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

Qin Qiong asked in confusion:

"If not powerful families, who else can we rely on? When an army goes to war, the supplies and provisions stretch for hundreds of miles. We can't expect the soldiers to carry their own food to battle, can we?"

"Why not?"

Li Chengqian looked at Qin Qiong and asked in return.

Qin Qiong was dumbfounded:

"Your Highness, you must be joking. A soldier carrying dozens of kilograms of dry rations would exhaust himself to death before even reaching Liaodong, let alone have the strength to fight!"

Li Chengqian did not answer, but looked at Xiao Shunzi and said:

"Little Shunzi, has the fried noodles I asked you to get made yet?"

Xiao Shunzi quickly nodded and said:

"Your Highness, it's ready. I've tried it; it's a bit dry to eat on its own, but if you mix it with hot water, it makes a bowl of porridge that's very filling."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Qin Qiong and Du Ruhui and introduced them:

"Uncle Qin, Uncle Du, this fried noodles won't spoil even after being stored for several months."

When soldiers went to war, each was given a cloth bag to carry over ten kilograms of fried noodles. When they were hungry, they would grab a handful and stuff it in their mouths, or rinse it with snow water. There was no need to light fires for cooking, nor was there a need for large supply convoys.

"These powerful families want to strangle me? I'll make sure they can't even get close to transporting grain."

Qin Qiong fought battles his whole life, how could he not know the value of such a thing?

He said excitedly:

"If we don't need to cook, our marching speed can be doubled. The enemy will have no idea where we are going."

"Your Highness! This fried noodle is a miracle!"

Unlike Qin Qiong, Du Ruhui was not excited. Instead, he thought of a fatal problem.

"What about keeping warm? Winters in Liaodong are freezing cold. The soldiers can't withstand the cold in their thin linen clothes."

Even if you stuff leather armor with cattail fluff, it won't keep you warm at all.

Li Chengqian chuckled:

"Uncle Du, have you ever heard of cotton?"

Du Ruhui was taken aback:

"Cotton? That's an ornamental flower from the Western Regions, called something like 'white cotton.' What else can that thing do besides look pretty?"

"It looks nice? But it's a life-saving treasure."

A while ago, I sent Xiao Shunzi to the West Market to buy up all the white silk from those Western Region merchants.

"This stuff, when pliable, is warmer than your sheepskin coats when stuffed inside your clothes."

Qin Qiong and Du Ruhui looked at each other in bewilderment.

They then realized that Changsun Wuji's supposedly flawless plan was a complete joke in front of Li Chengqian.

The problem of food supplies has been solved.

The problem of keeping warm has been solved.

The only remaining problem is Goguryeo's 300,000-strong army.

"Your Highness, even if logistics and winter supplies are not a problem, Goguryeo's 300,000 armored soldiers are real. Our Great Tang cannot muster that many troops right now."

"Who said I was going to lead hundreds of thousands of troops?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes.

"What's the use of having a lot of people? Warfare relies on brains and equipment."

Li Chengqian walked to a corner of the secret room and opened a wooden box he had brought in.

"Uncle Qin, come and take a look at this."

Qin Qiong curiously leaned over to take a look.

Inside the box were rows of iron lumps, each with a wire attached to it.

"What is this?"

Qin Qiong picked up a lump of iron and weighed it in his hand; it was quite heavy.

"I named it Palm Thunder."

Li Chengqian took the lump of iron and said...

"It contains my secret gunpowder formula. Just light this fuse and throw it into the enemy camp..."

Li Chengqian stretched his hands outwards and made a sound.

"Boom! Within a radius of three zhang, not a blade of grass grows."

Qin Qiong was so frightened that he almost dropped the iron lump in his hand.

Du Ruhui quickly took two steps back.

"Your Highness, is this thing truly so powerful?"

"You'll understand when we get to Liaodong."

Li Chengqian put the palm thunderbolt back into the box.

"Didn't my uncle want me to go to Liaodong? I'll grant his wish."

"But I'm not in this position of commander-in-chief for nothing. If these old guys don't bleed tomorrow, this matter won't be over."

As soon as Li Chengqian came out of the secret room, he heard a roar coming from outside the study.

"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of my way!"

"Grand Tutor, please slow down, His Highness is resting..."

"Stop taking a break! The sky is about to fall."

With a roar, the study door was pushed open.

Kong Yingda rushed in, panting heavily.

Li Chengqian was startled by his appearance.

"Grand Tutor, were you chased by a dog?"

Kong Yingda stepped forward and grabbed Li Chengqian's sleeve, saying:

"Your Highness! I have just heard rumors that the Duke of Qi and those aristocratic officials are secretly conspiring to jointly recommend you to lead the expedition against Goguryeo at tomorrow's morning court session."

This is clearly a vicious scheme to kill someone using someone else's knife. What kind of place is Liaodong?

"Your Highness is of noble birth; how could you risk your life? I will go and reason with His Majesty immediately; we must not allow them to succeed."

As he spoke, Kong Yingda turned to leave.

Li Chengqian grabbed his belt and pulled him back.

Li Chengqian felt warm inside at Kong Yingda's defense of him.

In his previous life, after his personality changed drastically, Kong Yingda came to teach him. By then, he could no longer listen to anyone, which greatly angered the great Confucian scholar.

However, in this life, Kong Yingda was genuinely kind to him and truly regarded him as a disciple.

"Grand Tutor, please calm down and sit down for a drink of water."

Li Chengqian pressed Kong Yingda into a chair and personally brewed him a cup of tea.

Kong Yingda is in no mood to drink water right now.

"Your Highness! You're still laughing? Changsun Wuji is trying to kill you."

Li Chengqian pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Kong Yingda.

"Grand Tutor, have you forgotten the profound truths and subtle meanings of the sages that you taught me?"

Kong Yingda was stunned for a moment, his mind not quite processing what was happening.

"What did I teach you?"

Li Chengqian began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

The Analects says: "Knowing shame is close to courage."

Just imagine that savage from Goguryeo pointing his finger at the Emperor's nose in the Taiji Hall today, demanding Liaodong—what an utter disgrace!

Kong Yingda nodded subconsciously: "It is indeed a great disgrace."

"yes.

Since this is a humiliating disgrace, then the Great Tang must fight back. If I, as the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, do not step forward and personally lead the troops to twist off the head of the King of Goguryeo and use it as a football, what kind of gentleman would I be?

Kong Yingda felt that something was off.

But I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Knowing shame is close to courage..."

Kong Yingda muttered to himself,

"Isn't Your Highness's solution a bit too bloody?"

Li Chengqian continued to deceive him:

"Grand Tutor, when Confucius was traveling through the states, he encountered bandits blocking his way. Didn't he draw his sword and kill them, and then persuade them with reason? Now I am volunteering to go to Liaodong to explain the principles of the Tang Dynasty to the Goguryeo people. Isn't this putting the Confucian way into practice?"

Kong Yingda was somewhat confused by the confusing arrangement.

He had prepared a whole host of words of advice, but now he couldn't remember a single one.

Just as Kong Yingda was falling into self-doubt, a roar suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"Kong Chongyuan, you don't know anything."

Li Gang stormed in, looking furious.

King Li Tai of Yue followed behind him.

"Li Wenji? What are you doing here, old man?"

Kong Yingda's anger flared instantly upon seeing Li Gang.

"The Crown Prince is going to Liaodong to die, aren't you going to stop him?"

To everyone's surprise, Li Gang sneered:

"Sending him to his death? Flowers in a greenhouse can't withstand wind and rain. The Crown Prince will inherit the throne sooner or later. If he doesn't experience war and personally go to the border to see how soldiers bleed and sacrifice, how will he win the hearts of the people? How will he rule the world?"

Li Chengqian was completely distraught after hearing Li Gang's words.

When did this old man develop this kind of awareness?

If you had realized this earlier, would those two princes have been killed?