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

The news of Li Yuan's death and the failed assassination attempt on Li Chengqian reached Japan. Japan's Grand Minister Soga no Emishi urgently summoned ministers Wazou Jodo and Buyeo Yoshiji to discuss countermeasures with Emperor Shumei in Asukaokamoto Palace.

"Gentlemen, I have called you here this time to inform you of two pieces of news and to discuss countermeasures. Ichiro Fujikawa and his six demon men failed in their attempt to assassinate Li Chengqian, and all of them were killed. The other is that the old emperor of the Tang Dynasty has passed away." Soga Emishi said.

"What? The assassination attempt by the greatest ninja group in Great Japan actually failed. Did the news leak out, and did Li Chengqian make preparations in advance?" Grand Councilor Hojo Ikki asked in surprise.

"Your Excellency, the news has not leaked out. According to the report from my loyal servant, I took great pains to sneak into the restaurant where Li Chengqian and his group were staying. When I learned that Li Chengqian had disguised himself and left the city with only a small number of followers to inspect the villages outside the city, I immediately reported the information to Your Excellency Fujikawa Ichiro and his six ghosts. After Your Excellency Fujikawa Ichiro learned about it, he ordered them to disguise themselves as villagers and let Your Excellency Ghost Demon Princess lure Li Chengqian, and then surround and kill him.

I, a loyal servant, hid in the dark and witnessed the whole process. The plan went smoothly at first, and Li Chengqian faced the siege alone. But for some reason, Mr. Fujikawa Ichiro and his six demons did not take action until Li Chengqian's four subordinates returned.

As soon as the two sides fought, the six ghosts were killed by Li Chengqian's subordinates, and Lord Fujikawa Ichiro was killed by Li Chengqian in one blow. In my opinion, the assassination failed because Lord Fujikawa Ichiro and his six ghosts underestimated the enemy. "Buyu Yici said regretfully. At this time, Fuyu Yici thought with extreme contempt and ridicule in his heart.

"It's a tiny place, not even as big as Goryeo. With a population of one or two million, what powerful people can come out of it? The so-called First Ninja Group, with a great reputation, is just a bunch of chickens and dogs. They were wiped out by Li Chengqian in one encounter. What a lousy level. Goryeo is a land of outstanding people and countless heroes of literature and martial arts, but they still couldn't beat Li Chengqian.

Little Japan, if I didn't rely on you to help me restore my country and become the King of Goryeo, I wouldn't bother with you little dwarfs. Only our Goryeo people are the best in the world. When I become the King of Goryeo, you little dwarfs will have to bow down to me. "

Yuan Jingtu had the same idea. He curled his lips in disdain. When the two looked at each other, they saw disdain flashing in each other's eyes. They instantly felt a sense of mutual appreciation and a feeling of meeting a bosom friend. Then they returned to normal.

"If the assassination fails, will Li Chengqian be angry and raise an army to attack?" said Councillor Ono Jiro.

"It shouldn't be. The Tang people value filial piety the most. According to the Tang etiquette, when the old emperor passed away, the civil and military officials and all the people were not allowed to have fun within 100 days, and they were not allowed to slaughter animals within 49 days. The people of the country were not allowed to marry within one month. They were not allowed to take exams, serve as officials, or go to war within three years.

The Tang Dynasty adheres to Confucianism and emphasizes etiquette. Li Shimin and Li Chengqian have always been filial to the world and will never go to war during this period. Moreover, the civil and military officials, scholars and common people of the Tang Dynasty will not support it. "Yuan Jingtu said.

"Moreover, this is the best time for Great Japan to attack Goryeo. During the period of national mourning for the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty is busy with national mourning, its military preparations are relaxed, and its defenses are weak. This is the best time to attack." Left Minister Soga Akae said

"Your Excellency Jingtu and my dear nephew Aka are right. This minister also wants to launch a war against Tang during the period of national mourning and conquer Goryeo in one battle." Soga no Emishi stroked his beard and nodded.

"Your Excellency the Grand Minister and everyone, have we underestimated the Tang Kingdom? The Tang Kingdom cannot fight foreign wars during the period of national mourning, but that does not mean it cannot fight back. We are not fully prepared yet." Right Minister Soga Ishikawamaro said worriedly.

"I fully agree with what Your Excellency the Right Minister said. Can we win if we start a war in a hurry?" Emperor Shumei also said worriedly.

"Your Majesty, Ishikawa Maru. This is a golden opportunity from heaven, how can you let it slip away so easily? How can you achieve great things if you are so hesitant and timid?

"Our Great Japanese army is ready to fight at any time. Amaterasu will surely bless our Great Japanese army to win the battle and defeat Goryeo. Your Majesty, Ishikawa Maro, please stop saying such cowardly words that will shake the morale of our army." Soga no Emishi said in a dissatisfied voice. Soga no Ishikawa Maro and Emperor Shumei were both angry, but they could do nothing.

"Ah! Your Majesty, Mr. Right Minister. The situation is now critical and we have to shoot. We failed to assassinate Li Chengqian, and Li Chengqian must be resentful. Once the Tang Dynasty's national mourning is over, Li Chengqian will use this as an excuse to attack. Instead of waiting for Li Chengqian to attack, we might as well strike first. At least the initiative is in my hands." Yuan Jingtu sighed.

"Your Majesty, the Right Minister need not worry too much. When I return to Goryeo, I will raise my arms and call on the people of Goryeo to resist the oppression of the Tang Dynasty, form an army to fight against the Tang Dynasty, and restore the rule of our kingdom.

By then, all the people of Goryeo will respond and join the army to help. The Tang army will be trapped in the vast sea of ​​Goryeo people and be attacked from all sides. This battle will surely be a great victory. "Buyu Yici said confidently.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, Prince Uija of Buyeo can call on the people of Baekje to resist the Tang. I can also call on the people of Goguryeo to join the army and help.

The population of our Goguryeo people is much larger than that of Baekje, and we will surely make a great contribution to the Great Japan's conquest of Goguryeo. Moreover, our Goguryeo has many talented people, loyal ministers and famous generals. I can lead these people to command the Goguryeo coalition forces and assist the Great Japan army in the battle. "Yuan Jingtu said anxiously.

"Yoshi, Mr. Buyeo Yiji, Mr. Yuan Jingtu. Great Japan will never forget the contributions you have made to it. Once we win the war in Goryeo, Great Japan will surely help you two to restore your country and become kings. If you two agree to the conditions of Great Japan, please fulfill them when the time comes." Soga no Emishi said with a smile, stroking his beard.

In fact, in Soga no Ezo's plan, once Japan occupied Goryeo, these two people would become puppet kings, and all military and political affairs would be controlled by Japan, especially by his confidants of Soga no Ezo. Once Soga no Ezo controlled Goryeo, he could wait for the right opportunity to overthrow the emperor and replace him.

"Then where should we choose as the landing point and how should we fight?" asked the famous Japanese general Atumihara.

"Please bring the map. I have a plan, please tell everyone." Fuyu Yici smiled. Soga no Emishi ordered the map to be brought.

"My plan is: before the army goes to war, His Excellency Yuan Jingtu can call on the Goguryeo army and civilians to rise up against the rule of the Tang Dynasty. The palace of Li Ke, the Goguryeo king of the Tang Dynasty, is in Pyongyang. If the Goguryeo army and civilians start a rebellion everywhere in Goguryeo, the Goguryeo Tang army will be in trouble, and Li Ke will be too tired to deal with the wars everywhere. Moreover, his own safety will be threatened, and Li Ke will definitely order the Goguryeo Tang army to return to Pyongyang to quell the rebellion.

In this way, our army can take advantage of their unpreparedness, capture the mouth of the Xiongjin River, and capture Xiongjin City along the Xiongjin River. After entering Xiongjin City, we will immediately call on the old people of Baekje to rise up in resistance. Our Baekje righteous army will gather in Xiongjin City to prepare for a major battle and cooperate with the Japanese army to recapture Baekje.

After conquering Xiongjin City, the Japanese army went down the river, entered the Baishui River, and captured Zhouliu City. Zhouliu City is located on the left bank not far from the upper reaches of Baijiang River, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the water on one side. The terrain is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Our army can get sea support from the headquarters through Baijiangkou, so it can rely on the danger to hold on, and it can be used as a rear base for our army.

At that time, the Tang army was busy dealing with the rebel forces in various parts of Goguryeo and had no time to take care of Baekje, and the local army was temporarily unable to support Li Ke in time. In this way, our army could easily conquer Baekje.

After Baekje is recovered, the Baekje righteous army and the Great Japanese army can split their forces into two groups, with the partial army attacking Silla and the main army entering Goguryeo to join forces with the Goguryeo righteous army to jointly recover Goguryeo. "Buyeo Yici said confidently.

"Well, Yoshi, Mr. Buyeo Yoshiji's plan is very much to my liking. What do you think, Atumihirafu?" Soga no Emishi said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"I agree with Mr. Buyeo Yici's plan." Atumihara nodded.

"Very good. In this case, let's follow the plan of Mr. Buyeo Yici. Order the formation of a Goryeo combat base camp. This minister will be the general of the northern expedition, and the left and right ministers will be deputy generals to lead all matters related to the northern expedition to Goryeo.

Atumihara was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Goryeo expeditionary force, and Abehirafu, Hata Raitsu, Yuan Jingduo and Buyeo Yici were appointed as the deputy commanders-in-chief of the Goryeo expeditionary force. The Japanese army and the Baekje and Goguryeo rebels fighting in Goryeo were all under the command of the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force.

Yuan Jingtu immediately mobilized the old people of Goguryeo to rebel against the Tang Dynasty. He ordered Atanhirafu and Abehirafu to gather troops to form a 5-man Goryeo expeditionary force. He asked the newly surrendered Ainu people to send 2 troops to join the expeditionary force. Qintian Laijin gathered 5 local troops as the rear army, ready to enter Goryeo to support the expeditionary force at any time.

He ordered Di Jingbinglang and Park Shitian to lead 5000 troops to the expeditionary vanguard. After the old people of Goguryeo rose up and the Tang army returned to defend Pyongyang, he immediately sent troops to Baekje.

At the same time as sending troops, we should announce to the world that Tang, relying on its own strength, bullies vassal states, invades vassal states on trumped-up charges, and kills loyal ministers. It also forces vassal princes to surrender their country and murders the heirs to the vassal throne. We, the great Japan, cannot bear to see our country suffer such disasters, so we have decided to raise an army to help our country recover. We hope that Tang will repent and withdraw from Goryeo as soon as possible.

Gentlemen, this battle is related to the prosperity and decline of our great Japan for a hundred years. I hope you will fight bravely. Please." After Fuyu Yici gave the order, he bowed.

"Hi." Everyone in the hall nodded and said loudly.

"Please ask the Emperor to issue an edict according to my subordinates." Buyeo Yici turned around and said lightly.

"Okay, Your Excellency the Grand Minister, I will issue the decree right away. I'll have to trouble Your Excellency the Grand Minister with this battle." Although Emperor Shumei was extremely angry in his heart, he could only say with a smile.

Soon, Japan's plan to invade Goryeo and what everyone said in the palace that day were transmitted back to the Tang Dynasty by the Jinyiwei spies without any change.

"Oh, the Japanese can't sit still. However, if I were the Japanese, I would also choose to attack Goryeo at this time.

Look, my cousin, both Buyeo Yici and Yeon Jeongdo want to become the King of Goryeo. One directly speaks as the future ruler of Goryeo. The other indirectly says that Baekje is small and far less powerful than Goguryeo, and Goguryeo should be in charge of the overall situation of Goryeo.

Tsk tsk, they really take themselves seriously. But they didn't expect that they are now just stray dogs, living under someone else's roof. How can Japan let them get what they want and really help them restore their country? Humph, they are just a dog raised by Japan.

But then again, Buyeo Yici does have some strategic vision." Li Chengqian said with a smile while holding the secret report.

"It's useless. If you know the detailed plan, they will die if they come, right?" Chang Sun Chong said disdainfully.

"Hey, you can't say that, cousin. They will die whether they come or not. Humph, they took advantage of the mourning period to invade our Tang Dynasty. If I don't beat them to their knees and beg for mercy, they are very capable." Li Chengqian sneered.

"My lord, do you have a plan?" Zhuge Fu asked.

"Yes, I'll tell you about it and you can discuss it. This is my plan. Since Japan wants to use the internal strife of Goguryeo to tie down the forces of the Andong Protectorate and capture Baekje as a base for them, then we should satisfy them.

Order the Jinyiwei to closely monitor all parts of the former Goguryeo, and where there are rebels, record the leaders, the number of people, and the trajectory of the rebellion in detail. Send a message to Kedi, ordering him to make it look like a large army is urgently returning to defend, and gather the troops. However, leave 2 people to be led by Su Dingfang to enter Silla secretly. I will send a letter to Sundeok to let him go.

I guess the scale of Goguryeo's rebellion will not be too large, and it will be fought everywhere without a unified command. With my brother's ability, Duke Ying's skills, and the cooperation of the Jinyiwei, leading 8 people, it should be easy to deal with the Goguryeo rebellion.

Tell brother Ke that as long as Goguryeo is preserved, I will deal with the Japanese expeditionary force in Baekje. At the same time, tell Su Dingfang in a secret letter that in addition to dealing with the Japanese attack, we must also find ways to consume the manpower of Silla in order to prepare for stationing troops in Silla and completely controlling Silla in the future.

He ordered the various units of the Prince's Office Army to finish their seaside training. The Xuanwu Army and the Feilong Army were ready to land on the Japanese mainland. He ordered the King of Hejian to be the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Expedition and Xue Li to be the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Expedition, and to lead 5 naval forces, 7 Prince's Office Army, and 8 land forces in Yangzhou, Chuzhou and other places to wait for orders and attack Japan at any time.

Isn't the Shenji Army's equipment ready for service? Is the artillery in training? Let the artillery battalion go with them and train on the battlefield. Damn it, the training fee is too expensive, let them train like the Japanese.

Li Dejian was appointed as the general commander of the army supporting Gao, and Li Chongyi, the prince of Hejian, was appointed as the deputy general commander and the commander of the fleet of the army supporting Gao. The army supporting Gao consisted of flying wing archers, Turkish wolf cavalry and flying mink troops.

After the Japanese expeditionary force enters Goryeo, it will attack Baekje by sea. I expect that if the Japanese expeditionary force suffers a slight defeat, it will send troops from its homeland to support it.

Tell Li Chongyi that I will give him the newly built gunboat. But once the order to stop reinforcements is issued, if he lets a Japanese weapon or a soldier land, I will let Uncle Wang of Hejian spank him. How is my plan?

Oh, by the way, order my brother Ke to evacuate the people of the Tang Dynasty to the safe area around Pyongyang as much as possible under various reasons.

Tell my brother Ke that I don’t mind if more Koreans die, but if more Tang people die, I will beat their butts to pieces.” Li Chengqian said.

"My lord, you can do this." Zhuge Fu said.

"No problem, but you actually plotted against your future child's kingdom. You are really unique.

Poor Shan De still has you in his heart, you really are. How do you put it, to a scumbag, a complete super scumbag. "Chang Sun Chong said contemptuously.

"Get out of here. I'm a scumbag? What's wrong with being a scumbag for the sake of the Tang Dynasty? I have the ability to be a scumbag, but can you, you wife slave? One is willing to be a scumbag, the other is willing to be scumbed. Don't you accept it?" Li Chengqian said with a shameless face.

"Okay, I admire you. You have such a thick face that you are unmatched in the world." Chang Sun Chong gave a thumbs up in admiration.

"No problem, let's start." Li Chengqian said with satisfaction.

"We will follow the orders of our lord." Zhuge Fu and Changsun Chong clasped their fists and loudly accepted the order.