Although Li Xiang is the actual ruler here, including my Gaochang King Wa Dahan, Li Xiang can directly depose and enthrone anyone, but he still has to give the face he deserves, so Li Xiang stayed in Zhidaobao's guest room...
For Li Xiang, it doesn't matter where he lives. The most important thing is to maintain his rule here. If the Tang Dynasty takes over here directly, it will not be a good thing for the local people. The local people are still not very accepting of the Tang Empire, so a long transition period is needed. During this transition period, Wadahan is the best ruler.
"I see my cousin doesn't look very good. What happened? Is there something I don't know about during this period of time?"
After Li Xiang finished, he found that Xiao Shougui's face looked bad. He couldn't see clearly because of the strong wind and sand outside just now, but now he could see it clearly.
"In reply to your Highness, something has indeed happened. I just discovered yesterday that Wadahan is actually training a private army. It's not very large in number, but it's absolutely elite. I thought I had it under control, but I didn't expect it to still have ambitions."
Xiao Shougui said somewhat embarrassedly, like a child who had made a mistake. Li Xiang had given him such an important task and asked Su Dingfang to cooperate. Such a thing should not have happened, but it happened now.
Li Xiang had long known that Wadahan was not an easy person to deal with, but he did not expect that this person would be so impatient. Li Xiang was still in the Western Regions, and he had already caused such a thing. If he waited until he left, who knew how the situation would develop. Li Xiang originally wanted to support this guy, but it seemed that he had to teach him a lesson now. If he could be replaced, Li Xiang would like to replace him now.
"I am also responsible for this matter. In fact, I should have kept a closer eye on it, but I put all my energy into the outer guards. As for some of the former large families of Gaochang Kingdom, I only wanted to disarm their armed forces, but I didn't expect that Wadahan would actually train new ones. If Your Highness wants to punish me, Su is willing to bear the responsibility."
What surprised Li Xiang was that Su Dingfang actually took the initiative to take responsibility. You know, when Xiao Shougui first came, Su Dingfang looked down on this pretty boy and always felt that this guy couldn't do much. Now he can actually take the initiative to take responsibility. This shows that the two of them have been getting along well during this period of time. At least Su Dingfang agrees with him in her heart.
"Of course you have responsibilities, but now is not the time to pursue them. Catching these people isn't the main thing. You need to use them to pull out all the people behind the scenes. The fact that Wadahan was able to do this under your surveillance means there are many people around to help him. We can't deal with Wadahan now, but we must deal with these people. Once he is a king without any support, it will be easier to control him."
When a crisis comes, some people will look for the responsibility of others, but Li Xiang is not such a person. What Li Xiang wants to find now is a solution. Wadahan has been under our surveillance. How did he get these hundreds of guards?
We must find out where the money comes from and how the orders are passed on. If these things are not clear, even if we kill hundreds of people, new people will appear in the end.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. After discovering these people yesterday, I have already discussed it with General Su. Our people are currently investigating this matter, and I believe we will be able to figure it out tonight. As for how the news spread, some servants in the palace were the channels for transmission. We have already identified a few people, but their positions are too low. I suspect there are people at a higher level."
This result is similar to what Li Xiang guessed. As for the source of the money, it is either hidden by this guy before, or he got it from other big families. This shows that there is still a very capable resistance armed force in Gaochang Kingdom, but we missed it before, or they hid it too deeply.
"Don't rush into it. Get a good grasp of the situation before you act. Opportunities like this don't come around often. If we can grasp the situation before they explode, we can catch them all in one fell swoop. If we miss this opportunity, it won't be easy to find another one in the future. You must remain patient and dig out everyone you need to."
Li Xiang knew that the overall situation was now determined. Even if these people did something detrimental to the Tang Dynasty, it would not have much impact on the local situation. However, if they were allowed to hide all the time, that would not be a good thing either.
"Your Highness, King Wadahhan of Gaochang requests an audience."
Li Xiang was discussing something with his two men when Wadahan came over. This guy was once a fallen nobleman. If Li Xiang hadn't given him a meal, he would probably be waiting somewhere. Now that he did such a thing, it really made Li Xiang feel disheartened.
Of course, this is also a very normal thing. This guy was originally a royal family and still had certain power in his hands. After becoming the puppet king for Li Xiang, all kinds of power were taken away, so it is normal for him to have some ulterior motives.
"You two go do your work. I'll take this opportunity to stabilize him. This is also a test for you. You've said in your memorials that everything in Gaochang City is under your control. So, within the time it takes to eat this meal, I need a complete result. No one can be left out."
Although Li Xiang did not punish the two men, his words were very harsh. Su Dingfang and Xiao Shougui were both men who cared about their reputation. Even if Li Xiang did not say these words, they knew what to do next. Li Xiang had high hopes for them, but now that the task had turned out like this, the two of them were indeed very regretful. Now there was a chance to make amends, and the two of them had to go all out.
The two men went out from the side door and did not meet Wadahan. Wadahan was not very clear about this matter now, and perhaps he had revealed some clues, but since he dared to come to Li Xiang, it meant that he had not yet noticed this matter, so Su Dingfang and Xiao Shougui had plenty of opportunities.