Chapter 355 Forced into the Palace
The timing chosen by Li Yuan to "personally lead an expedition" to Jinyang was just right.

Li Yuan was able to take most of the fame generated by Liu Xuanji's withdrawal of troops, and with the help of some people, his reputation increased greatly.

The location for welcoming the emperor was chosen at the south gate of Jinyang City. Tuoba Jun already knew that Jinyang City was no longer under his control, because the personal guards of the three great kings of the Tang Dynasty had already taken advantage of the great victory to enter Jinyang City.

He couldn't refuse. After all, it was freezing cold, and the three princes couldn't possibly stay outside the city, right?
We have to treat you well once you enter the city. The three princes are of noble status, so they must bring guards with them, right?
Who knew that the guards of the three palaces added up to 20,000 people. Tuoba Jun understood his situation. Jinyang might soon have nothing to do with him.

There were nearly 200,000 Tang troops outside the city, and 20,000 elite guards from the three kings inside the city. The people in the city even had to rely on the Tang for aid when they ran out of food.

So he wisely gave up the dominance of Jinyang City.

The three brothers stood in a row at the front of the team, and Li San even whispered: "Aye, you came at the right time!"

Li Er glared at him and signaled him not to talk nonsense, "Sanlang, be careful with your words."

Li Yuanhui seemed to be explaining for the old man, saying: "Perhaps Father wants to follow the example of Emperor Wen of Wei who captured Zang Bazhi and bring Tuoba Jun back to Chang'an?"

During Cao Cao's time, Zang Ba had always been a vassal, and as soon as Cao Pi came to power, he took the opportunity of the southern expedition to summon Zang Ba to the court. It was no different from what the Tang Dynasty was about to do to Tuoba Jun.

The difference is who is in charge.

After saying that, he turned around and looked at Tuoba Jun, the commander-in-chief of Bingzhou military affairs and Duke of Dai, who was standing in the first row not far behind them.

Li San smiled and said, "Father, your skills as an emperor have become even more perfect now."

Li Er was completely speechless and simply ignored him, letting him say whatever he wanted.

Li San usually dared to confront Li Yuan face to face in the court, so it would be strange if he remained silent at this moment.

As he was speaking, Li Yuan's imperial flag appeared in everyone's sight, getting closer and closer to the south gate of Jinyang.

Finally arriving at the destination, Li Yuan got off the carriage and first saw from afar the majestic city of Jinyang, nestled between mountains and rivers. He sighed in his heart that this majestic city had finally been captured by the Tang Dynasty.

Then he looked at his three sons who were kneeling and bowing, walked up to help the injured second son up, and said, "Stand up, you brothers have made great contributions to the country's present. How is Erlang's injury?"

Li Er replied: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am much better now, but I still cannot draw the bow and shoot arrows."

Li Yuan nodded and said, "Take good care of yourself and don't go riding or hunting recently."

He knew that his son loved riding and hunting very much. On normal days, he would rather go hunting than eat. Now that he was injured, he had to show off his strength.

"Yes, it's up to you."

Li Er agreed quite readily.

It was freezing cold, and after Li Yuan spoke a few words to his sons, he went back and showed his favor to the generals.

Finally, he even let Tuoba Jun enter the city with him. He praised him very much during his speech. Only after they entered the lobby of the Governor's Mansion and sat down, did Li Yuan let his men issue an edict. The first one was to grant a marriage between Tuoba Jun's eldest son Tuoba Qian and Princess Xincheng.

Princess Xincheng is Li Yuan's illegitimate daughter. She is currently thirteen years old, while Tuoba Qian is fourteen years old, which is about the same age.

Secondly, he allowed Tuoba Jun to serve as an official in the court, added a thousand households to his title of Duke of Dai, and appointed him as the General of the Right Jinwu Guard.

Although Tuoba Jun was very reluctant in his heart, he still accepted the imperial edict because he had to.

The Li family, father and sons, and brothers have every opportunity and power to say no.

It's marriage and official appointment, which are to give you dignity, but if you don't want dignity, someone will help you to be decent.

In addition, all the generals were promoted, but only his three sons showed no sign of showing any appreciation.

The three brothers knew this clearly. They had already reached the highest official rank, so how could they be given a higher title? The only ones more noble than these three were the emperor and the crown prince.

It was obvious that Emperor Li Yuan did not want to abdicate and hand over power so early, nor did he want to give up the position of crown prince so quickly.

But there are always some things that he has to do.

Inside the palace hall in the city, all the ministers and military generals who had come with the emperor were seated, and the atmosphere was very warm.

When they were enjoying the wine, Li San suddenly got angry and came to the center of the hall with the wine in his hand. "My fellow lords, our Tang Dynasty is prosperous and thriving. Now we have recovered Jinyang. Who should be the first to be rewarded?"

When everyone heard this, they didn't know what to do. How should they respond?
Li Yuan had a bad feeling, but he naturally couldn't stop him at will in this situation.

At this time, Li Si realized that his third brother was trying to make a point, so he stood up and said, "The first merit is naturally the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He is the master of the strategists and has made great plans. Let's drink this cup together to congratulate His Majesty and the Tang Dynasty."

When Li Si raised his glass, all the ministers in the court stood up and raised their glasses, "Congratulations to your majesty, and to the Tang Dynasty."

Although Li Yuan was very satisfied after hearing this, he always felt that these two guys were going to cause trouble and he couldn't stop them.

As expected, the way things developed afterwards did not disappoint him.

Li San continued, "The Tang Dynasty is what it is today, and the first credit goes to your Majesty. Secondly, who led thousands of cavalrymen, rolled up their armor and marched west to seize Liangzhou? Who led the army north to defeat the Turks? Who led the army in Jingxiang, making the southern bandits dare not look north? Who led the troops in Yingchuan and Jinyang, braved the arrows and stones?"

At this point, Li San paused, and Li Si said loudly: "Yes, King Qin."

Then all the generals in the palace shouted, "King of Qin, King of Qin, King of Qin."

"King of Qin, King of Qin, King of Qin."

Even the King of Jin and the King of Qi have made great contributions, and their abilities and character are also top-notch.

But what is indisputable is that the King of Qin is undoubtedly the number one in military achievements.

Li Er on the side seemed to understand what the third and fourth brothers were thinking, and couldn't help but smile and shook his head.

At this moment, Li Yuan, who was sitting in the upper seat, had a solemn expression on his face and slightly frowned. He knew that the third brother was not holding it in well, and the fourth brother also got involved.

Everyone shouted in unison, and then Li San raised his arms. After hearing this, everyone in the hall stopped shouting and fell silent.

Li San stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, the battles of Taoxi, Guanzhong, Jingnan, Yingchuan, Hulao, and Jinyang are the foundation of our Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty is wise and brave, and your plans are correct. The soldiers of the three armies fought hard, and the King of Qin's achievements were made by your Majesty's order. He braved the arrows and stones and was the first to attack the enemy. His contributions to the Tang Dynasty are still vivid in our minds."

"Besides, my eldest brother died early, and now my second brother is the eldest son. I beg you to appoint the King of Qin as the crown prince to ensure the stability of the country."

After saying this, Li San kowtowed.

Li Si also stepped forward and bowed to the ground, "I request that the King of Qin be made the Crown Prince to ensure the safety of the country."

Everyone was dumbfounded when they saw this. What was going on? Even Li Er, who had a vague idea of ​​what the two brothers were looking for, was somewhat surprised and shocked. Inside his chest, his heart was beating violently.

Then, a large number of generals came out and knelt on the ground, saying, "I second the motion."

"I second the proposal."

Li Er sat in his original position and looked at the emperor, his father, with extremely fiery eyes.

Coincidentally, his father, Emperor Li Yuan of the Tang Dynasty, also looked at him.

(End of this chapter)