Time Travel: I am the idle king Li Shen and Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty

After dinner. Li Shen took Li Shimin to the front hall again. Let Li Shimin and Concubine Wei sit on the main seats. Then he ordered the maid to serve tea. Li Shimin drank tea. Chatting with the mother-in-law without saying a word.

During this period, Li Shimin asked Li Shen about his studies in the Imperial College and what he had learned. How are you studying? What understanding is there? Li Shen's answer was quite satisfactory, neither humble nor overbearing.

Li Shimin discovered that he was the tenth son. During the conversation, he was not as reserved as other sons. The nice thing is called respect. In fact, it is fear. During the Zhenguan period. Things in the palace are relatively harmonious.

Li Shimin didn't know what his son was afraid of. There was a saying that tiger poison cannot eat its seeds. As long as these sons don't commit rebellion by killing their fathers and brothers. Even if it is murder and arson.

Li Shimin would not take their lives. At most, a reprimand. Xiaojue just rushed to the fiefdom. After all, nobles had privileges during this period. Not to mention the royal family. As long as the honorable person is not treason, no matter how serious the crime is, the local magistrate will not allow him to be tried. The people and evidence of the crime must be sent to the capital.

Then the emperor summoned the nobles to hold eight meetings. To put it bluntly, everyone discussed it, and there was no need to convict the matter. Can the crime be reduced?

Among the many sons, no one was as calm and composed in front of him as Li Shen. Like the prince he loved, he was cautious in front of him. Afraid of doing something wrong and losing his position as prince.

Li Tai was also respectful and now had some thoughts. And Li Zhi. Same age as Li Shen. Also very afraid of Li Shimin. Not to mention those princes and princesses who were covered up.

Now Li Shen was calm and unhurried in front of it. Conversation is smooth and generous. Li Shimin was also impressed.

In fact, Li Shimin didn't know that the Li Shen of today was no longer the Li Shen of the past. Li Shen now has a soul that has lived in the modern world for more than 30 years. There is no feudal dynasty mentality. Although he has also heard of Royal Ruthlessness. But Li Shen was still accustomed to treating Li Shimin as a father who chatted with his son in future generations.

"Li Shen, have you ever been exposed to state affairs in the Imperial College." The children of the royal family all studied in the Imperial College. In the future, they will all become officials in the court. Therefore, some decisions made in the court will be taken to the classroom for analysis very early. It is basically equivalent to a political lesson for later generations. Nothing but real-time politics.

"Go back to Aye. I've been in contact. The teachers sometimes bring out some national policies for everyone to discuss." Li Shen replied

"Then what are you discussing recently?" Li Shimin asked again.

In fact, Li Shimin just chatted awkwardly. I haven't paid much attention to it before, so I don't have deep feelings about it.

As a seven-year-old child, Li Shimin didn't expect to be able to say anything.

"Go back to Aye. What we are discussing recently is the war in Tuyuhun," Li Shen replied

"Oh? Then what do you think about this matter?" Li Shimin asked curiously

"Aye. Tuyuhun is nothing to be afraid of. As expected, the troops should return to the court now. However, Tuyuhun is located on a plateau and is difficult to manage based on the current strength of the Tang Dynasty. And it is very likely that Tubo will be given an advantage in the future." Li Shen has watched the TV series. Li Jing destroyed all Tuyuhun's troops. Tuyuhun surrendered. Later, Li Shimin restored the Tuyuhun Kingdom, but in the end he failed to defeat Tubo and was annexed by Tubo.

Li Shimin didn't know that Li Shen was from later generations. Li Jing returned to the court victoriously. It's not a secret though. But only some people in the court knew about it, and it hadn't spread yet. It was also because Li Shimin had Li Jing ask his cronies to send a letter back immediately after the war. The specific battle report should be brought back urgently from Babaili in the next few days.

So Li Shimin wondered how Li Shen knew. Could it be that there is a craftsman around him? Then Li Shimin shook his head. I rejected this idea right away. Such a young Li Shen doesn't have that ability.

"How did you know that Li Jing was victorious?" So Li Shimin asked directly

"Aye. Teach the Yus that General Li is like a god in using his troops. Moreover, our Tang army has strong soldiers and strong horses, so we will definitely win," Li Shenhu said. You can’t say that you have read history.

After hearing this, Li Shimin thought that he was confident for the royal family. He thought that the Tang Dynasty was invincible in the world. He asked again

"Then why do you say that Tubo will be favored in the end?"

"Aye, do you know who the current King of Tubo is?" Li Shen asked

"I heard that his name was Songtsen Gampo. Last year, the Tibetan envoy came to Chang'an and submitted his credentials. He wanted to propose to me and marry a princess. We would build a good relationship for generations and do business with each other. The proposal was rejected by me." Li Shimin replied

"Aye, I heard that Songtsan Gampo, who taught you, was a man of great talent and far-sightedness. After he came to power, he strengthened and consolidated his political power, developed agricultural and animal husbandry production, promoted irrigation, ordered people to formulate texts, and promulgated the "Great Decree" to govern Tubo. He also created an administrative system and a military system, which promoted the all-round development of government, commerce, and military. He had hundreds of thousands of troops, constantly encroaching on the surrounding areas, and expanding his territory. This is enough to show his ambition. Now our Tang Dynasty has destroyed all the troops of Tuyuhun. Tuyuhun no longer exists. How could he, a wolf, not want to take a bite of such a big piece of meat? Now he is taking advantage of the power of our Tang Dynasty. It won’t be long before he can’t help it. Tubo will definitely be our country in the future. Tang’s inner circle is a serious problem." Li Shen said

Li Shimin watched Li Shen talk without saying a word. But my heart was in turmoil. He knew a lot of what Li Shen said. But no one in the civil or military circles of the dynasty thought this way. I just feel that Tubo is a barbarian land with few resources.

In the eyes of this group of literati. Anyone who has never read a book is a barbarian. Moreover, the high terrain of Tubo is not suitable for growing food. No resources. Therefore, no one, including Li Shimin, looked down upon Tubo. Otherwise, their envoys came to propose marriage last year. No one in the civil and military circles of the entire dynasty agreed.

But listen to what Li Shen said. It makes some sense. Li Shimin felt that his tenth son was different from what he had heard. So Li Shimin asked:

"Who did you hear these things from?" Li Shimin wanted to hear what Li Shen would say, but of course he just wanted to hear it. Li Shimin felt that this issue should be brought to the court for discussion tomorrow.

"Aye, it was discussed with us at the Imperial Academy by Professor Yu," Li Shen said.

Li Shimin was somewhat disappointed after hearing this. I thought this son was some kind of prodigy.

"However, Aye. At present, our Tang Dynasty does not have the ability to control Tuyuhun. Because of the successive years of war in the former Sui Dynasty, a large amount of national power was consumed, resulting in a sharp decline in resources and population. Although it has gradually recovered under Aye's benevolent government over the years. But time It’s still too short. The population of the Tang Dynasty is too small. The food production is not much. Population is the foundation of a country. It can only be recovered slowly. The first thing is to solve the food problem. Only when the food is sufficient can the population be large. When the population is large, productivity will be reduced. It will improve. When the population is large, there will be more talents. When the population is large, there will be more troops. When the time comes, will we still be worried about a small Tubo?" Li Shen said.

"Hey. How could I not know what you are talking about? First, it takes time to accumulate population. Second, we must first solve the problem of officials. I am sitting here in Tai Chi Palace and occasionally go to Chang'an City for private visits, but remote counties and counties are... What it's like. I don't know anything. Whether my decree can be implemented depends entirely on the ability of the local county magistrate." Li Shimin thought of his current situation again. Most officials come from aristocratic families. It can be said that the aristocratic family has a monopoly on the court. If the family is willing. It is completely possible to prevent Li Shimin's decree from leaving Chang'an.

"Hasn't Aye already reformed the imperial examination? As time goes by, more talented people will naturally serve the country." Li Shen saw that Li Shimin was a little melancholy and comforted him.

"It's easier said than done. You are still young. You don't understand many things in the court. Although I have reformed the imperial examination and established official schools across the country, I have not achieved much in the past few years." Li Shimin shook his head and said

Li Shen knew it after listening to what Li Shimin said. What does Li Shimin mean? The reforms in recent years have had some effect. But Li Shimin's goal was to break the family's monopoly on the court. Then we must promote the children from poor families. But because the system is not perfect. There are still many disadvantages to the imperial examination. Most of the talented people who were selected were descendants of aristocratic families. Because many of the reviewers are officials from aristocratic families. There must be cover-up behavior.