Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Because the Ministry of Works was in charge of the Five Departments, its status was greatly improved, and it became an important department second only to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.

Now that Your Majesty has transferred the Ministry of Medicine to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works will undoubtedly be at the bottom again.

"Hey!"

Yan Lide sighed secretly, then stood up with a smile on his face and accepted the order.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

It's at the bottom, after all, the Ministry of Works is one of the six ministries, and the power held by the Minister of Works is much greater than that of the Minister of Taichang Temple.

Moreover, he got such a great benefit without doing anything. People should learn to be content.

After the reward is over.

Li Shimin said in a tired voice, "Du He, follow me to Ganlu Palace."

"The rest of you, my dear ministers, please withdraw from the court."

Originally, Li Chengqian also wanted to call Du He to the Eastern Palace, but after seeing his father call Du He away, he could only suppress his excitement.

After His Majesty took Du He away, a group of staff from Prince Jin's Mansion exchanged glances, and then walked out of the Taiji Hall with a worried look on their faces.

...

Inside the Manna Hall.

After Li Shimin asked the eunuchs to serve tea and cakes, he dismissed everyone except the historian Yan Qinli.

His action made Du He's expression pause slightly.

"Are you going to hit me?"

Li Shimin knew very well in his mind that Du He was the prince's core aide.

Now that Li Shimin has appointed himself as the Minister of War, he must not be so at ease. It is a normal imperial tactic to give him a reminder or a warning.

A moment of silence.

Li Shimin asked softly, "Du He, the army estimates that before this autumn, the Eastern Turks, Xueyantuo, and Western Turks will be defeated!"

"If the army begins to expand into the Western Regions next year, how long do you think it will take to conquer the Western Regions and the Hundred Kingdoms of India?"

So anxious?

Looking at Li Shimin's expectant eyes, Du He guessed the reason.

I'm afraid Li Shimin already knows that his life is coming to an end!

Du He thought for a moment, then bowed in response.

"Your Majesty, the Western Regions are very far away from the Tang Dynasty. Without considering the provision of food and fodder, and assuming a smooth battle, it will take at least five years to conquer them."

"If the countries in the Western Regions have united, it will probably take about 10 years to conquer them."

Through this campaign, Du He became more and more confident in the combat effectiveness of the Tang army.

They are well-trained, brave in combat, and have strong fighting beliefs.

However, other armies also exposed problems of varying sizes. For example, even a great general like Li Daozon, who had spent his entire life in military service, could still lose a battle.

If someone falls behind at that time, the battle will become tense.

Li Shimin frowned and asked, "It takes so long?"

"If we were to conquer the Western Regions and the Indian states within three years, how many soldiers would we need?"

According to Sun Simiao, if he were to worry about state affairs, he would only have two or three years to live.

If he had not worried about state affairs at all, he could have survived for a few more years.

But as an emperor, if he does not handle state affairs, what is the difference between that and abdicating and letting others take over?

Du He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if we want to conquer the Western Regions and the Indian states within three years, we will probably need to recruit an army of more than 150 million!"

"But to recruit such a large army, we would have to conscript at least three to four million laborers. The logistics would bring the Tang Dynasty to its knees."

In the past, the army would often be 50 or 70 strong, and that was because they also counted the people responsible for logistics.

It is estimated that only 40% of them are actually capable of fighting.

Li Shimin did not speak. He stared blankly at the marching map on the side, with a look of confusion and regret on his face.

After a long time.

"Hey!"

Li Shimin sighed heavily, pinched his eyebrows hard, then turned to look at Du He and said.

"Du He, do you think the Crown Prince, as regent, can conquer the Western Regions?"

What do you mean?

Did Li Shimin want to abdicate early and become the emperor emeritus?

After hesitating for a while, Du He asked tentatively.

"Your Majesty, do you wish to be the Supreme Lord... or do you wish to step back and remain in the background?"

He originally wanted to say that he wanted to be the emperor, but when he saw Li Shimin's face turn dark, he quickly changed his words.

As Du He finished speaking, a subtle sound suddenly came from the quiet Ganlu Palace.

"pat~"

This is the sound of a brush falling onto the table.

Obviously, the historian Yan Qinli, who was sitting behind the screen, was also shocked by Du He's words.

Li Shimin stared at Du He with his eyes wide open. After a long time, he pointed at Du He and scolded him with a smile.

"You bastard!"

"Even though he's already the Minister of War, he's still as out of touch as before!"

Seeing Li Shimin say this, Du He knew that he was not angry. After all, Li Shimin could even tolerate the big troll Wei Zheng, which shows how broad-minded he is.

Du He's brows moved slightly, and then he spoke seriously.

"Your Majesty, if your health does not allow you to handle state affairs intensively, retreating behind the scenes to control the court is also a highly effective method."

"I heard an anecdote about an emperor who didn't attend court for 22 years, focusing on cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, yet still managed the country in his own hands."

"Would your Majesty like to hear this anecdote?"

Looking at Du He's serious expression, Li Shimin smiled on his sick face.

This little guy even learned to make up stories to give advice.

Li Shimin was an emperor who was well-versed in history books. He had a clear understanding of the official and unofficial histories of all dynasties.

If there was any unofficial history about the emperor not attending court for 22 years, he would definitely have read it.

Li Shimin nodded slightly and said, "Du He, I didn't expect there would be such an anecdote. Tell me about it!"

"promise!"

Du He responded and then briefly summarized the story of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty.

After listening.

Li Shimin's expression also became complicated. After a long time, he said something quietly.

"I have practiced until my body is like a crane, and I have two boxes of scriptures under a thousand pine trees."

"It's quite free and easy!"

He reigned for 21 years, and had to deal with countless state affairs every day. His already ill body was worn down by them.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said with a smile on his face.

"Du He, go back and handle the government affairs first. I will talk to you again later."

Du He stood up and bowed without any hesitation.

"I will take my leave first."

Looking at Du He's leaving back, Li Shimin's smile gradually became tangled.

He propped himself up and stood up, walking slowly behind the curtain.

The anecdote Du He told today coincides with what Sun Simiao told him a few days ago.

You can only live for 3 years while in power, but you can live a few more years by abdicating.

"Oh, it's so hard to make a decision!"

A sigh came from behind the curtain, and then there was no movement.

...

East Palace.

Mingde Hall.

Li Chengqian looked at Du He who walked in. He first dismissed all the attendants, then walked up to him with an excited look on his face and asked.

"Du He, why did the Emperor ask you to go to Ganlu Palace?"

"Is it to knock you?"

Du He shook his head slightly, and then summarized his conversation with Li Shimin.

After listening.

Li Chengqian curled his lips and said, "Du He, your idea is good, but there's no way my father will be persuaded by you."

No one knows a father better than his son. He knows his father's character too well.

When it comes to love of power and love of beauty, his father is unique.

If you want to persuade him to step back, you have to hold a sword to his neck, or wait until he falls seriously ill.