Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

what!

His Highness the Crown Prince has actually appointed Prince Du He of Han as Grand Minister of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Heavenly Pivot, and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince!

He also commands all civil and military officials!

Now that the King of Han holds military and political power in the Tang Dynasty, isn't he practically the Executive Vice Emperor of the Tang Dynasty?

Just as the officials were in astonishment, Lai Ji paused for a few breaths and then continued reading.

"The twenty-five prefectures of Jiangxiang, Wei, Wei, Li, Ming, Xing, Bei, Bo, De, Qi, Ji, Zi, Yan, Yun, Di, Qing, Mi, Yi, Lai, Deng, Cang, Ying, Shen, Zhao, and Ji are hereby granted as fiefdoms to the King of Han!"

"The officials of the twenty-five prefectures under the rule of the State of Han were no longer subordinate to the Tang Dynasty, but were subjects of the State of Han."

"seal up..."

wow~

Before Lai Ji could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a huge commotion coming from below the Taiji Hall.

All the civil and military officials and members of the Li clan were stunned. Many of them pinched their thighs, thinking they had misheard.

"Oh my God!"

"His Majesty actually granted the King of Han twenty-five provinces in the Central Plains as his own territory?"

"I haven't misheard, have I?"

"Could it be that the King of Han is His Majesty's long-lost younger brother?"

"No reason!"

You must know that the vast fiefdom that His Majesty bestowed upon the King of Han was located in the heart of the Central Plains, a region with a dense population, flat terrain, and fertile land!

The total population of those twenty-five states must be at least eight million, if not ten million!

That's 20% of the population of the Tang Dynasty!

Even His Majesty treats his own son better than he treats the King of Han, right?

According to the information they have gathered so far, the fiefdom of Prince Li Ke of Chu is Tibet, and the fiefdom of Prince Li Zhi of Bingzhou is part of the territory of the Eastern Turks and Xueyantuo.

I never expected that His Majesty would treat the King of Han even better than his own brother.

this...

This is truly an unprecedented wonder!

Given the power Du He currently wields, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to bestow upon him not only the title of King of Han, but also the title of King of Tang.

Not only were the officials and princes surprised, but even Du He himself was completely dumbfounded.

"what's the situation?"

Has Li Chengqian gone mad?

"Don't you want to live a normal life anymore?"

Du He had always thought that his fiefdom was only two or three prefectures in Lingnan or Jiannan, but he never expected Li Chengqian to be so generous.

Recalling how Li Chengqian had previously bestowed fiefdoms upon him, he always said he would grant him a little more.

So this dot was a dot on the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory?

That's fucking extravagant!

Moreover, the fact that Li Chengqian had previously entrusted him with reviewing the memorials from Hebei and Hedong provinces suggests a deeper implication.

Behind the Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin, who had been secretly listening in, couldn't help but curse after hearing Li Chengqian's bestowal of honors upon Du He.

"spendthrift!"

"No wonder he kept the bestowal of honors upon Du He a secret from me all along; it turns out he gave me such a big shock."

"What a damn spendthrift!"

Li Shimin, who rarely used foul language, couldn't help but curse repeatedly this time.

That was the most fertile land in the Tang Dynasty!

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian, that spendthrift son, was so generous, bestowing the entire sum upon his brother-in-law, Du He.

If he hadn't already abdicated, he would have rushed into the Taiji Hall immediately, grabbed a spear, and given that rebellious son Li Chengqian a good beating.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to grant Du He more land, but rather that he was unwilling to give Du He the Central Plains.

Li Shimin thought of the example of the wealthy man Du He had given him and couldn't help but curse again.

"I would like to enjoy my old age in peace, but with such a spendthrift son, I can't even rest in peace. Every day I have to worry about my family's fortune being squandered by this rebellious son, Li Chengqian!"

"If only I had made Zhinu emperor!"

"I regret it!"

Now that Li Chengqian has read out the imperial edict, he can no longer interfere.

That rebellious son not only granted Du He twenty-five prefectures as his fiefdom, but also appointed Du He as Grand Minister of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Heavenly Pivot, and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince!

He even appointed Du He as the chief of all civil and military officials!

What does he want to do?

Do you really want to put the Tang Dynasty on equal footing with Du He?

Now, in addition to his own powerful influence, Du He has an elder brother, Du Gou, who is the governor of Yongzhou, and a younger brother, Du Ai, who is the governor of Bingzhou. In addition, Du He has cultivated a group of confidants.

If Du He rebels, what will Li Chengqian use to fight against him?

At that time, the four kings Li Tai, Li Zhi, Li Ke, and Li Daozong, along with the rest of the Li clan, would probably not be a match for Du He.

"Hey!"

"You unfilial son!"

Li Shimin became increasingly distressed, wishing he could crack open Li Chengqian's brain to see if it was filled with excrement.

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Seeing Du He's bewildered expression, Li Chengqian's face was filled with a smug smile.

Not bad!

I've finally managed to shock Du He.

Previously, Du He had been secretly criticizing him, saying that he was stingy and unwilling to reward him with a fiefdom. Now Du He has nothing to say, right?

After the officials quieted down, Lai Ji continued reading.

"Princess Li Yi of Chengyang is hereby appointed as the Princess Consort of Han!"

"Confer the titles of Yin Yushan, Linglong, and Suliya upon concubines!"

"The eldest son of the King of Han, Du Ping'an, is hereby appointed as the heir apparent!"

"The rest of the King of Han's sons will be appointed by the King of Han himself, and will no longer hold titles in the Tang Dynasty."

"Please accept the decree, King of Han."

Now that Duhe is a king with a fiefdom, he needs to establish his own court system within the fiefdom, and his sons and heirs will also be promoted to princes.

Therefore, Li Chengqian no longer needed to bestow titles upon Du He's sons, but instead allowed Du He to do so himself.

Under the envious and jealous gazes of civil and military officials and many vassal kings, Du He slowly stood up and bowed.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

On the imperial platform.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "King Han, I am granting you twenty-five states as your fiefdom. I hope you can conquer two hundred and fifty kingdoms for me!"

“During your time as King of Han, other people will be in charge of your fiefdom, so you need to focus your attention on the court.”

"When the world is unified, you can go back and become the King of Han."

He actually wanted to announce in the Taiji Hall that for every 20 kingdoms Du He conquered with his troops, he would be rewarded with an additional state.

But he was afraid that if he gave too many rewards, others would become envious.

Think about it and forget it.

Let's reward Du He after he has made outstanding military achievements.

Du He cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly assist you wholeheartedly and strive to unify the world as soon as possible!"

"Furthermore, I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the well-being of the people of the Tang Dynasty!"

He now holds military and political power in the Tang Dynasty and can also manage his own territory, so he doesn't need to go to his fiefdom to oversee things.

However, we need to find a suitable candidate to send someone to govern the fiefdom.

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian nodded with satisfaction.

He trusted Du He completely and did not believe that what Du He said to him was boasting. He believed that Du He would definitely be able to lead a large army to sweep across the world within ten years!

After Du He sat down.

Li Chengqian continued, "The territory under the control of the Great Tang Dynasty is now incredibly vast, and it will expand several times over in the future. In order to improve efficiency, I have specially established a new department."

"This department is called the Privy Council, and for now, its only responsibility is to review and approve memorials on my behalf!"

what!

His Majesty actually allowed the newly established Privy Council officials to review the memorials that His Majesty himself wanted to approve!

Wouldn't that weaken the power of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries?

Has His Majesty gone mad?