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

Chapter 356 The Father and Son Start to Compete! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

After watching Li Daozong and the others leave, Li Shimin took a deep look at the military reports on his desk and then fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he finally turned his gaze to Changsun Wuji, whom he had deliberately kept behind, and sighed, "Wuji, that rebellious son's growth rate far exceeds our imagination. I am worried."

"His Majesty!"

Before Li Shimin could finish speaking, Changsun Wuji seemed to have guessed what he was going to say and immediately interrupted him: "It is a good thing that the Crown Prince is brave!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was slightly taken aback, then asked with some confusion, "What's so good about it? His ambition is growing bigger and bigger. Do you know what the consequences will be?"

"Your Majesty, I know of the Crown Prince's ambitions, but these ambitions are not the same as those ambitions!"

Changsun Wuji bowed and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is it better for the Crown Prince to be capable or incapable?"

"What are you saying? Of course the Crown Prince is capable!"

Li Shimin said with a stern face, then changed the subject: "But if someone is too capable, even surpassing me, their father, do you think that's a good thing?"

"Your Majesty started your rebellion in Taiyuan and endured countless hardships to establish the vast Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty has made a founding contribution to the Tang Dynasty, and no one, not even the retired emperor, can erase your achievements. Therefore, no matter how capable the Crown Prince is, he cannot overshadow Your Majesty's glory!"

Changsun Wuji smiled and shook his head.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment and felt that there was some truth to it. He then continued, "However, you know that what I am worried about is not that he will overshadow my glory, but that when ambition expands to a certain extent, it will make people lose their minds and do some inappropriate things!"

He paused, then emphasized, "You know what I'm saying, don't beat around the bush!"

"hehe."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji smiled noncommittally, then continued, "Does Your Majesty still remember the ambition the Crown Prince mentioned before? Actually, he has always used you as an example. The more successful you are, the more he wants to surpass you. As long as you continue to succeed, he can't do anything to you!"

"On the contrary, an incompetent prince will go astray when he feels that his goal is far away."

"If he remains confident and believes he can succeed, then the path he takes is absolutely the right one. Because the stronger a person is, the more unwavering their resolve becomes."

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was slightly shocked, and then sighed, "Sometimes, I feel like I can hardly breathe because of that rebellious son, especially the few words he said in Shuofang. They make me feel ashamed in front of him. He is too perfect, while I am full of flaws."

"Later, I also tried to understand him slowly. Combined with what the Empress told me, I found that I understood him a little. If he did those seemingly rebellious and lawless things to protect himself, it seemed to be understandable!"

"Sometimes, I even doubt myself, wondering if I could really do something so heartless and cruel to him."

At this point, Li Shimin, unusually vulnerable, looked at Changsun Wuji and said, "I don't know what I will become in the future, but I truly love my children."

"Whether it's Chengqian, Qingque, or Zhinu, or Ke'er, my love for them is the same."

"But Your Majesty, the love parents have for their children is different from the love an emperor has for his children!"

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "Parents love their children and at most give them all the good things they can, including food, clothing, and daily necessities. But emperors have things for their children that ordinary parents cannot give!"

"What is it?" Li Shimin asked instinctively.

Changsun Wuji glanced at Li Shimin and said in a deep voice, "Power, status!"

Li Shimin: "."

Zhangsun Wuji: “.”

The two looked at each other, both silent.

After a long pause, Changsun Wuji sighed and said, "To put it simply, perhaps in His Majesty's eyes, it is perfectly normal to write letters to children often or to keep them by his side to enjoy family life."

"But in the eyes of the ministers, this is an extremely important signal. Even if His Majesty favors the princess, it is still a good opportunity for those ministers who like to scheme."

"You mean those ministers will actively approach my favored children, offering them advice and plotting wicked schemes?" Li Shimin asked, frowning.

"This is just the worst-case scenario."

Changsun Wuji said solemnly, "There are many more that may not seem like much, but have far-reaching consequences."

"What far-reaching consequences will there be?" Li Shimin pressed.

Changsun Wuji said leisurely, "Your Majesty, how do you think the Prince of Wei obtained that so-called evidence of destiny?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was startled and had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

But Changsun Wuji continued, "Although the impact of that incident was not significant at the time, it directly led to the escalation of the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei. If this continues, is Your Majesty really not worried that they will follow in your footsteps?"

"Moreover, His Majesty admitted in front of so many people that he liked the Prince of Wei. Doesn't that give those people even more confidence?"

"I was speaking emotionally at the time, and it is not that I intentionally favored the Prince of Wei!" Li Shimin quickly retorted.

Changsun Wuji smiled and shook his head, saying, "Whether it's based on emotion or reason, I believe that Your Majesty must firmly support and trust the Crown Prince, especially him. Only in this way can there be a good outcome."

"I never said I didn't support him or didn't believe him! He's the one who's been pressuring me!"

Li Shimin frowned and said, "I can make myself into the role a father should be, but can he make himself into the role a son should be?"

"This"

Changsun Wuji was stunned; now it was his turn to be speechless.

Yes!

Even if changes are to be made, they cannot be made unilaterally!
Even if Li Shimin had problems, did Li Chengqian not have problems either?
Changsun Wuji dared not answer that question.

But then Li Shimin changed the subject again: "However, what you said makes sense. As long as I continue to succeed, that rebellious son will always be suppressed by me. No matter how ambitious he is, I can keep him in check!"

At this point, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he pointed to the sand table map in front of him, saying, "This Liaodong City was not captured by two emperors of the Sui Dynasty. If I capture it, I will be no less than that rebellious son!"

"Report——"

He had barely finished speaking when a report came from outside: "Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from the Yangzhou Grand Commandery!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji were both taken aback. Li Shimin then frowned and asked, "Has something happened in Yangzhou?"

"Your Majesty, the messenger did not mention what happened in Yangzhou. He only said that this was a family letter, written to you personally by His Highness the Prince of Wei!"

"Oh?"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, glanced at Changsun Wuji, then stood up from his desk and said, "Bring it in so I can take a look!"

"Yes!"

A voice answered from outside the door, and soon the letter was brought in.

Li Shimin took the letter, examined it carefully, and suddenly felt something was wrong. He then asked, "Why are there ink stains on this envelope?"

"this."

The person who reported hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "This subject does not know either. When it was delivered, I asked the messenger, and he said that when he received the letter from the Grand Commandant's Office, it was like this, and he did not know what was going on!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin felt increasingly puzzled, but he did not delve into it further. Instead, he opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

Sure enough, the ink stains were similar to those on the envelope; it must have been caused by the letter paper soaking into the envelope.

But how could Qingque make such a basic mistake?
With many questions in mind, Li Shimin unfolded the letter in front of Changsun Wuji and looked at it closely.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked; what he saw almost brought tears to Li Shimin's eyes.

In particular, when Li Shimin connected the words in the letter with the ink marks, an image of a sincere child, dragging his sick body, praying and chanting scriptures for his father and brothers began to emerge in his mind.

"Qingque's filial piety is a model for my son!"

After reading Li Tai's letter home, Li Shimin couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Changsun Wuji, standing to the side, frowned deeply and remained silent.

After a moment, Li Shimin turned his gaze to him again, and said with a look of melancholy, "Qingque fell and injured himself in Yangzhou. I think he is quite seriously injured and I want him to return to Chang'an for treatment. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji's heart skipped a beat.

This is a dangerous sign.

Li Chengqian had finally managed to get Li Tai out of Chang'an, but Li Shimin changed his mind because of a letter from Li Tai's family. How amazing was that?
So all that I just said was for nothing?

If Li Chengqian found out, who knows what kind of trouble the father and son would cause!

But Changsun Wuji immediately said seriously, "The Prince of Wei has fallen and injured himself. The imperial physician can go to Yangzhou for treatment. There is no need to return to Chang'an. Moreover, Yangzhou is far from Chang'an, which is not conducive to controlling the condition!"

"This"

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then thought it made sense. He turned back to his desk and said, "How about this? I'll write him a letter, telling him to recuperate in Yangzhou. Once he's healed, I'll personally visit him in Yangzhou when I return to the capital!" "Your Majesty," someone said, "the Emperor's journey to the south is a matter of great importance to the nation. How can it be decided so casually?"

"what do you mean?"

Li Shimin immediately said with some displeasure, "My son sincerely prayed for my well-being and even fell and got injured. Is it not even allowed for me to go and see him?"

"No, Your Majesty. When the Emperor travels to the south, the local areas will inevitably mobilize a large army. The country has just experienced a major war, and the people need rest and recuperation. You should..."

"What's wrong with me?!"

Before Changsun Wuji could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted him, clearly annoyed.

But Changsun Wuji did not back down, because he would never let Li Tai's little scheme succeed.

But then he said seriously, "Your Majesty's actions are no different from those of Emperor Yang of Sui when he went south!"

"Bam—!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, then glared angrily at Changsun Wuji: "Fuji! How dare you compare me to Emperor Yang of Sui?!"

"If Your Majesty insists on going your own way, I..."

"Enough! I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now! Get out of here!"

After more than twenty years of getting along, this was the first time Li Shimin had ever been so angry with Changsun Wuji, even using the word "get out".

Changsun Wuji felt a chill in his heart, but he said nothing more and bowed to take his leave.

Li Shimin, who watched Changsun Wuji leave, opened his mouth in regret, then sighed helplessly and slumped down.

As for the idea of ​​replying, it vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, on one side of the Yalu River.

The Tang army and the Goguryeo reinforcements engaged in fierce fighting.

Perhaps inspired by the morale boost brought by Li Chengqian from Longyou, Li Daozong's 4,000 vanguard troops fought a fierce and evenly matched battle against the 40,000 Goguryeo reinforcements, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.

As for Goguryeo, when faced with the Tang army's relentless killing spree, they quickly chose to avoid their sharp edge.

Thus, four thousand Tang Dynasty vanguard troops managed to hold off forty thousand Goguryeo troops on the banks of the Yalu River, preventing them from providing timely support to Liaodong City.

"Hahaha!"

Li Daozong laughed heartily, then looked around at his generals and said, "There isn't a single coward in our Li Tang imperial family! As the saying goes, a cowardly general leads to a cowardly army, and a cowardly soldier leads to a cowardly soldier. From now on, I will lead the vanguard, so don't be afraid. Follow me and charge together, do you all understand?"

"understand!"

The generals spoke in unison, their confidence greatly boosted.

However, in general, where there are warriors, there are bound to be cowards.

At this moment, a general named Zhang Junyi stepped forward with a worried expression, cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Prince of Jiangxia, even if we defeated this Goguryeo reinforcement army before, this Goguryeo reinforcement army has not retreated. They will definitely launch another attack. With our few thousand men, even if we fight a war of attrition, we can't outlast their forty thousand men!"

"Therefore, in my humble opinion, it would be better to request aid from His Majesty and await His Majesty's reinforcements before we proceed."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Before Zhang Junyi could finish speaking, Li Daozong glared at him impatiently and said, "Have you forgotten why we came here? We came to ascertain His Majesty's strength! The enemy hasn't revealed their true strength yet, how can we rashly ask His Majesty for help?"

"If we fall right into the enemy's trap and His Majesty ends up in prison, we will be guilty beyond redemption!"

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately realized what was happening and echoed his sentiments.

"That's right! We've only fought one battle, and we've won it. Why are we asking for reinforcements now that we've won!"

"Yes! If this gets back to the Crown Prince, who knows how much he'll laugh at us!"

"I've heard that the Crown Prince gave each of the brothers who fought valiantly in Ganzhou a reward of one thousand strings of cash, not even counting the imperial court's reward!"

"Oh! Really? Is His Highness so generous?!"

Gradually, the topic began to change.

"When did His Majesty become so generous? We've already risked our lives so much!"

"Come on, we fought bloody battles to serve our country. Don't think about those other things. The rewards from the imperial court are enough!"

"Ah! I really want to fight alongside His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Upon hearing these remarks, Li Daozong suddenly felt both amused and exasperated, but he also regained his confidence in fighting the Goguryeo reinforcements.

But then he loudly interrupted the generals, saying, "Although I am not as wealthy as His Highness the Crown Prince, I can advise His Majesty to give you more rewards. As long as you fight bravely on the battlefield, His Majesty will not treat you unfairly!"

Upon hearing this, the generals exchanged glances and once again shouted in unison, "May the Great Tang Dynasty be mighty! Long live His Majesty!"

"Boom boom boom——"

They had barely finished speaking when a war drum suddenly sounded outside the tent.

Soon, a soldier rushed in to report: "Reporting to the Prince of Jiangxia, the enemy is attacking our side again! This time, it is heavy cavalry in the lead, and they are coming on strong!"

"Heavy cavalry?"

Upon hearing this, the Tang generals' expressions changed.

But then Li Daozong said in a deep voice, "What are you afraid of! Follow me to meet the enemy!"

Before long, Li Daozong led his vanguard army to attack the Goguryeo army once again.

But the general named Zhang Junyi retreated in cowardice at this moment.

He immediately led his men and left the battlefield.

The Tang army was already outnumbered, and Zhang Junyi's escape made the situation even more dire.

Before long, the Tang army was routed by the Goguryeo reinforcements.

Fortunately, Li Daozong remained calm in the face of danger. While retreating, he regrouped his defeated soldiers and retreated to a safe area.

Later, Li Daozong climbed a hill to observe the enemy's situation.

He discovered that although the Goguryeo reinforcements were numerous, their formation was chaotic. So he made a decisive move and personally led dozens of elite cavalrymen to charge into the enemy lines.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he halted the offensive of the Goguryeo reinforcements.

However, the Goguryeo reinforcements, relying on their superior numbers, quickly surrounded them again.

At this critical moment, Li Xiaogong's reinforcements suddenly arrived and immediately launched a counterattack against the enemy.

Soon, the Goguryeo reinforcements could not withstand the onslaught and were quickly routed. More than 2,000 of them were killed by the Tang army and forced to leave the Yalu River.

"Haha, how about it, Dao Zong? I arrived just in time!"

Li Xiaogong looked at the defeated Goguryeo army and burst into loud laughter.

Li Daozong, his face ashen, said, "If it weren't for that bastard Zhang Junyi, we wouldn't have lost at all!"

"You should tell His Majesty this; it won't do any good if you tell me!"

Li Xiaogong gave a noncommittal reply, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "However, I think His Majesty is determined to take Liaodong City. It must be the situation on the Crown Prince's side that has spurred His Majesty on!"

"What's the latest on the Crown Prince's side?"

"Don't you know? The Xueyantuo are about to be destroyed by the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince has already launched a war of annihilation against the Tuyuhun!"

"What do you mean?"

Li Daozong was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "How could the Crown Prince destroy two countries at the same time?"

"It's not that both countries were destroyed at the same time. The Crown Prince was directing General Li Ji to launch a surprise attack on the Xueyantuo royal court while he personally led the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace, the troops of Longyou, and the allied forces of the Western Regions to attack Tuyuhun. It is said that they are about to reach the capital of Tuyuhun!"

Li Xiaogong sighed and shook his head, saying, "Our Li Tang dynasty has produced a General of the Heavenly Strategy, and I'm afraid we're about to produce another one!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Daozong was so shocked that he was speechless.

At this moment, a messenger rushed in to report: "Reporting to the King of Jiangxia and the King of Hejian, His Majesty has personally led six armies across the Liao River and ordered the dismantling of the bridges over the river, preparing for a decisive battle with Goguryeo!"

Good guy!
This father and son really got into a competition!

Upon hearing this, Li Daozong and Li Xiaogong exchanged bewildered glances.

(End of this chapter)