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

Chapter 266: Zhinu, I'll Give You a Chance (Part )
In the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian continued, "Besides supporting Liaodong this year, the most important thing is to ensure a good harvest across the country. As long as there's a good harvest across the country, the people will be safe and secure. This is our most important mission... As for any remaining problems after the Emperor returns to the capital in two years, let him resolve them. If he has any questions, let him come to me."

"Haha!" The ministers couldn't help laughing.

If the prince is responsible, the ministers can relax a lot.

Li Chengqian's expression became slightly more serious as he continued, "The biggest worry in today's world is the possibility of instability.

While the Emperor is away, the punishments will be strict and severe, especially for those who commit crimes. If anyone reports them, they will be exiled to Liaodong immediately."

"Here!" The officials held their hands in awe.

"Spring planting and autumn harvest, the requirements for provincial governors and county magistrates are extremely strict." Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Xiao Yu and other prime ministers and said, "My idea is that the court should send people to inspect the local areas... It doesn't have to be too far, just send people to Guanzhong and Henan to inspect, and then spread the word that they are going to Jiannan, Shannan and other places. That should be enough to alert them."

"If Your Highness has anything to say, please feel free to speak frankly." Fang Xuanling bowed slightly to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Duke Song was once the governor of Qizhou. I wonder if you could trouble Duke Song to go to Qizhou and inspect the spring planting in various places... You don't have to be tired, just take a walk.

With the Duke of Song in Qizhou, even if they do nothing, none of them dare to neglect him."

"I will obey your command." Xiao Yu bowed with a smile.

To be honest, the emperor is not in Chang'an, and as a minister, he can't do much, so he might as well go out for a walk.

"Uncle, please go to Luoyang. It's spring now and the flowers are blooming. Staying in Luoyang will be good for your health." Li Chengqian looked at Gao Shilian with concern.

What he cares about most now is Gao Shilian's health.

With Gao Shilian around, his uncle Changsun Wuji didn't dare to act recklessly.

With Changsun Wuji watching over him, no matter how hard Li Zhi jumped, he could not get out of his palm.

His father would also remain safe.

"I obey your command." Gao Shilian bowed seriously. Luoyang was in full bloom with spring weather, which made people feel much more relaxed than Chang'an.

"Duke Song and uncle can come back whenever they want." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian smiled and said, "There are still many things in the court that require your help."

"I obey your command." Xiao Yu and Gao Shilian smiled and bowed at the same time.

What the prince said was actually saying that he was not specifically looking for a reason to kick someone out.

After all, there are eight prime ministers in the court, three are in the army, and five are in Chang'an. If two more leave now, there will only be three left.

Fang Xuanling, Yang Shidao and Yu Zhining, but Yu Zhining happened to be Li Chengqian's man. This silently increased Li Chengqian's voice in the Council of State.

"Your Highness, are you worried about the situation in the northwest?" Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian thoughtfully.

Li Chengqian's face darkened slightly as he nodded, then shook his head and said, "Duke Song is in Qizhou, just to keep an eye on the situation. If something does happen in the future, we'll have to send people from Chang'an. There's no rush now."

"Here!" Everyone raised their hands in unison.

Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, that's all for today. You all should work harder. After autumn, when your father has completely recaptured Liaodong, everything will be much easier."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed and said, "We will take our leave."

"Ok!"

……

East Palace, Yiyue Palace.

Li Chengqian walked into the hall wearily. Wang Youlan, hearing the voice, came out in surprise. Seeing Li Chengqian, she saluted with a certain distance and said, "Your Highness, your concubine greets you!"

Seeing Wang Youlan's delicate and coquettish appearance, Li Chengqian reached out and grabbed her wrist, then pulled her into his arms. He then asked unhappily, "What are you doing?"

"Your Highness hasn't come to my side for several days." Tears were already falling on Wang Youlan's face.

"Alright." Li Chengqian held her and sat on the main couch, then said softly, "I've been busy with court affairs these past few days. My father went on an expedition to the east, and most of the court officials followed him to Liaodong. As for the rest, Duke Song and my uncle are old, so many things have to be handled by me and the officials of the Eastern Palace... These past few days, I've been resting in Cheng'en Hall."

"Yes!" Wang Youlan still lowered her head, and her expression was still not very happy.

"Oh!" Li Chengqian placed a hand on Wang Youlan's belt and said with a half-smile, "It seems like you've been quite free these days!"

"Your Highness!" Wang Youlan's face turned red instantly. Although she is still a virgin, she has done many unspeakable things between husband and wife.

"Let's go!" Li Chengqian picked up Wang Youlan and walked straight to the bed.

The curtain fell gently, and then the skirt fell to the ground.

All the maids in the hall blushed and lowered their heads.

……

Under the cover of night, the sound of "bang bang bang" knocking on the door appeared in Yiyue Palace.

Li Chengqian, lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

Wang Youlan lay on his chest with a red quilt, and even the knock on the door did not wake her up.

Li Chengqian gently moved her onto the bed, then stood up, put on his clothes, and walked into the outer hall.

With a "squeak" sound, the door opened.

Xu An walked quickly into the hall, then quickly stepped forward, placed a memorial on the table, and then bowed and said, "Your Highness, an urgent report from the Ministry of War from six hundred miles away."

Li Chengqian's expression became serious.

No wonder Xu An was so anxious to find him. Li Chengqian opened the memorial, glanced at it, and whispered, "The Uighur spies reported that Goguryeo and Xueyantuo were colluding?"

"Your Highness, the Ministry of War would like to ask if we would like to invite all the ministers into the palace?" Xu An bowed.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "No need. If this thing is exposed at this time, it might be intentional by the Goguryeo people."

Xu An was surprised, then bowed.

"Go and tell the people in the Ministry of War to be quiet and not to be nervous." Li Chengqian waved his hand, and Xu An immediately bowed and left.

Li Chengqian put down the memorial and walked towards the bed.

Lying on the bed, Li Chengqian gently hugged Wang Youlan, looked up calmly at the darkness above his head.

Now in Liaodong, the emperor is attacking Liaodong City fiercely.

Liaodong City is the core of Liaodong.

Once Liaodong City is captured by the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty will be able to gain a firm foothold in Liaodong. It will only be a matter of time before Goguryeo withdraws from Liaodong.

Once Liaodong was lost as a barrier, the Tang Dynasty could immediately invade Goguryeo's homeland and threaten Pingrang in a very short time.

Therefore, the Goguryeo people would never watch Liaodong return to the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, while Liaodong and the Tang Dynasty were fighting fiercely, they also began to make small moves in the rear of the Tang Dynasty.

They could contact the Xueyantuo, the Western Turks, and even Tubo. They would use any means to delay the Tang Dynasty.

Now that the situation is becoming more and more intense, they took the initiative to bring this matter up, forcing the Tang Dynasty to focus its attention on the northwest, thus affecting the war situation in Liaodong.

However, they did not expect that the emperor had already prepared for the possible actions of Xueyantuo.

The imperial edict that the emperor gave to Li Chengqian before leaving actually meant that all matters in the northwest would be handled by Li Chengqian.

As long as the northwest does not suffer a major defeat, the emperor will not care.

The emperor retook Liaodong in the northeast, and Li Chengqian stabilized the northwest in Chang'an. This was the tacit understanding between father and son.

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly. The Xueyantuo would not endanger the Tang Dynasty. The ones who would really endanger the Tang Dynasty were those people in the court who had connections with the Xueyantuo in the past. What would they do?
Li Chengqian suddenly laughed. These people, their existence would probably make the emperor uneasy.

……

The atmosphere in the Wude Hall was solemn.

Li Chengqian glanced at the ministers and spoke calmly, "This incident must have been caused by Goguryeo. Their goal is to make the Tang Dynasty aware of the possibility of the Xueyantuo taking action, and then the Tang Dynasty will respond. Once the Tang Dynasty takes action, the Xueyantuo will inevitably be forced to respond. Therefore, my opinion is that Chang'an should not move for the time being, but the border should be secretly guarded."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling and asked, "Prime Minister Fang, do you have anything else to add?"

Fang Xuanling bowed, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I believe that in this matter, the Xueyantuo are not the real focus. The real focus should be on Anxi. At this time, the Western Turks must take action."

For the Tang Dynasty today, although the Xueyantuo poses a threat, they are actually far inferior to the Western Turks.

The Xueyantuo's foundation was too weak. After the two previous defeats, the Xueyantuo's strength had been consumed too much. In addition, the Tiele Huihe were disunited, and their strength was greatly reduced.

On the contrary, it was the Western Turks. Their strength was too strong. Even after several defeats, they were still able to recover quickly, regroup and attack the Tang Dynasty.

Especially after the Eastern Turks were destroyed, the Western Turks hated the Tang Dynasty deeply.

The lips are dead and the teeth are cold.

They will move when they get the chance.

"Send a message to Li Xiyu of Shazhou to send a batch of food, fodder and military equipment to Anxi as soon as possible." Li Chengqian immediately looked at Cui Dunli, who immediately bowed and said, "Yes!"

"The Xueyantuo will definitely send people to attack north of the Great Wall, but they dare not show up easily and will test us first. Once they find out our strength, they will pounce on us like mad dogs." Fang Xuanling said solemnly.

"When do you think Prime Minister Fang will take action?" Li Chengqian asked.

"The grass hasn't fully grown yet, so they'll have to start working on it, probably in May." Fang Xuanling bowed seriously.

"Alert the border, but maintain quiet. At the same time, secretly transfer a batch of military equipment from Qizhou, Longzhou, and Qinzhou." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "A cavalry unit of 5,000 men is ready in Chang'an. If there is any trouble at the border, they will rush there immediately."

Chang'an is about a thousand miles away from the border, which is enough to travel there in two days.

Li Chengqian looked up at Yuchi Jingde.

Yuchi Jingde nodded calmly and said, "By sending beacons, the news will reach Chang'an in half a day. If we send troops immediately upon receiving the news, two days will be enough to hold the border at bay for two days. Besides, the Xueyantuo may not dare to launch a direct all-out attack."

"Okay, that's it." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief.

"And there are the Eastern Turks." Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid someone from the Eastern Turks will also support Goguryeo."

"Send a message to the Bingzhou Grand Military Governor's Office." Li Chengqian paused briefly and said, "Tell the Prince of Jin to stay firmly in Taiyuan. The Prince of Jin's Chief Secretary Wei Ting will command the overall situation. The Bingzhou Chief Secretary Dou Xiaoqian will go to Daizhou to take charge. The Bingzhou Sima Hu Guang will quietly prepare for war in Taiyuan."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling immediately bowed.

Li Chengqian raised his head and said again, "I warn the Prince of Jin again and again not to move."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)