The war was officially declared over in September of the fifth year of Taketoku. After the Tang army made sure that the Turkic troops had completely withdrawn from the border, they gradually recovered the lost prefectures and counties. Under the auspices of the prince, after recasting the border defense line, the Tang army began to return to the court.
When the news came back to Chang'an, Li Yuan was both happy and sad.
Fortunately, the Turks finally left, but sadly, King Qin died in the battle.
Even now, he can't let go of Li Shimin's death. He never thought that King Qin would die or lose.
But this time, King Qin was really defeated, and nearly 200,000 troops and horses under his command were also lost. It was called the biggest defeat since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
Such a loss of troops and horses made even Li Yuan feel heartbroken.
The only comfort left is the good news that the Turks have been defeated.
On the day he received the news, Li Yuan did not summon the ministers, but summoned Pei Ji alone in the Zhengdian Hall.
Li Yuan stood in front of the window, his figure looking a little rickety.
The death of King Qin was a huge blow to him.
"His Majesty."
Hearing the sound, Li Yuan turned around and asked Pei Ji to sit down.
After Pei Ji sat down, he saw Li Yuan's serious expression and couldn't help but wonder: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince won the battle, why do you look unhappy?"
"Happy?" Li Yuan snorted coldly, walked to him and sat down, and said: "From November of the fourth year of Wude to September of the fifth year of Wude, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses were out in the war for nearly a year.
During the war, the granaries of the Tang Dynasty were emptied, King Qin died on the battlefield, and 7788 of his 200,000 elite troops were lost. As for Jieli, he just withdrew from Hedong Road and suffered no damage at all. How can I be happy?
"
Hearing this, Pei Ji said with relief: "Your Majesty, there is nothing we can do about this. Who could have imagined that the Turks would invade Hebei and Hedong roads at the same time. Fortunately, God blessed the Tang Dynasty and survived this crisis safely.
According to the news from the prince, Tuli Khan Shibobi will definitely merge with Jieli, and the grassland will be in war for a long time. In this way, we, the Tang Dynasty, can take the opportunity to recuperate and unify the north and the south.
"
"But King Qin can't come back!" Li Yuan interrupted him coldly.
Pei Ji was silent and did not dare to speak.
He didn't dare to intervene in this kind of thing at will. It was no different from asking for death.
Li Yuan, however, did not intend to let Pei Ji go. He said directly: "I now very much suspect that the prince has the intention of treason!"
"Why did your Majesty say this?" Pei Ji was stunned.
Li Yuan said firmly: "Erlang's death must be related to the prince."
Pei Ji pursed his lips and said helplessly: "This is your Majesty's family matter. I shouldn't talk too much. But the prince is the foundation of the country. Since your Majesty mentioned this matter, I will express my opinion."
He knew that if he didn't reveal his ugly appearance today, the emperor would not let him go.
"I just want you to say it!"
Pei Ji nodded and said: "Whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has anything to do with the death of King Qin or not, His Majesty cannot scare the enemy away. Now that the King of Qin is dead, and the Crown Prince leads the army, if he is slightly careless, I am afraid it will cause irreversible disaster."
Li Yuan narrowed his eyes, "You mean, if I question the prince, he will directly start a rebellion?"
Pei Ji stopped talking, but by default he meant everything.
At this time, Li Yuan suddenly remembered that the expedition troops currently returning to Chang'an were indeed commanded by the prince in name.
If he really wants to rebel...
Thinking of this, Li Yuan couldn't sit still.
"Pei Ji, tell me, what should I do if the prince really plans to do that?"
Pei Ji thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, when the army returns to Chang'an from the expedition, the army can be temporarily stationed outside the city. Your Majesty summons the prince, King Qi and King Chu alone. Although the prince is in charge of the army, the troops of King Chu and King Qi are
, but he directly obeys the orders of King Chu and King Qi. As long as these two highnesses can be stabilized, the prince can do nothing."
Li Yuan thought about it and nodded: "You are right, but Yuanji and the prince have always been close to each other, so they should not be careless. The only one who can be trusted is Wulang. Yes, Wulang!"
In his heart now, he not only doubts the prince, but also the king of Qi, because among the kings, the prince and the king of Qi have always been at odds with the king of Qin.
Moreover, when King Qin was in trouble, King Qi was in Bingzhou.
Only the King of Chu, who had been in Hebei, had nothing to do with the death of King Qin. Moreover, the King of Chu had always been neutral and impartial, and he was loyal to him.
"This time Wu Lang first captured Dou Jiande, destroyed the puppet Xia, and then blocked the Turks and retreated Shi Bo Bi. Taiyuan was in danger, thanks to Wu Lang's support. According to the battle report, it was Wu Lang who made the plan to force Jie Li to retreat. Pei Ji, what do you think of the King of Chu?
How’s the credit?”
"He can be the first to do so." Pei Ji immediately agreed.
He understood the emperor very well and understood what the emperor meant when he said these words.
Li Yuan nodded, "Not bad, I can take the lead."
He thought clearly that until the truth about King Qin's death was revealed, he could not trust the prince, and he did not dare to be careless when it came to the struggle for the throne.
He has a lot of history and always tells him that the royal family does not care about family ties.
More importantly, he himself was a little worried that the prince would be resentful because he promoted King Qin in the first place.
At this moment, the chamberlain came to report.
"His Majesty."
"Come in."
The chamberlain walked into the room and reported: "Someone from Concubine Wan Gui's palace has come to ask for permission. Princess Chu has given birth to a son. Concubine Wan Gui has requested permission to leave the palace to visit her."
"Okay." Li Yuan touched his chin, nodded and said, "That's right, tell the imperial concubine to pick out a few treasures from the inner treasury for me and give them to my grandson."
"yes."
After the chamberlain left, Pei Ji smiled and congratulated: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your great grandson."
Li Yuan smiled and said: "Previously, all the sons in Wulang's mansion were concubines, but this time Wulang finally got a legitimate son."
That's right, after ten months of pregnancy, Princess Chu finally got her wish and gave birth to her husband's legitimate son.
King Chu's Mansion, Wing Room.
Yang was leaning on the quilt, her forehead was wrapped in cotton, her face was slightly pale, her skin was like snow, the bright moon was like frost, and her sickly beauty was unparalleled in the world.
In terms of appearance alone, without being boastful or unflattering, Princess Chu is extremely beautiful. In Li Zhiyun’s words, she has captivated the country and lived up to her reputation as a goddess.
Beauty is in the bones but not in the skin. The Yang family has three full eyes and five eyes, a graceful body and a noble family background, and every move is graceful.
If a flower is used as a metaphor for people, then Yang's is a peony that blooms under the development of Li Zhiyun, noble and holy but with a hint of gentle charm.
Baoniang looked at her younger brother in her arms and pouted, "Why doesn't my younger brother speak?"
She is already two years old and is at an age where she is very active and curious.
Princess Chu gently touched her son's little face and said with a smile: "My brother is still young. When he grows up, he can talk."
"Oh." Baoniang responded, and then said: "When my brother grows up, I will give him all the toys that Ye Ye gave me."
"My son is so sensible." Princess Chu couldn't help pinching her daughter's little face.
In the past, she also loved Baoniang, but she always regretted not having a son. Now that she has a son, she is satisfied, and with it, the trace of her feelings towards Baoniang have also quietly dissipated. It's not that she doesn't like her daughter, she can only
Saying that her first child was not a son made her feel somewhat regretful.
But now, the regret is gone.
Baoniang poked her brother's cheek with her little finger and asked, "Aniang, when will he come back?"
"Soon."
She had received news that the King of Chu had led his army to defeat the Turks and was returning to the court with his troops.
After giving birth to her son, she was overjoyed that her husband was about to return safely. The only pity was that her husband could not see her son immediately.
But it doesn't matter, my husband will be back soon.
Thinking of this, she picked up her son and kissed him, "My son, I'll be back soon. I'm not happy."
The little guy slept soundly and didn't hear anything at all.
Chapter 39: There is a rift between the emperor and the king of Chu gets a son