My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 327 I want to control all the troops in the world!

Chang Sun Wuji was speechless.

Li Chengqian's words brought him back to the memories of that day at Xuanwu Gate.

"Eight hundred people, eight hundred people!"

"Eight hundred people take the initiative!"

'Let's go fight!'

At that time, Li Shimin had only 800 people.

Now, Li Chengqian has 30,000 people.

They also have powerful weapons such as cannons in their hands.

Tongguan was in the hands of the imperial court and was captured in two days.

However, Changsun Wuji knew that when Li Chengqian's cannons were set up on the wall of Tongguan.

Not to mention eight hundred, even if it’s eighty thousand or eight hundred thousand.

Can you take it down?
"What does your highness want?"

Changsun Wuji asked in a deep voice.

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji with some doubt and looked at him seriously for a long time.

Then he said, "Uncle, what do you think the emperor wants?"

Changsun Wuji was silent.

He knew that Li Chengqian's words were not about asking His Majesty what he wanted from the Prince.

But at the beginning, Your Majesty wanted something from the late emperor.

"I want to control all the troops in the world!"

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, these are what Your Majesty said to the late Emperor after you murdered your brother.

So, the prince now wants to follow in your majesty's footsteps?

Today and yesterday are so similar.

"If Your Highness is willing to hand over Tongguan, I think His Majesty will agree to Your Highness's request."

Changsun Wuji didn't want to dwell on this matter any more.

The more he struggled, the stronger the prince's determination would become.

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly: "Uncle, please tell Father that except Tongguan, everything else can be discussed."

Zhang Sun Wuji advised: "Your Highness, why are you so obsessed with Tongguan?"

"Your Highness has artillery. Even if Tongguan is lost, if there is another dispute in the future, you should be able to take it again."

"Your Majesty, please save some face. It will be better for us to get along better in the future and not make Your Majesty too angry."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "It's interesting what you said, uncle."

"Even if Tongguan can be easily captured according to what my uncle said, why doesn't Father let it go?"

Zhang Sun Wuji sighed and said, "The Crown Prince should at least give His Majesty some dignity."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly: "Since the day I started my army, there is no respect left to speak of."

"The edict deposing the crown prince has been announced to the whole country. Oh, and there are also the ten great crimes."

"Now my father wants to restore my position as crown prince. Isn't this just changing one's mind every day?"

"This is what hurts Father's face."

"It's better not to embarrass Father like this."

Changsun Wuji could feel the sting in Li Chengqian's words, and he could understand the prince's feelings at the moment.

In comparison, the current prince is much stronger than the former Majesty.

Zhang Sun Wuji sighed slightly and said, "Your Highness knows clearly in his heart that even now, although it seems that your Highness's morale is high, in fact, the shortcomings are obvious."

"If I'm not mistaken, Your Highness doesn't have enough cannons and fire bombs."

"I heard from Lord Li Wei that in order to capture Tongguan, they used hundreds of cannons and thousands of fire bombs to bombard the city walls."

"How many artillery pieces does Your Highness have?"

"I know that His Highness wants to break new ground, so he is fighting an earth-shattering battle at all costs."

Li Chengqian sneered and interrupted Changsun Wuji's words.

"So, Changsun Situ thinks that I am now at the end of my strength."

"Since you are so sure, there is nothing else to talk about."

Chang Sun Wuji did not respond, but continued: "I went to see where the Tongguan city wall collapsed."

"That section of the wall was only half a foot deep, the weakest part of all the walls of Tongguan. Even so, it took two days of artillery fire before it collapsed."

"The walls of Chang'an are more than three feet deep, and your majesty has reinforced them with the cement made by your Highness."

"If it is the wall of Chang'an, how many cannons and fire bombs would Your Highness need to make the wall of Chang'an collapse?"

No one is a fool, especially the important officials in the Tang Dynasty court.

There is no such thing as an easy thing for someone to leave his name in history.

Why is Li Chengqian's Thunderbolt and cannon so effective?

In fact, in terms of power, it is not much stronger than the artillery of the early Ming Dynasty.

The real reason lies in the suddenness of gunpowder in this period.

It’s like an alien spaceship coming from the future. We are afraid because we don’t understand it.

Because of fear, I am afraid.

Once the army becomes afraid, what combat effectiveness will it have?

It was the same when attacking Goryeo's Liaodong City, and it was the same when attacking Tongguan.

It’s not that Li Jing can’t hold on.

Just because we have stepped on a section of the city wall, we can’t attack anymore.

To occupy Tongguan, the army had to go in and fight, and there was no such thing as razing the entire Tongguan to the ground.

However, the soldiers under Li Jing were all frightened out of their wits.

Li Jing was a famous general. He knew very well that forcibly defending the city under such circumstances would be extremely risky and result in great losses.

Especially for an army of tens of thousands, once the morale collapses completely, the defeat will be disastrous.

Therefore, Li Jing did not dare to take the risk and withdrew from Tongguan to preserve his strength.

Now, facing the situation in Tongguan, Li Jing has already reported it, and with Changsun Wuji's personal inspection, he knows the details of the situation.

In other words, regardless of the cost, the soldiers are not afraid.

It is very difficult for Li Chengqian to win.

"so what."

Li Chengqian smiled faintly and said, "Then please ask Father to take Tongguan back."

"Or, I can fight my way to the city of Chang'an one level at a time."

"My uncle said that Chang'an City is thick. I want to see for myself which is stronger, Chang'an City or my artillery."

What Changsun Wuji said was correct and his analysis was very accurate.

This is the situation.

But the imperial court has no artillery.

To guard Tongguan, the imperial court needs a lot of troops to attack.

Defending a city is different from attacking it.

Even if only twenty cannons were installed, Tongguan would become impregnable.

The imperial army would become a joke and be stuck outside Tongguan.

As for Li Chengqian, he can attack or defend.

"What does Your Highness want?" Changsun Wuji asked with a long sigh.

Li Chengqian suddenly became a little angry.

"What do I want?"

"I would like to ask my father what he really wants."

"When I was seven years old, my father broke through the Xuanwu Gate, and then served as the crown prince for a few months before ascending the throne as emperor."

"That year, I was canonized as the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."

"At the age of twelve, he began to be involved in court affairs, and at the age of thirteen, he took on the responsibility of regent."

"What do I want? What should I want?"

"Should I be the one to inherit this Tang Dynasty?"

At this point, Li Chengqian was a little emotional. After calming down a little, he continued, "Since my mother passed away, my father has become more and more fond of Qingque."

"Think about it, the Wei Wang Party was so powerful in the court and the country. Even a prince like me is far inferior to them."

"You accuse me of treason, should I just wait to die?"

"Father said he had no intention of abolishing my position as Crown Prince, but how did he do it? Did he ever think about me as the Crown Prince?"

"So, the reason why the current situation has come about is that I really want to ask my father what he wants."

Changsun Wuji understood.

Tongguan is no longer reachable.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "What will it take for Your Highness to stop the war?"

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji with some surprise.

Because Changsun Wuji clearly knew that it was temporarily impossible for him to advance again, so why did he still ask this question?

Is this asking him to ask Li Shimin for benefits?
Changsun Wuji lowered his eyebrows and eyes, not looking at Li Chengqian.

This attitude is already quite obvious.

After Li Chengqian thought about it carefully, he understood what Changsun Wuji meant.

This is a gesture of goodwill to him.

After thinking for a moment, Li Chengqian stated his request: "I want 20% of the coal profits, which originally belong to me. In addition, my father should issue an edict to the whole country to restore my position as crown prince."

"A new policy will be implemented east of Tongguan, and the imperial court is not allowed to interfere."

"Taxes from Luoyang and the surrounding areas belong to me."

After hearing these conditions, Changsun Wuji's face remained calm.

The prince did not open his mouth as big as a lion.

In fact, all of this is already under the control of the prince.

They already have their own troops and are powerful, so how could they possibly hand over Luoyang's taxes to the imperial court?

In other words, what the prince wants is fame.

This is in preparation for inheriting the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Your Majesty was the crown prince for several months at the beginning, and only after going through all the procedures did he ascend the throne to become the emperor.

However, Changsun Wuji had no say in this matter.

"This matter is too serious, and I cannot agree to it. Allow me to report the truth to His Majesty and then make a decision. I just hope Your Highness will not advance rashly during this period, and give both sides some time to properly resolve this matter."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Okay, I will wait for the news. But time is tight, I hope uncle can do it as soon as possible."

Changsun Wuji said goodbye and left.

He did not stay in Luoyang and rushed back to Chang'an overnight.

Late next night, they arrived in Chang'an City.

Chang'an City, early morning of the third day.

Zhang Sun Wuji went to the palace to report Tan He's situation.

After hearing this, Li Shimin became furious.

"Rebellious son! He is openly separatist and trying to split the Tang Dynasty! How can I agree to his unreasonable request!"

Changsun Wuji lowered his head so low that he dared not even breathe.

When Li Shimin calmed down a little, he said carefully: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince now controls Tongguan, and has 30,000 troops and artillery and other powerful weapons."

"If we forcefully conquer them, the outcome will be unpredictable, and the people will surely suffer in the flames of war. Although the new policies proposed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are somewhat radical, his original intention is to govern the people well. Your Majesty may wish to be patient for the time being and make long-term plans."

Li Shimin stared at Zhangsun Wuji with his eyes wide open: "Wuji, do you think I should agree to him?"

Changsun Wuji quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I dare not. But the situation is serious now, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is determined. If we do not agree to some of his conditions, it will be difficult to quell the war. I suggest that Your Majesty call all the ministers together to discuss and find a solution together."

Of course, Changsun Wuji cannot bear this blame alone.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Well, summon Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Fang Xuanling, Chu Suiliang and others to the palace for discussion."

Soon, several important officials entered the palace and gathered in the Taiji Hall.

After Li Shimin explained Li Chengqian's request and the current situation to everyone, he asked, "What do you think of this matter?"

Wei Zheng was the first to step out, clasped his hands together, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince's actions are against filial piety, the new policies he proposed may be beneficial to the people if they are implemented properly. However, Tongguan is a key point in the world and has extraordinary strategic significance. It is the gateway to Chang'an and controls the throat of east-west transportation."

"If the crown prince is allowed to control the situation, the court will be in a very passive position in military deployment. Once the crown prince has evil intentions, he may lead his troops westward at any time, and Chang'an will be in danger. Moreover, from a political perspective, the ownership of Tongguan is related to the majesty and unity of the court. If the crown prince's control over Tongguan is recognized, it will undoubtedly show weakness to the world, which may lead to imitation by forces in various places, and the situation will be difficult to deal with."

Li Shimin ignored him.

How could he not know this truth?

The question is how to take back Tongguan now?

Gather all the troops in the world to attack Tongguan. Then attack Luoyang.

The loss must be a huge number.

Li Shimin couldn't afford to be injured.

Li Jing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the key now lies in the cannon in the hands of the Crown Prince."

"This type of firearm is extremely powerful and has changed the way we fight in the past."

"If the imperial court also had artillery, Tongguan would not be a threat."

"In my opinion, the most urgent task is to find a way to manufacture artillery. At present, we know very little about the manufacture of artillery. We need to gather skilled craftsmen in the country as soon as possible. At the same time, we can send people to secretly investigate the situation in Luoyang."

"But manufacturing artillery is not a matter of one day or one night. During this period, if we fight the prince head-on, the losses will be huge, and the outcome is unknown."

Li Jing came back this time to apologize.

But Li Shimin naturally would not blame him.

In that situation, withdrawing troops and preserving strength is the best option.

Even if Li Shimin led the army in person and rode his dragon chariot in front of him, it would be of no use.

Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, the scene of the city wall collapsing is no different from a dragon turning over.

Under such circumstances, ordinary soldiers would have no intention of fighting.

Fang Xuanling agreed and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Wei is absolutely right."

"If we fight the Crown Prince head-on now, the imperial army will have to travel a long distance, and the cost of food and fodder supplies will be huge."

"Besides, the Crown Prince occupies the natural barrier of Tongguan, and has artillery to help. Our army will inevitably suffer heavy casualties in the siege. Even if we win by chance, it will be a pyrrhic victory. The Tang Dynasty will be seriously injured, and the surrounding Turkic, Tibetan and other forces may take the opportunity to invade."

"It is better to agree to some of the prince's requests for the time being, stabilize the situation, and at the same time speed up the production of artillery. We will make plans after the court's strength is strengthened."

Chu Suiliang frowned slightly, stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne after all. Now that it has come to this, I believe he must have been holding a grudge for a long time. If we can resolve the dispute through negotiation and avoid civil war, it will be a good thing for the Tang Dynasty."

"But if we agree to the Crown Prince to implement a new policy east of Tongguan, we must make clear the rules. We cannot allow the Crown Prince to take this opportunity to expand his power and threaten the court."

Li Shimin listened to the advice of his ministers, frowned, and paced slowly.

He glanced at each minister, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

After a long while, he stopped and sighed, "I have a great reputation in my life, but I never thought that I would be forced into this situation by my rebellious son. Tongguan is the throat of Chang'an, how can I give it up so easily?"

"But if we forcefully conquer the country now, I cannot bear to see the people suffer and the soldiers bleed on the battlefield."

(End of this chapter)