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

Chapter 579: Baekje’s Gift, Gai Suwen’s Daughter (Part )

In the Zhenguan Hall, Li Chengqian placed one hand on the imperial desk and looked sideways at Xue Rengui, who was standing under the imperial steps. "What do you think, Mr. Xue?"

Xue Rengui was deliberately called to the Zhenguan Hall by Li Chengqian today.

On the one hand, he gradually rose to prominence from that battle.

On the other hand, Li Chengqian also wanted him to feel the changes in the situation of the three countries in Dongdao. In the future, Xue Rengui would still have to go to Liaodong.

There are some things that Li Chengqian hopes to cultivate in him.

Xue Rengui could naturally understand the emperor's intentions.

He thought for a moment, then bowed earnestly and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that Baekje has been dragged down miserably over the years!"

Li Chengqian sighed softly and nodded, "Indeed, it is true. In fact, it is not only the case with Baekje and Goguryeo, but also with the Tang Dynasty."

There have been many things happening in the Tang Dynasty over the years.

A few years ago, when the late emperor was still alive, we fought many battles from the Xueyantuo to the Western Turks.

It was not until Li Chengqian ascended the throne that the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars gradually eased.

Compared with Li Shimin, Li Chengqian paid more attention to logistical factors.

This was fully demonstrated in the battle between Tuyuhun, Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

It can even be said that Li Chengqian deliberately lured Tubo to mobilize its troops, and they rushed down the plateau for thousands of miles, and then were directly defeated by the Tang Dynasty who had been waiting for them.

Li Jing was suppressed in Tuyuhun by Li Chengqian. In addition to taking care of Tuyuhun, he also had the purpose of keeping an eye on Western Turks.

Ashina Helu of the Western Turkic Khaganate was not a man who would keep quiet. If he had caused trouble when the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo went to war, the Tang Dynasty would have been in great trouble.

Therefore, Li Chengqian needed to reduce the burden on the Tang Dynasty when it went to war with Goguryeo.

In this way, if the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo go to war in the future and the Western Turks really make any unusual moves, he will be able to withdraw enough troops to deal with it.

"It's only in recent years that the incessant rain has affected the autumn harvest. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in such a state." Li Chengqian shook his head and sighed, then asked, "Speaking of Baekje, Mr. Xue, how do you think the Baekje envoy will treat Silla after returning to Baekje this time?"

“I will be more vigilant.” Xue Rengui paused for a moment, then looked up and said, “Your Majesty, is Silla really untrustworthy?”

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian nodded seriously and said, "During Liu Rengui's last diplomatic mission to Silla, he noticed that the two previous queens of Silla were childless, which might be a little strange. Furthermore, both queens were the closest to the Tang Dynasty.

Once they all die of illness, it is conceivable that new forces will come to power, their ambitions will expand, and they will attempt to swallow up Baekje and Goguryeo."

Women always have smaller ambitions.

Once a man comes to power, his ambition will expand and he will swallow up Baekje and Goguryeo. After that, he will also feel disgusted with the Tang Dynasty which is so close to him.

After that, it was a matter of using the remnants of Baekje and Goguryeo to rebel against the Tang Dynasty.

"That's why Your Majesty is trying to cause civil unrest among the three nations." Xue Rengui understood a little.

"At least I'm not lying. As long as Quan Gaisuwen is killed, even if Pingrang City is captured, the Tang Dynasty will still choose to withdraw." Li Chengqian smiled gently and said, "Of course, at most they will withdraw to the north bank of the Taedong River. It's still a stone's throw away, but it's enough to make the three kingdoms wary of each other and give rise to their own ambitions, which will give the Tang Dynasty the possibility of annihilating them all."

Li Chengqian wants to completely solve the problem of Dongdao.

If the Tang Dynasty wants to completely resolve the Dongdao issue, the three kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla must be completely destroyed.

But Li Chengqian just played some tricks here.

The Tang Dynasty would not take the initiative to destroy Goguryeo, but it did not say that it would not take the initiative to destroy Baekje and Silla.

If Baekje and Silla joined forces to destroy Goguryeo, the obstacles facing the Tang Dynasty would no longer exist.

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at Xue Rengui, saying, "Mr. Xue, go to Beiyuan more often and talk to your husband about military training. In addition, we need to carefully observe the logistics, military supplies, and the people's sentiments."

"I understand." Xue Rengui took a deep breath, then bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

Li Chengqian nodded, and only after watching Xue Rengui leave did he feel a little relieved.

Li Ji, Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Liu Rengui, Niu Jinda, Xue Wanche, so many people were pinned down to Dongdao by him. If the situation on Dongdao cannot be completely stabilized, that would be a miracle.

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Jingzong on the side. He nodded and said, "Xu Qing, let's leave it at that for today."

Xu Jingzong stood up, bowed and left the hall.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Xu An and said, "Bring up the special gift from the Baekje envoy to me."

"Here!"

……

A waist-high square wooden box was carried into the East Upper Pavilion of the Zhenguan Hall.

Li Chengqian stood aside, watching calmly as the box was gradually opened.

Inside this box is Baekje's guarantee that it will completely abandon Quan Gaisuwen.

It wasn't something that could be made to believe by just a few words that Baekje would not suddenly stab the Tang Dynasty in the back at a critical moment.

The things that can make Li Chengqian completely at ease must have been obtained by Baekje at a huge price.

The side of the box was completely opened, and a Goguryeo beauty wearing a red dress and with fear in her eyes appeared in Li Chengqian's eyes.

This barehanded, barefoot, haggard beauty was the guarantee given by the Baekje people to Li Chengqian.

"Izumi Ji-soo!" Li Chengqian directly read out her name.

Quan Zhixiu suddenly looked up at Li Chengqian and spoke in fear. However, Li Chengqian didn't understand a single word she spoke. "Speaking of Tangwen." Li Chengqian looked at Quan Zhixiu with an indifferent expression and said, "I know that Tangwen is a must-learn for Goguryeo nobles. You are Quan Gaisuwen's daughter. You should understand these words."

Yes, this woman is Quan Gaisuwen’s daughter.

She was abducted from Pyeongrang City by the Baekje people and then sent to the Tang Dynasty.

Since the war between the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo, the prices of Goryeo maids, Silla maids and Baekje maids have been rising steadily.

This means there is enough profit here.

In particular, Silla and Baekje have been much more stable than Goguryeo in recent years.

Goguryeo was not only plagued by wars, but also by poverty and hunger, so it was much easier to plunder Goryeo women.

Some people even took the initiative to sell their daughters to human traffickers and then sent them to the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, over the years, Korean slaves were often kidnapped from Goguryeo and then smuggled into the Tang Dynasty.

Or to put it more directly, this was one of the strategies first proposed by Li Chengqian.

Using Baekje as a channel, they smuggled Goguryeo noble ladies and then destroyed the relationship between Goguryeo and Baekje.

Today, he did it.

Quan Gaisuwen's daughter was personally sent to Li Chengqian by the King of Baekje.

This alone was enough to make Li Chengqian believe in Baekje's guarantee.

Because once the news spread from Chang'an to Pingrang City, even if it was just a suspicion, it would be enough to cause Quan Gaisuwen and Baekje to completely turn against each other.

Moreover, if this woman is really Quan Gaisuwen's daughter, then once she becomes Li Chengqian's concubine, there will be room for peace talks between the Tang Dynasty and Quan Gaisuwen.

After all, from this perspective, Quan Gaisuwen became Li Chengqian's father-in-law.

In this way, Baekje would be in a difficult position both inside and outside.

Being able to achieve this shows that Baekje is dedicated.

Of course, the premise of all this is that this woman is really Quan Gaisuwen’s daughter.

A maid had already pulled Izumi Chihide out of the wooden box.

Quan Zhixiu shrank back and looked at Li Chengqian in fear: "Is this the Tang Dynasty?"

"This is Luoyang, this is the imperial palace, and this is my bedroom." Li Chengqian stepped forward, looked at the terrified Quan Zhixiu, and said calmly: "The people of Baekje told me that you are the daughter of Quan Gaisuwen. Come and tell me, is it you?"

Izumi Zhixiu shook his head vigorously and said, "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not..."

"Then who are you?" Li Chengqian reached out and pinched Quan Zhixiu's chin. Looking into her frightened eyes, he asked, "If you're not Quan Zhixiu, then who are you? An ordinary Goguryeo woman can't speak Tang language so fluently."

Izumi Zhixiu was stunned, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word.

"So, you are Quan Zhixiu." Li Chengqian nodded affirmatively, and then said: "Of course, your specific identity, I will send people to Goguryeo to investigate. Someone must have seen you before, but before that, I first need to confirm whether you are an assassin!"

"Assassin? I am an assassin, I really am an assassin." Izumi Jihide suddenly shouted.

Li Chengqian pinched her chin to steady her, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You have to understand that a daughter who has been through all kinds of training for years has a completely different environment than a lady from a wealthy family. You can see this from the lines of her muscles."

Izumi Ji-hide was a little confused.

"Come here." Li Chengqian looked up and said calmly, "Get ready to bathe. I want to check every inch of her to see if she is an assassin!"

Izumi Ji-hyun's face turned pale instantly.

……

The morning light shines into the hall, creating a dazzling array of light and shadows.

On the bed, Li Chengqian, who had already woken up, looked to the side calmly.

Izumi Ji-hide was sleeping peacefully with a blush on her face. She was still wearing the same red dress she wore yesterday, but her hair was disheveled and there were tear stains at the corners of her eyes.

Li Chengqian reached out and gently stroked her cheek, and Quan Zhixiu subconsciously shrank slightly.

Li Chengqian smiled with satisfaction, then got up from the bed.

After a night of careful examination, Li Chengqian could be sure that she was indeed a lady from Goguryeo.

Only the top families in Goguryeo could cultivate such a woman.

Of course, there is also the possibility that Quan Gaisuwen and Baekje joined forces and sacrificed a daughter to set a trap for the Tang Dynasty.

However, it is never that simple for a big country to act.

Once Baekje and Quan Gaesomun fell out, the amount of grain and grass imported from Baekje to Goguryeo would immediately drop sharply.

The lack of food and fodder would actually lead to a food crisis within Goguryeo and even spread to the army.

This would most likely lead to the direct collapse of Quan Gaisuwen's army.

In particular, Li Chengqian also has the card of Gao Baozang.

But if Quan Zhixiu is really the daughter of Quan Gaesomun, then Baekje and Goguryeo will completely fall out.

In this battle, the Tang Dynasty will definitely win.

(End of this chapter)