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Chapter 1081: The Battle between the King and His Ministers (End)

Li Yan nodded silently, and this was considered to be convincing this self-righteous man. Cen Benwen was a smart man. He did not foolishly ask whether Concubine Yang really had evil intentions, nor did he foolishly plead for Concubine Yang.

He knew that with a Saint Master like him, since Concubine Yang had done nothing wrong, he would not wrongly accuse her.
If she had good intentions, he would naturally make her disappear in an appropriate manner, without being influenced by anyone. The crime of attempting to kill the king was something that no emperor could tolerate, and no one's pleas would work.

"If a man like Li Ke were to be sent to the Western Regions to serve as a vassal, it would ruin his life's ambition and would be a waste of resources."

Li Yan said directly: "My father is the one who founded the foundation. Since he is as brave as my father, I will give him a chance."

"Go to the Prince of Wu's mansion and talk to him. Tell him that it is my wish. There are endless countries and vast lands in the far west. I hope he will lead the army to expand the territory for my Tang Dynasty and continue the glory of my Han people."

"Once he leaves Tang territory, he will be a meritorious official of the Tang Dynasty. He can use all his abilities. All the land west of the Pamir Mountains is foreign land. He can take as much as he can. As long as he conquers the land, it will all be his."

Although he had guessed it in his mind before, when the emperor really said it, Cen Wenben was still shocked by the emperor's ambition to conquer the world.

Li Yan did not stop, and continued: "His brothers, his civil and military officials, his forces and wings, as long as they are willing to go with him, he can take them all out. Beyond the Congling Mountains, the sea is wide for fish to leap, and the sky is high for birds to fly."

"In the places he conquers, he will arrange the civil officials and military commanders, and the troops under his command will all obey his orders. If he can conquer the vast land north of the Mediterranean that I just marked out, he can even establish an empire that is not weaker than the Tang Dynasty."

"When that day comes, he can even ascend the throne and establish a new Tang Empire at the western end of the continent. Not only will I not blame him, but I will also be a brother to him. The two countries can be brotherly states and interact with each other on an equal footing."

Cen Wenben's blood boiled when he heard this. He had never thought that there would be an emperor in history with such a grand vision. The vision of the current emperor is no longer limited to the corner of the Tang Dynasty, but looks to the whole world, and regards the future of the entire Han nation as his goal.

There is no doubt that Cen Wenben saw that the emperor was turning decay into magic, allocating a part of the forces that were a nuisance in the country to expand the territory in the far west and bringing the lands occupied by those small countries under the orthodox Han people.

Perhaps the current emperor had this idea when he traveled to the West.

However, he had to inherit the Tang Dynasty and had no time to spare, so he handed this glorious mission to King Wu Li Ke.

This is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Li Ke.

Although Li Ke's military and literary skills were not the best in the Tang Dynasty, he was a special cavalry general in the eyes of the Western Barbarians. With the support of the entire Tang Dynasty, providing manpower and material resources, he would not worry about not being able to conquer a piece of land.

Rather than living a depressed life in Chang'an, or being a cowardly house-guarding dog in the Snowy Region, it is better to risk it all and fight him.

This is an unprecedented great achievement!
Once completed, both Li Chengqian and Li Ke will be the brightest stars in the entire history, and even the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor will pale in comparison to them.

Cen Wenben is honored to be born in such a prosperous era and to be able to participate in such a grand and unprecedented history!

Cen Wenben stood up, straightened his clothes, and then, with a very solemn and respectful look, he bowed three times to Li Yan, and then said excitedly: "Your Majesty's mind is as broad as the sea, and his vision is as vast as the sky."

"Although I am not talented, I would like to thank the emperor for his grace on behalf of the descendants of Yan and Huang and the Chinese nation!"

This bow convinced Cen Wenben. For the first time, facing a young man who was two years younger than him, Cen Wenben felt awe from the bottom of his heart. He even felt that even among the emperors in history, the other party would be the king of emperors who shocked the past and present.

If Li Shimin called himself Heavenly Khan, then the current emperor, once he accomplishes such a feat, can be called Heavenly Emperor.

When he stood up again, Cen Wenben said with a complicated look in his eyes: "Your Majesty, if Li Ke really succeeds in the West, aren't you afraid that he will march eastward and occupy your world?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Li Yan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He looked up to the sky and laughed loudly. His laughter went straight into the sky and made the roof of the hall ring.

Cen Wenben did not feel embarrassed or awkward, and remained respectful.

After a long while, Li Yan said with great pride: "The West is a thoroughfare leading to a wider world, which is more vast than the East. There are continents beyond the continents, and there are seas beyond the seas. After crossing the Pamir Mountains, we will know that there are mountains beyond the mountains and heavens beyond the heavens."

"If Li Ke, having seen the vastness of the world, turns back to fight with me for this corner of the Tang Dynasty, then he is not worthy of being called Li Ke, nor does he deserve the praise from my father."

"On the contrary, I am the upright and just emperor of the Tang Dynasty, with countless civil and military officials under my command, and I control the beautiful mountains and rivers of the entire Central Plains. With such capital, I was defeated by an invading enemy from the West. Then I am not qualified to be the emperor?"

"There is always an enemy. Even if it's not Li Ke, it will be someone else. Rather than letting others take advantage of this great country, it's better to let our brothers take advantage of it."

"But that's a matter for the future. I hope Li Ke can grow stronger outside."

Li Yan shook his head calmly: "When he went to the West, he fought for his country and for the expansion of the nation's living soil. His personal ambition and the expectations of the people of the Tang Dynasty would be combined. His name and achievements would be remembered for thousands of years and recorded in history forever."

"As long as he agrees to march west, I will give him 10,000 fully armed cavalry. It's not that I don't want to give more. The Tang Dynasty has plenty of troops. It's just that the journey west is long, and quality is more important than quantity. The logistics and supplies can't keep up."

"The more people there are, the weaker their fighting power will be. If they really have an army of 100,000, he will be dragged down." "Once outside the Tang territory, he can fight to support the war and expand as many troops as he can support; within the Tang territory, everything must abide by the rules of our Great Tang."

"If he doesn't mind being a burden, he can bring his mother, his brother, his wives, concubines and children with him. I don't need to leave anyone behind as hostages. Of course, I still suggest that he not bring them with him for the time being, until he has established a foothold in the West."

"He can naturally send someone to pick up his relatives."

At the end, Li Yan's eyes condensed, and he said in a deep voice: "You can tell him that if he attacks eastward, he will be a traitor and everyone will be able to kill him. His name will also be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, and he will be cursed by the world and be infamous for thousands of years."

"And if he fights westward, he will be the King of Wu of the Tang Dynasty, a national hero who expands the territory. His achievements will surely be remembered by thousands of people, and the elders and sons of the entire Han Dynasty will be proud of him. The name Li Ke will also shine through the ages and last forever."

"Between gain and loss, everything is his own choice."

Li Yan's confidence is certainly not based on belief in human nature. His destiny is in his own hands.

The Western Regions separated the West and the East, and were granted to the aristocratic families.

As long as Li Ke went out, they would not let Li Ke in. There was always incompatibility between the aristocratic families and Li Ke.

Even if Li Ke could convince the nobles to join forces and attack.

It was unknown when that would happen. After Li Yan's reorganization of the Tang Dynasty, power was highly centralized, and the troops from all directions were at the fingertips of the court. The power that the court could mobilize was amazing. With the manpower and material resources of the Central Plains, and the control of the Snowy Plateau, were they still afraid of not being able to defeat the Western Regions coalition?

Besides, there are millions of strong soldiers on the grassland, who can definitely smash Li Ke and the countries in the Western Regions to pieces.

It can be said that Li Yan controls absolute power.

There is no need to rely on hostages to restrain Li Ke. He has the ability to control the tiger that he has raised himself.

Cen Wenben was shocked and excited when he heard this. He said passionately, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best and find out Li Ke's true intentions. If he dares to have a mean heart, he will fail your Majesty's high hopes."

"I will never let him go, and I will not let your Majesty's hard work go to waste!"

In the face of national justice, personal honor and disgrace are no longer important.

In the face of this unprecedented glorious mission, everyone had to give in. Cen Wenben was already convinced by Li Yan at this time, and had thrown aside his personal gratitude to Concubine Yang and his narrow friendship with Li Ke.

After saying this, seeing that Li Yan had no other instructions, Cen Wenben bowed again and left the imperial study with an excitement that he could not control.

When he came to the square outside the temple, Cen Wenben wanted to howl to the sky to release his inner joy and relief. He accidentally saw the white beard floating on his chest, and he sighed with regret, thinking how great it would be if he was 20 years younger.

Meeting such a talented and ambitious emperor, Cen Wenben would surely live up to his life's talent and bring glory to himself.

Thinking of his previous loyalty to his master, and the more than ten years of hardship he endured, Cen Wenben couldn't help but blush. His vision was so short-sighted, limited to this city and this place, supporting an emperor.

The current emperor has already looked at the world and started planning for the future of the entire nation.

Compared with the emperor, I am just a dwarf compared to a giant, like the stars compared to the bright moon, and the crows compared to the phoenix.

Cen Wenben thought of the map he had just seen, the only one in his life, the vast land in the West, and those unfamiliar country names, and a long-lost ambition surged in his heart.

When faced with outstanding talents who could threaten them, most emperors in ancient times would raise their butcher knives and eliminate the threats in the bud. However, the current emperor is so courageous that he releases such opponents to expand the territory for the Tang Dynasty.

Instead of worrying that one day in the future these princes who have become powerful abroad will come back and threaten themselves.

Perhaps, the current emperor, like the emperor emeritus, would rather give those places that the Tang Dynasty could not control to the princes than let outsiders take advantage of them. This shows the long-term vision of the world as one family. Even if the country is lost in the end, there will be no danger of national extinction.

Cen Wenben knew that compared with the fate of all descendants of Yan and Huang, the gains and losses of a family or surname were not worth worrying about at all.

He had a vague understanding that the emperor's heart was bigger than he thought, and he would never just put the mission of opening up the West on Li Ke. Li Ke would never be the first prince to be sent on an expedition, and there might be more people who would follow in the future.

He was determined to convince Li Ke.

Not only for his own ambitions but also for the future of the nation, he made a desperate effort to establish another Tang Empire.

(End of this chapter)