That night.
In the courtyard of the palace, Li Shimin sat at the stone table, looking up at the moon.
"The moonlight is bright and clear, but there is only one person missing to walk with at night."
He sighed softly and moved his feet.
Whoop, whoosh.
The fragrant soup in the copper basin was rippling, and two slaves, one on the left and one on the right, carefully washed the emperor's feet.
Since Changsun Wugu fell ill, Li Shimin's ability in that area has also declined greatly, probably because he suffered a big blow both physically and mentally.
Anyway, he doesn't like to run to his concubines now, and prefers to be alone.
Da da.
There was a sound of footsteps.
"My son, please see your father."
I saw a slender figure walking forward quickly and kneeling in front of Li Shimin.
Li Shimin raised his eyes.
The young man in front of me has a handsome appearance and outstanding temperament. The most important thing is that he is 67% similar to himself!
You know, even the eldest son Li Chengqian only resembles him four points, let alone the little fat pig of Wei King Li Tai.
"Ke'er, get up and talk."
Li Shimin smiled and raised his hand and said,
"It's been a while, I haven't seen you. You've grown a lot taller."
"When I see you, it's like I see myself when I was younger."
When Li Ke heard this, he didn't get up. Instead, he drove away the slave and naturally held his father's feet and massaged him.
"How can my son be half as good as my father? It's just similar in appearance. God can't learn from him."
He looked humble and responded.
Li Shimin laughed.
"You, don't belittle yourself. You are good at everything, but you lack the sharpness that a young man should have."
Li Er stroked Li Ke's hair and said seriously,
"The word "mature" shouldn't appear on you so early."
"When my father was your age, he was very high-spirited. He just joined the army and went straight to the border!"
"You should do the same, young people should behave like young people!"
Li Ke looked up, with light shining in his eyes.
"Yes, Father."
He said seriously,
"If I have a chance, I will definitely try my best and not let my father down."
Li Shimin nodded.
"When I call you here this time, you should know what I mean."
"Your master proposed a policy called inner counties and outer feudalism! Seal capable people outside the Great Wall, and let them take charge of the country outside the Great Wall and expand the territory!"
"what do you think?"
Li Ke looked serious.
"Master is a man of great talent. Since he brought it up, it must have been well thought out and must be good."
He said seriously,
"So, I don't need to think too much to know that this is a good thing!"
When Li Shimin heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.
"You! You kids have deified your master!"
Li Er laughed and scolded,
"How can he be so godly? He is also a human! Even humans are not perfect."
"Don't use your head! Think carefully about what this policy is like."
Li Ke gently lifted Li Shimin's feet, wiped them dry with a cloth, and then carefully helped his father put on his socks.
Finally, it is put into the boots, and then the feet are washed.
He clapped his hands, stood up and cupped his hands and said:
"Father, I think this is indeed a good thing."
"I am stupid and can't see anything too far-reaching, but I know one thing. This policy can strengthen the ability to control many areas outside the Great Wall!"
"My son discovered that since the Tang Dynasty conquered the Turks, Northern Xinjiang has been leaderless, so that Xue Yantuo, who was originally weak, took the opportunity to become powerful and ate up a large territory of the Turks!"
"Isn't it a pity that I, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, fought so hard for this territory, but I got advantage of Xue Yantuo's Big Khan in vain?"
When Li Shimin heard this, his smile faded and he nodded slightly.
"yes."
"I also noticed it, but I'm just too lazy to argue with Xue Yantuo. After all... I really can't control that place."
Governing a country is not just for fun. You can attack wherever you point, and wherever you include it in your territory, it is truly your own land.
A land so far away from Chang'an is inhabited by barbarians.
How can it be so easy to take control of it?
Unless you run over and take charge!
"Xue Yantuo must not let Xue Yantuo secretly encroach on the land conquered by the Tang Dynasty!"
Li Ke said sonorously and forcefully,
"But it is also a fact that we are unable to control it. After all, the sky is high and the emperor is far away."
"So, I think Master's policy is the way to break the situation!"
"Allowing one or several powerful kings to sit in northern Xinjiang will definitely strengthen control! If someone like Xue Yantuo secretly occupies the land of the Tang Dynasty behind the scenes, we must send troops to defeat him!"
Li Shimin nodded slightly.
His eyes fell on Li Ke with a bit of scrutiny.
"Ke'er, this is a heavy responsibility."
"My father wants you to take up this important task, go to Tuyuhun to establish your own kingdom, and become the king of Tuyuhun!"
"I can also grant you several pieces of land in the northeast of Tuyuhun that originally belonged to the Turks, and make you a king! Take care of those wolf pups!"
"Are you willing?"
Tuyuhun plus part of the Turkic land!
The combined territory is almost one-fifth of the Tang Dynasty!
If he could actually control it, he would indeed be called a king!
Plop!
Li Ke knelt on the ground again, his eyes firm:
"I will go wherever my father tells me to go! No matter how hard or tired I am, I am not afraid!"
"If my father is in need, I will go to Tuyuhun and control the chaotic territory for my Tang Dynasty!"
His words made Li Shimin feel greatly comforted.
Look, what a good kid this is!
Whatever dad wants, he will do it! It’s true… my son also has a caring little cotton-padded jacket!
"Okay, okay..."
Li Shimin said three good words in a row, quickly helped Li Ke up, and said seriously,
"Ke'er, you have thought about it."
"This is not a simple matter of becoming a vassal! You have to take root in Tuyuhun! Just like Jiang Ziya established the Qi State during the Zhou Dynasty!"
"If you go, your Li Ke lineage will be King Tuyuhun for generations to come!"
"Of course I want you to go, but you have to be really willing. After all, that is not the territory of the Tang people. It is full of barbarism and naughtiness."
After hearing these words, Li Ke still looked determined.
"My son is willing!"
He said seriously,
"My son thinks he has some abilities, but he just has nowhere to show them!"
"This Tuyuhun is the best platform for me! The more difficult it is, the more it will arouse my fighting spirit!"
"Father, please rest assured. After I leave, I will definitely take root in Tuyuhun from generation to generation, manage it well, and turn it from a barbarian country into a king-like country!"
"Just like the Qi State back then, from a barbaric land, it finally became a great country of rituals and music!"
Li Ke's eyes were full of fighting spirit!
He is capable, so he is not willing to just be a hedonistic vassal king, but he is not qualified to be an emperor.
If it doesn't go up or down, it's stuck there, which is very uncomfortable!
But now, how could he not be excited when he had an opportunity to display his ambitions and use his methods of governing the country?
In a sense, becoming the King of Tuyuhun means splitting the soil and sealing the territory!
Although the environment is a little worse and the people are a little more stubborn and barbaric...
But that’s nothing!
As long as he has a territory of his own, he is confident that he can run it well!
"Okay! As expected of my son!"
Li Shimin put his palms together and praised,
"Ke'er, you are the most like me! If it weren't for...hey, don't say anything else!"
"Since you are willing, then my father will definitely give you the greatest support! For the initial troops, horses, food, grass, and money, if you need anything, just tell your father and he will arrange everything for you!"
"As long as you gain a firm foothold in Tuyuhun and overwhelm the local indigenous barbarians, then it will be considered a success!"
"Yes, Father." Li Ke's expression changed and he nodded.
Or what?
Father didn't continue, so he naturally wouldn't ask.
However, he also knew...it should be a problem with his bloodline.
Not from the Queen, it is already very good to have the opportunity now.
"Your mother came to my place to make trouble today because she was afraid that you would suffer hardship and suffer."
Li Shimin hummed softly,
"She is a woman and doesn't understand my overall strategy at all!"
"Besides, how can my son be a mediocre person? How can he be a happy person who just eats and drinks?"
"It's okay to say you're incompetent. You happen to be talented, so you just act like an idle prince. I'm afraid you'll feel regretful in your heart, right?"
Li Ke's expression tightened.
"Father, please calm down, my mother and concubine will be confused if she cares about you."
He said quickly,
"My son, I will go talk to her tomorrow and explain the pros and cons clearly, and she will naturally understand."
"My mother-in-law has never been ignorant of the general situation. On the contrary, she often advised her children to share more of their father's worries."
Li Shimin nodded after hearing this.
"You might as well talk to her, so you don't have to come to my place to make trouble."
He saw Li Ke's filial look, and felt pleased in his heart.
There's really nothing wrong with this kid.
No wonder Xu Fenglei said that if Li Ke was the queen, he would not object to him becoming the crown prince.
Hum.
If Ke'er was the child of Guanyin Maid, what else would happen to Li Chengqian and Li Tai?
Unfortunately, it cannot be replaced.
"I'm a little sleepy. You should go back and rest."
Li Shimin ordered his slaves to pour out the foot-washing water, and then said,
"You go back and think about it carefully, and plan everything that needs to be planned."
"From this moment on, my father will hand over all of Tuyuhun to you! I don't care anymore! Whatever you lack or want, just write a memorial and submit it. I will only approve it and don't care about anything else!"
"Ke'er, be more considerate and give me a voice! Do this big thing well!"
Although the imperial edict has not yet been issued, at this moment, Li Ke is already the de facto King of Tuyuhun!
Moreover, he is not the kind of vassal king who only enjoys food and property, but the kind of real king with real power, who controls the military, government and finance with one hand!
It can be said that Li Ke is a test subject.
If he succeeds, it means that the policy of "counties within, feudalism outside" can be implemented. Then there will be no resistance from the DPRK and China, and the policy can be implemented on a large scale!
Li Shimin naturally had high hopes for his success.
"My son, take your orders!"
Li Ke said respectfully,
"My son will definitely think seriously about how to govern the country when he returns home! If there is any need, he will report it to my father!"
"My son, please retire."
After saying that, he saluted Li Shimin and turned to leave.
Li Shimin looked at his back and couldn't help but praise him.
"My good son, he is really like me, he is really excellent..."
He sighed,
"Ke'er, Ke'er, although you can't succeed to the throne, you can still make a name for yourself by going to Tuyuhun!"
"Around you are Tubo, Western Turks, and even Xue Yantuo... As long as you have the ability, there is still a lot of room for you to show off your skills!"
Even if he split the land and sealed the territory and divided the land outside the Great Wall, Li Shimin would be more inclined to give it to his own son!
Those capable ministers who were granted enfeoffment might become alienated after a few generations!
But a prince like Li Ke is different. No matter how he deviates, the blood of the Li family is still flowing in his body, and it is his blood!
Even if he rebels in the future, it will still be his bloodline!
This idea is the same as that of Liu Bang... no matter how hard it is, the world will still belong to the Liu family, and all future emperors will still be of his bloodline.
But it's a pity.
It was difficult to establish a foothold outside the country. Not many members of the Li Tang royal family had the ability to go out and become kings, and even fewer of his own bloodline could do so on their own.
"Well, I have to think about it carefully."
Li Shimin suddenly thought of something and murmured,
"You have to plan the levels of enfeoffment."
"A person like Ke'er can naturally obtain the territory of Tuyuhun and even a larger territory. But if it is a duke or marquis, the enfeoffed country will inevitably shrink."
"We can't mess around, we have to come up with a charter..."
His mind began to make calculations.
At this moment, a figure appeared.
"His Majesty."
A high-pitched voice came,
"There is nothing going on in the palace today."
"It's just that in the East Palace, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Helan Chushi, closed the door and discussed something with His Highness the Crown Prince. I don't know what exactly they discussed."
This is an old eunuch.
However, one cannot underestimate him.
Li Shimin had three major intelligence networks. External affairs were under the control of Chang Sun Wuji, and internal affairs were under the control of Eunuch Sun.
There is also a war intelligence network, which is secretly managed by someone else.
"Uh-huh?"
Li Shimin was thinking about the matter and casually perfunctory it.
But the next second, he came back to his senses.
"Helan Chushi? Close the door with the prince to talk about things?"
Li Er frowned and said,
"What are they talking about? Why are they closing?"
All the big and small things in the palace are actually under his control! Only in this way can Li Shimin feel at ease.
He doesn't allow things out of his control to happen in some dark corners!
Therefore, Eunuch Sun's words touched his nerves!
"I don't know, old slave."
Eunuch Sun said in a low voice,
"Old slave, are you going to check now?"
Li Shimin was silent for a moment, his eyes flickering.
He thought of the information Changsun Wuji had given him during the day, and suddenly a few not-so-good thoughts came to his mind.
The next second, he shook his head. "With Cheng Qian's temperament, I don't dare to do anything disobedient."
Li Shimin murmured,
"However, we still need to check."
"You should investigate secretly. It's best to know what they talked about. If you really can't find out, then pay close attention to Helan Chushi's movements."
"Besides, give Changsun Wuji a verbal instruction to tell him about the incident during the day and ask him to bring snacks to investigate."
"According to the order." Eunuch Sun respectfully accepted the order, turned around and retreated gently.
(End of chapter)
