Chang'an City. Early Dynasty, Taiji Palace.

Gao Jingming has been the head of the household department for 17 years, and he has been in this position for such a long time, not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also in all dynasties. In terms of financial management, Gao Jingming is extremely professional, and his miser character is also very suitable for this position.

On this day, he said happily: "Your Majesty, the Dongying Governor's Mansion has sent a report that the silver mine there has begun to be mined, and the annual production scale will reach 200,000 taels of silver next year, and it will continue to increase in the future." ”

"That's a lot!"

"Great!"

There was a lot of discussion in the hall.

Gao Jingming continued: "Your Majesty, last night, His Royal Highness the King of the Northwest sent someone to send four boatloads of jewels for Your Majesty to see. ”

Li Chengqian said: "Bring it up!"

Soon, a naval officer with a group of naval soldiers brought in about 100 boxes, and Li Chengqian personally came down to look at the belongings. The chests were opened to reveal a large amount of gold, silver, gemstones of various colors, pepper and other spices, as well as pearls and colorful corals. The corals are especially exquisite, and the size is more than a man tall.

The ministers were all amazed, with a greedy look in their eyes, and even Li Chengqian was dazzled by these treasures. Li Chengqian asked, "Where did these treasures come from?" ”

The officer said, "Your Majesty, this is what my lord and his ministers snatched along the way when they passed through the Strait of Malacca. ”

Li Chengqian asked curiously, "Are those places so rich?" ”

The officer said, "If you go back to Your Majesty, the ministers have sent back a total of 750 boxes of jewels this time. My lord said that the places I just passed through are still very poor. When my prince arrived in the west, there were too many treasures there, that is, all the warships of the navy could not be transported. My lord said that when he arrives in the West, he will continue to send those treasures back. ”

The officer was a prince of my family, and his tone was full of respect and closeness. Li You's prestige is extremely high, and people who follow Li You like to call him so, showing his closeness to the prince he respects.

After listening to the officer's introduction, Li Chengqian smiled, he suddenly became a little greedy, and said, "Then send more ships!" ”

Gao Jingming, who was even more greedy for money, immediately said: "Your Majesty is reasonable, you should send more ships to transport those treasures back." ”

Other ministers also chimed in, and many of them asked to go to sea with His Royal Highness the King of the Northwest.

The naval officer said, "Your Majesty, the ministers will unload their belongings and leave Chang'an immediately, striving to catch up with the prince's fleet." If someone wants to go to sea with them, please prepare immediately. ”

Su Wei, the uncle of the current dynasty and the younger brother of the current queen Su, stood up and said: "The minister is the household servant, and the minister asks to go to sea with His Royal Highness the King of the Northwest to assist His Royal Highness in managing his property. ”

The naval officer, a sturdy man with a black face, saw Su Wei's fine skin and white flesh, and was worried that he would be seasick and cause trouble for himself on the road, so he deliberately frightened him, and said: "My lord, going to sea is a hard thing, I am afraid that you will not be able to stand the taste of seasickness, I am afraid that you will vomit all the bitter gall, and you will not be able to eat for at least two months." If you want to go, be prepared to endure hardships. ”

"This," Solvay flinched visibly, and he stayed where he was, silent. The other ministers also felt that they could not endure this hardship, so no one was angry.

Li Chengqian saw him like this and didn't want him to be embarrassed, so he said, "Don't go!" ”

Li Chengqian did not agree with Su Wei to go, there were deeper considerations, Li Chengqian trusted Li You very much, he would never send someone from the imperial court to follow him to the sea, so there was a suspicion of sending someone to monitor Li You, and he didn't want to cause Li You's misunderstanding.

Guangcui Hall.

Just now, the Empress Dowager Changsun personally came over to announce a good news to Concubine Yin, and His Majesty has approved the inclusion of the Yin family in the Li family's ancestral hall, and she can participate in the Li family's sacrificial activities in the future.

Concubine Yin Niangniang has a grudge against the Li family for killing her father, so she has not been included in the Li family's genealogy, which is a long-standing heart disease for her. With the improvement of Li You's status, Concubine Yin Niangniang knew that sooner or later this problem would be solved. But when this was finally done, she was still very happy.

Concubine Yin Niangniang sent someone to call Yin Yin Hongji, and the two sisters and brothers knelt in front of their parents' rankings to worship. Concubine Yin said: "Parents, all rely on the blessing of your spirit in the sky, now that You'er is out, our lineage has a high status in the Tang Dynasty, and our daughter has been included in the royal family tree, and you can be worshiped publicly." ”

This was a gift from Li Chengqian to Li You, and he did not tell Li You directly to avoid the suspicion of being invited. He felt that it was best for Concubine Yin to tell Li You about this matter.

Li You received a telegram from Concubine Yin, and immediately called Li Chengqian back to express his gratitude.

That morning, the fleet led by Li You entered the Indian Ocean. As they traveled along the coast of the Indian Ocean, Li You was eating breakfast on board when a warship that had opened the way ahead came with news that a Tianzhu cargo ship had been detained.

Liu Renliang inquired about this matter, and when he came back, he said to Li You: "Lord Wang, it's just an ordinary cargo ship, and there is nothing of value on it. The minister has a suggestion, look, are we training here! ”

Li You and others sailed all the way, and some of the countries they passed through were very weak, and the powerful fleet of the Tang Army was almost effortless. and destroyed their resistance.

Tianzhu Kingdom is a big country, Li You really wants to train his troops through them, especially the ironclad ship, which is equipped with invincible artillery in the world, and he wants to try their power in actual combat.

At this time, it was already the end of December, Li You didn't know how Li Ke and the others were prepared, if he took the lead here, would it affect their overall strategy? So, he sent a telegram to Li Ke.

Phnom Penh, Chenla Palace.

Li Ke's Southern Expeditionary Army's Marshal's Mansion was located in Phnom Penh. After Li Ke received Li You's telegram, he didn't reply to him immediately, but sent a telegram to Cheng Yanjin, asking them about their preparations there, and at the same time, telling them about Li You's affairs.

Cheng Yanjin quickly called back, saying that they were ready there, and at the same time said that since the prince wanted to go to the training army, don't let him spoil the fun.

Li Ke sent a telegram back to Li You, saying that they were ready, and he could do whatever he wanted.

Li You gave the order to start the battle, and all the generals were very excited, and Liu Renliang immediately commanded the fleet to attack Calicut.