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

"Your Majesty, this old minister has successfully fulfilled his mission, procuring 200,000 shi of grain and 50,000 guan of military pay, which should arrive in Chang'an within two days at most..."

Pei Ji has clearly not been sleeping well these past few days.

This Tang Dynasty prime minister, whose hair was already gray and who would be considered an old man even by modern standards, looked as if he had aged for several years in just five days.

Tai Chi Hall.

Upon hearing Pei Ji's report, Li Shimin couldn't help but smile.

He reached out and took the report from the eunuch Wang De. He saw that the names of the ancestors of the weaker families of the Tang Dynasty, such as the Wei family of Jingzhao, the Pei family of Hedong, the Liu family of Hedong, the Xue family of Hedong, and the Yang family of Hongnong, were prominently listed.

In addition, the document also records the money and grain that these aristocratic families disbursed this time.

Li Shimin nodded slightly.

A satisfied smile graced his face, but in reality, his heart remained completely unmoved.

These days, Zhang Gongjin, the Minister of Rites, has already tallied the amount of money and grain that the court officials and the five noble families and seven prominent clans are willing to donate for the country.

Cheng Yaojin and his men immediately offered up all their family property, giving Li Shimin no chance to refuse.

On the day of the court session, he immediately began to sell off his family property on a large scale, converting it all into money and grain, and had the Ministry of Rites register it.

With the outstanding examples of the people from the Qin Prince's Mansion preceding them, it was clear that...

The Wang family of Taiyuan alone had to reluctantly pay 100,000 strings of cash as a "reputation protection fee."

Cui Shi of Qinghe received 70,000 strings of cash, plus 50,000 shi of grain and fodder.

The Cui family of Boling possessed 70,000 strings of cash and 60,000 shi of grain...

Right now, all kinds of provisions are being transported to Chang'an at full speed.

"Prime Minister Pei, you have worked hard. On behalf of the soldiers of my Great Tang Dynasty and the millions of people, I thank you."

Seeing that Li Shimin actually looked like he was about to stand up and bow to him.

Despite his physical exhaustion, Pei Ji felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

He quickly took two steps forward.

"Your Majesty, you must not! This old minister has only done a little bit of work and was able to raise so much grain. It is all thanks to Your Majesty's wise and benevolent rule and the respect of the people. This old minister really does not dare to accept such credit."

Pei Ji looked extremely apprehensive, even somewhat obsequious.

This greatly satisfied Li Shimin's vanity.

Hahaha, Father Emperor, your capable ministers are now obediently serving me under the coercion and enticement of me and the Crown Prince.

The ministers observed this.

Some people were utterly disdainful, some bowed their heads and silently played the role of quails, while others were gritting their teeth in hatred.

"Damn it, you Pei family of Hedong are truly adept at social maneuvering. After only a few months, you've already betrayed your master for personal gain... Truly despicable and shameless..."

If looks could kill, Cui Minshi, hiding among the officials, whose eyes seemed to want to tear Pei Ji to pieces, would surely be the first to grind him to dust.

Standing beside him was Cui Mingan, a fourth-rank Yellow Gate Attendant from the Cui family of Boling, whose face was also gloomy.

That day, Pei Ji came to their door, and with just a few words, he decisively thwarted the little schemes of these five surnames and seven clans.

Above them was Li Chengqian, a madman who had killed his fourth uncle, the Prince of Qi, and followed Li Er in rebellion to seize the position of crown prince. He wished that these aristocratic families would raise their flags and rebel directly.

The powerful families of Hedong, such as the Pei family, bowed their heads and took the initiative to help the court solve its current financial and grain shortage.

In between were fierce generals from the Qin Prince's mansion, such as Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde, as well as Li Shimin, the Tian Ce General, whose fighting prowess was unmatched in the entire Tang Dynasty.

If their aristocratic family dares to make any more underhanded moves now...

The stack of papers Pei Ji left behind that day will truly become the paper money they scatter on their journey to the underworld...

Right here in the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin began preparing to muster his troops and discuss how to decisively defeat the invading Turkic cavalry.

Amidst a flurry of hurried footsteps, a young eunuch rushed in from a side hall and quickly approached Wang De, a trusted eunuch of Li Shimin.

Wang De was frowning with anxiety just a second ago, but after hearing the little eunuch's whispered report in his ear...

But things changed dramatically in an instant.

"Wang De, what happened? Why are you so flustered? What kind of behavior is this!"

Wang De and the little eunuch immediately knelt down with a thud.

Wang De looked at the assembled officials with trepidation, then gritted his teeth in the end.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is training troops at the Eastern Palace, but is currently under siege by soldiers; it seems a mutiny has broken out..."

"what?!"

......

"Oh dear! Your Highness, I have offended you!"

A burly man, speaking with a strong Guanzhong accent, roared loudly, his face flushed.

Suddenly, he began to swing his broadsword at Li Chengqian in a wide arc. The whistling sound and the bright light of the blade startled Xue Wanche, who was watching from the sidelines, ready to support and protect the Crown Prince Li Chengqian. He couldn't help but clench his hand holding the horse spear tightly.

Despite the fact that all of them were against it.

Even the soldiers present were hesitant to take action.

However, under Li Chengqian's arbitrary orders, those who came up to challenge Li Chengqian, hoping to gain a soldier position as a military officer in the Eastern Palace, still resorted to using real weapons.

"Ta-da..."

Amidst the clanging of metal, Li Chengqian wielded a silver spear with its tip wrapped in cloth, moving it up and down with incredible skill.

Both feet are firmly planted on the ground.

No matter how wildly the burly man in front of him slashed, he showed no sign of retreating.

The burly man's eyes widened.

The sharp pain coming from the tiger's mouth made him unable to believe that what was happening before his eyes was actually real.

Li Chengqian remained expressionless.

"Your swordsmanship is not bad. You must have learned it on the battlefield. However, since you have no intention of killing me, it has lost some of its sharpness."

"Watch out! I'm about to make my move. If you want to serve as a military officer in my Eastern Palace, we'll see how capable you are!"

The man gritted his teeth, and the arrogance and nonchalance in his eyes when he raised his hand to challenge Li Chengqian had turned into deep solemnity.

Li Chengqian had barely finished speaking.

The silver spear, which had been on the defensive, suddenly let out a whooshing sound.

Even though the gun barrel was covered, the intense red color still magnified in the man's eyes in the blink of an eye.

Like a giant python suddenly bursting out of the jungle, its blood-red mouth wide open.

"Hey!"

"boom!"

The immense force sent the man flying the moment he blocked with his sword, sending him staggering back seven or eight steps before he finally managed to stop.

His face, which was somewhat dark, was still quite flushed.

The hand holding the knife had already begun to tremble noticeably.

Li Chengqian smiled calmly, his long spear held diagonally at his side, his long robe embroidered with dragon patterns fluttering in the wind, like a dragon flag standing before everyone.

"Big brother! So strong!!!" Li Tai's face flushed with excitement.

His eyes were fixed on his elder brother, and he couldn't help but imagine how heroic it would be to possess such powerful martial arts as his brother.

"That's just one move. Do you want to continue? In addition to the benefits and pay enjoyed by soldiers, military officers of the Eastern Palace will also have their family members given priority for employment in the Eastern Palace's industries and workshops, under the same conditions..."

"Again! Ah!"

Upon hearing this, the man realized in his heart that the crown prince before him was unshakeable.

But the thought of such a benefit still made him roar and charge towards Li Chengqian.

the other side.

When Li Er, accompanied by a group of court officials and protected by some imperial guards, hurried to the outside of the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace, before even entering, he could see through the gate the soldiers inside, wielding wooden weapons and fighting each other.

A series of metallic clanging sounds rang out, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

But then they saw that Li Chengqian, the crown prince, was holding a silver spear and was driving a knife-wielding man who was at least two or three heads taller than him back in defeat.

The gun barrel, wrapped in cloth, would occasionally strike at a tricky angle.

It hit the man's arm or lower back.

"boom!"

As the burly man's long sword was knocked away by Li Chengqian's spear, leaving him wide open, Li Chengqian kicked him away.

He lay on the ground, mouth agape, unable to get up for a long time.

Li Tai, who was standing on the outside, immediately woke up as if from a dream and hurriedly flipped through the booklet in his hand.

"Jiang Heizi, you've been defeated by Thirteen Tricks! You're hereby promoted from Centurion to Junior Ninth Rank Officer! You're transferred to the Left Guard of the Eastern Palace!"

"A reward of three strings of cash!"

Upon hearing this, the man, despite being in pain all over his body, hurriedly got up and knelt down in front of Li Chengqian.

His expression, however, was devoid of arrogance, filled instead with reverence and excitement.

"I thank Your Highness! I am willing to die for Your Highness!"

Li Chengqian nodded and gestured to the imperial physician who had been summoned from the Imperial Hospital to treat the man's injuries.

Then his gaze returned to the crowd below.

"I am not afraid of your arrogance. All the officers and soldiers under the Crown Prince's command, even if they are just foot soldiers, must have the ambition to be ennobled and appointed as prime ministers."

"A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier."

"If you don't want to be asked by your descendants in your old age why all your uncles and elders have received titles and honors, but you alone haven't been granted titles and honors for your wives and children, then come up and fight me today!"

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?!"

Li Er: "......"

The entire court of officials: "..."

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's outrageous words, everyone gaped in astonishment, and the censors who had originally intended to impeach him promptly fell silent.

In front of Xiande Hall.

With Jiang Heizi as a shining example, coupled with Li Chengqian's encouragement and provocation, and the copper coins scattered all over the ground, the situation was dire.

Instantly, many of the Crown Prince's soldiers present turned red in the face and stepped forward in a loud voice.

"I am Liu Xi! I humbly request Your Highness's guidance!"

"Your Highness, I, Sun Shicheng, will also fight for a military officer position today!"

"And I!"

"..."

Three or four people stepped forward instantly. Li Chengqian glanced at them, and there was not a trace of fear in his eyes.

Instead, a look of great joy immediately appeared on his face.

Although none of them were historically renowned generals, their demeanor and physique clearly indicated that they were formidable soldiers.

"Come!"

Not too many words.

The fierce soldier named Liu Xi selected an iron shield from the weapon rack and then took a one-handed sword.

Judging from the other party's sophisticated gait and posture, he was clearly an elite swordsman and shield bearer in the army.

"kill!"

Perhaps his bloodlust was stirred by Li Chengqian's words, or perhaps this fellow was simply a bloodthirsty bastard.

The moment he opened his mouth, the ferocious aura that only a true warrior who had been on the battlefield and experienced several life-or-death battles possessed caused Li Shimin and the others who had just entered the Eastern Palace to change their expressions.

However, in the blink of an eye, this fierce soldier named Liu Xi had already launched an attack on Li Chengqian.

Sword and shield leaping stance.

Li Chengqian's gaze was stern, but Liu Xi's side was also moving quickly.

He thrusts forward with his left arm holding a shield horizontally, while his right hand grips a long sword and his right arm supports the shield.

"Shh!"

Li Chengqian thrust out his spear, and the immense force caused Liu Xi's expression to change briefly, while his left arm was immediately slightly dislocated.

Li Chengqian's spear tip instantly veered to one side of the shield, but in that instant of tilting the shield, Liu Xi slashed out with his long sword from behind the shield.

Left and right lower steps, horizontal scroll, shield step forward, press down spear and shield, blade tip protrudes forward and diagonally upward...

"bang bang bang"

Undoubtedly elite swordsmen and shieldmen, although Li Chengqian immediately blocked them with his spear thanks to his superior marksmanship and physical strength, he then swept his spear and club to force them back.

The latter immediately changed its offensive strategy again.

The previous attack failed to capture Li Chengqian, and Liu Xi finally personally experienced Li Chengqian's extraordinary strength and the strangeness of his marksmanship.

Suddenly, his gait changed, from fierce and courageous to steady and composed.

With a diagonal stance, he stepped sideways, furrowed his brow, and closed in with his sword and shield, constantly searching for weaknesses on Li Chengqian's body.

At this moment, Li Shimin's generals and court officials were already stunned by the boldness and bravery of Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Li Jing's gaze swept over the soldiers of the Eastern Palace present, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

At this moment, Qin Shubao, who was standing next to Li Shimin, looked at Liu Xi, who was immediately suppressed again after Li Chengqian adapted to his fighting style, and couldn't help but speak in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, does His Highness the Crown Prince possess such martial arts skills? Judging from Liu Xi's performance, he was completely serious and showed no intention of holding back at all."

Upon hearing this, Li Er, despite his eyes being full of worry and tension, couldn't help but nod in confusion.

Even his own father, the emperor, didn't know when Crown Prince Li Chengqian had acquired such martial arts skills...

Meanwhile, Liu Xi was quickly knocked down by Li Chengqian's spear.

Li Tai immediately issued a high-ranking announcement.

"Liu Xi, you have taken thirty-two moves and are defeated! You are hereby granted the rank of Seventh Grade Senior Commander of the Crown Prince's Thousand Oxen Guard and transferred to the Left Inner Guard of the Eastern Palace!"

"A reward of ten strings of cash!"

Seeing Liu Xi, panting heavily and kneeling in gratitude, Li Shimin was about to step forward when Cheng Yaojin, his large face suddenly appearing embarrassed, approached and said, "Your Majesty, I, old Cheng, would like to ask you for a favor..."