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

Chapter 444: Let Liu Rengui go to Lanzhou with the army (First update)
The yellow-roofed carriage slowly stopped outside the Suzaku Gate.

The imperial guards stepped forward to check the driver and the tokens of the people in the carriage, and even opened the curtain to take a look.

Then the guards retreated.

The carriage moves forward.

The carriage curtain swayed, and Princess Wencheng, with a sullen face, turned sideways, lifted the small curtain beside her, and looked towards the west end of the palace road, in the direction of Qianniu Prison.

A group of people are being escorted into Qianniu Prison.

Princess Wencheng knew that there must be Lu Dongzan, Gar Qinling, and all the Tibetan envoys in Chang'an.

Even all of Tubo's secret agents in Chang'an were captured by the emperor's sudden and thundering action.

Even Princess Wencheng knew that the emperor's sudden action this time was unexpected not only to her, but also to all the civil and military generals and the people in Chang'an City.

Especially the envoys from various countries, public opinion is now boiling and they are very anxious.

They had just returned to Chang'an from Luoyang after attending the Fengshan ceremony of the retired emperor. As soon as they entered the house and had not yet settled down to wash, all the Tibetan envoys in Chang'an were arrested.

Only Princess Wencheng was still outside.

In this situation, Princess Wencheng had to go to the palace to find out.

After all, she was the Queen of Tubo, the only person who could represent the Tubo Zamp outside.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Princess Wencheng walked into the hall. Her face was extremely solemn, because officials and eunuchs were constantly coming in and out of the hall.

The emperor did not sit on the imperial couch, but stood in front of the sand table on the west side. Surrounding him were important ministers such as Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Ji, Chu Suiliang, Ma Zhou, Yu Zhining, Tang Jian, Liu Dewei, and Li Daozon.

At this time, Princess Wencheng saw the emperor look up, and when he saw her, he waved to her.

Princess Wencheng calmed down, then stepped forward, stood opposite the sand table, and leaned over to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, I am your sister Wencheng."

"Please stand up, my dear sister." Li Chengqian raised his hand and looked at Princess Wencheng across from him. "Please take a look, my dear sister. Is there any difference between the topography of Tuyuhun and the plateau above the Maji Snow Mountain?"

Princess Wencheng looked up and saw a sand table in front of her, which stretched from Lanzhou, Shanzhou, Tuyuhun to Tongtian River.

But only to the north bank of Tongtian River.

In fact, the north bank of Tongtian River is the territory of Dangxiang people. Although many Dangxiang people have secret communication with Tubo, they are actually a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, and that is where the territory of the Tang Dynasty is located.

Tuyuhun was even a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

The emperor had no problem setting up the sand tables of these places.

One of the black lines in particular ran from the north bank of the Tongtian River along the Tang-Tibet Trade Road to the shore of the Sea of ​​Bitterness, and then stopped.

"Your Majesty, what is this?" Princess Wencheng pointed to the northernmost end of the black line. For some reason, she trembled slightly.

Li Chengqian's expression calmed down. He looked at the ministers around him and said, "Judging from the expression on the emperor's sister's face, this map is generally correct. Pass the order on and make preparations accordingly."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed to Li Chengqian, then turned to look at Princess Wencheng, bowed, and walked past Princess Wencheng on both sides.

At this time, all the court officials in the hall left the hall in unison.

They all knew that the Tang Dynasty and Tubo were at war, and the issue of Princess Wencheng, the Tubo queen, had to be resolved.

It is not only about now, but also about how the Tang Dynasty will deal with Tubo after the war, and who will be the real master of Tubo in the future.

……

Li Chengqian sighed softly, picked up a memorial from the side, and handed it to Princess Wencheng, saying, "My sister, this is the report I received from Songzhou when I first entered the city today: Five days ago, a Tibetan cavalry of over ten thousand people crossed the Tongtian River and headed towards Baihai. At their speed, they should have reached the Bitter Sea and above the Maji Snow Mountain by now."

That’s all there is on the sandbox.

"Tibet sent an army of 10,000 people to invade the territory of the Tang Dynasty?" Wencheng looked at Li Chengqian with an expression of disbelief.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "That should be the case. The people from Songzhou are still following us. I believe that soon, there will be news from Tuyuhun, Shanzhou, and Lanzhou."

"Why?" Princess Wencheng was stunned and asked subconsciously, "How could this happen?"

Li Chengqian's eyes fell on the Tongtian River on the sand table and he said softly, "My sister, why did you come to Chang'an this time? Have you forgotten?"

Princess Wencheng woke up instantly.

Last year, the Tang Dynasty celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Many years ago, the retired emperor had invited Songtsen and her, along with their children, to attend the 30th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Princess Wencheng knew that Songtsen had never intended to come from the beginning.

Especially after Songtsen's son Gongsong Gongtsen died of illness, he had the best excuse not to come to Chang'an.

At most, we would send Lu Dongzan to make a trip.

However, things always change beyond people's expectations.

First, during the Emperor's Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, the Tibetans instigated a rebellion among the Dangxiang Qiang Huanglangnong tribe in order to support Goguryeo.

So after the rebellion was pacified, Li Chengqian directly ordered the beheading of all the male members of Huang Langnong's tribe, and then piled them up in a bloody Jingguan on the banks of Tongtian River.

Later, Tubo sent people to intervene in Li Zhi's treason case.

Afterwards, Li Chengqian ordered people to patrol the Tongtian River and killed a group of Dangxiang people who were close to Tubo.

Finally, Wang Xuance led his men to Central India and almost reached the border of Nepal.

Nepal is equivalent to the vital point of Tubo's brain. Wang Xuance's move is equivalent to the Tang Dynasty putting a sword against the back of Tubo's head.

In addition, Li Chengqian, who had always had no good feelings towards Tubo, ascended the throne.

Therefore, Songtsen Gampo asked Princess Wencheng to come to Chang'an after his only son passed away. On the one hand, it was a gesture of goodwill to ease the relationship between the two sides. On the other hand, it was also to let Princess Wencheng leave Lhasa and create a stable environment for Songtsen and his one-year-old only grandson Mangsong Mangtsen.

Finally, it was Lu Dongzan's mission to test the Tang Dynasty's strengths and weaknesses as much as possible and disrupt the delicate situation within the country.

Princess Wencheng was not completely unaware of these things, but firstly, she did not think Lu Dongzan could do anything. Secondly, although she was a princess of the Tang Dynasty, she was also the queen consort of Tubo.

……

Suddenly, Princess Wencheng remembered Lu Dongzan's probing in Luoyang. She looked up at Li Chengqian and asked, "Is there really something wrong with my father's health?"

"I guess so." Li Chengqian picked up a memorial from the table beside him and handed it to Princess Wencheng, saying, "This is the confession of Sun Shi, the steward of the Han royal family. His concubine's father, Xu Shimo, the attendant of the former Han royal family, Sima Yin, faked his death and fled the world. He also plotted something nefarious. They colluded with Lu Dongzan and used the singing and dancing Lu Dongzan had arranged in Dunhuang to assassinate the emperor at the Grand Celebration Banquet."

"Assassinate the emperor?" Princess Wencheng was shocked. She didn't expect that Lu Dongzan actually wanted to kill the emperor.

"This is only the most superficial cover-up. The more sinister scheme is that Lu Dongzan, unbeknownst to Xu Shimo and the others, concealed a corpse remarkably resembling the Prince of Jin during the Dunhuang Dance Troupe's performance." Looking at the stunned and incredulous Princess Wencheng, Li Chengqian said, "Although I thwarted their assassination attempt, Father saw the corpse."

"So, my father was really ill, and he had to abdicate!" Princess Wencheng's face looked extremely ugly.

She had no idea that Lu Dongzan and his men had done such a vicious thing.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, it's not that I have to abdicate, and I'm not that unfilial. Even if Your Majesty doesn't abdicate, I can still stabilize the situation.

However, my father still felt that it was better to do things in a legitimate way. After discussing it with my uncle overnight, he decided to abdicate to me, and I also prepared a grand ceremony for my father.

"But in the end, it's all their fault." Princess Wencheng nodded slowly.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian looked at the black line on the sand table representing the Tibetan army and said softly, "So I have been investigating, very carefully, getting closer to them little by little. They killed people to silence them and even tried to do it again, but in the end it was the King of Han who discovered that Xu Shimo had faked his death. Although Xu Shimo later committed suicide, his son-in-law Sun Shi also confessed everything, and at this time..."

"The Zamp has mobilized his troops." Princess Wencheng looked at the sand table and clenched her fists.

She couldn't believe that Songtsen actually mobilized his troops.

Princess Wencheng knew that Li Chengqian had hidden many details, but Songtsen's mobilization of troops was the most unforgivable.

As soon as he mobilized his troops, all his ambitions were exposed.

"Although he has mobilized his troops, we won't do anything." Li Chengqian looked up at Princess Wencheng and said softly, "Don't worry, my sister. As long as he doesn't attack the border cities and civilians of the Tang Dynasty, I can pretend nothing has happened. But if he does, it will be a fight to the death."

Shanzhou, Songzhou, and all aspects will remain on the defensive, which is giving Songtsen an opportunity, but it is also a trap.

"Your humble sister...what can your humble sister do?" Princess Wencheng looked up at Li Chengqian with a pleading look.

"Although it may be too late to send a letter to the border now, I still ask my sister to write a letter to persuade Songtsen to withdraw his troops and try to seize this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and said, "A war is dangerous. Even I don't know who will win or lose in the end."

"I obey your order and will go now." Princess Wencheng bowed, then turned around and left quickly.

……

Li Yifu walked out from behind the curtain and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"After my sister sends the letter, spread the news in Chang'an City. We must let the people of Chang'an and the envoys inside and outside the city know some of the truth." Li Chengqian sighed softly.

"Yes!" Li Yifu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the princess may not understand your Majesty's painstaking efforts."

"Take your time." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "Once this war begins, Tubo and Tang will completely fall out, and Wencheng won't be able to return... But this is also a good thing. The young talents of Tang are no less than those of Tubo."

"Yes!" Li Yifu bowed.

Li Chengqian’s purpose is actually very clear.

At this moment, it is too late to send a letter to the border. No one knows where Songtsen is now, and no one knows when he will mobilize troops, so it is doomed to be futile.

But once the war breaks out, Princess Wencheng's letter will completely expose Songtsen's injustice.

Afterwards, it was legitimate for the Tang Dynasty to use its regular army to conquer Tubo.

At the same time, this also doomed Princess Wencheng and Tubo to a complete break, and then she divorced and remarried.

Li Chengqian's goal was to let Princess Wencheng remarry.

In her previous life, after Songtsen died, she was left alone and helpless in Tubo.

After that, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo completely fell out.

Her treatment in Tubo also declined sharply, and she eventually died of illness in Tubo.

The hardships of life are hard for anyone to imagine.

However, even so, she still did many things that were beneficial to the Tang Dynasty and future generations.

A good person like her shouldn't have such a miserable life.

She deserves a bright future of her own.

……

Li Chengqian regained his composure and turned to ask, "How's things going with Duke Guo?"

"Preparations have already begun. Within three days, 5,000 troops will set out, and within five days, the remaining 10,000 troops will also leave Chang'an." Li Yifu bowed.

"This battle depends on how the veteran generals lead the charge. Pei Xingjian and Xi Junmai have already arrived at the front lines." Li Chengqian paused for a moment and said, "What do you think? Should I send someone else to watch over the situation?"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go." Li Yifu immediately bowed.

"Forget it, it's good that you don't cause trouble." Li Chengqian glanced at Li Yifu, smiled and shook his head.

Su Liangsi, Dai Zhide, Zhang Wenguan flashed through his mind...

Finally, Li Chengqian said softly, "Pass the word down and have Liu Rengui prepare. Five days later, he will follow the army to Lanzhou."

"Yes!" Li Yifu looked stern.

Li Chengqian looked at the black line on the sand table in front of him and whispered, "Songzan, where are you now?"

(End of this chapter)