hsntnovel Chapter 2780 I Have a Brilliant Plan
Chapter 2780 I Have a Brilliant Plan
Seeing Li Shen's surprised expression, everyone found it somewhat amusing. Ma Zhou laughed and said:
"Your Highness Prince Ji, this Classic of Mountains and Seas has long been kept in the Hongwen Hall and the Secretariat."
Moreover, it was included in classical texts and frequently cited by students.
Could it be that His Highness Prince Ji has also read the Classic of Mountains and Seas?
"Of course I've read them, being a well-read scholar," Li Shen said, his neck stiff. Ignorance was truly terrifying. Li Shen had always assumed that scholars only read the classics like the Four Books and Five Classics.
Nobody reads things like the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which are bizarre and fantastical.
I never expected it to be so popular. He's never even read the Classic of Mountains and Seas. He only saw the cover; he has no idea what's inside.
He couldn't even recognize a few of the words inside, let alone understand them.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward, and Li Shen coughed lightly again:
"Ahem... I'll make up another reason... I'll give you another one."
After thinking for a moment, Li Shen said:
"As you all know, my Prince Ji's mansion has many merchant caravans. They frequently travel between the Western Regions and the Tang Dynasty and have heard many stories."
For example, they heard about Baizhou and Heizhou from the locals and had also seen the people there.
Furthermore, I have compiled various rumors circulating among merchants and created this map.
Fourth Brother's work on compiling local gazetteers also played a role in this.
"Then where did you find out about the divine object, and how did you know about the Southern Wilderness State?"
Yu Zhining followed up with questions.
"Oh? Right, the place where the divine object is located hasn't been named yet. Father, why don't you give it a name?"
Li Shen suddenly remembered that the place in the Americas didn't have a name yet.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin began to ponder again.
“Father, actually that place is not in the east of our Great Tang, but in the west of our Great Tang.”
Li Shen suddenly remembered that his map conflicted with that of the great Eastern power, so he reminded him.
Li Shimin nodded after listening, and then spoke after a moment:
"Even if you say it's in the west, in the Western Wilderness State."
Since it's all the same name, if there's a Southern Wilderness State, then there's a Western Wilderness State too, that way it'll be easier to remember.
Upon hearing this, Wang De immediately grabbed paper and pen. Li Shen quickly stood up, but in the end, Li Shimin did not give him the chance and wrote the three characters "Xihuangzhou" on the paper himself.
Wang De took the paper and went out to hand it to the craftsman.
"Your Highness Prince Ji, you still haven't explained how you know about the Western Wilderness and the Southern Wilderness."
"These two places are far from the mainland, and it's almost impossible to reach them," Yu Zhining pressed.
"I also saw these two places in an ancient book, but the book was later destroyed after my youngest son urinated on it."
Li Shenhao almost said he used it to wipe his bottom, but later felt it was too impolite to use it while eating, so he changed it to urination.
This immediately shut down Yu Zhining's words: "What I saw in the ancient book is gone."
"Gentlemen, as you all know, I love reading and am a scholar. I have been collecting ancient books, especially rare ones, all over the world."
As the saying goes, "In books, you'll find beauty like jade; in books, you'll find houses of gold."
Li Shen finally offered an explanation.
"There are houses of gold in books, there are beauties like jade in books? Your Highness, do you know the origin of these two lines?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Zhou asked curiously, "I have read extensively, but I have never seen these two sentences before."
"I forgot," Li Shen replied directly. He found that sometimes the more you explain, the worse it gets, and often one lie is followed by many more to cover it up.
Looks like I should brag less in the future.
"I wonder how long it will take Your Highness Prince Ji to bring back those two divine artifacts?" Changsun Wuji asked.
"Within five years, or maybe within two or three years if we're lucky."
Li Shen stretched out a hand and slowly placed it on Yang's leg.
Under everyone's gaze, Li Shen picked up the whole leg of lamb, hugged it, and started gnawing on it.
The others watching grinned in disbelief. Wasn't Prince Ji supposed to be richer than a country? He was also said to be extravagant and dissolute, indulging in lavish meals every day, but he looked like he hadn't eaten for days.
Even Li Shimin frowned. Had this guy come to the palace to improve his meals?
The emperor and his ministers enjoyed the meal immensely, and Li Shen even loosened his belt several times during the meal.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Li Shimin ordered the banquet to be cleared away, and a famous person began to brew tea.
"Well, since there's nothing else, I'll head back now." Li Shen got up, ready to slip away. Spending time with these old men would only make him grow old too.
Li Shimin thought for a moment and it seemed that there was nothing else to worry about, so he nodded.
Li Shen bowed and withdrew.
He stood in the main hall for a while, admiring his masterpiece, and told the craftsmen not to be careless.
The carving must be meticulous and careful, and it must be polished smooth, otherwise if His Majesty's hand is scratched, they will all lose their heads.
After issuing a warning, Li Shen walked out of the main hall, but he suddenly stopped as if he had forgotten something.
So he pulled his foot back, then stepped out again, searching for inspiration. It seemed that after several attempts, Li Shen retreated to the map, suddenly looked down at the map, and slapped his forehead.
Li Shimin was discussing maps with the others, which were very important to them.
Just then, Li Shen's voice came from the doorway:
"Oh dear, I almost forgot about that."
Then Li Shen hurriedly walked in.
"Hmm? Why are you back again?" Li Shimin asked when he saw Li Shen.
"Father, there's something else I haven't told you," Li Shen said as he approached Li Shimin.
"Is there anything else?" Li Shimin asked curiously.
What else could Li Shen possibly have to do?
“Father, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard that rice in the Champa area can be harvested three times a year.”
Li Shen finally remembered what he had forgotten: the troops stationed in Southeast Asia.
He and Wang Xuance had discussed this matter, but he had already forgotten about it after only a few days.
"Have you heard about it, or did you tell me? What, are you interested in War City again?"
Li Shimin had heard Li Shen mention this matter when Li Shen brought back rice seeds from Champa.
Li Shen nodded:
“Nothing can be hidden from Father. My son is indeed interested in Champa, not just Champa, but the whole region.”
If we could seize these lands, three harvests a year could increase the grain supply for our Great Tang Dynasty by a tremendous amount.
Li Shen spoke with some excitement.
"Hehe, Your Highness Prince Ji, your idea is indeed good, but the terrain around Champa is complex and swampy, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."
Changsun Wuji laughed, how come he hadn't realized that Prince Ji was so warlike?
In such a short time, he had already discussed conquering the east and west, and even considered massacring entire cities.
"Yes, Tenth Prince, the terrain here is complicated, and many of these are vassal states of our Great Tang, which pay tribute year after year. Just do what you just did, and don't worry about anything else."
Li Shimin also thought so. The Champa area was not easy to attack. The land route would require crossing mountains and valleys, so the only option was to take the sea route.
“Father, I have a brilliant plan. I wonder if you would be interested?”
(Mountains are not valued for their height, nor water for its depth, but for their abundance.)