Chapter nine hundred and thirteenth father and son dialogue
When Li Siye asked these words, Zhang Xiancheng felt that his blood was about to solidify. He could not refute such words, but he could not give up. Now that he had been stabbed in front of God, if he backed down a little, his and the Cui brothers' lives would be in danger. All are reimbursed here.
"Biji knows it, so he is willing to sacrifice his own life to protect Cui Ning's life. Even if the master refuses, he will not complain and is willing to die."
Li Siye frowned slightly and asked him: "What position did you hold before?"
"The Jiannan Jiedushi envoy united the camp to march Sima."
He sat back on the bed, put his hands on his knees and said: "Cui Ning, Cui Mi rebelled against the superiors and intended to seize the independence of Shu. I should have killed you. But Zhang Xiancheng risked his life to intercede for you, and I couldn't bear to go against his will. However, the serious crime of treason cannot be treated lightly. All official positions and titles will be deprived of you and your family, and you and your family will be exiled to the Mengchi Protectorate of Suiyechuan in Beiting."
The two brothers complained secretly in their hearts, but at least they saved their lives, so they had no choice but to kowtow and thank them.
Li Siye then said to Zhang Xiancheng: "You plead for the sinner, although it is out of a fraternal commitment, but it interferes with the national law. I will punish you with thirty lashes. Lead the Baishan Army envoy in Guanzhong and lead the troops to Xiangyang to fight with the king's rare Hengsai Army." Change defense, I hope you can make meritorious deeds."
The Cui brothers kneeling next to them were astonished. How could this be a punishment? This was clearly a reward.
Zhang Xiancheng was overjoyed, stepped forward and crossed his hands and said: "In the end, I will fight to the death to repay my lord for his kindness."
"Okay, everyone, please step back."
After a few people retreated, Li Siye walked out of the main hall, ordered some horses to be fetched, and went to the capital with his entourage to guard the left and right Longxiang troops and the left and right Royal Forest troops.
The two armies were in charge of Li Siye's biological son Li Xu and his confidant general Yan Xiaosi. Li Xu also served as the Ping Zhangshi under Zhongshu's sect. He often studied politics with Zhongshu Ling Xu Bin and actively controlled the affairs. Although the various appointments in Chang'an City were not in the name of supervising the country, they were actually supervising the country. People and court officials secretly called him the hidden prince.
The father and son evacuated all their entourage and boarded the Xuanwu Gate outside the Daming Palace. They could see the Linde Hall standing next to the Taiye Pond in the distance. He lowered his head and asked his son: "After these two years of governance, what has happened? What do you think?"
"My son believes that nothing in the world can be better than moderation."
"Oh, how come you can see it?"
"Governing a country is like a ship sailing on the sea. Although it is sailing against the wind, it must adjust the direction of the sail. If the wind is weak, the ship will stop, if the wind is strong, the mast will be broken. Another example is the law. If the national law is strict, the people will complain, but if the national law is lenient, Then the weak people will be harmed, and those who commit crimes will go unpunished."
After listening, Li Siye gave his highest evaluation: "Very good, he can be regarded as a qualified feudal ruler."
However, Li Xu couldn't taste the taste. He vaguely felt that these five words were not good words. There was no reason to use such derogatory words on himself.
"My son has a question that has never been answered. He hopes that his father will give him an answer."
"explain."
"To the west of the Hexi Corridor, such as Beiting and Anxi, there are vast areas, sparsely populated areas, vast deserts, and a harsh environment. Not only have they been unable to generate taxes for the imperial court in the past few years, but they also need to send about a thousand good family members to them every year. Now the Central Plains is in decline. , the national power and the people's power are far less than before, and it is difficult to control these two barren lands. Why don't father separate them and concentrate on running the prosperous Central Plains."
The smile on Li Siye's face froze a little. Li Xu felt that he had said something wrong and quickly crossed his hands and said: "My son is talking nonsense, please punish me."
Li Siye smiled and said: "The fact that you can ask this question means that you have thought about it carefully. It is a good thing to be able to ask questions and resolve doubts."
"Since the Han Dynasty, all powerful people have been determined to manage the Western Regions. However, the Central Plains has been in chaos for a long time, and the rulers have been powerless. As the king of a big country, if you only want to hide and protect yourself, and live in comfort, you will inevitably be surrounded by powerful people.
After years of fighting, the people suffered a lot. The reason why the Han and Tang Dynasties were strong was precisely because the kings and ministers of all dynasties had a strong heart. They must have the domineering power and ambition of the central country to dominate the other countries. You must stand in Hanyuan in the future.
In the pavilions of the palace, the energy of the empire will radiate to all directions with Chang'an as the center. The regimes you encounter can only have two choices, either to be a vassal or to be trampled to pieces by iron-hoofed artillery. Even if you can't do it now, you still can't do it.
Always have this kind of ambition. When you successfully reach the top one day, you will find that the empire under your feet is truly indestructible."
Li Xu looked into the distance with his eyes sincerely, and the pride in his chest suddenly arose. The ambition he had suppressed in his heart sprouted, and seemed to be ignited by his father's encouragement. He said loudly: "If my son takes charge of the world in the future, he will continue the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Create a prosperous world and spread grace and power throughout the world."
Li Siye nodded happily and said: "The real Western Region is not barren, but a fertile land rich in products. The spices and gold they produce are all scarce in the Central Plains. When Gu was in charge of the Western Region in the past, he founded a world-famous
Western Regions Chamber of Commerce, you were still young at that time and did not know the mystery of this. Your father and I have served in Longyou for many years and have never occupied a single cent of the place for rent. We even took money from the Western Regions Chamber of Commerce to subsidize the place.
, despite this, there is an income of more than 2 million guan every year. You must know that the annual rent in the Tang Dynasty is only 16 million guan. The income of one of our trade routes is already equivalent to the annual income of one road.
Moreover, the strategic location of Beiting and Anxi is of vital importance, as it can restrain the Tibetans from invading east and north, and block the Uighurs from invading the west, preventing them from forming a large force that can compete with us."
Li Xu suddenly realized: "What my father means is that no matter whether the Tubo monopolizes the plateau or the Uighurs occupying Mobei, they alone cannot pose a threat to us, but if they cross the Hexi Corridor and march northward to occupy the North Court of Anxi, they will
The west unites the northern and southern deserts, and its power is enough to form a balanced north-south confrontation with us. "
Li Siye smiled with satisfaction: "This is exactly what my father wants to tell you. As long as the Hexi Corridor Anbeiting is in your hands, the general situation of the world will be controlled by you. The so-called Tubo and Uighur, the rise and fall of them only depends on
You. You can raise strong troops to destroy them, or you can leave them to fend for themselves. But there is one thing you must remember: there will never be a vacuum in power. If you don't control it or neglect to control it, there will naturally be people.
Control it on your behalf. The same goes for Tubo and Uighur. If you destroy them but can't find a good way to manage the land they left behind, someone else will definitely replace them and establish a country. Whether you have made a wedding dress for others, you don't care.
Think carefully."
Li Xu crossed his hands and thanked his father: "Today, my father's words have benefited my son a lot. Today, my son has read through the past history books and realized that the road to governing the country is difficult and dangerous and needs to be treated with caution."
Li Siye didn't say anything. Li Xu's performance today was within his expectations, and he probably didn't have to worry about the performance of his successor after he left.
After so many years of fighting in the north and south, his body is not as good as before. He needs help every time he mounts his horse. Some people say that if you want to be a winner in life, you need to live long enough. If you really want to rely on
If he dies, he won't be able to compete with people like Guo Ziyi.
Time would become his biggest enemy. Li Siye naturally believed that he must conquer Jiangdong and complete the actual military unification while his arms and legs could still move.