Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Shengyefang and Juxianlou were among the most expensive taverns in Chang'an.

To cater to Cen Lun's two great hobbies, Yin Shaokang hired two experienced young courtesans to accompany Cen Lun.

The beautiful songstresses are just an accompaniment; the main attraction tonight is the several bottles of Gaochang Baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor) that we obtained from Shi Lin.

Cen Lun had never tasted this kind of wine before, and after drinking it, he was amazed.

This guy really loves his liquor; he finished off all the baijiu in no time.

Drinking alone is no fun, so Yin Shaokang across from him also got drunk, and the two of them ended up both in a stupor.

In the end, it was a songstress nearby who invited people in to help carry the two into the carriage.

The next day, Yin Shaokang changed locations and switched to a lower-alcohol beverage so that he could have a serious conversation with Cen Lun.

"Young Master Wei, I know exactly what you want from me. Don't worry, I will definitely repay the money I owe Huimin Bank, principal and interest, not a single penny less."

"Brother Cen, there's no need to worry. My Wei family can afford these 25,000 strings of cash. Brother Cen, why are you in such a hurry to borrow money? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Lun's heart stirred slightly.

So you weren't here to confront me after all.

"Young Master Wei is right. There are dozens of households that I have been lending money to that government, and I really can't collect the money. I've also been busy with business operations lately, so I came to you for a loan."

In fact, Cen Lun could have borrowed from someone else, but he heard about Huimin Bank's "GG" and thought that the newly opened branch had a low interest rate, so he went there and, relying on his "official power," borrowed 25,000 guan at once.

Of course, Cen Lun had no intention of renege on the debt. His family's tea business was quite large, and the young master Wei in front of him was also from a prominent family in Luoyang. There was no need to ruin the harmony over 25,000 strings of cash.

Yin Shaokang poured Cen Lun a full glass of wine, then laughed and said, "Brother Cen, you can't lend like this again in the future. Because of your matter, our bank changed its lending rules overnight."

"Ah, Young Master Wei, I'm sorry for causing you trouble, I'm so sorry."

The two clinked glasses, and the minor unpleasantness in the business world was wiped clean.

"The world is bustling with activity, all for profit. Brother Cen, I have a request; I wonder if you could grant it?"

"What request?"

"I heard from other friends that the capital of the government office that Brother Cen manages has grown from 30,000 strings of cash when he first took over to 150,000 strings of cash over the years. Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Lun coughed violently, unable to swallow the wine in his mouth properly.

Yin Shaokang quickly stepped forward and patted Cen Lun on the back. It took a while for the latter to recover.

"Young Master Wei, who told you these things?"

Yin Shaokang smiled but remained silent.

It is clear that the above data is accurate, but Yin Shaokang declined to disclose the source of the information.

Cen Lun thought for a moment, then said, "Young Master Wei, you wouldn't happen to have your eye on these 150,000 strings of cash, would you?"

Yin Shaokang laughed and said, "Brother Cen guessed correctly. I wonder if Brother Cen could deposit these 150,000 strings of cash into my Huimin Bank? As for the monthly interest, let me give you a suggestion: others get 5%, but you get 8%, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Lun was about to agree.

But then I thought about it again, and something didn't seem right.

"Young Master Wei, I intend to lend this money out to the government, and I'll have to pay interest to the government every month. How can I lend it out if it's all deposited in your bank?"

"It's alright, Brother Cen, you can withdraw money whenever you need it. However, our bank won't charge interest on the withdrawn money."

Cen Lun nodded, indicating his understanding.

"This money all comes from the government and is hard-earned. I think that the monthly interest rate of 8% is still a bit low."

"Okay, then I'll give it a perfect score, how about that?"

"make a deal!"

Cen Lun was blinded by the immediate benefits and had no idea what the consequences of his actions would be.

At this point, the top management of Datang wouldn't bother with a newly opened store that had only been open for two months.

Thus, with the support of various business partners and Yin Shaokang's personal involvement, Huimin Bank attracted more and more copper coins, and its branches in various prefectures and cities were successfully opened with sufficient funds.

……

Just as Yin Shaokang and Cen Lun were exchanging toasts, five or six miles away in the imperial palace, Li Shimin also summoned his ministers to discuss the war strategy against Xueyantuo this autumn.

Crown Prince Li Tai, Prince Wu Li Ke, and Prince Jin Li Zhi also participated in the discussions.

After eliminating the Eastern Turks, the Xueyantuo and Goguryeo became the two major hostile forces on the northern border of the empire.

The plan to attack Goguryeo was postponed due to the shipyard fire last year.

The emperor and the Tang army then focused their attention on the Xueyantuo.

The Xueyantuo and the Tang Dynasty were old rivals.

In the fifteenth year of the Zhenguan era, Xueyantuo Khan Yinan sent his eldest son, Dadushe, with an army of 200,000 to the south to attack Ashina Simo, the Eastern Turkic Khan supported by the Tang Dynasty.

The emperor ordered Li Ji to lead 60,000 Tang troops to meet the enemy. At the Nuozhen River area, using infantry formations, crossbow suppression, and surprise attacks, they decisively defeated the Xueyantuo, beheading 3,000 and capturing more than 50,000, severely weakening the Xueyantuo.

In March of the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era, which is this March, Xueyantuo Khan Yinan passed away.

Yinan's youngest son, Bazhuo, launched a rebellion, killed the aforementioned man named Dadushe, who was his own brother, and thus seized control of the Xueyantuo, proclaiming himself Duomi Khan.

That's how the succession law works on the grasslands: if you kill all your brothers, you become Khan.

Bazhuo's rule was extremely brutal. He indiscriminately killed nobles and indulged in extravagance and debauchery, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among the Tiele tribes.

The Uyghur, Pugu, and Tongluo tribes united and launched an internal rebellion.

In other words, the Xueyantuo are currently in a state of turmoil.

As Li Shimin looked at the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory, he asked, "How is the communication with the Uyghurs going?"

Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the envoy of the Uyghur leader Tumidu has arrived. They are willing to cooperate with us to destroy the Xueyantuo."

"Alright, then let Li Ji and Li Daozong set off!"

"promise!"

"Your Highness, you will also depart with the messenger. Once you arrive at the front lines, you will gain valuable experience."

"Your subject obeys!"

Li Tai was excited; he had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Prince Li Ke of Wu and Prince Li Zhi of Jin also stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "Your subjects are also willing to fight!"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Zhi Nu, you are still too young to go this time. Ke'er, you will follow Niu Jinda and Cheng Zhijie to harass Goguryeo and destroy their farmland, crops, and livestock for me!"

A flicker of disappointment crossed Li Ke's eyes, but he resolutely replied, "Your subject obeys!"

Although we can't defeat Goguryeo this year, the Tang Dynasty can still manage to sow discord among them.

By this time, Goguryeo had grown into a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral country, cultivating farmland on the Liaodong Peninsula, the middle and lower reaches of the Yalu River, and the Daedong River basin, and building terraced fields in the mountains.

The Goguryeo people not only learned to grow wheat and millet, but also cultivated cold-resistant japonica rice.