Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 735 Using nuclear bombs to kill mosquitoes is the most satisfying thing to do.

I must say, there's something special about this local specialty. The fresh ribbonfish is incredibly flavorful and sweet, and when paired with some other unique seafood, a few side dishes, and a sip of wine, it's truly delightful.

This place has a great location; you can overlook the sea from the third floor. At this moment, thousands of sails are flashing across the sea, and the dock is bustling with activity.

Emperor Jingtai leaned back, took a sip of wine, and said, "This place is wonderful. We'll rest for a while, and then go to the beach tonight to enjoy the sea breeze and starry sky. It'll be perfect."

“The land breeze will blow at night!” Xia Lin corrected Emperor Jingtai’s mistake: “We can talk about tonight’s matters later. I still need to study the problem of the Japanese pirates here.”

"I'm also a little curious about how these Japanese pirates operate," Erfeng said after wiping her mouth. "We don't usually have the opportunity to fight at sea, so we'll have to learn a thing or two this time."

"So you two, one a general of Wei and the other a general of Li Tang, are trying to figure out how to deal with the bandits? This kind of thing can be easily handed over to your generals and it will be done in half a month."

Xia Lin shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. There are usually three reasons for the emergence of bandits. One is that local officials support bandits to enhance their own power, which is what the so-called Japanese pirates here were like. The second is that the surrounding people become bandits and use the name of Japanese pirates to blend in. The third is that bandits with official ties to other countries cause trouble. For example, some people in Japan do not want Japan to get too close to us, or they take the initiative to call on their own warriors and soldiers to plunder the surrounding coast. They may even sell or lease plundering warrants within their own country."

Upon hearing this, both Emperor Jingtai and Emperor Taizong of Tang were taken aback. Emperor Taizong asked curiously, "Is there really such a method?"

“It’s not surprising that countries with maritime civilizations do all sorts of outrageous things. It’s hard to tell right from wrong, since their core objective is survival. But the adult world doesn’t talk about right or wrong, it only talks about positions. If they’ve infringed on my rights in order to survive, then I definitely have to find a way to eliminate them completely.” Xia Lin picked out a crab from his plate and started eating. “The biggest problem now isn’t whether these Japanese pirates are easy to fight, but how to prevent them from coming back to life. My teacher said that you can’t speak without practice. I haven’t dealt with this kind of problem before, so I have to experience it myself before I can distribute the solution. Otherwise, the cost of making them try and fail repeatedly is too high.”

Xia Lin is fine now. As long as he doesn't suddenly die, he's already completing the mission. Besides, all the plans and schemes are proceeding in an orderly manner. If he were to go out rashly, it would cause panic. After all, every time he appears, he brings bloodshed and chaos. As for Li Shimin, he's probably in a similar situation. As the King of Shu, it's not a big deal for him to stay in Chang'an for a long time, but if he were to return to Shu, he would worry about arousing suspicion in the court.

Well, although the current emperor of the Li Tang dynasty is his own sister, having someone like him, whose achievements overshadow the emperor, would be a headache anywhere.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Emperor Jingtai, who was eating rice with fish soup, and silently muttered to himself, "Except for him..."

Perhaps this carefree emperor wasn't entirely without merit.

Putting aside these messy thoughts, being able to stay here a little longer is a reasonable excuse, so as not to give anyone a handle to use against him. After all, he is with Xia Daosheng now, and if someone in the court really presses him, Li Shimin can simply say, "Go and talk to Xia Daosheng."

Besides, Your Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty spent even longer and engaged in far more despicable dealings with him.

So it's not that these two are using a cannon to kill a mosquito, but rather that they genuinely have their own unspeakable secrets. Only Emperor Jingtai, that bastard, has an unspeakable secret—he has an addiction.

"Since you all insist on this, I have no choice but to accompany you to the end. I will use my magnificent and powerful hands to guide you through your confusion."

As Emperor Jingtai spoke, he raised his head, his face filled with arrogance.

But Li Shimin ignored him, and Xia Lin ignored him as if his grand ambitions were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

"Give me some face! You're always like this. You should know I'm usually indifferent, and it's rare for me to be so interested. Can't you even give me some reaction?"

"Is your enthusiasm automatically refreshed every morning?" Xia Lin asked curiously. "You're enthusiastic when you go to the mountains to catch wild boars, you're enthusiastic when you go to the river to catch fish, you're enthusiastic when you go to twist hemp rope, you're enthusiastic when you buy steamed buns, and you're even enthusiastic when you eat ribbonfish. It seems like you're enthusiastic about everything except being an emperor."

Li Shimin remained silent, only laughing incessantly. Emperor Jingtai, on the other hand, was rendered speechless by these words, realizing that he had indeed been quite enthusiastic about such things too often...

"This is my first time suppressing bandits, so how can it not be considered an enthusiastic effort?"

After finishing their meal, they actually paid fifty taels of silver for the food. The two managers of Zuixianlou personally escorted them to the door. Emperor Jingtai glanced back at them, nodded slightly, and took out a silver note: "The chef's skills are excellent, this is a reward."

"Thank you, Your Majesty... this guest." The head steward quickly accepted the silver notes with both hands: "Is there anything else you require, guest?"

"Yes, the three of us are temporarily staying in that newly rented courtyard house not far away. We'll send meals over every morning, noon, and evening," Xia Lin continued. "We need to be careful and have someone specifically in charge. If anything goes wrong..."

"Yes, yes, I understand. We will handle it properly."

Only after receiving permission did the three of them truly leave, which allowed the people here to breathe a sigh of relief. However, the thought of having to deliver food to them later made them feel uneasy and anxious.

But what can we do? Can we just stop delivering food?

The three of them returned to the small courtyard where they had settled down. It was just an ordinary courtyard with two or three rooms, a latrine and a woodshed. It used to be a middle-class house, but the family moved to Hangzhou and the place was left empty. So they found a broker to rent the house. Now it seems that the broker was reliable. The house has been cleaned and new bedding has been put on.

Once inside the courtyard, they sat down at the stone table, where a chessboard sat. They would play a few games to pass the time when they had nothing else to do.

"To be honest, I've never dealt with the matter of suppressing the Japanese pirates before, so I don't know how to proceed," Emperor Jingtai said, picking up a map and studying it. "Should we ask the main camp for troops?"

“There’s no need to borrow troops.” Xia Lin stroked his stubble. “Why don’t we just recruit private soldiers within Ningbo Prefecture?”

"I see you're really idle. You have elite troops but don't use them, so you recruit your own private army." Li Shimin sneered, "What exactly are you planning in your head?"

Xia Lin smiled helplessly: "Let me ask you, you also have trusted generals under your command. If you go to his Pan Geng territory and ask him for people to deal with the things he hasn't been able to handle before, what will he think?"

"But he's the one who didn't handle this well. Does it matter what he thinks?"

"Alright, stop arguing," Emperor Jingtai said, holding a map. "I've looked at the new army's bandit suppression map here, and it does seem quite troublesome. The area is too vast. Every time they receive a tip and set out, they only find nothing. The army certainly has its own troubles. Bandit suppression isn't like warfare, and troop movements are indeed cumbersome. It's really no one's fault." "Then why not simplify things?"

Hearing this, Xia Lin laughed: "Yes, Your Highness the Prince of Shu is unconventional, I truly admire you. But I would like to ask Your Highness, are you able to control all twenty-four military governors of the Li Tang dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin fell silent. The military governors had always been a thorn in his side. Those guys obeyed orders but not decrees, clearly warlords. But without these warlords, the Tang Dynasty would be unable to stand alone. It was a mixed blessing.

“I know all too well that such cumbersome procedures are unnecessary, but in this remote and highly autonomous region, any problems that arise are no small matter. It’s not that I, Xia Daosheng, don’t trust my generals, but I know that the system is the last line of defense for humanity. In times of chaos, we cannot afford to be careless, Your Highness.”

Li Shimin smiled and sighed, "That makes some sense. Tell me your method."

"Whether it's law enforcement or warfare, there's always a lag. Your Highness is familiar with war and surely understands that the start of a conflict between two armies isn't the beginning of the war, but rather the imminent end. The same applies to law enforcement. So what we need to do isn't actually law enforcement, but rather entrapment. Therefore, we need a completely new system to support it, that is, to transform previously reactive matters into proactive ones."

Both Li Shimin and Emperor Jingtai looked at Xia Lin, waiting for what he would say next.

"I want to recruit private soldiers to do this. One reason is that it can separate the bandit suppression from the army's tasks and save costs. Another reason is that I want to try a system of dedicated personnel for specific tasks."

"I'd like to emphasize this point," Li Shimin quickly pulled out his notebook. "Let me write it down."

This habit was something Li Shimin developed after he became friends with Xia Lin. After all, many of his strange ideas seemed unconventional, but they were surprisingly effective. So he would always habitually write down what Xia Lin said and the plans he envisioned.

"The so-called 'specialized personnel for a specific task' means setting aside a group of people to specialize in this task. For example, there are special teams dedicated to suppressing bandits. They don't need to be too strong in combat; the focus is on developing their reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities. From personnel allocation to weaponry, everything is geared towards this direction. Moreover, they can also assist local officials in completing tasks that yamen runners and constables cannot. By separating their duties from those of the army, we can reduce the frequent mobilization of large armies and save a significant portion of daily training expenses, which is actually very beneficial."

"Hmm! That makes sense." Li Shimin looked up as he wrote this and said, "In other words, they are actually the law enforcement team. But wouldn't that mean the judicial offices would be demolished?"

“Yes, it was supposed to be demolished anyway. It’s too chaotic now. Ningbo Prefecture is a new city, so I have a pilot project in mind. The government offices will only have administrative power, and the law enforcement and judicial powers will be separated into separate departments.”

"The Legalists are overjoyed," Emperor Jingtai laughed. "Wouldn't that mean the county magistrate's power would be diminished?"

"The first step to solving the problem of imperial power not reaching the countryside is to narrow the scope of the Marquis of Baili's authority."

“That makes sense!” Li Shimin nodded hastily. “I think we should give it a try.”

"So I think it's a good idea to give this a try. Shall we start recruiting private soldiers tomorrow?" Xia Lin looked up at Emperor Jingtai: "What do you think?"

"Okay."

"Don't just say you're nice, give me the money!"

Emperor Jingtai pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment: "I'll pay for it?"

"You're the emperor and you won't pay? This is money that your treasury should cover!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily: "If you're unwilling, I'll pay for it for you. How about I count my share in your Great Wei?"

"Go back and seize your sister's throne, and stop bothering me."

Li Shimin glanced at Xia Lin: "Then you should execute the man next to you first. If you kill him, I will give you 30% of the Tang Dynasty's territory."

"Wouldn't it be faster if I killed you and then took over the entire Li Tang?" Emperor Jingtai pointed to himself: "I was also a prodigy back then. Although I can't compare to geniuses like you, I'm not stupid either. My Spring Seedling Plan seems to be able to stabilize the Great Wei for at least fifty years."

Li Shimin rubbed his hands and laughed, while Xia Lin leaned back, pondering how to implement the plan. He didn't pay much attention to their bickering, since the two of them had to argue every day, as if they couldn't be comfortable without arguing.

"Is that something you're sure of? Stop flattering yourself." Li Shimin spat on the ground: "If it weren't for your good luck, you wouldn't have won the battle for the throne. And you're talking about spring seedlings and autumn seedlings. If you hadn't gotten summer seedlings, the grass on your grave would be a meter high by now."

"Tell me what kind of grass on a grave can grow to be ten feet tall!"

Xia Lin finally came to his senses and straightened up, saying, "You two stop for a moment. Do you have any ideas on how to lure those river bandits out on your own?"

Emperor Jingtai lowered his eyelids and smiled, "I have a plan, but I don't know if it's feasible."

As he spoke, he stepped forward, placed the map on the stone table, and pointed to the nearly uninhabited islands across the river from Ningbo: "These places haven't been developed yet, have they?"

"Yes, there is such a plan, but it hasn't been implemented yet. This is an archipelago area, and I also suspect that pirates and bandits are hiding here."

"Spread the word that Ningbo Prefecture is going to start resettling people on these large islands, opening ports, building towns, and merging villages. This is a lucrative opportunity, and I suspect the reason these Japanese pirates and river bandits haven't been caught is because there are spies in Ningbo Prefecture. We should take this opportunity to purge them." Emperor Jingtai looked at Xia Lin and then at Li Shimin: "Do you two think what I'm saying makes sense?"

"It's rare that you can actually speak like a human being," Li Shimin chuckled. "I think it's feasible."

(End of this chapter)