The emperor asked Li Siyuan, you said that it is a little inappropriate for us to send troops to fight the Seven Kings of the South now, but one day in the future, the Seven Kings of the South will send troops to fight us, what should we do?

Li Siyuan was speechless when asked.

Li Siyuan said: Yes, whether they can beat us in the future, where can I guarantee it, what do they think in their hearts, where do I know!

At this time, Guo Chongtao stood up.

Guo Chongtao said: "The emperor can rest assured, it is impossible for the seven kings of the south to beat us in the future!" ”

The emperor said, "Why? ”

Guo Chongtao said: "In the future, the seven kings of the south will fight us, and there are three impossibilities. ”

The emperor said: "There are those three impossible? ”

Guo Chongtao said: "The first one is impossible, and now any of the seven kings of the south is far inferior to us in terms of power. We have five states, and the most of them are only two states, and some are even smaller, and any of them is not as powerful as ours. ”

The emperor said, "What about the second one? ”

Guo Chongtao said: "The second one is impossible, it is impossible for them to join forces to fight us. The relationship between them is only one of helping each other, a relationship in which neither party gives orders and the other parties obey unconditionally. The so-called "Seven-Nation Alliance" between them is only an alliance that is supported by one side and all sides. The so-called alliance of "one side is in trouble and all sides support" is only that when one party's territory is invaded by others, all parties will support, not that one party will invade others, and all parties will also help him invade others. ”

The emperor asked again: "What about the third impossible?" ”

Guo Chongtao said: "The third impossibility is that the current seven kings of the south all want to be his king of peace and stability, and they don't want to fight others. Because of their national elementary school, they can't beat anyone, and they don't want to find that trouble. ”

The emperor nodded.

The emperor said: "Although it is impossible for them to fight us in the future, it is not suitable for us to fight them now, so can the great cause of reunification be completed in the future?" ”

Guo Chongtao said: "The minister has a strategy. ”

The emperor said, "What's the solution?

Guo Chongtao said: "Can you allow the minister and the emperor to play a game of chess and then talk about it?" ”

The emperor said, "Yes." ”

The emperor asked people to bring the chessboard.

The emperor played chess with Guo Chongtao.

The emperor and Guo Chongtao's chess skills are very high, and they usually play chess.

The emperor and Guo Chongtao played chess for a long time, and they didn't know the winner.

After Guo Chongtao and the emperor fought for a long time, Guo Chongtao put down the chess pieces.

Guo Chongtao asked the emperor: "Your Majesty, have you found anything?" ”

The emperor said, "I didn't find anything! ”

Guo Chongtao said: "When the emperor played chess with his ministers in the past, did the emperor find anything? ”

The emperor said, "I didn't find anything!" ”

Guo Chongtao said: "When the emperor finds out that the emperor is playing chess with his ministers, under what circumstances can the emperor win? ”

The emperor said: "Under normal circumstances, you and I are tied, and only if I make a mistake, you can win." You too. ”

Guo Chongtao laughed "ha" and "ha".

Guo Chongtao said: "This is the minister's policy of governing the country!" ”

The emperor didn't understand.

The emperor said, "What? Is this your statecraft? ”

Guo Chongtao said: "Yes. The emperor is like the emperor, the minister is like the emperor's opponent, and the chessboard is like the whole world. If the emperor wants to defeat his opponent and get the whole world, it is difficult to win the opponent by relying on superb chess skills alone. Because the opponent's chess skills are already very high, it is difficult for the emperor to win with chess skills. If the emperor wants to win against his opponent, he can only wait for the opponent to make a mistake! ”

The emperor said, "I understand. ”

Guo Chongtao nodded.

Guo Chongtao said: "If we want to govern this country well in the future, we should not only look at how many troops the country has, how many troops it will have, and how much territory it can fight, but mainly look at the country's policy of governing the country. If the country's statecraft is good, and the country's subjects can live and work in peace and contentment, others will naturally submit to you; If the country's statecraft is not good, and the country's subjects are all complaining, no matter how many soldiers the country has, no matter how much territory it can fight, it will be useless, and no matter how many soldiers the country has, it will eventually lose the country one day. The more uneasy the people are, the more the army is needed, and the more the army is needed, the less it is enough to support it, if then the country will perish. ”

The emperor nodded.

Then, Guo Chongtao said, "If the people can't live in peace, how can they raise the army, the more uneasy the people, the more the army needs more, the more the army needs more, the more insufficient it is to support, if at that time, the country will die." What does that mean?

Even if the people can't live and work in peace and contentment, and can't farm and collect grain, how can they have food to feed the army? The more uneasy the people are, the more thieves here and there are thieves, the more troops are needed to maintain order. The more troops are needed, the more food is needed for military pay. Of course, the more people there are, the more military pay will be spent. If that time comes, I'm afraid the country will not be far from extinction.

Guo Chongtao's meaning was to persuade the emperor not to fight a war first, to engage in production first, to fill the treasury with grain first, and then talk about reunification later. If then, even if there is another war, there will be no need to raise taxes and taxes on the people. For we have food in our treasury, enough for our military pay. Otherwise, if you keep fighting and fighting, and the army has no salary, you will increase taxes and taxes on the people, and if you force the people to rebel, then your country will be in danger.

******

The emperor finally agreed to Guo Chongtao's policy of governing the country. The emperor finally decided not to raise troops to march south, but to engage in agriculture and production first.

At this time, the emperor also promulgated two policies to benefit the people, one was to reduce rents and taxes, and the other was to encourage farmers to open up wasteland and farm.

At this time, the emperor also wanted to issue a decree, that is, let his army also divide a share to open up the wasteland to grow grain and engage in production. His current army has more than 500,000 troops, which is not a small number, and if these 500,000 or so people are mobilized to engage in production, it will also be a very large source of income.

Let the army grow grain, this is not the innovation of Emperor Li Cunxuan. This was Zhuge Liang's innovation back then. When Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi went to war, because the distance to transport grain was too long and unlucky, he let his army grow grain in Qishan. Jiang Wei, who was after Zhuge Liang, also learned from Zhuge Liang to grow grain in the tower.

The emperor thought to himself that if he could let the army grow some food, he could solve part of the military salary, and he could also reduce the burden on the people.

However, at this time, the emperor was afraid that if he let part of the army go to grow grain, something would happen in the south.

On this day, the emperor asked Guo Chongtao: "Now we are basically fine in the north, but there is something, there is a Great Wall in the north, and it is difficult for the Hu people in the north to invade; We are basically fine in the West, there are mountains and rivers in the West, and it is difficult for the Hu people in the West to invade; But I'm still afraid that something happens in the south. ”

Guo Chongtao said: "Your Majesty, the ministers are also thinking about the south these days. ”

The emperor said, "What do you think?" ”

Guo Chongtao said: "Now the minister wants to ask for an envoy to the south. ”

The emperor said, "What? ”

Guo Chongtao said: "Now that our new dynasty has just been established, the seven kings of the south still don't know what we think, and the minister wants to send an envoy to the south to explain to them that we want to coexist peacefully with them." ”

The emperor said: "Good! ”

The emperor said in his heart: If the seven kings of the south can not raise an army, I can use this opportunity to engage in production.

However, at this time, the emperor remembered something.

The emperor asked Guo Chongtao: "Guo Aiqing, if we talk about peaceful coexistence with the seven kings of the south, when will the great cause of reunification be completed in the future!" ”

The emperor is right, if you say that you will coexist peacefully with the Seven Kings of the South, it means that you will live peacefully with the Seven Kings of the South forever, and the emperor of your size can't talk about peaceful coexistence today, and he will talk immediately tomorrow. If we continue to coexist peacefully, the great cause of reunification will not be accomplished.

Guo Chongtao said: "When the minister was playing chess with the emperor that day, the minister had already told the emperor that if you want to win the opponent, it is difficult to rely on super chess skills alone. If we want to win against each other, we might as well wait here and wait for the other side to make a mistake. It is we who rule our world here, and let them first govern their territory with them. If they feel that they are inferior to the emperor, if they feel that they do not have the ability to govern the world well, when they cannot extricate themselves from internal and external troubles, they will naturally submit to the emperor. ”

The emperor laughed "ha" and "ha". The emperor sent Guo Chongtao to the south.

The emperor sent Guo Chongtao as an envoy to the south, originally wanting to be peaceful and friendly with the south, but when Guo Chongtao came back with the book of peace and friendship in the south, he met Dao'an.