The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 830: Face-to-face Search
"Otherwise, the war will be dangerous!"

Xiao Yu stood up and said decisively: "In the past twenty years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been wars almost every year. Now we have to bear the burden of the western grasslands. The national treasury is already in deficit, and the soldiers are exhausted. We simply don't have the ability to fight another tough battle."

"The Turks are not a small force that can be easily defeated. They still occupy the eastern part of the grassland and have hundreds of thousands of soldiers. They are not that easy to deal with, right?"

"I firmly oppose the Tang Dynasty sending troops. Let the people live in peace for a few days."

Xiao Yu was Yang Guang's favorite minister in the previous dynasty, and he had no good feelings towards Goguryeo, which directly led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty.

Since the Turkic invasion, the happiest person in the entire Tang Dynasty was Xiao Yu.

Several times before eating in the mansion, Xiao Yu secretly paid tribute to Yang Guang in his heart and conveyed the good news to him, hoping that Yang Guang would bless him in the dark and that the Turks would destroy Goguryeo as soon as possible so that he could vent his anger.

Cen Wenben then raised his tablet and said, "Your Majesty, Jie Li has the heart of a wolf and the nature of a snake. He has invaded our Tang Dynasty every year before. In the ninth year of Wude, he even attacked our capital Chang'an. Now he has invaded Goguryeo again. His crimes are truly heinous."

"The Tang Dynasty is the suzerain state. We cannot stand by and watch Jie Li's evil deeds. We must stop this behavior."

Cen Wenben's attitude was clear, but he was reserved. He only said to stop it, but did not make a clear request to send troops like Wei Zheng did.

Seeing this, Changsun Wuji said, "Master Xiao is right. Our Great Tang is in a state of disrepair and needs to be rebuilt. Our focus is on the Western Regions. In addition, various reforms are being promoted at home. The war with Jie Li cannot be resolved in a day or two."

"So I do not recommend that the Tang Dynasty be plunged into war again under such circumstances."

Although Changsun Wuji knew Li Shimin's attitude, it did not mean that he agreed with it. Moreover, at this time, Li Shimin also needed some opposition power, so that even if he intervened in the end, it would seem that the decision was not easy to make.

Afterwards, all the ministers expressed their opinions. Most of the military generals did not have a good impression of Goguryeo, but they were also eager to establish merit, so most of them agreed to send troops.

Most of the civil officials were concerned about domestic reforms and hoped to proceed with caution.

Seeing everyone arguing, each arguing about his own reasons, Li Shimin frowned and looked at Fang Xuanling, who was standing at the front row of civil officials.

Fang Xuanling knew that it was almost time, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Turks have been invading Goguryeo for more than a month, and they have been resisting strongly. As the saying goes, if you injure one thousand enemies, you lose eight hundred of your own. I think the damage to you has been very serious."

"I suggest that the Tang Dynasty send an envoy to the Jie Li camp on the north bank of the Liao River to convey the intention of the Tang Dynasty and hope that he will withdraw his troops. If Jie Li withdraws, then we don't have to worry about whether to send troops or not."

"If Jie Li does not agree to withdraw his troops, then we will send troops to attack his rear, so that he cannot take care of both ends and force him to retreat. What do you think?"

"No, Your Majesty!"

Seeing that the situation was going in a direction he didn't want, Gao Hengquan pleaded with tears in his eyes: "Your Majesty, this round trip will take more than 20 days, but my Goguryeo is already in dire straits, and cities are captured by the Turks every day."

"Every day, countless people are displaced and die in the war. We really can't afford to delay any longer. I hope the emperor will send troops immediately to save Goguryeo from its precarious situation."

After saying that, Gao Hengquan knocked his head to the ground, his gaze filled with resentment and gnashing of teeth.

Gao Hengquan swore in his heart that sooner or later, after he ascended the throne, he would unite with Jie Li to attack the Tang Dynasty to avenge today's humiliation.

"Isn't the Goryeo Crown Prince exaggerating a bit?"

Xiao Yu looked at Gao Hengquan kneeling in the hall, his eyes full of gloating: "In the past, Emperor Yang of Sui personally led an army of one million to attack Goguryeo, but failed three times in a row, with countless casualties. Now many of the ministers in the court have relatives, friends and old acquaintances who died on the battlefield."

"The Turks have only mobilized 200,000 troops, 50,000 of which are still at the Liao River to confront the Tang Dynasty. In other words, the Turks who actually invaded Goguryeo only had 150,000 troops."

"There are countless strong cities in the north of Goguryeo, and everyone in the country is good at fighting and full of tricks."

"In front of a million-strong army, they can stand firm as a rock. How can they not hold out against a mere 150,000? It's obvious that they are cheating."

"Your Majesty, I think Goguryeo wants me to drag Tang into this trouble, so that I can help them deal with Jie Li. They want to transfer the war that was originally caused by Goguryeo to Tang. Their intentions are extremely malicious. Your Majesty is wise and wise, and you must not be fooled."

Gao Hengquan was furious and looked at Xiao Yu with great dissatisfaction.

This old man is so abominable. He was the one who tried his best to stop them just now, and now he is using such vicious words to speculate about Goguryeo?
Although Gao Hengquan did have such an idea.

Seeing that Xiao Yu was talking without restraint, Gao Hengquan wished he could stand up and tear apart his old bones, skin him and pull out his tendons.

However, now in the court of the Tang Dynasty, Gao Hengquan cannot act on loyalty. He still has to put the overall situation first and suppress his anger. He is about to argue again.

Li Shimin waved his hand, and the noisy court suddenly became quiet.

Gao Hengquan's eyes narrowed. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was indeed very prestigious, and his fear grew even more intense.

Li Shimin's face turned serious and he ordered, "Tang Jian!"

"I am here." The old minister bowed and replied. "I order you to be the Tang Dynasty's envoy to Liaodong to negotiate with the Turks and convey the Tang Dynasty's attitude. I hope Jie Li can stop when he sees the opportunity."

Tang Jian agreed and said, "I respect your order."

Before Gao Hengquan could say anything else, Li Shimin looked at the line of generals again: "Hou Junji."

"Your Majesty, I am here."

A general with a resolute face, a powerful voice, a face as sharp as an axe or a knife, and firm and powerful eyes stood up.

Li Shimin's voice sounded again: "I intend to set up a Liaohe Road camp in Pingzhou, Lulong, Raole, Yingzhou, and Liucheng. I order you to be the general manager of the Liaohe Road, responsible for all military affairs along the Liaohe River and to cooperate with Tang Jian's mission."

"If the Turks refuse to withdraw, you can lead your troops across the Liao River, attack their rear, and force them to retreat."

Hou Junji bowed and said, "I obey your command."

"My Holy Emperor!"

Seeing that Li Shimin had made the decision, all the ministers responded in unison.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze was deep, revealing the supreme majesty of the emperor.

In the fourth year of Zhenguan, when the Tang Dynasty was still under the shadow of the Turks, Li Shimin had to discuss with several important ministers and gain their support for any decisions he made and any decrees he issued.

But after defeating Jie Li, the former overlord of the world, in the Battle of Dingxiang, Li Shimin's prestige rose extremely. Countries in the Western Regions came to him one after another to kowtow to him, which lifted Li Shimin's temperament.

Over the past five years, with the significant improvement of the Tang Dynasty's national strength, Li Shimin has increasingly displayed the domineering power of an emperor ruling the world.

For things like today, Li Shimin could handle them completely at will and issue decrees on the spur of the moment without having to worry about the checks and balances and dissatisfaction of his ministers.

After the court was dismissed, Li Shimin brought Fang Xuanling, and called Hou Junji and Tang Jian to Chengqing Hall to discuss the matter in person.

“Tang Jian, your mission to the Turks this time is secondary to persuading them to withdraw their troops. The main purpose is to use this opportunity to reestablish contact with Jie Li.”

Li Shimin said with some worry: "Jie Li has stabilized his position, so the Turks cannot be dealt with in a short time. In addition, under the current circumstances, the fragmentation of the Turks is beneficial to our Tang Dynasty."

"Since we cannot eliminate him in a short period of time, we must establish a good relationship with him."

"As the absolute leader of the eastern grasslands, it is also necessary for us to maintain normal exchanges with them and understand the various situations within the Turkic people."

"We can despise him in the court, but as an envoy, you cannot boss him around."

"You should maintain a respectful and courteous attitude. Don't say that we ordered Jie Li to withdraw his troops. Instead, as a great power, you should express normal concern for the war happening in a small corner of the northeast, and ask what Jie Li's fundamental intention is."

"Let's make contact first. We haven't had any contact for five years. We don't know what the Turks are like now, and what Jie Li is like now."

"The most important thing is to meet this Right Wise King and get a feel for his personality and temperament. The more detailed the better. This person may be the greatest enemy of our Tang Dynasty in the future."

Tang Jian took Li Shimin's instructions to heart and nodded seriously: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely do it."

Hou Junji did not participate in the last Battle of Dingxiang. This time he finally got the chance to lead the troops to fight alone. He was eager to fight with Jie Li. But now from what Li Shimin said, it seems that he does not want to fight with Jie Li?

He could not help asking, "Your Majesty, Jie Li has always been arrogant and domineering, and he doesn't take the Tang Dynasty seriously. How can we send an envoy to greet him and then leave? I think we must deal with him."

"How many troops are you going to give me this time? Jie Li's men are all cavalry. I think you should transfer the Flying Tiger Army to me."

Li Shimin shook his head slowly: "Not even one. The Flying Tiger Army must stay inside the Great Wall to control the Western Regions and suppress the barbarians. It is impossible to give it to you."

"what?"

Hou Junji got anxious when he heard this: "Your Majesty, Jie Li has 200,000 cavalry. Even if 150,000 are trapped in Goguryeo, there are still 50,000 on the north bank of the Liao River. If the court does not send a single soldier, how can I fight this battle?"

"I didn't ask you to fight."

Li Shimin said calmly: "Yingzhou already has 30,000 people. You only need to station troops on the south bank of the Liao River to shock the Turks."

Hou Junji wanted to argue again, but Fang Xuanling beside him smiled and explained, "Junji, the emperor sent you to Yingzhou just for show, not because he really wants to send troops. Even if he wants to fight, it's not now."

"The Emperor sent you there for another purpose."

(End of this chapter)