My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 235 The Death of the Prince of Tang
"Without courtesy, I will give you a seat."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Jin Deman felt a little surprised. He didn't expect that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be so polite to her.

This gave her some anticipation for what might happen next.

Li Chengqian smiled first, then said: "The King of Silla also made contributions to the Eastern Expedition to Goryeo this time, and he helped to contain the traitor Yeon Gaesomun."

"But I heard that Baekje cooperated with Yeon Gaesomun to launch a war against Silla. Is that correct?"

Hearing this, Jin Deman was delighted and said quickly, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Baekje took advantage of the situation and sent troops to occupy many cities in our country. I ask Your Highness the Crown Prince to do justice."

Goryeo and Baekje were conspiring to divide Silla.

When the Tang army launched an eastern expedition against Goryeo, Baekje also sent troops to Silla and occupied many cities.

Now that Goryeo has been destroyed, Jin Deman naturally wants to take back the occupied cities.

It’s hard to say about Goryeo, but Baekje is definitely indispensable.

Li Chengqian nodded: "Baekje's behavior is no different from Goryeo's. They are still disobeying the imperial edict of the Tang Dynasty and are tantamount to rebellion."

"It's too easy to just ask them to return to the city."

Jin Deman said in surprise: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Unfortunately, she thanked him too early.

Li Chengqian's next words made her feel cold all over.

"When Baekje rebels, we should send out a large army to destroy the country and prevent future troubles."

"After the New Year, I plan to send troops to Baekje and pass through Silla."

"At that time, the King of Silla must mobilize 100,000 troops and accompany me to conquer Silla again."

Li Chengqian had no intention of discussing it at all; this was an order.

The population of Silla was about one million, and the total population of the country was estimated to be not much more than that of Chang'an City.

Withdrawing 100,000 troops was tantamount to asking Silla to launch a war that would cost the country its life.

After all, at least hundreds of thousands of civilians are needed to follow and ensure logistics.

Thirty percent of the country's population will be mobilized.

For a moment, Kindman didn't know how to answer.

"Why, the King of Silla doesn't want to?"

Li Chengqian's tone suddenly turned cold.

If he didn't want to have a legitimate reason, would he have said so much to Kindman?
Silla could not attack openly, but it could attack secretly.

After Goryeo and Baekje were conquered, wouldn't it be too embarrassing for Silla to be caught in the middle?

A country within a country?

This will naturally not be allowed.

Although it is impossible to attack by force, Li Chengqian has many ways to capture Silla.

"My little prince is willing. Thank you for your grace, Your Highness."

Jin Deman lowered his head, not daring to say more, and could only agree at first.

This place is now the territory of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

Kim Yu-shin and Kim Chun-chu felt very aggrieved, but dared not say a word.

In their eyes, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty was even more brutal than Yeon Gaesomun.

Once you anger him, nothing good will happen to you.

Li Chengqian chuckled twice and said, "Okay, the King of Silla will go back in the next few days, so let's make arrangements for the logistics."

"Before the army moves, the food and fodder must go first. We must prepare the food and fodder first."

"In Goryeo, Yeon Gaesomun has emptied the treasury. When the King of Silla prepares food and fodder, please remember to prepare some for my army as well."

"After all, I am helping you fight Baekje. You can't ask me to provide troops and even food and fodder for the march. There is no such thing in the world."

Li Chengqian never intended to let Silla go.

Historically, after Emperor Gaozong of Tang conquered Goryeo, he joined forces with Silla to conquer Baekje.

In the end, the entire Liaodong Peninsula fell into the hands of Silla, thus ending the era of the Three Kingdoms on the Liaodong Peninsula and promoting the process of its unification.

"I will follow the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Silla Queen Kim Deokman knelt on the ground to show her submission.

As for what he was thinking, I don’t know.

Li Chengqian waved his hand, not caring at all.

No matter how she thinks, she can get it either way.
-
Sending troops to Baekje is a matter for next year.

But Li Chengqian's management of Goryeo continued.

The news of a large number of local rebellions reached the Shenwu Palace, and Li Chengqian was furious.

He then arranged a large army to sweep the entire Goryeo region.

A large number of Tang troops began to rush to various places to quell the rebellion.

Su Dingfang was the commander-in-chief and took away 30,000 troops directly.

Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, Chen Yunchao, Li Dejian, including Helan Chushi, were all sent out.

It is not difficult to attack a city.

There was not much resistance in any larger city of Goryeo.

The main task is to clean up these rebellious nobles.

Li Chengqian issued an order to execute only the main culprit.

Announce to the entire territory of Goryeo that whoever rebels will have his entire clan exterminated.

Regardless of any conditions, there is no such thing as immunity for those who surrender. The trial must still be conducted and no one can escape.

This attitude made the Goryeo nobles lose the intention of surrendering.

Some even hoped that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be a little more gentle and discuss the conditions for surrender, such as the preservation of their families. As long as their families could be preserved and they were not tried, they were willing to surrender unconditionally.

But no one expected that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be so tough, refusing to accept any negotiations and forcefully attacking all cities.

The important cities capable of withstanding the large-scale Tang army have been captured by Li Chengqian.

The largest city that is in rebellion now has a population of only about 10,000.

In order to win a quick victory, Li Chengqian equipped all the Tang troops with gunpowder.

Thunderbolts resounded throughout the entire territory of Goryeo.

There was hardly any city that could hold out the Tang army for half a day.

What’s more, the Tang army was basically defeated as soon as it arrived.

The Goryeo nobles had their own private soldiers, but their numbers were limited, and the power of Thunderbolt was too terrifying.

The eastern capitals like Liaodong City and Anshi City, which gathered almost all of Goryeo's military forces, were unable to resist. How could these private soldiers of the nobles resist the Tang army?

In addition, many of the troops gathered in these rebellious cities were actually the Goryeo civilians that Li Chengqian had dismissed in Anshi City. They had no fighting will at all against the Tang army.

Previously on the battlefield, they had all been scared of being killed by the Tang army. Now, when they heard that the Tang army was attacking the city, who would dare to pick up swords and fight?

We have all seen large-scale scenes of troops numbering hundreds of thousands.

If you provoke the Tang army, there is only one outcome, and that is death.
-
While Li Chengqian was sweeping Goryeo, Silla Queen Kim Deokman had also returned to Silla's capital, Jincheng.

Miyagi City, inside the Moon City Hall.

Queen Kim Deokman of Silla convened a meeting of all officials with a worried look on her face.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty will send troops to attack Baekje tomorrow."

"Order my Silla followers to dispatch 100,000 troops and prepare sufficient food and grass for the Tang army." "Everyone, what should we do?"

Kindman was at a loss and had been unable to eat or sleep well these days.

I have been thinking about this matter in my mind.

She didn't know how to refuse the Crown Prince of Tang, nor could she find a reason to refuse.

What was even more frightening was that if they refused, how would they deal with the situation if the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty sent troops to attack Silla?

"Your Majesty, this is not possible."

"One hundred thousand troops, this would mobilize the entire country of Silla, and with so much food and fodder, it would empty the treasury."

"In this way, even if we follow the prince of the Tang Dynasty to defeat Baekje, our Silla will be shaken all over the country."

"I hope the king will be cautious in this matter. Perhaps you can send out 50,000 troops. I think the bravery of the Tang army is enough to destroy Baekje."

A minister spoke up and expressed his opposition to this matter.

Many ministers followed suit.

They are responsible for governing the country and know very well what it means to mobilize 100,000 troops.

Even with 50,000 troops, it is almost the majority of Silla's current standing army.

However, there are also ministers who look at the issue from a different perspective.

"Your Majesty, if the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty agrees to give me some cities of Silla as compensation after conquering Baekje, that is not a bad idea."

"Baekje is no match for Goryeo. The prince of the Tang Dynasty destroyed Goryeo so easily. Wouldn't it be easy to destroy Baekje?"

"The Tang army can't stay here forever. As long as they leave, we will have the final say in Baekje."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a lot of discussion in the court, and many ministers expressed their agreement.

If we can get more land, it is not impossible to pay some price.

Kinderman didn't answer, but just rubbed his brows.

Vimalakirti snorted coldly and stood up and said.

"That's naive. Perhaps you should pay more attention to what's happening in Goryeo now."

"The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty dispatched tens of thousands of troops, divided them into different groups, and with the capital of Goryeo as the center, sent troops to the east, west, south and north to sweep the entire territory of Goryeo."

"The Crown Prince of the Great Tang launched a trial against all nobles in the entire territory of Goryeo in the name of Tang law. All officials and nobles who have oppressed the people or violated Tang law must be tried."

"And all their property will be confiscated."

"This also led to rebellions in various parts of Goryeo, but the Tang army continued to attack cities and kill people without stopping."

"The nobles' money and grain were used to fill the treasury, and the land was distributed to the people."

"The crown prince of the Tang Dynasty also issued a decree to the Tang Dynasty, asking all Tang Dynasty students to come to Goryeo to serve as officials."

"Most of those civilians who came from the Tang Dynasty have now been appointed as officials to govern the cities of Goryeo."

"If we act this way, do you think the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty will give the conquered Baekje to us, Silla?"

"If the prince of the Tang Dynasty has such intention, why haven't we returned the cities of Silla occupied by Goryeo yet?"

Historically, Vimalakirti was a pro-Tang faction, but in the current situation, it has become an anti-Tang faction.

The strength and behavior of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty made Vimalakirti feel afraid.

How could the current Silla not be a piece of fat meat in the eyes of the Crown Prince of Tang? Would the Crown Prince of Tang really be bound by morality and give up the fat meat at his fingertips?

In fact, the intention was very obvious from the fact that the cities occupied by Goryeo were not returned.

Ordering Silla to mobilize 100,000 troops and prepare food and fodder were just excuses.

The purpose was to take advantage of this opportunity to consume Silla's military strength and prepare for the later annexation of Silla.

"But what should we do?"

"Are you going to rebel against the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?"

When the officials heard this, they were in a panic.

They started discussing with each other.

After hearing what Vimalakirti said, they realized that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty was not a good person.

King Jin Deman of Silla said in a deep voice: "Now, I need you all to discuss countermeasures."

"If we don't follow the orders of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, we will inevitably cause trouble and give the Tang army an excuse."

"But if we act completely according to the orders of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, it will be a huge crisis for Silla."

"Does An have a solution that can satisfy both?"

In response to the king's question, the hall, which had been a little noisy, suddenly became quiet.

You look at me, I look at you, and neither of us can come up with any good ideas.

Kim Yu-shin, Bitam, Kim Chunchu and other important Silla officials also frowned, as they could not think of a good solution.

If we could think of it, there would be no need to convene a meeting of all officials to discuss and pool their wisdom.

At this time, the last official came out and bowed.

"I have two ideas that may be useful."

When these words were spoken, the officials were shocked.

No one can think of a solution, and you come out and say you have two solutions. Aren't you mocking the officials for being useless?

Being at the bottom of the list and holding a lowly official position, how could he come up with any foolproof plan?

But now King Jin Deman of Silla was in urgent need of medical treatment, so he didn't care too much and asked, "Tell me quickly, what are your two plans?"

The official stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this first strategy is the beauty trap."

As soon as the words fell, there was a burst of laughter.

"What kind of a person is the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty? What kind of beauties has he not seen?"

"There are many nations gathered in Chang'an City. Is there no shortage of beauties around the prince?"

"The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, what kind of person is he? Isn't he greedy for beauty?"

All kinds of questions came up, but the minor official remained motionless.

Jin Deman asked in a deep voice: "What do you have to say?"

The official said, "I have heard anecdotes from Chang'an. The prince of the Tang Dynasty was fond of men. Because of his love for men, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty sent people to kill him. He was very sad."

"I have inquired about it. The man is a musician of the Taichang Temple of the Great Tang Dynasty. He has a handsome appearance, is good at singing and dancing, and is more beautiful than an ordinary woman."

"Silla is rich in Silla maids, so we can certainly find musicians who are prettier than girls and good at singing and dancing."

"Beauty is not beauty, everything can be beauty. This is a strategy to capture the heart. Facing Le Tong, who is similar to the one he once lost, wouldn't the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty be moved?"

"The troops will be dispatched in the spring of next year. With that much time, we can search the whole country and find this Le Tong."

After hearing this, everyone suddenly felt that it made some sense.

Some officials also confirmed that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty did favor Le Tong, which angered the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, so he sent people to execute him.

For a moment, it seemed that this strategy had some chance of success.

As long as we gain the favor of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, it will be possible to protect Sinra to a greater extent.

"What's another plan?"

Kinderman continued to ask.

The official continued, "Another strategy is to secretly ally with Baekje to fight against the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty."

"Baekje should be more panicked than Silla at this moment. After all, the prince of the Tang Dynasty really wants to send troops to Baekje and destroy it."

"What is happening in Goryeo right now will probably happen in Baekje in the future. The nobles of Baekje don't want to suffer the same fate as the nobles of Goryeo now."

"Besides, Goryeo and Japan are on good terms, so we may be able to contact Japan and get more help."

"By then, Baekje and Japan will unite, and Silla will be the internal support. If we turn against them on the battlefield, are we still afraid that we won't be able to capture the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)