Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

Just as Li Shimin was about to rebuke Li Yuan, he suddenly saw Li Tai and Li Ke peeking out from the doorway.

"Get in here."

Li Shimin roared in annoyance.

The two brothers hurriedly entered the main hall and knelt down with a thud.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Emperor!"

Li Shimin sadly discovered that he dared not confront Li Yuan in this room.

He couldn't win against Li Chengqian.

I can only let these two little brats in to vent my anger.

Before he could speak, Li Yuan spoke first.

"Ke'er."

"Your grandson is here!"

"You did a good job this time."

Li Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

"He wasn't completely fooled by those old foxes from the Cui family of Qinghe. He knew to hide behind his elder brother when things got really bad, so he's not too stupid."

Li Ke was stunned.

He thought he would be scolded by his grandfather when he came in, but he was praised instead?

"Your imperial grandfather is right."

Li Shimin then said...

"At least you're not completely stupid, knowing to turn to your older brother when things go wrong."

"If you had actually dared to go to Xuanwu Gate with the Cui family, you would be the one tied up next to Hou Junji right now."

Li Ke hurriedly kowtowed and said:

"Your subject deserves to die! Your subject has absolutely no intention of rebelling; it was all due to the Cui family's coercion..."

"Alright, stop howling."

Li Chengqian kicked Li Tai's butt.

"Qingque, pull your third brother up. He's not lying on the ground in the way."

Li Tai quickly pulled Li Ke up, and the two stood behind Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian pointed to his two younger brothers behind him.

"Father, didn't you just ask me what I planned to do in the future?"

Li Shimin glanced at Li Chengqian:

"What? What mischief are you plotting now?"

Li Chengqian smiled and said:

"As I just said, there's plenty of territory outside of the Tang Dynasty. Where can't we go?"

"What does this have to do with the two of them?"

"It's a big deal."

Li Chengqian said with a smile

"Father, think about it, our Tang Dynasty will become richer and richer in the future, and Chang'an City is only so big."

What were these princes doing staying in the capital? Did they spend their days cockfighting, dog racing, and strolling around Pingkangfang?

They're so bored they're practically begging for trouble; who knows, one day someone might come and try to incite them to seize the throne again.

Li Shimin's face darkened.

The struggle for succession among princes in every dynasty has always been a deadlock.

He himself had fought his way out of the Xuanwu Gate, so he naturally understood the ins and outs of this.

"And what do you mean?"

Li Yuan became interested and looked at Li Chengqian to ask.

Li Chengqian pointed at Li Tai and Li Ke and said:

"Let them go out to fight with the army."

Upon hearing this, the Ganlu Palace fell into a deathly silence.

Qin Qiong and Li Ji exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Li Shimin pointed at Li Chengqian's nose and roared:

"Are you crazy? Let them lead the troops?"

Throughout history, crown princes have treated princes with the same caution as thieves.

He wished he could keep all his brothers in the capital and raise them like pigs.

How could a crown prince voluntarily suggest that his younger brothers go out to lead troops into battle?

"Brother! I dare not. I don't know how to fight."

Li Tai was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly.

"I just want to stay in Chang'an; I'm not going anywhere else."

Li Ke was also frightened and his face changed, thinking that Li Chengqian was testing them in a roundabout way.

"Shut up, you two have no right to speak."

Li Chengqian glared at Li Tai, then turned to Li Shimin and continued speaking.

"Father, I'm not crazy. This is called keeping the good stuff in the family."

Our Tang Dynasty army will expand outwards in the future. The territories we conquer need to be managed, right? If we send outsiders, who knows, they might become independent and hold military power in those remote, mountainous areas.

Since that's the case, why not send one of our own brothers? Whoever conquers the territory will become a prince there. He'll take up his fiefdom.

Li Chengqian became more and more excited as he spoke.

"Doesn't Qingque like to eat? Let him go and conquer the Western Regions. There's plenty of beef and mutton there. If we conquer it, let him be the King of the Western Regions and eat roasted whole lamb every day."

Isn't the third prince a descendant of the previous dynasty, making his identity sensitive? Let him go and fight in the north. There are many iron mines there. After conquering them, make him the Prince of Zhenbei, specifically to mine for our Tang Dynasty.

When the ninth son grows up, send him to fight in Southeast Asia. They have three harvests a year there; after conquering it, let him grow rice.

Li Chengqian's blueprint left everyone in the Ganlu Hall dumbfounded.

Li Shimin frowned and stared intently at Li Chengqian, asking:

"Do you know what you're saying? Give them military power and let them go out to their fiefdoms."

What if they become powerful enough to lead their troops back to Chang'an?

The Rebellion of the Seven States and the Rebellion of the Eight Princes—aren't the historical records clear enough?

Li Yuan also felt that Li Chengqian was taking a bit too big a step.

"Chengqian, your father is right. The princes hold great military power, and if anything happens, Chang'an will be in danger."

Qin Qiong and Li Ji both nodded in agreement.

Military power is a vital instrument of the state and should never be easily delegated.

Li Chengqian smiled, completely unconcerned.

"Father, Grandfather, your concerns are based on the era of cold weapons."

"What kind of cold weapon?"

Li Shimin asked in confusion.

"They are swords, spears, halberds, and other weapons."

Li Chengqian said confidently,

"If they are still carrying ordinary swords and bows and arrows, even if I release them, they will not pose any threat to Chang'an."

Because they will never get the cards I hold in my hand.

First, I am the only one who knows the training methods of the Royal Guard. They are the sharpest blade in the Tang Dynasty.

Second, and most importantly, gunpowder.

The mention of gunpowder made Cheng Yaojin shudder.

He personally witnessed how the city wall collapsed in Liaodong.

"I have a firm grip on the gunpowder production line."

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin.

"Father, even if I give each of them an army of 100,000, as long as I don't give them gunpowder or crossbow parts, what will they use to fight me?"

"If they dare to rebel, I'll take gunpowder and push my way through; their city walls are nothing but paper in front of me."

Li Shimin remained silent.

If Li Chengqian hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten all the things this rebellious son had done in Liaodong.

With those things, the cities in this world are basically made of paper in front of him.

Li Yuan seemed to be thinking something and said:

"That's true, but people's hearts are unpredictable. What if they plunder artisans in their fiefdoms and develop it themselves?"

"Development?"

Li Chengqian was delighted.

"Grandpa, I compiled the textbooks for the Gewu Academy, and the core chemistry and physics knowledge is all in my head."

"They can't even understand a simple equation, how are they supposed to develop it?"

Li Chengqian walked up to Li Tai and Li Ke and said:

"Qingque, Lao San, listen up."

I will give you soldiers and provisions, and send you out to make a name for yourselves.

You will be kings of the territories you conquer, and you will keep 30% of the taxes for yourselves, while the rest will be handed over to the national treasury.

I don't care what you do out there. But there's one thing...

Li Chengqian curled his lips.

"Anyone who dares to point a knife at Chang'an will suffer a fate ten thousand times worse than Hou Junji's."

"Brother, even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare."

Li Tai almost cried.

"I really don't want to fight, I just want to stay in Chang'an..."

"It's not up to you."

Li Chengqian kicked Li Tai in the buttocks.

"Go back and pack your things. Next month, you'll be going to the Shuofang camp with Cheng Chumo for training. If you don't lose thirty pounds, I'll burn you to the ground."

Li Tai looked at Li Shimin with teary eyes.

As a result, Li Shimin turned his head away and pretended not to see it.

However, Li Chengqian's plan is indeed the solution to the problem of princes vying for the throne at this stage.

Using the existing territory of the Tang Dynasty as its base, the princes led their troops to fight outside the region.

This solved both the problem of the prince being incited and the desire of the Tang Dynasty's military generals to gain merit.

"Your idea is not bad."

Li Shimin snorted coldly.

"However, Chang'an is the foundation. If you disperse all your troops, what will you use to quell the unrest in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian suddenly smiled mysteriously.

"Father, do you really think I dared to confront Hou Junji head-on at Xuanwu Gate today with just a few ballistae?"

Li Shimin was taken aback:

"You still have a backup plan?"

Qin Qiong, Li Ji, and the others all perked up their ears.

Li Chengqian looked at the few people in the main hall and said mysteriously:

"Father, do you remember when I said I wanted to renovate the Taiji Hall square and had all the paving stones dug up?"

Li Shimin nodded:

"The Ministry of Revenue also allocated five thousand strings of cash. Didn't you say you wanted to build some kind of underground drainage ditch?"

"The drainage ditch is fake."

Li Chengqian said smugly,

"I buried 8,000 jin of gunpowder under the Taiji Hall square."

The Ganlu Hall fell silent.

Cheng Yaojin's face turned green with fright.

Li Shimin roared in terror, "What did you say?"

Li Chengqian clapped his hands with a relaxed expression:

"The eight thousand catties were divided into twelve detonation points, and the fuses were all connected to the basement of the East Palace. As soon as I pull the fuse..."

Li Chengqian spread his arms outwards, making an explosion gesture.

"Boom! The entire Taiji Hall plaza, along with the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers on it, was instantly sent flying into the sky."

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin, whose face was pale, and added with a smile.

"Father, with this thing as a safety net, who would dare to rebel against me in Chang'an?"

Li Shimin felt a sudden dizziness.

So all these years I've been under this rebellious son's control?