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

"No! Your Highness, Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, why must it be like this? We can talk things over. Why be so hasty? I..."

Hearing that Li Chengqian actually wanted to involve Murong Shun in this matter...

Murong Xiaojun instantly felt a great threat.

It wasn't just a question of whether he could complete the peace negotiation task assigned to him by his father, Murong Fuyun.

What made him even more uneasy was precisely the attitude of the Tang Dynasty.

Given the Tang Dynasty's formidable fighting power in Tuyuhun, if the Tang Dynasty were to use the replacement of the crown prince as a condition for peace talks with Tuyuhun, based on his understanding of his father, the Khan...

The other party will definitely choose to compromise.

And those Tuyuhun nobles around him who supported him, no matter how much they disliked Murong Shun, would certainly do their best to show him obedience.

If peace talks fail today, at worst we can go back and say that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty was arrogant and unreasonable. He begged for mercy in every way, and even knelt down before the other side, but they still refused to stop their war.

At most, they would get a scolding, but Tuyuhun could retreat back to the plateau, even if conditions became more difficult in the future.

but.....

If I were to lose my position as crown prince, that would truly be the end of me!

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

Murong Xiaojun still wanted to try, but Li Chengqian didn't give him any face at all.

He snorted coldly.

"Do you think you have much time to spare? I have plenty of things to deal with in Taiyuan Prefecture. Shall we continue? Since you, Murong Xiaojun, have no sincerity whatsoever, then I will find someone else who can demonstrate my sincerity to talk to!"

As he spoke, he urged Wang De again to bring Murong Shun to him.

"Your Highness, even if I agreed to your request for the Great Fei River and the Red River source, my father Khan would not agree. Besides, my father Khan doesn't like the King of Da Ning at all, he..."

"Whether he likes it or not is not important. As long as Murong Fuyun knows that the King of Da Ning has become the crown prince, Tuyuhun can still exist, that's enough!" Li Chengqian snorted coldly.

When Wang De quickly brought Murong Shun to Xiande Hall.

As soon as they entered Xiande Hall, Murong Shun and Murong Xiaojun's eyes met instantly.

Murong Xiaojun's lips twitched twice.

He seemed to want to hurl insults at the other party, but considering that they were in the Tang Dynasty, not in Tuyuhun, he ultimately just coldly uttered a sentence.

"Brother, it seems you really are suited to living in the Tang Dynasty; you've gotten even fairer..."

This is a blatant and subtle way of mocking themselves for being Tang people, not Tuyuhun people.

How could Murong Shun not understand?

however.

He ignored the other person completely, walked up to Li Chengqian, and bowed respectfully.

"Your subject Murong Shun pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Got it!

"外臣" was directly changed to "臣".

In that instant, Murong Xiaojun immediately sensed that the princes sitting there were looking at Murong Shun with much more kindness in their eyes.

Even Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince of Tang, who had just spoken coldly to him, smiled slightly at this moment.

"Wang De, bring a chair for my worthy brother..."

Murong Shun bowed respectfully again to express his gratitude, but instead of bowing, he took out a document that he had prepared beforehand from his bosom.

"Thank you, Your Highness. However, I have something else to report to you today... I have heard that there are frequent conflicts between the herdsmen and the Tang soldiers in the Chishui River and Dafeichuan areas. I have been in Taiyuan Prefecture these past few days and have received your care and assistance."

"I am willing to go in person to ease relations between the two countries. Furthermore, I have another request..."

Li Chengqian, knowing full well the answer, accepted the document handed to him by the other party.

"Oh? What request do you need? My brother and I hit it off immediately, so please speak freely."

"I observe that the new policies are being implemented in Bingzhou, and new houses are being built everywhere, from government workshops to ordinary people. However, there is a severe labor shortage in various regions, and the people of Tuyuhun are suffering greatly. I request Your Highness's permission to allow these people to come to the Tang Dynasty to work and supplement their family income..."

Murong Xiaojun suddenly seemed to have noticed something strange between Li Chengqian and Murong Shun.

Before Li Chengqian could speak, he hurriedly spoke up.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, Murong Shun is deceiving you. He has absolutely no influence in Tuyuhun, and the Tuyuhun herders will never heed his call to work in the Great Tang... However, this humble subject is willing!”

Murong Shun turned his head instantly.

Their eyes met, but it was like two ferocious wolves staring at each other.

The clash of murderous intent and fierce gazes created a strange sense of excitement in the Xiande Hall.

Li You and Li Yin, those two lads, never shy away from trouble.

Upon seeing this, his eyes instantly lit up.

“Huh? Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince of Tuyuhun said makes sense!” Li You said, full of surprise.

Murong Xiaojun's face lit up with joy, but the next moment...

Murong Shun, however, bowed deeply to Li Chengqian.

“Your Highness, the labor force I am referring to is a legitimate worker who comes to the Tang Dynasty to work without weapons or any iron tools, and who is willing to accept the punishment of the Tang Dynasty’s laws if they commit any illegal or criminal acts.”

"What Murong Xiaojun said is probably not so clean!"

Li Yin immediately put on a horrified expression and gasped.

"Hiss!!! Your Majesty, that scoundrel Murong Xiaojun is harboring evil intentions! He might be using the guise of hiring people to send spies into our Great Tang, creating chaos among the people, or even attempting to assassinate you!"

The smile that Murong Xiaojun had just shown was instantly replaced by a pale face.

"Plop" sound.

He actually knelt down directly in front of Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, I would never dare to do such a thing! I only spoke of clean laborers, absolutely not spies!"

Murong Shun spoke softly, "Your Highness, he may want to send clean and honest people, but as you know, my brother has many supporters in the Tuyuhun aristocratic circle."

"Don't these Tuyuhun nobles who were plundered by the Tang Dynasty harbor any resentment?"

"you!"

Murong Xiaojun was so angry that his teeth were trembling, but when he pointed at Murong Shun, he couldn't say a word.

Li Chengqian saw this and sneered inwardly.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, he immediately waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, this isn't a marketplace. Go argue somewhere else! I only have one question: The Tang Dynasty is leasing the Dafei River and Chishui source from Tuyuhun for one hundred years, with a price of 100 million strings of cash, payable in three installments, the first installment being 20 strings of cash."

"Who is in favor and who is against?"

Murong Xiaojun's expression changed drastically upon hearing this offer.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, 100 million strings of cash is too low, I..."

"Your subject agrees!"

Murong Xiaojun: "..."

He turned his head blankly to look at Murong Shun, who was respectfully bowing to Li Chengqian, with an expression of disbelief.

"You, how dare you?! Murong Shun, how dare you so rashly cede territory to my Tuyuhun? And what right do you have?!"

"Father Khan will absolutely not agree!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Shun didn't even glance at the other person, maintaining his bowing posture towards Li Chengqian.

The voice is flat.

"I did this so that the people of Tuyuhun could suffer less. The Tang Dynasty is only leasing these two places, not taking them permanently. You may not know how powerful the Tang Dynasty is, or how wealthy its people are, but I see it very clearly."

"Our father and those nobles provoked the Tang Dynasty's borders; we were in the wrong from the start."

"If we were to lease these two territories to the Tang Dynasty, it would not only eliminate misunderstandings between the two countries, but also allow the people of both territories to live better lives. All of this I am doing is truly for the benefit of Tuyuhun!"

Murong Shun spoke with righteous indignation.

Li Chengqian and the other Tang princes present finally showed smiles.

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

"Good! You are indeed the wise brother I value. This is what it means to be reasonable. If it weren't for Murong Fuyun and those Tuyuhun nobles repeatedly provoking my Great Tang on the border and even plundering my people in the Central Plains, why would I be willing to send troops to punish them?"

"All I hope is that the people under my command can live a good life."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian stood up from his seat and slowly walked to Murong Shun.

He gently patted Murong Shun's shoulder, looking as if to say, "I admire you very much."

“Brother, you also have a heart that governs the people with kindness and compassion. Don’t worry, I am not unaware of your difficulties. Try your best to talk to the Tuyuhun people. I will give you time to handle it. If you need help, I will also have Ashina She’er and the others cooperate with you.”

"Alas, it's all for the sake of goodwill between Tuyuhun and the Tang Dynasty."

"My dear brother, this path that is not understood by others is not easy, but I hope you can persevere. The Tang Dynasty will always be your strongest support!"

Murong Shun bowed respectfully once more: "Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission!"

Holding the imperial edict stamped by Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, he walked out of Yangcheng Palace.

Murong Xiaojun stared at Murong Shun, the Prince of Da Ning, with bloodshot eyes. Ignoring everything else, he grabbed the other man by the collar.

"You're treasoning! Aren't you afraid the Khan will chop off your head?!"

"Dafeichuan and Chishuiyuan are practically the most precious places in my Tuyuhun. How could you hand them over to the Tang Dynasty? You... Murong Shun, Father Khan was right after all. You are a complete traitor!"

"You are a disgrace to our Tangut people! You piece of trash!"

Murong Shun's expression turned cold.

Suddenly, he raised his foot.

"Bang!"

He kicked the completely unsuspecting Murong Xiaojun to the ground.

Seeing the other party's incredulous expression, as if in shock, how dare he, the Prince of Ning who was not favored by Murong Fuyun, lay a hand on him, the Crown Prince.

Murong Shun sneered.

"To say that I handed over the Great Fei River and the Red River source to the Tang Dynasty? That's a huge accusation, enough to crush me."

"Since you keep saying that Dafeichuan and Chishuiyuan belong to Tuyuhun, what are you still doing here? Go back and fight! Drive out the heavy cavalry of the Tang Dynasty's Eastern Palace Six Guards, and drive out the 15,000 Turkic wolf cavalry!"

"Go ahead, Your Highness the Crown Prince of Tuyuhun!"

Murong Xiaojun pointed angrily at the other party, but faced with such humiliation, he couldn't think of a reason to refute it for a long time.

Murong Shun snorted coldly, straightened his collar which had been wrinkled by the other party, and strode towards the carriage next to him.

The moment one foot stepped onto the carriage.

But then the movement paused again.

He turned back and looked coldly at Murong Xiaojun, who was now filled with anger and resentment, his expression icy.

"Furthermore, since Father Khan does not regard me as his son, nor as a member of Tuyuhun, then I will no longer try to curry favor with him... You will absolutely not be able to protect the Dafei River and the Chishui River!"

"I said!"

Murong Shun returned to Tuyuhun with Li Chengqian's instructions.

And just a few days after he left.

In Bingzhou Road, a specially designated open area outside Taiyuan City was packed with people.

Strong, muscular men, each holding a household registration certificate symbolizing their identity and proof documents issued by their respective counties and townships, nervously lined up at each registration point.

"Name"

Xue Li, courtesy name Rengui

How old are you?

"Seventeen"

"Where are you from? Oh, Longmen County, Jiangzhou. Hmm, the documents are correct."

"Could he possibly be literate?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Li hurriedly nodded. This boy, who was said to be seventeen years old but was actually quite tall and had a large spear on his back, was just standing in front of everyone.

He already exudes the aura of a born warrior.

Although this was just the registration process, and there would be several tests and eliminations afterward, Li Chengqian was still very concerned about recruiting new soldiers.

He was with his two younger brothers, Li Ke and Li Tai, who were about to leave Taiyuan Prefecture, and was giving them instructions on how to get there.

He looked around the registration area.

Upon hearing the familiar name, Li Chengqian paused slightly in his steps.

They looked in the direction from which the sound came.

"Seventeen years old..." Li Chengqian murmured, sighing inwardly, "No wonder this is a parallel world."

I and my younger brothers are a bit older than expected. I never imagined that even Xue Rengui, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, was a few years older than the historical records suggest.

Seventeen years old, which is just over the age limit of 16 or above that he set for recruiting soldiers.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Li Tai looked in Xue Rengui's direction with some confusion.

His eyes lit up slightly.

"This person looks like he knows martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Li Ke, who was standing nearby, walked behind the official making the registration and glanced at him.

"He's from Longmen County, Jiangzhou, and comes from Bingzhou Circuit. His surname is Xue, and he's literate and skilled in martial arts. He might be from the Xue clan of Hedong, or perhaps they have some connection..."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

He watched as Xue Rengui underwent a literacy test under the supervision of an official, but made no move to call him over.

Since he is capable, he will surely shine in the new army in the future.

Moreover, the opponent is knowledgeable in military strategy, making them a valuable asset for training.

Today is only the first day of the recruitment of new soldiers in Bingzhou, but the number of people who came to the scene today has already exceeded a terrifying 100,000.

If it weren't for Wang Qingyun's side, which started distributing the assessment certificates several days in advance.

The registered personnel were scheduled for assessment in batches and on different days.

This day's earnings should be at least 200,000.

After all, the benefits and treatment of the troops under the Crown Prince's command are obvious to all.

Not only were their benefits better than those in Chang'an, but their weaponry and equipment were also extremely sophisticated, leading to a series of victories.

What man with lofty ambitions wouldn't want to fight hard in the army and earn some merit?

However, when the crown prince ascended the throne, he was granted titles and positions.

The new recruit registration and assessment site had a total of 500 venues prepared, including not only physical tests such as running with loads and weightlifting, but also unarmed combat tests specially arranged by Li Chengqian and led by the soldiers of the Eastern Palace.

It's not that these newcomers need to defeat these people, but rather that they need to be able to withstand a certain number of attacks without being defeated.

Then you can score.

"Bang bang bang..."

In the examination hall where Xue Rengui was, the soldiers of the Eastern Palace who were fighting against him were being beaten until they were grimacing.

The stinging pain he felt while blocking with his arms was unbelievable.

“Brother, it seems he is quite capable.”

Li Ke could clearly notice that his elder brother, the Emperor, was paying some attention to the man named Xue Li.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but speak up.

Li Chengqian smiled slightly and nodded.

"He is literate and knows some military strategy. In a few months, when the Bingzhou Military Academy is completed, my father and I will send some veterans to Bingzhou to teach. We can enroll him and see if he is worth focusing on..."

Li Chengqian was just imagining the future when Xue Rengui, who had grown up, would lead an elite new army to expand his territory.

Wang De suddenly rushed over, bringing news that surprised Li Chengqian.

Sun Yi is here!

Upon hearing this name, Li Chengqian was momentarily stunned.

However, then...

His gaze couldn't help but sweep over Wang De and Gao Hai beside him.

"What does Father mean by this? Is he sending another one to retire?"

"Could it be that I'll be able to assemble an Eastern Depot and a Western Depot in the future?"