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

"This humble general, Li Yuan, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Yuan's move not only affected Li Chengqian, who was sitting in the main seat, quietly drinking tea and watching the two Tang emperors expose each other's shortcomings and attack each other.

He couldn't hold back any longer and spat out the tea in his mouth.

"Cough cough cough..."

Wang De hurriedly came up to wipe Li Chengqian, but Li Chengqian stopped him.

Looking at his grandfather, who was now moving with perfect form and solemn expression, showing no signs of acting, with a look of astonishment and bewilderment, he quickly got up to help him up.

But Li Yuan acted even faster.

With his back straight, he suddenly reached out and gestured to Li Shimin in a gesture of invitation.

A faint smile played on his lips.

Now, even Li Chengqian had to take a deep breath and turn to look in the direction of his father, the emperor.

At this moment, Li Shimin was being stared at by many eyes.

It turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then turned negative...

Li Yuan's smile grew even more mocking, and he gestured again, saying, "Second Prince, you want to launch a northern expedition, which will consume the Crown Prince's military provisions and drain his military funds. Is it too much to ask for a general's salute?"

Li Shimin: "......"

Fang Xuanling and other famous ministers and generals of the Zhenguan era were already stunned into a daze by the Emperor Emeritus's sudden move.

Cheng Yaojin gaped open. The scene of Li Yuan bowing to the Crown Prince just now, even though it was the retired emperor bowing, made him feel as if he had just pulled a muscle in his back.

"Father! You are the retired emperor, this...this is outrageous!"

Li Shimin's face turned red, and he didn't dare to look into his crown prince's eyes. His fists were clenched. If he didn't still have some reason left, he probably wouldn't have dared to look at this shameless old Bi Deng in front of him.

He would immediately deliver a deliberate, powerful punch.

The ministers of military virtue sitting on the side of the retired emperor, including royal relatives such as Li Daozong and Li Xiaogong, all looked embarrassed and ashamed.

However, Pei Ji, Wang Gui, and Xiao Yu exchanged a glance, their expressions full of smugness.

That's right!

This tactic of "using present face to exchange for future dignity" was exactly what the group and Li Yuan came up with together.

Even Li Yuan himself did not show the slightest difficulty when he heard about this method.

What's wrong with the General Who Conquers the North bowing to the Crown Prince?

As long as I achieve victory in this Northern Expedition, who will dare to say a hundred years from now that Li Yuan ascended to the throne through his son?

Is it really worth bowing down to the Crown Prince and losing face?

Is bowing your head in respect more humiliating than having the Crown Prince hold a spear to your neck back then?

Li Yuan was quite clear-headed...

"Heh, Emperor, no means no. Your little schemes may fool others, and you may deceive honest ministers like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, but do you really think you can fool me?!"

Li Yuan gave a cold laugh, then suddenly looked at Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and the others sitting opposite him.

"If your emperor were to personally lead the expedition, then the matter of Chang'an would surely require the search for a regent... Although I am unwilling, your emperor is willing to abandon the foundation of the Tang Dynasty and discard it like worn-out shoes, but I am willing to do so for the sake of the people and for the sake of my grandson, the Crown Prince."

"You will eventually have to shoulder the responsibility of overseeing the country. Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, as his subjects, you will naturally go on the Northern Expedition. You will not have to fight... so you will most likely be assigned to Longyou or Bingzhou Road to be in charge of logistics."

Li Yuan spoke with a smile, pacing slowly as he walked over to Li Shimin.

A pair of calloused hands gently landed on the shoulders of Fang and Du, whose bodies had become noticeably thinner.

This caused the two of them to tremble involuntarily.

"In the second half of this year, there were no major wars in the Tang Dynasty. The events in Chang'an almost exhausted you all, as well as me."

"If you all go to war with the army, then all the burdens will fall on my shoulders, maybe with those few old fogies by my side..."

"Do you think we old bones can withstand this kind of torment?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Ji, Wang Gui, Xiao Yu and the others sitting opposite him either suddenly coughed violently or groaned while holding their foreheads.

"Oh dear, I'm getting old, my eyesight is starting to fail."

"Hehe, Duke of Wei, you're in luck. Look at my old arms and legs, they're covered in plasters... I'm afraid I don't have many years left to live~"

"Cough cough cough, ah cough cough cough cough! Ah cough cough cough cough!"

Li Chengqian understood, but at this moment he was still taken aback by the behavior of these "old hands".

The spiciness made my eyes feel a little uncomfortable.

Li Shimin's expression immediately turned even more grim, especially when he saw the visibly wavering expressions on the faces of Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and the others, which made him even more anxious.

"Things aren't nearly as serious as you make them out to be, Father. You're just exaggerating!"

Li Yuan sneered: "I'm exaggerating? Hmph! Fine, since you, Emperor, are so determined to go on this Northern Expedition, that means you've swallowed a heavy weight and are determined to abandon Chang'an and the court, then I won't argue with you!"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, while Li Yuan suddenly withdrew his hands from the shoulders of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

Then, with his hands behind his back, he appeared to be walking outside.

"If you want to go on the Northern Expedition, then go ahead. You are the Supreme General of Heavenly Strategy. Even when I launch a Northern Expedition, I need my good grandson to be paired with Li Jing by my side. You, Li Shimin, are so capable!"

"It's such a pity for renowned ministers like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. With me and Prime Minister Pei exhausted, the logistics of the Northern Expedition and the affairs of Chang'an have all fallen on their shoulders. How pitiful!"

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui: "!!!"

What a great move to turn retreat into advance!

Watching the struggle between the two emperors of his Tang Dynasty, Li Chengqian felt that the dramas he had previously enjoyed watching were utterly incomparable to the spectacle unfolding before him.

really.

Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, the expressions of all the civil officials present during the Zhenguan era changed drastically.

If that's the case, no matter how good the tonics are, they can't hold back their souls that have been taken away by the Black and White Impermanence!

"His Majesty......"

Fang Xuanling panicked; this could really kill people!

This level of workload would absolutely kill someone!

"Your Majesty, neither of my two sons has married or had children yet, I..." Fang Xuanling stood up and humbly bowed to Li Shimin, pleading.

Beside him, Du Ruhui also looked flustered and distressed: "Your Majesty, I am old and frail, and truly cannot bear such heavy political affairs... Perhaps you should allow this old minister to resign and return to his hometown..."

The two were so heartbroken.

However, upon hearing these words, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and the others, whose minds were filled with thoughts of military achievements, all objected.

"No, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, what nonsense are you two old geezers spouting!"

"If you find it too tiring, then we can simply ask His Majesty to provide you with more deputies, similar to the Crown Prince's secretariat..."

Li Chengqian silently drank his tea, but inwardly he was laughing.

Do you really think the work of the secretariat is simple, just organizing documents and such?

Do you really think that just anyone can adapt to this new model at this crucial juncture when the new policies are being gradually implemented across the country?

If that's the case, why would I need a secretariat? I might as well just set up the Eastern Depot and the Western Depot.

Fang Xuanling and his companion's faces darkened instantly.

He was about to reprimand the group.

However, Emperor Emeritus Li Yuan, who had already walked back to the Wude camp, suddenly spoke again in a low voice.

"Cheng Zhijie, Yuchi Jingde, you are both top-notch generals of our time, but it seems that without Li Shimin, you are nothing at all?"

Cheng Yaojin and his companions were taken aback.

If His Highness the Crown Prince and the Emperor hadn't been present, let alone Li Yuan being the retired Emperor, the two of them would probably have dared to point their fingers at each other and hurl insults right there and then.

Cheng Yaojin took a deep breath: "What does the Emperor Emeritus mean by that?"

Li Yuan slowly sat down, calmly picked up a cup of tea handed to him by his own crown prince and grandson, and took a small sip.

"You are generals of the imperial court, your military ranks and titles are subordinate to the imperial court, not some generals of the Prince of Qin's mansion... Why are you so agitated about whether the emperor can personally lead the expedition?"

"Do you think that when selecting generals for the Northern Expedition, we can bypass you generals?"

Li Yuan smiled enigmatically, but Li Shimin's expression changed drastically in an instant.

The two exchanged a glance, and Li Chengqian seemed to see Li Yuan and Li Shimin engaged in a rather intense game of chess.

Just then, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and the others realized something.

Li Yuan had already lowered the flag.

"Erlang...General!"

The entire Xiande Hall of the East Palace instantly fell into an eerie silence.

Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and the others, who were initially quite dissatisfied and indignant, hesitated for a few seconds before avoiding the emperor's gaze and silently returning to their seats.

Let me have some tea. I've definitely been getting too irritable lately; I guess I lack composure...

Li Yuan quietly sipped the tea in his cup.

Li Chengqian slowly turned his head to look at his father, who was standing stiffly in place, as if petrified, staring at him with an ugly expression.

"Ahem... Father, is there anything else you want to say?"

Say something? What should I say? Your eyes are practically blatantly open now, you unfilial son!

Li Shimin was furious, but he still refused to give up.

"If I were to launch a northern expedition, I dare say I could conquer the Western Turks within two years! Father, are you capable?"

After Li Shimin finished speaking, he looked provocatively at his father, Emperor Li Yuan.

Li Yuan put down his teacup, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "Two years... I really can't do that, but... I can guarantee that within five years, the Crown Prince will have as many slaves as he wants!"

"After capturing the Western Turks, I will capture the Persians! After capturing the Persians, I will go west to capture them!"

"Regarding the railway the Crown Prince mentioned, I will build two, one running during the day and the other at night!"

"Slaves are coming in endlessly!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

Comrade Li, your high level of awareness makes your father, the emperor, seem rather dull!