My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 175: War to destroy a nation! Send troops to Goryeo
May, the seventeenth year of Zhenguan.

This is May, the month of the prince.

After the city-wide corvee labor ended in April, Chang'an's drainage renovation project was also completed.

The people of Chang'an, who had been busy for a month, looked back.

Only then did I understand the prince's difficulties.

All the hard work in the past has paid off now, Chang'an is clean and tidy, Chang'an has no odor in summer.

You have to know that during this period, every city in the world basically stinks when summer comes.

The situation in the Tang Dynasty is slightly better, and they pay relatively more attention to it.

But in the Middle East and European countries, cities in the summer are like living in a pile of manure.

But after so many years, everyone has gotten used to it.

But after this transformation, Chang'an City suddenly became different.

Merchants traveling back and forth, especially those from far away, such as the Sogdians and Persians, or merchants and envoys from other countries.

The comparison is even clearer.

Everyone thought that the prince's fame had reached its peak after Quyuanli and Qingyu'an Yuan Xi Ci.

No one thought that after the peak, there would be a higher peak.

In the past, the most discussed subject among scholars in Chang'an was the King of Wei.

But now, almost no one mentions the King of Wei, and the Crown Prince has become the biggest topic of conversation.

Whenever the people of Chang'an mention the prince, their faces are filled with pride.

All the people of Chang'an felt that when the prince inherited the throne, the Tang Dynasty would become more powerful, prosperous and civilized.

East Palace.

Li Chengqian and Crown Princess Su Yuer were watching Theodosius paint.

Theodosius was born into the Byzantine royal family. As a princess, she received royal higher education since childhood.

In terms of painting, I have a strong foundation in sketching.

The East emphasizes the expression of artistic conception, while the West focuses on realism.

In Theodosius's painting, the frame of a two-horse carriage is depicted with a full three-dimensional sense.

"Your Highness, is that so? Perhaps I didn't draw it accurately. If there are any mistakes, please tell me and I will make some corrections."

After several months of study, Theodosius, who was already quite good at it and was in an environment where Chinese was spoken, could now converse quite fluently.

It's just that the accent still has strong Western characteristics.

"Yes, that's what I want."

Li Chengqian said with satisfaction.

Su Yuer smiled and said, "When your carriage business develops, the people of Chang'an will cheer for you again."

In the painting, two horses are pulling a long cart.

Unlike ordinary cars, this carriage has a unique design, with a wooden roof and six seats underneath.

It means six people can be pulled at the same time.

This is the horse-drawn bus carriage that Li Chengqian is planning to build.

Chang'an City was so huge, with an area of ​​87 square kilometers and wards, it was the largest in the world.

Such a magnificent city also brings many inconveniences to people's lives.

Just talking about Zhuque Street, it is ten miles long and is also known as Tianjie.

The Ten-Li Long Street is truly ten miles long.

With a total length of 5,000 meters and a width of 150 meters, it is the longest and widest street in the world today. Even in later generations, there are only a handful of streets that can compare with it.

However, for ordinary people, how long does it take to walk ten miles?
The normal walking speed of an adult is generally around 90 to meters per minute, which means that it takes about minutes, or more than half an hour, to walk through Zhuque Street.

If we walk fast, it will take more than half an hour.

If the people living in the villages on the edge of the Great Wall went to the East and West Markets to buy daily necessities, a round trip would take three or four hours, which would take almost a whole day.

If it's a little closer, it will also be an hour or two.

Thinking of the buses in his previous life, Li Chengqian naturally came up with the idea of ​​a horse-drawn bus carriage.

A two-horse carriage can carry six people.

Set up complete bus stops and routes.

The price is two cents, you can get on and off as you like.

Two cents was nothing to the common people of Chang'an, so there was no problem of not having a seat.

Li Chengqian calculated that a carriage could make twenty round trips a day, with a passenger flow of about 120 people. Based on the price of 2 wen per person, he could earn 240 wen a day and 7200 wen a month.

A simple horse would be enough to pull a carriage, and the market price was more than 3,000 coins, and two horses would cost more than 6,000 coins. It cost about 3,000 coins to build a carriage.

With just over 10,000 coins, you can build a carriage.

Even if the twenty-layout is not fully loaded, the monthly income can be around five or six thousand yuan, and the investment can be recovered in two months.

The cost of raising a horse is only about 30 coins per day for grass and concentrated feed. After deducting the cost of nearly coins, starting from the third month, one horse can earn thousands of coins every month.

While bringing convenience to the people, it can also make money and provide a way out for the poor. It can be said to kill three birds with one stone.

"According to this standard, build 500 public carriages first."

Li Chengqian instructed the eunuch Wen Zhong.

This order no longer needs to be completed in the East Palace, but can be handed over to a civilian team.

In fact, 500 buses and a transport capacity of 3,000 people are definitely not enough.

Referring to the bus standards of later generations, the flow of passengers in Chang'an, with a population of one million, should be around 50,000, which is equivalent to 8,000 six-person carriages.

However, considering that most people in Chang'an lived in their own neighborhoods, the demand was not as great as in later generations.

In addition, since horse-drawn buses are new to the market, it is acceptable to first deploy 500 vehicles to test the waters, and then gradually increase the number based on the situation.

Since Theodosius entered the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian has never had sex with her and has never slept with her.

Of course, Li Chengqian couldn't remain calm.

The main reason is that April was too busy. When I was busy, I didn’t have the time to think about these things.

It's not until the beginning of May that I have some free time.

The meaning of asking Theodosius to draw the picture today is very clear, it can be regarded as a flirtation.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has summoned me."

The eunuch Wen Zhong said something that was somewhat inappropriate.

Li Chengqian nodded.

He roughly guessed what it was.

Now that it is May, it is time to prepare for the expedition to Goryeo.

It is said that food and fodder must be sent ahead before the army moves.

The attack on Goryeo took place after the autumn harvest in August, which was around the beginning of September.

But it is impossible to start preparing in September.

Yingzhou was the border of the Tang Dynasty, close to Goryeo.

The distance from Chang'an to Yingzhou is five thousand miles. Under normal marching conditions, the army can only travel about forty miles a day.

At this speed, it would take the army more than four months to travel from Chang'an to Yingzhou.

However, in the war against Goryeo, not all troops were mobilized from Chang'an. Food and basic manpower were mainly mobilized from the three areas of Hebei, Henan and Hedong, and the troops of the Zhechoufu were mobilized.

The Crown Prince, the King of Wei, Hou Junji and other major generals set out from Chang'an with a small number of elite officers and soldiers.

The scale is about 10,000 people.

There is no need to walk, all travel is done by horses, and horse-drawn carriages pull the necessary food and supplies.

It takes about a month to reach Yingzhou.

After arriving in Yingzhou, it will take at least half a month to integrate and train all the troops to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army.

Finally, he launched a war against Goryeo.

In other words, if the war starts in September, the deployment of troops will begin in May.

As for Li Chengqian, he would probably set out from Chang'an in early July to fight against Goryeo.

The Ministry of War will naturally be responsible for the mobilization, coordination and dispatch of troops.

But military planning must be discussed in advance.

Tai Chi Palace, Liang Yi Palace.

When Li Chengqian arrived, Prince of Wei Li Tai, Li Jing, Hou Junji, Minister of Justice Zhang Liang, Li Ji, Li Daozon, Liu Hongji, Zhang Shigui and Yuchi Jingde were all present.

"Greetings, Father." Li Shimin nodded, "Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Father."

Li Tai stood up and bowed: "Hello, brother."

Everyone also stood up and greeted him: "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian nodded and walked to sit next to Li Shimin.

Everyone looked at the prince with respect.

The prince's reputation has been at its peak during this period, and in the eyes of the common people, he has already overshadowed Your Majesty.

According to the current situation, the King of Wei has almost lost the possibility of competing with the Crown Prince for the throne.

So now everyone should look at the prince differently than before, and should regard him as the future emperor.

Li Shimin also understood this situation.

Normally, at this time, in order to balance the premature growth of power of the prince, Li Shimin should have taken action to suppress it, and further increase the power of the King of Wei to restore the balance again.

But Li Shimin hesitated for a long time and did not take any action.

This has a lot to do with the prince's behavior.

Because what the prince is preparing for now is not to fight for power, nor is he trying to win over officials and generals.

In terms of military power, the only one that made some moves was the Military Academy.

But the students of the Military Academy are just low-level brigade commanders. They are already at the bottom, so why should they be suppressed?
On the Jinwu Guard side, there are only two Jinwu Guard generals, Su Dingfang and Lu Tong, and they have not touched the core of the sixteen generals of the Imperial Guards at all.

From the perspective of military power, there is no point in suppressing it naturally.

Now let’s turn our attention to the civil servants.

The prince has a good relationship with Changsun Wuji, but Changsun Wuji is the first meritorious official in Lingyan Pavilion and the prince's uncle, so it is normal for them to have a good relationship.

Not to mention Wei Zheng and Chu Suiliang, they were staunch members of the princeling party, but fundamentally they were trying to protect the system of primogeniture.

Next in line is the Crown Prince's father-in-law Su Tan, who is serving as the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. This is also unnecessary.

What about other aspects?

The civil servants of the Eastern Palace are now focusing all their attention on the Natural History Museum. This is a good thing for the benefit of the people, so there is naturally no need for Li Shimin to stop it.

Li Chunfeng, the newly promoted scholar of Chongwenguan, is in charge of the Agricultural College. Agriculture is the foundation of a country. Could it be that Li Shimin is still worried about excessive grain production in the Tang Dynasty?

The prince himself has been opening a coal factory. As of now, coal will become one of the main sources of fiscal revenue for the Tang Dynasty’s treasury in the future, comparable to grain taxes.

Then the prince built underground canals and established a sanitation department.

Li Shimin asked Zhang Ananda to investigate the Eastern Palace.

The news we received was that the prince was very busy every day, building blast furnaces, making cement, forging Ming Guang armor, improving textile machines, irrigation tools and a series of other things.

How to balance this and how to combat it.

Even if Li Shimin wanted to suppress the prince, he had to find a place to start.

As of now, Li Shimin really can't find a place to attack the prince.

On the contrary, with the current development of the situation, the Tang Dynasty's treasury is becoming more and more full, especially the coal mines, which will provide a large amount of military funds needed for the Tang Dynasty's attack on Goryeo.

After all, war is fought with logistics and economy.

In most cases, war is a losing business for a country.

"Xuan Xiangli Xuanjiang is here to see you."

Li Shimin ordered.

Soon, Xiangli Xuanjiang walked into the hall.

"Greetings to your Majesty, and to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Give me a seat."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Shimin said: "Xiang Li Xuanjiang has been to Goryeo. Let him tell everyone about the situation in Goryeo."

Xiangli Xuanjiang was a native of Guanshi, Weizhou, in the Tang Dynasty and served as Minister of Agriculture.

Last year, he was ordered to visit Goryeo and demand that Goryeo surrender and stop the war against Silla.

After Xiangli Xuanjiang arrived in Pyongyang, he warned Goryeo Molizhi, but Molizhi did not listen.

Xiang Li Xuanjiang bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Then he pointed to the map and began to talk.

"This is Liaodong City. A large number of remnants of the previous dynasty live in the city. It is the gateway to Goryeo. The previous dynasty's three expeditions to Goryeo also took this as the main target of attack."

"However, Emperor Yang of Sui personally led three expeditions to Goryeo but failed to conquer it, which shows how strong the defense of Liaodong City was."

"After I arrived at Liaodong City, I paid careful attention to its military layout. In terms of construction, due to the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, a large number of Sui people fled to Liaodong City, bringing with them a large number of people and craftsmen."

"In recent years, Goryeo has been continuously strengthening the construction of Liaodong City's defensive fortifications, making it more difficult to attack than during the Sui Dynasty."

After a slight pause, Xiang Lixuan pointed to the second city and introduced: "This is Goguryeo Gaimu City, a key city connecting the two major strongholds of the Goguryeo Liaoshui defense line, Liaodong City in the south and Xincheng in the north."

"It plays an important role in connecting and supporting the overall defense layout against Goryeo. When Liaodong City is under intense attack, Gaimu City will send troops to rescue it."

"This is Baiyan City, located northeast of Liaodong City and very close to Liaodong City."

"The city is located on the mountain and near the water, with dangerous terrain on all sides, and is easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"Its unique geographical location and rugged terrain make it an important fortress next to Liaodong City, playing an important role in ensuring the safety of Liaodong City."

"This is Beisa City. It is located close to the sea and plays a huge role in Goguryeo's maritime defense and trade. If we attack from the water, we must take Beisa City."

“This is Anshi City.”

“This is the new city”

"This is Xuantu City."

Xiang Lixuan gave a detailed introduction to the frontier areas of Goryeo and the conditions of each city, including their characteristics and approximate military scale.

The reason why Li Shimin asked him to make this introduction was because most of the Tang Dynasty’s military generals had never been to Goryeo.

I am very unfamiliar with Goryeo's current situation.

As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. Before attacking, you naturally need to have sufficient understanding.

It can also formulate better offensive routes for the next war.

Li Chengqian listened silently. Even though he had a siege weapon like black gunpowder, he still had to have sufficient understanding of Goryeo's city defense system.

The main function of black powder is to blow up city gates. Its significance is relatively low in other types of wars.

Of course, for wars in the era of cold weapons, city gates are the most solid defensive fortresses.

The reason why Goryeo was able to withstand the three attacks of Emperor Yang of Sui was because of its dangerous terrain and strong city defenses.

Without strong city defenses, what could Goryeo use to resist the Tang army?

Among the cities introduced by Xiangli Xuanjiang, the one that left the most impression on me was Anshi City.

Because in history, it was Li Shimin's first expedition to Goryeo, and the Battle of Anshi City was an important battle.

This city is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the Tang army failed to take it for a long time. Although Li Shimin adopted tactics such as besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, and achieved a major victory in annihilating 150,000 coalition forces of Goguryeo and Mohe, he was still unable to capture Anshi City.

The tenacious resistance of Anshi City also became a stumbling block in Li Shimin's eastern expedition to Goryeo, affecting the outcome of the entire eastern expedition.

During the first Eastern Expedition, the Tang army successively conquered Gaimu and many other cities, annihilated a large number of Goryeo troops and caused the decline of Goguryeo's national strength, but ultimately failed to achieve the strategic goal of conquering Goryeo.

Logically speaking, such a result was already good. The reason why the country was not destroyed was also because Li Shimin sought stability.

After all, the Sui Dynasty's million-strong army failed to destroy Goryeo in three expeditions, and he only has an army of 100,000.

When the siege of Anshi City failed for a long time, some generals suggested bypassing Anshi City and attacking Ugut City instead, and then crossing the Yalu River to take Pyongyang directly.

However, Changsun Wuji objected, believing that this would risk cutting off his retreat.

It is not worth it for Your Majesty to take risks just for Goryeo.

Li Shimin thought so too, so he chose to continue besieging Anshi City, but finally had no choice but to retreat.

The second attack on Goryeo was just a preparation for the third, and a strategy of small-scale harassment was adopted.

The third time, Li Shimin prepared an army of 1100, cut down trees and built ships, including seagoing vessels and catamarans.

Because the cost of building ships was huge, some people had to sell their fields and houses to pay for the supplies, which resulted in people being unable to support their children and the price of rice and flour rose sharply.

This Eastern Expedition caused a significant decline in the quality of life of the people, and the people complained bitterly, so some county officials rose up to resist, but Li Shimin did not give up the Eastern Expedition.

With the experience from last time, Li Shimin was very confident that the 300,000 troops attacking Goryeo would be able to annihilate it in one fell swoop.

If nothing unexpected happened, Goryeo would have been destroyed.

But an accident happened.

In the spring of the following year, Li Shimin became seriously ill and died in May. The third expedition to Goryeo ended in failure.

(End of this chapter)