The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1007 Li Shimin's Entrustment (Part )

In fact, since the Turks were defeated in the Battle of Dingxiang in the fourth year of Zhenguan, the Ashina clan was divided into two branches. One branch moved to the northern desert, with Ashina Shiluodie as the leader. After more than ten years of continuous attacks and weakening by Li Yan.

After one of them took control of the grassland in recent years, this branch is now in name only, and the Ashina family's ruling power on the grassland has long been replaced by the Li family.

As for the Tuli tribe in the south of the desert, the Tang Dynasty's rulers and ministers were not easy to deal with. After so many years of infiltration by the Tang Dynasty court, they had long lost their name. Although they still carried the title of Ashina clan, they had actually become the core of the Tang Dynasty.

The originally powerful tribes now only occupy a few empty positions at the highest level, and are scattered into numerous small tribes at the lower levels, having long lost the basis for their independent existence!
If Li Tai, Li Zhi or other princes had succeeded to the throne, perhaps Ashina Yun would have gradually separated from the Tang Dynasty and formed his own system. But now that Li Chengqian has ascended the throne, Ashina Yun and his son have taken another step and re-entered the core of the Tang Dynasty.

It’s not that Ashina Yun is not firm, but the benefits of having his son recognize his ancestral roots are too great.

Li Yan himself didn't care. His second son grew up on the grassland and was deeply involved with the grassland tribes. No matter what his surname was, it couldn't change his origin and background, which also doomed him to be unable to compete with Li Xiang for the throne.

Even if he returns to his ancestral homeland, the only thing he can rely on is the power of the grassland.

From the perspective of power stability, if he only had Li Xiang as his son, it would not be safe. One family dominating the country has always been a taboo, and it would be easy for another small court with Li Xiang as the core to form, threatening him.

It is also a good thing to have a competitor of similar age, strong but lacking in legal knowledge to provide checks and balances.

On the other hand, if Li Xiang was the only son, if something happened to him, he would have to adopt a son from among his brothers. This would put Li Xiang in danger and make him vulnerable to manipulation, thus coveting his imperial power.

With the second son, the fantasies of other brothers were put to an end. The second son's inheritance rights were below Li Xiang but above those of other clan members, which was a great protection for Li Xiang.

This decision was not made by Li Yan, but was a unanimous decision made by Li Shimin and the top leaders of the Tang Dynasty, for the long-term consideration of the country.

But it's better this way. The whole world, the desert grasslands have the surname Li, and the inland Central Plains also have the surname Li. The only area left is the southern part of the desert sandwiched between the two. After the second son changes his surname back to Li, the influence of the Ashina family will be completely eliminated.

Li Yan secretly thought that when his clone came out and returned to the grassland, he would announce to the world that the so-called Li Yan was Li Jiancheng's illegitimate son. In that case, the world would belong to Li, which would be the general trend, although it might cause some turmoil.

But in the overall situation, the grassland and the Tang Dynasty have become one family. If a war breaks out again, it will be a civil war.

The wars among the upper class can be attributed to the struggle for power and profit among the same surname, and they can kill each other, but they will not implicate the lower class people. With this name, when the grassland launched the invasion to the south, the clone Li Yan also had sufficient reasons to restrain the ordinary soldiers from harming the people.

Li Yan sat on the dragon throne, lost in long-term thoughts.

Wang De, who was standing in the front, was still announcing various imperial decrees tirelessly. There were too many things involved in the ascension of the new emperor to the throne. In addition to the people closest to him rising to heaven, the whole country had to celebrate and bless all the people.

Pardoning criminals, exempting taxes and so on are all appropriate.

The ministers in the court were even more waiting for rewards. The first one was Hou Junji. Whether it was his status as the father-in-law of the emperor or the contributions he made when Li Yan ascended the throne, he was second to none. He was directly granted the high title of Taiwei, the head of the Three Dukes, which almost made him the highest among all the ministers.

In addition, he was appointed as the General of the Left Guard, the head of the Twelve Guards, and was in charge of most of the Imperial Guard.

Other ministers such as Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Xiao Yu, Cen Wenben, etc. were also rewarded. Li Shimin took this opportunity to promote a group of ministers who were inclined to Li Yan, greatly increasing Li Yan's actual power.

Generally speaking, the power of Li Shimin himself was not affected, and the power of the aristocratic families was not affected. The power of Li Yan's old Eastern Palace was significantly strengthened, and the original Eastern Palace tutors such as Xue Rengui, Wang Xuance, and Gao Kan all moved to important positions and held great power.

The princes who had once ambitiously competed for the throne, such as Li Tai, Li Ke, Li You, and Li Zhi, suffered a severe blow, and their power was reduced to varying degrees. In particular, many officials from aristocratic families under the command of Prince Wei Li Tai were stripped of all their power and driven out of the court.

A new emperor appoints his own ministers. If you stand on the wrong side, you will naturally have to bear the corresponding punishment. This is different from Li Shimin's behavior against the aristocratic families. Other aristocratic families will not come forward to help. After all, officials like Wei Ting who defected to the aristocratic families in time would have their status rise instead of fall.

In this way, all the civil and military officials in the court were busy all day long, until the sun set, the entire process of replacing the old with the new and the new court structure were completed, and Li Yan became the third emperor since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

The sun sets in Chengqing Palace!

Li Shimin and Li Yan both changed into casual clothes and dismissed all the servants. A banquet was set up next to the side hall facing the lake. It was not very rich, but only some home-cooked dishes, just like the third year of Zhenguan, when the father and son often had such small gatherings. However, more than ten years later, the once frivolous and dissolute boy has grown into a mature and stable ruler.

The handsome and romantic hero, who conquered the entire Li Tang Dynasty and dominated an era, and scared away Jie Li's army of hundreds of thousands with his own reputation, is now very old and can't even stand up straight when sitting in a reclining chair.

Like a candle in the wind, it may go out at any time.

Li Shimin was less than fifty years old, but his hair was already gray, his face was covered with age spots, and he exuded an air of old age and decay, all of which spoke of the cruelty and ruthlessness of time. Only his eyes were still sharp, as if they could see a glimpse of his youth.

Li Yan couldn't help but sigh. Although Li Shimin was framed by others, his old appearance was caused by the heavy government affairs and complicated court situation. As far as he knew, Li Shimin had to review hundreds of memorials every day.

He often stays up late to handle government affairs, and his diet and sleep are extremely irregular.

As a rare wise king in the history, Li Shimin was born into an aristocratic family, received a good education, was well-informed since childhood, and lived in the core of power. After the chaos in the world, he was even more proud and independent, leading thousands of troops to conquer the world and conquer the vast land of the Tang Dynasty.

He ascended the throne when he was less than 30 years old and actually ruled an empire. He had many wise counselors and brave generals under his command. He implemented benevolent policies, reduced taxes and levies, and was familiar with institutional reforms, which greatly alleviated the pressure on the people and made the country peaceful.

He launched foreign wars, defeated the Turks, and annexed Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje, Tubo, Tuyuhun, and the countries in the Western Regions.

After twenty years of hard work, the Tang Dynasty is now unprecedentedly powerful, with its actual ruling area extending from the south of the desert in the north to the edge of the East China Sea on the Liaodong Peninsula in the east, from the Zhenla region of the Indochina Peninsula in the south to the distant Western Regions such as Dawan and Parthia in the west.

The territory of the Tang Dynasty was two to three times that of the Wude period. It can be said that with Li Shimin's current achievements, he easily surpassed the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor Wu to become the first wise and holy ruler in history.

However, the problem Li Shimin encountered was also a tough nut to crack. In the north, the Right Wise King, who had never existed in history, emerged out of nowhere and unified the Turkic tribes with force, forming a powerful new Turkic empire.

With millions of soldiers under his command, they threatened the safety of the Tang Dynasty at any time and anywhere, so Li Shimin did not dare to relax for a moment.

Internally, there are the aristocratic families that have been formed since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. They are complex and powerful, holding the actual power of the Tang Dynasty. They bind the Tang Empire tightly like a ghost, and are connected to it by flesh and blood and inseparable from it.

Li Shimin looked at his eldest son, who was full of vigor and vitality. He was relieved, but also worried. "Qian'er, now you are the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Although I can't bear it, I have to hand over this heavy responsibility and millions of people to you."

"From now on, you no longer belong to yourself, but will bear the responsibility for the rise and fall of the world."

"Think twice before you do anything, and don't act rashly. My health is failing, and it will only last for a few days. Without me, there will be no one to protect you from the wind and rain, and you will have to rely on yourself for everything."

"I originally wanted to eliminate the troubles of the aristocratic families during my lifetime and leave you a dynasty without any hidden dangers. Unfortunately, God did not give me longevity. My road has come to an end. The remaining unfinished business can only be handed over to you."

After saying that, Li Shimin picked up the wine glass on the table and slowly drank it.

Then, stroking his beard, Li Shimin raised his old face and looked at the sky outside the window. The setting sun was like a last ray of light, releasing its last rays, emitting golden afterglow that fell on the two people in the hall.

There was reluctance, regret and remorse in Li Shimin's eyes. In the end, he let out a light sigh. Endless desolation and regret drowned his former ambitions and unfinished hegemony.

Li Yan felt sorry for what he saw and his mood became heavy. In his excitement, he almost revealed his cards to Li Shimin, telling him that he would not die and that he had a way to save him. They, father and son, still had a long future together!
Finally, thinking about the next layout, I held back the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

"Father, don't worry."

Li Yan said with a resolute look: "I will definitely live up to my father's expectations, let the people of the world live and work in peace and contentment, and let the Tang Dynasty continue to be strong."

"Ok!"

Li Shimin was actually very worried. After all, in his heart, although his eldest son was smart, he had been away from Chang'an for a long time, missed the most important time, and did not receive the most important training. How could he govern the country?
Not only him, but even old ministers like Fang Xuanling and Xiao Yu were confused.

(End of this chapter)