Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 153 Li Er: Eh, it seems that it’s not impossible?

"That kid actually planned this?!"

After carefully studying the map, Li Shimin finally connected Li Ming's actions before and after.

Because he was afraid of arousing suspicion from his brother, the guy kept pretending to be crazy and stupid, shouting that he wanted to be expelled from the clan.

However, when he shined too brightly in the Jiucheng Palace incident, he inevitably aroused the hatred of the prince.

He fled to Liaodong, which was almost isolated from the mainland, and established his own system in order to deter his political opponents.

As time goes by, it would not be surprising if Li Ming revived the "Great Yan" of the Warring States Period and asked for the title of King of Yan.

"The question is, how should I respond?"

Dividing the land and establishing separate regimes was the national policy that Li Shimin had once tried to implement.

Two years earlier, he had come up with the extremely stupid idea of ​​"hereditary governor", but was jointly criticized by Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling.

In his era, he also had his reasons.

Before the Tang Dynasty, the Qin and Sui dynasties, two highly centralized dynasties, both ended up in a dead end after two generations.

On the contrary, the feudal Zhou royal family and the partially feudal Han dynasty could survive a little longer.

As long as Li Ming still recognizes the Tang Dynasty, it will be a good thing for him to continue to occupy Liaodong and expand China's influence.

We are all from Lao Li's family, we are all one family~
Well, just like the Qin State developed the Western Rong and the Chu State developed the Jingchu, it is a good thing...

?
"That guy's mind won't settle for a prince."

Li Ming is an unstable factor, and the Northeast is not very stable either.

The two unstable forces came together and lurked over the head of the Tang Dynasty.

As an emperor, it was impossible for Li Shimin to ignore such a huge threat on his head.

He was worried that it would go as he wished, but not completely as he wished.

The Tang Dynasty did follow the Zhou Dynasty's script.

It’s just that it was not the Western Zhou Dynasty that was “destined to reform”, but the Eastern Zhou Dynasty that was “in turmoil”.

Li Ming is still young, and there are too many variables in his long life.

What's more, Fang Xuanling and Hou Junji, both under his command, were extremely ambitious.

Even if Li Ming doesn't want to make progress and just wants to be a King of Yan.

Will his subordinates be content to hide in the freezing cold Northeast and fight with stupid roe deer?

When the time comes, his subordinates will push him forward.

Li Shimin himself had a deep understanding of this.

"Use Liaodong as a springboard, Goguryeo and other countries as the rear, and Yanshan as the front line.

"The people are as fierce as tigers and wolves..."

Li Shimin's face darkened.

From the perspective of the Liaodong Jiedushi, the strategic situation is actually very clear.

Prepare troops for war.

"So he chose Liaodong first..."

From this perspective, Li Shimin completely understood Li Ming's plan.

If China is the target, then the strategic advantages of the Northeast region are very obvious and can be advanced or retreated.

If you retreat, you can retreat to the Yanshan line, close the small gate and live on your own.

You can lead your troops southward and rush forward to the vast plains of Shandong and Hebei.

"And the noble families in Shandong and Hebei are all his relatives. In this war, he also accepted the help of the governor of Youzhou..."

Li Shimin stared at the map for a long time, marking Li Ming's forces and potential cooperative forces in his mind one by one.

Suddenly I felt a long-lost headache.

"Hiss... that brat has already gained power!

"His intention is definitely not limited to Liaodong or Northeast China, but he covets the entire Tang Dynasty!
"No wisdom, no strategy, no heart!"

Old Li couldn't help but curse.

His subordinates are planning to usurp the throne by force, and any emperor who encounters such a thing would be scolded.

Challenging the monarchy is one thing.

You accept everything I give you, and you also accept everything I don’t give you.

Does it still matter to you whether I am here or not?

You are the one who should call yourself "I"!

On the other hand, what really made Li Shimin angry and made him curse him as being unwise, reckless and ruthless was.

Li Ming's plan does not follow the traditional route of "struggling for succession" or "political struggle in the court".

Instead, it's heading straight for a civil war!

Although Li Shimin had also staged coups, they were all carried out casually in a small circle among his own people.

Compared with Li Ming's grand plan of using the world as a chessboard and the army as chess pieces, it is really nothing.

There was chaos during the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, there was chaos during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Five Barbarians, and there was chaos during the reign of Emperor Sui II.

If the Second Emperor of Tang did the same thing again, would the people of the world still be able to live?
"In this case, Cen Wenben and Liu Li's report on Li Ming may not be wrong, and Zhang Liang's intelligence may not be false..."

Li Shimin reflected comprehensively on all the previous clues.

“So, after Li Ming subdued the bandits and established his own government, he deliberately did not explain the situation to me and the court.

"He wanted to hide it from the imperial court and set up a new organization on his own initiative, cultivating a team that would obey him completely instead of the imperial court, so as to serve as a basis for him to compete with the Tang imperial court..."

Li Shimin's suspicion reached its peak.

But on second thought, I wondered if I was being a little too suspicious.

"No, Li Shiji reported that Li Ming was willing to return to the Tang system, with officials appointed by the court, the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office retained, and he even took the initiative to apply to establish a Military Governor's Office in Pingzhou.

"He said that privately establishing a government and recruiting staff was a temporary measure, and privately raising soldiers was also a temporary measure. Whether it is true or not is not the point for now.

"But he took the initiative to hand over his power over personnel and military affairs and put himself under the supervision of the Central Committee. This is an indisputable fact..."

Li Shimin felt very conflicted.

Did these fourteen men rebel or not? Did they want to rebel or not? Were they traitors or loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty?
It is said that people's hearts are hidden in their stomachs, and little Li Ming's stomach is even more complicated, making it difficult to grasp the clues.

Li Shimin discovered that he did not understand his youngest son at all and perhaps would never be able to understand him in this lifetime.

"How should I respond?"

It was the first time he realized how difficult it could be to make a decision.

Let’s rule out Li Mingga as an option first.

Even if his son really rebelled, Li Shimin was reluctant to kill him and tried every means to save his life.

What's more, Li Ming only had the potential to rebel but did not put it into action.

Not to mention the buffs he got from events like Jiucheng Palace.

"Weaken Li Ming, transfer him somewhere else, or directly call him back to Taiji Palace?"

Most emperors would definitely give priority to this countermeasure.

It seemed like a harmonious situation, avoiding the risk of civil war and ensuring that no one was harmed.

All are happy.

Well, at least that was the case when Li Shimin was alive.

"The question is, who can protect him behind me?"

Li Shimin had personally experienced the hostility of the princes, especially Crown Prince Li Chengqian, towards Li Ming.

Given this boy's talent and the hatred he caused, Li Shimin could hardly imagine how this boy could survive after his death.

Li Shimin absolutely did not want his youngest son to die young.

Therefore, Li Shimin could not just demolish the safe house that Li Ming had built for himself at the risk of his life.

If he moves forward, he is afraid of sparking a civil war and making the Tang Dynasty a thing of the past; if he moves backward, he is afraid that his beloved youngest son will leave the stage of history prematurely.

On one side is the country and the people, on the other side is his son's life.

Could it be that this is the tragedy of “the most ruthless imperial family”?
Could it be that Li Ming is going to repeat the mistakes of Liu Ziran of the Southern Dynasty and wish to “never be born into an imperial family” in his next life?

Could it be that as a father, he could only sit back and watch this human tragedy repeat itself over and over again?

"As an emperor, can't you have both public and private interests?"

Li Shimin felt a pang of sadness again.

He didn't want to lose his son, but if he lost the Tang Dynasty because of his son, that was definitely not what he wanted.

What's more, even if Li Shimin was really the most ruthless of the imperial family, he would give up Li Ming in order to protect his country.

I am afraid that even the country will be difficult to save and it will become a lose-lose situation.

With that kid's paranoia and fearlessness...

It is very likely that he would not eloquently hand over Liaodong, surrender power and wait for death.

Instead, they would directly change their flags and banners, hold on to Liaodong, and keep the Tang Dynasty out of Yanshan.

With the geographical advantages of Liaodong and the goodwill of the local natives, he had every confidence to do so.

By then, it would really be as Zhang Liang said, Li Ming would blatantly rebel and collude with Goguryeo!

"This triggered the conflict ahead of time and forced my son to rebel."

Li Shimin felt his head was getting more and more painful, as if it was about to explode.

Best of both worlds, best of both worlds…

Is there no way to have the best of both worlds?
Li Shimin pondered over it but to no avail, and looked at the geomancy map of the Tang Dynasty with melancholy.

Looking at the vast territory that their Li family had jointly built.

Well, the Li family, they are all the Li family...

Li Shimin suddenly had a ridiculous idea and his breathing became rapid.

Since he was afraid that Li Ming would start a civil war and seize power.

What if...

How about just giving the kingdom to him?

"But since he is neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir, how can he inherit the throne...

"Well, what does it matter if he is the eldest son? After all, his last name is Li..."

There was a fierce ideological struggle going on in Li Shimin's heart.

He suddenly realized all the hidden dangers of the Tang Dynasty, all the conflicts in the palace, and all the troubles of him as an old father.

It was all because of Li Chengqian.

Because he decided to hand over state power to an unqualified successor.

This led to dissatisfaction among the scholars, and caused the court officials to take sides and form factions, making the court a chaotic place.

Even Li Chengqian himself was crushed by the heavy pressure. He was driven a little crazy and repeatedly did crazy things.

But who stipulated that Li Chengqian must inherit the throne?
Just because he is Empress Changsun’s first son?
To be fair, given his feelings for Empress Changsun and his respect for Changsun Wuji.

He would never have the idea of ​​deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son, or deposing the legitimate wife and enthroning a concubine's son.

However, things are different now.

On the one hand, Li Ming has fully demonstrated his talents.

Under his rule, whether the Tang Dynasty can still be called the Tang Dynasty is another matter, but China is definitely a prosperous country and a strong people.

On the other hand, Li Chengqian also fully exposed his inadequacy——

He is narrow-minded, moody, suspicious, and a spiritual Turk.

Not to mention the exaggerated shape.

The ruler is young and the country is suspicious, which means that the ruler looks very girlish, which makes the people suspicious.

If the Tang Dynasty were handed over to a person with such serious flaws, it would be doomed.

"Why should we stick to the eldest son? If we change him, most of the problems can be solved..."

Li Shimin's mind was working rapidly.

The fundamental purpose of establishing the eldest son is to artificially create an objective standard for the succession to the throne, so that no one has to fight, and there is no need to fight to the point of bloodshed, and the country and family will be destroyed.

But nowadays, the law of primogeniture has become a source of instability.

Then Li Shimin could not just stick to the old ways and blindly pursue the eldest son.

After all, he himself is not the eldest son!
"Li Tai and Li Zhi were both more tolerant and gentle than Li Chengqian, and their actions were more normal and reasonable.

"It's better for them to be the king than Li Chengqian, the eldest son.

"And if we directly appoint Li Ming..."

Li Shimin continued to play out this bold idea in his mind.

What would happen if Li Ming became the crown prince?

There must have been wailing in the imperial court, and the hereditary landlords and aristocratic families would fight for land with their heads held high and tremble in fear.

Then, they were suppressed by Li Ming using various violent or insidious means.

Finally, the country was united and the people were prosperous, so they wiped out the surrounding chickens and dogs one by one.

The country's governance changed from co-governance between the emperor and the nobles to power concentrated in the hands of the emperor...

This is a scene that any person with supreme power dreams of.

"It would be good if the Tang Dynasty could have such a destiny..."

Li Shimin murmured, but could not make up his mind.

Changing the crown prince is something that must be done with extreme caution.

Hasty decisions and hasty actions will inevitably lead to disaster.

What's more, if we replace a legitimate child, there will be a lot of quarrels.

If it was a concubine's son, the government and the public would explode...

No, it was only Chao that exploded.

The "wild" part must be full of joy.

Because public opinion is controlled by Li Ming.

"Why not let Li Zhi be the crown prince?"

Anyway, he had come to terms with it, and Li Shimin's thoughts became more and more wild.

Li Zhi is the legitimate son and is older than Li Ming. Judging from the standards of "legitimate" and "eldest", his status is higher than Li Ming.

Moreover, Li Zhi had a generous personality and had a good relationship with Li Ming.

As for Li Tai, he ranked last in Li Shimin's mind.

Even far behind Li Ming.

Although Prince of Wei Li Tai was highly favored, he repeatedly violated etiquette and competed with Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian felt tremendous pressure all the time. At one point he thought that Li Tai would deprive him of the throne, which made him develop a suspicious character.

But in fact, Li Shimin only used Li Tai as a whetstone to sharpen and temper Li Chengqian's state of mind.

Deep down, he never wanted to hand over the country to Li Tai.

Because Li Tai is a fake.

Everything is hypocritical, the character is fake, even the so-called literary talent is fake.

But I didn’t expect that Li Tai was not capable enough, and Li Chengqian was even less capable.

It broke after a bit of grinding...

"Both Li Ming and Li Chengqian are too extreme.

"Choosing a conservative Li Zhi seems to be the golden mean...

"What am I thinking about?"

Li Shimin smiled self-deprecatingly and gave up the idea of ​​changing the crown prince.

It is too early to change the reserves now.

But some things, once the window paper is broken, cannot be stopped.

This thought lingered deep in his mind, causing Li Shimin to unconsciously make biased decisions.

"Perhaps... we should assign some smart and capable staff to Li Zhi's Jin Palace."

Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back and his head raised, carefully thinking about the personnel transfers.

"Li Shiji is a man of both civil and military talents, and he has an old friendship with Li Zhi in Bingzhou. Let him go to the Prince of Jin's mansion and serve as a Sima for Li Zhi.

"Although Xu Jingzong, the former tutor of the Prince of Jin, is a mediocre person, he is also the descendant of the Xu family, a prominent family in Jiangnan, and is well-known for his talent. Let him return from Hongzhou and return to the Prince of Jin's Palace.

"Li Zhi is too honest and weak, and needs a ruthless person to assist him. Li Yifu, who smiles but hides a knife, is just the right person.

"And Gao Jifu, Zhang Xingcheng..."

Li Shimin quickly made personnel arrangements for Prince of Jin Li Zhi.

Next, it’s Li Ming’s turn.

"First, I have to keep an eye on that kid. Don't let him get impatient and rebel before I die!"

Li Shimin felt that he could not rule out the possibility that the guy was causing trouble in advance.

Especially under the instigation of the Hebei gentry, who knows what shocking and stupid thing Li Ming will do.

And the most suitable person to secretly keep an eye on Li Ming is...

Li Shimin tapped the table and told his attendants:
"Call Zhang Liang."

…………

Zhang Liang, the Minister of Works with an ordinary face, stood out in the crowd today.

Because his face was pale, he was sweating profusely and was trembling all over.

"What's wrong? Is Mr. Zhang ill?"

Li Shimin asked his spy leader with both anger and amusement.

Zhang Liang was shivering, as if he was really cold:
"Yes... yes, to be honest with you, Your Majesty, the doctor said that I am a little weak and have night sweats..."

"Oh?" Li Shimin raised his eyebrows:
"Then I called you here, isn't it my fault?"

"I dare not, I dare not. Your Majesty has given the order. I will not refuse even if it means I have to go through fire and water!" Zhang Liang said hurriedly.

He felt that he was doomed this time.

Not only was he exposed for spreading false information and sowing discord between His Majesty and the Prince.

It also indirectly led to the death of Wei Zheng, an important court official.

This huge pot... No, this is his responsibility, and he can't afford it no matter what.

"Zhang Liang, you have served me for so long, I really can't bear to see you go astray."

Li Shimin patted the table lightly:

"But someone has reported to me that you have evil intentions in raising an adopted son."

It’s begun, the reckoning has begun… Zhang Liang’s face looked ashen.

Who are these spies who bear the title of "adopted sons" raising for? Others may not know, but Your Majesty, don't you know?
But Zhang Liang had no way to defend himself.

He was guilty and was bribed by others, causing trouble.

You have to bear the responsibility yourself.

He did not make any excuses, but just lowered his head and said:

"I can only ask Your Majesty to show some mercy and save my children and family..."

Seeing his old friend looking so pitiful, Li Shimin felt a surge of sadness in his heart.

After all, Zhang Liang was suspected of colluding with the prince.

But the person he was colluding with was also surnamed Li and was still within the royal family, and the prince was nominally half an emperor.

Li Shimin's precarious health induced his ministers to find their next employer in advance. Although this was disloyal, it was still understandable.

Li Shimin also had to bear some responsibility for Zhang Liang's problem... Li Shimin let out a long sigh and said bluntly:

"I will spare your life, and I will raise your 'adopted sons'."

Zhang Liang suddenly looked up, with a twinkling light in his eyes.

After standing there for a long time, he immediately knelt down on the ground:
"Your Majesty, I am so envious that I am speechless!"

Li Shimin smiled and said:

"The future will have you 'words'.

"You can no longer be the Minister of Works. You should be sent down to Hebei Province to be an inspector to inspect the local administration."

Hebei Road included Shandong, Hebei and Liaodong, which just happened to cover all the areas that gave Li Shimin the most headaches.

Zhang Liang kowtowed:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty..."

Li Shimin's eyes became sharp, and he whispered:
"Your main responsibility is to keep an eye on the movements in Liaodong and the interactions between Liaodong and the Hebei nobles.

"If there are any unusual movements, do not interfere, just report them directly to me."

Zhang Liang nodded heavily and bowed:
"My lord, take the order!"

Li Shimin nodded with a gentle smile:
"Don't talk nonsense anymore."

"If I behave incompetently again, I will be punished by death!" Zhang Liang expressed his loyalty.

"And more." Li Shimin's smile became even warmer:
"From now on, don't form cliques with certain people anymore.

"You can only obey one person, and that is me."

Zhang Liang's face turned pale again.

Everyone knows, Your Majesty knows...

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger...

Zhang Liang felt as if his head was just stored on his neck and left the Lizheng Hall tremblingly.

…………

After seeing Zhang Liang off, Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief.

I wonder if Zhang Liang will behave himself after being captured and released like this.

Stop fooling around with Li Chengqian, Li You or any other princes or ministers.

After making arrangements for Zhang Liang, I also took out insurance for Li Ming.

Li Shimin began to think of ways to strengthen Li Ming.

Since the mind has been liberated, the practice has changed from establishing the eldest son as the legitimate heir to giving equal importance to establishing both the virtuous and the eldest son as the legitimate heir.

We cannot simply suppress Li Ming, the illegitimate son.

He needs to be given a hand so that he can have the capital to compete with other legitimate sons.

"The copper, iron, good seeds, craftsmen, and population needed by Liaodong must be in place as soon as possible.

"Who is Yuan Tiangang? Why did Li Ming specifically name him in the letter?
"Forget it, let him use the expressway and pack it all up and send it over.

"As for tax reductions, considering the long distance to Liaodong, we will allow them to collect and use their rent locally, and they don't have to hand it over to the court."

Li Shimin made a series of arrangements, but he always felt that these were only temporary solutions and not a fundamental solution.

Li Ming has no shortage of resources, so what can't this guy come up with?
It starts with a bowl, and ends with a rebellion.

Li Ming's shortcomings are not elsewhere.

It all lies in his origin.

Neither the legitimate son nor the eldest son.

Suppose Li Ming was in Li Chengqian’s position… no, even just in Li Zhi’s position.

There wouldn't be so much trouble afterwards.

I have already made up my mind. I will appoint you as the next emperor.

“In short, Li Ming’s real weakness lies in his biological mother, Yang.

"Yang, how should we deal with Yang's identity issue..."

Li Shimin was thinking quietly, tapping the table with his fingers.

(End of this chapter)