The next day.
Taiji Palace, in the courtyard of the Queen's palace.
Li Shimin was holding a Buddhist scripture in his hand, reading it very intently, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes relaxing his face.
Next to him stood a monk with a round face and big ears, explaining to him from time to time.
"Your Majesty, the Grand Master has arrived."
The attendant came forward to report.
"oh."
Li Shimin glanced at the Buddhist scriptures again, then closed it, handed it to the monk beside him, then clasped his hands and said,
"Thank you, Master Yizhi, for explaining Buddhism to me."
The monk named Yizhi also clasped his hands together and bowed:
"It is a blessing for a poor monk to be able to explain and preach scriptures to His Majesty."
"Your Majesty is very intelligent and learns Buddhism very quickly. After a while, the poor monk may not be able to keep up with His Majesty's thoughts."
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Really? Hahaha... Don't panic then. Xuanzang, who went to Tianzhu to obtain Buddhist scriptures, will arrive in Chang'an soon. Even if you can't answer my questions, I think he can."
He smiled and said,
"Yizhi, how do you compare with Xuanzang?"
Yizhi looked stern and shook his head decisively.
"How can a poor monk be compared with Master Xuanzang? Master Xuanzang is a holy monk and a disciple of the Buddha!"
He solemnly said,
"If we really want to compare it, the poor monk is just the fluorescent light of the rotten grass, while Master Xuanzang is the bright moon in the sky!"
Li Shimin was startled.
"The gap is so big?" he couldn't help asking.
Is this fat monk being modest or exaggerating?
"Monastics don't lie. The gap is so big. Master Xuanzang is a figure who can become a Buddha."
Yi Zhi raised his head and said seriously,
"It is a blessing to the Tang Dynasty that such a holy monk can be born in the Tang Dynasty. It also shows that the Tang Dynasty is a truly prosperous dynasty! Only in the prosperous age can such a figure be born..."
His eyes were full of reverence.
Although he is much older than Xuanzang, there is no doubt that if Xuanzang appeared in front of him now, he would definitely kneel down and worship him without hesitation.
"...I am looking forward to meeting him more and more now."
Li Shimin touched his beard.
"The poor monk retires."
Ichichi saluted again, turned around and left.
Xu Fenglei just walked in and walked to Li Shimin.
"When did Your Majesty become interested in monks?"
He sat down with a smile and said,
"I also read Buddhist scriptures - let me take a look, um, the Diamond Sutra, it's pretty good."
Li Shimin waved his hand.
"Isn't Xuanzang coming back soon? Everyone in the Tang Dynasty is discussing him, including the palace. Naturally, I am also interested in him."
"By the way, read the Buddhist scriptures. When the time comes to communicate with him, you won't understand nothing."
Xu Fenglei nodded slightly.
"That's right."
Li Shimin suddenly reacted.
"Wait a minute... I haven't given you a seat yet? Why did you sit down just now? There are no rules!"
he spat.
"Oh, please give me a seat, Your Majesty."
Xu Fenglei put his hands on the wicker chair, sat even more lazily, and said happily,
"I know His Majesty will definitely give you a seat, so just sit down first and then give him a seat!"
Li Shimin: "￥%......&*#@"
"Rogue style."
Li Er rolled his eyes and said,
"Come to see me today. What's the matter with you?"
"Let me tell you first, I haven't been in a good mood these days, so I may not do it for you...I dream about Guanyin Maid every day, and I feel very depressed!"
This kid would never take the initiative to see him on weekdays. He only asked to see him if he had something to do.
Generally speaking, that matter will be very difficult!
"Who does your Majesty think I am?"
Xu Fenglei glared and said,
"You are a bit ignorant of good people! I am here this time to bring you a baby!"
"If you don't want it, then I'll leave now! There's no ambiguity at all!"
"I am leaving!"
After saying that, he stood up.
Getting up immediately aroused Li Er's curiosity.
"Hey, what baby?"
He stood up hurriedly and said,
"Don't go, don't go, show me first... something you can call a treasure, I must see it!"
This kid has long been as rich as his country, and he regards money as dirt.
It's an extraordinary thing to be able to catch his eye and even make a special trip!
Li Er never put on airs in front of Xu Fenglei, so he naturally kept him shamelessly.
"Hmm."
Xu Fenglei crossed his arms and greeted behind him,
"Lift it up!"
Kick, kick, kick!
Several attendants carried a wooden box and stopped in front of Li Shimin.
Click!
The box was opened, and inside were scrolls.
"This is?"
Li Shimin leaned down and fiddled with it casually.
"Antique calligraphy and painting? Whose are they?"
Wow.
He untied one of the letters and opened it.
But what he saw in the scroll was not flowers, birds and landscapes, but some strange graphics and strange words.
"I'll hold it open for you."
Xu Fenglei took a corner from his hand and slowly spread it out.
Li Shimin's gaze shifted, and then his breathing stagnated.
"This is……"
"map?"
"Map of the Western Region?!"
His tone was slightly excited!
This is the joy of discovering a new world!
"That's right."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"Not only the Western Region, but also Tianzhu."
"This map covers all the countries in the Western Region, especially the major countries. It is extremely detailed! In addition, there are also the topography, mountain ranges, population distribution, etc. of the Western Region and Tianzhu, etc., with numbers on it !”
"Your Majesty wants to conquer the Western Region and even further places in the future. This map can be used as a guiding light!"
Li Shimin's breathing became a little rapid.
If there is anything more exciting than discovering a new continent, it must be conquering it!
"Okay, okay! This is definitely a good thing, indeed a treasure! Where did you get this picture?"
Li Shimin suddenly looked at Xu Fenglei and said,
"Tell me, tell me, where did you get it?"
Xu Fenglei smiled.
"Your Majesty thinks eggs are delicious, so there is no need to get to know the hens."
He said,
"It doesn't matter where the picture comes from. Now that it's in your hands, that's the most important thing."
"You think so?"
"If you really want an answer, then I can tell you that I got it with a lot of hard work and a huge price! Are you satisfied with that?"
Provide Xuanzang with various conveniences and wait for him for thirteen years!
It’s not too much to say that this is hard work, right?
"Satisfied! So good, so good, hahaha..."
Li Shimin didn't dig into it, he laughed and said,
"You have so many magical powers, it's no wonder you can do anything!"
"This map has swept away the fog in front of me and given me a broader perspective!"
"How big is the Western Region plus Tianzhu? How is it compared to the Tang Dynasty?"
Xu Fenglei thought for a moment and responded:
"It's bigger than the Tang Dynasty. The Western Regions and Tianzhu combined definitely exceed the territory of the Tang Dynasty! If we go further west and north to explore, there will be even bigger land!"
"Your Majesty, you can imagine that the land we are on is a world island. The Tang Dynasty only occupies a large piece of land in the east. Although it is already very large, compared with the entire island, it cannot be said to be trivial. It is probably medium-sized. mean."
"I remember what I told you."
Li Shimin's eyes widened.
He did have an impression, but hearing the same words again was still shocking!
Especially when viewed together with this map of Tianzhu in the Western Regions, one feels that the world is not over yet and the emperor still needs to work hard...
"It's so fascinating... It's so big. This world is really too big. After the Tang Dynasty annexed the Turks, it has become so vast, but it is still only a small part of the world."
Li Shimin couldn't help but said,
"In my lifetime, I'm afraid I won't be able to see Datang occupy the entire World Island, let alone places outside the ocean."
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"It is indeed too big. With the current transportation capacity of the Tang Dynasty, it would take more than ten or twenty years to go back and forth, let alone send troops to occupy and rule."
He said,
"However, as long as your majesty follows the strategy I gave you and implements the policy of inner counties and outer feudalism, you will definitely be able to push the expansion of the Tang Dynasty to the maximum limit!"
"Conquer a piece of land and directly ennoble a duke or marquis to establish a country. This is definitely the simplest and most effective way to rule. Although the shortcomings are obvious, after all, you can't have your cake and eat it too."
"No dynasty can be passed down for thousands of years, and it can emit the most dazzling light at its peak and shine for eternity. This is enough."
"That's what I think. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Li Shimin stroked his beard.
"Of course I want my Tang Dynasty to last forever, but history books tell me that this is impossible."
He sighed softly,
"The Zhou Dynasty was able to survive for eight hundred years because it was feudal and did not actually control the world. The one that could truly control the world and have a long-lasting national destiny was the Han Dynasty, and the inheritance of the Han Dynasty is also so thrilling."
"I don't dare to ask for too much. I just hope that the Tang Dynasty will be more glorious than the Han Dynasty, and the country will be more prosperous. I will be satisfied with four hundred years."
Xu Fenglei: "..."
Good guy!
Wasn't it agreed that it would last a hundred years? That’s not even four hundred years old!
With all your chattering, my damn mission targets have increased again!
"Four hundred years, try your best."
Xu Fenglei said helplessly,
"Anyway, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even if a huge country is going to go downhill, it will take a few more years than a small country."
In fact, this is not necessarily true.
A certain superpower in later generations fell apart overnight.
It can only be said that the feudal dynasty will not be so exaggerated. If there are a few ZTE Lords with longevity points in the middle, it should be able to continue.
"That's the truth, haha..."
Li Shimin was in a good mood now and said with a smile,
"What about the other scrolls in this box? I see they are made of various materials... some are made of sheepskin, are they all maps?"
He was a little curious, so he opened another volume and read it.
There is indeed a map inside, but it is not as big as the map of Tianzhu in the Western Regions. It looks like it is just a map of a country and its surrounding territories.
"Yes, these are all maps of the Western Region, relatively detailed, and there are some notes and so on."
Xu Fenglei responded,
"There are detailed maps of the major countries in the Western Regions, as well as their customs, eating habits, landforms, etc. It's a mess. As long as it's knowledge that can help understand the Western Regions, it's all recorded."
"This copy in your Majesty's hand is the city-state map of the Great Yuezhi. The Great Yuezhi is also called the Kushan Empire and is considered a hegemon in the Western Region."
"There is a notebook about Da Yueshi below. I will look for it for you."
The reason for packing this big box is that notes account for a large part!
These are all precious travel notes and information!
"Not bad……"
Li Shimin looked at it, and his fighting spirit became a little high.
"This kind of country is the opponent of the Tang Dynasty. I am too lazy to conquer those small and messy countries. I will just do what I did with the Turks. I will eat such a large territory as soon as I destroy them. That would be a great success!"
Xu Fenglei's face darkened.
Lao Li, are you drifting? Do you think such a big country is easy to defeat?
It must be easy to harvest a small country!
"Okay, okay, let's stop making assumptions."
Li Shimin saw that Xu Fenglei's expression was a bit off, so he stopped, put down the map in his hand, and said with emotion,
"If I can live another thirty years, I must see with my own eyes that the Western Regions and even Tianzhu are included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty!"
"But, I feel like I don't have that many years left... The prince is weak now, and I still have to clear some obstacles for him."
"Let's calm down first. There are still a few foreign countries at the moment. I want to clean them up. You can give me some advice."
Snap.
The Map of Tianzhu in the Western Regions was put back into the wooden box, and Li Shimin closed the box himself.
Although this treasure is temporarily useless now, it will definitely be used in the future!
"Do you have any thoughts about Xue Yantuo and Goguryeo?"
Xu Fenglei said bluntly.
Li Shimin nodded.
"Yes, Xue Yantuo and Goguryeo are both the targets I want to deal with, as well as Qiuci and Tubo."
He responded,
"If possible, destroy them all!"
"But it's not very realistic. Although the Tang Dynasty is currently strong, it cannot withstand successive years of war. Xue Yantuo and Goguryeo are both difficult to crack, and the threats are also great."
"Xue Yantuo, in particular, has repeatedly invaded the northern land that I previously arranged for the Turks to survive."
"This is a serious provocation!"
"The Yinan Khan dared to be so arrogant when I was around. If I were gone, he would have to bully the child slaves even more unscrupulously? This serious problem must be eliminated! Otherwise, I will not be able to be at ease even if I die!"
Xu Fenglei was shocked.
Good guy, since the end of the five-year truce, Li Er has been fighting for years. He doesn't intend to stop Datang's war machine!
"A small country like Qiuci is easy to destroy. It can be destroyed by just sending a general and some troops."
Xu Fenglei analyzed,
"As for Tubo, this country is very powerful, but because of our strategy, its rise has been interrupted. It is still in a state of division and struggle. It cannot be unified for a while, let alone rise."
"When it slows down, I estimate that Li Ke has completely controlled Tuyuhun. Then I will let Li Ke deal with Tubo! It would be best if we can win. It would also be good if we can guard the pass and prevent Tubo from advancing eastward. "
"As for Xue Yantuo and Goguryeo, I personally think that Goguryeo is more difficult to attack. It will take a lot of effort to destroy Goguryeo, and you have to prepare several years in advance! As for Xue Yantuo... it is actually puffy, because it has a fatal flaw .”
