My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 251 Baekje: Not Surrendering to the Crown Prince, but Surrendering to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty
Li Tai is not a fool either.

How could he not feel the tacit understanding between his father and the prince?

Even Li Tai knew very well that in his father's heart, he would rather the crown prince inherit the throne.

Even the crown prince is now suspected of rebellion.

But how could Li Tai be willing to accept this?

Of course, he was not unprepared.

For Li Tai, as long as the crown prince rebelled, he would be the new crown prince for sure.

Therefore, the prince must be forced to rebel.

Then, even if the news of the crown prince's rebellion spreads to everyone in the world, my father will still let the crown prince inherit the throne as usual.

However, the risk here is also very high, and it can only be regarded as Li Tai's last trump card.

If the prince could still resolve the situation, then he would really have no other options.
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Silla.

Although it still has an independent country name, in fact, it has become a part of the Tang Dynasty.

The Silla court was almost completely wiped out by Su Dingfang.

A large number of Han officials were sent here to directly occupy the power center of Silla.

The original Silla political system was abolished and a new six-ministry system was promulgated.

It is not a system of three provinces and six ministries, but a system of six ministries.

There is no Menxia, ​​Zhongshu, or Shangshusheng.

Li Chengqian also had a trick up his sleeve when it came to the appointment of officials.

According to the regulations of the Tang Dynasty, officials of the sixth rank and above needed the emperor's approval.

Therefore, up to now, all officials appointed by Li Chengqian were of the sixth rank and below, with the highest being only the upper seventh rank, and never the sixth rank.

During the Tang Dynasty, the heads of the six ministries were only officials of the ninth rank or above.

Therefore, Li Chengqian appointed a large number of heads of various departments, and the better ones among them were appointed as acting vice ministers.

It is most convenient to have your own territory, you can do whatever you want.

In the blink of an eye, spring comes and flowers bloom.

end of March.

Li Chengqian left Shenwu Palace and inspected many factories outside the city.

In a sense, this is where the most advanced science and technology of our time is gathered.

A complete set of assembly lines and even a blast furnace was built.

Carving, rubbing, hydraulic forging, military manufacturing and other aspects are all gathered here.

High-quality armor was produced in batches, including sets of Ming Guang armor, vests, and various swords.

Even though the army has been streamlined and the number of troops has been reduced, its actual combat capability has already leapt to a higher level.

The area of ​​Liaodong included part of the Mongolian region in later generations and was suitable for raising horses.

Although Silla is not as good as Liaodong, it still has a large number of fine horses.

The 20,000 palace soldiers have now become 20,000 cavalry, but they have not been fully equipped with armor. However, including the former Goryeo inventory, there are at least 15,000 cavalry under Li Chengqian's command.

This number is already quite terrifying, and can even compete with the Tang Dynasty.

Even though the cavalry has difficulty in performing siege warfare, a sufficient number of cavalry can easily cut off the main roads in a city.

Not to mention, there are siege weapons like Thunderbolt.

In fact, Li Chengqian was already preparing to build cannons.

This is the real siege weapon.

The ultimate goal is to be ahead of the times.

The carriage swayed forward, and the street scene outside the window was like a flowing painting, quickly passing by.

Inside the car, Li Chengqian leaned leisurely on the couch, with Jin Shengman massaging his shoulders.

"Your Highness, I heard that Japan has dispatched a number of warships to help Baekje launch an offensive against Silla from the sea."

Li Chengqian's half-closed eyes suddenly opened, a sharp light flashed in them, and a scornful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Japan? A tiny country dares to wade into this muddy water. What can their few warships do?"

Japan during this period was still somewhat arrogant.

However, Li Chengqian should thank the arrogant Japanese envoy for being able to successfully launch the Eastern Expedition and escape from the quagmire of Chang'an as soon as possible.

This time, we will also treat them well.

Li Chengqian never intended to let Japan go.

The construction of the Tang Dynasty still requires strong support from Japan.

Let this be considered as forgiveness for their descendants.

Jin Shengman did not stop his movements and said softly, "Your Highness, do not underestimate the enemy. Japan has been ambitious in recent years and has been expanding its military. Although the scale and technology of its warships cannot compare with those of the Tang Dynasty, if they take advantage of our unpreparedness and harass the coast, it will also cause suffering to the people."

Now Jin Shengman is completely thinking about the issue from the perspective of the Tang Dynasty.

In other words, she has already regarded herself as the imperial concubine of the Tang Dynasty.

These days, she has been living in Shenwu Palace and is often visited by the crown prince. Jin Shengman has been counting the days in her mind. Perhaps it won't be long before she becomes pregnant with the crown prince's child.

If I could give birth to a boy, my life would be stable from now on.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly and chuckled: "You heard this news from your sister, right?"

“She seems to care about Silla very much.”

“Do you think that you can continue to rule Silla and be her queen in the future?”

As for Jin Deman, since he agreed to cooperate, Li Chengqian also gave him some freedom.

This allowed some of Silla's ministers to connect with Jin Deman.

Jin Shengman's strength in his hands unconsciously lightened a little, his expression changed slightly, and he responded softly: "Sister...after all, she has lived in Silla for many years, and it is normal for her to have some concerns. Since His Highness has managed Silla so well, I think sister is just simply worried about the people, nothing else."

Li Chengqian glanced at her with a half-smile: "You should protect her. If she is just worried about the people, it's fine. I'm not the kind of person who can't tolerate others. But if she has thoughts that she shouldn't have, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The incorporation of Silla into the Tang Dynasty is a trend, and anyone can change it.

Jin Shengman felt a little uneasy, knowing that this was the prince's maximum limit.
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Baekje's capital, Sabi Castle. Compared to Jin Deman, who was already powerless to save the situation, the one who was under the most pressure right now was probably Buyeo Uiji.

The situation in Goryeo and the current state of Silla.

All this information was presented in full to Buyeo Yici.

Under external pressure, the Baekje nobles, who were originally not united, all obeyed the orders of Buyeo Uiji.

This is probably the centralized power that Buyeo Yiji has always dreamed of.

And now, the power of the entire Baekje is indeed in his hands.

He once tried his best to achieve his goal through reforms, but now these Baekje nobles have brought it to him personally.

In many ways, it is even more outrageous than the original purpose of Buyeo Yici's reforms.

In a word, if you need people, give them; if you need money, give money.

Be it taxes or military power, whatever the king wants, I will give it to him, all of it, without any ambiguity.

Regarding this, Buyeo Yici didn't know whether he should be happy or sad.

Are the Baekje nobles stupid? They gave up all their power for nothing.

No, because they are afraid.

They were afraid that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would really take over Baekje.

The life that the nobles of Goryeo and Silla are living now is something they never want to see in their entire lives. Even if they can survive, all their property will be taken away, and they will be tried. At worst, they will be demoted to commoners and sentenced to several years in prison.

Goryeo was defeated in the war, so there is no need to say much about that, but what about Silla?

The Queen of Silla even ran to Shenwu Palace to apologize.

But what about the results.

As a result, the nobles in Silla were just like those in Goryeo. They were all caught by the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty and it was difficult for any of them to escape.

This can be said to be not even giving a chance to surrender.

So the great nobles of Baekje thought that surrender was really an impossible option.

If the king surrenders, he might be treated with some favors, but there is no way the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty will let these nobles go.

The Baekje nobles were even more worried about surrender than Buyeo Uija.

It has been decided to fight to the death.

Baekje Royal Palace.

Buyeo Yici's face was gloomy.

In the previous plan, they wanted to win over a group of Silla ministers to work for Baekje.

The plan was going quite smoothly.

Upon hearing the news, the Silla ministers packed up their luggage and came over one after another without any need for the people sent by Buyeo Ui-ja to call them.

Not only civil officials, but even military generals at the border of Silla.

These generals even came directly with a lot of troops to surrender. In just over a month, Baekje captured several cities out of thin air, including tens of thousands of troops.

The trial of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty was not limited to civil officials, but also included military officers, especially those at the general level.

Most of Silla's high-ranking central army officers were thrown into jail.

Therefore, the military officers at the Silla border could only find ways to escape.

Logically speaking, this should be something to be happy about, but Buyeo Yici couldn't be happy at all.

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty seemed to not care about such matters at all.

Buyeo Yici knew that this was because the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty had enough confidence that he could completely destroy Baekje.

Buyeo Yici looked at the several trusted ministers standing in the hall and sighed heavily, breaking the silence in the room: "Everyone, you are all aware of the current situation. I thought that by recruiting those ministers from Silla, I could have a better chance of winning, but I didn't expect that the prince of the Tang Dynasty didn't take it seriously at all. General Lian, you have fought for many years, what do you think?"

Lian Cheng frowned, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I think the most urgent thing right now is to prepare for war. Although we have more troops from Silla, they have only recently joined us and their morale is unstable. The most urgent task is to intensify the training and truly integrate these people into our Baekje army so that they can work hard for Baekje."

Civil official Park Sunjeong twirled his beard and shook his head slightly: "General, what you said is true, but strengthening the army alone is not enough. The Tang Dynasty is strong, and the crown prince is ruthless. He has both Silla and Goryeo in his hands. No matter how much we train, we may not be able to compete with him in terms of military strength. In my opinion, we have to find a way to break the impasse diplomatically and see if we can win over a few helpers."

Buyeo Yici looked embarrassed: "Help? Who dares to be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty now? Silla has surrendered, Goryeo has been destroyed, and Japan has made some moves, but that is for their own interests, and they may not really help us."

Baekje had a lot of exchanges with Japan, so it naturally had a better understanding of the situation in Japan.

Even though Japan has hundreds of warships, in fact, this is all it has.

Moreover, the combat effectiveness of Japanese soldiers is very poor.

Under normal circumstances, it might be of some deterrent effect, but when facing someone like the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, Fu Yu Yi Ci didn't think it would have much effect.

At most, it's just waving flags and shouting slogans.

The King of Wa would definitely not be willing to devote all these warships to the battle against the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

When the war breaks out, I'm afraid these Japanese will be the first to run away.

Buyeo Yi-ja sat on the throne of the Baekje royal palace, his brows furrowed, his eyes tired and anxious. Below the hall, veteran general Yeom Sung, civil official Park Sun-jeong, and minister Kim Hong-gil stood quietly, the atmosphere in the room was so depressing that it was hard to breathe.

Buyeo Yici was the first to break the silence, his voice hoarse: "Everyone, I don't need to say much about the current situation. Silla and Goryeo have been defeated one after another, and Baekje can't stand alone. If we continue to resist, we will only die. After much thought, the only way for me to surrender to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is to save the ancestral temple and the people of Baekje."

Upon hearing this, Lian Cheng's eyes widened and he took a step forward anxiously: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not possible! If we surrender, wouldn't the blood of our soldiers be shed in vain? We still have several strong cities and hundreds of thousands of men. If we fight, we may not be without a chance of victory."

Buyeo Yici smiled bitterly and said, "General Lian, I understand your loyalty and fighting spirit. But look at the current situation. The prince of the Tang Dynasty is ruthless, and the nobles of Silla and Goryeo have suffered a miserable end. Even if we fight hard, how long can we hold out? In the end, the city will be destroyed and the people will suffer."

The civil official Park Sun-jeong nodded slightly and said softly: "Your Majesty is right. At this moment, we are powerless to turn the tide. If we surrender voluntarily and show our loyalty to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, we may be able to gain some mercy. However, this surrender needs to be planned carefully and we cannot act rashly."

Jin Hongji also echoed, "Master Park is right. The crown prince of the Tang Dynasty is doing a lot of things outside, and I heard that there are different voices in the Tang Dynasty court. If we surrender to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty at this time, it may be just what some people want, and it will save us from some difficulties. However, who should be sent as the envoy and what to use to show our sincerity, we still need to consider carefully."

Lian Cheng was unwilling, but he knew the situation was hopeless, so he asked in a muffled voice, "My king, if you really want to surrender, will we hand over all these cities and soldiers? And all our food and supplies?"

Fu Yu Yici stood up, paced slowly and said: "That's not necessarily true. Regarding the matter between the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, the people who went to Chang'an to gather intelligence have also returned."

"Someone secretly revealed that the Crown Prince had been plotting a rebellion in Chang'an, and had been instigating an expedition to the east, taking the opportunity to seize military power."

"It is said that the Tang prince only had 5,000 soldiers and horses, and he took the opportunity to seize the military power of other generals when attacking Liaodong City of Goryeo."

"The Tang emperor was worried about internal strife, so he kept giving in."

"If we surrender to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, will the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty have any reason to attack us?"

"I'm sure the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would not want the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty to become so powerful."

(End of this chapter)