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

Chapter 447: Killing the Tibetan King at Tongtian River (Part )
In the Liangyi Hall, all traces of the banquet have been completely cleaned up.

Li Chengqian even washed his face with cold water before entering the hall.

Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Li Ji, Chu Suiliang, Ma Zhou, Yu Zhining, Lai Ji, Zhang Xuansu, Tang Jian, Yan Lide, Cui Dunli, Li Daozon and others all stood in the hall and solemnly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"No need to be so polite." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Come here, please take a seat and serve tea!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down one by one.

"Beacon fires represent war. It's been ages since anyone attacked the Tang Dynasty, and we've been forced to light beacons." Li Chengqian looked at Cui Dunli and asked, "Mr. Cui, tell me, what's going on?"

"Yes!" Cui Dunli bowed and said, "Years ago, according to Your Majesty's instructions, the Ministry of War began preparing for war and activated beacon towers across the country. In the event of a war, news could be transmitted to Chang'an immediately."

When Li Chengqian was the crown prince, what he valued most was the speed of information transmission. One of his efforts was to vigorously develop war horse transmission.

However, no matter how fast a warhorse runs, it cannot be as fast as a human's eyes.

Only one beacon fire was lit, which could be seen instantly from ten miles away. Then the beacons were lit immediately, and hundreds of beacon towers were lit one after another. The news immediately reached Chang'an and fell into the hands of the emperor and the officials in the court.

"Mr. Cui, according to your estimation, when should the first beacon tower be lit?" Li Chengqian asked seriously.

"Your Majesty!" Cui Dunli bowed and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, the first beacon tower should have been lit at dawn, and the battle should have occurred last night. It's hard to say exactly when last night it happened, but I estimate it was just after New Year's Eve and into the New Year."

"In the first year of Yongwei, on the first day of the first lunar month, at midnight, Songtsen has truly given me a surprising New Year's gift!" Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Shigui, who was standing on his left, and said, "Duke Guo, when will the army set out?"

"Tomorrow the first batch of 5,000 cavalry will go to Lanzhou, the day after tomorrow the second batch of 5,000 cavalry, and the day after tomorrow the third batch of 5,000 cavalry." Zhang Shigui bowed lightly.

Two days ago, Li Chengqian gave him an order that the army would set out in five days, and tomorrow would be the third day.

"Tomorrow, I will offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and the Taimiao. You will go with me. After the sacrifice, the army will set out." Li Chengqian's expression turned cold.

"Yes!" Zhang Shigui bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian turned to Cui Dunli and asked, "Mr. Cui, what do you think the current situation in Shanzhou City is?"

"Your Majesty, the Shanzhou Governor, Yuan Shijiang, has reported that all preparations have been made. From Riyue Fort to Huangyuan County, Huangshui County, and even the prefecture capital, strict arrangements have been made to ensure they will not be easily captured." Cui Dunli bowed and said, "Therefore, I believe that if the Tibetans have sufficient forces, they will most likely attack several cities while simultaneously advancing towards Lanzhou, cutting off Lanzhou's support for Shanzhou and ultimately conquering Shanzhou."

"Their most important task right now is to capture Lanzhou. If they take Lanzhou, Shanzhou will be isolated and helpless. If they take Lanzhou, no one will even consider Shanzhou anymore." Li Ji stood up, saluted, and said, "Your Majesty, the most crucial moment now is to hold Lanzhou and Shanzhou. The Duke of Weiguo can circle around Fuxi City and attack from both sides. This will allow us to crush the Tibetan army."

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji stood up and bowed, saying, "There are already 30,000 troops gathered in Lanzhou. The remaining 30,000 will arrive as soon as possible to protect Lanzhou."

"We can hold Lanzhou safe, but completely relieving Shanzhou will be difficult." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "And for now, Shanzhou still needs to hold off Tubo for a while longer."

"Your Majesty!" Cui Dunli bowed and said, "In the mountains to the east and west of Shanzhou, there are 3,000 cavalrymen each, originally prepared for a last-ditch counterattack."

"If the city is gone, what's the point of fighting back?" Li Chengqian shook his head slightly, looked at Li Ji and asked, "Duke Ying, what do you think we should do?"

"Your Majesty!" Li Ji bowed and said, "There are now 30,000 troops in Lanzhou. Since the beacon smoke signals the news, we can send troops to the plateau to force the situation. This will prevent Songtsen from focusing more on Shanzhou. This way, Shanzhou can be protected, and we can intervene at the critical moment to intercept his retreat."

"Yes." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The method is correct, but the root of all this still depends on how many people Songzan has brought this time."

"Not too many." Li Ji cupped his hands and said, "Songtsen received the news too late. Furthermore, with the Tianzhu issue involved, 40,000 to 50,000 men is already the limit. Not to mention he had to divide his forces to ambush the city and leave some as a retreat. Therefore, there are only 30,000 men in front of the Shanzhou army. Even if he mobilized the Tuyuhun clan, the maximum number would be 50,000."

"Lanzhou City has 30,000 people. General Qian and Li Dejian will arrive with 20,000 troops within two days." Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Shigui and said, "Duke Guo, how many days will it take for 5,000 cavalry to travel from Chang'an to Lanzhou?"

Zhang Shigui bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if you maintain your fighting strength, you can arrive in four days."

"That's it." Li Chengqian looked at the ministers and said solemnly, "From now on, Duke Wei will be the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Road, responsible for pacifying the Northwest Road and commanding all the troops."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"Appoint Xi Junmai, the General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard, as the commander-in-chief of the front army, and Du Fengju, the Lanzhou Governor, as the commander-in-chief of the Lanshan Road." Li Chengqian handed the affairs of Lanzhou and Shanzhou to the locals who were most familiar with the area. He continued, "Duke Guo will be the commander-in-chief of the rear army, commanding all reinforcements to reinforce the front line and cooperating with Duke Wei to completely encircle and destroy the Tibetans."

"Yes!" Zhang Shigui stood up and bowed, saying, "I accept your command."

"Appoint Liu Rengui, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, as the military supervisor. Any unit that neglects or disobeys military orders may submit a petition of impeachment." Li Chengqian rapped the table and said coldly, "My lords, this battle is my first since ascending the throne. If anyone makes a mistake, I will not simply execute them."

"Yes!" The ministers were in awe.

When Li Jing's army attacked Tuyuhun, some people disobeyed the commander's orders and were late for the march, and finally impeached Li Jing.

If this kind of thing happened to the retired emperor, he might be understanding because of the Qin Palace's old reputation, but the emperor would not.

Li Yifu sat behind a curtain on the side, recording everything quickly.

In the end, there were only three words of the name on his hand.

Liu Rengui.

Li Yifu could see how much Li Chengqian valued Liu Rengui.

If Li Yifu was now the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, he might have argued with Liu Rengui, but now he was the Imperial Secretary, and he was not on the same path as Liu Rengui, so the conflicts between the two sides were much less.

The path for the Jieshi Zhong is to be promoted to Huangmen Shilang, then to Canzhi Zhengshi, and finally to Shizhong.

The path for a Zhongshu Sheren is to be promoted to Zhongshu Shilang, then to Canzhi Zhengshi, and finally to Zhongshu Ling.

Yu Zhining is not young anymore, and he will definitely retire in ten years at most. If Li Yifu wants to take further action, his real enemy is actually Lai Ji.

……

Li Chengqian lowered his head slightly and said thoughtfully, "With the Duke of Wei here, the battle in the northwest won't be a big problem. The only thing left is Songzhou. There are no signs of war coming from Songzhou yet. What do you think, Lord Jiangxia?"

Li Daozong stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Songtsen's main force must be in Shanzhou, but he must also send a portion of his troops to lead the Dangxiang people, who are inclined towards Tibet, to attack Songzhou. However, Songzhou is full of mountains, hills, and swamps, and it is winter now. If Tibet's troops are insufficient and the Dangxiang people are the main force, then they will naturally not be able to advance quickly."

As for the so-called strict enforcement of orders, the Tibetans might be able to do it, but it would not be enough if the Dangxiang people were included.

At this time, they may not have arrived in Songzhou yet, so naturally there is no signal fire.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Prince Jiangxia, I cannot give you too much military force. I only have 5,000 men, 3,000 cavalry, and 2,000 infantry.

You will be the commander-in-chief of the Southwest Road, commanding the garrison troops to guard against Tubo. If necessary, you will defeat the enemy in sight, then charge to the Tongtian River and cut off Songtsen's retreat."

Li Jing is in Tuyuhun, and the Tang Dynasty will definitely win the battle against Tuyuhun.

If the Tang Dynasty wins, Tubo will lose.

After Tubo was defeated, Songtsen fled in panic. If someone had stopped him at Tongtian River at that time, Songtsen might have died in the river.

Killing Songtsen is Li Chengqian's ultimate goal in this battle.

"Yes!" Li Daozon bowed and accepted the order.

"Appoint Pei Xingfang, General of the Right Guard, as Commander-in-Chief of the Front Army; Li Junxian, General of the Left Jinwu Guard, as Commander-in-Chief of the Songpan Road Army; and Lu Chengqing, Chief Clerk of the Yangzhou Grand Military Governor's Office, as Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Army." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Appoint Pei Xingjian, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War, as Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Army. All the armies will unite and defeat the Tubo forces."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"And then there are the matters of the foreign vassal states." Li Chengqian sneered softly, "When I was in Luoyang, I once said that anyone who dared to mobilize troops against the Tang Dynasty would be attacked by the entire nation. Now is the time to test that. Uncle, talk to them and see who is willing to mobilize troops. Then, we can conquer Tubo and give them a share of the population and land. Then we'll see who refuses."

"I obey your order!" Changsun Wuji stood up and bowed.

"Appoint Right Guard General Zheng Rentai as the commander-in-chief of the West Sea Road, and Shazhou Governor Li Xiyu as the commander-in-chief of the Shasu Road. They will use their own troops to reunite with the various vassal states, and then we will launch the attack." Li Chengqian said with a stern expression.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

They all understood that these people would not be able to play much of a role on the battlefield, but they went this time and would go again if necessary in the future.

In this situation, even if someone rebels against the Tang Dynasty in the future, these are the people others will worry about.

"Duke of England!" Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji.

"I'm here!" Li Ji bowed.

"You and the Ministry of War will summarize military intelligence every day and transport food, fodder and military equipment. You are the Shangshu You Pushe, so you will be responsible for these things." Li Chengqian directly named Li Ji.

Li Ji glanced at Zhangsun Wuji and then bowed, saying, "I obey your command."

"Duke of Liang." Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling.

"I'm here!" Fang Xuanling stood up and bowed.

"The army will be mobilized during the New Year. Although we prepared a batch of food and weapons last year, it's still not enough. We have to transport them from Luoyang. The price of food in Chang'an is bound to rise." Li Chengqian paused and said, "The Duke of Liang and the Duke of Tianshui are keeping an eye on Chang'an. At the same time, they are warning the Wei and Du families not to profit from the national crisis at this time."

When the three words "national disaster profit" came out, the ministers couldn't help but twitch their lips slightly.

Fang Xuanling and Qiu Xinggong both bowed and said, "I accept your command."

"Uncle!" Li Chengqian finally looked at Changsun Wuji.

"I'm here!" Changsun Wuji bowed seriously.

"Although the northwest is deploying troops, the new year is about to begin." Li Chengqian looked at Tang Jian and said, "We need to come up with a strategy for the transfer of officials in the Ministry of Personnel, the spring planting in the Ministry of Revenue, and the war against Goguryeo. Especially for the Goguryeo issue, what should the strategy be for the next few years? I need a direction."

"I obey your order." Changsun Wuji could hear that Li Chengqian was deliberately distancing him from the military, but gave him great power over the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.

The most crucial thing is the war with Goguryeo.

That was initiated by the retired emperor, who planned to exterminate Goguryeo within a few years. But now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, Goguryeo also needs a direction on what to do.

This is what Changsun Wuji really cares about.

"Also," Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at Lai Ji, and said, "Lai Qing, you are still young. You will stay in the Political Affairs Hall to watch the night for the next few days. The three provinces and six ministries will send people to accompany you on the night watch. If the matter is not urgent, you will formulate a strategy and inform the ministers the next day. If it is urgent, you can come and wake me directly."

"Yes!" Lai Ji immediately bowed solemnly.

"The last part is the root of all these things." Li Chengqian looked at Chang He and raised his head and said, "Wushui County Earl, spread the news. It's time to let the people know what happened."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)