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

Chapter 442: Mandated by Heaven, Long Live and Prosper (Part )
Li Chengqian's gaze lifted from Lu Dongzan, passed over Helu, and finally looked at the entire extremely respectful group of people.

His gaze finally fell on the countless spear blades flashing with cold light.

The Tang Dynasty dominated the world with its military power.

The powerful military force is the fundamental reason why people all over the world fear the Tang Dynasty.

A powerful military force is the basis for his conquest of the world.

Li Chengqian spoke coldly, "My lords, during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, as long as the foreign vassal states respect the Tang Dynasty and pay tribute, then the world will be united and we will share in the prosperity. However, if anyone refuses to obey the king's rule and recklessly mobilizes troops, then all the foreign vassal states can, under the Tang Dynasty's edict, raise troops and attack each other."

Li Chengqian's gaze finally fell on Lu Dongzan.

"Finally, we will destroy their cities, exterminate their population, divide their land, and join the Tang Dynasty in annihilating their nation." Li Chengqian spread his hands and said loudly, "I have countless rewards waiting for you. Are you willing to obey my orders?"

"Your Majesty, I will obey the orders of the Great Tang, and the orders of His Majesty the Emperor." Everyone bowed and shouted, "Long live Your Majesty! May the whole world be in awe of you! Long live Your Majesty!"

"Everyone, please stand up." Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "Let's go down the mountain. I have prepared fine wine and delicious food in the Zhenguan Hall to entertain you. Let's share it together."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Everyone bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian walked calmly toward the crowd.

Everyone immediately made their way.

At this moment, the light of the setting sun in the west passed through the crowd and fell on Li Chengqian who was walking among them, as if he was covered with a layer of glorious embroidered robe.

Sacred and solemn.

Everyone bent even lower.

……

Lu Dongzan looked down at Li Chengqian walking past him, and felt his scalp tingling for a moment.

On the top of Mount Song, under the vast sky.

The most powerful person in the world completely shifted from Heavenly Khan Li Shimin to Emperor Li Chengqian.

From now on, no one will dare to look down on the emperor.

His position will be so solid that it will be difficult to shake.

Even if Li Shimin came back, it would be difficult to do so.

At this moment, imperial power was perfectly transferred.

Lu Dongzan didn't know whether all this was deliberately planned or happened unintentionally, but he knew that if all this was really feasible, then this scene would be repeated forever.

The Tang Dynasty will always be the most powerful country in the world.

Looking up slightly, Lu Dongzan saw that Li Chengqian was gradually going away.

Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling.

Li Ji.

Chu Suiliang, Yu Zhining.

Tang Jian, Yan Lide, Liu Dewei, Li Daozon, and Yang Shidao.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Zhijie.

Chang He, Liang Jianfang.

If one loses the power of thinking, what power will Khitan have?

Zuo Kuangzheng, Tian Renhui.

and many more.

Countless civil and military officials from the reign of the retired emperor followed the emperor down the mountain.

Lu Dongzan has sufficient understanding of the Tang Dynasty.

These people are the core figures in the emperor's court.

Among them, the Guanzhong clans are the most prominent.

The four directions were ruled by the powerful families in Guanzhong.

Everything in the world is stable.

Then he became invincible.

The new emperor of the Tang Dynasty has completely inherited all the power and prestige of the retired emperor. Anyone who provokes them will suffer the most ferocious counterattack from this force.

And now.

They have already started mobilizing troops to attack the Tang Dynasty.

Yes, it’s no longer a provocation.

It was the Tubo people who launched the most thorough military operation.

Thinking of all this, endless regret rose from Lu Dongzan's heart.

……

"This is a setup. Li Jing has already rushed to the northwest." Lu Dongzan, sitting in the carriage, looked at Gar Qinling and whispered in Tibetan: "Once the war breaks out, the emperor will immediately appoint Li Jing as commander-in-chief and then strike back at the Zamp."

"So what?" Gar Qinling grabbed Lu Dongzan's wrist and whispered, "Father, the Tang Dynasty is prepared. We anticipated this a long time ago, but they don't have enough troops. They think Li Jing's presence in the northwest will scare us into immobility, but in reality, their lack of troops will be their biggest weakness."

"Are their troops really insufficient?" Lu Dongzan stared at his son.

Gar Qinling nodded and said, "Of course, during this period, the mobilization of troops and food in Chang'an has all been under our attention; and all the generals in the army, except for Li Jing, are in Luoyang.

Not to mention the provincial governors in the northwest, most of them are now in Luoyang, as well as the emperor, the emperor emeritus, and the prime minister in the court, all of their focus is in Luoyang.

Dad, you worry too much!"

"Is that so?" Lu Dongzan heard his son's reassuring words, but he still felt uneasy. "No matter what, the message should be sent out immediately."

"Of course." Gar Qinling nodded and said, "When I get home, I'll immediately tell the Zamp what happened in Luoyang and your concerns."

"How to spread it?" Lu Dongzan stared at Gar Qinling.

"Let's go to Chang'an from the Qiao-Han Ancient Road!" Gar Qinling paused, then whispered, "If Father is worried, then we can go from Xingyang and Zhengzhou along the Yellow River Road."

"That's not what I meant." Lu Dongzan shook his head and said, "It's just one route. Aren't you worried about problems? From Luoyang to Chang'an, although there seem to be several routes to choose from, there is actually only one. Because no matter where you go, you have to pass through Hangu Pass and Tong Pass. Once they block Hangu Pass and Tong Pass..."

"Our news will be completely blocked." Gar Qinling's expression changed slightly.

"Yes!" Lu Dongzan nodded and asked, "When did the last batch of people from Lhasa arrive?"

"News came from Chang'an yesterday. It arrived the day before yesterday." Gar Qinling nodded.

"That is to say, the road to Tubo was not blocked yesterday." Lu Dongzan pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "After returning, immediately arrange for someone to take the Qiao-Han Ancient Road back to Chang'an and send the news back to Lhasa as usual. This route is the fastest."

"Yes!"

"Then, after they leave, before tonight's curfew, send someone through Jingzhou, pass through Bashu, and pass the news back from Songzhou." Lu Dongzan took a deep breath and continued, "After dawn tomorrow, arrange for someone to leave the city immediately, go through Hanzhong, Minshan, and directly through the Maji Snow Mountain to deliver the news back."

"Dad, the road ahead is easy, but it's too difficult to take the Minshan Road?" Gar Qinling looked stunned.

From the Minshan plateau, there are endless mountains with no roads, swamps and snow-capped mountains in between. Even the elite shadow army hidden under their command, who are so powerful, can rarely make it across alive.

"Just follow my orders." Lu Dongzan glanced at Gar Qinling indifferently.

"Yes!" Gar Qinling could only nod.

"That's one thing." Lu Dongzan's expression grew serious again. He said, "And then there's the matter of Tian Khan's health. All the signs have clearly shown that Tian Khan is definitely in serious trouble. But what happened today? Why is he walking around like normal again?"

"Father, could it be a secret medicine from the Tang court?" Gar Qinling glanced outside and said, "I've heard that the Zamp's court also has a similar secret medicine. However, although it has a temporary effect, it is extremely harmful to the body. Could the Heavenly Khan also use this secret medicine?"

"I hope so." Lu Dongzan shook his head and said, "Actually, what my father is most worried about is that Tian Khan has recovered a long time ago, but he and the emperor are deliberately pretending to be sick to lure the Zamp to send troops, setting a trap."

Gar Qinling suddenly shuddered, shook his head quickly, and said, "No, Father, there is no need for the Heavenly Khan to plot against the Zamp. How could the Heavenly Khan plot against the Zamp? He himself was forced to abdicate. At that time, it would be difficult for him to save himself."

"It's the Emperor!" Lu Dongzan raised his head and whispered, "We have always underestimated the Emperor. Although he is young, his ambition and methods are no less than those of the Heavenly Khan. That's why he was able to convince the Heavenly Khan to feign illness."

"No, Father." Gar Qinling calmed down and whispered, "We've had quite a few interactions with the Emperor. Although he has some tricks up his sleeve, they're just tricks. Especially now that he's just ascended the throne, he only has two close confidants in the Council of State, Yu Zhining and Ma Zhou. Among the six ministers, there's only one, Cui Dunli, who's in charge of the Ministry of War. He's not even focused on internal affairs, so how could he have the time to deal with external affairs..."

No matter what, Gar Qinling could not believe that Li Chengqian had set a huge trap for them in the northwestern plateau.

"No matter what, as long as we know the true physical condition of Tian Khan, we can figure out these problems." After a brief pause, Lu Dongzan said, "Go find the princess. She knows Tian Khan's physical condition best. When did Tian Khan recover? How long did he recover? These will determine whether we are wrong!"

"Yes!" Gar Qinling breathed a sigh of relief.

……

"Also, it's time for us to leave." Lu Dongzan glanced out the window. They had already left the mountain road, and the Luoyang city wall was faintly visible in front of them.

Lu Dongzan looked into the distance and said softly, "After returning to Chang'an, we must do everything we can to urge the princess to return to Tubo."

"Yes!" Gar Qinling nodded, then he said carefully, "But father, what excuse can we use? After returning to Chang'an, we'll just catch up with the New Year's Day court. On the first day of March, the emperor will enthrone the crown prince, and on the fifteenth day of March, he'll offer sacrifices to Empress Wende. Without a sufficient excuse, even if we convince the princess, it will be difficult to convince the emperor, not to mention if he already has a plan..."

It was impossible for Li Chengqian to let them return to Luosi easily.

Especially since he had been planning this battle for a long time, how could he let them go back so easily?

Not to mention, there was also the revenge that Lu Dongzan had plotted against the emperor for getting sick.

Without a suitable reason, it would be impossible to convince Li Chengqian and the civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty.

"The young master is not in good health." Lu Dongzan looked up and said softly, "Have someone forge a letter from Luoxie, saying that the young master is not in good health. The princess, out of concern, will definitely think of returning to Luoxie. As for the emperor, once he knows this news, he will probably be more willing to let the princess go back."

So far, the Tibetan King Songtsen has only one successor.

That was his only grandson.

The young prince of the entire Tubo.

If something happened to the young prince, or even died, it would mean that the entire Tubo would no longer have any heirs.

At this time, if Princess Wencheng returned to Lhasa, she would have the opportunity to give birth to a child with Songtsen.

As long as this offspring is born, the originally tense relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo will immediately ease.

This also achieved the original purpose of the Tang court in marrying the princess.

Influence Tubo through his offspring.

Even controlled Tubo.

That way, they'll let them go back.

(End of this chapter)