Lan Yu's appearance was not because he was also involved in the huge smuggling network led by Liu Ziyu, the Earl of Wuyi, which brought together officials from four provinces, eight prefectures, and thirty-two counties of the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, as a legendary historical general produced by the "Born to be an Emperor" system, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi was 100% loyal to Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an.
Aside from his arrogant and spoiled personality, which made him prone to causing trouble, it was absolutely impossible for him to do anything that would harm the Tang Dynasty.
The evidence in this case, the first "Tea Horse Case" of the Tang Dynasty, which was secretly obtained by Lu Jiang, the Marquis of Zhongyong, during his inspection of the country, contains the following description of Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty:
"In April of the first year of the Zhaowu era of the Tang Dynasty, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi personally led his guards to Kucha, one of the important towns in Anxi, and discovered a smuggling caravan violating the Tang Dynasty's tea-horse trade ban..."
"After thorough investigation, the mastermind behind this smuggling caravan was none other than Liu Ziyu, the Marquis of Wuyi of the Great Tang Dynasty. The total value of the smuggled goods seized exceeded 100,000 taels of silver!"
Bang!
Upon seeing this, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an could no longer contain himself and slammed the memorial onto the desk in the imperial study.
Lu Jiang, the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, was also stunned by the sudden slap and stood frozen in place, unable to continue speaking.
Even without reading it, Chen Huai'an could guess what happened next; it was truly shocking!
Chen Huai'an couldn't help but angrily say, "Lu Jiang, tell me, how dare these nobles, fierce generals, and pillars of the court do this?"
"The imperial court has laws, and local authorities have oversight. How dare they openly shake the foundations of my Great Tang Dynasty's rule right under my nose? Aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning?"
"I ask myself honestly, the rewards and annual stipends I've given them since the founding of the dynasty were more than enough for them to live on, yet they turn around and treat me like this. Do they have any conscience at all?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiang pondered for a moment before replying, word by word, "Your Majesty, people's hearts are soft, but money is hard. It's hard for anyone not to be tempted by mountains of gleaming silver!"
"Furthermore, based on the information I have gathered through my secret investigations, not all the founding heroes are satisfied with the Emperor's rewards."
So, so—
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Jiang finally gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and said, "These arrogant soldiers and former officials of the previous dynasty believe they have not received the rewards they deserve from the Emperor."
"So they secretly joined forces to amass wealth, hoping to gain both a smooth career and riches!"
"Since the Emperor won't give it to them, they'll just take it themselves!"
"You bastard!"
Chen Huai'an slammed his hand on the desk in front of him again, making a deafening noise.
Even Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was standing outside the Imperial Study at any time to await the Emperor's arrival, and Xiao Po, the Commander of the Imperial Guard and Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, were startled by the commotion coming from inside the Imperial Study.
This was a rare moment of imperial wrath since the emperor ascended the throne!
Inside the Imperial Study, Chen Huai'an paced back and forth in anger, his mind overwhelmed by a jumble of conflicting information, forcing him to force himself to calm down.
At the same time, he also regretted his indecisiveness back then.
If I had known, I shouldn't have given face to my father-in-law Liu Xinwu after the award ceremony. I should have taken advantage of the fact that all the fierce generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were in the capital and directly ordered the Ministry of War to transfer the generals of Longcheng to the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
If only they had been more decisive back then, they wouldn't have sown such a hidden danger for themselves and the Tang Dynasty, leading to the bitter consequences they face today!
What made Chen Huai'an even more uneasy was that he vaguely felt that the recent turmoil in the Western Regions' Xiaowan Kingdom and Wusun Kingdom, as well as the series of events in which Lan Yu led his troops to destroy the Wusun Kingdom, were all related to the "Tea Horse Case" that Marquis Zhongyong Lu Jiang was secretly investigating.
Otherwise, why did the Wusun Xiaowan Rebellion break out right after Lan Yu seized Liu Ziyu's goods?
Isn't this just too much of a coincidence?
Upon thinking of this, Chen Huai'an immediately summoned Marquis Zhongyong Lu Jiang and whispered some instructions in his ear.
The latter immediately knelt down to receive the imperial edict, saying, "Your subject obeys!"
Soon, Marquis Lu Jiang, known for his loyalty and bravery, left the Imperial Study in a hurry.
Chen Huai'an then ordered from outside the imperial study, "Eunuch Cai, immediately summon Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, and Chang Yuchun, the Duke of Wei!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
......
Two days later, at the court assembly.
The "Tea Horse Road Case," which was still under covert investigation, had not yet caused a stir in the Tang Dynasty's court. However, the fact that Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi had humiliated the Queen Consort of Wusun and caused her to commit suicide due to humiliation during the suppression of the Wusun Rebellion was the first to cause an uproar in the court.
The cause was that, on his way to the Arab Empire, King Tibis of Wusun sent several messengers to various kingdoms in the Western Regions to spread the story of Lan Yu's evil deeds against his queen, exaggerating the facts in those kingdoms.
Furthermore, he submitted testimonies of the soldiers and civilians captured by Xiaowan when he led his troops to Xiaowan, proving that King Maimaiti of Xiaowan and hundreds of members of the royal family did not die at the hands of Wusun.
While proving his own innocence, he also labeled Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, as cruel and incompetent, and accused the Tang emperor of being muddleheaded, treating the lives of the people of the Western Regions as worthless, and being unworthy to be the Heavenly Khan of the Western Regions!
This news caused a great uproar among the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.
Especially those small countries with weak national power were in a state of panic, and they sent letters to their messengers stationed in Jinling City, uniting to demand an explanation from the Ministry of Rites of the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, was originally an old Confucian scholar from the previous dynasty, and had been educated and influenced by Confucian culture since childhood.
Upon learning of the actions of Marquis Anxi, Lan Yu, he immediately impeached Lan Yu publicly during the court assembly.
Zhang Fu said, "Your Majesty, our Great Tang Dynasty is a celestial empire, a land of propriety and honor. However, the actions of Marquis Anxi, Lan Yu, in the Wusun Kingdom have tarnished the reputation of our Great Tang Dynasty, damaged its national prestige, and further harmed Your Majesty's image as the Heavenly Khan among the Western Regions."
"In my opinion, according to the laws of our Great Tang Dynasty, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi should be executed for his actions!"
Wow!
When Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, uttered these words, the court was in an uproar.
What surprised the assembled civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty court was mainly due to two aspects:
Firstly, the actions of Marquis Anxi Lan Yu in the Wusun Kingdom were indeed detrimental to the dignity of the Tang Dynasty and an insult to civilization.
Secondly, there was the shocking statement made by Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, who actually cited the laws of the Tang Dynasty to advocate for the execution of Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi, who had made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty.
Even Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, sitting on the dragon throne, was startled by the remarks made by Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites.
However, after a moment's thought, he understood.
In the memorial submitted by Marquis Zhongyong Lu Jiang regarding the "Tea Horse Case" of the Tang Dynasty, Marquis Anxi Lan Yu was at odds with the civil and military officials of the previous dynasty. Not only did he oppose the smuggling group led by Liu Ziyu at every turn along the land Silk Road under his jurisdiction, but he also did not give these civil officials a good look in the court.
Chen Huai'an vaguely remembered that before the founding of the Tang Dynasty, during the debate over the name of the country, Lan Yu had engaged in a heated debate with a group of civil officials led by Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites.
Now that Lan Yu has made a mistake in the Western Regions, it is only natural for these civil officials in the court to kick him while he's down.
In the Golden Palace, before Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an could even speak, Chang Yuchun, the chief military general of the Tang Dynasty and Duke of Wei (Chen Qingzhi, Duke of Han, had already led troops to conquer Goguryeo), took the initiative to stand up for his "brother-in-law" Lan Yu.
Although, in the Tang Dynasty of this world, Marquis Anxi Lan Yu was not the brother-in-law of Duke Wei Chang Yuchun;
However, as legendary historical generals born from the same "Born to be Emperors" series, and both being absolutely loyal to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an of the Tang Dynasty, Chang Yuchun would inevitably step forward at this time to share the burden of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne and to alleviate the firepower from the civil officials of the previous dynasty.
This was something Chen Huai'an had specifically instructed Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, and Chang Yuchun, the Duke of Wei, about after learning about the "Tea Horse Case."
Chang Yuchun said, "Lord Zhang, isn't this a bit too extreme? To put the Marquis of Anxi, who has rendered great service to our Tang Dynasty, to death based solely on the one-sided testimony of envoys from various Western Regions countries?"
"Isn't this a bit too arbitrary?"
As he spoke, Chang Yuchun slowly walked up to Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, and asked meaningfully, "Or is it that the Marquis of Anxi, Lan Yu, guarding the Western Regions has cut off the financial path of some people who are trying to make money through the Silk Road?"
"That's why they're taking this opportunity to target Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi?"
"you--"
Faced with Duke Chang Yuchun's "close-up attack," Minister of Rites Zhang Fu was immediately rebuked and turned pale, saying indignantly, "Duke Chang Yuchun, you, you mustn't make false accusations!"
"Who, who profited from the Silk Road? Explain yourself!"
In fact, Chang Yuchun's words about Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, were somewhat unfair to him.
Although this person is pedantic and conservative, he still possesses the integrity of a scholar and would never do something like participating in the tea-horse smuggling scheme to amass wealth.
However, Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, was truly being used. He was made to act as a swift weapon for the main culprits in the Tea Horse Road case in the imperial court, taking advantage of the chaos in the Wusun region of the Western Regions to first eliminate Lan Yu.
The one who rallied the envoys of various Western Regions countries in Nanjing to jointly petition the Ministry of Rites, requesting severe punishment for Marquis Anxi Lan Yu, was none other than Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, one of the masterminds behind the Tea Horse Road case.
Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, was merely someone he used to kill.
snort!
Chang Yuchun snorted coldly, not directly confronting the Minister of Rites Zhang Fu's interrogation. Instead, he cupped his hands to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I believe—"
"The recent rebellions in Xiaowan and Wusun in the Western Regions are highly suspicious, and since Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi is responsible for guarding the Anxi area, he will inevitably infringe upon the interests of certain interest groups that have long profited from the Silk Road."
"As far as I know, since the Han Dynasty opened up trade between the Central Plains dynasties and the Western Regions, there have been people in every dynasty who made a living by smuggling tea and horses, including many high-ranking officials and nobles in the court."
After a pause, Chang Yuchun changed the subject, looking at Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, and said with a smile, "Of course—"
"I am not saying that Lord Zhang was involved. Lord Zhang is utterly loyal to His Majesty and incorruptible; he would naturally disdain such a thing. I am merely giving an example."
"In my opinion, we should not draw any conclusions before we have thoroughly investigated the events surrounding the Wusun Rebellion."
"Now that this has happened, we should find a way to resolve it. The imperial court should promptly dispatch an investigation team to the Western Regions to clarify the whole story and punish those responsible according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty."
Chang Yuchun said, "Right now, the most important issue is how to resolve the aftermath between the Wusun Kingdom and the Xiaowan Kingdom!"
"I believe that what the Duke of Wei said is absolutely right!"
At this moment, Minister of War Li Jingyu also stepped forward and echoed, "According to the memorial submitted by the Anxi Protectorate, the current situation is that Xiaowan Kingdom has been destroyed by Wusun, and the Tang army led by Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi has temporarily taken over the Wusun government."
Therefore, the urgent issue the imperial court needs to address is how to deal with these two countries going forward.
"Should we reinstate a member of the surviving royal families of both countries to the throne and rule the nation; or should the Anxi Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty send personnel to temporarily govern Xiaowan and Wusun...?"
"Lord Li, it is absolutely unacceptable for the Anxi Protectorate to send someone to take charge of the two kingdoms of Xiaowan and Wusun!"
Minister of War Li Jingyu's proposal was barely out of his mouth when an official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and refuted it, saying, "Our Great Tang Dynasty is a great and powerful nation, a celestial empire!"
"His Majesty is revered as the Heavenly Khan by the various kingdoms of the Western Regions. How could he possibly send the Tang Dynasty's army and envoys to take over the political power of the Western Regions during this special period?"
"Won't this make other countries in the Western Regions suspicious and cause them to have second thoughts about our Great Tang Dynasty?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I also believe this is inappropriate!"
“What’s wrong with that? Every inch of our Tang Dynasty’s territory was won through conquest. If the Goguryeo Peninsula can be incorporated into the Tang Dynasty’s territory, why can’t the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions?”
"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty, we should seize this opportunity to incorporate all thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions into the territory of our Great Tang Dynasty. This would not only expand the influence of our Great Tang Dynasty but also provide our cavalry with a continuous supply of superior warhorses."
"Oh, and there are also raisins from the Western Regions!"
"This is a win-win situation, and I am willing to lead the army to conquer the Western Regions!"
"General Tang, our dynasty is newly established and cannot afford such a costly and exhausting war!"
"......"
For a time, the Golden Palace was filled with a great deal of noise, as noisy as if a beehive had been entered.
The civil and military officials were divided into two factions, and their spittle was practically flying into each other's faces.
On the dragon throne, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was also in a state of utter confusion. He thought to himself that the power center of the Tang Dynasty, the atmosphere in the court, was no better than that of a vegetable market. It was even more chaotic than a vegetable market!
"My beloved subjects, silence! Silence!"
brush!
Finally, after Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an spoke, the noisy Golden Palace quieted down, and everyone turned their attention to Chen Huai'an.
Cough cough!
Chen Huai'an coughed twice and said, "My beloved ministers, regarding the rebellion in the Western Regions of Wusun and Xiaowan, my view is as follows..."
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