Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Upon returning to Chang'an, Li Yuan first announced a state of martial law in the capital. He then convened the civil and military officials, along with his three sons, at the Tai Chi Hall to discuss countermeasures.
Pei Ji, the Chancellor of the Yellow Gate, was the first to speak up. "Your Majesty, I believe the reason the Turkic people are attacking the Guanzhong region is that wealth and population are concentrated in Chang'an. If we relocate the capital to another place and burn Chang'an to the ground, their attacks will surely cease."
Li Yuan nodded thoughtfully, "Pei Aiqing's suggestion has merit. But where should we move?"
Yuwen Shiji, the Minister of State, chimed in, "The Fan Prefecture and Dengzhou area are quite prosperous; we could establish the capital there!"
"Very well. Yuwen Aiqing, I shall send you to investigate and determine a specific location for the new capital," Li Yuan declared.
"I obey your command! When shall I depart?" Yuwen Shiji replied with a bow.
"Let’s wait a bit longer!" Li Yuan realized that such a significant decision as relocating the capital had not yet been discussed with others.
He then turned to the other officials and asked, "What do you all think about relocating the capital?"
The other ministers exchanged glances, hesitant to speak up. Were they not discussing how to stop the Turkic invasion? How had it turned into a discussion about relocating the capital?
Moreover, it was Pei Ji's idea. Who was Pei Ji? He was an old friend of Emperor Li Yuan and a key contributor to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. The emperor had agreed with his opinion, which might even reflect his own thoughts—who would dare oppose him?
Though they did not voice their dissent, many were internally unconvinced and chose to remain silent.
However, there was one who supported it—Li Yuanji! For the three brothers, Chang'an clearly belonged to their elder brother Li Jiancheng. If they relocated to a new place, it would be uncertain whose territory it would become. At least there would be a chance for themselves.
Thus, Li Yuanji stood up and said, "Father, Lord Pei's suggestion is excellent; your humble son agrees!"
With that endorsement, no one else dared to oppose.
Li Shimin stood quietly without saying a word. Why? Because he opposed relocating the capital. His silence was not due to fear but rather a lack of desire to argue. His reasoning aligned with Li Yuanji’s—Chang'an was his elder brother Li Jiancheng's territory.
Li Jiancheng couldn't help but smirk inwardly upon hearing this. To burn down Chang'an and build a new capital was such a wasteful idea that even Pei Ji could propose it. And their father actually agreed! Was this still the same Li Yuan who handled the Yang Wengan incident?
Seeing that Li Yuanji supported it while Li Shimin remained silent in opposition made Li Jiancheng understand their intentions.
With no other choice, Li Jiancheng stood up and said loudly, "Father, your humble son opposes this! We must not relocate the capital!"
"Oh? Why is that?" Li Yuan looked at Li Jiancheng with displeasure. Just when he felt positively towards his eldest son, he contradicted him! Could he not see that relocating the capital was essentially my idea?
"Father," Li Jiancheng replied earnestly, "relocating the capital is an enormous undertaking that requires vast manpower and resources. The Turkic people are currently invading our Tang Dynasty; we should concentrate our efforts on repelling them from our lands instead of diverting our attention to relocation!"
At this moment, many ministers nodded slightly in agreement with the Crown Prince's words.
Li Yuan found himself in a dilemma. Noticing that Li Shimin remained silent, he asked, "Shimin, your elder brother and fourth brother have expressed differing opinions; what do you think?"
Li Shimin had already prepared his response and quickly replied, "Father, since elder brother suggests focusing on resisting the Turkic invasion, that makes sense. Why not send him to lead troops against them? If elder brother can drive away the Turkic forces, then there will be no need for relocation. If he cannot succeed, we can discuss relocation later."
Li Shimin had his own calculations. He believed that Li Jiancheng could not possibly defeat the Turkic forces. Therefore, when the time came, their father would have to personally confront the Turkic invaders. Li Shimin was confident in his ability to win against the Turkic forces. Once he returned victorious, the difference between him and Li Jiancheng would become apparent, with one victory and one defeat.
At that point, whether or not to relocate the capital would no longer matter. For the sake of the common people, it was naturally better not to proceed with the capital relocation.
Li Yuan listened and agreed wholeheartedly, saying, “Jiancheng, I command you to lead fifty thousand troops to resist the Turkic forces. What do you think?”
Li Jiancheng immediately clasped his hands in respect and replied, “Your humble son is willing to share your burdens, Father!”
“I am also willing to share your burdens, Father! I wish to accompany my elder brother in resisting the Turkic forces!” Li Yuanji stepped forward and said. He had already realized the importance of military power and seized this opportunity to gain some authority.
“Good, good, good!” Seeing that his fourth son was also willing to lead troops into battle, Li Yuan felt very pleased. Prince Qi's growth in military matters would serve as a counterbalance to Prince Qin, Li Shimin.
Since the Yang Wengan Incident, Li Yuan had decided to minimize Li Shimin's command over troops in the future because he felt that Li Shimin was becoming too powerful for his own good. However, with the Turkic invasion looming, he thought it was impossible to proceed without Li Shimin this time! Now that Li Shimin suggested that the Crown Prince lead the troops, Li Yuan readily agreed. Yet he still had doubts about Li Jiancheng’s capability as a commander. With his fourth son joining in, he felt much more at ease.
In fact, if it weren't for the knowledge gained from his time travel, Li Jiancheng would never have dared to accept such a command. The historical Li Jiancheng knew all too well after the Yang Wengan Incident that Li Shimin was becoming a formidable force; he had been looking for ways to weaken Li Shimin's military power. But facing an invasion from the Turkic forces made it impossible not to let Li Shimin lead; no one else could defeat them!
This current Li Jiancheng was different. He understood how historically Li Shimin achieved victory against the Turkic forces and planned to follow in those footsteps.
Thus, Li Jiancheng accepted the command with enthusiasm.
After Li Yuan expressed his approval three times, he continued, “I hereby announce that I appoint Crown Prince Li Jiancheng as Marshal and Prince Qi Li Yuanji as Vice Marshal, leading fifty thousand troops to Bingzhou to resist the Turkic forces!”
“Your humble son accepts the decree!”
“Your humble son accepts the decree!”
Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji responded in unison.
Once the court meeting adjourned, everyone returned to their respective residences. Only Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji began organizing their troops and preparing for departure.
In fact, the army had already been prepared for some time; thus, it did not take long for Li Shimin and Li Yuanji to set out with their forces.
By the way, why did Li Yuan issue a decree commanding Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji to lead troops to Bingzhou against the Turkic forces? It turned out that military reports indicated that the Turkic army was about to invade the Bingzhou region imminently.
This time, Turkic leaders Xieli and Tu Li saw that Tang's unification of the country was inevitable and that many of their supported separatist factions had been defeated. They decided to mobilize all their forces for a large-scale invasion of Central Plains.
The Turkic Army began its incursions on August 1st, with their first stop being Yuanzhou. By August 5th, they invaded Xinzhou. On August 11th, part of the Turkic Army invaded Suizhou; however, Suizhou’s governor Liu Daju managed to rally his forces and repel this contingent of the Turkic Army.
Consequently, the Turkic Army bypassed Suizhou as they continued their advance.
Comment 0 Comment Count