Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

According to Li Chengqian's current plan to enfeoff princes, apart from granting the Kingdom of Wa to his eldest brother and third brother, and a small portion of the Mohe territory to Hou Junji, the fiefdoms of powerful families and ministers are all in Africa.

His own fiefdom was originally in the Central Plains and Shandong, and it is unknown whether Li Chengqian has made any adjustments.

Thinking of what Li Chengqian had just said, that his territory was adjacent to that of his eldest and third brothers, could it be that he was going to transfer his fiefdom to the area of ​​Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla?

"hehe."

Li Chengqian chuckled twice, stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Du He, your fiefdom remains unchanged, but considering your merit in leading the army to destroy the Wan Kingdom, I will grant you a little more fiefdom."

"Don't ask about the specific rewards; you'll find out when the time comes."

snort~

Mysterious...

Seeing that Li Chengqian was keeping him in suspense again, Du He didn't ask any more questions, knowing that Li Chengqian wouldn't tell him anyway.

As promised by Li Chengqian, for every 20 countries he conquered, he would be granted a province, which might allow him to add 5 more provinces to his fiefdom, bringing the total to 30 provinces.

After discussing the important matters concerning the fiefdom.

Li Chengqian then called in a group of eunuchs and maids, and then chatted with Du He while enjoying a delicious meal.

"Du He, these dishes were prepared by Li Jue and Du Ping'an. Please try them."

"These dishes all have new names. This one is called Shrimp and Crab Congee, and these are respectively called Snow Cloud Soup, Apricot Blossom Braised Three Delicacies, Shrimp Stuffed Tofu, Peach Blossom Fish Fillet Egg Custard, and Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions..."

"The name sounds fancy, but the taste is really good."

What?

Did Li Jue and Du Ping'an prepare these dishes?

Du He tasted all the dishes and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, why don't you let Li Jue and Du Ping'an open a tavern?"

"I feel that the two of them are suited for this line of work."

The attendants standing guard to one side changed their expressions slightly upon hearing King Han's words.

As expected of the King of Han, he even dares to make such jokes with His Majesty.

If an ordinary minister dared to suggest to His Majesty that His Highness the Crown Prince open a tavern, he would probably lose his head the next day.

Li Chengqian nodded: "Du He, what you said makes sense. Anyway, that little fat Li Jue likes cooking, and in the past two years he has started to think about opening a factory. It would be good to let him make more money for me."

"This year, let Li Jue open a workshop, train him for two or three years, then send him to a local area as a Grand Commander. After five or six years of training, let him return to Chang'an to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel."

“Once he has been in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the Privy Council for several years, I can appoint him as regent.”

Despite what Li Chengqian said being outrageous, if Li Jue were really trained in this way, he might actually develop some skills in ten years or so.

A monarch who can amass great wealth, has experience in governing local areas, and has experience in managing the central government is unlikely to be a bad one.

Du He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this method of cultivating the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty is very good. It allows the crown prince to know the hardships of the people and to clearly understand the demands of the officials and common people below."

"However, the Crown Prince is only 17 years old this year. He should continue to study the classics and learn from teachers such as Ma Zhou and Pei Xingjian."

"Let's send the Crown Prince out for training when he turns 18."

puff~

Li Chengqian almost spat out the wine in his mouth.

Isn't this nonsense?

What's the difference between 17 and 18 years old?

He thought Du He would let Li Jue go for training after he came of age, but he didn't expect that he would just make Li Jue wait another year. This kid is getting more and more cunning.

Li Chengqian glanced at Du He and said, "Du He, what you said makes some sense. Let Li Jue take charge of opening the workshop next year."

"It just so happens that his aunt is an expert in running workshops, so Li Jue should learn from her properly."

Well...

Du He's expression paused slightly.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian was so cunning that he wanted Li Jue to come and steal their skills. If Li Jue were to secretly open a workshop, it would more or less affect their business.

However, Du He is not short of money now. Whether it is the ability to develop new products or the marketing model, Li Chengqian and his son Li Jue cannot catch up.

"no problem."

Du He smiled and nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty, now that Pei Xingjian has returned to Chang'an, we must have him share more of the burden with Ma Zhou."

"I suggest that Ma Zhou be appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Pei Xingjian as the Right Vice Minister and concurrently Minister of Personnel, and that Du Gou be sent ahead to govern the territory of Japan."

"As for the Vice President of the Privy Council, he can be Liu Ji, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, Li Yuanjing, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, or Gao Jifu, the Grand Secretary."

By separating the elder brother Du Gou from the court in advance and letting him govern his fiefdom, the progress of relocating the people would not be delayed when Li Chengqian later bestowed titles upon the princes.

Upon hearing Du He's suggestion regarding personnel changes, Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"feasible!"

"Du He, do as you say."

After finishing their business, the two people, who hadn't seen each other for many years, started chatting casually.

Of course, as those in positions of power, their casual conversations also revolved around topics such as governing the country, beauties from various countries, high-yield seeds, the enfeoffment of feudal lords, and population migration.

...

The next day.

A meeting of hundreds of officials.

Li Chengqian announced: "My beloved ministers, after discussion by the Emperor, the King of Han, and all my ministers, we have decided to mobilize an army of 80 to sweep across North and South America this May."

"Hou Junji is the commander-in-chief of the army, Xue Rengui and Cheng Yaojin are the deputy commanders-in-chief, and the general commanders of the army are Cheng Wuting, Fang Yi'ai, Yuchi Huan, Cheng Huailiang, Niu Jinda, Xue Wanche, Li Dejian, Wang Fangyi, Liu Rengui and Li Zhen."

"Ma Zhou is fully responsible for the transportation of logistics supplies and provisions!"

The civil and military officials whose names were called stood up and accepted the order.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Having tasted the sweetness of war, these people were not too averse to fighting in foreign lands. Some, like Fang Yi'ai, Yuchi Huan, and Xue Wanche, even looked forward to conquering North America.

After the generals sat down.

Li Chengqian continued, "From today onwards, Ma Zhou will act as Left Minister, Pei Xingjian will act as Right Minister and concurrently Minister of Personnel, and Liu Ji, Attendant-in-Ordinary, and Gao Jifu, Vice Minister of the Chancellery, will serve as Vice Presidents of the Privy Council."

"Du Gou will serve as the Chief Secretary of the Zhen Dong Kingdom, and will be fully responsible for all matters, large and small, of the Zhen Dong Kingdom!"

hum~

As Li Chengqian finished speaking, a low buzzing sound suddenly sounded in the hall.

The officials were not too surprised by the transfers of Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, Liu Ji, and Gao Jifu.

But His Majesty's appointment of Du Gou as the Chief Secretary of the Kingdom of Zhen Dong is rather inexplicable.

When they thought of Prince Li Tai of Zhendong sending a large army to conquer the Western Regions and Africa, a bold idea suddenly popped into the minds of the civil and military officials.

"His Majesty intends to bestow the Kingdom of Zhendong upon Du Gou as his fiefdom!"

The civil and military officials were filled with envy when they thought that Du Gou had secured the title of king in advance.

Having a good brother can really change your fate!

While the officials were still in a daze, the five ministers whose names were called stood up and responded.

"The minister obeys the order!"