Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

The Li clan members who had been clamoring for the title of princes and kings immediately stopped making trouble after hearing Li Chengqian's promise.

Their initial plan was to only need three to five states as fiefdoms.

But now they are not satisfied with those few states; they dream of conquering a territory as large as the Tang Dynasty and becoming a super vassal state.

Excited moment.

Dozens of members of the Li clan stood up at the same time, responding with excitement.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will return and immediately gather troops and train them, ready to go to war at any time!"

"Your Majesty, we are willing to assist you in unifying the world as soon as possible!"

On the imperial platform.

Looking at the princes who were showing genuine smiles, Li Chengqian's lips also curved into a faint smile.

Duheti's plan was the most effective!

This gave these feudal lords a huge hope, prompting them to mobilize the retainers within their palaces.

Besides enabling them to serve the court, it also reduces the risk of them causing trouble within the Tang Dynasty when the army is fighting on all sides.

Not bad!

The threat posed by the vassal king has finally been eliminated!

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "The court is currently lacking in weapons, armor, arrows, and provisions. You will have to prepare your own weapons, armor, and provisions. I hope you can understand."

Upon hearing this, the Li clan members were stunned.

what's the situation?

Not only are they expected to recruit soldiers on their own, but they are also expected to prepare their own armor, weapons, and provisions?

Deceiving too much!

The anger that the clansmen had finally managed to calm down surged back to their heads, and their faces became extremely serious.

Before they could react, Li Chengqian's voice rang out leisurely.

"Given that you have provided your own weapons, armor, and provisions, all spoils you acquire on the battlefield will belong to you!"

"how?"

this...

His Majesty treats them so well?

The furious Li clan members were once again dumbfounded, and their anger was forced back.

Do they own all the spoils of war?

They weren't dreaming, were they?

Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing, quickly spoke up: "Your Majesty, are you referring to the spoils of war, including gold, silver, wealth, and beautiful women?"

The others also stared intently at Li Chengqian, their hearts filled with anticipation.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "That's right. Everything you've seized belongs to you, including property, land, and people."

"If you feel you are being taken advantage of, I can grit my teeth and provide you with soldiers, armor, and provisions. However, from now on, you can only accept my investiture and cannot decide the size of your fiefdom yourself..."

Before Li Chengqian could finish speaking, the princes all chimed in.

"acceptable!"

"His Majesty treats us so well, so naturally we should share His Majesty's burdens!"

"It's just armor and provisions, we'll prepare those ourselves!"

Compared to the huge profits, what is this small amount of initial investment?

Even if they throw all their savings into it, they can get it back a hundredfold or a thousandfold after the war ends.

After sitting down, the members of the Li clan looked somewhat ashamed.

Their perspective is too narrow; they actually misunderstood His Majesty's magnanimity. They truly judged a gentleman by the standards of petty people!

Behind the Taiji Hall.

When Li Shimin heard that Li Chengqian had easily dealt with these relatives, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad!"

"That's more like it!"

The more he thought about it, the more he realized the benefits of Li Chengqian's order. Letting these relatives expand the territory themselves would save money from the national treasury and ensure the safety of the Tang Dynasty.

That brat isn't as stupid as he thought.

Thinking of how generous his rebellious son Li Chengqian was to Du He, Li Shimin began to mutter curses under his breath again.

"You little bastard!"

"They're using all their scheming on their relatives!"

The eunuchs serving around him were secretly laughing as they heard the Emperor Emeritus cursing.

Since the retired emperor began practicing Taoism, he has not been furious for a long time.

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Du He's brow furrowed slightly as he thought about how these vassal kings would have to provide their own weapons and armor.

"Set up an arms factory!"

Currently, the Tang Dynasty's iron resources are almost entirely controlled by the imperial court. He could cooperate with Li Chengqian to establish an arsenal to produce weapons such as spears, crossbows, and armor.

Weapons were very expensive; a spear cost around 30 strings of cash, and a lance cost around 150 strings of cash.

The profits are incredibly tempting!

Moreover, he and Li Chengqian also possessed advanced steel forging technology. When they adopted an assembly line production model for weapons, they would definitely be able to increase the output of weapons.

Currently, all weapons are forged by hand by old blacksmiths.

Du He plans to create molds to enable the mass production of all military equipment, thereby improving efficiency.

On the imperial platform.

Li Chengqian then said to the officials, "My dear ministers, you may also tell your families that I plan to establish 50 militia units, each with a limit of 3000 men."

"The greater the merits your family members make in following the army, the larger the fiefdom I will bestow upon your family."

"Of course, your family will have to raise the weapons, equipment, and provisions themselves!"

wow~

Upon hearing this, a huge uproar erupted in the hall.

Officials from aristocratic families secretly pinched their thighs, and some even lightly slapped themselves in the face, their faces full of disbelief.

Is His Majesty not insane?

so generous?

Just as the civil and military officials were stunned, Li Chengqian continued.

"The militia formed by your family can only be composed of your family members, retainers, guards and tenant farmers. You cannot recruit commoners with good household registration."

"In addition, no sons of soldiers may be recalled; if discovered, their qualifications will be revoked!"

Upon hearing the restrictions proposed by His Highness the Crown Prince, the officials from aristocratic families nodded in sudden understanding.

That makes sense!

His Majesty's promises to them were too good to be true, and they all suspected that it was a trap set by His Majesty for their families.

Looking at the order given by Li Chengqian, Du He felt a deep admiration for him.

"That's a really smart brain!"

"Use the tactic of promising fiefdoms to get these aristocratic families to obediently send their hidden populations to fight!"

"Moreover, the families capable of forming 3000 regiments are basically the top 50 most powerful families in the Tang Dynasty."

"After the great war, once these aristocratic families are thrown to the fringes of the world, the Tang Dynasty under Li Chengqian's rule will be as secure as a rock."

Seeing Li Chengqian's confident demeanor, Du He also began to reassess Li Chengqian's abilities.

Is this guy pretending to be weak while actually being strong?

Li Chengqian's behavior today is completely inconsistent with his usual style!

He was stunned for more than ten breaths.

All the civil and military officials stood up, shouting excitedly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will do our utmost to persuade our families and assemble a large army for the court!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The officials shouted "Your Majesty is wise!" more than ten times, until their throats were sore, before finally sitting down with excited expressions.

Besides the officials who were excited, Li Shimin was also extremely excited.

"That unfilial son has some tricks up his sleeve!"

"Truly worthy of being his prodigy!"

Now that things have come to this, Li Shimin finally understands just how brilliant Li Chengqian's methods are!

Not bad!

Li Shimin's offspring are truly remarkable!

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Li Chengqian stood up and said, “My dear ministers, it is getting late. Let’s end the investiture ceremony here today. We will hold a grand banquet for the new court in the huge square outside the Daming Palace later!”

"The imperial investiture ceremony will continue at court tomorrow!"

There was a pause.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Tonight, I invite you and the people of Chang'an to witness a magnificent fireworks display!"

...

(Guys, Chapter 2 will be posted at 12 o'clock.)