Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Fang Xuanling, Li Jing and Du He nodded, then followed the eunuch to the Liangyi Hall.

In the main hall.

In addition to Li Shimin with a solemn expression, Li Chengqian, Zhangsun Wuji, Ma Zhou and Xu Jingzong were also sitting inside with serious expressions.

The Eastern Palace, the Ministry of Palace Affairs and the Ministry of Central Secretariat are closest to the Liangyi Palace, so it is normal for them to arrive first.

The three of them walked to the middle of the hall and bowed.

"See Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Sit down."

His tone sounded somewhat helpless and tired, completely lacking his usual dominance.

After everyone sat down, Li Shimin asked the eunuch to show everyone the battle report, and he spoke in a complicated tone.

"Due to Yang Sixun's negligence in defense, the army was ambushed by the Western Turks, resulting in 2 casualties!"

"Cheng Zhijie's troops have retreated to Yanqi to rest and recuperate. Their morale is extremely low, and they won't be able to launch a new attack on the Western Turks in the short term."

"Everyone, tell me what to do!"

He now feels very regretful.

If Li Ke had not been sent to attack the Western Turks, Zhang Shigui would not have been injured. With the cooperation of Zhang Shigui and Cheng Yaojin, the Western Turks would not have succeeded in their sneak attack.

Hey!

It's too late to say anything now!

Fang Xuanling was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, I suggest that Duke Lu be given an additional 5 troops and horses, so that we can conquer the Western Turks before winter arrives!"

"Now that the Tang states have been defeated one after another, Chang'an no longer needs so many troops stationed there."

The Tang Dynasty had more than 20 million civilians and could recruit a million-strong army at any time.

It’s just that the Tang Dynasty does not want to engage in excessive military expansion, and has only recruited 50 troops at present.

At present, 25 troops have been sent out to fight, 10 troops have been stationed in the prefectures and counties around the Tubo territory, and 5 troops have been stationed around Tuyuhun and Gaochang.

Apart from a small number of government troops left behind in various counties and prefectures, there were still 7 troops guarding Chang'an.

Changsun Wuji's eyes turned and he followed up with what he said.

"Your Majesty, the morale of Duke Lu's troops is low. In addition to sending more troops to support them, we must also dispatch a powerful general!"

"As long as a brave general leads his army to capture the main force of the Western Turks and deal with them, it will definitely boost morale!"

After hearing what Changsun Wuji said, Du He and Li Chengqian looked at each other.

This old silver coin is causing trouble again.

Are there any other brave generals left in Chang'an besides Xue Rengui and Li Junxian?

Moreover, Li Junxian was the commander of Li Shimin's personal guards, and Li Chengqian would definitely not send him away from Chang'an.

The only possibility is to send Xue Rengui out!

Now the people in Prince Jin's Mansion have determined their plan against Li Chengqian and are making preparations in secret.

It is not a good thing to let Xue Rengui leave Chang'an at this time.

Thinking of this, Du He stood up immediately.

He bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, in the battles against the Khitan, Xi, and Xun tribes, I discovered that Cheng Wuting, Xue Wanbei, and Luo Tong were all exceptionally powerful generals, while Li Dejian was a scholar-general who possessed both military and literary prowess."

"Let these four generals lead the troops to support Duke Lu, and we will definitely be able to defeat the Western Turks!"

Ha ha!

This little rascal is quite alert.

But you are still too young!

Changsun Wuji sneered in his heart, then he spoke with a serious face.

"Your Majesty, the current combined forces of the Southern and Northern Courts of Western Turkestan have reached over 40 troops, most of whom are cavalry!"

"I believe that only by sending General Xue Rengui of the Left Cavalry Guard to lead the troops, and bringing along the four brave generals mentioned by Minister Du, can we destroy the Western Turks in one fell swoop."

When Li Shimin heard what Changsun Wuji said, his brows frowned slightly.

The Western Turks were a nomadic people, and most of the men could ride horses. Once they picked up weapons, they could become cavalrymen skilled in archery and horsemanship.

In recent years, the Western Turks have annexed many surrounding city-states, gained a large population, and their strength has increased rapidly.

In addition, the Southern and Northern Courts have united, and now the strength of the Western Turks is much stronger than that of the Eastern Turks.

Without the assistance of a brave general like Xue Rengui, Cheng Yaojin would probably have lost the battle later.

Seeing Li Shimin's expression, Du He and Li Chengqian felt a pang in their hearts.

"Not good!"

Changsun Wuji's old silver coin exaggerated the strength of the Western Turks, which made Li Shimin pay attention to it.

It deserves the name of old silver coin!

Du He was about to speak when Li Shimin suddenly spoke.

"Pass on my orders. Appoint Xue Rengui as the commander-in-chief, and Li Dejian, Cheng Wuting, Xue Wanbei, and Luo Tong as deputy commanders. Immediately assemble 5 cavalry to support Cheng Yaojin!"

"In this battle, Cheng Yaojin will be the commander-in-chief, and Xue Rengui will be the deputy commander-in-chief. Together, we will conquer the Western Turks!"

this...

Li Chengqian, Du He, Fang Xuanling and others did not expect Li Shimin to be so resolute.

However, what Changsun Wuji said was not wrong. Now that Chang'an is stable, it is indeed most appropriate to send Xue Rengui out.

Changsun Wuji's face lit up with joy, and he responded loudly.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The others also knew that His Majesty's order had been issued and it was useless to say anything, so they all stood up and responded.

"According to the order!"

Fang Xuanling, Li Jing and Ma Zhou knew what the Crown Prince and Du He were worried about, but they had no way to persuade His Majesty.

All the powerful generals of the Tang Dynasty have come out, and there is no other suitable person except Xue Rengui.

Besides, His Majesty's considerations are different. He is not worried that the people in Prince Jin's Mansion will launch a palace coup. On the contrary, he is afraid of the power of the Eastern Palace.

The staff of Prince Jin's Mansion do not hold military power, but the people under the Crown Prince all hold military power!

Li Shimin then ordered, "Ma Zhou, you must also draft an imperial decree to dismiss Yang Sixun from his military post and have Cheng Yaojin send someone to escort him back to Chang'an!"

"As ordered!"

Ma Zhou responded respectfully.

The meeting lasted another half hour before ending with Li Shimin's tired tone.

After leaving Liangyi Palace.

Du He and Li Chengqian looked at each other, but they didn't say anything. Instead, they left with complicated expressions.

As for Changsun Wuji, he seemed to be in a good mood.

Du He did not go to the Eastern Palace, but returned to the Ministry of War to wait for the military mobilization order drafted by the Secretariat, and then sent out the tiger talisman.

The Tang Dynasty's tiger talisman was divided into two, half in the hands of Li Shimin and the other half in the hands of the Ministry of War.

Only when the tiger meets the two-in-one condition can it mobilize a large army.

Now Li Shimin ordered generals Xue Rengui, Cheng Wuting and Luo Tong to go to war. Li Shimin and the Ministry of War had to hand over the corresponding tiger talismans to them so that they could mobilize the corresponding troops based on the tiger talismans.

half an hour later

The military mobilization order drafted by the Secretariat had already been delivered to Du He.

After handing over the tiger talisman, Du He said goodbye to Cui Dunli and immediately went to the East Palace to find Li Chengqian.

...

East Palace.

Inside Mingde Hall.

Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "Du He, now that Xue Rengui and Cheng Wuting have been transferred to Western Turkestan, what do you think the people in the Prince of Jin's Mansion will do next?"

"Will they instigate Li Junxian to rebel and hold my father hostage?"

Because the people in Prince Jin's Mansion did not hold military power, Li Chengqian was only worried that they would instigate a rebellion against Li Junxian, the commander of the personal guards.

Du He thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your Highness, the Prince Jin's Mansion's attempt to incite Li Junxian to revolt can only be the final step in their plan."

"I think they'll do the first two!"