novelraw Chapter 422 - 15: The Irresistible Tide, Unification of the Realm (Double-Length, Please Vote)
Chapter 422 - 15: The Irresistible Tide, Unification of the Realm (Double-Length, Please Vote)
The whole world is in motion.
...
The prestige of the Li Tang did not fade as time passed.
On the contrary—
Under this overwhelming momentum, the prestige of the Li Tang rose like a morning sun over the entire Kyushu.
The hearts of the people yearn for unification.
This is the common vision born among the people of Kyushu after years of devastation.
Who can stop it?
There was no longer a need for Li Shimin to mobilize the army again, as lords would successively come to pledge allegiance, hoping that this act could bring them future wealth and prosperity.
This was also the chain reaction of Li Yuan not executing Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong.
This move indeed gave hope to many people.
In a situation where there was no chance of contending for the world, to gain lifelong wealth and prosperity was still an option.
But just as some would surrender, others would want to make a last-ditch stand.
But what could they do?
Could they block the Tang Army with its current overwhelming prestige, or stop this relentless tide?
In fact, the outcome had long been decided.
When these people gave Li Tang the opportunity to stabilize its territories, the general situation was completely irreversible.
Unless some major problem arose within the Great Tang.
But before the world was thoroughly unified, all problems would be suppressed by this momentum.
In the year of Wude six, after solidifying all territories,
Li Yuan finally dispatched Li Shimin again.
This definitively initiated the war for unification.
In fact, during this period, there were still some episodes, such as the suggestion that Li Yuan should deploy troops separately, involving Li Yuanji and even Crown Prince Li Jiancheng.
Indeed, the struggle within the Tang Dynasty had fully begun.
However, Li Yuan ultimately rejected this notion.
This could be the final decisive battle, and Li Yuan did not want any surprises.
This was characteristic of Li Yuan.
Although sometimes, he seemed to lack initiative, needing others to push him regardless of what he was doing.
But at critical moments, he was extremely wise.
In the entire Great Tang, who could compare to the current Li Shimin?
After making this decision,
The entire Tang court quickly operated in unity, wholeheartedly preparing for the final unification of the world.
In April;
Li Shimin led a force of two hundred thousand, emerging from Guanzhong once again.
As the news spread;
——The four seas were boiling!
....
Unlike when chaos reigned previously, and the people only felt despair.
This time, wherever the Li Tang army passed through,
The people showed unprecedented support.
This naturally could not escape various prophecies and the help of the Gu Clan, as the people from different places have waited too long for a truly prosperous era.
The current Great Tang brought them hope again.
This is the influence of the Gu Clan.
Through generations of restraint and effort, the Gu Clan had unwittingly become intertwined with the rise and fall of Kyushu, completely detached from a single dynasty.
Even though the Gu Clan had paid a great price for this.
But with the Gu Clan’s dream of a legacy enduring for a thousand generations, it was indeed a phase of progress.
In Gu Yi’s view,
The Gu Clan now gradually has the taste representing the "Celestial Mandate."
The Celestial Mandate is the will of the people.
The influence of the Gu Clan over centuries has left behind countless legends in the hearts of the people in Kyushu.
This can be considered both a good and a bad thing.
The appearance of the Gu Clan did save Kyushu from a potentially disastrous decline, but considering future developments, there are also many crises to face.
This is something the Gu Clan must endure, something even he could not alter.
Everything has its cause and effect.
Having enjoyed the blessings brought about by these halos, avoiding one chaotic age after another, one must also endure the other impacts it brings, which the Gu Clan cannot avoid either.
Li Shimin had only two targets in this campaign.
One is surely Yuwen Huaji.
This is something Li Tang must accomplish at present.
For all the surrounding lords, Li Tang could essentially forgive them to showcase the court’s grace.
But Yuwen Huaji is different.
The reason is equally simple, that Yuwen Huaji had assassinated the Emperor.
No matter who Yang Guang was, he was still an Emperor of a unified dynasty, and letting Yuwen Huaji go would have unimaginable future ramifications.
No matter what, Yuwen Huaji had to be eliminated.
The second target was Liang Shidu.
Indeed, Liang Shidu did not choose to surrender to the Great Tang.
He pinned his hopes on the Turkic people, offering great benefits to the Turkic Khan, hoping the Turkic Khan could help him resist the Tang Army.
In this battle, Li Shimin’s target was them.
He genuinely intended to achieve the Great Tang’s "ten-faction campaign," even viewing these two battles as his final hurdles.
Even in the current momentum of the Tang Army, Li Shimin remained fully vigilant.
He not only wanted to win!
He also wanted to win the hearts and minds of the people!
Regarding Yuwen Huaji.
Li Shimin discussed with Gu Quan and other generals, and ultimately decided on a strategy of psychological warfare.
Yes, psychological warfare.
Nowadays, Yuwen Huaji’s subordinates were originally Yang Guang’s generals, and these people have long desired to return to their hometowns.
Why did Yang Guang cause a military revolt back then?
Not only because of his tyranny, but more importantly because the soldiers felt hopeless.
Thus leading to the revolt.
Yuwen Huaji naturally learned from Yang Guang’s mistakes, revealing his intentions to march towards the Central Plains without any pretense.
But unfortunately for him, he couldn’t achieve it.