Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chang'an, Taiji Palace, Liangyi Hall.

The ice chest inside the hall emitted a slight chill, but it did nothing to cool the raging fire in Li Shimin's heart.

On the imperial desk in front of him lay several urgent reports, some stained with blood and others smelling of the sea.

A secret report from Pyongyang stated that the angel had been killed on the spot by Xue Rengui, and the Liaodong army was on high alert, blocking key roads.

An urgent report came from the Japanese islands: Su Dingfang tore up the imperial edict, naval warships blockaded the port, and openly declared that they would only obey the Crown Prince's orders.

The report from Chang'an indicated that although the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace had been suppressed, people's hearts were unsettled, especially since the Military Academy was besieged, which sparked a storm of controversy among scholars and soldiers.

"boom--!"

Li Shimin suddenly slammed the jade paperweight he was playing with onto the ground, and the fine jade shattered into pieces instantly.

"It's reversed! It's all reversed!"

His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently; the imperial majesty was utterly shattered by a furious rage of betrayal and challenge.
"Xue Rengui! Su Dingfang! Do they even respect me as the emperor?! Do they even respect the laws of the Tang Dynasty?!"

He never expected that his actions of stripping the Crown Prince of his military power and purging the Eastern Palace forces would provoke such fierce and resolute resistance from the border generals.

This was no longer a power struggle within the court, but a naked confrontation of force! This had touched upon his core authority and bottom line as emperor.

The eunuchs and palace maids standing in the hall were so frightened that they prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling and not daring to breathe.

Yun Duan stood silently in the shadows, his face expressionless.

"Good! Very good!"

Li Shimin laughed in fury, his voice as cold as the winds of the deepest hell: "My crown prince has truly raised a pack of good dogs! They dare to bare their teeth at me!"

He turned abruptly, his gaze piercing the clouds like a blade: "I now need to know the whereabouts of that rebellious son!"

"Your Majesty, I have received intelligence that there is unusual activity at the Jiangling naval camp!"

Yun Duan immediately bowed and said:
"Commander Hilde led over fifty main warships and eight thousand elite sailors, under the pretext of 'river defense drills,' and three days ago launched a full-scale expedition down the river. They have already passed Jiujiang, and their whereabouts are unknown!"

[Jiangling Navy?]

That was the elite inland waterway navy that Li Chengqian personally built when he was stationed in Jiangling!

[Later, some key personnel were transferred to Dengzhou to build up the navy, but the Jiangling camp remained the most important naval force in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and its warships, after modifications, were also capable of operating in coastal waters.]

Commander Hilde, that blond-haired, blue-eyed barbarian general, is undoubtedly loyal to Li Chengqian.

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, pressed his finger heavily on the location of the Yangtze River estuary on the map, and muttered with a livid face:

"Hilde is heading down the river... What is he planning? Is he heading straight for Dengzhou to join forces with Su Dingfang? Or... does he have some other scheme?"

Just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, another urgent secret report was delivered into the palace, from the Hundred Cavalry Division's mole in Huainan Road:
"Traces of the Crown Prince have been discovered! Several long, narrow sailing ships of unusual design and extremely high speed have been quietly sailing north from the mouth of the Yangtze River, operating at night and avoiding water post stations. They are heading north along the coastline, possibly towards... Dengzhou!"

"As expected! He wants to go to Dengzhou to join forces with Su Dingfang, control the navy, and establish a separatist regime in Shandong!"

A cold glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, but his heart was filled with certainty.

What he feared most was that Li Chengqian would hide himself or directly lead his army westward.

Going to Dengzhou may be troublesome, but at least the goal is clear.

"Preach my will!"

Li Shimin issued a stern order, his voice echoing throughout the hall: "Order the Dengzhou Governor's Office to strengthen its defenses, and place all ports under military control to prevent enemy ships from approaching!"

"Order the coastal garrisons of Laizhou and Mizhou to closely monitor the sea!"

"Order Li Ji to strengthen the defenses of Tongguan and Wuguan, and be on guard against any unusual movements by the Liaodong army! Order Cheng Zhijie to reorganize the Guanzhong garrison, ready to be deployed at any time! And further orders..."

He issued a series of orders, the core of which was to strengthen the defense of the Shandong coast, while consolidating Guanzhong and guarding against Xue Rengui.

In his view, Li Chengqian's goal was the Shandong Peninsula, where he would establish a separatist regime by relying on the navy.

However, Li Shimin and almost everyone in Chang'an were drawn to the two pieces of news: "Li Chengqian is suspected of heading north to Dengzhou" and "Hilde's navy is heading east".

Shandong and the Yangtze River estuary became the focus of the storm.

On the other side, at the Han River ferry crossing.

Several unmarked, low-slung, narrow boats with specially treated sails lay motionless on the waves like ghosts.

This was not a fleet heading to Dengzhou, but rather the true heart of Li Chengqian's forces.

Inside the cabin, the lights were dim.

Li Chengqian, Pei Xingjian, Yang Nannan, and Hilde, who had just secretly arrived, gathered together.

Hilde looked travel-worn, but her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Your Highness, the main force of the Jiangling Navy, consisting of fifty warships and eight thousand elite troops, has already set sail eastward in a grand manner as planned, making it appear as if they intend to join forces with Commander Su Dingfang. At this moment, they must have already attracted most of the court's attention."

Hilde spoke quickly: "This humble general will personally lead these five fastest 'Flying Fish' ships and three hundred of the bravest old brothers to meet Your Highness here!"

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, his gaze falling on the unfolded map. Instead of pointing to Shandong, he drew a heavy arc, from the mouth of the Yangtze River westward, then northward, along the Huai River, Ying River, Ru River and other water systems, finally pointing to a place that made everyone's pupils shrink—Luoyang!
More accurately, it is the gateway to Guanzhong behind Luoyang, in the direction of Tongguan and Wuguan!
"My father and everyone else thought I was going to Dengzhou to join forces with Dingfang and establish a separatist regime in Shandong."

Li Chengqian's voice was deep and powerful, with a sharpness like a blade being drawn from its sheath:

"They will deploy heavy troops in Dengzhou and Laizhou, keep an eye on the sea, and guard against Xue Rengui attacking from Liaodong."

A cold, cunning smile curled at the corner of his lips: "But they would never have imagined that I would launch a surprise attack!"

Pei Xingjian's breathing quickened: "Your Highness means...we're not going to Dengzhou?" "No!"

Li Chengqian resolutely said:

"Dengzhou is a pretext! Hilder's army marching east is a pretext! Even Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang's disobedience is a pretext to attract the court's military strength and attention!"

He tapped his finger heavily on the Huai River basin on the map:
"We'll start from here! We'll transfer to small boats, head north along the tributaries of the Huai River, enter the Ying and Ru Rivers, and plunge straight into the heart of the Central Plains!"

"The main force of the imperial navy is on the Yangtze River and along the coast, leaving the inland waterway defenses vulnerable! Yang Nannan!"

"The humble position is here!"

Yang Nannan's eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"What are the results of your previous investigation and the discovery of your inside man?"

"Your Highness, it has been ascertained that the waterways around Shouzhou and Yingzhou are navigable for our shallow-draft fast boats. Two of the commanders of several key water fortresses along the way are former subordinates of Xiao Xian. Through secret contact with former officials in Jiangling, they have expressed their willingness to provide assistance discreetly."

"As long as we act quickly and discreetly enough, we are 70% confident that we can cross the Huai River region silently and enter Henan territory!"

"Seventy percent, that's enough!"

A fierce glint flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes:
"After entering Henan, they abandoned their boats and went ashore, breaking up into smaller groups and dispersing into the Xiaoshan and Xiong'ershan areas west of Luoyang, disguised as merchants and refugees!"

"The mountains there are high and the forests are dense, and it's only a few days' journey from Tongguan and Wuguan!"

Pei Xingjian gasped, "Your Highness...you intend to...head straight for Tongguan? That's the gateway to Chang'an!"

"It's not a direct assault on Tongguan."

Li Chengqian shook his head, "It appeared behind Tongguan, in a place that Father Emperor and everyone else thought was absolutely impossible!"

He surveyed the crowd, his tone resolute:

"When the imperial army was drawn to Shandong and Liaodong, and when everyone thought I was at sea or in Dengzhou, I led an elite force of surprise troops, appearing like a divine army descending from the sky, after Tongguan, in Lantian, and even on the outskirts of Chang'an!"

"What do you think will happen in Chang'an? What will happen in the imperial court? What will happen to the people of the world?!"

Shocked!

Everyone was speechless with awe at this audacious yet ingenious plan. It was a completely unconventional approach, a desperate attempt to find a way out.

The risks are enormous, but if successful, the psychological and political shock will be devastating! The authority of the emperor and the court will be completely shaken.

"This...this is too risky!"

Hilde murmured, but the excitement in his eyes far outweighed his worry.

"If we don't take the risk, are we just going to sit and wait to be stripped of our power and imprisoned, or really fight a protracted civil war in Shandong that will exhaust the country's resources?"

Li Chengqian countered with a sharp gaze:

"Warfare is based on deception. My father was well-versed in military strategy, but he was old. Sitting in the palace in Chang'an, he thought about checks and balances and control. He forgot about the surprise attack and the fatal blow on the battlefield!"

"Pei Xingjian!"

"The general is here!"

"You will lead fifty of the most elite Imperial Guards, disguised as merchants, carrying a large sum of money, to go ahead and pave the way along the predetermined route, clearing obstacles and establishing secret supply points!"

"Yes!"

"Hilde!"

"The general is here!"

"Your five ships and three hundred men, all change their clothes and disguise themselves as a fleet of Hu merchants transporting silk. We'll head north along the north, our first stop is Shouzhou!"

"As ordered!"

"Yang Nannan, Wu Zetian!"

"Your humble servant is here!" the two women replied in unison.

"You, along with the rest of the skilled spies, will disperse and infiltrate Henan to gather intelligence on the terrain, villages, and garrison situation in the Xiaoshan and Xiong'ershan areas, in preparation for the main army's assembly! At the same time, closely monitor any unusual movements in the Luoyang and Tongguan directions!"

"Yes!"

Li Chengqian walked to the porthole, pushed it open a crack, and looked out at the dark sea and the faint lights of the Yangtze River estuary in the distance.

"Father, didn't you want to put your son under your thumb?"

"Didn't you think you had everything under control?"

"Your son is coming back soon, and I have a... big surprise for you!"

His voice was soft, yet it carried the scent of iron and blood.

"Order: Lights out, set sail!"

"Target—Shouzhou!"

"Let the high-ranking officials of Chang'an and our Emperor wait and see!"

Several ghostly fast ships quietly raised their sails and adjusted their course. Instead of heading north to Dengzhou, they took advantage of the night and the tides to go against everyone's predictions, heading west, inland, and silently piercing the heart of that empire!
The real counterattack has already begun! (End of Chapter)