Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 188 Your Majesty! The Crown Prince sent Prince Yi Yang to heaven! [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside the Manna Hall.

Li Shimin was discussing state affairs with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Zhangsun Wuji and others.

Although Changsun Wuji no longer holds any real official position, he can still participate in the discussion of state affairs as he holds the position of Si Tu.

Moreover, no one would have any objection if he participated in discussions on national affairs.

It was just the feeling of returning to Li Shimin's power team that made Changsun Wuji cherish it even more and become more cautious.

Li Shimin then asked thoughtfully, "Have there been any reports from the battle front recently?"

"Your Majesty, there is a battle report from ten days ago!"

Minister of War Du Ruhui bowed and replied, "According to General Li Jing, they joined forces with Tuli to defeat Jie Li's main force. Jie Li is now leading his remaining troops in a retreat north of the Yin Mountains. A sudden heavy snowfall on the grasslands has stopped them, so they haven't rashly pursued him!"

"Well, Jie Li is more familiar with the grassland than us, so it is indeed not advisable to chase him too deep. Moreover, we cannot completely trust Tuli's group, otherwise we will easily be caught in a situation where we are attacked from all sides." Li Shimin said thoughtfully.

"But."

Fang Xuanling said thoughtfully: "Military strategies change rapidly. If Jie Li retreats to the north of Yinshan Mountain, he will have no food and his horses will easily freeze to death. This is a dead end. He will not fail to think of it."

"Ok?"

Li Shimin reacted for a moment and immediately called out to Wushe, "Bring me the map!"

"promise!"

Wushe agreed and soon had someone carry the map to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin walked straight to the map, scanned it with sharp eyes, and analyzed it carefully: "The Bingzhou Governor is in the east. If he retreats, Jie Li will have no choice but to go west!"

"But to the west is a vast desert, which is also a dead end!" Du Ruhui walked to the side of the map and pointed to a place and said.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin looked in the direction of his finger, frowned, and then fell into deep thought.

After about a quarter of an hour, he finally came back to his senses from his deep thoughts. He looked at the map again, gestured a few times, and said, "What if we set an ambush here, giving Jie Li a better option?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the ministers were slightly stunned, and then they all stood up and walked towards the map.

They thought about it carefully for a while, and then smiled in agreement.

But then Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "Your Majesty, this is a perfect place for an ambush!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will immediately send someone to convey a message to the Governor of Liangzhou, asking him to set up an ambush here!" Du Ruhui echoed, and then hurried out of Ganlu Palace.

Li Shimin returned to the throne with a smile on his face, and invited all his ministers to take their seats. "If we can successfully defeat the Eastern Turks in this battle, then the Tang Dynasty will have avenged its previous humiliation!"

"hehe,"

The ministers looked at each other and smiled.

But then Li Shimin asked again: "Apart from the war on the front line, is there any other state affairs that need to be discussed?"

"Your Majesty, the disaster is a common occurrence. The Ministry of Revenue has already mobilized grain from all over the country for disaster relief. However, due to the early warning of the locust plague, the Ministry of Revenue dares not mobilize too much grain to the disaster area."

Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Also, the Ministry of Revenue reported that due to the Tang Dynasty's successive victories against the Turks, the number of people returning from the outer regions and surrendering to the Tang Dynasty totaled over 400,000. If the Tang Dynasty were to annihilate the Eastern Turks, the number could reach around 1.3 million!"

"Although Datang now has a lot of land, good land is scarce, and the population is dense, while the uninhabited land is sparsely populated. Therefore, those who return to Datang can only be arranged in the uninhabited land."

"But now, the drought in the Tang Dynasty is getting worse, and the imperial court is also transporting grain to the disaster-stricken areas. As a result, those who go to the virgin land to open up wasteland have to face the following problems."

"First, there's the issue of taxation, and second, the issue of loaning seed. According to the imperial system, each household is allocated ten shi of grain."

Li Shimin hummed a sound after hearing this, then said thoughtfully, "Their return to the Tang Dynasty didn't start this year. In other words, some people had already returned to the Tang Dynasty since last year, or the year before last."

"And the seeds they borrowed from the court have to be returned the following year, which is also a considerable burden!"

"Yes, so my suggestion is to exempt them from tax for two years so that they can have an easier time!"

"Your suggestion is good, it should be exempted!"

"Your Majesty is wrong again!"

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Wei Zheng's voice rang out at the right time.

The ministers all rolled their eyes inwardly, thinking, "This Sheep-nosed Man, if he doesn't get involved, must be getting an itch, right? Why does he always have to wait for others to finish speaking before he speaks? Can't he just start talking?! Is he really just using his nose to smell?!"
Just when all the ministers were feeling depressed, Li Shimin helplessly raised his hand to his forehead and sighed, "Where did I go wrong again?"

"Your Majesty should not have agreed to the Minister of the Central Secretariat's suggestion to exempt them from taxes for two years!"

Wei Zheng said expressionlessly.

Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling with a strange expression.

Fang Xuanling was stunned at first, then his face turned blue with anger, and he could not help but scolded: "Wei Zheng, what do you mean?!"

"It doesn't mean anything, but I can't exempt you from two years of taxes!"

"Then you said to exempt taxes for a few years!"

"This has nothing to do with tax exemption!"

Wei Zheng remained expressionless and said, "Instead, they collect taxes based on households. It seems fair, but it's actually unfair!"

Li Shimin was stunned when he heard this: "Why?"

"Because households come in all sizes, small households bear a heavier burden than large ones, so it's unreasonable and unfair."

"This"

Li Shimin reacted for a moment, then nodded in agreement and said, "You are right."

"So, it is more reasonable to collect taxes per head than per household!" Wei Zheng added.

Li Shimin laughed and said, "If we collect taxes based on the number of people, we shouldn't just do it for two or three years. We should continue doing this forever!"

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter that requires your decision!"

Fang Xuanling bowed again.

Li Shimin asked doubtfully, "What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, not all of these returning people are Han Chinese from the Central Plains. There are also people from grassland tribes. Han Chinese are easier to resettle, but should these grassland people be divided into different states and counties, or resettled together?"

"What do you dear ladies think?"

"This"

The ministers looked at each other and then fell into deep thought.

After a while, Changsun Wuji said, "As the saying goes, those who are not of our race must have different hearts. It is better not to house these grassland people together."

"Indeed, we cannot fathom the thoughts of those barbarians. If we settle them in the heart of the Central Plains, their population will multiply in a few years and they will become a serious threat. We must be vigilant!"

Wei Zheng nodded and said, "Now we have a chance to disperse them and prevent them from gathering together to cause chaos. We must not miss this opportunity!"

"Ah!"

Fang Xuanling chuckled and jokingly looked at Wei Zheng, saying, "Didn't the Right Chancellor often say in front of Your Majesty that people can be educated? Why, now you don't want to educate those barbarians?"

Wei Zheng snorted coldly, not wanting to bother with him. He turned directly to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, it would be better to send them to Hetao. It is a place they are familiar with and a farming area. We can teach them farming and etiquette, and completely transform them into citizens of the Tang Dynasty."

"Haha, okay, that's good!"

Li Shimin laughed when he heard this: "This way we can guard against them and keep them where they are. It's really good!"

As he spoke, he looked around at the ministers and asked, "What do you think?"

"This"

The ministers looked at each other, thinking to themselves, "You've already said it, what else can we say?"
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The ministers spoke in unison again.

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction and was about to discuss the next state affair. At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has sent Prince Yiyang to heaven!!"

"What!?"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up from the throne, full of astonishment.

The other ministers were also shocked.

Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince such a troublemaker? Why won't he just stop?
What's the matter!

Brothers killing each other?? The Li family is really not done with, right?!
On the other side, the backyard of the Prince's Mansion.

Li Chengqian looked at the hot air balloon floating in the air with a grim face, and his eyes could not hide the urge to stab someone.

Originally he didn't want Li You to stay here, but Li You was a two-faced guy, and the more you tried to drive him away, the more difficult he would become.

As a result, he has made himself soar to the sky.

There is no shortage of naughty children in every era.

However, looking at the condition of this hot air balloon, it seems to be in good condition.

If only it could fly a little higher.

Li Chengqian thought so, then turned to look at Duan Lun beside him and said, "Minister Duan, get him down!"

"Prince Yiyang can ascend to heaven, he must be the reincarnation of an immortal. It would be a pity not to let him ascend."

Duan Lun looked up at the hot air balloon in the sky and said in a daze.

"Uh,"

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched, thinking to himself, if you want him to ascend, you have to ask Emperor Li II whether he agrees. I guess you will ascend before he does.

However, at this moment, there is no time for nonsense.

But then Li Chengqian said in a deep voice: "Minister Duan, follow my orders and take the hot air balloon down!" "Ah? Oh!"

Duan Lun reacted in a split second and quickly apologized to Li Chengqian: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was confused for a moment."

"Alright, alright, let him down now, or else if my father finds out, none of us will be safe!"

"Yes, yes, I will have Prince Yi Yang released right away!"

Duan Lun nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, then hurriedly called out to the craftsmen on the ground: "Quick! Tell the people up there to lower the fire and bring Prince Yi Yang down!"

"Yes!"

The craftsman on the ground responded and quickly pulled the signal rope, asking the pilot on the hot air balloon to lower the fire and slowly descend the balloon.

Because this hot air balloon was in the testing phase, the flying altitude was not very high, only about fifty meters. In addition, the pilot quickly discovered Li You, so he did not dare to fly higher.

At this time, Li You was so scared that his face turned pale and his whole body was trembling. If you look closely, you can clearly see that his pants are wet.

However, even so, he forced himself not to cry, which shows that this kid is definitely a ruthless person.

Around the sealed-off Prince's Mansion, people were already discussing and watching.

Although they still don't know what this thing is, this is the first time they have seen such a big Kongming lantern.

So under everyone's gaze, the hot air balloon finally landed safely in the Prince's Mansion.

This not only marks the success of the experiment, but also represents a great achievement for human spaceflight.

As the first nobleman in the world to fly into the sky, Li You accomplished an unprecedented feat of great historical significance.

Just like the Russian astronaut Gagarin many years later, he deserved to be treated like a hero when he returned to Earth.

However, there were no flowers or applause, and Li You did not have any heroic image.

Because before the hot air balloon completely landed, everyone could clearly see Li You lying on the side of the basket and shaking violently.

This made Li Chengqian, who wanted to go forward to meet him, stop immediately and wisely chose to wait where he was.

Just like that, accompanied by a lot of ups and downs, the hot air balloon finally returned to the ground.

Only then did Li Chengqian walk up to Li You with a smile and tease him, "My foolish brother, how are you? How does it feel to fly to the sky?"

"Brother Huang, please help me up, my legs are weak."

Li You was in no mood to joke with Li Chengqian and waved at him almost pleadingly.

But Li Chengqian snorted coldly and admonished him solemnly, "You're so weak now, what were you doing before? Do you know how dangerous this is?"

"Brother, I was wrong."

Seeing Li You's pitiful appearance, Li Chengqian didn't want to scold him anymore, and immediately waved to Lai Fu beside him.

Soon, Lai Fu carried Li You out of the hanging basket and sent him to the room.

At this moment, the pilot in charge of controlling the hot air balloon quickly climbed out of the basket and fell to his knees: "Your Highness, I am guilty of a capital crime. Please punish me!"

Li Chengqian smiled, then reached out and helped him up, saying, "You are a hero of the Tang Dynasty. What crime have you committed?"

"But His Royal Highness Prince Yi Yang..."

"That's his own fault, don't blame you!"

"Bastard!"

As soon as Li Chengqian finished speaking, an angry voice came from behind him.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Li Shimin, accompanied by Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Zhangsun Wuji, and countless imperial guards, walking towards them angrily.

"Father?"

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you here?"

"You still dare to ask why I'm here?"

Li Shimin was so angry at this that he laughed, and immediately ordered: "Capture this rebellious son!"

Wow!
As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Yun Duan rushed over with the imperial guards without saying a word.

Li Chengqian's face darkened, and he immediately shouted angrily: "How dare you!!"

As soon as these words came out, Yun Duan's heart trembled and he couldn't help but stop.

But then Li Chengqian said coldly: "Father, what do you mean by this?"

"You rebellious son, how dare you ask me what I mean? You even killed your brothers!" Li Shimin said gritting his teeth.

"???"

Three small black question marks slowly appeared on Li Chengqian's forehead, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is Father talking about me?"

"Nonsense! If it's not you, then it's..."

Before Li Shimin finished speaking, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. He felt that he was blinded by anger, so he ordered again in anger: "Quickly capture this rebellious son!"

"Wait, wait! Father is here for Brother You, right?"

"You still know!"

"Oh, this is a misunderstanding! Youdi is fine!"

"You've already sent him to heaven, and you still dare to say it's okay?!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This is all your fault. Please forgive me!" Duan Lun stepped forward in panic and explained, "It was your fault that I didn't keep a close eye on Prince Yi Yang and let him climb into the hanging basket. But Prince Yi Yang is actually fine. Your Majesty, don't worry!"

"This"

Li Shimin was completely confused.

Zhang Sun Wuji beside him hurriedly asked, "Where is His Royal Highness Prince Yi Yang?!"

"Father!"

Just as Duan Lun was about to answer, a trembling voice with joy suddenly came.

Li Shimin and others immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

Li You, wrapped in a sheet, staggered over and threw himself into Li Shimin's arms, bursting into tears.

"woooooo"

When Li Shimin heard Li You crying, he subconsciously reached out and touched him. He didn't feel like a cold corpse. Then he came to his senses and looked at Li Chengqian with a puzzled look, saying, "What's going on?"

"Ugh!"

Li Chengqian sighed, then spread his hands and said, "This is a long story, so I'll cut to the chase. Li You, this kid, is worthy of being a member of our Li family. He's got guts! He flew dozens of meters high and didn't cry, but he burst into tears the moment he saw my father!"

When Li Shimin heard this, his face twitched, and he felt that this was a little strange.

Although Li Chengqian said it lightly, everyone was still a little surprised when they heard it.

Flying dozens of meters high?

Does it mean that he really went to heaven?

And they were able to return to the ground safely. How did they do that?
Just when everyone was in doubt, Li Shimin suddenly smiled dumbly, patted Li You on the shoulder, and comforted him: "Don't cry, You'er, did you hear what your eldest brother said? You are worthy of being a member of our Li family. You are brave!"

Then he turned to Fang Xuanling and said, "Minister of the Central Secretariat, convey my decree to change the title of Prince of Yiyang, Li You, to Prince of Yan, and grant him the title of Governor of Youzhou!"

"Yes!"

Fang Xuanling smiled and responded, then reminded Li You, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, why don't you thank His Majesty?"

"Thank you, thank you, father."

Li You sobbed and saluted Li Shimin.

Li Chengqian glanced at him and thought to himself, "Don't be ungrateful, kid. I helped you today, so don't cheat me again in the future!"

But then Li Shimin asked curiously, "When I came here just now, I saw something flying in the sky. Did Youer ride that thing to the sky?"

"Yes, Father, I went up to the sky in a hot air balloon! That hot air balloon flew very high."

"Hot air balloon?"

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with some doubt.

Li Chengqian walked directly to the hot air balloon without saying a word, pointed at it and said, "This is the hot air balloon, father!"

"Oh?"

Li Shimin looked in the direction Li Chengqian pointed, and immediately became interested. He hurried over and asked, "Is this really a hot air balloon? Why is it different from what I saw?"

"What Father saw was an inflated hot air balloon. Now that it's not inflated, it's naturally different!"

"Then charge it quickly! I want to see how the hot air balloon flies into the sky!"

"I'm afraid this won't work!"

Li Chengqian refused directly: "It is a tool for my son to pray for rain, and it cannot fly for the time being!"

"What!?"

Li Shimin was shocked: "You want to pray for rain?!"

ps: Please give me monthly tickets, double monthly tickets.

　[Please give me a monthly ticket, please give me a monthly ticket, please give me double the monthly ticket, if it reaches 1000, I will update it again! ! Thanks to the book friend with the last number 0846 for the 200 reward]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)