My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 184 The prince is kind and filial, he will definitely not be like Your Majesty
If there are more than a thousand people, the force will be as mighty as a surging tide.

If there are more than ten thousand people, they will be overwhelming and as powerful as thunder.

What does it mean to have 5,000 heavy cavalry in the Tang Dynasty?

Li Shimin's 3,500 Black Armored Army were all heavy cavalry wearing Ming Guang armor.

That year, after Wang Shichong was besieged in Luoyang by Li Shimin, Dou Jiande led his army to rescue him.

Li Shimin led 3,500 black-armored soldiers to Hulao Pass to stop Dou Jiande from advancing.

He defeated Dou Jiande's army of 100,000 with a small force.

More than 3,000 people were killed, 50,000 people were captured, and Dou Jiande was captured alive.

This is the powerful combat capability of heavy cavalry on the battlefield.

Cavalry is the king of war in the era of cold weapons, and heavy cavalry is the king of kings.

Five thousand sets of Ming Guang armor, this is a huge expense.

Li Shimin paid great attention to the forging of Ming Guang armor. It can be said that since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the forging of Ming Guang armor has never been heard of.

However, it takes too long to make a set of Ming Guang armor. Several craftsmen may not be able to make two sets in a year.

Even now, in the 17th year of Zhenguan, the number of Ming Guang armor owned by the entire Tang Dynasty is probably less than 20,000 sets.

Li Shimin's palace guards had thousands of sets of these, and some were also worn by senior generals in the army.

Allocating five thousand sets of Ming Guang armor to the prince almost emptied out all the inventory.

Of course, this also provides great protection for the prince's safety.

Five thousand cavalry, if placed on a plain, would be an invincible army.

Even when facing tens of thousands of soldiers, he can easily pass the ball, come and go freely, and be invincible in field battles.

The Eastern Expedition to Goryeo was mainly a siege war, and the cavalry played a small role. However, with these 5,000 heavy cavalry, no matter what the war situation in Goryeo was, the prince would not be harmed.

Even if they were defeated, facing the pressure of 5,000 heavy cavalry, Goryeo would not even dare to leave the city.

This is also the trouble with the Eastern Expedition to Goryeo.

The reason why the Tang army was invincible was that the cavalry occupied a dominant position.

Some small countries in the Western Regions could be easily destroyed by just a few thousand light cavalry, not to mention heavy cavalry.

However, Goryeo's terrain is rugged and there are few plains, making it difficult for cavalry to take advantage of the situation.

We can only fight in the traditional siege way.

When attacking a city, infantry is the mainstream.

This is also the key reason why Goryeo was able to hold on despite being attacked several times.

Outside the city of Chang'an, the parade ground.

The five thousand cavalrymen were so numerous that one could not see the end of them. They were a huge force that stretched as far as the eye could see.

You have to know that in later high schools, there are only three to four thousand students in a school.

Every time we do exercises, it is always full.

It is conceivable how exaggerated it would be to have five thousand cavalrymen gathered together.

In order to better manage these five thousand cavalry.

Li Chengqian divided the five thousand cavalry into five groups of one thousand.

The five thousand-man cavalry were divided into fifty hundred-man cavalry.

The hundred cavalrymen were divided into two teams, each team had a captain who was in charge of fifty cavalrymen.

The brigade is divided into five squads, each with ten riders.

The weather in June is hot, so exercises should be avoided during the hottest time of the day.

Therefore, the cavalry training is carried out in the morning at the hour of Mao, which is from 5 to 7 o'clock.

During this period, the cavalrymen, after a night's rest, were fully refreshed and ready to conduct full-armor training.

The second training session was at 3 p.m., when the temperature began to drop.

The drills at this time will not involve armor-piercing, and will focus mainly on tactical exercises and weapons training.

Except for lunch break.

There is also an hour in the morning and afternoon for cultural training for the entire cavalry team.

Li Chengqian made many rubbings of the Thousand Character Classic in simplified Chinese.

The graduates acted as teachers and taught the soldiers.

In the morning, we learn to read, and in the afternoon, we do sandbox war chess simulation.

There is less than a month left before departure, but it is better to sharpen your sword before the battle, even if it is not quick, it will still have some effect.

Moreover, during the more than one month's journey to Yingzhou, in addition to marching during the day, the soldiers also had to study at night.

For example, reciting the Thousand Character Classic and listening to some ideological education classes led by students.

At sunset, the breeze was blowing gently, the flags were fluttering in the wind, and the soldiers were training hard, sweating profusely.

Li Chengqian and his eldest son Li Xiang stood outside the tent. The mountains in the distance were looming in the clouds.

Li Chengqian looked at his eldest son, Li Xiang, with a complex look in his eyes, and asked, "Xiang'er, you won't blame your father for asking you to give up writing and join the army, right?"

Li Xiang lowered his head slightly, with a hint of hesitation on his face. His gaze stayed on the ground under his feet for a moment before he slowly raised his head.

At this time, Li Xiang was wearing military uniform. Although he still had the immaturity of a teenager, he also had a bit more heroic spirit.

He looked at his father and said softly, "Father, this is of course for the good of the child."

In fact, Li Xiang had some complaints in his heart at the beginning.

After all, he is the eldest grandson of the Tang Emperor. According to the normal progress, he should be in the Eastern Palace, receiving instruction and learning from teachers, focusing on schoolwork.

But my father's arrangement interrupted all this.

First, he was asked to follow the East Palace guards in daily training. At that time, he sweated profusely under the scorching sun every day, his heart full of confusion and grievances.

Then he was arranged to the Military Academy to study military affairs with the students.

The atmosphere in the Military Academy was serious, and he was overwhelmed by all kinds of tactical explanations and drills.

Now he has been brought into the army, and will be taken with us on the eastern expedition to Goryeo.

Along the way, he saw the soldiers' fatigue and tenacity, and felt the tense atmosphere of war.

Li Chengqian looked into the distance and said slowly: "Our Tang Dynasty was founded on military power. You have read many history books and should understand that a true emperor must understand military affairs, including holding military power."

Li Chengqian spoke in a firm tone, as if he was recalling the glorious history of the Tang Dynasty.

"Perhaps you think that the Tang Dynasty is now at peace and should focus on people's livelihood rather than on militarism."

Li Chengqian turned his head slightly and looked at Li Xiang: "But you have to know that all peace is based on a strong army. Without soldiers guarding the borders and defending the country, there can be no real peace."

Li Xiang frowned, as if thinking about his father's words.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes. After all, he was only twelve or thirteen years old, and these questions were too profound for him.

Li Chengqian continued, "Where does the emperor's power come from? Is it the will of the people, a gift from heaven, or the submission of all officials? What I want to tell you is that it's none of them."

His voice was particularly clear in the wind.

"The people are the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, but they cannot interfere with the emperor's decisions. Civil officials govern the people on behalf of the emperor. Their power comes from the emperor, but they also compete with the emperor's power. Only the army is the basis for the emperor to truly control power. Only by controlling the military power can the emperor be a real emperor, not just a puppet."

There was a determined light in Li Chengqian's eyes.

Political power comes from the barrel of a gun; this is an eternal truth.

Li Xiang seemed to understand, but hesitantly replied, "I understand, kid."

Li Chengqian shook his head and sighed: "You don't understand. You will understand after you have experienced the Eastern Expedition to Goryeo."

Li Xiang nodded: "Yes, father."

At this moment, Li Xiang was looking forward to this Eastern Expedition.

Li Chengqian patted Li Xiang on the shoulder.

After several months of training, Li Xiang, who was originally a little thin, has become much stronger.

Li Chengqian knew very well that when he returned from the Eastern Expedition, that would be the time when he and Erfeng would fall out.

When the prince's power exceeds that of the emperor, struggle is inevitable.

This is not something Li Chengqian can do as he pleases. The struggle for imperial power is something that is bound to happen. Retreating or avoiding it will not help.

Imperial power is unique.

Either you listen to me, or I listen to you. Developing industry is, of course, the most correct choice from the perspective of the times.

But what if at this time, Li Shimin feels that it will affect the imperial rule and asks the prince to stop?

Just like a cement factory, it requires a lot of manpower. From the perspective of the country, running this business will definitely be a loss-making business.

Fighting a war requires mobilizing so many people, and industrial development requires a large population.

So who will farm the land?

After all, the current agricultural economy can still reach the level of future generations, and the large-scale development of the industrial base will inevitably require a large number of young and middle-aged population.

If Li Chengqian could not control power, then the Tang Dynasty would naturally not be able to proceed in the way he had envisioned.

Li Shimin also had his own ideas about the Tang Dynasty.

People's hearts are different. Even if they are father and son, it is impossible for them to have completely identical ideas. There will definitely be conflicts.

How to resolve these contradictions is a struggle for power.

Of course, Li Chengqian can compromise in many aspects.

But as time goes by, the prince's power will naturally grow even if Li Chengqian does not fight for it.

This is the law of natural change. The prince is destined to compete with the emperor.

Because there is no way to stop the change of power.

Some people would say, isn’t it enough for the prince to just listen to the emperor?

But it's never that simple.

Suspicion and scruple.

In addition, the King of Wei was eyeing them covetously, and the Five Surnames and Seven Affiliates were trying every means to seize the throne.

If you don't fight, others will fight for you.

If you don't fight for anything, even if you become the emperor in the future, will you be able to sit on the throne safely?

Without trusted ministers and his own team, how can the emperor exercise his power?

If you fight.

The emperor would feel that the prince's power was too great, and would suppress, balance, or even force him.

Being a prince has always been a high-risk job.

It’s like there is an invisible hand that keeps pushing you forward, forcing you to actively or forcibly take control of more power.

Then inevitably, there was a power clash with the emperor.

Even the later Ming Dynasty Crown Prince Zhu Biao was known as the most stable crown prince in history.

But he would also quarrel constantly with Zhu Yuanzhang.

He was chased and beaten by Zhu Yuanzhang.

This invisible hand is not controlled by anyone, but is controlled by the political system of this dynasty.

The prince must make progress and move forward.

It's not just the personal wish of the prince, but also the wish of all the officials and generals who follow the prince.

Their desires and pursuits are tied to the prince.

One emperor and one courtier.

There are limited official positions and limited seats.

If you want to go up, others have to come down.

If the prince doesn't go up, how can the people following him go up?

How can the prince go up if the emperor doesn't come down?

Li Chengqian knew that he didn't have much time left.

Because treason is a fact.

No matter how great the achievement is, can it cover up the fact of treason?

When Li Shimin knew that the crown prince was really planning a rebellion and the evidence was irrefutable, could Li Chengqian still continue to be the crown prince?

Li Chengqian was aware of Fang Xuanling's actions.

It is also clear that Fang Xuanling is now attacking him for the purpose of treason.

Helan Chushi has been arranged to come to the military camp.

However, it does not mean that the act of rebellion can be completely covered up by cutting off the points of rebellion in history.

There is no Hegan succession and no Helan Chushi.

But there are also Hou Junji, Zhao Jie, Du He, Li Anyan, Li Yuanchang, and Li Dejian.

Can Li Chengqian kill them all?

Then who can guarantee that with so many people, no one will have any problems and will never leak the news of the prince's rebellion.

Fang Xuanling was such a shrewd man that he would not have thought of who would be connected with the prince if he rebelled.

As long as we keep investigating these people, we will always be able to find clues and evidence of treason.

Things like treason should be carried out without others knowing.

If you know this, it becomes easy to find evidence.

There is no wall that is impenetrable. No matter how Li Chengqian defends himself, there will always be places that he cannot guard against.

So there was only one way left for Li Chengqian.

That is to keep moving forward and strive for more power, and even more military power.

Only when the army in your hands is comparable to that of Erfeng.

Then the matter of treason can be covered up.

From Li Shimin's perspective, among all the princes, there is indeed no son more suitable to inherit the emperor than the crown prince.

The crown prince will inherit the throne and will surely lead the Tang Dynasty to a higher peak.

But never use this to speculate on people's hearts.

History books are as vast as smoke, but they can be summed up in four words: struggle for power and profit.

The temptation of power, especially the temptation of being an emperor.

Once you underestimate him, you will pay a heavy price.

In order to gain the position of emperor, there were many cases of brothers killing each other and fathers killing their sons.

Those who can get to the top are never those who compete to see who is better.

But it’s about who is more ruthless.

The so-called royal ruthlessness is nothing more than this.

So when Li Shimin knew that Li Chengqian was indeed preparing for a rebellion, should he depose the crown prince or abolish the crown prince?

Dusk falls.

Li Chengqian looked at the bright moon in the sky and fell into deep thought.

At the same time, in Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin seemed to have some feelings as well and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

"Ananda, tell me, am I wrong?"

"Perhaps from the beginning, the prince should have given up the idea of ​​asking for military power."

"Back then, I relied on the Black Armor Army to achieve many military exploits."

"Now, the prince also has 5,000 cavalry under his command."

"Will he have the same thoughts as I did back then?"

Knowing son Moruo father.

But now Li Shimin no longer understands the prince.

Zhang Ananda felt his throat rolling, but he couldn't speak.

He couldn't say that the prince was kind and filial, and would not have any inappropriate thoughts like His Majesty did in the past.

Doesn't that mean Your Majesty is unkind and unfilial?
So just shut up.

(End of this chapter)