My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 302 No One Can Stay Away

Li Shimin's actions were still very quick.

Since this battle is inevitable, there is no need to drag it out.

Soon, the imperial court issued a large number of orders and began to mobilize troops, manpower, and material resources to besiege Luoyang City.

Luoyang is the center of the world, but if the whole world is hostile, Luoyang will become an isolated island.

According to Li Shimin's idea, the entire Tang Dynasty should be besieging Luoyang.

But when things started, we soon found that it was not that simple.

As an important capital in history, Luoyang has a very complete urban construction and defense system.

The walls are tall and strong, the gates are thick, and the moat is wide. The layout of the city is also conducive to defense, and there is enough space and resources in the city for long-term defense.

Without sufficient siege equipment and military advantages, it would be very difficult to effectively besiege and ultimately conquer Luoyang.

This means that a large amount of manpower and material resources need to be mobilized.

Moreover, Luoyang is located in the Central Plains, with complex terrain surrounding it, including natural barriers such as mountains and rivers.

There are the Funiushan Mountains in the south and the Songshan Mountains in the east. These mountains restrict the army's marching and deployment to a certain extent, making it difficult to quickly concentrate a large number of troops around Luoyang for a comprehensive siege.

Moreover, there are many rivers, such as the Yellow River and the Luo River. Without sufficient bridges and ships, the mobilization of troops and the transportation of supplies will be hindered.

There is a certain distance from the capital Chang'an to Luoyang. A large number of troops need to be mobilized to besiege Luoyang, and the logistics supply transportation line will be very long.

Luoyang is surrounded by troops from all directions, and at least ten times more troops are needed to effectively besiege it.

This means that in order to completely restrict Luoyang, Li Shimin would need to mobilize at least 400,000 troops.

It only took a few hundred thousand troops to defeat Goryeo, and the total force of the Tang Dynasty was only about 700,000.

Now most of the military forces in the country are mobilized to besiege Luoyang.

The amount of money and grain consumed must be an astronomical figure.

It is also impossible to mobilize the entire country to target Luoyang.

I hope that by the time Luoyang is not captured, my warehouse will be empty.

It will also cause public outrage.

Li Shimin naturally would not agree.

How can we quickly capture a city?

That is to break through from the inside.

Li Chengqian occupied Luoyang, but Luoyang was once Li Shimin's base camp.

At this time, Li Shimin was still the General of Tiance and nominally had direct jurisdiction over Luoyang.

These aristocratic families in Luoyang City have very close relations with Li Shimin.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a large number of officials resigning.

The largest family in Luoyang City is the Changsun family.

That is Changsun Wuji's family.

The next best are the Lu family of Henan, the Jia family of Luoyang, and the Yu family of Henan.

However, as the eastern capital, the Five Surnames and Seven Families also have certain roots in Luoyang.

Chang'an City.

After Changsun Wuji returned home, he called Changsun Chong.

"Chong'er," Zhangsun Wuji sat in the main seat in the study, his expression solemn, his eyes revealing a trace of anxiety and thought, "Now that the crown prince has occupied Luoyang, His Majesty has decided to use military force, but this situation... is really not optimistic."

Chang Sun Chong nodded slightly and said respectfully, "Father, Luoyang City's defenses are strong, and the surrounding terrain is complex. It is not easy to conquer it easily. Your Majesty, I am afraid it will not be easy to mobilize troops to besiege this time."

Zhang Sun Wuji frowned slightly and tapped the table lightly: "Yes, this is what I am worried about. Although your majesty is determined now, such a large-scale war will cost countless money and food. If we can't win the war quickly, there may be unexpected changes."

"Besides, our Changsun family has deep roots in Luoyang. Now that the crown prince is implementing new policies in Luoyang, this will have a significant impact on the interests of our family."

Chang Sun Chong replied, "Father, I think now is the time for our Chang Sun family to show their loyalty to Your Majesty. We have a strong presence in Luoyang City. If we can mobilize the forces in the city and help Your Majesty put down the Prince's rebellion, our Chang Sun family's position in the court will be more stable in the future."

Zhang Sun Wuji shook his head slightly, a trace of worry appeared on his face, and he slowly said: "Chong'er, you think too simply. You are not unaware of the prince's military talent."

"In the past, the Sui Dynasty led a million-strong army to conquer Goryeo but returned in defeat. However, the prince was able to easily unify Liaodong and even turned it into his base. Now it seems that he is fighting alone in Luoyang, but in fact, if Luoyang City cannot be defended, he can simply retreat to Liaodong and confront Your Majesty again."

In fact, many things are extremely clear in the eyes of people with strategic vision.

The prince asked the eldest grandson to guard Liaodong, and the meaning was very clear.

Because the prince swept through the old aristocratic forces of the three kingdoms of Goryeo, Silla and Baekje on a large scale, the emerging aristocratic forces were almost all supporters of the prince.

A large number of jobs and the people of Liaodong are on the side of the prince.

They do not have the same ideas as the Han people, nor do they have any intention of returning to the Tang Dynasty.

After all, these people have been fighting against the Central Plains dynasty for a long time and it has become a habit.

For them, it's just a change of boss. The work they do is not much different, and they earn much more money than before.

Under such circumstances, if the prince retreated to Liaodong, it would be a big trouble for the imperial court.

The biggest problem is that even if Luoyang City cannot be defended, Li Chengqian can easily retreat and it is difficult to keep him. Chang Sun Chong was slightly startled, with a puzzled look on his face, and said: "Father, even if the prince has outstanding military talents, Your Majesty is the master of the world and has a large army of the Tang Dynasty. Are you still afraid of him?"

Zhangsun Wuji sighed, looked into the distance with deep eyes, and said: "Chong'er, the affairs of the world are not just about the number of troops. The prince has a deep foundation in Liaodong, and he has many talented people under his command, and he also has the mysterious Thunderbolt Fire."

"Although we have never seen what the Thunderbolt is, its combat record is real. Now that the battle has not started yet, it is hard to predict who will win or lose. If Your Majesty loses the first battle and the Crown Prince withstands the first wave of attacks, the situation will become complicated and confusing."

As for the prince's thunderfire, most people have never seen it, but have only heard of its power.

No one knows whether the Tang army will behave the same as Goryeo when facing Thunderbolt.

Judging from the data on paper, Li Shimin naturally crushes Li Chengqian, but war is not calculated that way. The lesson of Goryeo is that if the imperial army fails in the first stop, it will cause many people to change their minds.

In fact, not only the Changsun family represented by Changsun Wuji, but even the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats did not gather the strength of the Luoyang families to fight against Li Chengqian at this time.

Smart people like to leave a way out and won’t take things to extremes.

In the eyes of many people, even if the prince rebelled, he was still the eldest son of the Tang Dynasty. This was equivalent to a conflict between father and son.

The prince's excellence is unparalleled.

If the prince managed to resist the imperial army, perhaps after a few years, or if the confrontation lasted too long, His Majesty would change his mind and become less resolute.

In the end, Li Chengqian inherited the throne.

This will embarrass many people.

This situation is possible for both Li Shimin and others.

Chang Sun Chong's heart trembled, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Father is right. I have overlooked these things. But if we don't help His Majesty, will His Majesty blame my Chang Sun family?"

Zhang Sun Wuji narrowed his eyes slightly, a sly look flashed in his eyes, and he said, "Chong'er, I'm not asking you not to help His Majesty at all, I'm just asking you not to let your family members act rashly. Now that His Majesty is confronting the Crown Prince, our Zhang Sun family should remain neutral and consolidate our foundation. We should neither offend His Majesty nor become an enemy of the Crown Prince. It won't be too late to make plans after the situation becomes clear."

Although Chang Sun Chong still had doubts in his heart, he did not dare to ask any more questions and said, "Yes, father, I will remember your teachings."

Zhangsun Wuji nodded slightly, his eyes fell on Zhangsun Chong, and he said earnestly: "Chong'er, our Zhangsun family has gone through several dynasties, and it is not easy to have the status we have today. The current situation is turbulent, you must not ruin the future of the family because of a momentary impulse."

Chang Sun Chong's heart tightened, and he cupped his hands again and said, "Don't worry, father. I will act prudently and live up to the family's trust."

Zhang Sun Wuji sighed slightly, leaned back in his chair, and said slowly: "In the Liaodong battlefield, the prince's thunderbolt was really feared. It is said that the thunderbolt is so powerful that it can collapse the city wall in an instant and kill countless enemy soldiers. If your majesty's army encounters this thing on the battlefield, the consequences will be disastrous."

Chang Sun Chong was shocked and said, "Father, how should we deal with this? If His Majesty is really defeated by the Crown Prince, what will happen to our Chang Sun family?"

Zhang Sun Wuji pondered for a moment and said, "For now, we can only pay close attention to the development of the war. If Your Majesty wins, we will naturally support Your Majesty with all our strength and contribute to quelling the prince's rebellion; if the prince wins, we cannot become his enemy and must repair our relationship with him in a timely manner."

Chang Sun Chong frowned slightly and said, "Father, it's easier said than done to not offend either side."

Zhang Sun Wuji smiled and said, "Chong'er, there is no way to have the best of both worlds. We can only survive in this gap and find the path that best suits our family. You must remember that the interests of the family are above all else."

Chang Sun Chong's heart trembled, and he bowed again and said, "Yes, father, I understand."

Changsun Wuji’s idea was good, but some people disagreed.

In the palace of King Wei.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the solemn, secretive and tense atmosphere in the room.

Prince Li Tai of Wei frowned and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, pondering in his mind how he could gain the greatest benefit from the dispute between the Crown Prince and his father, and thus break the current stalemate.

What he needed was for his father to quickly pacify the crown prince so that he could be made the crown prince.

Chai Lingwu bowed and said, "King of Wei, I have a plan that may help you resolve your current predicament and help you gain the upper hand in this ever-changing situation."

When Wei Wang Li Tai heard this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at Chai Lingwu eagerly like a hawk. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, and he said, "Don't keep us in suspense. Tell us quickly. What is the good plan?"

Chai Lingwu's eyes flashed with cunning, and he said, "King of Wei, Crown Prince Li Chengqian is now guarding Luoyang. The aristocratic families in Luoyang are intertwined and their power is complicated."

"Among them, the Changsun family led by Changsun Wuji is the most powerful and influential family in the world."

"Although your majesty has dispatched a large army to besiege Luoyang, the war is progressing slowly and has not been taken yet."

"In my humble opinion, we might as well use a conspiracy to force Zhangsun Wuji to step forward and lead the various aristocratic families in Luoyang City to rise up against the crown prince."

Wei Wang Li Tai was slightly startled, a puzzled look appeared on his face, and he said: "Tell me, why do you think this plan can force Zhangsun Wuji to submit? As a loyal minister of Your Majesty, how could he be easily controlled by you and me?"

Chai Lingwu raised his lips slightly, revealing a confident smile, and said: "King Wei doesn't know that Changsun Wuji is a man of deep thoughts and far-reaching plans. He always attaches great importance to the rise and fall of his family. Now the crown prince is implementing new policies in Luoyang. Many of his measures seem to be aimed at reforming and strengthening the country, and revitalizing the Tang Dynasty. In fact, they have greatly affected the fundamental interests of the aristocratic families. Even a strong family like Changsun cannot remain immune."

"We can go to the court and publicize the huge influence of the Changsun family in Luoyang, and emphasize that as the head of the Changsun family, Changsun Wuji should take some measures to respond to the prince's new policies in order to safeguard the common interests of the aristocratic families."

"At the same time, they secretly spread rumors that if the Changsun family does nothing about this, it would be a failure to suppress the rebellion and disloyalty to our Tang Dynasty. In this way, Changsun Wuji will be caught in a whirlpool of public opinion and will be under tremendous pressure from all sides."

"Furthermore, we can secretly contact other noble families and persuade them to write a joint letter to Your Majesty, begging Zhangsun Wuji to take the lead in fighting against the crown prince. In this way, it may seem that it is the common appeal of many noble families, but in fact it is you and I who are cleverly pushing it behind the scenes."

"Even if he doesn't want to, Changsun Wuji can't stay out of it and keep himself out of trouble because of the dual pressures of his family's reputation and public opinion. As long as he steps out, the crown prince's foundation in Luoyang will inevitably be shaken, and his power will be greatly weakened."

"Once Changsun Wuji is involved in this dispute, it will definitely consume a lot of family resources and energy, and his power in the court will be suppressed."

"This plan is a brilliant one that kills two birds with one stone, and it's exactly what the King of Wei wants."

King Wei Li Tai nodded slightly, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and repeatedly weighed the pros and cons.

After a moment, he nodded slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and said: "This is a very good plan, it is really brilliant."

"It's just that we must be cautious about the direction of the court and the secret contacts with the various aristocratic families, and must not reveal any flaws."

Chai Lingwu bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Please rest assured, King Wei, I will make proper arrangements."

"Besides, in such matters, the Five Surnames and Seven Families will naturally be willing to fully cooperate. They hope that Changsun Wuji will be involved."

(End of this chapter)