Chapter 21

In the city of Luodu, the heavy snowfall grew thicker, completely covering the pervasive blood and stench of corpses.

As the only remaining face of the court, the newly repainted Zihuandian Hall, with its sparse assembly of officials, watched the Tang Emperor, who trembled either from the cold or from fear.

This pale-faced emperor, under the urging of his attendants and ministers, with various gazes and expressions, issued edicts with great efficiency, deciding the fates and futures of countless people.

Finally, the time for the court to adjourn arrived. As the leading figure of the assembly disappeared beyond the gate of the grand hall, the attendants hurriedly surrounded the emperor, who had exerted himself to the point of near exhaustion, and supported him down.

The remaining officials also sighed in relief, their faces gradually recovering from the corpse-like pallor. At least no one died in the hall today, allowing them to survive another day in fear and unease.

As the crowd of officials, like a silent and cautious group, followed the leading figure, there was little conversation, and the only sound on the cold, windy steps was the chaotic footsteps of the officials.

Passing through one gate and palace after another, the leading figure finally stopped, with only a group of true confidants and core members remaining by his side.

As a powerful minister who dominated the Central Plains and wielded authority over the north and south of the Yellow River, he also had a considerable base of support, consisting of various officials and subordinates who performed the basic functions of state governance.

Following the example of the famous Liang Gong from several hundred years ago, he had a structure known as the "Left and Right Three Rates, Six Cao Ten Generals, Inner and Outer Five Chancellors, and Thirteen Friends," with five valiant and four talented individuals.

The Longwu Army system, established by Liang Gong, left a deep imprint in this era of change, so much so that for over a hundred years after the Yiwei Rebellion, it was referred to as the history of the Longwu Army's civil war. Most of the old military towns today claim to have inherited the legacy of the Longwu Army.

Even the third-generation powerful minister could not escape this tradition. When the Zhang family was a powerful household in Guazhou, they were personally selected by Liang Gong to serve as the deputy commander of Guazhou and Shazhou.

Later, when Liang Gong led the Five Armies and Six Guards, with ten thousand brave soldiers to expand the territory, many Zhang family members followed. After returning from the distant campaign, they settled in the northwest, forming a military aristocratic clan. Among them was the ancestor of this branch, Zhang Yichao, who thus claimed some connection to the Longwu Army.

Therefore, under the powerful minister, there were also the "Four Nurtured Ten Brave Soldiers, Six Sharp Generals, and the Eastern, Western, and Inner Chambers of Advisors and Officials," as well as five military governors and nineteen military commanders as his wings, dominating the Central Plains and spanning the Yellow and Huai Rivers.

When his father's generation, along with the loyal western army, escorted the Chengguang Emperor, a descendant of the Northern Tang, back to Luodu, they were merely a small cavalry commander under the Guiyi Army. Due to his imposing and fierce appearance, he caught the eye of the emperor and was selected to serve in the imperial guard, choosing the best soldiers from the western army to fill the ranks of the five palaces and three guards.

Then, during the siege of Luodu by the invading Donghai forces, he led a counterattack against the so-called ten thousand land and sea forces, setting fire to their camps and achieving fame, laying the foundation for the Zhang family's dominance in the capital and the Central Plains.

His life had been almost entirely devoted to battle. Since taking over the positions of his father and elder brothers, who died suddenly, he had been constantly fighting against unruly military towns, the threatening sea factions, ambitious court officials, and naive loyalists who shouted slogans to restore the Tang, as well as the starving and rebellious peasants.

Gradually, he turned them into withered bones under his feet or tamed them into submissive dogs, establishing a reputation and achievements that rivaled those of Cao Cao and Wang Mang, earning the respect and fear of his contemporaries.

Looking at the rows of armored soldiers standing in the snow, like iron spears and sculptures, he realized that all the gold and purple decorations, banners, and canopies were mere illusions. These soldiers were the foundation of his power. "Are emperors and generals born to their positions? Only those with strong armies and horses can hold them."

He wondered when he had become complacent in the comfort and flattery of the court, allowing the foundation of the Zhang family to be nearly overturned by hidden enemies.

He even admired those student officials who initiated the shocking rebellion, even though they were merely tools used and deceived by others.

With their meager strength, they managed to create such a significant upheaval under the strict control, almost toppling the rule of the powerful minister's family.

He remembered the young face that appeared before him, then was tripped by his loyal guards, and finally drowned in the blades. Such a passionate and talented individual, hidden in the academies, could not be used by his own family, which was truly a pity.

However, admiration aside, as the regent, these rebels must die, and their families and associates must be severely and cruelly punished to shock the inside and outside, and consolidate his authority.

Only after the situation was under control did he decide to change his mind and issue an order to capture the remaining rebels alive. He wanted to see what made these people who had escaped his grasp so extraordinary.

Perhaps it was time for a change. To achieve the Zhang family's dominance, he needed to absorb more new blood and talent, rather than allowing mediocre relatives to hold important positions due to their loyalty.

This time, the capital's intelligence and enforcement agencies, such as the Dujifu, Liutaishi, and traditional Zhifangsi and Xiantaiyuan, received no warning, which was a serious warning.

But what troubled him more was the role his sons played in the aftermath of the rebellion. He had spent over twenty years, using both kindness and cruelty, to make most people in Luodu numb to the succession of emperors.

However, his descendants could not wait for his death. They used this opportunity to act, putting pressure on him.

His original plan was simple: after reaching the status of Liang Gong, he would hold the emperor in high regard and wield power until his death, then retire overseas or take further steps. But now, that was clearly impossible.

Half a day earlier:

"Who ordered you to kill the entire Zongbo clan?"

The powerful minister's roar echoed in the temporary military tent.

"It was my decision... Father..."

A voice replied.

"Then you have made up your mind..."

This conversation between the powerful minister and his son easily decided the fate of the person who would soon ascend to the throne.

After reviewing the various armies, the powerful minister finally returned to his residence in the inner city, where his important family members and confidants waited for his judgment to decide the interests of their clan.

The warm incense from the braziers slowly dispelled the cold from their bodies.

The attendants and eunuchs standing by made no sound, secretly observing the powerful minister's facial expressions and subtle movements, waiting for his next instructions.

A moment later, Gao Qian, a tall, beardless middle-aged man, was led in. Despite being in his forties, he looked only in his early thirties due to good care.

As a specially trained and cultivated attendant, they knew the master would ask Gao Qian about some secret matters, but without any instructions, they did not dare to leave.

These attendants and eunuchs usually acted according to the slightest movements of the master's eyebrows, eyes, lips, or beard, without waiting for his words.

As soon as the powerful minister's eyes left the teacup, an attendant immediately stepped forward, holding a lacquered gold tray to take the cup, and carefully walked out, followed by the others who quietly retreated.

"I need your honest answer."

The powerful minister sipped the soup and said softly.

"The massacre of the imperial clan was just Lingbao Gong's private act of venting..."

Gao Qian, one of the few trusted and key figures by the powerful minister, said calmly.

"Encouraging the emperor to ascend the throne is just an excuse..."

At this point, he did not need to spell it out. The ambitious and scheming son of the powerful minister, due to a major blunder by his canal troops, who were outmaneuvered at the Dongshuimen, and ended up setting fire to their own ships, allowing a group of unidentified rebels to escape.

Worse still, the more than a hundred rebels temporarily detained at Shanguang Temple, who were to be severely punished, were also rescued, and some key figures on the list also went missing.

This was a significant blow to him, forcing him to use more radical methods to push himself and his clan to a higher position.

After all, titles like Shangshu, Pushe, and Dafu, even the prestigious positions of Chancellor and Chief of the Secretariat, were just pieces of paper that could be summoned from the palace at any time. If needed, even the concubines and princesses of the imperial family and the princes' residences could be called to the hall for private entertainment.

The titles of princes, dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons, due to their overuse over the generations, had become worthless. What truly mattered was his identity and bloodline as the first powerful minister, which made him eager to see himself in power during his father's lifetime, a reenactment of the story of the Taiyuan Palace.

(Taiyuan Palace refers to the story of Li Yuan, who, after rising in rebellion, used the palace women to persuade Emperor Yang of Sui, to decide his resolve.)

A few days later, an internal decree was issued, appointing Lingbao Gong (the second son of the powerful minister) as the Left Shangshu Pushe, Upper Hu Jun, and the military governor of Tianning Army, one of the major military strongholds in Hebei.

However, for the powerful minister's clan, who needed to strengthen their control over the central government after the rebellion and the purge of the rebels, this appointment sent a different signal.

The once powerful Lingbao Gong and his faction were beginning to lose favor with the regent, who was dissatisfied with his actions and methods in Luodu.

After all, the incident at the water gate, with the flames and explosions in the night, was felt by almost half the city. No matter how brutal the measures taken afterward, they could not undo the damage.

Moreover, he used the most brutal and worst methods to cover up the incident, leading to the indirect deprivation of his base, the canal troops and the united soldiers.

With the resolution of the incident, the power struggle in Luodu came to a temporary end.