Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

What?

After marrying Xue Guan, Gao Yang continued her illicit affair with the monk and even had a child.

They really are incorrigible!

Du He asked curiously, "Linglong, tell me in detail, what's the deal with that bald monk Zhiqiang?"

"Didn't the imperial court suppress Buddhism?"

Nowadays, the bald monks of the Tang Dynasty dare not show themselves as monks.

Even with Gao Yang's protection, they will still be punished.

Linglong explained in detail: "Husband, Zhiqiang the bald monk is a monk who has returned to secular life. I don't know where Princess Gaoyang found him, and she often invites Zhiqiang the bald monk to Princess Gaoyang's residence to chant scriptures."

"Princess Gaoyang and the bald monk Zhiqiang will probably naturally have a relationship as well."

"Furthermore, I've also heard that Princess Gaoyang forbids her husband Xue Guan from taking concubines, and she even slapped Xue Guan during an argument."

"Poor thing..."

Upon hearing about Xue Guan's tragic plight, Du He silently mourned for him for a few moments.

Night falls.

Du He, who had just finished washing up, was dragged into the bedroom by Li Yi in a hurry.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, especially since Du He and Li Yi hadn't seen each other for four years.

An hour and a half later.

Li Yi said contentedly, "Husband, my elder brother said that since you're going back to Chang'an this time, you won't have to lead troops on expeditions anymore, and we can spend every day together from now on."

“Ping An is already 11 years old, and Jun Shan is already 10 years old. You must teach these brothers properly.”

"Now that Ping An is messing around with Li Jue, it's driving me crazy."

Du He was relatively at ease with her two sons, Du Ping'an and Du Junshan, and knew their personalities well.

However, Du He was also quite curious about what kind of trouble Du Ping'an and Li Jue had gotten into to make Li Yi so worried.

Du He asked softly, "Yi'er, what are those two doing?"

"Let the imperial court set up workshops."

"What?"

"Husband, you also think those two are neglecting their duties, right? I'm not the only one who's worried now; Father and my elder brother are also going gray from worry."

Li Yi was not too surprised by her husband's surprised reaction.

After all, the Crown Prince doesn't think about learning how to govern a country or the art of being an emperor; instead, he's thinking about opening workshops and researching cooking. Anyone would be worried about that.

The fact that it was Du Ping'an who suggested that Li Jue open a workshop made her even more worried.

Du He smiled and said, "Yi'er, perhaps what the two of them are trying to do now is a great thing for the imperial court."

"You don't need to worry, I will personally check what they have done."

When Li Yi heard that her husband was about to take action, she nodded slightly.

The couple chatted for a long time, and after Du He recovered her energy, they made love again before finally falling into a deep sleep.

...

The next day.

Led by Lai Ji, Du He went to the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace to attend the court assembly.

The new hall is very spacious, more than twice the size of the Taiji Hall, and there are two dragons carved on the stone steps on both sides of the imperial platform.

Not bad!

The new palace is truly magnificent!

When the ministers saw Du He appear in the deputy position, they immediately felt as if they had found their pillar of support, and their tense mood eased.

After the heads of each department finished reporting on their political affairs.

Li Chengqian asked Du He, "King Han, it will take another three or four years to conquer Africa, and about three years to conquer Oceania as well."

"When do you think the imperial court should send troops to conquer North and South America?"

There was a pause.

Li Chengqian continued, "The court is not short of food and supplies, and the thunderbolts can be supplied continuously."

"Under Yan Lide's leadership, 2000 super-large seagoing ships were built, and tens of thousands of sailors skilled in sea navigation were trained."

"The Gewu Institute also made a compass, which can determine direction in the vast ocean."

Li Chengqian then explained the court's war preparations to Du He in detail, while Ma Zhou, Liu Ji, Wang Xuance, and others added their comments.

After listening.

Du He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, since preparations for the new war have been completed, we can set off in late May this year."

"July is the hottest time of the year, which is the perfect time for the army to cross the Bering Strait."

"Within a few years, we can completely conquer North America and South America!"

The combined population of North and South America today is around 2000 million. They were in a hunter-gatherer society and a small-scale agricultural settlement society, and their fighting strength was probably comparable to that of Xiazhou in the Central Plains.

Faced with the Tang army, which possessed thunderbolts, iron armor, powerful crossbows, and spears, they had no strength to resist at all.

On the imperial platform.

Li Chengqian said happily, "In that case, let's set off in late May!"

The other civil and military officials stood up, cupped their hands, and shouted.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The King of Han was in charge of coordinating all matters related to the war. Since they were completely unfamiliar with the other territories, none of the officials spoke out of turn; they only needed to follow orders.

Even if they offer suggestions, His Majesty will not listen to them!

Li Chengqian stood up and said, "King Han, Ma Zhou, Liu Ji, Hou Junji, Pei Xingjian, Cheng Yaojin, Xue Rengui, Xi Junmai, and Cui Dunli, you will all come with me to the Xuanzheng Hall for a meeting."

"Retreat!"

Amidst the respectful farewells of civil and military officials, Li Chengqian, along with a group of ministers and generals, quickly left Hanyuan Hall.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall.

This luxurious new palace is not furnished with cushions on both sides, but with tables and chairs innovated by Duhe.

After sitting down and experiencing it for a while.

Du He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this kind of high chair is more comfortable to sit in. You don't need to bend your legs, and your legs won't go numb even if you sit for a long time."

"The tea table in front is also nice; it can hold food and drinks, and there are also writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for taking notes."

Hearing Du He's praise, Li Chengqian's face also showed a smug smile.

The layout of this main hall was his design!

Li Chengqian said with a smile, "Du He, Princess Chengyang has opened a very large woodworking workshop. All the chairs in the court are purchased from her. Even officials and noble families are scrambling to buy these chairs."

"The rocking chair you made in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era was also very popular with the elderly and children."

Du He smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

Linglong, that shrew, already told him about opening a woodworking workshop yesterday.

Even the suggestion and instruction from Li Chengqian to allow Li Yi to open a woodworking workshop was given.

After some pleasantries.

Li Chengqian cut to the chase: "Du He, how many troops do you plan to send to North and South America in May?"

"In addition to the 20 troops you brought back, the court now has 10 monk soldiers, 10 foreign soldiers, and 80 well-trained soldiers, bringing the total number of troops at your disposal to 120 million."

"Cui Dunli, give the King of Han the information on the army's defenses."

After receiving the order, Cui Dunli, the Vice Minister of War, quickly handed a thick document to Du He.

After a cup of tea.

Du He said softly, "Your Majesty, apart from the 10 troops guarding the prisoners who cannot be moved, leave 5 troops to garrison Chang'an, 10 troops to guard various parts of the Tang Dynasty, and 15 troops to supervise the transport of grain and the cultivation of official fields."

"The remaining 80 troops were all sent to fight in North America and South America."