Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 266: Prince Jingtu: If you don’t let me stay here, I will go to the Turks!

Mei Niang, do you see that our wish is getting closer and closer to being realized...

Li Chengqian murmured, but his words were drowned out by the howling north wind.

He skillfully controlled the warhorse under his crotch, following Li Shimin, Qibi Heli and Ashina She'er not too far away.

They also saw clearly the scene of Li Jing beheading Li Tai last night.

Although Li Tai was an enemy, Li Jing, who killed Li Tai, was not necessarily a man loyal to the Tang Dynasty and wholeheartedly devoted to welcoming back the two saints.

When a 70-year-old veteran who was about to die suddenly appeared on a snowy mountain battlefield thousands of miles away as if by teleportation, he vigorously commanded a splendid annihilation battle.

Anyone with a little common sense will surely think of Sima Yi, the usurped Cao Wei regime, and the damaged Luo River.

Although they did not think as deeply as Li Shimin, the three of them realized on the spot that Li Jing was obviously also rebelling!
But for Li Chengqian, Li Jing did a good job in his rebellion!
Fortunately, that fat pig Li Tai was slaughtered!

Li Chengqian naturally heard clearly Li Tai's screams before his death.

The fourth brother resented his father for using him as the whetstone for sharpening the knife to become the crown prince.

But as the one being tempered, isn't Li Chengqian also a victim?

The two men were only one year apart in age, which meant that ever since he could remember, Li Chengqian had always been chased by a charging wild boar!

This is not an exaggeration.

Ascending the throne is not about treating guests to a dinner. If his position as crown prince is really deprived by the fourth brother, Li Chengqian will lose more than just the throne.

It’s life!

Although Li Chengqian's reason told him that the root cause of this tragedy was not the wild boar that could not decide its own fate, but his father, Emperor Li Shimin, who placed the wild boar behind him.

But since he hated Li Tai so much, it was naturally impossible for him to have any positive feelings towards Li Tai.

Therefore, he also had to thank the traitor Li Jing for killing Li Tai and venting his anger for him!
If it were Li Chengqian himself, as he inherited Li Shimin's sentimental side and was the eldest brother, he might not be able to do such a cruel thing!
"Ginger is still more experienced, and the veteran is still more vicious...

"Or is it that someone else is behind this?"

Not sure if it was an illusion, but Li Chengqian always felt as if he heard the name "Li Ming" during the brief conversation between Li Jing and Li Tai.

Li Ming, Li Ming...

That quirky little brother is also Li Chengqian's old rival.

Although that guy is much more difficult to deal with than Li Tai, he is also more martial than Li Tai. He only fights politically and never engages in personal attacks (physical).

Therefore, when Ashina She'er brought the news of Li Ming's death, unlike Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, who had fought with him directly many times, almost subconsciously thought that this was false news.

There's no way that little fox would die so easily!
But he had no evidence.

And just now, he heard Li Jing mention that name again, and it was suspected that the person in charge of Liaodong was still Li Ming himself.

However, they were quite far away, and Li Jing didn't speak very loudly, so he still couldn't be sure whether he had heard correctly.

"Yes, Mei Niang, you are right. It doesn't matter whether Li Ming is dead or alive. Father thinks that the most important thing is that Li Ming is dead."

Li Chengqian tilted his head slightly to one side, carrying on a conversation in the void.

He had no intention of sharing his guess with Li Shimin.

crazy?

Let the emperor rekindle hope in his father's heart, immediately abandon him as the crown prince and appoint the regent as the emperor?
Although Li Chengqian had no intention of killing Li Ming himself, it did not mean that he was willing to hand over the position of crown prince to his younger brother!
The correct rule for brothers to get along with each other is to "grab". Kong Rong has already left his name in history just by giving up a pear!

"Li Tai has just died, and Zhenzhu Khan is likely to be doomed as well. The Xueyantuo in the northern border will definitely be in chaos.

"But Li Ming seems to be still alive, so Liaodong must still be in his hands. He has Fang Xuanling and Hou Junji under him, and now there is another Li Jing.

"As for Chang'an, there is also a Jiulang Li Zhi who usurps the throne...

"It's a mess, good!"

Li Chengqian gradually realized the joy of the great chaos in the world and the good situation.

In a situation where he lagged behind his younger brothers in all aspects, whether in civil administration, military affairs, or conspiracy and scheming.

If he wants to finally stand out and take back everything that belongs to the prince.

It really requires some coincidences created by the chaotic environment...

"Little Khan!"

Ashina She'er slowed down and drove side by side with Li Chengqian.

"How is father?" Xiao Li asked tentatively.

Ashina She'er looked stern and shook his head:

"Tian Khan is not in good condition and fell asleep again...

"What do we do next?"

The next step is of course to return to the camp... Li Chengqian knew that this was not what Ashina She'er was asking about.

Rather, it is a strategic issue for the next period of time.

The Xueyantuo were defeated by Li Jing, and their leader was beheaded by Li Jing. Given the nomadic people's nature of scattering like monkeys when the tree falls, if nothing unexpected happens, the Hebei region and even the Hengshan area on the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains will become a piece of cake for Liaodong.

And Li Jing has clearly turned against the government.

That is to say, returning to the Tang Dynasty via Hebei is no longer feasible.

And this was the idea that Ashina She'er asked Li Chengqian about.

“We have nowhere to go now, with the rebels to the south and the sea to the east.

“Little Khan, Qibi Heli and I have discussed this matter. How about we take the risk and march westward?
"Most of the Xueyantuo are in Hebei, so there may be some space for them to exploit."

Li Chengqian asked back:

"How are you going to go west?"

"According to the news I received in Luoyang a few months ago, our 80,000 elite troops led by Li Shiji are guarding the national border from Shuozhou to Xiazhou in the west due to supply problems." Ashina She'er said:

"We have not yet resolved the chaos in Hebei and the army's supply problem has not been solved. I guess they are still squatting on the front line.

"In other words, as long as we can hold out until Shuozhou, our army can support Tian Khan and Xiao Khan."

Li Chengqian frowned and shook his head heavily:
"We were initially in Dingxiang City, north of Shuozhou, and were driven from west to east by the coalition forces of Xueyantuo, Simo Turks, and Shiwei people.

“Is it safe to go back with a large group of hundreds of people and thousands of sheep?

"If something goes wrong and the dragon is injured, who will be responsible?"

This big hat was put on Ashina She'er and he was silenced.

"Endangering His Majesty" is no joke and is definitely not a risk that a general like him can bear.

Besides, what Young Khan Li Chengqian said was not wrong.

The size of their team is comparable to that of a medium-sized tribe.

Could it be that the Tiele people and the rebellious Turks and Shiwei people would really turn a blind eye to them?
Ashina She'er wanted to struggle again: "We have to give it a try..."

"Besides, let's take a step back and say that even if the Tiele, Turkic and Shiwei people really turned a blind eye and let our team pass through."

Li Chengqian interrupted him:
"But are the troops currently stationed at the Shuobei national gate truly loyal to Your Majesty and will they sincerely welcome Your Majesty's return?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ashina She'er thought the young Khan's suspicion was a little ridiculous:

"Do you think that 80,000 Guanlong warriors will betray His Majesty?"

Li Chengqian curled his lips, then immediately put on a sad expression and continued to gossip:

"It's not the army, but the people who led the army - Li Shiji, the chief military commander of Dingxiang Road, and Hou Junji, the deputy chief military commander."

The Li family's ancestral acting skills were so convincing that they really frightened the simple Turkic people:

"What happened to those two?"

Of course you don't know such high-level gossip, so let me tell you about it... Li Chengqian began to speculate:

"Li Shiji is Li Zhi's confidant and the Sima of the Prince of Jin's Palace. Given Li Zhi's current delicate situation of ruling the country arbitrarily, does General Ashina think that he will 'welcome' my father's return to the court?"

Ashina She'er was deceived by the royal elder brother's trick and his face darkened:
"probably not."

"As for Hou Junji, there's no need to mention him."

Li Chengqian continued to deceive:

"That fellow is Li Ming's confidant. He is greedy and eccentric. He was arrested and imprisoned for looting Gaochang State, and he has always been resentful of Your Majesty.

"In terms of rebellion, he is more dangerous than Li Shiji."

There was no need for Li Chengqian to explain the matter of Hou Junji, as Ashina She'er knew it very well.

Because he himself was a participant. The year before last, as the commander-in-chief of the Jiaohe Road army, he followed Hou Junji to conquer Gaochang.

However, he was strict in military discipline. When the old marquis was buying at zero yuan, he did not take a single cent. For this, he was commended by His Majesty and was named Duke of Bi.

So one can imagine what he thought of the big corrupt official Hou Junji.

It definitely won’t be good.

"But the soldiers are all good men who have followed your majesty in his battles. Will they also rebel?"

Ashina She'er was a little confused.

This is exactly the area in which Li Chengqian is good at:
“They may not dare to do anything in front of ordinary soldiers.

"But who says that regicide must be done in public?

"Your Majesty, if you add some ingredients to your meal or kick the ditch, it's hard to guard against, General Ashina."

"I understand what you mean. It's easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark..." Ashina She'er said in a muffled voice.

Once you enter the military camp and live under someone else's roof, you have no control over yourself. When everyone recognizes you as the big brother, you call them big brother.

But when you disappear for a few months and the power vacuum has been filled by other forces, it’s hard to say whether people will recognize you or not.

How to deal with it depends on the military leader, right?
“Of course, this is just speculation.

"Whether it's Li or Hou, or 80,000 elite soldiers, they may not really rebel."

Li Chengqian seemed to be speaking in a fair manner:

“But people only have one life, especially Your Majesty.

"General Ashina, can you afford the gamble?"

These heavy words were like a gust of north wind, which made Ashina She'er feel bone-chilled and his back was soaked with cold sweat.

One wrong move and everything is lost!
"It seems that for the sake of safety, we cannot rush westwards...

"At least we can't just rush in without any preparation."

Ashina She'er completely accepted Li Chengqian's statement.

But this still did not solve the problem, but made it worse:
"So what should we do, where should we go?"

Liaodong and the sea to the east are not acceptable, Hebei to the south is not acceptable, and now the west is rejected again.

So where to go?
Li Chengqian asked in a fake tone:
"Father just woke up for a while. Do you have any instructions?"

"Alas, Heavenly Khan..." Ashina She'er sighed subconsciously, his face showing worry:
"When Tian Khan wakes up... he may not be fully conscious. Now he is even more sleepy and cannot be woken up even if you call him."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice:
"I suspect he has a stroke!"

Wind disease, that is, stroke.

Those suffering from wind disease may suffer from hemiplegia at the mildest and death at the worst, and may also be accompanied by sequelae such as unconsciousness, confused speech, and memory loss.

In other words, Li Shimin, the once great emperor, has become almost a useless person.

Li Chengqian was filled with emotions, both sad and happy.

After calming down for a while, he finally revealed his true intentions:
"It is better to go to the north where the Tiele people are weak, then turn southwest, bypass the area where the Xueyantuo's power is concentrated, and take the route of Liangzhou."

"Liangzhou? Hiss..." Ashina She'er tasted it:
“That place is nearly 2,000 miles away from Yunzhou and borders Western Turkic, so the journey is difficult and dangerous.

"But compared with the other risks listed by the little Khan, it may not be unacceptable..."

No matter how long the road is, it will always be safe as long as you spend more time.

Entering Liangzhou means returning to the Tang Dynasty, and everything will be safe...

"No, we can't rush into the country." Li Chengqian interrupted Ashina She'er's calculations:
"General, have you forgotten? There is still a Li Zhi sitting in Chang'an.

"What if he refuses to leave and secretly obstructs the long journey from Liangzhou to Chang'an before the news of your majesty's return spreads throughout the court and the country? How should our team of a hundred people respond?"

Ashina She'er pondered for a while:

"The little Khan is right."

Since we have to be on guard against Li Shiji, we should be even more wary of Li Zhi who is behind Li Shiji.

Li Tai was indeed a rebel, but it takes two to tango. Wasn’t Li Zhi, who fought a civil war with Li Tai, also a rebel?
If the emperor returns from hell, isn't he afraid of being liquidated?
Ashina She'er: "What the little Khan meant is..."

Li Chengqian: "I think we should continue northward from Liangzhou and form an alliance with the Western Turks."

"Western Turks?!"

Ashina She'er thought he had heard wrongly and shouted loudly.

The shouting even startled Qibi Heli in front:

"What's going on? Are the Western Turks attacking us?"

"Just concentrate on riding your horse, and be careful not to knock Tian Khan off his feet!"

Ashina She'er dismissed the nosy Tiele Turkic hybrid and asked the Jingtu crown prince in a low voice:

"Little Khan, are you serious? Western Turks are also our enemies!"

The Western Turks were not only the enemy of the Tang Dynasty.

It originated from the Turkic Khanate, was separated from the Eastern Turks for decades, and was a double enemy of the Eastern Turkic survivor Ashina She'er.

The Western Turkic Khan Yibi Duolu's desire for Li Shimin's head was no less than that of Zhenzhu Khan!
Could it be that the young Khan Li Chengqian was so cunning that he lost his mind and surrendered to the enemy when he was down and out?
Others will not let you off just because you identify with Turkic culture!

"That may not be the case." Li Chengqian said confidently.

"The Western Turkic Khan Yibi Shaboluo Yehu established the Southern Court west of the Ile River to compete with the Northern Court of Yibi Duolu Khan.

"The two sides are at a stalemate, and Yibi Duolu Khan welcomes foreign aid."

What is Duoduo Luo... Ashina She'er himself was confused by the string of difficult-to-pronounce names.

In short, the Western Turks are also engaged in internal strife, so we can take the opportunity to surrender?

"With the Western Turkic soldiers as a backing, it is enough to break through Li Zhi's blockade. By then, as long as the news of your majesty's return spreads widely, the court officials and military generals will definitely restore order, and Li Zhi's side will collapse without a fight.

"And in order to consolidate his rule within Western Turkic and obtain titles and benefits, Yibi Duolu Khan is also willing to form an alliance with us."

Li Chengqian's words seemed to have a special magic, making Ashina She'er a little dazed.

He seemed to have returned to the golden age of the Turks, the era when the steppes intervened in the political situation in the Central Plains...

He shook his head.

"How do you know that the Western Turks will definitely accept the alliance? Perhaps it is more likely that Li Zhi and Li Shiji are still loyal to the Heavenly Khan."

"It all depends on how General Ashina judges it." Li Chengqian said, playing hard to get.
“Is the person who usurped the throne and started a civil war more trustworthy, or is the person who desperately needs help from the outside world more trustworthy?”

Ashina She'er pursed his lips, obviously moved, thought again and again, and finally said:
"When we return to the temporary camp, we will discuss this together and ask the Khan to make the final decision."

As he said that, he accelerated and kept pace with Qibi Heli. The two brothers started to discuss things first.

Li Chengqian lowered his head slightly.

Cover up the exaggerated curvature of the mouth corners.

Mei Niang, we are one step closer to success!

…………

Shengzhou, Hou Junji’s military camp.

"Are you ready?" Hou Junji asked in a low voice.

Xue Wanche and Li Daozong nodded:
"Ready."

Hou Junji took a deep breath and looked at the officers of various ranks standing in the military tent.

"Are you also ready to follow the orthodoxy of the regent, welcome back His Majesty, and punish the villains who usurped the throne?"

The officers answered in unison:
"I am willing to follow you until death!"

These officers, as well as the soldiers under their command, were secretly won over by Hou Junji and his men over the past few months.

Needless to say, this is the key task that Li Ming specifically instructed in the secret letter.

To win over the soldiers, the banner of "righteousness" is indispensable.

These elite troops are loyal to Your Majesty.

With His Majesty away, Li Ming would be the next in line to serve as regent.

As for Li Zhi, what little legitimacy he had had had completely exhausted by the pointless civil war between him and Li Tai, his indifference to the whereabouts of His Majesty, and his failure to resist the invasion of the Xueyantuo.

From a political standpoint, these elites naturally prefer Li Ming.

Li Ming's deeds of leading the Liaodong Army to bravely fight against the Xueyantuo were even more attractive to these elite soldiers with ideals and beliefs, and played a great role in their eventual defection.

What's more, His Highness Li Ming not only holds the "greater righteousness", but also does not neglect the "practical benefits" of the soldiers.

Soldiers also need to eat. After all, the army fights with their stomachs.

Li Ming did not have the ability to transport food and supplies for 80,000 people all the way from Liaodong.

However, they do have the ability to transport gold, silver and treasures to the front line to "reward" the soldiers guarding the border, and it is a great ability.

Anyway, after annexing Goguryeo, Li Ming had some spare money, and he invested it all in bribing... no, "subsidizing" the soldiers' families.

Red envelopes were distributed to every soldier to ensure that everyone got one.

It would be blind not to surrender to a lord who takes care of both his reputation and his money!
"very good!"

Facing the spirited soldiers, Hou Junji nodded with satisfaction.

Raise an army for a thousand days and use it for a while!
"Take your soldiers and gather out of the camp immediately, heading east!"

All the people left the military tents one after another and scattered throughout the Tang army camp, beginning intensive preparations.

After a while, in broad daylight.

In the camp where 80,000 elite Tang troops are stationed.

Under the clear order from the commander-in-chief Li Shiji not to act without authorization.

Large groups of soldiers were neatly dressed and marched in formation, driving out the vehicles with food and supplies that could last for half a month, ready for a long march.

They opened the camp gate and headed northeast.

Because these people's actions were so confident and on such a large scale, others thought it was a normal military mobilization and did not raise any objections.

In this way, about half of the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty, totaling about 40,000 people, left their garrison without any hindrance and marched towards Liaodong with light equipment.

Go to Li Ming!

(End of this chapter)