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

Chapter 197: Hou Junji's Opportunity, or Perhaps His Despair (Part )
In the Tai Chi Hall.

The emperor sat on the imperial couch, looked at Fang Xuanling, and asked, "Duke Liang, half of the 30,000 Qibi people are followers of his mother and brother. How should these people be settled?"

Fang Xuanling stepped forward, holding his hu tablet and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, this half of the people were simply forced to follow the majority back. If they have the opportunity again in the future, they will definitely rebel against the Tang Dynasty again.

I believe that they absolutely cannot be settled near the Great Wall, so I wonder if they can be settled in the land of Tuyuhun?"

"It's true that the area is vast and sparsely populated. Ten thousand people are not a lot. They can be used to contain the Tuyuhun people at a critical moment." Li Shimin nodded slowly.

"They are competing with the Tuyuhun people for pastures, and conflicts are inevitable. When the time comes, a little manipulation can make their hearts submit to the Tang Dynasty." Changsun Wuji stood up and bowed, his eyes full of calculations.

The ministers couldn't help but nodded in agreement.

The Tang Dynasty already had enough experience in these matters from the Turks.

The emperor turned to Li Chengqian and asked, "What do you think, Prince?"

Li Chengqian cupped his hands and said thoughtfully, "The general direction is correct, but I think we still need to be wary of the Tibetans. The Tibetans are always good at seducing people. If they plant their pawns and wait for an outbreak in a dozen years, we will be caught off guard and I'm afraid it will cause big problems."

"The Tibetans will undoubtedly make some moves. The former Tuyuhun Prime Minister, King Xuan, and many current Tuyuhun nobles remain loyal to the Tibetans. Even if the Tang Dynasty uses every possible means, it will be unable to stop them." Changsun Wuji glanced at Li Chengqian, then turned to the emperor and bowed, saying, "What we need now is to deepen the influence and clearly distinguish between friend and foe."

Li Shimin smiled and waved his hands on the imperial couch, saying nonchalantly, "The Tibetan King Songtsen is now my son-in-law. He won't dare do anything while I'm around. As for the future, Crown Prince, that's your problem. It's enough for you to remain vigilant. Are you still afraid that you won't be able to control yourself in the future?"

Li Chengqian looked at the emperor with a look of surprise and bewilderment, but in an instant, he suddenly realized what was happening and said with a folded hand, "This son is wrong. This son has not thought about this."

"Haha, that's all." The emperor waved his hand nonchalantly, then looked at his ministers and said, "I am delighted that the Guzang County Public Security Bureau has returned safely today. Let's call it a day..."

"Tramp, tramp, tramp!" A burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Li Shimin, who had just said half of his words, frowned and turned to look at Zhang Ananda.

Zhang Ananda bowed, then quickly walked down the steps and out of the hall.

Soon, Zhang Ananda arrived at the Danbi with a memorial in his hand. He placed the memorial before the emperor and said with a serious face, "Your Majesty, the governor of Yingzhou, Zhang Jian, has come with an urgent report from four hundred miles away."

"Oh?" The emperor took the memorial in surprise and began to read it.

Li Chengqian's eyes dropped slightly. He already knew what it was. News of the civil unrest in Goguryeo had arrived.

However, what he didn't understand was that the Hundred Cavalry Division had already sent the news to Chang'an, but the emperor chose to make everything public in front of all officials today.

Is it inspiring?

……

"Your Majesty, I am Zhang Jian, the governor of Yingzhou, and I report that Quan Gaisuwen, a great official of the eastern part of Goryeo, has murdered his king, Wu." Changsun Wuji stood to the upper left of the ministers. While reading the memorial, he also had a panoramic view of the movements of the ministers in the hall.

When the ministers heard that the King of Goguryeo was murdered by his general Gaesomun, they couldn't help but be slightly shocked.

Gai Suwen, the lord of the eastern part of Goguryeo, Da Duilu, is equivalent to the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty.

And he is the only one.

No, he was even the prime minister during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

The power he possessed and the influence of his personal family were almost second only to his king in Goguryeo.

Could it be that such a person finally couldn't help but rebel?

Changsun Wuji took the memorial and continued reading, "Gai Suwen was violent and lawless. His king and ministers planned to execute him... Gai Suwen secretly knew of this and gathered all his troops as if they were inspectors. He also laid out a feast and wine south of the city, summoned all the ministers to watch, and then ordered his troops to execute him, killing over a hundred people."

Li Chengqian sat in a wheelchair and listened calmly.

The emperor wanted to attack Liaodong and Goguryeo, but it was destined that all this could not be accomplished in one go.

Even after Li Zhi ascended the throne, it took him nearly twenty years to destroy Goguryeo.

Therefore, these things will inevitably fall into Li Chengqian's hands in the future.

In this life, it cannot be Li Zhi who destroyed Goguryeo, it must be him.

How to completely exterminate Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla is what Li Chengqian needs to consider.

Especially Silla, which later stole almost all of the Tang Dynasty's achievements in Dongdao. This is something Li Chengqian needs to pay close attention to.

"...He then rushed into the palace, killed the king with his own hands, cut him into pieces, and dumped him in a ditch. He then installed his disciple Zang as king and named himself Molizhi. He then commanded the land far and wide, exercising absolute control over state affairs." Changsun Wuji paused briefly, then looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Molizhi is like the Minister of Personnel and Minister of War of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin nodded and raised his hand to signal Zhangsun Wuji to continue.

Changsun Wuji bowed and continued, "Su Wen has a ferocious appearance and a sinister spirit. He carries five swords on his body, and no one dares to look up at him. Whenever he gets on or off his horse, he always orders nobles and generals to lie on the ground and step on them. When he travels, he always organizes his troops. When the leader shouts loudly, everyone rushes forward, not avoiding pits and valleys, and the roads are blocked for pedestrians. The people suffer greatly from this.

Your Highness, Zhang Jian, the governor of Yingzhou, requests that we attack Gaisuwen to save the people of Goguryeo from this dire situation.

The expressions of the ministers were solemn. Zhang Jian made it very clear that Gai Suwen had been acting tyrannically in Goguryeo, and the ministers were dissatisfied. This was an opportunity to make progress.

The Tang Dynasty is about to attack Goguryeo.

All the ministers could clearly hear the subtext. Or to put it more bluntly, the vague rumors of the past two or three years were now completely laid out before the ministers.

The emperor looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Wuji, what do you say?"

Zhang Sun Wuji bowed and said seriously, "Your Majesty, I think what the Liancheng County Magistrate said is reasonable. Goguryeo was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. The Goguryeo King, Gomu, has always been respectful and obedient, and has continuously sent congratulatory letters and tributes, setting an example for the Tang Dynasty's vassal states.

Now he has been murdered by a traitor, and his disciple Gao is hiding in his country, acting like a puppet. Gaisu Wen is tyrannical in the country. I implore Your Majesty to send troops to save the people of Goguryeo from their plight."

"Prime Minister Fang!" Li Shimin's gaze fell on Fang Xuanling.

Among the court officials, Fang Xuanling has always been cautious about the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, and Li Shimin now wants to hear his opinion.

Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Your Majesty, since Gai Suwen has murdered his king, he will inevitably strengthen his military forces in Liaodong to prevent the Tang Dynasty from intervening, thereby threatening Yingzhou. To relieve Yingzhou's danger, I request Your Majesty to send more troops to Yingzhou."

Although Fang Xuanling agreed with the Tang Dynasty's increase in troops on the border, he still had doubts about the Tang Dynasty directly attacking Goguryeo.

Li Shimin looked behind him and asked, "Duke Ande, what do you say?"

The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Yang Shidao, stepped forward, holding his hu tablet and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, Goguryeo is in turmoil. As the sovereign and superior state, the Tang Dynasty should clearly sort out right and wrong and restore peace to Goguryeo. However, Your Majesty, regarding the dispatch of troops, I believe we should exercise caution. Back then, Yang Guang led three expeditions to Goguryeo, mobilizing millions of troops, but ultimately suffered disastrous defeats, leading to turmoil throughout the country and even the destruction of the country and its people. Even now, caution is necessary!"

Yang Shidao was born in the Guanwang branch of the Hongnong Yang clan. He was the youngest son of Yang Xiong, the Guanwang of the Sui Dynasty. He married Princess Guiyang, the daughter of Emperor Gaozu.

Although he has been promoted step by step to the position of Zhongshu Ling, his origin as a member of the Hongnong Yang family is still conspicuous.

Now that he mentioned the name Yang Guang, the brutality of the battle that year immediately filled everyone's mind.

At this moment, many people in the hall are former officials of the Sui Dynasty.

When people think of the war that led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty, they still feel a lingering fear.

The emperor nodded calmly, looked to the side, and asked, "Prince, what do you say?"

Today, Shen Guogong Gao Shilian asked for leave due to illness, so the emperor asked Li Chengqian directly after several prime ministers.

Li Chengqian solemnly bowed, "Father, the Tang Dynasty is the suzerain of Goguryeo. The powerful ministers of Goguryeo are committing crimes and are threatening to replace the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty does not intervene, how will the other tribes in the world view the Tang Dynasty? Therefore, we must intervene in this matter."

"Since Gai Suwen has killed his king, it will be difficult for him to listen to what the Tang Dynasty says." Li Shimin's face was slightly solemn.

"Your Majesty, what you say makes sense, but if the name is not right, then the words will not flow. If the new ruler of Goguryeo voluntarily hands over the country to Gaesomun, then even if the Tang Dynasty sends troops, it will be useless. If the Tang Dynasty does not send troops, and Gaesomun is willing to return the country, then the Tang Dynasty will naturally not send troops. Therefore, I suggest that we first send someone to Goguryeo to inquire about the truth."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said seriously, "Even if the Tang Dynasty is ultimately forced to send troops, if we can obtain a letter of request for assistance from the King of Goguryeo, or a letter from a prominent Goguryeo official, then the Tang Dynasty's dispatch will be more legitimate... and if someone within that group agrees, then the Tang Dynasty's dispatch will be much easier."

Li Shimin thought slowly and nodded, "Your Highness is right."

Li Chengqian's words had the same meaning.

If someone could coordinate with the Tang Dynasty within Goguryeo, it would be much easier for the Tang Dynasty to conquer Goguryeo.

At the same time, the prince agreed to mobilize troops.

The emperor raised his head, then looked at his ministers and said, "The King of Goryeo, who had been paying tribute to the army without ceasing, was murdered by treacherous ministers. I mourn deeply and will never forget him.

But if you don't understand the reason and take it during the funeral, it is not the right way.

Furthermore, Shandong is in decline, and the people are uneasy. I am reluctant to resort to military action rashly. Therefore, I have issued an imperial decree, appointing Pei Sizhuang, the governor of Bozhou, as an envoy to Goguryeo to investigate the situation and read the imperial edict. If Gaisu Wen is willing to return the kingdom to Gaozang, the world will be spared a war.

"Your Majesty is wise!" All the ministers bowed in unison.

The emperor smiled and said, "As the ruler of millions of people, I wish to make them happy and prosperous. Teach them propriety and morality, so that the young will respect their elders and the wives will respect their husbands, and then they will all be prosperous. Reduce taxes and levies, so that everyone can pursue their own livelihoods, and then they will all be rich."

"Your Majesty, I will follow your instructions!"

……

Outside the Taiji Hall, Hou Junji looked at Crown Prince Li Chengqian who was being slowly pushed by Ma Zhou in front of him.

After hesitating for a moment, his pace of catching up slowed down.

In Hou Junji's view, the eastern expedition to Goguryeo was inevitable.

The key is whether Hou Junji can participate in it.

Until now, he was increasingly regretting not following the prince's advice.

If he had really been able to take up a post in a border state earlier, his military achievements would have been enough for him to be appointed prime minister again.

Hou Junji shook his head. He had missed the previous opportunity, and now a new opportunity had come, and he didn't want to miss it.

He followed the emperor in his personal expedition against Goguryeo, and then returned to the court to be appointed prime minister after making military achievements.

No one can stop us along this road.

Whoever stands in his way will be Hou Junji's greatest enemy in his life.

(End of this chapter)