My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 194 The storm is coming

The night was as dark as ink, covering the military camp. The cold stars were sparse, hanging high in the sky.

In the military camp, lights flickered in the dark night.

Li Chengqian was dressed in military uniform and walked steadily, followed by several guards.

Or if a major change is imminent, military morale is an extremely important part.

Things like rebellion cannot be told to the soldiers.

The people's hearts in the Tang Dynasty are still there, and the families of these soldiers are all under the jurisdiction of Chang'an.

If the prince told his soldiers that he was going to rebel against his father and become emperor himself.

How can others follow this?

When the day of rebellion really came, what Li Chengqian passed down was:

The sage has been bewitched by a villain who wants to wrongly accuse the crown prince. He asks all the soldiers to follow the crown prince in killing the treacherous and wicked people and clearing the court.

Only where there is greater justice can one focus one's heart.

No matter how powerful gunpowder is, it is only used by people.

How can we govern the world if we are deserted by our friends and relatives?

The night wind blew gently, and the flags fluttered slightly, making rustling sounds.

Li Chengqian walked into a tent.

The Tang Dynasty’s camp tents were built with linen roofs and supported by wooden poles.

The space is not big, with ten people in one tent, five beds on the left and right, and a small path in the middle.

The training during the day is hard, wearing armor, and even riding on a horse under the scorching sun. It is majestic but also really hot.

Under high-intensity training, Li Chengqian still provides great guarantee in terms of food.

There is no shortage of meat, eggs and milk, and a good sleep can restore your strength.

There is a water source in the camp, and the soldiers can take a shower every day.

I guess the auxiliary soldiers helped wash the clothes.

Tonight is already the hour of Xu, which is eight o'clock in the evening.

Except for the soldiers on patrol and night duty, most of the soldiers were already preparing to sleep in their tents.

We lay in the tent, chatted casually, and then fell asleep.

"who!"

The door curtain opened and a figure came in.

The soldiers who had not yet slept immediately became alert.

"It's Gu."

Li Chengqian said with a smile.

The tent was very low and it was difficult to stand up straight after walking in, so Li Chengqian simply sat on the ground.

With the help of moonlight, the ten soldiers immediately saw who was coming and were shocked.

"It's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"His Royal Highness!"

"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince."

In a panic, the soldiers prepared to stand up and pay their respects, but it felt impolite to sleep in half-dressed in the hot summer.

"No need to be polite, I just came to take a look. The tent is small, so everyone can sit down."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Everyone became a little nervous, wondering why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was here.

Everyone began to think in their hearts whether they had not done something well during the day's training or made some mistakes.

In just this short moment, the ten soldiers had thought about all the mistakes they had made in their lives.

"Do not be nervous."

"We are about to go east to Korea. The journey is long and the mountains are high. I thought I would come and take a look. Don't be too surprised."

Li Chengqian's gentle tone immediately put everyone at ease.

Go ahead, looking at a figure, he said, "I remember you, Li Hu, a student from Xunmou class, right?"

Li Hu was excited. He didn't expect that the prince recognized him and even remembered his name.

He immediately replied, "Yes, yes, Your Highness, it's Li Hu."

Li Chengqian asked, "Are you afraid of the war that is about to start?"

Li Hu said firmly: "Return to Your Highness, I am not afraid."

Li Chengqian said: "Good job, how about you guys, are you afraid?"

Everyone was excited and shouted, "Don't be afraid."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, with admiration in his eyes: "You are courageous, worthy of being a good man of the Tang Dynasty."
Hearing this, everyone became even more excited.

"Rest early, we still have a military exercise tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After encouraging them, Li Chengqian continued to visit the next tent.

Not every sergeant in every tent could be recognized, but most of the officers were students of the Military Academy.

The entire skeleton of 5,000 cavalrymen was mainly built by students from the Military Academy.

There were dozens of tents along the way.

Li Chengqian didn't have time to visit all the tents in one night.

Five thousand cavalry means five hundred tents.

How could I possibly finish it?

Besides, by the beginning of the Hai hour, which is nine o'clock in the evening, most people have basically gone to bed.

After all, according to the rules, we have to wake up and start preparing at 3:15 am, which is almost 4:00 am.

Half an hour later, at the hour of Mao, training begins, which is commonly known as Dianmao.

We passed about thirty or forty tents.

When Li Chengqian went in again, some of the soldiers had already fallen asleep.

After a few quiet instructions, tonight's patrol of the camp came to an end.

I have to say that although this set of methods may seem like a show, it is particularly effective for the lower-level soldiers.

The soldiers felt it was a great honor to be able to chat with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in person.

The next day.

Before roll call, the camp was already bustling with activity.

"Your Highness is really approachable."

"The Crown Prince came last night, why didn't you wake me up?"

"When I saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I was completely stunned. How could I dare to wake you up?"

Some are excited and their spirits are lifted.

Some people also beat their chests and stamped their feet because they overslept.

It's more of envy and expectation.

Will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince come to our tent tonight?

Loyalty is both precious and cheap.

For Li Chengqian, this was just like a casual chat after dinner to digest the food, and at most a few words were exchanged.

But for the soldiers at the bottom, a word of encouragement and concern from the prince had already made them secretly determined to serve the prince until death.

If anyone dared to say a bad word about the prince at this time, he would draw his sword and kill him.

For the emperor and the crown prince at such a level, it would be extremely easy as long as they were willing to humble themselves and win over the hearts of the troops.

Even if he is a puppet emperor.

Back then, when Cao Cao held the emperor hostage to control the princes, he sent people to keep a close watch on Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie.

The guards are all from the Cao family, and they are absolutely trusted by the Cao family.

Even so, I still feel uneasy and have to replace people every once in a while.

How could he dare to let him come into contact with the army?

If Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, had the opportunity to contact the army, a large number of soldiers would have been instigated to rebel within ten days or half a month. Oh, that's not right.

How can following the emperor be called rebellion? That's called following the will of heaven.

The people couldn't afford to eat and cursed the dog emperor.

But if the emperor stood in front of you, he would kneel faster and kowtow louder than anyone else.

Under imperial rule, the emperor is a saint, and the saint is like a god.

Li Chengqian naturally would not disappoint the soldiers who were expecting him.

Before setting out on the Eastern Expedition to Goryeo, he would patrol the camp every night.

This can also ensure to the greatest extent that after breaking with Chang'an, the soldiers can support him.
-
The next day, Chang'an City.

In a teahouse in Yongxingfang.

Below the window is the bustling street.

"Why do we have to meet in crowded places every time?" Du He was a little puzzled.

“Because there are more people, it’s safer.”

Li Anyan replied while eating Hu pancake with corn porridge.

"Okay, but this time, I feel like you might have caused something big."

Du He took a bite of the steamed bun and said, with a somewhat sad tone.

After saying this, Li Anyan stopped immediately.

He said seriously, "That night, Fang Xuanling was definitely not right."

"I could see that he was very anxious, but after I informed him, he became less anxious."

"He looked at me differently, too. He was wary."

"I've been a guard for so many years, I feel like this can't be wrong."

Du He said helplessly: "But now, the prince is in a dilemma."

"I have been trying to get information from the palace, but there is no news from His Majesty. This is about whether the prince will come to the sacrifice or not."

"How should we reply to the Crown Prince, saying that everything in the palace is normal and that it was all a misunderstanding?"

"Or did your Majesty plan this with Fang Xuanling?"

Du He was very distressed. Ever since the prince left Chang'an at night, he had received the news from the eunuch Wen Zhong.

Always pay close attention to explore possible situations in the palace.

But in the past few days, no abnormalities were found, so they began to suspect that Li Anyan was too vigilant at the beginning.

After hearing this, Li Anyan fell silent.

Don't know what to say.

He is under great pressure now.

As for His Majesty, he only stays on guard at night every day, and has not heard anything about the Crown Prince yet.

There was no movement on Fang Xuanling's side either.

But Li Anyan was sure that he was not being suspicious that night.

But there is a real problem.

The problem is that there is no evidence now to prove that there was anything wrong with Fang Xuanling that night.

It's all based on his intuition.

As of now, Li Anyan is a little unconfident.

But this cannot be said.

Once it is said out loud, it is not a joke but a sin.

The prince is already preparing for battle outside the city, and now he's saying something is wrong?

They could only grit their teeth and conclude that there was something wrong with Fang Xuanling.

After thinking for a while, Li Anyan gritted his teeth and said, "The prince cannot return to Chang'an."

"Fang Xuanling didn't say anything because the timing was not right, so he suppressed the matter."

"If the prince returns to Chang'an, I will certainly appeal again, asking Your Majesty to first deprive the prince of his military power and place him under house arrest."

This is the most disgusting thing. Fang Xuanling has a bomb in his hand that can explode at any time.

Fang Xuanling is known for his resourcefulness, so who could have guessed his thoughts?

Even if he stood in front of the prince and assured him that this was not the case.

But at this critical moment, who would dare to believe it?

Who can guarantee that Fang Xuanling will not take advantage of this opportunity? Even he himself cannot guarantee it.

This is a complete vicious circle.

"Fang Xuanling, this old fox, is trying to force the prince to rebel."

"I asked someone to check, and the idea of ​​the sacrifice was proposed by the Grand Diviner of the Grand Divination Office."

"He is a member of the Wei Wang Party."

"So this time it is very likely that Fang Xuanling instructed the King of Wei to make arrangements to force the crown prince to rebel or place him under house arrest."

Du He said angrily.

Now is not a good time to rebel because the prince's power is still too weak.

It is very difficult for the current prince to control the court, or even the entire Tang Dynasty.

Especially when being forced to rebel.

In a direct face-to-face confrontation with His Majesty, no one would think that the Crown Prince would be able to defeat His Majesty.

Starting a rebellion is the lowest possible way, which is not the same as treason.

"If a major change occurs, you must flee Chang'an."

Li Anyan reminded.

"No, I want to stay in Chang'an and serve as the prince's backer." Du He shook his head and refused.

Li Anyan shook his head slightly: "What can you do as an insider? You are the crown prince's confidant. Everyone in the court and the country knows this. Once the crown prince raises an army, His Majesty will definitely focus on you."

"And Fang Xuanling will definitely not let you go either."

"Leave the city and follow the prince, and you will survive."

Du He calmed down and thought about it carefully, and realized that this was indeed the case.

Even if he was not arrested, he would be under constant surveillance in Chang'an City.

"how about you."

"What are you going to do?"

Du He asked.

Li Anyan said: "Of course I will stay in Chang'an to inform His Highness."

Du He said worriedly, "But Fang Xuanling must have suspected you. Even if he didn't notice it before, he suspects you now."

Li Anyan said: "He has no evidence."

Du He said: "How do you know he has no evidence? Don't forget that the money for the house you bought now was given by His Highness. With Fang Xuanling's shrewdness, how could he not find out?"

"That's a house worth millions of dollars. How can you afford it with your salary?"

"This alone is enough for His Majesty to arrest you first."

Li Anyan took a deep breath and said, "If that's the case, then I'll kill Fang Xuanling first."

"One life for another, it's worth it."

Du He shook his head: "You think too much. Do you think Fang Xuanling will give you a chance for such a thing?"

"If he wanted to punish you, would he wait until you were on night duty to tell His Majesty?"

"They surrounded you in broad daylight, so that you could not even see his face."

After listening to Du He's words, Li Anyan was silent for a moment, but still shook his head firmly and refused to leave Chang'an.

"I can't leave, and I can't leave."

"If I leave early, wouldn't it be proof that the Crown Prince is rebelling? Although Fang Xuanling has some evidence, it may not be absolute."

"If I stay in Chang'an, the Crown Prince and His Majesty will be here. Even if they start a rebellion, at least there will be a chance to ease the tension, and it can buy enough time for the Crown Prince."

"I am most familiar with the situation around Your Majesty. If there is any disturbance, I will be the first to know and try to pass it on to Your Highness."

"This is crucial to your highness's decision. Perhaps at this critical moment, my news can change the entire situation."

"Besides, I have been in the palace for many years and I have some useful people. At a critical moment, they may be able to help Your Highness."

Hearing this, Du He could only sigh, helpless.
-
The prince’s military camp outside the city.

Li Chengqian was sitting in the big tent, listening to the soldiers' continuous reports.

He was ready to launch an uprising.

The East Palace's treasury was spending a lot, and large quantities of supplies were constantly being sent in for operations.

Meat, food, supplies, horses, and carriages were delivered in a steady stream.

At this time, the key is to quickly turn money into strength.

The horse market in Chang'an has basically been cleared out by Li Chengqian.

There is also a large supply of concentrated feed for horses.

In the military camp, there were 5,234 war horses and 3,160 pack horses.

Two thousand four hundred and twenty-three carriages.

There were 5,367 cavalrymen and 3,600 auxiliary troops.

There were countless food and supplies, enough to sustain the army for thirty days.

"Is there anything unusual in Chang'an City?"

Li Chengqian asked in the big tent.

Su Dingfang replied: "There is nothing unusual in the palace army."

The sacrifice will be held the day after tomorrow, but according to the rules, Li Chengqian will enter the city tomorrow.

After all, it is impossible to rush over during the morning sacrifice.

Sacrifice is a very complicated process and one has to get up before dawn to prepare.

Therefore, at the latest, tomorrow afternoon, Li Chengqian would have to return to the palace to make preparations.

"If Your Highness does not enter the palace, His Majesty will certainly send someone to urge you."

"How will Your Highness respond then?" Su Dingfang asked.

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "Put it aside until tomorrow afternoon, and then say you're alone and sick."

"Even if the imperial physician goes back and forth, it will take quite a while."

"Let's see if we can drag it over."

This is a very perfunctory excuse, but after thinking about it, there is no better way.

(End of this chapter)