In Hezhou City, because of the breakthrough of His Royal Highness the Prince, there was a dull atmosphere. The guard general Guo Shifeng knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was not in danger, and was fighting wits and courage with Lu Dongzan in the prairie outside the city, and he knew that this was His Royal Highness the Prince's plan, but he was not at ease. Who called Li Hong His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, and who called him the guard of Hezhou City? But he was worried that it was useless, and the order Li Hong gave him was very simple, to repel the Tubo people who attacked Hezhou City, and then defend the city strictly. Therefore, even if he was very worried and anxious, in addition to sending more scouts out of the city to investigate, and delivering news to Pei Xingjian in Liangzhou and Sun Chuyu in Chuxian, he could only sit in the city and wait.

Sun of Chuxian County waited for a few days, but he couldn't sit still after still not getting the news of the prince's return to the city, and immediately rushed to Hezhou City with Dai Zhide.

In this way, the atmosphere of Hezhou City is even more solemn.

If the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty is captured alive by Tubo, this will frustrate the spirit of the Tang Dynasty and make His Majesty embarrassed. If it really comes to this point, it is estimated that everyone involved in this war will not be able to take off the dry cleaning, right?

Maybe that's the end of everyone's career.

Seeing the anxious appearance of Sun Chuyue and Guo Shifeng and others, Liu Wenjie and Wen Chongtian asked for battle many times, and asked Guo Shifeng to order them to lead the iron cavalry out of the city to find His Royal Highness the Prince, but Guo Shifeng did not agree.

On this day, Sun Chuyue was looking at the city tower with Guo Shifeng and Heizhi Changzhi, discussing whether it was time to go out of the city to find His Royal Highness the Prince, when he saw a fast horse rushing to the city of Hezhou. Guo Shifeng saw at a glance that this was the prince's scout, so he hurriedly led the soldiers to open the door and led the scout to the city tower.

When Guo Shifeng and the three of them learned from the mouth of this scout that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had defeated Lu Dongzan and was preparing to return to the city, they were both happy and surprised, happy that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could finally return to the city, and surprised that when he broke through the city, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince only had less than 5,000 iron cavalry around him, how could he defeat Lu Dongzan, who had more than 50,000 iron cavalry?

However, when they learned that there were 20,000 Tibetan elite horsemen to assist Li Hong, they were relieved.

Of course, they didn't know that Delehei had rebelled against Li Hong, and the scout didn't elaborate. Otherwise, they would be even more surprised by the command ability of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the combat ability of his iron cavalry.

"Sun Xiang, can you sleep peacefully now?" Guo Shifeng asked with a smile, in the past few days, Sun has stayed up late for the prince's affairs, and often can't sleep in the middle of the night and will go up to the city tower to see, Guo Shifeng knows that he is worried about the comfort of His Royal Highness the Prince.

Sun Chuyue smiled heartily, "Not only can I sleep peacefully, but Su Xiang and Le Xiang can also sleep peacefully." ”

The Su Xiang and Le Xiang in his mouth are Su Dingfang and Le Yanwei, Su Dingfang is a veteran in the army, very prestigious in the Northwest Army, and the prince Shaobao, is a person who is valued by Li Hong, Sun Zhuyue respects him very much, Le Yanwei and Sun Zhuyue were named prime ministers together, but he did not take refuge in Li Hong for as long as Le Yanwei, and now Le Yanwei's status in the prime minister's group has been ranked before him, and he can only call Le Yanwei as Lexiang.

"Yes, I almost forgot about it, and I immediately sent someone to send a letter to Chang'an." Guo Shifeng suddenly realized, and hurriedly went down the city tower.

During this time, Su Dingfang and Le Yanwei sent messengers to Hezhou City to inquire about Li Hong's news, even if Su Dingfang knew Li Hong's overall plan, he was a little uneasy about Li Hong, who was leading the army for the first time and was still leading as the crown prince.

When Guo Shifeng informed the people of Hezhou that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would return to the city in a few days and defeated the 60,000 army of Lu Dongzan, the people in the city were excited, because defeating Lu Dongzan's army was equivalent to keeping Hezhou City, their homes, and their relatives.

Suddenly, the image of the crown prince Li Hong once again penetrated into the hearts of the people of Hezhou City.

Li Hong went from a frail and sickly crown prince to a protector in the hearts of the people of Hezhou City.

When the news of the crown prince Li Hong's defeat of Lu Dongzan reached Chang'an City, Su Dingfang heard the news and laughed wildly. After all, he still didn't look at the wrong person, he didn't choose the wrong person, the prince really lived up to his talent and courage, and proved his talent with such a hearty battle.

At the beginning, he didn't know Chang'an City, he just didn't want to participate in the struggle within the imperial family, like the battle between Empress Wu and Gaozong, like the battle between Empress Wu and the crown prince, he just wanted to protect himself and be a person who was free from the court.

However, Li Hong's letter and a reward from Gaozong completely broke his defenses, and he was appointed prime minister, and he also inherited the official position of Li Ji's crown prince Shaobao. Su Dingfang is an old man in officialdom, how can he not understand the intention behind Gaozong's reward, which is to let him enter the prime minister as a soldier in order to compete with Li Ji's strength in the court, so how can he not know who is behind this reward? So this reward is to force him to choose between the crown prince and the queen!

Because of this, Su Dingfang did not return to Chang'an City as soon as possible on the grounds that there were too many military affairs and it was difficult to deliver in a short time, but returned to Chang'an City after Gaozong and Empress Wu left.

When he arrived in Chang'an City, he wanted to learn from Li Jing, but refused to enter the court to participate in politics on the grounds that he was ill and could not manage politics, and was ready to close the door at home to thank guests, and he ended his life.

Unexpectedly, after he arrived in Chang'an City, Li Hong's series of practices moved him very much, and then heard Li Hong's bold words, Su Dingfang's mind changed, he felt that following this His Royal Highness the Prince is not necessarily a bad thing, maybe he can really achieve a career?

At that time, he chose to be loyal to Li Hong, and there was a gambling aspect.

Sure enough, he Su Dingfang bet right, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really not ordinarily strong, but very powerful. In time, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince becomes the emperor, he believes that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will definitely reach the height of Taizong, and may surpass Taizong and become a British lord like Emperor Qin and Han Wu.

When Sun Chuyue learned that the news of Hezhou City had reached Chang'an City, he hurried to Su Dingfang's mansion, and when he learned from Su Dingfang's mouth that the crown prince had won Lu Dongzan, his excitement was indescribable. He was already a stunned character, otherwise he would not have offended Empress Wu and was almost dismissed. And with Li Hong, he was appreciated and supported by the prince, not only did he not restrain his personality, but became more public.

So he knows very well that everything he has to owe to the crown prince, once the prince loses power, the first unlucky person is himself, he is betting with his life that the prince will not be crushed by the martial queen, and will fight back.

I didn't expect him to bet right.

Yes, he was right.

After this war against Tibet, if the prince can destroy Lu Dongzan's army, in addition to several veterans of the Tang Dynasty, whose merits can compare to him? Coupled with the achievements of the crown prince in terms of and the recognition he has received in handling government affairs, he is the crown prince who can be martial and literate. Such a prince, no matter how powerful the Empress Wu is, how can he shake his position? Not to mention that the crown prince received the support of Su Dingfang and won the military heart of the Northwest Army.

Thinking of this, Le Yanwei was even happier than Su Dingfang.

It is everyone's dream to be an official, to be a marquis, and to glorify the ancestors, but everyone takes different means for this dream. Some people have become villains, some have become traitors, and some have become cool officials.

"Su Xiang, should I inform Your Majesty and Niangniang of the news of the prince's defeat of Lu Dongzan?" Le Yanwei asked.

Su Dingfang nodded slightly and said, "Your Majesty and Niangniang are very worried about the situation in the northwest, and they are also worried about the safety of the crown prince, so they must pass the news to Luoyang as soon as possible." However, we still need detailed information about this war. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to answer the specific details asked by His Majesty and Niangniang. ”

"Hmm." Le Yanwei nodded and agreed with Su Dingfang's opinion, Chang'an City is now in charge of government affairs with Su Dingfang, Su Dingfang is the mainstay, he assists from the side, this is the prince's arrangement, Le Yanwei has no objection to this, he is happy to accept Su Dingfang's guidance in government affairs.

"So it seems that His Highness doesn't need the support of the Northeast Army to destroy Lu Dongzan's army and relieve the siege of the Northwest?" Le Yanwei said with emotion, with just so many people in the northwest, he can solve Lu Dongzan's 200,000 Tubo elite horses, such a brilliant result, it is estimated that only this person and Li Ji in front of him can do it, right?

"The Northeast Army will not be needed in this war, but it may not be in the next war." Su Dingfang nodded and said.

Le Yanwei was shocked, and hurriedly asked, "Su Xiang, hearing you say this, the prince doesn't want to stop there?" ”

After destroying Lu Dongzan's 200,000 army, he still doesn't want to stop, does the prince want to destroy Tubo in one go? If the crown prince really exterminated Tibet, this would be a great cause of Taizong! At the beginning, when Taizong was alive, he did not have the ability to destroy Tubo when the Tang Dynasty was strong, so he had to marry Princess Wencheng to Tubo. If the crown prince exterminated Tubo this time, Le Yanwei would not dare to think about it later.

"Although the Tang Dynasty is very strong, it has not yet reached the point where it really makes the surrounding countries afraid of not daring to be presumptuous, just like Tubo, just like Tianzhu, etc., so if you want to completely pacify the Western Regions and stabilize the rule of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, you have to kill chickens and make an example of monkeys. Su Dingfang said slowly.

Actually, these are just his guesses, but Li Hong mentioned it to him before, and he will tell Le Yanwei now. When Le Yanwei heard this, his eyes widened, because he couldn't believe that the prince really wanted to destroy Tubo.

"Do you want to tell Your Majesty about this?" Le Yanwei was stunned for a moment and said.

"How can the prince not inform Your Majesty about such a big matter, but wait a little longer, as long as the prince returns to Hezhou City, it is estimated that he will immediately write to His Majesty." Su Dingfang said. Le Yanwei nodded slightly, he was indeed shocked by today's conversation with Su Dingfang.

……

When the news of Li Hong's defeat of Lu Dongzan and the annihilation of Lu Dongzan's 100,000 army reached Luoyang, Gao Zong, who was still having breakfast, immediately put down the dishes and chopsticks and walked back and forth in the hall excitedly. He knows very well how strong Tubo is. At the beginning, it was his father who defeated the Turks with the powerful army of the Tang Dynasty, and when the surrounding countries trembled, he did not dare to confront the Tibetans. Now Tubo's national strength has risen sharply again under the management of Lu Dongzan, and its strength is even stronger than ten years ago. But so what? Wasn't he defeated at the hands of his own son? Gaozong can analyze the news from Su Dingfang in Chang'an, if this battle is planned in more detail, it is not impossible for the Tang Dynasty to not only destroy Lu Dongzan's army, but also kill Lu Dongzan, a Tibetan giant!

His father was known as the Heavenly Khan, but he did not defeat the Tibetans in his time, and in his own hands, he not only defeated the powerful Tibetans, annihilated their hundreds of thousands of troops, and in a few years he could pacify the three kingdoms of Northeast Goryeo.

Has such a great feat surpassed that of his father?

From the emperor to the minister, from the ordinary people to the businessmen and fishermen, from the peddlers and pawns to the women of the mountains and villages, they all have the bearing of the people of a big country.

Gaozong did not have the hypocrisy and fear of the emperors who did not dare to surpass the ancestors. Therefore, thinking of this, he was very excited to be able to surpass his father, Emperor Tian Khan Li Shimin.

When he wanted to go to Mount Tai to seal Zen, many ministers objected, saying that the current Tang Dynasty has not yet reached the point of sealing Zen, and to put it bluntly, his merits are not enough. Now that his son has defeated Tibet, the pacification of the Three Kingdoms of Goryeo is just around the corner. Who dares to say that the time is not ripe enough to seal Zen?

Gaozong walked around the hall excitedly, but Empress Wu's face was ugly, she didn't expect Lu Dongzan to be so dish, 200,000 Tubo elite cavalry attacked the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty's defenders in the Western Regions were less than 100,000, even if Li Hong brought the soldiers and horses from Chang'an City to Hezhou, it was less than 200,000, and the combat effectiveness of these soldiers could be compared with the Tubo elite cavalry?

However, it was such a cavalry under the command of Li Hong that they defeated Lu Dongzan one after another and annihilated Lu Dongzan's army.

Now, he has defeated Lu Dongzan's personal defense army, and Lu Dongzan, who was killed, is fleeing everywhere like a dog - Empress Wu really can't imagine when his son has become so powerful? Why didn't you find out before? Is it too late to deal with him now? Li Hong, who experienced the Tubo War, has the support of a group of military generals such as Su Dingfang, the assistance of new prime ministers such as Le Yanwei and Sun Chuyue, and the strong support of Qin, Cheng, Wei Chi and other founding meritorious families, does he still have the capital to compete with this son?

At this moment, Empress Wu's deep thoughts about competing for power with Li Hong were a little shaken.

If this development continues, he knows very well that the decisive battle of the Tang Dynasty in the northeast is estimated to be not Li Ji's turn, compared to Li Ji's victory in leading the army, Gaozong hopes that his son can achieve a great battle.

In this way, the Tang royal family can stand tall and convince the Shandong scholars.

Did you just accept your fate? Empress Wu was very conflicted in her heart, because she couldn't think of what method to use to deal with Li Hong, who was now rising strongly. Now around Li Hong, there is no shortage of civil ministers and military generals, and all of them are of the younger generation, all of them are capable and ambitious people, on the other hand, on their own side, they are old and old, and they are incapable and incapable. When Empress Wu thought of this, she felt that her future road would be even more difficult