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

Chapter 355: Xue Qing's Killing Is Too Heavy (First Update)
The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The sky is high and the clouds are rising, and the northern geese are flying wide.

On the Xuanwu Gate, Li Chengqian, dressed in black clothes and black armor, looked calmly at the Imperial Guard camp in the distance.

Long spears stood in rows and the military camp was in good order.

The field was filled with murderous aura and the military might was overwhelming.

"Your Highness!" Jin Shangquan stood behind Li Chengqian, looking inexplicably nervous.

Li Chengqian pointed to a general in silver armor and white robes standing to the side and said calmly, "That's Xue Rengui, the Lieutenant General of the Right Guard. Three years ago, he was just an ordinary young man from a poor family. Three years later, he's already the Lieutenant General of the Right Guard."

Jin Shangquan looked at Xue Rengui and bowed solemnly.

Xue Rengui held a long spear in his hand, looked at Jin Shangquan coldly, and said nothing, continuing to look forward.

Li Chengqian smiled with satisfaction, turned around, and said softly: "Dressed in a white robe, holding a halberd and hanging a bow, he shouted and charged into the battle, and was invincible."

Only then did Xue Rengui turn around and bow gently to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, then looked at the vast Forbidden Garden before him and said calmly, "After the two wars against Goguryeo and Mobei, my father promoted Xue Qing to the rank of General of the Right Guard, stationed at Xuanwu Gate, which is right here... Jin Qing, you've heard of Xuanwu Gate, right?"

"Yes!" Jin Shangquan didn't know why he was trembling inexplicably.

"Xue Qing is indeed brave and invincible, but he also has his weaknesses." Li Chengqian glanced at Xue Rengui, who was still standing there with his halberd in his hand, his face expressionless.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Xue Qing's biggest problem is that he kills too many people. Countless people have been killed and wounded along the way... But as a general in the army, this is how it should be. As long as the casualties are not the people of the Tang Dynasty, everything is fine!"

"Your Highness!" Jin Shangquan's face was terribly panicked.

Xue Rengui glanced at Li Chengqian with surprise.

"Jin Qing, go back and stay in Goguryeo. Then wait for the Tang Dynasty to invade Goguryeo." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Oh, take all the gold, silver, and beauties back with you. Serve the Treasure King well. After the Tang Dynasty destroys Gaisuwen, we will return Goguryeo to him."

Xue Rengui, who was standing aside, couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth when he heard Li Chengqian say this.

Everyone in the court knew that the prince was a staunch supporter of unification.

Otherwise, why has the prince worked so hard to help the people of the country grow crops in recent years?

Otherwise, why has he been dealing with the Yima issue every day in recent years?

Conquer Goguryeo and return it to Gao Baozang, what a joke.

……

"Your Highness!" Jin Shangquan bowed carefully and said, "My king sent me to Chang'an. Before I left, he repeatedly instructed me to assist the Tang Dynasty in defeating Gaesomun. If Gaesomun is not defeated, I will not be allowed to return to Goguryeo... If the Tang Dynasty truly wants me to return to Goguryeo, I am afraid my only apology will be death."

Li Chengqian turned back indifferently and looked at Jin Shangquan coldly.

Jin Shangquan's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Li Chengqian's voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Then you can just go and die!"

Fortunately, this sound never really sounded.

Li Chengqian retracted his gaze and said calmly, "The Tang Dynasty has its own plans and steps to destroy Goguryeo. When we need your assistance, we will naturally call on you. When we don't need you, you don't need to pry into anything. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Jin Shangquan's brows jumped, and then he bowed and said, "Here!"

"Go ahead and settle yourself and your men in Chang'an." Li Chengqian looked up at the clear sky above and said softly, "Don't be dazzled by the prosperity of Chang'an."

"Yes!" Jin Shangquan paused for a moment, then bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

Jin Shangquan immediately bowed and walked out of Xuanwu Gate. Someone took him out of the Forbidden Garden.

A sound of heavy footsteps came from below.

Immediately, the Imperial Guard General Zhang Shigui stepped forward from the gate, bowed earnestly to Li Chengqian, and said, "Your Highness!"

"General!" Li Chengqian nodded to Zhang Shigui.

"Your Highness!" Zhang Shigui looked at Li Chengqian with some doubt and asked, "Your Highness seems to distrust the Goguryeo envoys."

Of course he didn't trust him. If he did, why would he bring him to Xuanwu Gate to see the North Gate guards' military discipline?

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "That man is indeed the envoy of the King of Goryeo, but he is also Gai Suwen's pawn. If we trust him, Gai Suwen will learn the secrets of the Tang Dynasty's march through him."

"In that case, Your Highness, why not kill him?" Zhang Shigui couldn't help but say it out loud.

Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Shigui helplessly: "General, you are indeed worthy of being called a general. No wonder others have been transferred to become governors, provincial governors, and ministers of the six ministries, yet you are still guarding Xuanwu Gate."

Xue Rengui on the side couldn't help but laugh.

Zhang Shigui turned around and glared at Xue Rengui, then he bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "This old minister still feels more comfortable at Xuanwu Gate."

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, then smiled and said, "I was just saying that. With the general guarding Xuanwu Gate, my father and I are relieved."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Zhang Shigui immediately grinned.

"Report Jin Shangquan." Li Chengqian's expression calmed down, his gaze fixed on the Wei River at the end of his sight. "Although he isn't Gaisuwen's man, he's definitely under the watchful eye of Gaisuwen's men. If he gets hold of the Tang Dynasty's military secrets, the news will be immediately transmitted back to Goguryeo. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty has three options for responding."

"I would like to hear the details!" Zhang Shigui bowed seriously. Xue Rengui behind him also calmed down and looked at Li Chengqian solemnly.

"One is to use the problematic food and troop deployment map provided by Jin Shangquan to deceive Gai Suwen, and then shift the target of attack at the last moment and attack the real food and troop deployment." Li Chengqian turned to look at Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui, and their eyes lit up at the same time.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Gai Suwen is no fool. Since he already knew that the Tang Dynasty was about to march, he would naturally make arrangements at all the key points. We may be able to win this battle, but achieving a breakthrough is impossible, and avoiding losses is even more difficult."

The corners of Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui's mouths twitched slightly. They had heard that the prince liked to settle accounts, but they didn't expect it to be true.

When a large army goes to war, it is often impossible to settle accounts.

Sometimes, stability and morale are more important.

Li Chengqian actually agreed with this point, but if he could get the greatest benefit on this basis, why would it be impossible?

Otherwise, even if you defeat your opponent, it would not be worth it if both of you suffer losses in the end.

"Second," Li Chengqian said softly, swinging his hands behind his back, "we'll still use what Jin Shangquan provided. Before we step into the trap, we'll quickly retreat and show weakness to the enemy. While we won't lose any lives, we'll make a strategic mistake, which will be enough to make Gai Suwen proud. We'll use this to trick him badly in the final battle."

When the Tang Dynasty wants to cheat people, it is definitely not an ordinary cheat.

Jie Li was betrayed by the Tang Dynasty and even lost his entire country.

"But this doesn't seem necessary." Zhang Shigui looked at Li Chengqian carefully.

"There's really no need." Li Chengqian turned and looked at Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui, nodding in agreement. "The Tang Dynasty has its own way of doing things. We should act uprightly and with a mighty military force, directly destroying the entire Goguryeo. This will prevent Goguryeo and its people from ever having the slightest thought of betraying the Tang Dynasty. That's the Tang Dynasty."

"Yes!" Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui bowed solemnly. Li Chengqian turned sideways, looking at Jin Shangquan in the distance, and said calmly, "This man is still useful. At least he knows the ins and outs of the Goguryeo nobles, the key terrain, and the personalities and characters of the Goguryeo generals... That's his greatest use."

"Your Highness is wise." Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui bowed at the same time.

Both of them are fierce generals in the army, and these things alone are enough for them to win victory after victory on the battlefield.

"Storing food and forging military equipment are what I need to do. The rest of training soldiers and fighting on the battlefield will be left to you gentlemen." Li Chengqian nodded to Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui, then turned and walked towards the Xuanwu Gate.

"Your Highness, we respectfully bid you farewell." Zhang Shigui and Xue Rengui stepped forward and bowed, then watched Li Chengqian leave.

Afterwards, the two looked at each other.

At the same time, he nodded with some emotion.

Your Majesty has a successor!
The emperor was responsible for the wars, and the prince provided the logistics.

For military officers like them, the prince does not have the power of the emperor to conquer the world, but he can provide any general with everything he needs to conquer the world.

That's enough.

The two of them looked up at the same time and looked at Li Chengqian who entered the Xuanwu Gate.

……

Li Chengqian went down from Xuanwu Gate and then entered the harem from Xuanwu Gate.

Changsun Xiang and Gao Zhenxing followed on both sides.

Ordinary people really can't enter the emperor's harem.

Even Li Chengqian was allowed by the emperor to return to Liangyi Palace through the harem to report on the matters he had discussed with Jin Shangquan because of a special matter.

Changsun Xiang was the queen's cousin, and Gao Zhenxing was the queen's cousin.

Since the two of them were accompanying the prince, even the emperor would not say much.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the side, followed by a childish male voice: "Hurry up, hurry up, mother is waiting."

Li Chengqian turned around and saw Prince Cao Li Ming coming from the direction of the Shangshiyuan with four or five eunuchs.

Li Ming had just turned the corner from the Yanjia Palace and saw Li Chengqian standing in front of him.

"Shisilang." Li Chengqian waved slightly at Li Ming.

A hint of nervousness flashed across Li Ming's face, and then he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand and looked at the food trays carried by the eunuchs behind him. He asked curiously, "Why do you have to do all these things yourself?"

Li Ming cupped his hands and said, "Mother, your appetite is not good today, so Shi Silang specially asked someone to make some sweets for you to taste."

Li Chengqian walked over, touched Li Ming's forehead, and said gently: "My son Shi Silang knows how to be filial. This is the greatest good thing in the world. It will also make the emperor and your mother happy. Okay, go."

"Yes!" Li Ming bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and Li Ming turned and left. However, at this moment, Li Chengqian suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

Li Ming was a little surprised and quickly turned around and bowed: "Royal brother!"

Li Chengqian came over and helped Li Ming straighten his collar before saying seriously, "Don't forget to study hard when you go back. You'll be fourteen soon. You should be married in a year or two. After you're married, you'll be assigned to a local post. Knowledge is more important for governing a place."

"I understand." Li Ming bowed in confusion. Why did the prince say this to him?

Li Chengqian patted Li Ming's shoulder, then sighed, turned around and walked quickly towards the Liangyi Hall.

Li Ming was the emperor's youngest son, so even though he was almost fourteen years old, he still lived in the palace because he had not married.

He was the most pitiful of all the emperor's sons.

Originally, after the emperor passed away, Li Ming was adopted by Li Zhi and given to Li Yuanji as his queen.

Yes, the younger brother was adopted by his older brother as his uncle's son.

It just so happened that this uncle was his mother's ex-husband.

And he was killed by his own father.

Even Li Ming's mother, Concubine Yang, was changed by Li Zhi from the Queen Mother of Cao to the Princess of Chaoci.

Li Shimin, Li Yuanji, and Concubine Yang.

When the emperor was still alive, Concubine Yang was the emperor's concubine.

Li Yuanji's affairs have been forgotten except on special occasions.

But after the emperor's death, she was forcibly married back to Li Yuanji by Li Zhi, and even her son with the emperor inherited Li Yuanji's incense.

It was as if the twenty years since she was married to the emperor had been completely wiped out.

It's humiliation and ridicule to the extreme.

Especially after her death, she was buried together with Li Yuanji.

Li Ming was later killed because he was involved in Li Xian's rebellion, and his descendants were cut off.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, the emperor sat on the imperial couch and watched Li Chengqian bow and leave after reporting all the affairs.

Zhang Ananda walked up from the back and whispered what Li Chengqian and Li Ming had accidentally witnessed in the harem.

The emperor nodded calmly, and asked again in detail about every word Li Chengqian said to Li Ming, then waved his hand, and Zhang Ananda withdrew.

Standing up from the imperial couch, Li Shimin walked to the door of the hall and looked at the Chang'an City in front of him.

After a long time, he couldn't help but sigh.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, he no longer had the energy he once had after recovering from his illness.

Even his wound had indeed healed a lot after a year of recuperation, but it still hurt a little.

Sometimes, he had to consider many things.

Look, look again.

(End of this chapter)