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

Fang Xuanling cleared his throat and continued, "Luo Yi is dead. His son, Luo Cheng, led his men back to Zhuojun, seized the mountains, and became a bandit."

Luo Cheng has become a rebel against the imperial court.

However, Li Chengan actually mingled with Luo Cheng and valued Luo Cheng highly.

Luo Cheng was incredibly audacious. Taking advantage of the martial arts examination, he went to the capital to visit Wei Zheng, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and others.

Luo Cheng was Qin Qiong's cousin, and the two families were very close.

We can use this as grounds to impeach Li Chenggan.

Colluding with the imperial court in rebellion, intending to plot a rebellion—this is a serious crime.

According to the laws of our Great Tang Dynasty, not only would Li Chengqian lose his position as crown prince, he might not even keep his head.

Li Tai seemed somewhat excited upon hearing this.

He paced back and forth in the hall, rubbing his hands together incessantly: "Your Excellency, according to you, Li Chenggan is doomed this time."

"It's too early to say," Fang Xuanling paused, "Also, Li Chenggan's crime of disobeying the imperial order is not insignificant either."

If everyone were like him, what use would an imperial edict be?

I'm sure your father will also care about this matter.

"Yes, Father absolutely cannot allow anyone to challenge his authority."

Fang Xuanling's sharp eyes gazed out the window: "Most importantly, Li Chengqian is secretly cultivating his own power."

He ordered Ashina She'er to lead 10,000 cavalry to garrison on the border of Gaochang.

Ostensibly, it was to intimidate the Western Regions, but in reality, it was to amass military power for its own benefit.

Civil officials are in charge of internal affairs, while military generals are in charge of external affairs; this is a strategic arrangement.

Not only that, he used various means to win over and bribe Songtsen Gampo, Murong Shun, Tuoba Chici, Fuyu Fengzhang, Ashina Simo, and the Great King of Shanbei, among others.

These people were as if they had been given a magic potion, obeying Li Chengqian's every command.

Upon hearing this, Li Tai's expression turned worried again: "Your Excellency, I am wondering if our strategy is wrong?"

All along, I have only wanted to stay in Chang'an, the economic, political, cultural and power center, fearing that I would be marginalized once I left Chang'an.

However, strangely enough, as long as Li Chengqian left Chang'an and went beyond the country,

He can then take the opportunity to reap benefits and cultivate his power.

Why do you think that is?

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling shook his head: "Your Majesty, I must say something I shouldn't have: this matter is no one else's fault but your own."

Fang Xuanling thought for a moment, recalling the past, whether it was the campaign against the Dangxiang or the conquest of the Tuyuhun,

We'll all try to get you to lead the troops into battle.

However, once you arrived at the battlefield, before the battle even began, you had already fled back.

Then, your father replaced him with Li Chenggan. Once he arrived on the battlefield, he was able to immediately turn the tide of the battle. This shows that it was a matter of your personal ability.

It's not that the Emperor didn't give you a chance, don't you think?

Li Tai blushed, thinking to himself, "That's right."

Fang Xuanling's words were not without merit; it seems that I am not very good at fighting at the moment.

But he couldn't understand why Li Chenggan would go to war.

Does this mean Li Chenggan was born a warrior?

Li Tai was truly resentful.

"This can't be entirely my fault. It's just that I gain weight too easily. If I weren't so fat, my martial arts skills would be passable."

Those present chuckled inwardly, knowing that Li Tai was simply too proud to admit his mistake and was only making things difficult for himself.

He made an excuse for himself.

Fang Xuanling lightly tapped the table with his left index finger: "Your Majesty, in the art of war, strategy should come first."

As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, do you really need to personally take to the front lines?

"You underestimated your opponent and didn't plan ahead."

"Normally, I not only have to handle some government affairs, but I am also busy compiling the 'Kuodi Zhi' (Records of the Land), so my time is too tight and I have no time to study military strategy."

"I'll have to study military strategy more carefully in the future," Li Tai said, making excuses for himself.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling shook his head again: "Your Majesty, we cannot learn from Zhao Kuo's empty talk about war. We must learn from actual battles, summarize our experiences, and learn from our mistakes."

Furthermore, we must unite all forces that can be united to deal with Li Chenggan.

Hearing this, Li Tai was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Your Excellency, what do you mean by that?"

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and shook his head: "This martial arts examination is unprecedented in scale. No one expected that Yeon Gaesomun, Soga Ezo, Inugami Mitaku, Soga Iruka, and Buyeo Takashi would all come."

Several of them were very dissatisfied with Li Chenggan.

Your Majesty, why not go and pay them a visit?

Let's unite with them and take this opportunity to eliminate Li Chenggan and his cronies.

Didn't Yeon Gaesomun propose a real sword and spear duel with Ashina Simo?

This is also a great opportunity.

Ashina Simo had 10 Turkic troops under his command.

If Yeon Gaesuwen really kills Ashina Simo, we can take the opportunity to seize military power from the Turkic army.

If your father were to assign you command of 10 Turkic troops, you would be like a tiger with wings.

This can be described as using someone else's strength against them.

Since Li Chenggan was able to win over Songtsen Gampo, Bhaisajyaguru, King Shanbei, Ashina Simo, Tuoba Chici, and Murong Shun,

Then we can bribe Yeon Gaesomun, Buyeo Ryong, Soga Iruka, Inugami Mitsuhiko, and Ranborasha-no-wo, among others.

Those people wield considerable power; they can turn the world upside down with a flick of their wrist.

Upon hearing this, Li Tai's eyes lit up: "That's right, that's how it is."

……

Yeon Gaesomun, Buyeo Ryū, and Inugami Oda Kō discussed countermeasures at the inn.

Fuyu Long sighed: "I originally planned to use this opportunity to make a name for myself, but I was unlucky enough to run into Ashina Simo."

I initially thought that because he was very skilled with weapons, his hand-to-hand combat would be weaker, but I didn't expect him to be so good at it.

"The Turks are the best at wrestling, don't you even know that basic common sense?" Yeon Gaesomun waved his hand, "You don't need to boost their morale and diminish your own."

In my opinion, Ashina Simo was nothing special; didn't he also have two shoulders carrying a head?

Our Goguryeo and the Eastern Turks have been dealing with each other for quite some time.

Overall, the Turks were still one step behind the Tang people.

Back then, the Eastern Turks had a million archers, making them far more powerful than the Xiongnu at that time.

If they govern their country diligently and maintain good relations with the Western and Eastern states,

They shouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat.

Jieli Khan is too simple-minded. He listens to Princess Yicheng no matter what. She's an old woman with long hair and short wits. What does she know?

Princess Yicheng gave misguided instructions from behind the scenes, resulting in the failure to send troops when they should have, and the sending of troops when they should not have.

When they should have attacked the east, they attacked the west; when they should have attacked the south, they attacked the north.

Despite having a large army, they were divided on their own, each acting independently, creating utter chaos.

Fu Yulong agreed, saying, "General, you are absolutely right."

Putting aside everything else, they didn't maintain good relations with your Goguryeo.

Nowadays, war is never a battle fought by a single country alone, but rather a joint effort with other countries.

"If the Eastern Turks could have maintained good relations with your Goguryeo, and with you as their backers, the Eastern Turks might not have perished."

“You’re right,” Yeon Gaesomun stood up, pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. “I’m not exaggerating, but I’ve been dealing with the people of the Central Plains for more than just a year or two.”

When I was a teenager, Emperor Yang of Sui led an army of a million to attack Goguryeo.

I accompanied my father on military campaigns and frequently fought against renowned generals of the Sui army.

For example, Yuwen Shu, Lai Huer, etc.

Some say that Yuwen Shu was incredibly powerful and invincible.

However, we defeated their army of three or four hundred thousand.

Also, isn't Lai Huer's navy formidable?

They set out from the south, sailing upstream along the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, approaching the Yalu River, intending to launch a surprise attack on our Goguryeo navy. However, we lured them deep into our territory and utterly defeated them.

In this way, both the Sui army's land and naval forces were defeated by us.

After returning home, Emperor Yang of Sui, deeply saddened by his defeat, led a million-strong army to launch a second campaign against Goguryeo.

We sent people to the Sui court to persuade Yang Xuangan to rebel, but as a result, the Sui army fought amongst themselves.

Yang Xuangan, who was originally stationed at the granary in Liyang, refused to distribute grain.

The Sui army lost its composure and collapsed without a fight.

By the time Emperor Yang of Sui led his army to conquer Goguryeo for the third time, we had completely mastered the Sui army's methods of warfare.

The Sui army appeared powerful, but in reality, it was just a paper tiger.

We turned the tables, taking precautions beforehand and launching a fierce counterattack, routing them and leaving them terrified.

At this moment, Inugami Oda Kuchi sneered: "General, I'm afraid that's not entirely true."

I've heard that once your Goguryeo army is defeated, it surrenders to the Sui army.

Given the opportunity, they will rebel again.

You are fickle and utterly untrustworthy.

Upon hearing this, Yeon Gaesomun's face flushed red and then turned pale.

Because he knew that what Inugami Odenkuchi said was true.

At that time, Emperor Yang of Sui appointed a pacification commissioner to each of the Sui army's armies.

They could recruit Goguryeo troops who were willing to surrender at any time.

Moreover, as long as the Goguryeo army is willing to surrender, past transgressions can be forgiven.

The Goguryeo people were also very clever. They later mastered this pattern: if they could win, they would fight; if they couldn't, they would surrender and then rebel. This was their usual tactic.

They felt no shame whatsoever; in fact, they were proud of it.

Inugami Oda continued, "Our Japanese army is not like that."

"If our army is defeated, commit suicide."

Yeon Gaesomun disagreed: "Do you think your army is very brave?"

That's called stupid!

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Why would someone commit suicide after suffering a defeat?

Look at those famous generals of ancient times, how many of them never suffered a defeat?

If they committed suicide after losing a battle, how could they have achieved any further victories?

For example, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, fought against Xiang Yu and almost never won a single battle, suffering more defeats than victories. If what you say is true, would Liu Bang still have become the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty?

"Because our army has never been defeated, our taxi drivers only think about victory when they go to war. Therefore, they are fearless, forge ahead bravely, and become more and more courageous in battle."

Inugami Oda-kumi and Yeon Gaesomun were arguing endlessly about how to deal with the defeat.

"Generals, please stop arguing. You both have valid points," Fu Yulong could only try to persuade them, because he couldn't afford to offend either of them.

Yeon Gaesomun pondered for a moment: "I'm not bragging here, but how many people in the Central Plains don't know my name, Yeon Gaesomun?"

It is said that Li Guang was very famous in the Xiongnu army back then.

The Xiongnu people would avoid the place whenever they heard the name of General Li Guang.

Well, I can say that too.

My position and status in the hearts of the Han people probably far surpasses that of Li Guang; who among them would dare to fight me?

Buyeo Long flattered, "General, your wisdom and martial prowess are a blessing to Goguryeo."

Inugami Odenkuchi was drinking tea when he heard this. He spat out his tea onto the ground with a "pfft" and laughed, "That's too much! That's too much!"

Yeon Gaesomun stared at Inugami Oda-kumi and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

Do you look down on me?

Inugami Oden placed the teacup on the table and coughed twice: "General, I absolutely did not mean to look down on you."

I've been listening to you for a while now, and it's all about your battles with the Sui army. So, I'll assume that what you said is true.

However, you must understand that this is no longer the Sui Dynasty.

The world has changed; it is now the Tang Dynasty's domain.

Li Shimin's ability to become emperor was a miracle in itself.

He was a wise and virtuous emperor, a rare find throughout history.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that his civil and military achievements surpassed those of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han.

Li Shimin was capable of conquering the world on horseback and governing it on foot; he was a man of both literary and military talent.

His archery skills were impeccable, hitting the bullseye every time.

It is said that when he fought against the enemy, he was often surrounded, but he always managed to fight his way out, which is simply incredible.

Moreover, Li Shimin's generals, such as Li Jing, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Hou Junji, and Li Xiaogong, had all achieved great military exploits.

Any one of them could be a powerful and influential figure.

They were far superior to people like Yuwen Shu and Lai Huer.

For example, Li Jing was known as the "God of War".

Li Jing's military skills surpassed those of Bai Qi and Han Xin, who almost never suffered a defeat in battle.

Li Ji was exceptionally intelligent, shrewd, and could predict the enemy's moves with uncanny accuracy.

Li Xiaogong ranked first among Tang generals. He was a member of the Tang imperial family and a famous general.

So, times have changed. What you're talking about is all in the past. A true hero doesn't dwell on past glories, so please don't bring it up again.

Let's talk about now.

Although Yeon Gaesomun was somewhat displeased, he could not deny that Inugami Odenku was telling the truth.

The people that Inuue Odenkuwa just mentioned are indeed very powerful.

Yeon Gaesomun, hands on his hips, said, "This time, I propose a real duel with Ashina Simo. If I can kill Ashina Simo, it will dampen the morale of the Tang army."

Ashina Simo's army of over 100,000 had already surrendered to the Li Tang dynasty.

If I kill Ashina Simo, those Turkic troops will definitely resent Li Shimin and his son Li Chenggan.

"Then we've achieved half of our goal for this trip."

Inugami Oden shook his head: "Shogun, I have a different opinion on this."

Even if you possess unparalleled martial arts skills, it doesn't necessarily mean you can kill Ashina Simo.

Ashina Simo was known as the greatest warrior of the Turks, possessing unimaginable martial arts skills. Even the three great assassins and figures like Qin Ying were no match for him.

Therefore, I advise the general to reconsider whether or not to abandon this plan. What if something goes wrong with you?

If you really kill Ashina Simo

"Then, wouldn't the Turks hate you Goguryeo?"

Yeon Gaesomun was displeased upon hearing this: "What if? I carry five swords and have never met an opponent since I started out."

Even though Ashina Simo is highly skilled in martial arts, I am not afraid.

If I had killed Ashina Simo, it wouldn't have been on the battlefield.

It was killed in the martial arts arena.

The Turks would only resent Li Shimin and Li Chengqian, how could they resent me?

Upon hearing this, Inugami Mitaku knew that Yeon Gaesomun was a person who cared a great deal about his reputation.

If I continue, I might upset him.

Inugami Odenkuchi changed the subject: "Since Goguryeo and Baekje have joined forces to attack Silla, I think our focus should be on ensuring victory in this battle; everything else is secondary."

Upon hearing this, Yeon Gaesomun frowned: "It's not that I like to talk badly about people behind their backs, but King Sumyeong is a man who doesn't keep his word."

That time, we arrived at Naniwazu and had already reached an agreement with him.

We intend to purchase 100 large warships to equip our navy.

King Shuming initially agreed, but later reneged, only agreeing to sell us 20 warships.

How can 20 ships and 100 ships be the same?

Buyeo Long also said, "Yes, King Sumyeong, under pressure from Yi Seung-gwan, secretly altered the previously reached agreement."

At the time, we planned to fish with you at the beach.

Of course, that's not the main point. The main point is that, on the one hand, we will increase our income from fishing at sea, and on the other hand, we can hide troops on the fishing boats.

We can then quietly transport troops to the border of Silla.

We can strike unexpectedly, catching him off guard and launching a surprise attack.

This was a perfect plan.

However, your King Shuming has changed his mind again. I really don't understand why he listens to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian is the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty; naturally, he would consider the interests of the Tang Dynasty. Would he possibly consider the interests of your Wa (Japanese) kingdom?

Inugami Mitaku nodded: "What you two say makes sense. I'll report this to King Shuming when I get back."

However, as you may have heard,

Recently, for some reason, King Shuming has been quite prejudiced against me, stripping me of all my official positions and giving them all to the physician Hui Ri.

I originally thought Yakushi Eri was a good-for-nothing, but I didn't expect that kid to be so cunning. He's now riding on my head.

Upon hearing this, Yeon Gaesomun laughed and said, "I'm afraid it's not because of that. The real reason is that you're having an affair with the Queen of Sumyeong, isn't it?"

Inugami Oden's expression also changed: "General, you can't just say things like that."

If these words were to reach the ears of King Shuming, it would be no laughing matter.

Besides, you don't need to bring this up. I've heard you have an ambiguous relationship with your king's concubine, Ronghua. Is that true?

"This—," Yeon Gaesomun seemed very uneasy, thinking to himself that good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. He never expected that the matter between him and Consort Ronghua would also be spread.

"Have you heard something?"

"I haven't heard anything else. I only heard that last time you and Fuyu Long went to Sun Simiao to find an elixir to cure Consort Ronghua's illness."

If you had no relationship with Consort Ronghua, would you have needed to work so hard?

This is clearly a classic case of protesting too much.

"I went there to find the elixir of immortality on the orders of King Gao Jianwu," Yeon Gaesomun explained.

Inugami Odenkuchi smiled slightly: "Come on, if it were any other concubine, you probably wouldn't care so much."

Yeon Gaesomun and Inugami Odenkusa were exchanging barbs.

Fu Yulong could only try to persuade them from the sidelines, knowing that these two guys were not to be trifled with.

Fu Yulong then said, "Let's talk about something serious."

As Yeon Gaesomun paced back and forth, he said, "I am very confident that our Goguryeo and Baekje will unite to attack Silla."

No matter what, Kindergarten is just a little girl.

She just ascended to the throne, what does she know?

She fainted from fright as soon as our army arrived. What truly worries me is the Tang army.

On the surface, we are fighting Silla, but in reality, we are fighting the Tang army.

Gao Biaoren is no ordinary person.

He was Gao Jiong's son, well-versed in military strategy and an expert in naval warfare.

Currently, he is training the navy in Silla, and King Sanbeong also has a considerable number of troops stationed on the Silla border.

We are ready to support them at any time.

and,

Last time, Li Shimin sent Gao Biaoren with 50 warships to support Silla.

Therefore, Silla's navy has now become very powerful.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that we have too few warships.

It should be said that Yeon Gaesomun was relatively clear-headed, and his words hit the nail on the head.

"General, if that's the case, what should we do?"

We can't fight a battle we're not sure we can win.

Yeon Gaesomun looked up at the roof: "Have you guys figured it out? King Lee Tae of Yue isn't that scary."

He first launched a campaign against the Tanguts, but before the battle even began, he was so frightened that he fled back alone.

Later, he went to attack the Tuyuhun, but was defeated and forced to flee in disarray.

This shows that Li Tai's military talent was really terrible.

But the truly terrifying one is Li Chenggan.

So far, Li Chenggan has not suffered a defeat in battle.

He seems to be a born military genius.

Now, Li Chengan has gathered a group of talented individuals under his command. These individuals are all remarkable and skilled in battle.

In addition, the group of veteran generals under Li Shimin were also very capable, such as Li Jing, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong and Li Xiaogong. They were veterans of many battles and had rich combat experience.

Furthermore, this military examination will produce generals, deputy generals, vanguards, and deputy vanguards.

We need to eliminate all of these people.

In this way, even if Li Shimin wanted to support Silla in the future, it would be useless without a capable and experienced general to command the troops.

As for the other mediocre people, I won't pay them any attention.

Upon hearing this, Fu Yulong was astonished: "General, do you mean you intend to wipe them all out?"

"We'll bribe those we can, and kill those we can't."

"Isn't this exactly what Qin Shi Huang did when he unified the six kingdoms?" Yeon Gaesomun's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness that sent chills down one's spine.

"So, who do you think will stand with us?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The three of them immediately became alert.