Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

The atmosphere was extremely solemn, lingering on everyone's heart.

Not only those veteran generals who had been on the battlefield for a long time, but even Li Shimin who was sitting upright in his seat could not help but stare at Wei Zheng with a very complicated look.

Li Shimin's heart was in turmoil. How could he not understand Wei Zheng's meaning?

After so many years of interaction between the monarch and his minister, Wei Zheng's frank advice had already made him familiar with the minister's thoughts.

But even so, when the word "tolerance" was placed heavily in front of him, he felt an indescribable heaviness.

In his opinion, since he ascended the throne, he has not used any means to discredit the Sui Dynasty in order to enhance his own achievements. In this regard, he believes that he has done his utmost.

After all, this world was conquered by Li Shimin and his soldiers after going through untold hardships. Although the existence of the Sui Dynasty was a historical prelude, he didn't need to deliberately sing praises for it, right?

What's more, it was somewhat difficult for him to accept collecting the corpses of these Sui soldiers.

Most military generals are straightforward in nature. Their eyes are often focused on the weapons and horses, and most of them cannot see too far into the strategies in the court.

In their pure cognition, the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty was taken inch by inch from the enemy by them with the sharp swords in their hands, charging into battle time and time again, fighting bloody battles.

This is the glory they forged with their lives and blood. What does it have to do with the previous dynasty that has already collapsed?

Li Jing, the general renowned on the battlefield, stood up, clasped his hands together respectfully, straightened his back, and spoke frankly, "Your Majesty, please look at the territory of the Tang Dynasty today. It is the most vast and extensive of all dynasties!"

"This isn't due to the merits of the soldiers of the previous dynasty. It's clearly the hard work of the brave generals of the Tang Dynasty and the soldiers who bravely risked their lives on the battlefield."

His voice was powerful and resonant, striking the hearts of the people.

"Now we are asked to bury these Sui Dynasty soldiers. Why is that?"

"They were defeated generals to begin with, their deaths are not worth regretting!"

"In my opinion, we should devote more energy and resources to providing relief to those soldiers who sacrificed their lives to expand the territory of the Tang Dynasty. This way, they can receive better treatment after their death. This is what we should do now!"

Li Jing's words instantly stirred up ripples in the hearts of the veterans. They nodded in agreement, and for a moment, there was a buzz of agreement.

Tang Jian sat quietly aside. When he heard Li Jing's words "death is not a pity", his whole body trembled violently, and then it was as if a switch hidden deep in his heart was turned on, and he jumped up from his seat in an instant.

His eyes widened as he glared at Li Jing, shouting, "Li Jing, you are such a short-sighted person! Such shallow knowledge is truly not worth mentioning!"

After saying that, he didn't even look at Li Jing, but turned around quickly and bowed directly to Li Chengqian.

His movements were solemn, and his expression became particularly serious. He said, "Your Majesty, although the generals of the Tang Dynasty are all brave and fearless, they know too little about this way of inheritance."

Tang Jian raised his head slightly and said slowly, "Your Majesty, think about it. From ancient times to the present, no matter which dynasty or generation, has anyone not regarded themselves as the Celestial Empire?"

"The same is true for my Tang Dynasty."

"Isn't our Tang Dynasty the legitimate successor of the Qin Dynasty?"

"Since the Zhou Dynasty, the phrase 'All under heaven is the king's land, and all the people are his subjects' has set the fundamental tone for this inheritance for all subsequent dynasties."

Tang Jian's voice gradually became more excited.

"During the Qin Shi Huang era, the line 'The valiant Qin army will face the national crisis together, and will not cease fighting until their blood is shed dry' was truly heroic and tragic."

"How domineering was Emperor Wu of Han's statement, 'Whoever offends the mighty Han will be punished, no matter how far away they are.'"

"Emperor Wen of Sui's dictum, 'Any barbarian who dares to invade will have his country destroyed and his race exterminated,' terrified foreign enemies."

"Look at today, your Majesty, 'Anyone who dares to raise an army, both inside and outside the country, will be killed.' This is the heritage passed down from generation to generation by our Chinese nation!"

"Why is our Tang Dynasty recognized as the orthodox one by the people of the world?"

"That's because our Tang Dynasty possesses the Imperial Seal, which has been passed down from the Qin Dynasty to the present day. It's a symbol of legitimacy."

"It is also because our Tang Dynasty is deeply loved by the people, and the people live and work in peace and contentment."

Tang Jian took a deep breath and continued, "Thinking back to the time when the King of Qin conquered the world, he was so majestic and heroic!"

"The Han people have straightened their backs for us again and set the tone for Han culture!"

"Now, our Great Tang carries on the legacy and forges ahead. Although the Great Sui and our Great Tang were once mortal enemies on the battlefield, throughout the long river of history, in those thick history books, we actually come from the same family!"

"We are all the legitimate dynasty of this land, we are one family! Haven't you, the Supreme Emperor, always taken Emperor Wen of Han as your role model? This is our heritage! We can refute those barbarians by citing classics!"

"And those barbaric tribes on the border are the common enemies of our Central Plains Dynasty!"

"This bloodline has been passed down to this day, and the change of dynasties is just a trace left by the continuous progress of history."

"Therefore, I agree with Wei Zheng's suggestion. We should collect the remains of those Sui Dynasty soldiers."

"Their relatives are now also the people of our Tang Dynasty!"

"Just because they were once soldiers of the Sui Dynasty, can we deny their blood connection with our Tang Dynasty and stop treating them as our own?"

After Tang Jian finished speaking, he bowed deeply, then slowly lowered his head and said no more. The entire tent fell into a brief silence.

Hou Junji sat aside, listening quietly to Tang Jian's long speech. His brows gradually frowned and a look of dissatisfaction appeared on his face.

Suddenly, he slammed the table in front of him. A loud "bang" broke the silence in the military tent. Then he stood up and asked loudly, "Tang Jian, what do you mean by this?"

"Sui soldiers are Sui soldiers, and Tang soldiers are Tang soldiers. There are essential differences between the two. How can they be lumped together?"

"Your remarks like this, do you harbor ulterior motives and intend to rebel?"

Hou Junji's eyes revealed vigilance as he stared at Tang Jian.

Li Shimin did not stop Hou Junji's impulsive behavior.

He just sat there quietly, looking at Hou Junji calmly. There seemed to be some deep meaning in his eyes that was hard to understand.

Wei Zheng stood quietly by, watching the fierce confrontation between the two with cold eyes.

He ignored Hou Junji's anger, but instead cast his gaze firmly at Li Shimin, reaching deep into people's hearts.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you a question. I believe everyone heard Tang Jian's words clearly."

"The relatives of these Sui Dynasty soldiers are now subjects of our Tang Dynasty."

"Although they were once soldiers of the Sui Dynasty, who among you here was not a citizen of the Sui Dynasty in the past?"

"Grand Emperor, weren't you from the Sui Dynasty?"

Wei Zheng's voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a sharp knife, accurately analyzing the crux of the problem.

"If we follow what General Hou just said, then doesn't it mean that you, the Retired Emperor, who was once a Sui Dynasty man, have now ascended the throne of our Tang Dynasty? Doesn't this mean that you, the Retired Emperor, are the biggest traitor in the world?"

Wei Zheng's words instantly caused an uproar. Everyone was stunned by his bold words. For a moment, everyone was waiting for Li Shimin's response...