The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 109: Sneak Attack

Not long after, the morning court session began.

As was customary, Xue Yuanshang reported the cases of investigating private loans within the military to the imperial court one by one.

"...Your Majesty, the Jingzhao Prefecture has been ordered to investigate a case of private lending within the military. We have now found that Guo Zhongwen, the Right Shence General, has committed twelve major crimes, including corruption, abuse of power, private lending, and causing death. All of these crimes have been substantiated. The case file is here for Your Majesty's perusal."

With the emperor's decree and the cooperation of the Eastern Depot and the Shence Army, Guo Zhongwen's case was naturally investigated very quickly.

In just a few days, the Jingzhao Prefecture had already given its results.

However, this case was anticipated by Li Deyu and others who already knew the inside story.

However, for most officials in the court, it was like a thunderclap.

You should know who Guo Zhongwen is; he is the great-grandson of Guo Ziyi, the current Empress Dowager, and the nephew of the current Empress Dowager.

With such a distinguished status, how dare the Jingzhao Prefecture investigate him?

Moreover, judging from this, it's not just a simple investigation... Corruption, abuse of power, and harming lives—even if it's just tacit approval or instigation, it's still a serious crime.

Immediately, a chorus of voices arose in the hall.

Li Ang sat on the throne, looking at the memorial presented before him, and nodded in approval.

Xue Yuanshang was a very capable person.

Unlike Li Deyu, who always felt that Xue Yuanshang was too reckless, Li Ang believed that officials like Xue Yuanshang, who were not afraid of powerful figures, were the kind of ministers they should be.

The more people like this there are, the better it is for both the emperor and the court.

"Guo Zhongwen, as a relative of the emperor, was promoted by imperial grace, yet he has acted so recklessly, which truly pains me. The law of the land is supreme, and no one is exempt from it..."

Li Ang closed the memorial in his hand, his expression solemn, and began to speak.

"By order, Guo Zhongwen shall be dismissed from his post and imprisoned to await trial. After a thorough investigation of his crimes, the case shall be handed over to the Shence Military Governor's Office and the Secretariat for a joint decision."

Besides being a relative of the emperor, Guo Zhongwen also belonged to the Shence Army system, so dealing with him was not so simple.

Regardless, having gone through this process at the morning court session with all the civil and military officials present, this case will inevitably attract the attention of the entire court. Even if the Shence Military Governor's Office wanted to protect it, it would probably be difficult to do so.

Moreover, the fact that Guo Zhongwen's case was investigated so smoothly was due to Yang Qinyi's active cooperation, so naturally he wouldn't bother to protect him.

So, with the issuance of this imperial edict, Guo Zhongwen's fate was basically sealed. Dismissal from office was just the beginning; whether he would be exiled, demoted to a commoner, or subjected to some other severe punishment depended on whether Empress Dowager Guo was willing to intercede on his behalf.

"Your subject obeys..."

The imperial edict was issued to the Shence Military Command, the Secretariat-Chancellery, and the Capital Prefecture, and naturally, each of them had someone step forward to receive the edict.

However, after Xue Yuanshang bowed and returned to his platoon, Yang Qinyi, the governor who had received the order with him, did not return but remained standing in the same spot.

Not only that, on the other side, Prime Minister Wang Ya and Minister Linghu Chu also stepped forward and bowed together.

"Your Majesty, we have a memorial to present."

The fact that these people stepped forward together was clearly more surprising than the case of Guo Zhongwen.

Li Deyu, especially, who was among the top officials in the prime minister's circle, saw Yang Qinyi and others standing with Linghu Chu. His pupils shrank slightly, and his expression became somewhat somber.

As a memorial was presented to the emperor, Linghu Chu also spoke.

"Your Majesty, in recent years, the Shence Army has been plagued by numerous problems. In addition to the frequent private loans within the army, there are also a large number of imposters who bribe military officers to occupy Shence Army ranks, bully men and women, and seize farmland, resulting in the deterioration of military discipline and chaos in the army's personnel."

"In order to uphold military discipline, we humbly request Your Majesty's permission to re-evaluate the Shence Army's register and thoroughly investigate the number of personnel in the army, so as to uphold the laws of the state and the nation."

The joint petition from the three individuals clearly carries significant weight.

As a result, the attention of the civil and military officials, who had just been shocked by Guo Zhongwen's case, was quickly drawn to this.

Not only them, but even Li Ang on the throne was somewhat surprised when he saw this memorial.

Wang Ya had mentioned the matter of checking military personnel records to him before, mainly because the national treasury was depleted and unable to support the huge military expenses of the Shence Army.

However, because this matter involves too much, it is not advisable to start it casually before the central structure is completely settled.

Therefore, this period of time has been temporarily put on hold.

Li Ang originally planned to summon Wang Ya to discuss the matter in detail after the New Year holiday had passed peacefully, and then see how to make a decision. However, he never expected that this usually steady old minister would launch a surprise attack on him.

and……

Li Ang's gaze shifted downwards, landing on Linghu Chu, and a sudden realization flashed through his mind.

Besides Wang Ya suddenly bringing up the matter at the morning court session, another point that surprised Li Ang was that the first name on the joint memorial was not Wang Ya, but Linghu Chu.

In that case… Li Ang’s mind raced, and he quickly understood the key point.

The investigation of military registers was no small matter. Unlike the reorganization of the Shence Military Command, the embezzlement of military registers involved not only Shence Army generals but also many local gentry and wealthy households in the capital.

These people were able to establish themselves in the capital mainly because they had intricate connections with officials in the imperial court.

They may not be able to get close to high-ranking officials, but their sheer numbers make them very difficult to deal with.

Therefore, to accomplish this, it is necessary to unite all forces.

However, in the current imperial court, the Niu and Li factions are still the most powerful.

Of the two parties, the Li Party followed an elite route. Although it was small in number, its members were mostly from prominent families and were shrewd and capable high-ranking officials.

In contrast, the Niu faction placed more emphasis on ordinary scholars from humble backgrounds and officials with weak connections.

This means that the Niu Party outnumbers the Li Party.

In other words, the support of the Niu Party is essential for investigating military personnel records.

This is also why Wang Ya wanted to bring Du Cong into the position of prime minister when he first proposed this idea.

Now that Du Cong has caused this incident at the Waiting-for-Leaks Courtyard, and has been staying at home on sick leave ever since, it's clear to everyone that his chances of becoming prime minister are extremely slim.

In this situation, it's easy to understand why Wang Ya would seek cooperation with other members of the Niu Party.

It's just unclear whether Wang Ya approached Linghu Chu first, or whether Linghu Chu extended an olive branch to Wang Ya first...

Of course, this is not important, since both sides have reached an agreement, that much is certain.

Holding the memorial in his hand, Li Ang pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Li Deyu, Liu Hongyi, and the others beside him and asked.

"This matter involves the Shence Army. What are the views of the Governor-General's Office and officials from the two provinces?"

At this time, the Governor's Office was not yet fully established, and only two governors were allowed to attend court. Yang Qinyi was one of the people who jointly submitted the memorial, which goes without saying.

The remaining Liu Hongyi also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that the investigation of military records is urgent and should be carried out in parallel with the reform of the Shence Army."

He had expressed his opinion, and the remaining issue was with the Secretariat. Another prime minister, Jia Su, had been keeping a low profile these days because of his involvement with Li Xun, so he naturally had no objections.

Soon, all eyes in the hall were drawn to Li Deyu…