Fan Ji stood up and bowed his head and said: "Although Pindao is not in the palace, Pindao knows a little bit about the affairs in the palace.
Your Majesty's current concern is nothing more than to break the balance and completely suppress the Yizhou nobles.
Although Pindao couldn't figure out why Your Majesty wanted to break the balance maintained by the late Emperor and Prime Minister, Pindao knew that His Majesty's current approach could only be counterproductive. "
Fan Ji's two words completely attracted Li Shimin's attention.
In fact, Li Shimin often wondered why he was a member of the gentry and his suppression was effective in his previous life, but had little effect in this life.
Fan Ji saw that His Majesty did not interrupt him, so he continued:
"Assuming that your Majesty is the monarch of Wei, firmly seated in the land of Jiuzhou, and with the full support of the Central Plains nobles around you, you can naturally let your Majesty do whatever you want.
However, His Majesty rules Yizhou as a "guest", and his followers have no roots in Shu. There is only one state in the middle of Shu, and the Yizhou gentry is the most important.
If His Majesty blindly suppresses with force, the princes of Yizhou may be obedient on the surface, but they will definitely be dissatisfied in their hearts, and their opposition will inevitably rise. In the long run, without external force, the country will collapse from within! "
Although Li Shimin had long understood the merits of it, he could never let go of his grudge against the Yizhou gentry. After all, he was familiar with history and knew the process of the demise of the Shu Han.
Even though the three generations of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and Liu Chan adopted relatively mild methods, the Shu Han Dynasty still perished. Now that he is doing the opposite, why can't he improve the situation in Shu? Could it be that God is irreversible, and no matter who comes, the Shu Han will not be able to escape destruction?
Li Shimin seemed to be imprisoned by something, and he couldn't figure out the joint.
"Then according to Xiaoyao Gong's opinion, what should I do?"
Fan Ji smiled slightly and said confidently:
"Your Majesty Pindaoguan has lofty ambitions and seems to have thousands of troops in mind. What's even more rare is that your Majesty is far-sighted and seems to have foreseen the fate of Shu, so he can't wait to suppress the Yizhou nobles and eliminate hidden dangers."
Hearing this, Li Shimin's heart trembled, "Is it possible that this Fan Ji has become an immortal through cultivation? It sounds like he knows my origin from what he said."
Fan Ji did not wait for His Majesty's reaction and continued:
"Your Majesty, you don't have to find it incredible. I may feel the same as your Majesty.
The land in the middle of Shu is isolated from the world and is known as the "Land of Abundance". Just imagine that in such a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack but isolated from the world, how can a powerful family formed over thousands of years give up this glory and wealth so easily?
The current imperial court still has the strength to fight, so they naturally cannot make a big splash. If the warriors who are good at fighting gradually wither, and the foreign enemies become stronger and stronger, at the moment of life and death, all the local nobles will have to consider is which new master to surrender to. "
Li Shimin felt reassured that at least his identity had not been discovered. It just happened that Fan Ji also foresaw the final fate of the Shu Han.
Fan Ji paused for a moment, then continued after breathing enough:
"Now His Majesty is just eager for success, which has caused him to fall into a misunderstanding.
The late emperor and the prime minister have laid the foundation for Your Majesty. The late emperor was benevolent, and the prime minister was diligent in state affairs. Your Majesty only needs to consider the practices of the late emperor and prime minister, and then add your own thunderous methods. The situation in Yizhou will naturally become clearer.
But your majesty must remember not to be impatient. Only by slowing down can you see the results. "
Having said this, Fan Ji knelt down in the banquet with a smile and stopped speaking, waiting for His Majesty to figure out the connection.
After listening to Fan Ji's words, Li Shimin kept trying to figure out the true meaning.
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were indeed very effective in dealing with the Yizhou gentry issue. Neither of them blindly suppressed them, but controlled the candidates for important official positions. The Yizhou gentry were only used as assistants.
Yizhou nobles were also employed in many important positions, such as Zhang Yi, Ma Zhong, Li Hui and other governors of the surrender, Wang Pingzhi, Hanzhong prefect, and many other important positions.
Furthermore, there are only two local forces in Yizhou: barbarians and Yizhou powerful forces, while the rest of Dongzhou and Jingzhou are all foreigners. No matter how powerful the dragon is, it cannot suppress the local snake forever.
If all my direct line ministers were natives of Yizhou, then I would naturally be free to carry out reforms at will. It is a pity that Shu Han is not as good as Cao Wei and does not have the capital for me to squander.
Li Shimin thought for a long time and finally broke his own inherent philosophy of governing the country.
"'Residing in a weak country' is not the same as 'unifying a powerful country' in my previous life. It seems that I have to change my strategy in due course..."
Thinking of this, Li Shimin's heart suddenly became enlightened, he held Fan Ji's hands and said in admiration:
"Thank you very much, Mr. Xiaoyao, for clearing up my doubts. I already have a plan in mind. It's a pity that a great sage like Mr. Xiaoyao can't always be by my side..."
Fan Ji helped His Majesty back to his seat, bowed his head and said:
"Pindao just happened to untie the shackles in your majesty's heart. I believe that with your majesty's wisdom and martial prowess, he will be able to figure out the key in a short time. Besides, Pindao is an outsider and often serves as your majesty's adviser. Isn't that right? better?"
Li Shimin was so happy that the doubts that had been bothering him for a long time were finally completely solved.
Seeing His Majesty's face filled with joy, Fan Ji couldn't help feeling relieved, and then said:
"Looking at it from a poor Taoist perspective, Your Majesty is a golden dragon among dragons, with the appearance of a thousand saints. With your Majesty's talents, our country in Sichuan will definitely become stronger and stronger. I hope that Your Majesty will not be eager for quick success and instant benefit. You should also be kind when you should be kind, and you should be kind when you need to establish your authority. Use all your thunderous methods."
Li Shimin saw that Fan Ji was very confident in him, so he thought of Fan Ji's other identity - Yizhou Haoqiang.
"I feel honored that Duke Xiaoyao has such trust and promotion. Needless to say more about the governance of the country. It's just that the battle between the powerful dragon and the local snake will eventually have a winner. Since Duke Xiaoyao respects me so much, then I So I have to shamelessly ask for a 'reassurance' from Xiaoyao Gong!"
Fan Ji had long thought that such a courtesy from His Majesty could not be just a simple talk about the philosophy of governing the country. What was more important was his status as a "powerful Yizhou power". Of course, his reputation among the people is also a factor that His Majesty values himself.
"Your Majesty, just let go and do it. Although Pindao was once a powerful man in Yizhou, Pindao will always remember the kindness of the late emperor and Your Majesty. If one day, your Majesty, for the sake of making Shuzhong strong and reviving the Han Dynasty, and the Yizhou gentry, Standing on the opposite side, I will definitely help you at all costs."
After saying this, Fan Ji smashed the wine glass in his hand to pieces.
"If there is any hesitation, the poor Taoist will have such a cup, his body will be shattered into pieces, and he will never be reincarnated again!"
Li Shimin was greatly moved and hurriedly helped Fan Ji, who was kneeling in prostrations.
"I know Duke Xiaoyao's intentions. With Duke Xiaoyao as my reassurance, our country in Sichuan will definitely become stronger and stronger."
The two of them supported each other and returned to their respective positions.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Li Shimin asked the question he was most worried about:
"Xiaoyao Gong, actually I already have some ideas in my mind, but I didn't know Xiaoyao Gong's thoughts before and I never asked him."
After hearing this, Fan Ji's expression condensed, and then he smiled knowingly, "Your Majesty is really the Holy King of this world. Your Majesty's previous questions and concerns have made me very respectful. I didn't expect that Your Majesty has a good idea in mind! I am all ears!"
Li Shimin first said a few words modestly, and then said sternly: "Any governance cannot be separated from innovation and reform. Xiaoyao Gong believes that the current situation is suitable for the implementation of the New Deal?"
Li Shimin had previously considered experimenting with the "equal land system" and the "mansion army system". However, the counter-insurgency was frustrated one after another, and the Yizhou gentry secretly disrupted the situation, so Li Shimin had to temporarily give up the implementation of the New Deal and focus on the immediate troubles.
Now that Li Shimin was worried about the immediate troubles, he turned his thoughts to improving the system in Shuzhong.
Taking advantage of today's topic and taking advantage of Fan Jigang's support for him, Li Shimin was ready to ask the question directly.
After listening to this, Fan Ji thought for a moment.
"Now that His Majesty is not firmly seated in the court, it is not appropriate to carry out reforms.
Pindao believes that His Majesty needs to have enough close relatives to control the army in Shu, and then carry out reforms.
At that time, the confidants can implement the New Deal for His Majesty, and the army can ensure the smooth implementation of the New Deal. Of course, Pindao is just trying his words, and all decisions are still made by His Majesty in one thought. "
Li Shimin heard that Fan Ji's ideas coincided with his own plan, so he paid more attention to Fan Ji.
The two drank and talked happily until the sun was setting in the west.
After ordering Huo Ge to escort Fan Ji out of the palace, Li Shimin took advantage of his good mood to chat with Huang Hao and Zhang Yan in the imperial study.
In fact, Li Shimin was a wise king who obeyed his advice very well. In all matters concerning the country, Li Shimin would listen to the opinions of his ministers before making a decision.
Although Fan Ji's words today are quite inspiring to Li Shimin, Li Shimin still wants to hear different opinions for comparison.
So Huang Hao and Zhang Yan took on this role.
Seeing that both of them were in place, Li Shimin went straight to the topic:
"I have decided to give the Yizhou nobles a way out and give them some opportunities to support me. Do you two think this is feasible?"
After hearing this, Zhang Yan said without thinking: "Brother Adou, as long as our swords are sharp enough, regardless of whether they are Yizhou nobles, Cao Wei, or Soochow, my little sister will make them surrender to Brother Adou!"
"Very good. It's really rare for my little sister to think of using force to frighten her."
Although Zhang Yan was reckless, what she said was true, and it was exactly what Fan Ji said about military power.
When Huang Hao saw Zhang Yan finished expressing her opinion, he also bowed his head and said:
"What Miss Zhang Er said is absolutely true. I believe that blindly suppressing with force is not the best policy. Perhaps we can follow what Prime Minister Zhuge did in Nanzhong and focus on attacking the heart."
After listening to the two people's opinions, Li Shimin was determined.
People such as Zhang Yan and Huang Hao, who have little experience in running a country, still know that the purpose of deterrence by force is to attack the heart.
Not to mention me and Fan Ji, Jiang Wan, Wu Yi and others.
It seems that it is time to change the strategy towards the Yizhou nobles!
After making up his mind, Li Shimin also focused his thinking on how to use assassinations and rumors to induce the Yizhou princes to reveal their true feelings, so as to determine who among them was a useful person...
