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

Chapter 326: Did the Emperor summon Li Zhi today? (Second update)

"Okay, let's talk about Western Turkestan." Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling calmly bowed, raised his head and said, "After the Western Turkic Beiting Yibi Duolu Khan failed in his attack on Gaochang, he retreated to the north of the Tianshan Mountains, while the Southern Ting Yibi Shekui Khan defended the south of the Tianshan Mountains. Now that the Western Turkic Khanate has been constantly attacking from both north and south, An'an has finally settled down."

Li Chengqian sat there with a calm expression.

Now, more situations of the countries in the Western Regions flashed through his mind.

In addition to the Southern and Northern Turkic Courts, there were also the states of Kucha, Yanqi, Khotan, and Shule, located west of the Anxi Protectorate.

More and more countries submitted to the Tang Dynasty and became a barrier between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks.

Throughout the Western Regions, a stable balance was formed between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks.

Or to put it more directly, the current Tang Dynasty does not have the power to directly swallow up the entire Western Regions, so a balance must be maintained.

……

"The tentacles of Tubo have begun to penetrate into the Western Regions, right?" The emperor suddenly mentioned Tubo, the new threat to the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions.

"Yes." Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at the emperor seriously, and then said, "After Tubo annexed Yangtong, Tubo merchants entered the Western Regions through Western Tuyuhun."

"They're just merchants now, but who knows what they'll be like in the future." Changsun Wuji sneered softly, saying, "The Tang Dynasty sent troops eastward to attack Goguryeo, and they actually dared to instigate the Dangxiang Qiang Huanglangnong tribe to rebel, testing the Tang Dynasty's strength. They truly have unquenchable ambitions!"

Li Shimin nodded, then looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Prince, how is Yang Tong doing now? What is Prince Yang Tong's attitude when he arrived in Chang'an?"

"Prince Yang Tong begged the Tang Dynasty to help him restore his country, but..." Li Chengqian turned his head to look at Fang Xuanling, then looked at the emperor again, and said helplessly with his hands spread out: "But the Prince Yang Tong that this son saw should actually be Princess Yang Tong..."

Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling with some surprise.

Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "The real Prince Yangtong is currently hiding in the backyard of the embassy. The Qianniu Guards smelled medicine outside the courtyard wall, so it is estimated that they were injured by an assassin while fleeing from Yangtong to the Tang Dynasty."

"And judging by the fact that they've only let one princess come forward, while the real Prince Yang Tong is hiding behind the scenes, he's probably seriously injured." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "So, even if they have plans for the west side of the plateau, if something really happened to Prince Yang Tong, I'm afraid it would be difficult to deal with it."

"Since Songtsen unified Tubo, the people have become more united." Changsun Wuji looked up at the emperor and said, "Plus, after the Tang princess married him, he used the Tang Dynasty's superior spirit to improve Tubo's bad habits. Some Tang seeds have also begun to be planted in Tubo. If we calculate now, within twenty years, Tubo will be completely different."

"It's not twenty years." Li Chengqian turned sideways, looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Uncle, it's fifteen years. The princess has been in Tubo for five years..."

"Now that Tubo has annexed Yangtong and its tentacles have spread into the Western Regions through Western Tuyuhun, its momentum will be even faster." Fang Xuanling looked up at the emperor and said, "Also, Your Majesty, there is some uncertain news. King Yangtong has been imprisoned and died by the Tubo people."

Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Xuanling obscurely. Just as he was about to talk about Princess Wencheng, he was interrupted by Fang Xuanling.

Princess Wencheng had been married to Tubo for five years, and even if you count the two years she spent on the road, it had been three years.

For three years, Princess Wencheng and Songtsen had no children.

Either Songtsen was in poor health, or the Tibetans deliberately prevented the Tang princess from getting pregnant.

No matter which possibility it is, it is extremely fatal.

Unfortunately, the emperor doesn't want to hear this now.

Fang Xuanling understood the emperor best and knew what to say and when.

……

Li Shimin glanced at Fang Xuanling, nodded slightly, and said, "In other words, Prince Yang Tong and Princess Yang Tong are no longer of much help to the Tang Dynasty."

"That's right." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Unless the Tang Dynasty can invade Subi or Western Tuyuhun, it will be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to do anything big through Yang Tong."

"Tyuhun!" The emperor thought about the topography of the Tuyuhun Plateau. He shook his head slightly and said, "Yanqi, Qiuci, Shule, and Khotan are not yet part of the Tang Dynasty. And most importantly, Yangtong is not a Tang vassal state. The Tang Dynasty has no reason to send troops there."

"Yes!" All the ministers in the hall nodded.

"Furthermore, Yangtong is too far away. Besides threatening the Western Regions, to be honest, it has little impact on the Tang Dynasty. Even if the Tang Dynasty captured Yangtong, there would not be much benefit, and it would even cost a lot." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Prince, you should handle the Yangtong matter yourself."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed.

Li Shimin looked up at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Wuji, send a message to Guo Xiaoke, telling him to be vigilant against the collusion between the Western Turks and Tubo, and to take action when the time is right."

There was a hint of cruelty in the emperor's tone.

"I understand." Changsun Wuji bowed slightly.

"Also, Father," Li Chengqian said, looking at the emperor, "Over the past two years, based on various observations, we can confirm that there's a special unit codenamed 'Guangjun' within Tubo. Their numbers and combat effectiveness are unknown, but they always appear where Songtsan needs them most. And now, it seems they're lurking in Chang'an as well." "Last time, they assassinated Princess Yangtong," Fang Xuanling added solemnly, "the Jinwu Guards mobilized hundreds of men and killed fifteen, but six of them perished at their hands."

It was Li Chengqian who first set up the plan that time. Originally, no one should have died, but who would have thought that six Jinwu Guards died.

"Death squads, and an army of them." Li Shimin sneered softly and said, "Songtsen will really surprise me."

Baiqisi.

Li Chengqian lowered his head slightly. The army of death warriors was the Hundred Cavalry Division.

The Hundred Cavalry Division is a force formed by the emperor's selection of elite soldiers from the army. It has strong combat capabilities and can also carry out secret missions.

Today, Tubo also has a similar army.

The threat posed by Tubo to the Tang Dynasty increased again.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Li Chengqian subconsciously looked outside the hall, and soon, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Yuwen Chongsi, asked for permission to come in.

"Your Majesty, the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo heard that Your Majesty had returned from the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, and sent envoys to Chang'an to pay their respects. Now they have arrived in Shanzhou and request permission to enter the Tang Dynasty." Yuwen Chongsi bowed seriously.

"They are here to test my health." Li Shimin suddenly laughed. Then, he turned his head and looked at Zhangsun Wuji, saying, "Wuji, mobilize the Qianniu Guards, Jinwu Guards, Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice, Yongzhou Prefecture, Chang'an Wannian County, and all manpower to completely eliminate the Guangjun soldiers in Chang'an City."

"I obey your order." Changsun Wuji bowed solemnly.

……

Xiao Yu, sitting on the right, handed over the memorial in his hand, then looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the abbot of Hongfu Temple has submitted a memorial, asking when Your Majesty will receive Master Xuanzang?"

The emperor looked thoughtful and said, "I am very busy with state affairs now. Let's wait until the end of the year. On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, when the court officials have a holiday, I will meet him in the Wanchun Palace."

"Yes!" Xiao Yu bowed seriously.

Li Shimin nodded, then looked at his ministers and said, "After the Xueyantuo war is over, the northern border will be stable. The Western Turks have been well-behaved in the past two years, so there is no need to be too nervous. As for Tubo, even if it annexed Yangtong, it is still far away from the Tang Dynasty. We still have enough time to make arrangements."

Li Chengqian nodded in agreement, his expression calm as he lowered his head.

Although Tubo seemed to be secretly aggressive, in fact, Songtsen only had a few years left.

Once Songtsen died of illness, Tubo would immediately fall into chaos.

Of course, it seems that it is still too early for Tubo to pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty, but in fact, in Li Chengqian's eyes, this is a rare window of opportunity.

The best window to exterminate Tubo.

Once Tubo reacts, once Lu Dongzan and Lun Qinling completely control the situation in Tubo and rely on the power of the plateau, even if Li Chengqian can successfully integrate the Tang Dynasty after the emperor's death, he will probably have to pay a heavy price to destroy Tubo, and he may not succeed.

"Prince!"

The emperor's voice rang out from above, and Li Chengqian immediately raised his head and bowed, saying, "Father."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "I have read the memorial you wrote, which proposes using the imperial guards to pave the way for transportation reform."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian keenly understood the emperor's meaning. He immediately bowed and said, "Although I have some thoughts, I still feel uneasy. After all, the Guanzhong government troops are heavily implicated. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, "You are right. Starting with the imperial guards is still a bit faster. I think we should start with the post stations. It is rare for us to have such a great victory in the northern border. I will issue an order. Starting next year, each post station in Guanzhong, Longyou, Ganliang, Shasu, and even the Anxi Protectorate will be given ten strong horses and five postmen. The expenses of these personnel will be paid by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Shimin smiled slightly and looked at Zhang Ananda on the side.

Zhang Ananda nodded immediately. He knew that although this matter was handled in the name of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, in reality, all these matters would be handled by the Hundred Cavalry Division.

"Alright." Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The only thing left now is to attack Goguryeo again. We can continue to produce weapons as usual, but as for food and fodder... Prince, you've been in charge of the grain supply at the Sinong Temple for the past few years. How are things going now?"

"Your Majesty..." Li Chengqian looked up and was about to speak when the emperor suddenly waved his hand and looked towards the palace door.

Li Chengqian turned around subconsciously.

A eunuch in blue entered the hall from outside, then quickly walked to the palace. He then bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Jin has arrived outside the hall. May I ask how he is doing!"

Li Chengqian looked at the emperor in surprise. Did he summon Li Zhi today?
(End of this chapter)