Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Li Jing quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty's considerations are thorough! I only thought about training the troops to be excellent, but I forgot the foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty's 'integration of soldiers and farmers'."

"The 'method of selecting soldiers' in this book needs to be revised before it can be used. The strong and able-bodied should be trained as the main force, and the old and weak should be trained as the auxiliary force, so that everyone can make the best use of their abilities, which is in line with the national conditions of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin stood up, walked to the palace entrance, and spoke with a sigh:

"Xiao Ran himself probably doesn't even know how many treasures he has hidden in this book that could supplement the military system of our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Although there are some outdated aspects, the principles of 'meticulous military management, rigorous military training, and respect for the people' are priceless."

Li Shimin and Li Jing talked for a long time, but Li Jing did not take the military treatise with him.

Li Shimin wanted to keep it and have someone copy it.

Li Shimin also coveted such a good thing.

A few days later, Li Shimin gave the original book to Li Jing and kept the handwritten copy for himself.

As an emperor with countless daily affairs, Li Shimin also had limited time.

Now I enjoy reading military books, but my main focus is still on handling state affairs.

However, Li Shimin would read them whenever he had time, and he would study them late into the night.

Everything else is fine, except that Empress Zhangsun is not here, and Li Shimin is a bit lonely.

Sometimes, when I see something really exciting, I can't share it with Empress Zhangsun.

Since Empress Zhangsun was not in the palace, Li Shimin did not go to the Lizheng Hall, but instead went to his own Ganlu Hall.

"Your Majesty, it's too late, you should rest early!" Zhang Anan whispered a reminder.

"It's alright, I'll take another look. I can't sleep anyway!" Li Shimin looked outside. "After I finish reading the military treatise, I still need to go to Kaolao Village."

I want to visit Empress Zhangsun and also have a chat with Xiao Ran.

Without Empress Zhangsun by his side, Li Shimin was indeed very unaccustomed to it.

Li Shimin held the pages of "Jixiao Xinshu" between his fingers, but his gaze did not fall on the words; instead, it drifted towards the night outside the palace.

Zhang Anan's reminder was still ringing in his ears, but he didn't loosen his grip on the book; instead, the emptiness in his heart grew heavier and heavier.

The reason he was not used to Empress Zhangsun's absence was never because he lacked someone to take care of his daily life.

Instead, he lacked someone who understood him, accompanied him, and advised him—someone from his own circle.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were childhood sweethearts.

She had been with him since he was the King of Qin, through the bloodshed at Xuanwu Gate and the perilous struggle for the throne.

At that time, he was leading troops in the field, while she was managing the household affairs peacefully.

He was ostracized by his brothers, and she secretly entered the palace to ease his relationship with Li Yuan.

Over the years, no matter the hardships of conquering the country or the exhaustion of ruling it, as long as he returned to the Hall of Establishing Government and saw her, the tension in his heart would ease.

Now that the Lizheng Hall is empty, even when he is reading a military book and wants to turn around and say, "Your Majesty, look, this method can actually make up for the shortcomings of our army," no one responds.

He would review memorials until his eyes ached at night, but no one would sympathize with him and advise him that "it's not too late to review them tomorrow"—this loneliness of "no one listening to what I want to say" was more unbearable for him than staying up all night to govern.

Empress Zhangsun rarely interfered in politics, yet she understood his difficulties best.

Wei Zheng repeatedly spoke frankly and directly to the emperor, which angered him so much that he returned to the palace saying, "I want to kill this country bumpkin." It was she who said, "It is a blessing for the world that Your Majesty has such a loyal minister."

He calmed down and became more willing to accept advice.

He wanted to give Changsun Wuji a higher official position, but she firmly declined on the grounds that "the power of maternal relatives would easily disrupt the court," thus helping him avoid criticism in the court.

Now that she is not in the palace, when he encounters things like "the border army piloting new military tactics", although he can discuss them with Li Jing and Fang Xuanling, he lacks someone who can help him think things through from the perspective of the "imperial family".

For example, will the pilot program make soldiers' families uneasy?

Will this make local officials feel that the imperial court is being harsh?
Empress Zhangsun always thought of these subtle yet crucial "human nature considerations" before her ministers, and she always managed to enlighten him with the gentlest words.

Now, although the eunuchs take care of His Majesty according to the rules, they only know to say things like "His Majesty should rest" and "His Majesty should eat."

I don't understand why he likes to keep a cup of cooled chrysanthemum tea on his desk when he reads, and I don't understand why he can't stand noise outside the palace when he's reviewing memorials.

This "detail that no one understands" made him feel that life in the palace had lost some of its warmth.

Li Shimin knew that Kaolao Village was safe and sound, with Sun Simiao there, and Lizhi and Sizi accompanying her.

But in the end, she left the palace and his side.

He couldn't help but think about it.

Li Shimin closed the book, stood up, walked to the window, looked in the direction of Kaolao Village, and sighed softly.

This emperor, who could rule the world and manage the court, could not control his attachment to one person.

He had grown accustomed to having her by his side, accustomed to her understanding and warmth.

Now that this habit has been broken, I realize that behind the "uncomfortable" feeling lies a lifetime of dependence and concern.

Two days later, Li Shimin finished reading the military book and went to Kaolao Village with many things.

The things I brought were a reward for Xiao Ran.

Military treatises are valuable, but Li Shimin did not bestow them upon the court; instead, he kept them for himself.

No need to make a fuss.

Li Shimin brought no one else with him, just himself and Zhang Anan.

There was also a group of people delivering things.

Upon hearing that Li Shimin was coming, Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi and the others went out to greet him.

Seeing several truckloads of things, Xiao Ran joked, "Uncle, judging from your setup, are you moving things over here too?"

"Don't give me that!" Li Shimin pointed. "Move inside!"

Li Ke, Cheng Chumo, and others also came over to lend a hand.

Li Shimin handed the military treatise to Xiao Ran, who asked, puzzled, "Uncle, what's this?"

After flipping through a few pages, Xiao Ran realized, "Isn't this a book for Uncle Li? You copied a whole copy?"

"Yes, I plan to have Silang print more; this is good stuff."

Li Shimin and Xiao Ran walked towards the pool.

Seeing Li Shimin and Xiao Ran talking, Li Lizhi and the others did not approach.

"Ok!"

Xiao Ran neither understood nor was interested in the military treatise, so he handed it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin took the book and said, "Xiao Ran, you should know that the methods in this book, such as 'training naval warfare to resist Japanese pirates and selecting the strong and discarding the old and weak,' may not be suitable for our Great Tang Dynasty, right?"

Li Shimin spoke calmly, yet with the composure of an emperor weighing the pros and cons.

I had already discussed this with Li Jing before; the background of resisting Japanese pirates was completely different from the border troubles of the Tang Dynasty.

Blindly applying certain methods from the book will only backfire. Asking Xiao Ran now is both to confirm and to hear if the "original owner" of the book had considered similar ideas.

Xiao Ran held the grass stalks by the pool and nodded with a smile: "Uncle understands."

"The author of this book dealt with small groups of Japanese pirates along the coast, while the Tang Dynasty had to guard against cavalry from the northern deserts and the Liao tribes in the southwest. The battlefields are different, so the methods cannot be copied entirely." "Moreover, the Tang Dynasty practiced a system of 'integrating military and agricultural work,' where farmers worked during the busy season and trained soldiers during the off-season. How could they, like in the book, only keep the strong and train soldiers year-round?"

A hint of approval flashed in Li Shimin's eyes as he tapped the annotation "The squad leader manages the soldiers' hearts" on the handwritten copy:

"You're not confused at all."

“I want to ask you, the book says ‘check on the soldiers’ well-being and record the safety of their families every day,’ this method is good.”

"But our Great Tang border troops are scattered across the vast borderlands, with each prefecture and county having its own household registration and military supplies. If a squad leader were to manage these matters, wouldn't that disrupt the rules at the grassroots level?"

"Have you considered how to modify this method to suit the interests of the Tang Dynasty?"

He didn't ask "who came up with this idea" or "where you got the book from."

These things are not important; what matters is how to put useful ideas into practice.

As an emperor, he was more concerned with "feasibility," and Xiao Ran was the source of the book.

Perhaps it can offer a different perspective; even if Xiao Ran doesn't understand military strategy, he can still explain the original intention behind the "original line of thought."

Xiao Ran thought for a moment, then casually picked up a pebble and threw it into the pond, splashing water everywhere. "Uncle, I don't know anything about military strategy. I'm just a fisherman. Don't ask me about these things."

Li Shimin laughed, almost forgetting that he had met Xiao Ran because of fishing.

Xiao Ran continued, "I knew it. If you train them according to the military books, they may not be many, but they will be incredibly strong and invincible."

"Of course, the premise is that the person leading the troops must be at a similar level to the person training them."

Li Shimin was speechless for a moment, "You're just spouting nonsense!"

"A person who can write such a military treatise is naturally a military genius."

"These soldiers, from their recruitment and training to their special equipment, are far superior to those of ordinary armies."

“This kind of army has never existed before the Tang Dynasty, nor does the Tang Dynasty have one.” Li Shimin was well aware that his Xuanjia Army could not reach this level.

"As for the future, we don't know."

Li Shimin looked at Xiao Ran with amusement, "Do you think there will be an army like this in the future?"

Xiao Ran bent down, picked up a flat pebble, skipped it across the pool, and watched it bounce three times before sinking. Then he slowly spoke:
"Uncle, how can I be sure about this? I don't even know how to set up the Mandarin Duck Formation, how would I know if this army will even exist in the future?"

"The methods in the book are good, but didn't you also say that they need to be changed to suit the Tang Dynasty?"

He turned to look at Li Shimin, his eyes filled with a casual yet confident air. “It’s like fishing. You can’t just cast your line and expect a fish to bite. You have to wait, and you have to see the water conditions and whether the bait is right for you.”

"Training troops is probably about the same. As long as Uncle Li is willing to try it slowly and not rush to roll it out all at once, and find some generals like Uncle Li who understand military strategy and are willing to take things seriously to keep an eye on it, we might actually be able to train them in the future."

Xiao Ran didn't make a definitive statement, but simply continued along the lines of Li Shimin's previous "pilot program" approach.

He neither revealed that he knew the secret of the future, nor did he secretly place his hopes on Li Shimin's actions.

After all, this emperor was most susceptible to pragmatism. Finally, he couldn't resist a joke:
"Anyway, once you've really mastered it, Uncle, you'll have to let me see it. I also want to see what kind of soldiers are even more powerful than the Xuanjia Army, and whether they can truly be 'invincible'."

A breeze swept by, causing Xiao Ran's clothes to flutter. His "it's none of my business but I'm a little curious" demeanor made him seem nothing like someone discussing the future of the Tang Dynasty's military system.

Instead, it sounded as if he were casually suggesting, "Should we try a different spot next time we go fishing?" This perfectly masked the underlying thought of "knowing the future is promising."

Seeing that most of the items had been moved, the two returned to the yard.

Li Shimin went to find Empress Zhangsun and the others. Empress Zhangsun and Consort Yang had been packing their things earlier.

We've been out for too long; it's time to go back!
Although they both really liked Kaolao Village, neither of them were ordinary people, and they couldn't stay away from home forever.

That doesn't make sense!

Li Yuan and Empress Xiao were in special circumstances. Empress Zhangsun, as the head of the harem, naturally had to return.

Consort Yang's identity was also sensitive, meaning that it was understandable that Empress Xiao and Li Ke were present, and Li Shimin didn't care.

Li Shimin was quite pleased to hear that Empress Zhangsun was going back.

Around noon, the little girls also returned.

Empress Zhangsun did not leave in a hurry. Instead, she waited until her afternoon nap was over and she went to the school before leaving with Li Shimin.

In Kaolao Village, the first thing to change in autumn is the wind.

When I opened the courtyard gate in the early morning, there was no longer the oppressive heat of midsummer hitting my face.

Instead, a refreshing coolness, mixed with the dampness of dew, clung to my sleeves, and I had to rub my hands to feel warm.

The leaves on the old elm tree had turned yellow at some point. When the wind blew, a few leaves swirled down and landed in the ceramic basin in the corner of the yard, creating a shallow ripple.

The grass on the ridges of the fields has also lost its vigor, turning from lush green to grayish-yellow, and it makes a rustling sound when you step on it.

The most eye-catching sight is the cornfield outside the village. The corn leaves, which used to be dazzlingly green, now look as if they have been faded by the sun.

The edges were curled and yellowish-brown. When the wind blew, the tips of the leaves rubbed against each other, making a soft "rustling" sound, which sounded more tranquil than the cicadas chirping in the height of summer.

The corn stalks are no longer straight; some are bent over, and the ears of corn are drooping, their tassels long since dried into a brownish-red color.

Xiao Ran has been coming to visit every day for the past few days, and Li Lizhi has been with him.

Xiao Ran squeezed the corn cob and then looked at the potatoes next to it.

Li Lizhi picked all the previous seeds and stored them away.

Next year, Li Lizhi will start seedling cultivation to see how many can be grown.

"Young master, is it alright now?" Li Li asked.

"Hmm, that's about it. Tomorrow should be a good day too. Fifth Sister, call Uncle Shi over and have him bring more people."

Li Lizhi asked, puzzled, "Is the young master leading people to do the work?"

Xiao Ran pointed to the corn, "Fifth Sister knows what this corn tastes like. Its yield is much higher than that of millet."

"This kind of thing needs to be witnessed by more people."

Li Lizhi suddenly realized, "Young master, I understand."

"The sweet potatoes and potatoes are almost ready, let's harvest them together!" Xiao Ran added, "Bring your measuring tools to measure the area and yield per acre."

"Okay, I've got it!" Li Lizhi looked at it. "It's a pity we can't eat it now."

"It's still too little; it really can't be eaten!"

Xiao Ran gently spread the corn cobs apart and looked inside; the kernels were very plump.

These are perfectly fine for making seeds.

If all of these are planted next year, it will become a small patch.

Upon returning home, Li Lizhi immediately prepared a letter for Li Shimin.

Have Li Wu deliver it to Li Shimin at the palace.

Upon seeing the letter, Li Shimin smiled and handed it to Empress Zhangsun beside him: "Empress, it seems there's another big surprise!"

"That kid, I'd like to take more men with me!"

Empress Zhangsun nodded. "The corn tastes good. His Majesty saw it when he was hungry. Its yield is much higher than that of millet and rice. I just don't know if it can be used as a staple food."

Li Shimin didn't know the answer to this question either, saying, "I'll ask him tomorrow." (End of Chapter)