Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 148: Flowers Rain and War Drums Beat

Wu Tao's heart was beating fast, and the secret letter from the border in her hand was like a burning coal, burning her palm. The prime minister colluded with the Turks, working inside and outside. If this heinous crime was confirmed, it would be enough to ruin his reputation and he would never be able to turn over.

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Wu Tao's voice trembled slightly, but she tried to stay calm.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said calmly: "We must act secretly, first solve the internal corruption problem, and then do our best to resist the external enemy. The Prime Minister's power is deeply rooted, and we can't alert him."

Wu Tao nodded in agreement. She knew that at this moment, any impulse could lead to devastating consequences.

"I have already sent someone to notify Li Xiaoyao." Hu Bugui continued, "He has a wide network of contacts in the martial arts world and can help us collect evidence of the prime minister's crimes."

Wu Tao thought of the chivalrous and unrestrained chivalrous man, and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. Although Li Xiaoyao seemed cynical, he was full of justice in his bones. At the critical moment, he would definitely lend a helping hand.

In the following days, the palace seemed calm as usual, but undercurrents were surging. Hu Bugui pretended to be indifferent to the prime minister's accusations, but secretly he was actively deploying troops and preparing for a war that might break out at any time.

Wu Tao used her connections in the palace to gather information and evidence of the prime minister's collusion with foreign enemies. She knew that only with solid evidence could she completely overthrow the prime minister and clear Hu Bugui's name.

At the same time, Li Xiaoyao was also running around in the rivers and lakes, using his connections to secretly investigate the prime minister's crimes. He visited many places, contacted many people, and finally found some key clues.

"Your Highness, this is the evidence I collected, which can prove that the Prime Minister controls a secret army and has close ties with the Turks." Li Xiaoyao handed a stack of information to Hu Bugui with a serious tone.

Hu Bugui took the documents and read them carefully. The documents were detailed and the evidence was conclusive, enough to prove the prime minister's crime.

"Okay! With these evidences, we can report the truth to the emperor and expose the prime minister's true face!" Hu Bugui's eyes flashed with a gleam, and his tone was firm.

However, at this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried horse hooves outside the palace, and a soldier covered in blood stumbled in.

"Report... Report to the prince, something terrible has happened! The border... The border is in danger!"

"Report... Report to the prince, something terrible has happened! The border... The border is in danger! The Turkic army is approaching, and our army... Our army has suffered heavy casualties!" The soldier's words were intermittent, but they exploded in everyone's ears like thunder.

"What?!" Hu Bugui stood up suddenly, his face livid. The Turks actually chose to launch an attack at this time, obviously they were well prepared!

"Your Highness, now is not the time to be sad. We must send troops to support us as soon as possible!" An armored general said anxiously on the side.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Pass the order down, gather the troops and follow me to the border!"

"Yes!" The general took the order and left. Suddenly the palace became busy.

Wu Tao's heart was also hanging in the air. Although she had expected it, she still felt panic when the war really came. But she knew that now was not the time to be weak. She had to be strong and fight side by side with Hu Bugui.

"Your Highness, the journey to the border is long and extremely dangerous. You must be careful." Wu Tao walked to Hu Bugui and handed him the amulet he had sewn himself.

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, his eyes full of gratitude and tenderness. "Tao'er, don't worry, I will definitely come back safely. When I return triumphantly, we will..."

"Your Highness, the military situation is urgent, we should set off as soon as possible!" the general reminded.

Hu Bugui nodded, took one last look at Wu Tao, turned around and strode away.

Wu Tao's eyes moistened as she watched Hu Bugui's back go away. But she quickly wiped away her tears and turned back to the intense rear support work.

At the border, yellow sand filled the sky and drums of war thundered. The Turkic army was coming fiercely, rushing towards the city of Datang like a tide.

"General, the Turks are too strong, and our troops are insufficient. I'm afraid..." On the city wall, a deputy general looked at the densely packed enemy troops below the city with a look of despair on his face.

"What are you afraid of? We have our homes and our loved ones behind us. Even if we have to fight to the last man, we must keep the enemy out of our country!" The general defending the city roared. Although he was over fifty years old, he was still strong and his voice was loud.

"Shoot!" With the general's order, countless sharp arrows flew out from the city wall and fell into the enemy camp like raindrops, causing a sudden wailing sound.

However, the Turks were fearless and when the soldiers in the front row fell, the soldiers behind them would immediately take their place and continue their frantic attack.

Just when the defenders were gradually exhausted, suddenly, rows of black "fireballs" shot out from behind the city wall. These "fireballs" fell accurately into the enemy camp with a sharp whistling sound, exploded instantly, and blew the surrounding enemies to the ground.

"What kind of weapon is this? It's so powerful!" The Turkic general looked at the scene in front of him, his eyes filled with shock and fear.

"This is a new weapon developed by the princess, specially used to deal with you barbarians!" the general defending the city said loudly, his tone full of pride.

The emergence of new weapons greatly dampened the arrogance of the Turks and greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers defending the city. They fought bravely and repelled the Turks again and again.

In the rear, Wu Tao was organizing the people to step up the production of military supplies. Food, clothing, medicines... were continuously sent to the border to provide strong support for the soldiers on the front line.

"Princess, we have tried our best, but we still cannot meet the needs of the front line!" An official said with a frown as he looked at the empty granary.

"I know." Wu Tao's face was also full of anxiety, "But we can't give up. We must try every possible way to raise enough supplies!"

At this moment, a soldier ran in hurriedly, "Princess, the prince... the prince..."

"Princess Princess, Prince...Prince he..." The soldier was panting and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"What's wrong with the prince? Tell me quickly!" Wu Tao was anxious and grabbed the soldier's arm.

"The prince...he strongly rebuked the prime minister in the court, exposing the evidence of his collusion with foreign enemies and delaying the war!"

Wu Tao's heart trembled. She knew that Hu Bugui had always suspected that the prime minister was secretly obstructing him from implementing the new policy, and she was even more worried that he would collude with foreign enemies and endanger the Tang Dynasty. Now it seems that Hu Bugui's worries are not groundless.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the magnificent court was tense. Hu Bugui was wearing court robes and a jade belt around his waist. He had a stern face and a sharp gaze, staring directly at the prime minister kneeling in the hall.

"Prime Minister, do you admit your guilt?!" Hu Bugui's voice resounded through the hall like a huge bell, shocking everyone's hearts.

The prime minister was over sixty years old, but still looked old and frail. He raised his head tremblingly, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down and said in a wronged tone: "I am an old minister who is loyal and has assisted two generations of kings. What crime have I committed? Please examine it carefully, Your Majesty!"

"Clearly aware? If I don't, wouldn't I be blinded by you?!" Hu Bugui sneered, took out a secret letter from his sleeve and held it high, "Is this letter a personal letter between you and the Turkic Khan? The letter stipulates that when the Turkic army breaks through the border, we will work together inside and outside to overthrow our Tang Dynasty. What else do you have to say?!"

The prime minister's face suddenly turned pale, his lips trembled, and he wanted to explain, but he couldn't say a word.

"Someone, come and capture the prime minister!" Hu Bugui gave an order, and the guards outside the hall immediately rushed in and surrounded the prime minister.

"Your Highness, you are slandering me! I am innocent!" The prime minister struggled desperately, but to no avail.

"Whether it is a false accusation or not, the historians will record it, and future generations will judge it! Come, arrest the prime minister and his followers, and put them in the prison to await their fate!"

At Hu Bugui's command, the court was thrown into chaos. The prime minister's followers knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, but they were all dragged away mercilessly.

A court turmoil ended with the fall of the prime minister. Hu Bugui overcame all objections, eradicated dissidents, cleared the huge obstacles on the road to reform, and laid a solid foundation for the future stable development of the Tang Dynasty.

However, he knew that this was just the beginning. The threat from the Turks had not yet been resolved, and the road to the revival of the Tang Dynasty was still long and arduous. He must end this war as soon as possible, and then lead the people of the Tang Dynasty to create a more prosperous and prosperous era! Chapter 148: Flowers Rain and War Drums

When Wu Tao arrived at the court, the atmosphere was still tense, with a strong smell of gunpowder in the air. She saw Hu Bugui standing in the center of the hall, as tall as a pine tree. There was a bit of fatigue between his brows, but more of determination and resoluteness.

"Bugui..." Wu Tao called softly, with worry in his tone.

Hu Bugui turned around when he heard the voice, and when he saw Wu Tao, a gentle smile appeared on his tense face: "Why are you here?"

"I'm worried about you." Wu Tao walked to his side, gently held his hand, and felt the warmth of his palm.

"I'm fine." Hu Bugui held her hand and gave her strength. "The evidence of the prime minister's collusion with foreign enemies is solid. He has been arrested. We will be able to free up our hands soon to solve other problems."

Wu Tao nodded, but she still felt heavy in her heart. She knew that the Prime Minister was just a pawn of the mastermind, and the real enemy was still hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

After the prime minister was eliminated, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao restarted their reform plan. They promulgated a series of policies that benefited the country and the people, encouraged agricultural production, built water conservancy projects, reduced taxes, and vigorously established schools to popularize education, hoping to change people's destiny through knowledge.

The people felt the benefits of the new policy and supported the new prince. The society of the Tang Dynasty gradually stabilized and presented a thriving scene. However, just when everything seemed to be on the right track, a secret letter from abroad broke this brief peace.

"Xiaoyao Villa?" Hu Bugui unfolded the secret letter with a frown on his face. There were only a few short lines in the letter, but it revealed disturbing information.

"What happened to Xiaoyao Villa?" Wu Tao asked. She didn't know much about the affairs of the martial arts world. She only knew that Xiaoyao Villa was a well-known sect in the martial arts world, and the owner Li Xiaoyao was a master of martial arts and his whereabouts were erratic.

"There have been frequent strangers coming in and out of Xiaoyao Villa in recent days, and all of them are highly skilled in martial arts and their origins are unknown. Manor Master Li is worried that they may be up to no good, so he asked me to keep an eye on them," Hu Bugui explained.

"You mean, these people may be related to the forces behind the prime minister?" Wu Tao immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

Hu Bugui nodded: "It is very likely. Xiaoyao Villa is located on the border of the Tang Dynasty and is the main route into the Central Plains. If they want to take action, this is undoubtedly the best base."

"Then what should we do?" Wu Tao asked.

"I have issued an order to strengthen the border defense and send people to secretly investigate the situation in Xiaoyao Villa." Hu Bugui said, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, "I want to see who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes!"

At this moment, a general hurried into the study and reported to Hu Bugui: "Your Highness, urgent news from the border!"

Hu Bugui took the military report, unfolded it, and his expression suddenly became solemn.

"What's wrong?" Wu Tao's heart tightened, and he had a premonition that something big had happened.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "The Turkic army has returned and has broken through the border defense line!"

The air in the study seemed to freeze. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui both knew that a bigger storm was about to come...