The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 951 Tacit Business (Part )
The direction of the Tang Dynasty in recent years, except for the rise of the Turks in the north, has basically been in line with the prince's vision. The feudal system has also perfectly compatible with various national policies that followed, allowing the Tang Dynasty to break free from its shackles and usher in rapid development.

It is a pity that such a person died young, which really made Fang Xuanling sigh. This is not only a loss for the Li family, but also a loss for the Chinese nation!

"Xuanling, you know that the purpose of establishing a vassal state is ultimately to eliminate it."

Li Shimin said worriedly, "But this can only be implemented after the Han people have completely absorbed the Western Regions and the Snow Regions. I don't know how many years it will take. The prince once said that this process will take at least a hundred years, and at most several hundred years."

"Only when all the people in the Western Regions have Chinese faces, speak Chinese, use Chinese characters, and are no different from those in the Central Plains, can we eliminate the feudal lords."

"If we abolish the feudal lords too early, we will suffer a backlash and provoke attacks from the other princes. I'm afraid the Tang Dynasty will cease to exist!"

Fang Xuanling was reluctant to divide the country into different states at first, because it was disadvantageous to the Tang Dynasty and would easily lead to the rise of powerful local regimes. However, when he realized that the ultimate benefit of this policy was for the entire nation, he enthusiastically agreed to it.

As a wise man who is familiar with history, he is very clear that the interests of the entire nation are higher than the dynasty of a family or surname; although the Tang Dynasty may not last long, as long as this policy is adhered to, future generations will benefit from it.

However, as the Left Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, he still had to do his best to prolong the life of the Tang Dynasty to support the expansion of the entire nation, so he agreed: "Your Majesty is right, but in the final analysis, we still have to increase the strength of the Tang Dynasty."

"Although there are more than a hundred princes in the west, their strength is scattered and they are wary of each other. Under the checks and balances, no one dares to act rashly."

"In the past, once the power in the Western Regions grew stronger, they would have coveted the Central Plains."

"But now, they have to annex each other first, unify the Western Regions, and finally attack the Central Plains. With one more Bu Ju, our Tang Dynasty will be able to deal with it calmly."

"Although the princes were sealed off, the Western Regions are mostly cold and harsh, and each prince is extremely weak. They dare not provoke the Tang Dynasty, let alone abandon the Tang Dynasty's flag."

"According to the historical trajectory after the Zhou Dynasty divided the princes, it took at least six or seven hundred years for the warring states to compete for hegemony. Our Tang Dynasty has more scattered and more numerous princes. I think that we don't have to worry about the problems in the Western Regions for at least a thousand years."

At this point, Fang Xuanling showed a proud look on his face: "After a thousand years, my Tang Dynasty has occupied the rich Central Plains. Could it be that we are afraid of them?"

Li Shimin nodded in approval, then looked toward the north with concern: "While our Tang Dynasty was developing, the Turkic Khanate was also not idle. These Right Wise Kings conquered the east and the west, completely unified the entire grassland, and their influence reached the Western Turkic in the west and the Byzantine Empire in Central Asia."

"Not inferior to the Tang Dynasty at all?"

"We originally thought that the Turkic forces were scattered and rebellious, and that they would naturally split up as their territory expanded. But we didn't expect that the Right Wise King was so capable that the situation we expected did not occur. The Right Wise King still firmly controls the entire grassland."

Li Shimin looked at the vast territory in the north, which was no smaller than that of the Tang Dynasty, with envy and reluctance, and said jealously: "The grassland is different from the Central Plains, and there is no huge and strict ruling system. How did he do it?"

"Even the ancient Xiongnu, Rouran, and the former Great Xianbei did not have such a precedent. Even the arrogant Turkic Khans Shibi and Jie Li did not have a precedent of ruling such a large territory without division."

"It's a miracle that he can do this, isn't it?"

Fang Xuanling was also puzzled, and said with lingering fear: "Yes, with the subsequent mutual trade between the two countries and the establishment of the royal tent in the Irtysh River Valley, the exchanges between the Turks and the Tang Dynasty began to become closer."

"The Turkic management model was also revealed to us without reservation."

"Shiluodi's Ashina clan has almost become a puppet, living a life of idleness and waiting for death in Urge. No one can match the prestige of the Right Wise King. But for some reason, he did not continue to be promoted to replace Shiluodi's position as the Great Khan, but became a Great Khan of the grassland in name only."

"Under the Right Wise King, there are Left and Right Great Danghu, each with two deputies, Hermu and Gurentu, one civil and one military, serving as them. They are equivalent to the Left and Right Wise Kings under the Great Khan. Then the third level is the twelve Great Commandants, who are the twelve subordinates of the Right Wise King in Liaodong."

"The fourth level is the twenty-four new chieftains promoted after the Fengzhou peace talks in the eleventh year of Zhenguan. Then, two years ago, hundreds of captains of ten thousand men were promoted. Through these five levels, the million-strong Turkic army was evenly dispersed throughout the grassland."

At this point, Fang Xuanling frowned and said, "In fact, this system is not only not advanced, but also very crude and backward. It combines the political systems of the ancient Xiongnu and Turks. It is so simple that almost anyone can understand it."

"I thought that with this method, the Turks would soon collapse."

"But the strange thing is that, with such a child's play method, the Right Wise King has firmly grasped the entire grassland, and there is no sign of disintegration. It is really strange. I have lived for most of my life, but I still can't figure it out. It is simply unreasonable."

Li Shimin also frowned and said: "The most important among them are the twelve captains of ten thousand men. Each of them is a powerful frontier official. Each of them is a local lord. Their strength is not inferior to Tuli, Yi Nan, and Bi Heli under Jie Li."

"I have also sent out Jinyiwei people, promising them huge benefits, and secretly inciting them to rebel."

"Several of them were obviously tempted, but before they could launch a rebellion, they were captured by the Right Wise King during the tribal meeting. This Right Wise King seems to have a strong political talent and a mysterious way of perceiving people's hearts. He can easily detect whether his subordinates have ulterior motives."

"It's so strange that the rebellion was quelled before it even started."

Fang Xuanling's eyes shone fiercely: "However, Your Majesty does not need to worry. The safety of the Turks now depends on the Right Wise King. As long as the Right Wise King dies, the huge Turkic Empire will collapse in an instant and cease to exist." "I know what you mean!"

Li Shimin raised his eyelids, then sighed and sat back at the imperial desk: "To be honest, I have tried many times. In the past eight years, I have sent experts to assassinate the Right Wise King no less than seven times."

“Once a year.”

"Oh?"

Fang Xuanling was surprised and said, "How could this happen?"

Before he could even ask, Fang Xuanling's face darkened. The Right Wise Prince was still safe and sound, which meant that the emperor's action must have failed.

Li Shimin showed a dejected look on his face: "I have never succeeded once. Not only did I fail, but I was also caught by the Right Wise King and the assassin was sent to the Tang Dynasty."

"Uh"

Fang Xuanling's eyes turned and he asked in surprise, "Since he has caught us, why didn't the Turks attack our Tang Dynasty?"

"Speaking of which, this Right Wise King has actually turned assassination into a business. It's really bizarre!"

Li Shimin said with a smile: "The first time the assassin fell into his hands, he said that the Tang Dynasty wanted to get rid of him. He can understand it. This is normal. But since he failed, he must accept the punishment and compensate for the shock he suffered."

"The Tang Dynasty needs to pay him one million taels of gold as compensation for his mental damages. Otherwise, we understand."

Li Xuanling was also stunned. He naturally knew this, otherwise the two countries would go into a full-scale war.

The Tang Dynasty sent assassins to assassinate the leader of another country, and was caught on the spot. It did the most it could do without turning hostile. As for asking for some compensation, it was also reasonable.

After the two countries opened trade, the tax revenue collected by the Tang Dynasty from the mutual trade was between 15 and 20 million taels of silver each year.

This is equivalent to paying out more than half of the tax revenue.

The amount demanded by the Right Wise King is just within the acceptable range of the Tang Dynasty. It really puts the Tang Dynasty in a difficult position. But who gave you an excuse?
"Your Majesty has paid the compensation?"

"Compared to the war between the two countries, with the Tang Dynasty's growing national strength in recent years, these silver and money are nothing. I have no choice but to give the money."

Li Shimin closed his eyes, as if thinking of something that made him very disgusted: "After receiving the money, the Right Wise King said to the envoy very happily that he understood my thoughts very well and asked me to continue working hard."

"Continue to send assassins. As long as they kill him, without this highly respected and meritorious leader, the entire grassland will immediately fall apart and will no longer be able to fight against the Tang Dynasty. By then, the entire world will belong to the Tang Dynasty."

"I can also be the well-deserved Heavenly Khan"

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you can't kill him. Just keep paying the compensation. He won't ask for more, one million taels of gold each time. As long as the Tang Dynasty can pay, we can keep assassinating him until we succeed. He won't be angry."

"Unless the Tang Dynasty can't afford the money, he will send troops to invade the south to seek revenge."

'Well'

Fang Xuanling was also dumbfounded by the almost childish behavior between the two men, and murmured: "This Right Xianwang is really a weirdo. He doesn't take the assassin seriously at all. Doesn't he know that if he fails once, he will be dead?"

Fang Xuanling then turned around and looked at Li Shimin in shock: "No wonder there is an annual expenditure of one million taels of gold. The emperor does not allow us to ask about it. Just now, His Majesty said that there have been seven assassination attempts in all these years."

"Could it be that the emperor has not given up and has been sending people to assassinate him since then?"

Li Shimin closed his eyes tightly, his facial muscles kept twitching, and his cheeks bulged, obviously in great pain.

After a long pause, he said sadly, "Half of the annual tax revenue from the north can buy a chance to kill the Right Wise King. This is many times more cost-effective than sending a large army to defeat him head-on. Even if we fail, we don't have to bear the consequences of the Turkic invasion to the south."

"Xuanling, if it were you, what would you choose?"

(End of this chapter)