Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

Outside the Liangyi Hall, the sunlight shone brightly on the vermilion palace walls and the ground, but it could not shine into Fang Xuanling's heart.

He looked solemn, walked hurriedly, and came to ask to see Li Chengqian with a memorial tightly grasped in his hands.

Upon entering the hall, Fang Xuanling, without further formalities, walked straight to Li Chengqian, who was standing before the throne, and eagerly handed him the memorial, his voice filled with worry: "Your Majesty, the Yanqi have rebelled! They have defected to the Western Turks. The Anxi Governor, Guo Xiaoke, requests that Your Majesty send troops!"

Li Chengqian took the memorial, his deep eyes quickly scanning the words on it. In an instant, a sneer escaped from the corner of his mouth: "Little Yanqi actually wants to profit from both sides between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks, and waver at will?"

"Have they completely forgotten how Gaochang was reduced to ashes by the mighty military might of the Tang Dynasty?"

"The throne of the King of Gaochang still remains with Hou Junji."

He raised his eyes and stared at Fang Xuanling.

"Prime Minister Fang, immediately inform Guo Xiaoke that I have appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Western Province Road Army and ordered him to march westward and completely incorporate Yanqi into the territory of the Great Tang."

"Since Yanqi has betrayed his loyalty, there is no need for him to exist in this world anymore."

"Back then, my father, with a heart of mercy, sent troops to help Yanqi eliminate Gaochang. I never expected that this would be rewarded with such an ugly act of rebellion today."

"How dare they cut off the tribute road? This is truly audacious and unforgivable!"

Fang Xuanling glanced at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression, pursed his lips, and after a moment's hesitation, he softly asked, "Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty is now fully preparing for the great cause of the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo. This is a massive strategic undertaking, and we are pouring all our manpower, material resources, and financial resources into it."

"If we send more troops westward now, won't the battle line be stretched too far, making it difficult to maintain control at both ends?"

"I am truly worried that fighting on two fronts will put the Tang Dynasty in a difficult position and trigger many unpredictable crises."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly, his expression calm and composed, his words overflowing with confidence and arrogance: "Yanqi is just a speck of dust on the Tang Dynasty's path forward, not enough to cause any trouble that would extend the battle line."

"The Tang Dynasty is now at the peak of its power. We have mountains of money and grain, a strong army, and a multitude of talented generals. We are fully capable of dealing with enemies from both the east and the west at the same time."

"What I really need to be vigilant against is the Western Turks. We must not allow them to wantonly expand their influence in the Western Regions and thus threaten the peace of the borders of the Tang Dynasty."

After that, he raised his voice and said loudly: "Lai Xi!"

"Your Majesty!" A young figure dressed in exquisite eunuch attire quickly walked in from outside the hall. He crouched low, with his head lowered, staring at the ground in awe, not daring to make any presumptuous moves.

This was the eunuch that Li Chengqian had recently carefully promoted, specifically to replace Zhang Ananda so that he could convey imperial orders more smoothly inside and outside the palace and serve the emperor wholeheartedly.

Speaking of this eunuch, he was also a loyal follower of Your Majesty. It was he who castrated himself and sneaked into the palace to become a eunuch, which is how the news of Li Shimin's fake death spread.

Li Chengqian compensated him and didn't want him to continue being a eunuch, but Lai Xi was unwilling.

So the only option is to promote him.

"Go, quickly summon all my cabinet ministers, and also summon Qin Ruzhao, Zhang Xianhuai, Xue Rengui, and Su Dingfang to come to Liangyi Hall to discuss matters immediately."

Li Chengqian ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lai Xi received the order and turned around and left in a hurry.

Nowadays, many capable and battle-hardened generals of the Tang Dynasty have been dispatched to garrison in important locations in all directions to ensure the stability of the Tang Dynasty's territory and the peace of the people.

Therefore, the number of military generals remaining in the court is slightly smaller than in previous years.

Like Li Ji, although he was in his prime at the age of fifty, he was experienced and had extraordinary fighting ability, and was a capable candidate for the expedition.

But having Li Ji accompany his father, Emperor Li Shimin, might be more in line with the current overall situation than letting him fight on the battlefield, and it would also make Li Shimin feel much happier.

Seeing Li Chengqian's confident attitude, Fang Xuanling still had some worries in his heart, but he gradually understood the general direction of the situation.

It seems that if nothing unexpected happens this year, the Tang Dynasty will embark on a journey of fighting on two fronts at the same time.

However, he also knew that the Tang Dynasty today was no longer comparable to what it was two years ago.

After two years of recuperation, the Tang Dynasty achieved a qualitative leap in all aspects.

Whether it is the strong reserve of military forces, the abundant granaries of food and fodder, the excellent and sharp weapons, or the loyalty and cohesion of the people, they have all reached an unprecedented level.

Not to mention starting a war on two fronts, even if eight armies were launched simultaneously to conquer all directions, the Tang Dynasty would have enough confidence and strength to deal with it calmly!

"Come on, serve tea to Prime Minister Fang." Li Chengqian ordered softly.

……

After receiving the imperial edict, everyone did not dare to delay for even a moment. They quickly packed their luggage and rushed to the palace.

Soon, they gathered outside the Liangyi Palace.

Li Chengqian and Fang Xuanling were leisurely sipping tea, the aroma of tea rising in the air.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly to signal everyone to take a seat quickly.

After everyone was seated, a row of palace maids came in one after another and poured a cup of fragrant tea in front of each person with light and skillful movements.

"My dear ministers, I have summoned you here today because the Tang Dynasty is about to go to war again. Therefore, I need you all to gather together to carefully discuss the battle strategy. We will seek a foolproof plan and ensure that wherever the Tang army flag flies, it will be a place of victory."

Li Chengqian slowly glanced at the crowd.

"Look here! This is the report from Anxi Governor Guo Xiaoke. That little Yanqi dared to brazenly rebel against the Tang Dynasty and join the Western Turkic fold."

As soon as Li Chengqian finished speaking, everyone was stunned, thinking that they had heard it wrong, and their faces were full of disbelief.

Deep in their memory, Yanqi was almost destroyed under the fierce attack of Gaochang. It was the Tang Dynasty that sent troops and flattened Gaochang with thunderous force, allowing Yanqi to survive.

Who could have expected that this tiny Yanqi would dare to repay kindness with enmity and rise up in rebellion?

Everyone looked at each other, and saw shock and confusion in each other's eyes.

For a moment, the hall was silent, with only the sound of people breathing softly.

After a moment, Qin Ruzhao was the first to come back to his senses. He subconsciously reached out and picked up the memorial on the table. The others followed suit and read it carefully with full concentration.

After watching it, everyone's face still had a bit of trance, and it was hard to accept this sudden change.

Is Yanqi serious about this?

Why? Does a Western Turk give them the guts to do this?

"Your Majesty, I beg you to send me to assist General Guo."

"Yanqi is just a tiny country, acting like a monkey. How dare they act so recklessly? I will definitely destroy their nation and their entire race, leaving no one alive!"

Qin Ruzhao suddenly stood up, clasped his fists and saluted, loudly asking for a fight.

He was burning with rage. In his opinion, Yanqi's move was a slap in the face of His Majesty and a serious provocation to the Tang Dynasty. How could he tolerate this?

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said calmly, "General Guo has his own strategies and methods for dealing with the Yanqi issue. He will definitely be able to resolve it properly."

"My dear ministers, I have summoned you here today for one main purpose: to discuss how to destroy Goguryeo in one fell swoop!"