My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

At that time, Yuan Shao had several famous strategists under his command: Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Xu You, Shen Pei, and Guo Tu, among others.

Ju Shou advised Yuan Shao: "Cao Cao holds the emperor hostage in Xuchang and commands the other lords. He has a political advantage. If we attack rashly, we will have no legitimate reason to do so."

We can deal with Cao Cao in this way: First, we eliminated Gongsun Zan in the north, maintained the unity of the country, and also made many contributions to the court. We can report our achievements to the court.

If Cao Cao had stopped it, then Cao Cao would have lost politically.

This gives us a reason to send troops to attack Cao Cao; this is a righteous army.

Secondly, we can vigorously develop production and land reclamation, focusing on the economy and accumulating strength. At the same time, we can send small units to harass Cao Cao's rear, employing guerrilla warfare, mobile warfare, and protracted warfare strategies to keep Cao Cao restless and exhausted.

In this way, Cao Cao will be exhausted and overwhelmed in less than three years. At that time, we can send troops to attack him and defeat him in one battle.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of Ju Shou's idea?" Wei Zheng asked eloquently.

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Ju Shou's idea is good, and it is indeed feasible."

If Yuan Shao were to report his achievements to the imperial court, Cao Cao would be in a very difficult position.

If Cao Cao hadn't intervened, Emperor Xian of Han would certainly have commended Yuan Shao's achievements.

Then, everyone in the world would know about Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao would become a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty, and his fame would rise.

If Cao Cao were to obstruct or stifle free speech, he would lose his moral ground, and others could use this as a pretext to launch a military campaign against him, putting Cao Cao in a very passive position.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"If Yuan Shao had adopted mobile warfare, guerrilla warfare, and protracted warfare, the cost would have been low, the efficiency high, the returns great, and the risks low."

You're absolutely right.

However, Shen Pei and Guo Tu did not think so. Guo Tu was best at flattery. He said, "Lord Yuan, you are so wise and powerful. We have so many troops. Cao Cao's forces are weak. Isn't it easy for us to defeat Cao Cao?"

Do we need to resort to those underhanded tactics?

The army could simply march straight in and utterly defeat Cao Cao, forcing him to his knees and beg for mercy in no time. Why wait three years? Delaying only invites unforeseen complications!

Yuan Shao was an ambitious man, and upon hearing Guo Tu's words, he immediately made the decision to send troops to attack Cao Cao.

Logically speaking, Yuan Shao's forces were several times larger than Cao Cao's.

Even though they were at a political disadvantage, they still had a chance to defeat Cao Cao.

While Cao Cao's army and Yuan Shao's army were locked in a stalemate at Baima and Yanjin, Cao Cao also took the time to deal with Liu Bei in Xuzhou.

Liu Bei sent an envoy to Yuan Shao to ask for help.

Xu You then suggested to Yuan Shao that they take advantage of Cao Cao's attack on Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xuchang.

Yuan Shao, however, refused to send troops, citing his son Yuan Shang's illness as the reason. Wei Zheng shook his head and sighed repeatedly as he said this.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh: "This Yuan Shao is truly an oddball! As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, how can he let his child's illness delay matters of state? Isn't that a joke?"

"Yes, it's a joke in itself, but Yuan Shao did it anyway!"

Soon after, three important events occurred on Yuan Shao's side.

"What three things?"

"Firstly, Liu Bei used the excuse of seeking external assistance from Liu Biao in Jingzhou to flee with his troops, thus depriving Yuan Shao of external support."

Secondly, Xu You was very depressed because his strategies were not adopted. In addition, Xu You's family members were corrupt and committed a crime. Therefore, Xu You fled to Cao Cao to avoid punishment. As a result, Yuan Shao lost a strategist.

Thirdly, when Cao Cao led his army to attack Wuchao, his general Zhang He advised Yuan Shao to immediately reinforce Wuchao, arguing that if the Wuchao granary fell, Yuan Shao's army would be doomed.

However, Yuan Shao did not adopt Zhang He's suggestion.

He listened to his advisors and devised a plan called "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" to launch a surprise attack on Cao Cao's main camp.

When Yuan Shao's army arrived at Cao Cao's main camp, they discovered that Cao Cao's main camp was not so easy to raid.

After Wuchao was burned, Yuan Shao asked his strategist Zhang He what his reaction was.

Some advisors said that Zhang He was gloating over the misfortune.

Enraged, Yuan Shao wanted to deal with Zhang He.

After learning this news, Zhang He discussed it with his general Gao Lan and decided to simply surrender to Cao Cao.

As a result, Yuan Shao lost another ally.

Yuan Shao suffered a political defeat;

In terms of command, there were errors;

Strategically, it was a miscalculation;

The personnel selection was inappropriate;

Organizationally, there was discord.

Ultimately, Cao Cao personally led his army to burn down the Wuchao granary, resulting in a major defeat for Yuan Shao's army.

Li Shimin picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and sighed, "Yuan Shao is still too slow to react. He didn't seize the opportunity when given it."

They are always unable to accept the correct opinions of others.

Wei Zheng cleared his throat and continued, "Actually, Yuan Shao wasn't without a chance to turn the tide."

but,

His handling of the crown prince issue was quite poor.

Yuan Shao originally designated his eldest son, Yuan Tan, as his heir, which was perfectly reasonable.

However, he also felt that Yuan Tan was not good-looking, while his younger son Yuan Shang was very handsome and resembled him more.

In his mind, he himself was a handsome man, so the one who would succeed him should also be a handsome man.

Li Shimin was speechless when he heard this, because he really couldn't imagine that Yuan Shao was so absurd.

"Yuan Shao originally controlled four major provinces: Youzhou, Qingzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou. Therefore, he planned to have each of his three sons and one nephew guard one province."

This matter was met with strong opposition from Ju Shou, who said that if this were to happen, wouldn't your sons be fighting each other for the position of heir apparent in the future?

However, Yuan Shao wouldn't listen.

Because he favored his youngest son, Yuan Shang, he kept Yuan Shang by his side and allowed him to occupy Ji Province.

Ji Province is a large province with fertile land and abundant resources. Therefore, Yuan Tan worried that Yuan Shang would usurp his position as heir apparent.

Instead of seeking revenge against Cao Cao, they engaged in infighting among themselves.

The three brothers fought amongst themselves, severely weakening Yuan's army.

Soon after, Yuan Tan was killed by Cao Cao, and Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang fled to Gongsun Kang, the governor of Liaodong.

His subordinates advised Cao Cao to send troops to attack Gongsun Kang, but Cao Cao shook his head and said, "It won't be long before Gongsun Kang sends the heads of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang to us."

As Cao Cao had predicted, not long after, Gongsun Kang delivered the heads of Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi.

Li Shimin, with his hands tucked into his sleeves and leaning back on the dragon throne, said, "It seems Cao Cao was incredibly insightful."

"It wasn't that Cao Cao was a prophet, but rather that he had a keen understanding of human nature."

He knew that Gongsun Kang, the governor of Liaodong, and the brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang were not of one mind.

If Cao Cao's army launches a strong attack, Gongsun Kang will join forces with the Yuan brothers to deal with Cao Cao.

If things are delayed, suspicion will arise between Gongsun Kang and the Yuan brothers.

Gongsun Kang wanted to kill the brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.

The brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang wanted to kill Gongsun Kang again.

Later, Gongsun Kang set up a trap and killed the brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang at the banquet.

The Yuan family is completely finished.

Li Shimin's expression gradually became serious, because he also understood the implied meaning in Wei Zheng's words.

"My dear minister, are you saying that Yuan Shao's defeat was due to his decision to depose his eldest son and install a younger one in his place?"

"Your Majesty is wise," Wei Zheng said, quickly stepping forward. "You could say that Yuan Shao originally had a chance to turn the tide, but he didn't handle the issue of the heir apparent well."

He clearly designated Yuan Tan as his heir, intending for him to inherit his position, yet he disliked Yuan Tan's appearance and instead favored his younger son, Yuan Shang, giving Yuan Shang an even larger territory and a larger army than Yuan Tan.

How could Yuan Tan not have some doubts?

This is what they call internal strife.

Li Shimin was incredibly intelligent, and he immediately understood the hidden meaning in Wei Zheng's words: "Just say what you have to say, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"The Lantern Festival is in three days. The martial arts examination is a major event for our Great Tang Dynasty. After going through layers of selection, all the candidates are basically in place."

"Has Cheng Gan returned?"

Not yet.

Li Shimin was very displeased: "He has disobeyed the imperial edict twice. I intend to have the Court of Judicial Review arrest him and punish him."

"Your Majesty, what crime has the Crown Prince committed?"

"I should ask you the same thing. That time I sent you to deliver a message to Luoyang, did you meet Chenggan?"

"I saw him."

"Then why doesn't he come back?"

Wei Zheng stroked his beard calmly and said, "He can't come back, even if he wanted to."

Why?

"Back then, Emperor Wu of Han and his son Liu Ju were at odds and eventually went to war. Liu Ju was defeated and committed suicide. Later, Emperor Wu of Han regretted it deeply."

You were angry at the time.

If the Crown Prince returns, and you and your son have a disagreement, what if you actually kill Li Chenggan? Will you not regret it in the future?

Therefore, Li Chenggan's decision not to return was also to avoid further escalation of the conflict. A smart child will stay far away from his parents when they are angry, rather than confront them head-on.

Secondly, the Turkic army suddenly besieged Luoyang.

Have you sent reinforcements to Luoyang?

Li Shimin shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to send reinforcements to Luoyang, but time is too short, and there's no time to mobilize troops."

Moreover, there was a five-nation coalition outside Chang'an at that time, and no one knew what they were up to. Chang'an wasn't safe either.

Wei Zheng nodded: "Your Majesty, your considerations are not without merit."

Since the imperial court cannot attend to Luoyang, can the crown prince stand idly by?

Therefore,

Under those circumstances, I also advised him not to come back.

As it turned out, Li Chengan's decision to stay in Luoyang was the right one.

Without Li Chenggan, could Li Daozong's 30,000 troops have defeated the more than 100,000 Turkic troops?

"It's likely that Luoyang has already been captured by the Turkic army."

Li Shimin lowered his head and remained silent.

"Your Majesty is surely well aware of what happened."

After the Turkic army besieged Luoyang, Zhang Shigui's four sons were captured. It was the Crown Prince who mobilized a five-nation coalition to help the Tang army in Luoyang fight against the Turkic army.

Therefore, objectively speaking, it was the crown prince who defeated the Turkic army.

"The Crown Prince has rendered great service, but for some reason, His Majesty has never mentioned rewarding him. Why is that?" Wei Zheng asked rhetorically.

Li Shimin remained silent.

"Furthermore, I must say something fair: the 10,000 troops led by Fuyu Fengzhang performed admirably in their battle against the Turkic army."

Fuyu Fengzhang and King Shanbei held off 30,000 Turkic troops attacking from the east.

In the end, our Tang army won.

Wasn't Fuyu Fengzhang a meritorious official?

His Majesty, however, issued an edict ordering Yi Dojong to surround 10,000 Baekje troops and to arrest Buyeo Pungjang, imprisoning him in the Dali Temple jail.

Is Your Majesty's action truly appropriate?

Li Shimin lightly tapped the document with his right hand: "Baekje and Goguryeo are colluding to attack Silla."

"I intend to make an example of Fuyu Fengzhang."

"Your Majesty's actions are too hasty and too simplistic; this is not like Your Majesty's style."

Although Buyeo Pungjang was the son of Buyeo Uija.

However, the father and son had different temperaments; Fuyu Fengzhang was friendly and cordial to the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, he promised to go back and persuade his father to sever ties with Goguryeo. Wouldn't that be better?

If that's the case, Goguryeo will be isolated and helpless, and we can then focus solely on dealing with Goguryeo.

Li Shimin waved his hand: "My dear minister, things are not as simple as you think."

Fu Yu Fengzhang's statement was merely a delaying tactic.

He wanted to gain our trust and return safely to Baekje, but once he got back to Baekje, he changed his mind. This is one of their usual tricks.

Back when Emperor Yang of Sui led a million-strong army to attack Goguryeo, Goguryeo did exactly the same thing.

If the Sui army is defeated by them, they will swarm forward and tear the Sui army apart like tigers and wolves.

If they are defeated, they will kneel down and beg for surrender.

Emperor Yang of Sui was very lenient towards the surrendered Goguryeo troops; as long as they said they had surrendered, he would not pursue their responsibilities.

Once the Goguryeo army gets a chance to regroup, it will rebel again.

The Goguryeo army was indeed fickle.

This put Emperor Yang of Sui in a terrible predicament; not accepting the surrender was problematic, but accepting it was also problematic.

In the end, he couldn't tell who had truly surrendered and who had feigned surrender.

We can't fall for Fuyu Fengzhang's tricks.

Wei Zheng straightened his clothes and said, "Your Majesty, I do not agree with your view."

Fu Yufengzhang was renowned for his virtue; he was a gentleman who knew how to repay kindness.

He will definitely keep his promise to you.

If our Tang army surrounds the 10,000 troops led by Fuyu Fengzhang, a mutiny will inevitably occur if this continues for too long.

With the imperial military examinations approaching, it would be inappropriate for the army to besiege Baekje at this time.

Your Majesty, please issue an edict ordering King Dojong to lift the siege of the Baekje army and release Buyeo Pungjang.

Otherwise, disaster will easily occur.

Li Shimin truly deserves to be called a wise and benevolent ruler.

Although he was a little unhappy, after thinking about it calmly, he realized that what Wei Zheng said made sense.

So he picked up his pen and wrote an imperial edict.

Just then, a man rushed in from outside and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened."

Li Shimin looked down and saw that the person who had come was Dai Zhou from the Dali Temple.

Li Shimin frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"For some unknown reason, Fu Yu Feng Zhang suddenly fainted, his whole body was convulsing, he was burning up, and he was foaming at the mouth, as if he was about to die."

"What did you say? How could such a thing happen?" Li Shimin was also very surprised.

Dai Zhou was nervous inside, but he remained calm on the surface: "Your Majesty, I don't know either. He was fine during the day, but suddenly fell ill at night."

"How is this possible?"

This reminded Li Shimin of the last time Fang Yi'ai sneaked into the Dali Temple prison and poisoned two thieves who looked like Chengxin and Wei Lingfu.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that someone has infiltrated the Dali Temple prison again to poison us?"

Dai Zhou quickly waved his hand: "Your Majesty, that's impossible. Tonight, I've been in the Dali Temple prison the whole time and haven't found any suspicious people entering the Dali Temple prison."

Li Shimin waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that for now. Let's send Fuyu Fengzhang to the Imperial Hospital for treatment first."

"Yes, Your Majesty! This humble subject takes his leave!"

After Dai Zhou finished speaking, he bowed and withdrew.

Just as this matter was being dealt with, a scout entered from outside, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, Xue Hu's tribe in Lingzhou has rebelled again."

"Is that so?" Li Shimin exclaimed, unable to sit still. "Wasn't Lingzhou already pacified by Li Daozong?"

"Your Majesty, the Xuehu tribe has indeed rebelled, and their momentum is immense. If it is not quelled, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"I understand. You may leave now and continue your investigation!" Li Shimin waved his hand.

"promise!"

The scout agreed and turned to leave.

Li Shimin touched his head, feeling a slight headache.

Wei Zheng stood to the side expressionlessly, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Li Shimin looked at Wei Zheng: "My dear minister, what do you think we should do about this?"

Wei Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the reason why Xue Hu dared to rebel again is because they felt there was an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

They may have thought that Chang'an and Luoyang were not peaceful enough, so they could take advantage of the situation to invade.

Therefore, I suggest that Li Daozong be sent to quell the rebellion, given his long experience dealing with Xue Hubu.”

Li Shimin countered, "If Li Daozong is sent to quell the rebellion, who will guard Luoyang?"

"The most suitable candidate is naturally the Crown Prince."

Why?

"Back then, Emperor Yang of Sui and his son, Crown Prince Yang Zhao, were in different locations: one in Daxing City and the other in Luoyang."

During the period when father and son ruled the country separately, the whole country was peaceful.

Therefore, this approach is relatively safe.

Whether it was the five-nation alliance or the Turkic army, they admired the crown prince.

With the crown prince around, they will not cause trouble.

The siege of Luoyang was lifted because Li Chengqian was in Luoyang;

The reason why the Turks surrendered to our Tang Dynasty was because of the crown prince.

Therefore, I suggest that Li Chengqian be stationed in Luoyang.

"Of course, this martial arts examination is a grand event, and he can come back to participate."

Li Shimin hesitated because this matter was of utmost importance. In a sense, it meant delegating power to the Crown Prince, which was tantamount to handing over Luoyang and the vast area east of Luoyang to the Crown Prince.

If Your Majesty is still concerned, you may withdraw all of Li Daozong's 30,000 troops and Zhang Shigui's troops.

He left only 5,000 Turkic troops to guard Luoyang for Li Chenggan, and transferred all the rest of the troops away.

"The Crown Prince has few troops, so Your Majesty need not worry."

Li Shimin thought the plan was acceptable, so he nodded in agreement.

……

It was the third watch of the night.

Luoyang, Yuelai Inn.

Li Chengan couldn't sleep.

He got off the bed, crossed his arms, and paced back and forth in the room, lost in thought.

So much has happened lately that he hasn't had time to think.

He vaguely felt as if the hand of fate was pushing him forward, never stopping him for a moment.

First, because Li Tai wanted to seize the position of crown prince and framed him at every turn, a group of ministers led by Fang Xuanling impeached him before the emperor.

This led to his father issuing an edict to arrest him. In the rush, with the help of Master Xuanzang, he disguised himself as a monk and escaped from Chang'an.

Unexpectedly, Songtsen Gampo, King Shanbei, Fuyu Fengzhang, Tuoba Chici, and Murong Shun led their troops to Chang'an and besieged the city in order to save him.

The emperor climbed to the top of the city wall and ordered them to retreat, but they refused. This greatly angered the emperor.

Immediately afterwards, the remnants of the Turkic forces suddenly surrounded Luoyang. Outnumbered, Luoyang was in imminent danger. He put aside past grievances and joined forces with Li Daozong, Zhang Shigui, and the armies of the five kingdoms to fight against the Turkic army.

Ultimately, they defeated the Turkic army and persuaded Ashina Simo to surrender.

This was supposed to be a good thing, but unexpectedly it brought disaster upon himself.

Next, Buyeo Pungjang was captured, and the Baekje army was besieged.

Although he did his best to rescue Fuyu Fengzhang

However, the emperor still refused to lift the siege of the Baekje army, and Buyeo Pungjang had not yet been released.

Li Chenggan realized that things couldn't continue like this.

Perhaps the emperor hadn't figured out how to deal with Buyeo Pungjang and Baekje's army.

Also, who did he have his first sexual experience with that night?

I clearly remember being intimate with Su Wan, so how did that person suddenly become Qu Zhili?

This is really strange!

Could it be that he didn't give his first time to Su Wan, but instead gave it to Qu Zhili?

Moreover, Qu Zhili also said that she was pregnant, but she didn't know if it was true or not. What a coincidence!

If that's the case, then my marksmanship is practically on par with Liu Bang's.

With the martial arts exam just around the corner, should I return to Chang'an or not?

If I return to Chang'an, I fear my father will punish me.

It wouldn't be appropriate not to return. This martial arts examination is unprecedented in scale and a very important event. How could I possibly be absent?

Wouldn't that be a great pity?

Just as Li Chenggan was lost in thought, suddenly, two people burst in from outside.

It turned out that Xue Rengui was carrying someone who stumbled in, and the person was covered in blood.

At first glance, Li Chengan didn't recognize who it was, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the person Xue Rengui was supporting was none other than Qin Ying.

Li Chengan was taken aback and quickly grabbed Qin Ying's hand, asking with concern, "What's wrong?"

Upon seeing Li Chenggan, Qin Ying was overjoyed to finally see a relative. She burst into tears, crying out, "Your Highness, everything is ruined!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan felt as if he had kicked into thin air: "What do you mean, all over? Just tell me already!"

"The 10,000 troops led by Buyeo Pungjang were almost completely slaughtered."

"What?"

Li Chengan suddenly grabbed Qin Ying's shoulders, feeling a dizzying sensation before his eyes. "Who did this?"

Could it have been Li Daozong who led the Tang army to commit this?

"No, that's not it. At night, I was patrolling the military camp when suddenly, thousands of black-clad assassins appeared out of nowhere. They were masked, so I couldn't see their faces."

However, those men in black were highly skilled in martial arts; one of them was worth ten.

Originally, the Baekje army had been suffering from poor rations lately, often going hungry at each meal, eating only two meals a day, and their faces were pale and sallow.

How could they possibly withstand such a sudden attack?

Those men were all wielding long Japanese swords.

The knife was exceptionally sharp, and their swordsmanship was extremely strange. I fought back fiercely, but they were too powerful.

"If Xue Rengui hadn't arrived in time to save me, I wouldn't be alive today!"

Li Chenggan's head was buzzing, because at this moment he couldn't figure out who the other person was.

"Could it have been done by people from the Japanese?"

I don't think so.

Xue Rengui added, "Your Highness, we have learned that Fuyu Fengzhang suddenly fainted and was foaming at the mouth, as if he had been poisoned."

"Who poisoned him?"

"I don't know. Your father has already ordered someone to send Fuyu Fengzhang to the Imperial Hospital, but the Imperial Hospital is helpless."

Li Chenggan thought to himself, "As expected, delay will only lead to trouble. Could it be that my father wants to kill the armies of Buyeo Pungjang and Baekje?"

If that were the case, the hatred between the Tang Dynasty and Baekje would be sealed and could never be resolved.

Seeing that Qin Ying's face was pale and beads of sweat the size of soybeans were dripping from her forehead, Li Chengan asked, "How are you feeling?"