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

On the night when Li Chengqian ordered the burning of Pyongyang, Wu Qianyuan, also known as Li Fujie, sent Yeon Gaesomun to the Tang camp. Li Shimin ordered Yeon Gaesomun to be brought into the imperial tent, and Wu Qianyuan carried the sleeping Yeon Gaesomun into Li Shimin's imperial tent.

Wu Qianyuan entered the imperial tent and saluted on one knee.

"Your servant, Wu Qianyuan, the commander of the Imperial Guard, pays respect to our emperor and my lord."

"Haha, please stand up quickly, Mr. Wu. You have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty again. Just tell me what reward you want. I will not be stingy." Li Shimin smiled with great pleasure.

"If the lord had not given me the opportunity, how could I have avenged my family's hatred? The lord has been very kind to me, and I can only repay the lord's kindness with my own life, and do my best for Your Majesty, for the lord, and for the Tang Dynasty.

"I don't deserve the reward from the saint for my contributions. If we talk about merit, it's still you soldiers who have made the greatest contributions, I don't dare to be greedy for the credit." Wu Qianyuan said with a smile, clasping his fists.

"Qianyuan, you have twice penetrated the enemy camp and provided intelligence to the Tang Dynasty in the tiger's den. You have perfectly completed the tasks I assigned to you twice. Although you have not fought in the battlefield, your contributions are no less than those of other generals.

I have asked my father to personally write the title of "King of Secret Spies" for you when we return to Beijing. I will also have someone carve it on a pure gold plaque for you. I will allow you to hang it high in the hall to show your achievements and bring glory to future generations.

Qianyuan, when you return to Beijing after this mission, you will be trained as a secret agent in Jinyiwei, and spend more time with your family in the future. You have suffered for me and the Tang Dynasty in the past few years. "Li Chengqian walked over, took Wu Qianyuan's hand and said softly.

Wu Qianyuan was so moved that he cried and knelt down.

"I am willing to die for my lord."

"A pure gold plaque alone is not enough. Jinyiwei commander Wu Qianyuan, please listen to my orders." Li Shimin said with a smile.

"Jinyiwei Commander Wu Qianyuan, kneel down to receive the imperial edict." Wu Qianyuan prostrated himself and said loudly.

"Jinyiwei Commander Wu Qianyuan entered the tiger's den twice and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty in pacifying the Eastern Turks and Goguryeo. He also personally captured the Eastern Turkic Khan Jie Li and Goguryeo's Molizhi Yuan Gaisu Wenxian under his tent. His contribution is very great and must be rewarded.

"I confer the title of Marquis of Gaoling County on Wu Qianyuan, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and the title of the Crown Prince's Secretary. I confer the title of the fifth-rank Lady of Haoming on his wife Ashina Baozhu. I reward her with 100 taels of gold, 1,000 pieces of silk, and 10,000 strings of cash," Li Shimin said, stroking his beard.

"I obey the imperial edict and thank God for his grace." Wu Qianyuan kowtowed.

At this moment, Yeon Gaesomun woke up slowly, rubbed his swollen head, and said with squinted eyes.

"Brother, where are we?"

"Molizhi, you are already in my grasp." Li Shimin said with a smile.

"Li Shimin?" Yeon Gaesomun opened his eyes in shock when he heard this.

"You are a prisoner, yet you dare to call me the name of the great Tang saint." Li Chengqian went up and slapped Yeon Gaesomun. He bled from his mouth, spat out two of his back teeth, and his right face swelled up. Yeon Gaesomun covered his face and saw Wu Qianyuan looking at him with a smile, and said in disbelief.

"Li Fujie, I treated you well, but you betrayed me."

"Oh, it's this sentence again. The Eastern Turkic Khan Jie Li said the same sentence when I captured him. Is there anything new in this?" Wu Qianyuan sighed.

"You captured Jie Li of the Eastern Turks? Who are you? No, you are Li Chengqian's secret spy Yin Zitan." Yeon Gaesomun said in surprise.

"I am neither Yin Zitan nor Li Fujie. I am Wu Qianyuan, the commander of the Jinyiwei under my lord. I am also the Marquis of Gaoling County of the Tang Dynasty, the Prince's Secretary, and the king of secret spies of the Tang Dynasty, who was just conferred by your majesty.

I am following the order of my lord to carry out the "destroy the sticks" plan. Li Fujie is just a pseudonym given by my lord, Li Fujie, Li Tang Fujieli. "Wu Qianyuan said with a smile. Li Chengqian saw that Yeon Gaesomun was puzzled when he heard the "destroy the sticks" plan, and smiled.

"You will die knowingly. The so-called 'destroying the Bang' plan is that in the seventh year of Zhenguan, I ordered Wu Qianyuan to disguise himself as a wealthy businessman and hide in Pyongyang under the cover of business. I ordered him to use money to make friends with the Goguryeo dignitaries, especially you, Molizhi Yeon Gaesomun.

Then they planned to assassinate you to gain your trust, and at the same time put the blame on the former King of Goguryeo, Gao Jianwu, and took the opportunity to stir up conflicts and hatred between you and Gao Jianwu. Then they instigated you to stage a coup and kill the king, so as to provide an excuse for the Tang Dynasty to send troops to Goguryeo.

After I led the troops into Liaodong, Wu Qianyuan took the initiative to ask for orders to go to Baekje. He persuaded King Mu of Baekje to unite with Goguryeo by saying that Baekje could attack Silla without directly becoming an enemy of the Tang Dynasty. After Goguryeo repelled the Tang army, they would jointly destroy Silla with Baekje, and after that, all the land of Silla would belong to Baekje.

Baekje had been at odds with Silla for generations, so seeing the opportunity to annex Silla, they would naturally agree to send troops to attack Silla. In this way, the Tang Dynasty would have an excuse to annex Baekje.

Oh, by the way, I also arranged for the Jinyiwei in Pyongyang to secretly escort you, the fourth prince of Goguryeo, out of the city. The end of the plan was that you, the fourth prince of Goguryeo, cried and shouted that you wanted to give Goguryeo to my Tang Dynasty.

But you probably can't see it. And this is just the first stage of my plan to 'destroy the sticks'. So, how is my plan going? "

"Li Chengqian, you are so insidious. You have plotted against Goguryeo and Baekje. I only ask for death, but please let my family go." Yeon Gaesomun said.

"Oh, that won't do. The family must be together. I have surrounded Pyongyang like an iron barrel. Once the fire is out tomorrow, I will tie up all your family members and bring them here. After we completely pacify the southern part of Goguryeo, I will send your family to apologize to the former Goguryeo king Gao Jianwu." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

Yeon Gaesomun's eyes widened when he heard this, and he cursed Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand. Wu Qianyuan ordered the warriors outside the tent to knock Yeon Gaesomun unconscious and drag him out, and he bowed and left.

After Wu Qianyuan left the imperial tent, Li Shimin came over, stroking his beard, grabbed Li Chengqian's ear and pretended to be angry.

"Rebellious son, why didn't your father know about the "destroy the sticks" plan? Your father is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and you made a secret spy operation plan without consulting your father. You are so bold. When Wu Qianyuan secretly reported that Baekje had sent troops, you pretended to be fine. You are so bold.

You have deceived two countries at once. You are so calculating. Also, what is the second phase of the "destroy the Bang" plan? Do you want to destroy Silla? Rebellious son, give your father an explanation, otherwise watch your ass."

"Aye, stop pulling, it hurts." I asked Wu Qianyuan to persuade Baekje to send troops to attack Baekje only after I arrived in Youzhou. I didn't tell Aye because I was afraid that Aye would disagree.

The second stage is naturally to annex Silla. Goguryeo and Baekje have been destroyed. How can Silla live? He is embarrassed, but I am not. "Li Chengqian broke free, rubbed his ears, and said with a grin.

"What are you talking about? Goguryeo and Baekje were destroyed, so Silla should die? You are a prince, but you are also a bandit. Besides, why wouldn't your father agree to expand the territory for the Tang Dynasty?" Li Shimin smiled and stroked his beard.

"Huh? Hasn't Father always been kind and tolerant to foreign vassal states? How could Father agree to such a thing of scheming against vassal states and plotting against the state? Oh my god, old man, are you pretending to be kind and tolerant?" Li Chengqian said in surprise.

"Go away. As the ruler of a superior country, your father should be kind and tolerant to foreign vassal states. But your father is also the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the founding general of the country. How could your father not like to expand the territory?

If you have such plans again, remember to tell me, or I will make you slap your ass. Okay, go back to your tent, I need to rest. "Li Shimin kicked Li Chengqian and laughed. Li Chengqian nodded and left the imperial tent. Seeing Li Chengqian leaving the imperial tent, Li Shimin laughed heartily.

"Haha, Guanyin, the son you gave birth to for me really comforts me and makes me overjoyed. This is how a son should be. With my son, my Tang Dynasty will surely prosper."

On the second day, Li Chengqian ordered Xue Li and Li Dejian to lead an army each to sweep the remaining cities of Goguryeo. The remaining cities of Goguryeo surrendered, and Yuan Jingtu, seeing that there was no chance of victory, fled to Japan by boat with his family, personal soldiers and looted property.

Li Chengqian also ordered his men to enter Pyongyang and kidnap all of Yeon Gaesomun's family members, and beheaded them in front of the Goguryeo king and his ministers and the people of the city.

Before his death, Yeon Gaesomun shouted: "Li Chengqian, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost." Yeon Gaesomun was beheaded, his eyes wide open, and he died with his eyes wide open.

After Li Chengqian executed Yeon Gaesomun's family, he returned to the tent and saw Zhuge Fu waiting inside.

"My lord, Gao Ao came to me this morning and asked me to ask you when the Tang Dynasty can enthrone him as the King of Goguryeo." Zhuge Fu stood up and bowed.

"Zhici, no need to be polite, sit down and talk. Ah Yun, pour a cup of tea for Zhici." Li Chengqian said. Yu Moyun brought a cup of tea, and Zhuge Fu hurriedly stood up and said.

"How dare a subordinate trouble the Sixth Lady?" When Yu Moyun heard the title of Sixth Lady, her face turned red and she retreated happily.

"Gao Ao wants to ascend the throne and become king? Today, he was ordered to execute the entire family of the enemy who killed his father, but instead of taking revenge with his own hands, he was thinking about the throne. Humph, Gao Jianwu really gave birth to a good son." Li Chengqian sneered.

"Zhici, we can now proceed with the last step of the first phase of the 'Plan to Destroy the Sticks'. Please take a moment to have a good talk with our Fourth Prince. Oh, and bring Wang Lianghe, that old poisoner. If the Fourth Prince doesn't know what's good for him, Wang Lianghe has a way to make him obey.

Also, you should immediately send a pigeon to Changsun Chong, instructing him to start the second phase of the "Eliminate the Sticks" plan as planned." Li Chengqian said.

"Don't worry, my lord. I and Envoy Wang will make the Fourth Prince understand and hand over Goguryeo to him. I'll take my leave." After Zhuge Fu took his leave and left, he found Wang Lianghe, and the two of them came to the Fourth Prince's tent.

Zhuge Fu entered the tent alone. After a while, a fierce quarrel and arrogant curses were heard from the tent. After a while, Zhuge Fu came out with a dark face and said angrily.

"Damn it, you ungrateful thing. How dare you curse the saint and the lord. Wang Zhenfushi, come here."

"Hehe, he is so bold that he even dares to curse the lord. I originally thought of not making things too difficult for him, but I didn't expect him to be so manly. I have to try whether he is a real man or a fake one." Wang Lianghe sneered.

Zhuge Fu heard Wang Lianghe's sneer and felt a chill for no reason. Wang Lianghe waved his hand, and several Jinyiwei followed him into the arrogant tent.

After a while, Gao Ao screamed in the tent. Zhuge Fu curiously opened the curtain and walked in. He saw Gao Ao was stripped naked and hung up, and the Jinyiwei was whipping him.

"I say, Governor Wang, do you want to force him to surrender by torture?" Zhuge Fu frowned.

"How can that be possible? If he has to be forced to surrender by torture, what is the point of my presence here, my lord? Besides, torture is a lowly practice and I disdain to do it," said Wang Lianghe.

"What does this mean?" Zhuge Fu asked puzzledly.

"Master Zhuge, you don't know that any prisoner who enters our Jinyiwei must be whipped three times first. This is the rule of Jinyiwei." Wang Lianghe said with a smile.

"I am not a criminal, I am the fourth prince of Goguryeo. You, the Tang Dynasty, promised to help me ascend the throne, but you broke your promise and even wanted me to surrender my country and completely annex Goguryeo. Tang thieves, I would rather die than obey you. Li Chengqian, you are insidious and shameless. You are unworthy of being the prince of a great country. You will not die well." Gao Ao shouted.

"Hehe, you are indeed not a criminal. But you dared to curse the lord. If you were not still useful to the lord, I, the Jinyiwei, could skin you alive without asking for permission just because you cursed the lord.

Keep on cursing. If you want to have a taste of being torn to pieces by slow slicing, then keep on cursing.” Wang Lianghe said with a gloomy face.

The Jinyiwei next to him also drew out his embroidered spring sword and glared at him angrily. He looked as if he would cut Gao Ao into pieces if he cursed at him again. Seeing this, Gao Ao quickly shut up and stopped cursing.

"Don't be excited, Fourth Prince. When you came to Chang'an to ask for help, you promised my master that as long as the Tang Dynasty could help you ascend the throne, the Tang Dynasty could ask for anything Goguryeo had, and you would never refuse.

My master only wants Goguryeo to be incorporated into the Tang Dynasty. This request is not too much. As long as you submit your country, the master can guarantee your survival. "Zhuge Fu smiled. Gao Ao turned his head away without saying anything.

"Hehe, Zhuge Changshi, I don't appreciate it. I admire the iron-willed man like the Fourth Prince. Let me experience how hard the Fourth Prince's bones are." Wang Lianghe took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve pocket with a sinister smile. He shook it and continued to smile sinisterly.

"The Fourth Prince is a prince of a country, how can I let the Fourth Prince taste ordinary medicine? This is a new medicine I developed, called 'One Step to Heaven'. This name was given by the Lord. Those who take this medicine will experience two kinds of hallucinations.

One is like entering heaven, where all desires are satisfied and there are beautiful scenes everywhere. The other is like falling into hell, where the fear in your heart is infinitely magnified and everything is gloomy and terrifying. In the last second you see a fairy, and in the next second it turns into a man-eating demon. The two hallucinations appear alternately until you have a mental breakdown.

As the saying goes, heaven is only one step away from hell, one step to heaven and one step to hell. The name bestowed by the lord is very appropriate. How about it, please taste it, Prince Four. "As he said this, Wang Lianghe stuffed the pill into Gao Ao's mouth. After a while, the effect of the medicine took effect. Gao Ao giggled for a while, showing joy on his face. Then he screamed miserably, showing fear on his face, and the whole person seemed to be possessed by evil spirits.

After two incense sticks, the effect of the drug ended, and the arrogant spirit suffered a great blow. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes, and he was completely depressed. Wang Lianghe smiled.

"How is it, Fourth Prince? Are you enjoying it? I have many more interesting new medicines waiting for you to taste."

"No, no. I agree to the petition. Please don't torture me anymore." Gao Ao shouted in horror.

"Hmph, I thought you had such a strong bone. Now it seems that you are just a piece of cheap bone." Wang Lianghe snorted coldly, and just to be on the safe side, he forced Gao Ao to take the "One Day Ascension Powder".

After Gao Ao learned the power of "One Day Immortal Powder", he had no choice but to submit a petition to Emperor Li Shimin in the name of the fourth prince of Goguryeo and the legitimate heir to the throne of Goguryeo, requesting that Goguryeo be incorporated into the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin refused. Gao Ao submitted another petition with earnest words, but Li Shimin refused again.

This time, Gao Ao knelt directly in front of Li Shimin, hugged Li Shimin's thigh, and cried for surrender. He said that the annexation of Goguryeo to the Tang Dynasty was a blessing for the people of Goguryeo, and that Goguryeo was willing to be a slave, just asking the Tang Dynasty to annex Goguryeo. Gao Ao cried and thought: I have to do this, Li Chengqian, that sinister guy, didn't give me the "One Day Immortal Powder" today.

Li Shimin was deeply impressed by Gao's sincerity, so he issued an edict to divide Goguryeo into 42 states and 100 counties, and moved a large number of Goguryeo people to the south of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, and also moved Tang people into Goguryeo.

Baekje was divided into 37 states and 250 counties. The Andong Protectorate was established in Pyongyang, with Li Jing as the Inspector of Andong Protectorate and Su Dingfang as the Inspector of Andong Deputy Protectorate, with 100,000 troops to pacify Goguryeo and Baekje.

At the suggestion of Li Chengqian, Li Shimin changed the title of King of Shu Li Ke to King of Goryeo, with Goguryeo and Baekje as his fiefdoms. He built a palace in Pyongyang to manage the military and political power of Goguryeo and Baekje. Li Suli, the Sima of the Yangzhou Grand Military Governor's Office, took over as the Protector of Anbei.