My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 307 A Bolt from the Blue, Is God Going to Punish the Prince?

From a father's perspective, Li Shimin was naturally very angry with Li Chengqian.

However, from the emperor's perspective, he was naturally happy when the aristocratic families suffered losses.

But then, Li Shimin remembered it again.

These noble families seemed to be helping to deal with the prince.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin's expression changed again.

Zhang Ananda standing beside him didn't dare to speak, and lowered his eyebrows and eyes.

His Majesty's face was sometimes livid and sometimes smiling.

It is true that living with the king is like living with a tiger.

At this time, news came from outside.

Zhangsun Wuji asked for a meeting.

Li Shimin naturally knew why Zhangsun Wuji came here at this time.

"Xuan."

After Changsun Wuji entered the palace, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent."

At this moment, Changsun Wuji's mood was very complicated.

In fact, I don’t have much affection for the Changsun family in Luoyang City. It’s just a clan relationship.

In comparison, the prince is still his nephew.

Even if His Majesty asks him for help, there is nothing he can do.

Fortunately, the prince did not go too far and only sentenced him to imprisonment without killing him.

"This is not your fault."

Li Shimin consoled him.

After saying this, he sighed softly: "Now it seems that my rebellious son has managed Luoyang City quite well."

"Originally we were thinking of outsmarting them, but now we can only use force."

After this incident, Li Shimin also understood.

It would probably be a very troublesome thing to simply capture Luoyang.

In the end, we still have to fight.

You can only fight.

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly, thinking to himself that Luoyang City was now managed by Li Chengqian and was as solid as a rock. If they attacked it forcefully, the Tang army would surely pay a heavy price.

But he could not disobey the emperor's order, so he could only bury his worries deep in his heart. "Your Majesty, Luoyang City has high walls and thick walls, and Li Chengqian's troops are strong and powerful. I hope Your Majesty will think twice before attacking."

Changsun Wuji weighed his words and spoke carefully.

Li Shimin's face was solemn, and he shook his head slightly: "How could I not know the danger of a strong attack? But the current situation does not allow me to have any other choice. If I don't pacify Luoyang as soon as possible and allow Li Chengqian to become powerful, the Tang Dynasty will be in danger."

After saying this, Li Shimin looked into the distance, as if he saw the tightly closed gate of Luoyang City through the palace wall.

"Pass on my order to summon Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin immediately."

Soon, Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin walked into the hall one after another. After the three of them performed the solemn salute in unison, they stood solemnly aside.

Li Shimin's gaze swept over them one by one, his eyes full of trust.

"Mr. Li, the situation in Luoyang is critical now. Li Chengqian has taken control of his army and openly defied my orders. I would like to order you to be the general commander of the Henan Road Army, prepare for war, lead 150,000 troops, and attack Luoyang. What do you think?"

Li Shimin's voice was calm and firm.

Li Jing frowned slightly, weighing the pros and cons of this battle in his mind. After a little thought, he said, "Your Majesty, Luoyang is an important city in the world, with strong defenses. It is indeed difficult to attack it by force. But since I have been trusted by Your Majesty, I will do my best to live up to your grace. However, marching and fighting requires careful planning before taking action. I hope Your Majesty will give me some time to formulate a detailed battle strategy."

Li Jing appeared calm on the surface, but he knew deep down that this battle was going to be difficult. He had heard about Luoyang City's defense system, and it would be no easy task to conquer it. Of course, the most important thing was the Thunderbolt in the prince's hand.

Attacking a city is so powerful, what about defending it?

However, I have the emperor's order and cannot retreat.

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Mr. Li is right. I will give you ten days to make preparations. This expedition is related to the fate of the Tang Dynasty, and we must not slack off in the slightest."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Li Jing clasped his fists and accepted the order in a loud voice with a determination to fight to the death.

Li Shimin then looked at Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin, his expression slightly relieved but still unable to hide his worry: "Jingde, Yizhen, I order you to be the deputy general managers of the Henan Road, each leading 50,000 troops, and marching towards Luoyang in three directions, adopting the strategy of surrounding three sides and leaving one side. This way, we can put strong pressure on Luoyang and prevent Li Chengqian from desperately trying to break out."

Yuchi Jingde raised his head, a complex expression flashed across his face, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, the crown prince... Alas, I have watched the crown prince grow up, and I really don't want to go to war with him. But now that Your Majesty has given the order, I will obey your orders, but I feel... really bad."

Yuchi Jingde was full of confusion.

Cheng Yaojin also cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I think the same thing. The prince has been intelligent since he was young, and he shouldn't have come to this point. But now that Your Majesty has made this decision for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, even though I feel bad, I will definitely do my best."

Cheng Yaojin has a straightforward personality. Although he is reluctant to be an enemy of the prince, he knows that the overall situation is more important. His words are helpless but firm.

Li Shimin sighed, "How could I bear it? Li Chengqian is my own son. I have high hopes for him, but he rebelled and attempted to split the Tang Dynasty. I had no choice but to make this decision."

"I know that you have a deep friendship with the Crown Prince, but for the sake of the people of the world and the stability of the Tang Dynasty, this is the only way. I hope you can understand my painstaking efforts and do your best on the battlefield."

The three of them said in unison: "We understand, and we will live up to your majesty's trust!"

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Okay, this matter will be handed over to Li Qing. The Ministry of Revenue will do its best to allocate the necessary food, weapons and other supplies. I only ask you, are you sure of victory in this expedition?"

Li Jing's eyes were firm: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best. Although Luoyang City is easy to defend but difficult to attack, the soldiers under my command are all elite, and with your Majesty's wise decision, I am confident that we can conquer Luoyang and capture Li Chengqian to relieve your Majesty's worries."

Although Li Jing felt pressured, he had the confidence accumulated from years of fighting and firmly believed that as long as the strategy was right and the soldiers fought bravely, victory would be achieved.

Yuchi Jingde said loudly: "Although I feel bad, I will never hesitate on the battlefield. I will let those rebels see how powerful I am!"

Cheng Yaojin also grinned and said, "I, Old Cheng, never slack off in battle, and this time is no exception. I promise to complete the mission assigned by His Majesty!"

Cheng Yaojin was as generous as ever, and his words were full of fighting spirit.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Okay, I feel relieved with your words. When the army sets out, I will personally see you off."

The three of them saluted again and then left.

Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin walked out of the palace together. Yuchi Jingde couldn't help but say, "Li, this mission is arduous. The prince's troops should not be underestimated. We must make a careful plan."

Li Jing nodded slightly: "Well, this battle is related to the fate of the Tang Dynasty, and we must not take it lightly. General Cheng, General Yuchi, in the next ten days, we must hurry up to prepare and formulate a detailed battle plan. What do you think?" Cheng Yaojin scratched his head: "I think we must first prepare sufficient siege equipment. The walls of Luoyang City are high and thick, and we can't do without good equipment."

Yuchi Jingde also agreed, "That's right, and we also need to find out the enemy's deployment in the city. Only by knowing ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle."

Li Jing pondered for a moment and said, "You two are right. I plan to send some scouts to sneak into the vicinity of Luoyang City to find out the enemy's strength, and at the same time let the soldiers speed up the construction of siege equipment. In addition, our three armies must maintain close communication and fight in coordination, and must not fight alone."

Yuchi Jingde hesitated and said, "Have you made any progress on the Thunderbolt Fire?"

Li Jing shook his head slightly: "The Gunpowder Department is still developing it. I guess it can't be relied on this time."

Cheng Yaojin sighed, "It is said that the prince's thunderbolt is extremely powerful. This time I can see it with my own eyes."
-
In Luoyang City, the morning light is dim and the golden sunlight gently falls on the huge workshop.

The workshop was bustling with activity, as craftsmen were sweating profusely. The sounds of hammers hitting metal rang out one after another, sparks flew, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of copper and the choking aroma of fireworks.

Li Chengqian was wearing a black brocade robe and a cloak embroidered with dark patterns. He had a stern face and slightly furrowed brows as he paced steadily in the workshop.

Beside him, Su Dingfang stood tall and straight, with sharp eyes, exuding an aura of majesty without even being angry.

The eunuch Wen Zhong followed closely behind, cautiously, his eyes full of respect.

Li Chengqian and his party walked to a row of brand new copper cannons. These cannons had just been polished and were shining with golden light under the sunlight, like golden gods of war, solemn and dignified.

The gun body is thick and heavy, with a surface as smooth as a mirror, exuding a cold and majestic aura.

There are exquisite patterns of double dragons playing with a pearl carved on it, with the dragon's whiskers fluttering and dragon scales glittering, as if they would take off into the air in the next moment.

When copper is polished, it turns into gold instead of the dark green color seen in later generations, so copper is also called auspicious gold.

Li Chengqian reached out and gently stroked the barrel of a cannon. The rough touch came from his fingertips, and a complex and indistinguishable emotion flashed in the depths of his eyes.

The purpose of making artillery was not to fight civil war, but to expand territory.

With such magical weapons, any city can be easily conquered.

Li Chengqian knew best the power of artillery.

In legion combat, this is an invincible magic weapon, enough to sweep away everything.

Li Chengqian squatted down and carefully observed the muzzle of the cannon. The round muzzle had a smooth and neat edge without any burrs. It looked even more exquisite against the golden cannon body. He reached into the barrel again and felt the smoothness inside.

This time, because of the need to melt copper coins, and because it was the first time the cannon was made, there were many defective products before.

Therefore, only 120 finished products were finally produced.

For the time being, one hundred and twenty artillery pieces are enough.

After confirming that everything was correct, he stood up and ordered, "Let's go, pull it out and test the gun."

Everyone got busy, carefully fixing the artillery on the special wheels and harnessing strong horses in front. Su Dingfang directed the soldiers to move in an orderly manner to ensure the safety of the artillery during transportation.

After everything was ready, the team marched towards the open area outside the city.

Soon, everyone came to an open area outside the city.

Protective facilities had been properly arranged around the area to ensure the safety of the test. Li Chengqian stood at a safe distance, his eyes fixed on the artillery that had been set up.

"Take off the reins and plug the horse's ears!"

At Li Chengqian's command, the soldiers acted quickly to prevent the horses from being frightened by the loud noise of the artillery.

"Load ammunition!" Several soldiers skillfully loaded shells into the gun barrel.

Li Chengqian finally said: "Light the fire!"

"boom!"

For a moment, flames flickered, and 102 cannons spewed out long tongues of fire at the same time, like roaring angry fire dragons.

"Boom boom boom..."

The deafening roars merged into one, as if the heaven and earth were shaking. The huge sound was like rolling thunder, spreading rapidly around and piercing the sky.

The shells streaked across the clear sky like meteors, trailing long tails of flame and whistling away into the distance with the sound of breaking wind.

The scene was as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart. The whole world was shocked by this spectacular salvo.

This is completely different from the previous explosive pack.

Especially the simultaneous firing of 120 artillery pieces was simply earth-shaking.

In the distance, in an instant, smoke and dust filled the air, and earth and rocks flew everywhere.

The originally calm ground was instantly blasted with huge gaps, and the huge impact force distorted the surrounding air. The strong smell of gunpowder quickly spread, choking people to the point of being unable to breathe.

The peaceful market scene in Luoyang City was broken by the sudden loud noise and vibration.

On a sunny day, the thunder-like roar terrified the people.

People in the streets and alleys stopped what they were doing, looked up in fear, and headed in the direction of the sound. Some people were so scared that they hid in their houses, hugged their children tightly, and trembled all over.

At the market, vendors were too busy packing up their stalls to bother looking around in fear. An old farmer selling vegetables overturned his basket in a panic, and the vegetables rolled all over the floor. He was unaware and just muttered to himself: "What happened? Could it be that God wants to punish the prince by sending down this thunderous wrath?"

The cloth-selling lady next to him turned pale, and she held her little granddaughter tightly, muttering: "Did the prince do something wrong to make the heaven so angry? What should we do?"

In a small courtyard on the edge of the city, a young scholar was sitting at a table studying hard.

There was a loud noise, the pen in his hand trembled violently, and ink dripped onto the page.

I stood up and walked to the door, looking at the smoke and dust in the distance, and an ominous premonition surged in my heart.

At this time, Uncle Wang from next door ran over in a panic and said, "My boy, this noise is too scary. Could it be that the prince has angered the heavens and this is a punishment from the heavens?"

The scholar frowned and consoled him, "Uncle Wang, don't panic. Maybe it's just an accident. I'll go ask around."

In a teahouse in the city, tea drinkers who were originally sipping tea and chatting leisurely were startled by the sound and stood up.

"What on earth is that sound? Why is it louder than thunder?"

A strong man said loudly, "I think the prince must have done something wrong, and God is punishing him, and we will suffer as well."

A timid scholar-like man said tremblingly.

The teahouse owner also looked panicked and stood behind the counter, at a loss as to what to do.

On the martial arts field outside the city, Li Chengqian looked at the spectacular volley scene, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a satisfied smile.

Su Dingfang had a resolute look on his face, with excitement gleaming in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)