Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 195: I will exchange a princess for my loyal general. I will not lose out. (Part )
"What? He would rather cut off his left ear than surrender to Xueyantuo!" Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch and couldn't help but punch the imperial desk with an extremely excited expression.

Li Chengqian sat on the carriage under the red steps, looking at the Minister of Honglu Temple Yuwen Chongsi in the hall with emotion.

All the ministers in the hall were filled with sighs.

Yuwen Chongsi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard from the Xueyantuo envoys that at that time, the Qibi tribe, from top to bottom, wanted to surrender to the Xueyantuo and pressured the Duke of Guzang. The Duke refused to surrender, citing Your Majesty's generosity. However, his mother and brother forced him and his entire tribe to travel north of the Yin Mountains to the tent of Zhenzhu Khan."

Li Chengqian's expression became solemn.

Yishi Yinan really did reach the north of Yinshan Mountain.

"Zhenzhu Khan forced the Duke of Guzang to surrender, but the Duke of Guzang suddenly snatched the sword from Zhenzhu Khan and cut off his left ear to swear: How can a Tang martyr suffer humiliation in the enemy court? Heaven and earth, sun and moon, please know my heart!" As Yuwen Chongsi said this, his eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"He Li, He Li!" The emperor pounded the table repeatedly with his fists, tears welling up in his eyes. After a long moment, he stopped and whispered, "If He Li is truly loyal to me, I will never betray him."

"The great Tang Dynasty will never let you down!" All the ministers bowed in unison.

Li Shimin's expression finally relaxed. He waved his hand and said, "Crown Prince, Wuji, and Prime Minister Fang, thank you so much for deducing the truth that day. Otherwise, I might have wronged him."

"It is your Majesty's trust that counts, and we are unworthy of it!" Li Chengqian, Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling all bowed.

"Okay, my dear Yuwen, please continue talking about the Xueyantuo." Li Shimin looked at Yuwen Chongsi again with a serious expression.

Yuwen Chongsi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Xueyantuo envoys have come again only to report their situation and to propose marriage again!"

"Propose a marriage, threaten me with the proposal of marriage. If I don't marry my daughter, they will kill He Li, hum!" The emperor snorted coldly and clenched his right fist tightly.

The ministers in the hall looked solemn, and they could clearly sense the emperor's anger.

Li Shimin suddenly smiled and said, "Since he dares to ask for marriage, why should I not dare to marry him, Minister of War Cui Dunli!"

"I'm here!" Cui Dunli, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, stood up and bowed seriously.

"I order you to go to Xueyantuo with your imperial seal and announce the imperial decree to marry Princess Xinxing to the Xueyantuo and order them to release He Li." Li Shimin sighed and said, "Trading a princess for a loyal general is not a loss for me."

"Yes!" Cui Dunli bowed immediately.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, get ready now."

"Yes!" Cui Dunli and Yuwen Chongsi immediately bowed, then turned and left.

Li Chengqian's eyes fell on Cui Dunli. He knew that the emperor wanted to kill him.

The Vice Minister of War was sent as an envoy to convey the imperial edict, which normally meant declaring war.

But now it’s about marrying a princess.

One can imagine how angry the emperor was.

Princess Xinxing was the emperor's biological daughter. Even Songtsen Gampo of Tubo only married daughters of the royal family. How could he possibly marry Xueyantuo's own daughter?

"Pass the order." The emperor's voice came from the steps, and all the ministers bowed.

"In all the northern states and tribes inside and outside the Great Wall, no merchants are allowed to travel north to contact the Xueyantuo. All communication with the Xueyantuo is closed." Li Shimin narrowed his eyes.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"Prince!" Li Shimin turned and looked at Li Chengqian.

"Your son is here!" Li Chengqian bowed immediately.

"How are the improvements to the bows and crossbows in the Eastern Palace going?" Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then he saluted and said, "We're still missing some details."

"Don't think about it. I know you want to present it to me at the New Year's Eve banquet, but there is no need to wait now. After you go back, hand it over to the Chief of Works and the Ministry of Works, and then start making it in full swing. By next year, you can make enough to meet the needs." Li Shimin's eyes were already wide open.

"Your son obeys your command!" Li Chengqian bowed deeply.

"Also, the curved plows you modified must also be handed over to the Chief of Works and the Ministry of Works. Before next year's spring plowing, I want to see them spread throughout Guanzhong." Li Shimin made another request. Li Chengqian's mouth twitched slightly, and he bowed and said, "Yes!"

These two things have basically been completed, and there is no difference between being almost there and not being half there.

Zhang Liang and Yan Liben also stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I obey your command."

The emperor's gaze fell on Zhang Liang and Yan Liben, and he spoke calmly, "You two, my dear ministers, have worked hard this winter. The things you need have been prepared."

"Yes!" Zhang Liang and Yan Liben bowed again with solemn expressions.

They could hear that the emperor had already made murderous intentions, and all the current arrangements were aimed at Xueyantuo.

Perhaps before taking action against Goguryeo, the emperor would first use the Xueyantuo to train his troops.

"Now, we just have to wait for He Li to return to the court." Li Shimin raised his head and looked outside the hall. He was really moved by Qibi He Li's loyalty to him.

……

"After the Duke of Guzang returns to the court, he may have to thank Your Highness." Li Anyan pushed Li Chengqian towards Cheng'en Gate.

"Maybe, I was just saying something fair." Li Chengqian waved his hand and smiled faintly.

What he had said to Qibi Heli in the hall before would surely reach his ears in the future, and he would inevitably be grateful to him.

And he is the prince.

It is reasonable for Qibi Heli to be loyal to him to a certain extent.

Perhaps in the future when he faces competition from other brothers, Qibi Heli will still stand on his side.

However, when he was fighting with the emperor, Qibi Heli would definitely stand on the emperor's side without hesitation.

Li Chengqian looked forward calmly.

The remaining snow beneath the palace walls has not melted.

In fact, any reaction of Qibi Heli didn’t matter to Li Chengqian, because his real focus was not on him.

The emperor's hatred for the Xueyantuo is clearly visible.

In the previous life, by the next year, Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan would send his nephew Tulishe to the Tang Dynasty to propose marriage and offer 5,000 horses, 10,000 cattle and camels, and 100,000 sheep.

The emperor asked Zhenzhu Khan to go to Lingzhou to personally welcome the bride, just like the Tubo King Songtsen Gampo did last year.

But the difference is that the emperor himself will go to Lingzhou and personally marry his daughter Princess Xinxing to Zhenzhu Khan.

This is a killing game.

As long as Zhenzhu Khan dares to go to Lingzhou, the emperor promises that he will not let him return alive.

You have threatened the emperor with the Tang Dynasty's generals to grant him a marriage. How can the emperor still care about the reputation of a great country?

If the princess were to marry you because of this, the Tang Dynasty would lose face. I don’t know who pointed this out to Zhenzhu Khan, but in the end, Zhenzhu Khan still didn’t feel any emotion about Lingzhou.

The emperor finally cancelled the engagement on the grounds that Xueyantuo had not prepared the betrothal gifts.

Li Chengqian's gaze followed the palace wall and looked towards the Liangyi Hall. The emperor had now begun preparing for next year's war.

Unfortunately, he didn't expect that Zhenzhu Khan didn't dare to come in the end, and all his hard work was in vain.

However, there is no need to wait until next year.

Li Chengqian had no intention of waiting until next year. His gaze followed the top of the palace to the west.

In this battle, Li Chengqian also made his bets.

His son was born to Li Xiyu in Anxi.

By this time, the war in the Tianshan area and with the Western Turks should have ended long ago.

……

On the vast grassland, the dry grass was crushed by the horse's hooves.

Tens of thousands of people rode on horses and migrated weakly towards the north.

These people were none other than the Tiele Qibi tribe who had betrayed the Tang Dynasty and were returning to the northern desert.

If they were a little excited to return to the grassland at the beginning, now the biting cold wind made them miss the warmth in Chang'an.

Zhenzhu Khan had no intention of using them to fight against the Tang Dynasty; he simply intended to swallow them up.

Without Qibi Heli, the Qibi tribe did not have much power to resist.

So once they set off north, the Xueyantuo people's attitude towards them was no longer as good as it was at the beginning.

Many people were tired and sleepy, and even couldn't help sighing.

Suddenly, many people paused, and the next moment, more than a dozen mature warriors had jumped off their horses, their ears pressed tightly to the ground.

Seeing this scene, all the Qibi warriors' expressions suddenly changed, and they involuntarily clenched the long swords in their hands.

"Tens of thousands of cavalry!" A soldier, looking pale, raised his head and looked at the countless tribesmen in front of him and said, "Tens of thousands of cavalry are coming at us from both sides at the same time..."

There was no need for him to say anything more. At this moment, almost everyone had already felt the violent earthquake tremors.

Everyone turned their heads suddenly and saw that from the edge of the earth on the left and right, two black torrents were rushing towards them frantically.

On the black flag held high, a large word "Tang" was embroidered.

"Kill!" A loud shout came from the front-line general, and the voice boomed in all directions: "The Emperor of the Great Tang has issued an order. All the barbarians inside and outside the country who dare to raise troops will be killed..."

"Behead them all, behead them all, behead them all."

Countless voices shouted out from the endless black cavalry. Amidst the surging gallop, everyone roared in unison: "Kill!"

"Kill, kill, kill..."

The sound of killing was deafening, and all the Qibi warriors looked terribly pale. These people were all their former comrades-in-arms!
In this moment of hesitation, the surging Tang cavalry had already coldly charged into their midst.

One on the left and one on the right, they attacked from the ribs.

The spear blade flew and blood spurted into the sky.

The Qibi warriors finally reacted and rushed up with their swords to fight.

Many people also threw away the knives in their hands and rushed to a deserted place.

A moment later, a roar suddenly rang out from the battlefield. "Damn you Zhishisili! They're my people, why are you so cruel? And you all, quickly put down your swords, kneel down and surrender. Do you really want your entire tribe to be slaughtered?"

None of them could fail to recognize Qibi Heli's voice. Those who were still alive on the battlefield dropped their knives to the ground in confusion.

The overall situation has been decided.

……

"Good!" Li Shimin, sitting on the imperial couch, slammed the table and shouted excitedly, "Good kill."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji bowed and said, "After Li Xiyu and Guo Xiaoke defeated the Western Turkic Khan Yibiduolu, they led their troops eastward. Together with Zhishisili and Su Dingfang, they attacked the Qibi tribe from both east and west and rescued the Duke of Guzang. The only regret is that Zhenzhu Khan escaped."

The emperor waved his hand and said, "The capture of the Qibi tribe is the biggest blow to Yishi Yinan. Not only have they not recovered from the losses of last year's battle, but this battle has further undermined the confidence of the other tribes in them. Their future decline will be even faster."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed.

Li Shimin looked at his ministers and said, "You should proceed according to the previous arrangements."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Shimin turned to look at Li Chengqian and said, "Prince, it was you who suggested exiling Li Xiyu to Anxi, wasn't it?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian seemed to have just suppressed the surprise in his eyes. He quickly bowed and said, "I just think that Li Xiyu has been through many battles, so exile in the northwest is better."

"You did the right thing. If it weren't for him and Guo Xiaoke, the Western Turks wouldn't have been defeated so quickly, and they wouldn't have been able to march eastward, cooperating with Zhishisili and Su Dingfang in time to defeat the Qibi tribe and rescue the Duke of Guzang." Li Shimin looked up and said, "Issue an order to reinstate Li Xiyu as the governor of Shazhou and garrison Dunhuang."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction and said, "Okay, let's adjourn the court."

"Your Majesty, we respectfully bid you farewell!" The ministers bowed.

The emperor walked out of the Liangyi Hall from the east wing, and Li Wu joined the emperor at Ganlu Gate.

"How's the investigation going?" Li Shimin waved his hand and asked the people around him to leave.

Li Wu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the King of Wei has not taken any action and has nothing to do with this matter. Duke Xun himself has nothing to do with this matter, but several families in the Ganliang area are involved. The details are still under investigation. However, after the battle, they immediately came to Duke Xun's house for help. Duke Xun scolded them severely and drove them out."

"Hmm!" The emperor nodded and asked, "What about the Ministry of Works?"

"Everything is normal in the Ministry of Industry." Li Wu bowed. He was sure that Zhang Liang had not done anything in the Ministry of Industry.

"Keep watching. Once He Li returns, we'll know what's going on." After a brief pause, Li Shimin said, "Li Xiyu's impeachment is also related to those people in Ganliang, right?"

"Yes!" Li Wu nodded.

The emperor chuckled and said, "Tell Li Xiyu to conduct a thorough investigation in Dunhuang to find out exactly how many of these people there are. You two should work together to find out."

"Here!"

"Also, keep watching Zhang Liang. Qingque will be back soon."

(End of this chapter)