Jin and Qi were already bordering each other, so Li Maozhen launched an undeclared war and launched an army. On the other hand, he sent masters from Huanyinfang to the hinterland of Jin to spread the news that Li Siyuan was dead.
Even before the death of the person in charge, Li Siyuan, Jin almost had the power of the first prince, but its internal power structure was actually not stable.
It can even be said to be the most unstable among the many vassal states!
This was a hidden danger that had been planted during the period of the previous Jin Dynasty King Li Keyong.
A stable power structure requires an orderly inheritance, so that no matter what happens, there will not be immediate internal chaos.
But back then, Li Keyong wanted to develop the Jin Kingdom quickly, and on the other hand, he had to hide himself behind the scenes to avoid the sight of unscrupulous commanders. He even had to find ways to restrict his biological son Li Cunxu from being too powerful and neglecting him. In order to get the best of all three things, he came up with a way - to adopt an adopted son.
This is the origin of the Thirteen Taibao of Tongwen Hall.
In fact, from a functional point of view, these thirteen Taibao are just like the Nine Heavens Saint Princess of Huanyinfang and the major masters of Xuanming Sect. They are just subordinates.
But just to be wary of Li Cunxu, Li Keyong directly promoted their seniority to them all and became Li Cunxu's sworn brothers. He was not even willing to let Li Cunxu be the leading brother.
This led to a very serious problem, that is, when Li Keyong and Li Cunxu both died, logically speaking, their adopted sons could inherit the Jin Kingdom and become the new kings of Jin.
In the end, Li Siyuan did succeed in getting into that position with the support of the bad coach.
So now that Li Siyuan is dead, how can those sworn brothers who missed the first chance be willing to miss the second chance again?
Among the thirteen eunuchs, Li Siyuan, Li Cunxu, and Li Sizhao, who were ranked first, second, and third, all died, so the fourth eunuch, Li Cunren, the leader of the Renzi Sect, was the first to step forward after receiving the news.
He sent a letter to summon several other Taibao who were currently in Jinyang to gather together in the Jin Palace.
"Dear brothers, you should have heard about the death of my eldest brother. Now, according to the order of eldest and youngest, the Holy Master of Tongwenguan and the position of King Jin are bound to be brothers. Do you have any objections?"
Li Cunli looked around at the sworn brothers present with a smile on his face, and then planned to get up and sit on the seat that he had never even expected to be able to touch.
"Wait a minute, fourth brother."
Wearing a white robe and looking gentle, the sixth eunuch Li Cunli closed his folding fan with a snap, stretched out his arm to block Li Cunren's path, and then said slowly:
"The news about eldest brother is just some rumors in the market. There is no evidence at all. How can we draw a conclusion? If you sit here today and he comes back to eldest brother, how will you deal with it?"
"Huh? This..."
His words not only stunned Li Cunren, but also poured cold water on some of the other sect masters below who originally had fiery eyes.
When the seventh eunuch Li Cunzhi and the eighth eunuch Li Cunxin heard this, they immediately stopped what they were about to say and looked at each other. Then they all turned their attention to the woman at the back - the only woman among the thirteen eunuchs, the tenth eunuch. The third Taibao, Li Cunren, the master of Renzi Sect!
"Little sister, you are in charge of the Ministry of War and are the best at finding out information. Do you know the details?"
The originally prestigious Thirteen Taibao, now only five of them are left, plus the fifth child, Li Cunyi, the leader of the Yizi Sect, who has almost made it clear that he will betray Tongwen Hall.
"I don't know!"
Under the gaze of everyone, Li Cunren's masked face showed no emotion at all and replied coldly.
Li Cunli was Li Siyuan's loyal supporter, and he was also the person he left in Jinyang to stabilize the overall situation in the rear. After hearing Li Cunren's answer, his eyes flashed and he smiled:
"Little sister, if that's the case, why don't you take the mourning department to look for the traces of eldest brother? A country cannot be left without an owner for a day. No matter what, we must first confirm the news about eldest brother so that we can get things done."
His words were kind and his smile was gentle, as if he really was a brother who loved his sister, but what Li Cunren saw in his eyes was the threat hidden deep in his eyes.
After all, as the person in charge of the Shang Department, she once pursued and killed Li Siyuan on Li Keyong's orders, and even almost killed him.
So after Li Siyuan took power, although he spared her life, he forced her to take poison. Only Li Siyuan and Li Cunli knew about this.
But what they didn't know was that when Li Cunren released the plague virus in Shu, he was discovered by Li Xingyun and his party. Relying on the Huayang Acupuncture Technique passed down from Yuan Tiangang, Li Xingyun had already detoxified the toxins in Li Cunren's body.
As for what the purpose of her return trip was after she had surrendered her control...
Li Cunren's eyes briefly touched Li Cunli's, then he lowered his head and left silently.
Seeing Li Cunren leaving obediently, Li Cunli's mouth curved slightly. Even if his eldest brother Li Siyuan really died, among the remaining five brothers, he who controls Li Cunli would have the greatest chance.
"Okay, fourth brother, there are also seventh and eighth brothers. I will leave the elder brother's matter to the younger sister to investigate. We have more important things to discuss at the moment."
Unknowingly, Li Cunli surpassed the fourth player, Li Cunren, and took control of the court.
Huh~
He spread out the map, pointed at the junction of Jin, Qi and Liang, and said in a serious voice: "Li Maozhen personally led the army of Qi from Fengxiang and attacked Hezhong Prefecture. Now they have arrived in Puzhou. Judging from their marching route, I'm afraid It’s coming straight to Taiyuan.”
Li Cunli moved his fingers from the west to the south of Jin.
"Incited by Li Maozhen, the three kingdoms of Shu, Chu, and Wu all made changes, and the southern border must also be guarded. What do you think about this?"
"The Qi Kingdom has already been beaten to a pulp by Zhu Youzhen. How dare you come to take advantage of us?"
Li Cunren waved his hand and looked at the three sworn brothers, "It's a pity that the tenth brother is not here. Which good brother is willing to lead the army and teach them a lesson for my brother?"
The tenth brother he refers to is Li Cunxiao, who is known as the most powerful general in the Jin Dynasty. He is more than ten feet tall and extremely powerful. He can even charge alone on the battlefield. But he was killed by Zhu Youwen, the ghost king of Xuanming Sect a long time ago.
Scanned by Li Cunren's gaze, Li Cunzhi and Li Cunxin's eyes flashed again and again, but they could not make up their minds.
Logically speaking, when the Jin Kingdom is about to be in chaos, having a large army in hand is definitely not a loss. Whether it is fighting for the position of King of Jin or protecting one's own life, one can advance and retreat more freely.
But the more this happens, the more doubtful they become. Isn't Li Cunren clear about these principles?
Is he asking this to test who has the ambition to compete with him?
Could it be that as soon as he agreed, Li Cunren, who was behind him, would throw a cup as a signal and summon a large number of swordsmen to kill him on the spot?
One of them was famous for his wisdom, and the other was famous for his trust. They looked at each other for a long time, but neither of them had the courage.
In the end, Li Cunli stood up and said, "I am willing to share my worries for my fourth brother."
"good!"
Li Cunren put his palms on his hands and smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble my sixth brother. As long as we expel the Qi army, Shu, Chu, Wu and other weaklings will naturally understand that the power of our Jin country cannot be violated lightly, and the crisis will be solved by itself."
Seeing that Li Cunli had easily obtained the military power, Li Cunzhi and Li Cunxin immediately began to regret it, so they hurried forward: "Fourth brother, we are willing to go to the south to guard against the three kingdoms of Shu, Chu and Wu."
But it was a pity that after sending Li Cunli away, Li Cunren's expression was no longer so gentle. He looked at the two younger brothers in front of him who had greed in their eyes, and waved his sleeves disdainfully: "Didn't I say that? After dealing with the leader of the Qi Kingdom, the remaining countries will be defeated without a fight. You go down."
Looking at the retreating figures of Li Cunzhi and Li Cunxin, Li Cunren sneered.
The reason why he was willing to give Li Cunli troops and horses was because he saw the relationship between Li Cunli and Li Cunren. The second reason was because Li Cunli was Li Siyuan's loyal supporter and he didn't know if he had any trump cards in his hand, so he wanted to take this guy away. Pay it out so that you can do things more conveniently for yourself.
But Li Cunzhi and Li Cunxin don't have this problem.
Besides, although Li Cunli's martial arts skills were high, he had never led a soldier before, while Qi King Li Maozhen was a good fighter who climbed up from the bottom step by step with his military skills.
This time, Li Cunli was sent to challenge him, with the intention of killing someone with a borrowed knife.
"Anyway, no matter who wins or loses, I can accept it."
Li Cunren opened and closed his lips, talking silently to himself.
…
…
Li Cunren had his own little calculation, and Li Cunli naturally made no concessions.
Although he led the troops, he did not choose to rush to the front line of Puzhou to fight with the Qi army. Instead, he marched leisurely and slowly along the way.
"Sir, aren't we going to rescue Puzhou? Why..."
The masters under his command were a little confused and asked about his background.
"Hmm,"
Li Cunli smiled softly, "Everything is planned before taking action. I'm still waiting for news. After all, I didn't come to this army just to fight with Li Maozhen..."
Just then, a letter eagle flew across the sky and let out a sharp cry.
"coming!"
Li Cunli's expression perked up when he heard the sound, he raised his hand to catch the Xinying, and removed a small bamboo tube from its claws.
When I opened it, I stopped immediately.
"The whole army stops, the rear formations turn to the front formations, and return to Jinyang!"
…
…
Without Li Cunli's support, the Jin army in Puzhou would naturally be unable to withstand Li Maozhen's repeated attacks.
Although the Jin State is indeed much stronger than the Qi State, there is no situation where one government's troops can resist the opponent's entire country.
After the defeat of Puzhou, Hezhong Prefecture fell under the rule of Qi State.
Li Maozhen took a short rest and continued northward with the surrendered Jin army, intending to wipe out the passers-by in one fell swoop and swallow up the northern territory of Jin at the same time.
As for the south, it is left to Shu, Wu, Chu and the possible remnants of the Jin State to fight for it, so as to give the Qi State time to develop.
However, just when he was about to lead the army and set off again, he found a group of people blocking him.
"plum……"
As soon as the voice came out, Li Maozhen turned his gaze and said, "Little sister, you should be behind Fengxiang Stabilizing Qi Kingdom now, not appearing here."
It is said that the three armies should go ahead without using food and grass. Although Li Maozhen's trip was based on the idea of blitzkrieg, it does not mean that logistics is not important. And more importantly, if both brothers and sisters are not here, who can resist the attack on the Qi Kingdom mainland?
This is also the fundamental reason why the territory of the Qi Kingdom has not expanded at all in the sixteen years since Li Maozhen left. The empress is unable to do all the work on her own. If she leads the army on an expedition, there will be no one to guard her home. And if she stayed in Qi Kingdom, she would not have a strong enough general to go out to conquer.
Nowadays, brother and sister are the best combination, one inside and one outside. But I didn't expect...
"Brother Wang..."
The empress raised her head and was about to explain, but she saw Li Xingyun wave his hand.
"Li Maozhen, now you know what to do if you ask Qi Country? What about the previous sixteen years? When you insisted on leaving for so long, causing the Qi people's livelihood to decline, didn't you think about what they should do?"
"This is our country's internal affairs and my king's family affairs. Who are you and what qualifications do you have to comment?"
Although Li Maozhen recognized Li Xingyun, he now respected the fake Li Xingyun as the emperor, so it was naturally impossible for him to admit that the person in front of him was also Li Xingyun.
"I?"
Li Xingyun raised his hand and pointed at himself carelessly, "If I don't change my name, I am Li Xingyun!"
"Do you know what the crime is for pretending to be the emperor?"
"You said I was just pretending to be fake? I also said you were the fake one!" Li Xingyun choked.
"As we all know, the Longquan Sword is in the hands of the emperor,"
Li Maozhen didn't panic at all and said calmly, "You said you are, but where is your Longquan Sword?"
"you!"
Li Xingyun gritted his teeth in anger as he looked at the Longquan Sword being carried behind Li Maozhen's back.
After getting the support of Tongwen Hall and Xuanming Sect, the fake Li Xingyun had the upper hand when facing Li Xingyun. Naturally, the Longquan Sword had been taken away by others long ago. Now after going round and round, it fell into the hands of Li Maozhen.
"Actually, if you want to prove yourself, there are no other ways."
Li Maozhen changed the topic.
"What method?"
"Except for the Longquan Sword, it is said that only the blood of the Li family can open the Longquan treasure... If your blood can open it, I will admit that you are the real Li Xingyun."
"Damn it! Don't even think about tricking me into helping you open Longquan!"
Nowadays, Li Xingyun is not so easily deceived, and he saw through Li Maozhen's plan on the spot.
"Since you have no way to prove yourself, you are trying to pretend to be the emperor and rebelling. I have been deeply favored by the emperor and should eliminate the rebellion for the emperor!"
Li Maozhen teleported in front of Li Xingyun in a flash, and slapped his head with a palm filled with purple inner energy.
No one expected that just now they were chatting peacefully, and suddenly Li Maozhen would kill him. Everyone looked panicked. Hou Qing and Hanba, the two corpse ancestors, wanted to rescue them, but Li Maozhen's movements were too fast. The wind from his palm was already blowing Li Xingyun's hair.
At the critical moment, the empress, who practiced the Phantom Sound Art like Li Maozhen, suddenly pulled out layers of phantoms to stand in front of Li Xingyun and took the blow for him.
Bang!
Li Maozhen's slap was intended to severely injure Li Xingyun, so she didn't hold back much. Even the empress received a slap in a hurry, and the corners of her mouth overflowed with a little blush.
"You want to be my enemy?"
Looking at his sister standing in front of him, Li Maozhen's eyes were gloomy and unbelievable, "Just because of this person pretending to be the emperor?"
"Brother Wang, he... may not be a fake, so in order to prevent my brother from making a big mistake, as long as I am here today, you can't touch him." The empress looked up at Li Maozhen without flinching.
"..."
Li Maozhen stopped and carefully looked at the sister in front of her for a while, who she hadn't seen for sixteen years and seemed to have changed a lot. Then she looked at Li Xingyun who was blocked behind her with disdain.
"If you are really capable, don't hide behind a woman."
"I think so too!"
Li Xingyun shouted, "Everyone, come shoulder to shoulder!"
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