The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 190: Did His Majesty arrange for other personnel?

Past investigation data flashed through his mind.

The Li family of Longxi was a marginal branch, and its fortunes had declined. Its father, Li Quan, was previously just a poor scholar at the Imperial Academy.

Li Yichen has been in the Eastern Palace for three years, and his performance has been mediocre with little to show for it. The only noteworthy thing is that he seems to have gained some favor from the Crown Prince in the past six months.

Neither his background nor his past experiences could possibly have given him the knowledge to teach weighing, trust, or even to inspire such ingenious ideas as horseshoes.

"It could absolutely not be him."

Li Shimin thought with certainty.

Such a person must be someone with extraordinary experience, profound knowledge, and who lives behind the scenes.

How could a young, inexperienced official like Li Yichen, with no outstanding past achievements, possibly impersonate him?
But if he has no connection with any master, how do you explain these successive signs?

The method of document management can be described as a flash of inspiration.

But how could Zhao Xiaoman, the son of a craftsman, have made the connection between "people wearing shoes" and "horses wearing iron shoes" if someone hadn't systematically taught him to read and understand principles and instilled in him the idea of ​​investigating things and acquiring knowledge?
And how did they eventually come up with this horseshoe?
“The only explanation,” a glint of light flashed in Li Shimin’s eyes.

"It is this boy who has had contact with that truly great master who is Gao Minghou!"

Once the thought arose, it quickly became clear.

Yes.

Li Yichen's lowly status and lack of attention, coupled with his position in the Eastern Palace, made him the most suitable pawn!

Thinking of this, Li Shimin immediately called out in a deep voice, "Wang De."

"Summon Li Junxian to come see me immediately."

Li Shimin's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable determination.

"According to the order."

Wang De bowed in response and quickly stepped out of the hall to relay the order.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Li Junxian walked steadily into the Liangyi Hall.

"Your subject Li Junxian greets Your Majesty."

Li Junxian paid his respects with proper etiquette.

"Flat body."

Li Shimin raised his hand to gesture for him to stand up, his eyes fixed intently on him.

"Minister Li, I have a task for you to handle, and it must be kept absolutely secret."

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty, and I will gladly die for you."

Li Junxian stood up and stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

Li Shimin leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.

"I order you to keep a close watch on Li Yichen, the Director of the Eastern Palace. I need to know where he goes, who he contacts, and who he associates with, besides his duties at the Eastern Palace."

"Especially on his days off, investigate his every move thoroughly!"

"Also, what exactly did Zhao Xiaoman, the son of Zhao Tiezhu, the official in charge of the Imperial Workshops, learn from Li Yichen?"

"When did you start learning? How long did you study it for? What was the content? You must find out the truth for me!"

Li Junxian felt a chill run down his spine. His Majesty was actually going to use such methods against a minor official in the Eastern Palace.
But he showed no sign of surprise and immediately bowed to accept the order.

"Your Majesty understands! I will certainly arrange capable people to investigate this matter thoroughly without leaving a trace."

“Remember this,” Li Shimin emphasized.

"This matter is of utmost importance and must not be made unnecessarily. What I need is solid evidence and clues, not the mess that will result from alerting them."

"Your subject obeys! I will certainly act with caution."

Li Junxian reiterated his assurances, and then, at Li Shimin's signal, quietly withdrew from the Liangyi Hall.

Watching Li Junxian leave, Li Shimin leaned back on his throne and let out a long sigh.

He believed in Li Junxian's abilities; as long as that expert had contact with Li Yichen, he would inevitably leave some clues.

All he needs to do now is wait patiently.

Time slipped away quietly beneath the calm surface.

The turmoil in the imperial court caused by the new debt seems to have subsided.

The promotion of agricultural tools is still proceeding in an orderly manner, and the price of Zhenguan coupons is rising steadily.

Everything seems to be back on track.

However, in these seemingly peaceful days, an urgent secret report from Liaodong shook the imperial court.

The secret report was delivered to the Crown Prince's Palace first through special channels.

At that time, Li Chengqian was in Xiande Hall, discussing some details of the Xizhou bonds with Dou Jing.

When the weary but excited messenger presented the sealed copper tube, Li Chengqian's heart involuntarily quickened.

He dismissed Dou Jing and remained alone in the hall.

They pried off the sealing wax on the copper tube and took out the thin silk rolled inside.

His gaze swept quickly over the words on the page, and his breathing suddenly became heavy.

His face was initially filled with disbelief, which was then replaced by immense ecstasy!

"It's done! It actually...it really worked!"

Li Chengqian suddenly stood up from his seat and paced excitedly around the hall.

The information in the secret report was simple, yet every word carried immense weight.

The "surprise squad" that infiltrated Goguryeo territory, under the command of Chen Zhen, overcame numerous dangers and successfully located and raided several important grain and forage storage points within Goguryeo territory.

Outside its capital was a large granary controlled by Quan Gaisuwen's confidants, as well as several medium-sized granaries scattered in the border areas.

This included grain storage sites where salt was exchanged for grain.

The operation was extremely secretive and swift; using kerosene and other materials, they burned most of the stockpiled grain!
Even more excitingly, amidst the chaos, the squad successfully assassinated two trusted generals under Quan Gaisuwen who were in charge of transporting supplies!

The report mentioned that the fire illuminated the night sky over some towns in Goguryeo.

The news of the burning of the granary could not be concealed and quickly spread throughout Goguryeo.

The already strained grain reserves in the countryside due to the salt-for-grain exchange program were instantly ignited by panic.

Several incidents of grain hoarding have occurred in major towns within Goguryeo, causing grain prices to skyrocket and making it impossible to buy grain.

The people were filled with lamentation and grievances!

Li Chengqian read the secret report three times to make sure he hadn't misread a single word.

Unable to contain his excitement, he slammed his fist on the table.

"Good! Chen Zhen! Well done! All the soldiers who participated in this operation were excellent! I will reward them handsomely!"

Although he had followed Li Yichen's advice and sent out this team, he also placed high hopes on it.

But deep down, there were doubts about how effective this small team of only two hundred men, deep behind enemy lines, could actually be.

After all, Goguryeo was not an undefended country, and Yeon Gaesomun was known for his fierceness and cunning.

His greatest hope was nothing more than to create some chaos, burn some of the supplies, and disrupt the enemy's rear.

However, the actual outcome far exceeded his most optimistic estimates!
The burning of several key granaries and the assassination of an important enemy general directly triggered famine and civil unrest within Goguryeo!
This is an absolutely revolutionary result!

After his initial euphoria, Li Chengqian quickly calmed down.

He realized that he had to report this wonderful news to his father immediately!
This is not only a remarkable achievement, but also the best opportunity to prove that his previous decisions were correct and to demonstrate the value of this "surprise force"!
This will also give the Emperor absolute confidence in the upcoming spring offensive!
Without the slightest delay, he immediately ordered a carriage to be prepared, and carrying a secret report, went straight to the Liangyi Hall to request an audience.

Inside the Liangyi Hall, Li Shimin was reviewing memorials when he heard that the Crown Prince urgently requested an audience, so he summoned him in.

"My son, please see your father!"

Li Chengqian's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

But he tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor.

But the glint in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. "Rise," Li Shimin said, putting down his vermilion brush and looking at his son.

"Gao Ming, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

"Father, a secret report from Liaodong!"

Li Chengqian held the secret report high above his head with both hands.

"The small team I sent to infiltrate Goguryeo has already sent back good news!"

Wang De stepped forward, took the secret report, and presented it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin received the secret report and began to read it.

At first, his expression was relatively calm, but as his gaze moved downwards, his eyebrows gradually rose, and a clear look of astonishment appeared on his face.

When he saw the words "multiple granaries burned down", "inciting riots and looting of grain", "grain prices are high but there is no market for it", and "assassination of Quan Gaisuwen's trusted general", his hand holding the secret report involuntarily tightened, and his knuckles turned slightly white.

There was silence in the hall.

After a long while, Li Shimin slowly put down the secret report, raised his head, and looked at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression.

His tone was filled with disbelief.

"Is everything reported here true?"

"Your Majesty, this was sent back through a special channel arranged by your son, and it is absolutely true!"

Li Chengqian's tone was resolute.

"Chen Zhen and his men have indeed performed a remarkable feat!"

Li Shimin leaned back on his throne, his deep eyes flashing rapidly.

He needs some time to process this shocking news.

When the Crown Prince proposed training a crack team to infiltrate Goguryeo and carry out sabotage, he did not explicitly oppose it, but he did not have high hopes either.

More often than not, the intention was to let the crown prince try out and gain some experience.

In his conventional wisdom, the outcome of a war depends on the strength of the forces on the main battlefield, the commander's strategy, the morale of the army, and the abundance of supplies.

Such small-scale sabotage operations behind enemy lines might serve a harassing purpose.

But it could never have a decisive impact on the course of the war.

However, the secret report before him completely overturned this understanding!

Burning the grain supplies directly undermined the very foundation upon which Goguryeo was able to sustain the war!

This triggered popular uprisings and undermined its ruling order from within!
Assassinate the general and disrupt his command system!

With this series of combined attacks, Goguryeo was already in chaos and weakened in its rear before it even clashed with the main force of the Tang Dynasty!

This effect goes far beyond mere harassment.
This is practically strangling the lifeline of Yeon Gaesomun!

"Two hundred people...with only two hundred people..."

Li Shimin murmured to himself, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

He involuntarily picked up the secret report again, carefully examining every word, as if to confirm that this was not an illusion.

He recalled the words the Crown Prince used when explaining the role of this squad, which sounded somewhat mystical at the time.

In retrospect, it was incredibly accurate!
The cunning and precision behind this scheme are astounding!

This is absolutely unconventional military thinking!

This squad applied this new and highly efficient tactic to actual combat and achieved such brilliant, almost miraculous, results!

Li Shimin felt a sudden shock, but at the same time, a great joy and excitement welled up in his heart.

With such chaos in the rear of Goguryeo, food supplies were scarce, morale was low, and the army's morale was inevitably affected.

This was a golden opportunity for the main force of the Tang Dynasty, which was about to launch an offensive in the spring!

The enemy was thrown into chaos before the battle even began. With the enemy's strength diminishing, the Tang Dynasty's chances of victory increased by more than 50%.
"Good! Good! Good!" Li Shimin said three times.

A genuine, undisguised smile of excitement finally appeared on his face.

"Gao Ming, you have done a great job this time! This team deserves the highest credit!"

His gaze toward Li Chengqian was filled with unprecedented admiration and a hint of indescribable complexity.

This son has surprised him in many ways, not only in terms of finance and politics.

Today, in military strategy, they have also shown such amazing vision and courage that are different from ordinary people!

All of this seems to be inextricably linked to the elusive "master" behind him.

"This is all thanks to the Emperor's great blessings and the soldiers' bravery. Your son dares not take credit for it."

Li Chengqian suppressed his excitement and responded humbly.

But he knew that his father's praise at this moment came from the bottom of his heart.

"You don't need to be so modest."

Li Shimin waved his hand, his gaze sharpening and filled with fighting spirit once again.

"Goguryeo has been severely weakened by this attack, and internal rifts are bound to develop! This is a golden opportunity!"

"Your Highness, all the soldiers who have rendered meritorious service should be rewarded, and their families should receive double the compensation!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Li Chengqian bowed, accepted the order, and took his leave.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shimin summoned the important officials of the court to discuss the matter of Goguryeo.

Li Shimin sat upright, his face calm, his gaze sweeping over Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Ji, Tang Jian, and Gao Shilian, who had just been urgently summoned.

"I have summoned you all here because of the latest developments in Goguryeo."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall instinctively held their breath for a moment.

Goguryeo is the most important matter for the current court, and any slight movement from it affects everyone's nerves.

"According to a secret report I just received."

Li Shimin's gaze swept over the crowd, taking in their reactions.

“In recent days, a series of dramatic changes have occurred within the territory of Goguryeo. Several important granaries within its borders have been suddenly burned down, resulting in heavy losses.”

"Within the country, a large-scale grain-buying frenzy has emerged, with private grain reserves being rapidly depleted, grain prices soaring, and even becoming so scarce that there is no market for grain despite the high prices."

He spoke slowly, and every word was crystal clear to everyone present.

He made no mention of the source of the information, nor of the Crown Prince or the secret squad.

Simply state the results in a straightforward manner.

However, this calm narration stirred up a huge storm in the hearts of several important officials!

Changsun Wuji's fingers, which were stroking his beard, suddenly stopped, and his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Grain warehouses burned down? People looted grain in a riot?
This...this is no ordinary incident!

Although the court has begun to take action against Goguryeo, as far as he knows, it has only reached the point of exchanging salt for grain.

Your Majesty's information network is so efficient, even faster than the court's usual border reports...

Moreover, His Majesty did not seem too surprised by this matter.

Fang Xuanling paused in stroking his beard, his brows furrowing slightly.

He also instantly realized the unusual nature of the news.

Such methods are ruthless, precise, and hit the nail on the head; they could not possibly be the work of any internal force in Goguryeo, nor could they be a coincidence.

Did His Majesty arrange for someone else?

still is……

The image of the crown prince flashed through his mind instantly.

(End of this chapter)