My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 256: Baekje Cannot Be Given to the Crown Prince
Prince Wei's Mansion.

Li Tai looked at Fu Yulong in front of him with some curiosity.

After taking a look at him, he asked doubtfully, "Are you really the crown prince of Baekje?"

Prior to this, Baekje merchant Choi Woo-hee, through several connections, had finally made contact with the Wei Wang Party.

When Li Tai heard that it was the crown prince from Baekje in Haedong, he also became interested.

So he ordered a reception.

Fu Yulong then met the King of Wei.

Faced with the King of Wei's questions, Fu Yulong did not dare to be careless.

This is different from meeting a businessman. The King of Wei of the Tang Dynasty, a legitimate prince, is much higher in status than him, the crown prince.

Even his father, the King of Baekje, is inferior to him.

Besides, this is Chang'an.

"King Wei, please look, this is my Baekje's letter, as well as my crown prince's seal and customs documents."

"Also, the Honglu Temple can provide evidence for me."

Fu Yulong hurriedly took out something that could prove his identity, bowed his head slightly, and handed it to the King of Wei respectfully.

However, the King of Wei did not reach out to take it, which made Fu Yulong feel a little embarrassed, and he didn't know what to do with his hand in the air.

Only after Li Tai nodded slightly did Chai Lingwu next to him step forward and take it.

Then he began to examine it carefully.

Soon, Chai Lingwu said, "King Wei, it is indeed the seal of Baekje."

In fact, this inspection process is not necessary, and Li Tai doesn’t think anyone would dare to deceive him.

The reason for doing this is just to put some pressure on Fu Yulong.

Li Tai slowly said, "So, you want to see me, is there something?"

Fu Yulong smiled and said, "When I came to Chang'an this time, my father specifically told me that the small country of Baekje is willing to submit to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Tai raised his eyebrows and immediately became interested: "You want to surrender?"

Then he asked, "What are the conditions?"

Fu Yulong waved his hands quickly and said, "How dare a small country surrender to the Celestial Empire? We have to make no conditions. Everything will be done according to the will of the King of Wei."

When King Wei asked about the conditions, Fu Yulong was somewhat tempted.

I also thought about whether I could mention one or two of them.

But remembering my father's instructions, I endured it.

As long as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty does not allow the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty to take charge of Baekje, nothing else matters to Baekje.

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would really cut off their foundation.

Li Tai nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face, and he leaned back in his chair leisurely, tapping the armrest rhythmically with his fingers, as if he was thinking.

After a moment, he spoke again: "Since you, Baekje, have such intentions, I will certainly speak well of you in front of my father. However, empty words will not do. The sincerity of this surrender must be proved by something tangible."

How could Li Tai not know the situation in Haidong?

The prince has now seized Goryeo and Silla. Although the land of Silla has not been incorporated into the Tang Dynasty in name, it can be known through news that it is now under the control of the prince.

The Silla court and local officials were now being replaced in batches by students who were driven away from the Tang Dynasty.

These things have been the most lively in Chang'an recently.

Everyone knows that Goryeo and Silla were unable to withstand the Crown Prince, so how could Baekje, a mere state, hold out against the Crown Prince's attack?

If Baekje really had this ability, it would have unified Liaodong long ago.

It was obvious that the Baekje Crown Prince came here this time because of the Crown Prince's relationship.

Li Tai already had a general idea in his mind.

But this is a good thing for him.

Anything that can cause trouble for the prince is a good thing.

Buyeo Long nodded hurriedly, beads of sweat already oozing from his forehead. The pressure doubled under the seemingly casual but intimidating aura of the King of Wei: "King of Wei, Baekje is willing to pay tribute every year. The first batch of tribute is on the way to Chang'an. They are all treasures and specialties of Baekje, as well as selected actors who are good at singing and dancing. They will be presented soon. I hope to please your majesty and your highness."

Fu Yulong knew very well that no matter what the King of Wei thought, there was no room for maneuver for him.

If the King of Wei does not help him, all the calculations made by Baekje will be in vain.

Perhaps the Emperor of Tang did not want the Crown Prince to become too powerful, but the Crown Prince was the eldest son of the Emperor of Tang. Who could know what the Emperor of Tang was thinking?

If they really didn't care at all, they wouldn't have reported to the Honglu Temple without any news for several days.

Maybe the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty didn't take it seriously at all.

Before Fu Yulong came, his father told him that there would be many difficulties during this trip.

The Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty had conflicts with the King of Wei, and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was also wary of him. However, on the other hand, if the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty could unify the entire Liaodong region, it would be a huge achievement for the Tang Dynasty.

How to say it here depends entirely on the person.

Hearing this, Li Tai chuckled and said, "You are quite sensible."

He doesn't care about money or anything like that.

What matters is Baekje’s attitude.

What he cares more about is not allowing the prince to unify Liaodong.
-
a few days later.

Chang'an, the imperial palace.

The king and his ministers discuss matters.

After talking about the Western Regions, Fang Xuanling glanced at Chu Suiliang,

Chu Suiliang then took out a document.

"Your Majesty, this is the letter of surrender sent by Baekje to our Tang Dynasty."

Today, Chu Suiliang has, to a large extent, already stood on the side of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, and strictly speaking, he is not considered to be a member of the Wei Wang Party.

The situation here is very complicated. Chu Suiliang himself is considered a member of the prince's party, but he is also a member of an aristocratic family.

I don't want the King of Wei to win, but I also don't want the Five Surnames and Seven Families to lose too badly.

In fact, many ministers share this mentality. They prefer a stable social environment, which will bring peace and order to them now and their descendants in the future.

The crown prince was too good at stirring up trouble, especially attacking the Goryeo and Silla nobles, making them feel uneasy.

Back then, when Chen Sheng started the uprising, he shouted out "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?"

Then, since the prophecy of the golden sword in the Han Dynasty, it seems that the whole world has always been ruled by kings, princes, generals and ministers.

The dynasties in the Central Plains changed many times, but they were always circulated among the aristocratic families.

No one wants the lowest level of peasants to climb up.

But the prince did it.

If it were just a small number, it would be fine, after all, they are just a minority.

However, the prince's behavior made them realize that in the prince's eyes, there was no idea of ​​the emperor and the aristocratic families ruling the world together.

What the prince wanted was true power. Chu Suiliang couldn't accept it, and so did too many people from aristocratic families.

So, to be more precise, Chu Suiliang at the moment was not opposed to the crown prince's ascension to the throne, but was opposed to the crown prince's change of power.

If the prince is willing to give up the new policies and those inappropriate ideas, then he is still a firm defender of the primogeniture system and a member of the prince's party.

Li Shimin glanced at the document in Chu Suiliang's hand, raised his hand, and asked Zhang Ananda to take it and put it on the desk.

The document clearly stated that Baekje was willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty and become a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

And it is an unconditional surrender.

I only ask for the permission of His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

After a brief silence, Li Shimin glanced at everyone in the hall.

Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Chu Suiliang, Wei Zheng, Li Jing.

Generally speaking, Li Jing is not a frequent guest at discussions between the emperor and his ministers, but since there has been a recent war in the Western Regions against Yanqi, there have been frequent military matters, so Li Jing would also be there.

"What do you think?"

Li Shimin didn't say much, but just asked for the opinions of several ministers.

How could Li Shimin, who often paid attention to the situation in Liaodong, not know that Baekje Prince Buyeo Long had come to Chang'an?

The officials from the Honglu Temple reported to Li Shimin, but Li Shimin was not busy but ignored it.

One can easily guess that the Kingdom of Baekje did not surrender to the Crown Prince, but instead sent the Crown Prince of Baekje all the way to Chang'an to surrender. The trick here is too direct, it can be considered an open conspiracy.

However, Li Shimin did not want to escalate the conflict between him and the prince.

The implementation of the new policy was, to a large extent, due to Li Shimin's recognition of the prince.

The Tang Dynasty needed an excellent successor. Although Li Chengqian was somewhat rebellious, Li Shimin felt that his behavior was not unforgivable.

However, due to the situation and various factors, it is impossible for me to lose face.

Therefore, allowing the prince to successfully annex Liaodong would be beneficial to both the Tang Dynasty and Li Shimin.

The demise of those nobles would also make it easier for the Tang Dynasty to rule the entire Liaodong Peninsula.

Zhangsun Wuji was the first to step out of the line, bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Baekje's move seems to be a sincere surrender, but their hidden intentions are obvious. They bypassed the crown prince and went straight to Chang'an, just to seek some protection in the court and not want to be affected by the crown prince's new policies."

"But I think that the Crown Prince has already started to manage Liaodong, and the results are gradually showing. If we intervene rashly at this time, it may cause the Crown Prince to feel alienated, which is not good for the overall situation. Moreover, since Baekje has expressed its submission, it will be in the hands of the Tang Dynasty. We might as well approve it first and then slowly make plans later, so that the Crown Prince can concentrate on handling all the affairs in Liaodong."

What Changsun Wuji said was in vain. It seemed that he was willing to accept Baekje's surrender, but he left the decision-making power to the crown prince.

It was clear from his words that he was still on the prince's side.

The reason for this is that Changsun Wuji sees clearly that the crown prince is now very powerful and His Majesty is reluctant to give him up. He is afraid that the heir to the throne will eventually fall into the hands of the crown prince, and he is too lazy to be a fence-sitter.

A few days ago, Changsun Wuji talked with Changsun Chong and his son, and talked about the King of Jin.

It was also that conversation that made Changsun Wuji understand that as long as the King of Wei did not take the throne, he would be able to sit back and relax, no matter whether it was the Crown Prince or the King of Jin, and they would not be able to affect him in any way.

I'm afraid that when it comes to the aristocratic families, the ones who are most affected are the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats. As a royal family, the Changsun family can't be much worse off.

Wei Zheng twirled his beard and nodded, then continued, "Mr. Changsun is absolutely right."

"Your Majesty, the military operations in the Western Regions are in full swing right now, and General Li Jing has put a lot of effort into this. If there are any more twists and turns due to the Baekje issue, it will inevitably distract his attention."

"Besides, the Crown Prince's rectification of Liaodong was originally for the long-term foundation of the Tang Dynasty. He struck the local nobles so that the government's orders would be smooth."

"Since Baekje is willing to surrender unconditionally, why not accept it generously and issue an imperial decree to let the crown prince take charge of Baekje's affairs. This will save Baekje's face and consolidate the crown prince's authority. It is a good strategy for both the public and private."

Wei Zheng's words made Li Shimin frown slightly.

Everyone understood Baekje's thoughts, and Wei Zheng's proposal, to a certain extent, was to force His Majesty to stand on the side of the Crown Prince.

If Baekje's surrender was accepted and handed over to the crown prince, it would undoubtedly send a signal to the outside world that His Majesty had chosen the crown prince.

When this news spread, it was an unparalleled blow to the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats and the Wei Wang Party.

Chu Suiliang saw that the situation was not right, and hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, this matter still needs to be considered. Although it is a good thing that Baekje took the initiative to surrender, the prince's actions in Liaodong are too radical."

"The aristocratic families are deeply rooted in various places, and Liaodong is no exception. The prince's mobilization has caused a lot of dissatisfaction. Now there is a war in the Western Region, and the surrounding countries have different thoughts. The prince's strength will make too many people afraid and worried."

"It would be better to send another capable minister to temporarily manage Baekje, and let the court be directly responsible. When the situation stabilizes, we can make long-term plans, and also use this to appease the people on all sides."

Allowing the imperial court to take over Baekje was, to a large extent, to prevent the crown prince from annexing Baekje and implementing new policies.

If the prince forcibly attacks Baekje, it would be no different from rebellion and he would lose his legitimacy.

Obviously, the so-called takeover by the imperial court actually meant handing over the area of ​​Baekje to the King of Wei.

This will allow the Crown Prince and the King of Wei to compete again.

Li Shimin remained silent.

From the perspective of balance of power, Chu Suiliang's proposal is undoubtedly the best choice.

If it were in the past, Li Shimin would have done so.

But now, he had to consider one thing: after Baekje surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, would the prince really give up on annexing Baekje?

If the prince sends troops to attack, what should he do?
By then, I am afraid that the conflict between him and the prince will become more acute.

In fact, there is not much difference whether Baekje is in the hands of the prince or the Tang Dynasty.

Finally, Li Shimin's gaze fell on Li Jing.

This made Li Jing feel his scalp tingling.

His eldest son works under the crown prince.

What did this make him say?
Stand for the prince?
No, he can only stand His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, I only know military affairs. I have no idea about Baekje's affairs."

Li Jing simply distanced himself from the issue and refused to express his opinion no matter what others said.

Hearing this, Li Shimin did not make things difficult for Li Jing and looked at Fang Xuanling.

Among the ministers, only Fang Xuanling remained silent.

Fang Xuanling thought for a while and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I think that the most important thing for the country is to stabilize the border and appease the people. The surrender of Baekje is an opportunity to increase the prestige of the Tang Dynasty. We must not let internal considerations chill the hearts of foreign countries."

"As for the Crown Prince's deeds, I have also heard a little bit about them. His original intention was to enrich the country and strengthen the people, but his actions were a little rash. Your Majesty might as well take this opportunity to issue an edict to praise the Crown Prince's achievements and give him some private advice so that he can act more tactfully."

"As for Baekje, we can first order the Honglu Temple to draw up detailed rules to govern its domestic and foreign affairs. Once the Crown Prince has a result in Liaodong, we can make overall arrangements."

Fang Xuanling practiced Tai Chi, so he couldn't express his opinion too much.

Fundamentally speaking, he still didn't want the prince to annex Baekje, but he couldn't say these words.

In fact, everyone knows that it is impossible for His Majesty to make a decision once the document arrives. It will definitely take some time.

In the end, all parties will compete with each other and show off their skills.

It might seem that the prince has the upper hand among several ministers, but in the court, the voices supporting direct control of Baekje will naturally be louder.

What Fang Xuanling said was that he wanted to finally resolve the issue of Baekje at the court meeting.

Li Shimin listened to the ministers expressing their opinions. He had already made up his mind, but he remained calm on his face. He said calmly: "I have noted what you said. We will discuss this matter later. Please leave first."

Everyone took the order and filed out, except Li Shimin, who was still sitting behind the imperial desk with a deep look in his eyes, as if no one was thinking about something.

ps: I haven’t made up for the update yet, so I’ll owe you a day or two.

(End of this chapter)