My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 280: Taking Luoyang
Ten days later, Li Chengqian's fleet finally sailed slowly into Luokou Port in Luoyang.

Luokou Port is a key hub for water transport in Luoyang. On weekdays, it is crowded with merchant ships and bustling with activity.

Now, due to the visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the entire port has been cleaned up extra tidy, and the dock has been temporarily suspended and guarded by soldiers.

A group of officials had already gathered at the port. They were wearing official uniforms of different grades and arranged in order according to the size of their official positions.

Walking in front was Luozhou Governor Pei Huaijie, who was wearing a scarlet official robe and had a serious expression on his face.

Behind him were Luoyang County Magistrate Zheng Chonggu and Henan County Magistrate Cheng Liang. Further behind were a group of Sima officers, military officers, and other officials. They were talking among themselves, and their eyes were constantly looking at the slowly approaching fleet.

Li Chengqian stood at the bow, looking at the Luoyang city getting closer and closer, feeling filled with emotion.

When he returned this time, he was no longer the simple prince, but a crown prince who had experienced the baptism of battlefield, commanded a large army, and had the world in his heart.

After the fleet docked, Li Chengqian got off the ship surrounded by officials, including Zhangsun Wuji, Li Daozon, Su Dingfang and others.

Luozhou Governor Pei Huaijie led officials to welcome him.

"Your Highness, Pei Huaijie, respectfully welcomes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to Luoyang. Your Highness has been exhausted from the journey, and I have prepared a banquet in my mansion to welcome you."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he said in a gentle voice: "Prefect Pei is thoughtful."

Without saying much, even if he wanted to win over Pei Huaijie, it was not the right time.

Li Chengqian got on the carriage and headed straight for the palace.

This made Pei Huaijie feel much more at ease.

This time, the prince was accompanied by tens of thousands of soldiers and more than 100,000 servants.

Given the current situation in the Tang Dynasty, if the Crown Prince had any ideas or moves, Pei Huaijie would not be able to afford it.

What I am most worried about is that the prince will order the army to enter the city directly, which would be more difficult to deal with.

Fortunately, the prince left directly and had no intention of letting the army enter the city.

"Pei, how should we arrange this place?"

Luoyang County Magistrate Zheng Chonggu asked in a low voice.

Pei Huaijie glanced at the workers who were moving boxes of goods on the dock and replied, "Go and ask and see what the prince has to say. If there is no explanation, you can just place them nearby."

Zheng Chonggu thought for a moment and said, "I heard there are 50,000 elite troops."

Pei Huaijie understood the meaning of these words.

The total military strength of Luoyang City is only 20,000 to 30,000. Now 50,000 elite soldiers are coming all of a sudden, and they are soldiers who have experienced the battlefield in Liaodong.

If the prince had other ideas, they had no way to stop him.

Cheng Liang, the magistrate of Henan County, said, "What does Magistrate Zheng mean by this? Luoyang is the Eastern Capital of Your Majesty and the Eastern Capital of the Crown Prince. Could it be that Magistrate Zheng has some suspicions about the Crown Prince?"

Luoyang City is similar to Chang'an, and the city is divided into two counties, namely Luoyang County and Henan County.

Luoyang County was mainly responsible for the area north of Luo River, close to the palace, imperial city and the east.

Including some important neighborhoods, markets and major transportation routes.

Such as the neighborhoods near Shangdongmen, Jianchunmen and other areas, as well as the surrounding areas of Taipei City.

Henan County is mainly responsible for the western and southwestern areas south of Luoshui River.

It covers some neighborhoods from near Dingding Gate to the west.

Places like Ningrenfang and Anyefang are all under the management of Henan County.

These areas have many ordinary residential areas, handicraft workshops and some facilities related to transportation in the western part of Luoyang City, and are an important part of the social life and economic activities of Luoyang City.

To put it another way, the rich area belongs to Luoyang County, and the civilian area belongs to Henan County.

However, because they were both located in Luoyang City, the two county magistrates had the same position and rank, which easily led to many conflicts.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense and just follow the rules."

"The Crown Prince is only staying here for a day or two. The court has its own plans for how to arrange the army. It is not our turn to worry about it."

"Besides, Changsun Situ is here, so no matter what happens, it won't happen to us."

Pei Huaijie knew the conflict between the two, but now was not the time to quarrel.

After hearing this, the two of them didn't say anything more.

Changsun Situ was the Shangshu You Pushe, so when they arrived in Luoyang, Changsun Situ was the leader.
-

In a courtyard somewhere in Luoyang, the quiet atmosphere is filled with tension and anxiety.

Li Daozon and Zhangsun Wuji sat opposite each other. The tea on the stone table had long lost its heat, but neither of them noticed.

Changsun Wuji frowned and rubbed the teacup in his hand repeatedly, but he never drank it.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke in a low and solemn voice: "Chengfan, what do you think the prince will do?"

Chengfan is Li Daozon's courtesy name. In terms of relationship, Changsun Wuji is also Li Daozon's elder, so naturally he would not address him as Duke of the County.

Their relationship was quite ordinary in the past. After all, one was a royal family general and the other was an important official in the imperial court. If their relationship was too good, it would easily lead to criticism.

But now, because of the prince, they are much closer.

Li Dao Zong looked solemn, shook his head slightly, his eyes full of worry: "Situ, I'm afraid the prince won't return to Chang'an easily."

"These are 50,000 elite soldiers, and 80% of them are not from our Han people. Most of them are elite soldiers who have experienced many battles and were carefully selected from Goryeo, Silla, and Baekje. Among them, all officers graduated from the Liaodong Military Academy."

Li Dao Zong said slowly, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

When Changsun Wuji heard this, his expression changed slightly and the teacup in his hand almost slipped.

He looked at Li Dao Zong in shock, his voice trembling slightly: "Are you saying that these soldiers are elite foreign troops?"

Changsun Wuji had no contact with military affairs and had not communicated with Li Daozon on the ship before, so naturally he did not know the composition of the Shenwu Army.

But Li Daozon was very clear about all this, because the people he brought with him were still in Liaodong and had not followed.

An ominous premonition arose in Changsun Wuji's heart. He knew that this matter was of great importance and that if it was not handled properly, the consequences would be disastrous.

Li Dao Zong sighed, stood up, and paced slowly in the courtyard: "Si Tu, think about it, the prince has been training in the Liaodong battlefield and already has a large number of troops under his command. Now he has brought back such an elite foreign force. If he wants to make a move in Luoyang, the current military force in Luoyang City will not be able to stop him at all."

Changsun Wuji stood up and paced back and forth in the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

"If the prince really occupies Luoyang, it will be troublesome."

"Luoyang is the Eastern Capital, and its geographical location is important. Once it is controlled by the Crown Prince, he can use it as a base to compete with Chang'an."

No matter how much he supports the prince, Zhangsun Wuji will definitely not follow the prince in rebellion.

Li Daozong thought for a moment and said, "We must find a way to stop the prince as soon as possible." Changsun Wuji asked, "Su Dingfang?"

Su Dingfang is now the most important confidant under the Crown Prince.

Li Dao Zong shook his head slightly: "I'm afraid we can't persuade Su Dingfang."

Li Daozon understood why his military power had been taken away from him previously.

Those who followed the prince had already made up their minds.

A gleam of light flashed in Changsun Wuji's eyes: "It seems that we must contact the governor and the governor of Luozhou."

"As long as the prince's army doesn't enter the city, things will be much easier."

Li Dao Zong said: "There is no time to lose, please Situ act as soon as possible."

Zhang Sun Wuji nodded and said, "In order to avoid any more trouble, I will go and make arrangements tonight."

However, just as Changsun Wuji was arranging the carriage and preparing to leave the mansion.

A group of guards came outside the door and surrounded it.

Changsun Wuji said in a deep voice: "Who are you? How dare you stop me?"

The leading soldier looked indifferent and replied, "According to the order of the Crown Prince, Changsun Situ and the Duke of Lueyang have been exhausted from traveling, so they should take a good rest."

Changsun Wuji's heart skipped a beat.

They didn't expect the prince to act so quickly and catch them off guard.
-

Inside the palace.

No one could have imagined that Liu Huaijin, the governor of Luozhou, had already been secretly bribed by the prince.

Previously, the post of Governor of Luoyang was concurrently held by the Minister of Punishments Zhang Liang, but during the Eastern Expedition, the post of Governor of Luozhou became vacant because he served as the commander-in-chief of the Pyongyang Road.

It was held by Liu Huaijin, who was from the Hedong Liu family.

The reason why Li Chengqian was able to contact Liu Huaijin was through Li Dejian.

Earlier, Li Dejian, through his relationship with Li Jing, was appointed as the Junior Supervisor of Luozhou, a fourth-rank official.

Responsible for the construction of Luoyang Palace.

This is a lucrative position.

Li Dejian himself was also one of the top second-generation leaders of the Tang Dynasty. Naturally, he was in high spirits when he was in Luoyang City.

Liu Huaijin and Li Dejian had a good relationship in private and often drank and had fun together.

A few days ago, Li Dejian secretly sent a lot of expensive gifts.

Liu Huaijin couldn't help but think of what happened a few months ago.

At that time, he just wanted to use his origins as the Hedong Liu family to find a more stable backing in the court, so as to bring his family glory to a higher level.

The prince is of noble status and has a bright future, so in his opinion, currying favor with the prince is the wisest choice.

Through Li Dejian's matchmaking, he successfully established contact with the prince. He was full of longing for a smooth career in the future, thinking that this would be the beginning of his meteoric rise.

But who could have expected that the prince would return to Luoyang with 50,000 elite troops, and the situation would suddenly become so complicated and dangerous.

He knew very well that the Crown Prince's current actions, if made the slightest mistake, would be a crime of treason. Not only would he be beheaded, but the entire Liu family would also be implicated and fall into an irretrievable situation.

But now that things have come to this, he has no choice anymore.

When the prince came from the fleet, he was among the officials who welcomed him.

Seeing that the prince had returned to the palace, Li Dejian came to find him.

Let him arrange to replace the defense of Luoyang City.

At this time, how could he refuse?

Liu Huaijin suppressed his inner panic and stood in front of Li Chengqian with his back bent. Beads of sweat continued to appear on his forehead, flickering with an uneasy luster under the candlelight.

Li Chengqian sat upright in the main seat with a calm expression, but his eyes were fixed on Liu Huaijin like a sharp hawk, as if he wanted to see through every thought in his heart.

After a long while, Li Chengqian spoke slowly, his voice low but penetrating: "Commander Liu, have you arranged all the defenses of Luoyang City?"

Liu Huaijin lowered his head quickly and replied with a trembling voice: "Don't worry, Your Highness. According to your instructions, I have replaced the key positions in the city with our people. Everything is under control."

As he spoke, he secretly looked up to observe Li Chengqian's expression.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, with a meaningful smile on his face: "Commander Liu, I have seen your loyalty these days. In the future, you and your family will surely enjoy wealth and glory."

Liu Huaijin's heart tightened. In his eyes, the so-called "future" was a sword hanging over his head that could fall at any time.

He laughed dryly and said cautiously: "Your Highness has been very kind to me, and I will serve you wholeheartedly. But...but now Changsun Situ and Li Daozon have been restricted by Your Highness. They have deep roots in the court. What if..."

Li Chengqian gently waved his hand, interrupting Liu Huaijin's words: "Although Zhangsun Wuji and Li Daozon have some influence, they can't cause any trouble now. Since I dare to do this, I am fully confident that I can deal with everything. Commander Liu, don't let them scare you away."

Liu Huaijin secretly complained in his heart, but he dared not show it, so he could only bite the bullet and said: "Your Highness is wise and brave, and he has considered everything carefully. However, these 50,000 elite troops are now stationed outside the city, and the people and other officials in the city are bound to talk about it. I am worried that something unexpected will happen over time."

Li Chengqian stood up slowly, his posture straight and his sleeves fluttering gently with his movements.

He walked slowly to the window with steady steps, staring quietly at the inky black night sky outside the window, and was silent for a long time.

After a long while, he said, "I have made a proper plan for the placement of this army. They are all elite troops that have experienced hundreds of battles. They are the basis for the future expansion of our territory and the spread of our power. As for those discussions, they are just some insignificant noises, so you don't need to pay attention to them. Commander Liu, you just need to do your best to manage the defense of Luoyang City. There is no need to ask about other things."

Liu Huaijin keenly heard the warning in Li Chengqian's words, and became more and more anxious, as if his heart was hanging in mid-air.

He quickly responded, "Yes, Your Highness. I will do my best to live up to Your Highness' trust."

But having said that, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in his heart.

In this situation, what does Luoyang City's defense have to do with him? In name, he is still the governor of Luozhou.

But in fact, all the soldiers, including those within the palace walls, have been replaced by the prince's men.

Li Chengqian turned around, his eyes like torches, and fell on Liu Huaijin again. His tone suddenly became gentle, like the warm sun in winter: "Commander Liu, you don't have to worry too much. As long as you follow me wholeheartedly, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."

"Once the present matter is resolved, I will recommend you to my father, so that you can have a higher position in the court and realize greater ambitions."

Liu Huaijin smiled bitterly in his heart. This so-called "higher status" seemed more like a continuation of a nightmare to him at this moment.

He knew that he was deeply trapped and could not extricate himself.

But he had no choice but to kneel down again, with a hint of helplessness and determination in his voice, and said: "Thank you for your grace, Your Highness. I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness, without any hesitation."

Li Chengqian nodded with satisfaction, a look of relief on his face: "Okay, you can go down first. If there is any new situation, please report to me at any time."

(End of this chapter)