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

Chapter 536: Silk and Gold to Support Scholars, Wine and Knife to Kill People (First Update for Lantern Festival)
sunset.

The north wind is rising.

The deep chill of winter fell on the entire Beiyuan, and no one dared to move easily.

Flames rose from a stone stove, and the faint light of the fire could compete with the afterglow of the sun.

More stoves were lit.

The coldness in front of Guande Hall was quickly dispelled.

Li Chengqian stood on the steps, still wearing black clothes and black armor.

Li Xiang stood on one side wearing a black cloak.

There was a solemn expression on the little face.

Li Chengqian smiled lightly. He had said before that he would send Li Xiang back, but Li Xiang refused to go back, so he asked someone to add a cloak to him.

Cui Dunli was the first to come back.

Ziwuguan is the closest.

As soon as they came back, they smelled the strong smell of beef and mutton.

At the same time, you can also see wine jars placed on the ground.

The emperor is going to hold a grand banquet for his soldiers.

Everyone became excited immediately.

Cui Dunli quickly walked up the steps and handed the Ziwu Pass commander's order to Li Chengqian, while bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "You can take a break. If you want to be busy, let Duke Zhao and Duke Liang take over and let them rest."

"Yes!" Cui Dunli bowed, then turned and left. He naturally understood what to do at this time.

……

Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling quickly came to Li Chengqian's side and bowed to him, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded and waved to the side.

Soon, a low table and four cushions were placed beside Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian knelt down first, then waved to others to sit down as well.

Zhang Ananda poured four cups of hot tea himself, then stepped behind Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian took a sip of the wine to warm his stomach, then looked down at the fires burning in all directions and said, "The reason I chose to conduct the military exercises in winter is actually to test the soldiers' ability to withstand the cold."

"Your Majesty, are you thinking about the Liaodong campaign?" Changsun Wuji glanced at Li Chengqian, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the bitter cold in Liaodong is much worse than in Chang'an. It's hard to tell whether it's good or bad from Chang'an."

"I understand." Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "Liaodong is bitterly cold, so the war should not be delayed until October. Therefore, either capture Pingrang City before October, or withdraw decisively. Don't drag it out."

"These are Li Ji's affairs." Fang Xuanling finished his tea and looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, are you sure you want to use Li Ji as the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong campaign?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded, looking at Zhangsun Wuji, and said, "My uncle personally traveled to Liaodong. Of course, in that battle, besides Cen Wenben and Ashina Simo, many others also died in Liaodong due to the bitter cold. Even father, his illness was not caused by the battle in Liaodong at all?"

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly and sighed softly.

indeed so.

The coldness in Liaodong is the kind that penetrates deep into the bone marrow. Only those who have not been to Liaodong can understand it.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Fang Xuanling and said, "Prime Minister Fang, besides the Duke of Ying, who else in the court is truly capable of commanding an army of nearly 100,000?"

Many names flashed through Fang Xuanling's mind in an instant, and in the end he shook his head helplessly.

In fact, he thought that among all the people inside and outside the country, the most suitable person to be the commander-in-chief of Liaodong was Li Daozon.

He is a member of the royal family, trusted by the emperor, and his abilities are among the best in the army. However, when they met a few months ago, Li Daozon's health was not very good.

Among the generals in the court today, there are really few who are in better health than Li Ji.

Fang Xuanling whispered, "That's what you said, but that's a hundred thousand strong army!"

Although many things were not said openly, many people understood that if the Tang Dynasty wanted to exterminate Goguryeo, it would need to mobilize at least 100,000 troops and an even larger number of civilians.

But Li Ji was, after all, a surrendered general of Wagang, and his mind was fickle during his years in the court, so he was not so reassuring.

"That's fine." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Liu Rengui, Wei Daijia, and Yan Xuansui have all been to Silla and Baekje. They'll stop by the army for a while on their way back. We can just let them go back later."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling immediately understood that Li Chengqian had his own arrangements in this matter.

"Actually, the Duke of Ying is the most cautious by nature, so having him as the commander-in-chief of the army is actually a good idea." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Besides, the Nanyang Grand Princess's husband, Su Xu, will be returning to the court soon. He will stay in Shenzhou for a few more years. The Duke of Ying's future is entirely in his hands."

With this statement, Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling finally put their last remaining worries to rest. Su Xu was the father of the Emperor's concubine, Su Yi, the consort of Princess Nanyang, one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Prince of Qin's Palace, and a key figure in the Guanlong clan.

He is even the queen's uncle.

He has been in Liaodong for several years, and there is nothing to worry about with him around.

"On the contrary, it's the Duke of Langya who needs to be sent back to Chang'an to rest next year." Li Chengqian's expression was slightly solemn. He looked up at Fang Xuanling and said, "Prime Minister Fang fell ill in early winter. You must pay attention to him!"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will pay attention to it." Fang Xuanling bowed slightly with a stern expression.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The Duke of Langya has been in Liaodong for many years. Let him return to the capital to recuperate in October next year."

"Your Majesty, are you planning to declare war on Goguryeo the year after next?" Changsun Wuji keenly grasped the meaning of Li Chengqian's words.

"Let's talk about this later and see how the Ministry of War arranges it." Li Chengqian smiled and covered up the matter a little.

Just at this moment, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds came from the north.

Li Chengqian stood up solemnly and said, "Duke Lu is back."

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling stood up at the same time.

……

"Your Majesty!" Cheng Zhijie, dressed in red and golden armor, bowed solemnly to Li Chengqian.

Looking at Cheng Zhijie, who was still in good health, Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Please sit down, Duke Lu. The feast will begin now."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Cheng Zhijie bowed, then asked curiously, "Aren't you waiting for Duke E?"

"No need to wait. He won't be back from Qizhou until late at night." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Eat it first. We'll have a new batch later in the night."

"Yes!" Cheng Zhijie bowed with a smile.

Li Chengqian clapped his hands, and in an instant, countless palace maids came out of the hall, holding trays filled with various side dishes, which they placed on each low table.

The beef and mutton are already dripping with oil at this time.

Li Chengqian looked to the side.

Zhang Shigui stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty has decreed that during the winter training of the army, all officers and soldiers should be rewarded with three bolts of silk and three days' leave. At the same time, everyone's salary will be doubled this month."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live forever." All the soldiers knelt down in surprise and kowtowed deeply to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian smiled calmly. This reward was nothing to the senior officials in the court, but to the ordinary soldiers, it was enough to make them fight to the death.

The so-called loyal ministers and the so-called death warriors are actually raised at great expense.

"Come, gentlemen, raise your glasses." Li Chengqian stood up and looked at the crowd. "Gentlemen, with the wine in your cups, celebrate the longevity of the Tang Dynasty; with the swords in your hands, protect the Tang Dynasty for eternity!"

Everyone stood up at once, one hand holding a cup, the other holding a knife, and simultaneously shouted: "Long live the Tang Dynasty, long live Your Majesty; long live the Tang Dynasty, long live Your Majesty; long live the Tang Dynasty, long live Your Majesty..."

Amidst endless cheers, Li Chengqian raised his wine glass and took a deep drink.

The cold wine made the passion in his heart even more intense.

Datang, Datang.

……

Putting down his wine glass, Li Chengqian vaguely heard the sound of hurried horse hooves.

Not many, only three.

He raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

Under the Fanglin Sect, three dusty Qianniu Guards were already rushing towards the Guande Hall.

The three of them arrived in front of the Guande Hall, knelt on one knee, held up the memorial, and said, "Your Majesty, the Qianzhou Governor's Office reports that the Yanzhou Liao people are rebelling, eyeing Qianzhou in the east and raiding Xichuan in the north. Your Majesty, please deal with it."

Li Chengqian stood on the steps, looking calmly at the soldiers present. He said calmly, "My lords, it's been two months since the late emperor was buried. Finally, someone has been instigated to test my strength and the strength of the Tang Dynasty. What do you think we should do?"

The soldiers immediately raised their wine glasses and long swords in excitement and shouted: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"General Liang Jianfang of the Right Jinwu Guard, and General Qiu Shenqi of the Left Qianniu Guard!" Li Chengqian looked up calmly.

"I'm here!" Liang Jianfang and Qiu Shenqi, dressed in red and golden armor, stood up at the same time.

"You two know that I always like to ask you two to kill talented people." Li Chengqian looked past the two of them, gazing at the deep Zhongnan Mountain, and said softly, "Now, let everyone in the world know why you two are killing talented people."

"Yes!" Liang Jianfang and Qiu Shenjie immediately bowed heavily, with murderous looks on their faces.

(End of this chapter)