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

On the wooden building on one side of Ganlu Hall.

Since Crown Prince Li Chengqian left Chang'an after the New Year and returned to Bingzhou to continue implementing the new policies.

Li Shimin spent most of his time here after returning from the morning court session. So much so that he even moved from the Ganlu Hall to this wooden building to review memorials and receive his ministers.

This put Fang Xuanling, Pei Ji, and other elderly ministers in a difficult position.

"Your Majesty, our Khan has always requested that we maintain peaceful relations with the Tang Dynasty. There have always been caravans traveling between our two countries. When our Khan heard that the Tang Dynasty had destroyed the Eastern Turks, he even sent you a New Year's gift."

"Why is it that our talents have just returned, and the Tang Dynasty has already started a war with us?"

"Your Majesty, our Khan said that you are a rare hero in the world with a broad mind and great magnanimity, and that you would never start a war against us Tuyuhun without a reason. But... but now your crown prince has killed a large number of our people."

"Your Majesty the Emperor of Tang Dynasty, please save us!"

The mournful voice pulled Li Shimin's somewhat scattered thoughts back to reality.

He glanced at the Tuyuhun envoy in front of him, who was crying his eyes out and clearly had suffered a lot on his long journey.

He glanced again at the two letters from Tuyuhun in his hand.

One letter was from Murong Fuyun, the Tuyuhun Butabo Khan, inquiring about and begging for mercy; the other... was a "challenge letter" sent to Tuyuhun by his own good prince from Bingzhou.

"hiss......"

This familiar, agonizing, and exhilarating headache-like feeling began to resurface in Li Er's mind once again.

This made him unconsciously touch the throbbing veins on his forehead.

He reached out and handed the Crown Prince's "challenge letter" to Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who were sitting to the side.

"Take a look..."

He was already somewhat reluctant to speak. After all, Li Er was a man who cared about his reputation. Although he wasn't exactly ambitious, he always spared no effort in winning over more people's hearts.

but......

This traitor!

If you're causing trouble for Tuyuhun, you can say a caravan went missing on the border, or you can say the border was attacked.

You could even be more shameless and have the people of Shanzhou or Liangzhou deliberately provoke disputes on the border.

There are clearly so many reasons.

But you, Li Chengqian, chose the very reason that would put the other side in an awkward position.

The crown prince of the Tang Dynasty is settling old scores with the Tuyuhun against the Sui Dynasty?!

How the hell did you come up with such a brilliant excuse?!

Even Fang and Du, who had just finished reading the entire "challenge letter" which contained a lot of motherly words, were now looking at each other in bewilderment.

"this......"

The Crown Prince has indeed started to let himself go a bit.

"Your Majesty, our Khan said that as long as you can persuade the Crown Prince to withdraw his troops and leave the Dafeichuan and Chishuiyuan areas of Tuyuhun, Tuyuhun is willing to become a vassal state and pay tribute every year."

"We humbly beseech Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Tang, to retract your imperial authority!"

Plop.

The envoy from Tuyuhun truly lived up to his reputation as someone personally selected by that old fox Murong Fuyun. Perhaps it was because someone in his family had recently died, or perhaps it was simply his innate talent.

The wailing and crying were so pitiful and weak.

This made even the equally thick-skinned and ruthless Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling feel a little embarrassed to continue letting the crown prince run wild in Tuyuhun.

"Ahem, Tuyuhun envoy, please rise. My crown prince is also of utmost sincerity. After all, Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty was his great-uncle. Moreover... my third and sixth sons should address the previous emperor as their maternal grandfather."

“You took advantage of the chaos in the previous dynasty to stab us in the back. After all, you were in the wrong first. As for the child, Murong Fuyun is a wise and open-minded ruler whom I believe is rare in the world. I don’t think he would stoop to the level of a child.”

The Tuyuhun envoy: "???"

What do you mean?

No.

Why do the words spoken by this Tang Dynasty emperor sound so familiar?

Also, what does it mean to say that children make mistakes and we shouldn't take it personally?

That's war! Your princes of the Tang Dynasty have not only invaded the land of my Tuyuhun, but also attacked our tribes and capital.

They even plundered a large number of our Tuyuhun cattle, sheep and warhorses!

You think you can just let it go with a simple "don't argue with a child"?

Miscalculation!

He originally thought that by retreating in the name of advancing and showing weakness to the enemy, he could make the face-conscious Tang emperor lower his guard, choose to reprimand the Tang crown prince, and give the Tuyuhun an explanation.

But now it sounds like... the Tang Dynasty is unwilling to give up what it has swallowed?!

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Emperor, a large number of our Tuyuhun herders have been abducted to the Tang Dynasty! You cannot ignore this!"

Li Shimin waved his hand, his face showing an "I understand" expression.

"Hey~ What's the big deal? Your Tuyuhun people also plundered my people in the Central Plains back then. I know you're going to say those people were from the Sui Dynasty, but I've seen what happened on my side..."

Beside Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and another person lowered their heads and pretended to look at the documents in their hands, but they tried hard to suppress the smiles on their lips.

Li Shimin shook his head slightly, seemingly blaming the Tuyuhun envoy for being so naive.

"My Great Tang Dynasty is, after all, built on the foundation of the former Sui Dynasty, and my princes still have the blood of the previous dynasty. The people of the previous dynasty are no different from the people of my Great Tang Dynasty, are they?"

"In this way, consider it repayment of your debt. From today onwards, I hereby declare that the past acts of Tuyuhun in raiding the borders of the Great Sui Dynasty are completely wiped out!"

"Didn't your Khan say he wanted to be a vassal state of my Great Tang? Hey, why are you being so polite?"

"We're all neighbors now, and with the border residents being exchanged, it's like we've become in-laws. Don't you think so, envoy? There's no need for us to be vassal states!"

Li Shimin stroked his beard, appearing very magnanimous, but this infuriated the envoy before him, who almost stood up and launched into a tirade of curses.

Screw it!

Go to hell and exchange border residents!

To hell with the marriage alliances between the two countries!

The Tang traitors are shameless!!!

"Your Majesty, you can't say that! Those people of the Sui Dynasty... they all perished long ago! They..."

"boom!"

Cheng Yaojin, who had come to drink with the emperor that day, suddenly glared and slammed his hand on the table.

"So you're trying to renege on your debts now that someone's dead? Fine!"

He turned his head and bowed to Li Shimin, who stood calmly to the side.

"Your Majesty, if you ask me, these Tuyuhun bastards are just too shameless! Since they can kill the border people of the Sui Dynasty, then the Tang Dynasty can kill their border people!"

"Send a message to His Highness the Crown Prince, and tell him to just chop all those Tuyuhun herders who have been plundering into pieces!"

"At worst, we can just give the corpses to the Tuyuhun!"

The envoy was greatly alarmed.

Li Shimin looked at the other party: "Is that what the envoy means? If so, then I don't need to make things difficult for you. It will only cause some hardship for the people of Tuyuhun, who will inevitably suffer the pain of separation from their families..."

"No, no, no! Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, this humble subject absolutely did not mean that!"

Cheng Yaojin: "Then what the hell do you mean! What, do you want my Tang Dynasty to punish the Crown Prince? To give that old bastard Murong Fuyun an explanation?!"

Cheng Yaojin's loud voice made the envoy in front of him tremble in his ears.

And just as the words left his mouth.

At this moment, on the wooden building, all the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty, including Li Shimin, turned cold.

They stared at the Tuyuhun envoy with sharp, bone-scraping eyes.

"Ok?"

Li Shimin's sinister snort instantly caused cold sweat to break out on the foreheads of the Tuyuhun envoys.

"No, Your Majesty, I would never dare to have such an intention! Our Khan would also never have such an intention. We, we only wish to restore peaceful relations between our two countries."

"Clear up the misunderstanding, yes! Our Great Khan hopes to clear up the misunderstanding between us and the Great Tang!"

Seeing the envoy's tense expression, as if he were about to burst into tears, the people of the Tang Dynasty slowly withdrew their gaze.

Li Shimin pondered.

Looking at Murong Fuyun's letter in his hand, he pretended to ponder for a long time before looking up again.

"Alright, I have received Murong Fuyun's message. I will order my crown prince to halt the campaign against your Tuyuhun, however..."

Li Shimin gave the envoy in front of him, who was standing with his mouth open as if he wanted to argue, no chance at all.

He glared at the other person with a cold look in his eyes.

“My crown prince and my sons have been pampered in my Qin Prince’s Mansion since childhood. They have all grown up in luxury and have never suffered any grievances. If Tuyuhun does not want to make this matter bigger, it would be best to have proper negotiations between the two sides to resolve the misunderstanding.”

"If you think you can bully my sons just because they're young... Hmph!"

"I have just begun my reign, so I don't mind having a good chat with my good in-laws from the Tang Dynasty on the border!"

The Tuyuhun envoy walked out of the palace, his face pale.

My heart was already filled with anxiety.

This time, I rushed to Chang'an in a great hurry, hoping to get the order from the Tang emperor that the Tang army should withdraw from Tuyuhun. Unexpectedly...

The order has been given.

However, the order was given to the Crown Prince, and the other side's consent was required before the troops could withdraw.

"Shameless! Those damned Tang traitors, they're all shameless scoundrels..."

The Tuyuhun envoy was cursing under his breath.

"So what if you're shameless? Why don't you slap me and show me the power of your Tuyuhun?"

Taiyuan Prefecture, Yangcheng Palace, Xiande Hall.

Li Chengqian looked at his "competitor" with disdain, toying with a short-handled musket that his younger brother Qingque had sent over.

The appearance of this musket was so appealing that Li Chengqian couldn't resist it. Not only was it inlaid with a layer of gold patterns, but there were also two round jade stones on both sides of the handle, which felt excellent to the touch.

Holding it in Li Chengqian's hand at this moment gave him the illusion that he was a tyrannical warlord of the new world.

"Hmph! Come on, don't say I didn't give you a chance. I'm putting my face right here today. I swear in the name of the Li Tang royal family, I will not back down! Do you dare to hit me?"

Li Chengqian turned his head to the side, the muzzle of his flintlock pistol, already loaded with gunpowder, pointed diagonally at Murong Xiaojun's head in front of him.

Murong Xiaojun's eyes twitched incessantly, and the veins on his forehead throbbed wildly.

however.

As a fellow crown prince, he was now facing someone who had just personally destroyed the Eastern Turks.

The Tang Crown Prince Li Chengqian, whose army easily defeated the Tuyuhun cavalry time and time again, was already burning with rage.

But no matter how angry she was, she could only force a smile at that moment.

A humble attitude.

"Your Highness is too kind. Xiao Jun would not dare to be presumptuous. It is not that Tuyuhun is unwilling to agree to your conditions, but... Dafeichuan and Chishuiyuan are the places where we Tuyuhun have lived for generations. If we cede them to the Tang Dynasty, our national strength will be greatly weakened."

"Your Highness, please change your terms. Whether it's gold and silver, compensation of cattle and sheep, or even making Tuyuhun a vassal state and paying tribute, we can discuss it."

Upon hearing this, the four princes, Li You, Li Yin, Li Yun, and Li Zhen, who had been summoned by their elder brother today to learn about "diplomacy of a major power," couldn't help but feel disdain.

Li You, the oldest among them, even scoffed.

"What are you dreaming about? Cattle and sheep? Why don't you go and see the livestock breeding area of ​​our Great Tang Dynasty's Yanmen Pass? Do we lack cattle and sheep?"

"By the time spring arrives this year, our Great Tang will have vast grasslands like Zhenbei Road for grazing, and our cattle and sheep will only increase in number!"

"You even dare to submit and pay tribute? Tsk tsk tsk, how shameless! Your meager tribute isn't even enough for me to build a royal palace!"

Murong Xiaojun's face turned red with anger.

I was about to refute something.

Suddenly, Li Yin, the sixth brother who had been silently listening to everything, looked at his elder brother, the emperor.

"Brother, this guy seems quite resentful. Why don't we just have the Khan of Tuyuhun replace the crown prince with that obedient Murong Shun? I don't think Tuyuhun would object, would they?"

"What?!" Murong Xiaojun's eyes widened instantly.

Upon hearing Li Yin's suggestion, Li Chengqian couldn't help but glance at the young man with surprise, thinking that he was indeed a clever and cunning fellow.

Seeing that Li Chengqian seemed to be genuinely considering the suggestion, Murong Xiaojun's expression changed drastically.

"Your Highness! You must know that no one in our Tuyuhun clan likes Murong Shun..."

Li Yin: "Whether you like it or not doesn't matter. If he takes the position of Crown Prince of Tuyuhun, our Great Tang will be very happy, and we will stop the war because of it. That's enough."

The faint voice made Murong Xiaojun turn his head, wishing he could strangle the boy on the spot!

"Cough cough!"

Standing behind Li Chengqian, Prince Li Ke of Han, with a fine steel embroidered spring knife at his waist, coughed.

The smile at the corner of his mouth was hard to hide.

Upon noticing the head of the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guard, Murong Xiaojun couldn't help but shudder, recalling the night that Fusi City was ravaged by heavenly lightning.

That night, one of his concubines was blown to pieces on the spot.

The house she lived in was also blown up on the spot and turned into a tomb.

Originally, he had planned to spend the night at the concubine's place, but he was called away at the last minute for some business.

Murong Xiaojun: "Your Highness, I..."

His expression could no longer be tough. He hesitated for a moment, then finally revealed a humble pleading look. Just as he was about to say something, Li Chengqian suddenly raised his hand.

"Fine, I'm not an unreasonable person. Since you're unwilling to cede it, then... lease it to us! I've made the decision: I'll lease the Dafeichuan and Chishuiyuan of Tuyuhun for one hundred years. Name your price!"

"how much is it?"

Murong Xiaojun's lips twitched. Rent?!

How could you even think of that? Renting it to your Tang Dynasty is practically throwing money down the drain.

You want me to say a number?

Who will pay for this?

Does that mean if I say ten million strings of cash, you'll have someone plunder ten million strings of cash from my Tuyuhun?!

"Your Highness, Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, I..."

"boom!"

"This won't do, that won't do! Someone! Go and summon the King of Da Ning for me! I don't know any princes of Tuyuhun! I only know the King of Da Ning!"

Murong Xiaojun: "!!!"