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

Chapter 458 I Still Want to Kill Them Father and Son (Part )
In the Liangyi Hall, Li Chengqian put down the memorial in his hand and looked at the Minister of Revenue, Yan Lide, and said, "Mr. Yan, there aren't many people from Guanzhong willing to come to the plateau, so there's no need to crowd them too much. The Duke of Wei is the Grand Commander of Xichang Prefecture, so how should these matters be handled most appropriately? Let him figure it out."

Yan Lide was stunned and subconsciously asked, "Your Majesty, doesn't the Ministry of Revenue care about this matter?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and spread his hands, saying, "I would also like to let the Ministry of Revenue take charge, but the people in Guanzhong are relatively wealthy. Apart from some people living in remote mountainous areas, who would be willing to leave Guanzhong and seek a living on the plateau? Even the people in Longxi area don't have many volunteers to do so."

"Yes!" Yan Lide bowed helplessly.

"So, this matter still needs to start with the soldiers stationed in Xichang Prefecture. If they are willing to marry local Tuyuhun women, then the Tuyuhun woman's family will be freed from slavery and registered in the household register, becoming Tang citizens." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I believe many soldiers will agree to this."

Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Li Ji and other prime ministers and secretaries could not help but smile knowingly.

There are too many unmarried soldiers in the army.

Especially this time, they may have to be stationed on the plateau for many years. Some people are willing to go home and remarry, while some people may not be able to bear the loneliness and will get married locally.

"Of course, we need to control them more strictly. After all, they are soldiers in the army, not thugs who oppress the people." Li Chengqian's face turned slightly cold.

"Yes!" All the ministers in the hall bowed in unison, feeling heavy in their hearts.

The emperor was very kind to the people, which was a legacy of the retired emperor, but it also reflected the emperor's views on some of the soldiers in the army.

"From today onwards," Li Chengqian said, looking at his ministers, "all the salt mines in Xichang Prefecture will belong to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance, and will be developed and sold by them.

All the proceeds will be used to support the construction of Xichang Prefecture. I want to build Xichang Prefecture into a logistical base for attacking Tubo.

I will kill anyone who messes with me!"

"Yes!" The ministers were solemn.

"Alright." Li Chengqian smiled, looked at Fang Xuanling and asked, "Prime Minister Fang, the people all know about the Tibetan envoy's visit to Chang'an."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "In the battle on the plateau, the Tibetan king barely escaped with his life, and then immediately sent people to Chang'an to seek peace. The news has been known to all the people in Chang'an."

"Very good." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "By the way, spread it all over the world. It would be best if the people of Goguryeo knew about it too, so that they wouldn't act rashly."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling bowed.

Li Chengqian looked up at Zhangsun Wuji and asked, "Uncle, how is the military strategy for destroying Goguryeo going?"

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I have discussed with my colleagues in the Ministry of War that if we want to steadily dismantle Goguryeo, we still need to fight a battle. We can either set a trap to lure Gaisuwen into battle, or we can storm him. Alternatively, we can let him farm today and then destroy the crops in early autumn to force Gaisuwen into battle."

"If that's the case, the people of Goguryeo will hate the Tang Dynasty to the core." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and smiled. "But even now, the people of Goguryeo probably hate the Tang Dynasty and me to the core. Forget it, let it be. It's best to let Goguryeo know in advance. The Tang Dynasty will destroy these things before the autumn harvest."

"Your Majesty, the people of Goguryeo will fight to the death." Fang Xuanling couldn't help but stand up and bow.

Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "Duke Liang, I've heard that many people in Hebei are living in poverty. Please devise a strategy for their migration."

Fang Xuanling was startled, then he bowed and said, "Yes!"

The emperor's words were very clear.

The poor people of Hebei wanted to immigrate to Goguryeo, so the land of Goguryeo would naturally be left to the people of the Tang Dynasty.

In this way, it would be better for all the people of Goguryeo to die.

"Alright, my lords." Li Chengqian tapped the imperial desk gently and said seriously, "The war with Tuyuhun is over, but the war with Goguryeo is still far away. Now that spring has arrived, we need to start preparing for spring planting and watering. All provinces, ministries, and temples should urge local prefectures and counties to begin preparations as soon as possible to strive for a good harvest this autumn."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed in unison. This was the real business.

"By the way, let them know." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "The court will send important officials to inspect the local areas regarding this year's autumn harvest. Anyone who fails in this matter will be dismissed from office. I will show no mercy here."

"Yes!" The ministers looked stern.

Last year, the emperor stripped Huaizhou Governor Lu Shanzong of all his official titles and confiscated all his property and exiled him to Zhenzhou for deceiving the emperor and neglecting his duties.

It happens to be a major issue of people's livelihood, so others don't know how to start asking for mercy.

"Alright, are there any other matters?" Li Chengqian leaned back slightly and looked at the ministers. The Minister of Justice, Liu Dewei, bowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, I, Liu Dewei, have a report."

"Please speak, Mr. Liu." All the matters concerning the Ministry of Justice flashed through Li Chengqian's mind.

"Your Majesty, the Tibetan envoys have come to place all the blame on Lun Qinling and his son, and have nothing to do with the Tibetan king." Liu Dewei bowed and said, "I would like to ask how Lun Qinling and his son should be dealt with. Your Majesty previously decided to convict them all after Songtsen was captured."

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling followed suit, bowing and saying, "How we judge Qinling and his son, and how we convict Songtsen, will determine the legitimacy of this war."

"Is there anything illogical about this?" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "North of the Tongtian River, the Dangxiang territories were originally vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, and Tuyuhun was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. It was the Tibetans who colluded with Tuyuhun ministers to rebel, and the Tang Dynasty was merely retaliating in self-defense. What's illogical about this?"

Fang Xuanling was slightly stunned, then he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this matter must be recorded in the history books."

Li Chengqian immediately understood that the cause, process and result of this incident should be clearly recorded in history books.

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said, "The Tibetan king planned to take advantage of the critical moment between the abdication of the Supreme Emperor and Your Majesty's ascension to the throne, emulating Jie Li and attempting to attack the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty was wise and decisive, detecting the Tibetan conspiracy and dispatching troops in time to defeat them in one battle."

Li Chengqian nodded. This was the case.

"As for why the army stopped at Tongtian River and didn't advance, it was because the war broke out suddenly, and the Tang Dynasty wasn't prepared to annihilate Tubo. The defeated Tubo found a random excuse and offered a large amount of gold, silver, and jewelry in exchange for peace." Changsun Wuji raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, for the sake of world stability, temporarily endured the humiliation and agreed to Tubo's request for peace. As for what happened next..."

"Weishui Alliance!" Li Chengqian spoke directly.

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "Back then, Jie Li also took advantage of the transition of the Tang Dynasty's throne to attack the Tang Dynasty. He eventually signed an alliance with the Emperor at the Wei River. Then, three years later, the Tang Dynasty sent troops and annihilated the Eastern Turks in a single battle."

After a brief pause, Changsun Wuji looked at his ministers and said, "You all witnessed what happened back then, but the common people today know about the Weishui Alliance, but does anyone know the content of the Weishui Alliance?"

They killed a white horse, made an agreement with their brothers, and were forced to offer gold, silver, and jewelry. This was a disgrace to the Tang Dynasty. After that, the ministers endured hardships and finally destroyed the Eastern Turks in one fell swoop.

This is the impression of the Wei River Alliance in the minds of the people.

But in fact, it was not the case at all. They killed the white horse and agreed not to attack each other. The Tang Dynasty did send some gold, silver and jewelry, but very little.

After Jie Li returned to the grassland, he immediately sent three thousand good horses and ten thousand cattle and sheep. Few people knew about this.

It seemed that the Tang Dynasty was humiliated, but in fact it was Jie Li who was scared away.

"Therefore, I believe there's no need to convict Lu Dongzan and his son right now. We should imprison them first. When the Tibetan envoy arrives, no matter what he says, as long as he offers gold and silver, Your Majesty will agree not to attack him!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said, "When Your Majesty conquers Tibet one day, no matter who the Tibetan king is, he will be taken to Chang'an and beheaded along with Lu Dongzan and his son."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Uncle, what you said makes sense."

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think that perhaps we can ask Lu Dongzan and his son to come forward and accuse Songtsen of all the plots, saying that Songtsen was the mastermind behind them."

Changsun Wuji stood behind Fang Xuanling and asked in a low voice, "Does Duke Liang think these two are still useful?"

Fang Xuanling leaned slightly to the side and nodded, saying, "The Tang Dynasty still knows too little about Tubo. If they could tell the Tang Dynasty all about the terrain of Tubo and the hatreds between the various ethnic groups, then it would be much easier for the Tang Dynasty to conquer Tubo."

Turning around, Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, this way, we can save a lot of expenses."

Use Lu Dongzan and his son to reduce the cost of military operations for the country.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but hesitate.

The abilities of Lu Dongzan and his son are self-evident.

After Songtsen's death, they were able to stabilize the entire Tubo situation on behalf of Mangsong Mangtsen, who was only two or three years old. The abilities of these two people were terrifying.

If he could keep these two people to work for him, even if they did not stay in the court and did not have to deal with Tubo, even if they were used in the war between the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo, the losses of the Tang Dynasty would be much less.

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said, "I think it's possible. Take all the men and women of the Gar clan from Tubo. Even if they don't want to serve the Tang Dynasty, it's not up to them. Moreover, the Emperor Retired has done many such acts of generosity. Your Majesty can follow his example."

Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at Zhangsun Wuji, and said, "Uncle, I still want to kill them, father and son, because they have damaged my father's health. As his son, out of filial piety, I must kill them. Only then can I be worthy of my father and vent the anger in my heart."

(End of this chapter)