Chang 'an.
In Taiji Hall, the ceremony between monarch and minister was over.
Li Shi Min glanced at the ministers and slowly said,
"Beloved ministers, the 300,000 Great Tang soldiers that Li Jing led to attack Goguryeo have encountered heavy rain and are fighting in the mud. What suggestions do you have?”
Wei Zheng walked out of the line and said,"
"Your Majesty, I believe that the opinions expressed in the report sent by His Highness King Jiang last night are the most appropriate and in line with my thoughts.”
Li Shi Min frowned and said,"Show it to me."
After the eunuch respectfully presented the memorial, Li Shimin was stunned.
Chicken ribs!
How direct and accurate.
This was the current battle of Goguryeo.
Li Shi Min felt like his heart had been struck by this memorial!
The drawing was not very good, but that was not the main point.
The main point was that the meaning expressed was more vivid and concise than the lengthy writings of the important officials in the court.
"I believe that I am quite clear about Xiao 'er's memorial.
My army is deeply mired in mud. If we continue to consume it like this, the national strength will not allow it. What do you think?”
Li Shi Min said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhangsun Wuji walked out of the class and bowed.
"Your Majesty, King Jiang is vulgar. How can the memorial be so hasty?”
Wei Zheng immediately walked out of the class and angrily rebuked Zhangsun Wuji,"
"I object to Zhangsun Wuji. How is King Jiang vulgar?”
"Your Highness, it's true that you're going abroad. You're considerate of His Majesty.”
"Lord Zhangsun is completely non-existent.”
"Wei Zheng, what is your position?
Goguryeo is on the verge of destruction, and His Majesty is going to make a great contribution. If we follow King Jiang's plan, we will retreat."
"In other words, Goguryeo will have a chance to catch its breath, and our Great Tang will fail at the last step!”
Zhangsun Wuji retorted.
Wei Zheng spoke very quickly and continued to retort with an excited expression,
"You're lying through your teeth. You're also someone who has seen the battle reports from the front, so how could there be any signs of Goguryeo being destroyed?”
"Although our Great Tang soldiers took twenty-five cities, the Goguryeons 'main force retreated and did not suffer any heavy losses.”
"Now that the rain is continuous and the grain routes are blocked, it's difficult for the soldiers to fight. Even if we can continue to take down a few cities, it won't help!”
"His Highness King Jiang's words hit the nail on the head. He clearly pointed out that Goguryeo is nothing but chicken ribs to the Great Tang.”
"It's better to have a short pain than a long one. Our Great Tang can fight again next time, but isn't Goguryeo a piece of meat on our side?”
"Your Majesty is wise and mighty. Please listen to His Highness King Jiang and retreat!”
As soon as Wei Zheng finished speaking, more than ten ministers agreed with Wei Zheng.
"Your Majesty is wise and mighty. Please decide to retreat as soon as possible!”
"You--”Zhangsun Wuji was furious, but he was helpless.
Looking at the heated debate between the ministers, Li Shiming was also thinking hard and making a decision.
If they retreated, it would be equivalent to returning empty-handed.
Losing a lot of military expenses and rations in vain would also affect the morale of the soldiers.
If they continued to fight, it would definitely cause even greater losses.
With more military spending and more food consumption, the country's strength would continue to be rapidly consumed.
If Goguryeo wasn't destroyed within a few months, they might end up like Yang Guang!
It was hard to make a decision. Li Shiming felt a little dizzy…
————
At the same time.
Bingzhou, Cishi Mansion.
Twenty-five noble families had gathered in Bingzhou City. They came from the twenty-five counties of Bingzhou.
These wealthy families were arranged to stay in the side hall, which was already filled with people.
Their faces were filled with nervousness, confusion, confusion, and helplessness.
Why did His Highness call them here? They were not prepared at all, and the person who called them did not tell them what was going on.
"What is Your Highness trying to do?"
"Yeah, I'm a little nervous. My eyelids kept twitching last night.”
"Money on the left, disaster on the right. Official Li, which side are you jumping to?”
"Well-His Highness won't arrest us, will he?”
"What are you thinking? His Highness only apprehends corrupt officials. We are good people, how can we be arrested?”
"That's right, that's right. His Highness has made such great achievements. He killed the big bully Zhangsun Xiong, and Wei Wen was also killed.”
"Not only did His Highness achieve great results in the people's livelihood, he also defeated Xue Yantuo's cavalry twice.”
" He's truly a rare prince of the Great Tang. It's a pity that he's not the Crown Prince…"
"Don't talk about state affairs. Don't think that the Crown Prince has no eyes and ears here.”
"Bing Province is already a very delicate place. It's best to be careful.”
These aristocratic families were whispering. There were not many leaders of the aristocratic families who had really come here.
Instead, he sent a representative, either his son or a trusted butler.
When Li Xiao appeared, the noble families bowed together.
"Greetings, Your Highness!”
"Your Highness is awe-inspiring in Bingzhou.”
Under the constant support of the system, Li Xiao seemed to have grown taller and fiercer.
"Fellow villagers, there's no need to be so polite.”
Li Xiao waved his hand and slowly sat down.
There were many powerful families in Bingzhou. The Yuan, Wang, and Dugu Families were the three biggest families.
The Dugu Clan had even produced Empress Dugu, the Empress of Emperor Wen of Sui.
Without the help of these three powerhouses, it would be difficult to achieve anything.
Li Xiao knew this very well. He couldn't touch them now. He had to make use of them.
How to use them, of course, was to have enough temptation to make them move.
Li Xiao had already thought about it. It was the Silk Road. The Central Plains had good silk and tea.
There was a huge demand in the Western Regions, and this was a very high business.
Now that the Silk Road was intermittent, the volume of transactions was not very large.
Because there were too many countries along the way, the profits were high, but the risks were too high.
What Li Xiao had to do was to promise to completely open up the Silk Road and allow merchants from the west to pass through without hindrance.
It was a stepping stone to the prosperity of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty hundreds of years ago.
When Li Xiao expressed his wish, all the aristocratic families, including the three great families, were involuntarily attracted.
It was a common understanding that opening the Silk Road would inevitably lead to rolling profits.
However, how could he get through?
The road from Bingzhou to the Western Regions was thousands of miles long. To open up the Silk Road, he had to deal with those small tribes and countries.
Dealing with these obstacles on the road was the bait that Li Xiao gave to these wealthy families.
After Li Xiao explained the general strategy of the Silk Road, the wealthy families became excited. How could they not know about the profits?
After defeating Xue Yantuo's two attacks, the noble families had learned about Li Xiao's military capabilities.
In short, this young prince was not to be trifled with.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]