Beauty with white hair, hero twilight. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info the most cruel thing in the world is nothing more than this.

Li Su looked at Li Shimin carefully, and finally had to admit that Li Shimin was indeed old.

The temples have been dyed with hoarfrost at some point, the forehead and the corners of the eyes are full of wrinkles, even the waist board is not so straight, kneeling in front of the desk with his body prostrate, obviously less than fifty years old, but like an old man in the twilight of his life, he has lost his spirit, only the sharpness that flashes in his eyes from time to time can prove that he is still a generation of heroes.

There have been many criticisms of Li Shimin during this period in the history books, such as "great joy", "Wise I, died in a coma", etc., and the evaluation is also objective, but many things cannot only be judged by how the history books cover the coffin, in the final analysis, it is someone else's conclusion.

Because of old age, he had to hurry up and finish what he had to do before he died, which is Li Shimin's current idea.

A thousand years later, a great man once said, "10,000 years is too long, seize the day."

Li Su understood Li Shimin's thoughts, and if it were him, he might also try his best to achieve the goal of the Eastern Crusade in his lifetime.

It is not entirely correct to say that it is to satisfy his vanity, Zhenguan has been 18 years, and he needs a big victory to lay the foundation for the world to return to his heart, which is not wrong, but what Li Shimin needs more is to clear the hidden dangers inside and outside the country before he dies, not only hidden dangers, but also to carry the infamy of "poor soldiers" on his shoulders, after the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, he does not have to launch large-scale wars with foreign countries, does not have to spend the treasury, only needs to develop the national economy with peace of mind, and create a brilliant and prosperous era.

There is probably only so much Li Shimin can do, Li Su understands and understands, but he still doesn't agree.

In a hurry, the casualties will be large, Li Shimin stood in the perspective of the emperor and thought that this battle must be launched, but Li Su stood in the perspective of the people, but felt that this battle was really too hasty.

If we can wait for three or five years, when the treasury is solid, the people have accumulated a certain amount of family funds, the soldiers of the Guanzhong government have trained enough, the ordnance, grain and grass are piled up, and even the earth-shaking thunder created by Li Su is also sufficient, wouldn't it be twice the result with half the effort to launch the Eastern Expedition at that time?

It's a pity that the emperor is Li Shimin, not Li Su, so Li Su can't persuade him to give up, Li Shimin's temperament is strong, and he will never listen to any advice if he recognizes one thing, Li Suruo continues to persuade, except for provoking him, there is no other result.

So Li Su had no choice but to shut up, he was not Wei Zheng, he had no interest in challenging his own survival limits, and he had no hobby of death.

"Your Majesty is wise and martial, you said that you want to levy, then we will levy." Li Su nodded solemnly.

Li Shimin glanced at him obliquely: "Yin and Yang are weird, what about irony?" If you don't agree, just say it, where is the Li Zizheng who openly scolded me in the main hall of "A Fang Gongfu" back then? ”

Li Su said with a smile: "The minister's wife is pregnant, the minister is about to become a father, a large family depends on the minister to support it, and the man has a bond, so he naturally has to take pity on his own life, otherwise it doesn't matter if he dies, the life of the family is the most irresponsible, so try not to say what should not be said." ”

Li Shimin's face gradually softened, and he suddenly sighed: "Li Zizheng is about to become a father, the years are really like a white horse, unforgiving, it seems that the best way for a man to smooth out the edges and corners is to let him be a father, yes, count the days, you haven't been in trouble for a long time, right?" I'm very happy that you are the way you are......"

"Your Majesty, the minister has been as honest as a rabbit lately......"

Li Shimin sneered: "Don't insult other people's rabbits, you honestly just do it for everyone to see, and there is still bad water in your stomach, think I don't know?" ”

Sighing, Li Shimin continued: "The Eastern Crusade is a foregone conclusion, Zizheng, let's talk about it, how can we take care of both the east and the west?" I know you have a way, take it out quickly, don't let the children of Datang Guanzhong increase casualties. ”

Li Su smiled bitterly: "In a hurry, where can the minister come up with a way?" Your Majesty, this is embarrassing the ministers. ”

"I don't care, if you don't come up with a way today, don't you want to go back, just sleep under the porch of the main hall at night, I will ask someone to give you a bedding."

Li Su's face became more and more bitter, is the tradition of unreasonableness a characteristic of the Tang Dynasty? But even if you are unreasonable, you can't pick a soft persimmon like me, right?

Thinking about it, Li Su can only take it seriously and think of a way.

Li Shimin was not in a hurry, he slowly picked up the teacup, took a sip lightly, nodded with satisfaction, and then took the time to glance at him, very condescending.

After a long time, Li Su finally sighed and said, "Your Majesty, minister, uh...... I thought it was ......"

Li Shimin frowned dissatisfiedly: "If you have something to say, what kind of mystery is it that you stammer." ”

Li Su smiled bitterly: "There is only one way to compromise between ministers, perhaps...... You can do it both ways. ”

Li Shimin flicked his sleeves and said, "Say." ”

"The battle of the Western Regions to conquer the King of Qi, I'm afraid it is inevitable, the army has been opened, 30,000 soldiers and horses eat horses and chew, and countless grains and grass are consumed every day, if the war really starts in the future, more grain and grass will be consumed, if the Western Turks are also involved in this war, I am afraid that the Western Regions will not be able to be peaceful in three or five years, so I think that I might as well let General Hou use the word 'drag' to decide......"

Li Shimin was stunned: "Drag? ”

"Well, drag, for the Yanqi country, when it is as fast as thunder, quickly pacified, Yanqi's combat power is not strong, General Hou can go straight to Yanqi, kill Yanqi, and completely destroy Yanqi, as for the Western Turks, if they choose to stand by, it is naturally best, if they also send troops, then let General Hou drag them."

"How to drag?"

Li Su said slowly: "War, is the continuation of politics, so this war, what is needed is political cooperation, Your Majesty sent envoys from Chang'an to negotiate with the Western Turks, the content of the negotiation is the friendship and non-aggression between the two countries, here to talk, General Hou is fighting, the negotiation needs skills, but also needs military tacit cooperation, the talks have progressed, General Hou may wish to pause the action, give the Western Turks a false impression or hope, if the talks do not go well, General Hou will chase after Yan Qi and beat hard, And actively contact the countries of the Western Regions to jointly oppose the Western Turks, while fighting, talking, drag on for three or five years, as His Majesty said, so that the war has come to a stalemate. ”

Li Shimin said puzzledly: "The war is stalemate and protracted, isn't this exactly what I am worried about?" In this way, how can the army continue to feed and grass? The treasury is still costing a lot, what about the crusade? ”

Li Su said with a smile: "So the minister just said that he would destroy the Yanqi Kingdom with the power of thunder, and then ...... General Hou can be ordered to fight to support the war. ”

"Feeding war with war?" Li Shimin's expression moved slightly.

"General Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty led a lone army into the Xiongnu for thousands of miles, exterminating countless Xiongnu tribes, they are cavalry, running hundreds of miles a day, how can the logistics supply of the imperial court keep up? It is nothing more than to destroy a clan, slaughter its cattle and sheep, plunder its grain and grass for military food, this is to feed the war with war, if General Hou destroys the Yanqi country, the first thing to do is to take over the Yanqi treasury, loot the grain and grass in the country, and at the same time hand over the money of the treasury to Xizhou, now Xizhou has been the transit station of the merchants of the Western Regions, these money can be used to buy food from merchants from various countries, which is equivalent to the strength of a poor country, raising General Hou a lone army, even if there is no supply from the imperial court, General Hou will not be a problem to support for a year or two, a year or two later, Your Majesty's crusade is coming to an end, so won't you be able to support him at that time? ”

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, he pondered for a long time, and couldn't help nodding and praised: "It is indeed a good way to feed the war with war, but you can scavenge the treasury and grain and grass of Yanqi country, wouldn't the people of that country be ......?"

"Your Majesty, if you are not of my race, your heart will be different, the so-called 'benevolence and righteousness', just be pretty, but this battle is related to the luck of the Tang Kingdom, so I can't care so much."

Li Shimin glared at him angrily: "You are really a bastard with bad water in your stomach, and your heart is even more ruthless than me." ”

"Your Majesty has praised it." Li Su smiled modestly.

"You think I'm complimenting you?"

Li Su smiled: "The minister is praising me as His Majesty." ”

Li Shimin snorted, then pondered for a long time, and said slowly: "This method ...... It is feasible, at least I can buy me an extra year or so, one year is enough time for me to do a lot of things, and at the same time, it will save me a lot of food and grass, very good......"

Li Su thought for a while, and then said: "There is also a ...... about the grain and grass of the Eastern Crusade."

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "Zizheng even has a way to solve the problem of grain and grass?" ”

Li Su smiled bitterly: "The minister only thought of the expedient measure, since His Majesty is determined to go east, and the minister eats the king's Lu, he has to share his worries for His Majesty, about grain and grass, the minister guesses that the treasury is not enough, right?" ”

Li Shimin's face suddenly became gloomy, and he nodded worriedly: "Yes, the auxiliary machine and Xuan Ling have been calculated for a long time, there is still a lot of gap, if the war against Goguryeo is not smooth, it will be even worse, the folk wheat and rice are two crops a year, and the rice seeds you introduced from the Zhenla country are only improved in agronomy at present, and have not yet been popularized and implemented among the people, even if the wheat and rice that will be harvested twice next year are counted, it is still much worse." ”

Li Su thought for a while and said, "Why doesn't Your Majesty try to buy grain and grass from other countries?" ”

Li Shimin was stunned again: "Buy grain and grass? ”

"Yes, just like the neighbors of the villagers, which one suddenly has a short hand, temporarily looking for the next door to borrow some grain, usually borrowed, the same is true for the country, let's pay to buy, buy the grain of the neighboring countries, such as Zhenla country, Zhancheng country, Linyi country, etc., these southern countries are good at growing rice, and the annual surplus is not small, presumably their treasury is quite rich, why not buy from them? Let's spend money to buy it, and it doesn't damage the dignity of Datang Guowei, why not? ”

Li Shimin took a breath, and his eyes suddenly widened.

The idea is ...... It's very creative.

The Manchu dynasty only thought about how to raise grain and grass from the country, but no one thought about buying from neighboring countries, most of which were the reasons for the dignity of the big country, and the ministers of civil and military affairs always felt that it was a very shameless thing to reach out to others, and weakened their own prestige, but where did the purchase of grain and grass lose face? It's a normal trading relationship.

The more Li Shimin thought about it, the more feasible he felt, Li Su seemed to have opened a door to a new world for him, and in that new world...... That's a lot of food.

The problem that has plagued Li Shimin for the longest time is food, and other things such as the source of troops, ordnance, attack, etc., are not a problem, and food is the key.

At this moment, Li Su's words suddenly made Li Shimin's mouth open, and he felt that it was transparent up and down, and he felt excited.

Immediately, Li Shimin didn't know what to think of, and his face continued to sink.

"The treasury is short of grain and grass, and the money is ...... It's not enough, you can't come up with money, how can you buy from neighboring countries? Li Shimin's face was ugly.

Li Su sighed heavily, what do you want, what kind of emperor are you, is it okay to change your career and ask for food?

Also, what treasury has no money, it's so stupid that it is home, and the big business between countries, can you use any money to settle the goods?

So Li Su couldn't help but glance at Li Shimin, and then quickly turned his head.

Li Shimin caught his gaze, and his expression couldn't help but froze.

This bastard...... Was that look in my eyes a sign of contempt for me?

Gritting his teeth, Li Shimin said in an unkind tone: "Zizheng has something to say quickly, don't sell Guanzi!" ”

Li Su sighed: "Your Majesty, you can do business without money, and it's not that you don't give it, you owe it first, and then give it when it's convenient for us, Your Majesty will tell the envoys of those countries according to the original words of the ministers, you see who dares not to agree." ”

Li Shimin showed hesitation, obviously Li Su's words seriously challenged his bottom line.

"This ...... Isn't that right? Datang is the suzerainty of many neighboring countries, and if he still owes money to others, it is really ...... Ahem, Zizheng, is there a better way to make neighboring countries willingly offer food? Li Shimin's face was a little confused.

Li Su's cheeks twitched.

He also stretched out his hand to others, but he didn't want to hurt his face, and he didn't want to give a penny to others who were willing to give food with both hands...... I thought wrong just now, when the person who asks for food is too bent, you cut the path and rob the road, not only can you rob the food, but also rob the color.

Li Su sighed again and said, "Your Majesty doesn't want to owe money, so let's exchange things for them." ”

"What do you get in exchange?"

"Everything, such as surplus ordnance in the arsenal, swords, bows and arrows, ladders, siege vehicles, etc., or take pig iron, salt, porcelain and silk from the treasury, etc., summon the envoys of those countries, negotiate one by one, talk slowly, and talk about it until everyone accepts it, and the deal will be done."

Li Shimin thought about it and laughed happily: "Okay! This strategy is very good, Zizheng is worthy of being the pillar of my Tang Dynasty, I should have summoned you into the palace as soon as possible, and it also saved me from having trouble sleeping and eating these days because of food and grass. ”

Li Su smiled: "The minister just said it casually, Your Majesty praised it falsely......"

Immediately, Li Su was stunned for a moment, and asked seriously: "Your Majesty is really praising me this time, right?" ”

Li Shimin was in a very good mood at the moment, and laughed and said: "This time I am really praising you, so I can accept it with confidence." ”

Li Su pursed his lips, and then said: "Since Your Majesty has decided to go east this winter, then you must hurry up and complete these things, it is the end of summer, and winter is not far away, negotiating with the envoys of various countries, as well as delivering news, transporting food, etc., it will take several months." ”

Li Shimin nodded: "Yes, I will make an order immediately, without further ado, it will change later." ”

Turning his head to look at Li Su, Li Shimin said, "Have you sat enough?" ”

Li Su was stunned for a moment, and immediately heard the string song and knew the elegant meaning: "Minister, get out." ”

…………

As soon as Li Su walked out of the palace gate, he saw the eldest grandson Wuji and Fang Xuanling hurriedly entering the palace, Li Shimin's speed was really fast, and it took a long time to summon the two prime ministers.

Li Su hurriedly saluted the two.

Fang Xuanling nodded at him with a smile, the eldest grandson Wuji's performance was even more like a spring breeze, Feng Du's assassination case Li Su and his secret conflict, at this moment he seemed to have forgotten everything, he still looked like a kind elder, and he held Li Su's hand numbly and asked for warmth, Li Su coped with it embarrassedly, and a layer of white sweat broke out on his back.

The more the eldest grandson Wuji behaved like this, the more worried Li Su felt.

From then on, the grudge between him and the eldest grandson Wuji is afraid that it will be difficult to resolve.