After a night of deliberation, Liu Hongji proposed that destroying Xue Rengao was an imperative action, but for this endeavor to succeed, they must first ally with one person—Li Gui, who occupied Liangzhou.
Xue Rengao’s stronghold was in Jincheng, located to the west of the Tang Dynasty, while Li Gui was to the east of Xue Rengao. As long as they could unite with Li Gui, they could isolate Xue Rengao, leaving him without reinforcements.
As for whether Li Gui would agree to the alliance, Liu Hongji’s answer was definitive. First, there were no conflicts between Li Gui and the Tang Dynasty. Second, when Xue Ju was alive, he frequently sent subordinates to invade Li Gui’s territory. Since Li Gui’s military strength was inferior to Xue Ju’s, he was often chased into hiding, creating deep enmity between them. Though Xue Ju was now dead, such grudges would not simply dissolve.
Though there were still opposing voices in the court, Li Yuan ultimately adopted Liu Hongji’s suggestion. Besides immediately dispatching envoys to meet Li Gui, he also personally wrote a letter to Li Gui, addressing him as “cousin-brother”—meaning brother of different surname—which gave Li Gui considerable face.
Before long, Li Gui, having received Li Yuan’s personal letter, not only agreed to join forces with the Tang Dynasty but also sent his own brother Li Mao to Chang’an to pay tribute to Li Yuan. This was the first tribute received since the founding of the Great Tang, and its significance was self-evident.
Li Gui’s tactfulness undoubtedly pleased Li Yuan greatly. After accepting the tribute, he not only appointed Li Mao as Great General but also sent a special envoy to Liangzhou to confer upon Li Gui the title of Prince of Liang. Simultaneously, Li Yuan was actively mobilizing troops—three hundred thousand soldiers were quickly assembled, provisions were prepared, and they could depart at any time.
All preparations were complete, lacking only the eastern wind.
After the morning court session this day, Li Yuan kept Li Jiancheng behind alone. After entering the imperial study, Li Yuan walked behind his desk and sat down. “I hear you haven’t continued visiting the families of soldiers killed at Gaocheng these past days. Are you tired?”
Li Jiancheng respectfully replied, “In response to Father Emperor, among the thousands of soldiers killed at Gaocheng, there were 1,009 households near Chang’an that I have all visited. For the remainder living far away, where I couldn’t personally go, I also had people bring money to comfort them.” He then said with dejection, “Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I cannot bring them back to life.”
“That you could do this much is already quite good. Yesterday I summoned the generals in the army, and they all praised your actions.” After a pause, he admonished, “Remember well the lesson from this time and never repeat such mistakes.”
Li Jiancheng quickly cupped his hands. “Your son will remember Father Emperor’s teachings and absolutely dare not forget.”
Li Yuan nodded. “Now Li Gui has become our ally, and the three hundred thousand troops have been assembled. I plan to dispatch forces next month to annihilate Xue Rengao. However, the choice of commanding general remains undecided. You are the Crown Prince—tell me, who would be best to lead this army?”
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng’s thoughts immediately spun like wheels. He naturally wanted to lead troops again to wash away the shame of the previous defeat, but first, the scene of being trapped at Gaocheng with no escape route was still vivid in his memory. Though he had returned safely in the end, there was inevitably some fear in his heart. Second, if he were defeated again this time, his prestige as Crown Prince would be completely ruined, and no amount of subsequent efforts could repair it.
If he didn’t lead the troops, only one candidate remained—Li Shimin.
His previous mistake had already given Li Shimin an advantage. If Li Shimin were to campaign again this time and win this battle, the latter’s prestige in the army would be even higher, posing a greater threat to himself, perhaps even… shaking his position as Crown Prince.
But besides Li Shimin, he really couldn’t think of a more suitable candidate.
No, he couldn’t continue to sit by and watch Li Shimin grow stronger. Though the generals under his command weren’t as capable in warfare as Li Shimin, Xue Rengao wasn’t particularly capable either—they might not be unable to battle him.
That’s right, he couldn’t continue to allow Li Shimin to grow stronger. He must firmly restrain him.
The more Li Jiancheng thought about it, the more convinced he became. He opened his mouth to speak, but inadvertently caught a hint of testing in Li Yuan’s eyes. His eyelid jumped without warning, and in the next moment, he had swallowed back the words on his lips.
Seeing Li Jiancheng hesitate to speak, Li Yuan said, “What’s wrong?”
Li Jiancheng pondered for a long while, then smiled. “Actually, Father Emperor already has a candidate in mind. Why ask your son again?”
Li Yuan stroked his beard and smiled. “Then tell me, who is the candidate in my mind?”
Li Jiancheng said slowly, “Shimin is skilled in warfare and outstanding in strategy. Since Father Emperor began his uprising, Shimin has killed countless enemies for Father Emperor, establishing illustrious military achievements. It can be said he has never suffered defeat. In this regard, your son admits inferiority to Shimin. Therefore, for this campaign to annihilate Western Qin, the most suitable candidate is undoubtedly Shimin.” He then sighed, “If last time your son hadn’t competed to lead the expedition but had let Shimin go instead, we wouldn’t have suffered crushing defeat, causing tens of thousands of soldiers to die at Xue Ju’s hands. Every time I think of this matter, I cannot eat or sleep peacefully. As Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, I can neither share Father Emperor’s worries above nor serve as an example for subjects below. Your son has truly failed Father Emperor.” Speaking to this point, he knelt on the ground in guilt. “Please punish me, Father Emperor.”
“This matter was Yuan Ji’s recklessness first, and you were merely implicated by him. There’s no need to always blame yourself so. Moreover, who can guarantee they will definitely win on the battlefield? The so-called ‘never defeated’ is merely not having encountered an opponent capable of defeating oneself. Rise.”
“Thank you, Father Emperor.” After Li Jiancheng rose, Li Yuan picked up his tea and sipped it. “However, what you said earlier was correct—Shimin is indeed the ideal candidate for this expedition.”
Li Jiancheng followed along, “With Shimin being so capable, he will surely pacify Western Qin for Father Emperor and bring stability to the Great Tang.”
Li Yuan shook his head. “To bring stability to the Great Tang, pacifying a mere Western Qin is far from enough. Li Mi, Dou Jiande, Du Fuwei—which of them isn’t more difficult and dangerous to deal with than Xue Rengao?”
Li Jiancheng cupped his hands. “Though your son lacks talent, I will certainly help Father Emperor sweep away these people and make our Great Tang glorious for a thousand generations.”
Li Yuan nodded with satisfaction, then said, “For this major military expedition, you shall personally oversee the matter of provisions. You must ensure the supply of provisions to the front lines and absolutely cannot allow the army to fall into crisis due to shortage of supplies.”
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng quickly said, “Your son will certainly not fail Father Emperor’s trust.”
“Good. You may withdraw.” Under Li Yuan’s words, Li Jiancheng returned to the Eastern Palace. As soon as he stepped into Changchun Pavilion, Jirong came forward to help him remove his cloak, saying softly, “Why has Your Highness returned so late today?”
“Father Emperor kept me to say a few words.” Hearing this, Jirong tentatively asked, “Was it about the matter of annihilating Western Qin?”
Li Jiancheng took the tea offered by Li Yu and said coldly, “Indeed. Next month the army will set out, led by… Shimin.”