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

Chapter 772: Feudal System (IV)
Li Yan nodded. The continuation of the dynasty was a big problem. Li Shimin was a man of great talent, wisdom and intelligence. He understood this era much better than himself. He had high prestige and had a group of meritorious officials and generals who had followed him through the turbulent times.

These are all forces that can be used. It can be said that during Li Shimin's Zhenguan era, with the victory over the northern Turks, Li Shimin's prestige reached an unprecedented high, and the Li family's imperial power once reached its most powerful time, but with the passage of time.

With the accession of a new emperor, this advantage will gradually shrink.

If Li Shimin could understand and cooperate with his ideas, make arrangements in advance, or wait until he came to power, he would be able to relax a lot and complete the task sooner.

"Father, in fact, according to the current objective conditions, the territory that our Tang Dynasty can conquer and control has almost reached the maximum extent. If it is increased, it will become too burdensome and even drag down the central government."

Li Yan tried to explain in straightforward terms: "What I mean is that the Zhou Dynasty was a complete feudal system, the Qin Dynasty was a complete county system, and the Han Dynasty was a combination of the two. What about us? We should combine the characteristics of the three dynasties of Zhou, Qin and Han and adopt a system similar to that of the Han Dynasty, combining feudal system and county system, and using large feudal systems to create small counties."

"What are the large fiefdoms and small counties? Can you explain it in detail?" Li Shimin's eyes flashed and he asked anxiously.

"It means taking the largest territory that the Tang Dynasty can directly and effectively control as the basic territory, implementing the county system under the direct management of the imperial court, and at the same time implementing the feudal system in remote territories with vast land and sparse population."

"The feudal system is divided into kings with the surname Li and kings with other surnames. Kings with the surname Li are located outside the area directly governed by the court, while kings with other surnames are located in more remote border areas."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, his breath caught, and he asked, "You mean, we should continue to implement the county system in the old territories in the Central Plains that our Tang Dynasty has already controlled, and then manage the northern or western regions that we have conquered indirectly and give them to the kings?"

"good."

Li Yan said decisively: "In this way, we can ensure that there will be no chaos in the Central Plains, and at the same time continue to expand the territory. Even if those places are the territory of the Tang Dynasty in name only, at least there is a name. With this name, when the conditions are right in the future."

"We, the descendants of the future generations, can follow the example of Emperor Jingdi and abolish the feudal lords, and truly bring these places under the jurisdiction of the imperial court."

"In this case, the benefits will be enormous."

"First, we can use the strong military and national strength we had when the Tang Dynasty was founded to continue expanding our territory and lay a broader living space for future generations;"

"Secondly, we can continuously strike at the surrounding foreign races, weaken their strength, or drive them away, or assimilate and devour them, so that they cannot threaten the Tang Dynasty and completely eliminate external threats;"

"Third, this move can attract the attention of the noble families in the court and the arrogant soldiers who followed my father to external expansion. Our Li family can gain stronger support and our country will be more unbreakable;"

"Fourthly, Father can use these conquered territories to implement a feudal system, and select the Li clan members, the royal princes, and even the aristocratic families, as well as the arrogant and powerful generals in the court to be enfeoffed. On the one hand, this can protect the Tang Dynasty, and on the other hand, these unstable factors can be reasonably driven out of the Tang Dynasty."

"These forces that were used to build the country will become unstable factors in governing the country. Their existence will also hinder the circulation of fresh blood in the court."

"Generally, these forces will be abandoned after the world is stabilized, and the bows will be put away after the rabbits are dead and the birds are gone."

"The so-called peace is determined by generals, and generals are not allowed to see peace. This is the truth. The Northern and Southern Dynasties lasted for hundreds of years, and there were many dynasties. These big families and generals were not easy to deal with. The long-term wars made them a little knowledgeable and they all knew this rule."

"So everyone is worried about how the emperor will treat these meritorious officials and veterans after the country is stabilized. In this case, it will inevitably cause a hidden confrontation between the imperial power and the military power. The royal family and the aristocratic families will be on guard against each other, which is not conducive to the stability of the country."

"If the aristocratic families are a hidden danger to the future of the country, then the meritorious veterans are the urgent needs at hand."

"If Father can implement the feudal system in the Tang Dynasty, even if it is to those remote areas, it is still an independent kingdom, right?"

"It is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox. Even if you are the ruler of a small country like Gaochang, it is better than being a duke with a name but no power in Chang'an City, isn't it?"

"And those aristocratic families may not envy such an outcome. They know that after the world is at peace, they will engage in endless fighting and gaming with the imperial power, but they have no choice but to do so for their own development. What if they had the opportunity to establish an independent country in a fair and just manner?"

"Will they still resolutely fight against the imperial power in the court?"

"Not every aristocratic family is ambitious. As long as some of them accept the closure of their country, their power can be divided."

"For the remaining noble families who refuse to leave and fight to the end with my father, my father can fabricate all kinds of cases and use the butcher knife to kill without hesitation like Yang Guang did."

Li Shimin was already excited when he heard this. He was completely enlightened by Li Yan's thoughts and had a broader vision. He walked around the room excitedly, thinking quickly in his mind.
I used to always think about fighting these people to the death, or outlasting them, but I can't be immortal, and by the time they die, I'll probably be dead too.

Moreover, to be honest, I am busy with all kinds of things and work hard, so I may even be ahead of them.

If the prince's idea is followed, and the newly conquered territories are granted without affecting the existing territories of the Tang Dynasty, especially the boundless and vast land of the Western Regions, which is no less vast than the Central Plains, right?

That is, we can let these people guard the place and drive out these troublemakers peacefully.

It can also increase the territory and influence of the Tang Dynasty.
It's not that those places are impossible to conquer, but they are too far away and the environment is harsh, making it impossible to garrison there for a long time. Even the soldiers are unwilling to stay there for a long time.

But everyone is unwilling to go because they are guarding the border for the Tang Dynasty, not their own territory.

As the saying goes, a poor family is worth a fortune. If these lands are divided up and passed down to the next generation, and they are given the power of governance, finance, employment, and even the power to independently set up an army, all that a country can have, who would not be tempted?

After these people are sealed off, they will inevitably spend a lot of manpower and resources to run their own country.

Li Shimin thought of this, stopped walking, and asked seriously: "But what if they rebel?"

Li Yan waved his hand nonchalantly, smiled and said, "Father is right, they will definitely find a way to rebel."

"Most people would think about accumulating strength, and then lead their troops back to the Central Plains to conquer the world. But the more they do this, the more desperate they will be to develop, mobilizing their family's elites and resources in order to expand their strength in the shortest possible time."

"Father, you should know that what they are thinking about is what every small country and power around the Tang Dynasty dreams of. Who doesn't want to unify the world?"

"Even small countries like Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje in the northeast also dreamed of conquering the world, but who could do it? What really limited them was the region, the environment, the resources, and the population, not their ambitions."

Li Yan said expressionlessly: "If the Tang Dynasty occupied the entire rich Central Plains, it would still be no match for the tiny country of Bianchui, which is located in a corner of the country with a harsh environment and scarce resources. If it is so rotten, even if there is no external enemy, it will be overthrown from within."

"It wouldn't be a pity if such a dynasty was replaced."

"Let's take a step back. If a real dragon of this size can really come out of Bianchui, it would be a hero of the Han Dynasty. It's much better than having the Central Plains occupied by foreign races. If they occupy the Central Plains, they will treat the people well. And every time the foreign races trampled the Central Plains, they killed people with blood flowing like a river and bones piled up like a mountain."

"They invaded the Central Plains to destroy the country and the race. Our Han people have taken over the world, but it is just a rumor among us. Which is more important? Father, please think twice."

Speaking of this, Li Yan thought of the later Anshi Rebellion, the Uighurs and Khitans on the grasslands, the Tubo who were accumulating strength on the plateau and eyeing the Central Plains, and the surrounding nomadic peoples, which was just a drama like the Five Barbarians invading the Central Plains, and an endless look of compassion emerged on his face.

What sin have the people of the Central Plains committed? They work hard all their lives, facing the earth and with their backs to the sky, just to have enough food and clothing and to keep their wives and children alive, but they are ruthlessly ravaged and trampled upon by foreign races countless times.

Li Yan would rather conquer all the surrounding lands and give them to the Han men, so that everyone would fight among themselves in the future, than let the entire nation fall under the iron hoof of foreign races.

It was so tragic that even though Li Yan was as hard as iron and treated the people of this era as NPCs in the game, after actually reading the historical materials of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, he was still shocked by the bloodiness and cruelty of that dark era, and he still doesn't have the courage to read it a second time.

War and annexation are eternal topics throughout the entire history of human existence, and even gods cannot change them.

In Li Yan's opinion, it is nothing but a foolish dream to want to build a dynasty that will last forever and maintain peace forever.

This goes against the laws of human nature, and anything that goes against human nature will inevitably fail. Whether Wang Mang is a time traveler or not, he has proved this point.

So Li Yan did the opposite, conforming to human nature and using struggles. The top-level design was extremely flexible and tolerant. It just turned the war between the Central Plains and the foreign races into a civil war among the Yanhuang bloodline. This kind of civil war is not only harmless, but also beneficial to internal competition.

So that the internal situation will not be affected by the rigid culture of the unified dynasty and still maintain enthusiasm and passion.

(End of this chapter)