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

Chapter 300 Father is returning to Chang'an (Part )
Li Shimin waved his hand, glanced at Zhangsun Wuji, and said, "You don't have to cover up for him. He is a little lacking in kindness."

"Your Majesty, the Dangxiang people fear power over virtue. While the Crown Prince's methods may be somewhat unsophisticated, they are the best response given the current situation." Li Ji then bowed and said, "The Tibetans are treacherous. If we dwell on the details, we might just give them an opportunity."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Songzan has made a move this time, so who knows if he has some backup plan waiting for him. If the Crown Prince doesn't respond properly, he might fall into his trap... Yang Tong?"

Zhang Sun Wuji looked at Li Shimin, who seemed lost in thought, and whispered, "Your Majesty, is Tubo planning to take drastic measures against Yang Tong?"

"That's probably it." Li Shimin understood a little, nodded, and said, "The Dangxiang and Yangtong are located in the east and west, respectively. Now that Songtsen has taken action against the Dangxiang in the east, his real intention must be to target Yangtong... I'm afraid Tubo will annex Yangtong within the day."

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji's breathing became heavy as he whispered, "If that's the case, they can go straight from Yangtong to Western Tuyuhun, thus threatening the southern line of the Silk Road."

The Silk Road is divided into two lines, north and south.

The northern route is to go out of Dunhuang and walk through the desert, while the southern route is to go west from East Tuyuhun to West Tuyuhun, and then go to the Western Regions.

Although the southern route is easier to travel, the relationship between Eastern and Western Tuyuhun is not harmonious, so unless you have a good relationship with Western Tuyuhun, no one dares to take the southern route.

Although the northern route is more difficult to travel, everything there is under the control of the Tang Dynasty.

Eastern Tuyuhun was under the rule of Murong Nuohebo, while Western Tuyuhun was commanded by his uncle Dayan Mangbojie.

At that time, Murong Fuyun had two sons, Murong Shun and Dayan Mangbojie.

Because Crown Prince Murong Shunwei detained Chang'an, Murong Fuyun appointed Dayan Mangbojie as the crown prince.

Later, Murong Fuyun was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, while Dayan Mangbojie held on to Western Tuyuhun. The Tang Dynasty did not destroy Western Tuyuhun because the journey was too long.

Now, once Tubo completely annexed Yangtong, it would immediately border Western Tuyuhun, and they would be able to threaten Eastern Tuyuhun through Western Tuyuhun.

This means that the southern line of the Silk Road is in danger of being completely cut off.

……

"The Crown Prince informed King Yangtong ahead of time that his son would be sent to the Imperial Academy in Chang'an to study." Li Shimin looked at Zhangsun Wuji and asked, "Wuji, do you think the Crown Prince anticipated the threat, or was this simply revenge?"

"It's pure revenge, isn't it?" Changsun Wuji said with a wry smile. "Even I didn't expect this. The Crown Prince must have seen Tubo annexing Yangtong. He doesn't know how long Yangtong can hold out, but he also knows it won't be able to resist for long. Or perhaps, he hopes Yangtong can hold out a little longer in this way, at least until Your Majesty returns."

"Songtsen won't give me a chance. He will completely annex Yangtong this year." Li Shimin tapped the table lightly and shook his head. "Because he knows I won't fight Gaisuwen to the death under the city of Liaodong."

"Yes!" Zhangsun Wuji, Li Ji, Li Daozon and others all looked solemn at the same time.

This was the first time the emperor said such words in front of his ministers.

"Goguryeo's fortress is fortified, with the Taedong River as a defensive barrier. Most importantly, their morale remains, and they even have Baekje's support." Li Shimin shook his head and said, "To capture Goguryeo, a 100,000-man army would be needed to hold it in place for a full year... If I remain in Liaodong for another year, Songtsen will surely descend from the plateau next spring."

Seeing the ministers' faces change slightly, Li Shimin continued: "Not only Tubo, but also Tuyuhun, Western Turks, and Xueyantuo will take action. If Goguryeo can delay my progress, the situation will be really critical."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji couldn't help but bow.

"Pass on the order." Li Shimin looked up.

All the ministers bowed and said, "Yes!"

"Tell Niu Jinda that from today on, all the gold, silver, jade, and various grains in the captured city will be confiscated. As for the Goguryeo people in the city, drive them all to the south bank of the Taedong River." Li Shimin's expression was extremely indifferent.

The Tang Dynasty did not cross the Yalu River until July. After long-term preparation, they reached the city of Pingrang in just ten days.

Of course, this is the emperor's usual method of attack.

In addition, the reason for this was that the emperor was waiting for the people of Goguryeo to harvest the autumn crops.

But just a few days before they were about to deliver the grain to Pingrang City, they took action and completely intercepted the grain.

Now, he had to seize the remaining food from the people of Goguryeo, and then drive them south of the Taedong River, making them a problem for Gaisuwen.

As for gold and silver, Li Shimin needed to balance his income and expenditure, and Li Chengqian had reminded him once.

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed seriously.

"The Ministry of War has begun mapping all the terrain within the 400-mile area from the Yalu River to the Taedong River. We must go deep into the mountains and find all the Goguryeo troop stations within a month." Li Shimin tapped the table lightly.

"Yes!" Li Ji stood up and accepted the order. This was for the future.

"The last thing is right in front of us." Li Shimin looked outside the big tent, as if he wanted to see Pingrang City opposite through this glance.

"Let's suspend the offensive on the Taedong River. All the ships on the river should be transferred to the sea now to encircle and suppress the Baekje people. Then we should find the Baekje troops that are reinforcing Pingrang City, seize the opportunity, and completely destroy them." Li Shimin's eyes were cold.

"Yes!" Li Daozon stood up and bowed.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "On August 10th, Niu Jinda and Yan Lide must all arrive at a point thirty miles east and west of Pingrang. On August 13th, all of them will launch a general attack on Pingrang City."

"Yes!" All the ministers in August's tent bowed.

Li Shimin looked at Cen Wenben and said, "Send an order to Pingzhou Governor Xue Wanjun to lead 3,000 government soldiers to support from the rear to the south bank of the Yalu River, and then choose a place to ambush." ​​"Yes!" Cen Wenben bowed solemnly.

"Inform the Crown Prince." Li Shimin took a deep breath and said, "Tell him to constantly monitor the movements of Tubo, Tuyuhun, Xueyantuo, and Western Turks. At the same time, order the garrisons at all borders to pay close attention to me."

"Here!"

……

In the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian respectfully took the imperial edict from the hands of the Qianniu Guard who delivered it, and then sat back down behind the desk.

"Your Highness!" Fang Xuanling bowed slightly to Li Chengqian.

"According to the imperial edict, send a message to the provincial governors of each province." Li Chengqian paused briefly and continued, "Especially send a message to Lanzhou Governor Du Fengju and Lanzhou Chief Clerk Xi Junmai, asking them to thoroughly investigate the movements of Eastern Tuyuhun. If anyone is dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty, don't worry about Murong Nuohebo and lead your troops to slaughter them directly."

Although Murong Nuohebo of Eastern Tuyuhun was established by the Tang Dynasty and married Princess Honghua of the Tang Dynasty, there were still many anti-Tang voices within Tuyuhun.

Even though a lot of people were secretly cleaned out in recent years, many people still survived under Murong Nuohebo's protection.

Yes, under the protection of Murong Nuohebo.

Murong Nuohebo still has a lot of resistance to the Tang Dynasty.

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling immediately bowed.

Li Chengqian looked at Cui Renshi, the Minister of Revenue, and said seriously, "Inform all provincial governors across the country to expedite the collection of this year's autumn taxes. Everyone, don't just sit there in the city, go out to the fields and ensure that enough autumn grain is collected. At the same time, no exploitation of the people is allowed."

"Yes!" Cui Renshi bowed solemnly.

"Alright." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand, saying, "Everyone, get back to your work."

After all the officials left, Zhang Xuansu, Ma Zhou, Changsun Xiang, Zhang Daxiang and other talents came forward together.

Zhang Xuansu bowed and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is coming back."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "It's August now, and the weather is getting colder. As for the news about Goguryeo, Father hasn't launched a real siege yet. This means that Father is already considering how to withdraw to Liaodong."

"Your Highness, withdrawing troops has always been the most dangerous. If Gai Suwen sends troops out from the city to pursue, His Majesty will be in trouble." Ma Zhou bowed with a serious expression.

Li Chengqian suddenly smiled, looked at Ma Zhou, shook his head, and said, "If you can guess it, how can your father not see it? Just wait and see, your father will definitely have a response."

"Yes!" Ma Zhou immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Our business." Li Chengqian raised his head and said seriously, "I have promoted and demoted many people in the past two years. From today on, I will review all the decrees issued by the Eastern Palace in the past two years... When the emperor returns to Chang'an, I wonder how many people will file a complaint against me."

"Here!"

……

On August 13, it was already late autumn outside Pingrang City.

The black horse hooves crushed the dry grass directly, and then rushed towards Ping Rang madly.

With a "bang", a trap pit suddenly appeared. The five parallel war horses fell into the trap in an instant, and were then directly pierced by the sharp wooden stakes. Blood immediately flowed out.

At this moment, dozens of soldiers from the rear immediately stepped forward and filled the holes with the straw bags filled with soil on their backs.

Following closely was another row of five war horses, which began to explore the way forward frantically.

Nowadays, the least valuable thing in Pingrang City is the war horse.

Niu Jinda led his troops to follow closely behind, and when they encountered Goguryeo soldiers, countless crossbow arrows immediately poured down on them.

As for the trap, they only dug a passage wide enough for five war horses to run side by side.

Then headed west and rushed to the city of Pingrang.

On the surface of the Taedong River not far away, rows of flat-bottomed boats have been connected together, and then gradually spread towards the foot of Pingrang City.

Catapults were placed on flat-bottomed boats and hurled across the river toward the other side.

To the west of Pingrang City, more soldiers landed from the sea and rushed towards Pingrang City.

Gai Suwen stood on the top of Pingrang City. He knew that it was freezing cold and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was about to withdraw his troops.

But it is not so easy for them to withdraw their troops.

At least, Gai Suwen disagrees.

(End of this chapter)