My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 92 Are we going to attack Goryeo now?
When the prince finished speaking, you could hear a pin drop throughout the hall.

The air is about to freeze.

The military generals and civil officials looked at the prince with sharp eyes.

Li Tai was about to speak to break the silence, but his throat gurgled a few times and he swallowed the words back.

He still had some brains and knew that it was inappropriate to undermine the prince at this time.

The civil servants also understood that the Japanese envoys were so arrogant that if an internal conflict broke out in front of them, the Tang Dynasty would lose face overseas.

There was a hint of surprise in Li Shimin's eyes, but more of it was admiration.

The prince directly proposed to attack Goryeo at this time, and none of the ministers expressed any objection.

The most confused person was the Japanese envoy Ono Yoshihei.

What the hell.

I just came to the Tang Dynasty to pay my respects and see if I can bring some good things back from there. How did it get involved in a war?

That's Goryeo. Didn't the previous dynasty of your Central Plains perish because of fighting against Goryeo?

How come your Tang Dynasty is going to attack Goryeo again?

If you want to fight, don't drag Japan into it.

Suddenly, the morale of the Japanese envoys plummeted as if they had fallen to the bottom of a valley.

"Why, didn't you just claim that your warriors were brave and fearless? Why are you so timid now?"

"Or are those things you just said just empty self-boasting?"

Li Chengqian mercilessly beat the Japanese envoy when he was down. Seeing that the Japanese envoy did not respond for a long time, he asked again aggressively.

The Japanese envoy Ono Yoshihei had no choice but to say, "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. Foreign officials must return to the country to report to our king before a decision can be made."

Li Chengqian sneered and said sarcastically: "It seems that your country is just strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and you can only talk big."

Hearing this, Ono Yoshihei's face became extremely ugly. He opened his mouth and wanted to explain something, but in the end he lowered his head helplessly.

Li Shimin said at this time: "What the prince said makes sense. If Japan is really sincere, it should actively respond to the call of the Tang Dynasty."

Ono Yoshihei nodded quickly: "Your Majesty is right. I will report the truth after I return to my country."

For the Tang Dynasty, if Japan could be brought in to fight Goryeo together, the civil servants would find it acceptable, as this would at least avoid losses for the Tang Dynasty itself to a large extent.

The most important thing is that Japan attacked Goryeo from the sea, forming a pincer attack at the same time as the Tang Dynasty.

As for whether cooperation can be achieved, it depends on how things develop in the future. As a mere envoy, he naturally does not have the ability to agree to it.

But the prince's momentum completely overwhelmed the Japanese envoys.

After the morning court session ended, Li Shimin convened a meeting of the emperor and his ministers to discuss matters.

Naturally, the King of Wei would not be allowed to participate this time. It would be fine if he was allowed to listen in on the court affairs once, but if he was allowed to participate in the meetings between the emperor and his ministers, even Wei Zheng would jump out to oppose it.

A side hall of Liangyi Palace.

The layout here has been completely new, and most importantly, there are more than ten more chairs in the hall.

These are the latest products made by Li Shimin's craftsmen.

Kneeling is a very uncomfortable thing. After sitting for a long time, the whole person will feel very tired. Although Li Shimin always sat on a Hu bed, it was not as comfortable as this chair.

"Give me a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian didn't need it as he had his own four-wheeler.

In fact, ever since Li Chengqian unveiled the four-wheeled vehicle, all the ministers went back to build their own chairs.

The atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty was very open, and anything fun and useful would be easily accepted by people.

The same one was also built in Wei Zheng's home.

However, in order to express his poor style, Wei Zheng's chair was much simpler, similar to the style of the later Tai Shi chair.

Instead of the mahogany sofa design like the one in the Liangyi Hall.

After all the ministers took their seats, Chen Yunchao pushed the prince's four-wheeled carriage to the lower left of His Majesty, then bowed and withdrew.

Li Shimin said with a smile: "Prince has made great contributions to papermaking. I wonder what reward you would like."

The ministers understood that when His Majesty said this, it usually meant that he was not going to give too many rewards.

If it was the King of Wei, I'm afraid he would have given the reward directly long ago, and there would be no need to ask.

Li Chengqian didn't care about the reward. I would take whatever I wanted.

He turned to the question of the morning court and asked directly: "According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, princes are not allowed to participate in court affairs. This is a rule set by my grandfather and your majesty has been implementing it."

"However, at the morning court today, Your Majesty personally broke the rules he had set and usurped the right to allow the King of Wei to participate in government affairs."

"Don't you understand, Your Majesty, what this means?"

Li Shimin's face darkened. "The ministers are all here, and you are questioning me like this. How can I save my face?"

When Changsun Wuji saw this scene, he immediately sat up straight.

Although there have been rumors about the Crown Prince’s anger at His Majesty, this is the first time I have seen it with my own eyes. I cannot miss this drama.

In fact, Changsun Wuji also wanted to say that His Majesty had indeed gone too far.

But now that the prince had spoken, he could not say anything more.

"Chengqian."

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "As an elder brother, you don't have to be too harsh on your younger brother. You should be more generous."

"The reason why I asked Qingque to sit in on the government affairs today is because of the matter of the Japanese envoy."

"Qingque's fiefdom is in Yangzhou, and the coastal area is Japan. We will have to interact with each other in the future. The more contacts we have, the easier it will be to deal with each other when Qingque goes to his fiefdom."

Although King Li Tai of Wei had many fiefs, the main one was Yangzhou, and other places were remote.

What Li Shimin said makes some sense.

"So, Your Majesty, are you planning to let the King of Wei go to his own fiefdom?" Li Chengqian asked immediately.

Li Shimin coughed dryly and replied, "Qingque will eventually go to his fiefdom, but he has not been in good health these days, so he should rest in Chang'an for a while."

At this point, Li Shimin couldn't say in front of his ministers that he wanted to keep the King of Wei in Chang'an.

Of course you have to go, but it’s hard to say when.

In short, just one word: delay.

Li Chengqian continued, "The King of Wei was in the court just now, but he was full of energy and didn't look unwell at all."

"Your Majesty is planning to send the King of Wei to his fiefdom, but it is almost the end of the year. It would be better to wait until after the New Year before sending the King of Wei to his fiefdom."

"By then, Japan will be able to communicate with us. Next year, we will negotiate with Japan to cooperate in conquering Goryeo. The King of Wei will be able to contribute a lot. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Faced with Li Shimin's words, Li Chengqian took the opportunity to climb up.

Li Shimin did not respond to the prince's words at all, and said instead: "Prince, what you said makes sense. This expedition to Korea is a big deal. If we can get Japan's assistance, it will naturally be a great thing for our Tang Dynasty."

"But the Japanese envoy is particularly cunning in my opinion. He refused to submit back then, and his wolfish ambitions are obvious. Even if we cooperate this time, we will be courting disaster. We should be more careful."

The topic was changed directly. Li Shimin didn't want to keep talking about the issue of King Wei's title.

After finishing speaking, Li Shimin looked at Wei Zheng, Chu Suiliang and others.

Wei Zheng said immediately: "Your Majesty, the matter of conquering Goryeo has not yet been decided, and this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided hastily." "Although the strategy proposed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to jointly conquer Goryeo is desirable, Japan has always been fickle and its intentions are unpredictable."

"If we easily form an alliance with them, something unexpected may happen. Moreover, although our Tang Dynasty is powerful, war will cost the people money and resources. If we cannot ensure that there will be no mistakes, we should act with caution."

Chu Suiliang was a staunch anti-war supporter, and he echoed, "Your Majesty, Duke Wei is absolutely right."

"The terrain of Goryeo is complex and easy to defend but difficult to attack. If you want to conquer it, you need to make full preparations."

"And we don't know how strong the Japanese army is. If Japan turns against us during the war, our Tang Dynasty may be in a passive position."

Li Shimin did not respond, but turned his gaze to the prince.

Li Chengqian didn't answer it at all, looked away and pretended not to see it.

You are so determined to support the King of Wei, why would you want me to speak for you at this time?

Seeing that the prince did not respond, Li Shimin could only glance around and then speak himself.

"Earlier in the court, the prince said that the Tang Dynasty would send troops to Goryeo next year to force Japan."

"The ministers did not refute it at the time, and I also acquiesced at the time. Do I have to deny it afterwards?"

"With such behavior, where is the prince's dignity, where is the loyalty of the ministers, and where is the prestige of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Do you want me to go back on my word and change my orders every day?"

Taking advantage of the crown prince's speech in the court, the ministers could not refute it under the circumstances at that time, and now Li Shimin made the final conclusion.

This made anti-war people like Wei Zheng and Chu Suiliang at a loss for words for a moment.

In fact, if Li Shimin insisted on fighting, his ministers would not be able to stop him.

In history, when Li Shimin attacked Goryeo, all his ministers opposed it in a very strong manner.

However, this time Li Shimin did not listen to these advices, but was determined to fight, and even led the army himself.

The reason for the hesitation now is that they are worried that the war will be unfavorable. After all, it is true that Goryeo is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Second, they did not feel that Goryeo had gone too far towards the Tang Dynasty.

At present, Goryeo still submits to the Tang Dynasty on the surface. Although it is only a vassal and does not pay tribute, its nature is not that bad.

Later, Goryeo attacked Silla and captured more than 40 cities in a row, putting the capital of Silla in danger.

Because of its bad neighbors on both sides, Silla had always been obedient to the Tang Dynasty. Now that its country is on the verge of destruction, it has been constantly asking the Tang Dynasty for mediation.

Li Shimin asked Goryeo to stop fighting and negotiate peace, but Goryeo refused to give him the slightest bit of face. This led to Li Shimin's three more expeditions to Goryeo after the Sui Dynasty.

But unfortunately, the three expeditions did not lead to the destruction of Goryeo.

"His Majesty."

Chu Suiliang wanted to continue persuading him but was interrupted by Li Shimin.

"enough!"

"If I don't attack Goryeo, do I have to leave it to the Crown Prince?"

"Or do you think that after my death, the Crown Prince will listen to your advice?"

Li Shimin directly took the crown prince out to take the blame.

At least at this time, neither Li Shimin nor the court officials had any idea of ​​deposing or enthroning the crown prince.

Comparing the King of Wei with the Crown Prince is a common occurrence in dynasties throughout history and is very normal.

After hearing this, Wei Zheng, Chu Suiliang, including Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others finally reacted.

Yes, the prince has been calling for an attack on Goryeo every day, and now Your Majesty is ahead of him. If he succeeds to the throne, who can stop him?
At this time, Li Chengqian gave Li Shimin a great assist.

He spoke slowly and insisted, "If I ascend the throne, the first decree I will issue will be to invade Goryeo."

After hearing this, all the ministers fell silent.

The prince is so tough that he will definitely not listen to their advice.

It can't be like the Sui Dynasty, which perished in the second generation.

Besides, the prince has no experience in leading troops in battle. In comparison, Your Majesty has unparalleled military achievements and outstanding military exploits. Most of the Tang Dynasty was conquered by Your Majesty.

It is better to let His Majesty go to attack Goryeo than to let the Crown Prince go to attack Goryeo.

Even if we lose, it won't be too bad.

Li Shimin's tone softened, he glanced at Li Chengqian and said, "While I still have some strength, I can ride a horse and shoot a bow, let me solve the matter of Goryeo."

With everyone singing the same tune, the other ministers had no basis for rebuttal.

I can only say yes helplessly.

Li Shimin looked at the prince with a smile.

The meaning of the eyes is particularly obvious.

You see, only I, your father, can take action to settle this matter.

Li Cheng pursed his lips and turned his head away from Erfeng.

If it weren't for my assistance, would you be able to suppress the ministers?
After the matter was settled, Chu Suiliang also changed his tone and proposed: "Your Majesty, Goryeo is still nominally vassalized. If our Tang Dynasty attacks it rashly, it will be unjustified."

"Therefore, I suggest that we first send envoys to Goryeo to order it to pay tribute to our Tang Dynasty and return the land and cities that it had seized at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the people of the Central Plains that it had plundered."

"If they obey the orders of the Tang Dynasty, return the land and cities, and plunder the people, then war can be avoided."

"If they are stubborn and refuse to learn their mistakes, disobey orders, and stubbornly provoke, our Tang Dynasty will launch a war with a legitimate reason to recover the lost territory and enhance our prestige."

The tide turned, and Wei Zheng thought for a while and suggested: "Our Tang navy has not fought for a long time. If we conquer Goryeo this time, we should attack both by land and sea to form a pincer attack."

"I suggest that we train the navy and conduct military exercises at sea. This can not only deter other countries, but also safeguard the safety of maritime trade."

"Besides, Japan is an overseas island nation that is proficient in naval warfare. If the two countries are to talk, we should show the power of our Tang navy to make them understand the gap between the two sides and make them surrender."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "You are right. Training soldiers and preparing for war is the way to victory."

"Food and grass from all regions should also be prepared and mobilized in advance to meet the needs of the army."

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly. With all this talk, it seemed that fighting Goryeo had nothing to do with him anymore.

He immediately bowed and said, "Father, the Goryeo people are ambitious and will definitely not submit obediently."

"If we have to conquer Goryeo, I will lead the troops there and let Goryeo know the might of the Tang Dynasty."

Wei Zheng jumped out to object, saying: "The prince is worth thousands of gold, he cannot sit in the hall."

Li Chengqian asked, "Did I gain the throne of the Tang Dynasty by sitting at home? Or do you, Lord Wei, think that my longbow is inaccurate?"

Wei Zheng remembered the day when the prince shot the copper coin with an arrow, and he didn't know how to refute it.

Li Shimin said: "Since the prince is willing to lead the army, it is a good thing. The prince has never participated in a military campaign. For the time being, he should lead the troops of the five prefectures to conduct drills and preparations."

Li Shimin also knew what the prince was thinking. He wanted to gain some military merit, but in his heart he didn't think highly of the prince.

After all, the prince has never participated in a war over the years. Even if he is personally excellent in martial arts, how good can he be at leading troops in battle?

This time when fighting against Goryeo, Li Shimin did not plan to let the crown prince be the commander-in-chief. It would be a good thing to give him some soldiers to experience the cruelty of war.

"Thank you, father." Li Chengqian was relieved this time.

However, Li Shimin immediately added: "Since we have to fight at sea, the King of Wei is the commander-in-chief of the Yangzhou Army and needs to cooperate. He should also lead the troops of the five prefectures to prepare for the drill."

(End of this chapter)