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

"Teacher, wouldn't Gao Jianwu risk everything and attack Pyongyang County at all costs just to save his own life?"

"Yes!"

"If he can't take the pass, retreat..."

"If we can't take this place, he'll die! Someone will kill him!"

"What if we take it?"

"We'll die anyway if we take it!"

When Yeon Gaesomun led his troops on an expedition, bringing with him an army he had secretly trained over the past year with the support of powerful Central Plains clans such as the Choi clan of Cheongha and the Lu clan of Beomyang, he was moving his troops toward Pyongyang County.

As he rode his warhorse, his mind was filled with the conversation he had with his teacher, Lu Zhaojing, before setting off.

"You may win this battle, but in the end you will surely suffer a crushing defeat!"

Thinking of his teacher's words, Yeon Gaesomun took a deep breath of the cold air to calm himself down.

However, the panic in his heart grew stronger and stronger as the army drew closer to Pyongyang County and the day of the great battle with Gao Jianwu's army drew nearer.

He wasn't afraid of Gao Jianwu, but rather worried about the Tang Dynasty's plan that his teacher had mentioned.

Lu Zhaojing was a person from the Tang Dynasty, and he was forced into his current state of ruin by the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. He definitely understood the Crown Prince's thoughts.

Yeon Gaesomun gritted his teeth inwardly.

If he suffers another defeat this time, especially a crushing one that results in the loss of a large amount of territory and soldiers, then...

Then his awkward position will become even more precarious, and he might even be completely abandoned by his father, King Yuan Taizuo!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but grit his teeth again.

"Father, why did you only think of using me at a time like this?!"

November of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, winter.

The Dengzhou fleet, fully prepared and carrying a large amount of supplies and personnel needed for the early reforms in Lingnan Province, was personally escorted by Prince Li Ke and others at the dock.

Finally, they set off again, heading towards Guangzhou Prefecture in Lingnan Province.

And at almost the same time.

Goguryeo, Pyongyang Commandery.

A fierce battle once again unfolded between King Go Geonmu of Goguryeo and the false king Yeon Taejo.

"By order of the King of Huahua, we shall reclaim the lost territory!"

"Kill! Whoever is the first to scale the city walls will be rewarded with a thousand acres of land and promoted to general!"

"Charge in! Slaughter all these traitors' lackeys! Men, charge into the city! Everyone will be rewarded!"

Gao Jianwu has completely gone mad.

The Tang Dynasty's military equipment that had been secretly concealed and outwardly obeyed were now all brought out by him and equipped on his last elite royal guard.

The so-called Wangzhuangbing was an elite force formed by absorbing elites from various tribes such as the Xianbei, Buyeo, and Mohe, based on the "Guilou tribe" from which King Go Geonmu of Goguryeo originated.

Originally, the total number was around 10,000, but thanks to Gao Jianwu's continuous reorganization over the past few years, it has now expanded to 25,000, approaching 30,000.

This can be considered Gao Jianwu's last remaining possessions.

"Throw in the kerosene! Quickly, throw in the kerosene!"

"Seal the city gates! We absolutely cannot let them in!"

Yeon Gaesomun, his face blackened and his single eye bloodshot, stood hysterically atop the city wall, giving orders to his men.

His face was ashen; he had long anticipated Gao Jianwu's madness.

Although these royal troops attacked fiercely, Yeon Gaesomun's soldiers were not to be underestimated, and he was not without ways to defeat them.

However, what truly made him hesitate was whether or not to defeat it.

Once Gao Jianwu is defeated, Yeon Gaesomun will face the Tang Dynasty's Yanzhou army, which is many times more terrifying than the Wangzhuang army!

Once Youzhou of the Tang Dynasty, now Yanzhou.

Upon receiving the Crown Prince's order, Li Ji, who was practically a diligent brick in the Tang Dynasty, being transferred wherever needed, finally received another appointment after previously suppressing the rebellion of aristocratic families in Hedong Province.

Commander-in-Chief of the Yanzhou Army!

Mobilizing all military equipment and weaponry in Yanzhou, preparations are underway for the invasion of Goguryeo...

Li Ji was waiting for news of Goguryeo King Go Geonmu's "death in battle," and no matter how arrogant Yeon Gaesomun was, he certainly did not think that he would be a match for Li Ji of the Tang Dynasty.

This man was only slightly inferior to Li Jing, the military genius of the Tang Dynasty.

While Yeon Gaesomun was awkwardly unsure whether to advance or retreat, the Imperial Guards within Goguryeo territory had already begun their quiet operation...

"Quick, quick! Get ready, don't let the fish get away!"

On the vast ocean, Li Chengqian rapidly cranked a winch in front of him, watching the fishing net being gradually pulled in, and the sea fish thrashing violently inside.

They shouted excitedly and eagerly.

Duke Feng Ang of Yue, dressed in short clothes with his trousers rolled up, looked ready for battle along with the soldiers around him.

"Wow!"

As Li Chengqian and Li You struggled to lift the fishing net, a large amount of salty seawater, carrying a swarm of fish still thrashing about, began to splash around on the deck.

Water splashed everywhere, and under the sunlight, the little yellow fish shone with a pale golden light.

Li Chengqian's face was full of smiles.

"Hahaha! Awesome! So awesome! Hahaha!"

"In the future, I will make all the seas in the world inexhaustible fishing grounds for my Great Tang Dynasty! Hahaha!"

The fishery resources of this era were so abundant that Li Chengqian was just bored at sea. Coincidentally, there were several sizable fishing nets on the ship he was on, so he simply had them cast and fish.

did not expect.

Filefish, yellow croaker, white pomfret... all sorts of fresh sea fish were caught in this net.

Despite his advanced age, Duke Feng Ang of Yue was excited and pressed down on a huge sea fish, suppressing its struggling and thrashing body.

His beard was covered in seawater.

Standing on the deck of the ship, Qian Yingying and the others stared in astonishment at the fish catch, which looked like a carpet of shimmering pearls under the sunlight. It was the first time they had ever seen such a bounty from the ocean, and they all gaped in shock.

Samaga looked horrified.

"This catch is enough to sustain a tribe of a thousand people for more than ten days, or even more..."

She looked up and gazed into the distance. Just then, several ships in the fleet began to pull up their fishing nets. Although she couldn't see them clearly, she could still feel the weight of the nets even from a distance.

Samaga, the Tibetan monk, couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Beside her, the blonde, blue-eyed Sassanid Persian princess Salmana was also visibly shocked.

Sassanid Persia once had a sea, but as large swathes of its southern territory were occupied by the rising Arab states, Sassanid Persia lost its sea.

But even Salmana, who had seen the sea before, was seeing a scene of ocean fishing as magnificent as that of the Tang Dynasty for the first time.

“In that case, Guangzhou Prefecture could also develop shipbuilding and fishing on a large scale, just like Dengzhou…” Qian Yingying pondered.

Wu Shun, on the other hand, looked at the large catch of fish and seemed somewhat troubled.

"How can we possibly eat all this fish?"

"If we can't finish it, we can find a harbor and distribute it to the local people. At worst, we can just throw it back into the sea. Anyway, with our Crown Prince's personality, even if we can't finish the meat, we'll let it rot in the pot."

Upon hearing this, all the women burst into silvery laughter.

A few days.

Soon, the mighty fleet officially entered the waters of Lingnan Province. At this time of year, the climate in Lingnan Province is much milder than that in the north.

When this massive fleet appeared at the port of Guangzhou.

The guards throughout the port instantly tensed up.

Although the flags of the Tang Dynasty were clearly visible atop the massive fleet, the Guangzhou port commander, who had never seen such a large ship as the treasure ship, reacted immediately.

A ship anchored in the harbor raised its sails and headed toward the fleet.

Everyone on the ship looked tense until the leading general spotted Feng Ang on the side of a large ship.

"Your subordinate Ruan Shecheng pays his respects to the Duke of Yue!"

Feng Ang nodded and introduced Li Chengqian, who was standing to the side.

"Your Highness, this is the Governor-General of the Waterways of Guangzhou Prefecture. Well, he's not as important as General Liu Rengui..."

Feng Ang spoke somewhat awkwardly, while also giving a hint to Ruan Shecheng on the small boat below.

"This is His Highness the Crown Prince of our Great Tang Dynasty! Why aren't you bowing in respect?!"

Upon hearing that the person standing next to the Duke of Yue was actually the current Crown Prince, Ruan Shecheng and his confidants all changed their expressions and hurriedly bowed down in greeting.

"This humble general, Ruan Shecheng, greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be well!"

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded slightly, signaling the other party to have someone vacate the berthing position in the port.

Fortunately, a few years ago Li Chengqian had Feng Daizhi send a message to Feng Ang, saying that the coastal ports should be improved, so such a large fleet could barely be moored.

As Li Chengqian stepped off the boat and onto the land, he looked around.

Looking at the location of this major coastal city in China, Guangzhou Prefecture, though not quite a small fishing village, is comparable to Taiyuan Prefecture, Chang'an, Luoyang, and other places.

One capital city is far from enough.

At Li Chengqian's behest, Feng Ang did not make a big show of having the officials of Guangzhou Prefecture come directly to meet the Crown Prince.

Instead, they stayed in Guangzhou for two days to get used to the local environment.

Only then did he hold a banquet to summon a group of officials from Guangzhou Prefecture and surrounding counties.

The influence of the Feng family in Lingnan was highlighted at this moment.

The Crown Prince said he wanted to implement new policies in Lingnan Province, and Duke Feng Ang of Yue State supported him wholeheartedly. On the day of the banquet, all the officials in Guangzhou Prefecture prepared some confidential documents for their respective areas of responsibility.

The Duke of Yue's Mansion.

After exchanging pleasantries and greetings, and with Feng Ang's introduction, Li Chengqian met the Guangzhou Prefecture officials present and immediately got down to business.

The accompanying eunuch, Wang De, unfolded an enlarged map of Lingnan Road.

Li Chengqian picked up a brush and, with Guangzhou Prefecture as the center and the Yuejiang River basin as the base, drew a circle under the watchful eyes of everyone.

"This is my plan: to take Guangzhou Prefecture as the core of the reform, and to unite the five prefectures of Shaozhou, Xunzhou, Duanzhou, Kangzhou, and Chaozhou, along with their respective counties, to establish the Lingnan Circuit Yuejiang Economic Development Zone!"

"Develop shipbuilding, agriculture, textiles, sugar production, fishing, and maritime trade!"

Everyone: "......"

Economic development zone?

What is this new term? Is it some strange jargon from Chang'an and Taiyuan?

However, Li Chengqian ignored the bewildered or embarrassed reactions of the crowd and solemnly dropped another bombshell.

"At the beginning of the new policy reform, I guarantee that within three years, the Yuejiang Economic Development Zone will receive at least 80 million guan in financial support!"

Feng Ang: "!!!"

He stared in horror, his eyes widening instantly. Li Chengqian hadn't told him this.

"Your Highness, you...you mean Young Master Duo?!"