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

It wasn't just Prince Li Ke and a few others who recently left Chang'an to attend to important matters.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who had already been promoted to the position of Emperor Emeritus, had now left Chang'an and headed to Zhenbei Road to inspect and prepare the cavalry.

In addition, the students of the Western Expeditionary Military Academy in Chengdu Prefecture were also sent to Yanmen Pass by his orders.

The westward expedition was destined to take the Hexi Corridor by land, so it was very appropriate for the army to conduct preparations and training in the Hexi, Longyou, Hedong and Zhenbei routes.

Prince Li Yun of Yan was also very busy.

He has now personally gone to Hexi Road to build the railway from Longyou Road to Hexi Road before the western expeditionary army sets off, or at least to extend the railway to Gaochang Prefecture in Hexi Road.

This was the decree of the retired Emperor Zhenguan, and even the Prince of Yan, as his son, had no choice but to personally lead the procession.

Q: What's the difference between being the emperor and being the crown prince?

Li Chengqian replied: "There are two more shameless old bastards above us!"

"boom!"

The sudden slamming of the table startled Xiangyu and Pinu, causing both of them to shudder violently. Their pens slipped from their hands, leaving an unsightly mark on their notebooks.

Before the two could react, a wisteria-covered pointer lifted their hands from the side.

King Li Zhen of Yue spoke in a calm but authoritative voice: "Tear this page out and rewrite it."

Xiang Yu and Pi Nu: "!!!"

The two little ones looked pitifully at the Eighth Prince in front of them at the same time, but unfortunately, they were met with a pair of calm and composed eyes.

Li Zhen remained silent, simply watching them with a file in her hand.

That gaze gave the two of them a sense of absurdity, as if they were standing in the dock, facing a judge.

The two dared not say anything more.

The Eighth Prince was no easier to talk to than the Ninth Prince. In fact, if the Ninth Prince was in a good mood, he would sometimes let them go out and play for a while before they finished their studies.

Or they could have someone bring them some snacks or dried fruit.

But the Eighth Prince... his rules, those really are rules.

Even a young imperial grandson has big worries.

The two little ones could only curse inwardly, wondering which shameless person had offended their father and angered him.

He dutifully tore out the flawed page of his work and rewrote it...

"So what if he's the retired emperor! Hurry up, hurry up! Hurry up my ass!"

"If I'm not in a hurry, why should he be?"

"Truly, the emperor isn't worried at all... cough!"

The sound of their father cursing reached the side hall, instantly making the two little ones' ears perk up. Their father couldn't be cursing their great-grandfather, so it could only be...

The distracted movement didn't escape the notice of Prince Li Zhen of Yue, who casually tapped the desk with his pointer.

"You're not allowed to go out and play until you've copied this law about theft twice today!"

The two little heads lowered obediently, but then Li Zhen stepped into the main hall next to him. In the hall, apart from our Emperor Tianwu, there was only the eunuch Wang De and Qian Lou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who came to report the news.

Qianlou now also has a noble title, and has been promoted to Duke of the State, with the title of Duke of Su.

However, because he has not married or had any children, no one in the court has said anything.

Li Chengqian felt somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn't exactly distressing, but rather a feeling of being bothered by flies that he couldn't get rid of.

Upon seeing his eighth brother enter, he tossed the letter from Emperor Taizong of Tang to him.

He looked unhappy.

"My father has truly abandoned all concerns. He doesn't care about the selection of soldiers from various regions, the deployment of generals, or the transportation of provisions. He just keeps urging me on!"

"The golden eagle I gave him has lost weight these days!"

A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Li Zhen's poker face as he glanced at the letter, which was now the umpteenth one, beginning with "My son Chengqian, I want..."

"It's understandable that Father is anxious. A couple of days ago, Su Dingfang sent back a military report about Pei Xingjian's troops, which showed over a thousand enemy kills. This has made many military officers in the court very envious."

"That cavalry force of three thousand men was virtually invincible in the triangular region where the Arabs, Byzantines, and Sassanid Persians met."

Li Chengqian felt somewhat exhausted.

Maybe this is karma!

When he was the crown prince, he was eager to make great achievements and implement new policies at lightning speed. He wished that the children born to ordinary families could read and write the next day, enter university the third day, and become officials or join the army the fourth day.

Many decrees requiring Chang'an's cooperation were sent from Taiyuan Prefecture to Chang'an one after another.

He caused his father and his ministers endless trouble.

And now... it's finally his turn to be defiled like this.

Li Chengqian gritted his teeth: "We can't wait like this any longer..."

He steeled himself and said, "Father is acting like he's on drugs right now. He's full of anger but can't vent it on Mother, so he's coming after me instead..."

Li Zhen's eyes twitched, and then she saw Li Chengqian slam his hand on the table.

"I can't stand this old man anymore! If he wants to fight, then let him lead an elite cavalry unit and go out and cause trouble for now!"

Li Zhen was startled: "This, isn't this too risky? What if the Arabs and Byzantines find out...?"

"Then let's see if their God and Allah are truly powerful, or if the strategies of my Great Tang's General Tian Ce are truly cunning!" Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the table and made the decision.

Li Shimin was going crazy with frustration, so he started to tormenting his son.

He had no desire to face Li Shimin like this, so he might as well throw him out and let him torment the Byzantines, regardless of whether the other party was a mad dog or a lion in heat.

Li Chengqian looked at Qianlou.

"You shall allocate a portion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and transfer the Embroidered Uniform Guards from the Indian Garrison, the Arab Garrison, and the Persian Garrison to the Emperor Emeritus for command, and have Su Dingfang provide logistical support and keep a close eye on the enemy's movements."

"Give the Emperor Emeritus whatever weapon he desires; give him whichever general he wants; and tell him to get out of here and run wild..."

.......

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, look at me, look at me, hey~"

"Your Majesty, lifting a stone weight is nothing to boast about; it hardly shows any martial prowess. I'll demonstrate my horsemanship and archery skills for you! Someone, bring me my warhorse!"

"Your Majesty, I have a group of soldiers under my command who are brave and skilled in battle. Most importantly, they all look almost identical to those barbarians, yet they serve as scouts for my army, capable of infiltrating enemy cities to gather intelligence..."

In the Zhenbei Road, Li Shimin's loud laughter, accompanied by the excited self-recommendations of Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, Ashina She'er, Yinan, and others, echoed in the large tent.

Outside was a vast grassland, and cavalrymen could be seen everywhere familiarizing themselves with their assigned warhorses.

Before even setting out on the campaign, Li Shimin was already wearing a majestic and imposing suit of fine steel armor, which looked even more heavy and imposing than ordinary armor.

But Li Shimin showed no sign of bearing any burden.

He placed one foot on the table and waved a letter from Chang'an, delivered by a golden eagle, in the other hand.

"My crown prince has agreed to let me lead the army into battle! Let's set a small goal first: to destroy one of their countries!"