The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 343 The Emperor Goes to War
Li Zhi said seriously: "I am willing to go there."

Li Chengqian added: "Then let Chai Zhewei arrange someone to take you there. After you get to Bozhou, find Li Yifu. You can investigate the private mine with him later."

Li Shen hurriedly said in unison: "Brother, I obey your orders."

Seeing his two younger brothers excited, Li Chengqian said, "Let's eat."

Li Lizhi added: "After dinner, let's set off."

Li Zhi and Li Shen were quite excited as they finally found something to do.

"Brother, can I bring more soldiers?"

"I'm not asking you to go to war without soldiers."

"Can my brother fight?"

"No."

"Can you bring Xu Shaoyin along as well?"

"No."

"Can you bring Di Renjie with you?"

"Shut up and eat."

"Yeah." Li Zhi and Li Shen immediately picked up their bowls and ate with relish.

Li Lizhi looked at her uncle who had not yet started eating, "I am sorry for making you laugh at some family matters."

Chang Sun Wuji smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay..."

Li Zhi and Li Shen ate quickly. Li Chengqian handed them a roll of documents, and the two of them hurried to find Chai Zhewei.

"Remember to find Xu Xiaode." Li Chengqian reminded again.

"understood!"

The two younger brothers' replies were very perfunctory.

They are naturally happy to be able to travel far away. Although they cannot go on the Eastern Expedition with their father, it would be good for them to go out for a walk.

At the dinner table, almost all the dishes were swept away by the two younger brothers.

Li Lizhi continued, "I heard that my uncle wants to join father in the expedition to the east?"

Facing the brother and sister in front of him, Changsun Wuji felt a huge pressure and nodded, "I did say so, but Your Majesty refused."

Li Chengqian picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into his uncle's bowl. "There are still many things to do. I am still young, so I hope you can help me with some things."

"I will do my best to assist Your Highness."

Knowing that her brother could easily deal with her uncle, she left in a good mood.

In Qianyuan Hall, Li Chengqian poured a bowl of tea and placed it in front of his uncle. "Recently, the meals prepared have become lighter. Mother said that eating lighter is good for the body. I am the same as my uncle. I have old parents and young children to take care of."

Changsun Wuji wanted to speak again.

Li Chengqian added: "Sometimes, I can understand my uncle's feelings. My mother often talks about my uncle. I have been close to my uncle since I was a child. My uncle is also the person closest to me. If my uncle gets old in the future, I will also support him."

Zhang Sun Wuji looked nervous, and hurriedly stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, I am terrified."

Li Chengqian took his hand back from the tea bowl and said, "More and more generals have retired in the past two years. Uncle must take good care of his health."

"I will definitely live up to your trust."

Li Chengqian looked at the table full of food and said, "I was planning to have dinner alone with my uncle, but I don't want to spoil the mood of Zhinu and Shendi. It's getting late, so uncle should go back and rest early."

"My minister retire."

Changsun Wuji bowed again and walked out of Qianyuan Hall quickly. Just as he was about to look back, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the prince was still sitting at the dinner table.

For some reason, Changsun Wuji felt a little scared and quickened his pace to leave.

After his uncle walked away, Li Chengqian put his hands down from the table and placed them on his knees.

"Cheng Qian?"

Hearing the words behind him, Li Chengqian saw that it was his mother who came and said, "Your son just came to see your uncle."

Sitting next to her son, Empress Changsun looked at her son and said with satisfaction, "Your uncle is right. You are becoming more and more shrewd after all."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Mother, I am not your father after all. Your father can command the heroes of the world, but I can only walk step by step by myself and walk down to earth."

Patting her son on the back, Empress Changsun said, "You must be very upset."

"Ah."

As a mother, she could see through her son's mind at a glance. He seemed to be at ease in front of the court officials, but her son did not like these things. She had also heard from Wan'er that he always felt physically and mentally exhausted when facing these things.

"All the civil and military officials that your father left behind will be handed over to you in the future. Just as you said, you are not a person like your father, and you can never become your father. But Cheng Qian is Cheng Qian, and you still have a long life ahead of you."

Li Chengqian watched the sky outside the palace gradually turn dark, took a sip of tea, and said, "Uncle is my son's elder, but I don't want to fall behind in the court because of him. There are many things happening right before my eyes, and I don't want any more accidents to happen."

"Uncle, you must do everything you want me to do. Once you have done all the things for me, I will let you enjoy your old age. That is why I am hosting a banquet to entertain you and ask you some questions."

Empress Changsun sighed, "On one side are state affairs, and on the other side are elders. I'm sorry to embarrass you."

"These difficulties are nothing. I want to be the emperor in the end. Otherwise, I always feel guilty every time I see my uncle."

Empress Changsun smiled again, a smile of relief.

When night fell, everything in Luoyang City fell into silence. In the camp east of Luoyang City, there were many torches flickering. Soldiers and officers were packing up their equipment and horses, making final preparations for the army to set out.

The next day, Li Chengqian was summoned by his father early in the morning and came to the Luo River.

Luo River is a tributary of the Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River. It comes from Guanzhong and flows all the way from Tongguan through Luoyang.

The water level of the river is now much lower than in previous years due to the construction of a silt dam upstream.

Back then, Li Ke, Ma Zhou and Quan Wanji built a river channel here to fight floods, which took them two years.

It took Li Tai another three years to build a silt dam in the upper reaches of the Wei River.

The river is much more stable now.

Li Chengqian turned over, dismounted, and walked to his father's side.

Li Shimin looked at the water flowing in the river and said, "I heard that Zhinu and Shen'er have also come to Luoyang?"

"Yes, they arrived last night. Did Li Zhi bring them to meet me?"

Li Shimin snorted coldly, "These two guys were brought to me by the soldiers last night. I scolded them. They also said that they were ordered by you to go to Bozhou. Seeing that they still have your documents, I let them leave."

Li Chengqian said: "The emperor is about to march east, so they naturally want to see him."

"You let those two guys out just so they can come see me?"

"I also want them to go and gain some experience. No matter what the result of the experience is, it will not interfere with the overall situation anyway."

Li Shimin put his hands behind his back and said, "The army will set out in two days."

Li Chengqian said, "Your son is waiting for the battle report of your father's great victory in Luoyang."

"Haha, your uncle and your grandfather are waiting for my great victory."

"I still hope that Father will not underestimate Goguryeo during the war."

"Okay." Li Shimin said with a smile, "Luoyang and my rear are now in your hands."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Your son will wait for your father to return with a great victory." The father and son made an agreement by the Luo River.

The spring breeze blew past, making his sleeves rustle. Su Dingfang and Li Daozon were standing not far away, looking at the emperor and his son standing by the river.

The crown prince was tall and slender, and stood straight with broad shoulders and head held high, looking like His Majesty in his youth.

But his gestures, conversation and aura told them that this prince could not be regarded as the emperor he was in his youth.

The sound of the Luo River flows day and night. This river, which has been flowing for thousands of years, never stops.

Three days later, the emperor's army finally set out.

Li Chengqian stood on one side of the camp, leading all the officials to see off his father's army.

Then look at my father with a bow and arrow on his waist, riding a war horse, and commanding the army.

This was the first time in Li Chengqian's life that he saw the Heavenly Khan returning to the battlefield.

The army began to march, and one veteran general after another led their troops all the way eastward.

Li Chengqian met Su Dingfang, whose hair and beard were gray, and General Cheng Yaojin, whose muscles were a little flabby, and Xue Rengui, whose armor was very conspicuous, as well as all the subsequent generals. A mighty army of 50,000 marched to Liaodong.

When the following cavalry caught up, a cloud of dust was raised.

Li Chengqian watched the army go away, then turned his head to look at Luoyang City. Standing on the top of the city wall, his mother, his uncle, his grandfather, Dongyang, and Lizhi were looking at his father who was traveling far away.

Li Zhi and Li Shen did not go directly to Bozhou. They also saw the army on the banks of the Yellow River.

Li Shen saw the flags in the crowd and shouted, "Father!"

Li Zhi looked up and saw his father riding a horse in front of all the generals.

Perhaps it was the sound of horse hooves and the neighing of war horses that blocked out Li Shen's shouting, and the emperor did not look back or stop.

The two brothers watched the army go away until it was almost out of sight.

Li Zhi calmed down and said, "How can a man shed tears over these things? Father will come back soon, and when that time comes, we must let him know about our contributions."

"Yes! What the emperor said is absolutely right." Li Shen nodded heavily.

"Let's go to Bozhou!"

"Wait." Li Shen suddenly said. He fumbled in his arms and took out two cakes, and handed one over. "Eat first, then go."

"Why are you still thinking about eating at this time?"

As Li Zhi spoke, he took the cake and smelled it, "Hmm? Made by Xiaofu?"

Li Shen chewed and nodded, mumbling: "Before leaving, Brother Shen brought out the cakes that Xiaofu had just baked, but she didn't know yet."

"It's delicious, let's eat first." As he spoke, Li Zhi took out a water bag from the side and said, "Brother Shen, drink some water."

"Thank you, Brother Huang."

The two brothers sat together and ate and drank their fill.

He then mounted his horse and headed for Bozhou with the escorting troops.

"Prince Jin! Prince Ji!"

Suddenly, he heard someone shouting from behind. Li Zhi turned around and cursed inwardly, "Why is this bitch here too?"

Li Shen suddenly smiled and said, "Jianzhi!"

Zhang Jianzhi rode his horse closer.

Looking again, he saw a little fat man riding on the same horse with him, and it was Di Renjie.

"Renjie insisted on coming to see you. I am also working for Chongwenguan, so I brought him here."

After that, Zhang Jianzhi emphasized: "Because of the Chongwenguan's dispatch, I have no choice but to go to Bozhou."

Di Renjie said, "Prince Jin and Prince Ji are not in Chang'an, and I am quite bored alone, so I told my parents and they allowed me to go to Bozhou with them."

Li Zhi said very seriously: "This trip to Bozhou is not a joke. Someone might die."

Zhang Jianzhi snorted coldly: "Have you ever seen a dead person, Your Highness?"

"Of course Zhi has seen it."

Li Shen asked the guards to prepare a pony for Di Renjie so that he could ride more comfortably.

Li Zhi looked ahead and said, "Let's go to Bozhou."

The group headed eastwards, escorted by more than a hundred soldiers.

In Luoyang City, just after seeing off the emperor, a more thorny issue arose. The villagers from various counties in Luoyang offered a lot of grain, saying that they would be used as food and fodder for the emperor's eastern expedition.

These grains and fodder were donated voluntarily by villagers from various counties.

Li Chengqian stood outside the city of Luoyang, looking at the carts of grain, and took the account book from Cen Wenben.

Yu Zhining said, "Your Highness, the grain and grass from each county are all here, totaling 35,000 dan."

"Inform all the counties that there is enough food and fodder in the court, so they don't need to offer it. Just send it back to the counties." Seeing Chu Suiliang, Zhang Xingcheng and Ma Zhou behind him, they were all a little hesitant.

Li Chengqian added: "At the beginning, villagers from all counties volunteered to join the army. Father, considering people's livelihood, did not allow more civilians to be accepted. Now, counties have offered food and grass. I know the villagers' wishes, but now there is abundant food and grass. Tongguan has long raised a million shi of food and grass, and there are also prefectures in Hebei and Henan that can be mobilized."

"The army's food and fodder are the army's business. It is my duty to prepare them. Let the counties rest assured. As long as I am still here, I will never let the soldiers at the front starve."

"The government will gather the food and fodder needed by the army. Send them back."

Cen Wenben responded: "Yes."

Li Chengqian said again: "Duan Zan."

"The minister is here."

"You ask the Ministry of War to draft a document and send someone to Songzhou to transfer General Niu Jinda back from Songzhou. You also appoint Liu Lan as the marching commander of Taohe Road and Wang Xuance as the garrison general of Songzhou to replace them in Songzhou."

At the beginning, Your Majesty appointed the Crown Prince as Shangshu Ling, who had the power to control the military forces of Songzhou, Hexi Corridor, and Anxi.

Now that the general has been changed, naturally no one will object.

However, the prince's sudden order to replace generals inevitably made Cen Benwen, Ma Zhou, Zhang Xingcheng, Liu Li and others wonder whether the prince was going to mobilize troops against Tubo again.

But seeing that His Highness did not give any other instructions, everyone had their own guesses but no one spoke out.

Duan Zan, the Minister of War, replied, "I will arrange it right away."

Li Chengqian added: "Wait for General Niu Jinda to return to Guanzhong and have him come directly to Luoyang."

"Here."

This spring is destined to be a busy one. The emperor has gone to war and the prince is in charge of state affairs. No one knows what the world will look like in the future.

In Luoyang city, a large courtyard was vacated next to the Chongwenguan, and inside this courtyard were three hundred scholars from the Chongwenguan, who walked around and sorted out files.

These people were responsible for organizing books and reports from various places for the crown prince, and after summarizing them they would be handed over to the crown prince.

In the official residence of the Ministry of Personnel in Luoyang, Zhangsun Wuji was also very surprised when he heard the prince's orders to the Ministry of War. The emperor went to the battlefield, and the prince suddenly replaced the generals at the border.

Although this is not a big deal, after all, the troops on the border have not moved.

This time, the prince made the transfer without asking for his uncle's opinion. For some reason, he seemed to be used to it.

But Changsun Wuji had no time to take care of too much. He had to arrange many things in the Ministry of Personnel and evaluate the newly appointed township heads in each county.

(End of this chapter)