My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 242: To conquer Silla without bloodshed

Is there really only an 80% chance of winning?

If Li Chengqian heard it, he would just laugh.

From the day we left Chang'an City, every step further we took would add 10%.

When he arrived in Luoyang.

The chances of winning are already 100%.

In the Shenwu Palace.

Compared with the past, it has a more luxurious feel.

After all, there was not a single palace maid or servant in the previous Shenwu Palace.

From today on, the prince will have twenty more Silla maids by his side.

These maids were all queens of Silla. They had passed the most rigorous selection and were all descendants of Silla nobles, and there were even many legitimate daughters.

What an honor it is to be a maid for the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

Wealth and glory are nothing anymore.

Being able to become a close associate of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is completely different from the power of the family.

Silla, after all, was still a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

This hidden influence is multifaceted.

For example, business.

The Tang Dynasty was the best in business among all the countries in the world, without a doubt.

As for business, the Tang Dynasty also has many rules.

If there is a girl in the family who is a maidservant of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, ordinary officials will listen and make some concessions.

In most cases, it is of no use.

But what if.

Of course, commercial trade is only a small part of the picture.

More importantly, it depends on various political resources.

In short, there are many benefits.

To put it bluntly, even if Silla was annexed by the prince of the Tang Dynasty, when the Tang army arrived in Silla, they would hear that someone's maid was serving the prince, so who would dare to act rashly?

"Your Highness, are you really going to send troops to attack Silla?"

Jin Shengman asked in a charming voice while wearing clothes.

Last night was stormy and rainy, and it was like dry wood and a raging fire. It was inevitable that we got a little closer and became much bolder.

Li Chengqian was dressed with the help of a Silla maid.

He smiled and said, "What do you think?"

Jin Shengman hesitated for a moment, then said, "Silla has long been corrupt, officials are corrupt, and politics is muddy. It is time to change the world."

She knew the plight of the Goryeo nobles.

But what does this have to do with her?

She and her sister are the only ones left in the Holy Bone bloodline, and those Silla nobles are all her enemies.

It would be good if Silla really became like Goryeo.

This means that all stubborn nobles will disappear and all power will be centralized.

Besides, she has now boarded the ship of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, and she hopes that all the nobles will die.

"We can't be too absolute. After all, some people may be kind."

"At that time, who is guilty and who is innocent will depend on how you treat them."

When dealing with Silla, Li Chengqian did not plan to capture them all in one fell swoop. He only planned to kill 80% to 90% and leave 10% to 20%.

The reason for this choice is also to take into account the influence of the Tang Dynasty.

If you always act as if you want to exterminate all the noble families in the world, you will create too great an obstacle for yourself.

In this era, knowledge was confined to a certain class, and there was no way to govern the country without civil servants.

After the five surnames and seven families are eliminated, power will be concentrated.

Then abolish the investment banking papers and truly take back the power to select officials, so that even students from poor families can truly enter the court.

The decline of this family came naturally.

No matter how powerful a family is, it can never compare to the people of the world.

For example, the Qian family.

That golden medal of immunity from death.

It was passed down from the Ming Dynasty to later generations, and who can tell the cause and effect?

Li Chengqian also didn't know what the world would be like after his death. Who could say whether a system that would last forever could be established?

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Jin Shengman smiled like a flower.

She got the commitment she wanted.

This meant that she gained real power when Silla was ruled by the Tang prince.

With the help of the Tang army, she became the new queen.

That's what she thought.

But who knows whether it can be achieved?
-
The end of the year is approaching, but the border of Silla is not peaceful.

There are bandits on the border between Goryeo and Silla.

As Silla continued to evade, the Tang army gathered in the snow and ice, crossed the border directly, and forced their way into Silla.

There was no resistance, after all, the Queen of Silla had to obey the orders of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

The local officials and generals dared not to resist.

Openly, more than ten cities on the Silla border were under the supervision of the Tang army.

The news reached the Silla capital of Geumseong.

Kindman's face turned green with anger.

"Are they just going to watch the Tang army coming over here?"

This is a question to local officials and generals who gave up resistance.

Jin Yuxin and Vimalakirti looked at each other, feeling quite helpless.

Bi Tan sighed and said, "Your Majesty, officials from all over the country, without orders, dare not provoke the Tang army."

"Besides, they don't dare to lock the Tang army outside the city gate."

Jin Deman looked at Jin Yuxin.

Jin Yuxin bowed his head slightly and replied with some shame: "The soldiers replied that the Tang army took over the cities in the name of helping to eliminate bandits. They did not dare to make decisions on their own, and they did not expect that the Tang army would directly dispatch tens of thousands of troops."

This is a very helpless thing. In name, the Tang Dynasty is the suzerain state of Silla. Without clear orders, who would dare to stop it?

In fact, there were some things Kim Yu-shin didn't say. There were some brave officers in the army who stopped the Tang army.

But the Tang army was very decisive and captured the man directly.

The general of the army was captured in front of the Silla soldiers, but the soldiers did not dare to resist at all.

Just one word, anyone who obstructs will be killed without mercy.

It scared everyone.

Besides, the Tang army used the reason of maintaining public order, and no one could find any reason to object.

Jin Deman's expression suddenly turned gloomy.

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is really going too far.

But what can she do.

Now I am the fish on the chopping board and can only be slaughtered at will.

"There is news about what happened in Baekje."

Kinderman suppressed his anger and changed the subject.

There is really no point in talking about the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

Bidam said, "Your Majesty, Jin Chunchu has replied, saying that the King of Baekje is very supportive of your idea and has agreed to form a secret alliance with you."

"And they have already sent envoys to Japan."

"I think Japan will definitely agree, but it may cost some money."

Kinderman asked, "What's the price?"

Vidam paused and said, "Five hundred craftsmen who can build ships, food and grass supplies for the Japanese army, and the thunderbolt in the hands of the prince of the Tang Dynasty."

"In addition, the money looted by the Japanese soldiers and horses shall belong to Japan."

After just a little thought, Kindman agreed.

For Silla, the biggest problem is to solve the trouble with the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

According to the current situation, if the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty defeats Baekje, Silla will basically have no chance of survival.
-
In the 17th year of Zhenguan, at the beginning of the 12th year, a conquest manifesto was sent to Silla.

"Proclamation against Silla"

The Crown Prince of the Great Tang announced to the world: The rebellious ministers of Silla have long been plotting evil. Now their crimes are exposed, causing the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. We should raise the royal army to attack them.

Silla, receiving the grace of the Tang Dynasty and being granted land and titles, should have been grateful and loyal to the Tang Dynasty. However, it harbored evil intentions, secretly stationed troops and stored food, broke its promises, and violated its previous oaths.

Today, the sister of the Queen of Silla has reported that Queen Seondeok of Silla has been pretending to obey the orders but secretly colluding with various anti-Tang forces to commit evil and disrupt the Tang Dynasty's layout in Haedong. She is worthy of death and this is a crime of high treason.

Today, the Crown Prince of the Great Tang has inherited the Mandate of Heaven and upholds justice. He must put down the rebellion in Silla, restore peace to the East, promote the majesty of the Great Tang, bring rebels to justice, and make the principles of loyalty and obedience clear to the world.

When Kindman saw this manifesto, he was completely stunned.

He screamed, "What the hell is going on!!!"

She didn't expect that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be so tough and would directly send troops to Silla.

"According to the intelligence we gathered, it was the King's sister, Jin Shengman, who reported to the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty that Silla and Baekje were allying to secretly harm the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."

Vimalakirti's voice was trembling.

He knew exactly what this meant.

Kim Yu-shin's face also turned pale.

Jin Deman asked, "Was she coerced by the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?"

At this point, actually, there is not much meaning in saying these things, but she still wants to fight for it, at least to appeal this matter to the Tang Dynasty court.

Perhaps the Emperor of Tang would stop the behavior of the Crown Prince of Tang.

Bi Tan's voice sounded somewhat uncomfortable, and he replied, "No, it is said that Jin Shengman entered the bedroom of the Tang prince, and a few days later, the Tang prince issued a proclamation."

This is a typical case of losing both the wife and the army.

Originally, Jin Deman hoped that Jin Shengman would confuse and paralyze the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, but he knew that by doing so, not only would the person become the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, but Silla would also be sold out.

"What should we do now? Prepare troops to defend against Tang?"

Jin Deman felt a little weak all over, and as he spoke, his eyes fell on Jin Yuxin.

Kim Yu-shin was the Silla general whom she respected the most.

However, this time, Kim Yu-shin hesitated.

It is true that he was the most powerful and prestigious general in Silla.

But he didn't have the confidence to fight against the Tang army.

If they had this strength, they wouldn't have been suppressed by Goryeo all the time.

Now facing the Tang army that destroyed Goryeo, Kim Yu-shin has no confidence.

"I think we should not resort to violence rashly."

"In this case, it is possible that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty has been deceived and there are villains behind this. We should first ask for the Crown Prince's forgiveness."

"No matter what the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty asks for, we must agree to it all."

"Perhaps, we can avoid this war."

Vimalakirti suggested.

If the Tang army attacked Silla, it would be real trouble.

"Okay, then who will go to the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty to negotiate peace?"

Kinderman then asked.

Now we can only negotiate peace.

This sounds nice, but it actually means surrender.

At this time, Vimalakirti remained silent. He just looked up at the king and then lowered his head.

Kindman understood clearly that he was asked to go.

This is a helpless choice.

If Jin Deman had not gone in person, would the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty have forgiven him?

The manifesto has already been issued.

If you don't want to fight, then you can only surrender.

Jin Deman was hesitating, not knowing whether to simply ally with Baekje and directly rise up against the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

But think about it, can the military forces of Silla and Baekje, even with the assistance of Japan, really defeat the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty has Thunderbolt in his hands.

The city’s defenses were useless in front of it.

"Okay, I'll go."

Kinderman made a quick decision.
-
The manifesto issued by Li Chengqian was naturally not just sent to Silla.

The papermaking and printing factory next to the Shenwu Palace has already printed thousands of copies and distributed them everywhere.

Compared to the East Palace, there is much more freedom here.

The factory cluster only needed one order to gather all the craftsmen in Goryeo.

Apprentices don’t have to worry about anything either. Once the job openings are posted, many people sign up.

In Goryeo, with free food, accommodation and wages, who wouldn't want to do that?

Not to mention Goryeo, even the Tang Dynasty was flocking to her.

Li Chengqian directly gathered tens of thousands of people in the factory.

Various types of production are carried out according to the modularization previously carried out in Donggong.

Of course, gunpowder factories continued to be built.

It’s still the original recipe, led by Xiang Ke.

An order was issued to collect all saltpeter in Goryeo and to list saltpeter as a controlled item.

The scale of each factory is now much larger.

At the same time, it also created a large number of jobs, which played a great role in Goryeo's post-war recovery.

Chang'an City.

Within seven days, the manifesto reached Li Shimin's hands.

Li Shimin made special arrangements for any condition of the crown prince, and the transmission of military intelligence was expedited at a maximum speed of 600 miles.

"The prince took action against Silla so quickly, faster than I thought."

"I originally thought that it would take until next year at least."

"After all, I can't keep my composure."

"It seems that Silla is colluding with Baekje to rebel."

During the meeting between the emperor and his ministers, Li Shimin spoke.

In the matter of the crown prince, unlike the five surnames and seven families, Fang Xuanling and others will all be involved.

Fang Xuanling was also somewhat helpless.

He had previously said that the prince could not have a legitimate reason to act, but now he was slapped in the face.

Who could have thought that the sister of the Queen of Silla would directly defect to the Prince and serve as a witness to testify against the Queen of Silla.

Now, the prince had every right to send troops to Silla.

"Perhaps by the end of next year, the prince will be able to unify Liaodong."

Fang Xuanling spoke.

These words made Li Shimin frown slightly.

He didn't want the prince's power to grow too quickly.

Silla and Baekje were slightly inferior to Goryeo.

However, the population of both countries is over millions.

After the prince unifies Liaodong, the number of troops at his disposal will probably exceed 200,000.

With two hundred thousand troops and the entire Liaodong territory, Li Shimin would feel wary.

This is a deep danger that could seriously affect the imperial power.

So now Li Shimin has to consider how to suppress the prince.

The problem is that he couldn't possibly hold the prince back at this time.

It would definitely be a good thing to annex Silla and Baekje, unify Liaodong, and incorporate them into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

After some consideration, Li Shimin finally decided to support the prince first.

Although there are 200,000 troops, it is unlikely to bring all of them to the Tang Dynasty.

Although Liaodong is a rich land, it is far inferior to the Tang Dynasty.

The big problem here is logistics. The Liaodong reserves, especially after the war, do not have enough food to support a large-scale march.

And it is impossible for the prince to stay in Liaodong all his life.

(End of this chapter)