People in the Tang Dynasty, Jian'an style

Su Dingfang was indeed a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. He regained his composure in just a moment: "How ridiculous! How can a child like you who grew up in a palace understand the sufferings of the people?"

"I vowed to wipe out the Xiongnu without caring about my own life, and lost five thousand minks and silks in the dust of the Huns. It's a pity that the bones on the bank of the Wuding River are still the man in the spring girl's dream. General Su, although my Tang Dynasty has been established, the Turks, Gaochang, Goryeo and other foreign races are still a great threat to us."

Li Wenbin talked freely: "Let's not talk about anything else. If I remember correctly, General Su should be from Jizhou? When Yang Guang attacked Goryeo, didn't Hebei and Shandong suffer enough?"

"Let's not talk about anything else. Now the Turks and Goryeo are still eyeing our border counties covetously. It's only a matter of time before we meet in battle. Are you going to sit back and do nothing?"

"Then according to what you said, what should we do?"

"If you can't solve the problem, then get rid of the person who raised the problem."

"Kill to stop killing, kill him and let him live forever without worries, kill him and put an end to it all!"

Li Wenbin's words were powerful and filled with murderous intent. The owner of the nearby market town and ordinary craftsmen were so scared that they fell to their knees. Even the Gao Qiu brothers were very shocked, as if they didn't know this little master.

"it is good!"

"What a way to stop killing with killing, what a way to kill him and make him worry-free forever." Su Dingfang slapped his thigh and shouted, "But according to what you said, I should surrender to the King of Qin, right?"

"Don't worry, my father doesn't dare and can't use you now. With your intelligence, you will understand this."

Why was Li Wenbin so confident? Because now was an important moment in the fight for the position of crown prince. If Li Shimin accepted the "remnants" of Dou Jiande and Liu Heita, the next day the memorials from the censors controlled by Crown Prince Li Jiancheng would fill up Li Yuan's desk.

Su Dingfang said proudly: "I can wait."

"If you can wait, can those orphans and widows in Jizhou wait too?"

"How did you know that someone..."

"I've always heard that General Su is a chivalrous man. I'm afraid the money you earn now is still used to support the orphans and widows in Jizhou. But even if you are made of iron, how many nails can you hammer?"

"Follow me, I can help you."

"Do you have that much money? That's not a matter for just one or two people."

"Don't worry, money is not a problem. General Su, don't you believe it?"

Su Dingfang's expression changed for a while: "It's not that I don't believe you, it's really..."

"Oh, you are not good at talking, but you are not reliable in doing things? I understand. Then please follow me, General Su."

Li Wenbin placed the black dagger on the table and said, "General Su, please take a look. This is a weapon I forged using a secret method. See if it is suitable for your use."

Su Dingfang was stunned. He found that the dagger did not reflect any light under the sunlight. He felt very comfortable holding it in his hand. With a casual stab, the dagger was deeply embedded in the locust tree beside him, leaving only the handle of the dagger exposed.

"What a sharp dagger."

Since ancient times, famous generals have loved precious weapons. When Su Dingfang saw the dagger, he couldn't take his eyes off it. He played with it for a long time before reluctantly returning it to Li Wenbin.

"Although this item is good, it cannot allow me to serve you, my lord. Please forgive me."

Li Wenbin sighed. He didn't expect Su Dingfang to be so stubborn. He couldn't be bribed by this method. It seemed that he had to use a big trick to do it.

He pulled Su Dingfang aside and no one knew what he said. Anyway, Li Tianlu finally saw Su Dingfang kneeling on one knee and calling him "My dear".

……

When Changsun Wugou rushed to the study, Li Shimin was furious with Li Wenbin.

"Rebellious son, you rebellious son. Do you know what consequences will befall you and the palace if you make friends with bandits?"

Li Shimin no longer had his usual gentleness and elegance. In a rage, he kept waving his hands and spitting all over Li Wenbin.

"Your Majesty, what happened? Please calm down first and talk to me nicely." Zhangsun Wugou quickly stopped her husband and then scolded Li Wenbin, "What did you do to make your father so angry?"

"I didn't do anything, I just went out for a walk and met a friend."

Li Shimin interrupted Li Wenbin and said, "Guanyin, do you know the name of this rebellious son's friend?"

"Listen carefully, that man's surname is Su, his name is Lie, and his courtesy name is Dingfang. He is a general under Dou Jiande and Liu Heita!"

Chapter 79 It’s time to crown him king

Although she didn't know who Su Dingfang was, Changsun Wugou knew Dou Jiande and Liu Heita. She opened her eyes wide and said, "Your Highness, you can't just scold such a rebellious son and leave it at that. I will impose family rules on you right now."

As he said this, he did not forget to give Li Wenbin a reassuring look.

"You are still protecting him at this time? Can this be solved by family law?" Li Shimin closed his eyes and sighed, "Come here, tie up this rebellious son for me. I want to send him to the Golden Palace and kill my own relative for the sake of justice!"

"Your Highness, Prince Qin, think carefully. This is what you promised me. I will say the same thing even if I go to the Golden Palace."

Li Wenbin said loudly.

Zhangsun Wugou: "Nonsense, how could the prince allow you to do such a thing? Tell me, what's going on?"

"We have already discussed this before, and he promised me that. I will be the commander of the Zuowu Guard, and I must have my own trusted confidants, so His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin agreed to let me find someone myself."

"But I didn't ask you to find a rebel!" Li Shimin felt his blood pressure rising again, "You, you, you... do you want to piss me off to death so you can inherit my title?"

"Your Highness, what nonsense are you talking about?" Zhangsun Wugou rolled his eyes at him, then glanced at Li Wenbin, "But Your Highness, speaking of this, Wenbin has grown up and become an adult. Shouldn't he be crowned a king?"

Li Chengqian was conferred the title of Prince of Hengshan when he was still in his infancy; Li Tai was even more excessive, as he was conferred the title of Prince of Yidu as soon as he was born, and in March of the following year, he was promoted to Prince of Wei.

As for Li Wenbin, he is almost sixteen years old now, but still a layman.

Not to mention the royal family, even the children of aristocratic families at least held official positions at this time.

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, he knew that what Changsun Wugou said was true.

In the palace, Li Wenbin was an unwelcome bastard.

But in the eyes of outsiders, he is still the son of the King of Qin anyway.

At the age of sixteen, he was still a bachelor. It would be a disgrace to Li Shimin if anyone knew about it.

After thinking for a while, Li Shimin nodded and said, "I will pay attention to this matter and find a suitable opportunity to talk to Ayeti. Hey, how come we are talking about making this rebellious son a king again?"

Didn’t they just want to tie him up and take him to Li Yuan to kill their own relatives for the sake of justice?

Why are we talking about becoming king again?

Zhangsun Wugou covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled, "Prince, we are all family, why do you have to make such a fuss? Besides, if you do this, aren't you handing a knife to the Crown Prince and the King of Qi?"

Li Wenbin also stiffened his neck and said, "This Su Dingfang, in order to support those orphans and widows in Jizhou, would rather run to Chang'an to be a knight-errant to earn a meager amount of money. Doesn't this explain everything?"

"Besides, Dou Jiande and Liu Heita are dead. When a person dies, it's like a light going out. Several years have passed. Now the situation in our Tang Dynasty is becoming more and more stable. How can there be so many blind guys who want to rebel?"

Wear it a thousand times, but flattery never wears it.

After hearing what Li Wenbin said, the anger on Li Shimin's face subsided a little.

It seems that the flattery was directed at the right place.

Li Wenbin took the opportunity to continue, "It is precisely because of this that I showed my sincerity to Su Dingfang, just so that my Tang Dynasty can have another famous general in the future."

Changsun Wugou asked curiously, "How can you be sure that Su Dingfang will be a famous general?"

Li Wenbin grinned. What could he say? Should he tell Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wugou that he was a god who could know what would happen five hundred years in the past and fifteen hundred years in the future?

I guess as soon as I tell Li Shimin, the couple will be sent to a mental hospital.

Fortunately, Li Shimin came to his rescue: "Guanyin, although Su Lie and Su Dingfang are young, they already have the demeanor of a famous general. If nothing unexpected happens, it is normal for them to grow into a famous general in the future."

"Because I know that Su Dingfang's identity is sensitive, I took the initiative to subdue him. In this way, Your Highness will have some room for maneuver in the court, right?"

Zhang Sun Wu Gou sighed, "I don't know what's wrong with this kid's brain. He seems to do everything without considering the consequences. But after he explained it, I think this is the most reasonable way to do it."

"Thank you for the compliment, mother." Li Wenbin had just said thank you when he was glared back.

"Then what price did you pay to subdue Su Dingfang?"

"My son used a dagger, 800 strings of cash, and a price of no less than the same amount every year for the next five years to make Su Dingfang agree to serve me."

"Well, that number isn't that much."

Li Shimin had heard of Su Dingfang's power and knew that if he could bribe a future famous general in this way, it would not be a big deal.

"Besides, there is one more condition."

"What conditions?"

"I promised Su Dingfang that I would find jobs for the orphans and widows he took care of when they grow up. The boys can serve as soldiers and the girls can work. It's better than staying in Jizhou anyway."

Li Wenbin said with great pride: "Since ancient times, the people of Hebei have been brave and strong, which makes them an excellent source of soldiers. It would be a pity to waste them."

What Li Wenbin said was true, but historically the Tang Dynasty was not very kind to the people of Hebei. Even until after the An-Shi Rebellion, the people of Hebei stood firmly against the imperial court.

He is doing this now to prepare in advance for the future.

No matter how much the people of Hebei oppose the imperial court, the final decision is still in the hands of the imperial court.

There are no traitors in this world. Traitors only appear when people are forced too harshly.

If the imperial court had treated the people of Hebei equally with those from other places without any discrimination, the events that followed would not have happened.

However, the method of recruiting soldiers mentioned by Li Wenbin conflicts with the current military service system of the Tang Dynasty.

The current military service system of the Tang Dynasty is the fubing system - each family is granted land, and then when the war breaks out, these families are obliged to provide manpower.

This is also a disguised form of military farming system, in which the people serve as civilians in peacetime and as soldiers in wartime.

But if Li Wenbin did this, it would become a conscription system.

This had never been done before, so Li Shimin didn't know whether he could succeed.

The military farming system required the soldiers to prepare their own combat supplies, and the spoils of war also belonged to them; but the conscription system was different. It was equivalent to professional soldiers, and the court was responsible for everything for them.

This accumulates over time and is not a small number.

Li Wenbin patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness Prince Qin. I have already prepared myself mentally."

Chapter 80: The Devil in the World

Li Shimin pinched his brows. He had absolutely no idea what to do with this eldest son.

"Bring me another jar of your wine."

"What does your highness want that for?"

"Don't talk nonsense, just take it if you ask me to! Why, you're reluctant to drink a sip of your wine?"

Pursing his lips, Li Wenbin went to get a jar of wine - he even picked out the strongest wine.

Don’t you want to drink? Drink yourself to death!

I'll drink you to death so that I can inherit your title!

But Li Wenbin also knew that this was just casual talk.

Just as Changsun Wugou told him, no matter what, Li Shimin was still a solid wall standing in front of them.

If this wall falls, they will have to face everything themselves.

When he came back, two pairs of eyes fell on him. Two big men like iron towers looked at Li Wenbin with great interest.

"Come, meet your Uncle Cheng and Uncle Niu."

Li Wenbin quickly bowed and said, "My nephew Wenbin greets the two uncles. I have long heard of Uncle Cheng and Uncle Niu. I am very lucky to meet you today."

The shaggy-bearded man on the left laughed out loud: "Interesting, really interesting. Young master, you are meeting us brothers for the first time today and you said you have heard of us for a long time. Then please tell me which one of us is Cheng Zhijie and which one is Niu Jinda."

The big man on the right didn't say anything, but just kept looking at Li Wenbin with a pair of gleaming eyes.

"You, you..."

Li Shimin was made to laugh and cry by his men, but he did not intend to stop them. Instead, he wanted to see how Li Wenbin would respond.

Li Wenbin scratched his head and said, "Next to Uncle Cheng is Uncle Niu, and next to Uncle Niu is Uncle Cheng. What do you two uncles think of this answer?"

The big man with the hedgehog beard laughed loudly: "Haha, hahaha, he is indeed cunning, worthy of being the son of His Royal Highness Prince Qin. I, Old Cheng, am convinced."

He cursed two people at once with this sentence, which made Li Shimin angry, but he could do nothing about this bandit.

Niu Jinda has a very good impression of Li Wenbin: "He is so quick-witted, and it is true that a good father will have a good son."

At this time, Changsun Wugou came in with a group of servants. They brought two roasted fat sheep. One had mutton cut into large chunks, and the other had a plate full of scallion pancakes piled up more than half a meter high.

"Zhijie, Jinda hasn't been here for a long time, let's talk while we eat."

Cheng Yaojin could act like a scoundrel to Li Shimin, even daring to snatch his food, but he was extremely respectful to Zhangsun Wugou:

"In that case, I'll trouble you, Princess."

"Zhijie, what are you talking about? You and the prince are like brothers, how can you say that you are a trouble?"