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

The news that 100,000 Turkic cavalry had invaded Tang territory quickly spread throughout Chang'an.

This kind of thing can't be kept secret.

Even without the secret encouragement of powerful families, the sheer number of merchants in Chang'an today wouldn't be much slower than the imperial court's military reports.

however.

The scenario that the powerful families in the imperial court imagined—that the current emperor, Li Er, would be overwhelmed with problems and even forced to bow down to them, seeking temporary cooperation and relinquishing some of his interests—did not materialize.

Even Li Shimin himself seems to have forgotten about this matter recently.

"Your Majesty, the Turkic cavalry are coming in with overwhelming force. Although General Yuchi is brave and valiant, how can he possibly withstand 100,000 Turkic cavalry? I urge Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible!"

In the Taiji Hall, an official supported by a powerful family stepped forward.

His anxious and sorrowful appearance resembled that of a truly virtuous official who was deeply concerned about the decline of the nation.

Li Chengqian stood to one side in front of the officials, his head tilted back, his eyes blankly fixed on the top of a supporting pillar in the Taiji Hall. The mortise and tenon structure there was truly exquisite...

Beside him stood Li Tai, now known as the King of Yue, who was attending court for the first time today.

He had been looking forward to this day, thinking that he would be able to help his brother in court as his mother had said. However, the reality of the court meeting left the chubby boy feeling somewhat lost.

Uncle Changsun Wuji had a calm expression, his eyes half-closed, as if he were dozing off.

No, those Turkic barbarians are coming to attack!

Cheng Yaojin! You're a military general, why aren't you challenging us to a duel?!

Where is your courage as a valiant general of the Qin King's mansion?

Seeing one aristocratic official after another, all acting as if they were so eager to serve their country that they wished they could just crash into the Taiji Hall and die on the spot so that His Majesty would issue an order to fight the enemy, Li Tai became anxious.

however.

Before he could step forward, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

A calm yet undeniably authoritative voice reached his ears.

"Observe more, learn more, and don't be so impatient!"

Li Tai turned his head with a wronged expression and looked at his older brother. Although he was full of confusion, he could only obediently continue to stand in place.

"Your Majesty, we implore you to send troops to rescue the people from their suffering!"

Several censors from aristocratic families let out a dry wail; some squeezed out tears, while others knelt directly on the ground. Their acting skills were so poor that one could only judge their talent by their ears.

A fleeting look of disdain crossed Li Chengqian's eyes.

Li Tai, who was standing next to him, clearly heard his elder brother make a "tsk tsk" sound that was not quite clear in meaning.

On the dragon chair.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin turned his gaze to Cui Minshi, the Minister of Revenue.

"Minister Cui, how is the grain and fodder allocation going?"

Cui Minshi stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have urgently inspected the situation of various granaries around Chang'an. Some supplies can be temporarily allocated from the Luoyang granary..."

"How long will it take to supply the 30,000 soldiers of my Great Tang?" Li Shimin interrupted directly.

A look of difficulty flashed across Cui Minshi's face: "This... will probably take about half a month..."

"boom!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was so angry that he slammed his fist on the dragon table.

"You dare to force me to abdicate after only half a month's worth of provisions, demanding that I lead my Tang soldiers to meet the enemy head-on, and not just any enemy, but Turkic cavalry! Guards!"

With Li Shimin's command.

Two burly generals standing outside the Taiji Hall immediately stepped inside.

"Seize these treacherous officials who are trying to force the emperor to abdicate, and drag them out for fifty strokes of the cane!"

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, the expressions of several aristocratic censors changed drastically. However, the burly generals didn't care about their reactions.

At present, all the guards, eunuchs and palace maids in the palace have been replaced by Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

"Your Majesty, that is absolutely not our intention."

"I did not force Your Majesty to abdicate. These are my heartfelt words, and I earnestly beg Your Majesty to have mercy on the people of the northern border of our Great Tang!"

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! My loyalty is as clear as day..."

It was another performance with superb acting skills and delivery of lines, leaving Li Tai dumbfounded.

At that moment, a figure suddenly stepped forward.

"Father, I beg you to forgive them."

Upon seeing the Crown Prince step forward, Cui Minshi and the others, who were just about to plead for the noble censors, suddenly stopped in their tracks.

In the blink of an eye, their eyes met briefly, and they seemed to reach a consensus in an instant.

This crown prince, who killed his own uncle, is trying to gain the support of these powerful families; he's doing them a favor!

Li Shimin frowned.

"What does the Crown Prince intend to do?"

Li Chengqian bowed respectfully.

"Father, while Censor Cui and his associates may have made mistakes, their mistake lay in their lack of military knowledge yet their meddling in national military affairs. However, their loyalty to the emperor and the country is undeniable..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin, who was lost in thought, snapped out of it.

The future military genius of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, slowly fixed his gaze on Li Chengqian.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui...

All the old ministers of the Prince of Qin's mansion focused their gazes on Li Chengqian at this moment. However, even among these people, there were those who were more peripheral meritorious officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion, such as Duan Zhixuan and Li Daliang.

No one believed that the crown prince was actually trying to win over the powerful families.

Pei Ji, standing in front of the officials, looked bitter, but Cui Minshi and the others lowered their heads and a hint of smugness appeared on their faces.

What about the emperor?

What good is conquering the world?

Brother, you imprisoned your father. Without the support of my family, based on what you have done, you are a tyrant whom everyone in the world should kill!

However, now that they could watch the crown prince and their own emperor fight like dogs, Cui Minshi and the others immediately chose to stand aside and watch the show.

however.

"Father, Imperial Censor Cui and the others all come from prominent families in the Central Plains, with a long tradition of learning. They are also able to serve as officials in the court. They must all be quick-witted, brave and resourceful people."

"With the integrity of Censor Cui and his esteemed family, they can certainly withstand fifty canes. However, if this continues, the rift between the emperor and his ministers will only grow stronger. In the end, the emperor will not know his ministers, and the ministers will not know their emperor. Our glorious Tang Dynasty will be in grave danger!"

As Cui Minshi and the others lowered their heads, they exchanged smug glances once again.

Even those aristocratic censors who were about to be taken away by the Han general and flogged were now standing tall and proud, seemingly quite pleased with Li Chengqian's flattery.

Li Shimin frowned: "Then what do you plan to do, Crown Prince? Are you just going to let this matter drop? If so, won't everyone be able to interfere in matters of state and military affairs from now on?!"

Li Chengqian smiled slightly.

"Why doesn't Father Emperor enlist Imperial Censor Cui and the others in the army? As the saying goes, true gold fears no fire. Imperial Censor Cui and the others come from prestigious families and are well-versed in classics, history, philosophy, and literature. They are only a few more battlefield experiences away from becoming pillars of the nation who are both literate and martial!"

Li Chengqian's words caused the expressions of Imperial Censor Cui and the others at the entrance of the Taiji Hall to freeze instantly.

Among the officials stood high-ranking officials from prominent families, such as Cui Minshi.

They all looked up in astonishment.

"Your Highness, I..."

At the entrance of the main hall, several lackeys pushed out by the aristocratic families looked flustered.

They wanted to say a few words in their defense, but Li Chengqian would never give them the chance.

"At present, the Turks have invaded the border. Minister Cui, Vice Minister Wang, and other outstanding figures from noble families, the pillars of the court, have all taken it upon themselves to defend the country. This is a blessing for the Emperor and a blessing for our Great Tang!"

"Your subject offers his congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Changsun Wuji and the others instantly seemed to have rehearsed together.

As Li Chengqian finished speaking.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Gao Shilian, Cheng Yaojin, Hou Junji...

Everyone bowed and cheered in unison.

"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations! We offer our congratulations to the Great Tang Dynasty!"

Cui Minshi opened his mouth, standing blankly among the officials. Faced with the pleading and inquiring gazes cast upon him by the aristocratic officials, he was momentarily at a loss.

however.

How could Li Chengqian let this opportunity slip by? Today, these aristocratic families are shamelessly daring to pull this stunt.

Then it's no wonder Li Chengqian responded with courtesy!

After shouting, Li Chengqian bowed again, and under the strange gaze of his younger brother Li Tai, he quickly adjusted his expression.

In the blink of an eye, he became excited and generous.

"Father! Your son has something else to say!"

Li Shimin nodded. Even he was unsure what his crown prince was planning to do.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath.

"Just now, the ministers requested permission to fight, and Minister Wang of the Ministry of War was particularly fervent. I suddenly recalled hearing in my youth that Minister Wang was once a famous and valiant general of our Great Tang Dynasty. During the great chaos of the previous dynasty, he also protected the people of a region from the ravages of war..."

Li Chengqian looked at him with admiration, and his words of praise sounded as if he didn't care about the money.

Under the stunned gazes of everyone, it instantly fell heavily on the head of Wang Ming, the Vice Minister of War, who was completely dumbfounded.

Wang Ming looked on blankly.

There was only one question on my mind.

"Is the person this prince is talking about really me? Did I really have such a reputation?"

A look of seriousness flashed in Cheng Yaojin's eyes. He listened as the Crown Prince went on and on praising Wang Ming for a long time without repeating a single word.

I couldn't help but gasp inwardly.

The Crown Prince's scheme must be quite ambitious.

Many others present shared the same thought as Cheng Yaojin.

really.

Li Chengqian praised Wang Ming, the Vice Minister of War, from every angle—his family background, his education, his official position, and even his fictitious reputation among the common people—to the point that he seemed like a famous prime minister of all time.

Li Tai suddenly noticed that his elder brother's lips curled into a sinister smile, as sharp as a knife.

"Your subject admires Minister Wang to the utmost, and suddenly felt moved! I have a poem that I would like to present to Minister Wang!"

Li Shimin looked at his son in surprise.

"Sing it aloud!"

With a single step, Li Chengqian's aura shifted dramatically, and a murderous intent befitting a young general emanated from him.

"The moon of Qin and the pass of Han!"

"The Long March has ended, but the soldiers have not returned!"

As soon as Li Chengqian spoke, the eyes of everyone present lit up instantly.

Fang Mou and Du Duan exchanged a surprised glance, never expecting that the Crown Prince would possess such poetic talent.

"But if the flying generals of Dragon City are here, I won't teach Hu Ma to cross the Yin Mountains!"

Wang Ming: "......"

Oh my god!

At first, he didn't think much of it, but when he heard the word "Dragon City" in the poem, Wang Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.

The so-called timeless quote, at this moment, struck Wang Ming like a thunderbolt, suddenly hitting him, and even the Wang family of Taiyuan.

Li Chengqian watched as Wang Ming swayed a few times in a daze, as if he was about to lose his balance.

A cold laugh escaped his lips.

The person who wrote this poem, according to historical records, happened to be a member of the Wang family of Taiyuan. If you really count them, you might even be able to trace their relationship with this Vice Minister Wang.

"Father, this poem is a reflection of my own feelings, and I present it to Minister Wang!"

Li Shimin, who was still carefully reading the poem, suddenly noticed a glint in his crown prince's eyes, as if he had just realized something.

He nodded slightly, and the anger that had been stirred up by the censors on his face seemed to vanish in an instant.

"Hmm, not bad. Since this poem was written by the Crown Prince, then I will present it to Minister Wang."

Li Shimin smiled as he looked at Wang Ming, whose body beneath his court robes seemed to tremble slightly at that moment.

"By imperial decree, the poem that the Crown Prince presented to Minister Wang should be copied and circulated throughout the provinces. I hope that all officials of the Great Tang Dynasty can be as loyal to the emperor and devoted to the country as Minister Wang, and not afraid of barbarians."

Wang Ming's legs went weak instantly.

"Your Majesty, I...I am ashamed, Crown Prince..."

He was anxious to explain, but now that such praise had already lifted the other party up, how could Li Chengqian let it go?

“Father! Your son requests permission to fight! The Turks have taken advantage of the fact that our Great Tang has no one to fight, but today we see that our Great Tang is blessed with outstanding people and resources. The civil officials such as Imperial Censor Cui are determined to fight to the death, and Vice Minister Wang has a family with a distinguished family tradition of learning.”

"Your subject requests to fight the Turks!"

"Even if I die on the battlefield, I will not let those Turkic barbarians look down on the men of my Great Tang!"

All of a sudden.

Wang Ming and the other aristocratic censors who were still being held by the Han general at the palace gate all turned pale.

Wang Ming, in particular, was filled with the line, "If only the Flying General of Longcheng were here, the barbarian horses would never dare to cross the Yin Mountains."

This is coercion! This is shameless coercion and a case of flattery to kill!

Cui Minshi's face was gloomy as he looked at Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was now generously volunteering for battle, as if he had seen a ghost.

If the Wang family of Taiyuan does not shed blood for the country today, and does not request to fight the Turks...

The poem "Presented by the Crown Prince to Wang Ming, Vice Minister of War," which circulated throughout the country, will be the executioner of the reputation of the Wang family of Taiyuan.