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

In the Taiji Hall in Chang'an, the morning mist has not yet dissipated, and the gilded gargoyles are shining coldly in the morning sun.

The hall was filled with the scent of ambergris mixed with pine soot ink. Hundreds of palace lanterns illuminated the golden brick floor as bright as day, but they could not warm the chill in the hearts of the ministers.

Li Zhi raised his hand and gently stroked the dragon pattern carved on the armrest of the dragon throne. The three black iron rings collided with the green jade table, making a cold and hard sound.

All the civil and military officials in the court held their breath and watched every move of the new emperor.

"Also, in compliance with the Emperor's will—"

Li Zhi's voice was low and echoed in the empty hall. He slowly unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict.

"Princess Wencheng of Jin is the eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty."

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar.

The civil officials were whispering to each other.

The generals looked at each other in confusion.

Wang Xuance couldn't help but take a step forward. The ivory tablet in his hand trembled slightly, and the jade ornaments made a small sound as they swayed. "Your Majesty, the title of eldest princess is extremely noble. It is the highest among princesses. It is a rank of the first rank. It has always been the eldest princess or those who have made great contributions to the country to receive this honor."

"Although Princess Wencheng Li Xueyan is also a member of the imperial clan, her status and achievements do not seem to match the position of the eldest princess."

"On the other hand, the young princess, Li Jingyi, is the beloved daughter of the late emperor. She is of noble status and possesses both talent and virtue. Shouldn't the position of the eldest princess belong to her?"

"Your Majesty, I also think this is inappropriate."

Minister of Rites Li Yifu also stepped forward, the cloud goose patch on his official uniform rising and falling slightly with his movements.

"The ritual system cannot be disrupted. If we confer an award like this, it will probably cause criticism within the court and confusion among the people of the world."

"Since ancient times, the position of the eldest princess has always been related to the foundation of the country. This arrangement is really unreasonable."

Li Zhi listened quietly to the ministers' advice, his face calm. After everyone finished speaking, he raised his hand to signal for silence, his voice commanding without anger: "The young princess Li Jingyi will be named Princess Yunhe, with the fiefdom of Qixia, the Qinghua Pavilion in Xianyang, and the residence at Meizhuang."

This second decree left everyone even more confused, with expressions of doubt on the faces of the ministers.

"Everyone, this is the late emperor's will."

Li Zhi slowly unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, with the red ink writing on it in a flamboyant style.

The late emperor has passed away, and his words cannot be doubted.

The words of a living person may be debated and refuted, but the words of a dead person, especially the emperor's last words, are determined by destiny.

At this moment, everyone was silent.

After hearing this, the ministers, though reluctant, could only bow their heads and said in unison: "We obey your order."

Only the old ministers in Xianyang understood that this was the care of the late emperor, General Qin, and Commander Zhang.

When Li Zhi stood up, he slowly walked down the jade steps. His black dragon robe swept across the coiled dragon relief, and every step seemed to step on everyone's heart.

When he reached the center of the Danbi, the sunlight just penetrated the palace door, stretching his shadow very long and covering the ministers below.

"What I want to say today begins now."

His gaze lingered for a moment on the faces of some ministers.

"Have you ever measured the vastness of this world? Every inch of those lands outside the territory of the Tang Dynasty gives me sleepless nights!"

The memorial box in the hands of Wu Tianyan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, fell to the ground with a "clack", and a map rolled out. The trade routes marked with cinnabar on the parchment were as winding as blood.

Li Jingxuan twirled his beard, stepped forward, and said, "Your Majesty, since Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan reign, our Tang Dynasty has pacified the four corners of the world. Now, the four seas are in submission, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Why should we resort to war again?"

"Warfare is costly and cumbersome. Your Majesty, please reconsider."

"Mr. Li, you are wrong!" Li Zhi suddenly sneered.

"Back then, our Tang cavalry crushed the Turkic royal court and shook the world with their might."

"But now, the existence of Arabia has become a thorn in the side of our Tang Dynasty."

"How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?"

"Do you all know why, when my brother was in power, most of the trains were built in the Western Regions?"

When these words were spoken, the ministers were stunned at first, and then they all raised their heads.

After a moment, there were gasps in the hall, and everyone finally understood the deep meaning of Li Zhi's words - expansion!

"Your Majesty, what do you mean..."

Li Jing's son, Li Ying, was so excited that his voice trembled. The veins on his hand pressing on the hilt of his sword bulged. "I am willing to charge into battle for Your Majesty and crush the Arabs!"

"We are willing to follow Your Majesty to expand the territory!"

Almost everyone, whether civil officials or military generals, came out one after another, and their passionate voices echoed in the hall for a long time.

expansion!

The Tang Dynasty can expand!

The current population is enough to support the Tang Dynasty's external expansion and occupation of those lands.

There is not a single person in the court, whether civil servant or military general, who does not want to make achievements.

Is there going to be a war?

Li Zhi looked at the expectant faces and a smile appeared on his face.

"That's right, it's just as you think. I want to expand and destroy Arabia. All under heaven shall be my kingdom, and all the people shall be my subjects."

"What a pity that my Tang Dynasty's 3,000-man Black Armor Army..."

Speaking of this, Li Zhi's words were somewhat discouraged.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"Everyone, the inheritance cannot be broken. King Wu Li Ke obeys your orders."

"Chen is here!"

"I order you to reorganize the Black Armor Army and train them well. I will use them for great purposes."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Li Zhentao!"

Hearing Li Zhi's words, Li Zhentao stepped forward.

"His Majesty!"

Li Zhi looked at Li Zhentao and narrowed his eyes.

"Li Zhentao, you are my brother's trusted and beloved general. You are the Grand Admiral of the Tang Dynasty's navy, and as a disciple of the Emperor, you are quite familiar with the three major camps."

"The matter of reorganizing the Three Thousand Battalion is left to you."

"Not only that, the Black Armor Army and the Three Thousand Battalion will all be expanded to 10,000 men. I do not require you to train them in a short period of time like the previous Heavy Armor Battalion."

"All I ask is that they become the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty."

"It doesn't matter how much it costs. I want to see results."

"Throughout the dynasties, except for the Tang Dynasty, who else could afford to maintain 20,000 heavy cavalry?"

Hearing Li Zhi's words, everyone was stunned

In the past, it was unthinkable to maintain 20,000 heavy cavalry.

When Emperor Taizong was still alive, it was difficult to maintain the 3,000 Black Armored Army alone.

Emperor Qianwu also assembled a battalion of 3,000 men.

Even so, Emperor Qianwu did not expand these two troops during his reign.

The reason was that it was too expensive. The Tang Dynasty at that time needed to invest a large amount of money in people's livelihood construction.

But now, things are different. Datang's infrastructure has reached a stable point.

The national treasury was rich, and Li Zhi had a large amount of silver, which he could use to expand the army.

Now, the time is ripe, and it is time for the Tang Dynasty to move westward.

This was also what Li Chengqian instructed Li Zhi.

When the population is sufficient, expand, expand continuously.

Even if the rice is cooked, it must be rotten in your own bowl!