Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 214: Splitting the Five Surnames and Seven Families! I never joke! [Seeking monthly votes]

Even in the hot summer of August, the weather in the north is still very cold.

The crystal white snowflakes are dancing in the cold wind.

At this time, in a forest about 20 miles away from Yinshan Mountain, a large number of Tang troops were hiding from the wind and snow in tents.

The war horses sneezed hot air, and the smoke from the burning fire in the tent gave people a unique northern scenery.

"Everyone, the war has reached this point, and we have no way to retreat. However, you should also be aware of the current situation. Our food and supplies can no longer sustain us for a long time!"

Li Jing looked around at the generals with a serious expression and said solemnly.

The generals looked at each other and fell silent.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely solemn.

After a while, Li Ji said angrily, "If we withdraw our troops now, won't that benefit Jie Li?"

"Of course it is!"

Li Jing interjected, "We have now defeated Jie Li, rendering him unable to fight back. However, Jie Li still has many subordinates, and his strength should not be underestimated!"

"If we allow Jie Li to cross the vast desert and head north, it will be difficult to deal with him when the grass and trees recover in the spring!"

"However, His Majesty has previously sent us news that a new disaster could break out in the country at any time, urging us to fight and resolve it quickly. Although we have defeated Jie Li repeatedly, he is very cunning and will not engage in large-scale battles with us!"

Li Daliang sighed and said, "Even if we want to end this quickly, we can't do it!"

After these words were spoken, the generals fell silent again.

At this moment, Zhang Ping, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up, "Hasn't Tuli Khan been cooperating with us? He can't find Jie Li's hiding place, can he?"

"This"

The generals looked at each other, and then they heard Li Ji say, "In my opinion, it's not that he can't find Jie Li's hiding place, but that he doesn't want Jie Li to fall into our hands!"

"Ok?"

Li Daliang frowned: "Why is this?"

"According to our spies, a well-equipped cavalry is roaming around the tribes. This cavalry is not from the Tang Dynasty, but from Tuli Khan. They are also looking for an opportunity to capture Jie Li alive!"

"Is this true?"

"That's absolutely true!" Li Ji said seriously.

All the generals looked at each other.

Zhang Ping said doubtfully, "But as far as I know, Tuli shouldn't have such well-equipped cavalry. If he did, he wouldn't have been hunted down like a stray dog ​​by Jie Li!"

"Yes, the advantage of the Turkic cavalry lies not in their equipment, but in their superb riding and archery. How could they have such sophisticated equipment?" Zhang Gongjin also raised his own doubts.

Li Ji glanced at them, then at Li Jing, then silently took out a knife and handed it to the generals: "This is the weapon dropped by those cavalrymen. Take a look, does it look familiar?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the generals looked closely. After just one glance, all their eyes fell on Zhang Ping.

"No, I didn't give it to them!"

Zhang Ping took a moment to react and quickly denied it, "How could I possibly be collaborating with the enemy?! Don't accuse me wrongly!"

Then he turned to Li Jing and said, "Uncle Li, you know me well. I would never do this!"

"Commander Zhang, you misunderstood. I wasn't doubting you. I was wondering if this cavalry unit was related to the Crown Prince."

Before Li Jing could express his opinion, Li Ji interrupted with a smile.

When the generals heard this, they looked at each other again.

They knew more or less about Li Chengqian's affairs.

Especially what Li Chengqian did and said in Shuofang, which really pleased people.

Every soldier is a man of steel, dedicated to defending his country.

I am truly honored to have those words to boost morale.

However, the Turkic cavalry involved the prince, which was no trivial matter.

But Li Jing said thoughtfully: "If the Turkic cavalry is really equipped by the prince, then they may not be Tuli Khan's cavalry."

"Or, let's consider this from another angle. Does the Crown Prince also intend to capture Jie Li alive?"

"No, General, you can't say that. Although the prince is the crown prince, he is not your Majesty after all. We must obey your Majesty's orders!" Zhang Gongjin shook his head and denied it.

The generals looked at each other in silence.

Li Jing said solemnly, "We have been attacking the Turks, and up to now, the merits our soldiers have achieved are only second-class merits. Destroying Jie Li is considered a first-class merit. And when soldiers compete for merit, they should strive for first-class merits. This is morale, and morale must not be weakened."

"I want to win credit for my soldiers, and this cannot be stopped."

"But, His Majesty has already agreed to Jie Li's surrender, and the Minister of Rites Tang Jian has also gone to Jie Li. How can we fight this war?" Hong Fu Nu, who had been silent all this time, asked as if reminding while pouring tea for Li Jing.

When the generals heard this question, they all nodded.

Because this is indeed an issue that must be considered.

However, Li Jing said nonchalantly, "This is how Han Xin defeated the State of Qi. What's the big deal about a Minister of Rites?"

"Although a general on the battlefield may not obey the emperor's orders, mobilizing troops without your Majesty's order is tantamount to treason!"

"Humph!"

Li Jing snorted coldly, then stood up from his seat and said righteously: "If pacifying the Turks is considered treason, then I am committing treason!"

"Husband!"

Hongfu Nu's expression changed.

Li Jing interrupted her with a wave of his hand: "Pass on my orders!"

Wow!

All the generals present stood up in unison.

Li Jing said solemnly, "I will lead 10,000 elite cavalrymen, carrying 20 days' worth of food and fodder, to attack Tieshan. Jie Li will surely flee to Qikou. Inform the commander-in-chief of the Desert Road march. We should use the old method and set up ambushes along the way. We can surround and capture Jie Li alive!"

"As ordered!"

All the generals responded in unison and retreated.

At this moment, Hong Funu hurriedly called Zhang Ping: "Zhong Yu, please stay here first. I have something to tell you!"

"This"

Zhang Ping hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Li Jing.

Li Jing looked at his wife with a puzzled expression.

After the other generals had left the tent, Hong Funu smiled and picked up the kettle. She came to Zhang Ping's side and poured him tea. She asked with a smile, "Zhong Yu, you should know how your uncle Li treats you, right?"

"This"

Zhang Ping hesitated for a moment, then said a little embarrassedly: "I know Uncle Li's affection for me, but I have been a little sorry for Uncle Li before."

"Alas! What's past is past. We don't care about it anymore, and you shouldn't care about it either!"

Hong Fu Nu sighed and interrupted Zhang Ping. She glanced at Li Jing again and continued, "Did you hear your uncle Li's order clearly?"

"Listen clearly!"

"Well, I'm glad you heard it clearly."

"?" A small black question mark slowly appeared on Zhang Ping's forehead. He couldn't help but say, "Madam Li, if you want to say something or have any instructions, just say it!"

"Don't understand?" Hong Fu Nu looked at Zhang Ping with some amusement.

"Please tell me clearly, Madam Li!"

Zhang Ping lowered his posture even more.

He knew that Hong Fu Nu was an important strategist to Li Jing, so he could not help but pay attention to her.

Hong Fu Nu was very satisfied with Zhang Ping's attitude.

But she continued, "I can only tell you that your uncle Li ordered the continuation of the campaign against the Turks because the Turkic cavalry wanted to capture Jie Li alive. He didn't really intend to disobey His Majesty's orders and mobilize troops without authorization. Do you understand?"

"lady!"

When Li Jing heard this, he was about to speak out to stop Hong Fu Nu, but when he saw Hong Fu Nu looking at him coldly, he immediately swallowed back what he was about to say.

Hong Fu Nu continued to say to Zhang Ping, "Zhong Yu, it would be best if you could understand what I'm saying to you. If not, you can tell the Crown Prince what I'm saying."

"This"

Zhang Ping was speechless.

Because he really couldn't understand why these counselors liked to say ambiguous things and leave it to others to understand.

As if only in this way could their unfathomable wisdom be revealed. Zhang Ping was completely bewildered by Hong Fu Nu's words, unable to understand what the connection was.

He spoke halfway through and then stopped talking, leaving Zhang Ping even more confused.

However, he did not ask Hong Fu Nu any more questions. He just nodded heavily and left.

After watching him leave, Hong Fu Nu returned to Li Jing with a smile.

But Li Jing asked in confusion: "Why did you do this, Madam?"

"My dear husband, do you know that when a general is away from home, he may not obey the king's orders. What does this mean for a general who holds military power?"

"This"

When Li Jing heard what Hong Fu Nu said, his heart skipped a beat.

How could he not know what this sentence meant.

So he frowned and asked, "Are you sure the prince can help me?"

"Ah!"

Hong Fu Nu smiled. "Husband, what do you think? Why did that cavalry appear on the grassland? And what happened in Shuofang? Is it really because the Crown Prince wants to make a name for himself? No, actually, it's not that. The Crown Prince's ideas are different from ours. He needs influence, especially influence in the court!"

"My husband represents the military. If you make your position clear to the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince will definitely help you find a solution to your actions today."

"On the contrary, even if my husband pacifies the Turks and returns to the court, His Majesty will no longer trust you as much as before, and may even be wary of you at every turn."

"This"

Hearing Hong Fu Nu's words, Li Jing's scalp tingled, and he fell into deep thought.

Although he believed that Li Shimin was a magnanimous man, what he had just done was indeed a bit too much.

This is like Shi Wansui, who won a battle, not only did not receive any reward from Emperor Wen of Sui, but was even killed by him.

Although Li Shimin always emphasized that he would not become Emperor Wen of Sui, Li Shimin was also an emperor, and as an emperor he would worry about the threat to his military power.

Any emperor would be wary of a general who disobeyed military orders.

Thinking of this, Li Jing, who had originally not taken it seriously, began to feel a little worried.

But he sighed and said, "I am lucky to have your help, Madam."

"hehe."

Hong Fu Nu smiled knowingly, but didn't say anything more.

Soon, the generals followed Li Jing's orders and began to move out of camp to encircle and suppress Jie Li.

At the same time, in a valley near the grassland.

The heavy snow covered the vegetation on the valley, making it a vast expanse of white.

The well-equipped Turkic cavalry were hiding from the wind and snow in the valley.

At this moment, a soldier in a white cloak hurried into a tent with a burning bonfire and reported excitedly, "Commander-in-Chief, our people have found Jie Li, and he is leading his men towards us!"

"really?"

Yu Gushe, who was sitting on a fur bench, stood up with a look of delight and asked, "Did you see it clearly?"

"Look carefully! They are definitely Jie Li's men!"

"Great, great! Finally, we can give the Crown Prince an explanation! Otherwise, the Crown Prince would think we are useless people who only care about taking rewards!"

"That's right! Jie Li is really tenacious. We've been chasing him all the way, and the Tang army has been ambushing him, yet he's managed to escape time and time again!" A Turkic general echoed, "We can't let him get away again this time!"

"But didn't Tuli contact us? As soon as there is any news about Jie Li, he will be notified immediately. What should we do now?" Another Turkic general said hesitantly.

Upon hearing this, Yu Gushe's smile instantly vanished, and he said gravely, "The last few times we hunted down Jie Li, we informed Tuli. We thought he could help us capture Jie Li, but he ended up getting away each time. Why is that?"

"I even wonder if Tuli is getting involved with Jieli again!"

"That's impossible. Tuli and Jieli have been enemies for a long time. How could he possibly help Jieli?"

"It is said that the Tang Emperor sent an envoy to Jie Li, and Jie Li expressed his desire to submit to the Tang Emperor. If Tuli continues to oppose Jie Li, he will be opposing the Tang Emperor."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Jie Li is the most cunning wolf on the grassland. There is absolutely no way he would truly surrender to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Are Tuli and Jieli colluding?"

"I am not sure as well"

Yu Gushe shook his head, then glanced at the mutton soup on the bonfire and changed the subject: "But we are no longer Tuli's people. There is no need to report anything to him!"

As he spoke, he looked around at everyone present and said with a sharp gaze, "Have you forgotten the favor of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? We looted so many things from the Jie Li lair, and didn't His Royal Highness take a single cent from us? Didn't he give it all to us? We are now the Sixth Commander of the East Palace's Wolf Fang Guards, and we should only obey His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"this."

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other.

At this moment, a report came from outside the tent again: "Commander-in-chief, the Tang army has begun to move again, and it seems that they are also heading towards Qikou!"

"Oh?"

Yu Gushe raised his eyebrows, then looked around at everyone and said, "Now listen to my orders, capture Jie Li alive, and don't let him fall into the hands of the Tang army!"

"Yes!"

Everyone looked at each other and spoke in unison.

Soon, all the Turkic cavalry in the valley jumped on their horses, put on white cloaks, and hid in the white snow-capped mountains.

On the other side, Chang'an, the Prince's Mansion.

Li Chengqian sat in the main seat with a smile on his face. On his left and right were the heads of the five surnames and seven families, as well as Cen Wenben, Liu Rengui and other officials of the Eastern Palace.

Previously, Li Zhen, the head of the Longxi Li family, sent someone to invite Li Chengqian, but was directly rejected by Li Chengqian. Instead, he asked the person who invited him to notify the heads of the five surnames and seven families to come to the Prince's Mansion for discussion.

Although this broke the long-standing dominance of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, the situation was stronger than people.

These five surnames and seven families are not fools. They know when to recognize the situation, so they don’t care about who is in charge and who is not. They all arrive as scheduled.

Li Chengqian was the first to speak, "There are many aristocratic families in the Tang Dynasty, but when it comes to ranking among the most prominent, it's still you, the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Clans. Today, I cordially invite you, not for any other important matter, but simply to discuss the future development of our country!"

"This"

The family heads looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although they still don't know what Li Chengqian is up to, from what he said, it is clear that he will not kill them all.

Because Li Chengqian could talk to them about the future, it meant that they would definitely have a place in the future of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, when the family heads figured out the key, they all looked at Master Cui Ren at the same time.

It seems that Cui Renshi's idea of ​​peace talks is a wise decision.

After all, cooperation is a win-win situation!
There are no permanent enemies, only permanent benefits.

Now it depends on how this most capable prince in history will exchange interests with them.

Li Chengqian then continued, "I'm sure you all know what I've done in Jiangling. Now, almost all of Chang'an is inseparable from Jiangling manufacturing. It can be said that Jiangling manufacturing has become a part of Chang'an, including food, clothing, housing and transportation!"

"However, the entire Tang Dynasty is still dependent on Jiangling Manufacturing. Therefore, I plan to expand the scale of Jiangling Manufacturing and build factories across the country to provide countless opportunities for the people of the Tang Dynasty to make money and support their families!"

"In addition, I also plan to reform commodity trading and make traditional commodity trading more convenient and efficient. Therefore, I plan to promote money shops in various places and use silver bills as vouchers for large-scale transactions."

"Of course, in addition to banks, there are also education, healthcare, social welfare, the census, and the tax system. These all need reform."

"Therefore, I need all the family heads to cooperate with me as much as possible and not cause me any trouble."

"This"

Upon hearing this, the family heads looked at each other in bewilderment.

It seemed like he understood, but it also seemed like he understood nothing.

After a long while, Wang Gui finally spoke up, "May I ask, Your Highness, can you discuss these reforms you mentioned with His Majesty?"

"Not yet, but I believe Your Majesty will definitely support me!" Li Chengqian said with a warm smile.

The family heads were slightly stunned and couldn't help but look at each other again.

Cui Renshi then asked doubtfully, "What kind of cooperation does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mean by that?"

"It's very simple. First, liberate the labor force and let your family's tenants no longer just grow food for your family. Divide your family's land and let them grow and harvest the food themselves. You will only be responsible for collecting the rent!"

"What!?"

When the family heads heard this, they were shocked and stood up one after another.

Are you kidding me?
Is the prince crazy?

You actually want to split up our family!
　Also, please give me a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)