Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

As Li Shimin's uncle, Li Shenfu always regarded himself as an elder in front of Emperor Li Shimin.

Moreover, in the eighth year of Zhenguan, before Emperor Taizong Li Yuan died of illness, he resigned from his post due to illness. Li Shimin personally visited him at his residence and rewarded him with money, sheep and wine.

The attitude at that time was very enthusiastic!

Even in the first few years after the death of the retired emperor, Li Shimin had his servants carry him in a sedan chair when he entered the palace to discuss matters despite his foot disease.

Could it be that everything Li Shimin did was just a pretense of filial piety?

"Humph!"

Li Shenfu snorted heavily. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Then he put on a stern face and cursed.

"I said at the time, how can someone who ascended to the throne by killing his brother and imprisoning his father be called a good person?"

"Now you want to get rid of me!"

"What a hypocrite!"

Upon hearing Li Shenfu's outrageous words, a middle-aged man in the lobby who looked similar to Li Shenfu suddenly changed his expression.

What a living father!

Such words can be said.

The middle-aged man stood up and warned the maids, "Keep to yourself what the prince said just now. If you continue to talk nonsense outside, you will be punished according to the family rules!"

"You all should step back."

Several maids turned pale, and after kneeling down and making hasty promises, they bowed and left the hall.

A moment of silence.

The middle-aged man walked up to Li Shenfu and said helplessly, "Dad, you are already old, why are you still so angry?"

"In recent years, Li Er has swept through all the foreign tribes surrounding the Tang Dynasty. He enjoys supreme prestige in the court and among the people."

"We can't make enemies with him, otherwise there will be endless troubles!"

Hearing his son's persuasion, Li Shenfu was not afraid, but his face looked even more defiant.

Ha ha!

Do they want to make enemies with Li Shimin?

Isn't it because Li Shimin was too ruthless and forced these relatives into a desperate situation?

Li Shenfu said coldly, "Renjian, if Li Shimin dares to touch our territory today, he will order the reduction of our vassal states tomorrow!"

"If I become a coward, who will speak for the princes of the world?"

He had served as the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs for many years, and he considered himself the head of the Li royal family. He acted as if he wanted to work for the well-being of Emperor Li Shizong of the country.

There was a pause.

Li Shenfu said angrily: "When we supported the Emperor in conquering the world, he promised us that once the world was stabilized, he would grant us many vassal states!"

"But what now?"

"Li Shimin bestowed great titles upon his rebellious sons, while we are only granted the title of a small prince. Is this fair?"

As Li Shenfu finished speaking, Li Renjian also fell silent.

These relatives, who had worked hard and made great contributions, felt very uncomfortable about Li Shimin's act of conferring titles on princes such as Li Tai and Li Ke.

In particular, Prince Wei Li Tai and Li Ke colluded with the enemy and committed treason, which became a laughing stock among their relatives.

But the imperial power is in the hands of Li Shimin, what can they do?

Wasn’t Prince of Lujiang Li Yuan also killed by Li Shimin?

Hey!

Li Shenfu's expression softened a little when he saw that his son's soul was touched by his words.

He said in a deep voice: "Now that the imperial court has conquered such a vast territory, Li Shimin has yet to show any intention of enfeoffment of vassal states. I suspect he will not enfeoff the kings!"

"We can use this opportunity of land tax reform to let Li Shimin know how powerful we are!"

"Even if I die, I'm not afraid!"

this...

Li Renjian's mind trembled slightly.

His father is already 70 years old this year, so he is naturally not afraid of life and death.

But what about the seven brothers?

Think about it.

Li Renjian asked hesitantly, "Dad, what are you going to do next?"

Li Shenfu said with disdain, "I feigned illness to decline the appointment as Minister of the Imperial Household. Then, I joined forces with Li Xiaotong, Prince of Zichuan, Li Daoli, Prince of Gaoping, and others to resist the imperial court and implement a new tax system in our fiefdom!"

The position of Taifu Qing is a hot potato, how could he possibly accept the order and take up the post?

Moreover, he naturally could not compete with Li Shimin alone, but with more vassal kings together, Li Shimin would definitely consider their ideas.

Li Renjian said solemnly, "Dad, I support you!"

Although he did not agree with his father's confrontation with Li Er, as the eldest son, he naturally had to follow his father.

...

Changan.

Inside the Manna Hall.

Du He and Li Shimin sat inside, enjoying their light meals and chatting and laughing.

The topics they discussed covered a wide range of areas.

Such as opening up the Western Regions and India, building the Tang Dynasty, improving people's livelihood, developing Lingnan, enfeoffment of princes, etc.

Du He could always take over any question raised by Li Shimin.

On the imperial platform.

Li Shimin asked softly, "Du He, if the Tang Dynasty conquers the Western Regions and all those desert countries, how do you think the court will manage this vast territory?"

Given the current territory of the Tang Dynasty, it is already difficult for the imperial court to control local prefectures and counties, let alone the desert countries thousands of miles away.

Think about it.

Du He said softly, "Your Majesty, the remote and barren territories can be divided up."

"When the time comes, let the princes relocate their people there, and those territories will become our Han territory."

"Even if these vassal states rebelled against the Tang Dynasty thousands of years later, their rulers would still be descendants of the Li royal family, and their people would still be Han Chinese."

The general trend of the world has always been that after a long period of division, there will be unification, and after a long period of unification, there will be division.

These vassal states could submit to the Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years, but it was impossible for them to submit to the Tang Dynasty for thousands of years. There would always be a day when they would rebel.

The only advantage is that the rebel soldiers and civilians are all Han people.

"Division?"

Li Shimin murmured in a low voice.

He nodded in approval and said, "Du He, you are right. The larger the territory controlled by the Tang Dynasty, the greater the possibility of rebellion by frontier officials."

"But if it's Han Chinese, then there's no problem."

It's better for us to fight behind closed doors among our own people than to be taken advantage of by foreigners.

The two chatted about this topic for a while.

Li Shimin changed the subject and asked, "Du He, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to innovate the wheels of the carriage. When do you plan to bring people to do it?"

"The territory of the Tang Dynasty is too vast. If the carriages could be made faster, it would be more convenient for me to travel around the country."

What?

Li Shimin still wants to tour the world?

Does his physical condition allow it?

When Du He heard Li Shimin's bold idea, he was filled with astonishment.

A moment of silence.

Du He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I recently plan to establish a research institute to research various things that can improve efficiency."

"For example, gunpowder, printing, the curved plow, alcohol, and horseshoes were all developed in the past."

"In short, the Institute of Gewu only produces epoch-making tools!"

Gewuyuan?

This is a good idea!

The departments in the current imperial court that are related to the study of things are the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Military Equipment. However, there is nothing new in what these three departments do.

The Gewuyuan that Du He wanted to build was entirely about making new objects.

After sorting it out.

Li Shimin stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Du He, go ahead and do it. I fully support you in building the Academy of Gewu!"

"Just ask the prince for as many manpower and money as you need!"