Tang Dynasty: The Holy Prince, the Dragon that Reigns Over the World

Li Chengqian received a pigeon message from the Xuanwu Army and hurried to Li Shimin's tent. As soon as he entered the tent, he saw Feng Deyi, Li Jing, Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Hou Junji and others in the tent. And he didn't expect Kong Yingda to be there too.

Li Chengqian stepped forward, folded his right hand on his left hand, and looked down, with his head and hand in proportion (the relationship between the emperor and his subjects in the Tang Dynasty was harmonious, and the emperor and his subjects generally did not kneel down). He leaned over and said, "Chengqian greets father (in the Tang Dynasty, the titles of "father emperor" and "mother queen" were just the screenwriters' fabrication, and the princes of the Tang Dynasty would never address their parents like this in person)". Then he said to everyone present with the courtesy of a junior, "Junior Li Chengqian greets all the elders." Then Li Chengqian walked in front of Kong Yingda and said to Kong Yingda with the courtesy of a disciple, "Student greets teacher." Seeing that Li Chengqian was courteous and polite, everyone stroked their beards with satisfaction on their faces.

"Dalang looks happy, but is there any good news?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

"Father, I just received a letter from the Xuanwu Army via carrier pigeon. The Xuanwu Army wiped out the 2 invading Turkic cavalry, and Dieluozhi escaped alone. None of our troops were killed in action, and those who were slightly injured will not affect the combat." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"5000 infantrymen against 2 cavalrymen? Not a single casualty was caused, and they were completely wiped out. First, the Feilong Army of 1 fought against 15 and won a great victory. Now the Xuanwu Army has won a complete victory. The army under the command of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is indeed brave." Li Jing smiled, stroking his beard.

"Brother Yao, how is my nephew?" Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and said with satisfaction. Changsun Wuji and his sister lost their father when they were young, and depended on each other for survival. They were raised by their uncle Gao Shilian. They were friends of Emperor Taizong of Tang when they were commoners, and later became relatives by marriage. Naturally, he liked and valued his sister's eldest son very much.

"Hey, I'm talking about Changsun Dalang (in the Tang Dynasty, close friends could call each other by their surnames plus their rankings, for example, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Li Longji could be called "Li Sanlang"). I know you like Dalang very much and treat him as your own son. But I am Dalang's father, okay? As a father, I'm not even proud, so why are you so proud? Is Qian'er your son or my son? If you want to have one yourself, go and have one." Li Shimin said with pretended dissatisfaction.

"That's right, your son. My nephew is so outstanding, I can't be proud of him. Your Majesty is being petty. Your Majesty is the true dragon emperor, and only your Majesty can give birth to such a unicorn child. Is your Majesty satisfied?" Changsun Wuji rolled his eyes and said. Everyone laughed when they heard it.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the emperor and his ministers got along well with each other, and Li Shimin was very open-minded. The emperor and his ministers often joked with each other, so Li Chengqian was no longer surprised by such scenes.

"Your Highness doesn't know. Before Your Highness came in, Shubao received a battle report. Just yesterday, Shubao, together with Cheng Zhijie, Xu Shiji, Chai Shao and Qu Tutong, defeated the Yegu and Tongluo tribes outside Wucheng and killed 5000 enemies. The Yegu and Tongluo tribes have fled. And the reinforcements of Prince Hejian will arrive within three days." The Minister of War Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

"That's good." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?" Li Jing asked with a smile.

"Negotiation of peace!" Li Chengqian said without hesitation.

"Oh? Before I came to Beijing, I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince strongly advocated war and was a staunch advocate of war. Now that our army has won victory after victory, why should we negotiate peace?" Li Jing asked with a smile. The others also looked at Li Chengqian.

"Uncle Pharmacist and all the elders, you want to test Qian'er. I advocated fighting in the beginning to tell the people of the world not to lose the blood of the Han people. I advocated fighting and went to the battlefield in person to let the world know that the royal family of the Li family is willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the safety of the people.

At the same time, from the beginning, I planned to use war to promote peace and hurt the Turks so that they would not underestimate the Tang Dynasty, and thus make the Turks withdraw at the lowest cost.

Although our army has won victory after victory, the soldiers are tired and the losses are heavy. Although the enemy is defeated, it still has 13 troops. Moreover, the Turks did not come out in full force this time. If our army continues to fight with the Turks, it is unknown whether the Turkish reinforcements will come in large numbers.

Secondly, the Turks are all cavalrymen, while our dynasty has few horses and cavalrymen. The Turkic cavalrymen are very mobile and can fight everywhere. If our army cannot wipe them out in one blow, the Turks will cause trouble everywhere in our territory.

The most important thing is that my father has just ascended the throne, and the court and local forces have not yet recovered. If this war cannot be settled as soon as possible, I am afraid that the scoundrels will take advantage of it to cause chaos in the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, this war took place within our territory, and our losses were greater than those of the Turks.

In short, our army cannot afford to fight the Turks now. However, if we kill 7 elite Turks in this battle, the Turks will be safe for a few years. We can take this opportunity to conserve our strength and wait for the right time to completely eliminate the hidden dangers of the Turks. "After Li Chengqian finished speaking, everyone present looked surprised.

"The political situation, public opinion, enemy and our own situation, and interests and losses are all taken into consideration. The analysis is precise and the planning is far-reaching. The most rare thing is to win a big victory while staying sober. Don't be arrogant when you win, and don't be discouraged when you lose. Your Highness the Crown Prince, at the age of 8, has such a character and insight. I, your Majesty, congratulate you for having such a talented child. Your Highness the Crown Prince is truly a blessing for our Tang Dynasty and for all the people. With Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Tang Dynasty will last forever." Feng Deyi stroked his beard and praised loudly.

"Congratulations to your majesty for having such a wonderful child. May the Tang Dynasty last forever." Everyone present clasped their fists and bowed their heads in congratulation.

"Haha, Master Feng, you are too kind. Dalang is still young and needs your guidance." Li Shimin said modestly, but he could not hide the smugness on his face. At this time, the guards came to report that Jie Li had sent someone to ask the Tang Dynasty to send someone to the Turkic army to negotiate peace, and specified that the chief envoy must be Li Chengqian.

"Jie Li wants to negotiate peace, and he specified that Dalang must be the chief envoy. What do you think?" Li Shimin asked with a gloomy face, leaning back in his chair.

"His brother-in-law Jie Li, unable to defeat the Crown Prince, wants to play dirty tricks. This is not a peace talk, it's clearly a Hongmen Banquet for the Crown Prince. Your Majesty, I request your permission to go and conquer Jie Li." Hou Junji clasped his fists and said loudly. Hou Junji is a complete prince's clique.

"Jun Ji, you must not lose your manners in front of His Majesty." Li Jing frowned.

"Yes, teacher." Hou Junji retreated awkwardly. Hou Junji was once a student of Li Jing.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is the crown prince and the foundation of the country. You should not take risks lightly. Now the Turks are asking for peace. We should send people to argue with them and force them to withdraw their troops. This is the time to show our national prestige. The people we choose should be brave and able to respond to emergencies. I, an old minister, am willing to be the peace envoy on behalf of Your Highness the Crown Prince." Feng Deyi stood up and said.

"Brother Qian, the system has issued a side quest: Go to the Turkic army to negotiate peace, escape safely, and make the Turkic troops withdraw. Success reward: 10 system coins, failure will reduce your lifespan by 2 years. Brother Qian, do you accept it?" Ling'er's voice sounded in his mind.

"Well, it seems I have to go whether I want to or not. Accept it." Li Chengqian thought to himself.

"Da Lang, what do you think?" Li Shimin asked as he saw Li Chengqian lowering his head in thought.

"Go ahead. Since old Jie Li specifically asked me to go, it would be embarrassing if I didn't go." Li Chengqian spread his hands and said.

"Your Highness should not be so reckless. Your Highness is the foundation of the country. How can you take risks just for the sake of face? How is this behavior different from that of a ruffian in the market? I have taught Your Highness: A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Have you forgotten?" Kong Yingda said anxiously.

"Teacher, don't be anxious. Old man Jie Li specifically asked me to go. If I don't go, wouldn't it mean that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is afraid of Jie Li? In this case, how can the face of the Tang Dynasty be saved? How can the face of the Li family be saved? Moreover, I am not afraid when I am surrounded by the Turkic army. How can I be afraid of being an envoy for peace?

In the past, my father once said to General Yuchi: "I hold a bow and arrow, and you (Yuchi Jingde) hold a spear. Even if there are millions of people, they can't do anything to me. Now I sit down with Zidian, holding a purple-gold dragon-howling halberd in my hand and a frost-free belt around my waist. Even if there are millions of people, what do I fear? I have made up my mind, so please don't persuade me anymore." Li Chengqian said with great enthusiasm.

"You are my Li family's offspring. Since Dalang has made up his mind, go ahead. Your father will be waiting for you to come back. Someone bring the Turkish messenger." Li Shimin slammed the table and stood up. Not long after, the Turkish messenger entered the tent. Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back and said sternly:

"Go back and tell your Jie Li Khan that I, the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, will go to your tent tomorrow to negotiate peace. If old Jie Li dares to hurt my son in the slightest, I swear here that even if I exhaust all the power in the world, I will wipe out your entire Turkic clan." The Turkic messenger was frightened and left in a submissive manner.

On the second day, Li Shimin personally escorted Li Chengqian to the gate of the camp.

"My son, you'd better be careful when you go. If things are impossible, you should focus on saving your life. As long as my son is alive, there is hope for the Tang Dynasty. Your father will wait for you to come back. Deng Xiaohu, you must keep my son safe. This is a father's request, please." Li Shimin said.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Anyone who dares to touch my master will have to step over my dead body first." Deng Xiaohu replied while kneeling on one knee.

"Don't worry, father. I'm going." Li Chengqian jumped on his horse and rushed to the Turkic military camp.

"Li Jing, Hou Junji, prepare your troops for battle, follow me out of the camp and wait 10 miles in front of the Turkic camp. Order Li Xiaogong to travel light and meet up with our army tonight. Tell the Flying Dragon Army and the Flying Wing Archer Cavalry that their prince has gone to fight for his life, so let them prepare to fight for their lives." Li Shimin said coldly with a dark face. Soon the army left the camp.