manynovel Chapter 2657 There is one more thing
Chapter 2657 There is one more thing
Seeing the change in Li Shen's expression, Li Shimin smiled.
His greatest pleasure was making this rebellious son feel frustrated.
"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just...sigh..."
Li Shen sighed. He did feel somewhat defeated. Shouldn't he be the one playing chess?
Shouldn't I be the one who uses the heavens as a chessboard, the stars as pieces, enters the game with my own body, and wins half a move against the heavens?
Could it be that kidney deficiency is affecting my IQ?
At this moment, Li Shen began to have wild thoughts and fell into deep self-doubt.
Seeing Li Shen's weakened state, Li Shimin thought for a moment and then spoke:
"Hmph, what? Do you think I'm not worthy to arrange things for you? Do you know how many people want to catch my eye but don't even have the chance?"
Li Shimin said this because he was afraid that Li Shen would become discouraged. Li Shen was too young and had always had a smooth life.
However, it seems he was overthinking things. After hearing Li Shimin's words, Li Shen's eyes suddenly lit up.
Yes, the person in front of us is a great emperor throughout history. To be used by a great emperor throughout history is a great honor.
As people say, there are so many people who want to be taken advantage of but don't even have the chance, so it seems I'm still pretty amazing.
Thinking of this, Li Shen's mood brightened, and he grinned widely:
"Haha, Father is right. It is my great honor to be arranged by Father. I am willing to do so."
Li Shen's smile displeased Li Shimin, who immediately punched Li Shen.
"What's there to be happy about? You haven't finished resolving your own issues yet."
"Yes, yes, I will follow Father's arrangements." Li Shen rubbed his chest and lowered his head obediently.
"Alright, withdraw the guards. I will arrange for some Imperial Guards to go there; fifty men will be enough for each workshop."
"Once they receive the news, they probably won't dare to send anyone to cause trouble again," Li Shimin finally decided.
"The Imperial Guards? This... Father, this is against the rules." Li Shen quickly advised, acknowledging that the Imperial Guards' presence was indeed a good thing.
But these are the Royal Guards; are they allowed to have prolonged contact with other people?
“Your Majesty, this old servant thinks Prince Ji is right; doing this is against the rules.”
Even Wang De, who was standing to the side, offered his advice.
The Imperial Guards were different from the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Palace. The Imperial Guards were the imperial guards, under the jurisdiction of the Six Armies of the Northern Palace.
They are not part of the national military establishment, but rather the royal family's private armed forces.
“Yes, that is indeed against the rules. Why don’t we have the Crown Prince’s Six Guards lead the troops? They will know that it is the Six Guards and will not dare to act rashly.”
Li Shimin nodded upon hearing this, but after thinking for a moment, he changed his mind.
"The Crown Prince's Six Guards?" Li Shen was taken aback. How did the topic of the Crown Prince's Six Guards come up again?
The Six Guards of the Crown Prince were the Crown Prince's bodyguards, but they were not his private guards. Their function was similar to that of the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Palace: to select military talents for the Crown Prince.
The Eastern Palace was essentially a small imperial court, complete with all the necessary departments, serving as a training ground for the Crown Prince.
These six guards were part of a rotation system for the government troops.
"Don't worry, I will have your elder brother send some loyal people who will not steal your formula."
And you should have had appropriate means of keeping this confidential, otherwise it would have been leaked long ago.
Seeing Li Shen in a daze, Li Shimin assumed that Li Shen was worried about the reliability of the people he had sent, so he comforted him.
Li Shen glanced at his father, did not refute, and nodded in gratitude:
"Thank you, Father."
This matter is now resolved, and it can be considered as relieving Li Shen of a worry.
"Get up," Li Shimin said softly.
"Father, I have something else to report," Li Shen continued, somewhat embarrassed.
"Hmm? Is there anything else?" Li Shimin paused in his teacup.
"Your Majesty, it's still about the guards," Li Shen replied cautiously.
"Is it about the guards? You still have guards?" Li Shimin was taken aback.
Li Shen nodded silently.
"Wang De, bring me my family law." Li Shimin waved his hand.
"Father, Father, please let me explain!" Li Shen panicked immediately.
"Alright, tell me where else there are guards?" Li Shimin took the family law handed over by Wang De and placed it on the tea table.
"Father, this time when I went to Xizhou, in order to resolve the impact brought by Wang Wencheng, I recruited more than 10,000 people as craftsmen from Qu Zhiping."
However, the place was not peaceful. Although most of the rebels were wiped out, some inevitably escaped.
Therefore, in order to protect the workshops from rebel attacks and to better manage tens of thousands of artisans,
The son then formed another workshop guard team.
But don't worry, Father, I plan to build a manor over there so that the artisans from these workshops can settle down. That's why it's being built in the name of a manor.
Li Shen recounted the events involving Qu Zhiqing and the others from Xizhou to Li Shimin in detail.
This was something he had no choice but to do; having too many enemies was not a good thing, and he always had to be on guard against others making moves against him.
His workshop area is the largest, and the investment is also the largest.
If they were attacked and burned by the rebels, the losses would be far greater than those suffered by Changsun Wuji and the aristocratic families.
He was wary of these people using the same methods against him.
"How many men are in the guard?" Li Shimin asked with a frown. What Li Shen said made sense. Xizhou was not yet stable, so some measures were necessary.
"Reporting to Father, not many, just... just over two thousand." Li Shen held up two fingers.
"Two thousand people isn't enough? You unfilial son, are you trying to rebel?" Li Shimin's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.
Good heavens, another two thousand people have come out, bringing the total to over ten thousand men, including those from Chang'an.
Even the Crown Prince's six guards only number a little over six thousand on rotation. How can you, a mere prince, have so many?
"Father, please calm down. I didn't want this either, but I have too many enemies. The Xizhou workshop is of great use, and my wish is to ensure that all the people in the world can have enough to eat and wear."
Now that the food problem is basically solved, even in some mountainous areas where planting is not suitable, the imperial court will send some grain there.
The next step is to ensure that people can stay warm, and cotton is of paramount importance in achieving this.
I dare not make any mistakes, so I have no choice but to resort to this drastic measure. There are still some rebel troops in the Anxi Protectorate.
Moreover, what Er was most worried about was not the rebels, but the aristocratic families taking the opportunity to retaliate.
Li Shen hurriedly explained.
Li Shimin remained silent, lost in thought. Li Shen, kneeling to one side, dared not disturb him, knowing that he had indeed overstepped his bounds.
This has nothing to do with whether it makes sense or not. No matter how many reasons you have, they are not an excuse for secretly raising troops.
Otherwise, if everyone followed suit, how long could this country exist? Wouldn't it have descended into chaos long ago?
After a while, Li Shimin finally spoke:
“The situation in Xizhou is unstable, and as you said, you are indeed forced to do so, but that is not a reason for you to recruit soldiers on your own.”
(A colleague died of a heart attack due to long-term sleep deprivation, which serves as a wake-up call for all of us.)
In the years since I started writing novels, I've found that my health has indeed been deteriorating, and I've developed many ailments that I didn't have before.
I'm planning to change my schedule and try to get back to my previous update routine.
I also hope all my fellow readers will take care of their health and avoid staying up late. Wishing you all good health.