Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

In order to please Gao Yang, Fang Yiai bought this poem from somewhere. No one knows where he went.

Du He said confidently: "Don't worry, Yi'er, no one can compare to your husband in stealing poems."

"What do you mean by stealing poems? Isn't it about writing poems on the spot?"

Li Yi pouted and said with a puzzled look on his face.

My husband is so frivolous, talking nonsense again.

"Uh uh, I just slipped my tongue." Du He smiled awkwardly, then gently held her hand, and said confidently, "Yier, don't worry, I, your husband, will never lose."

Stealing poems does not sound sophisticated enough. How can a scholar use the word stealing to describe it?

That should be borrowed.

Changing the way of saying it makes it sound a lot more comfortable and elegant.

...

Time flies by and it is already July.

As Li Chengqian and Li Tai were busy with their own affairs, their followers also became obedient.

There was no tit-for-tat fighting or mutual provocation, and the court was filled with harmony.

Suddenly, a loud shout broke through the tranquility of Chang'an, instantly causing a huge sensation.

"Eight hundred miles urgent report!"

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

On Zhuque Street, eight armored Tang army soldiers were galloping along on their horses.

The soldiers on horseback shouted loudly, reminding pedestrians in the middle of the road to get out of the way.

This is different from Du He's behavior when he rode a horse in Chang'an City.

The soldiers who were forced to rush for 800 miles were allowed to ride their horses within the city of Chang'an, and if civilians were knocked down on the road, they would be the ones who would be punished in the end.

The crime of missing a military opportunity is unbearable for not only civilians but also officials.

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

The people on the street hurriedly dodged to the sides, not daring to block the road.

After the cavalry left quickly, the people on the street gathered together and whispered to each other with curiosity on their faces.

"It's been a while since we've had any urgent news from 800 miles away. Could it be that another alien race has invaded our borders?"

"I think that's probably the case, otherwise there wouldn't be a rush report for such a small matter."

"Is there going to be another war?"

"We didn't enjoy a few years of peace and stability before frequent wars began again."

"Alas, in the end it is us ordinary people who suffer."

The people present were talking about it, and from their words it could be heard that they were extremely fed up with the war.

A middle-aged woman with a big mole at the corner of her mouth spoke in a loud voice.

"Who says it's not true? Two idiots from my neighbor's family, one died in Tibet, and the other died in East Turkestan."

"Now I am left with only a widowed mother at home. When I die, there will be no one to see me off to the grave."

After hearing what the middle-aged woman said, the people around her fell silent.

This is not an isolated case; many families in the Tang Dynasty were like this.

The same goes for this group of people, many of whose sons died on the battlefield.

Shortly after the messenger entered the palace, Li Shimin sent more than a dozen people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs out of the palace.

Soon, Prime Minister Zhangsun Wuji, Minister of Works Fang Xuanling, Special Adviser Li Jing, Minister of War Li Ji, Minister of Personnel Hou Junji and a number of other civil and military officials all walked into the palace in a hurry.

Inside the Liangyi Hall.

Civil officials and military generals sat on the left and right, passing a military newspaper among them.

At this moment, apart from the sound of breathing, no other noise could be heard.

The atmosphere was extremely serious.

After the military reports had been circulated, Li Shimin finally spoke slowly.

"Yingzhou Governor Zhang Jian said in the military report that Goguryeo has joined forces with Baekje to attack Silla, and has already captured more than ten cities."

"The route from Silla to Tang was also blocked by Goguryeo and Baekje, leaving Silla with nowhere to turn for help."

"My dear ministers, please tell me what you think."

Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla were located in the northeast of the Tang Dynasty. They were all vassal states of the Tang Dynasty and had been paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty for nearly a decade.

Now that the three younger brothers are having a dispute and fighting, Datang, as the big brother, cannot just sit back and do nothing.

After a moment's silence, Fang Xuanling spoke first.

"Your Majesty, Goguryeo's territory spans the peninsula and the vast Liaodong Plain. Agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry are very developed. This is a major hidden danger that must be eliminated."

"Especially last year, Goguryeo's great leader No Yeon Gaesomun staged a palace coup, killed King Go Geonmu, and installed puppet Go Jang as the new king."

"Yeon Gaesomun proclaimed himself the ruler of Goguryeo and completely took control of the military and political power of Goguryeo, becoming the actual ruler behind the scenes."

"This attack on Silla was also initiated by Yeon Gaesomun. He is extremely ambitious. If we let him develop, he will become a powerful enemy of the Tang Dynasty in the future!"

Da Duilu and Molizhi are both names of official titles in Goguryeo. Da Duilu is equivalent to the prime minister in the Tang Dynasty, and Molizhi is equivalent to a combination of the Minister of War and the Minister of the Central Secretariat.

When Yeon Gaesomun killed the king and became regent last year, Li Shimin wanted to send troops to deal with him, but he was delayed because of the rebellion of Prince of Qi Li You.

I didn't expect Yeon Gaesomun to have such great ambitions. He was not satisfied with controlling Goguryeo and now wanted to annex Silla.

Zhangsun Wuji also expressed his own opinion: "Your Majesty, Silla is a loyal vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. Now it is in danger. If we do not respond, then the other vassal states will follow suit and no longer obey the control of the Tang Dynasty."

"Besides, what Fang Sikong said is very correct. Goguryeo is very powerful. The three expeditions by the previous dynasty all ended in failure. If we sit back and watch its power grow, it will definitely affect the safety of our Tang Dynasty in the future."

Once Goguryeo conquers Silla, it will turn around and take down Baekje and completely unify the entire peninsula.

Goguryeo, without any worries, is a man-eating tiger.

Next, Li Jing, Li Ji, Hou Junji and others expressed their willingness to send troops to resolve the Goguryeo issue.

They are generals who lead troops, and the best place to perform meritorious service is on the battlefield.

As the saying goes, one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers!

As for issues such as national treasury resources and people's livelihood, they are not within their consideration.

When it comes to the issue of Goguryeo, it is rare for civil and military officials to reach a consensus.

"Ah."

Li Shimin nodded slightly and continued, "Since everyone has unanimously decided to attack Goguryeo, let's talk about how to fight this war?"

"When is the best time to fight?"

Goguryeo is a tough nut to crack!

If there is no thorough preparation, resulting in a battle failure or a stalemate, it will drag down the national strength of the Tang Dynasty and easily drag it into the abyss.

By then, the people will be living in poverty, which will trigger class conflicts and lead to the same old path as the Sui Dynasty!

The ministers considered for a while, and Fang Xuanling expressed his personal opinion first.

"It's already July. It will take at least three months to deploy troops, collect food and other preparations for the war. That means we can't send out troops until October at the earliest."

"In October, the weather in Goguryeo was already extremely cold, and the weather became even more severe as the mountains were covered with snow."

"If we conquer Goguryeo this year, our soldiers will have to fight in the ice and snow, and food supply will also be a big problem."

"Therefore, I think it would be best to send troops in the early spring of next year when the ice and snow melt."

Fighting a war requires the right time, place and people. You can't win the battle by just acting rashly or gathering your troops and charging in head-on.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty had the initiative in dealing with Goguryeo.

When you are ready, you can pick it up.

No rush at all.

Li Shimin turned his gaze to the others: "Do you have any different opinions?"

The other ministers looked at each other and bowed.

"We agree with what Fang Sikong said, and we will send out troops in the spring of next year!"

In Li Shimin's think tank, all combat plans have always been formulated by Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

After Du Ruhui's death, Fang Xuanling was basically the one who came up with all the advice.

Whether it is Li Jing or Li Ji, most of these military generals are only responsible for combat execution.

Although Changsun Wuji could also come up with some ideas, Fang Xuanling was the main force most of the time.

"Okay!" Li Shimin nodded seriously, and then said: "Since the time for sending troops has been set, let's talk about how to fight!"