cough.

The officials tactfully withdrew one after another.

“Go and call the doctor!”

At this time, Li Zhi gave orders in a low and hurried voice.

“Yes!”

The young eunuch immediately ran to the Shang Pharmacy, and the eunuch and the other two old eunuchs hurried to support His Majesty the Emperor.

“Cough cough!”

The huge Taiji Hall was filled with the sound of Li Chengqian’s continuous coughing.

He was really made sick by his little brother.

Li Ming is one, and Li Zhi is also one.

“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself and don’t strain yourself over state affairs.”

Li Zhi patted his brother on the back.

“Ahem, you, you…are so brave!”

Brother Li Chengqian was so angry at his younger brother that he couldn’t speak.

“How dare you spread rumors about me! What is your intention?
“The questions and answers at every court meeting are all recorded! How will the history books of later generations record me?
“In the midst of national crisis, you are still so dissolute?”

I don’t know who he inherited this from, but His Majesty Li Chengqian attaches particular importance to his own historical evaluation.

For Li Chengqian, the blame of “debauchery” was too big and too unfair.

Li Zhi sighed helplessly:
“Compared to what happens after death, perhaps what happens before death is more important?

“If the ministers knew that Your Majesty was vomiting blood because of worrying about state affairs, the situation would be so serious…

“I am worried that they may not have the courage to continue resisting.”

Li Chengqian lowered his head and said nothing.

To be honest, Li Zhi’s opinion is still very rational.

In order not to discourage everyone, His Majesty the Emperor had to temporarily sacrifice his own reputation.

“Bearing the blame of the country” means that the top leader is the one who ultimately takes the blame.

“Your Majesty, the imperial physician is here!”

Under the guidance of the eunuchs, the doctors of the Shang Pharmacy were busy taking the emperor’s pulse and diagnosing him.

After taking a dose of medicine, the emperor’s cough finally stopped and his complexion recovered a little.

“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself and don’t overwork yourself.”

After a few brief instructions, the imperial physician and the eunuch wisely withdrew in a hurry, leaving the two saints to discuss state affairs.

“My dear brother…”

Li Chengqian finally calmed down and took Li Zhi’s hand.

“Li Ming’s iron hoof has already trampled all over the land of China. Do you think Luoyang City can stop him?”

Everyone calls them “Ming bandits” in public, as if they can be easily wiped out with a wave of the hand. That’s just talk, do you really believe it?

In fact, everyone’s heart is as clear as a mirror, that is their “Ming Dad”!
Li Jing’s troops are powerful enough to fight back and forth with my father.

Li Ming has at least two such powerful troops under his command. If they are not his big brothers, then what are they?
In the face of the iron fist of this big daddy, only his brother Li Zhi is his close friend (crossed out) and his absolute confidant.

“Your Majesty, I think we should make preparations for the hunt to the north,” Li Zhi said decisively.

Li Chengqian was surprised.

Weren’t you just encouraging your ministers and making them act as if they were determined to resist to the end?

Why are you turning around and running away?
“The civil and military officials can surrender, so their will to resist must be strengthened. To whom can Your Majesty surrender? Will Li Ming accept your surrender?”

Li Zhi asked back.

Li Chengqian was speechless for a moment.

The fight for the throne will definitely involve bloodshed.

During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, their common father, Li Shimin, killed his two brothers.

This is still the family team building within the Li family.

Today, the dispute between Li Ming and Li Chengqian has developed into an all-out war between the two superpowers, Ming and Tang.

Countless heads were killed and countless lives were lost.

The conflict between the two sides has become a dead knot that can only be completely resolved by the death of one side.

Judging from the current situation, it would be quite difficult to kill Li Ming.

“Li Ming has already entered Zhengzhou, and Luoyang is right in front of us. After breaking through Luoyang, the next step is Hulao Pass, Guanzhong, and Chang’an!”

Li Zhi became more and more excited as he spoke, and his grip on Li Chengqian’s hand hurt.

“Li Ming advanced westward along the Great River, unstoppable. The fierce Ming army besieged Chang’an, and the ministers surrendered the city.

“How will Your Majesty deal with it then?”

Every word the Crown Prince said touched Li Chengqian’s heart.

Although he was not in good health, he would rather die immediately or be publicly executed by the youngest in the family.

“My dear brother, what you said makes sense…

“While we can still leave the city, I should flee as soon as possible… and arrange the Northern Expedition as soon as possible.”

Li Chengqian made the decision to run away so easily and happily.

The question is, where to run?
The Eastern Capital Luoyang is already the front line. It is only a matter of time before the Central Plains completely falls. That direction is obviously not within the scope of consideration.

The south is densely covered with hills and has a crisscross network of waterways, making it a good place to establish a separatist regime.

If the South had not already voted for Li Ming en masse.

“The Sichuan and Shu areas of Yizhou have high mountains as walls, and the basins inside are also suitable for farming. Can they be used as refuges… and hunting places?” Li Chengqian asked.

Li Zhi shook his head:

“The natives of Bashu are not educated, so it is only a matter of time before they are bribed by Li Ming.

“Besides, once you enter Yizhou, it will be difficult to get out.”

After all, with the wealth of Shu Han ahead, anyone who wants to stay in Sichuan would have to think twice.

“The Central Plains has fallen, the South is in danger, and Sichuan and Shu cannot be left…”

Li Chengqian’s voice became more and more trembling, and he let go of his brother Li Zhi’s hand dejectedly:

“The world is so big, is there no place for me?”

Before his eyes, a huge map of the Tang Dynasty’s territory seemed to appear, vast and boundless, as if her national destiny was boundless.

Then, there was a huge earthquake in Liaodong, which caused cracks and separated it from the Tang Dynasty.

Then came Northeast China, Hebei, Central China, Yangzhou…

Pieces of territory were separated one by one, and in the end, only Chang’an was left under his feet…

“Your Majesty, yes.” Li Zhi slowly uttered two words, interrupting Li Chengqian’s hallucination:
“Shanxi!”

“Shanxi?”

Hearing these two words, Li Chengqian couldn’t help but gasp.

Aren’t the Ming and Tang armies fighting fiercely in Shanxi?

In Li Chengqian’s mind, that place was a hell on earth where no roosters crowed for a thousand miles, bones were exposed in the wild, and the soldiers had no food to eat and had to resort to cannibalism.

Is this to let him go to the front line to fill in the gap, or to be a sheep?
“Shanxi is the safest place right now.” Li Zhi said word by word:

“Everywhere in the country, either the defense is weak and everyone is in danger, or they are half-hearted and their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty is questionable.

“Only in Shanxi, there are our troops and our father!”

“There are our troops…” Li Chengqian muttered in a trance.

Both Li and his son had been to the battlefield, so they naturally knew that royal power did not come from some “divine right” but was fought for from the barrel of a gun.

Those 80,000 elite Tang troops were the last resort of the Li Tang regime.

Where else to go if not there?
“According to the latest front-line battle reports, our army’s battle in Shanxi is going relatively smoothly.

“Li Jing’s army is running out of food. If they don’t want to be completely annihilated, they can only flee to the Taihang Mountains.”

Li Zhi brought rare good news to his brother.

“As long as Father launches the attack, everything will be fine.

“Once Li Jing’s troops are driven out, Shanxi will be able to recover. Kuching is a land of mountains and rivers, with both offensive and defensive capabilities. We may want to stay there temporarily and wait for changes.”

At this point, even the most optimistic estimates dare not say anything like annihilating the main force of the Ming army and turning the tide in one fell swoop.

Even if Li Jing’s army disappeared on the spot, what would happen?

Li Ming has two more men under his command!

Even if General Tian Ce showed his great power and annihilated these two armies.

God knows how many more such armies Li Ming can muster!
Ming Dynasty, unfathomable

This is a crushing victory based on pure national strength and has nothing to do with military affairs.

“It can only be like this…” Li Chengqian murmured.

“I will immediately order the palace servants to inform all the princes, princesses and my father’s concubines in the capital to prepare to set off.”

…………

“I do not go!”

Li Mingda hugged the pillar in the hall tightly, with a fearless look on his face, determined to live and die with Chang’an.

Li Zhi looked helpless:
“The enemy is coming, do you think you can stop them all by yourself?”

“Brother Zhinu, you look down on a weak woman like me!” Li Mingda put his hands on his hips and frowned.

Li Zhi was so angry at the little sister’s unreasonable behavior that he laughed:

“Even a strong man can’t stop Li Ming’s army!”

Li Mingda started to find fault again:

“Do you blame me for interceding for Li Ming and letting him go on the night of the Suzaku Gate Incident, which led to the current situation?”

Li Zhi waved his hands repeatedly: “It’s not that I didn’t have it, don’t talk nonsense!”

Li Mingda: “Do you dislike the fact that I took my left leg first when I returned to the palace today?”

Li Zhi: “???”

After pretending to be a lady for a year, Li Mingda transformed back into the childish Ah Sizi overnight.

A little too childish. She was very well-behaved even when she was a child.

It’s not like now, it’s like a balloon filled with “childishness”.

Li Zhi sighed helplessly:
“You really don’t want to leave Chang’an?”

Li Mingda paused, the air in his body slowly drained away, and his voice was a little choked:

“If even those of us with the surname Li run away, will there still be the Tang Dynasty? Will the country of our ancestors still exist?”

Li Zhi was stunned.

However, as an excellent politician, he did not dwell on the debate of “saving people and losing land”, but simply signaled to his left and right:
“Princess Jinyang, please come up!”

“I won’t leave! If we leave, the Tang Dynasty will perish~”

Li Mingda’s howling became farther and farther away.

Li Zhi watched his sister’s gradually disappearing figure with mixed feelings.

Li Mingda was not the only one who was reluctant to leave Chang’an.
For Li Zhi himself, almost all of his life was spent in Chang’an.

Now, everything he was familiar with seemed to collapse overnight.

Taiji Palace, Chang’an City, the entire Tang Dynasty…

He couldn’t help but ask himself:
“Is the Tang Dynasty doomed? Will Li Ming really lose the foundation created by his grandfather and grandfather? Will Li Ming lose…his father and brother?”

But no answers were given.

No one knows what Old Fourteen’s brain is made of, and no one can guess what his next step will be.

On the night of the Suzaku Gate Incident, was I too soft-hearted, so that I left such a huge disaster to myself and my ancestors?
“Well, I have to accept the loss. This is also my own decision.”

Li Zhi rubbed his swollen temples and focused his attention back on the equally important matter of “escaping”.

Oh, what are these things…

In order to prevent the news from leaking out in advance, he took full responsibility for the escape.

It was full of trivial troubles, and he had to deal with the women in the palace, which made him become fussy.

…………

After sending away the most difficult Li Mingda, the other members of the royal family and the concubines in the harem were finally ready to accompany His Majesty on the “Northern Hunt”.

The group is ready to go.

“Have you informed our father that we will join him and perform our filial duties?”

Li Chengqian arrived late, riding a tall horse.

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but as soon as his butt touched the saddle, the frail emperor seemed to become much more energetic.

Even his pale complexion gradually turned rosy and he looked more energetic.

“Your Majesty’s secret letter to His Majesty the Emperor has been sent.” Li Zhi replied.

Li Chengqian sighed:
“We left the capital without the consent of the emperor. I wonder how the emperor will view us…”

“When it comes to family affairs, we are all sons. But when it comes to state affairs, Your Majesty is the true emperor, and your Majesty’s will shall prevail.” Li Zhi’s words were very politically correct.

Li Chengqian was quite satisfied with this answer and spurred his horse excitedly.

“Let’s go! My dear brother, see you in Jinzhou!”

He galloped away in a cloud of dust, like a dragon returning to the sea.

“Your Highness, please excuse me from your presence.”

The nominal leader of the imperial guards, “Shekui Khan”, bowed to Li Zhi and quickly caught up with His Majesty.

The remnants of the New Turks followed closely behind.

These Turks who migrated to the Tang Dynasty and were not corrupted by the strange religions of the grasslands were the few elite troops in Chang’an.

In the Tang Dynasty, where resources are currently limited, they have become rare soldiers.

“Let’s go. See you in Shanxi.”

Li Zhi set off on his journey with a heavy heart.

Let’s just leave Chang’an to that bastard Li Ming for now!
…………

The next day, all the ministers who came to the Taiji Palace to see the emperor were turned away without exception.

“Your Majesty is ill, please come back another day. If you have any important matters, I can convey them to you.”

The eunuch replied coldly.

“Escape due to illness” is generally a standard operation for running away.

However, His Majesty’s action of spitting blood at the grand court meeting added a lot of credibility to this excuse.

Although the ministers had some doubts in their hearts, they generally accepted this statement.

They returned to their respective offices, anxiously awaiting their fate.

When will Li Ming break through Hulao Pass and knock on the gate of Chang’an?
One day passed…

Ten days have passed…

Nothing happened.

The people stranded in Chang’an went from being anxious to being full of doubts, and finally even feeling a little hopeless.

They resonated with Cheng Yaojin who was thousands of miles away.

Where is that guy Li Ming?
…………

“Only a fool would attack Chang’an first!”

On the Yellow River, a huge ship was sailing upstream.

Li Ming stood on the deck of the ship, facing the gradually warm spring breeze, and shouted happily.

The dragon boat he was riding was like a real dragon, with a streamlined hull and very flexible to maneuver.

Behind this dragon boat are countless warships like it.

These dragon boats were lined up in neat rows, forming an even more stunning giant dragon, which quickly advanced towards Puzhou, Shanxi.

(End of this chapter)