Tang Dynasty

In the spring of the first year of Sui Yining, in the suburbs of Taiyuan.

Li Shimin was sitting on the horse in Xuanjia, his eyes fixed on the distance.It was a bright and clear day, and the gentle wind kicked up the sand and dust, which slightly obscured the sight.

Suddenly, Xu Shi saw something, his eyes lit up, he lifted the rein and ran forward.Seeing this, the followers behind him hurriedly followed.

After a thin layer of dust, a group of people came towards this side, and their figures gradually became clear.The leader was dressed in white robes and silver armor, and the red cloak behind him was as fiery as fire, but it was exceptionally eye-catching.

Li Shimin rushed to stop in front of the man, got off his horse, clasped his fists and said, "Brother!"

When the man saw Li Shimin, he also got off his horse, supported him, and said with a slight smile, "Shimin is in Jinyang, but when did he return to Taiyuan?"

"It's just a day earlier than elder brother," Li Shimin said, "Jinyang is only a few days away from here, and it's not as good as elder brother's hard work."

Li Jiancheng nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "The wind and sand on the road hindered the journey, and I have to wait for a long time."

Li Shimin raised his eyes to look at him, only to see that although the other person's facial features were [-]% similar to his own, but his demeanor was handsome and elegant.

After a pause, he said with a smile: "Why did the eldest brother say that, Shimin didn't wait long."

Knowing that he was just saying modestly, Li Jiancheng didn't say much anymore.He just looked at the person in front of him intently, a faint smile floated on his face, and said: "I haven't seen you for a few months, Shimin's stature is probably higher than my brother's."

Li Shimin stood up straight, and realized that he was indeed a bit taller than his elder brother before he knew it.But for a while, he didn't know how to speak, so he just smiled and said, "It's windy and sandy outside the city, please hurry back to the city with me."

Li Jiancheng nodded slightly, then got on his horse, and the two walked into the city side by side.

"Is father okay?" Li Jiancheng asked calmly as he walked on the streets of Taiyuan City.

"Father is fine, but I am just worried about my elder brother, so today I have to go out of the city ten miles to meet him." Li Shimin paused, and lowered his voice slightly, "Father killed Wang Wei and Gao Junya the day before yesterday. It is tantamount to raising a flag of rebellion against the emperor, and the next move of the chess game still needs to be carefully discussed. That's why I urgently call you and me back to Taiyuan to discuss the big plan together."

Although Li Jiancheng was in Hedong before, he had already heard about this and said: "Although Wang Wei and Gao Junya are called Taiyuan Deputy Left Guards, they are actually nothing more than the emperor's careful work. If they stay here, it will be a disaster. Sooner or later It is to be removed."

Li Shimin nodded and said: "There is no way today, and all the heroes are rising together, but thanks to this, father finally made up his mind."

While the two were talking, they had already arrived at Tang Guogong's mansion.

Li Jiancheng hastily changed into casual clothes, and went to the meeting hall alone.Li Yuan was sitting in the hall, and Li Shimin was already seated on the bottom right.

Li Jiancheng stepped forward and bowed to Li Yuan, saying: "Chengcheng returned from Hedong immediately when he heard about his father's dispatch. The wind and sand on the way delayed the trip, so please forgive me."

Tang Guogong Li Yuan, who was staying in Taiyuan at that time, saw his eldest son, stood up and walked down the hall, and said with a slight smile: "I have been thinking about you for a long time as a father. Among all the sons, only you and Shimin are older. You can take on a big responsibility, now that both of you have returned, there is no need to worry about being a father."

Li Jiancheng said: "During the time I was in Hedong, I have recruited a group of talented people. Because my father's letter was urgent, I came back first and ordered them to come later. If my father needs it, I will send it at my will!"

Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin when he heard the words, stroked his beard and said with a smile: "The day before yesterday, Shimin also brought back ordinary capable and righteous people. It seems that my father sent you two to go around Hedong and Jinyang in the early years. You two have really gained a lot from this trip." Quite rich, worthy of my father's trust!"

Li Shimin also got up and said: "Father, now that the eldest brother has returned, everything is ready. I thought we should make a strategy as soon as possible to strike first!"

These words were exactly what Li Jiancheng was thinking, he nodded slightly, turned his head to look at Li Shimin, but met his eyes.Li Jiancheng paused for a moment, then looked away, and looked at Li Yuan in a blink of an eye.But Li Yuan smiled slowly and said: "What you are saying is that you have just returned from the completion of the construction today, and the horses and horses are exhausted. Let's take a rest for a day. In the early morning of tomorrow, my father will gather everyone in the conference hall to discuss future strategies."

Leaving the meeting hall, Li Jiancheng said to Li Shimin: "Shimin has worked hard today, why not take a rest earlier." After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Big brother!"

"What else is there for Shimin?" Li Jiancheng turned around and asked with a slight smile.

"I haven't seen Eldest Brother for several days, Shimin is very worried about it," Li Shimin looked at him intently, and paused, "I wonder if Elder Brother would like to go to Minfu to have a talk?"

Li Jiancheng looked at the anticipation in the other party's eyes, still smiling, but said in his mouth: "Brother is a little tired today, let's talk about it another day."

Li Shimin's eyes became brighter and darker, but he forced a smile and said: "Brother said yes, then Shimin will not disturb you." After saying that, he turned around and left.

Li Jiancheng watched his back as he walked away, and silently clutched his sleeves.I don't know how long he stood there, suddenly his body tightened, he turned around in a hurry, and walked towards the mansion.

But the distance of a few corridors, he walked in a particularly hasty manner.When he got to the mansion, he didn't care about the salutations of the servants, so he walked into the room.

He closed the door, stretched out his hand to hold his heart, and slowly slid to sit down.

The heart-piercing pain there would come to mind from time to time along with the indelible memories.

Li Jiancheng gritted his teeth, struggled to get up and walked to the bed, and took out a small bottle from under the pillow.After pouring out the pill and swallowing it in one gulp, he relaxed a little and leaned against the head of the bed.

Cold sweat slowly slipped down the corner of his forehead, Li Jiancheng closed his eyes and let out a long breath of relief.

No one knew that the person who returned from Hedong this time was no longer the Li Jiancheng when he left.This Li Jiancheng will definitely not be as credulous and naive as he was back then.Because he had already personally experienced the pain of the sword piercing his heart in front of the Xuanwu Gate ten years later.

Back then, with one careless move, I lost everything.After rebirth, all memories are blurred, only the scene in front of the Xuanwu Gate, accompanied by the heartbreaking pain, is still deeply rooted in the center of his brain.The seizures again and again reminded him how he died at the hands of Li Shimin in his previous life.

Li Jiancheng often thought that perhaps God knew that he was not reconciled, so he intentionally gave him a chance to start over, to see how Li Jiancheng would cope and how he would rewrite the ending.

Pick up the corner of the mouth and chuckle.In fact, Li Jiancheng made thousands of mistakes in his previous life, and the only mistake was that he believed in Li Shimin.

And this time, he will not repeat the same mistakes.

----

The next day, Li Yuan called everyone together in the conference hall. Apart from the two Li brothers, there were also Li Yuan's confidants, Pei Ji, who was the supervisor of Jinyang Palace at that time, and Liu Wenjing, the order of Jinyang.

Li Yuan walked up to the high-hanging map and stood still, saying: "Today, Yang Guang's desolation and immorality have caused all the heroes in the world to rise together. Before that, there was Lin Shihong in Yuzhang, Du Fuwei in Jianghuai, and Wagangzhai later. The power of the Sui Dynasty is exhausted, but they still have the intention to kill my Li family." After a pause, he sighed, "Everyone must have heard that the old man was almost captured by Wang Wei and Gao Junya's conspiracy the day before yesterday. The old man originally wanted to be loyal to the Great Sui, but now Yang Guang is trying to force him, but he has to go against it. I hope everyone can help this old man!"

When everyone heard the words, they stood up and responded.Li Jiancheng secretly lamented that his father's methods were extraordinary, he had obviously planned secretly for several years, but now he really seemed to be forced to help him, he was really cunning and cunning.

Li Yuan thanked the people below, then turned to look at the map and said: "Nowadays the world is in chaos, I am in Taiyuan, there are Turks in the north, Sui and other rebels in the south, if there is a mistake, it will be the enemy, I wonder if you have a good strategy?"

Hearing this, Pei Ji stood up slowly, cupped his hands and said, "I think that the Turks in the north are powerful troops, while the Sui army in the south is an unjust army. For the current plan, we should first stabilize the Turks in the north, avoid their edge, and concentrate our forces. Going south to attack the Sui Dynasty is the best policy."

"Pei Jian's words are exactly what I want." Li Yuan nodded and smiled. Even though he had led the army to revolt at this moment, he still referred to Pei Ji as his old official position, which showed his extraordinary respect and admiration.

At this time, Li Shimin couldn't hold back anymore and said: "Father, I think that the first thing is to keep the Turks going south, and the second is to occupy the land in Guanzhong and find a big base camp."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone below said yes, and each made a lot of remarks.Seeing that Li Jiancheng had been silent all this time, Li Yuan said, "Jiancheng, as the eldest son, why didn't he say anything about it?"

Li Jiancheng got up and cupped his hands and said, "What you said just now, Jiancheng deeply believes it. The four fortresses in Guanzhong are the land of abundance. They can be advanced, attacked, retreated and defended. If they can be used as the base camp, they will surely be able to fight against the Sui Dynasty. But..." Li Jiancheng paused After a pause, he said, "Jiangcheng believes that the top priority should be to stabilize the Turks in the north. This matter is imminent, and there should be no delay."

Li Yuan frowned and said, "What do you mean by that?"

Li Jiancheng walked to the hall, stretched out his hand to point on the map, and said: "Taiyuan is located in the north and is adjacent to the Turks, and there is sufficient food and grass, and the people are rich. This time we are anti-Sui, and the political situation is somewhat turbulent. If I am a Turkic Khan, I will decide I will take advantage of this time to send troops to attack Taiyuan."

Li Yuan took a step forward and said, "If that's the case, what good strategy can Jiancheng have to resist the enemy?"

Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "Turks frequently offend me, just to plunder money and food. There is nothing else to do with them, only the word 'lure' is enough." Before he walked down the hall, he cupped his hands and said, "I am not talented, but I am willing to be an envoy." , to persuade Nashibi Khan on behalf of his father."

Li Shimin was startled when he heard the words, and was about to step forward to dissuade him, but Li Yuan nodded and said: "Okay. Since I have completed my self-recommendation, I will entrust this task to you as a father. I believe you will fulfill your mission."

After everyone discussed that day, they finally decided on a specific strategy for raising troops to go south and occupy Guanzhong.Li Shimin was a little distracted, and looked at Li Jiancheng frequently, but the other party's expression was indifferent, as if the suggestion of being in danger just now was not made by him himself.

After they dispersed, Li Shimin caught up with Li Jiancheng and said, "It's fine to send someone else to go. How can I let my elder brother go to the Turks alone to take risks? If something happens, what should I do?"

Li Jiancheng smiled gently, put his hand on Li Shimin's shoulder and said: "Shimin, don't worry, if I'm not very sure, how can I recommend myself? Besides, this matter is very important. If someone else goes, if there is a mistake, you I will face enemies in the future. I have made up my mind, Shimin don't want to stop me." After saying that, without waiting for Li Shimin to say anything else, he patted him and left.

Turning around, he sighed secretly.

Li Shimin, you can rest assured that I will cherish my life.In this life, the world of Tang Dynasty is still waiting for Li Jiancheng to come and sit.

----

A few days later, more than [-] Turks invaded Taiyuan.At the same time when the two armies were facing each other, Li Jiancheng, who came alone as an envoy, was ushered in Shibi Khan's tent.

Shibi Khan sat in the upper seat, and after reading the letter written by Li Yuan, he squinted his eyes and looked at the person in front of him slightly.Although dressed in white, he looked weak, but the aura between his brows and eyes only made people feel quite extraordinary.

After pondering for a moment, he said: "You dare to come to my tent by yourself. I think it is a bit courageous. It's just that although Tang Guogong promised various things in the letter, it was just a piece of paper. How can I be sure that he will not change his mind in the future? ?”

Li Jiancheng naturally concealed his identity during this trip, and only changed his name to an ordinary courtier. At this moment, he said calmly: "Nowadays, all the heroes in the world are rising together, and the Sui Dynasty is on the verge of collapse. However, Tang Guogong Li Yuan launched an army in Taiyuan, and everyone expects him to return, and he will achieve great things in the future. Sending the subordinates here to express their respect for the Khan as their lord is to form an alliance with the Khan. The Khan must have a share of the Duke's income. The same should be true when the Duke of Tang ascends to the throne in the future. But Khan does not need to spend a single soldier so far, so he has no worries about money and food." After a pause, he said, "It is true that as the Khan said, the Duke of the Kingdom cannot produce evidence for future events. However, if the Khan does not believe me Wait, even if we take down Taiyuan this time, no matter if Yang Guang or anyone else is replaced in the future, they may not be as friendly to the Turks as the duke of the state did. When the two confront each other, they will definitely lose troops and generals, but the outcome is still unpredictable. ...Please Khan think about it carefully."

Shibi Khan looked at him with a distinct expression of hesitation.But at this moment, a person rushed into the tent and said: "Khan, then Li Yuan..." At this point, he raised his eyes and saw Li Jiancheng, he froze where he was, and the words in his mouth stopped abruptly.

Shibi Khan said indifferently: "This is the envoy sent by Tang Guogong to negotiate peace. You just...but what did you want to say?"

The man came back to his senses, but he still looked at Li Jiancheng from the corner of his eye, and said: "Then Li Yuan will never fight, but he opened the gate of the city open day and night, not knowing the truth. Just now I dared to send people into the city, but was shot by random arrows." Shoot and kill, losing more than a hundred people in a row!"

Shibi Khan frowned when he heard the words, looked at Li Jiancheng with a half-smile, and said, "It seems that you Tang Guogong are really not just waiting for you."

Li Jiancheng was calm and calm, without looking sideways, he just cupped his hands and said: "The Duke's move undoubtedly shows his sincerity in negotiating peace with the Khan, and I hope the Khan thinks twice."

"This matter... I will think about it myself," Shibi Khan pressed the letter on the table, and said, "Today, please invite the envoy to stay in the camp. When I have a decision, I will let you know."

Li Jiancheng bowed his head and resigned, knowing that it would be inevitable for him to stay here as a hostage for a few days, so he was led into the camp by a few Turkic soldiers.

Walking to the edge of the tent and opening the window, one can vaguely see the bright lights in Taiyuan City opposite.At this moment, they heard that the tent door was opened and a person walked in.

Li Jiancheng turned around, but saw that the man took off the armor just now, and changed into a loose robe.He was quite tall, with handsome and straight eyebrows, as well as a sculpture-like chisel.You can tell at a glance that you are not from China.

Li Jiancheng stepped forward and cupped his hands: "I was in front of Khan just now, thank you prince for not revealing my identity."

The man frowned and walked a few steps closer, sighed and said strangely: "Jianjian, how dare you come here alone?"

Li Jiancheng watched him stand still in front of him intently, the distance between the two was only a few feet away.

"I'm afraid that this trip may have to be completed." He gradually put away the smile in his eyes, and said word by word, "To tell the truth, this trip was completed to ask for favors from the lord."

The author has something to say:

Prince Li Jiancheng is really a tragic person.With his talent and demeanor, he could have sat firmly on the crown prince, but he died so unexplainably because of the Xuanwu Gate Incident.Not only that, Li Shimin even tampered with history after his death, ruining his reputation.

In fact, I really want to justify his name for opening this hole.In the battle with Li Shimin, he has always been in the upper hand, but he lost everything in the last mistake, which is a pity.