Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

At the foot of Langjuxu Mountain, inside the imperial tent.

The revelry outside continued, with the crackling of the campfire and the faint sounds of soldiers playing drinking games drifting through the air.

The atmosphere inside the tent, however, was somewhat heavy.

Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back in front of the newly updated, huge map that encompassed the entire southern grasslands.

His brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Conquering a country is easy, but maintaining it is difficult.

This grassland is so vast that the existing administrative system of the Tang Dynasty simply cannot digest it.

"My lords."

Li Shimin turned around and glanced at the civil and military officials in the tent.

"Although the Turks have perished, the grasslands remain, and the tribes still exist."

"If the army withdraws, a new Khan will probably emerge here within three years, and it will become a border threat to the Tang Dynasty again."

"What are your suggestions for addressing this?"

As prime minister, Fang Xuanling stepped forward without hesitation.

He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and clearly had already prepared his answer.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we should adopt a policy of 'controlling and restraining'."

"The grasslands are vast, making it inconvenient for me to station troops there, nor is it convenient for immigrants to settle along the border."

"Why not select those leaders from among the various tribes who are close to the Tang Dynasty but are weak and isolated, and appoint them as Khans, so that they can lead their former tribes and guard the borders for the Tang Dynasty?"

"The imperial court only needs to establish a protectorate, send a small number of troops to supervise it, and collect tribute every year."

"In this way, the benevolence of the Celestial Empire is demonstrated, and border peace is maintained at a very low cost."

"Using barbarians to control barbarians is the wise and experienced way of governing a country."

Changsun Wuji echoed, "Your Majesty, although Emperor Wu of Han was strong, he was not able to completely conquer the grasslands. In the end, he relied on dividing and weakening the region. I believe that Chancellor Fang's strategy is feasible."

Li Shimin nodded slightly.

This is indeed the usual practice for dealing with border troubles throughout history.

It's safe, saves money, and looks good.

"Okay, then so be it..."

"Bullshit."

A discordant voice suddenly came from the tent entrance, directly interrupting Li Shimin's golden words.

The curtain was lifted.

Li Chengqian yawned, carrying a half-empty bag of spiced melon seeds, and swayed as he walked in.

He didn't even bow; he went straight to a chair covered with a tiger skin, threw himself into it, and did whatever made him comfortable.

"Father, do you only remember the good times and never the bad times?"

Li Chengqian spat out a melon seed shell, looking disgusted.

"Didn't Jieli also submit to the Tang Dynasty back then? Didn't he also receive investiture from the Tang Dynasty?"

"And the result?"

"A wolf that can't be tamed will still be a wolf no matter how much meat you feed it."

"Today it's weak, it calls you dad; tomorrow it'll be full and strong, and it'll dare to bite your throat off."

"If you support a new Khan now, believe me, within ten years I'll have to lead an army to destroy him again?"

"This is called—raising a tiger to cause trouble!"

Li Shimin was speechless after his son's sharp retort, and he lost face.

"So what brilliant idea do you have?"

Li Shimin glared at him, annoyed. "I can't possibly have hundreds of thousands of troops stationed here indefinitely, can I? Who's going to pay for that? You?"

"Stationing troops? That's a poor choice."

Li Chengqian shook his head, stood up, and walked to the map.

He stretched out his finger and drew a large circle on the fertile grasslands of southern Inner Mongolia.

"Father, Your Excellencies."

"Do you have some misunderstanding about this land?"

"In your eyes, this is a barren land, a wasteland, a poor place where nothing can be done but grow grass."

"But in my eyes..."

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, as if he had seen Grandet at Gold Mountain.

"This place is a treasure trove! A money-printing machine! A promised land flowing with milk and honey!"

"Turn it into a ranch!"

"Let's turn this place into our Great Tang Imperial Family's—super ranch!"

"pasture?"

Fang Xuanling was stunned, and subconsciously asked, "Your Highness means... that we, the people of our Great Tang, should herd sheep?"

"When do ordinary people have the time?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes. "The common people still have to grow potatoes and cotton at home."

"That……"

"You're so stupid!"

Li Chengqian patted the map with a look of exasperation.

"Didn't we just capture 150,000 prisoners?"

"What is that?"

"Those are 150,000 skilled, top-tier herders who can start working without any training!"

"Divide this grassland into pastoral areas, build fences, and construct workshops."

"Let those Turkic men raise horses, cattle, and shear sheep."

"Let those Turkic women wash wool, spin yarn, and weave blankets."

"The warhorses produced were used to equip the army; the beef produced was made into canned goods; and the wool produced was made into clothing to sell to foreign merchants."

"What's this called?"

A shrewd, merchant-like smile crept onto Li Chengqian's lips.

"This is called—industrial upgrading!"

"Transform a bandit group that only knows how to rob into a super factory that produces raw materials for the Tang Dynasty."

"At that time, they'll be busy making money, busy eating, busy buying silk and porcelain from our Great Tang Dynasty. Who will have the mind to rebel?"

"Even if they wanted to rebel..."

Li Chengqian pointed outside the tent.

"Without horses, without knives, and only shears for shearing sheep, how will they rebel?"

The tent was deathly silent.

Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji...

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the eight-year-old boy who was giving orders.

What... what kind of brain circuit is this?

Destroy the Turks, then turn them into... farm laborers?

Not only do we not have to spend money to support them, but we can also make money for the Tang Dynasty?

"Glug."

Dai Zhou swallowed hard, his professional instincts kicking in, and his mind raced, rapidly calculating on an abacus.

Warhorses...beef...wool...

How much money would that cost?

"Your Highness..."

Dai Zhou's voice trembled, "This...this won't work? So many people, what if we can't control them..."

"Can't you control them?"

Li Chengqian chuckled, sat back down in his chair, and grabbed a handful of melon seeds.

"Keep Bai Qi here."

"Tell those Turks that those who do well will have meat to eat and new clothes to wear, and those who perform exceptionally well will even be issued a 'Tang Dynasty Temporary Residence Permit'."

"Those who didn't perform well, or those who wanted to cause trouble..."

"Then send it to General Bai Qi as fertilizer."

"A carrot in one hand, a big stick in the other."

Li Chengqian shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact.

"I refuse to believe that anyone would rather die than live?"

Li Shimin was stunned.

Looking at the vast expanse of green on the map, he could almost see cattle and sheep covering the mountains and plains, and wealth being transported to Chang'an in an endless stream.

How can this be considered governing the border regions?

This is clearly a business transaction!

Moreover, it's the kind of business that's incredibly profitable with no initial investment, and you can even assimilate your enemies along the way!

"Chengqian..."

Li Shimin took a deep breath and looked at his son with a complicated expression.

"How did you even get into this brain?"

"How can they always come up with such... such despicable, yet irresistible ideas?"

"You flatter me."

Li Chengqian chuckled and piled the sunflower seed shells in his hand onto the table.

"Father, please tell me, will you approve this plan or not?"

Li Shimin slapped his thigh suddenly.

"Approved!"

"Why wasn't it approved?"

"I will not only approve it, but I will also make a grand and special exception for it!"

"deliver an imperial order!"

Li Shimin stood up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Instruct the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to immediately dispatch personnel north to the grasslands!"

"I will turn this Northern Protectorate into my personal cash cow!"

"As for manpower..."

He looked out of the tent, his gaze falling on the dark mass of prisoners' camp.

"Chengqian is right."

"Are those 150,000 people just for show?"

"Give them shears! Let them herd sheep!"