My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 338: Please Tie Yourself Up and Confess Your Guilt

Lanlingfang.

This is the fourth block after passing Mingde Gate.

Li Zhi's five thousand soldiers and horses were hidden here.

"Is the prince here?"

Li Zhi asked again.

This is his fifth time.

"We are passing Mingde Gate now. It's almost time."

Li Yifu replied immediately, not showing any impatience towards King Jin's constant questioning.

After all, this is a big deal, a very big deal.

If he succeeds, he, Li Yifu, will become a figure like Fang Gong Changsun Situ.

Given his relationship with King Jin, this must be the case.

"It's good to come, it's good to come."

Li Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that something might have gone wrong and the prince would not enter the city halfway.

But then, I became a little nervous.

"Is everything okay here, soldiers?"

Li Yifu nodded seriously: "Don't worry, Prince Jin, they are all our own people, they are absolutely reliable."

Li Zhi thought for a moment and asked, "The prince has one thousand soldiers and horses, and they are said to be elite troops."

"Although we are many in number, what if..."

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

Everyone knows that the prince's army was selected from the entire Liaodong area.

I have also heard some news that each of these 30,000 Shenwu soldiers are fierce generals and brave soldiers.

"Don't worry, Prince Jin. Most of our Jinwu Guards are veterans."

"Besides, there are quite a few people on King Wei's side."

"Even if the prince's one thousand soldiers can be used as three thousand, we have six thousand men when we unite together."

"The prince is in the light, and we are waiting in the dark. If we plan with determination and without intention, we will surely succeed."

Li Yifu explained in a calm tone that he was really worried that at this critical moment, Prince Jin would suddenly back down, which would be really troublesome.

After hearing this, Li Zhi felt relieved, but he still felt a little stuffy in his chest.

This is the first time I’ve done something this big.

He used to be a good boy.

"By the way, where is the King of Wei?"

"It's all arranged."

Li Zhi asked in a lowered voice.

Li Yifu nodded again: "Everything has been arranged. Once the crown prince is captured, I will lead hundreds of elite soldiers to surprise attack the king of Wei while he is off his guard. I will definitely capture him."

Li Zhi thought about it again and felt that there was nothing to pay attention to.

"Okay, wait until the prince arrives in front of the square, and then we'll start."

"Yes, King Jin."
-
Opposite Lanlingfang is Yongdafang.

This is where King Wei Li Tai hid his troops.

Compared to Li Zhi's worries, Li Tai was excited.

"I have finally waited until this day."

"Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian, do you know how long I have been waiting?"

"The throne of the crown prince can only belong to me."

"I should be the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If you, a cripple, inherit the Tang Dynasty, you will bring shame to the Tang Dynasty."

"Father thinks so too, right? If you hadn't been born a few years earlier, the position of Crown Prince would have nothing to do with you."

Chai Lingwu, who was standing beside him, watched the King of Wei mutter to himself with his brows lowered, showing no intention of listening.

This is mainly the situation, which started with the King of Wei very early on.

It is said that the King of Wei did not sleep much last night, or perhaps he did not sleep all night. In any case, the King of Wei arrived late at night.

After thinking for a while, Chai Lingwu asked, "King of Wei, should we find an opportunity this time to take down the King of Jin after dealing with the Crown Prince?"

Li Tai frowned and said, "Why worry about Zhinu? As long as we capture the crown prince, when father wakes up, the crown prince position will naturally be mine."

Chai Lingwu couldn't help but ask: "Capture the prince, King Wei, why don't we just go ahead and do it."

Seeing Chai Lingwu wiping his neck, Li Tai snorted coldly: "Foolish, father doesn't want to see brothers close the wall. If you really do this, how will I explain it to father when he wakes up?"

"Besides, this kind of brother-killing is too bad for reputation, so there is no need for this king to do it."

"Capturing the crown prince is a great achievement. When my father wakes up, he will surely be extremely pleased."

Chai Lingwu advised: "There are tens of thousands of troops outside the Prince's City, and they are all soldiers from Liaodong. If we just detain the Prince, it will inevitably lead to disaster."

"If you kill the crown prince and send a letter of amnesty to the soldiers outside the city, I believe Su Dingfang and his men will not dare to cause trouble again. If you kill the King of Jin, Your Majesty will only have the King of Wei."

"In this case, the crown prince position will naturally belong to the King of Wei."

Li Tai hesitated: "This is a bit too much."

It’s not because of the crown prince, but more because of the blame from his father.

Looking at it from another perspective, Li Tai is actually a filial son.

Li Shimin was not an old and confused person. He could still tell the difference between true and false.

Over the years, apart from the initial guilt about Li Tai's adoption, it was true that he liked Li Tai as his second son, and Li Tai's filial piety was naturally also true.

Li Shimin had so many children and they always made him happy, which was largely due to Li Tai himself.

"King Wei, this is a good opportunity."

Chai Lingwu advised again.

As long as he follows your Majesty's path, the King of Wei will definitely be the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

However, after hesitating for a long time, Li Tai finally shook his head and said, "This can't be done."

"In this case, I have no face to face my father."

"Besides, the Crown Prince has already started an army. Father's restoration of him as Crown Prince is just a temporary delaying tactic. As long as we can capture the Crown Prince and wait for Father to wake up, everything will fall into place naturally."

"Besides, Zhinu is just a kid who is a bit domineering because he controls the Jinwu Guards. Father will definitely know about this. How can he be valued by father if he is so ambitious and cunning?"

"So, there is no need for all these twists and turns, as long as we can capture the prince."

"Go and prepare. When the Crown Prince and his entourage arrive, we will join forces with the King of Jin and launch an attack together."

Chai Lingwu wanted to persuade the King of Wei again, but seeing the King's determined look, he knew that nothing he said would change his mind.

He could only sigh in his heart and said, "Yes, King Wei."
-
Suzaku Avenue.

Li Chengqian, sitting on the dragon chariot, closed his eyes and rested.

"Your Highness, it is said that the King of Wei and the King of Jin have made some unusual moves."

Su Dingfang said softly.

Li Chengqian didn't even open his eyes and said, "What else could it be? They are just trying to take advantage of my small number of troops to cause trouble."

"All the court officials are well aware of these things. Now they can just wait and watch the show."

"It's interesting. I'm going to be an actor today."

"Let's see how they sing this play."

Su Dingfang was relieved when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Your Highness, how many troops do you think the King of Wei and the King of Jin can have?"

Li Chengqian was enlightened by this incident and took a look at the spacious and clean Zhuque Street.

Today, Zhuque Street is paved with cement, and there are trash cans on both sides.

These were all renovated before he left.

Looking at the cement floor, Li Chengqian felt a familiar feeling in his memory. "No more than 10,000 people."

Li Chengqian said casually.

Su Dingfang couldn't help but ask: "The Right Jinwu Guard can mobilize about 20,000 soldiers."

"The King of Wei may be able to borrow a lot of assassins from the Five Surnames and Seven Families."

"This is the best opportunity for them. Maybe they can really gather 10,000 people."

Ten thousand soldiers are against one thousand, so each soldier of the Shenwu Army has to fight ten.

This is naturally impossible.

Li Chengqian smiled faintly and said, "If they can really gather 10,000 people, then we can retreat."

If I can’t beat him, I can just run away.

He is not a god, so it is a problem how he should fight against an army ten times his size, especially in this city.

But it’s still very simple to leave.

"We are almost there. We can't leave this matter to the Suzaku Gate."

"They don't have the courage."

"General Su, go and get ready."

Su Dingfang nodded: "Yes, Your Highness."

Then Su Dingfang left the dragon chariot and went to the side of Pei Xingjian.

"The prince's safety is in your hands."

"If the prince is hurt in the slightest, I will hold you responsible."

Su Dingfang explained to Pei Xingjian seriously.

Pei Xingjian could only smile bitterly: "Please rest assured, General Su."

Guarding the prince, it is not clear who is guarding whom.

The prince's military prowess was something he could not match.

Pei Xingjian had also stayed in the Eastern Palace before, and had witnessed the prince's archery skills with his own eyes.

Whoever is shot within a hundred steps will die.

In front, as Su Dingfang waved his hand, the whole team became solemn.

The soldiers of the Shenwu Army tightly grasped the reins and weapons in their hands.

Before entering the city, they had been informed that a fight was very likely to take place.

Most of these one thousand elite soldiers are from Liaodong.

Some were from Goryeo, some were from Silla, and some were from Baekje.

My family and clansmen are all in Liaodong.

Therefore, I should be loyal to the prince.

If something happens to the prince, the families and clansmen of these people will be implicated.

So they can die fighting for the prince, but the prince cannot have any accidents.

Those who followed him into the city were all determined to die.

What's the difference between them and the dead soldiers?

Some of Li Chengqian's personal guards were from the Tang Dynasty, or from Chang'an, and they had followed him in the Eastern Palace before.

Their relatives have also moved to Liaodong.

Those guards who did not move were naturally no longer considered guards.

It’s not that Li Chengqian doubts their loyalty, but human nature is something that should not be tested, and there is no need to do so.

"coming!"

A low drink.

The whole team stopped.

Hundreds of guards surrounded the dragon chariot.

That was the sound of the soldiers and horses shaking.

They emerged in groups from the roads on both sides and rushed towards the prince's dragon chariot.

However, the palace guards on duty on both sides turned a blind eye and allowed them to pass through, blocking the prince's team from front and back.

Li Chengqian was surrounded from all sides.

Li Chengqian was not in a hurry about this.

Not long after.

Li Tai and Li Zhi also came out from the streets.

Li Tai, dressed in gorgeous clothes and riding on a horse, looked at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression and spoke first: "Brother, it is really rare for the three of us brothers to gather here today."

As he spoke, he slowly moved forward. The soldiers behind him surged like a tide, exuding a faint sense of oppression.

Li Zhi followed behind Li Tai, lowering his head slightly. He couldn't see the expression in his eyes clearly, but he just agreed softly: "Yes, brother, it's been a long time."

There was a barely perceptible hint of nervousness in his voice.

Li Chengqian sat steadily on the dragon chariot, his posture upright, his eyes swept from Li Tai to Li Zhi, and then he laughed heartily: "Qingque, Zhinu, is this a big event today to welcome you back? It's just that this event is a bit big, and it makes me a little nervous."

Having said that, there was no sign of panic on his face, and he looked calm and composed.

Li Tai's eyes sternly stopped smiling and his tone became colder: "Brother, why do you still ask when you already know the answer? In the current situation, you have been surrounded by us. Given the situation today, you should just surrender, so as to avoid us brothers fighting and damaging the harmony."

Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this: "Qingque, what you said is very interesting."

"I am the crown prince, and my father is seriously ill, so I am appointed as regent."

"Why, do you want to rebel?"

Li Zhi raised his head at this time, his eyes flickering: "Brother, you have raised an army privately, and now you are even bringing troops into the city. Such behavior is really hard to escape the suspicion of treason. We brothers are also concerned about the country and the safety of our father. I hope you can understand our painstaking efforts."

Li Chengqian smiled.

"One is for the country and the people, and the other is for the father."

"Chi Nu, at your young age, when did you learn to be so hypocritical?"

"As for you, Qingque, is the position of Crown Prince that you've been dreaming of really that important?"

Li Tai sneered, "Brother, you are still quibbling at this moment. Although the emperor has temporarily restored your position as the crown prince, it is only a temporary measure. You have troops in Luoyang and you are arbitrarily deploying troops. Isn't this a rebellion? Today, Zhinu and I are just following the wishes of the court officials and getting rid of harm for the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian looked at Li Tai and said, "The intention of the court officials? I'm afraid it's just your own selfish desires. You have coveted the position of crown prince for a long time. Do you think you can succeed like this?"

"Let's see which court official has given you the message, and tell me."

Li Tai's face flushed red, and he shouted in anger: "Li Chengqian, stop pretending here. If you really care about brotherhood, you wouldn't have done those things in the first place, disappointing my father and bringing shame to the royal family. Today, if you obey me obediently, I may be able to ask for a lighter sentence for you in front of my father. Otherwise, don't blame me for not caring about brotherhood!"

Li Chengqian shouted, "What a joke! I am the crown prince, the Shengrui Crown Prince of Nongze, canonized by my father, and everyone in the world knows it."

"Even if there was a misunderstanding before, my father has already announced to the world that I have been reinstated as the crown prince."

"The imperial edicts are all here, or do you think you can issue the edict on behalf of the emperor?"

"Tell me, do you have an imperial edict from your father to stop us?"

Li Tai was stunned by the question.

How could they have the imperial edict when the emperor is in a coma?

Li Zhi immediately responded, "Brother, why don't you hand over your military power now and follow us into the palace to wait for our father to wake up."

"I think my father will make his own decision after he wakes up."

"If the emperor blames me, I will accept the punishment."

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Zhi and sighed, "Zhi Nu, you have been bewitched by Qing Que after all. Have you ever thought that even if I surrender now, will Qing Que let me go? His ambition cannot be satisfied by the position of a mere crown prince. After he gets rid of me, I'm afraid you will be his next target."

Hearing this, Li Tai's face darkened and he shouted, "Li Chengqian, stop trying to sow discord here. Zhinu, don't listen to his nonsense."

He was really worried that Li Zhi would be persuaded.

But will Li Zhi be persuaded?
(End of this chapter)