Wang Wei was also full of doubts and bowed to Li Yuan, saying, “I wonder what matter the General has summoned us here to discuss?”

Li Yuan snorted coldly, picked up a letter that was placed beside him, and threw it at Wang Wei, saying, “See for yourself!”

Ever since Wang Wei and his companion had arrived in Taiyuan, regardless of what Li Yuan truly thought, he had always treated them with courtesy on the surface. Today’s behavior was the first of its kind.

Wang Wei suppressed his displeasure and picked up the letter from the ground to read it. After seeing clearly what was written, Wang Wei’s fat face became even more unsightly than a dead man’s, and Gao Junya beside him was the same.

This letter was sent by Kaiyang Prefecture Chief Clerk Liu Zhenghui, accusing Wang Wei and Gao Junya of colluding with the Turks and planning to launch a surprise attack on Taiyuan together with Liu Wuzhou when Li Yuan was unprepared.

Li Yuan said coldly, “Wang Wei, Gao Junya, His Majesty trusted you so much, appointing you as Deputy Governors of Taiyuan, yet you actually colluded with the Turks to invade our Great Sui. Are you worthy of His Majesty?”

Gao Junya said hastily, “No, we two have always been utterly loyal to His Majesty and the Great Sui. How could we do such a thing as colluding with the Turks? It’s… it’s this Liu Zhenghui who has falsely accused us two, deliberately framing us. Please, Lord Li, see clearly.”

“Then General Gao, tell us – Chief Clerk Liu has no grievances or enmity with you two, so why would he frame you?” The general who spoke was called Wu Shihuo, originally a timber merchant who later sought out Li Yuan and presented him with a military manual, serving as a Staff Officer in the army.

Gao Junya was rendered speechless by the question. After a long while, he finally said, “I don’t know why Chief Clerk Liu would do this, but Brother Wang and I can both swear to Heaven that we absolutely have never done anything to wrong His Majesty or the Great Sui. Lord Li, you must not believe Chief Clerk Liu’s lies.”

Wu Shihuo said coldly, “When you and Wang Rengong went to Mayi and were utterly defeated by the Turks, I found it very strange. Following the General’s strategy for the campaign, this battle could have been won – why did you change the war strategy? Now I finally understand – you deliberately lost to the Turks.”

Gao Junya was so panicked he didn’t know what to do and could only continuously deny Wu Shihuo’s words. Wang Wei, who had not spoken since earlier, said, “To definitively conclude that we two colluded with the Turks based on a single letter – doesn’t Staff Officer Wu find this somewhat ridiculous?”

Li Yuan’s expression was dark as he said, “Then would adding Liu Shilong’s testimony be sufficient?” Speaking thus, he said to Liu Shilong, “Tell everyone present about what they asked you to do.”

“Yes.” Liu Shilong responded, stood up, and said, “Three days ago, General Wang and General Gao came to find me, saying they wanted to conscript troops from my area to assassinate the General. They said that after the Turks captured Taiyuan, they would make me the Governor of Taiyuan.”

Li Yuan said expressionlessly, “What else do you two have to say?”

Wang Wei ignored him and stared fixedly at Liu Shilong, saying hatefully, “You betrayed us?”

Liu Shilong said with a serious expression, “As a subject of the Great Sui, how could I conspire with you and ally with the Turks!”

If looks could kill, Liu Shilong would have died countless times already. Wang Wei gritted his teeth and looked at everyone, saying, “Correct, we did borrow Liu Shilong’s place to conscript troops, but we weren’t allying with the Turks. Quite the opposite – we were dealing with those who wished to betray the Great Sui and His Majesty!”

Wu Shihuo’s eyelids twitched as he said, “Whom do you refer to?”

Wang Wei pointed at Li Yuan, saying, “Him!”

As soon as the words fell, the faces of the generals sitting on both sides changed, and they all accused Wang Wei of speaking nonsense. Some even immediately wanted to rush forward and beat Wang Wei and his companion.

“Everyone sit down!” Following Li Yuan’s shout, everyone quieted down, and those generals also returned to their seats and sat down again. After the great hall calmed down, Li Yuan looked at Wang Wei and said, “Continue speaking.”

At this point, Wang Wei had nothing left to fear and snorted coldly, “You, as Taiyuan Governor, having received imperial favor, yet plot rebellion. On this charge alone, you Li Yuan already deserve death ten thousand times over!”

“I, Li Yuan, consider myself loyal to His Majesty – where do these four words ‘plotting rebellion’ come from?” Faced with Li Yuan’s words, Wang Wei smiled without warmth and said, “You may deceive others, but you cannot deceive me. If you were truly loyal to His Majesty, why would you be so eager to conscript troops, and furthermore hand over the assembled forces to be commanded by the two criminals Liu Hongji and Zhangsun Shunde?”

“Conscripting troops in advance was your idea, and as for Liu Hongji and Zhangsun Shunde, though they have committed mistakes in the past, they are not unforgivable crimes, so I’m giving them a chance to redeem themselves through meritorious service.”

“You need not use flowery words here – no one will believe you!” Speaking thus, he began to incite those officers and soldiers, “Li Yuan’s rebellion is already proven beyond doubt, his crime unforgivable. Whoever captures him can immediately be promoted three ranks and will gain His Majesty’s favor.”

No matter what promises Wang Wei made, speaking until his mouth was dry, not a single officer or soldier made any move. Instead, they looked at him with the kind of gaze one uses to watch a performing monkey, making his heart sink continuously. Could it be… these generals had all become Li Yuan’s accomplices? If this were truly the case, then this time they might… really be doomed!

Gao Junya had not yet realized this point. Seeing that they still didn’t act, he urged, “What are you all standing there for? Quickly arrest Li Yuan! Afterwards, we two will truthfully report to His Majesty and reward you handsomely.”

Still no one spoke. When Gao Junya also began to sense something was wrong, Li Yuan said sternly, “Guards! Bind these two traitors who colluded with the Turks and throw them into the county prison to await judgment!”

Before his words had finished, soldiers immediately rushed into the room and bound Wang Wei and his companion tightly, confirming Wang Wei’s suspicions – all the officers and soldiers in Taiyuan were under Li Yuan’s control. He had repeatedly overestimated Li Yuan, yet in the end, he had still underestimated him.

Wang Wei’s face was ashen as he said, “Li Yuan, if you kill us, His Majesty will certainly not let you go. His Majesty commands a million elite troops – they’re not something your mere tens of thousands can contend with!”

“A million elite troops?” One of the generals laughed coldly, “Once upon a time, Yang Guang did indeed have a million elite troops, but unfortunately he squandered them all himself. Otherwise, why would he have fled to Jiangdu? Such a foolish ruler is fundamentally unfit to be a monarch!”

Wang Wei said angrily, “You need not gloat here. Following a traitor in rebellion, you’ll all die too!”

Li Yuan didn’t wish to speak further with them and waved his hand, saying, “Take them away!”

Amid curses, Wang Wei and his companion were dragged away. The day after they were imprisoned, on the sixteenth day of the fifth month in the thirteenth year of the Daye era, Li Yuan, who had been planning for a full five years, formally raised troops in rebellion at Jinyang Palace. For many generals and soldiers, they had waited far too long for this moment, but fortunately, they had finally waited for it.

Jinyang Palace Supervisor Peiji, seeing that Li Yuan had finally made up his mind to rise up, also decided to provide full assistance. He immediately presented Li Yuan with ninety thousand hu of white rice, fifty thousand bolts of silk, and four hundred thousand sets of armor from Jinyang Palace, greatly expanding the latter’s strength.