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

"This is the dormitory area. You will all live here from now on. Since you are international students, you may not be used to the environment here in our Great Tang at times. His Highness the Crown Prince has granted you permission to leave two of your own servants for daily care."

"This is the stadium, used for physical exercise and building strong bodies. You have all come from afar, hoping to learn and return to build up Japan, so you need to be in good physical condition."

"And over there, that's the dining hall. The chefs there are all apprentices of Chu Dahai, the imperial chef serving the current Crown Prince. The meals are always delicious and visually appealing. We don't even need to go out to restaurants..."

Imperial University.

Although many areas are still clearly under construction.

However, everything displayed here is completely different from the Imperial Academy in Chang'an and some of the famous private schools in the Tang Dynasty.

Soga Kiseki is the leader of this group of Japanese exchange students.

He was also a loyal retainer of the Soga clan and an envoy of the Tang Dynasty's Wa Kingdom.

At this moment, facing the Imperial University administrative official who was leading them on this tour, they dared not show the slightest sign of overstepping their bounds or arrogance.

Now, this Tang Dynasty prince needs to deal with Goguryeo and requires the help of some of the forces from Japan.

That is why they have such an honor to study in this sacred land of the Tang Dynasty.

Look at other countries, such as Baekje, Silla, and Lin-eup, none of them had such an opportunity.

"My lord, the notice we received said that His Highness the Crown Prince allowed us to study all subjects. Is that true?"

Suga Kishi asked this question.

This immediately attracted the attention of the other Japanese students present; clearly, they were also concerned about this matter.

The tuition fee of 20,000 guan was a considerable sum for them.

However, the Great Tang Imperial University, like the blacksmiths, private tutors, and other masters they have sought in the Great Tang over the years, keeps their secrets.

They really lost out this time.

The official didn't speak, but smiled slightly and gestured for them to proceed.

He then led the group to a teaching area.

A huge stone tablet bearing the words "College of Architectural Engineering" came into view.

Behind it was a complex of buildings that were not only taller than those of the other colleges around it, but also more magnificent and grand.

"Please follow me..."

"This is the School of Architectural Engineering, which teaches the skills of building bridges and roads, constructing cities and houses. Moreover, what is taught here is undoubtedly the best craftsmanship of the time. Nowadays, it is not only the officials of Bingzhou Circuit of our Great Tang Dynasty who often study here."

"Officials from Chang'an often come here to study."

Soga Kiseki and the others were huddled together. Their short stature, typical of Japanese people, meant that even though they were standing on tiptoe near the back door, they could only vaguely see what was inside the classroom.

However, looking at the instructor explaining a bridge structure on the black wooden board, everyone couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"Really, they're actually willing to teach us real skills here..."

"Amaterasu, we finally have hope!"

"That's wonderful! As long as we complete our studies and return, Lord Suga will surely give us an important position, and our family will be able to become a powerful clan. This is simply fantastic..."

These people either spoke gibberish Japanese or Chinese with a slight Guanzhong accent.

Yet they were all overjoyed.

Soga Kishi, upon confirming that the Tang Dynasty was truly willing to impart their skills, knelt down on the spot before the official who was guiding them.

His head slammed onto the ground with a loud thud, as if he were kneeling in worship of a god.

"Thank you, Great Tang! We, the Suwo clan, will repay your kindness with all our might!"

.....

"Heh, that's what they say?"

In the Xiande Hall, Li Chengqian chuckled, and the official who had guided the Japanese at the Imperial University nodded respectfully.

"Yes, Your Highness. These people are either retainers of the Soga clan or members of families that support the Soga clan of Japan. They have all enrolled in school now, and everything is done according to Your Highness's requirements. We have not held anything back."

"I imagine it won't be long before someone can't resist writing to Japan, requesting that more students be sent abroad..."

Li Chengqian nodded.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had already placed these people under complete surveillance.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard of today is no longer what it was when it was first established six months ago.

Not only are there many talented individuals, but they are also highly skilled in combat, interrogation, infiltration, and arrest.

"Alright! Let's proceed step by step. As long as they don't pass on their skills, we'll treat them as students of our Great Tang..."

As the officials left.

Li Chengqian's mood brightened even more.

He glanced at Li Ke, the Prince of Han, who seemed somewhat distracted.

"What, Third Brother, are you reluctant to leave Taiyuan? A man's ambition lies in all corners of the world. With the manpower and resources I have prepared for you, as long as you work diligently and responsibly in Dengzhou, in three to five years at most, Dengzhou will become as prosperous as Taiyuan."

Li Ke shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I am not worried about that. Even if you don't believe in me, I believe in Your Majesty."

He pondered for a moment.

"Judging by the time, King Go Geon-mu of Goryeo should be receiving the weapons we sold him soon. Brother, do you think he will really follow our instructions and take action against the Yeon Gae family?"

Li Chengqian sneered.

"Make a move? Even if he does, it'll just be for show. At most, he'll put in a little more effort when my Great Tang is angry. Do you really expect him to fight that Goguryeo Molizhi to the death?"

Li Ke was startled.

"Aren't we now aiding the enemy?!"

“Aid the enemy? Third brother, sometimes you have to learn to treat everyone as an enemy, but here we mean hypothetical enemies. We must guard against them, target them, and be prepared to wipe them out from the very beginning.”

"but......"

Li Chengqian smiled, patted the other person on the shoulder, and shook his head.

"A hypothetical enemy is a hypothetical enemy, and business is business. It's just some low-quality, outdated products. Father Emperor is probably very happy that Goguryeo is paying for new equipment for our Tang Dynasty."

Li Ke looked bewildered and remained silent for a long time, unable to figure out what his elder brother was up to.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengqian could not help but sigh.

"Food should be eaten one bite at a time. We should only worry about filling our stomachs, not about starving to death. It is the small countries surrounding our Great Tang that should be worried about starving to death..."

As they were talking, Qian Yingying walked over gracefully.

"Your Highness, the Duke of Zhao requests an audience."

Li Chengqian was taken aback.

"Uncle? Shouldn't he be in Xinzhou overseeing river dredging? Why did he rush back?"

When the weary Changsun Wuji entered the hall.

He was taken aback when he saw Li Ke.

Then, after noticing the glare from his nephew, the crown prince, he pursed his lips.

"Your Highness, besides the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace and the Turkic Wolf Cavalry, His Majesty currently commands an additional 50,000 troops. Why is it that Your Highness has not yet recruited more soldiers to expand your forces?"

Li Chengqian frowned.

"Recruit soldiers? Why recruit soldiers? Right now, around Bingzhou Road, are the Western Turks getting too bold to cause trouble, or is the King of Gaochang tired of living and wants to offer up land?"

"With 21,000 elite cavalry and the advantage of firearms, do we still need to expand our forces?"

Li Ke, standing to the side, also felt polite upon hearing this.

My elder brother is a man who would rather have none than have bad ones. If he were to recruit soldiers, he would not allow any unfit or incompetent soldiers to be under his command.

The six guards of the Eastern Palace and the Turkic wolf cavalry alone, totaling 21,000 men, require monthly military pay and supplies.

It was already a waste, even exceeding the expenditure of the troops stationed around Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

To expand the army by another 50,000?!

Are we still going to dredge the riverbed?!

Changsun Wuji coughed twice, and could only sigh at this moment.

"Your Highness, the progress on this river is indeed very slow. I have inspected it and believe that if we could replace the tools we are currently using with iron ones, the progress could be increased by at least 50% with the help of iron tools."

"But if we give these things to those wicked monks in Buddhist monasteries, I'm afraid some of them will inevitably become dishonest..."

Only then did Li Chengqian finally understand.

Why did my uncle suddenly rush back from home overnight to ask me to expand the army?

"You want me to station an elite force in Yanmen County to intimidate those laborers?"

Changsun Wuji nodded.

"There are 100,000 laborers there right now, but the only troops stationed there are 12,000 soldiers sent by Yanmen County to Hequ County. If the project hadn't just started recently and Hou Junji hadn't sent an army to assist, things would probably have already gone wrong."

"However, if the project continues, the manpower required for that section of the river in Hequ County alone will be at least 400,000."

Changsun Wuji's expression was solemn.

"Without an army to deter them, it could really have led to a major disaster!"

Taking a deep breath, Li Chengqian couldn't help but ponder.

If we follow Changsun Wuji's suggestion, then not only should we start recruiting soldiers as soon as possible, but we must also recruit the full 50,000.

"Your Highness, many of those wicked monks are also skilled in martial arts. If it's just an army, 50,000 men probably wouldn't be enough to keep these guys in line..."

"How about this old minister returns to Chang'an and persuades His Majesty to grant Your Highness more troops?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Li Ke, who was standing to the side, was choked and started coughing.

This Minister Changsun truly lives up to his reputation as the Emperor's maternal uncle; he actually dares to think of such a thing.

Now, if my elder brother were to recruit all the troops he could muster, he could command a terrifying force of over 70,000. If they were all elite soldiers, then the Xuanwu Gate Incident would be a formidable force.

My own imperial brother was able to start his transformation from Taiyuan Prefecture.

Changes and pushes all the way.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian hurriedly waved his hand.

"No, I don't have that kind of wealth. I'm already a little apprehensive about fully arming 50,000 people. If we expand any further, I'm afraid I'll have to sell my calligraphy and paintings on the street..."

Li Chengqian waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of worry.

Ordnance and weapons are secondary; there are plenty of them in the warehouses of ironworks and forging plants.

He was just waiting for the next batch of money and provisions from Goguryeo to arrive so he could transport them to upgrade his father's equipment.

It's not impossible to bring it up in advance for equipment used in the new army.

But the difficulty lies in...

Fifty thousand professional soldiers, with continuous attrition and long-term garrisoning around the Yellow River project, would certainly be an extraordinary expense.

"grass......"

While Li Chengqian was hesitating about where to raise the money...

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from outside the hall.

"Hahaha! Your Majesty! It's done! I've succeeded!!!"

Everyone turned their heads and saw Prince Wei, Li Tai, rushing in with an excited expression that was almost distorted.

Ignoring the strange looks from those around him, he stepped forward and grabbed his elder brother's arm.

"Brother! It's done! The Firearms Division is all set!"

As he spoke, under Li Chengqian's horrified gaze...

Suddenly, he pulled out a cylindrical iron pipe with a guard from his waist.

"Brother, look, it's done! This thing is finished..."

"Holy shit! Li Tai, don't you dare point a gun at me!"