My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 312 The Prince's Ten Sins

Changan.

The rear hall of Taiji Hall.

The king and his ministers discuss matters.

Li Chengqian’s matter was the top priority, but for Li Shimin it was naturally not just that.

The situation of other foreign forces also needs attention.

What made Li Shimin feel more at ease was that the rebellious son did not ally with the Western Turks or other foreign countries.

It is only supported by the forces of Liaodong.

Li Shimin did not care too much about this.

According to the current plan, this rebellious son won't be able to hold on for too long.

Luoyang is an isolated island.

Even if the rebellious son had the Thunderbolt in his hand, with his current military strength, he could only retreat to Luoyang City.

If we were to march out of the city and attack other cities, we would only be seeking our own death.

Now the rebellious son is trapped in Luoyang, but he is just a trapped beast fighting hard and cannot cause any big waves.

However, it was at this moment.

An imperial guard hurried into the hall with a solemn expression. He knelt down and presented a tightly sealed document with Li Jing's seal on the cover.

Li Shimin's heart tightened. He knew very well that Li Jing was always calm and steady. If it wasn't a big deal, he would never be so anxious to send a message.

He quickly opened the document, glanced at it, his face instantly turned as dark as ink, and the document in his hand trembled slightly.

Upon seeing this, the ministers in the hall were all silent and looked at each other, wondering what had happened.

"This rebellious son actually..."

Li Shimin gritted his teeth, his voice full of anger and disbelief.

He slammed the document on the dragon table, stood up, and paced back and forth in the hall, the anger in his heart burning like a raging flame.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

Changsun Wuji asked cautiously.

Li Shimin stopped and looked at everyone with a stern look. He said in a deep voice, "Li Jing reported that Li Chengqian had developed a mysterious firearm with astonishing power in Luoyang, which is even more powerful than the Thunderbolt Fire. With this weapon, he broke through the imperial court's water blockade in one fell swoop."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the palace.

Chu Suiliang subconsciously said: "How is this possible!"

Fang Xuanling frowned and asked, "What on earth is that firearm that has such power?"

Li Shimin did not say much, but reported to the eunuch Zhang Ananda and asked him to pass it on to everyone.

The report recorded in detail the power of the firearm.

After reading it, all the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

The prince's Thunderbolt is difficult enough to deal with.

Who would have thought that the prince now has a firearm more powerful than Thunderbolt Fire.

Could it be that the prince intends to capture Chang'an with the help of such firearms?

"Your Majesty, these firearms are too dangerous. If Li Chengqian relies on them, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Chu Suiliang spoke immediately.

Li Shimin took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

He knew very well how powerful this firearm was.

Now it is only used for water stations, what if it is on the ground?

Sitting back on the throne, Li Shimin said firmly: "I absolutely do not believe that the rebellious son can win with this so-called firearm!"

"Pass on my imperial edict and order Li Jing to strengthen the defense immediately. At the same time, continue to find out the details of this firearm and make sure to find a countermeasure."

"Also, summon all the skilled craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry. I want them to start researching immediately to see if they can imitate similar firearms, even if they are slightly less powerful."

The second sentence made Li Shimin himself lose confidence.

Over at the Gunpowder Bureau, they’re already a long way short of the Thunderbolt, and now there’s another mysterious firearm.

I don't even know where this rebellious son came from.

Before, Li Shimin just felt that it was a little tricky.

But now, I feel a little worried.

At that time, the rebellious son conquered Liaodong with the help of Thunderbolt Fire.

Now we are not going to rely on this new firearm to capture Chang'an, right?

Zhang Sun Wuji stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. However, this matter still needs to be considered in the long run. Since the mysterious firearm was developed by Li Chengqian, the manufacturing process must be extremely complicated. It may not be easy to copy it in a short period of time."

Li Shimin nodded slightly and said solemnly: "I understand, but the situation is critical now. I cannot let go of even a glimmer of hope. Moreover, I will send people to sneak into Luoyang to disrupt Li Chengqian's deployment, and it would be best if we can destroy his firearms manufacturing workshop."

At this time, Chu Suiliang stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think that in addition to military response, we can also try to start from the people's hearts."

"Now that Li Chengqian is rebelling, his name is not legitimate and his words are not justified. Your Majesty can announce it to the world and expose Li Chengqian's crimes to set the record straight and undermine the morale of his army and people."

After Chu Suiliang finished speaking, he actually wanted to say a few more words.

It's about establishing a crown prince.

I just thought about the previous two times and ended up not being able to say it out loud.

I'm afraid Your Majesty has no intention of appointing a crown prince now.

But he hoped to use this to better damage Li Chengqian's reputation and enhance the reputation of King Wei.

Li Shimin thought for a moment and nodded, "This plan is feasible. Pass on my order and draft an imperial edict to expose Li Chengqian's evil deeds to the public, so that the people of the world can see his true face."

"For those soldiers and civilians in Luoyang who were deceived by Li Chengqian, amnesty will be granted. As long as they turn back from their mistakes, their past deeds will be forgiven."

Before that was the edict deposing the crown prince.

This time, Li Shimin no longer had the idea of ​​letting the prince admit his mistakes and become the crown prince again.

Instead, he really wanted to depose the crown prince as the heir.

Because Li Shimin had already felt that there was no way the prince would ever turn around and admit his mistake.

He really wants to rebel.

This edict was quickly issued through the Menxia Province.

I have received the mandate of heaven and rule the world. I rise early and sleep late, praying for the peace of the country and the happiness of the people. I have deposed the crown prince Li Chengqian, who is immoral and rebellious, and has committed notorious crimes. He is truly a scourge of the Tang Dynasty. Now I list his ten major crimes in detail to set the record straight.

First, he has ulterior motives and covets the sacred artifact. As the crown prince, he should fulfill his duties, support me, and consolidate the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. However, he is obsessed with selfish desires and has long been thinking about usurping the throne. He has secretly formed a group of followers and cultivated a private party in an attempt to steal the great treasure. This is an act of disloyalty and unfilial piety, and his crime is unforgivable.

Second, he formed a circle of treacherous people and disrupted the government. Li Chengqian accepted many treacherous people and kept his retainers. He formed a clique for personal gain and excluded loyal and good people in the court, causing loyal and upright people to be wronged, and the government's orders were not carried out. The foundation of the Tang Dynasty was shaky. His crime was serious.

Third, he killed his brothers and destroyed the family. He used all means to satisfy his selfish desires, harbored ill intentions towards his brothers, and even plotted to harm them, forgetting the relationship between flesh and blood. His behavior was worse than that of beasts, defying the laws of nature and human ethics, and was outrageous. Fourth, he was extremely extravagant and squandered the people's strength. Li Chengqian lived an extravagant life, built a lot of palaces, and exhausted the people's money. The people could not bear the suffering and complained, which led to the decline of people's livelihood and the unrest of the country. His crimes are too numerous to count.

Fifth, he neglected his studies and disgraced the holy teachings. As the crown prince, he was entrusted with the important task of inheriting the holy teachings and setting an example for the world. However, he neglected the classics and history, did not pursue his studies, and regarded the teachings of the sages as rags, which disheartened the scholars of the world and disgraced the reputation of the royal family. This was the greatest sin.

Sixth, he allowed his soldiers to bring disaster to the people and destroy lives. The troops he led were lax in discipline, trampled on farmland at will, plundered people's property, raped and robbed people, and did everything they could. The people suffered greatly, were displaced, and cried out in the fields. His actions were no different from those of bandits, and his crimes were unforgivable.

Seventh, they secretly colluded with foreign invaders and sold out their country for personal gain. In order to expand their power, they colluded with foreign enemies, leaked secrets, sold out national sovereignty, and attempted to rebel with the help of foreign forces. Such acts of treason endanger national security and are intolerable.

Eighth, he disobeyed my orders and showed no respect for the emperor and his father. I repeatedly admonished him, hoping that he would repent, but he turned a deaf ear to me, openly disobeyed my orders, and became an enemy of the court. This is a blatant challenge to my authority and a wanton trampling of national laws. His crime is unavoidable.

Ninth, he privately manufactured firearms and plotted rebellion. Recently, he manufactured extremely powerful firearms, and attempted to use these monsters to rebel against the emperor and bring disaster to the world. He is putting the people of the Tang Dynasty in danger, and his heart is worthy of death.

Tenth, he disturbed the world and brought disaster to the country and the people. Li Chengqian's various evil deeds caused chaos in the world, wars broke out everywhere, the people suffered, and the country's vitality was greatly damaged. The severity of his disasters is rare in ancient and modern times. He is truly a sinner of the Tang Dynasty and a public enemy of all people.

I consider him to be of royal blood, and have pardoned him many times, hoping that he will return to the right path.

However, he persisted in his evil ways and continued to do so, becoming increasingly evil and ultimately incurable. Now we are announcing his crimes to the world as a warning to others.

I hope that all the people in the world can distinguish right from wrong, share the same hatred of the enemy, and fight against the rebels together to protect the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and ensure the peace of the country.

The announcement should be made far and wide so that everyone will know.

October 26, the 18th year of Zhenguan.

When the imperial edict was issued, the whole world was shocked.

Officials from various prefectures received the imperial edict and immediately arranged personnel to copy the contents of the edict and make multiple copies, which were posted in conspicuous places such as downtown areas and important city gates.

When the people heard the news, they gathered around to watch, and for a while, there was a lot of discussion on the streets.

The gray-haired old man pointed at the imperial edict tremblingly, his voice filled with indignation and pain: "Thinking of the prince, he was the hope for the future of the Tang Dynasty, but he did such a treasonous thing. He is really ashamed of your majesty and the people of the world!"

Someone else echoed: "This kind of evil should be made public so that everyone knows his true face. Our Tang Dynasty has always ruled the world with benevolence and filial piety, but he tramples on morality like this. It is simply intolerable!"

One student sighed: "The Crown Prince is responsible for the important task of inheriting the sacred teachings, but he neglected his studies, disgraced civility, and corrupted the court. Now he is trying to rebel with firearms. Isn't this pushing the people of the Tang Dynasty into the fire pit?"

Rumors started to spread among the people. Some people privately said, "I heard that the firearm developed by the prince is so powerful that it can blow warships to pieces. What if it is used to attack our cities?"

Another person quickly covered his mouth and said, "Don't talk nonsense, or you'll be arrested as a traitor. The imperial court has issued an edict, and they will definitely find a way to deal with him."

Common people all over the world, whether they were high-ranking officials or peddlers, expressed indignation and condemnation of Li Chengqian's behavior, and hoped that the court would be able to quell the rebellion as soon as possible and restore the peace and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

Thousands of people point at it, but die without illness.

Li Chengqian could only control Luoyang City and Liaodong area.

However, the entire Tang Dynasty was governed by the imperial court.

Naturally, everyone listens to what the court says.

Inside the Luoyang Palace.

The eunuch Wen Zhong's face flushed: "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext."

"How can your majesty treat His Highness like this?"

In the opinion of the eunuch Wen Zhong, most of these so-called ten major crimes were fabricated charges and had no basis in fact.

Li Chengqian sneered, "It seems that His Majesty is determined to kill me. He has even brought up the ten major crimes."

Wen Zhong raised his head cautiously and said, "Your Highness, now that this edict has spread throughout the world, the people are talking about it, which may be detrimental to the morale of our army."

Li Chengqian said: "Don't panic, since I have come this far, I am not afraid of these things."

“People in the world only listen to one side of my story, but they don’t know my ambitions.”

"When I enter Chang'an, there will be great scholars who will debate for me."

It is better to fire cannons than to talk big.

There is no point in fighting a public opinion war with Li Shimin just with Luoyang City.

The winner takes it all, what a simple truth.

Wen Zhong hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Your Highness, His Majesty also ordered Li Jing to strengthen the defenses and inquire about firearms everywhere, as if he was looking for a way to crack them. He also summoned skilled craftsmen to try to imitate them."

Li Chengqian stopped and a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes: "How can they crack the secret of firearms in such a short time?"

"This move is in vain. Li Jing should not be underestimated. Pass the order down and have Su Dingfang keep a close eye on Li Jing's movements. Don't slack off in the slightest."

Wen Zhong quickly agreed and asked, "Your Highness, the people in Luoyang are panicking after hearing the imperial edict. Do you need to comfort them?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "Pass on my order to open the granaries and release grain to help the people. Also issue a notice to inform the people that I started the war for the sake of the Tang Dynasty and to protect the people from the rule of incompetence. What the edict says is all false. When I pacify the world, I will return peace and prosperity to the people."

Wen Zhong was about to leave when Li Chengqian called him back, "Wen Zhong, send someone to secretly monitor the movements in the city. If anyone takes advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble or mislead the people, kill them without mercy."

Although a number of aristocratic families were hit, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

These remnants of the aristocratic families in the city are likely to cause trouble.

Li Chengqian took this opportunity to strike again.

the other side.

Chang'an, Prince Wei's Mansion.

Li Tai looked unhappy.

Although my father listed the ten major crimes for deposing the crown prince.

However, the changes in the situation in Luoyang made him worried.

"How is this possible!" Li Tai muttered to himself.

He paced back and forth, his steps hurried and flustered, completely losing his usual calmness.

Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai looked at each other, not daring to breathe, for fear of angering the now upset King Wei.

Chai Lingwu said: "Don't panic, King Wei. We have to think of a countermeasure quickly."

Li Tai stopped, a fierce look flashing in his eyes: "This Li Chengqian, I thought he was already at the end of his strength, but I didn't expect that he had such a killer move. The situation is extremely unfavorable to my father now. If he can really turn the tide with this firearm, then..."

Li Tai didn't finish his words, but his meaning was already very clear.

If Li Chengqian really took down Chang'an.

Father must be fine.

Prince Jin is probably fine too.

But he is the King of Wei.

It's absolutely impossible to survive.

Therefore, Li Chengqian cannot win and must lose.

Only if Li Chengqian was defeated could Li Tai become the crown prince and the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

"Prepare the car. I need to go to the palace to see my father immediately."

Li Tai hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

He needed to know more so that he could be better prepared for what was to come.

(End of this chapter)