"However, this army cannot fight."
Xu Fenglei said again,
"Not only can they not fight, but they cannot produce. Not only can they not produce, they must also be rewarded by the court and supported by the world to satisfy their arrogance and extravagance."
"To put it bluntly, this is no different from raising pigs. If we use millions or tens of millions of people to raise thousands of these greedy authentic big fat pigs, how can the country survive?"
"Husband, the Son of Heaven, can only rule the world with one person, rather than have all the people in the world support one person and one clan."
Some words compared the Li Tang royal family to "authentic big fat pigs". The words were unpleasant.
But when such harsh words fell into Li Shimin's ears, his brows relaxed.
"you're right……"
Li Er rubbed his eyebrows and sighed softly,
"One person governs the world, rather than the world supporting one person."
"The Son of Heaven, if he has the Tao, people will push him to be the master of the world; if he doesn't have the Tao, people will abandon him and not use him. This is truly to be feared."
"I must not repeat the mistake of the previous two dynasties that led to the death of the second generation! It seems that not only can the princes of this clan not be rewarded, but they should all be demoted! At least they must be demoted three levels in a row!"
"This decree should be implemented immediately!"
When Xu Fenglei heard this, he waved his hand.
"This matter is related to the interests of the clan and involves many powerful princes. We should not act too hastily."
He said in a deep voice,
"Your Majesty, didn't you hear about the chaos in the Seven Kingdoms?"
"Although our Tang Dynasty does not divide the kings into confederations, people like Li Xiaochang, the governor of Yi'an in Bingzhou, hold some military power. If he suddenly joins forces with the clan kings to rebel, it will be a disaster."
Li Shimin's expression changed.
"He dares!"
He said coldly,
"You mean, Li Xiaochang has the intention to rebel?"
Li Er has long been accustomed to interpreting Xu Fenglei's words.
The meaning of this sentence is not a metaphor, but an example. Li Xiaochang wants to rebel!
"Who else? Tell us all."
Li Shimin clenched his fist slightly and looked at Xu Fenglei.
"Well……"
Xu Fenglei glanced at Changsun Wugou and said with some hesitation,
"When I look at the face of Sun Anye, the general of the right prison gate, there is also a reverse appearance. Maybe he will also..."
Li Shimin: "?!"
"No way?"
He frowned and said,
"Changsun Anye is not the prince of the clan. He just received my favor. Being named a prison general is a great reward."
"Why is he rebelling? What reason is there for him to rebel?"
Changsun Wugou also showed a hint of surprise and turned his gaze to Xu Fenglei.
"The things that are going on in some people's heads are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."
Xu Fenglei spread his hands and said,
"Just like when he kicked the Queen and Duke Zhao out of the house, it's just as unreasonable."
Changsun Wugou frowned slightly.
This sentence reminded her of that chilling past event.
"...I understand."
Li Shimin knocked on the armrest, looked deeply, and said slowly,
"One is the governor of Bingzhou who holds military power."
"One is the prison general in charge of the Forbidden Palace."
"Okay, very good... If it is true as you said, I will never forgive you lightly."
"After all, it doesn't matter if someone can come out and cause trouble, I can also scare the monkeys and let those uncles who rely on their old age to see what my determination is!"
A plan had already taken shape in his mind.
"Your Majesty, if nothing happens, I will leave."
Sensing that the atmosphere was a bit depressing, Xu Fenglei suddenly stood up and cupped his hands and said,
"The Ministry of Works still has some matters that I need to deal with."
Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.
"Ministry of Works? Since you took up the position of Ministry of Works, haven't you always left the work to Yan Lide?"
He said with a half-smile,
"He even keeps the great seal of the Minister, so what kind of work can you do?"
"Refute my will?"
Xu Fenglei smiled awkwardly.
"I don't mean to contradict His Majesty, but now that the country is weak and the people are tired, we really shouldn't carry out large-scale construction projects."
He said seriously,
“Even if we want to build, we should also use it to build infrastructure that benefits the country and the people, such as repairing official roads and post houses, building cities, river water conservancy, etc. As the saying goes, if you want to be rich, build roads first; if you want to be rich, build water canals .”
"If you want to spend a lot of money just for the entertainment of the Supreme Emperor, I will definitely not approve it. Even if your Majesty issues ten more imperial edicts, I will still reject it!"
Li Shimin frowned.
"What you said is so arrogant!"
He said displeasedly,
"I am the emperor! I have supreme power. Once I open my mouth, how can I fight back? You have disgraced me and let the officials from the three provinces and six ministries see my joke!"
Xu Fenglei faced Li Shimin's attack, but he was not afraid at all.
“The greater the power, the greater the need for restraint.”
He replied,
"A person as powerful as Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty could command millions of people to start construction as soon as he opened the Golden Mouth. He built a canal in the Cultivation Palace. This is more majestic than your majesty."
"Then what?"
"To the common people, we take all the baht and use it like sand. How can the world not be in chaos? How can the people not rebel?"
"Objectively speaking, Emperor Sui Yang's construction of the canal was a matter of benefit to future generations. But what about building a palace? Has your majesty heard about Afang Palace?"
"Shu Mountain Wu, A Fang came out. It was covered for more than three hundred miles, isolated from the sky, and extremely luxurious. But what happened in the end? The people of Chu burned it, and the earth was scorched!"
Li Shimin: "..."
Changsun Wugou: "..."
This kid is so eloquent!
"On the other hand, Dujiangyan is also a water conservancy project built by the Qin Dynasty. For thousands of years, its existence has made the Chengdu Plain fertile and fertile, with abundant products, making it the world's granary!"
Xu Fenglei sighed,
"Even today, Dujiangyan is still standing! I believe that a thousand or even thousands of years from now, Dujiangyan will still be there, working hard to divert the Minjiang River and benefit Bashu! There will always be people who commemorate Li Bing and his son, let alone the achievements of King Qin Zhaoxiang !”
"Does Your Majesty want Dujiangyan or Afang Palace?"
Li Shimin was shocked.
“…Of course it’s Dujiangyan!”
His expression gradually became firm and he said in a deep voice,
"How can I be inferior to Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty? This palace... I will not repair it anymore!"
"Listen to you and build more projects that are beneficial to the people. Thousands of years from now, people will remember my great achievements!"
Originally, Li Er thought that Xu Fenglei was quick-tongued and good at preaching.
But as I listened to it, I felt it was deafening and enlightening!
By the end, he had completely listened! Especially the comparison with Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty aroused Li Er's competitive spirit.
How can I be inferior to a king who has subjugated his country?
That is absolutely not possible!
"That's right."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"Your Majesty, if you think so, I, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, can also benefit from it."
Li Shimin rolled his eyes.
"You kid, please be kinder to me from now on! There's no need to be so aggressive when trying to persuade me or fight with me."
He said angrily,
"I'm not the kind of master who can't listen to good things!"
"Actually... if my father hadn't occupied the Liangyi Palace, how could I have had that idea?"
"Have you ever seen an emperor still working in the East Palace?"
(End of chapter)
