Chapter 268: First courtesy, then force, Li Zhi abdicates and returns power

Two days later, even with the scorching sun overhead and a gentle breeze on the face, it was difficult to blow away the heat.

On the vast plain, thousands of soldiers and horses stood together, with flags covering the sky, facing each other from afar, and the atmosphere was tense and solemn.

On this side, Li Chengqian was riding a snow-white horse, walking in the front with a heroic look.

Beside him stood several generals, namely: Liu Rengui, Pei Xingjian, Li Zhen, Cheng Chumo, Xue Rengui, Heichi Changzhi and others.

They were all wearing heavy armor, holding sharp blades, and marching side by side in a majestic manner. These people were all famous generals under Li Chengqian, and now they gathered here, with great momentum.

On the opposite side were a group of famous generals led by Li Zhi.

Li Zhi also rode a tall, dark red horse, followed by Su Dingfang, Wang Fangyi, Lou Shide, Zhishishili, Qibiheli and Li Yifu.

All of these people were famous figures at the time, and most of them were young, in the prime of their lives, exuding vigor and confidence.

The lineups of both sides are luxurious, and can be said to include all the influential figures in the Tang Dynasty at this moment.

Each of their names has left a mark in history, and each of their faces carries countless legends.

Judging from the troop deployment and strength of the generals on both sides, it is really difficult to tell who is stronger and who is weaker.

In this way, the two sides stood facing each other for a long time, and no one dared to move first.

Finally, Li Chengqian gently patted the horse’s belly, and the white horse under his crotch neighed and rushed out like an arrow.

Seeing this, Li Zhi showed no sign of weakness. He squeezed his legs against the horse’s belly and rode forward.

The two men gradually approached each other, and finally stopped when they were several feet apart, pulling the reins.

“Prince, can we start the fight?”

Li Zhi asked loudly with a smile on his face, looking at Li Chengqian in front of him.

He was in high spirits. Although he was still young and had just entered his twenties, he was already able to lead a group of capable subordinates, give orders and make decisions.

With such achievements, how could this young emperor not feel heroic?
“Wait a minute!”

Li Chengqian whispered, but he swung his right hand violently, the movement was clean, neat and full of momentum.

As his gesture fell, the fully armed soldiers in the front row, holding weapons and shields, retreated quickly and orderly to both sides.

Immediately afterwards, a shocking scene appeared.

One after another, cannons that were completely black and emitting a cold metallic luster were slowly pushed out.

There are so many cannons that at first glance, there are actually hundreds of them!
They stand there quietly like a group of silent yet majestic beasts.

Although it was a hot summer day, when people’s eyes fell on these cannons, they couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts.

Although most people don’t know how to use it, their souls are inexplicably shocked.

“Prince, what do you mean?”

Upon seeing this, Li Zhi’s eyes widened immediately. His originally gentle eyes were now filled with ferocity as he stared at Li Chengqian.

At the same time, the group of generals standing behind him also fell into a brief panic.

However, facing Li Zhi’s questioning, Li Chengqian remained calm. He smiled slightly and said slowly:
“No, don’t misunderstand me. This is a new type of weapon that I have spent a lot of effort to develop. It is called the Red Cannon. I guess you have also heard about this weapon.”

If you look closely, you will find that each dark and thick gun barrel is tied with a bright red cloth.

This piece of red cloth is not very eye-catching under the sunlight. If no one specifically mentions it, it will easily be selectively ignored by others.

“So what do you want to do?”

Li Zhi frowned and shook his head gently while speaking. With his action, the camp, which had been somewhat chaotic, finally quieted down gradually.

Li Chengqian smiled but did not answer, just looked ahead quietly.

“fire!”

With Li Zhen’s angry shout, he swung the flag he was holding high down like lightning.

In an instant, time seemed to freeze, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on those dark gun muzzles.

The next second, there was a loud and earth-shaking noise, and all the gun muzzles spewed out flames at the same time, like a group of roaring beasts, instantly igniting the surrounding air.

“Boom! Boom!” The huge roars rose one after another, intertwining with each other, forming an overwhelming sound wave, completely covering up all other sounds in the world.

Hundreds of red cannons roared in unison, and each of their eruptions was a shocking impact on the earth. The entire battlefield was shrouded in thick smoke and fire, making people feel as if they were in the purgatory of the end of the world.

After a long time, when the dust gradually settled, the soldiers were shocked to find that.

The small mountain that originally stood not far ahead had now disappeared without a trace, replaced by a field of rubble and gravel.

Such astonishing destructive power is beyond imagination and is absolutely beyond human reach.

Li Chengqian smiled, turned his head and looked at Li Zhi who was still in a daze and had not yet recovered from the shocking scene, and said slowly:
“Zhi Nu, tell me, if these hundreds of red cannons are fired together, can they destroy a city in one fell swoop?”

Li Zhi seemed to have just woken up from a dream. He looked at Li Chengqian blankly and asked stutteringly, “You…what did you say?”

It was obvious that his thoughts were still on the jaw-dropping scene just now.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, “I am asking you, if I use these red cannons to kill the enemy and break the city in the sand table exercise, what will you do to deal with it?”

This test of the artillery before the battle is a strategy of using courtesy before force.

Under the powerful crushing of such an absolute weapon, the so-called military strategies seem to become insignificant.

Li Zhi was speechless. He had already lost without even having to compete in the battle of generals or soldiers.

This red cannon is unstoppable, whether in offense or defense.

“Ah!”

Li Zhi suddenly sneered.

From the beginning to the end, he had fallen into Li Chengqian’s trap.

Fighting with generals, commanders and soldiers is just an excuse.

“Chinu, I am concerned about the hardship of the people. I rarely use this red cannon during wars. For the sake of the people and the country, you should surrender.”

“I promise that I will not kill meritorious officials, nor will I impose any restrictions on you.”

He who subdues the enemy’s troops without fighting is a good person.

At this moment, Li Zhi also felt the huge chasm between him, Li Chengqian and Hengyue.

Not a match at all.

The means of balance that he was so proud of were of no use at all in the foreign war.

That can only be used to restrain court officials, not opponents. “It’s the time, it’s fate!”

Li Zhi looked at the sky in the distance and sighed deeply. His slightly tired face revealed a hint of helplessness and emotion.

“This throne should have originally belonged to you… Perhaps my ascension to this throne was the result of the careful planning of my father and the crown prince.”

Li Zhi thought back to what had happened before, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

Once, he was unwilling to give in. In order to break the impasse, he resolutely took extreme measures, killed the Jingzhao Gate, divided the world equally, and appeased the people of the world.

In order to buy himself a chance of survival, he had to take a gamble and burn his boats.

However, even so, in the end it was all in vain.

Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Li Chengqian frowned slightly and said slowly:

“I did have a plan with my father, but you were not included in the plan at first. All this was due to the development of the situation. No one expected that my father would…”

Having said this, Li Chengqian paused for a moment, a hint of sadness showing on his face.

In fact, Li Chengqian did intend to join forces with Li Shimin and sent Li Dejian to deliver a letter.

However, due to the unpredictable situation and Li Shimin’s many concerns, this matter was gradually shelved.

It was not until Li Shimin’s death that he secretly made a backup plan. However, to this day, these hidden means have not been revealed to the public.

At this moment, the current situation can be said to be entirely driven by Li Chengqian.

“Well, if I think about it carefully, if it weren’t for my father… I’m afraid I really wouldn’t be able to ascend to the supreme throne.”

After Li Zhi was silent for a moment, he suddenly seemed to have come to his senses. The gloom on his face gradually dissipated, replaced by a relieved look.

Li Shimin was only fifty years old when he died, and he certainly had never thought of this.

In his opinion, if it weren’t for this accident, he wouldn’t be the emperor.

And now the one who is cooperating with Li Chengqian to strangle the clan leaders should be Li Shimin.

I am an accident.

“For the sake of the longevity of our great Tang Dynasty, for the country and land created by our ancestors, and for the millions of people in the world to live and work in peace and contentment, I abdicate to the wise.”

Li Zhi spoke slowly. His voice was low and firm, but it revealed a hint of loneliness and helplessness that was difficult to conceal.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, and the slightly lonely figure gradually disappeared from Li Chengqian’s sight.

As he walked step by step to the front of his camp, it seemed as if a powerful force was suddenly injected into his body.

Li Zhi held his head high and chest out. His originally lonely expression disappeared in an instant, replaced by a majestic aura of dominating the world, and the aura of an emperor descended upon him again.

“I’m sure all of you are aware that Crown Prince Li Chengqian was slandered and framed by treacherous villains, causing him to suffer injustice for many years.”

“However, justice prevails, and the truth has finally come to light. Now, Crown Prince Li Chengqian has been cleared of his grievances and has returned to the court.”

“When the Celestial Empire was facing danger, I had no choice but to step forward and temporarily take over the position of regent. Now that Crown Prince Li Chengqian has returned safely, he should inherit the throne and take over the throne.”

“I have decided to return power to Crown Prince Li Chengqian from today, and have chosen an auspicious day to hold the coronation ceremony. I hope you will obey this order!”

Li Zhi announced his will loudly, scanning the entire audience with an intimidating look.

“His Majesty!”

Upon hearing this, generals such as Wang Fangyi and Lou Shide were stunned as if they had been struck by lightning.

They had never expected that Li Zhi would suddenly make such a decision, and they were so shocked that they were speechless. After a long while, everyone came to their senses and knelt down and shouted, “Your Majesty, please think twice!”

“How dare you disobey my orders?”

Li Zhi’s face darkened and he shouted angrily. At this moment, he felt mixed emotions. On the one hand, he knew what this decision meant.

On the other hand, facing the powerful red cannons in Li Chengqian’s hands, he really had no choice.

Just the hundreds of red cannons in front of us already have the destructive power to crush dry wood and rotten wood.

Even if there was only the slightest chance of a turnaround, Li Zhi would probably never agree so readily.

Because too much struggling is useless.

It will only increase casualties.

The country’s name remained unchanged and it was still the Li Tang Dynasty.

Li Zhi didn’t care so much and was much more open.

If it was the order of succession, the throne would not be his.

“His Majesty……!”

Everyone shouted in unison, but their voices were full of helplessness and unwillingness. They looked at Li Zhi’s unwavering face, and even if they had thousands of thoughts in their hearts, they could only sigh at this moment.

Faced with such a determined emperor, what can those who originally wanted to resist do?

The king’s orders were difficult to disobey, so these people had no choice but to obey.

This was the last thing they could do for Li Zhi, which was to remain loyal to him.

All that could be heard was the sound of “thumps” as thousands of people knelt on the ground in unison, paying their final respects to the emperor who was about to abdicate.

At this moment, the entire plain fell into silence, with only Li Zhi’s loud voice echoing in the air:
“I will draft an imperial edict and announce it to the whole nation, and even to the vassal states in all directions, that I will return the throne to Crown Prince Li Chengqian.”

Li Zhi stood straight, like a towering mountain, his eyes firm and calm, as if he had seen through everything.

This kind of magnanimity of being able to take on responsibilities and let go of things is truly worthy of the son of Emperor Taizong.

I originally thought it would be a thrilling fight between dragons and tigers, but who would have thought it would end so abruptly.

Li Zhi’s open-mindedness also made everyone in Li Chengqian’s camp respect him.

Favorability also rose.

Li Zhi seemed to have lost, but it also seemed that he was not completely defeated.

Li Chengqian sat in the tent with a serious face. He swept his sharp eyes over the generals standing below, took a deep breath, and then said loudly:
“Pei Xingjian, Liu Rengui, Heichi Changzhi, Cheng Chumo, listen to my orders! I now order you to lead your troops and rush to Zezhou City to take over the military affairs there! There must be no mistakes!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chengqian’s eyes became more fierce.

Although Li Zhi had chosen to surrender in front of everyone, Li Chengqian always had a sense of vigilance and caution towards this black lotus.

After hearing the order, Pei Xingjian, Liu Rengui, Heichi Changzhi and Cheng Chumo immediately straightened their bodies and responded in unison: “Yes!”

Soon, dust rose outside the tent. Pei Xingjian and his men left with a large number of personal guards.

(End of this chapter)