Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Crown Prince Li Chengqian, step forward to receive your title!"

The sudden sound brought Li Chengqian back to his senses.

He then realized that this was a reward for his merit in destroying the Eastern Turks.

Li Shimin sat on the throne, his majesty awe-inspiring. The ministers and the foreign envoys behind him dared not even raise their heads to meet his gaze.

At this moment, he seemed to truly possess the demeanor of an emperor who would reign supreme for all time.

After bowing to Li Chengqian, Zhang Gongjin opened the imperial edict in his hand and took a deep breath.

"Since becoming the Crown Prince, Prince Li Chengqian has been loyal and filial, kind and gentle, and treats his brothers with brotherly affection, humility and wisdom."

"Furthermore, he was ordered to manage the new policies of Bingzhou Circuit, and the results were remarkable. In all the prefectures and counties of Bingzhou Circuit, the government was efficient and the people were harmonious. Farmers were well-off, merchants abided by the law, and officials performed their duties diligently. This is the greatest achievement of our Great Tang Dynasty in governing the country and bringing peace to the people."

"At that time, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, led by Jieli, harbored wolfish ambitions and attempted to covet our Central Plains, tarnish the sacred artifacts of our Han dynasty, harbored resentment towards the Turkic people, and broke the alliance between the North and South. Grinding its teeth and sucking blood, it recklessly started a war."

"Fortunately, our Great Tang has a crown prince who is braver than the three armies and whose martial prowess is unmatched. He protects the land and the people, and implements benevolent policies for the innocent Turkic border people. The two tribes share the same honor and disgrace. He leads the six armies to break the greedy wolf's heart, assists the king in his transformation, wins battle after battle, and captures the bandit leaders Jieli and Tuli."

"His martial arts skills are exceptional, unmatched even by any crown prince of the Qin and Han dynasties."

"I am greatly pleased to have such a crown prince."

"With such a prince, every family will be prosperous."

"With such a crown prince, the Tang Dynasty's reign will be long and prosperous, far surpassing the glory of the Qin and Han dynasties, which is now within reach..."

Li Shimin smiled as he looked at his crown prince, who was both troublesome and yet seemed to have always been easy to manage.

Even in this crown prince's robes, his true dragon-like appearance could not be concealed.

Li Shimin took a deep breath.

Meanwhile, below the stage, Zhang Gongjin, amidst the tense waiting of the Tang Dynasty officials and envoys from surrounding countries, read out the imperial edict containing the bestowed titles and honors.

"Prince Li Chengqian is hereby granted the title of General of the Heavenly Strategy!"

"Reopen the Tian Ce Mansion and establish its own administrative structure!"

"Grant him a force of 50,000 soldiers!"

"The former territory of the Eastern Turks shall be established as the Northern Garrison Circuit of our Great Tang Dynasty, under the command of the Crown Prince."

He was appointed Prefect of Lingzhou.

"Governor of Liangzhou!"

"hiss!!!"

The ministers lowered their heads, but when their eyes met, they couldn't help but show a look of horror.

Some people couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Even Li Chengqian was surprised that his father would be so willing to part with such a gift, and he looked up in astonishment.

It just so happened that their eyes met those of Li Shimin behind his crown.

moment.

Li Chengqian noticed that the other person gave him a barely perceptible nod, his eyes full of approval and encouragement.

Thinking back to the rewards just now.

Besides the almost predictable control over the original Eastern Turkic territory, there was an additional 50,000 troops, and the so-called governors of Lingzhou and Liangzhou...

That's near the Tuyuhun!

Undoubtedly, although their own emperor did not discuss the matter of conquering Tuyuhun with his ministers in court.

However, they had already tacitly approved and supported him in setting his next target on Tuyu.

Take a deep breath.

As the imperial edict was read aloud, Li Chengqian immediately bowed respectfully to express his gratitude for the emperor's grace.

"Your subject will certainly live up to Father Emperor's expectations and the hearts of the people!"

Li Chengqian returned to his seat, but the assembled officials stared intently at the imperial edict in his hand.

Restrain from both sides!

Although the so-called Zhenbei Road is now only occupied by vast grasslands and those Turkic Tang citizens, it is still two roads!

and.

Lingzhou and Liangzhou were important towns in the Longyou Circuit.

Currently, Prince Li Daozong is still serving as the governor of Lingzhou, overseeing affairs there. Now that Li Chengqian has been appointed as the prefect, isn't that just making Li Daozong Li Chengqian's "bodyguard"?

Moreover, there is Liangzhou, which is also an important border town, and further west is Tuyuhun.

Fang Xuanling and the others exchanged a subtle glance, as if they had discovered that the royal father and son seemed to be planning something.

Changsun Wuji's eyes darted around, regretting that his two sons were still too young.

If they could grow a little older and follow His Highness the Crown Prince, the Changsun family's wealth and honor would surely continue for generations to come.

No... may I accompany the Crown Prince to Bingzhou Road?

Hou Junji is now under the command of the Crown Prince. I am also a Duke and the Crown Prince's uncle. Zhenbei Road needs me now!

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, having already made up his mind.

With the concluding of the bestowal of titles and honors, the grand court assembly finally moved on to the next stage.

Envoys from neighboring countries came forward to pay their respects and offer their congratulations.

Li Tai was curious about his elder brother's imperial decree of bestowal, so Li Chengqian casually tossed it to him, while he himself focused his gaze on the envoys from various countries who were dressed in different clothes and were clearly of different ethnicities.

He was deep in thought.

"Kim Hyang-jen, a foreign vassal of Goguryeo, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty. We wish you good health and longevity. This is a letter of state presented by our King..."

Li Chengqian was scanning these foreign envoys, wondering where they came from and what valuable things the Tang Dynasty needed from their place, when his gaze followed the voice.

He immediately turned to the figure who was respectfully bowing and offering congratulations.

Goguryeo!

This is the small country that once dragged down the previous Sui Dynasty's Emperor Yang, causing his empire to collapse.

Now, it has even taken in the Cui family of Qinghe, the Li family of Zhaojun, and the Lu family of Fanyang, as well as other aristocratic families and powerful clans who fled from Hedong Road.

Furthermore, they have yet to give the Tang Dynasty a positive response.

"Goguryeo envoy, let's set aside the congratulatory words for now. I ask you this: Goguryeo accepted traitors from my Great Tang and even provided them with protection. Now you refuse to hand them over. Do you intend to start a war with my Great Tang?!"

Li Shimin's voice was cold.

Because this matter was not handled well, the crown prince repeatedly spoke openly and subtly about his father's incompetence and negligence.

Now that the new era has finally begun, Li Shimin has decided to stretch his muscles and bones.

"Your Majesty, Goguryeo has absolutely no intention of aggression. The mighty Tang army is unparalleled, and our king does not wish for our two countries to be at war. However, those traitors are now colluding with powerful ministers of our dynasty, occupying a region, and our king is determined to wipe them out."

"However, the problem is that they have very few troops at their disposal..."

Li Chengqian sneered inwardly.

This statement wasn't entirely meant to deceive the Tang Dynasty at present.

The current nominal king of Goguryeo, King Yeongnyu, Go Geonmu, is a pragmatic man, but he also has his own ulterior motives.

The Goguryeo Moliji, also known as the Daesang, is now Yeon Taejo.

The Goguryeo Kingdom was powerful.

According to the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Cui family of Qinghe went to seek refuge with Yuan Taizuo. After all, if they had sought refuge with Gao Jianwu, who was practically useless, they would probably have been captured and sent to the Tang Dynasty that very day.

"It's easy!"

Li Chengqian's sudden speech drew the attention of everyone in the court assembly to him.

He smiled slightly.

“If the King of Goguryeo has no soldiers, our Great Tang will help you. After all, your king has always had a good relationship with our Great Tang and has helped my Han men who were stranded in Goguryeo to return to their homeland.”

"If the King of Goryeo is willing, our Great Tang can help you train your army and sell you weapons and armor..."

"how?"

how is it?

This taste is so familiar!

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and the others exchanged glances.

In a side hall of the Taiji Hall, Jieli and Tuli, dressed in Turkic ethnic costumes and asked to perform a dance, heard a familiar voice and the suggestion to sell weapons and armor.

Suddenly his body trembled.

"What's wrong? Are you two feeling unwell? Perhaps I should have someone escort you back to rest?"

Cheng Chumo looked at the two of them calmly.

When he mentioned sending the two back to rest, a cruel, sinister smile crept onto his lips.

The two of them trembled again in fright and hurriedly shook their heads.

"No, no, no, there's no need. We're not feeling unwell. I... I'm very familiar with dance, yes, very familiar with dance..."

The two men, Jieli and his companion, had long been terrified by the madmen of the Eastern Palace Six Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, losing the sharpness they once possessed as Khans of the Steppe.

Cheng Chumo snorted coldly.

At this moment, the Goguryeo envoy Kim Hyang-ren, who was in the court assembly, was also taken aback.

Their gazes fell upon Li Shimin, who was now seated on the throne.

"The Crown Prince's will is also my will."

"I will absolutely not let those who dare to harm the people and attempt to overthrow the country go unpunished. If Goguryeo cannot be handed over, then I will have no choice but to send troops to take it myself."

"Even if the two countries go to war, our Great Tang Dynasty can bear the consequences."

"Of course, if the King of Goryeo is willing to handle it himself, I can grant the Crown Prince's request, however, there will be a time limit..."

Hear the words.

The envoy, Jin Xiangren, couldn't help but show a look of joy.

Although the Tang Dynasty was suspected of sowing discord, King Goguryeo Go Geon-mu did indeed need a truly elite force under his control, one that could be used to fight tough battles.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, your humble servant will expedite the response back home. We are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence!"

As the Goguryeo envoy withdrew, then...

Envoys from Tuyuhun, Tibet, Baekje, Gaochang, Silla... one after another, came up to offer their congratulations.

As a figure, noticeably shorter than everyone else around him, stepped forward.

Beside Li Chengqian, Prince Li Ke of Han spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, this is the Japanese envoy, Soga no Kishoku."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

Even without Li Ke's reminder, the other party's appearance was almost like a chicken standing among cranes, and he exuded a two-faced nationalistic aura that he could not hide.

Li Chengqian was able to determine the other party's identity at just one glance.

"After court, bring him to the Eastern Palace. I want to have a good talk with this member of the Soga clan about the cost of studying abroad..."

The money raised from clearing out the Buddhist temples around Chang'an, even including the value of items like calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry, amounts to no more than 400,000 strings of cash.

This would be an enormous sum of money for Li Shimin and the current six ministries of the imperial court.

However, the first phase of the project requires a Yellow River water conservancy project costing ten million guan.

But it is truly a drop in the ocean.

So much so that even as the crown prince, Li Chengqian had to personally intervene and show some courtesy to these short Japanese people in order to get them to send him more money... and slaves.

As the envoys from various countries concluded their prayers...

The music and dance music started playing again.

Emperor Emeritus Li Yuan, sitting next to Li Shimin, burst into laughter upon seeing the protagonist of the first dance performance of the day.

"This humble citizen, Jieli (Tuli), offers this dance to the Great Tang Dynasty, wishing His Majesty the Great Emperor of the Tang Dynasty peace, prosperity, and a long reign!"

The loud laughter seemed to be a signal.

Instantly, Li Shimin, who was standing next to Li Yuan, also burst into laughter.

Looking at Jieli and Tuli, the Tang Dynasty officials sitting in the surrounding seats also burst into laughter without any restraint.

"Hahahaha! Great dance skills! Great dance skills! Hahahahaha!"

"Twist and twist, keep twisting, be even more unrestrained! Hahahaha!"

"As expected of the Khan of the Turks, his dancing skills are truly wonderful, wonderful!"

"Where's the artist? This dance absolutely must be painted! I, Old Cheng, am going to take it with me later to study it closely! Hahahaha!"

Li Chengqian was also smiling, but he wasn't as arrogant as the others.

Beside him, Li Ke and his elder brother seemed to be moving in sync, sipping their wine while casually scanning the envoys from various countries.

The envoys from several countries that had previously had some interaction with the Eastern Turks, such as Tuyuhun, Gaochang, and Tubo, displayed a look of shared sorrow and unease that caught the attention of the two men.

"Brother Royal..."

"Yes, I know... they probably don't like to laugh. It's alright, everyone has people who don't like to laugh."

Li Chengqian spoke calmly.

The Tang Dynasty officials had a blast at this grand court assembly.

Characters like Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde completely let loose after the foreign envoys left the palace.

Not only did they pour drinks for each other, they also gradually started exposing their breasts.

Fortunately, by this time, the Empress and the others had already returned to the inner palace.

Li Chengqian slowly rose, bowed to his father and grandfather who were having a great time, and then silently left his seat.

East Palace.

"Your humble servant, Suwo Qishi, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty. Congratulations on your appointment as General of the Heavenly Strategy! These are a small token of my master's appreciation for Your Highness..."

His fluent Tang Dynasty Mandarin stirred up some extremely unpleasant memories for Li Chengqian.

He didn't even glance at the brocade box offered by the other party, waved his hand, and let Wang De take the box from the side.

Suddenly spoke.

"Is your Japanese king nearing his end? Is the Soga clan willing to take this a step further?"

Suwo Qishi suddenly looked up, unable to believe that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be so direct, but then he couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Li Chengqian smiled faintly.

As if it had been prepared in advance, a document was tossed to the other party.

"Contact someone in your Soga clan who has influence as soon as possible. I am the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. You have seen how much power I wield today. If I want my father to recognize the legitimacy of the Soga clan in Japan, it will be a piece of cake."

Suga Kishi gasped for breath, her face flushed with excitement.

"As for the conditions, I have written them all down. If you agree, send someone to my Bingzhou Road next year with the gifts."

The Honglu Temple oversees the Sifangguan (Four Directions Hall).

Soga Kiseki, who had just returned to his residence, saw his curious subordinates and hurriedly let them in, closing the door behind him.

By the light of the lamp, they could clearly see the conditions offered by the Tang Dynasty on the document.

"A lease agreement will be signed with the Tang Dynasty for a port located in Japan, to facilitate the Tang Dynasty's future campaigns against the rebellious Goguryeo."

"The Bingzhou Imperial University was open to Japanese envoys to Tang China who were students. Each student was charged a one-time fee of 2 kan, which covered tuition, accommodation, study materials, internships, and other expenses."

"Students studying abroad for less than four years are not allowed to leave Bingzhou Road, nor are they allowed to pass on their studies to Japan. After graduation, they may leave and return to their home countries on their own."

"The Crown Prince of Tang is willing to publicly acknowledge the legitimacy of the Soga clan's rule over Wa (Japan) in Bingzhou..."

Looking at this document, one can even see the seal of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

Suga Kishi felt a sense of surprise, as if Amaterasu had bestowed blessings upon him.

These conditions are by no means excessive!

It could even be said that it was the Crown Prince of Tang who was trying to win over Japan.

Thinking of the conditions, the Tang Dynasty's wariness of Goguryeo, and everything that happened at today's court assembly.

Soga Kiseki hurriedly began to write letters himself...