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

Chapter 338 Everyone looks out for themselves! [Seeking monthly votes]

Some have described management as a game of power control.

From the perspective of the interplay of interests between people, this statement is indeed accurate.

Therefore, when this is projected onto the relationship between Li Chengqian and Li Shimin, it is not difficult to understand that the power struggle of the entire Tang Dynasty was actually a power game between the father and son.

As the saying goes, "The storm is brewing."

The atmosphere in Chang'an became exceptionally tense from the day the father and son left.

Officials have a very keen sense of smell.

In particular, Li Chengqian's display of the Crown Prince's power in front of all of them made them sense something different.

It should be noted that before launching the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the King of Qin also demonstrated the power of his Qin Palace, which aroused the Crown Prince and the King of Hailing's murderous intent towards him, thus gradually evolving into the Xuanwu Gate Incident that shocked the court and the public.

If the King of Qin had not demonstrated the power of his Qin royal family, perhaps the Crown Prince and the King of Hailing would not have acted so quickly.

But there are no "what ifs" in this world; everything happened too fast, so fast that no one had time to react.

That's why this unusual flavor has that familiar feeling.

After all, there are precedents to learn from.

But Fang Xuanling, who had just chaired the first cabinet meeting, suddenly exclaimed, "Throughout history, there have been very few fathers and sons like Your Majesty and the Crown Prince!"

"Yes! I don't know what His Majesty was thinking, actually sending the Crown Prince on an expedition to the northern deserts, breaking even the tradition of having a Crown Prince overseeing the state!"

Chu Suiliang chimed in, "I wonder if such actions are a blessing or a curse."

"It's definitely a blessing!"

Fang Xuanling smiled and glanced at him, then looked at the falling leaves in the distance and said, "This is precisely where His Majesty's wisdom lies!"

“But is it really okay if Chang’an doesn’t have His Majesty and the Crown Prince?” Yu Zhining, who was standing to the side, also asked with some concern.

Liu Ji, however, disagreed; "Is there anyone who would dare to disobey the imperial decree?"

Fang Xuanling nodded, then, as if remembering something, lowered his voice and said, "The Emperor Emeritus probably doesn't know about this yet. If he did, would he interfere in court affairs?"

The three of them fell silent upon hearing this.

Because none of them knew how to respond to Fang Xuanling's words.

From the moment Li Yuan left Da'an Palace, although they had heard about the relationship between Li Yuan and Li Chengqian, they still couldn't figure out the details.

Unlike Fang Xuanling, who was in the heart of the court, the four of them were alone. Feeling it inappropriate to remain silent, the three exchanged glances and, seemingly speaking to themselves, said, "The Emperor Emeritus must be sixty-five years old by now. His Majesty has been emperor for five years."

"Yes! At sixty, one can hear and understand; at seventy, one is considered old and wise. The retired emperor has probably long since lived out his days in peace!"

"I remember the Emperor Emeritus's condition for abdicating was a pleasant life, wasn't it? Although His Majesty did some wrong things in the past few years, he's been doing quite well these past few years. He should be very content and has no time to bother with us."

"Ah!"

Hearing the three talking to themselves, Fang Xuanling couldn't help but sneer, then said expressionlessly, "What's five years? The Emperor Emeritus reigned for nine years! And what was the result? Do you know what he went through during those nine years?"

"hiss"

Upon hearing this, the three of them gasped in shock.

"Now that you mention it, Minister Zuo, I do recall something. I remember that night when the Emperor Emeritus wanted to settle accounts, he declared that he would rather betray the world than let the world betray him. So that's what he meant..."

Before Chu Suiliang could finish speaking, Yu Zhining couldn't help but interject, "So after that night, the Emperor Emeritus was no longer the same Emperor Emeritus. This expedition by His Majesty and the Crown Prince seems to be an opportunity for him."

"I just don't know if His Majesty is prepared for this!" Liu Ji pondered.

Fang Xuanling glanced at them and said, "That's true, but the Emperor Emeritus has never shown any intention of restoring the throne. We cannot report to His Majesty out of concern or suspicion. After all, if we do something that backfires, we will be guilty of sowing discord among the royal family!"

"That's true, let's wait and see how things develop!"

The three nodded in deep agreement.

Meanwhile, at Li Chengqian's Crown Prince's residence.

Although Li Chengqian had already led the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace to conquer the northern deserts, Li Yuan continued to live in the garden villa behind the Crown Prince's residence.

At that moment, Li Yuan was playing the pipa and humming a little tune, having a great time.

Opposite him was Du Caigan, who was mixing drinks.

I don't know what got into Lao Du lately, but he's started researching cocktails.

It is said that ever since he tasted the mixed wine he accidentally spilled from the wine jar, he has been unable to stop and has started mixing various kinds of wine to drink.

In response, Li Chengqian simply provided him with a copy of "The Complete Book of Cocktails," instructing him to mix various cocktails to amuse Li Yuan, who loved to drink.

But after skillfully mixing a cocktail, he handed it to Li Yuan with a smile, winking and saying, "Your Majesty, please have a taste!"

"hehe."

Li Yuan seemed to have drunk Du Caigan's cocktails before. He grinned, put down his pipa, took the glass, smelled it, and exclaimed, "Everyone says Green Ant Wine is unique, but your cocktail is not bad either!"

As he spoke, he slowly brought the wine glass to his lips, took a sip, and was immediately overwhelmed by an unprecedented refreshing sensation that filled his entire mouth, making Li Yuan exclaim "Wow!"

"How is it, Your Majesty?"

"Hmm, not bad, but it's a bit weak, unlike the alcohol I usually drink!"

"Your Majesty is indeed astute. This is certainly not wine for you; it was specially prepared for my wife!"

Du Caigan scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Li Yuan chuckled and teased him, "So you're using me as an experiment? How dare you!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Du Caigan bowed respectfully, but he wasn't afraid. Instead, he smiled and winked, saying, "Isn't this what I learned from His Highness the Crown Prince? Everyone looks out for themselves!"

"Heh, that's interesting. So, according to you, if I ever encounter danger, are you planning to leave me to die for your own safety?"

"No, no, no, what I mean is..."

"Alright, I know you're loyal!"

Before Du Caigan could finish his explanation, Li Yuan interrupted him, took a sip of wine, and said seriously, "Tell me, after Erlang and Chengqian left, has anything unusual happened in the court?"

"This"

Du Caigan hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Li Yuan and frowned, saying, "There's nothing unusual in the court, but recently many suspicious people have appeared around the Crown Prince's residence!"

"Oh?"

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Is he Erlang's man, or Shouzhulang's man?"

"They have them! But it seems there are not only their people, but also people from court officials!"

"Minister of the imperial court?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, then said coldly, "What are they worried about? If I wanted to restore the throne, I wouldn't have waited until now!"

"Does the Emperor Emeritus not know that before leaving Chang'an, the Crown Prince showed off the Eastern Palace's strength, making some people very uneasy?" Du Caigan said with a half-smile.

Li Yuan frowned and glanced at him, then said coldly, "Erlang's ministers are becoming more and more incompetent!"

"Then what the Emperor meant was..."

"Has it been a long time since I've hunted?"

"Ok?"

Du Caigan was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty the Retired Emperor is wise!"

"Remember, you must win people over with virtue!" Li Yuan calmly and indifferently instructed.

Du Caigan immediately smiled knowingly.

the other side.

Li Shimin led his massive army to the Liaodong battlefield.

In September, Hou Junji led his vanguard army out of the important town of Liucheng, thus beginning the Liaodong Campaign.

In order to catch the enemy off guard, Hou Junji adopted a feint attack, sending a portion of his troops to attack Huaiyuan Town on the east bank of the Liao River. He also made a show of force to increase the pressure on the Goguryeo defenders, creating the illusion that the main Tang army was preparing to break through from there. This forced the Goguryeo defenders to urgently request reinforcements and dispatch a large army from elsewhere to defend the area.

Just as the various factions of Goguryeo were continuously gathering their troops at Huaiyuan Town, Hou Junji, who had already foreseen everything, immediately mobilized his main force to turn north. In mid-September, he suddenly crossed the Liao River at Tongding Town, and his army was aimed directly at Xuantu.

Since Goguryeo's main defensive focus was on the west, their sudden attack from the north was a huge surprise to them.

Therefore, Hou Junji's surprise attack caught Goguryeo completely off guard, and the imperial expeditionary force achieved its first victory.

This caused an uproar throughout Goguryeo, leading to a scorched-earth policy where people fortified their cities and dared not venture out.

In this battle, the Tang army captured more than 20,000 Goguryeo soldiers and seized nearly 100,000 shi of grain in just ten days, which greatly pleased Emperor Taizong of Tang.

"Hahaha! Good! Good!" Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh loudly, repeatedly saying "good."

The civil and military officials around him also showed happy smiles.

Only after Li Shimin's laughter subsided did he say with a smile, "Hou Junji fought a brilliant battle. Someone, bring me my gilded water jug!"

Upon hearing Li Shimin's order, a palace attendant quickly approached Li Shimin with a beautiful military water bottle.

Li Shimin smiled slightly, and then handed it over to Hou Junji without saying a word.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your reward!"

Hou Junji immediately knelt down on one knee and took the kettle with a thud.

The civil and military officials present looked on with puzzled expressions, wondering if this was really necessary.

After all, the Tang Dynasty was not a dynasty that would kneel down at the drop of a hat!
It was clear that the civil and military officials present all felt that Hou Junji's performance was a bit excessive.

But Li Shimin was delighted and couldn't help but smile and say, "This is just a small token of my appreciation, nothing more than a grand reward. After the war ends, I will reward everyone according to their merits, and at that time, it will be a truly great reward!"

"Long live your Majesty, long live, long live your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Junji immediately shouted and kowtowed.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin was momentarily at a loss for words to describe his feelings.

Suddenly, I remembered a certain rebellious son, and I wondered if that rebellious son had also won the battle.

If he didn't fight, then I'll have to show him what I'm made of.

But he immediately declared, "Spread the good news to the whole country at once!"

at the same time.

Li Chengqian led the six guards of the Eastern Palace, and they arrived in Liangzhou in a grand procession.

However, he stayed in the military camp for a short time. In the afternoon after setting up camp, he began to mobilize his troops, handing over the main army to Su Dingfang. He himself led two hundred Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), along with Yu Gushe and a thousand Langyawei (Wolf Fang Guards), to Liangzhou City ahead of them.

The north wind howled, and even though it was still summer, it was still quite cold.

Li Chengqian and Yu Gu rode side by side, both remaining relatively silent.

As they approached the residence of Li Daliang, the governor of Liangzhou, Yu Gushe broke the silence first, smiling and saying, "Your Highness! I never imagined that you would grow to such an extent in just a few years. Thinking back to the choice you made back then, I was truly fortunate!"

"When you come here, do you think of Jieli and Tuli?"

Li Chengqian asked, seemingly very understandingly.

Upon hearing this, Yu Gushe's smile faded, and he nodded, saying, "Your Highness is right. I did indeed think of them. In my Ashina family, I am the most fortunate, while they have been filled with misfortune!"

"So do you think it's a good thing to integrate the Turks into the Han Chinese nation?"

"To be honest, I don't understand politics very well, nor do I particularly like it, but I know that my Turkic tribe is doing very well!"

"Do you know why I named your subordinates the Wolf Fang Guards?"

Li Chengqian laughed: "Because I like the allure of wolves!"

Yu Gu set: "."

Li Chengqian: "."

After a moment, Li Chengqian shrugged awkwardly and said, "Okay, that's a lame joke. I actually like the unity of wolves, because unity brings strength."

“Not only you Turks, but also the people of the Western Regions, the Khitans, the Tuyuhuns, the Tibetans, and the Goguryeos. I will unite all ethnic groups to form the most powerful force in the world, and then conquer the world.”

"This"

Yu Gu hesitated for a moment, then said with admiration, "Your Highness has always had extraordinary ambitions since childhood. I think I understand now why my Turkic people were defeated!"

"why?"

"Because they are too easily satisfied!"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian laughed, his smile almost reaching the back of his head.

It must be said that Yugu She's insight is actually quite reasonable.

It seems that each generation of Turkic Great Khan was relatively easy to satisfy.

Although they launched expeditions to the Central Plains more than once, they failed inexplicably each time.

In particular, Khagan Jieli had already reached the Wei River, but in the end, he was so frightened by Li Er that he signed the Wei River Treaty.

Although Li Er considered this alliance a great humiliation, Jieli also missed the last great opportunity to conquer the Central Plains.

That's why Yu Gu She felt they were too easily satisfied.

How can a monarch who is easily dismissed by others who bow down to him and offer him a few favors possibly lead the Turks to success?

Just as Li Chengqian and Pei Xingjian were talking, Pei Xingjian suddenly rode up to Li Chengqian's side, cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, we are about ten miles from Liangzhou City. Should I inform the Governor of Liangzhou to come and meet us?"

"No need. This governor of Liangzhou is no ordinary person! Even if you inform him, he probably won't come!"

Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, Pei Xingjian and Yu Gushe looked at him with puzzled expressions, wondering what kind of governor was so pretentious that he dared not even come to greet the Crown Prince.
Li Chengqian seemed to see their doubts and explained with a smile: "I have looked up information about this Li Daliang. It is said that after he won a battle, my grandfather bestowed upon him hundreds of followers. He dismissed them all the next day and even sold the treasures that my father had given him to help the poor. He is a rather unconventional regional official."

"This"

Pei Xingjian and Yu Gushe looked at each other again, then remained speechless.

But then Li Chengqian said, "Alright, let's just go straight to Liangzhou City. Their people should find us soon, and we won't need to notify them!"

"promise!"

Pei Xingjian acknowledged and immediately rode away.

However, not long after, he suddenly returned and hurriedly reported: "Your Highness, a large number of cavalry have appeared ahead of us. Should we prepare to retreat?"

"Can you determine which side's cavalry it is?" Li Chengqian asked, frowning.

Pei Xingjian shook his head and said, "I can't be sure, but it's definitely not the cavalry of our Great Tang!"

"Not Tang Dynasty cavalry?"

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes, then said directly to Laifu, "Laifu, hand me my meteorite iron spear! Come with me to take a look!"

After saying that, he instructed Yu Gushe beside him, "You stay here and hold the line for me. Don't make any rash moves!"

"Yes!"

Yu Gu immediately accepted the order and returned to his subordinates.

Li Chengqian, accompanied by Lai Fu and Pei Xingjian, came to the front of the group.

About a kilometer away from them, there was a horizontal black line approaching them, with an estimated number of people between five thousand and ten thousand.

Just as Li Chengqian looked around, a fast horse appeared from the black line, galloping rapidly towards him.

They only stopped their horses when they were two or three hundred meters away from Li Chengqian, and shouted loudly, "Is His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty ahead? We are subordinates of Dahe Kuge, and we have come here to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

"Daheku-ge?"

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Dahekuge is the new chieftain of the Khitan tribe. It is said that he once rebelled against the Xueyantuo Khanate and formed a new alliance with the Zhishisi tribe!"

"Oh, so they're allies of Zhishi Sili. No wonder they use honorifics when addressing me!"

Li Chengqian nodded in sudden realization, then asked with some doubt, "How did they know I would come here?"

Pei Xingjian thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps they have been active in this area all along, otherwise, given the route we carefully selected, they shouldn't know our whereabouts!"

"But this place is less than ten miles from Liangzhou City. How could Li Daliang allow them to get so close to Liangzhou City?"

"this."

Pei Xingjian was speechless for a moment when Li Chengqian asked him a question.

But then Lai Fu suddenly said, "Your Highness, another group has arrived!"

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned and looked in the direction of the voice.

Sure enough, another black line appeared to the left of the first black line.

Li Chengqian only needed to glance at the people in black to know who they were, so he immediately gripped the meteorite iron spear in his hand and coldly said, "Prepare for battle!"

(End of this chapter)