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

Chapter 345 I, Li Chengqian, am after money! [Bonus chapter for the Dreamers Watching TV Hall Master]

"If it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. What do you mean by that?" Li Chengqian said with a stern face.

"Ah, no, Your Highness, isn't this too much? We, your humble servants, are only doing our duty to serve the country. Look at this, this..."

Qiu Yu found himself unable to continue speaking at this point.

Because that's so damn fake.

What fool would pass up such a huge reward?
Even if he wanted to miss out, the five thousand soldiers of Ganzhou behind him would not allow it.

If the soldiers behind him knew that he had refused such a large reward from Li Chengqian, they would probably tear him apart alive.

After all, they risked their lives for this.

Seeing Qiu Yu's hesitant expression, Li Chengqian's lips curled up slightly, and he said in a serious tone, "Governor Qiu is right. You are all of noble character and loyal to the emperor and the country. I am just a mercenary. Since you don't want it, then blame me for being presumptuous. You may leave now."

After saying this, Li Chengqian turned and left, leaving Qiu Yu behind him anxious. He thought to himself, "How could the duck that was about to be eaten fly away?!"
At that moment, he really wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to act so arrogant! He should have just taken it when it was offered to him!

"His Royal Highness!"

Seeing Li Chengqian about to mount his warhorse and leave, Qiu Yu gritted his teeth, quickly knelt down and shouted, "Long live Your Highness! On behalf of all the soldiers of Ganzhou City, I thank you! Thank you for this reward of one thousand strings of cash!"

Boom!

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked!

What was originally just a conversation between Li Chengqian and Qiu Yu became known to not only the Ganzhou soldiers behind Qiu Yu, but also the other soldiers around them, after Qiu Yu shouted it out.

It can be said that it shocked everyone present for a whole year!

Especially the Ganzhou army behind Qiu Yu, who were panting and exhausted from running off the battlefield, hadn't even caught their breath when they heard about such a great reward, and their breathing became rapid again.

I rub!

Did I hear that right?!

His Highness the Crown Prince is going to reward each of us with a thousand strings of cash?!
Is this, is this real?
Almost simultaneously, everyone turned to look at Li Chengqian.

This is the boy they revered as a god of war on the battlefield.

Is he the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty? He is indeed extraordinary!
"Ah!"

Although Li Chengqian had his back to Qiu Yu and the others, he smiled the moment Qiu Yu finished speaking.

Others might not know what the extra reward from the Crown Prince meant, but Qiu Yu knew it perfectly well, which is why she wanted to refuse Li Chengqian's kindness.

But sometimes, circumstances are beyond one's control, and he simply cannot refuse them even if he wants to.

Therefore, after figuring this out, he suddenly changed his mind and asked Li Chengqian to take back the reward.

The fact that he so ostentatiously reclaimed the reward was actually a way of currying favor with Li Chengqian.

After all, Li Chengqian's reward did not specify how it should be distributed, whether it should be given to him, the governor of Ganzhou, or distributed by Li Chengqian's own people.

If it were issued by him, the governor of Ganzhou, there would be a lot of room for maneuver. He could completely obfuscate Li Chengqian's reward and say that it was issued by the imperial court. Even if Li Chengqian held him accountable, he would have something to say: "Doesn't the crown prince represent the imperial court?"

He could also explain to Li Shimin that the Crown Prince had not won over the hearts of the people in Ganzhou!
As for Li Chengqian's own people sending them, he thought it was highly unlikely.

Because Li Chengqian could casually produce five million strings of cash, he definitely didn't care about those five million strings of cash.

So, in the end, it's still likely that he'll be the one to issue it.

However, by announcing the reward directly in front of everyone, he essentially made all the soldiers of Ganzhou owe the Crown Prince a debt of gratitude.

This is no simple matter.

As the saying goes, "If you take someone's money, you have to work for them."

From then on, the Ganzhou army belonged to the Crown Prince.

Even he, as the governor of Ganzhou, will now be tied to the Crown Prince's residence.

Li Chengqian slowly turned around, glanced calmly and indifferently at Qiu Yu kneeling on the ground, then faced the Ganzhou army behind him, and smiled broadly, saying, "This is what the soldiers of Ganzhou City deserve! You have been brave and fearless on the battlefield, fighting alongside me. I am very satisfied with you, my comrades! Therefore, I am rewarding you, hoping that you will continue your efforts! Follow me to crush the courage of these barbarians!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of Ganzhou trembled and immediately knelt on one knee, shouting loudly, "We are willing to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"haha okay!"

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something, glanced at Qiu Yu again, and corrected him, "Governor Qiu hadn't finished speaking yet, so I'll say it for him here: all the Ganzhou soldiers who participated in this battle, whether alive or dead on the battlefield, in addition to the imperial court's rewards and pensions, will receive one thousand strings of cash from the Crown Prince!"

"What!?"

All the soldiers of Ganzhou, and even the other soldiers around them, especially some of the Liangzhou soldiers who had come to fight with Li Chengqian, stared wide-eyed.

Oh my God!

Does Your Highness possess mountains of gold and silver?!
Even the dead received a thousand strings of cash?

How much does this cost?

It must be said that Li Chengqian's grand gesture shocked all the soldiers present, leaving them shivering and their scalps tingling.

So arrogant!

That's fucking extravagant!

This isn't a war! This is clearly a money war!
In just a moment, all the soldiers around, even some of the Liangzhou troops who had come with Li Chengqian, knelt down in unison.

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

Their voices were loud and their morale was high, as if they wanted to tear a hole in the sky.

.........

Meanwhile, the Xueyantuo army, which had hastily retreated to a safe area, lay listlessly on the ground, sitting under trees, or on horseback, like wilted eggplants, with no morale whatsoever.

Just as Li Chengqian had predicted, even after such a great defeat, Yi Shi Dadu would not easily withdraw his troops.

This expedition was of extraordinary significance to him.

He couldn't possibly give up like that.

"Da da da--"

Just as everyone fell into a heavy silence, a fast horse rushed up to Yi Shida's horse, dismounted, and said, "Your Highness! The Tang army has not pursued us; they have set up camp directly outside Ganzhou City!"

"call……"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shida finally couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

It must be said that Li Chengqian's sudden appearance completely stunned him and his Xueyantuo army, to the point that he still doesn't know that the brave and incomparable young general is the famous Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

But then he seemed to catch his breath and asked, "I just heard a lot of noise coming from the direction of Ganzhou City, what happened?"

"Uh, this..."

The person who reported hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "It is the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty rewarding his soldiers!"

"The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?"

Yi Shida was slightly taken aback, then subconsciously looked at Li Jian, only to see Li Jian also looking somewhat surprised and saying, "You said the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty has come to Ganzhou?"

"Yes, that golden-armored youth is the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty!"

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shida and Li Jian were struck dumb, their minds buzzing.

They never dreamed that the Crown Prince of Tang would personally go to the battlefield and, moreover, bravely and unparalleledly rescue the Tang army that they had besieged right under their noses!
This is absolutely absurd!

They actually missed a golden opportunity to ambush and kill the Crown Prince of Tang!
It should be understood that even if their army was repeatedly defeated by Li Chengqian, if they really wanted to fight Li Chengqian to the death, Li Chengqian would never be able to lead his army out of the encirclement.

After all, when a person is exhausted, no matter how powerful they are, they cannot kill an army of 100,000.

Even Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, defeated the enemy by using his momentum the moment he broke through their battle formation.

If the enemy were to fight him to the death without regard for their own lives, even Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, would perish on the battlefield.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Yi lost his temper and became so angry that he went berserk on the spot, wishing he could draw his sword and commit suicide.

What a shame!
It was an utter disgrace to him!
In the midst of battle, he didn't even know the opposing commander-in-chief, and was even tricked by him.

He drew his sword with a clang, glared fiercely at the person who had reported, and said, "How did you gather intelligence? Why are you only telling me now?!"

"Your Highness, please calm down. That Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is elusive and always has guards around him, making it difficult for our people to get close, which is why..."

"Pfft—!" Before the person reporting could finish speaking, Yi Shi Dadu angrily slashed him to death.

Blood splattered all over his face, and Li Jian, who was next to him, was also covered in blood.

The Xueyantuo soldiers around them looked at each other in bewilderment.

But Li Jian quickly said, "Your Highness, please calm down. It is true that the scouts were responsible for investigating this matter, but since things have come to this point, we should..."

Are you teaching me how to do things?

Before Li Jian could finish speaking, Yi Shi Dadu glared at him coldly and said with his face covered in blood, "If it weren't for Father Khan's sake, I would have killed you too!"

Clearly, he was also annoyed that Li Jian, a Han Chinese, didn't even recognize the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, which was utterly useless.

But Li Jian felt deeply wronged.

He had already joined the Xueyantuo before the fall of the Sui Dynasty, so he had no idea who the current Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty was.

Moreover, in his mind, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty still looked like Li Jiancheng. He had never even seen Li Shimin, let alone Li Chengqian.

As for why he had met Li Jiancheng, it was because he had once represented the Xueyantuo on a mission to the Tang Dynasty, and it was Li Jiancheng who received him.

However, Yi Shi Dadu didn't want to listen to his explanation at all, and directly ordered the surrounding area: "Set up camp immediately and prepare for tomorrow's decisive battle!"

Whether it was because Yi Shida killed someone on the spot or for some other reason, the morale of the Xueyantuo army, which was originally low, gradually recovered and began to set up camp according to Yi Shida's orders.

Meanwhile, as Yi Shi finished issuing his orders and prepared to find a place to rest, Li Jian couldn't help but remind him, "Your Highness, please allow me to speak boldly. Whether you want to kill or punish me, please allow me to finish speaking!"

"Humph!"

Yi Shi snorted coldly, but still stopped and asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Your Highness, we now know that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is outside Ganzhou City. Why don't we contact Tuyuhun and have them attack Liangzhou?"

"Presumably, the Liangzhou troops have also been transferred to the Ganzhou battlefield to protect their crown prince!"

"In this way, Liangzhou will be left vulnerable, giving the Tuyuhun an opportunity to take advantage!"

"Once Liangzhou falls, we will attack them from both sides. No matter how brave the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is, he will have no chance to escape!"

"Ok?"

Yi Shida's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure all the Liangzhou troops have come to Ganzhou?"

“Even if not all of them came, some did. With the fighting strength of Tuyuhun, how could they not break through Liangzhou City, which is short of soldiers and generals?” Li Jian asked with a smile.

Yi Shi thought about it for a moment and felt that it made a lot of sense, but then a new doubt arose: "How can you be sure that Tuyuhun will send troops? Although they have signed an alliance with my Xueyantuo, they have not said that they will send troops to help us attack the Tang Dynasty!"

"Moreover, they are currently vying for the throne domestically, so they will likely prioritize stability and are unlikely to easily start a war with the Tang Dynasty!"

“I understand the Crown Prince’s concerns, but there are always exceptions. As the saying goes, everyone in the world is driven by profit. As long as there is enough benefit, I don’t believe they will not be tempted!”

Li Jian said with a half-smile, then casually took out a map and said to him, "As long as the eldest prince agrees to them, Liangzhou, Ganzhou, including Lingzhou, and even the entire Hexi region will be given to them after the matter is accomplished. I don't believe they won't be tempted!"

"How can this be?! Giving them the entire Hexi region?"

Yi glared at him, clearly unwilling.

But Li Jian said nonchalantly, "Compared to the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, what is the mere Hexi region? As long as we capture the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, the entire Central Plains will be at our disposal."

"This one……"

Upon hearing this, Yi, who had lost his magnanimity, was speechless.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems to make a lot of sense. If we could capture Li Chengqian, we could not only avenge our previous humiliation, but also threaten the Tang Dynasty and demand more benefits. It would be the best of both worlds.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Having seemingly grasped the pros and cons, Yi Shi Dada couldn't help but clap his hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Li Yehu truly lives up to his father Khan's reputation as a strategist; he's full of brilliant ideas!"

After saying this, he seemed to remember something and frowned, saying, "Do you think we should report this matter to my father, Khan? After all, giving up Hexi is such a big deal..."

"Need not!"

Before Yi Shi could finish speaking, Li Jian interrupted him firmly: "We have a saying in the Central Plains: 'A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders!' The fact that the Great Khan has entrusted half of the country's military force to the eldest prince shows the Great Khan's trust in the eldest prince!"

"Nowadays, the situation is constantly changing. This place is hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the royal court. How much time would it take to go back and forth? Therefore, I feel there is no need to report this to the Great Khan!"

At this point, he glanced meaningfully at Yi Shi Dadu and said leisurely, "To be honest, Your Highness, the Khan has discussed with me more than once the possibility of making you the Crown Prince. What is a Crown Prince? The heir apparent, the future Khan. Can't a Crown Prince decide something as simple as relinquishing Hexi?"

"This one……"

Yi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but then stopped himself.

But Li Jian continued, "Actually, this expedition is also a test for the eldest prince by the Great Khan. If the eldest prince can capture the Crown Prince of Tang alive, he will definitely be the only choice for the heir apparent!"

Gulu!

Upon hearing this, Yi Shi Dadu subconsciously swallowed.

Clearly, he was genuinely tempted, so he couldn't help but ask, "Is what Li Yehu said true?"

"If he speaks falsely, the eldest prince may kill him with a single stroke!"

"Okay! It's settled!"

Yi Shi Dadu was also a very decisive person. He directly ordered, "Li Yehu, you shall contact Tuyuhun in my name!"

"Yes!"

Li Jian immediately bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left.

On the other side, the Tuyuhun army, led by General Tuoba Mi, had just arrived outside Liangzhou City.

Meanwhile, Li Daliang was walking towards the city wall, ready to inquire about Tuoba Mi's purpose.

But then he said in a deep voice, "General Tuoba, our two countries have already signed a peace treaty. What do you intend to do by bringing your troops to our city gates?"

"Does Commander Li not know the reason for my visit today?"

Astride his warhorse, Tuoba Mi gazed at Li Daliang on the city wall and said coldly, "According to our battle report, last night an unidentified army crossed the border and launched a surprise attack on several tribes within our territory, causing heavy losses to our side. I wonder if Governor Li is aware of this matter?"

"What?! Such a thing has happened?!"

Li Daliang looked surprised, then said righteously, "I know nothing about this matter, but our Great Tang has always been strict in its military discipline, and it would never be an attack on your army!"

"I never said it was your side that attacked, why are you in such a hurry to distance yourself?"

Tuoba Mi sneered, "Could it be that you feel guilty?"

"absurd!"

Li Daliang immediately retorted, "If you have evidence to prove that we attacked you, you can produce the evidence. I will immediately interrogate the relevant personnel and give you an explanation. If you have no evidence, do not damage the hard-won peace between the two sides!"

"Humph!"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Mi couldn't help but snort coldly, thinking to himself that just as the Vice Prime Minister had predicted, there was definitely something wrong with these Tang soldiers.

But he sneered, "According to Governor Li, we are framing you? Within this radius of five hundred li, besides your army, are there any other troops? Are we killing our own people?"

"Who said there weren't other armies? Two armies arrived a few days ago, one from the Khitan tribe and the other from the Xueyantuo Khanate. It's your intelligence gathering that's inadequate, not that there aren't any!"

Li Daliang sneered, "Besides, it's not uncommon for your own people to fight each other. I remember one of your generals, Tuoba Mumi, who was once beaten so badly by you that he ran away with his tail between his legs."

"What did you say!?"

Upon hearing Li Daliang's words, Tuoba Mi's face immediately darkened.

Because the Tuoba Mumi that Li Daliang mentioned was none other than his father, the former king of Tuyuhun.

His father was also unlucky.

He helped others fight for the throne but failed. He wanted to lead his subordinates to surrender to the Sui Dynasty, but was rejected by the Sui Dynasty. In the end, he was driven out of the country by Fuyun, the new Khan of Tuyuhun.

You could say I'm incredibly unlucky.

The reason why Tuoba Mi was not implicated by his father was mainly due to his childhood playmate, who is now the crown prince of Tuyuhun, Dayan Mangjiebo.

It was Dayan Mangjiebo who gave him the opportunity to establish his family in a major town, which is why he is where he is today.

He said bluntly, "Whether you did it or not, you know better than anyone else. Now I'm asking you, how do you plan to resolve this? As far as I know, you seem to be at war with the Xueyantuo right now. We've come all this way, we can't go back empty-handed, can we?"

"Ah!"

Li Daliang laughed, thinking to himself that this guy was really shameless! He couldn't produce any evidence, so he started threatening and acting like a rogue!

Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince had made arrangements in advance. Watch how I play you!
"Guards! Prepare generous gifts, open the city gates, and let my most distinguished guest from the Great Tang Dynasty enter!"

Upon hearing this, both Tuoba Mi and Murong Xiaojun, who was hiding among the soldiers, were taken aback.

(End of this chapter)