My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 393 March
Tai Chi Palace.

After the grand singing and dancing, Li Shimin was a little tipsy.

Who can resist enjoying it?

Beautiful things will naturally be pursued by people.

As for the emperor, everything in the world belongs to him and he can take it as he pleases.

Even though the Tang Dynasty is currently in the midst of a struggle between him and the crown prince, this does not affect its prosperity.

Or rather, more brilliant.

Because of the power of the Tang Dynasty, because of the Heavenly Khan, and more importantly, because of the pillar of praise of all nations.

The Tang Dynasty today no longer has any obvious enemies.

The most powerful Eastern and Western Turks have been completely destroyed.
That year, Jie Li Khan was captured by the Tang army in Yinshan Mountain and the Eastern Turks were destroyed. After arriving in Chang'an, he was granted land and houses and appointed as the General of the Right Guard.

In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Jie Li Khan died and was posthumously awarded the title of King Guiyi and the posthumous name "Huang". His body was cremated according to Turkic customs and his ashes were buried east of the Ba River.

And now Yibi Duolu Khan replaced Jie Li Khan.

The main body of the Turks has been destroyed, and at least for now, the tribes on the grassland have completely surrendered, and some minor fights are harmless.

And Goryeo, the cause of the demise of the Sui Dynasty, has also been completely pacified.

The achievements made by Li Shimin have surpassed his own history and even a boundary.

This is the boundary of the times. Due to the speed of information dissemination, the area actually controlled by the Tang Dynasty is limited, but this does not affect the Tang Dynasty's unparalleled influence.

As a result, all nations came to pay tribute and the economy prospered unprecedentedly.

What's more, the emergence of bamboo paper, the invention of the curved plow, and the spread of official bulletins made the influence of Tang culture grow day by day.

Even ordinary people can have their own pride.

Because they are the people of the Tang Dynasty.

At this point, Li Shimin felt that it was time for him to enjoy himself.

How can people not be greedy for pleasure?

Who can avoid the seven emotions and six desires?

A saint has no desires, but how can an emperor be a saint?

"Your Majesty, Fang Xuanling greets you."

Zhang Ananda said softly.

Li Shimin paused for a moment and nodded slightly: "Announce."

Soon, Fang Xuanling entered the palace to meet the emperor.

"Greetings to Your Majesty."

"Without courtesy, I will give you a seat."

Li Shimin naturally knew Fang Xuanling's intention, but he did not talk about those things at the first time. Instead, he sighed and said, "Prime Minister Fang, don't work too hard. You should rest more."

If other officials heard this, they would naturally be terrified and wonder if His Majesty was trying to punish them.

But Fang Xuanling would not think so, because he was really old.

In history, Fang Xuanling died in the 22nd year of Zhenguan, at the age of 60.

It is now the twentieth year of Zhenguan.

In fact, Fang Xuanling now feels that his health is not as good as before, and he can't stand some minor illnesses and pains.

This made Fang Xuanling think about retiring, but he knew very well that he could not resign at this time.

Because His Majesty needs him.

But Fang Xuanling himself didn’t know how long he could hold on.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Fang Xuanling didn't say much, and just sat down on the chair, feeling a little more relaxed.

Because of your majesty's grace, Fang Xuanling was able to enter the palace in a sedan chair.

But I also feel very tired.

Leaning back in the chair, you will feel quite relaxed.

This reminded Fang Xuanling that it was the prince who invented this chair.

I feel like fate is playing a trick on me.

"The Right Jinwu Guard is now under the control of the Crown Prince. It is divided into 54 wards and has 54 lieutenant generals to control the entire Wannian County. They have increased their salaries and set up canteens to win the hearts of the soldiers."

Fang Xuanling gave a brief explanation and Li Shimin was not surprised.

Of course, he knew these things a long time ago.

He also said casually: "It seems that the prince has indeed plundered a lot of money in Liaodong."

Fang Xuanling continued, "The Crown Prince has a deep foundation in Liaodong and is now constantly building sea vessels. I heard that he is planning to open up the Maritime Silk Road."

Li Shimin laughed and said, "The Maritime Silk Road is quite impressive."

The maritime trade during this period had not yet led to large-scale wealth accumulation and was generally in its initial development stage.

Li Shimin pursued an open and inclusive foreign policy, worked to restore the economy after the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and encouraged exchanges between China and foreign countries.

The Tang Dynasty maintained close ties with the Western Regions and Central Asia through the Silk Road, while maritime trade relied on the routes opened up by the previous dynasty and gradually expanded exchanges with Southeast Asia, South Asia and even Persia and Arabia.

The shipbuilding technology in the early Tang Dynasty was more advanced than that of previous generations, and it was possible to build "Cangbo" ships with larger carrying capacity, but ocean voyages still relied on monsoons and coastal navigation, and the compass had not yet been popularized.

Therefore, maritime trade during the Zhenguan period was mainly short-distance near-sea trade, while long-distance trade had higher risks and limited scale.

The main trading entity was tribute, supplemented by private commerce.

Neighboring countries such as Linyi and Puli offered spices, jewels, rare animals to the Tang Dynasty in the name of "tribute", and the Tang Dynasty gave back silk, gold, silver, porcelain, etc. This "giving more and receiving less" model was more of a political symbol rather than a pursuit of economic profit.

A small number of private maritime merchants went out to sea through Guangzhou and other places, trafficking silk, tea, and porcelain to Southeast Asia in exchange for luxury goods such as ivory, rhino horns, and spices, but the scale was small and was strictly controlled by the government.

Export commodities include silk such as "Liao Ling" and "Shu Jin", porcelain such as Yue Kiln celadon, Xing Kiln white porcelain, and tea, mainly to meet the needs of overseas nobles.

Imported goods are mainly spices such as frankincense and myrrh, jewelry such as amber and agate, medicinal materials such as rhinoceros horn and borneol, and rare woods such as agarwood. Most of them are luxury goods, have little to do with people's livelihood, and have limited direct contribution to the national finances.

The wealth brought by maritime trade was concentrated in the royal family and aristocracy, such as the rare treasures collected by the palace, and had not yet formed huge wealth to benefit the people or the national treasury.

The economic focus remains on the Silk Road.

Therefore, in Li Shimin's view, the main purpose of the prince opening the so-called Maritime Silk Road was not for money, but more for spreading his own reputation and collecting all kinds of rare treasures.

But Fang Xuanling said something else: "The prince's fleet brought back a large amount of rice seeds from Linyi State, which is said to be able to produce three crops a year."

Hearing this, Li Shimin's expression changed in surprise.

You should know that rice in the Tang Dynasty is only harvested once a year.

The frost-free period in the north is relatively short. Rice is mainly distributed in Guanzhong, Hedong and other places. It needs to be sown in spring and harvested in autumn. The growing period is usually from April to May, which can only meet the needs of a single season planting.

Although the climate in the south is warm, due to the limitations of rice varieties, rice is still mainly harvested once a year.

Some areas with developed water resources may try rice-wheat rotation, but a stable double-cropping system has not yet been formed.

However, according to the court bulletin, before the prince's eastern expedition, the rice-wheat rotation method was already being promoted, but it had not yet been fully popularized.

After all, it takes a lot of courage for ordinary people to rashly try new crop methods.

If they fail, they will lose a year's work, and most families rely on the fields for their livelihood all year round. The slightest accident may lead to the whole family starving to death. They do not have the capital for trial and error.

"Sure?"

Li Shimin asked, "Harvesting rice three times a year is of great significance to an agricultural-based country like the Tang Dynasty."

This means that food production will triple in the same year.

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly: "For now, it's just hearsay, but the news has spread that the prince wants to plant in Jianghuai."

Li Shimin was silent for a while. After a while, he said, "How about Tongguan, Luoyang, and Liaodong?"

Fang Xuanling replied: "The prince has 20,000 garrisons and 20 cannons at Tongguan, and there are about 30,000 Liao soldiers in Luoyang."

"The Liaodong area will be under the charge of the emperor's eldest grandson, who can raise an army of more than 200,000 men."

It seemed that Li Shimin had been enjoying luxury after recovering from his illness, but he never stopped investigating the prince.

Only when you know yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

There is no need to say much about the prince's military strength in Chang'an City. It is mainly concentrated in Tongguan, Luoyang and Liaodong.

Among them, Tongguan is particularly important, as it is the throat of Chang'an.

If the prince were defeated in Chang'an, he would first flee to Tongguan and then establish himself in Luoyang to compete with the enemy.

If Luoyang is defeated again, they will retreat to Liaodong and defend it.

If Li Shimin wanted to take action, he would naturally not get entangled with the prince, as this would cause endless turmoil in the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, we must first capture Tongguan and cut off Luoyang to trap the prince.

The prince is making preparations, and so is he. It's just a matter of seeing who has better skills.

"Cheng Qian, good trick."

Li Shimin sighed.

This is a conspiracy.

It is still unknown whether the prince is delaying for this reason or is confused by it, but putting this out at this time is undoubtedly an additional amulet in some ways.

Is the Tang Dynasty's foundation more important, or is the struggle for imperial power more important?

This difficult problem was placed before Li Shimin.

As most people had guessed, when the prince forcibly occupied the Right Jinwu Guard, Li Shimin realized that there was no possibility of peaceful coexistence between him and the prince.

The incident at Xuanwu Gate was ultimately unavoidable.

No matter how much Li Shimin cared about his family or how much he admired the crown prince, he could never give up his imperial power.

"Investigate carefully to see if the news is true."

Li Shimin found it difficult to make a decision. After all, rice, which could be harvested three times a year, was too important for the Tang Dynasty. It was the foundation of the country for all eternity.

Farming is the foundation of the dynasty.

From the perspective of public opinion, if this is true, the prince's influence among the people will be further enhanced.

After all, the curved plow had been invented before.

If we can produce triple-harvest rice now, it will be like "the prince has saved my life" for the people.

This is actually what Li Shimin doesn't want to see now.

The fight between father and son took place within the royal family. The conflict between the emperor and the crown prince had existed since ancient times and was a common practice, so it was naturally not a joke.

But if the incident spreads to the level of the common people, it will have a great impact on Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. For an emperor, who wouldn't want to leave a name for himself after his death?

Emperor Wen was Li Shimin's hope.

The triple harvest of rice, if true, would be a good omen for the Tang Dynasty. At this time, the dethronement of the crown prince after the war between father and son would inevitably be regarded as an auspicious omen from heaven, but the emperor's virtue was flawed, which would shake the moral foundation of Li Shimin.

Li Shimin's strategy for governing the country was centered on "focusing on agriculture and consolidating the foundation." Any decision that might affect agricultural stability needed to be carefully considered.

It would be too embarrassing to defeat the crown prince but fail to depose him.

Therefore, Li Shimin needs to confirm this matter, and now he also needs to consider how to strike a balance in this matter.

Different from Li Shimin's hesitation in Taiji Palace.

The Daming Palace was filled with laughter and joy.

"In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, but he only got a few baskets of alfalfa seeds in return. Now, Your Highness has brought back three-harvest rice seeds from Linyi, which will be a great contribution to make the world's granaries stand out!"

"Countless people have been saved, and this is a good omen. Your Majesty must be very troubled after hearing the news."

Li Yuanchang clapped his hands and laughed, feeling very refreshed.

Du He smiled and said, "Your Majesty can't wait for the matter of the Right Jinwu Guard, but the three-harvest rice will surely make Your Majesty wait patiently, which gives us more time to prepare."

"When the latest court bulletin is released, the news will surely spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an. The other day I went to the West Market and saw that the price of brown rice in the grain shop had risen by another 30%. If the news of 'three-harvest rice' is spread at this time..."

Du He looked at the prince and said seriously: "The people will compare your highness to Shennong."

Shennong is one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

If Li Chengqian had this halo on his head, the impact it would have would be enormous.

The most important thing is that even Li Shimin would not stop the triple-harvesting rice.

The Li Tang dynasty lasted only thirty years or so, and needed more stable support.

Once the triple-harvest rice is popularized, it will add to the country's fortune and extend the life of the Li Tang Dynasty.

Common people and aristocratic families alike all sang praises to the legitimacy of the Li Tang dynasty.

Zhao Jie said at this time: "We should be careful about the bad deeds of the King of Wei and the King of Jin. They certainly don't want to see the three-harvest rice, and they may send people to interfere."

Li Chengqian smiled faintly and said, "I actually hope they will take action. This will give me a reason to deal with them."

"Whoever stands in the way will be crushed to dust."

"The same is true for the Five Surnames and Seven Families."

They are called the King of Wei and the King of Jin, but in fact they are the Five Surnames and Seven Clans of the King of Wei. After all, Li Zhi does not have the strength to influence the Jianghuai area.

Only the five surnames and seven aristocrats within the Wei Wang party have the ability to do this.

However, Li Chengqian was not worried at all.

When the news of the three harvests of rice was reported in the imperial court, it became a good omen.

Whoever disturbs auspiciousness is a sinner.

This gives an excuse to send troops, and anyone who dares to move can be killed.

Li Chengqian was hoping that a few of the Five Surnames and Seven Families would get involved so that he could take the opportunity to destroy them.

This "destruction" does not mean the annihilation of a clan, but the annihilation of hope.

The reputation of the aristocratic family is the basis of their struggle against imperial power. Once their reputation is lost, they will become rats crossing the street, and everyone will shout and kill them.

No matter how many rebels there are, it is meaningless and can only be judged by sending troops.

This is different from colluding with foreigners.

There is no solid evidence for those things, and not many people know about them, so it is difficult to use them to damage their reputation.

The three-harvest rice is a real thing that can feed millions of people.

Hearing the prince say this, Du He, Li Yuanchang and Zhao Jie raised their glasses together.

"To His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian smiled and raised his glass: "Let's drink together."

It is already the beginning of the year and rice planting will begin next month.

When the first season of Champa rice grew, it was the time for Li Chengqian to take off.

This is also the best opportunity that Li Chengqian has been waiting for for so long.

The time, place and people are favorable.

I don’t know what Li Shimin will be able to use to stop it by then.

(End of this chapter)