First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

The servant had reported to Li Shimin in advance that Gao Chong had brought four attendants, so when Gao Chong and five entered the palace, Li Shimin was calmly reviewing the memorial.

"Minister Gao Chong pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince," Gao Chong said with a bow.

The four teenagers saluted solemnly.

The person in front of him is the King of Qin who ruled the world back then, the current Prince Jian Guo, and the future Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

All four of them are fond of military affairs, and they have long admired General Tiance who was good at fighting.

"Okay, Yauzhi, your vision is really good."

Li Shimin got down from his seat, walked closer, looked at the four teenagers and nodded in praise: "Although I don't know what their skills are, this bearing alone is much better than my peers."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your compliment."

Gao Chong smiled, then turned his head and ordered: "I don't want to introduce myself to His Royal Highness yet."

The four teenagers are full of gratitude to the master in their hearts, which is the benefit of relying on the big tree.

Don't underestimate today's side, just a brief acquaintance, but with Gao Chong's recommendation, these four teenagers will definitely leave an impression on Li Shimin's heart, which will undoubtedly win the starting line for his future career. .

"The boy Gao Kan, whose style name is Yunzhi, comes from the Gao family in Bohai, his first father was Baoyou, and he was formerly Sima of Dangzhou."

As Gao Chong's younger brother, Gao Kan's seniority is higher than the other three, and he took the lead in worshiping Taoism.

"Xue Li, the boy, whose name is Rengui, comes from the Xue family in Hedong.

"Boy Pei Xingjian, who keeps the word, comes from Wenxi Pei's family. His father tabooed Renji, and he was the former governor of Yuanzhou."

"The kid walks out of the ground, and his characters are careful. He came from Mohe at the end of the millet. My father tabooed him. He is now the governor of Yingzhou."

Afterwards, the three of them reported their family names one by one with a little excitement.

Among them, Pei Xingjian's father, Pei Renji, was the governor of Yingzhou posthumously awarded by Li Yuan in the fourth year of Wude, and he was given the posthumous title of loyalty.

Li Shimin glanced at Gao Chong, nodded slightly and said with a smile, "That's right, everyone is talented, and your master is a man of great ability. If you practice hard, you will surely succeed in the future."

The four teenagers responded respectfully.

Seeing that the goal had been achieved, Gao Chong said, "Go and wait outside the hall, remember not to walk around at will."

The four bowed to leave.

"I have to say, you have a good eye for people."

Seeing the four retreat, Li Shimin withdrew his amiable look, sat back on the couch, rubbed his brows and smiled.

"Then who do you think will have the highest achievement among the four in the future?"

Gao Chong asked curiously, he was somewhat historically forward-looking, so he had high hopes for the four of them, but he didn't know how Li Shimin would evaluate them.

Unexpectedly, when Li Shimin heard the words, he just gave him a blank look.

"I only met once, how can I say good things about it, not to mention these four boys... Well, how should I put it, their personalities, words and deeds are like the same person, they are prudent and polite, and they don't escape like young people at all."

Hearing this, Gao Chong sighed: "Except for Tudi Xing, the other three are all orphans, they must be more stable after going through hardships.

Even if he was traveling suddenly, he was born in Hu Yi and lost his temper when he was young.

It is life that forces them to mature so precociously."

Li Shimin was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slowly, expressing deep agreement.

Suddenly, Li Shimin thought back to the purpose of calling Gao Chong here, thought of Li Yuan who was retiring in Qizhou, and found the four teenagers just now, he couldn't help but feel a little touched.

"You, do you know why I called you here?" Li Shimin looked up at Gao Chong.

"That's why you brought these boys here?"

Gao Chong was stunned when he heard the words, with a blank expression on his face, "What do you mean? I don't know, I'm waiting for you to tell me."

Li Shimin looked at Gao Chong seriously, seeing that Gao Chong really didn't know, and his expression didn't seem to be fake, so he said directly: "The sage sent someone to report, he will not attend the enthronement ceremony."

Gao Chong was stunned, and then said angrily: "Are you sure this is not a joke? The enthronement ceremony, if the emperor does not come, what kind of enthronement ceremony is this?"

Li Shimin's expression sank when he heard the words, Gao Chong's words reached the bottom of his heart.

"Then how did you handle it, Your Highness?" Gao Chong asked with a frown.

This should be because Li Yuan's heart began to become unbalanced. He probably already guessed the real situation of Changlin Gate's change.

Rather than saying that it was Li Jiancheng who launched the mutiny, it is better to say that Li Shimin forced Li Jiancheng to launch the mutiny. It can also be said that Li Shimin pushed Li Jiancheng to a dead end step by step.

Standing on their respective positions, Li Shimin is naturally not guilty, after all, it was Li Jiancheng who did it.

But for an emperor and a father, Li Yuan always had a thorn in his heart.

In Li Yuan's mind, Li Jiancheng is the eldest son, the crown prince, and Li Shimin is the second son. Since he is good at fighting, he should follow the example of Duke Zhou and assist Li Jiancheng.

It should not be a person who pretends to be a filial son and a virtuous minister in front of the emperor, let alone have unreasonable thoughts in his heart, and step by step force his elder brother to commit a dangerous mutiny. The reason lies in Li Shimin and Li Shimin's ambition. This is Li Yuan's opinion.

If it weren't for the bad influence, if it wasn't for the great Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan really didn't want to pass it on to Li Shimin.

"I'll send a message directly to Pei Xuanzhen and ask him to facilitate this matter." Li Shimin said truthfully, "Youzhi, what do you think?"

"Pei Xuanzhen?" Gao Chong raised the corners of his mouth, and said with a relaxed smile, "If Pei Xuanzhen can make a move, then there is no problem, but the enthronement ceremony must be safe, His Highness can send two more people to Qizhou, and the saint will surely arrive on time."

Li Shimin hurriedly asked: "Those two people?"

"The left servant of Shangshu shoots at Feng Lun, Guangluqing and Liu Zhenghui", Gao Chong said seriously: "These two important ministers are confidantes of saints, they are quick-witted, and they will definitely not disappoint His Highness's expectations."

Li Shimin's eyes narrowed, "Feng Lun, Liu Zhenghui... But, I'm sending the order here."

Gao Chong had no expression on his face, he just waited for Li Shimin to give the order, then got up, bowed and prostrated himself on the ground.

Of course, just

"Yuzhi, what are you doing?" Li Shimin was taken aback, "Speak up if you have something to say."

"Your Highness, I have been following His Highness for nine years, and I have never asked for anything. I would like to ask Your Highness to consider the brazen request today." Gao Chong bowed deeply.

"What's the matter? Sit down and talk first," Li Shimin said with a hint of doubt in his eyes, reaching out his hand again.

Gao Chong flattened his body slightly, and said directly: "The ancestor of the minister's family, Yuying, was the younger brother of Duke Zhaoxuan of the former Sui Dynasty, when he was conquering Nanchen...".

Immediately, Gao Chong narrated the grievances of his grandfather Gao Ying one by one, and then bowed again and said: "I ask myself to cut the title, but I ask that after your highness ascends the throne, I will give you an order to rectify the name of the family ancestor. This is a merciless request. With all sincerity and fear, Your Highness, please come down to your crimes."

After listening to it, Li Shimin sighed: "It's a pity that the heroes of the ancestors died unjustly at the hands of the faint king...".

Then got off the seat to help Gao Chong, and said sincerely: "You can rest assured, after I ascend the throne, I will definitely rectify Lingzu's name.

In addition, your title will not be cut, it will only be granted, otherwise, I am sorry for your strong support over the years."

Hearing this, Gao Chong grinned, "Really? Can you be named He Jue? Duke Qin?"

Li Shimin's face darkened, and he kicked over, "You really dare to think, I'll give it to you, do you dare to accept it?"

Gao Chong smiled mischievously, then straightened his clothes, and bowed solemnly: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness."

Li Shimin didn't say anything, just patted Gao Chong on the shoulder, turned around and went back to sit down.

"Er Li has already set off for the north, but I don't think the aggressive old thief will be so simple," Li Shimin said worriedly.

Gao Chong raised his brows when he heard the words, and said slowly: "Jieli is a scheming man with a personality like a jackal, and is good at seizing the opportunity. When the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty ascends the throne, he will certainly not be satisfied with just looting the frontier."

Li Shimin's brows furrowed even deeper. Hearing the words, he just sighed deeply, and was about to say something, when he suddenly reacted, looked up at Gao Chong's expression, and said angrily, "If you have a countermeasure, quickly take it out!" .

Li Shimin knew Gao Chong's temperament quite well. If Gao Chong was at a loss, he must have bowed his head in silence, for fear of asking him.

But now Gao Chong held his head high and held his chest high, looking calm and calm, as if he had a plan in his hands, as if he was saying: "Quickly ask me, you quickly ask me."

Hearing this, Gao Chong grinned, took out a thickly folded piece of paper from his pocket, and spread it out.

"Your Highness still understands me. Look, this is an ambush I prepared for Xieli. It just depends on whether His Highness has the courage to accept it."

Li Shimin glared at Gao Chong, then focused on the map on the desk.

This is a map of the pass, and the center is Chang'an City, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

Surrounding Chang'an City, there are actually eight arrows drawn with a Chinese ink brush, pointing directly at Chang'an.

"Hedong, Shannan, Hanzhong, Longxi...".

Li Shimin frowned and murmured slowly. Suddenly, his eyes froze and his voice raised unconsciously. "You are so brave, how dare you use Chang'an as bait!"

"There are two situations right now.

First, Xieli feared the might of the Tang army and only plundered border areas. In this case, Li Jing was in Lingzhou, Li Shiji was in Bingzhou, and there were Ren Gui in Tongzhou, Liu Hongji in Youzhou and others. It was enough to defend the Qin Great Wall. Response to small-scale Turkic invasion.

Second, Jieli's ambition is to take advantage of my new emperor's ascension to invade the south of the country, plunder Chang'an, and even destroy our country. In this case, it is impossible to resist with the strength of the frontier army alone.

The ambush I am showing His Highness now is to deal with the second situation."

Gao Chong said slowly.

The Turkic invasion of the South has always been a sharp sword hanging over his head, making Gao Chong sleepless at night. Gao Chong discussed this with Gao Junya several times before deciding to offer this plan. Although it is a bit risky, Gao Chong believes that according to the current situation, Tang Junli, even if he can't beat him, he can force Jieli back.

On the original trajectory, the Weishui alliance, although the Tang Dynasty did not claim tribute, let the Turkic people attack the city of Chang'an and "donate gold and silk", which is already a great shame, and it really made Gao Chong feel sad and angry.

Seeing Li Shimin frowning and thinking, Gao Chong continued: "Besides, my last Youyan military exercise has already planted a secret. As long as Jieli's whole country goes south, he will definitely catch fire in his backyard."

Li Shimin reacted, his eyes lit up immediately, and he asked, "You sent me a letter in Youzhou, saying that you used Mohe at the end of millet as a model to instigate a rebellion against Heishui Mohe and the Khitan tribes, just for this day?"

Gao Chong nodded in response, "Jieli has always been ambitious, and the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty will definitely make trouble when he ascends the throne."

Li Shimin nodded slightly. Gao Chong has been good at military strategy since he was in the army, and he has predicted the enemy's opportunities several times. This is well known in the Tang military, especially Li Jing, who admires Gao Chong's military strategy.

It’s just that Gao Chong’s plan this time is really a bit bold. Faced with the second situation, when Jieli’s whole country went south, Gao Chong actually proposed to send the soldiers from Xiazhou, Shengzhou, Yinzhou, Yanzhou and other places in the back of the pass to each other. Longxi and Hedong on the left and right are close together.

Then ordered Shangzhou and Junzhou in Shannan, Liangzhou and Xingzhou in Hanzhong, Qinzhou and Longzhou in Longxi, and the soldiers in these three directions moved closer to Gyeonggi.

To put it simply, it is to weaken the defense of the north. If Jieli points his sword at Chang'an, he can easily approach the city of Chang'an. Li is very likely to fall into a tight siege.

"It's too risky", Li Shimin has always been bold, but this time he hesitated rarely.

"Besides, Xieli is not a mediocre person. He can't see the truth. Once he easily crosses the Lingzhou defense line, he must be vigilant."

Hearing this, Gao Chong shook his head and smiled, "Your Highness, if you are concerned, you will be in chaos. Even if Xie Li is alert, he doesn't have to come. If you don't come to Chang'an, Your Highness will be able to ascend the throne smoothly. Great for me." Don't have much influence, wouldn't it be better?"

In Gao Chong's mind, it would be a disgrace if Xieli fought under the city of Chang'an and formed an alliance to retreat.

If Datang took the initiative to make arrangements in advance, luring Jieli to drive straight to the city, and then ambush all the troops, causing Jieli to retreat on his own initiative, it would be a tie.

In this way, it can be recorded in the history books.

"In the winter of the eighth year of Wude, Gao Chong proposed a plan to ambush on all sides, weakened the spirit and defended, lured the Turks to invade, and collected soldiers from Hedong, Shannan, Hanzhong, and Longxi, and protected the capital. The soldiers went deep, all the troops were out, the army was very strong, and the Turks were frightened and went north..."

Instead of the record: "Jimao, the Turks invaded Gaoling...then came out of the Xuanwu Gate...talked to Jieli across the water...cut a white horse...donated gold and silk...allied on the temporary bridge...Turks led troops retreat……".

Today's national strength is not enough to support large-scale operations, but fortunately, the soldiers are well-equipped and well-armed, which is extremely deterrent.

Hearing Gao Chong's words, Li Shimin finally came to his senses, slapped his head, and showed joy.

"Yu's words reminded me that if the Turks looted the border areas on a small scale, there would be two Lis to deal with them. If the Turks invaded the whole country to the south, they would be lured to attack. Presumably Xieli would not dare to fight to the death inside the pass, let alone you. There are other arrangements behind it, good, this plan is very good."

Once Li Shimin understood the key point, he was extremely decisive, and immediately ordered the summoning of the eldest grandson Fangdu and others, and announced the adoption of the strategy of ambush from all sides.

He also ordered everyone to complete the details, such as Hedong, Shannan and other places, who will be the general, where to choose the military mansion, how many people should be selected, how to allocate food and grass, where to station troops, and how to encircle...

There is no need for Gao Chong to worry about all this. His current position is similar to that of a strategic staff officer. He only provides a rough plan, and the specific details are perfected by the eldest grandson and others. Make the strategy seamless.

Although the time is only three days, there is still time for everything, and it is impossible for the Turks to attack in the first time.

On the original trajectory, on June [-]th of the ninth year of Wude, Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen Incident, killing his brothers and killing his brothers. Chang'an was in turmoil and had extremely bad effects. , led the troops to drive straight in, and hit Gaoling, more than forty miles northwest of Chang'an.

Now that the impact of the Changlin Gate Change has been minimized, Chang'an is not panicked. Instead, it is thriving under Li Shimin's maintenance of stability. If Jieli intends to invade the south, it must be after Li Shimin ascended the throne. After all, the new emperor ascended the throne. The meaning is not trivial.

Li Shimin succeeded in seizing the throne, he was only the crown prince, but after holding the enthronement ceremony, he became the rightful emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

If someone opposes Li Shimin, he will definitely embarrass Li Shimin after the enthronement ceremony. People of insight know this well.