Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2421 The Secret Chamber of Tian Ce Mansion, The Prince of Qin's Resentment

The vicinity of the Tang Dynasty was dominated by three forces: the Great Xiao, the Great Xia, and the Great Wei.

Whether the power shifts within the Tang Dynasty would give the enemy an opportunity to exploit the situation could be determined by considering only these three forces.

As for the Great Wei, needless to say, having just suffered a major defeat, they are busy dealing with their internal problems. Even if given an opportunity, they would be unable to seize it.

As for Daxiao, it was Li Shimin's way of taking advantage of the fact that the enemy's campaign against Chu had not yet completely ended, and at this final juncture, to complete the power shift within the Tang Dynasty.

Once the enemy's campaign against Chu is completely over, even if they have taken such a large piece of the pie this time, they will inevitably need time to digest it.

However, if the Tang Dynasty gives the other side an opportunity at such a crucial moment, the other side might just take advantage of the situation and make a move.

Therefore, if we consider the impact of Da Xiao on them, Li Shimin believed that this was the last period of time they could utilize.

In particular, as the war against Chu came to an end, in addition to forming a Wei alliance with Yang Jian, the Tang Dynasty also began to build ties with the Great Yu, and both sides were making ample preparations for their respective post-war situations.

However, setting aside the influence of the Great Wei and Great Xiao, Li Shimin did not attach much importance to the remaining Great Xia.

After all, without a clear direction for external development, the Great Xia Dynasty has already fallen behind the Great Tang Dynasty.

Even for the Great Xia, which had been recuperating for several years, the power shift within the Tang Dynasty at this time would indeed give the other side an opportunity, but the Great Xia was ultimately not the Great Xiao.

If Li Shimin was unwilling to take any risks and hesitated completely at the slightest risk, then there was no point in him doing anything.

The plan proceeded smoothly. Lu Xianlin, who had been lying low for many years and had completely gained the Crown Prince's trust, along with the Crown Prince's eloquence, successfully tricked the Crown Prince into falling into the trap, thus setting the stage for this political conspiracy.

Li Shimin successfully helped his father ascend to the throne. After all, Li Shimin himself knew very well that unless he staged a complete coup, it was impossible for him to directly inherit the throne according to the rules of etiquette.

Therefore, his father had to act as a stepping stone. While Li Shimin was working hard, Li Yuan, completely unaware of the situation, easily ascended to the throne.

However, to Li Shimin's surprise, his father actually made Li Jiancheng the crown prince instead of him.

Yes, Li Jiancheng was indeed the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but didn't his father consider other factors?
Before this, he had risen directly from a second-class prince to a first-class prince based on his military achievements, and finally climbed to the rank of prince, ranking first among the three great generals.

But what was Li Jiancheng compared to Li Shimin? Even with Li Shimin's influence, he only got the title of Duke. Without Li Shimin's help, he would have been lucky to even get a Marquis title by virtue of his status as a member of the imperial clan.

Despite the stark disparity between the two sides, his father still chose Li Jiancheng, the eldest son, as the crown prince.

"Damn it!" Inside the secret chamber of the Tian Ce Mansion, even Li Shimin, with his deep-seated shrewdness, couldn't help but feel resentful.

He worked so hard to get his father into this position, but this is how his father treats him?
If it weren't for the fact that the two Xuanwu Gate incidents in quick succession were not favorable to the overall situation, they would have directly exposed his previous scheming.

At this point, he really wanted to simply appoint his own father as the retired emperor!
"My lord, please don't be angry, your health is paramount!" Lu Xianlin, the other person in the secret chamber, hurriedly helped him up and spoke. After all, to make the crown prince feel that his position was truly precarious and that he might actually be eliminated by his emperor father, the assassination attempt was no joke, and to create enough influence to frame him!
At this time, Li Shimin was truly in a state of serious injury.

"My lord, although we did not obtain the position of crown prince as planned this time!"

"But now that the lord has regained control of the army, with his illustrious military achievements, can the crown prince sit securely in that position?"

"My lord, the one who should be worried right now is Li Jiancheng, not you!"

"My lord, you just need to calm down, continue to accumulate merits and keep them in your own hands, and wait for Li Jiancheng to make a mistake on his own after he can't sit still!" Lu Xianlin calmly reminded him.

The gap between Li Jiancheng at this time and Li Jiancai and Li Shimin of the Blue Star Tang Dynasty was even greater. The two brothers' contributions to the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty were worlds apart.

There was no way around it. Although Li Jiancheng could be considered a young and outstanding talent, an excellent figure among the imperial clan, the problem was that there were just too many outstanding talents in the imperial clan.

Leaving aside the older generation like Li Ji, Li Xiaogong, and Li Keyong, just considering his contemporaries like Li Shimin, Li Xu, Li Longji, Li Cunxu, and Li Siyuan, Li Jiancheng's contributions to the development of the Tang Dynasty to this day are comparable to those of several others.

It can only be said that Li Jiancheng was indeed outstanding, but among the many talented members of the Tang Dynasty's imperial family, his excellence seemed somewhat mediocre.

Compared to others, he is excellent, but among a group of geniuses, he doesn't stand out.

Li Longji, who was also dedicated to domestic affairs, was an obstacle he could not overcome.

It's important to understand that Li Longji now is not the elderly Li Longji; he is currently at the peak of his wisdom and prowess.

If it weren't a contest of military prowess, but rather any other aspect, Li Shimin would be intimidated by this man, let alone Li Jiancheng.

The major strategic diplomatic decisions such as the alliance with Yang and the alliance with Yu were not only advocated by Li Shimin, but also by Li Longji.

When facing the Great Wei, the idea of ​​resolving the problem from outside the battlefield was actually orchestrated by Li Shimin, but it was Li Longji who first proposed this idea.

Throughout the development of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng has made almost no significant contributions. Lu Xianlin knew without a doubt that even if he became the crown prince, could he truly be at peace with himself?

He might disregard other outstanding members of the imperial clan, but if he didn't care about Li Shimin, his own son, it would be unless he truly didn't want the position of crown prince.
Therefore, it's not them who are anxious, but the other side. They certainly won't be the ones rushing to make a move; they should just wait for the other side to make a mistake.

Li Shimin understood the reasoning Lu Xianlin was giving him; he could even conceive of it himself.

However, it is incredibly frustrating to work so hard, even risk your life, only to have someone else reap the rewards.
If it were Li Xu, or someone truly capable like Li Longji, he would have accepted it and continued to plan slowly.

But if it were someone like Li Jiancheng, it would truly make him unwilling!