Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 149: Exercising Power in Liaodong
"Li Dejian, please tell me the details of the war and the implementation of the land tax system and the contract system."

From the letters, Li Shimin already understood the general situation.

Li Dejian actually knew a lot, because the actual implementation was done by a few of his trusted confidants.

From day to night, Li Shimin would ask about every detail, especially Li Chengqian's behavior.

At this time, Li Chengqian led his personal guards to Liaodong City.

As soon as he arrived, he asked all the generals in the army to gather in the city lord's mansion.

Generals such as Zhang Jian, Zhang Shigui, and Xue Wanche were all Li Shimin's confidants. Some of them were from prominent families, but they were not Li Chengqian's men. He came to Liaodong for military power.

"Your Highness, have the Duke of Yingzhou and the King of Jiangxia not returned yet? Are they preparing to withdraw their troops?"

Zhang Shigui asked, originally Li Ji and Li Daozon went to discuss the governance of Goguryeo and the withdrawal of troops with Li Chengqian.

But now, neither of them has returned, which reveals something strange.

"Goguryeo has not yet been stabilized, and many forces are preparing to restore the monarchy. I have asked Duke Ying and King Jiangxia to guard Pyongyang. I am here to stabilize the military and civilian morale in Liaodong. From today on, the Liaodong Peninsula will be renamed Liaodong Road. I will temporarily take over the post of Liaodong Marching Commander, commanding all Liaodong affairs, and will not withdraw troops for the time being."

Li Chengqian went straight to the point and said that Goguryeo had been fickle many times and indeed needed to be heavily guarded.

"Your Highness, have you consulted His Majesty about this move? I think it is inappropriate to suppress the entire army. Goguryeo is located in the north, and the cold wave comes quickly and leaves late, so the harvest is not large. It is not worth the trouble."

Zhang Shigui said again that this was a very sensitive issue. Now that the battle had been won, the first thing to consider was to withdraw troops.

Except for the fertile land in Liaodong, the rest of Goguryeo is mostly mountainous and the weather is cold. This is completely unnecessary for the sparsely populated Tang Dynasty.

As for the vast plains of East Turkestan, they just say no.

"I have the right to act at my own discretion. General Zhang's words are biased. Although Goguryeo is not a land-rich country, if we leave it alone, it will become a threat to the Tang Dynasty again in a dozen years. Then what is the point of fighting this war?"

Wars in ancient times were nothing more than fights for land. Goguryeo repeatedly violated borders and continued to expand, which meant that it valued the land of the Northeast Plain.

"Your Highness has made careful considerations. However, to guard Goguryeo, only one general is needed. Why does Your Highness need to guard the city in person? In my opinion, Your Highness should return to the capital."

Xue Wanche also said at this time that Goguryeo had been defeated, and even if it was to be incorporated into the country, only one general would be needed to guard it.

The military position of this general is definitely not as high as theirs.

Not to mention that the crown prince has to sit in this cold place. If they were in his place, they would not be willing to do that unless they had other purposes.

"I have my own decision. In this battle to pacify Goguryeo, all the soldiers have made great contributions. They should be rewarded according to their merits. Is there anyone in the army who has performed outstandingly?"

Li Chengqian asked, these people are not his team, if he wants to control the army, he still needs his own people. Li Chengqian has already anticipated the power of clans in the army.

"I have a young general named Xue Li under my command. Whenever there is a charge, he always rushes to the front. In this battle, he won four major military exploits: being the first to reach the enemy line, breaking through the enemy line, beheading the general, and capturing the flag. He is a fierce general and should be a pillar of the country."

Zhang Shigui said excitedly that he admired Xue Rengui very much and would definitely make recommendations if given such an opportunity.

Li Chengqian looked calm, as he was well aware of Xue Rengui's existence. Even if Zhang Shigui did not recommend him, he would still find this powerful general.

It was during his governance of Goguryeo that Xue Rengui gained a reputation for benevolent rule and was loved by the people, making him the best choice to govern Goguryeo.

"Such a brave man should be entrusted with an important task. The position of the commander of the imperial guards is still vacant. After you leave, ask Xue Li to come to my palace."

Zhang Shigui was stunned. Xue Rengui was an unparalleled warrior. Didn't he understand clearly? Wasn't it a bit of a waste of talent to let him be a guard?
"Your Highness, Xue Li's ancestors were military strategists. He has inherited the art of war and is well versed in military tactics. He will definitely be a qualified commander in the future."

Zhang Shigui couldn't bear to see such a talented general being buried, so he spoke frankly.

"Now that Goguryeo has been pacified, there is no longer any war. When the war comes, I will make arrangements."

When it comes to appointing Xue Rengui, who among them can compare with Li Chengqian?

He is an unrivaled general, but it is questionable whether he can lead a large army into battle unless it is absolutely necessary.

"Then I would like to thank Your Highness on behalf of Xue Li." Zhang Shigui nodded.

"Your Highness, there is a young general among my generals, named Gao Kan, who bravely captured the Liao Great Wall and held off 30,000 soldiers from Gaimu City. He is both wise and brave."

Xue Wanche also recommended that in the battle of Gaimu City, the two of them cooperated well and achieved extraordinary results.

Gao Kan's reputation is not as great as Xue Wanche's. He is just an ordinary general and his glorious moment is still far from coming.

"After that, please let them all come to my palace."

Li Chengqian was secretly delighted because Gao Kan was a general comparable to Pei Xingjian during Emperor Gaozong's reign.

It’s just that their circumstances are different, and the results they achieve are also completely different.

"If we talk about merit, the generals are the ones who have made the greatest contributions. However, I cannot confer titles on you now. After I return to Chang'an, I will ask Your Majesty for your merits. In addition, the property obtained during the period will also be distributed to you, and the soldiers will be rewarded according to their merits."

It is impossible to talk about faith now, and the best way is to give money to appease the troops.

"Your Highness, this is not possible. The wholesale of military and political funds and grain requires the approval of the court."

Zhang Shigui's face changed. Politics is too sophisticated and cannot be crossed in the slightest.

If they knew what Li Chengqian did in Pyongyang, they wouldn't make such a fuss.

"That's fine. From now on, the tax revenue from Liaodong Road will be mainly used for military affairs. There is no need to hand it over to the court. Distribute it to each army and say it's my order."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed. Doesn't this mean they are becoming a private army?

Sima Zhao's heart is well known to passers-by.

Could it be that the previous case of the crown prince's rebellion was indeed the work of Li Chengqian, and this was a reward for the three armies in the name of the crown prince?

As the soldiers under them, most of them actually didn't know why they were fighting. They just attacked wherever the generals told them to. Many times, many soldiers didn't know that it was a rebellion.

"Your Highness, please think twice. Do you know what this means?"

Zhang Shigui's face was gloomy. This was playing with fire. Even the prince could not act like this.

"If there is any responsibility, I will shoulder it. You just need to distribute the property now. If there are soldiers who are willing to settle down here, there will be additional compensation for the settlement expenses."

Li Chengqian was not discussing with them, but issuing orders.

(End of this chapter)