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

Chapter 198: Prince, is Your Majesty willing to personally lead the expedition against Goguryeo? (Part )

East Palace, Chongjiao Hall.

Li Chengqian had just sat down on the couch when Ma Zhou led Changsun Wuji in from outside.

"Why is my uncle here?" Li Chengqian glanced at Ma Zhou. Ma Zhou looked helpless. He wanted to stop Changsun Wuji, but failed.

"It's about today." Zhangsun Wuji bowed to Li Chengqian, then stared at him and asked, "Prince, would you like Your Majesty to personally lead the expedition against Goguryeo?"

Li Chengqian extended his hand and said, "Uncle, please sit down."

"I'm sorry for the rudeness. I'm honored to meet you, Your Highness." Changsun Wuji finally came to his senses and bowed to Li Chengqian again.

"That's all right!" Li Chengqian waved his hand, watching Zhangsun Wuji sit down, and then said, "Uncle, if the emperor really wants to personally lead an expedition against Goguryeo, who can stop him?"

"Your Highness, I, along with Prime Minister Fang, Duke Ande, Duke Shen, and Prime Minister Wei, along with Cen Wenben, Liu Li, and Hou Junji, will work together to dissuade Your Majesty. We will surely be able to persuade Your Majesty to give up the idea of ​​an eastern expedition to Goguryeo." Changsun Wuji gritted his teeth and said, "At worst, we can call back Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin as well. We can persuade Your Majesty to stop."

"Uncle." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and nodded with some empathy, "Uncle, you are right. If there is a chance, I, your nephew, would also like to dissuade father from the eastern expedition to Goguryeo.

But Uncle himself thinks, with so many people like me going together to persuade the emperor, what are the chances of convincing him?"

"All the ministers are against it, Your Majesty must obey some of them." As Changsun Wuji said this, he began to hesitate.

"If it were anything else, the emperor might listen, but in this matter, uncle, believe it or not, even if all of us try to stop him, the emperor will lead the soldiers and forcibly set off. The generals in the army will only obey the orders of the emperor." Li Chengqian frowned and shook his head.

The emperor's greatest confidence comes from the support of his military generals.

Even if people like Li Chengqian insisted, it would be difficult to dispel the emperor's thoughts.

"And uncle, do you really think that all those people you just mentioned will go with you to persuade the emperor?" Li Chengqian lowered his voice slightly, then said, "I can guarantee that the Duke of Chen will not oppose the emperor personally leading the expedition."

"Why?" Changsun Wuji asked subconsciously.

"Because the emperor doesn't lead the army in person, Duke Chen has no way to lead the troops." Li Chengqian shook his head.

Zhangsun Wuji was slightly taken aback, then nodded grimly, "Yes, Hou Junji will not miss this opportunity to make a contribution. After the battle of Gaochang, he will definitely not be the commander-in-chief of the army again. Given his personality, even if he becomes the deputy commander-in-chief, he will inevitably compete with the commander-in-chief for power once the battle begins. Therefore, only the emperor can suppress him."

"And there's also Prime Minister Fang!" Li Chengqian sighed softly and shook his head helplessly, "As long as Father insists, Prime Minister Fang will certainly not insist any longer."

Changsun Wuji's face had become completely gloomy.

Once Fang Xuanling agrees that the emperor should lead the army in person, others will also become weak under the emperor's insistence.

Zhang Sun Wuji looked at Li Chengqian and suddenly asked, "Prince, have you ever had any intention of stopping the Emperor from personally leading the expedition?"

Ma Zhou, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but frown. This was the second time Duke Zhao had asked this question. Could it be...

……

"My father is invincible in the world." Li Chengqian looked forward. At the palace gate, Li Anyan had already asked someone to bring up tea.

Zhangsun Wuji looked at the teacup placed before him, then raised his head to look at Li Chengqian and said, "But Your Majesty is already forty-three years old, and you bear the weight of the empire. What if, like Yang Guang, you cause unrest in the world, ultimately leading to the destruction of your country and your family?"

"Uncle, you've overthought it." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "It won't come to this. It definitely won't come to this. Yang Guang is nothing. How can he compare to my father?"

"Yang Guang had many brave generals and wise counselors under his command at that time, but he still failed." Changsun Wuji lowered his head with a worried look on his face.

"That's because there wasn't another Yang Guang before him." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji seriously and said, "Now that Father has Yang Guang as a precedent, it's naturally much easier.

"I believe that the Emperor must have some calculations in mind. The most important thing is that what the Emperor wants to do is something that Yang Guang never did."

After Li Chengqian said this, Changsun Wuji had to nod.

To surpass Yang Guang and the former Sui Dynasty, not only the emperor but also the officials of the Tang Dynasty all thought so.

The population of the pre-Sui Dynasty was still far behind that of the Tang Dynasty even though it had been established for more than 20 years.

Although the territory of the Tang Dynasty was not much smaller than that of the Sui Dynasty, Liaodong, which fell into the hands of Goguryeo, forced the emperor to take it back.

"And, uncle." Li Chengqian stood up and walked in front of Zhangsun Wuji, then bowed solemnly and said, "Uncle, I can lead the army in person, but there are also some rules for how to do it."

Zhang Sun Wuji quickly stood up, bowed and returned the greeting, saying, "Prince, please speak!"

"The Eastern Expedition Army is divided into the Vanguard, the Central Army, and the Rear Army." Li Chengqian said seriously, "Your Majesty, Father will definitely be in the Central Army, but the number of Vanguard troops and their leading generals can be adjusted. If the Vanguard generals can capture cities and territories without any obstacles before Your Majesty arrives, then Your Majesty will naturally have nothing to worry about."

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but raise his eyes, then nodded slowly.

"The first battle will be to capture Liaodong. Once Liaodong is captured, I will ask you to stay in Liaoyang and appease hundreds of thousands of people. Then we can march towards Goguryeo. In this way, you will be able to have peace." Li Chengqian bowed again.

"It seems that the prince has really thought about it carefully." Changsun Wuji nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.

"The problems in Liaodong are nothing more than two things: food and the severe cold." Li Chengqian looked towards the Chongwen Hall and said, "Prepare more food. My nephew doesn't need to say more about this. The key is fighting in severe cold weather. Clothing, horses, and weapons are all problems that need to be overcome. If these are solved, the rest of Goguryeo will be vulnerable."

The only thing Goguryeo could really rely on was the severe cold. The weather in Northeast China was extremely cold starting in September and only warmed up slightly in March of the following year.

This kind of weather is the biggest enemy of the Tang Dynasty in its conquest of Goguryeo.

Li Chengqian had never experienced war, but he understood that the severe cold could exert a terrifying power that even a million-strong army would find it difficult to overcome.

Changsun Wuji nodded slowly and said thoughtfully, "I know how to persuade Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, uncle. There are some things that a nephew really can't talk about."

After all, the emperor is the father and the prince is the son. Going against the emperor on some matters will not be good for the prince.

The most crucial thing is that in his previous life, Li Chengqian listened to what Yu Zhining and Zhang Xuansu said, and advised the emperor not to lead the eastern expedition, let alone lead the expedition himself.

He suspected that although he was deposed because of his disability, his opposition to the emperor's eastern expedition was probably one of the reasons.

The prince came out to oppose the emperor's eastern expedition, and no one knew how many people would follow him.

In the end, he was deposed by the emperor, which was his own fault.

……

"If the Emperor were to lead the army himself, I'm afraid my uncle would have to follow." Li Chengqian, sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed by Li Anyan, escorted Changsun Wuji out of the Eastern Palace. As they walked, he said, "The more Uncle can persuade the Emperor to stay behind for one more day, the better our chances of victory will be."

"I'll find a way." Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "I'm afraid Your Majesty will insist."

"Then uncle, you'll have no choice but to focus on the front lines." Li Chengqian stopped at Jiafu Gate, then bowed to Zhangsun Wuji and said, "The key lies within Goguryeo. If father can gain support from within Goguryeo, then the front lines will be unstoppable and father won't be able to catch up."

"Haha!" Zhang Sun Wuji couldn't help but laugh. He then bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, rest assured. I have it all figured out. With that, I will take my leave."

"Goodbye, uncle." Li Chengqian bowed to Changsun Wuji in return.

Changsun Wuji nodded, then turned and left. He inexplicably felt a sense of clarity in his heart.

After visiting the Eastern Palace, Changsun Wuji had a much better idea about the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo.

Li Chengqian turned sideways, looked at everyone and said, "Let's go, let's go back."

"Yes!" The officials of the Eastern Palace pushed Li Chengqian back to the Chongjiao Hall.

However, when Li Chengqian returned to Chongjiao Hall, only Li Anyan, Ma Zhou and Zhang Xuansu were left by his side.

Ma Zhou knelt down on the left side, then looked up at Li Chengqian and said directly, "Your Highness, I'm afraid Duke Zhao has come here to inquire about your thoughts."

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, looked at Ma Zhou, and said puzzledly: "That's how it is!"

"Your Highness!" Ma Zhou shook his head slightly and said, "If Your Majesty wishes to personally lead the expedition, Your Highness will have to stay in Chang'an as the Crown Prince and supervise the country. Your Highness will supervise the country for as long as Your Majesty's eastern expedition lasts."

Li Chengqian looked at Ma Zhou in surprise and said, "Yang Guang led three expeditions to Goguryeo, each time setting out in spring and returning in winter. Even if Father led the expedition himself, it would be no different from an eastern tour to Luoyang."

"Yang Guang suffered a crushing defeat the first time, the second was the rebellion of Yang Xuangan, and the third was only as far as Bishe City before Goguryeo surrendered. Yang Guang then returned home. But if the army had taken Bishe City, it would have taken a long time." Ma Zhou shook his head slightly and said, "If everything goes well, it would have taken at least two years, maybe even three."

Bishe City is the location of Dalian in later generations.

"I understand what you mean." Li Chengqian smiled and shook his head, then looked down at his left leg and said, "Qing, look at me now, what could I be thinking?"

Ma Zhou was slightly stunned. Yes, how could he forget that the prince was unable to move around easily.

At least three years.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and his expression calmed down.

At this time, the emperor should be more worried about Li Tai.

……

Under the night sky, at the foot of Mount Hua.

During the twelfth lunar month, countless people returned to Chang'an from all over the country.

There are countless provincial governors and princes.

Suddenly, a fast horse galloped out from the Huashan Mountain Road and ran into the post station.

The guards of the King of Wei, the King of Wu and the King of Qi, who had just arrived at the post station, immediately became alert.

"It's the prince consort!" Someone said this, and everyone relaxed their guard.

At this time, Chai Lingwu had already rushed directly into the courtyard where Li Tai was.

(End of this chapter)