Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 39 I'm afraid I'll become the second Emperor Yang of Sui.
"Don't get agitated, it hurts."

Wen He grimaced and cried out; his small body was no match for Li Shimin's strength.

Startled by his call, the latter snapped out of her daze and looked at Wen He's almost distorted face, feeling embarrassed.

"I have lost my composure."

"Hiss." Wen He gasped, rubbing her shoulder, and glared at Li Shimin in annoyance.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Finding seeds is not an easy task, especially what I said before. One acre of land can feed a family of three. That thing is called potatoes. It can be used as a staple food or as a vegetable."

"There is also a kind called sweet potato, which is not easy to preserve, but it can be used as a substitute for staple food."

As Wen He was speaking, she saw that Li Shimin's gaze seemed to be spitting fire.

"I asked how to find these grain seeds, not your name."

"If you don't know what it looks like, how are you going to find it?"

"Well, that's true. Never mind, you can continue."

He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment.

He was too impatient; he couldn't wait to get the potatoes and sweet potatoes that Wen He had mentioned by tomorrow.

In other words, Wen He didn't tell him the yield of these two crops, otherwise he might have gone crazy with worry.

"Both of these things are hard to find. If you want to find them, you have to go to sea. There is a land there that is larger than the Tang Dynasty, with fertile land that the Tang Dynasty envies, and uncivilized, ignorant natives."

"A land even larger than the Tang Dynasty?" Li Shimin clenched his fist, his eyes filled with excitement.

A hint of envy flickered in his eyes as he looked at Wen He.

"Unfortunately, I was unaware of this, which allowed later emperors to benefit from it."

He laughed self-deprecatingly.

Wen He was somewhat taken aback. She blinked and asked, "Your Highness, have you misunderstood something?"

"Hmm?" Li Shimin looked at him, puzzled.

"What could I possibly misunderstand? Such a vast land, surely no future rulers have seized it, leaving it to those uncivilized savages?"

"Well... not exactly. It was the Westerners, those white-skinned people, who occupied it. Although we were the first to embark on the Age of Exploration, we eventually gave up. Those scholars said it was a waste of manpower and resources..."

"Those who harm the country and its people deserve to die... But, isn't that place very far from the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Shimin was initially indignant, but suddenly he seemed to have thought of something.

Wen He nodded, not understanding what he meant.

He let out a long sigh.

An emperor considers not only the world but also his own interests.

All the talk about wasting manpower and resources is just an excuse.

If a large number of people know about overseas wealth and go abroad.

Then the rulers would begin to worry that those who went to sea might get out of control in the future.

This would threaten his imperial power.

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. However, I will find someone to consult on the matter of finding grain seeds as soon as possible. But besides potatoes and sweet potatoes, are there no better grain seeds on this land?"

Seeing that he didn't mention going to sea, Wen He didn't bring it up again.

This matter cannot be rushed. Even if Li Shimin wanted to go to sea now, with the flat-bottomed boats of the Tang Dynasty, he would probably capsize as soon as he got close to the shore.

However, after he mentioned it, Wen He remembered.

"According to the calculations of the Tang Dynasty, the yield of Champa rice should be about three shi per mu."

"Although it was only introduced to us in the early Song Dynasty, the people there had already begun to cultivate it during that period. In addition, it was also found in Annam, Champa, Zhenla, and India. Moreover, their land was fertile and their people were ignorant."

Wen He raised an eyebrow slightly, hinting to Li Shimin: "Your Highness, let's expand the territory, so that some people won't say that the Manchu Qing Dynasty had more land than the Tang Dynasty, and therefore the Manchu Qing Dynasty was stronger than the Tang Dynasty."

Seeing his expectant and excited gaze, Li Shimin couldn't help but smile wryly, but then he thought again and felt that something was wrong.

"I've never heard of Champa before."

"Ah." Wen He was taken aback, then remembered that Champa was renamed after the Five Dynasties period.

"At this point, it should be called the Ring King."

"The Huan Kingdom is a small country in the south. I never expected it to have such excellent grains and land."

Even the most fertile land in the Tang Dynasty now yields only two shi per mu.

How could Li Shimin not be tempted?

Alas… “I have no time to attend to this now. If I were to raise an army now, I fear I would become the second Emperor Yang of Sui.”

The thought of the current situation within the court gave Li Shimin a headache.

Those powerful clans were eyeing the situation covetously; they couldn't wait for war to break out so that their sons could earn military merits and, if possible, seize military power.

In this way, they could threaten the imperial power at any time, just as they had done in the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties.

"It's going to be later again," Wen He said, somewhat disappointed.

How come what I see before me is so different from what I learned from history books?

In his mind, when he said these things, Li Shimin should have made a grand decision on future strategies.

Then they led an army of 100,000 south, conquering Huanwang and Zhenla, and even advancing into India.

But to his surprise, Li Shimin, after his initial excitement, actually postponed it.

Seeing his dejected expression, Li Shimin chuckled and reached out to pat his head.

"You brat, can't you see that the Tang Dynasty is in dire need of rebuilding? Didn't you say that I endured for three years after the Wei River Alliance before launching a surprise attack on the Turks?"

"That means that three years later I will have taken control of the court and made those powerful families fear me, which is why I dared to send Li Jing on the expedition."

"Once we destroy the Turks and eliminate the threat from the north, I can then send a valiant general to govern the south. Whether it's the Huan King or Zhenla that you mentioned, they can be destroyed with a flick of the wrist."

That's right, that's the true Li Shimin, the Heavenly Khan.

As for why he didn't mention India, Wen He understood.

After all, it's not easy to get to that place in this day and age.

Didn't you see that it took Xuanzang 17 years to travel there?

Even without taking a long detour, it would take at least 8,000 kilometers to travel from Chang'an to Tianzhu.

For this era, this may be a distance that will take a lifetime to traverse.

"Alright, it's getting late. You should go back and rest early. Tomorrow I will be going to the palace. You can teach Gao Ming and the others your Three Character Classic while you are at home."

Li Shimin patted Wen He on the shoulder with satisfaction.

Only tonight did he realize that the role this person from the future played in his life was not merely about being able to foresee the future.

Wen He's knowledge and understanding surpassed that of everyone in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin had too many questions to ask, but he simply didn't have the time right now.

Returning to the Prince of Qin's residence tonight is already an adventure.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling repeatedly tried to dissuade him.

Now, he can only stabilize the situation at Taiji Palace.

But he was resentful.

He was about to become emperor, but was forced to compromise.

Even if he did like Lady Yang, he was the emperor, and only he could have her; no one could force her upon him!
The Yang family of Hongnong!

He silently recited the name of this family in his heart.

He kept in mind something Wen He had just said.

He plans to make Lady Yang his empress in the future.

This was definitely not his intention.

But the existence of such rumors in later generations proves one thing.

In the future, the Yang family of Hongnong may very well join forces with those people to test him.

At that time, he may no longer be afraid of powerful families, but those people still harbored treacherous intentions and wanted to covet the position of crown prince.

Wen He was standing beside Li Shimin when she saw him remain silent for a long time. She looked up at him.

Suddenly, I saw a face that looked like it wanted to kill someone!
“Your Highness, this matter cannot be rushed.” Wen He was worried that he was being too hasty.

"Yes, we can't rush it. The Tang Dynasty can't be thrown into chaos either. Perhaps I would have been impatient before, but with you here, I believe I will see their destruction."

Li Shimin patted Wen He on the shoulder.

The latter, however, was somewhat taken aback.

What does this mean?

"Your Highness, you don't mean for me to deal with those powerful clans, do you?"

(End of this chapter)