My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 255: Is the King of Wei going to sell out his country again?

Chang'an became more prosperous.

At this time, Goryeo was no longer some unknown small country.

Although the Sui Dynasty's million-strong army failed to conquer Goryeo, it had already made Goryeo famous throughout Asia.

But now, the Tang Dynasty, with its absolute superiority, forcibly destroyed Goryeo and incorporated it into its territory.

This is to tell all nations in the world that the Tang Dynasty is the most powerful place.

In addition, with the exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and India, new trade routes were opened up, and more foreign merchants flocked to Chang'an to do business.

Especially Persian merchants.

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty threatened to protect the last emperor of Persia, and India followed suit. This made the Persian merchants, who already had no country, regard the Tang Dynasty as the last pure land.

Therefore, a large number of Persian merchants went to the Tang Dynasty, ready to assist their emperor, to start preparations again, and to embark on the road to national restoration.

After all, the former Persian Empire had such a large territory. Even though it had become corrupt, those arrogant Persian nobles naturally recognized their own country.

This also led to a large amount of wealth beginning to transfer to the Tang Dynasty.

What followed was another surge in housing prices in Chang'an.

After Buyeo Long entered Chang'an.

So he went to the Honglu Temple and requested to meet the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Originally, Li Shimin would not refuse to meet with the Crown Prince of Baekje.

However, it was at this time that an urgent military report came from the Western Regions.

The matter of Buyeo Long meeting the emperor was put on hold.
-
The rear hall of Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin looked a little ugly.

Even after the Tang Dynasty destroyed Goryeo, there were still some blind countries that dared to challenge the Tang Dynasty.

This is simply a contempt for the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, this must be a conspiracy of the Western Turks."

After reading the military newspaper, Fang Xuanling expressed his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin nodded slightly, motioning Fang Xuanling to continue.

Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Ever since the Tang Dynasty's envoys went to India and the crown prince ordered the protection of the Persian emperor, a large number of Persians have come to live in the territory of the Tang Dynasty with their families."

"Because of this relationship, the Silk Road became more prosperous and attracted more merchants from foreign countries."

"However, the road to the Western Regions has always been controlled by our Tang Dynasty, and the Western Turks have long been jealous of this."

"After the daughter of the King of Yanqi, Long Tuqizhi, married the younger brother of Qulichu, a senior official of the Western Turkic Khanate, Yanqi stopped paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty and turned to the Western Turkic Khanate. This was the first step."

"Yanqi is located in the middle section of the Silk Road, on the Central Road, connecting Chang'an and Rome, Dunhuang in the east and Qiuci in the west, and is an important hub."

"The Western Turks wanted to use this to interfere with the trade on the Silk Road."

After listening to this, all the ministers nodded in agreement and supported Fang Xuanling's statement.

The Western Turks have always been a thorn in the side of the Tang Dynasty, invading its borders for years and causing constant local wars.

Li Shimin frowned, his eyes flashed with coldness, and he slammed the military report in his hand on the imperial desk, angrily saying: "The Western Turkic thieves are trying to get their hands on the Silk Road, seek the wealth of our Tang Dynasty, and cut off our diplomatic trade routes. We must not tolerate them! Mr. Fang, in your opinion, how should we deal with it now?"

Fang Xuanling thought for a moment, then took a step forward, raised his hands respectfully, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, there is a lot behind this. The actions of the Western Turks this time are by no means as simple as just winning over Yanqi. Since the Tang Dynasty's envoys went to India and provided protection to the Persian emperor, the Silk Road has become more prosperous, and all nations have come to pay tribute, but this has also made the Western Turks jealous."

"The Western Turks have always coveted the lucrative benefits of the Silk Road, but they have always been wary of the military might of the Tang Dynasty, and they cannot gain any advantage by direct force. Now they are trying to win over Yanqi, just to make a breakthrough. Yanqi is located at the hub of the Central Road. Once they use it, the Western Turks can use it to secretly control the trade on the route, levy taxes on merchants and rob goods, not only damaging the reputation of the Tang Dynasty, but also reaping huge profits."

Li Shimin nodded slightly, his face becoming more gloomy: "Humph, these barbarians have a good plan. In your opinion, what else do they plan to do next?"

Li Jing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Western Turks will continue to incite some small states along the route to follow Yanqi's example and rebel against the Tang Dynasty. Today it is Yanqi, tomorrow it may be Qiuci and Shule. They want to link up an anti-Tang force and erode our control over the Western Regions bit by bit."

"If they succeed, the Silk Road will be cut off, which will be a heavy blow to the economy and diplomacy of the Tang Dynasty. The surrounding vassal states will also have second thoughts when they see that the Tang Dynasty cannot even protect the Silk Road."

Zhang Sun Wuji also echoed, "Your Majesty, not only that, the Western Turks are also trying to take this opportunity to spy on the military situation of our Tang Dynasty. In order to protect the stability of the Silk Road, they will definitely send troops to respond. They can understand our marching formations and tactical arrangements from every battle, and the conflict will intensify in the future, which will be extremely disadvantageous to our Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin nodded in thought, then asked, "Is there no one in Yanqi who opposes colluding with the Western Turks? I remember that Yanqi has also received many favors from the Tang Dynasty."

At this time, Chu Suiliang stepped out, clasped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is wise, Yanqi is not a monolithic country. Yanqi King Long Tuqizhi is close to the Western Turks, but his younger brothers Jiebi, Lipozhun and others have always been fascinated by the Tang Dynasty."

"Now, the three brothers of King Yanqi, Jiebi, Li Pozhun and others have surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, which shows their true intentions."

"It's just that the Long Tuqizhi was promised huge benefits by the Western Turks, and there was also a marriage agreement, so they were blinded by their greed."

"You must know that most of the people in the country are merchants who rely on trade with the Tang Dynasty for their livelihood, and there are also herdsmen who rely on the Tang Dynasty's protection to avoid being plundered by the surrounding areas. They probably don't want to be enemies with the Tang Dynasty. It's just that the Longtu Cavalry is in power, so they dare not speak out."

Wei Zheng added: "If our army goes out, in addition to taking the capital quickly, we must also pay attention to pacifying the people in the city. Once we can capture Long Tuqizhi, we can push pro-Tang people like Li Pozhun to the front and inform the people that the Tang Dynasty has no intention of making things difficult for them and will only punish the main culprits. Then the domestic turmoil in Yanqi will be quelled and Yanqi will be able to return to the control of the Tang Dynasty more quickly."

Li Shimin nodded slightly, his eyes stern: "It seems that there are also useful people and opportunities in Yanqi. In your opinion, what else do we need to prepare for the military expedition?"

Li Jing saluted and said, "Your Majesty, speed is of the essence in war. Why not send an army to attack Yanqi directly? Although Yanqi has the support of the Western Turks, its national strength is far inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty. Anxi Protector General Guo Xiaoke has always been good at fighting, and his soldiers are extremely elite."

"Your Majesty, you can order him to lead 3,000 elite cavalry and rush to Yanqi. Before the reinforcements from the Western Turks arrive, first capture the capital of Yanqi, which Yan Er is familiar with. General Guo is familiar with the art of war. As long as we launch a surprise attack at night, we will be able to catch them off guard, capture the Long Tuqizhi, and then re-establish a pro-Tang person as king to eliminate future troubles."

Li Shimin looked at the ministers with a burning gaze and asked loudly, "What do you think?"

Zhang Sun Wuji stepped out of the line, bowed slightly, and said in a soft but steady voice: "Your Majesty, although General Li Jing's plan is brilliant, the Western Turks are ambitious and will not sit idly by and watch us attack Yanqi. They have been planning this for a long time. If Yanqi is attacked, the Western Turks will definitely do their best to help. When we send troops, we need to arrange heavy troops on the border to prevent any accidents."

"In my opinion, we can dispatch heavy troops and station them at strategic points on the border to deter the Western Turks. Furthermore, if Guo Xiaoke's troops run into trouble, we can rush to their aid at any time. In this way, our army will be able to coordinate with each other and be absolutely safe."

The tone of the matter was set, and Li Shimin was not vague. He immediately ordered Anxi Protector General Guo Xiaoke to be the commander-in-chief of the Xizhou Road, leading 3,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Yanqi through Yinshan Road.
-
Chang'an, Haidong Chamber of Commerce. After waiting for several days without any news, Buyeo Long finally contacted a Baekje merchant in Chang'an.

The so-called Haidong refers to Baekje.

It’s just that Baekje is the name of a country and Haedong is the name of a place.

Choi Woo-hee was born in a small fishing village along the coast of Baekje. His family had made a living by fishing for generations.

When he was young, his family's livelihood became increasingly difficult, and Choi Woo-hee decided not to make a living by running a few small fishing boats. He spent all his meager savings and scraped together money from his neighbors to buy a simple merchant ship, recruited a few brave and careful partners, and started his own maritime trade adventure.

Hearing about the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and that Chang'an was like a mountain of gold, Choi Woo-hee resolutely set his course towards the unknown eastern continent.

When he first arrived at the port of Datang, he was shocked by the bustling scene in front of him: thousands of ships lined the dock, goods piled up like mountains on the shore, and merchants with accents from all over the world came and went. Choi Woo-hee was not at all timid. He brought the most distinctive goods ashore to sell, and used the money he earned to buy silk, porcelain, and tea from Datang. With the back and forth, his wealth snowballed. Within a few years, he had established a firm foothold in the business community of Chang'an, and took the lead in establishing the Haidong Chamber of Commerce to provide shelter for Baekje merchants far away in a foreign country.

Having lived in the Tang Dynasty for many years, Choi Woo-hee was well aware of the crucial impact of the court's direction on business, and he often socialized with high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty.

Originally, Buyeo Long didn't know him. After all, Choi Woo-hee had lived in Chang'an for more than 20 years and had a wife and children.

But after hearing from other Baekje merchants that Crown Prince Buyeo Long was coming to Chang'an, Choi Woo-hee keenly smelled a business opportunity.

But Choi Woo-hee knew that if he recommended himself, he would be inferior to the others.

So after finding out about the predicament of Crown Prince Buyu Long, he asked someone to tactfully tell Buyu Long that he might be able to help him.

Sure enough, after hearing that his own domestic merchants had many connections in Chang'an, Fu Yulong did not care about his reputation as the crown prince and immediately rushed to the Haidong Chamber of Commerce.

In the lobby of Haidong Chamber of Commerce.

This place is located in the prosperous area of ​​Chang'an. The palace is full of carved beams and painted buildings, rare treasures and luxury.

Although Buyeo Long was the crown prince of Baekje, he still unconsciously revealed a bit of reserve in this strange and luxurious environment. His steps were steady and slow, his eyes were restrained, and his every move was cautious.

At this time, Choi Woo-hee hurried in wearing a brocade robe.

When he saw Buyeo Long, he quickly bowed and saluted: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, I have been waiting for a long time. Please forgive me for being late."

Fu Yulong nodded slightly, raised his hand to support him, and said in a light tone: "Get up, Mr. Cui is too polite."

After saying that, he sat down on the sandalwood chair next to the main seat, with his back straight, sitting upright, and his hands placed neatly on the armrests.

The Shang people were a lowly class, not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also in Baekje.

Although he needed help from others, Fu Yulong was somewhat humble.

Choi Woo-hee stood up straight, the smile on his face still lingering, but his eyes were quietly looking at Buyeo Long.

Clapping their hands, the maids came in one after another and placed freshly brewed tea and exquisite pastries on the table.

After everything was arranged, he said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, has condescended to come here, so there must be something important. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know."

Fu Yulong picked up the teacup and took a sip. As the hot tea went down his throat, he frowned slightly, but soon regained his composure. He put down the teacup and said slowly, "Mr. Cui has been doing business in Chang'an for many years and has a wide network of contacts. I am new here and many things are not going smoothly for me. I heard that Mr. Cui is willing to lend a hand, so I came to visit him."

The words were watertight and didn't reveal too much.

Baekje surrendered to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and sowed discord with the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. Such matters were originally extremely secretive.

Choi Woo-hee knew in his heart that the crown prince would not easily show up just because of a few rumors, and he must have encountered a difficult problem at the moment.

With an apologetic smile, he leaned forward and said, "Your Highness, you may not know that although I am just a merchant, I miss my hometown of Baekje. If I can help Your Highness, I will go through fire and water without hesitation. I just don't know what is holding Your Highness back?"

Fu Yulong was silent for a long time, his eyes wandering among the precious calligraphy and paintings in the room, as if he was considering his words. His fingers unconsciously stroked the lines on his cuffs, revealing his noble and tangled look.

The surrender to the Tang Dynasty cannot be delayed. If it is delayed for too long, it will be too late after the Tang Crown Prince sends troops.

There is no news from the Honglu Temple now. I heard that there are envoys from foreign countries who have been waiting for several months but have not been able to see the Emperor of Tang.

Now I am at my wit's end.

Thinking of this, Buyeo Long let out a long breath, raised his eyes and looked directly at Choi Woo Hee, with a gleam of determination in his eyes: "Since Mr. Choi is so sincere, I will no longer hide it from you."

"Mr. Cui must have heard about the fact that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty wants to wipe out Baekje."

After saying that, Buyeo Long stared at Choi Woo Hee closely, trying to catch the slightest change of emotion on his face.

Choi Woo-hee, who has been in business for many years, has become an old fox and his expression shows no understanding at all.

"I have heard of it."

After a slight pause, Choi Woo-hee talked about something else.

"Your Highness has just arrived in Chang'an and is not familiar with some of the conditions there."

"This expedition to Goryeo was originally instigated by the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty in order to suppress the Prince of Wei's bid for the throne."

"No one thought that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would have a city-destroying weapon like Thunderbolt, which would greatly enhance the reputation of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."

"But this unparalleled achievement overwhelmed the King of Wei, but also made His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty feel apprehensive."

"So the Tang army has already returned to the capital, but the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty is still in Liaodong."

"Right now, because of what the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty did in Goryeo, the King of Wei has the full support of the seven great families of the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an City. This is the most powerful time."

"If the crown prince wants to fight against the crown prince of Tang, perhaps he can contact the king of Wei."

"After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"I think the King of Wei might want to make friends with the Crown Prince."

(End of this chapter)