Chapter 367 Brotherly Love
Raoyang.

An Lushan and Shi Siming feasted with the civil and military officials of Dayan.

An Lushan sat on the dragon throne in the hall, Shi Siming sat on the left, and Yan Zhuang sat on the right.

On Shi Siming's side were Zhou Zhi, Geng Renzhi, Wu Chengzhen, Wu Chengen, Xue Song, Zhang Xiancheng, Zhang Zhizhong, Xue Zhongyi and others.

Among them, Zhou Zhi was Shi Siming's first confidant, and Geng Renzhi was his second confidant.

Wu Chengxun and Cheng'en are cousins. Their father is Shi Siming's old boss Wu Zhiyi. They are still somewhat loyal to the Tang Dynasty, but they are more concerned about their friendship with Shi Siming.

Xue Song was the grandson of Xue Rengui, and Zhang Xiancheng's father was Zhang Shougui. Both of them were from famous families and were wavering between the Tang Dynasty and the rebels.

Zhang Zhizhong and Xue Zhongyi do not have a stance, they just take advantage of the situation.

On the other side of Yanzhuang were Zhang Tongru, Gao Shang, Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, Sun Xiaozhe, Li Baozhong, Ashina Chengqing, Wu Lingxun and others.

Generally speaking, the people on this side were determined to rebel, but Zhang Tongru, Gao Shang, and Cui Qianyou had long been dissatisfied with An Lushan's suppression of the Han people. Tian Chengsi and Li Baozhong took advantage of the situation, while Sun Xiaozhe, Ashina Chengqing, and Wu Lingxun were An Lushan's die-hard fans.

Everyone gathered together with their own thoughts.

After three rounds of drinking, An Lushan said, "I collected many dancers in Luoyang, but unfortunately I couldn't bring them back."

Shi Siming said: "I know that your majesty likes the Huxuan dance the most, and I have asked someone to prepare it."

After that, they clapped their hands, and a group of music and dance troupe came in.

When An Lushan heard what Shi Siming said, he began to feel unhappy, because when he was trying to please Li Longji, he was dancing the Hu Xuan dance.

But An Lushan's displeasure only lasted for a moment, because he saw that among the people who came in to dance the Hu Xuan dance, there were several sturdy men, who were obviously dressed as soldiers.

An Lushan was afraid and said with a smile: "My second brother is really thoughtful."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked in front of Shi Siming, took off his yellow robe, put it on Shi Siming, and said, "I am old. I have lost Luoyang, Yecheng, and Mingzhou one after another. I am afraid that it will be difficult for the Great Yan to survive in my hands. It is better to abdicate to my second brother. I believe that with your talent, you will surely prosper the Great Yan Kingdom. It is time for me to rest."

Shi Siming quickly took off his yellow robe, knelt down, and said, "I have received great favor from Your Majesty, and I have absolutely no second thoughts. Please do not test me, Your Majesty, or I will die to show my determination."

As An Lushan was about to speak, Sun Xiaozhe stepped forward and interrupted him, saying, "Your Majesty, since General Shi is so loyal, you should obey his wishes."

An Lushan and Shi Siming looked at Sun Xiaozhe at the same time.

Shi Siming said, "Your Majesty, the reason why the battle on the front line failed is precisely because of treacherous villains like Sun Xiaozhe. This person is extravagant, often serves the rich and powerful, has a cruel temperament, and deceived Your Majesty, thus causing harm to the Great Yan State. I request that he be punished."

An Lushan was quite fond of Sun Xiaozhe and hurriedly said, "Please give him a chance to reform and make meritorious contributions."

Sun Xiaozhe was used to being arrogant, and he was furious. He said, "Shi Siming, who the hell are you? How dare you threaten His Majesty? If it weren't for His Majesty, you wouldn't be here today! I am ashamed to have a feast with you!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Sun Xiaozhe called himself the King because An Lushan conferred the title of King on him.

Sun Xiaozhe strode to the door, and the guards at the door immediately grabbed Sun Xiaozhe without saying a word.

Sun Xiaozhe angrily said, "Shi Siming, do you really dare to kill me?"

"You have committed many crimes in the past, and now you are trying to alienate the relationship between me and Your Majesty. Even if I want to tolerate it, Heaven will not allow it!" Shi Siming also had a bad temper. He cursed back angrily, and then said to the guards: "Kill him!" After receiving the order, the guards chopped off Sun Xiaozhe's head at the gate.

Among the people at the banquet, some were shocked, some were afraid, some were gloating, some were deep in thought... everyone had different expressions, but no one spoke.

After a brief silence, Yan Zhuang said, "Your Majesty is not feeling well, and his condition is getting worse. Prince Jin and his men are not around, so abdicating the throne to General Shi is also an emergency measure."

Gao Shang followed and said, "That's right, General Shi, please don't refuse."

The people behind Shi Siming also followed suit and advised Shi Siming to accept the abdication.

Only Ashina Chengqing and Wu Lingxun stared at Shi Siming without saying anything.

Seeing everyone push the wall down, An Lushan was furious, but he did not show it. Instead, he smiled and said, "Second brother, you are the one that everyone wants. Please accept my abdication!"

Shi Siming said: "Since Your Majesty is unwell, I am willing to manage the government on your behalf, but I dare not abdicate. I dare to ask Your Majesty to grant me the throne. When Your Majesty recovers, I will resign."

An Lushan hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, then I will grant you the title of King of Qi, and all the important military and political affairs of the Great Yan Kingdom will be in your hands."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust!" Shi Siming kowtowed to An Lushan and then stood up.

An Lushan held Shi Siming's hand and said, "You and I are as close as brothers. There is no need to be so formal."

That day, everyone drank until late at night before dispersing.

However, as soon as the banquet was over, Shi Siming imprisoned An Lushan, and locked up Ashina Chengqing and Wu Lingxun. At the same time, he summoned Zhou Zhi, Geng Renzhi, and Wu Chengxun for a secret talk.

Geng Renzhi said: "General, you tried your best to work for the An family because you were coerced by them. Now that the Tang Dynasty has been revived, the emperor is a powerful ruler comparable to Taizong. If you can offer An Lushan and lead your men to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, it will be a way to turn disaster into blessing!"

Wu Chengxie replied, "The revival of the Tang Dynasty is like the blazing sun in the sky, while An Lushan is like the morning dew, which cannot last long. Why would the general want to perish with him?"

Shi Siming remained silent.

Zhou Zhi on the side said: "Tang Emperor Li Heng has long intended to surrender, but he wants the general to take us all to Chang'an. If we abandon the army and enter Chang'an in plain clothes, we will leave our lives to the Tang Emperor. I am a little worried."

Shi Siming sighed and said, "An Lushan has been kind to me and treated me like a brother. How can I betray him? Moreover, the whereabouts of An Qingxu, Li Guiren, Yin Ziqi and others are unknown, and Cai Xide is in Pinglu to fight against Wang Xuanzhi. If I send An Lushan to Chang'an at this time, these people may rise up against me. In addition, as General Zhou said, if we send An Lushan to Chang'an, will the Emperor of Tang spare us?"

Geng Renzhi thought about it and said, "So we can act in two ways. One way is to send envoys to negotiate with the Tang court. We offer An Lushan's surrender and let the Tang court appoint the general as the governor of Fanyang. The other way is to use An Lushan as bait to lure An Qingxu, Li Guiren, Yin Ziqi, Cai Xide and others into the city."

Shi Siming also had the same idea and immediately agreed with Geng Renzhi's words, saying, "This is the only way, let's do it first."

"Yes." Zhou Zhi and the other two accepted the order.

……

The same banquet was also held in Jiangling.

Li Lu's adviser Cai Yong, while drunk, offered Li Lu a plan: If Li Yan insisted on making things difficult for Li Lu, he would suggest that Li Lu take advantage of the situation, go down the Yangtze River, and seize Jianghuai and Jiangnan first.

Li Lu thought this plan was very feasible, and immediately rewarded Cai Yong with 1,000 taels of gold, 5,000 pieces of silk, and two concubines.

Li Lu was very generous.

(End of this chapter)