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

Chapter 298 I am cruel, I will leave my kindness to my father (First update)
In the Wude Hall, light and shadows are slanting.

Wei Daijia, dressed in a scarlet robe and with a white silk tied around his arm, handed the secret book in his hand to Li Chengqian, then stepped aside with a solemn expression.

Li Chengqian took the memorial and sighed in his heart.

After his father passed away, Wei Daijia should have observed a year of mourning, but because Wei Ting's death was unclear, Wei Daijia was reinstated. Now, under the emperor's decree, he was transferred to the position of deputy commander of the Prince's Thousand Oxen in the Eastern Palace.

The deputy commander of the Crown Prince's cavalry and a close associate of Li Chengqian.

Many things in the Eastern Palace are done through the Prince's Thousand Bull Guards, and even the Prince's Thousand Bull Guards have to be on duty at the Eastern Palace.

This means that many things about Li Chengqian could not be hidden from Wei Daijia.

Li Chengqian read the memorial carefully with a calm expression, and before he knew it, his face had become gloomy.

Handing the memorial back to Wei Daijia, Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "The people have been found. They have been dead for over a month at the foot of Mount Zhongnan. This means they were killed after your father died."

Wei Daijia put away the memorial, then calmly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, it has now been confirmed that these two were the ones who led the mysterious man to meet Aye in secret. They were the most likely to know his identity, so they were silenced."

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Although I don't want to admit it, things are gradually moving towards the direction of those people coming back for revenge."

Wei Daijia bowed slightly and asked, "Your Highness, do those people really exist?"

Those people are the remnants of the hidden Crown Prince Li Jiancheng in Xuanwu Gate.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "I have asked General Li Anyan of the Right Guard, and Prime Minister Wei has also sent a letter asking, and they both said yes, there is."

Wei Daijia's face couldn't help but look ugly.

Li Anyan and Li Jiancheng were half-brothers-in-law, and Wei Zheng was once Li Jiancheng's adviser.

They were the two who knew the most about Li Jiancheng's affairs.

……

"Back when the Tang Dynasty first unified the country, Crown Prince Yin went to Hebei to recruit Dou Jiande's men. Many of Dou Jiande's former generals, Liu Heita, surrendered to Crown Prince Yin and were subsequently divided into different regions." Li Chengqian looked at Wei Daijia and shook his head slightly. "Later, when my father pacified Chang'an, he sent people to recruit those in Hebei. Most of these men surrendered, but some also fled."

Wei Daijia nodded slowly. The emperor had deep grievances with Dou Jiande and Liu Heita. Those people could accept joining Li Jiancheng, but could not accept joining the emperor.

"There are also some things you're aware of. Over the years, a descendant of Prince Yin has appeared every now and then, but after being investigated, they were all proven to be fake." Li Chengqian shook his head in amusement and said, "They found those orphans who knew nothing about anything and told them they were descendants of Prince Yin. Those poor children died without even knowing what happened."

Wei Daijia's expression darkened slightly, and he bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, this sounds a lot like the methods of an aristocratic family."

"Do I have anything more to say about Hebei?" Li Chengqian's expression grew serious. "Although the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families currently hold many officials in the court, the three great families are so vast that their direct descendants alone are countless. However, they are now offered very few official positions in the court. I wonder how many have been reduced to county magistrates and county lieutenants, and are filled with dissatisfaction."

"Yes!" Wei Daijia nodded slightly.

There were only those official positions in the court, and the Tang Dynasty had always used Guanzhong as its core to suppress the four directions.

This is not only the case in the army, but also in the court.

The Guanlong clans occupied the most official positions in the court. The Hedong clans were close enough, but the Shandong clans were far behind.

It’s fine for those who have entered the court, but those who have not yet entered the court will inevitably feel dissatisfied and hope for unrest in the court.

For this kind of thing, Xuanwu Gate and Li Jiancheng's son are their best means of exploitation.

"And who knows if Prince Yin has any children living among the people." Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression cold.

Illegitimate children are not uncommon.

Not to mention others, even his father, the emperor, Li Chengqian knew that he had one or two confidantes outside the palace, both of whom were the kind of people who were unwilling to enter the palace.

There are countless beauties in the imperial palace. Even the most favored woman by the emperor may not be able to see him many times in a year.

It is actually worse to be outside the palace. Although you can only see the emperor a few times a year, you can make the emperor think about you every day, which makes you feel proud.

If these women had the emperor's children, the emperor would not be so important.

Although these heirs are not princes, to be honest, it is very easy to find a reason to grant them the title of duke, and they can also help the emperor monitor one side secretly.

This is much better than those emperor's sons who recklessly participate in the fight for the throne.

Moreover, as long as you are not a member of the royal family, you will always have the opportunity to become prime minister.

Of course, the possibility of this is very small, but it is still possible to be a minister of one of the six ministries.

What's more, the emperor would even directly arrange for him to be a local governor.

After all, the so-called prince, as long as he is not the legitimate son, can only become a local governor in the end.

There is not much difference between the inside and the outside, and it is more likely that you will feel freer outside.

Such people are not uncommon in history books.

Li Jiancheng definitely has an illegitimate child outside. Who knows whether the Hundred Cavalry Division has eradicated him completely over the years.

Retracting his thoughts, Li Chengqian looked at Wei Daijia and said, "Go and investigate. You did catch a glimpse of them after all. And if my guess is correct, since those people appeared in the Wei Mansion, they must have appeared elsewhere... It's not easy for them to move once, so they will definitely need to do more."

"Yes!" Wei Daijia immediately bowed. Now he was the deputy commander of the Prince's Thousand Bulls. Although he was responsible for the information reporting of the Thousand Bulls Guards, because he was from the Left Thousand Bulls Guards and was a party to this case, he also had a certain say in this matter.

Seeing Wei Daijia turning around to leave, Li Chengqian spoke again: "Wait!"

"Your Highness!" Wei Daijia turned around and bowed.

"Since this person was able to enter your mansion with only two people, it means that he must have been here more than once before. Go and ask some older people." Li Chengqian's eyes were slightly cold. The appearance of Li Jiancheng's descendants had already threatened the interests of the entire royal family.

"Here!"

"Also, don't just focus on the outside and ignore the inside." Li Chengqian looked at Wei Daijia, shook his head and said, "You should also take care of your sister more. If something happens at home, you can't just throw everything to your sister."

"Yes!" Wei Daijia looked guilty and bowed, saying, "I was a little careless."

"Okay, get busy." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly.

"Here!"

...Looking at Wei Daijia's leaving back, Li Chengqian sighed in his heart. Wei Daijia's wife was the daughter of King Jiangxia Li Daozon.

That is Princess Wencheng's biological sister.

The previous emperor died of illness, Songtsen passed away, and Li Daozon was implicated in a rebellion. Princess Wencheng was unable to return and didn't know where to go, so she had to stay in Tubo.

Li Daozon was implicated in treason, and Wei Daijia was also inevitably implicated.

Of course, these things were Changsun Wuji's methods.

In his previous life, Changsun Wuji attacked the royal family in order to consolidate Li Zhi's throne. Now that Li Chengqian has inherited the throne, without Li Shimin's suppression, Changsun Wuji's ambition will probably gradually expand. How to deal with Changsun Wuji's affairs in the future is also a difficult problem for Li Chengqian.

After all, he still needs Changsun Wuji to stand on his side now.

Once Zhangsun Wuji stood on Li Zhi's side...

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling.

The sound of hurried footsteps suddenly interrupted Li Chengqian's thoughts. Wei Daijia, who had just left the Wude Hall, rushed into the hall and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness, something has happened. The Governor of Songzhou has sent an urgent report from six hundred miles away: there are unusual movements among the Dangxiang people."

Li Chengqian's expression darkened, and he said softly, "Songzan is truly unwilling to accept this!"

Wei Daijia lowered his head slightly. To be precise, Songtsen Gampo was his brother-in-law and the prince's brother-in-law.

However, Tubo has always been eyeing the Tang Dynasty. Now that the emperor is on an eastern expedition, the Xueyantuo has been defeated, and the Western Turks dare not move with Guo Xiaoke guarding Anxi. The only one left is Tubo.

……

Li Chengqian sat on the main couch, and Fang Xuanling, Yang Shidao, Yu Zhining, Liu Dewei, Yuchi Jingde, Zheng Rentai, Li Anyan and others were all present.

"Tell me, everyone. What should we do about the Huang Langnong tribe of the Dangxiang Qiang in Maozhou who killed the garrison commander and betrayed the Tang Dynasty?" Li Chengqian said with a cold expression.

"Your Highness!" Cui Dunli, the Assistant Minister of War, stepped forward and bowed. "Maozhou is under the jurisdiction of the Songzhou Military Governor's Office. Pei Xingfang, the Right Guard General, is stationed in Songzhou. I suggest that Pei Xingfang be sent with 5,000 troops to Maozhou to quell the rebellion."

"The problem isn't the Dangxiang, nor is it Maozhou. It's Tubo." Fang Xuanling stepped forward, clasping his hands. "Although the Tang has used the Songzhou Military Governor's Office to rally the Dangxiang around Songzhou in recent years, Tubo continues to use various tactics to win over the Dangxiang leaders. The current chaos in Maozhou is a test from the Tubo against the Tang."

Li Chengqian slowly nodded in agreement.

"So, this time, we must completely eliminate the disloyalty of the Dangxiang people and completely control them. Only in this way can we avoid the Tibetans' subsequent tricks." Fang Xuanling turned around and bowed seriously to Li Chengqian.

"Yes, if we don't handle this properly, the Tibetans will immediately become more aggressive." Li Chengqian raised his head and said softly, "I know Songtsen well. He has strong motives for everything he does. If we don't handle this properly, not only will the Tanguts lose control, but the Tibetans might even march north to attack Tuyuhun and threaten Lanzhou and Shanzhou."

"He is testing Your Highness's control over the world when Your Majesty is away. He is testing whether our Tang Dynasty has become weak because of Your Majesty's eastern expedition to Goguryeo." Fang Xuanling nodded seriously.

Li Chengqian was, after all, just a crown prince. Although he was made regent after the emperor left, he actually had very little power to exercise.

If the Tang Dynasty fails to respond well this time, Tubo will immediately take action and take advantage of the emperor's eastern expedition to tear off a piece of flesh from the Tang Dynasty.

If this could lead to the emperor's defeat in the Eastern Expedition, the Tubo people might immediately come out in full force.

"So, Songzhou Military Governor's Office and Pei Xingfang alone are not enough." Li Chengqian thought of the map of Yizhou Military Governor's Office in his mind.

"Dispatch the Prince's attendant, Lanzhou Chief Clerk Xi Junmai, to lead the Lanshan Prefecture troops, send out 3,000 soldiers, attack the Dangxiang from behind from Tuyuhun, and attack from the front and back at Songzhou Military Governor's Office to completely wipe out this group of Dangxiang rebels." After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he looked at Cui Dunli, the Vice Minister of War.

"If it's just 3,000 cavalry, it's feasible." Cui Dunli bowed and said, "We can charge forward quickly, resolve the situation quickly, and then retreat quickly."

As for altitude sickness, we should retreat to Lanzhou completely before the altitude sickness takes over. This will ensure victory.

"No, if we really go and come back quickly, it will cause trouble." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "It won't be difficult for Pei Xingfang and Xi Junmai to pacify Maozhou in a short period of time. The difficulty lies in how to prevent similar situations from happening again."

Fang Xuanling raised his eyebrows and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness, please enlighten me."

"The Huanglangnong tribe of the Dangxiang in Maozhou rebelled against the Tang. All those holding swords had their thumbs and toes cut off. All cattle and sheep were confiscated. The women and children who could not fit inside a wheelbarrow were distributed to other Dangxiang tribes. The remaining men were driven west to Baihai, the source of the Yellow River. At the same time, Yangtong, Subi, Tuyuhun, and Tubo were warned not to provide any aid to these people."

Li Chengqian looked at the ministers coldly and said in a cold voice: "These people have lost their hands and toes, making it difficult for them to move. Without cattle and sheep, they have nothing to eat. Without women and children, there is no one to help them. In Baihai, they can only eat dry grass and dry water, and eventually they will starve to death."

Some of the ministers shuddered for unknown reasons.

Such cruel means would terrify not only the Dangxiang people, but also the Subi, Yangtong, Tuyuhun and Tubo.

"When they are all dead, pile their bodies on the north bank of the Tongtian River and tell the Tibetans that the Tanguts are the Tang's business and they are not allowed to interfere in it." Li Chengqian clenched his fists tightly, and the ministers in the hall bowed solemnly at the same time: "Yes!"

"We must go too far to correct a wrong!" Li Chengqian looked at his ministers and said calmly, "If we only deal with the Tanguts, there will be endless trouble. Only by giving Tubo a thorough warning can everything be settled."

"Yes!" The ministers bowed again.

"Your Highness!" Yang Shidao stepped forward and said cautiously, "Should we show a little leniency..."

"No, that's it." Li Chengqian smiled at Yang Shidao and said, "I know the Duke of the County is doing this for my own good, but for now, being a little more ruthless is good for both me and the Tang Dynasty. As for the remaining leniency, I will let the Emperor show mercy after he returns to the capital."

"Yes!" Yang Shidao immediately understood Li Chengqian's idea. The Dangxiang issue must be appeased by the emperor in the end, so that the distinction between black and white can be used to control people's hearts.

"By the way, the Tibetans are still trying to figure out a solution with Yang Tong." Li Chengqian sneered softly and said, "It's impolite not to reciprocate. Send someone to tell King Yang Tong that I request that King Yang Tong send his princes and the sons of the nobles to study in Chang'an."

"Yes!" Yuwen Chongsi, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood up and bowed.

"I can't stop Tubo from controlling Yangtong, but I can keep a backup plan. Whether it's attacking Yangtong, threatening Tubo, helping Yangtong revive, or even directly annexing Yangtong... the Tang Dynasty can do it."

……

After the ministers left, Ma Zhou stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, could this matter be related to the Imperial Censor's affair?"

"You mean that he has colluded with the remnants of Prince Yin and the Tibetans?" Li Chengqian looked at Ma Zhou in surprise.

"Your Highness, you must be on guard!" Ma Zhou clasped his hands and said, "There's also the matter of the Imperial Censor. I heard about the caravan..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand directly.

Ma Zhou suddenly fell silent and stepped back.

　In the 19th year of the Zhenguan reign, Pei Xingfang, the General of the Right Guard, attacked Huang Langnong, a rebel leader of the Dangxiang Qiang in Maozhou, and defeated him. He drove away the remaining members of his faction and marched westward to Qixi Mountain, then returned by the Ruoshui River.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)