My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 191 Is the prince so timid?

The crown prince's eunuch Wen Zhong watched the guards mount their horses and leave.

I suddenly felt worried.

At this time, His Majesty asked Eunuch Zhang to go to the Prince's military camp.

what does this mean?
Wen Zhong couldn't figure it out. He was not a smart man, but he knew that at this moment, any mistake could lead to the prince's doom.

If the big tree of the prince falls down, what good can happen to him as a branch on the tree?

"Hurry up, you are so slow, are you itchy?"

"You, you, and you, all of you, move."

"Those who are on guard, go and move it for me too."

"All the boxes should be loaded onto the carriages immediately and sent to His Highness's military camp outside the city."

Wen Zhong didn't know what he could do to better help the prince.

The prince has given instructions that these things are of vital importance to him.

Wen Zhong didn't know what these wooden boxes were used for, but since the prince said so, it would be a good idea to send them over as soon as possible.

So he immediately urged him on.

"Xiang Ke, follow the carriage and set off now."

Wen Zhong gave direct instructions when he saw Xiang Ke out of the corner of his eye.

Xiang Ke said, "Servant Wen, let me go pack some clothes."

Wen Zhong is very anxious now. He wishes these things could fly directly to the prince's military camp and is not willing to wait.

"How can you be without food and clothing in the military camp?"

"Get in the car now."

Xiang Ke had no choice but to go directly to the carriage after hearing this.

When he was about to reach the carriage, he turned back.

Wen Zhong glared and said, "What else do you want to do?"

Xiang Ke explained, "There are some important things in the room. I'll go get them for him."

Wen Zhong shouted, "Hurry up."

Xiang Ke quickly ran into the Wulei Hall and picked up the wooden tubes used for measuring.

These three wooden cylinders of different sizes are the key to the recipe.

The prince went on an expedition to the east, and he was away for at least a few months.

These things should either be destroyed or kept with you.

Holding the three wooden barrels, Xiang Ke hurriedly got on the carriage.

At this time, the entire backyard of the East Palace was in chaos.

More than 20,000 kilograms of gunpowder required more than 200 horse-drawn carriages to carry.

The noise also attracted the Crown Princess Su Yuer to come and check it out.

Theodosius followed.

Su Yuer walked over and waved, asking the maids and eunuchs around to stay away.

Then he asked in a low voice: "Eunuch Wen, something urgent has happened with the Crown Prince."

She is not stupid. Last night was supposed to be a warm and romantic time.

Suddenly, the prince hurried out of the city in the middle of the night.

Something big must have happened.

But I didn’t get any news today.

Wen Zhong was the prince's eunuch and must have known something about the situation.

When Wen Zhong heard the Crown Princess asking about the situation, he didn't dare to explain, and could only perfunctorily say, "Crown Princess, you are too suspicious. What could have happened?"

"It's just that His Highness has given me instructions, and I want to finish it quickly."

Su Yuer looked at Wen Zhong deeply.

Some hesitation and some worry.

But in the end he said nothing.

In fact, she already felt something, and the word "nervous" was almost written on the eunuch Wen Zhong's face.

The whole person was a little panicked.

What kind of thing could make the prince's eunuch like this and allow the prince to escape from Chang'an at night?

Su Yuer didn't ask any more questions.

Theodosius came over and said calmly, "Sister, your highness will surely return victorious."

"Your Highness is a very powerful person, more powerful than anyone I have ever met."

"I think under this blue sky and white clouds, no one can hurt Your Highness."

Hearing Theodosius's comfort, Su Yuer nodded slightly.

But what she was worried about was not the war in the East.
-
Yankangfang, Prince Wei's Palace.

It is obvious that Li Tai's news is a step behind.

After finishing breakfast, we learned that the prince had forced the Xiamen Gate open and left Chang'an at night.

Li Tai has been very tired these days.

Because of the upcoming expedition, I became a little nervous.

After all, for Li Tai, this was the first time he traveled far away and fought a war.

Apart from anything else, this long journey alone was a huge test for him.

Fatty is most afraid of heat, yet he has to march in such hot weather.

It’s painful to think about it.

These days, Li Tai often watched drills in the military camp.

He also had five thousand cavalrymen, all wearing iron armor.

There are just a few more armor styles.

There are more than a dozen sets of Ming Guang armor, and the others are Guang Yao armor, chain mail, Shanwen armor, Wu Chui armor, and fine scale armor.

In fact, the manufacturing process of iron armor is quite complicated, and the main iron armor of the Tang army is still Ming Guang armor.

The Ming Guang armor was most commonly used in the Tang Dynasty and was listed as the first type of armor in "The Six Codes of Tang Dynasty".

The reason why there were various types of armor in Li Tai’s army was mainly due to insufficient inventory.

After supplying the crown prince, there were not many Ming Guang armors left, so they had to use other iron armors to supply the King of Wei.

Among them, the manufacturing of Wuchui armor is simpler than other armors, so the cavalry of King Wei mainly used Wuchui armor.

Even so, the all-armored cavalry was enough to show Li Shimin's preference for him.

"Did something happen in the prince's military camp?"

Li Tai asked curiously.

According to normal thinking, the prince's trip to Chang'an in the middle of the night must be related to the military camp.

Chai Lingwu replied: "I sent people to inquire, but I didn't hear anything about what happened in the prince's camp."

"Yi Ai sent someone back this morning to report that the Prince's barracks were conducting a military exercise, and it was quite noisy."

Li Tai asked Fang Yiai and Cui Shengyu to be responsible for the training.

These days Fang Yiai basically lives in the military camp or in the Prince of Wei's mansion.

For Fang Yiai, going home was too painful.

Princess Gaoyang almost completely suppressed him, and he did not dare to resist and could only obey him submissively.

In comparison, it’s not as comfortable as in the military camp.

"Oh, by the way, I heard this morning that hundreds of carriages went to the East Palace, carrying many large wooden boxes to the prince's barracks."

Chai Lingwu added.

Wei Wang Li Tai asked: "Do you know what it is?"

Chai Lingwu shook his head: "I asked around, but they were tight-lipped. Maybe they really don't know."

"The big wooden box was sealed and sealed, so no one knew what was inside."

"It is said to be quite heavy. It may be a weapon."

"The East Palace has hired many craftsmen, so it's normal for them to build some military equipment."

After hearing this, Li Tai lost interest in these large wooden boxes.

Just some armaments.

He had the support of the five surnames and seven noble families, so he had no shortage of military equipment.

That is to say, it is strictly forbidden to privately keep or manufacture armor, which is why the Ming Guang armor is missing, and it is not as majestic as the prince's. In other aspects, there is no shortage of anything.

"The Crown Prince is too overbearing. Fortunately, he is in charge of the feint attack on Liaodong City this time."

"The Liaodong City is a place that even a million-strong army of the previous dynasty could not conquer. What kind of merit can the prince's cavalry achieve?"

"This king is different. With eight hundred warships, I can penetrate the heart of Goryeo and achieve unparalleled merit."

Li Tai said confidently.

He also had his own ideas about this eastern expedition to Goryeo.

Those who came from the Five Surnames and Seven Families were all elite soldiers, each of them highly skilled in martial arts. Every time he watched their drills, he felt full of confidence.

If they can surpass the crown prince in military achievements, the influence of the Wei Wang party will be even greater.

It would be best if the prince could die on the battlefield in Liaodong.

What a pity for Cui Wensheng.

Just die.

Li Tai felt a little sad when he heard the news of Cui Wensheng's suicide a few days ago.

After all, Cui Wensheng has supported him for so many years, so he has some favor to him.

In Li Tai's opinion, Cui Wensheng's collusion with Goryeo was also for his own good, and he wanted to secretly kill the prince.

What a pity, what a pity.

"By the way, the carriage bedding is still too hard. Have someone make some better ones quickly."

Li Tai usually traveled between Chang'an and the military camp on horseback.

But in the military camp, a luxurious carriage had actually been built.

In order to reduce the pain of bumps, the carriage was padded with thick bedding.

Even so, Li Tai still felt pain in his butt after sitting for a few rounds.

Chai Lingwu recalled something and said, "King Wei, a scholar from the Academy of Literature proposed two days ago that since ice is made by melting stones."

"Now that the weather is hot, you can put calcite and water under the carriage. This is equivalent to placing a ball of ice water under the carriage. Although it will not freeze, it can also reduce the feeling of heat."

"I thought about it and I think this method is feasible."

Li Tai's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he urged, "Hurry up and add it to my carriage."

Fatty is most afraid of heat. Every time Li Tai thinks about marching in this scorching June.

Even if you sit in a carriage, you will be exhausted and suffer.

With this method, it will be much cooler during the march.

Chai Lingwu was about to instruct the craftsmen to build a new carriage.

When I was about to leave, I remembered something else.

"King of Wei, the Crown Prince left Chang'an at night. Could this be related to Lord Fang?"

Li Tai asked, "Did Lord Fang do something to the prince's military camp outside the city?"

"That shouldn't be the case."

Chai Lingwu said, "That's right. I heard that Mr. Fang went to the palace to see the emperor last night and told him about the plague."

"It was at that time that the prince forced open the city gate and went to the military camp."

"Could it be that the Crown Prince misunderstood Lord Fang and thought that he was reporting him for treason, and got scared."

Li Tai was shocked, and after thinking about it carefully, he said, "Don't say it, it's really possible."

Let's talk, he laughed: "The prince is only so brave."

To Li Tai, this was a funny thing.

But Chai Lingwu was gloomy and offered advice: "King Wei, this is a good opportunity. If this is the case, the prince will definitely not dare to enter the city."

"It only takes a few calculations to create a rift between the Crown Prince and Your Majesty."

Li Tai's expression straightened when he heard this: "Oh? Please tell me in detail."

Chai Lingwu said: "Now the prince has 5,000 cavalrymen. If he thinks that it is Lord Fang who is reporting treason, he will be extremely nervous and dare not return to the East Palace to surrender. In a desperate situation, he will definitely risk his life."

"According to the prince's idea, he now controls a large number of troops. Even if Your Majesty learns of his rebellion, he will not easily punish him. Instead, he will first take away his military power to avoid disaster."

"In this case, all you need to do is for Your Majesty to order the Crown Prince to return to the palace before the Eastern Expedition. If the Crown Prince does not return, then the plan will be successful."

After listening to this, Li Tai frowned and said, "Does the prince really think so?"

Chai Lingwu said: "If this plan succeeds, then your Majesty will be too wary of the crown prince. If it fails, it will not cause any loss to the King of Wei."

"Why doesn't the King of Wei give it a try?"

Li Tai thought it made sense.

He asked, "How can I get my father to summon the crown prince back to Chang'an?"

Chai Lingwu thought for a moment and said, "The King of Wei can send someone to advise His Majesty that now that the Eastern Expedition is imminent, a grand sacrificial ceremony can be held to pray for God's protection."

"In this case, His Majesty will surely order the Crown Prince to return to the palace."

"If the prince feels guilty, he will definitely not return to Chang'an."

Li Tai nodded slightly, and then asked with some doubt: "Will there be any flaws in arranging this matter?"

Chai Lingwu said confidently: "Don't worry, King Wei, this matter can be done perfectly. Last year, the Venus Taibai appeared in broad daylight, and this year, war broke out again. Sacrificial ceremonies and divination are normal."

Li Tai nodded: "Okay, let's do this."
-
Outside Chang'an City, the Prince's military camp.

The King of Wei is plotting against the Crown Prince.

The prince was also plotting against the King of Wei.

"The King of Wei has 5,000 soldiers, and will set out at the same time as us."

"If there is a change, we can first break the King of Wei's camp, seize his weapons and armor, and strengthen our army."

Su Dingfang was very confident.

Even though the King of Wei also had 5,000 cavalry, he would not take people like Fang Yiai and Cui Shengyu seriously.

With the same number of troops and similar equipment, Su Dingfang was very confident that he could defeat the King of Wei's troops in one blow.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "General Su's idea is the same as mine."

"There is one more thing that General Su should know."

"The Protector General under the King of Wei, Cui Shengyu, the eldest son of the Qinghe Cui family, is also my man."

Su Dingfang was quite shocked when he heard this.

In the past there was Hou Junji, and now there is Cui Shengyu.

It turned out that the Crown Prince had already had the King of Wei under his control.

If it weren’t for Fang Xuanling’s incident this time.

I'm afraid that the King of Wei is likely to die "accidentally" on the battlefield.

No wonder the prince has never taken any action against the King of Wei. It turns out that this has been arranged long ago.

Su Dingfang was delighted and said, "That's great. With Cui Shengyu as an undercover agent, we can easily subdue the cavalry under the command of the King of Wei."

Ten thousand armored cavalrymen are an absolutely elite force in the entire Tang Dynasty, and they can even influence the situation in the country.

Li Chengqian said calmly, "Don't make too much trouble. The King of Wei replaced the palace soldiers with elite soldiers from noble families, and also let Master Cui serve as the Protector General to train the troops."

"Little did they know that those 5,000 cavalry would not obey his orders now. They are already under the control of Cui Shengyu."

"I only need to send an order, and Cui Shengyu will capture the King of Wei and present him to me."

Su Dingfang suggested: "Your Highness, you must be on guard against others. After all, Cui Shengyu is the son of the Qinghe Cui family. If you take his troops, you must be careful in dealing with them."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Of course, we will disband their forces and recruit them into our army."

At this time, a guard came to report.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has received a message from the East Palace that Eunuch Zhang has left the palace and is heading towards the military camp."

Li Chengqian and Su Dingfang exchanged a glance.

His face was solemn.

Even though the plan is well planned, I am still nervous when facing His Majesty.

"Explore again."

"Yes."

Although I was nervous, I didn't lose my composure because I had a detailed plan.

Li Chengqian murmured, "Is it finally coming?"

Su Dingfang advised: "No matter what Eunuch Zhang says, Your Highness must remember not to return to Chang'an."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Of course, I will first find out the truth from Eunuch Zhang."

"If the emperor already knows, then kidnap eunuch Zhang and march the army to Luoyang."

(End of this chapter)