“I never speak without evidence.” After a pause, he said, “When was the last time Colonel Liu met with Lady Zhou?”

Liu Wuzhou’s face immediately became extremely ugly. “You… how do you know about this matter?”

“There are no walls that don’t let wind through. Not only do I know, but from what I understand, Governor Wang already knows about this as well. He’s only allowed you to live this long because he temporarily lacks an excuse to act against you.”

Liu Wuzhou stood there helplessly. Lady Zhou was Wang Rengong’s concubine and also Liu Wuzhou’s childhood sweetheart. They had been separated due to warfare and he had thought there would never be a chance to reunite. Who would have known he would see Lady Zhou again, except by then she had already become Wang Rengong’s concubine. Unable to control their feelings, the two had secretly met behind Wang Rengong’s back. They had thought this secret would never be discovered, but who would have known…

After a long while, he came to his senses and knelt before Li Shimin, saying, “I beg the Second Young Master to save this humble official. I’m willing to serve as an ox or horse to repay the Second Young Master.”

“I couldn’t bear to see you killed by Wang Rengong, which is why I made this trip. Please rise.” After helping Liu Wuzhou up, he said word by word, “Though I can protect you temporarily, I cannot protect you forever. The only solution is to replace Wang Rengong!”

These words greatly moved Liu Wuzhou’s heart, but he soon showed difficulty, “This humble official is merely a lowly colonel with little rank and status. How could I possibly replace him? Even if the Second Young Master is willing, the court would never agree.”

Li Shimin said with a half-smile, “Does Colonel Liu think the current court… can still exist for much longer?”

Liu Wuzhou hadn’t expected him to say such bold words and was stunned for a moment. After quite some time, he carefully said, “Second Young Master, you… do you intend to…” The last two words were too frightening for him to voice.

Li Shimin stood up, “Actually, everyone can see that Great Sui has reached its end. It’s merely struggling to survive now. Just a small storm would completely destroy it. Does Colonel Liu want to follow ‘loyal service to the country’ to the grave, or preserve this useful body to accomplish great deeds?”

Liu Wuzhou nervously pondered. After a long while, he said, “Is this the Administrator’s intention?”

Li Shimin nodded, “Correct. Father is willing to give Colonel Liu an opportunity – it depends on whether Colonel Liu wants to seize it.”

This was a matter of rebellion – Liu Wuzhou couldn’t decide immediately. He paced back and forth in the room while Li Shimin didn’t rush him, allowing him to think slowly.

After a long while, Liu Wuzhou gritted his teeth and said, “What does the Administrator want this humble official to do?”

“Very simple. Replace Wang Rengong and gather as many soldiers as possible. Then Father will raise his army, and Colonel Liu need only respond accordingly. Once successful, Colonel Liu will be a founding minister – being enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as minister won’t be difficult.”

These words greatly moved Liu Wuzhou. He had truly had enough of being a colonel for so many years, and moreover… he now had no way back. Either Wang Rengong would perish or he, Liu Wuzhou, would die – there was no third path!

Liu Wuzhou steeled his heart, then steeled it again, and finally made his decision, kneeling and saying, “This humble official swears to follow the Administrator and Second Young Master to the death!”

“Excellent!” Li Shimin smiled and personally helped Liu Wuzhou up. “With Colonel Liu’s words, I’m at ease. I’ll return to Taiyuan immediately to tell Father this good news.”

“The Second Young Master may go. This humble official will handle matters here properly and will never disappoint the Administrator.” With Liu Wuzhou’s assurance, Li Shimin departed with peace of mind.

Liu Wuzhou gazed for a long time in the direction Li Shimin had gone, his expression changing constantly, not knowing what he was thinking. However, what followed went smoothly.

Taking advantage of when Wang Rengong was inspecting the granaries, he struck unexpectedly and killed Wang Rengong. When the latter saw clearly who was raising the blade against him, his face showed complete astonishment. He wanted to know why this subordinate he had relied upon heavily would assassinate him, but he could no longer speak and departed for the underworld with his questions unanswered.

In chaotic times, human life had never been worth much – this was true for commoners and officials alike…

After killing Wang Rengong, Liu Wuzhou had people spread rumors everywhere about how Wang Rengong didn’t care for the people and was greedy and corrupt. Of course, the previous defeat also became material for his propaganda.

After doing all this, he began recruiting forces. The people had long harbored resentment against the Sui royal house, and immediately people came to join his army. Soon he had gathered ten thousand men. With these forces, Liu Wuzhou’s courage grew. He first captured Yanmen and Loufan commanderies, then occupied Fenyang Palace, proclaimed himself Governor, and opened granaries to aid the poor. Naturally, even more people supported him, and his forces reached nearly twenty thousand men.

However, after becoming Governor, he wasn’t satisfied with this, nor did he quietly await Li Yuan’s orders. Instead, encouraged by advisors who had come to join him, he allied with the Turkic forces and was granted the title “Dingyang Emperor” by the Turkic khan.

Liu Wuzhou was not without talent. Since he had decided to rebel and stake his head on his belt, why should he remain subordinate to others? Being enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed minister sounded good, but stripped of pretense, he would still be a minister who needed to kowtow to others – essentially no different from being a colonel. How could that compare to the comfort of being a sovereign himself?

However, he also knew his limitations – he understood that with his strength alone, he couldn’t oppose Li Yuan and other rebel forces in various regions. So he decided to borrow Turkic power, having them help him pacify the Central Plains. As for what would happen afterward, that could be discussed later.

After accomplishing all this, he turned his gaze toward Taiyuan. That was the most important target – if he could capture Taiyuan, it would be an excellent beginning and the best foundation.

Probably no one could have imagined that a mere colonel from Mayi would have such ambition and aspiration. It seemed that Li Yuan, who had always prided himself on his ability to judge people, had suffered a major setback this time.

As Liu Wuzhou aimed his arrows at Taiyuan, he didn’t know that the entire city had already been stirred into action because of him. Li Yuan summoned all his capable subordinates to the Administrator’s residence. His opening words were: “Taiyuan is in crisis, Shanxi is in crisis, the Great Sui Dynasty is in crisis!”

Since Liu Wuzhou was in Mayi and news of his rebellion hadn’t yet reached Taiyuan, everyone found Li Yuan’s sudden statement baffling. Wang Wei flicked his fat fingers and said, “Why does Duke Li say this?”

“I’ve received news that Liu Wuzhou has rebelled in Mayi. First he killed Governor Wang Rengong, then privately recruited troops and opened granaries to distribute grain, proclaiming himself Governor. Most detestably, he actually colluded with the Turkic forces and calls himself some ‘Dingyang Emperor’ – this is simply treasonous. According to the latest news, he’s only three hundred li from our Taiyuan.”

All the generals were horrified, never imagining that one wave of trouble would follow another. His Majesty had just ordered the “fourth campaign against Goguryeo,” and now a court official had rebelled.