The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"That makes sense." Li Shimin could not deny Empress Zhangsun's words.

But these kinds of things... it's better not to know, because once you do, it's hard not to think about them carefully.

Because it's too terrifying.

Li Shimin murmured, "Guanyinbi, you have no idea what I have discovered. The cycle that Huai'an mentioned is too terrifying."

"Once the land reaches its carrying capacity to support the population, war will inevitably break out. What appears to be a struggle for land is actually the most brutal way to wipe out the population!"

"This is a cycle, a recurrence!"

"In the early years of the dynasty, after a long period of war, officials were mostly honest and incorruptible, with strict assessments and effective supervision. The war had drastically reduced the population, leaving a lot of wasteland, with ample arable land and food available per capita, leading to rapid population growth."

"During the middle of the dynasty, a century of peace led to a doubling and then tripling of the population. However, arable land was gradually depleted, and the per capita arable land continued to shrink."

"In the later period of the dynasty, the population reached the upper limit of the land's carrying capacity, and the total grain output could not keep up with the population growth, resulting in insufficient food rations per capita. At this time, if natural disasters and land consolidation were added, large-scale famine and displacement would immediately break out."

"Upon entering this stage, the population will immediately undergo its largest purge."

"It's like this: since the land has reached its carrying capacity, then we should eliminate most of the population."

"Then... let's move on to the next loop!"

As Li Shimin spoke these words, his voice trembled slightly. This was the terrible and horrifying truth that Chen Huai'an had told him.

Empress Zhangsun felt a chill run down her spine after hearing this.

She never expected that what Chen Huai'an pointed out, what Li Shimin was thinking, would lead to this answer!

But upon closer inspection, it seems there really isn't a problem at all.

This is true for the establishment and fall of any dynasty.

The Sui Dynasty and their current Tang Dynasty are the best examples.

No wonder Li Shimin showed such emotions. Anyone would be horrified to hear such cruel rules and cycles.

Empress Zhangsun was at a loss for words.

She wanted to comfort Li Shimin, but she herself was terrified by the terrible truth.

The so-called resistance and uprising were actually a massive population cleansing?

It was as if there was an invisible hand controlling everything behind them, and they hadn't even noticed it if Chen Huai'an hadn't pointed it out.

Empress Zhangsun swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing her fear, and advised, "Second Prince, don't think about these things for now. The issue of the land's carrying capacity is linked to the issue of land annexation."

"Lizhi told me that Mr. Chen said that as long as private land ownership exists and transactions and sales are allowed, it will inevitably lead to mergers."

"This isn't something we should be thinking about right now!"

"Alas... I have already said everything you said..." Li Shimin sighed. He wanted to say something, but his words suddenly stopped.

As if he had just thought of something, he suddenly widened his eyes, stood up instantly, and his body trembled slightly.

Then he suddenly turned around and grabbed Empress Zhangsun's shoulders tightly: "What did you just say? Say it again?!"

Empress Zhangsun was somewhat at a loss, not understanding what was wrong with Li Shimin, and whether she had said something wrong.

Seeing Li Shimin's current state, she didn't have time to think further and quickly replied, "This is not something we should be thinking about right now..."

"No, it's the previous sentence!!"

Empress Zhangsun thought for a moment and replied, "As long as private land ownership exists and transactions and sales are permitted, will it inevitably lead to land annexation?"

"Yes! That's it!" Li Shimin muttered to himself, his expression somewhat manic. "Private land ownership...allowing transactions inevitably leads to mergers."

"This is it!"

"I understand! I understand everything!"

Empress Zhangsun then spoke up at the opportune moment: "What does Your Majesty understand?"

"I..." Li Shimin instinctively wanted to answer, but then stopped, stared at Empress Zhangsun, and shook his head, "Don't ask any more questions about this matter!"

"Okay." Empress Zhangsun was very direct and didn't ask any more questions.

Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief, lay back down, and looked at the snowflakes falling outside the palace. He finally understood the question he had doubted before.

Private land ownership inevitably leads to land consolidation.

The beneficiaries of private land ownership were landlords, wealthy gentry, powerful families, and various nobles.

Li Shimin could not change this system because the emperor himself was the biggest landowner!

Land annexation is undoubtedly the most direct cause of the dynastic cycle. Without land annexation, how many people would it take to reach the land's carrying capacity limit?

Li Shimin felt that it would be difficult; at least the existing land could easily support 100 million people.

At least in his view, without land consolidation, the pressure on the land would hardly reach its limit.

Once you understand these points and realize that land annexation is the root of all problems, the answer becomes quite easy to guess.

Under the existing system, the emperor, as the largest landowner, absolutely had to guarantee private land ownership, but this inevitably led to land annexation.

It can be said that the source of annexation was the emperor!

Therefore, can we conclude that in order to solve the problem of land annexation, break the dynastic cycle, and break the cycle, we must solve the problem of the emperor, who is the biggest landowner?

Li Shimin swallowed hard, deeply shocked.

"I understand now. The so-called dragon-slaying technique never targets a single emperor."

"It's the dragon of the imperial system!"

"..."

Meanwhile, Chen Huai'an was still strolling around Chang'an City.

When Li Shimin first left, he wanted to take Chen Huai'an with him, but Chen Huai'an refused, wanting to wander around by himself and clear his mind.

The snow in December was indeed heavy.

Ordinary people would be quite likely to get sick if they went out in such heavy snow without even using an umbrella. However, Chen Huai'an didn't have this concern. He could even wear only one layer of clothing and not feel cold at all.

It's comparable to a tiger.

So he didn't care about the snow at all, and strolled around Chang'an, his thoughts drifting away.

Sometimes, he himself thinks that he has already done enough.

It was fine when I was alone before, but now that I've found family and have the bonds of kinship, why make trouble for myself like this?

In the vortex of Chang'an, even Li Shimin had to be careful with his words and actions and could not do whatever he wanted.

But if he wanted, he could easily fake his death, find a place to live in seclusion with his sister and niece, and live a peaceful life.

Why continue?

Whenever he thought of this, Chen Huai'an would fall silent, feeling only displeasure, and then continue doing it.

That's right, there's no other reason.

I just feel unhappy.

He never cared whether it was worth it or not, after all, as the old saying goes, "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven."

You must shoulder responsibilities commensurate with your abilities; you can't just consider whether it's worthwhile from a purely profit-driven perspective.

in addition......

Chen Huai'an stretched out his hand, looking at the few pieces of silver in his hand with a complicated expression.

The first year of the Zhenguan era was a busy and dangerous year for him.

But he also gained a lot during that year.

"......"