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

Chapter 604 Congratulations to Your Majesty, Mastering Thunder (Part )
It was early April and the sky was gloomy.

The Xuanwu Gate is heavily guarded.

Li Chengqian stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the city gate that had been re-erected in the distance in the middle of the North Garden. He looked at Li Ji who was standing to the side and said, "The Taishi Bureau predicted a rainstorm today, but for some reason, it doesn't look like heavy rain right now."

Li Ji, dressed in red and golden armor, took a deep sniff of the air, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "The Historian Bureau is right. There will indeed be heavy rain today, but it may not last long."

"No problem, it's a good opportunity to chat." Li Chengqian glanced to the left.

Zhang Sun Wuji stood beside Li Chengqian. Tang Jian, Yu Zhining, Ma Zhou, Lai Ji, Zhang Xuansu, Zhang Xingcheng, Yan Lide, Liu Dewei, Du Xingsheng, Zhang Sun Xiang and others were all present.

Li Ji stood on the other side, while Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Xue Wanche, Li Anyan, Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Zhijie, Yin Yuan, Li Xiaoyi, Qiu Xinggong and others stood solemnly.

"I've been operating on the Andong front for the past few years. Goguryeo, aside from occasional harassment, has largely been on the defensive." Li Ji sighed and said, "It's not easy for the Tang Dynasty to hold out, but it's even harder for Goguryeo. Quan Gaisuwen doesn't have many elite troops. If I find an opportunity to take a bite, he'll be devastated."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, looking extremely satisfied.

"Your Majesty's strategy of dividing people's hearts was initially very effective." Li Ji glanced at Li Chengqian and said cautiously, "But then, Quan Gaisuwen killed many of Gao Baozang's confidants. After that, fewer people were willing to contact us."

"That's fine." Li Chengqian waved his hand nonchalantly, saying, "In reality, most people aren't dissatisfied with Quan Gaisuwen, but rather submit to his authority. When the day comes, we'll break his authority, and it will be the Tang Dynasty that these people will fear and submit to."

Li Ji immediately understood and said, "The more fiercely we attack, the more afraid they will be."

"That's the truth." Li Chengqian smiled lightly.

"And Baekje." Li Ji restrained his expression and continued, "Quan Gai Su still trusts Baekje on the surface, but in reality he has begun to be wary of them. At times, he even plans to use them as cannon fodder on the battlefield."

"No one is blind. If Baekje shows signs of disloyalty, Quan Gaisuwen will be able to detect it with just the slightest movement." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "But this is actually of little use. In essence, it's the same as the previous one. It only consumes Quan Gaisuwen's war potential."

"The Tang Dynasty can be defeated countless times, but if Quan Gaisuwen is defeated once, he will be dead." Changsun Wuji stood on the other side and said affirmatively.

"That's right." All the ministers nodded in agreement.

Even though the Tang Dynasty had experienced a reduction in production due to heavy rains in recent years, there was actually still a considerable amount of grain in the Tang Dynasty families.

The court can buy it with gold and silver. The war potential of the Tang Dynasty is far from being fully tapped.

As long as it is not a major defeat like Yang Guang's, it can be fully sustained.

Li Chengqian nodded, looked towards the darkening clouds overhead, and said softly, "But ultimately, we still have to capture Pingrang City."

……

The wind picked up.

Thick black clouds came from the north, with thunder constantly moving in them.

The rumbling thunder rolled in.

Three kites were flying in the air with the wind.

At the Xuanwu Gate, everyone was watching the three kites closely, fearing that raindrops would fall before the thunder struck.

What kites fear most is rain.

Of course, they have replaced all the paper used for kites with silk, and the connecting iron wire was also specially pulled out by Kaogongsi.

But once the silk is completely soaked by heavy rain, it will be difficult for them to fly high in the sky.

With a loud "boom", dazzling thunder suddenly appeared in the air and exploded the sky in an instant.

The thunder spread down and hit the three kites at the same time.

The next moment, electric current rushed down and hit the city gate in Beiyuan, which had three three-meter-high iron rods erected on it.

With a loud "boom", the city gate collapsed instantly.

At this moment, three Fuyuan crossbow arrows suddenly flew straight up from the east and headed towards the collapsed city gate in the distance.

Just as the three Fuyuan crossbow arrows were flying high in the sky, there was a sudden loud bang and thunder appeared in the air again.

The next moment, the crossbow arrow suddenly shot downward with great force.

With a "bang", three crossbow arrows carrying endless thunder slammed heavily on the ground, and the ground exploded instantly.

Smoke and dust were everywhere.

A crashing sound suddenly appeared between heaven and earth, and at an extremely fast speed, it spread to the horizon. Everyone at Xuanwu Gate couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect it would actually work." Changsun Wuji stood on the other side and murmured.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "It's just a makeshift city gate after all. Compared to the strong fortress and deep moat of Pingrang City, it's still far inferior. Not to mention that there are a lot of rocks blocking the gate of Pingrang City. It's not easy to break it down with one blow."

Seeing the emperor starting to speak more cautiously, Li Ji thought for a moment and said, "This method can be used, but it cannot be used at the north gate of Pingrang City. In my opinion, we must temporarily find a suitable place and time to act."

"You see what happens." Li Chengqian's expression was surprisingly calm at this moment. "As I said before, Goguryeo can't withstand a single defeat, but the Tang Dynasty can withstand it much stronger... At this point, even if the Tang Dynasty is in chaos for a while, I can still deal with it, as long as we can capture Pingrang City."

Taking a deep breath, Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji and said, "Capture Pingrang City and transport all the valuables, including the food, gold, and silver, back to the Tang Dynasty. This way, we won't lose money in this battle and we can continue to hold on."

"Yes!" Li Ji bowed solemnly. He understood that this was the final bottom line the emperor had set for him. The Tang Dynasty could bear more, but he had to capture Pingrang City.

"Any major war could potentially lead to the destruction of a nation." Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji and said with a relaxed expression, "If someone else were leading the troops on the front lines, I might be more worried, but with the Duke of Ying at the forefront, everyone in the court is confident in his prudence."

"I thank Your Majesty for your trust." Li Ji bowed gratefully.

Li Chengqian turned and looked ahead at the ruins that had collapsed from the lightning. He said calmly, "As for these things, you can use them if you want. If they're inconvenient, you can put them aside... The Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of the Imperial Household have improved the catapults, crossbows, and swords and shields, greatly enhancing our ability to break through the city. I'm not afraid of not being able to conquer Pingrang City."

"Yes!" Li Ji's expression became serious.

"Yan Liben, Yang Wulian, and Qiu Xingyan, the three great architects of the imperial court, will all accompany you to the front of the army." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "I will also appoint you another person, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace, Wei Hongji. He is also very talented in construction and bridge building, so you can use him."

"Yes!" Li Ji bowed heavily. He knew that the emperor had also taken out his family fortune, especially Wei Hongji, who was now in charge of supervising the construction of Luoyang Palace.

"As for these thunder and lightning before us," Li Chengqian smiled and said, "If you have time, the night before you capture Pingrang City, stage a show outside the city to show them the devastation of thunder and lightning... In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor used the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning to battle against the Master of Wind and the Master of Rain. Now, the power of thunder and lightning belongs to the Tang Dynasty."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for controlling the thunder." All the ministers bowed respectfully, even Li Ji and Zhangsun Wuji were no exception.

Li Chengqian calmly turned around and walked towards the Xuanwu Gate, saying, "Let's go back to Liangyi Hall. The army is going to invade Goguryeo, and we must prepare every detail in advance so that there is enough room for error before the army."

"Yes!" The ministers looked stern, and then followed Li Chengqian to the Liangyi Hall, just like they followed Emperor Taizong back then.

……

In May, the kings gradually gathered in the capital.

Prince Jing Li Yuanjing came to the Duke of Liang's mansion to offer condolences and burn incense.

The daughter of King Jing was Fang Yize's wife, so after he returned to Chang'an, he burned incense to his in-laws and no one could say anything.

Fang Yize was not there, so Fang Yiai hosted the reception and then led the guests into the back hall.

Silently, he drove away all the servants and maids inside and outside.

"If I avoid coming, it will only arouse suspicion." Li Yuanjing breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What's the current situation of the Yang family? Why did I hear that Yang Sina was about to be transferred out of Chang'an?"

Fang Yiai nodded, pulled a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Li Yuanjing, and said, "This is a letter from Uncle Yang from his estate outside the city. His two brothers have been transferred to the south by His Majesty. He believes His Majesty will not let him go and will transfer him out of Chang'an in the second half of this year."

"Your Majesty is eliminating the hidden dangers." Li Yuanjing nodded, then frowned and said, "Without the Yang family, everything will be inconvenient!"

"It's not that the Yang family is gone, it's that the three provinces and six ministries are left without someone to respond at a critical moment." Princess Gaoyang came out of the inner room, holding a pot of tea, and walked to Li Yuanjing's side. She said, "Uncle Wang, if no one in the three provinces and six ministries responds at that time, we will be in big trouble."

"Yang Sina's assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice." Li Yuanjing nodded and said, "Indeed, if he is transferred elsewhere, we will indeed be one less person to rely on. So, is there any candidate who can replace him?"

Fang Yiai shook his head and said, "Thinking about it carefully, Aye has promoted many people in the past, but many of them are now very close to His Majesty. The higher the position, the more so. Therefore, we have very few people we can use."

"Very few, but there are still some. Who?" Li Yuanjing stared at Fang Yiai.

Fang Yiai sighed softly and said, "It's not about who it is, it's about the position of Minister of Rites. According to court rules, Minister of Rites Du Xingben will retire at the end of the year."

"Minister of Rites, this position is good." Li Yuanjing immediately understood the key to the position of Minister of Rites.

Fang Yiai looked up and said, "But there are several people vying for the position, such as Li Baiyao and Wen Dayin, and we hope that your uncle can compete for this position."

"Me!" Li Yuanjing narrowed his eyes slightly, then shook his head and said, "My chances are slim. The emperor won't let me go back to the capital so easily. Have you ever considered my eleventh brother?"

"Brother-in-law?" Fang Yiai hesitated. He looked at Li Yuanjing and said, "Although my brother-in-law is a family member, his character means that at the critical moment, he will choose Your Majesty!"

"This is better." Li Yuanjing smiled softly and whispered, "We didn't set out to fight for the throne."

They want to cause chaos in the court.

(End of this chapter)