Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Li Er sighed and put down the report in his hand.

He then picked up a letter from the Crown Prince, personally delivered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and began to read it.

The contents of the letter were quite ordinary. Apart from recounting the recent events in Chang'an, it also told Li Er about his relationship with the Wang family of Taiyuan, which was about the Cangyuan Road.

Li Er frowned and gave instructions to He Ding, the eunuch serving beside him.

"Let the people waiting outside in..."

Soon, a dozen or so young men with distinctly different ethnic features, appearing to be of Turkic, Xianbei, or Tangut origin, stepped into the hall.

Upon seeing this first-generation General Tian Ce, who had conquered half of the Tang Dynasty's territory, they all bowed down in resounding obeisance.

"This humble general greets Your Majesty the Emperor. May Your Majesty be well!"

The voices were fairly uniform, and several of them spoke Tang dialect with clear and accurate pronunciation.

When he looked at Li Shimin at this moment, his eyes were full of awe and tension.

Li Shimin nodded calmly, then glanced at the group of people, then at the contents of the letter, and couldn't help but take a slight breath.

"Tsk... It's rare to see such a rebellious son come to me for help."

He gave a half-smile and finally put down the letter in his hand.

"The Crown Prince recommends you, saying that you are all very brave and talented generals worthy of cultivation, and wants you to follow me to learn military strategy and tactics."

Everyone swallowed hard.

His expression became increasingly respectful.

But the light in his eyes grew even more intense.

Li Shimin pondered, seemingly considering the issue, and gently tapped one finger on the armrest of the dragon throne.

"It seems the Crown Prince trusts you all very much."

"Among you, who is Lun Qinling?"

Upon hearing this, Lun Qinling, the former Tibetan cavalry commander stationed in the Jie Ri colony who had recently submitted to the Tang Dynasty, was startled and hurriedly stepped forward.

Kneel down respectfully on one knee.

"This humble general, Lun Qinling, greets Your Majesty!"

"Oh~"

Li Shimin looked him up and down: "The Crown Prince said in his letter that although you are a surrendered general, you can be called loyal and brave. Unfortunately, the former ruler Songtsen Gampo was unwise. If you join the Tang Dynasty, you will surely make great contributions to the Tang Dynasty."

Do you think the Crown Prince is right?

Lun Qinling's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes revealed surprise and excitement.

With trembling hands, he bowed again.

"This humble general thanks Your Highness for your trust. This humble general will certainly live up to Your Highness's trust and the trust of the Tang Dynasty!"

As he spoke, he seemed to realize that such words were pale and powerless, and immediately made a solemn oath.

"If I, your humble servant, ever harbor any rebellious thoughts in the future, may my Gar family line be extinguished!"

Li Shimin curled his lip.

"Alright, anyone can make oaths and vows. Since it was the Crown Prince who recommended you, it's not that I can't teach you military strategy. However... if you want to follow me to learn military strategy, or even participate in the western expedition a few years from now, it's not something that can be done by making oaths and vows."

Everyone's heart skipped a beat.

A western expedition?!

They were unaware of this when they arrived; they were simply selected by the Crown Prince and sent to Chengdu to study military strategy under His Majesty.

This alone was enough to keep many of them so excited on their way here that they couldn't sleep.

Whether it was His Highness the Crown Prince or the elders of the clan, they had said it more than once.

In terms of military strategy and command ability alone, the current emperor, who doesn't really manage affairs, is better than ten or a hundred crown princes.

Now they not only have the opportunity to learn military strategy from His Majesty the Emperor, but also the hope of participating in the Western Expedition.

Among the crowd, Lun Qinling was the most excited and thrilled.

"Your Majesty, you just said you wanted to launch a western expedition?"

He couldn't wait to ask. Li Shimin had commanded countless troops and had seen countless generals.

Even a young man like Qinling can be judged by a single glance.

She smiled faintly, without trying to hide it.

"When you came here, didn't the Crown Prince tell you that the many royal horse farms in Zhenbei Road of our Great Tang Dynasty are currently breeding warhorses at a rapid pace?"

"Since you were recommended by the Crown Prince, you must be ambitious young men who are eager to make a name for yourselves. I will not deceive you... That's right!"

Li Shimin smiled and nodded, his posture on the throne somewhat casual and lazy, but the aura he exuded at this moment was like the eye of a storm gathering power on the sea.

"At most four years later, I will lead 300,000 iron cavalry on a western expedition!"

"At that time, wherever our Great Tang cavalry passes, all will belong to our Great Tang!"

Three hundred thousand iron cavalry... Listen to this, what kind of language do they not understand?

In an instant, everyone's breathing became heavy.

To be called the Iron Cavalry by the Tang Dynasty, it was certainly not something that could be accomplished by simply riding a warhorse and carrying a sword.

Those must be well-equipped and valiant elite cavalry.

In addition, the warhorses must also be fierce and strong.

The figure of 300,000 definitely doesn't include the number of logistical supplies and baggage trains...

Three hundred thousand...

These young generals, who came from nomadic backgrounds, couldn't help but swallow hard just thinking about the scene.

If I could join such a vast army in a campaign, even if they died, it would be worth it!

Li Shimin didn't mention these things again and waved his hand to have them taken away.

However, after everyone left, Li Shimin also sprang up from the dragon throne in an instant, clutching the letter from his own crown prince, his face full of excitement and fervor.

"Hahaha! As expected of my son, he truly wouldn't deceive me!"

In addition to explaining matters concerning these generals, Li Chengqian also specifically mentioned in the letter the allocation of funds to the Chengdu Prefecture for the establishment of the Western Expeditionary Military Academy.

He, the emperor, served as the principal and personally selected and trained officers for his western expedition.

These generals of different ethnic origins were specially selected by Li Chengqian as key figures to facilitate the integration of these ethnic groups into the Tang Dynasty. He believed that if anyone in the world could win over these people...

That can only be his own father, the succubus of the Tang Dynasty.

Changan.

"Good. Once the phosphate mine site is selected and the fertilizer formulation is developed to a suitable ratio, production should begin as soon as possible. With the population of our Great Tang Dynasty increasing dramatically, the Royal Grain Reserves Bureau needs to increase its grain reserves accordingly. We cannot neglect agricultural work."

Li Chengqian handed a signed document or decree to Ma Zhou in front of him.

The latter accepted it respectfully.

"Your Highness, rest assured, our Great Tang Dynasty has an abundance of food. The potatoes you ordered to be planted have already been planted for the third season. The Ministry of Rites has also begun to promote the methods of consuming and storing these potatoes."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

After the latter left, Prince Li Zhi of Jin, who was standing to the side, cautiously approached, his eyes darting around as if he had some wicked idea.

"Hehe, Your Majesty..."

Li Chengqian looked at him warily: "I've already granted you five extra days of leave this month, don't push your luck!"

Li Zhi's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly moved behind his elder brother and began to fawn over him, massaging his shoulders.

"It's not a holiday, it's not a holiday. Your Majesty, I have another matter to ask you..."

"Has Your Majesty decided on the timing of the western expedition?"