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

Chapter 761: Learning from History (VI)

Li Shimin's eyes condensed, and he nodded silently. Li Yan's understanding of fine steel was similar to what he knew, and they were both at the stage of hearsay. Li Shimin did not investigate the root of the matter, he knew that Li Yan was using fine steel to talk about human affairs.

He vaguely understood Li Yan's intention of proposing fine steel, although he still could not clearly understand the essence of his thoughts. However, the vague and dim light in the garden just now appeared in Li Shimin's mind again.

This feeling of being on the verge of bursting out made Li Shimin so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks. He wished he could pry open Li Yan's head and find out what he had been wanting.

After thinking for a long time without any idea, Li Shimin was afraid that this fleeting inspiration would disappear again, so he had to urge: "Go on."

"My father asked why most dynasties were short-lived, while the Zhou and Han dynasties were long. The reason is simple, because the empires built by most of them were made of iron, while the Zhou and Han dynasties were made of fine steel."

‘Boom’!
Li Shimin felt as if struck by lightning. His expression froze in an instant, as if he was struck by a bolt of lightning. He experienced a storm of thoughts, as if he had been enlightened. A feeling of finally seeing the blue sky after breaking through the heavy fog filled his chest. His blood boiled in his heart, and he felt enlightened.

“So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is”

Li Shimin suddenly stood up, and went into a frenzy, pacing back and forth and muttering to himself. As an emperor, he was almost out of control, which showed how great the shock he was under at this moment.

After thinking for a while, Li Shimin laughed out loud: "Hahahaha, I understand. I finally understand. This is why the Zhou and Han dynasties could last forever. This is the answer to the eternal stability of the country."

The sudden commotion in the hall attracted the attention of the guards outside. Ma Xuanliang pushed open the door and walked in without saluting.

"Get out! Who let you in?"

Li Shimin's face turned cold, and he instantly flew into a rage, "Everyone get out of here! No one is allowed within a hundred steps. Anyone who dares to enter without being summoned will be killed without mercy."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Ma Xuanliang was frightened by Li Shimin and retreated quickly, quickly closing the door. After a burst of hurried footsteps, the surroundings became completely quiet.

After Ma Xuanliang's interruption, Li Shimin calmed down and returned to the table. He could not suppress the excitement on his face. He picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. Then he said happily, "Good, good, it's really refreshing. Since I ascended the throne, I have never felt so comfortable."

"Come on, Cheng Qian, have a drink, let's chat while we drink"

Li Yan filled Li Shimin's glass with a smile, then raised his glass and clinked it with Li Shimin's. They both drank until the glasses were empty.

"Cheng Qian, you have solved the problem that has troubled my father for a long time. For this achievement, you must be the crown prince."

Li Shimin praised him, and then asked curiously: "Since you have thought of this a long time ago, you must have a deeper understanding. Can you explain to father that this country also needs to be refined over and over again like forging steel?"

"Father, I have read history books and seen countless dynasties rise and fall. I have also been inspired by how rocks are made into iron and iron is made into steel. When I look at these ups and downs in history, I have a different understanding of them."

Li Yan said with burning eyes: "Let's start from the beginning of the story of building a kingdom. My father is an experienced person and has personal experience, so he has the most profound feelings. At the beginning of this story, there is always chaos in the world and heroes rise up. The true emperor brings a group of brothers and continues to grow and develop."

"Finally, we overcame all difficulties, annexed the rebel kings one by one, and pacified the world."

At this point, Li Yan paused, and seeing Li Shimin nod in agreement, he continued, "The country at this time is like the stone turning into iron. Although it is harder than stone, it is just a form with many impurities inside. It is extremely unstable, just like a big assortment."

"At this time, the country belonged to a group of powerful groups represented by the royal family rather than a family, and the emperor was just the chairman."

"Uh"

Seeing Li Shimin's puzzled expression, Li Yan quickly changed his words: "It's just a group of people doing business. Everyone contributed money and effort, but the emperor contributed the most and was finally elected as the shopkeeper. Can this warehouse be said to be the shopkeeper?"

Li Shimin thought about it, then slowly shook his head. The reason was simple and easy to understand. The warehouse must belong to everyone.

"Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, united the princes of all sizes to overthrow Xiang Yu and establish the Han Dynasty. Although Liu Bang became the emperor, in fact, the Han Dynasty at that time had meritorious officials such as Lü, Xiao He, Cao Shen, Zhang Ao, Zhou Bo, Fan Kuai, Li Shang, Xi Juan, Xiahou Ying, and Guan Ying."

Li Yan tried hard to think about his memory: "There are eight other princes, including Zhang Er, King of Zhao, Wu Rui, King of Changsha, Ying Bu, King of Huainan, Zang Tu, King of Yan, Han Xin, King of Han, Han Xin, King of Qi, Peng Yue, King of Liang, and Lu Wan, King of Yan. They have ceded land and occupied one side."

"At this time, the country only belongs to the Liu family in name, but in reality it belongs to everyone."

"Emperor Gaozu of Han knew that his kingdom was not secure under such circumstances. He was only relying on his prestige and ability to maneuver to bring everyone together. These heroes who had come through the troubled times would not accept this." "We were all princes before. The one who made the greatest contribution to overthrowing the tyrannical Qin was Xiang Yu, not you, Liu Bang."

"Since you, Liu Bang, were able to steal the chicken, kill Xiang Yu, and steal the country, why can't we repeat the same mistake? You, Liu Bang, are not as good as Zhang Er in literature, not as good as Ying Bu in martial arts, and not as good as Han Xin in fighting. You can rule the world, so why can't we?"

"The big man at this moment is just a candle swaying in the storm, and it could go out at any time."

When Li Shimin heard this, his eyes sparkled, and he suddenly remembered the idea Li Yan had proposed at the beginning, and blurted out: "So Emperor Gaozu of Han began to fight for his second kingdom."

"Father is wise!"

Li Yan said admiringly: "The second time was to wipe out the princes and remove these impurities bit by bit. It can be said that the Han Dynasty was basically consolidated after Emperor Gaozu pacified the princes and kings, and it had a little resistance."

"Uh"

Li Shimin looked at Li Yan in astonishment. In his mind, the Han Dynasty was already as solid as a rock. The princes were pacified, and those people in the country such as Lu, Xiao He, Cao Shen, etc. were just meritorious officials who held high positions and were no longer a threat.

The Han Dynasty that has achieved this is almost the same as the current Tang Dynasty.

But he didn't expect that the Jiangshan that he thought was already completed, in Li Yan's eyes, was only basically formed and had some ability to resist risks?
What kind of mind does his prince have? What kind of foresight does he have? In his eyes, this kind of country is nothing special. So what kind of country is as stable as a rock?

Li Shimin no longer dared to look down on his son who was only in his teens. He showed respect to the wise and asked humbly, "You said that all the impurities have been removed. Is it still not possible to do this?"

"Fine steel has to go through multiple forging, hammering, quenching, and repeated hammering to become extremely strong. What's more, the man at this moment is still made of iron. It's nothing more than iron that has been practiced two more times. It's still far from steel." Li Yan shook his head slightly.

"hiss"

Li Shimin's old face turned slightly red, and he looked a little embarrassed, but at this time Li Shimin no longer cared about his own face.

In Li Shimin's eyes, Li Yan was no longer his crown prince, but a wise man with profound knowledge. He was eager to know the valuable advice behind him, so he asked, "When will the Han Dynasty be tempered into steel?"

"This third and crucial step of steel-making was not completed by Emperor Gaozu of Han, but by a woman who was later described as narrow-minded, cruel, tyrannical and greedy. Without her, the Han Dynasty might not have lasted as long as it did."

As soon as Li Yan finished speaking, Li Shimin frowned. At that time, the only person who met this evaluation was Empress Lu.

The prince's evaluation was obviously different from the description he had read in history books. In the history books, Empress Lü was promiscuous in the harem, jealous and greedy, extremely ambitious, and was wholeheartedly trying to replace Liu with the Lü family. In the end, she was put right by Zhou Bo and other meritorious officials loyal to the Han Dynasty.

When seeing this, Li Shimin was very angry, and secretly warned himself to strictly prevent the harem from interfering in politics and not let his women influence the government.

But after hearing Li Yan's description, he seemed to disagree. Instead, he felt that Lu had made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. If he did not know that his son was wise and foolish, and had given him many surprises before, Li Shimin would have stood up decisively and scolded him.

However, with the previous communication, Li Shimin did not dare to make a hasty judgment.

He knew that his son was extremely intelligent, a freak, so his opinions must be original. If he drew conclusions carelessly, he would probably slap himself in the face.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin suppressed the urge to teach Li Yan a lesson and asked gloomily, "I heard the details."

Li Shimin did not act like an emperor or a father, and was gradually convinced by Li Yan. Li Yan no longer concealed himself and displayed the magnanimity of a man who had lived for three generations.

He did not answer immediately, but calmly picked up the wine glass on the table, drank it slowly, then slowly picked up the wine jug and filled them both.

Then he asked calmly, "Father, we have said before that the three founding generations are the most important for the continuation of a country. Father, do you know why?"

"Didn't you tell me that it takes time to make iron from stone and then to make steel? Isn't it because of this reason?" Li Shimin added with a serious face.

Li Yan was stunned, then he felt happy in his heart. He did this not to show off in front of Li Shimin, but to make him relax and not be so tense. To expand the thinking, complete relaxation is needed, so as to stimulate the fire of wisdom.

I also thought about the next words to use. After all, this kind of in-depth discussion is very energy-consuming.

(End of this chapter)