The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 663: Prince, who do you recommend?

Thinking of this, Li Shimin suddenly discovered another purpose of the crown prince, which was to create a buffer between himself and the civil and military officials, so he ordered decisively: "This is a good thing, you should accept it. If there are generals who want to send their sons and nephews to the East Palace to study, you can also accept them."

"Also, you are the crown prince, so you should also interact with these generals more often and build good relations with them on my behalf. There are some things that they dare not easily say because I am the emperor, but they can speak freely in front of you. You can also communicate with them more without any scruples, so as to win them over on my behalf."

"Secondly, if you find that they have any worries or concerns, you can also convey them to me in time, understand?"

Li Yan was overjoyed. He had not expected to have such an unexpected gain. This meant that Li Shimin had loosened his constraints. In the future, he could openly contact those civil officials and military generals without worrying about their suspicion. So he said respectfully, "Father, I overlooked it before and will pay attention to it in the future.

"Um"

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction, and suddenly thought of what had just happened. He asked with some consideration: "Cheng Qian, what do you think of Li Ke's suggestion?"

"Father, you have always been the one who makes the final decision on important matters like this. I am still young, so it is not convenient for me to express my opinion on these matters."

Li Shimin said with a serious expression: "How can you be the same as Li Ke? You are the crown prince, not an ordinary prince. You will inherit the eternal foundation of the Tang Dynasty. How can you not understand military and national affairs? You are usually well-read. Even if you are just talking about military affairs on paper, you should have some ideas."

"What? Are you still hiding something from Father? Just speak frankly. I won't blame you even if you are wrong."

"In that case, I will tell you what I think. If there is anything wrong, I hope you can correct me, Father."

Seeing Li Shimin nodded, Li Yan pretended to think for a while and said, "Father, the border is far away from Chang'an. If it is divided into different regions, it will be much better in terms of efficiency. But the disadvantages are also obvious. The concentration of power and the location at the border will easily lead to disputes among the frontier towns, which will be difficult to get rid of."

“If there are more ambitious generals who secretly provoke the Turks and cause major battles to happen in the areas under their jurisdiction, the court’s resources will continue to flow there, making it easier for the generals to become more powerful and cause chaos, which will cause endless troubles!”

Li Yan's answer satisfied Li Shimin very much. As a crown prince, he was not like Li Ke, who only saw the benefits but not the disadvantages.

Li Yan was also an emperor. Although he was a bit opportunistic and his skills might not be that high, he still knew the priorities in the overall situation.

In fact, the border towns were not under the jurisdiction of each other. The emperor and the ministers knew that this would lead to a situation where each of them fought on their own, which would be inefficient. However, if power was concentrated, it would become too big to control, and the cost of suppressing the rebellion would far exceed the resources saved.

So we had to choose the lesser of two evils. In order to avoid giving border generals too much power, we took the initiative to sacrifice some efficiency to ensure the stability and security of the court. In the long run, it was completely worth it.

There is a famous saying in later generations: stability overrides everything!
No matter in which era, the idea of ​​governing the world is the same: seek stability first and then development.

However, Li Ke only knew how to win the hearts of the generals and treat military and state affairs as a joke. It is not known whether he could not see these shortcomings or deliberately ignored them. But no matter which one, Li Shimin felt that this son was still too reckless and a little stupid.

Sacrificing the interests of the court in exchange for the support of the generals is truly despicable.

"Of course, Father has fought wars all his life, so he must be clear about these things."

At this point, Li Yan changed the subject and said, "I guess that the reason why your father intends to set up the post of Dingxiang Road Marching General is because of the Northern Expedition this winter and next spring. Dingxiang will be designated as the logistics base for the Northern Expedition Army, with unified management and deployment, in order to concentrate forces and ensure the victory of the Northern Expedition."

"After the Northern Expedition, this Dingxiang Road must be withdrawn to prevent other border towns from following suit and leaving hidden dangers for the long-term stability of the court."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and an admiring look appeared on his face. He said in admiration: "Qian'er is indeed smart and quick-witted. He guessed father's intention at a glance. This proves that you usually use your mind on the right path and your academic work is also very effective."

"I will reward Li Gang, Yu Zhining, Lu Deming and others in the near future for training an excellent prince for the Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, thank you for the compliment. I was just guessing. But the teachers are indeed conscientious and hardworking. They are already old, but they still work hard all day long to teach me. They deserve your reward." Li Yan looked well-behaved, which made Li Shimin very happy.

"By the way, let me ask you again, who do you think is the most suitable candidate for the Dingxiang Road Marching General?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not interfere in the appointment of such an important general on the frontier. Besides, I don't even know a few generals, so how can I know who is more suitable?" As usual, Li Yan declined first, looking as if he would not comment.

Li Shimin smiled slightly. The prince's answer was completely within his expectations. This has almost become the process for the king and his subjects to discuss important matters. Everyone is humble first to show that they are committed to their duties and have no ambitions. Finally, after making all kinds of concessions, they express their own ideas. The more important the matter, the more times they make concessions.

Li Shimin sometimes used this tactic several times a day and was very familiar with it. Even when Fang Xuanling encountered problems, he would do the same and always give in.

So it was not surprising, and he continued to practice Tai Chi: "You are not a child anymore, and you are different from others. As a prince, it is Li Ke's duty not to say anything about this matter."

"But you cannot avoid it, because you are the crown prince. The Tang Dynasty will be handed over to you one day. You are qualified to participate in the civil and military officials, whether it is the mundane affairs of the court or the military and national affairs, and you should also take responsibility."

"You didn't want to interfere in this matter, but Cheng Yaojin dragged you in under the pretext of being drunk. You are the crown prince, and you can't stay out of it completely. If you don't have any ideas at all, you will probably be looked down upon by the generals."

Li Shimin sighed, "I have been in the Taiji Palace for three years and have done a lot of things. I have come up with a rule that big things often start with small symptoms. If I make a mistake in one thing, my prestige will be reduced by one point. If I make too many mistakes, the emperor will no longer have the respect he deserves in the eyes of his subjects!"

"Father is right. I will follow your instructions!"

Li Yan said tentatively: "But I am not familiar with those generals. How about you tell me who you are going to appoint, and I will think about it and give you an answer later?"

"Hahaha, you!"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "What a little rascal! Could it be that Xuanling said that you look honest on the outside, but are actually transparent, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside?"

"Lord Fang, you are really too kind. I am a foolish child, but I am grateful to my father and mother for their loving teachings. My father has also put a lot of effort into my son."

Li Yan said modestly and respectfully, "Lord Fang probably praised Cheng Qian more because of my father's face, and he also meant to encourage and spur him. I will definitely work harder and live up to the expectations of my father, the queen mother, and Lord Fang."

"Thanks to your majesty, if I can reach even a third of your talent and wisdom, I will be very satisfied!"

Li Shimin smiled and shook his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "If you have to choose between Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin, who do you think is more suitable?"

Sure enough, Cheng Yaojin's crying and Li Yan's hints made Li Shimin have different ideas in his mind.

Li Yan pretended to close his eyes and thought. After about a cup of tea, Li Yan said, "I have not had much contact with General Yuchi and General Cheng, and I have no prejudice against them. But since they were appointed as generals by the emperor, their loyalty and ability are naturally beyond words."

"Both generals are very suitable to serve as the chief military commanders."

Li Yan slightly organized his words. He could not take the emperor's remarks lightly. Just now, it was not a serious matter, but a conversation between father and son. Now, the appointment of important officials in the frontier was a matter of interest, so he could not speak without thinking.

Although Li Yan felt that Li Shimin's appointment of Yuchi Gong was inappropriate, how to convince Li Shimin to listen to his opinion would be a test of a minister's level of advice. Even if he was the crown prince, he would not have an advantage over ordinary ministers in such matters.

Fortunately, I was prepared for this in advance so it wasn't too sudden.

Listening to this slick beginning, Li Shimin smiled slightly without commenting. He knew the main point was later, so he did not interrupt and waited for the prince's performance with great interest, even feeling a little bit of anticipation in his heart.

As an emperor, Li Shimin met with countless people, from the prime ministers who were the pillars of the court to the old officials at the grassroots level who were well-versed in the world. Naturally, he had an idea in his mind about how officials at all levels would meet him. At which level would his own prince be?

This made Li Shimin very curious. How would he complete this prelude to the throne?
Li Yan did not notice the change in Li Shimin's mentality. He thought and said, "I remember an interesting story from the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. If you have time, I can discuss it with you."

Upon hearing this method, although Li Shimin had a blank expression on his face, he secretly praised in his heart. The prince was so smart at a young age. He knew that it would not be appropriate to mention either of the two important ministers, as it was very likely to offend the other. So he used historical stories to express his own ideas, that is, he stated his suggestions without saying it directly.

The specific decision depends entirely on the person's own perception. It can be said that it is convenient for both advancement and retreat, and there is no future trouble, which really shows one's level of ability.

(End of this chapter)