A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Father, Taiyuan is a strategic location connecting the grasslands, Yanzhou, Hebei, the Central Plains, and Guanzhong. Whoever takes Taiyuan will gain the upper hand."

"Moreover, due to Taiyuan's geographical advantages, Taiyuan was extremely wealthy. One of the three largest granaries established by the Sui Dynasty was located in Taiyuan."

"The situation in the world is now basically clear: the Sui Dynasty is doomed, Li Mi is being restrained by Wang Shichong, and Dou Jiande will soon expand outwards, with Taiyuan inevitably bearing the brunt."

"If Father does not raise an army now, I am afraid that we will be at their mercy, and the entire Li clan will not escape death."

Li Shimin stood in front of Li Yuan, calmly analyzing the situation for him.

"Erlang, aren't you going a bit too far?"

"Now that you and your elder brother have both become disciples of the Prince of Yan, with your elder brother being the Prince's personal disciple, would Dou Jiande dare to lay a hand on my Li family?"

Li Yuan didn't take it seriously; his eldest son was his greatest source of confidence.

Otherwise, given Taiyuan's strategic geographical location and its status as a granary, how could Li Yuan possibly maintain such firm control over Taiyuan?

It was all because he spread the news that his eldest son had become a disciple of the Prince of Yan. Even someone as powerful as Li Mi, who was like Dou Jiande, had to give him face.

"Of course, there will be no danger to their lives, but being treated as a high-ranking figure and having no power left in their hands, their life and death will be in the hands of the other party. This is an expected outcome."

"Is this the result Father wanted?"

"Without sufficient strength, living at the mercy of others—can you, Father, accept such a price?"

Li Shimin offered this advice.

Li Yuan frowned. "They probably wouldn't dare, would they? So many years have passed, and we've always lived in peace, haven't we?"

"Father is foolish. They didn't dare to do it before because they were not yet powerful enough and the situation was unclear."

"But now, Dou Jiande has completely stabilized the situation in Hebei, and Li Mi has also occupied the Central Plains. The general trend of the world has become clear. The reign of the Sui Dynasty has come to an end. In the future, it will inevitably be a situation where the princes fight for hegemony, the Sui Dynasty loses its power, and the whole world will vie for it."

"In chaotic times of bloodshed, right and wrong are never considered."

Li Shimin was somewhat anxious. How could his father be so naive? Chaos was approaching, how could he place all his hopes on his elder brother's apprenticeship?

"Second Brother, calm down."

"As long as your elder brother is still alive and hasn't been expelled from the sect, even if heroes vie for supremacy and a new dynasty is established, our Li family will still be able to hold high positions and enjoy endless wealth and glory."

"Why risk the extermination of your entire clan to contend for supremacy in this chaotic world?"

Li Yuan remained nonchalant, but his words weren't entirely wrong. Given Li Jiancheng's status, this was indeed the case. As long as the Li family didn't participate in the struggle for supremacy, the final victor would definitely not deliberately target them.

"Father, you've overlooked something."

Li Shimin's eyes flickered. "The victors certainly won't target us, but what about the losers?"

"If Dou Jiande were to occupy Taiyuan and then suffer a defeat in the future struggle for power among the warlords, no one could be certain what he would do in his madness."

"Moreover, during the crucial period of the struggle for hegemony among the warlords, Dou Jiande was able to treat the Li family with great respect, but he would never allow the Li family to control military power."

"If Dou Jiande were to be defeated and want someone to be buried with him, what would Father do?"

Li Yuan was startled by Li Shimin's words, but then he saw the calm Li Jiancheng. "Jiancheng, I wonder if our Li family could move to Yanzhou together? We can move back after the world is pacified."

Li Shimin: "..."

It's so difficult for him; persuading his father to embark on the path of vying for supremacy is just too hard.

However, although he had some idea of ​​what was going on, the teacher didn't say it explicitly, and he was a little afraid that he had misunderstood.

Li Shimin recalled that when he was studying in Yanzhou, his teacher intentionally or unintentionally taught him the art of governing the country and the mind of an emperor, which made his ambition rise continuously.

"Father, you should go. Your son wants to stay."

Li Shimin lowered his head, and a few strands of hair obscured his eyes, making it difficult to see clearly.

Li Yuan silently looked at his son, "Second Brother, what exactly happened?"

Li Shimin remained silent for a long time, while Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng sat there quietly waiting. The only sound in the entire study was the breathing of the three of them.

"When I was in Yanzhou, my teacher taught me some imperial strategies and methods of governing a country."

"I suspect that my teacher wanted to groom me to conquer the world and become a new emperor."

"However, my teacher has consistently refused to accept me as his personal disciple, which makes me wonder if I've misunderstood him, and perhaps he just wants me to rise to the highest ranks of officialdom?"

Li Shimin stammered out his guess, and felt much better afterward.

This matter had been weighing heavily on his mind for a long time, and he dared not tell anyone about it. It was buried deep in his heart and had even become a source of anxiety for him.

Li Yuan pondered Li Shimin's words. He had also studied under the former Prince of Yan and naturally had some understanding of the Prince of Yan's behavior.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this matter had great potential.

"You're right. It seems the Prince of Yan does indeed intend to support the Li family in establishing a new dynasty."

A smile appeared on Li Yuan's face, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.

"What do you mean by that, Father?"

Li Shimin asked anxiously.

Li Jiancheng also became interested and looked at Li Yuan together with Li Shimin.

Li Yuan stroked his goatee and said slowly, "Don't rush, let your father explain."

"Since the end of the Han Dynasty, the Wei family has been trying to sever ties with the Han Dynasty."

"During the Han Dynasty, many emperors were direct disciples of the head of the Wei family at that time, such as Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu."

"However, this was not common in the Qian Dynasty. Only a handful of emperors were able to become the Wei family's personal disciples."

"By the end of the Qianlong era, the Wei family had completely severed ties with the empire of Shenzhou, becoming aloof from the world."

"Therefore, they naturally would not accept an emperor as a personal disciple, and it is likely that no emperor will be able to become a personal disciple of the Prince of Yan in the future. A nominal disciple is the limit."

"Erlang, you are exceptionally talented, especially in military strategy. Why then have you not been able to become a disciple of the Prince of Yan or a direct disciple of the Prince of Wu'an?"

"I was a student of the former King of Yan, but I can't even be considered his disciple."

"It seems that the Prince of Yan intends to make you, my father and I, brothers, to replace the Sui Dynasty and establish a new dynasty."

Li Yuan explained his speculation in detail. In the end, he realized something, his pupils contracted, and his meaningful gaze swept over Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.

His eldest son was Li Jiancheng, so why did the Prince of Yan choose his second son instead?

Did the Prince of Yan intend for his second son to become the founding emperor, instead of him?

No, no, this is the founding emperor, the emperor who became the ancestor. This honor cannot be given up, not even by his son!