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

On the second day after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, after returning to Ganlu Palace after the morning court session, he ordered people to summon Zhangsun Chong and the generals of the former Prince's Mansion Army in Beijing to come to the palace to see him.

"Your Highness, your subjects, bow to the Emperor and wish His Majesty good health." Everyone knelt down and saluted.

"I am fine." Li Chengqian glanced at the people below the stairs and said no more, reading the memorial by himself.

They knelt for a long time, but Li Chengqian didn't ask them to stand up. They were all puzzled. They looked at each other, then raised their heads to look at Li Chengqian.

"How dare you look up at the emperor without the emperor's permission? Do you want to assassinate the king?" Li Chengqian pretended to be angry.

Everyone was stunned. When did the Tang Dynasty have such a rule?

"Saint, when did you add this rule?" Yuchi Baolin wondered.

"Just added. Since you don't follow the rules, I will make the rules." Li Chengqian said with expressionless face.

"Why are we not following the rules? We are following the rules for meeting the emperor set by the Ministry of Rites." Cheng Huailiang scratched his head in confusion.

"What was our original rule? Have you forgotten?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Uh-, king and subject in front of people, brothers behind others. Oh my god, just because of this, you make us kneel until now. Dalang, you are not polite." Li Zhen said dissatisfiedly.

"Oh! Who was the first to be rude?" Li Chengqian said.

"This guy, he even saluted incorrectly. Everyone, get up." Chang Sun Chong stood up, patted his clothes, and said speechlessly.

"Da Lang, if you have anything delicious, bring it out quickly." Yuchi Baolin said carelessly. The group of people didn't care about anything and sat down casually. Yuchi Baolin and Cheng Huailiang even crossed their legs and swayed back and forth proudly.

"Hey! Why do I feel that I should talk to you guys, you bunch of bandits, about the rules of the court." Li Chengqian sighed and held his head. Then he ordered the palace servants to serve tea and snacks.

"We are living bandits, and you are the bandit leader. My brother-in-law, now that you have ascended the throne, you should at least give us more rewards. Why are you so stingy that you only gave us one year's salary?" Ashina Heluohu pretended to be dissatisfied.

"That's right." Chang Sun Chong echoed.

"I say, big guys, is that a year's salary? Do you know how much your annual salary is? My goodness, when you were in the Prince's Mansion Legion, although you were only officers below the third rank, your annual salary was a level higher than that of the generals of the same level.

Besides, didn’t I give you all honorary titles?” Li Chengqian said speechlessly.

"Tsk, it's still a scratch." Ashina Falcon said.

"Then what do you think is not stingy?" Li Chengqian asked with a smile.

"At least he should be granted the title of Duke, or Prince of a County. At the very least, he should be given an extra ten years of salary." Chang Sun Chong said jokingly.

"Sure, we're brothers, so it's easy to discuss. But I also have conditions." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"Come here, drag these murderers who came here to cause trouble early this morning out and give them 100 lashes. If you can still breathe after the beating, I will satisfy you."

Li Chengqian knew that this group of people were not dissatisfied, but were just looking for trouble. If he continued to argue with them, there was no telling when it would end, so he decided not to reason with them.

"Oh my god, are you serious? Stop it, I'm going to give you 100 lashes. We're done if you hit us halfway." Li said in shock.

"Then why are you still making trouble? Humph, counting the candles? They won't light up if you don't light them.

Okay, let’s get down to business. I called you this time because I have something to tell you.

The Prince's Palace Corps has been reorganized into the Imperial Royal Guards, with an expanded organization and a larger number of personnel. I mean, Li Dejian will be the Grand General of the Imperial Guards.

The Flying Dragon Army remains at 5, with Qin Huaiyu as the main general and Liao Siyuan as the deputy general. The Black Tortoise Army is expanded to 5, with Yuchi Baolin as the main general and Liu Yizhou as the deputy general. The Flying Wing Archer Cavalry is expanded to 5, with Cheng Huailiang as the main general and Shazha Zhongyi as the deputy general. The Turkic Wolf Cavalry remains unchanged. The Shenji Army has the same generals and is expanded to 10. The Flying Diao Army remains unchanged.

In this way, the total number of the Imperial Guards is 30. Again, the Imperial Guards, like the Prince's Palace Legion, will follow the elite route.

Brother Rengui was transferred to Youweiwei and appointed as the general.

My cousin, you still have to take on the responsibility of being the commander of the Imperial Guards. Later, you will be appointed as the chief official of the three ministries. However, you will first be appointed as the Zhongshu Province, and become the Zhongshu Shilang to learn government affairs.

How about it, do you have any objections?" Li Chengqian said.

"We all listen to Dalang. We do whatever Dalang tells us to do." Yuchi Baolin said indifferently.

"Wait, why is there no arrangement for Zhici? Is Dalang planning to let Zhici stay in the Western Regions for the rest of his life?" Chang Sun Chong asked with a frown.

"How can that be possible? Once the situation in Tubo is stabilized, I will transfer Zhici back to Beijing. Zhici's future stage will be the political stage of our Tang Dynasty. I will reserve the position of chief of three provinces for him." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"Oh, and Ah Long and Ah Hu will serve as the commander and deputy commander of the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards."

After the important matters were arranged, Li Chengqian invited a few people to have dinner in the palace. They ate together when there were no outsiders around, and the atmosphere was still as chaotic as usual.

At the same time that Li Chengqian ascended the throne, Songtsen Gampo was sitting alone in the dark hall of the Tubo Palace, drinking alone. At this time, Songtsen Gampo was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was gray at such a young age.

Since the Jinyiwei carried out the "base" operation, terrorist incidents have occurred one after another in cities within the Tubo territory. The people of Tubo are in panic, and production and life have been greatly affected.

Songtsen Gampo was stubborn and refused to bow to Li Chengqian, which led to his beloved concubine, Nobu, eventually dying in a coma. Songtsen Gampo was worried that Li Chengqian would really draw a picture of Nobu and spread it around the world. Therefore, he ordered Nobu not to be buried as a concubine, but to be treated as an ordinary maid, and refused to acknowledge Nobu as his concubine.

In the present Tubo, not only the ministers of Tubo were often assassinated, but Songtsen Gampo himself also encountered many assassination attempts, although none of them succeeded. However, this also caused Songtsen Gampo to become more and more suspicious and irritable. He often cursed and executed people around him. Now Songtsen Gampo was like an irritable wolf, suspicious and cruel.

At this time, the main hall door opened and Dugu Wuwang walked in. Seeing Songtsen Gampo's haggard appearance, Dugu Wuwang sighed. Then he walked up to Songtsen Gampo and said.

"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. Tubo still needs your leadership to regain its glory and defeat the enemy, the Tang Dynasty."

"Teacher, do we still have hope? Under the leadership of Li Chengqian, the Tang Dynasty is becoming increasingly powerful. The country has a vast territory, a large population, and an army with unparalleled combat power.

As for Tubo, we now have less than 3% of our territory left. Li Chengqian's sabotage has put our Tubo in a state of panic all day long. The army has just suffered a defeat and morale has not recovered. Our national strength is far inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty. Our strength has been far behind that of the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, Tubo has two traitorous wolves, Suobei and Yangtong, on both sides, and 30 Tang troops in front of us. "Teacher, do we still have hope of recovering our territory and defeating the Tang Dynasty?" Songtsen Gampo said dejectedly.

"Your Majesty, why are you so dejected? Although our Tubo is in decline, our essence is still there, and there are still 30 troops for Your Majesty to command.

Moreover, I now have a strategy that can compete with the Tang Dynasty." Dugu Wuwang said.

"Oh? Teacher, do you have any good advice for me?" Songtsen Gampo asked excitedly after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, do you know the two countries of Kamarupa and Pala?" Dugu Wuwang asked.

"Kamarupa has always been a neighboring country of our Tubo. Isn't Pala a newly established country in India? It is also a neighboring country of our Tubo." Songtsen Gampo frowned.

"Five years ago, Bahubali, the prince of Pala, emerged and led his army across India.

Is Bahubali the same evil person as Li Chengqian? No one in Tianzhu can stop him. Now the Pala Kingdom has unified Tianzhu and changed its name to the Mughal Empire. "Dugu Wuwang said.

"What does this have to do with Tubo?" Songtsen Gampo frowned.

"Your Majesty, please listen to me patiently. When Pala first established its country, didn't it come to our Tubo to ask for help? The old king was kind-hearted and pitied him. He agreed to send troops and food to help him establish his country because of his humble attitude. After that, the relationship between the two countries has always been close.

My old minister’s strategy is to borrow troops from that country to attack the Tang State.” Dugu Wuwang said with a smile.

"Will the Mughal Empire lend us troops easily?" Songtsen Gampo said.

"The government of the Mughal Empire is now in the hands of Prince Bahubali, who is as ambitious as Li Chengqian and also claims to be the best in the world like Li Chengqian.

I, the old minister, will go to the capital of the kingdom, Huashi City, to encourage him with words and promise him a generous gift. I think Bahubali will be tempted." Dugu Wuwang said with a smile.

"It will probably be difficult to defeat the Tang Dynasty just like this," said Songtsen Gampo.

"According to my advice, we should divide our troops into several groups to deal with the Tang Dynasty.

The first route is for me to go to the Mughal Empire and Kamarupa, offer them generous gifts, and persuade the two countries to send troops to join forces with Tibet, and then Tibet will attack the Tang Dynasty.

The second way is to persuade the Western Regions to rise up against the Tang Dynasty. The Western Regions have always been fence-sitters. As long as my army gathers, the Western Regions will see that my army is strong. If I bribe them with gold and silver, the Western Regions will definitely rebel.

The third route is that the Shiwei and Mohe tribes in the northeast of the Tang Dynasty have always refused to obey the Tang Dynasty's control, and the living conditions of the tribes are difficult and the people are brave. As long as we promise to give them all the land in the northeast of the Tang Dynasty after defeating the Tang Dynasty, they will definitely send troops to help.

The fourth route was the Hedong County Prince Li Chengde, the third son of Li Jiancheng, the hidden prince of the Tang Dynasty. He had always hated Li Shimin and his son. In addition, Li Chengqian attacked the aristocratic families, and the aristocratic families also hated Li Chengqian.

Although the aristocratic families are not as powerful as they used to be in recent years, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

We sent someone to contact Li Chengde and ordered him to contact the aristocratic families to start a rebellion. After the rebellion is successful, we can promise to support him to become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

These four routes will cause wars to rage all over the Tang Dynasty, with internal and external troubles. No matter how strong the Tang Dynasty is, no matter how evil Li Chengqian is, he will inevitably fall into trouble.

Li Chengqian would be busy putting out fires everywhere and would be completely powerless to stop our army from attacking. Our army would crush the Tang Dynasty's Western Region military forces at the fastest speed with the momentum of a mountain pressing down on them.

Then we can attack the Tang Dynasty eastwards and force it to cede territory and pay compensation for peace. We can even move into the Central Plains and directly annex the Tang Dynasty.

In this way, the shame of your majesty, this old minister, and Tubo will be completely washed away." Dugu Wuwang said confidently.

"Okay, if this plan succeeds, no matter how powerful Li Chengqian is, he will be defeated by me. Li Chengqian, this Zamp will cut you into pieces and avenge the previous humiliation." Songtsen Gampo was in a good mood when he thought of Li Chengqian being tortured to death by him.

"Teacher, if this strategy succeeds, it will all be your credit. You will be the greatest meritorious minister of Tubo. When the time comes, whatever piece of land in the Tang Kingdom you take a fancy to, no matter how big it is, I will give it to you. I will also make you a king." Songtsen Gampo said excitedly.

"Your Majesty, I am grateful for your grace." Dugu Wuwang said with a smile.

"Teacher, I will entrust this matter to you with full authority." Songtsen Gampo said with a smile.

"I accept your command." Dugu Wuwang clasped his fists and said seriously.

After Dugu Wuwang left the hall, Songtsen Gampo, who had been smiling, suddenly turned gloomy.

"Send someone to closely monitor Lun Xi and keep detailed records of his missions and daily life. Also, all the palace servants inside and outside the palace will be secretly executed today, and what happened today must not be leaked to anyone.

By the way, how is the arrangement of the secret shelter that Ben Zamp arranged for you to find secretly going?" Songtsen Gampo asked, looking at the wine glass in front of him.

"Reporting to the Zanpu, we have purchased a manor near Baghdad, the capital of the Arab Empire, and have secretly transported the large amount of property that Your Majesty ordered to be hidden in the manor." said the servant of the Eunuch Camp in the shadows behind him.

"Well, very good. Three days later, the prince will be secretly sent to the manor. The prince will use the name of Aimeni in the Kingdom of Daqin in the future. Tell the prince's teacher who accompanies him to always teach the prince to be law-abiding. If Tubo is gone, he must not harbor hatred towards the Tang Dynasty and seek revenge.

Go and do your job." Songtsen Gampo said.

"As you command, Your Majesty." said the servant from the Eunuch Camp, and then fell silent.

“Gongsong Gongtsen, your father can only do so much for you. If Tubo is gone, I hope you can live a happy and smooth life just like how your father gave you the name of the Kingdom of the Caliphate.” Songtsen Gampo said softly, and then his face turned grim.

"Li Chengqian, I, the Zanpu, will fight you one last time with all my might. If I lose, I will die and thank my ancestors. At least we will have Gongsong Gongzan to continue the bloodline of the Tibetan royal family."

"Come here, convey the order of this Zamp. This Zamp has been feeling dizzy and weak in his limbs recently. From now on, all state affairs of Tubo will be entrusted to Prime Minister Lun Dugu Wuwang. Prime Minister's words are my orders, and no one in Tubo shall disobey." Songtsen Gampo said loudly.

"Teacher, don't blame me for being cruel. Li Chengqian is too evil, and I really don't have confidence in him. If I win, I will keep my promise and make you king.

If you lose, you will bear all the responsibility for Tubo. Tubo cannot perish in my hands." Songtsen Gampo said, looking out the door.

Dugu Wuwang brought a large number of gifts to the Mughal Empire and Kamari, told the plan to the King of Kamari and Prince Bahubali, the crown prince of the Mughal Empire, and promised them valuable gifts, thus gaining the support of the two countries.

He also sent secret envoys to the Western Regions, the Shiwei and Mohe tribes in the northeast of the Tang Dynasty, and also promised them generous gifts and asked them to send troops to help.

He also sent people to the Tang Dynasty to contact Li Chengde, the third son of Li Jiancheng and the Prince of Hedong, and told him the plan, and promised that after the success, he would guarantee that he would become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

After thinking about it, the various forces saw that Dugu Wuwang's plan was so powerful and had so many people, so the success rate was not small. In addition, the benefits were so tempting, so they all agreed to set a time and start the uprising at the same time.