Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 139 They Don’t Care About Datang, I Do

Li Chengqian didn't know why he rode his horse here unconsciously.

But it is definitely not some kind of destiny.

Since Qiu Shou met Wu Cairen, he has been deliberately avoiding Ganye Temple.

But today, Li Chengqian, with the anger in his heart, just wants to give this place a try!
He dismounted from his horse and limped up the stairs.

The old host immediately led a group of nuns to kneel on the ground:
"I'm sorry for not welcoming you, Your Highness. But there are other donors doing their homework in the temple, I'm afraid..."

Li Chengqian immediately frowned, but immediately retracted his expression and said gently:

"I am a little confused about the future of the Tang Dynasty. I heard that the fortune-telling here is quite effective, so I came here to ask for advice on the country."

As long as the four-character mantra "For the Tang Dynasty" was recited, the abbot would have no excuse to continue blocking this noble man.

She thought that the "female donors" in Ganye Temple were all concubines of the Crown Prince's grandmother's generation, so she relaxed her vigilance and bowed respectfully:

"My humble temple is dilapidated. If Your Highness does not mind..."

How could you dislike it?

For the first time, Li Chengqian walked into this mysterious temple, a corner that was almost forgotten by the Taiji Palace.

The interior of Ganye Temple is plain but not rustic, simple but not simplistic, quiet but not pure, and is essentially no different from other temples frequented by the royal family.

The concubines of Li Chengqian's grandmother's generation were gathered together, reminiscing about the turbulent days of the past. When they saw the abbot and others coming, they pretended to chant Amitabha and secretly glanced over there.

All I saw was a beautiful woman in men's clothing with long flowing hair and handsome features.

These concubines of the previous dynasty were not very familiar with the appearance of the prince of this dynasty, and they just thought that the current emperor had a unique taste and chose such a concubine.

After chatting for a while, they continued to discuss with relish the ultimate philosophical question of "what to eat tonight".

And among these gossipy gazes, there was a pair of sparkling eyes that were particularly eager.

Li Chengqian also felt the gaze, nodded slightly without looking away, and continued to follow the abbot's footsteps.

"I wonder if Your Highness is here to draw lots, pray for blessings, or study?" asked the abbot.

Li Chengqian tilted his head to think for a moment, looked at the setting sun, and then politely clasped his hands together and said:
"I would like to hear the Master's teachings and answers to my questions."

The abbot smiled like a principal of an aristocratic school who had finally met a serious student. He extended his hand enthusiastically:

"The lecture hall is behind the main hall. Please follow me."

The lecture hall has a winding path and there are several small rooms on the side for meditation.

Of course, because the "pilgrims" of Ganye Temple have special identities and have no need for spiritual practice, there are almost no people here.

"I wonder if Your Highness would like to listen to the Avatamsaka Sutra or the Vimalakirti Sutra?"

"Why are the scriptures here no different from those in other temples, full of clichés that have been circulated since the Southern Dynasties?"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. The Pamir Mountains separate the Central Plains and India, so it is difficult to travel between them. I just heard that a few years ago, a great monk named Xuanzang went west to seek the Dharma and is on his way back. I believe there will be new scriptures for Your Highness to study together."

"Then I can only ask Master for advice next year. Today, I will review the old and learn the new, and read the Avatamsaka Sutra."

"good."

…………

When the abbot finished his lecture, the sun had already set in the west, and it was that time of year when the sky was dark and the oil lamps were not yet lit.

"If Your Highness does not mind, our temple also has some vegetarian meals." The abbot tapped his numb leg.

Li Chengqian looked infatuated:
"Master is very wise. I think I have gained some enlightenment..."

"There is a wall-facing room next to the lecture hall. It's a good place for meditation." The abbot looked at the sky and quickly thought about what to eat in the evening.

Li Chengqian stood up by holding onto the wall:

"Then please lead the way, Master."

As soon as he entered the two-meter-square wall-facing room, Li Chengqian felt an unprecedented sense of tranquility.

In order to allow practitioners to meditate without being disturbed by the outside world, the walls here are very thick and the sound insulation is very good.

Although it is just a demonstration project, in order to make the "pilgrims" here feel more immersed, it must be said that the materials and construction are not ambiguous at all.

"No one will disturb Your Highness's meditation here. Then..."

"Please help yourself, Master."

The abbess felt as if she had been pardoned, and ran to the dining hall to eat with the nuns who were accompanying her.

Li Chengqian just sat in the independent secret room and waited.

After a while, there was a squeak.

The wooden door opened gently.

Even in the dim little room, he recognized at a glance those young, eager eyes.

My father’s talented woman, Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang was no longer as reserved as she was the last time they met. She walked in openly, closed the door, and asked with a seductive smile:

"Why is your highness here?"

In the absolutely safe secret room, Li Chengqian could finally look directly at her without restraint, and gave her a smile that was no less charming than hers:

"Why is my aunt here?"

Although it was winter, the wall-facing room was very warm because of the floor heating and charcoal fire.

The faces of the two young men were flushed.

Only then did Li Chengqian see clearly that Wu Cairen was wearing a loose summer gauze dress.

I only wear this one.

In the ambiguous sunset, it appears and disappears.

"Of course, I am here to pray for the country and the people."

"I am here to ask for divination on the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty."

"What a coincidence, you and I are both for the Tang Dynasty."

The two people share the same ideals.

…………

"Your Highness seems worried?"

"Father...is not very pleased with me and blames me for being mean to my brother."

"Does Your Highness hate 'that' brother?"

"I don't hate him. That poor little creature was just used as a hammer to beat me. Even without him, there are still others."

"Haha...hahaha!"

"why are you laughing?"

"Your Highness Xiao is timid. As the crown prince, are you still afraid of this and that?"

"Oh, you don't understand."

"The complexity of political affairs is beyond my understanding. I only know that the day of your majesty's death will be the day of your ascension to the throne, right?"

“?!

"...

"Ah."

…………

Goguryeo, Pyongyang City.

King Gao Jianwu of Rongliu paced back and forth excitedly, waiting for good news from the Ping and Yingzhou fronts.

Goguryeo was established nearly seven hundred years ago. It started out by serving the Han Dynasty and licking it for more than two hundred years. Finally, when its master was weak, it took a fierce bite back and tore off the former territory of Xuantu County.

Then, they invaded the peninsula, defeated Silla and conquered Baekje, greatly increasing their strength.

The highlight of Goguryeo was when Gao Jianwu's younger brother was in power, and it resisted three attacks by Emperor Yang of Sui and was the most powerful dynasty at the time.

The country's ambitions have been fed time and time again.

When Li Shimin emerged, Gao Jianwu did remain quiet for a while, pretending to submit while observing the situation in Liaodong.

The conclusion of the observation is: strike early, strike hard, and fight offensively!
Today, his Goguryeo Kingdom has gained comprehensive advantages.

With soldiers, food and an internal spy, he not only occupied the geographical advantage of Pingzhou, but also grasped the strategic initiative to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

The time, the place, and the people are all on my side, Gao Jianwu. What can the Yingzhou Governor's Office use to fight me?

After receiving the news that the Yingzhou army had marched westward to reinforce Pingzhou, he was so excited that he could not close his eyes. He would wake up in the middle of the night to light a lamp and look at the map of Liaodong.

It seemed as if it was already in his pocket.

Once Liaodong was taken, he could further occupy the Yanshan defense line.

When the Central Plains becomes chaotic again, we can even look south of Yanshan Mountain and north of the river...

Gao Jianwu felt that he had a great advantage and could go up.

If nothing unexpected happens, the first victory report from the front will reach Pyongyang today...

"Report!"

The messenger lost no time in delivering reports from the front.

"How is it? Did we wipe out all the Yingzhou troops that left the camp? Did we pursue the victory? Did we occupy the city?" Gao Jianwu suppressed his excitement, put his wildly trembling hands behind his back, and asked calmly.

Shameless sneak attack, armored soldiers on the face, how can you lose? Tell him how to lose?
"Uh..." The messenger was stunned. He handed over the battle report from the front line respectfully. Without saying a word, he left the study as if escaping.

Gao Jianwu did not notice anything unusual. He took the letter and said to himself:
"Yingzhou will be the core prefecture of our Great Goguryeo. In order to win the hearts of the people and show the might of our army, we will only loot for five days after conquering the city. People over the age of seventy... no, people over the age of eighty are not allowed to be captured as slaves.

"After swallowing Liaodong, should I be crowned emperor? After defeating the Sui and Tang dynasties, the other kingdoms will have to submit even if they are unwilling to do so."

While he was thinking about the policy of "appeasing the people and being close to the people" and imagining the bright future of the Great Goguryeo Empire, he was opening the war report.

He took a quick glance and frowned in confusion.

Why is the entire text just "Pingzhou" and there is no mention of Yingzhou at all?

Shouldn’t the main battlefield be in Yingzhou?
The clerk was careless and made some mistakes, right?
With doubts, he opened his eyes wide and read the battle report carefully.

Then I found that I knew every word, but I couldn’t understand them when they were put together.

"Our army was nearly wiped out? In Pingzhou? By the Red Scarf Bandits?!"

Gao Jianwu felt as if struck by lightning. He stood there in a daze, unable to move for a long time.

General, aren't we focusing on attacking Yingzhou?
After all this time, we haven’t even reached the edge of Yingzhou?

But Pingzhou, who thought he had it all in his pocket, had his fingers broken?

And it wasn't someone else, but a group of bandits?
It wasn't even a back-and-forth fight, but a one-sided beating? !
"Impossible... Haha, it must be written wrong! The general at the front lied about military intelligence and should be executed!"

Gao Jianwu smiled strangely and tore the battle report into pieces.

His dream of becoming emperor lasted only a few minutes.

Being beaten by bandits? Same as Murong Yan? Unable to take over Pingzhou which was infiltrated like a sieve?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Just over 20 years ago, the powerful Goguryeo army defeated the Sui Dynasty!
“Someone come…someone come!”

Gao Jianwu slammed the table and shouted.

"Your Majesty..." The attendant reported tremblingly as he looked at the scraps of paper on the ground.

Gao Jianwu's body was swaying as if he was about to be blown down by a gust of wind. He squeezed out a string of commands from between his teeth:
"Let the main force in the direction of Yingzhou abandon Yingzhou. Gather all the troops in the country, hire the northern Mohe tribe as the vanguard, and conscript all the men of working age in the country to transport food and fodder for the army. Taxes will be collected in advance for five years."

The more the attendant listened, the more he trembled.

The king has gone crazy, is he going to let Goguryeo explode? !
"Concentrate all forces and march towards Liaodong. The militia will stay at the Great Wall fortress line and keep an eye on the actions of the Yingzhou Army.

"All the rest of the people..."

Gao Jianwu gritted his teeth and said:
"Attack Pingzhou! Suppress the bandits!"

Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. He can take the initiative to join the game, but he has no control over when to leave.

The Tang Dynasty must have learned that Goguryeo had brazenly invaded its territory.

The emperor is angry, and a thundering strike may be on the way.

But this desperate man still felt that he still had a chance and could turn the tables.

The key to the comeback is to take the lead in locking down the Yanshan defense line when the Tang army comes all the way!
The focus among the focuses is Pingzhou, which controls the important road!

For this, even Yingzhou can be put aside temporarily.

"There is still a chance. As long as we wipe out the Red Turban bandits, as long as we wipe them all out... hehe, if I take over Yanshan, what can Li Shimin do to me even if he's angry? Hehe, hahahaha!"

Gao Jianwu laughed like a villain.

One country versus one state, regular army versus militia, the advantage is on my side!
…………

"The Goguryeo army is gathering in the north again?"

Li Ming and other members of the committee gathered together, listened carefully to Aunt Wu's information, and made marks on the map.

It’s useless to mark it, as the north of Pingzhou is already covered with dense arrows.

"The Buyeo people seem to have given up Yingzhou and are focusing on attacking Pingzhou," Aunt Wu reported.

After beating up the kid for a long time, Li Ming learned from Xue Rengui that the person he had beaten was a power player. After that, Li Ming reflected on his experience and recalled his experience in Chang'an.

That is to form a spy team again, led by the experienced Aunt Wu.

After successfully and thoroughly winning the hearts of the people, intelligence began to pour in like the Luan River.

Li Ming also quickly grasped the dynamics of Goguryeo——

It seems like those guys have gone too far and have brought all the strength of the entire country to bear!

"You think too highly of me..." Li Ming scratched his head frantically at the map.

Spiritual atomic bombs cannot be eaten. Although the Red Turban Army is still capable of fighting, it will be difficult for them to withstand an attack by the entire country.

The population under his rule was almost 100,000, including 50,000 males. Even if he was aggressive and aggressive, he could only muster an army of a few thousand people at most.

There was no technological gap between us, and the other side was a regular army with some organization. In the era of cold weapons, it was not realistic to defeat a hundred with one.

If everyone in Goguryeo spitted, they could really be drowned...

"How is the construction of the fortifications going?" he asked, turning his head.

Wei Daijia hardly paused:
"The rammed earth wall on the north side has been completed ahead of schedule. Traps in the forest are being laid, and craftsmen are urgently making caltrops and chevaux de frise stakes."

Li Ming made the corresponding mark on the map and asked:
"How are the fortresses left by Murong Yan in various places in Yanshan being repaired?"

"The forts at the main roads and other key locations have been repaired and reinforced and can be garrisoned. I'll mark them on the map later."

Fang Yizhe asked:
"Should we attack Lulong County and use the city defenses there?"

Hou Junji objected:
"Lulong County is located in the coastal plain, which is easy to attack but difficult to defend. It will stretch our defense line and further dilute our military strength."

Aunt Wu agreed:
"According to the survey, there are not many people left in the county now, so there is not much value in guarding that place."

Everyone reached a consensus and continued to squat in the mountains as silver coins.

But using mountains to delay enemy movements is ultimately only a stopgap measure.

It's just a state, and a remote and inferior state at that.

The enemy is a medium-sized country that once defeated the Sui Dynasty and spans the Northeast and the Peninsula.

Anyone can see that this is quite difficult.

Therefore, the fundamental solution is:
Shake people!

Li Ming is still very clear-headed. He can "let me do it" to fight the local tyrants, but he has to "let the people save me" to fight against foreign enemies.

He just wanted a piece of land of his own, not a piece of land to bury himself.

Moreover, the reforms in the past few months have been very thorough. The entire military and civilians are of the same mind. When confronting external enemies, accepting assistance at the right time will not shake the foundation of his rule. Instead, it is a manifestation of his love for human life.

Of course, the reinforcements from the Yingzhou Army alone are far from enough.

Because the main force of Yingzhou has been led out by Xue Rengui, the same troops that were cut off by Goguryeo last time and almost defeated are now resting in Pingzhou, receiving new training and transformation.

The few remaining troops in Yingzhou could only barely protect themselves in the face of Goguryeo's all-out attack, and could forget about providing any support.

Moreover, they would be easily surrounded and attacked on their way to Pingzhou, which would distract Pingzhou's attention.

To break the impasse, we need the support of the Tang army in the Central Plains...

Da da da.

The sound of hurried horse hooves stopped outside the meeting hall.

Xue Rengui waved a scroll in his hand:
"A letter from Chang'an!"

Li Ming jumped down from his seat:

"What did Father say? When will the reinforcements arrive?"

However, when he looked closely, he frowned.

Because what Xue Rengui sent was not the emperor's edict.

Rather, it was an official document from the Menxia Province.

He opened the scroll and took a look, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"It was sent to Zhang Jian, not to us."

Xue Rengui spread his hands:
"Anyway, the postal route passes through Pingzhou, and we are all family, so what's wrong with taking a look?"

My goodness, Grand Commander Zhang Jian is still your leader in name after all... Li Ming highly appreciated Xue Rengui's shameful behavior of betraying his former master, and began to read it without any hesitation.

The content of the official document was the court's response to Zhang Jian's previous reports on the true situation in Pingzhou.

Throughout the article, there is only one meaning:
The court doesn't believe it. There must be something wrong with Li Ming. You should investigate it carefully.

Li Ming's eyes focused, and then he rolled up the scroll.

I found that everyone's eyes were on me.

"Brother Ming, what's wrong?"

Should I tell them the truth? If they hear this bad news, their morale will definitely be greatly damaged...

Li Ming pondered for a while, but still made up his mind and threw the document on the table.

"The content is right here, you can read it if you want." Li Ming sighed lightly, with a bitter smile on his face.
"It seems that the imperial court is still doing something against me personally. As for the territory of the Tang Dynasty, it is secondary in the eyes of some people."

Everyone's faces turned solemn. After reading the document, they were all filled with indignation, and they all said the same thing:
Damn it, how did the country become like this!

"Anyway, let's prepare for the absence of external aid."

The meeting hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone stared intently at the backbone of the entire Liaodong.

Li Ming greeted everyone's bright eyes and said calmly:
"If they don't fight Goguryeo, then I will. If they don't want the dignity of the Tang Dynasty, then I will. If they don't care about the people of the Tang Dynasty, then I will."

(End of this chapter)