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

On the Wei River Bridge, the air seemed to freeze.

Cheng Yaojin fell off his horse, an arrow lodged in his left shoulder, and blood quickly stained his armor.

He gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, but his bodyguards held him down tightly.

"Old Cheng!"

Yuchi Gong's eyes were bloodshot, and he drew his sword, ready to rush forward.

"Don't even move!"

Li Shimin roared and stared intently at his son, who stood ten paces away holding a bow.

Li Chengqian slowly lowered the hard bow, his eyes as cold as frost:

"Father, I will say it again."

"Today is a day for peace talks, not a day to listen to these old generals roar."

"Anyone who dares to interrupt will be shot in the shoulder next."

On the south side of the bridge, twenty musketeers simultaneously raised their guns and aimed them at the north side of the bridge.

North of the bridge, the Xuanjia Army had their crossbows cocked and their spears like a forest.

With just one spark, this father-son peace talk could turn into a bloodbath.

Li Shimin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Looking into his son's emotionless eyes, he suddenly realized that this was no longer the crown prince he could control.

This is a commander who has killed people and seen blood on the battlefield and holds a large army.

"well……"

Li Shimin said "good" twice in a deep voice:
"Chengqian, you've grown quite bold. You dare to injure one of my generals in front of me."

"It was my father who forced me to do it."

Li Chengqian tossed the bow to Xi Junmai behind him:
"Your Majesty, I gave you three days to consider, but you are still trying to bargain."

"The seal of the Supreme General of the Heavenly Strategy grants control over all the troops in the land. This is the bottom line, and there is no room for negotiation."

"If Father agrees, the decree can be issued today, and I will immediately order the three armies to halt their advance."

"If you don't agree..."

He glanced at the injured Cheng Yaojin:
"Let General Cheng's injury be the signal to start the war."

A naked threat.

But this time, no one dared to interrupt.

Yuchi Gong supported Cheng Yaojin, his teeth grinding together, but he dared not move again.

Because he saw that the muzzles of the Embroidered Uniform Guard musketeers were already pointed at him and His Majesty.

"Your Majesty...you mustn't..."

Cheng Yaojin endured the pain and whispered:
"Once military power is relinquished... the Tang Dynasty... will truly change hands..."

Li Shimin did not answer.

He simply looked at Li Chengqian, at this son who wanted to seize his throne.

After a long silence, he resolutely spoke:
"The seal of the Grand General of Heavenly Strategy, I cannot possess it."

Just as Li Shimin was about to utter the words "I give them to you"—

"Report——!"

A piercing scream came from the north side of the bridge.

A warhorse, foaming at the mouth, charged wildly onto the bridge. The rider nearly tumbled off the horse and scrambled to his feet, landing in front of Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty! Urgent report! Lantian... Lantian has fallen!"

"what?!"

Li Shimin's pupils suddenly contracted.

The whole audience was shocked.

The soldier's voice was trembling with tears:

"General Li Jing... he... he opened up the defenses of Lantian Valley last night, welcoming Hilde's navy into the pass!"

"Now, the two armies have joined forces and are advancing rapidly towards Chang'an! The prefectures and counties along the way... have all surrendered without a fight!"

"Li Jing...welcoming Hilde into the pass?"

Li Shimin seemed not to have heard clearly, and repeated it, his face instantly draining of color.

Li Jing?

Li Jing, the military genius who followed him to pacify the world, destroy the Turks, defeat the Tibetans, and conquer Goguryeo? The Duke of Wei, whom he regarded as his right-hand man and entrusted with important tasks at strategic passes?
He...opened the defenses? Welcomed the rebels into the pass?
"No...impossible..."

Chai Shao staggered backward, his voice trembling.

Cheng Yaojin forgot his pain and stared wide-eyed:

"The pharmacist... he's gone mad?!"

However, the nightmare had just begun.

"Report——!"

Another swift horse charged in, and a second messenger tumbled off his saddle, his voice even more desperate:
"Your Majesty! Urgent report from Youzhou! General Li Ji has defected on the battlefield at Zhuozhou! He has joined forces with Xue Rengui and is now marching south across the Yellow River. His vanguard has already reached Tongguan!"

"Boom——!"

This news was like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone north of the bridge utterly terrified.

Li Ji?

British Prince Li Ji!
Li Ji, who also had a distinguished military record and was sent by him to intercept Xue Rengui!
He actually... switched sides too?
"no no……"

Li Shimin swayed, and only managed to stand up after grabbing the bridge railing. His face was ashen.

Li Jing and Li Ji, the two most prestigious commanders in the Tang army, the two pillars he relied on to balance the four directions and stabilize the country, actually both sided with Li Chengqian.

This is a hundred times more terrifying than the fall of Tongguan, the arrival of Xi Junmai's army at the city gates, or the encirclement by three armies!
This means that more than half of the Tang Dynasty's elite border troops, as well as countless mid- to high-ranking generals, have sided with Li Chengqian!
This means that even if Li Shimin wanted to put up a stubborn resistance, he could only mobilize tens of thousands of imperial guards in Chang'an!

Moreover, he didn't know how many members of the Imperial Guard were loyal to the Crown Prince!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

Changsun Wuji's voice was hoarse, trembling with sobs:

“Li Jing, Li Ji… how could they… how could they do this…”

"Yes, how could they do that?"

A calm voice rang out.

In the middle of the bridge, Li Chengqian had turned around at some point and was quietly looking at his father's pale face.

"Is Father Emperor wondering why Li Jing and Li Ji, both of whom were trusted and capable ministers whom you personally promoted, would betray you?"

Li Shimin suddenly looked up and stared intently at his son.

That look in his eyes was no longer the majesty of an emperor, but the pain and bewilderment of being utterly betrayed by his closest and most trusted confidants.

"why?"

His voice was terribly hoarse.

"Because what I gave them, Father Emperor cannot give."

Li Chengqian slowly walked back to the center of the bridge:

"Your subject promises Li Jing that he will establish a Privy Council to oversee all military forces in the country, with him serving as the first Privy Councilor! He will no longer be the Duke of Wei, who is viewed with suspicion and whose achievements threaten the emperor, but a true marshal who holds real power in charge of military and state affairs."

"Your subject promises Li Ji that after pacifying the world, he will be granted a fiefdom and be enfeoffed as a king. This is not an empty title, but a real title of Zhenbei Grand Protector, which will be hereditary and permanent. He will be allowed to establish his own government and guard the northern frontier forever."

Seeing the growing despair in Li Er's eyes, he continued:
"And Xue Rengui, I promise him the title of Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition, commanding 300,000 troops to conquer the Western Regions."

"Su Dingfang, I hereby grant him the title of Grand Admiral of the Navy, to control the four seas and expand the vast maritime territory."

“Hild, I hereby grant him the hereditary title of Duke of Jiangling and the position of Admiral of the Yangtze River Navy.”

"Not to mention young generals like Pei Xuan, Wang Haibin, and Liu Xuan!"

"What I promise them is a future where they can be ennobled and promoted through military merit, and their descendants can benefit from it, not a future where they live in fear and uncertainty under the Emperor's suspicion and suppression."

With each word he spoke, Li Shimin's face paled a little more.

This is not a simple case of bribery.

This depicts a completely new blueprint for an empire, brimming with opportunities.

In this blueprint, military generals are no longer objects of suspicion and suppression, but heroes who expand territory and establish great achievements.

"Father, you are getting old."

Li Chengqian's voice was soft, yet every word pierced the heart:

"You sit in the palace in Chang'an, thinking about checks and balances, power politics, and how to prevent the next 'General of Heavenly Strategy' from appearing."

"But what your son and these generals are thinking about is how to make the banner of the Great Tang fly all over the world, and how to make our Chinese people stand tall in the world."

"Different road non-phase plan."

"So, they chose me."

silence.

Dead silence.

The Wei River flowed mightily, but it couldn't drown out the suffocating despair on the bridge. (End of Chapter)