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

Chapter 420: Qiu Shenji, the Emperor's Black Glove (Part )

Under the Suzaku Gate, the imperial carriage slowly entered.

Li Chengqian leaned against the imperial carriage, his mind constantly replaying the image of Princess Yongjia's flustered and even awkward steps as she walked past him.

As a princess, etiquette should have been ingrained in her bones.

But when Princess Yongjia saw him, she hid like a mouse seeing a cat.

There is something fishy here!
Li Chengqian's eyes turned cold.

At this moment, Xu An's voice rang out from outside the carriage curtain: "Your Majesty, the Right Thousand Oxen Guard General Qiu Shenji has arrived."

"Announce!" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

Then, Qiu Shenqi, the right guard general, dressed in red and golden armor and with a cautious look on his face, appeared at the door.

Qiu Shenji knelt on one knee and saluted Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Majesty, I, the Right Thousand Oxen Guard General Qiu Shenji, pay my respects to His Majesty!"

Li Chengqian looked at Qiu Shenqi's solemn expression and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

He now finally understood why emperors in history all liked to employ cruel officials.

Because people like them are rarely affected by interpersonal relationships.

Act decisively and be willing to take the blame.

He is indeed the emperor's best black glove candidate.

"Mr. Qiu, what are the duties of the Right Thousand Oxen Guard?" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

"I am ordered to bear the imperial sword and serve as a guard." After a brief pause, Qiu Shenji bowed and said, "The Right Thousand Oxen Guard has another secret duty, which is to monitor the affairs of the princes and princesses."

Li Chengqian nodded gently and said, "A few years ago, the quarrels between me, the King of Wei, and the King of Jin were really out of control, which made things difficult for you. But now, everything is stable, and we must do what needs to be done."

"Yes!" Qiu Shenqi's expression became serious.

"I went to visit Princess Changguang today and found that her condition was quite unusual. I went to investigate what was going on." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does the Right Thousand Oxen Guard know what to do?"

"I know!" Qiu Shenji bowed solemnly.

"Go ahead." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly.

"I'll take my leave." Qiu Shenqi clasped his fists towards Li Chengqian, then turned and walked out of the imperial carriage.

Looking up, I found that the imperial carriage had arrived at the side of Taiji Hall without me noticing.

Qiu Shenqi quickly jumped off the carriage.

The imperial carriage continued to move towards the Liangyi Palace ahead.

Qiu Shenqi stood in the shadow of the Taiji Hall, looking towards the Liangyi Hall.

Duke of Zhao, Zhangsun Wuji, stood at the entrance of the main hall waiting for the emperor. Beside him were Duke of Liang, Fang Xuanling, Duke of Ying, Li Ji, and a group of high-ranking officials from the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples, and five academies.

Qiu Shenqi saw the figures of his father, Qiu Xinggong, the governor of Yongzhou, from the shadows of the crowd.

……

The imperial carriage stopped at the door of Liangyi Palace. Li Chengqian's expression calmed down, and the moment he stepped onto the golden steps, his face was filled with a gentle smile.

At the entrance of Liangyi Hall, Zhangsun Wuji and the others, upon seeing Li Chengqian, all bowed and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Gentlemen, please stand up. Thank you for waiting for so long today." Li Chengqian nodded apologetically and walked into the Liangyi Hall.

Zhangsun Wuji stood up and followed Li Chengqian, whispering, "It's okay for me to wait, but your Majesty's sudden departure from the palace without a word really scared me. What if something unexpected happens?"

"I know I was wrong." Arriving before Emperor Dan, Li Chengqian turned to look at Zhangsun Wuji and sighed, "But I had no choice today. If I hadn't gone to Princess Changguang's residence today, I'm afraid all of you would have gone to the princess's residence today."

Li Chengqian was a little vague at the end of his words, but the ministers present immediately understood what was going on.

Princess Changguang is dying.

"Your Majesty, what exactly is going on?" Changsun Wuji's expression finally became serious.

"My aunt suddenly fell ill today and couldn't get up. When I arrived, she was already in so much pain that she only had half an hour left." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Li Qin said that pricking the Baihui acupoint with silver needles might save her life, but Yang Qing and his family are hesitant to make a decision."

Once a decision is made, a person may die immediately or come back to life.

If you don't make a decision and delay it, you may die in half an hour.

They would rather have that half hour of peace than a lifetime of anxiety that could lead to death.

That's it.

"It was I who made the decisive decision. Li Qing used acupuncture in time, and my aunt finally recovered. Li Qin is still treating her, but I believe that with careful care, she will be fine for another twenty or thirty years." Li Chengqian sighed softly, then walked up to the steps and sat down on the imperial couch. He said, "If I don't go today, and something happens to my aunt, and the news reaches Cuiwei Palace..."

There is a saying that sadness is contagious.

Princess Changguang was, after all, the younger sister of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, and the age difference between them was not too big.

If something happened to her and the news reached the ears of the retired emperor, he would be heartbroken and it would inevitably have an impact on his health.

Everyone present was experienced in life and of course understood this truth.

Especially since the retired emperor is now old and bedridden due to illness, once the news of Princess Changguang's death gets out, who knows if his body will collapse.

Once something happens to the emperor, the whole world will be in trouble.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and filial." Changsun Wuji reacted and immediately bowed to Li Chengqian with some fear.

"This is what I should do." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Palace Supervisor!"

"I'm here!" The palace supervisor Lu Huairang stood up.

Li Chengqian glanced at Dou Lu Huairang, who was also his uncle and the consort of Princess Wanchun, the sixth daughter of Emperor Gaozu.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "After court, have the Imperial Pharmacy and the Imperial Hospital send people to the homes of important officials to seek medical advice. This will be a regular practice, every ten days."

"I obey your order!" Dou Lu Huairang bowed with some gratitude. His old father Dou Lu Kuan was not young anymore, and he was very touched by the emperor's concern.

"Okay, let's get down to business." Li Chengqian looked serious.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed in unison. ...

Minister of the Interior, Duke of Liang Fang Xuanling, stood in the hall and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei has drawn 5,000 cavalry from Shazhou and Suzhou respectively. They are undergoing high-altitude training in the Qilian Mountains. They will then draw troops from Gansu and Liang, and ultimately select 5,000 cavalrymen who can adapt to the plateau environment."

"Highland miasma." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Highland miasma is indeed not something that ordinary people can adapt to, but once you adapt, it won't be a big problem anymore."

"Furthermore, training in the Qilian Mountains will completely isolate us from the Tibetans." Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "The Duke of Wei reported that there's a small path south of Zhangye that could lead across the Qilian Mountains into Western Tuyuhun. If the Tibetan army marches south, the Duke of Wei will attack from Western Tuyuhun and join forces with the Lanzhou and Shanzhou armies to attack the Tibetan army from both the east and the west."

Liu Rengui, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, walked past every important official in the court holding a map drawn by the Ministry of War.

Dou Zhijie also placed a map in front of Li Chengqian.

"Such a drastic detour!" Li Chengqian couldn't help but gasp. He looked at Li Ji and asked directly, "Duke Ying, is this feasible?"

Li Ji stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, this is feasible. Therefore, the Duke of Wei will begin training the soldiers in Zhangye now."

Many people in the hall nodded in agreement.

Many of them followed Li Jing to destroy Tuyuhun. They knew many more secrets than people today.

"If this works, once Songtsen leads his troops down from the plateau and Shanzhou is on the defensive, his retreat will be cut off." After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he couldn't help but feel excited.

If the Tang Dynasty wins the battle in the northwest, Li Chengqian's throne will be completely secure.

"With the Duke of Wei here, Tuyuhun won't dare to waver." Changsun Wuji stepped forward and bowed, saying, "In this way, Your Majesty won't have to worry about the population problem after Tuyuhun is wiped out."

There are at least 500,000 people in Eastern Tuyuhun. Once all of them are handed over to the Tang Dynasty for management, the lack of food and fodder alone will be enough to bring down the Tang Dynasty.

"We'll talk about the Eastern Tuyuhun issue later." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "The key now is to prevent Songtsen from noticing the war in the northwest. Only then can he intervene."

"Your Majesty!" Li Daozon, the Minister of Rites, stood up and bowed. "At the end of the year, with the Fengshan ceremony in Luoyang, you can recall the provincial governors. They won't be needed for the main army anyway, so we can instead call in troops from Xiazhou, Lingzhou, and other places."

Qian Jiulong, the governor of Lingzhou and the right general of the Imperial Guard, had worked with Li Jing in his early years.

Li Dejian, the governor of Xiazhou, was Li Jing's eldest son.

If they were transferred from the north in a roundabout way, Songtsen Gampo would suffer a great loss by surprise.

"That's it." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The Ministry of War should make a good plan and decide when to deploy troops and generals. Don't delay."

Minister of War Cui Dunli stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes!"

Li Chengqian glanced at Cui Dunli and continued to ask, "What's the situation in Goguryeo?"

Cui Dunli bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the news of your ascension to the throne has probably not yet reached Goguryeo, so it's quiet there for the time being."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "It's autumn now. Have Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang send people to clean up the area north of the Taedong River to prevent them from planting crops somewhere else. Then, have Liu Demin, the naval commander, clean up the Goguryeo sea border to prevent their navy from becoming too powerful."

"Yes!" Cui Dunli bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian raised his head and continued, "When the news of my ascension to the throne spreads in winter, it will be time for them to strike back. The troops on the front line are somewhat insufficient. I have ordered the Right Guard General Gao Kan to lead 3,000 cavalry from Youzhou to reinforce the front."

"Yes!" Cui Dunli and Cheng Zhijie who stood up bowed at the same time.

Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "After you return, please focus on the Liaodong war and make it more vigorous."

"We obey your order." All the ministers bowed and smiled. They all knew that the emperor was going to trick Songtsen Gampo.

The focus of the war on the eastern and western fronts was on the western front.

……

The autumn breeze blows gently, bringing a cool and refreshing feeling.

Li Chengqian walked in the Daming Palace accompanied by Yan Liben and Qiu Xingyan.

Laborers and craftsmen carrying bricks and stones were everywhere.

Even part of the Youtunwei was transferred here.

Daming Palace was where Li Zhi often lived in the middle and late stages of his reign. They even replaced Taiji Hall with Hanyuan Hall.

Of course, the fundamental reason here was that Li Zhi suffered from rheumatism.

Wind disease.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but frown slightly.

His aunt Princess Changguang suffered from this disease, and his father's current condition is also partly due to this symptom.

In addition, his grandfather also had similar symptoms later.

Li Chengqian lowered his head slightly.

He also needs to be careful about these things in the future.

As we move forward, the Hanyuan Hall is not far away.

The construction of Daming Palace began when the emperor went to Cuiwei Palace to escape the summer heat. However, because the Hanyuan Hall was under construction for a year and a half in the eighth and ninth years of Zhenguan, the construction slowed down afterwards, but it was still under construction.

Now, more than ten years have passed, and many places are still as new as before.

Xue Renfang, a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, explained, "Your Majesty, according to schedule, Cuiwei Palace should be completed by the end of next year. However, Your Majesty is currently at war with both Goguryeo and Tuyuhun. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Revenue are prioritizing military expenses. If this war drags on, the delay will likely be extended for another year."

"Everything should be prioritized," Li Chengqian concluded. He looked at Yan Liben and Qiu Xingyan and asked calmly, "How long do you think this battle will last?"

Yan Liben looked at Qiu Xingyan. Qiu Xingyan thought for a moment, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe this battle will be over in no more than three months."

"Go on!" Li Chengqian walked forward calmly.

"Yes!" Qiu Xingyan bowed and continued, "Your Majesty, I believe that if Songtsen wanted to take action, he would definitely not choose the first month of the year. It is still cold in the first month of the year, especially on the plateau. It would be easy for the Tibetan cavalry to descend from the plateau, but without sufficient water and grass, they would die after thousands of miles of travel."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian stopped and nodded to Qiu Xingyan: "My dear, please continue."

"Yes!" Qiu Xingyan nodded and said, "If I were Songtsen, I would send troops to harass in the first and second months, making signs of attacking Shanzhou and Hezhou, causing tension on the front line.

Until March, the tension on the front line was slightly relaxed, and then a sudden thundering attack was launched, tearing through the defense line. After a heavy blow, they forced Tuyuhun and Dangxiang to come to their aid, and now they have another 200,000 troops.

Li Chengqian looked at Qiu Xingyan in surprise and asked, "Is this your own opinion, my dear, or your brother's?"

(End of this chapter)