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

Chapter 259: Barbarians, fearing power but not virtue! [Seeking monthly votes]

Li Chengqian was going to hold a "military exercise" outside the city, which not only surprised the civil and military officials, but even Li Shimin became very interested.

However, although Li Shimin really wanted to ask Li Chengqian what "military exercises" were, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Because of the previous dispute, neither the father nor the son wanted to pay attention to each other.

Especially Li Chengqian, who was slapped in the face, was covering his burning face and chewing his teeth in frustration.

Empress Changsun, who was standing by, felt both angry and amused when she saw the embarrassed and depressed look on the father and son's faces.

But no matter how funny it was, she would not laugh out loud. She just sat alone by the stone platform, elegantly making and drinking tea, and ignored the father and son.

The whole area around the thatched hut was so quiet that the only sound was the sound of crows flying by.

Look at the other side.

Inside the Honglu Temple in the West Market of Chang'an.

The Tibetan envoy was negotiating with the Minister of Rites Tang Jian.

Then the Tibetan envoy Lu Dongzan laughed and said, "Lord Tang, it seems like the last time we met was during the Wude period. I can't believe it's already been the third year of the Zhenguan period. It really goes by so fast!"

"hehe."

Tang Jian smiled noncommittally, then said sternly, "Da Lun came in person, but brought too few tributes. If His Majesty knew about this, wouldn't you be afraid of His Majesty's wrath?"

"Alas, to be honest with Lord Tang, my Tubo has been hit by natural disasters for the past two years, tax revenue has plummeted, and countless cattle and sheep have been killed or injured. We really cannot afford to pay extra tribute. I hope Lord Tang can make this clear to His Majesty the Emperor!" Lu Dongzan said with a sigh.

Tang Jian frowned: "Is that so?"

"I dare not deceive the Celestial Empire!"

Lu Dongzan looked sincere.

But Tang Jian was obviously not so easy to fool.

But he snorted coldly, "Since Tubo is in trouble, then the Tang Dynasty, as the Celestial Empire, naturally cannot sit idly by."

"How about this? I will immediately report to His Majesty and have General Li Jing lead his troops from Longyou to Tubo to see if there is anything the Tang Dynasty can help them with!"

After saying this, he stood up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"Master Tang, wait a minute!"

When Lu Dongzan saw Tang Jian leave as soon as he said he would, his expression changed.

Although Tubo did encounter some difficulties, as the prime minister of Tubo, he was still able to distinguish the importance of things.

Rather than offending the Tang Dynasty because of some tributes, it is better to temporarily show loyalty to the Tang Dynasty in order to achieve the ultimate purpose of this visit to the Tang Dynasty.

However, just as he was about to change his mind and collect the tribute, one of his subordinates suddenly walked in from outside and whispered something in his ear.

His expression changed from worry to joy at a visible speed. He smiled at Tang Jian and said, "To be honest, Lord Tang, in addition to natural disasters, Tibet also has man-made disasters! It would be great if General Li Jing could go to Tibet."

"What do you mean?"

Tang Jian paused, then turned around and looked back at Lu Dongzan.

Lu Dongzan then laughed again and said, "Master Tang, don't you know? Tuyuhun has been in frequent conflict with Tubo recently, and we have already fought many battles. If the Tang Dynasty is willing to help Tubo, that would be great."

"only."

Having said that, he paused, looked at Tang Jian with a half-smile, and said, "I heard that Tuyuhun seems to have also sent troops to attack the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if the Tang Dynasty can spare a hand to help us."

"you!"

When Tang Jian heard this, he almost got angry.

Ever since the Double Ninth Festival banquet that night, he had to deal with envoys from various countries and their various threats every day.

Although with the current strength of the Tang Dynasty, it is not afraid of any threat from any country.

However, Li Chengqian's series of actions at the Double Ninth Festival Banquet were like stirring up a hornet's nest, causing envoys from various countries to become dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty.

Among them were the more radical ones, such as Tuyuhun and Goguryeo, who directly sent troops to the Tang Dynasty after learning that their envoys were detained in the Tang Dynasty.

They did not care what their envoys did in the Tang Dynasty. They were certain that after the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turks, it would be impossible for them to fight at the same time.

What's more, there were twenty-nine other countries that were dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty.

If the Tang Dynasty really wants to fight them at the same time, it will have to guard against the other twenty-nine countries taking advantage of the situation.

Therefore, they believed that the Tang Dynasty would not be so stupid and would definitely compromise with them.

In this way, they can not only achieve the purpose of coming to the Tang Dynasty, but also take the opportunity to ask for benefits.

Simply the best of both worlds.

The reason why Lu Dongzan dared to say such words was probably because he had received information in this regard.

However, just as Tang Jian was about to retort to Lu Dongzan, another Tang Dynasty official walked in from outside the door.

He bowed and said, "Minister of Rites, I have just received an order from the Crown Prince stating that he will hold a military exercise outside the city. I have asked the Ministry of Rites to notify all envoys to come outside the city to observe the ceremony!"

"This"

Tang Jian was visibly stunned when he heard this, and then asked in confusion, "What is a military exercise?"

"Your Excellency, I don't know either. I only know that the entire court, including His Majesty, has gone outside the city. Even Empress Zhangsun has gone!"

"What!?"

Tang Jian was shocked and thought to himself, what is going on?!

Is the prince going to make another big move?

No way!
Is the prince going to cause trouble again?!
Although Tang Jian was somewhat resistant to Li Chengqian's actions, he dared not disobey Li Chengqian's orders as the crown prince.

He said to the subordinate somewhat reluctantly, "Since there is the Crown Prince's order, then let's do as he wishes!"

"Yes!"

The official responded and immediately bowed and left.

Tang Jian, who watched him leave, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then looked at Lu Dongzan calmly and indifferently, saying, "I believe you have heard the great talk clearly, right? Then there is no need for me to say more. Let's go!"

"This"

Lu Dongzan hesitated for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "Can I go to the ceremony with the other envoys?"

"As you wish!"

Tang Jian still said indifferently: "But don't blame me for not reminding you. I, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, have a bad temper. If you are late, you will bear the consequences yourself!"

"No, no, don't worry, Master Tang, I will never be late!"

"Humph!"

Tang Jian snorted coldly, ignored Lu Dongzan, and walked out of the room directly.

Lu Dongzan, who had watched him leave, frowned and said to the subordinate who had just entered, "Are you sure that Goguryeo has also sent troops to the Tang Dynasty?"

"Sure!"

"Okay! Then let's go find the Tuyuhun envoys and see what their plans are. Then we can make a plan!"

After saying that, Lu Dongzan also stood up from his seat and walked towards the room of the Tuyuhun envoy with his subordinates.

at the same time.

The room of the Tuyuhun envoy.

The newly arrived Tuyuhun envoy Batou was negotiating with Tuyuhun prince Murong Shun.

But Murong Shun said with anger on his face:
"That Tang Dynasty prince is so arrogant! I, Murong Shun, will never let him go! And as for Princess Changle, as long as my Tuyuhun army reaches the Tang Dynasty border, I don't believe the Tang Dynasty emperor will dare to refuse my proposal!"

"Don't worry, Prince. The Khan has already dispatched 50,000 elite troops to the Tang Dynasty border. I believe the Tang Dynasty would never dare to start a war with Tuyuhun at this time!"

Batu Wu said this solemnly, but quickly changed the subject, saying, "However, I still want to remind you, Prince, we are in the capital of the Tang Dynasty after all. You still need to be careful, otherwise you will end up like Fu Zhen."

"What are you afraid of!"

Before Batouwu could finish his words, Murong Shun interrupted him unhappily and said with gritted teeth:

"If you hadn't mentioned my uncle, I would have almost forgotten this blood feud. When I marry the Tang Dynasty princess, I will definitely take revenge on the Tang Dynasty tenfold, a hundredfold, otherwise I will never be able to get rid of the hatred in my heart!"

"But….."

"Ah, I understand your caution, and I also know Father Khan's mission!"

Seeing that Batou was about to remind him again, Murong Shun interrupted him impatiently and said to himself, "However, our intelligence seems to be wrong. We can no longer trust that useless King Yue!"

"Yes, if it weren't for that useless King Yue, our plan wouldn't have been exposed, and the people of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans wouldn't have been slaughtered!"

"Then what plans does Father Khan have for the next step?" Murong Shun asked seriously.

Batou glanced at him, and then said solemnly:

"The Khan means that the most urgent task now is to unite Goguryeo, Western Turks, Japan, and the other 29 countries, and at the same time put pressure on the Tang Dynasty to facilitate Tuyuhun's goal of marrying a Tang princess. As for the rest, we will see how the situation develops!"

"But I heard that Tubo also wants to marry a Tang princess. If the Tang emperor agrees to Tubo, then I, Tuyuhun..."

"Ah!"

Bato sneered and said, "Songtsen Gampo of Tubo is so busy taking care of himself right now, how could he possibly be able to ask for a Tang princess? He's just preparing a wedding dress for us!"

"Oh?" Murong Shun's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, I'm the only one who can marry the Tang princess?"

"Of course. You are the Khan's most cherished prince. Besides you..."

"Prince! The Tibetan Grand Councilor Lu Dongzan requests an audience!"

Before Batou could finish his words, a report came from outside the door.

When Murong Shun and Batou heard the report, they were slightly stunned and then looked at each other.

But then Murong Shun asked in confusion: "Why is he here?"

"Maybe something happened?"

Batou frowned, then made a quick decision: "Ignore him for now, listen to what he says, and then decide how to deal with him!"

"it is good!"

Murong Shun responded and quickly had Lu Dongzan brought in.

"Lu Dongzan has met the Tuyuhun prince!"

"Haha, Da Lun, you're too polite. I wonder why you're here to see Xiao Wang?"

"this."

Lu Dongzan looked at Batou hesitantly, then smiled and said:

"To be honest, Prince, I just spoke to the Minister of Rites about marrying a Tang princess. As soon as he agreed to help me, the Crown Prince of Tang invited me to watch some military exercises. It's such a kind invitation that I can't refuse!"

"What did you say?"

Murong Shun was shocked when he heard Lu Dongzan's words: "You said that the Minister of Rites has agreed to help you marry a Tang princess?!"

"Yes!"

Lu Dongzan nodded with a smile, and suddenly something resonated in his mind, saying, "I heard that the prince is also planning to ask for the Tang princess's hand in marriage. I wonder how the situation is..."

"This"

"Excuse me, there's no conclusion yet!"

Just as Murong Shun was about to answer Lu Dongzan, Bato Wu quickly interrupted, "Actually, we don't know the outcome either. However, I'm quite interested in the military exercises that Dalun mentioned. Could you explain to me what military exercises are?"

"Well…."

The corner of Lu Dongzan's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself that this Batou was indeed an old fox!
However, since he couldn't get any information out of Murong Shun, he didn't intend to provide him with any useful information, so he laughed and said, "The so-called military exercises are just some military formation drills, nothing special!"

As he spoke, his eyes turned and he looked meaningfully at Murong Shun and the other two, saying:
"Speaking of military formation drills, it seems our armies aren't much worse than the Tang army, right?"

"This"

Murong Shun and the other two were obviously stunned when they heard this, but they quickly reacted.

This statement implies a verbal alliance.

So he laughed and said that what he said made sense.

However, just as they were about to discuss further, a voice rang out from outside the door: "According to the order of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, the Tuyuhun envoys are specially invited to observe the Tang Dynasty's military exercises outside the city!"

"this….."

The three of them looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.

Soon, they left the room together.

Walking out of the room with them were the Goguryeo envoys Li Siyuan and Gao Yanshou, the Japanese envoys Soga Shizuka, Inugami Ota Kuwata, Yakushi Eri, as well as the envoys from Western Turkic and envoys from twenty-nine other countries.

Although they had more or less guessed Li Chengqian's purpose, they had seen the Tang Dynasty's army before, and no matter how powerful the military formation was, it was just a drill.

When the real fighting starts on the battlefield, it is still unclear who will win or lose.

After all, the Tang Dynasty had to face not just one country, but multiple countries.

Therefore, they did not take this "military exercise" seriously.

On the other side, after a long period of awkward silence, Li Shimin finally couldn't help but speak.

But he said solemnly: "What exactly did you mean by the demands you made to the twenty-nine countries earlier? And those two conditions? Why did you let them use our currency?"

"Before answering your question, I would like to ask you a question first. Is the Tang Dynasty short of copper?" Li Chengqian asked calmly.

Although he still didn't want to pay attention to Li Shimin, he had to answer the questions raised by Li Shimin.

Because he will still need Li Shimin's cooperation later.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's not just the Tang Dynasty that's short on copper. The Sui Dynasty, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and even the Han Dynasty all suffered from a copper shortage. This is because China itself is short on copper, and coupled with the widespread use of copper weapons during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, many copper mines were mined out."

"As a result, during the Tang Dynasty, there was naturally a shortage of copper. In fact, not only copper, but also gold and silver."

"I didn't expect that Father knew so much."

Li Chengqian laughed and teased Li Shimin, then changed the subject: "But what father said is correct. China is indeed short of copper mines."

"Since you know that my Tang Dynasty is short of copper, why do you still let those states use my Tang Dynasty's currency?" Li Shimin asked with a stern face.

Li Chengqian smiled, then took out a silver note and continued, "The coins I'm talking about aren't copper coins, but silver notes!"

"What!?"

Li Shimin was surprised and couldn't help asking, "You want them to use this kind of paper as currency?"

"Yes, is there any problem?" Li Chengqian asked with a smile.

The problem is big!

Li Shimin rolled his eyes at Li Chengqian, looking at him as if he were a fool, and asked, "What makes you think they will agree to let you use this kind of paper as currency?"

"Because this piece of paper can be exchanged for corresponding copper coins, or gold and silver!"

"What do you mean?"

"For example, this piece of paper, which is also a silver note, has a face value of one string of coins. I can use it to exchange for one string of coins at a bank. In this case, does your Majesty still think it is just a piece of paper?" Li Chengqian asked with a smile.

"This"

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then looked at Empress Changsun involuntarily.

Empress Changsun also showed interest and asked, "My son, are you planning to use these banknotes to exchange for an equal amount of gold and silver from foreign countries?"

"Hahaha, mother is still smart!"

Li Chengqian threw his head back and laughed heartily. Then, with great interest, he said, "The Tang Dynasty silver notes are a new type of currency, unique in the world. Once other countries begin to accept this currency, the Tang Dynasty can demand that the silver notes be exchanged for an equal amount of gold and silver. This will require other countries to send their gold and silver to the Tang Dynasty before issuing them an equal amount of silver notes."

"I see."

Li Shimin seemed to understand and said excitedly, "In this way, it is equivalent to us exchanging a pile of paper for countless gold and silver from them."

"Not bad!"

"Hahaha! Great!"

When Li Shimin thought about the wealth from various countries that would continue to flow into the Tang Dynasty, his cheeks suddenly turned red with smiles.

But compared to him, Empress Changsun seemed quite calm.

Empress Changsun then said thoughtfully, "Although my son's idea is good, there is one thing I'm still unclear about. What if they use the silver notes to exchange for a large amount of gold and silver in the bank?"

"Don't worry about that, mother. All banks in the Tang Dynasty have exchange limits. You can't just exchange as much as you want."

Li Chengqian explained with a smile, "Furthermore, once the Tang Dynasty begins using silver notes, the imperial court will immediately require all foreign nations to use only silver notes in future transactions with the Tang Dynasty."

"In this way, the silver notes in their hands become liquid foreign exchange. Apart from using foreign exchange to trade with the Tang Dynasty, they have no other way."

"As soon as they start circulating silver notes in their country, their prices will definitely rise. Sometimes a silver note worth one guan of silver will be worth more than one guan of silver. In other words, whoever speculates on silver notes first will profit."

"So in this situation, what does the mother think they will do next?"

"This"

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's explanation, Empress Changsun's pupils shrank noticeably.

Because the increase in silver note prices that Li Chengqian mentioned is inevitable.

After all, the copper coins shipped back from the Tang Dynasty by foreign countries are more valuable than the Tang Dynasty copper coins themselves.

By the same token, the value of the silver notes they brought back from the Tang Dynasty was naturally higher than the value of the Tang Dynasty silver notes themselves.

So, once it becomes profitable to speculate on silver notes, the next situation that countries will face is that their citizens will frantically exchange Tang Dynasty silver notes until all the gold and silver in the country are exchanged.

Thinking of this, not only Empress Changsun, but even Li Shimin couldn't help but gasp.

vicious!

It's so cruel!
If he was not their own son, Li Shimin and Empress Changsun really wanted to stay away from him.

The farther the better.

"Cheng Qian."

"Father, Queen Mother, the barbarians fear power but not virtue. There is no need to pity them!"

Li Chengqian said calmly, then slowly stood up and looked towards Chang'an City: "They are coming!"

(End of this chapter)