Xiao Yuming nodded approvingly. Shao Xi was indeed as low-key and smart as he thought, and he knew how to do things appropriately.
His question just now was indeed a test of Shao Xi. If Shao Xi really told the truth, it would make him feel a little disappointed.
What he needs is someone who is smart, honest, and can do things as he is told. He has no shortage of people under his command, but someone like Shao Xi who is resourceful and flexible is what he needs most right now.
It's not that he didn't know what Xiao Yuzhi was doing in private over the years, but as the prince, if he took the initiative to expose what Xiao Yuzhi had done, although he could achieve the purpose of suppressing Xiao Yuzhi, he would also be blamed for killing his siblings in order to protect the prince's position. Dislike.
Therefore, Xiao Yuming has kept a low profile over the years, and even when targeted by Xiao Yuzhi, he adopts a tolerant strategy. Over time, everyone has formed the impression that Xiao Yuzhi is aggressive, while the prince is always tolerant and courteous.
Now that Xiao Yuzhi's window paper has been pierced by Shao Xi, to a large extent it has helped Xiao Yuming get rid of the predicament he has been in. All the previous movements of Shao Xi in the capital and during his mission to Nan Zhao, As a prince, even though he has lived in the East Palace for a long time, he is still aware of everything.
He felt that not only did his father need such a person by his side, but he would also need a person like Shao Xi by his side in the future.
He believed that his father valued Shao Xi so much, which must have laid the foundation for recruiting talents for his future succession to the Jingyuan throne.
Most of the ministers in the current court are veterans of the previous dynasty. Although they are loyal to the current emperor, many are controversial about themselves as the prince. It seems unrealistic to change these people's minds in a short time.
Instead of doing this, it is better to start cultivating your own capable people from now on. In the future, after you inherit the throne, you will have a few loyal ministers under you, so as not to face those old guys who are neither obedient nor easy to use. Be restricted by them at every turn.
It is said that once a gentleman comes, there will always be courtiers. After every emperor succeeds to the throne, he will be replaced by a group of courtiers that he can use easily. Xiao Yuming is no exception, and Shao Xi is the person that both father and son are optimistic about.
Therefore, he wants to have more contact with Shao Xi from now on, which can be regarded as making some preparations for the future. With Shao Xi's intelligence, he must be able to make suggestions and help him solve difficulties and remove obstacles on his way to taking over power.
Since both his father and himself wanted to re-employ Shao Xi, it was natural to ask his opinion if anything happened.
So Xiao Yuming smiled and said to Shao Xi: "Shao Xi, from now on, unless you are on some formal occasion, you don't want to be called the prince or the minister like this. It sounds unfamiliar and troublesome.
"Since it is not convenient for you to talk to me directly about Yujiang County, you might as well talk about the mission to Southern Zhao. This is a major event between the two countries, and it is also related to the stability of the southern border of our Jingyuan Empire. Why don't you tell me what you think? Bar!"
"One word, no chaos." Shao Xi replied without thinking.
"Of course I know there can't be chaos, but why can't it be chaotic? How can we keep it from being chaotic? As a minister of Jing Yuanguo, what do you think is the best thing to do for us?" Shao Xi glanced at the wooden shelf in the prince's study. He walked up to the hanging map and drew it with his hand around the territory of Jing Yuanguo.
"Is Your Highness satisfied with the current territory of our Jingyuan Dynasty?" Xiao Yuming didn't understand what Shao Xi meant by his question for a while, but as a royal child of a huge empire, his ambitions are naturally no different from those of today's saints, and he has no regard for the current territory. Naturally, I am not satisfied with the scope.
Of course, he also had the ambition to open up new territories and dominate the world, or rather ambitious, so although he did not reply, he gently shook his head.
"Your Highness, it seems that our Jingyuan Empire is the most powerful empire among the Nine Provinces, but if you look carefully, you will find that there are many enemies around us, and we have no place to rely on.
"Although the tribes in the Hezhou grassland in the north are not united and attack each other all the time, they are also always hostile to our Jingyuan Dynasty; the Dongmu Kingdom in the east monopolizes Qi and Linzhou. Although there is still a gap with our dynasty, it is the biggest threat. Perennial wars between the two countries have dragged each other down, resulting in slow development of agriculture and commerce.
"Although the small tribal countries in the Golden State of the Western Region may seem fragmented, if one day a powerful figure who can unify all countries appears and unifies the forces of all countries, the west will also be a hidden danger for our country.
"Although Southern Zhao, where I am on my mission this time, appears to be just a small country on the southern border, its people are strong and generally martial. Now, under the management of their general Fu Zuoliang for many years, they have a strong army and have annexed the surrounding barbarian tribes in recent years. The strength of the tribe cannot be underestimated.
"At the moment, it seems that none of the directions is enough to pose a sufficient threat to our country, but if three or even four parties move together, it will seriously suppress our country, so what we should do now is to appease all parties as much as possible. If you want to make friends with them, adopt strategies to defeat them.
"Now the north and west directions have not formed a unified military force. We can adopt a gentle strategy to pacify them in a short period of time. So now we are left with the east and south directions. Since the East Mu Kingdom is our mortal enemy, it is impossible If the situation has eased, then it is a top priority to appease the Nanzhao Kingdom in the south.
"Even if we suffer some losses now, it doesn't matter if we give them more benefits. After we suppress the Dongmu Kingdom, other parties can gradually encroach on it in the future as long as they use the right means, and gradually incorporate the states into our landscape through slow absorption. The territory of the Yuan Dynasty." Xiao Yuming watched Shao Xi drawing on the map and listened to Shao Xi's explanation. He seemed to think that what Shao Xi said made sense and kept nodding his head. At the same time, he seemed to be thinking about something in his heart.
As soon as Shao Xi finished speaking, he asked Shao Xi again: "Just now you said that our Jingyuan Empire has no support. What do you mean by that? According to your opinion, our Jingyuan Dynasty must slowly and slowly unify all states. Okay, don't rush it, but when will this happen? Can't I complete my ambition to unify the nine states in my lifetime?" Shao Xi shook his head and muttered in his heart why this prince was just like his emperor, always thinking about things. Will he dominate the world in his own lifetime?
Military conquest can achieve this goal in the short term, but the result of military force will only make their dynasty short-lived. Why didn't these ancient emperors understand that their aspirations for eternity cannot be achieved through quick success and quick success?
Everyone always thinks about leaving their name in history and becoming an emperor through the ages. In fact, if a dynasty wants to last for a long time, it depends on the development and construction of those emperors who are willing to be ordinary and seemingly mediocre, and lay the foundation for the country. Only with a solid foundation can we ultimately achieve the goal of world harmony.
"Your Highness, what I just said about our Jingyuan Empire is that we are in the land of the Four Wars. If we are backed by the sea like Dongmu Kingdom, we don't have to worry about our backs even though we are in a desperate situation. If we are in Jinzhou Within the territory of our Jingyuan Empire, we can also be in a similar situation to the Dongmu Kingdom with our backs to the desert.
"Or by being surrounded by mountains to the south and grasslands to the north, we can avoid being attacked from the front and back. But now our Jingyuan Dynasty is exactly the opposite. There are hidden dangers in front, rear, left and right, so what we should do now is to eliminate hidden dangers from all sides as much as possible.
"As long as one of them is defeated by us, we will have a place to rely on. At that time, other states will naturally be able to follow suit. As for how to do it, I have discussed this matter with the Holy Spirit a long time ago. If your Highness is interested, you can contact us. Your Majesty, let’s talk about it.” Xiao Yuming looked at Shao Xi with some surprise. Although the situation analyzed by Shao Xi was not much different from what he had always thought, the words Shao Xi mentioned about finding support were his first. I heard about it once.
He has always believed that the Jingyuan Empire monopolizes the four states, and is the best of the four states. They are rich in money and food and have a large population, and they have an excellent situation to raise troops to attack the surrounding areas.
But now, according to what Shao Xi said, it is in danger on all sides. If it is besieged by surrounding countries, the territory may continue to shrink to the center and eventually be divided up by all countries.
Then there is the idea of slowly and slowly mentioned by Shao Xi. For a long time, he and his father have felt that they should cut through the mess quickly and eliminate and occupy the opponent with a strong and short offensive.
Shao Xi's strategy is to penetrate from all aspects over the years, gradually assimilating the surrounding parties with the Central Plains, slowly encroaching and annexing them, and forming a strong sense of identity with the Central Plains.
He had to admit that although this seemed to take a long time, it was the safest and cheapest way. Moreover, once the surrounding states were incorporated into the empire's territory, they could rule for a long time without having to worry about fighting. This is the way to achieve lasting peace and stability for generations to come.
It seems that if you want to achieve this goal, it will be difficult to achieve it with one or two generations of emperors. However, after the efforts of several generations of emperors, once this goal is achieved, all human, financial and material resources can be used for agriculture, commerce, handicrafts, planting, Smelting and other industries that enhance national strength.
Only then will the country be truly rich and the people strong, and the Jingyuan Empire truly transformed into an immortal empire. Xiao Yuming lowered his head and fell silent, as if he was carefully pondering what Shao Xi had just said to him. He looked serious, but it did feel like a king of a country was worried about the country and the people, and was thinking of the future of the dynasty.
After a long time, Xiao Yuming suddenly asked Shao Xi again: "Although this may not happen, if one day our Jingyuan Empire really has to face enemies from all directions at the same time, I want to know what solutions you have to protect me. Is the Jingyuan Empire safe?" Shao Xi looked at Xiao Yuming meaningfully and shook his head slowly.
"A dike of a thousand miles was destroyed by an ant nest. Your Highness, don't have any benevolent illusions towards the wolves. If we use the right strategy, we can slowly encroach on the surrounding states. But if the day comes when we are enemies from all directions, we will be devoured." The one who loses is ourselves.
"Don't expect anyone to stand up and turn the tide. If an emperor cannot handle the relationship with the surrounding countries and makes his empire enemies on all sides, no one will be willing to spend their efforts for such an emperor and dynasty. Yes." After hearing Shao Xi's words, Xiao Yuming fell into deep thought.
