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

Chapter 370 The Reason Why Li Chengqian Could Not Replace Him! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The following morning, the Liaodong region enjoyed a rare period of good weather.

As if the heavens were on his side, Li Shimin was in a very good mood. He not only put on the armor of the General of Heavenly Strategy, but also had each soldier tidy up their armor, preparing to show the demeanor of a righteous army with a brand new look.

After all, only a righteous army can make the enemy surrender without a fight.

Furthermore, the surrender of Baiyan City brought a perfect end to the first phase of the Liaodong War.

Because after Liaodong City was captured, Baiyan City surrendered, thus opening the outer gates of Goguryeo.

This was an absolute milestone for the Tang Dynasty.

After all, this was something that neither of the two emperors of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of Sui, nor his million-strong army could accomplish.

How could we possibly displease Li Shimin?
"hehe."

Li Shimin, riding his green horse, had laughed countless times.

The other generals on both sides were also basking in the warmth of the spring breeze, feeling honored as well.

Only Changsun Wuji had a furrowed brow from time to time, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

At this moment, less than five miles away from Baiyan City, Li Xiaogong smiled, glanced at Li Shimin, and then looked in the direction of Baiyan City, saying, "Now that Baiyan City has surrendered, we can rest for a while and then take down Pyongyang in one fell swoop next spring. Your Majesty has destroyed Goguryeo in less than a year. It is truly a cause for celebration!"

"Hey, Xiaogong, it's too early to talk about destroying Goguryeo! It's just a mere Baiyan City, nothing special," Li Shimin said modestly, raising his hand in a gesture of respect.

But Li Daozong beside him said dismissively, "Your Majesty seems to underestimate your reputation! Although this mere Baiyan City has surrendered now, who knows if the next Baiyan City won't be Pyongyang?"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Gong burst into laughter: "If we really continue to accept surrenders along the way, that would be wonderful! This is far more impressive than the Crown Prince's actions!"

"Yes! I heard that the Crown Prince is about to destroy two countries!" Cheng Yaojin echoed.

However, as they finished speaking, the atmosphere gradually became somewhat awkward.

The civil and military officials who were nearby could clearly sense that Li Shimin's aura was somewhat off, and they cursed inwardly at those two old scoundrels for bringing up such a sensitive topic.

Although Li Shimin never openly showed any fear of Li Chengqian in front of his ministers, anyone with eyes could see the pressure Li Chengqian exerted on him.

After all, something similar had happened during the Tang Dynasty.

When Li Shimin was fighting battles and winning one victory after another, Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, and Li Yuanji were extremely uneasy, like ants on a hot pan.

Li Yuan, in particular, repeatedly sent his trusted confidants to Li Shimin's army to monitor him.

In the end, Li Shimin had reached a point where there was no more title to bestow.

So why did Li Yuan do this?

It was simply because they were worried that Li Shimin wanted to advance further, so they gave him everything they could, making him incredibly wealthy and powerful.

However, even so, Li Shimin still ended up at Xuanwu Gate.

This is a lesson from the past!

The Tang Dynasty simply wouldn't allow such an awesome person to exist!
Otherwise, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty would be restless and unable to eat or sleep, and even Li Shimin was no exception.

Because he is a cautionary tale.

He understands one thing better than anyone: when you are good enough, even if you don't want to improve, there will be plenty of people forcing you to improve.

Li Chengqian's Eastern Palace also assembled a team no less capable than that of the Prince of Qin's mansion back then.

Even the six guards of the Eastern Palace were many times stronger than the eight hundred men of the Qin Prince's Mansion back then.

Given this situation, coupled with Li Chengqian's ever-accumulating military achievements, how could Li Shimin not be wary?

The answer is definitely no.

Therefore, the originally joyful atmosphere suddenly became somewhat dull because of those two old scoundrels, Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin.

However, Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin, those two old scoundrels, turned a deaf ear and began discussing the movements of Baiyan City among themselves.

"Hey, Lao Cheng, according to the etiquette of our Central Plains, shouldn't we welcome a surrender from several miles away? How come the Goguryeo people have no manners at all? Haven't they always admired our Central Plains culture?" Yuchi Gong asked three questions in one breath.

Cheng Yaojin was taken aback by these three questions, then said irritably, "How would I know anything about Central Plains etiquette? I'm just a roughneck. All I know is that back in Wagang Village, that guy Li Mi went to persuade us to surrender from a great distance, which made me very uncomfortable, as if we were going to surrender!"

"Hahaha!"

Yuchi Gong laughed loudly, then joked, "When you later joined Wang Shichong, did he go to great lengths to persuade you to surrender?"

"I don't know about that."

Cheng Yaojin glanced at Li Shimin subconsciously, then changed the subject: "But I remember, when I surrendered to Your Majesty, I also went a long way to greet you!"

"Hahaha!"

Yuchi Gong burst into laughter again.

The other civil and military officials around them also laughed.

The atmosphere returned to its previous cheerful state.

However, as the laughter gradually subsided, the civil and military officials suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Logically speaking, Sun Daiyin, although a Goguryeo general, should not be completely ignorant of Central Plains culture. So how come there was no movement from the other side when they were almost approaching Baiyan City?

There wasn't even a messenger to deliver the message.

This is too weird.

Seemingly sensing something was amiss, Zhang Jian immediately rode up to Li Shimin's side and whispered, "Your Majesty, how about I send someone to check it out?"

"Well, let's go!"

Li Shimin could not possibly be unaware of the anomaly; he even suspected that the conversation between the two old scoundrels was a deliberate attempt to remind him.

Because his understanding of those two old scoundrels far surpassed that of others; it was a blend of roughness and meticulousness.

So when the two old scoundrels were discussing the surrender ceremony, he realized that something was wrong with White Rock City.

However, he did not rush to send someone to investigate, but waited for others to make suggestions.

In this way, he could maintain his composure while also giving the impression of an unfathomable emperor's mind.

About fifteen minutes later, the Tang scouts who had been sent to gather information returned without stopping to report: "Your Majesty, the city gates of Baiyan City are tightly closed, and they are on high alert. They do not appear to be surrendering."

Wow!
As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Li Shimin's face immediately darkened.

At this moment, Li Xiaogong, who was standing nearby, hurriedly said, "How could this be? I received a personal letter from Xiangli Xuanjiang, along with his token. In the letter, he clearly told me that Sun Daiyin, the garrison commander of Baiyan City, would surrender!"

"Could it be that the date is wrong, and the surrender is not today, but tomorrow?" Li Daozong asked, frowning.

The civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment, thinking, "How could this be? Even if we surrender tomorrow, we can't possibly keep the city gates tightly shut and be on high alert, can we?"
But Li Xiaogong said resolutely, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I remember it very clearly, it was today!"

"But."

"enough!"

Before Li Daozong could finish speaking to Li Xiaogong, Li Shimin interrupted him with a grim expression, saying, "No matter the reason, we're already here, so naturally we have to go and see what's going on!"

After saying this, he waved his hand and said, "Issue my order: the entire army, prepare for battle and advance at full speed!"

As a result, the journey that would normally take a quarter of an hour or two was completed in less than half an hour, and the Tang army was already at the gates of Baiyan City.

Just as the scouts had reported, Baiyan City was now closed, its gates tightly shut, and it was on high alert.

"What's going on? How dare Sun Daiyin play us?!" Li Daozong frowned deeply.

"What's going on? Why don't we just send someone to ask?"

Li Xiaogong snorted coldly, and then, without saying a word, beckoned one of his generals, saying, "Go and ask!"

"Yes!"

A general immediately spurred his horse forward and stopped a short distance from Baiyan City, shouting loudly, "Where is the garrison commander of Baiyan City?!"

"."

The city was completely silent; there was no response.

The general glanced back instinctively, then shouted loudly, "Where is the garrison commander of Baiyan City? His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty is here! Why don't you come out and surrender?!"

"."

The city remained completely silent, with no response whatsoever.

"Listen up, people inside the city, we..."

"Where did that barking come from?! Disturbing my sleep, are you starving?!"

Before the Tang general could finish his third shout, an impatient curse came from the city wall.

For a moment, the Tang army outside the city, including Li Shimin and others, all looked extremely grim. However, this was not the end of the story.

Because the moment after that outburst of curses came, two figures tied to pillars slowly appeared in their sight.

Upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to see that one of them is none other than Xiangli Xuanjiang.

"Damn it! These Goguryeo people deserve to die!"

When the assembled civil and military officials saw Xiangli Xuanjiang hanging high on a pillar, his fate unknown, they were all furious, their faces flushed and their teeth clenched.

At the same time, Li Shimin gripped the reins tightly, his veins bulging, his breathing rapid, and his chest heaving.

He hadn't been this angry in years, and he didn't even know how to vent his anger. He just stared intently at Xiangli Xuanjiang on the pillar, without saying a word.

"Your Majesty! Let me lead five thousand men to kill these sons of bitches!" Yuchi Gong was the first to step forward and volunteer.

Immediately afterwards, almost all the generals stepped forward.

They all wished they could devour the people of Baiyan City alive.

However, at this moment, Changsun Wuji, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, do not fall for their divisive tactics!"

"What kind of divisive tactic?"

Li Shimin glanced at him coldly.

But Changsun Wuji said thoughtfully, "Based on my understanding of Xiangli Xuanjiang, he would never deceive Your Majesty! Even if you put a knife to his throat, he would not write that letter or produce that token."

"Therefore, in my opinion, Sun Daiyin must have promised to surrender, but something went wrong along the way, which led to the current situation."

"in addition."

At this point, he pointed to the person on another pillar and said, "If I am not mistaken, that person should be the registrar of Baiyan City, who is Li Qi, whom Xiangli Xuanjiang mentioned in his letter!"

"And Li Qi was Sun Daiyin's trusted advisor!"

"May I ask Your Majesty, if Sun Daiyin truly intended to feign surrender, why did he also execute his own advisors?"

"this."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was speechless.

Although he and Changsun Wuji had some conflicts because of Li Chengqian, the two remained close comrades-in-arms.

Therefore, after hearing Changsun Wuji's reasoned analysis, he still chose to believe Changsun Wuji, thinking that Sun Daiyin was not feigning surrender, but that something unexpected had happened that he was unaware of.

He raised his hand to stop his generals from requesting to fight, then said to Yun Duan, "Yun Duan, go and tell Sun Daiyin that as long as he releases Xiangli Xuanjiang, I will pretend nothing happened and immediately withdraw my troops twenty miles away!"

"Yes!"

Yun Duan responded and rode off.

Soon, he arrived at the city walls and shouted loudly, "By order of the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, I hereby declare to the garrison commander of Baiyan City that if our envoy is returned safely, the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty is willing to order the army to withdraw twenty miles, and we will cease hostilities!"

"Hahaha!"

No sooner had Yun Duan finished speaking than a burst of laughter came from the city tower. Then, a one-eyed general, along with Sun Daiyin and other generals from Baiyan City, appeared at the edge of the city wall.

At this moment, Sun Daiyin was surrounded by his generals in the middle, looking every bit like the commander of Baiyan City.

And next to him was the one-eyed general.

But then Sun Daiyin said, somewhat awkwardly, "I am Sun Daiyin, the garrison commander of Baiyan City."

"General Sun! Please release our envoy!"

Upon seeing Sun Daiyin, Yun Duan immediately cupped his hands and said, "In times of war, envoys are not to be killed. General Sun must know this, right?"

"this."

Sun Daiyin hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the one-eyed general and said, "I know this, of course. In war between two countries, envoys are not to be killed."

"but."

At this point, he changed the subject and continued, "It was your country that broke the rules first, not only detaining our envoy but also killing him. I am doing this in retaliation!"

General Sun, you are mistaken!

Yun Duan immediately retorted, "Our country detained your envoy because he violated our laws and provoked our crown prince. The reason for executing your envoy was also due to other hidden reasons, and it was by no means because he did not follow the rules."

"Hahaha!"

Before Sun Daiyin could respond to Yun Duan, the one-eyed general beside her couldn't help but burst into loud laughter; "I originally thought that your Tang Kingdom was shameless enough for bullying the weak, but I didn't expect that you couldn't even be responsible for your actions. It's utterly disgraceful!"

"Yes! Compared to our General Cui Shun, who sacrificed his life for his country, they are far inferior!"

"That's right, the Tang Dynasty called itself the Celestial Empire. Yet they still dare to spout such deceitful words; it's truly despicable!"

"In my opinion, the people of the Tang Dynasty were not even as good as a single finger of the people of the Sui Dynasty, and your emperors were not even as good as a single hair of the Sui emperors. Stop embarrassing yourselves here! Get out of here!"

"Get out of here—!"

As the one-eyed general's laughter subsided, the other White Rock City generals around him joined in with even more mockery.

Meanwhile, the Tang soldiers behind Li Shimin were filled with murderous intent and their eyes were bloodshot.

"His Majesty!!"

The generals roared in anger, their fighting spirit soaring.

But Li Shimin remained frighteningly calm, simply continuing to issue the order: "Wuji, go and ask them what it takes to release Xiangli Xuanjiang?"

"Your Majesty! A mere envoy, what are you doing here?"

"That's not an envoy! That's our brother! Would you abandon your brother on the battlefield?"

Before Li Daozong could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted him sharply.

However, at that moment, Xiangli Xuanjiang, who had been tied to the pillar and whose fate was unknown, suddenly struggled, and then, as if using his last bit of strength, cried out hoarsely, "Your Majesty! Soldiers of the Great Tang! Avenge me—!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible mouthful of blood spurted out, and something resembling half a tongue landed on the one-eyed general's face.

"Axi!"

The one-eyed general flew into a rage, and without saying a word, he ordered, "Shoot him! Turn him into a sieve!"

Upon hearing this, the Goguryeo archers, who were already prepared, immediately unleashed a volley of arrows, aiming straight at Xiangli Xuanjiang.

In no time at all, Xiangli Xuanjiang was riddled with bullets.

Not satisfied yet, the one-eyed general ordered that Li Qi be shot dead as well.

But at that moment, Sun Daiyin angrily stopped him: "Enough! Aren't you provoking hatred enough? Look at the Tang army outside the city!"

Upon hearing this, the one-eyed general frowned and immediately looked at the Tang army outside the city.

The Tang soldiers outside the city looked like enraged tigers, staring intently at each of them, their steel swords clenched so tightly they creaked.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

"Gulu."

A slightly timid general from White Rock City swallowed hard, then gripped his weapon tightly to keep himself from panicking.

But then Sun Daiyin said with a helpless expression, "Send down the order to defend to the death. Whether we can withstand the Tang army's attack is up to fate."

After saying that, he pushed aside the White Rock City general beside him and left on his own.

At the same time, after a moment's reaction, the one-eyed general feigned composure and said, "What's there to be afraid of? As long as our soldiers and civilians are of one mind, we have nothing to fear from them!"

the other side.

Li Shimin watched helplessly as Xiangli Xuanjiang died at their hands, his fingernails digging into his flesh, yet he remained oblivious until a mountain breeze blew by, calming him slightly. With a blank expression, he ordered, "After capturing Baiyan City, I do not wish to see a single living creature, man or woman, chicken or dog, cattle or sheep. All wealth shall be distributed as rewards to the soldiers who attacked the city!"

"As ordered!"

The generals immediately bowed and accepted the order.

Immediately afterwards, the Tang army launched a fierce attack on Baiyan City.

However, since the Tang army originally came to accept the surrender, their preparations were not as thorough as those of Baiyan City.

This made things difficult for the Tang army during the siege, and even the Left Guard General Ashina Simo was hit by a stray arrow.

Upon hearing the news, Li Shimin immediately went to the camp to visit him and personally sucked out the stagnant blood.

This gesture once again deeply moved the soldiers.

Whether it was personally transporting sand, enduring hardship to try and save Xiangli Xuanjiang, or personally sucking out the blood clots from his generals, Li Shimin, as the supreme emperor, truly won the hearts of all his soldiers with these actions.

This is also why, as mentioned earlier, Li Chengqian could not replace him in terms of prestige and righteousness.

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(End of this chapter)