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

Chapter 720 Heaven's Way: Retribution Never Fails (One update today)
The seventeenth day of the first lunar month, the lingering charm of the New Year.

As Chang'an gradually recovered from the New Year celebrations, the people began to get busy again.

The same applies within the imperial palace.

……

Li Chengqian, dressed in a black dragon robe, walked calmly across the palace wall.

The Vermilion Bird Gate is not far below.

In a corner of the city wall, there are still remnants of winter snow.

Reaching the northeast corner of the city wall and gazing at the West Market, Li Chengqian calmly said, "I have appointed the Duke of Wugong County as a Grand Academician of the Hongwen Academy. Yesterday, the three sons of the Dou, Wei, and Feng families all requested permission to formally participate in the imperial examinations, rather than merely participating in the palace examinations, in order to seek the position of imperial consort!"

"Your Majesty means that in the future, the imperial son-in-law can also become prime minister as a Grand Academician of the Hongwen Pavilion." Li Daozong stood behind Li Chengqian, his expression solemn.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Li Daozong.

At this moment, Li Daozong was dressed in a purple official robe and wore a seven-beam crown, with white hair and beard beneath the crown.

Li Chengqian nodded with some emotion and said, "That's right. As long as one has enough literary talent, a prince consort can also become a prime minister. But, Uncle, how many prince consorts in this world truly have the talent to become a Grand Academician of the Hongwen Pavilion?"

Li Daozong wanted to say something, but Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "I know what you want to ask, Uncle. You want to ask if members of the imperial clan can also become prime ministers through this path?"

"Yes!" Li Daozong bowed deeply.

“Yes.” Li Chengqian nodded and said, “My answer is yes. Members of the imperial clan can also become prime ministers through this path, and even princes can. But, Uncle, do you really think that anyone in the imperial clan will have the patience to study hard and make it through this path?”

Li Daozong fell silent for a moment, as memories of past years resurfaced in his mind.

"The only thing he could possibly have was some talent, like Qingque back then, who would then be nominally in charge of the 'Kuodi Zhi' (a local gazetteer). But any official of the fifth rank or above in the court could surpass his so-called talent." Li Chengqian couldn't help but snort coldly.

Li Daozong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, what I am worried about is whether in the future there will be relatives of the empress and princes who will force their way down this path, and whether the emperor will be willing to condone it."

"Of course it will." Li Chengqian glanced at Li Daozong in surprise, then shook his head and said, "Doing so is just a temporary measure, but in doing so, those who do this, who are vying for the best path to prime minister among all the scholars in the world, will truly and thoroughly offend all the scholars in the world. Uncle, do you think such people will have a good end?"

This path is very difficult to take. Even if a future emperor were to actually do this, he would offend all the scholars in the world.

“If such a thing really happens in the future, it means either the emperor is in a difficult situation or the emperor is incompetent.” Li Chengqian shook his head and said, “If the emperor is in a difficult situation, this may be a way to make a living. He can just issue an edict of self-reproach afterward. If the emperor is incompetent, then he can do whatever he wants. It is better to do something to the Grand Secretaries of the Hongwen Pavilion than to do something to the Three Departments and Six Ministries.”

"Yes!" Li Daozong quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Finally!" Li Chengqian turned around, looked towards the East Palace, and said calmly, "I will teach the Crown Prince well, and the Crown Prince will also teach his son well in the future, so as to prevent the royal family from having an incompetent Crown Prince."

People can be taught. As long as they are not born stupid, whether they are mediocre, cruel, or wise, the world can accept such an emperor.

The more checks and balances there are on power in the land, the less chance the emperor will make a mistake.

But a successful emperor is the one who controls the balance of power in the world.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Li Chengqian looked at Li Daozong and said, "The reason I summoned my uncle back this time is actually for the sake of my sister."

Li Daozong immediately cupped his hands and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I request to serve at the front!"

“You, you can’t do it, Uncle Wang.” Li Chengqian shook his head and said with a smile, “Not only can you not do it, but Liang Jianfang can’t either. You are both too old. You can’t stand the weather in the Tanggula Mountains. I don’t want to hear about any military commanders dying of illness in the Tanggula Mountains. That would be too detrimental to morale.”

"Your Majesty!" Li Daozong was at a loss for words, his eyes dimming.

Li Chengqian smiled, turned and walked towards the Vermilion Bird Gate, saying, "Now that Uncle Wang has returned, let him be transferred to the position of Governor of Luozhou."

Li Daozong stopped in his tracks, then said with a wry smile, "I shouldn't have returned from Yizhou."

In Yizhou, Li Daozong could use Songzhou and the Tongtian River to learn about the movements of the army at the front.

Upon arriving in Luozhou, he immediately became oblivious to everything happening at the front lines.

“The Tibetans sent envoys to Chang’an this time, but their purpose has never been me, but you, Uncle.” Li Chengqian sighed and turned to Li Daozong, saying, “Given the current situation at the front, the Tibetans can only defend. If they want to break the deadlock, they can only try to find a way out of Supi. Therefore, the selection of the general to defend Supi is very important.”

"Your subject?" Li Daozong looked at Li Chengqian in surprise.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "It is my uncle. When the Tibetan envoy came to Chang'an last year, I thought of appointing you as the prime minister of Supi and using you as bait to lure the Tibetans out of the mountains, then ambush them, and finally kill them in the mountains and enter Tibet through the mountain pass."

"That sounds feasible!" Li Daozong murmured in response.

"Is this really feasible, Uncle?" Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "I have already used this method to scheme against the Tibetans twice before. If I do it again this time, I'm afraid I will be taken advantage of by them. So, Uncle, why don't you go to Luoyang and help me properly allocate the grain?"

Li Daozong was, after all, a veteran general in the army. Although he was helpless, he immediately cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir!"

Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Although I have made various arrangements in Guanzhong, in reality, more than half of the grain and fodder still need to be transferred from Hedong and then from Guanzhong to the front lines. Uncle Wang has served as the commander-in-chief of the army, so he should be very familiar with this matter."

"Yes!" Li Daozong nodded seriously, cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Li Chengqian smiled, took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Li Daozong, saying, "As for what Uncle Wang is worried about, there is no need. This is a letter I wrote to the Tibetan king. After he has read it, he should not do anything to my sister."

Li Daozong respectfully accepted it and began to examine it more carefully.

However, after only reading it once, Li Daozong couldn't help but laugh, and he really laughed out loud.

The emperor directly threatened Tibet: if they dared to do anything to Wencheng, then once the Tang Dynasty invaded Tibet, they would definitely destroy all the Tibetan ancestral temples and mausoleums, and completely wipe out all the descendants of the Tibetan nobles.

If they do not harm Wencheng, then they will be treated as a defeated nation and receive the treatment they deserve. However, if they are determined to go all in, then it will be a lose-lose situation.

Li Daozong closed the envelope, handed it back to the emperor, and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, they wouldn't dare."

“Yes, I think so too.” Li Chengqian nodded and said, “Tibet has learned too much from the culture of the Tang Dynasty. They should know about the story of Wu Zixu digging up his grave and whipping his corpse.”

"Yes!" Li Daozong bowed, finally relieved.

"Furthermore, I will send Wei Daijia to the front lines, leading five thousand cavalry. If we break through Luoxie in the future, he will rush to Hongshan immediately to rescue my sister." Li Chengqian's expression turned serious. The real danger is never now, but in the future.

Once Lhasa falls to the Tang Dynasty, the Tibetans will be too preoccupied with their own survival, and the chaos at that time will be the most terrifying.

Li Daozong breathed a slight sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I wonder if it would be possible to ask the disciples of the Venerable Xuanzang of the Great Ci'en Temple to go to Lhasa to deliver the message?"

Li Chengqian was taken aback, then looked at Li Daozong in surprise.

……

Spring is in full bloom, and the willows are sprouting tender buds.

January has passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Chengqian stood under the eaves of Penglai Palace, gazing thoughtfully at the other side of Taiye Pond in the distance.

There, there was a vertical wall about 10 feet high, about 30 feet long, and nearly 10 feet thick.

The walls, however, were inexplicably blackened.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Anan appeared behind Li Chengqian, cupping his hands and saying, "The Tibetans have already set off to return to Tibet, and Master Huiming has also set off with them. They are expected to arrive at Tanggula Mountain in June."

“He might travel slower, so he can get a more comprehensive view of the Tang Dynasty’s war preparations.” Li Chengqian looked up and said, “Issue an order to thoroughly investigate all those who have come into contact with the Tibetans along the way. This time, I will not give them any chance.”

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed solemnly.

The current situation between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet has reached its most intense point.

Yes, the most intense.

Even though the two sides did not directly engage in combat, they were both keeping a close eye on each other, searching for weaknesses, and once they found them, they would strike with lightning speed.

At the same time, both sides are making preparations as quickly as possible.

Li Chengqian smiled gently, and then had Changsun Wuji pass on some of his words.

For example, the Tang Dynasty was prepared to conquer the Tanggula Mountains in three years.

When the news reached the lower levels, although not many people knew about it, the transmission from top to bottom was much slower.

If the Tibetans were perceptive enough, they would be able to discover something.

As long as they believe that the Tang Dynasty is waging a protracted war against them, then everything will be fine.

Li Chengqian planned to conquer the three passes of Tanggula Mountain this year.

"Your Majesty!" Li Wu walked in from outside the hall and bowed respectfully to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Majesty, everything has been arranged."

"Let's begin." Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

Li Wu bowed and then waved slightly towards the distance.

Following Li Wu's gaze, Li Chengqian saw a catapult already in place on one side of Taiye Pond.

Following the command, a fireball was launched into the air and then hurtled towards the vertical wall on the north bank of Taiye Pond.

The next moment, the fireball slammed into the vertical wall.

The black oil hidden inside the fireball burst out instantly, spreading densely across the entire vertical wall.

Just then, another fireball containing a black fireball rose up and struck the vertical wall with the same precision. The fireball exploded, and the entire vertical wall immediately began to burn fiercely.

As more than a dozen fireballs continued to slam into the vertical wall, the wall was now completely ablaze.

Even so, fireballs kept hitting it.

This time, however, there was no kerosene; instead, there was more wood and fast-burning materials like pompoms.

The vertical wall, about 10 feet high, 30 feet long, and nearly 10 feet thick, burned in the raging fire.

It burned for half an hour before gradually coming to an end.

A car was violently shoved against a wall from a distance by more than a dozen burly men.

With a loud crash, a large hole was smashed open in the center of the three-zhang-thick vertical wall.

The next moment, the entire vertical wall collapsed with a roar.

……

Several soldiers continuously scooped water from the Taiye Pond with buckets and poured it onto the vertical wall, which quickly cooled down.

Li Chengqian walked over and looked at the ashes in the center of the wall, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to Zhang Anan beside him and said, "I have seen records in ancient books that corpse oil can burn, and the walls built by the Tibetans are filled with countless corpses. So I wonder, if we could ignite the corpses inside by some method, would the entire wall loosen?"

"The story that the old man surnamed Dou told His Majesty back then?" Zhang Anan immediately understood.

Last year, the emperor met with an old man surnamed Dou and asked him about the details of the three passes of Tibet. The most impressive thing was that the Tibetans used the corpses of slaves to build the city walls, which even froze in winter so that no blood would flow out.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Li Wu, who was standing silently behind him, and asked, "You personally went to the Tanggula Mountains, what was the result?"

Li Wu cupped his hands and said indifferently, "Your Majesty, it is indeed true. I personally investigated this place at night and found more than a dozen corpses on the entire city wall. There should be many more inside the city wall."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said, "The Tibetans took advantage of the incredibly low temperatures in the Tanggula Mountains during winter. Even if there was blood, it wouldn't have much of an effect. And by summer, the blood would have drained, and the stones would firmly smother the corpse. Even if there were any problems, they would have disappeared after ten years. But..."

Looking at the collapsed vertical wall in front of him, Li Chengqian said softly, "But those corpses are still there. Once they are ignited and turned to ashes, it will definitely change the structure of the entire city wall. If we hit it with great force at this time, the entire city wall may collapse."

“But there are more than a dozen checkpoints in those places.” Zhang Anan suddenly realized, and then cupped his hands to Li Chengqian and said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

“It’s not that simple.” Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, “To completely ignite the corpse, the required temperature is very high. Even ordinary tung oil won’t work. We need to use black fire oil specially collected from the Western Regions, and then add other miscellaneous materials to keep burning in order to ignite the corpse on the city wall.”

The black oil was something Li Chengqian had someone collect specifically for him.

Given his current prestige in the Western Regions, it wouldn't be difficult for him to do so.

Of course, the purpose of the black oil must be kept secret to prevent others from discovering its power.

“This thing, even in Chang’an, would take half an hour to burn. In a place like the Tanggula Mountains, it would take even longer to burn.” Li Chengqian shook his head slightly with a solemn expression, then smiled and said softly, “In any case, we finally have a trump card to break through the three passes of the Tanggula Mountains.”

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Li Wu and Zhang Anan bowed simultaneously.

Li Chengqian calmed down and said, "Continue to secretly collect black oil in the Western Regions. We must store enough black oil in the Tanggula Mountains before autumn arrives for use on the battlefield."

"Yes!" Li Wu bowed respectfully.

"Also, tell Su Dingfang later," Li Chengqian paused slightly and said, "Don't go forward rashly before the fire is extinguished. It's best to send a horse across first."

"Yes!"

"The burning time for the first checkpoint can be shorter, but the burning time for the second checkpoint must be longer, and we must wait longer." Li Chengqian raised his hand and said, "This is an imperial edict. Su Dingfang must strictly follow it. Tell him that after breaking through the first checkpoint, he will understand my intention."

"Yes!" Li Wu bowed slightly.

"As for the things you have," Li Chengqian said with a cold smile, turning to the side, "keep them for later. After the three passes of Tanggula Mountain, there is still Lhasa City, the capital of Tibet. It is not so easy to conquer. Those things will be useful there."

This is the final battle.

After the defeat of Tibet, even if the Tang Dynasty had many battles, they were all small-scale battles that were under its control.

That thing was meant to be completely sealed away after it was used once.

"Yes!" Li Wu bowed seriously.

Li Chengqian looked up at the ruins before him and said, "Send all of these to the Imperial Garden and bury them. It's a pity for those dead chickens; they won't even find peace in death."

The vertical wall in front of us, though just a simple experiment, contained all the corpses that should have been there.

It was just that Li Chengqian used the corpse of a dead chicken.

Corpse oil is something that affects both humans and chickens.

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed seriously.

Li Chengqian turned and walked towards Penglai Palace, his expression cautious.

It's best to keep your true cards hidden.

Footsteps sounded in the distance, and Li Chengqian subconsciously looked up to see Xu An walking briskly towards him.

Upon seeing Li Chengqian, Xu An quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian nodded and asked, "Is there something you need?"

The Palace Attendant Supervisor remained Zhang Anan, while the Junior Attendant Supervisors were Dou Zhijie and Xu An.

Dou Zhijie was responsible for staying by the Empress's side, while Xu An and Zhang Anan took turns staying by Li Chengqian's side.

Today's events are somewhat secretive, so Zhang Anan is with them, while Xu An stays in Ganlu Hall and will only come over if necessary.

"Yes!" Xu An cupped his hands and said, "The results of the civil service examination have been released and sent to the Liangyi Hall."

"Let's go take a look." Li Chengqian strode towards Taiji Palace.

……

The upper pavilion to the east of the Liangyi Hall.

Dou Zhijie stood at the entrance to the inner hall, looking slightly nervous.

A palace attendant came from the palace, walked up to Dou Zhijie, and whispered a few words to him. Dou Zhijie immediately turned around and wrote a few lines on a table to the side.

The entire scroll was covered with tiny characters, almost completely filled with them.

Today is the imperial examination.

The emperor sets the questions, and all officials supervise the examination.

However, three scholars who were granted special permission to take the imperial examinations sat in the closest spot to the east upper pavilion.

There was a beaded curtain between them and the East Pavilion, and behind the curtain, three eunuchs were always silently watching their writings.

Therefore, every time a palace attendant saw them finish writing a section, he would quietly leave and go to Dou Zhijie, reciting the contents of the three people's examination papers one by one.

They moved so carefully that even the officials who were inspecting inside and outside the palace did not notice anything.

Soon, the three articles were finished.

Dou Zhijie tidied up the paper and waited for the ink to dry before carefully placing the three articles into the hands of the Empress, who was already waiting on the imperial bed.

How could Su Shu be at ease knowing that her only daughter's marriage depended on today's imperial examination?

Therefore, Su Shu read these three articles very carefully, hoping to guess before the emperor could decide who was most likely to become her son-in-law.

Today's examination questions are indeed what the emperor had predicted.

Humans have five kinds of greed: greed for money, greed for sex, greed for power, greed for fame, and greed for laziness. How can we get rid of them?

Dou Sitai, Wei Renfang, and Feng Yi each had their own arguments, but Su Yi, despite being the empress, couldn't understand their merits.

After putting down the three articles, Su Yi subconsciously looked up and saw that the emperor was already sitting to the side.

Su Yi quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian turned to look at Su Shu and asked with a smile, "Has the Empress noticed something?"

Su Shu smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty, my knowledge is shallow, and this matter of writing is not my forte."

Li Chengqian took the article and said with a smile, "It's normal that the Empress is not familiar with this matter after managing the harem for so many years. However, the content of this article is not the point."

"Oh!" Su Shu looked up in surprise.

Li Chengqian glanced at the three essays, then sighed softly and said, "Actually, the requirements for these essays are different for the imperial son-in-law and the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). The Jinshi can speak about the self-discipline between the emperor and his subjects, the governance of the country, and the advantages and disadvantages of finance. But the imperial son-in-law must speak about his own pursuits and not be greedy. The imperial son-in-law cannot be greedy!"

After saying that, Li Chengqian took out an article from the pile and handed it to Su Shu, saying, "This one will do. The writing is leisurely and the handwriting is free, with the style of an ancient hermit. Such a person is not greedy or greedy, yet capable. The key is that he is not strong in desires, so longevity is not difficult for him. He can spend more time with the princess."

A princess's husband shouldn't be too sharp; sharpness can easily hurt others or himself.

Although many princesses of the Tang Dynasty remarried, Li Chengqian still hoped that his daughter could be with one man for life and live a long and happy life together.

"I see, Your Majesty is right." Su Shu took Dou Sitai's article and nodded. Indeed, it was not unreasonable for her to make such a request, since her daughter was a princess.

"As for Wei Renfang, he is disciplined in both himself and others, and may become an imperial censor in the future. As for Feng Yi, at least for now, he seems to have the potential to become a governor of a prefecture." Li Chengqian put down the two articles. That was indeed all he could see for now. As for the future of each person, it was not something that could be determined by a single article.

“Dou Jiazi is the great-grandnephew of Empress Tai Mu, the cousin of His Majesty, and the son of Dou Zhijing, the Prefect of Changzhou and Duke of Julu. He is of the same generation as Fu Chang’er.” Su Shu nodded and said, “The Dou family is noble, wealthy, and low-key. It’s not surprising that they raised such a scion. Let’s leave it at that.”

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian raised his hand and said, "Then let it be settled. The wedding will be on the nineteenth of the third month. I will first pay my respects to my mother and inform her. Afterwards, I will make an eastern tour to Luoyang and send the princess and her husband along. It will be a good opportunity for them to..."

A series of hurried footsteps came from inside the hall, and Li Chengqian turned around abruptly.

Then Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, Zhao Yuankai, Yu Zhining, Du Zhenglun, Sun Fujia and others entered together, and with excited expressions, they cupped their hands to Li Chengqian and said: "Your Majesty, urgent report from the front: Supi has fallen!"

Li Chengqian immediately stood up and asked, "Really?"

"It's true!" All the ministers bowed in unison.

"It's finally over. From July last year when the army arrived in Supi, to February now, seven months have passed. Supi has finally been captured by the Tang Dynasty with minimal effort." Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

The Tibetans did not give up on Supi easily. Although the Tang Dynasty had won a great victory in Xichang Prefecture, Supi still had a considerable number of troops in Changdu.

If the Tang Dynasty had chosen to attack the city, it would have inevitably suffered heavy losses. However, the Tang Dynasty chose to completely sever all contact between Changdu and the outside world. The people of Changdu either hid in the city or went out to fight against the Tang cavalry.

They might survive if they stayed on the city wall, but if they went outside, they would surely die.

The Supi people proved this point by easily slaughtering thousands of cavalrymen.

However, if they stayed in the city, the autumn harvest would not reach Changdu. After more than half a year, the grain in Changzhou City was pitifully scarce, and there had been more than one disturbance in the city itself.

During this period, the garrison commander of Supi did consider letting the people leave the city, but all the people who were released were relocated to the vicinity of each newly built city along the road from Xichangzhou to Changdu, thus stabilizing the transportation routes of the Tang Dynasty.

Liang Jianfang only sent the message into Changdu City, and they never sent anyone out again.

At the beginning of the year, the Tang Dynasty sent the found Prince Supi to the outskirts of Changdu City, and chaos immediately broke out in the city.

In March of this year, Changdu surrendered.

"Let Xin Liao'er serve as the prime minister of Changdu and oversee the spring planting." Li Chengqian looked up and said indifferently, "Let Liang Jianfang return to court. Now is the time to discuss how to destroy the Tubo Kingdom."

All the ministers in the hall bowed and said in unison, "Yes, sir."

(End of this chapter)