Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

After a full incense stick's time had passed, Li Chengqian spoke up to stop him.

"Pah! He's all show and no substance. He couldn't even withstand a few punches from me, Old Black."

Yuchi Jingde flicked his wrist and spat at Quan Gai Suwen.

Li Chengqian slowly walked to Quan Gaisuwen's side and patted his swollen face.

"My lord, how hard are the knives of the Tang Dynasty?"

Looking at the smiling Tang Dynasty prince before him, Quan Gaisuwen felt a surge of fear.

madman.

The Tang Dynasty court is full of madmen.

"You...you people don't follow the rules."

Quan Gai Suwen mumbled indistinctly.

"Rules? In the Tang Dynasty, my word is the rule."

Li Chengqian sneered.

"Go back and tell Gao Jianwu. Liaodong belongs to the Tang Dynasty, and not an inch of it will be lost."

If he wants to fight, the Tang Dynasty is ready anytime. But remember to bring more men next time, otherwise there won't be enough for all the generals to warm up.

Quan Gaisuwen was dragged out of the Taiji Hall by two imperial guards.

Li Chengqian acted as if nothing had happened, strolled back to his seat, and continued to pretend to be asleep with his eyes closed.

The civil and military officials looked at the bloodstains on the ground, then at Li Chengqian, and remained stunned for a long time.

The Goguryeo people will definitely not let this go after beating the envoy to this state.

"His Majesty!"

Wei Zheng then walked out.

"The barbarians of Goguryeo, unaware of the Emperor's grace, dared to demand the territory of the Great Tang Dynasty in the Taiji Hall. This is a great disgrace."

Your Majesty, I, Wei Zheng, earnestly request that Your Majesty issue an edict to immediately dispatch troops to Liaodong and demonstrate the might of our nation.

The entire court was stunned.

Wei, who usually opposes war the most and likes to advise Li Shimin to rest and recuperate, is actually the first to jump out and advocate war today?

Fang Xuanling also came out and said:

"Your Majesty, what Lord Wei said is absolutely right."

During the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Goguryeo repeatedly invaded the borders, plundering hundreds of thousands of people from the Central Plains.

Now they are going even further, attempting to carve up the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

If we do not punish them severely, the surrounding vassal states will surely follow suit, and what will become of the Tang Dynasty's prestige?

Changsun Wuji stopped hiding and stepped forward, saying:

"I second that opinion! The might of the Great Tang will not tolerate the trampling of barbarians."

Seeing that Changsun Wuji had spoken up, Cui Mingan also stepped forward and said:

"I second that opinion! The Cui family of Qinghe is willing to die for the Tang Dynasty."

The civil officials stepped forward in droves.

Among the military officers, Li Ji was the first to step forward.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead an army of 100,000 to crush Goguryeo."

Not to be outdone, Yuchi Jingde added:

"Your Majesty, give me, Old Hei, a vanguard, and I'll twist Gao Jianwu's head off and use it as your chamber pot."

Cheng Yaojin, fearing he wouldn't be involved this time, hurriedly shouted:

"Your Majesty! You don't need 100,000, just give me 50,000 elite cavalry, and I'll be able to start farming in Liaodong last month."

In the Taiji Hall, the civil and military officials reached an unprecedented consensus.

We must fight them all.

Looking at the civil and military officials below, Li Shimin felt his blood boil.

Having become emperor to this extent, what more could one ask for?

The civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty were known for their unyielding spirit.

Li Shimin opened his mouth as if to issue an order for battle, but the words caught in his throat.

How do we fight? What do we use to fight?

The Tang Dynasty's national treasury and imperial coffers are so poor that even rats that go in would come out with tears in their eyes.

"I understand the intentions of my beloved ministers."

Li Shimin sighed.

Wei Zheng objected, and, with his neck stiffened, shouted:

"Your Majesty, are we just going to let these barbarians bully us?"

Li Shimin ignored Wei Zheng's words and instead looked at Tang Jian, the Minister of Revenue, who was hiding in the corner.

"Tang Jian, tell your ministers, how much grain can the Ministry of Revenue provide right now?"

When Tang Jian heard Li Shimin call his name, he walked out from the corner with a bitter face.

"Return to Your Majesty.

The Ministry of Revenue currently has less than 100,000 strings of cash available for use.

As for food supplies, forget about it. The grain reserves in the granaries across the country are barely enough to provide relief to the disaster victims.

If a war were to break out, we wouldn't even be able to gather enough rations for an army of 100,000 for half a month.

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials, who had been indignant just moments before, fell silent instantly.

With the national treasury so depleted, what kind of war can we possibly wage?

That little money wasn't even enough to cover the cost of setting off.

Li Ji frowned and asked:

"Lord Tang, didn't the Ministry of War just submit a memorial a few days ago saying they wanted to update a batch of armor?"

Tang Jian spread his hands and said:

"General Li, the Ministry of War's memorial is still on my desk. We really have no money."

The compensation payments from the last Turkic invasion of the south haven't even been fully distributed yet.

Li Ji remained silent.

Even a hero can be brought down by a single penny, let alone a nation.

Without money or food, how can we fight Goguryeo?

Cheng Yaojin gritted his teeth and resolutely stepped forward.

"Your Majesty! Even if we don't have money, we'll still fight."

"I, Lao Cheng, am rich. I'll give you my entire fortune."

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then looked at Cheng Yaojin with a touched expression.

This bastard is usually so stingy, but today he's actually spending so much money to save face?

"Zhijie, I am very pleased that you have this intention. How much do you plan to donate?"

Cheng Yaojin cried out with a pained expression:

"Three hundred strings of cash!"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The emotion on Li Shimin's face also disappeared.

Three hundred strings of cash?

The dignified Duke Lu of the Great Tang Dynasty donated three hundred strings of cash to fight a national war?

You've given more money to Cuihua in Pingkangfang than this, haven't you?

Seeing that no one was speaking, Cheng Yaojin quickly explained:

"Your Majesty, please don't think it's too little. My wife is a shrew who's very strict with money."

This 300 guan is my savings accumulated over three years.

I donated it all; now I won't even be able to afford alcohol anymore.

Wei Zheng, who was listening from the side, rolled his eyes.

This is a matter of national importance; why are you talking about your personal savings?

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuchi Jingde kicked Cheng Yaojin in the butt from behind.

"You shameless old man. What are you pretending to be so generous for?"

Didn't you spend all of your 300 guan of private savings last month when you were working as a hairdresser in Pingkangfang?

Where else are you going to get the money to donate?

Cheng Yaojin blushed:

"Old Hei, you're talking nonsense. I lent that money to Cuihua to redeem her from prostitution."

Besides, I still have several dozen coins under my bed.

A burst of laughter erupted in the Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin roared in anger:

"Enough! What kind of decorum is this in the imperial court?"

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde quickly shut up and retreated back into the ranks.

Laughs aside, the problem remains unsolved.

Where does the money come from?

Li Shimin looked down at the aristocratic families below who were avoiding his gaze, and knew that he couldn't count on these people.

But when he inadvertently glanced at the figure at the very front of the civil officials...

Li Shimin's mind suddenly seemed to have been enlightened.

That little brat just pulled off a move that nearly killed the Goguryeo envoy.

I can't be the only one cleaning up this mess, can I?

"clever."

When Li Chengqian heard Li Shimin calling him at this time, he knew it was no good.

He spoke weakly:

"Your subject is here."

Seeing Li Chengqian's listless appearance, Li Shimin snorted coldly:

"You ordered the attack on the Goguryeo envoy, and you also made those harsh remarks."

Now the entire court is engaged in war, but the Ministry of Revenue has no money to spare.

"This is all your fault. You must come up with a solution for me regarding the money and grain situation."