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

Chapter 329 Taking Advantage of Your Illness to Kill You [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Chengqian, didn't you want to sow discord between the King of Goguryeo and Yeon Gaesomun?"

Li Shimin frowned and glanced at Kim Jae-cheon, Gao Chengjiu and his daughter who were discussing the matter. Then he turned to Li Chengqian and asked with some confusion, "Why did you even kill the envoy of the King of Goguryeo?"

Li Chengqian smiled and then explained, "Father, think about it. Since we want to sow discord between the King of Goguryeo and Yeon Gaesomun, shouldn't we also create conflict between Yeon Gaesomun and the King of Goguryeo?"

"If we only kill Kim Jae-cheon, what will Yeon Gaesomun think? He'll think that our Great Tang has already allied with the King of Goguryeo!"

"So, if you were Yeon Gaesomun, what would you do?"

"This"

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "If I were Yeon Gaesomun, I would definitely be more wary of the King of Goguryeo, but I would never rashly start a conflict with him!"

"Yes! Is this in our best interest?"

Li Chengqian shrugged and said, "It's obviously not true!"

"Therefore, we must let Yeon Gaesomun know our stance: we treat him and the King of Goguryeo equally!"

"In that case, without our help, what will the King of Goguryeo do? He will be wary of Yeon Gaesomun and plot against each other until an opportunity arises to eliminate Yeon Gaesomun."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin suddenly realized what was going on, then looked at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression and asked, "Do you think the King of Goguryeo will eliminate Yeon Gaesomun?"

"will not!"

Li Chengqian answered without hesitation: "According to the information I have received, Yeon Gaesomun is even worse than Sima Zhao!"

"Sima Zhao?"

Li Shimin was startled and asked in astonishment, "You mean he dares to murder the emperor?"

"Ah!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately laughed: "Has Father not read the history books of the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties? What's so surprising about this?"

"Does Father Emperor think someone like Yeon Gaesomun would sit idly by and wait to die?"

"this."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was momentarily at a loss for words.

The next moment, Changsun Wuji, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up in a low voice: "Chengqian, what do you think are the chances of His Majesty winning if he personally leads an expedition against Goguryeo?"

Li Chengqian blurted out, "Without my help, it's probably about 50%, but with my help, it's at least 90%!"

"Hmph! How arrogant!" Li Shimin sneered, "What makes you say that?"

"Of course it's based on skill! What, you think it's based on luck?"

Li Chengqian shrugged and said, "I'm not the Emperor. I almost got strangled to death by Li Yuanji for starting the Xuanwu Gate Incident!"

"Don't you know what 'strike while the iron is hot' means? You've already done it, and you're still losing focus at the crucial moment! Let me tell you, Father, you'd better be decisive on the Goguryeo battlefield and not hesitate, otherwise you'll harm yourself and others!"

"Rebel!"

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's words, Li Shimin was so angry he almost lost his composure: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?!"

"Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, calm down!"

Seeing that Li Shimin and his son were about to fight again, Changsun Wuji quickly advised Li Shimin, "The Crown Prince is only thinking of you. Although his words were a bit extreme, it's not a bad thing to be cautious. After all, the lessons of the Sui Dynasty are there for all to see. Emperor Yang of Sui was not decisive enough, which is why he repeatedly delayed his battles and missed several victories."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian smiled knowingly, then turned to Changsun Wuji and said, "Uncle, you should go to Liaodong with my father, right? Please remind him at all times not to be soft-hearted! He is a general on the battlefield, not an emperor. Don't do anything that would damage morale, otherwise, the consequences could be unpredictable!"

"Uh, this."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth, and then cautiously looked at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he didn't know what to say.

In fact, what Li Chengqian reminded us of has already been verified in history.

One of the main reasons Li Shimin failed in his campaign against Goguryeo was his lack of decisiveness at crucial moments, which led to delays in the battle.

Furthermore, he promised to plunder the city's wealth and distribute it to his soldiers after the city was captured. However, after the city was taken, he mercifully spared the Goguryeo people in the city, saying that he couldn't bear to let his soldiers kill and plunder their wives and children.

Damn it!
That's war!

Ask the Goguryeo people if they plundered your Tang people when they conquered the cities of the Tang Dynasty.

We'd be lucky if we didn't wipe you all out!
It can be said that Li Shimin's actions greatly damaged the morale of the soldiers on the front lines.

What's even more ridiculous is that those Goguryeo people he let go eventually turned around and attacked the Tang army.

This is exactly the same situation as when Emperor Yang of Sui launched his campaign against Goguryeo and suffered heavy losses due to a fake surrender.

Of course, from their perspective, this might be considered a 'benevolent act'.

For example, it could showcase the might of the Tang army as a kingly force, win over the hearts of the people with a show of righteous indignation and punishing the wicked, and thus undermine the fighting spirit of the soldiers and civilians in other Goguryeo cities.

To be honest, there's nothing wrong with doing this.

But the key point is that they overestimated the moral bottom line of the Goguryeo state.

From the Western Han Dynasty onwards, this country has been constantly moving between different regions outside the Central Plains dynasties, and it is ambitious.

So-called benevolent actions alone will not be enough to win their genuine submission.

We must strike them hard and cripple them with overwhelming force, making them fear the Tang Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts, so that they dare not even look directly at the Tang army.

That's why Li Chengqian gave Li Shimin such an overreaction.

We must be ruthless and merciless.

Whether Li Shimin would listen or not was beyond his control; in any case, that was all he had to say.

While the father and son fell silent, Li Tai, not far away, was watching them with a gloomy gaze.

He originally thought he could get a great deal this time, but unexpectedly, Li Chengqian easily thwarted his plan again.

Moreover, he also realized a new situation from what had just happened: Li Shimin actually supported launching a war against Goguryeo.

In this way, his plan to take advantage of the people's desire for peace and challenge Li Chengqian would no longer be possible.

After all, Li Chengqian and Li Shimin are now on the same path, and he cannot possibly oppose Li Shimin.

But he was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

After a period of silence, he turned his gaze to Zhang Wenguan beside him, frowned, and asked, "Wenguan, what do you think about this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenguan paused for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "What does His Highness the Prince of Yue mean?"

"Hmph! Didn't you answer that Goguryeo woman's question correctly?"

Li Tai snorted coldly, then reminded her meaningfully, "Logically speaking, she should marry you! Are you going to just stand by and watch your wife be executed by the Crown Prince?"

"what?"

Zhang Wenguan was surprised for a moment, then looked at Li Tai with disbelief.

Li Tai, however, said expressionlessly, "I just inquired about the news in the court. It seems my father is preparing to personally lead an expedition against Goguryeo, and Li Chengqian also seems to be planning to attack Xueyantuo. As a result, Chang'an is without a true ruler. It is said that a temporary cabinet is in charge. I need you to find a way to get me into the temporary cabinet."

"this."

Zhang Wenguan hesitated for a moment, then frowned and said, "This humble official is not familiar with the operating mechanism of the provisional cabinet, I'm afraid..."

"I don't need you to know, just let me in!"

Before Zhang Wenguan could finish speaking, Li Tai interrupted him in a low voice: "As long as we can get in, who cares about the operating mechanism? Do you think those ministers would dare to disrespect me?"

"That's true. Given His Majesty's favor towards Prince Yue, it would definitely be beneficial for him to enter this temporary cabinet and make decisions on important national affairs."

"So, do you have a solution?"

"Hmm, let me think about it carefully."

Zhang Wenguan nodded thoughtfully, then fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kim Jae-cheon and his daughter Ko Seung-gu, who were on the verge of life and death, were intensely discussing their life-or-death gamble with Lee Seung-gwan.

But then Jin Zaiquan said sternly, "Gao Chengjiu, Gao Huizhen, we're in this together now. Don't try anything funny. Your lives are the most important thing!"

"What makes you think we can survive at the hands of that Tang Dynasty Crown Prince?" Gao Huizhen said coldly. "He clearly doesn't want to give us a way out, that's why he agreed to this bet!"

"Then what do you suggest we do? Are you just going to let us sit here and wait to die?"

Kim Jae-cheon retorted coldly, "You were the ones who proposed the literary contest to choose a husband, and now that you've messed it up, do you think you can just walk away from it?"

"Don't think the Crown Prince of Tang can't see through your intentions. You just want to use Tang as a tool to get rid of Lord Yuan so that the King can reap the benefits! Do you think the Crown Prince of Tang is a fool? If he hadn't seen through your intentions, would he have eliminated you as well?"

"Humph!"

Gao Huizhen snorted coldly, about to retort to Jin Zaiquan, when she heard Gao Chengjiu beside her say with a worried look, "What time is it? Why are you still arguing about this? The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty only gave us the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Look at that incense, how much is left?!"

"this."

Upon hearing this, Kim Jae-cheon and Go Hye-jin exchanged a glance, then looked at the incense stick that was about to burn out, and their expressions changed drastically.

Gao Huizhen immediately said, "I've decided. I'll use the question I prepared. I believe the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty will definitely not be able to answer it!"

"Why should you decide! The Crown Prince of Tang made a bet with me, and my question was very difficult. The Crown Prince of Tang could not possibly answer it!" Kim Jae-cheon hurriedly stopped Go Hye-jin.

"Ha! I can answer your question, how could the Crown Prince of Tang not be able to!" "But your question isn't foolproof either! How can we entrust the lives of so many of us to you!"

"If you won't hand it over to me, are you the one to give it to?"

"All right!"

Seeing that his daughter and Kim Jae-cheon were about to start arguing again, Go Seung-gu suddenly became furious: "I've decided, I'll use my question!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Kim Jae-cheon and Go Hye-jin were both taken aback.

However, at that moment, the burning incense stick dropped its last piece of ash with a snap.

But then the tongueless man who had been in charge of checking the incense stick shouted loudly, "The time has come! Please, Goguryeo envoy, give us the question!"

Boom!

These words caused an uproar in the area around the previously quiet platform!

Many people looked up at the platform, anticipating this thrilling and dangerous life-or-death question.

Unexpectedly, Gao Chengjiu stepped forward and solemnly said, "I am an envoy of Goguryeo, sent by my king to negotiate peace. I never expected to encounter such a situation. But since things have come to this, there is no point in saying anything more. Since the Crown Prince of Tang wants to gamble, we will play along to the end!"

After saying this, he turned his gaze to Li Chengqian and said coldly, "May I ask the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, how heavy is this high platform beneath my feet?"

"What!?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard the question.

You should know that the platform they were standing on was built with many stones.

Although it doesn't look very high, maybe only two or three meters, it would be almost impossible to weigh this platform.

"Wonderful!"

Kim Jae-cheon and Go Hye-jin's eyes lit up; neither of them seemed to have thought of such a brilliant question.

Li Shimin frowned, then turned to Li Chengqian and asked, "Can you answer this?"

"Is Father looking down on his son with such a simple question?" Li Chengqian said nonchalantly.

Li Tai, standing to the side, said sarcastically, "Your Majesty, you wouldn't be thinking of using Cao Chong's method of weighing an image, would you? There aren't any ships that big here!"

"Ha, who said I was going to use that method?"

Li Chengqian smiled disdainfully, then looked at Li Tai seriously and said, "How many times have I told you, you must use your official title when you're out in public? Aren't you supposed to be quite smart? How come you can't remember? Have you eaten too much pig brain and become stupid?"

"you!"

Li Tai was so angry that he choked for a moment, then quickly looked at Li Shimin, only to see that Li Shimin was also looking at him seriously. He couldn't help but feel a pang of unease, wondering what was going on? Why wasn't his father on his side?
But then Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "Are you sure you want to gamble this issue with me?"

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances and said in unison, "We're sure!"

Clearly, the question posed by Go Seung-gu was far more insightful for Kim Jae-cheon and Go Hye-jin than any question they could come up with themselves.

Therefore, they simply did not believe that Li Chengqian could answer this question.

Li Chengqian nodded with great satisfaction and then turned to Zhang Tie beside him, saying, "Instructor Zhang, I'll draw some tools, and you can personally go back to the Academy of Sciences to make them for me, how about that?"

"it is good!"

Zhang Tie agreed without hesitation.

Without further ado, Li Chengqian immediately asked Pei Xingjian to bring some paper and pen, and began to draw in front of everyone.

About fifteen minutes later, he finished drawing the blueprints and handed them to Zhang Tiedao, saying, "Use better materials, or it will be a laughing stock if it breaks!"

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly do my best to handle this for you!"

Zhang Tie confidently bowed and then, carrying the blueprints, charged towards the horses prepared by the Imperial Guards.

Soon, he mounted his horse and rode away.

But then Li Chengqian said, "Pei Xingjian, immediately have someone tie the platform tightly with ropes, then insert iron bars through its bottom and hang iron chains on it!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Xingjian immediately directed the surrounding Imperial Guards to act according to Li Chengqian's orders.

Time passed slowly, and the Goguryeo envoy was on tenterhooks.

Finally, Jin Zaiquan spoke first: "Crown Prince of Tang, you gave us the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. You can't expect us to wait for too long, can you?"

"Don't worry, it will only take me the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!" Li Chengqian replied decisively.

Gao Chengjiu looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Crown Prince of the Great Tang, I know your abilities, but do you not understand the situation? First, you have to lift this platform before you can weigh it. I don't need to elaborate on the manpower and time required for this, do I?"

"Even if we take a step back and lift this platform up, and use Cao Chong's method of weighing the elephant, we would still need to prepare a large ship of the same size. But as far as I know, the Tang Dynasty doesn't seem to have ships that big. Moreover, this place is still several hundred meters away from the Wei River. Are you suggesting that we move this platform onto the Wei River to weigh it?"

"Even if you could do all of that, are you sure the time it takes for an incense stick to burn is enough?"

"That's enough," Li Chengqian said casually.

I rub!

This Tang Dynasty crown prince is such a show-off!
Almost all the Goguryeo envoys rolled their eyes at Li Chengqian.

Li Shimin, standing to the side, couldn't help but ask again, "Chengqian, are you sure you can do it?"

Li Chengqian didn't offer any further explanation, but instead closed his eyes and waited for Zhang Tie's return.

After about half an incense stick's time, Zhang Tie finally appeared in everyone's sight in his carriage.

He said breathlessly, "Your Highness, I have not failed you. Everything you requested has been made."

"Okay, let's start assembling!"

Li Chengqian slowly opened his eyes and calmly gave his orders.

Soon, Zhang Tie called on the people from the Academy of Sciences around him to start assembling the parts according to the blueprints.

At this moment, Li Tai, who had been watching them closely, couldn't help but lean over and ask, "What are all these things?"

"Modible pulley system!"

Li Chengqian made a casual remark that left Li Tai completely baffled.

The others present, including Li Shimin and his ministers, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although they still don't understand how Li Chengqian plans to weigh the platform, seeing the strange and unusual things he has prepared, they inexplicably begin to believe that he will succeed.

This caused all the Goguryeo envoys on the high platform to break out in a cold sweat.

But then Jin Zaiquan hurriedly said, "Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, your time is running out, you only have half an incense stick left!"

"What, are you in a hurry to be reincarnated?"

Li Chengqian chuckled and teased Jin Zaiquan, then glanced at Zhang Tie and the others who were ready, and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, a few people, go and pull up the platform!"

"What!?"

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

How could a few people possibly lift this platform?

I doubt even several hundred people could lift it up!

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Li Jing, Qin Qiong and other military generals rushed forward: "Your Highness, let us give it a try!"

"Hey, we don't need that many people, two or three will be enough!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand, quickly stopping them.

What does it mean to say something truly astonishing?
Everyone was completely stunned when they heard this.

For a moment, all around was silent.

I was thinking, what on earth is going on here?
It takes two or three people to pull a stone platform that is two or three meters high.

His Highness the Crown Prince must still be dreaming!
"Then... is it okay if it's just me and Lao Cheng?" Yuchi Gong looked at Li Chengqian with a blank expression.

I thought he was joking, but after he made a quick calculation, he said in a serious tone, "Both generals are fierce warriors in the army. Even if they are not as strong as they used to be, they still have considerable strength. Two people are enough!"

"what?"

These words immediately left Yuchi Gong and his companion speechless.

But now they're in a bind, and even if they regret it, they have to put on a bitter face and pull the platform up with all their might.

Yuchi Gong and his companion exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and then suddenly exerted their strength.
Crunch!

Everyone around suddenly narrowed their eyes.

Even Li Shimin, Li Tai, Changsun Wuji, Gao Chengjiu, Jin Zaiquan, Gao Huizhen and others stared in astonishment at the scene before them.

I was so shocked my jaw almost dropped to the ground.

(End of this chapter)