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

Tuyuhun was located in the area of ​​what is now Qinghai and Gansu.

The high altitude and the fact that some areas were protected from altitude sickness created a situation where Tuyuhun had a small population but did not have to worry about being targeted by powerful enemies in the surrounding areas.

however.

Clearly, Li Chengqian, who is now desperately short of manpower, doesn't care about altitude sickness or the small size of the country.

Are you experiencing altitude sickness?

Then let the Turkic wolf cavalry, who are more adaptable to all this, be dispatched, and another army be sent to the border of Tuyuhun to build cities and train troops.

Small countries with few people can't extract much profit from their resources.

Then let's include the unique Qinghai horse of Tuyuhun, as well as the salt lake, in the plan.

There's always a way to make up for it...

This Crown Prince, having just returned to Yangcheng Palace in Taiyuan Prefecture on his first day, having just eaten lunch and without even resting, directly issued an edict to attack Tuyuhun.

This truly astonished the officials of Taiyuan Prefecture, but then, in an instant, everyone seemed to feel that "it was only right and proper."

This is the decisive and efficient Crown Prince we know and love.

Yanmen Pass.

In that year, with the fall of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the original herders joined the Tang Dynasty and became subjects of the Turkic ethnicity of the Tang Dynasty, under the influence of various policies of the Tang Dynasty at Yanmen Pass.

Every household of Turkic herders, who had once lived in extreme poverty and even faced the inevitable death of family members from cold and hunger in winter, are now living a life they never dared to dream of before.

Every household raises cattle and sheep, and those with spare labor can also work in wool spinning and processing workshops.

With the cattle, sheep, and wealth they now possess, they could be considered wealthy within the entire Tang Dynasty.

The herders of Ashina She'er's tribe have been dispersed by Hou Junji and settled in various locations within the breeding area, integrating into their current lives.

"Watch your speed! After the New Year, have you all forgotten all your horsemanship skills?"

"If His Highness the Crown Prince finds out, all of you will be kicked out of the breeding area!"

On the vast grasslands, Ashina She'er is organizing the training of the Turkic wolf cavalry.

The Turkic wolf cavalry still number 15,000.

However, the number of reservists who wanted to join and were registered at Yanmen Pass reached a staggering 40,000.

“General, apart from the few days off during the New Year and the Lantern Festival, the brothers have been training every day. How could their skills have become rusty? But General, can’t you ask His Highness the Crown Prince when we can go back to the battlefield?”

A Turkic cavalry general looked like he was about to burst with frustration.

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen cavalry generals gathered around Ashina She'er.

"Yes, General, you should at least write a letter to His Highness and ask him. They only train every day, don't have to go back to herding, still get paid, and eat meat every meal..."

As they spoke, some of them already showed signs of shame.

Professional soldier!

This is how Li Chengqian positioned his six commanders of the Eastern Palace and the Turkic wolf cavalry.

Ashina She'er was also helpless. Right now, the Tang Dynasty had just destroyed the Eastern Turks and was in a period of rapid national power growth. Which blind country in the surrounding area would dare to provoke the Tang Dynasty at this time?

Moreover, he deliberately provoked the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, who was least willing to tolerate his enemies.

"Training is for the great battles to come. As His Highness the Crown Prince said, 'The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war.' Don't you all want to see your children ride horses, read and write, and..."

Ashina She'er was still speaking when suddenly a fast horse galloped from the direction of Yanmen Pass.

"General Ashina, commander of the Turkic wolf cavalry, is here!"

Ashina She'er was startled: "I am Ashina She'er!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince commands that the army be immediately mobilized, supplies and provisions gathered, and the troops be dispatched to Tuyuhun!"

Yanmen Pass.

Hou Junji was eager to get started.

His eyes lit up as he looked at the geomantic map in front of him.

"Great, great, that's wonderful!"

"So His Highness's next move is indeed that old dog Murong Fuyun? Tsk tsk tsk, Qinghai Cong, hahahaha..."

"They deserve it! They deserve it badly!"

Hou Qianya, standing to the side, pouted.

"His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't need you to go to war, so why are you getting so worked up?"

Hou Junji's old face froze instantly.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, all he could do was glare fiercely at his only daughter.

"I told you to go to Taiyuan Prefecture, why did you come to Yanmen Pass! The Crown Prince now has more than fifty noble ladies who came from Chang'an to serve him."

"Why aren't you hurrying to Taiyuan Prefecture, to His Highness the Crown Prince's side, instead of coming to Yanmen Pass, a place full of rough men?"

Hou Qianya gave a soft snort.

She looked at her father as if he were a fool.

"Of those fifty-odd people, has His Highness the Crown Prince favored any of them? Or rather, has he paid special attention to any of them?"

Before Hou Junji could answer, she suddenly picked up a long sword from the weapon rack beside her.

She swiftly and skillfully performed two moves.

"Hmph, if even one or two of those people are remembered by His Highness the Crown Prince, it's all thanks to the blessings of their ancestors. With the Crown Prince's great talent and ambition, even if he likes a woman, she must be someone who can immediately go to war!"

As she spoke, she raised her chin slightly, displaying a rather dashing and heroic air.

"Tell me, if I, a young lady, bring prisoners of war, conquered cities, and territories to meet the Crown Prince, compared to those frail women who bring reviewed documents to meet him, who will the Crown Prince favor more?"

Suddenly.

Hou Junji's eyes, which had dimmed because he had no chance to go to war, lit up again.

......

"Your Highness, these are the budget documents for several construction projects this year, sent by the Road Administration Bureau and the Grand Canal Transport Bureau. We have already reviewed them..."

Wu Shun spoke cautiously.

But Li Chengqian didn't even look up; instead, he gently tapped one of the stacks of documents in front of him.

The nib of the first-generation Tang Dynasty fountain pen in my hand rubbed against the document in front of me.

Just as Wu Shun was about to leave.

Suddenly he called out to me.

"Hey you, take this document to the King of Wei. Go in person and give it directly to him."

Wu Shun was taken aback and hurriedly took the document with both hands. He wanted to say something, but he saw that Li Chengqian had already picked up a new document and was reading it again.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then saw Wang De behind Li Chengqian gently shake his head at her.

All I could do was sigh silently in my heart.

I walked out of Xiande Hall.

It snowed again in Taiyuan today, but it should be the last snow of this winter. The snowflakes were swept up by the cold wind.

Wu Shun was dressed in the uniform of a female official from the Eastern Palace Secretariat, a white-based ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with two light green outer garments, the style of which was somewhat novel, and she wore a woolen inner garment for warmth.

At this moment, holding an umbrella, he hurried towards Yangcheng Palace, the palace where the King of Wei was currently residing, Wenxin Hall.

Wenxin Hall is smaller than Xiande Hall, but it has the advantage of a large enough backyard. Last year, His Highness Prince Wei ordered the original garden to be leveled.

It is several times more spacious.

only......

"Boom!!!"

A loud explosion was heard.

A pile of snow on the edge of the roof tiles above the Wenxin Hall was instantly shaken off and landed on Wu Shun's oil-paper umbrella, who had just arrived there.

"Clap!"

The umbrella had a hole in it, which made Wu Shun feel discouraged again.

Led by the eunuchs of Wenxin Hall, and carrying the document that the Crown Prince personally requested to be delivered to Prince Wei, Li Tai, Wu Shun was easily brought before Li Tai.

"Holy crap! That's awesome!"

In the center of a field surrounded by solid iron walls, at least five or six meters high and half a meter thick, steam was rising from a huge pit.

Accompanied by the acrid smell, Wu Shun's face turned slightly pale.

In her view, there were more than a dozen sheep, their limbs and internal organs scattered all over the ground, torn to pieces, a bloody and cruel scene.

In addition, there were more than a dozen pieces of fine iron armor fixed to the base, all of which were now riddled with holes, as if they had been pierced by something.

Li Tai laughed loudly as he walked down from a platform that offered a clear view of the interior of the iron wall.

He laughed excitedly.

Upon hearing the eunuch's message that his elder brother, the Crown Prince, had entrusted him with important documents, he finally turned his gaze to the beautiful woman before him.

Reach out.

"Did Your Majesty give any instructions?"

Wu Shun gently shook her head, and then a silver ingot was placed into her hand.

"Alright, let's go back then."

Behind them, they could faintly hear sounds such as "My brother is even more ruthless than me," "Holy crap," and "This military exercise is pretty awesome."

Wu Shun looked at the oil-paper umbrella with a hole in it in his hand.

He wanted to go back and borrow a hand from someone in the Wenxin Palace, but then he remembered the terrifying scene he had just witnessed.

Gritting his teeth, he finally raised the umbrella with a hole in it and rushed towards the Xiande Hall.

Along the way, one could see many officials from Taiyuan Prefecture and various parts of Bingzhou who came to Yangcheng Palace on official business.

Without exception, everyone walked much faster than the officials they had seen in Chang'an.

suddenly.

Two figures walking from the palace gate toward Xiande Hall caught Wu Shun's attention.

Wang Ming, the governor of Bingzhou and head of the Wang family of Taiyuan, ... and a beautiful young girl.

Wu Shun instantly realized something, and at that moment, the two men had already walked up to her.

Are you His Highness the Crown Prince's secretary?

A clear, melodious voice, yet unconsciously carrying an air of noble elegance, came from Wang Yuyan's mouth.

Wu Shun nodded slightly and then bowed to Wang Ming beside him.

"Wu Shun, Secretary of the Eastern Palace Secretariat, pays respects to Governor Wang."

Wang Ming nodded slightly and smiled faintly.

"I know you, the eldest daughter of Duke Ying, Wu Shihuo. You are a clever girl. Now that the Bingzhou Circuit is implementing commercial tax reform, your father's family learning can be of great help to you. Do your best to serve His Highness the Crown Prince."

"His Highness the Crown Prince will not mistreat the Duke of Ying's family in the future."

Wu Shun bowed humbly in gratitude.

Wang Yuyan then noticed the umbrella with a hole in it in Wu Shun's hand. She smiled slightly and handed him her own umbrella.

“Use mine, my father and I share one.”

Without giving Wu Shun any chance to refuse, the latter quickly stuffed the umbrella into Wu Shun's hand.

Watching the Wang family father and daughter walk towards Xiande Hall, Wu Shun was somewhat lost in thought.

Suddenly, another series of hurried footsteps came.

Wu Shun turned his head and saw Prince Li Ke of Han walking out of the palace. He was wearing a purple dragon-patterned prince's robe, a gold fish pouch, and an embroidered spring knife at his waist.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Prince of Han"

Li Ke nodded casually, then his gaze suddenly sharpened and fell on the oil-paper umbrella in Wu Shun's hand, where a pale red "王" (king) character was on the handle.

It seemed so glaring at that moment.

He gave Wu Shun, who was still unaware of anything, a deep look, and then quickly walked into the Xiande Hall.

"Your subject, Wang Ming, greets Your Highness. The gold and silver reserves you entrusted have been completed. In addition... I have also brought the new coins being minted at the mint."

Inside the Xiande Hall.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian finally stopped reviewing documents.

Looking at the few coins that Wang Decheng handed to him.

A glint flashed in his eyes.

Three silver coins of different sizes, and two gold coins of different sizes.

"Your Highness, as you requested, the three types of silver coins correspond to fifty, one hundred, and five hundred cash respectively."

"Two types of gold coins, corresponding to one thousand and five thousand coins respectively."

"They are all made by mixing multiple metals. With the current level of technology at the Taiyuan Mint, there is absolutely no need to worry that anyone will be able to extract the gold and silver from these coins, recast them, and profit from it."

Wang Ming smiled proudly, not for any other reason than that the Taiyuan Mint had minting craftsmen who had been passed down from his family.

Although these people are now receiving government pay and have already left the royal family.

However, this act of offering talent will be the foundation upon which the Wang family will rely in serving under the Crown Prince and the capital for the continuation of the family line.

Li Chengqian picked up a few coins and looked at them.

The words "Royal Bank of the Tang Dynasty, First Year of Zhenguan" are clearly visible, and below this line of text is the officially certified value that this coin represents.

As for the other side...

The largest denomination silver coin features Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, followed by his father Li Shimin and himself, the crown prince.

As for the gold coins, the retired Emperor Li Yuan could only lose the "right to name" them.

The five thousand gold coins were stamped with the image of Emperor Li Shimin of the Zhenguan era.

One thousand gold coins belonged to Li Chengqian, the crown prince during the Zhenguan era.

"Hmm, not bad. Keep it at this quality. Increase the minting volume for me. Make sure to prepare enough currency before the headquarters of the Tang Royal Bank is built."

Wang Ming nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, Li Chengqian's gaze fell on Wang Yuyan behind the other party, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Your daughter?"

Wang Ming nodded somewhat embarrassedly.

"I've heard that His Highness the Crown Prince allows women to hold official positions, and since I can't stay idle at home, I'd like to study at the Imperial University while hoping to find a job in His Highness's secretariat..."

Looking at Wang Ming, who was bowing repeatedly and adopting an extremely humble posture.

Li Chengqian curled his lips.

"You know how to do accounting, right? Abacus, and modern mathematics."

Wang Yuyan hurriedly nodded: "This humble woman knows how. Also, Your Highness the Crown Prince recently published a table-based accounting method in the newspaper, which this humble woman also knows. I have already reviewed the accounts at home."

Li Chengqian nodded, signaling Wang De to take her downstairs to arrange her onboarding.

Just as Wang Ming was looking grateful and preparing to leave...

Li Ke stepped in.

After nodding slightly to Wang Ming and exchanging greetings, she watched his departing figure and suddenly lowered her voice.

“Your Majesty, Governor Changsun is right. The Wang family of Taiyuan truly harbors evil intentions!”