Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 317 It finally happened! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Wartime cabinet?"

Everyone, including Li Shimin, was completely baffled by Li Chengqian's proposal.

However, Li Chengqian's purpose in proposing the "wartime cabinet" was not only to dispel Li Shimin's suspicions, but also to lay a new foundation for future decision-making.

Although the Three Departments and Six Ministries system of the Tang Dynasty was a system that emphasized power sharing and played a good role in checking and balancing power, its efficiency was rather low.

For example, in the late Tang Dynasty, there was a situation where the time spent on the procedures for reporting disasters by local authorities was almost as long as the time spent resolving the disaster itself.

Therefore, in the late Tang Dynasty, the Three Departments and Six Ministries system eventually evolved into a breeding ground for factional strife.

Officials with differing political views competed with each other, causing the court to be unable to function properly.

Even cases of using public office for private gain are not uncommon.

The "wartime cabinet" proposed by Li Chengqian was actually equivalent to the Grand Council in later times.

The Grand Council implemented a system of "completing tasks on the same day." Every morning, the Grand Council ministers would arrive at their posts and be available to be summoned by the emperor at any time. Important documents were quickly drafted by the Grand Council secretaries and issued immediately after being approved by the emperor, which greatly improved administrative efficiency.

It can be said that the Grand Council was an institution that pushed imperial power to its peak.

But then Li Chengqian smiled and said, "The so-called wartime cabinet is a decision-making body responsible for military supplies allocation, strategic deployment, and border defense when the country is at war."

"Of course, it is somewhat different from the Three Departments and Six Ministries system. This decision-making body does not have an independent office. It only works in the 'Duty Room' in the inner court. All decisions must be approved by the emperor before they can be implemented!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately became interested and turned to look at Li Chengqian, his eyes filled with encouragement.

Li Chengqian then spoke eloquently: "The mechanism of the wartime cabinet is also very simple. The memorials from the Six Ministries and various regions are sent to the wartime cabinet's office, where cabinet ministers write their opinions on the memorials and make separate comments. These comments are then submitted to the emperor, who reviews them. If the emperor approves, he affixes his imperial seal and sends the memorials to the Six Ministries and relevant officials. If not, these officials will review them again, or the emperor will review them personally."

"But Your Highness, doesn't this overlap with the duties of the Three Departments? What will the Three Departments do then?" Fang Xuanling asked, somewhat puzzled.

Li Chengqian smiled, then shook his head and said, "There is no repetition. The three provinces can still operate, but mainly they will handle routine matters."

"Moreover, this is only an institution that operates during wartime, not a permanent institution, so the Left Minister need not worry."

"Then where do you select the cabinet ministers you mentioned?" Li Shimin couldn't help but ask curiously.

But Li Chengqian explained with a smile: "The cabinet ministers are mainly appointed by the emperor. They can be Grand Secretaries of the Hongwen Pavilion, members of the Hanlin Academy, or even the emperor's confidants. These cabinet ministers have no official rank, only the right to make suggestions, not the right to make decisions. It all depends on the emperor."

"We could even stipulate their terms of office, such as three years or five years, after which they would be directly assigned to one of the six ministries or retire. This would maximize the cultivation and utilization of talent."

"For example, those scholars who entered the Hanlin Academy through the imperial examinations did not have any experience in governing the country at the beginning, but they could learn to handle national affairs by observing major events that happened in the country. When they came to power in the future, they would be more adept at it."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Li Shimin stroked his beard, lowered his head, and paced back and forth, pondering. He then said, "This is indeed a good system, but a three-year or five-year term is too long. Since it is a temporary cabinet, it would be better to appoint officials on a temporary basis!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, wondering to himself, "Is Li Er's perception really that sharp?"

In fact, the establishment of the Grand Council had one very important benefit: it suppressed factional strife and decentralized power.

Because both the Three Departments and Six Ministries system and the cabinet system will give rise to factional struggles, thereby dispersing power.

The establishment of the Grand Council was precisely to address these drawbacks.

But Li Chengqian continued, “Father is right. The provisional cabinet was established when the war broke out, but war cannot continue indefinitely. Therefore, the cabinet ministers should not be permanent. In addition, because of the war, the provisional cabinet must also be kept confidential, and all participants must strictly abide by the confidentiality regulations. The system of ‘finishing the day’s work on the same day’ should be implemented.”

"Great! What a wonderful 'finish today' system!"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and then he looked around at his ministers and asked, "What do you all think?"

"this."

The generals looked at each other, bewildered.

Although they were also ministers in the court, they were all military officers, and they couldn't make decisions on such important national affairs.

So, after a moment's reaction, they turned their attention to Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression, then at Li Shimin, and sighed, "I do not oppose the establishment of a provisional cabinet, but I am worried that other court officials will have objections."

"I will convene my ministers to discuss this further, so the Left Minister need not worry."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin chuckled silently.

Although he is not yet clear about Li Chengqian's true purpose in proposing the establishment of a provisional cabinet, the establishment of a provisional cabinet would certainly be beneficial to him.

If the Tang Dynasty were to wage a two-front war, he could use the temporary cabinet to command two armies. Even if Li Chengqian controlled one army, it would not pose much of a threat to him.

As for the temporary nature of the cabinet ministers, it also has two advantages for him: one is that he can maximize the imperial power in a short period of time, and the other is that he does not have to worry about overusing the imperial power.

After all, the core function of a provisional cabinet is to maintain a high degree of centralization and efficient operation.

"Alright, I now make the following decisions: First, immediately order Du Junchuo to be appointed as the Grand Commander of the Pyongyang Road Army, to coordinate the troops of Youzhou, Yunzhou, and Daizhou, and to work with Zhang Jian, the Governor of Yingzhou, to construct a defensive line and resist the Goguryeo army with all our might. Second, immediately send envoys to warn Goguryeo that if it takes any further rash action, the Great Tang will surely destroy Goguryeo with all its might. Third, immediately order the Ministry of War to supervise the construction of one hundred warships in the south to carry military provisions."

Seeing that the ministers had fallen silent, Li Shimin decisively issued three orders in quick succession, then turned to Li Chengqian and continued, "Let the Crown Prince handle the matter with Xueyantuo. I don't think the Crown Prince will have any objections."

"Father, you flatter me. Your son will follow all of your arrangements and has no objections whatsoever!"

Li Chengqian bowed very respectfully to Li Shimin, which made Li Shimin look very strange.

However, things have come to this point, and no amount of conspiracy or scheming can change the current situation of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin was quite confident in himself.

As long as he pacifies Goguryeo, even if Li Chengqian becomes a sage of his time, his position will not be shaken.

After everything was arranged, Li Shimin left the military academy with satisfaction. It seemed that apart from the sand table map, nothing else at the academy made him want to stay a moment longer.

Li Chengqian didn't seem inclined to explain much about the military academy to him.

In doing so, Li Shimin missed out on the most regrettable thing in his life, so much so that many years later, he would grit his teeth when he thought about it.

I regret not lingering longer.

"Your Highness, Gao Yanshou, Li Siyuan, and Inugami Mitako are already waiting in the side hall. Shall I arrange for them to have an audience?"

As soon as Li Chengqian returned to the Crown Prince's residence, Xie Yan, the newly appointed deputy chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence, hurriedly came to greet him.

Li Chengqian smiled and glanced at him, saying, "Mr. Xie is quite efficient; you've adapted to your new job so quickly!"

"Your Highness, you flatter me. It is all thanks to Steward Laifu's guidance that I was able to accomplish the task Your Highness entrusted to me!"

"Well, anyway, as long as you can adapt, that's good!"

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, then raised his hand to indicate, "Take me there!"

"promise!"

Xie Yan agreed and immediately led Li Chengqian to the side hall.

"Your humble servants, Gao Yanshou and Li Siyuan, greet His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

As soon as Li Chengqian stepped into the side hall, Inu no Mita Kuchi and the other two immediately knelt down and bowed to him, their movements incredibly smooth.

I rub!

Li Chengqian was startled by the three men's posture, but he quickly figured out what was going on and turned to look at Xie Yan.

But Xie Yan said casually, "I was worried that they might be impolite when they met His Highness the Crown Prince, so I specially taught them some manners."

"Uh."

Li Chengqian's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "You intellectuals really know how to play tricks."

However, he didn't care about these absurd things, so he said nonchalantly, "Get up and talk!"

"No, Your Highness, no need, we can just kneel!" Li Siyuan quickly said. Inu no Mita Kuchi echoed, "Yes, Your Highness, foreign ministers prefer to kneel when speaking!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian was amused by their words and actions, and wondered what manners Xie Yan had taught them.

But then he laughed and said, "Inu-gami Odenku, do you remember what I talked to you about last time? What's your decision?"

"Uh, this."

Inugami Odenkuya hesitated for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, "To be honest, Your Highness, the conditions you have offered are very generous. As an envoy of Japan, I have no reason not to agree to your conditions. But as you know, the Soga family controls the political situation in Japan. Without the Soga family's consent, even Emperor Kōgyoku is powerless!"

"This is also why, although I am nominally an envoy of Japan, Soga Shizuka is actually the one who calls the shots!"

"So, you're completely useless?" Li Chengqian said with amusement, then added meaningfully, "I've never been lenient with useless people!"

"Ah, this"

A flicker of panic crossed Inugami Oden's eyes, but he ultimately regained his composure.

He felt that if Li Chengqian wanted to kill him, he would have done so long ago, and there was no need to wait until now.

However, Li Chengqian's next words plunged him into an icy abyss.

But then Li Chengqian suddenly spoke up, "You are Prince Zhongda, Shuming's man, aren't you!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Inugami Oda was greatly surprised and stammered, "Your Highness, this humble servant, this humble servant."

"Alright, I already know your identity and what you're planning to do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you here today and not Soga Shizuka!"

Before Inugami Oden could finish explaining, Li Chengqian interrupted him, then spoke eloquently: "Your plan is excellent; you could succeed quickly with just a little intervention from me. But I never do anything meaningless. If you want my help, in addition to the conditions I previously proposed, you also need to do one more thing for me."

"Of course, you can choose not to ask me for help, and I have no obligation to help you keep your secrets. After all, Soga no Iruka has been relatively well-behaved these past few years, and killing him would not benefit my Tang Dynasty!"

"This"

After hearing these words, Inugami Odenkuchi seemed to lose his ability to speak, standing there stunned and at a loss for words.

Li Siyuan and Gao Yanshou, standing to the side, looked at each other in bewilderment.

As former partners, they never expected that Japan would be in such chaos, with a minister colluding with a prince to plot the assassination of another minister.

This minister was none other than Soga no Iruka, who held immense power in the Japanese court.

It's important to understand that once this news reaches Japan, it will absolutely set the entire country on fire, plunging Japan into internal strife in an instant.

"Is there anything Your Highness needs us to do?"

Inuue Odenkuchi finally couldn't contain his fear and asked cautiously.

Li Chengqian's lips curled into a disdainful smile, and he casually said, "Help me destroy Goguryeo!"

"what?!"

Inugami Mitako was taken aback, as if he thought he had misheard, and turned to look at Li Siyuan and Gao Yanshou.

Li Siyuan and Gao Yanshou both looked surprised and stared at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

Although they had long anticipated a war between the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo, they never imagined it would come so soon.

Moreover, the very beginning is a war of annihilation.

This is too crazy!
What terrible thing did Goguryeo do that made the Tang Dynasty want to destroy its country?

But then Li Siyuan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, have I heard correctly? The Tang Dynasty is going to destroy Goguryeo?"

"Yes, Your Highness, is there some misunderstanding here?" Gao Yanshou couldn't help but ask.

Li Chengqian smiled and glanced at them, saying calmly, "There's no misunderstanding. This time, Goguryeo launched an attack on our Great Tang, even breaching three of our cities. My father has already ordered a northward march, and he will personally lead the expedition!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yanshou and Li Siyuan were struck dumb, their minds reeling.

He thought to himself, "Has the king gone mad? How dare he send troops against the Tang Dynasty? Doesn't he know how powerful the Tang army is?"

Or perhaps the Heavenly Khan's fame had not yet reached Goguryeo?

Or perhaps they still didn't believe in the power of the artillery they had mentioned?
At this moment, Gao Yanshou and Li Siyuan were experiencing extremely complex thoughts.

They couldn't understand why Goguryeo would take the initiative to send troops against the Tang Dynasty.
But then Li Chengqian said, "I plan to place the main battlefield at sea. Therefore, I need Japan to cooperate with my Great Tang in establishing military bases along the coast and providing all military supplies!"

"As long as Japan agrees to this condition"
He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Inugami Oden, and continued, "I will release you to return home immediately!"

"this."

Inugami Odenkuchi hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Will His Highness tell Soga Shizuka about this condition?"

Li Chengqian smiled: "What do you think?"

"I"

Inugami Mitaku swallowed hard, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

But Li Chengqian looked him over with interest and said, "You don't need to think too much. It's actually very simple. If you agree to this condition, then it's a cooperation between me and Shu Ming. If you don't agree, then it's a cooperation between me and the Suwo clan. Do you understand now?"

"Ming, I understand."

When Inugami Mitaku heard that Li Chengqian wanted to cooperate with the Soga clan, his heart tightened. No matter what, he would not allow them to cooperate, otherwise, Japan would be plunged into darkness.

As if he had made up his mind, he spoke again: "To be honest, Your Highness, although I am Prince Shuming's man, the decision-making power is not in my hands. I have to discuss it with Prince Shuming before I can make a decision. In addition, such a major matter as establishing a military base cannot be kept from Soga no Iruka. Your Highness will have to mediate."

"Of course, once Prince Shuming agrees to cooperate, we will do our utmost to fulfill our duties!"

"Do you think I'm discussing this with you?" Li Chengqian's face instantly turned cold.

"what?"

Inuue Mita was startled, and his heart skipped a beat.

That's how the Japanese are; the nicer you are to them, the more they take advantage of you.

If you berate him like a grandson, he'll think it's normal; that's the mark of a strong person.

Although Inugami Mitaku was an envoy, he also had this kind of personality. After Li Chengqian's expression turned cold, he became even more respectful: "Your Highness, this humble subject is indeed incapable of making a decision. Even if this humble subject agrees to your conditions, it will be of no use!"

“I didn’t say you had to make the decision. I want you to make this happen. Otherwise, if you delay my important business, do you know what the consequences will be?” Li Chengqian said coldly.

"I know that once I return to my country, I will do everything in my power to make this happen!" Inugami Oda said with a sigh of relief.

Li Chengqian nodded calmly and indifferently, then waved his hand and said, "In that case, you may leave now!"

"Yes!"

Inugami Mitako respectfully got up, bowed to Li Chengqian, and then obediently left.

Li Siyuan and Gao Yanshou, who watched them leave, subconsciously looked at each other and then tacitly lowered their heads.

Although they did not know Li Chengqian's purpose in summoning them, they knew without a doubt that it was probably related to the destruction of Goguryeo.

Not long after watching Inugami Oden Kuchi leave, Li Chengqian spoke again calmly: "If I asked you to help me destroy your country, would you help me?"

really!

It's time to come!
Li Siyuan and Gao Yanshou looked ashen-faced, but were powerless to do anything.

(End of this chapter)