My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 231 Li Shimin's Arrangement, Return to the Court

The fall of Anshi City meant the complete destruction of the entire Goryeo.

However, whether it will be destroyed or surrendered depends on the will of the Tang Dynasty.

With Yeon Gaesomun's escape, Goryeo no longer had the power to fight against the Tang Dynasty.

All the troops are already here.

The next day.

After Su Dingfang completely took control of Anshi City, he welcomed the prince into the city.

Safety comes first. The more proud you are, the more careful you should be.

If a group of assassins appeared and even hurt the prince a little, it would be a huge crime.

In the mansion of the mayor of Anshi City.

Li Chengqian sat at the top.

On the left and right are Li Daozon and Su Dingfang.

Then there were Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, Chen Yunchao, Li Dejian, and Helan Chushi.

Because Yeon Gaesomun took his men and fled, those who remained were just minor characters and were not worth mentioning.

"Although we have defeated Goryeo, the problem of Anshi City is not over yet."

"News has come from the north that Yuan Junyue surrendered and committed suicide. Hou Junji and Li Ji should enter the city tomorrow."

"After a rough calculation, including our people, there are now millions of people hoarding around."

"The food and grass won't last long. What do you think about this?"

There are too many civilians.

Even though the casualties are countless, there are still huge numbers left.

The Tang army had nearly 700,000 troops on the eastern expedition, and Goryeo also had a million troops.

Even if hundreds of thousands died, there were still at least one and a half million left.

This is already more than the population of Chang'an.

With so many people, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating are the biggest problems.

"For now, we should quickly dismiss the Korean personnel."

"The capital of Goryeo should be conquered by issuing an edict."

Su Dingfang spoke.

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Right now, your responsibilities are even greater. You need to appease the people of Goryeo and ensure their basic food supply."

"So that they can return to their hometown safely."

Everyone bowed and said, "We obey the order of the prince."

This matter sounds complicated, but it will be done step by step in the end.

Li Chengqian didn't have to make the arrangements himself.

Now that the dust has settled, it is naturally time for the people below to take action.

Li Daozon had a complicated expression.

The prince's great victory should be a cause for celebration.

But after being together for so long, Li Daozon was not blind and of course he could see what the prince was thinking.

Now that the Eastern Expedition was considered over, the prince had no intention of returning the army to himself.

Isn't the Crown Prince afraid that the news of his seizure of military power will reach Your Majesty and make Your Majesty extremely angry?

But the prince seemed to not care about any of this.

This is to have self-reliance and military power.

Li Dao Zong wanted to talk to others, but it seemed that everyone understood each other tacitly.

When everyone left, Li Daozon did not leave.

"What else does the emperor want?"

Li Chengqian asked with a smile.

Li Daozong bowed and said, "Your Highness, Goryeo is no longer a threat. The Goryeo king has issued an edict, and the Eastern Expedition will also come to an end."

"I am thinking that as the New Year is coming, it would be great if the soldiers and civilians of the Tang Dynasty could go home to celebrate the New Year."

"Please allow me to take the soldiers and civilians who came here earlier and return to the court."

At this point in time, Li Daozon's request was undoubtedly reasonable.

It’s not for military power.

Now that Goryeo has been destroyed, there is not much point in Li Daozon continuing to hold military power.

He just didn't want to continue following the prince like this, as he felt something could easily go wrong.

Li Chengqian nodded: "Uncle, what you said makes sense."

"It would be great if the soldiers and civilians could go there to celebrate the New Year."

Hearing this, Li Daozon was both surprised and delighted.

He quickly asked, "Does the prince agree?"

Li Chengqian did not give a direct answer, but sighed and said, "Uncle, do you think that defeating Yeon Gaesomun and pacifying Goryeo is the end?"

Li Daozon was confused and didn't understand what the prince was keeping in suspense.

"Is not it."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly: "Yes, now it is only a matter of time to conquer the entire territory of Goryeo."

"But for the Tang Dynasty, conquering Goryeo does not mean the end."

"What's the point of temporarily submitting to the emperor? Are we launching this expedition just to save face?"

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have traveled a long way and shed tears in Liaodong, just for a little face? For the Tang Dynasty, is this battle for face or for the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Dao Zong said subconsciously: "Goryeo has been invading the borders of our Tang Dynasty for many years, so it is natural that they are fighting for the peace and stability of our Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian continued: "Back then, Goryeo also surrendered to Emperor Yang of Sui."

"Earlier, the countries on this land were also defeated by Emperor Wu of Han and could not rule for quite some time."

"But when he finally came to our Tang Dynasty, he still rebelled."

"So, uncle, do you think that returning to the capital now can stabilize Goryeo for many years? Is it a permanent solution? Or will Goryeo rebel again in ten, twenty, or a hundred years, and the same thing will happen again?"

"By then, will the Tang Dynasty be as prosperous as it is now? A hundred years later, will the Tang Dynasty be able to defeat Goryeo again?"

Faced with this question, Li Daozon didn't know how to answer.

Who can guarantee that Goryeo will never rebel? It's a hundred years later.

How many years did the Sui Dynasty exist?

Which one explains it clearly?

Li Chengqian saw that Li Dao Zong was silent and didn't care, so he continued: "So, I have been wondering why Goryeo can't be like other places in the Tang Dynasty and become a part of the Central Plains. What is going on?"

"Later I figured it out. It was because the people of Goryeo never considered themselves to be real Han Chinese."

"It's because these landlords and gentry in Goryeo never acknowledged themselves as Han Chinese, even though Goryeo has always been a vassal state of the Central Plains."

"The solution that solves the problem once and for all is actually very simple."

"Let all the people of Goryeo speak Chinese and learn Chinese rules, etiquette, clothing, and culture."

"After three generations, there will be no more Goryeo, only Liaodong."

Li Daozon was shocked. He did not expect the prince to have such lofty ambitions.

But we have to admit that the prince is indeed doing this now.

A large number of Tang Dynasty students were recruited to serve as officials, and Goryeo nobles, landlords, and gentry were tried in all places, and the land was returned to the people.

If education is promoted, then after many years, Goryeo will naturally become a part of the Tang Dynasty.

This reason is much more righteous than Li Daozon’s previous excuse.

Li Daozon had no words to object to.

I could only reply bitterly: "The prince is wise."
-
North of Anshi City.

Tang army camp.

Hou Junji looked extremely ugly.

Because at this moment, he realized that he had been surrounded by Li Ji's men.

"Li Ji, what do you want to do?" "Are you going to rebel? How dare you rebel against your superiors!"

"Quickly withdraw your people. I can still forgive you for our past friendship."

Facing Hou Junji's stern shout, Li Ji just shook his head slightly.

He took out a secret decree from his bosom.

After opening it, he said, "Hou Junji, you should know what you have done."

"Your Majesty has issued a secret decree to immediately abolish Hou Junji's position as the chief military commander of Liaodong Road, and replace him with Li Ji."

"His Majesty's secret decree is here. Why don't you surrender quickly? Are you going to resist His Majesty's secret decree?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the generals surrounding Hou Junji suddenly became shaken.

If it was Li Ji who was plotting to seize power, they would definitely fight to the end and never compromise.

But this is His Majesty's secret decree, and that is the Holy Will.

What's more, we are outnumbered and surrounded by the enemy. Any resistance at this time would be a meaningless sacrifice.

"I don't believe it. Li Ji, how dare you use such a despicable trick to deceive me."

Hou Junji suddenly felt something was wrong.

The only thing he could think of was that his secret collusion with the Crown Prince had been discovered by His Majesty.

But at this moment, how could Hou Junji be willing to accept this?

The Crown Prince has already gained power. If his army were to join forces with the Crown Prince's, plus the entire Goryeo army, even His Majesty would have no choice but to watch.

It's a pity that it was just about to go in, who would have thought that this would happen.

We were all preparing to leave for Anshi City today, when Li Ji suddenly sent someone over to say that there was an important matter to discuss.

Hou Junji didn't take it seriously and just fell into the trap.

The main thing is that I wouldn’t even think about this.

He also would not have thought that His Majesty would send a secret decree to Li Ji to take away his military power.

"Are you still going to be stubborn?"

Li Ji said coldly, and at the same time he waved his hand, and a large number of archers surrounded them, obviously they had been ambushed long ago.

"Deputy Li. No, Chief Li, please spare me. We didn't know there was a secret decree."

"Yes, since it is a secret decree from His Majesty, we will naturally obey it."

"Duke Chen, this cannot be blamed on the brothers. His Majesty's will cannot be disobeyed."

"There must be something that caused His Majesty to misunderstand. Once we return to Chang'an and explain everything clearly, everything will be fine."

The generals around Hou Junji suddenly dispersed.

At this point, everyone is already in the situation, so don't make yourself embarrassed.

Even if they really broke out, when His Majesty issued an edict, they would be labeled as traitors, which would be bad.

All the clan members are in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Ji was also unambiguous and passed the secret decree to them to show that he had not forged it.

In fact, when Li Ji spoke of the secret decree, no one thought it was fake because it was totally unnecessary.

Now that the Crown Prince has achieved a great victory in pacifying Goryeo, the position of Chief of the Military Circuit was originally a temporary one, and he would be rewarded based on his merits after the army returns to the capital.

There is no point in forging an imperial edict.

"you win."

"But the prince did not lose."

Hou Junji spoke in a low voice. Earlier he was worried that the prince's power was too great and cooperation would be unfavorable.

Now we can only place all our hopes on the prince.

He colluded with the prince to rebel, so the prince would definitely protect him.

As long as the prince can finally ascend the throne, he still has hope.

Besides, Your Majesty, don’t you think it’s too late for you to take action at this time?

"Your Majesty will not lose."

"It's you who should think about how to explain this to His Majesty."

Li Ji did not say much. Given the current situation, it would be useless to say more. After all, it was an internal matter of the royal family.

After Hou Junji surrendered, Li Ji did not make things too difficult for him. Apart from sending people to imprison him, he treated him as usual.

We are all officials of the Tang Dynasty, so don't go too far and keep some dignity.

What Hou Junji said was not wrong. The prince did not lose. Who knows what will happen in the future?

If the prince really succeeds to the throne in the end, Hou Junji will still be able to make a comeback. By then, Hou Junji's today may be his tomorrow.

"General, where are we now?"

The subordinate came over to ask.

"Move out and march."

"Are we going to Anshi City?"

Li Ji glared at his trusted subordinates fiercely, and then said: "The Eastern Expedition has been a success, and we will return to the court."

The subordinate asked, "What about these Koreans?"

Even though tens of thousands of people were killed, there are still nearly 300,000 people.

It was overwhelming and there were people everywhere.

Li Ji said: "Never mind, let them bring their own people and go to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to surrender and ask for punishment."

The subordinate hesitated and said, "This may not be a good idea, if something goes wrong."

Li Ji said angrily: "What could go wrong? Do you think they still have any way out?"

"They surrendered to us not because they were afraid of being killed, but because Anshi City had been captured and there was no point in continuing."

"Now that the crown prince is so powerful, why don't they just surrender? What else do they want to do? This will only fulfill the wishes of some people."

Three hundred thousand people is indeed a lot.

But ninety-nine percent of them are civilians. They were already scared of being killed by the Tang army in the past. Now that they can survive, why would they dare to mess around?

The most important thing is that it is impossible for Li Ji to return with these civilians. The food consumed on the road alone is a big problem.

But now these matters have been handed over to the prince.
-
Beisha City.

On top of the city tower.

King Wei Li Tai looked confused.

Following next to him was Cui Shengyu.

"The King of Wei has made up his mind. He will just leave and not care about anything else."

Facing Cui Shengyu's question, Li Tai smiled bitterly and said, "What else can I do? Should I go to the capital of Goryeo and be waited for by the crown prince?"

"Or do you think that the prince will let me go in this Goryeo land?"

"I still have this bit of self-awareness."

"Back in Chang'an, at least my life will be safe."

"I finally understand. Even though I have been overestimating the prince, I still underestimated him. Who would have thought that the prince could control a magical object like Thunderbolt?"

"Maybe I should have thought of it earlier, the ice-making method and the Taoist priest who used the Five Thunder Method."

After hearing this, Cui Shengyu also fell silent.

The current prince is indeed too unexpected, or even shocking.

When the troops were sent out, who could have imagined that in just three months, Goryeo, which the Sui Dynasty had almost exhausted the entire country's national strength to conquer, would be occupied by the prince.

I looked at the sunset in the distance, which gradually fell into the sea.

Li Tai felt a little lonely. Under the current circumstances, who would dare to compete with the prince for the throne?

All these years of planning have ultimately been in vain.

At this moment, Zhang Liang, the Minister of Justice and the Chief of the Pyongyang Road Army, came over.

"King Wei, His Majesty has issued a secret decree ordering us to return to the capital immediately."

Upon hearing this, King Wei Li Tai's eyes widened.

The flame that was about to go out suddenly burned again.

(End of this chapter)