Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 637: Heavenly Khan (Part )
Mid-winter, Luoyang City.

The wind is freezing.

Three fast horses came from the direction of Zhengzhou towards the east gate of Luoyang at high speed.

Before the person arrived, the voice had already come.

"A great victory in Andong. Goguryeo King Go Baozang has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and has ceded 500 li north of the Taedong River. He thanks the Tang Dynasty for helping him restore his country..."

The war horses galloped swiftly on the road, and the people of Luoyang along the way could not help but whisper to each other.

A great victory was won in Andong, and Rangcheng was captured.

Three days ago, a military report was delivered from Andong Road. The emperor issued an edict, lifting the curfew in Chang'an and Luoyang for three days, and the whole city celebrated.

Now that three days have passed and Pingrang City has been captured, it is inevitable that the King of Goguryeo is willing to submit. However, it is somewhat surprising that he ceded 500 miles north of the Taedong River to the Tang Dynasty.

But if you think about it carefully, this is normal.

The emperor conquered Rangcheng, but did not destroy Goguryeo. However, he still gained something.

Expanding territory is the best gain.

The people couldn't help but smile.

……

The fast horse entered Luoyang City from the Shangdong Gate, turned south at Sigongfang, crossed the Xinzhong Bridge, walked along Luoyang Street, turned into Dingdingmen Avenue, and finally rushed straight to Tianjin Bridge and entered the imperial palace.

In the Zhenguan Hall, the emperor sat high on the imperial couch, wearing a white jade crown with twelve tassels on his head, a red and yellow dragon robe, and his expression was solemn.

The ministers on both sides stood solemnly holding their tablets.

Following the ministers, there were also a large number of foreign envoys.

Standing at the head of the ministers was Changsun Wuji, who had just arrived from Chang'an last night.

Duan Baoxuan entered Chengtian Gate, passed Qianyang Hall, and finally went straight to Zhenguan Hall.

Upon entering the hall, Duan Baoxuan kowtowed, raised the package in his hand, and spoke loudly, "Your Majesty, I, General Duan Baoxuan of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard, have been ordered to report victory: Li Ji, the Grand Commander of the Andong Road Army, the Andong Road Pacifier, the Right Minister of the Secretariat, and the Duke of Ying, reports that King Go Baozang of Goguryeo has been restored to the throne and has begun to take control of the kingdom. He has also signed an alliance to cede the land north of the Taedong River to the Tang Dynasty in gratitude for Tang's assistance in restoring his country."

"Present it." The emperor raised his hand slightly.

Immediately, a eunuch took the package from Duan Baoxuan and quickly handed it to the Danbi.

Zhang Ananda took the package, placed it on the desk in front of the emperor, and then slowly opened it.

A yellow scroll and a memorial with a purple cover appeared in front of Li Chengqian.

Zhang Ananda stood aside and gently pushed open the scroll. Densely packed small characters and countless treaty amounts appeared in front of Li Chengqian.

There was no need to look closely at all. Just these few words made Li Chengqian laugh with joy instantly.

Over the years, he proposed ceding land, opening mines, opening ports, compensating the Tang Dynasty for military expenses, etc., and the Menxia Province and the Honglu Temple not only listed them one by one in detail, but also greatly expanded and extended many of them.

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, closed the scroll, and handed it to Zhang Ananda. He then looked at the ministers and said, "My lords, Gao Baozang is a trustworthy person. He secretly sent Jin Shangquan to Chang'an and promised that if I restored Gao Baozang to his position, Goguryeo would give me the land north of the Taedong River as a token of gratitude. Today, everything has been fulfilled, and this war is finally over."

"Congratulations to Your Majesty for expanding the territory and showing great military virtue." All the ministers inside and outside the court bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian glanced at Zhang Ananda, then looked at Changsun Wuji.

Zhang Ananda immediately came to Changsun Wuji, holding the scroll. Li Chengqian's voice came from above: "Uncle, look, from today on, the land 500 miles north of the Taedong River will all be Tang territory."

Changsun Wuji took it, opened it, glanced at it briefly, then closed it and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your victory in the war and the expansion of your territory."

Li Chengqian smiled, then said to Zhang Ananda, "Let each of you take a look."

Zhang Ananda bowed and brought the scroll to Tang Jian.

Tang Jian glanced at the scroll, then bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then watched Zhang Ananda walk past every court official and every foreign envoy in the hall holding the scroll of the treaty.

After everyone took a look at the scroll, they bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The expansion of the Tang Dynasty's territory was not a big deal. What really concerned these foreign envoys was that the Tang Dynasty ended the war quickly and decently by cutting off 500 miles of land from Goguryeo.

It started from the 15th year of Zhenguan during the reign of our late Emperor Taizong, and now it has been the 5th year of Yongwei.

Ten years later, this war that had consumed too much of the Tang Dynasty's energy finally came to an end.

This means that starting from today, the Tang Dynasty will begin to withdraw its power and then look covetously in all directions.

While everyone was congratulating, they couldn't help but feel a little heavy in their hearts.

This was the second victory of the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty in a foreign war since the defeat of Tubo in the first year of Yongwei.

Perhaps it is not as shocking as a war to annihilate a country, but his step-by-step and steady approach is even more frightening.

……

Zhang Ananda walked around the hall, then walked back to the imperial couch and placed the scroll of the covenant on Li Chengqian's desk.

Li Chengqian nodded gently, put down Li Ji's memorial, and looked at the ministers. "The war is over. Duke Ying has reported that the army will begin withdrawing from Pingrang City in April of next year. After that, at the end of next year, he will bring the King of Goguryeo, the Duke of Baekje, and the King of Silla to Chang'an for an audience. The Minister of the Ministry of Rites should prepare for their reception."

"I obey your order!" Li Yibiao, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood up and bowed.

"When the army returns, rewards are inevitable. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War will be responsible for verifying the military merits and preparing money, grain and land to reward the officers and soldiers." Li Chengqian tapped the imperial desk lightly.

Minister of Revenue Yan Lide and Minister of War Cui Dunli stepped forward and bowed: "I accept your order."

Changsun Wuji stood to one side, frowning slightly. He was the one who knew the emperor best. The emperor knocked on the imperial desk three times, and Changsun Wuji could hear something unusual.

"The Goguryeo Jiangbei Protectorate was annexed by the Tang Dynasty and included in the Andong Dao and Dingtu Prefecture." Li Chengqian paused briefly before adding, "Gentlemen, this was originally the Xuantu Commandery of the Han Dynasty. Now, I have finally taken it back."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" All the ministers in the hall bowed.

They all knew that although the Pingrang War was over, the entire Goguryeo incident was not over yet.

This war will only be over when the three countries of Dongdao are completely wiped out one day in the future.

"Issue this order: Li Ji, the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Andong Circuit, the Andong Circuit Pacifier, the Right Minister of the Secretariat, and the Duke of Ying, will be appointed Acting Protector General of the Andong Protectorate, Acting Governor of Tuzhou, and Governor of Tuzhou, responsible for all matters concerning the stability of Tuzhou." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian continued, "Liu Rengui, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, will be appointed Acting Chief Clerk of the Tuzhou Governor's Office to assist the Duke of Ying in handling matters in Tuzhou."

Zhang Sun Wuji stepped forward and bowed, "I accept your command."

All the ministers in the hall bowed together. Many people could see that once Li Ji left office, the next governor of Tuzhou would definitely be Liu Rengui.

"And you!" Li Chengqian turned to look at Duan Baoxuan, who was kneeling on the ground, and said with a smile, "Mr. Duan, you've worked hard all the way. I'm happy today. In addition, for your military achievements, I'm promoting you to the rank of General of the Left Garrison Guard. After you go home and rest for a few days, you can guard Chengtian Gate for me for a few days."

"I thank Your Majesty for your great grace." Duan Baoxuan couldn't help but kowtow deeply in gratitude.

Getting promoted for military merit is not a very unusual thing, but guarding the palace gate for the emperor is the greatest trust from the emperor.

Duan Baoxuan was the nephew of the late Duke of Bao, Duan Zhixuan. Duan Zhixuan was a former general of the Prince of Qin's Palace and one of the heroes of the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Duan Baoxuan served as a Thousand Oxen Guard in the Emperor's Eastern Palace because of Duan Zhixuan's legacy. Later, he was promoted to General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard and now to General of the Left Tunwei Guard. This was all due to his own abilities and achievements.

And the emperor's appointment.

Many of Duan Zhixuan's former colleagues in the hall couldn't help but sigh softly.

Li Chengqian nodded to Duan Baoxuan and said, "Okay, stand aside for now."

"Yes!" Duan Baoxuan stood up and then stood last among the generals.

Li Chengqian then looked at the ministers in the hall and said, "Our army has won. Issue an order to exempt the people of Chang'an and Luoyang from taxes for the next year!"

"We thank Your Majesty for your kindness." All the ministers in the hall bowed.

"In three days, I will go to Mount Song to offer sacrifices. The Taichang Temple should prepare." Li Chengqian looked at Duan Baoxuan and said, "Duan Qing will also come with me."

"We obey your order." Zhao Yuankai and Duan Baoxuan stood up and bowed at the same time.

"Retreat."

"I will respectfully send you off to Your Majesty!"

……

In the left side hall of Zhenguan Hall, Zhang Ananda stepped forward, placed a pot of tea on the stove, and then stepped aside.

Li Chengqian and Changsun Wuji sat on either side of the stove.

Li Chengqian leaned back slightly and handed Li Ji's memorial to Zhangsun Wuji, saying, "We've basically plundered everything that can be looted in Pingrang City. We're starting to gradually move to Jiangbei. The other generals will also plunder various Goguryeo cities to try to weaken Goguryeo's fighting power as much as possible."

Among the three kingdoms of Dongdao, Goguryeo was the strongest, with the largest area and population.

Zhangsun Wuji nodded and said, "Goguryeo's affairs are under control. Baekje faces the sea to the east, so there's nothing to worry about. The only possible variable is Silla... Your Majesty, will Silla really attack Goguryeo after their army is completely stationed in Pyongyang next year?"

"Yes." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Queen Jindeok of Silla is not in good health. The one who is in power in Silla now is her cousin Jin Chunqiu. Uncle, I think you still remember him."

Changsun Wuji nodded solemnly and said, "When Quan Gaisuwen killed King Rongliu and then marched south to attack Silla, Jin Chunqiu's daughter and son-in-law all died in the battle. It is said that he was so grief-stricken that he leaned against a pillar and didn't blink all day."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "Silla attacked Goguryeo, and the Tang Dynasty said nothing. But they couldn't attack Baekje, and Baekje couldn't attack Silla. The two countries could only attack Goguryeo. This was the only rule that needed to be established."

"Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely true." Changsun Wuji looked at Li Chengqian seriously and asked, "Your Majesty, how do you intend to reward the Duke of Ying?"

Zhang Ananda was standing on one side, and at this time his eyes couldn't help but fall on Changsun Wuji.

Li Chengqian smiled. He looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Uncle seems to be asking about the Duke of Ying, but he is actually asking about himself."

"Yes!" Zhang Sun Wuji bowed seriously and said, "Your Majesty, I resign from the position of Shangshu Zuo Pushe."

Changsun Wuji is now the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and Li Ji is the Shangshu You Pushe.

Now that Li Ji has conquered Pingrang City, although he did not directly destroy the country due to subsequent events, in fact, such an achievement is not much different from destroying the country, so it is inevitable that Li Ji will go further.

However, when Li Ji wanted to go further, Changsun Wuji standing in front of them became a problem.

Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Uncle, don't worry too much. Although the Duke of Ying has a brilliant military record, to be honest, I'm still a little worried about him being the Minister of the Left. It's better for you to continue to serve as the Minister of the Left. In time, your uncle will be promoted to Minister of the Interior, and will become the Vice Minister of the Left, while the Duke of Ying will be promoted to Minister of Works, and will become the Vice Minister of the Right."

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but say, "Then the court..."

"All the officials in the court have worked so hard this time, and naturally they deserve a reward." Li Chengqian's expression calmed down and he said, "Prime Minister Tang is old, and the work of the Secretariat has been slack, so I plan to find someone to help him share the work of the Secretariat."

"Who?"

"Duke Pengcheng." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Duke Pengcheng is only two years younger than Prime Minister Tang. They are both over seventy years old. Let's both retire together as Zhongshu Ling. That way, the position of Minister of Justice will be vacant."

According to the Tang Dynasty system, the Secretariat had two Shangshu Zuo Pushe, the Zhongshu Province had two Zhongshu Ling, and the Menxia Province had two Shizhong.

It was just that Li Chengqian had controlled the balance of government in recent years, so there was only one Minister of the Secretariat and one Palace Attendant.

Now that we have won the war, it is a good opportunity to make adjustments.

And this time, there are still many areas that need to be adjusted.

(End of this chapter)