Chapter 242: The legend will eventually fade, Li Shimin falls
Li Shimin went on a northern expedition and successfully eliminated the opponent he was most worried about – the Xueyantuo.

However, he also overdrew everything because of this.

As the last obsession is eliminated, this legendary figure of the Tang Dynasty is about to fall.

It was the height of summer in June, the sun was scorching and the heat was unbearable. The whole earth seemed to be placed in a huge steamer, and even the air became scalding and suffocating.

However, in sharp contrast to this, Li Shimin, lying on his sickbed, needed to wrap himself tightly in thick bedding.

His face was as pale as paper, his breath was as weak as a candle in the wind, and it seemed that the fire of life could be extinguished at any time.

Li Shimin, lying on the hospital bed, was almost dead.

But he was eager to return home, and even if he died, he wanted to die on the way back to Chang’an.

He stretched out his hand with difficulty, trying to lift the heavy blanket on his body, and said with difficulty: “Jingde, come and help me out, I want to return to the court.”

Although the voice was weak and tiny, it revealed an irresistible determination.

Seeing this, Changsun Wuji hurried forward to dissuade him, saying, “Your Majesty, you are so weak now, you should rest and recuperate. You can return to the army after you recover!”

As he spoke, he gently pressed down Li Shimin’s hand as he was about to lift the quilt.

However, Li Shimin did not listen to Changsun Wuji’s advice. He suddenly struggled to break free from Changsun Wuji’s obstruction and stubbornly propped himself up and sat up.

Due to the excessive movement, he suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell back on the bed. But he endured the discomfort and continued to speak while panting:

“I know that I don’t have much time left. Can even this last wish of mine be thwarted? Even the leaves of plants fall back to their roots. How can I, as the king of a country, die in a foreign land?
Changsun Wuji knew Li Shimin’s thoughts very well, but he knew even more clearly that given Li Shimin’s current condition, he was simply unable to endure the hardships of a long journey.

“Your Majesty, don’t you remember that the emperor should regard the world as his home?”

Originally, “the whole world is my home” was a term exclusive to emperors.

But later, with constant changes, it evolved into a special noun for wandering.

“Yes, I am the Son of Heaven, and the whole world is my home.”

Li Shimin was also a little confused at this time.

The sun was shining brightly outside, like broken gold falling on the ground, dazzling. Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the rays of light coming in through the window, and said softly:

“It’s sunny outside, please help me go out and bask in the sun.”

Although his words sounded a little tired, they still couldn’t conceal his innate majesty and dominance.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji and Yuchi Jingde hurried forward and carefully supported Li Shimin’s left and right hands respectively. Their movements were gentle and steady, as if they were afraid that the slightest mistake would disturb the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

In this way, the three of them walked slowly towards the gate of the mansion, and each step seemed extremely heavy and slow.

At this moment, the scorching sun hangs high in the sky, like a burning fireball, releasing its endless light and heat.

However, even such scorching sunlight could not completely dispel the chill emanating from Li Shimin.

However, this warmth at least slightly alleviated his physical discomfort and made him feel slightly more comfortable.

“much better!”

Li Shimin took a deep breath of fresh air, letting the warm sunlight pour down on his face. He closed his eyes slightly, enjoying this moment of tranquility and comfort.

After a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the distance, as if he wanted to take in the entire magnificent landscape.

Bathed in the scorching sun, Li Shimin’s memories buried deep in his mind surged out.

The days of war and battle are still vivid in my mind.

“Wuji, tell me, in my life, am I better at martial arts or civil administration?”

Li Shimin turned his head and looked at Changsun Wuji beside him, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

This question seems simple, but it actually concerns his merits and demerits in his life and the evaluation of him by future generations.

After a king’s death, his ministers would confer a posthumous title on him based on his merits and behavior during his lifetime.

This is what Li Shimin is most worried about now.

“Your Majesty has divided the land and established the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. You have defeated the Turks, destroyed Gaochang, and subdued Tuyuhun. Now you have pacified the Xueyantuo. All the peoples in the world have submitted to you. Your military achievements are outstanding.”

Changsun Wuji spoke slowly, and his words almost summarized Li Shimin’s martial arts.

It is definitely the martial arts that are better than the literature.

However, there was no joy on Li Shimin’s face.

“From the time we raised our army in Jinyang to the time we resisted the Xueyantuo in the north, we were all forced to do so. It cannot be said to be a military achievement. Our Great Tang Empire has always conquered people with virtue, not with force.”

“Looking back on my life, I believe that civil governance is the best. I appointed people of good character, reduced taxes, allowed the people to rest and recuperate, and created the prosperous Zhenguan era.”

“The reason why our dynasty can repeatedly invite foreign guests to the court is because our dynasty has a solid backing. Military strength is only superficial. The fundamental reason is that our dynasty is strong.”

Li Shimin said that rather than a martial title, he would prefer a literary title.

Just as Li Shimin expected, after his death, Li Zhi gave him the posthumous title of “Emperor Wenwu Dasheng Daguangxiao”, or Emperor Wen for short.

Most people in later generations recognize the title of the Great Sage of Literature and Martial Arts.

However, most people sneered at the later Emperor Guangxiao.

Because, in the royal history of the Tang Dynasty, it is famous for “brothers are friendly and respectful, fathers are kind and sons are filial.”

“Your Majesty is right. Your Majesty’s foresight is indeed beyond my reach.”

How could Changsun Wuji not know what Li Shimin was thinking at the moment.

Although both “civil and military” are praised, as soon as we see the title of “Emperor Wen”, we can know that his reign must have been a prosperous time.

The “Wu Emperor” was famous for his outstanding military achievements, but his reign was not necessarily a prosperous one, and “wu” was often accompanied by tyranny.

If given a choice, many emperors would probably choose to become Emperor Wen.

Li Shimin always took Emperor Wen of Han as his role model, so he wanted to be posthumously named Emperor Wen after his death.

Of course, he was not the only emperor who had such a pursuit. Later emperors such as Zhu Di and Jiajing also hoped to obtain such a title.

“How can I, alone, explain clearly the right and wrong, merits and demerits of this world? Let future generations judge everything!”

Li Shimin said slowly, with a hint of helplessness and emotion in his voice.

“However, I still have many regrets in my heart! If God could give me another ten years, how great it would be…”

Having said that, Li Shimin shook his head gently, with a bitter smile on his face.

He still had a lot of things to accomplish.

At the same time, he stretched out his hands and tightly grasped the hands of Yuchi Jingde and Changsun Wuji.

Although those hands were no longer as strong as when they were young, they still held firmly, as if wanting to pass on all of his last bit of strength to them.

“His Majesty!”

Yuchi Jingde and Zhangsun Wuji whispered in unison, their voices filled with fear and surprise.

The two of them widened their eyes at the same time, looking at Li Shimin who had no reaction in front of them, and an ominous premonition arose in their hearts.

However, no matter how they shouted, Li Shimin still closed his eyes, as if he was asleep, and did not give any response.

Yuchi Jingde subconsciously touched Li Shimin’s palm, only to find that the originally warm palm was cooling down at an alarming speed.

When Changsun Wuji saw this, his body trembled violently and his eyes widened as if they were about to fall out of their sockets.

Of course he knew what this meant – the emperor they had sworn to follow until death had passed away.

For Li Shimin at this time, it was the pillar of the Tang Dynasty.

After a brief moment of shock, Changsun Wuji was the first to come to his senses. He bit his lips tightly, trying to calm himself down, and said in a slightly trembling but firm voice:
“Don’t panic, let’s help His Majesty back home first!”

He took a deep breath, tried his best to control his trembling legs, slowly stretched out his hands, and carefully helped Li Shimin up to prevent him from falling.

“Okay, Your Majesty, I will help you back to the palace.” Yuchi Jingde responded with a sob, trying hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst out. Together with Changsun Wuji, they supported Li Shimin steadily, then slowly turned around and walked back along the way they came.

It was as if the two men were carrying thousands of pounds of weight in their hands, making every step they took extremely slow.

The two men knew very well that the situation had just stabilized, and once the news of Li Shimin’s death leaked out, it would inevitably cause an uproar and might even lead to chaos in the world.

Therefore, no matter how heartbroken they were, they had to grit their teeth and keep the secret.

“Your Majesty has ordered that the three armies assemble immediately and return to the court.”

The voice of Changsun Wuji was heard in the deserted mansion.

The death will be kept secret as long as possible.

As soon as the king’s order came out, the whole Lingzhou City was shaken.

Within just half a day, the chiefs of the various tribes in Mobei were forced to leave the city, received some supplies, and headed north.

They didn’t dare to stop for even a moment.

“General Ba Zhuo, His Majesty has ordered me to accompany you back to Mobei to protect you along the way.”

Li Junxian also joined the troops heading north at this time.

“Then I’ll have to trouble General Li!”

Ba Zhuo nodded, not at all surprised.

“Your Majesty has given the order, so let’s go quickly. After you, General Ba Zhuo, arrive at the place, I will be able to return in time.”

Li Junxian urged, he couldn’t figure out why Li Shimin would let him, the General of Wuwei, escort a surrendered general?

His duty is to protect the emperor.

“Okay, let’s go now.”

Ba Zhuo replied calmly. As for the reason, he knew it clearly.

Escorting him was fake, the real purpose was to let him take Li Junxian’s life.

It is very common for accidents to happen in the vast desert and several people to die.

In this way, Li Shimin would not have to bear the infamy of killing an innocent person, and for Li Junxian, it would be that he died doing his duty, rather than being involved in some false charge of treason and having his entire family exterminated.

Letting Li Junxian die while doing his duty was already the greatest mercy that Li Shimin could show.

It can be considered that he is worthy of the great contributions he made to the establishment of the Li Tang Dynasty.

As the last group of soldiers from the Mobei grassland tribe disappeared below the horizon.

The Tang army also set out.

Su Dingfang led the vanguard, while Zhishisili led the Turkic cavalry to cover the rear.

Everything was so orderly, without any panic.

At the same time, Li Chengqian, who was thousands of miles away, suddenly jumped up from his rocking chair.

A feeling of palpitations swept through his whole body for no apparent reason, leaving Li Chengqian at a loss as to what was going on.

By the time he came to his senses, his clothes were already soaked with sweat.

No sleepiness at all.

“Your Highness, what happened?”

Wu Xing and Lin Dong also appeared beside Li Chengqian like ghosts.

“Nothing, just a bad dream.”

Li Chengqian waved his hands and couldn’t explain the specific reason.

But my intuition told me that something big must have happened.

“Has there been any important news from the border? Or, has anything major happened recently?”

Li Chengqian is very sensitive. As a soul that traveled from the future, he is very convinced by these mysterious events.

There is no supernatural event that could be more bizarre than his traveling through time.

So, he thought that this was a warning from somewhere.

“There is no trouble at the border. The Mohe and Khitan countries have all retreated. Now the Xueyantuo in the Tang Dynasty have invaded the border and Zhang Liang has rebelled. The Tang Dynasty is busy with its own affairs and there are no military incidents that threaten the border.”

“If there is a major event within the country, it is only the current disbanding of the troops.”

Wu Xing replied immediately.

“Could it be true?”

Li Chengqian fell into deep thought. After returning to Baekje, he ordered that all soldiers who were willing to return to their country be released and provided with travel expenses.

But given the current tense situation, it is like letting a tiger return to the mountains.

“Your Highness, it’s not too late to take back your order now.”

Wu Xing advised.

All the generals were puzzled by Li Chengqian’s order.

“Changing orders every day is a taboo in the army. They cannot be changed. They are all meritorious men. How can I bear it?”

After much thought, Li Chengqian felt that the problem could not possibly occur among these Tang army soldiers.

He has been very kind to these soldiers and will surely not be repaid with ingratitude.

“There is a shortage of military resources now. After the busy period is over, each department will recruit more soldiers and train them to prepare for emergencies.”

The military system is no longer suitable.

Li Chengqian is now adopting the system of recruiting soldiers.

The quality of soldiers is more important than their quantity.

What he wants now is an elite army, the kind that trains every day and maintains military discipline at all times.

Rather than the military system where soldiers are in wartime and farmers in peacetime.

Reform of the military system is still inseparable from the improvement of productivity.

Although many people in power knew that the intensity of soldiers trained in military camps every day was far greater than that of the government troops, it could not be implemented due to insufficient productivity.

However, Baekje has already begun to develop such productivity.

Sweet potatoes and potatoes only need one more season of planting before they will be plentiful.

For Li Chengqian, the severe cold weather in Baekje was definitely not a factor that hindered his production.

After digging up the first batch, you can plant the second batch immediately.

If someone walks on the fields outside Xiongjin City now, they will see brand new wooden houses covering the fertile fields.

After the war was over, Li Chengqian devoted himself to production.

The first strategy to increase production is to build greenhouses so that crops can grow on the land year-round.

The workload is huge, but at this time, the cheapest thing is labor.

So, there are no limiting factors.

In this vast land, Li Chengqian was able to carry out drastic reforms without any scruples, whether it was the military system or the social production mode.

(End of this chapter)