Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

More than ten miles outside Xiangzhou City.

Du He looked at the endless crops on both sides of the official road and suddenly said to Li Chengqian with emotion.

"Your Highness, Xiangzhou and Weizhou are really wealthy!"

“Everywhere you look outside the city, there are flat, fertile fields.”

"If it is a good harvest year with good weather, Xiangzhou and Weizhou alone can easily support an army of hundreds of thousands!"

No wonder the Central Plains has been a place of war since ancient times. Which monarch could give up such a Feng Shui treasure land?

Hearing Du He's inexplicable sigh, Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Du He, do you have something to say?"

"If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't play dumb with me!"

Since he demonstrated his extraordinary command ability, this kid Du He has become more and more fond of playing charades.

I was more straightforward before, saying what I meant and never beating around the bush.

Du He glanced around, then rode his horse closer to Li Chengqian's sedan chair and spoke in a low voice.

"Your Highness, the King of Wei is too ambitious!"

"Although His Majesty has asked him to come to the fiefdom, I suspect the King of Wei will not give up."

"The King of Wei now occupies such a rich fiefdom. If he were to rebel, it would pose a huge threat to you!"

"We have to guard against it!"

After hearing what Du He said, Li Chengqian's originally complacent expression suddenly became solemn.

He had never thought about Li Tai's rebellion.

In the past, the two of them fought openly and secretly for the position of crown prince.

Now Li Tai has been eliminated in advance because of the crime of treason and treason, and Li Chengqian no longer regards him as an opponent.

A moment of silence.

Li Chengqian frowned and whispered, "Du He, as long as our father is on the throne, Li Tai shouldn't dare to rebel, right?"

"After all, Li You's failed rebellion is a wake-up call to all the princes!"

Last March, Prince of Qi Li You rebelled. Before Duke of Yingguo Li Ji could lead his troops to quell the rebellion, he was captured by the troops led by Du Xingmin, the military officer of Qizhou.

Not even a small soldier was willing to rebel with the King of Qi, let alone the generals of the Tang Dynasty.

You have to know that some of the generals who are currently in power in the Tang Dynasty are basically old men from the Qin Palace. To persuade them to support the rebellion, you have to promise them huge conditions.

For example, Li Chengqian himself tried to win over Hou Junji and promised him the position of Grand Marshal, one of the Three Dukes, before he brought Hou Junji on board.

Du He shook his head and said, "Your Highness, although the King of Wei has lost the qualification to compete for the crown prince, his strength has not weakened in the slightest."

"The Jingzhao Wei family, the Du family, the Boling Cui family, and the Anping branch, in addition to these, there are other large and small noble families. Once they unite to rebel, their strength cannot be underestimated."

"In addition to these powerful families, Fang Yiai, Chai Lingwu and others, as well as the family forces behind them, are also a huge hidden danger!"

Seeing that Li Chengqian's expression gradually became stern, Du He continued.

"Now that your majesty is in power, they may not dare to act rashly."

"But once His Majesty dies, what if you, the Crown Prince, take the throne?"

"Without your majesty's deterrence, the King of Wei, who has been managing Xiangzhou and Weizhou for several years or even more than ten years, is a ferocious tiger with fangs and claws!"

Princes like Li Tai who had fiefdoms did not need to pay taxes to the court. All taxes from the fiefdoms belonged to them personally.

As long as these princes can be patient and there are major changes in the imperial court, they can quickly rise up and accomplish great things.

After Du He finished speaking, he saw Li Chengqian lowering his head in deep thought, so he didn't continue.

Li Chengqian still needs to think some things through himself, so that subsequent arrangements and execution will be smoother.

The army didn't know how many hills they had passed, so Li Chengqian turned his head and asked Du He.

"Du He, do you have any measures to prevent Li Tai from rebelling?"

Du He nodded slightly and said, "Your Highness, we should send a large number of spies to Xiangzhou, Weizhou, and Mingzhou to infiltrate every force controlled by the King of Wei."

"As long as they make any move, we won't have to respond passively."

It is difficult to send spies to the Prince of Wei's palace, but it is much easier to send them to these three states.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Du He, let's do as you say!"

"After I return to Chang'an, I will arrange for someone to go to Li Tai's fiefdom!"

Harmfulness is not allowed, and defensiveness is indispensable.

Du He's words touched his heart directly. In order to prevent Li Tai from posing a threat to his kingdom, it was the right thing to do to send people to keep an eye on Li Tai in advance.

Moreover, Li Tai's support was too strong and indeed capable of competing with him.

Seeing that Li Chengqian began to pay attention to Li Tai again, Du He smiled and clasped his fists.

"His Royal Highness is wise!"

...

Nearly half a month later, Li Chengqian and his party finally arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture.

Seeing that they were only a hundred miles away from Chang'an, Li Chengqian hurriedly gave orders to his guards.

"Return to Chang'an immediately and report our itinerary to our father. We expect to arrive at dawn tomorrow!"

"As ordered!"

The personal guards took Li Chengqian's handwritten order and rode away quickly on their war horses.

Li Chengqian slowly turned his head and spoke to Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui and Xi Junmai who were guarding him.

"Generals, you are about to receive your reward. Are you nervous?"

Xue Rengui licked his dry lips and said, "Your Highness, I am a little nervous."

Su Dingfang, Xi Junmai and Qin Huaidao nodded in unison.

"Me too!"

On the way back, they kept imagining in their minds what kind of official positions they would be awarded.

How high a title can one be awarded?

The closer they got to Chang'an, the more excited they became.

Not only these young generals, but also Hou Junji, Li Ji, Zhang Liang, Li Daozon and others, their faces were filled with excitement and anticipation.

Several of them are already in high positions now, and one step further will bring them to the highest position in the country!

Li Chengqian smiled, stroked his beard and nodded.

He then looked at Du He who had a calm expression on his face, and asked jokingly.

"Du He, why don't you have any anticipation?"

"Don't you have confidence in yourself?"

The soldiers around him would secretly smile as they walked, but Du He alone had an uncharacteristically calm face, like a man who had done nothing.

Du He smiled and said, "With the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I believe there will be no problem in pursuing the position. What is there to be nervous about?"

Li Chengqian curled his lips and said, "You are getting better and better at flattering me!"

Although he said this, he felt very happy in his heart.

...

Chang'an City.

Inside the Manna Hall.

Li Shimin was reviewing memorials at his desk when suddenly a eunuch knocked gently on the door.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is expected to arrive at dawn tomorrow!"

"It's finally here!" Li Shimin excitedly threw the memorial in his hand onto the table and ordered the eunuchs, "Immediately notify all civil and military officials above the fifth rank that they don't need to attend the morning court tomorrow. Everyone should follow me out of the city 30 miles to welcome the army!"