hsntnovel Chapter 2787 Future Plans
Chapter 2787 Future Plans
If we follow the same method, we will surely succeed. This is Li Shimin's affirmation of Li Shen's plan.
As the Supreme General of the Heavenly Strategy Army, he naturally knew about military strategy, but he had never encountered Li Shen's war model before.
In the past, if someone wanted to seize a small country, they would find an excuse beforehand, then launch a large-scale attack to destroy the enemy's forces, and then support a pro-Tang member of the imperial family to take charge of the situation.
But now, Li Shen's plan has opened his eyes: secretly support the rebels, and once they've weakened them, the Tang Dynasty, mindful of its status as a superior empire, will move in.
He was acutely aware of the importance of having an army stationed there. In the future, when he wanted to be able to maneuver between the two sides and constantly be dispatched by the Tang Dynasty, he would have to consider this army.
"Tenth Brother, everyone says you don't understand military affairs, but now it seems you are so proficient in them."
When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy is stationed, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue.
These sixteen characters can only be described as a stroke of genius, completely breaking our previous conventional combat mode.
How did you even come up with that?
Li Chengqian sincerely admired him, saying that he was also well-versed in military strategy, which was a basic course for a crown prince, but today Li Shen's sixteen true words of guerrilla warfare had enlightened him.
"Hehe, you're joking, brother. I don't know anything about military affairs. I'm just following the method of a great man."
Li Shen chuckled. He dared not claim it as his own; that would be disrespectful to his grandfather.
"Wei Ren... what? Could he be from the Wei family?" Li Chengqian looked bewildered. The Wei family was indeed a prominent clan in Guanzhong, producing many talented individuals.
Could it be that someone from the Wei family told Li Shen?
The reason for this speculation is that Li Chengqian knew that there was a man named Wei Renji in the Wei family, but wasn't he already dead?
His son also had a son named Wei Renzuo.
He didn't know about the others, but there must be others. The character "仁" was very common in the Tang Dynasty, and many people would use "仁" in their names.
"No, no, no, brother, you're mistaken. The great man I'm talking about is a great person, and he has nothing to do with the Wei family."
Li Shen shook his head and explained, "Goodness, Li Chengqian's imagination is really rich; he almost got the novel banned."
"I see." Li Chengqian nodded. He didn't ask who it was. Since Li Shen didn't say, he wouldn't say. Besides, it wasn't even certain whether such a person existed.
I heard from my father that Li Shen often used an ancient book to cover up some of his actions.
Even his own father had searched through all the books in the study of Daji Hall until they were worn out, but still couldn't find what Li Shen was talking about.
"When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue."
"Indeed, this is a very good tactic, achieving victory against overwhelming odds."
Li Shimin also recited the words once, then stood up and went to his desk, where he wrote down the sixteen characters.
"Father, how about you give me this calligraphy?"
Li Shen walked over, squinting his eyes as he asked for it.
"Hmph." Li Shimin ignored Li Shen and instead gave an order to Wang De:
"Frame this calligraphy and show it to the soldiers of the Northern Army."
"Yes," Wang De replied.
"What are your plans next?"
Li Shimin put down his pen, sat down at the tea table, and Li Chengqian quickly poured him a cup of tea.
Li Shen also joined in, picked up a teacup, and held it out to Li Chengqian.
"I don't have any plans yet. There seem to be a lot going on this year. I'll start helping my fourth brother lose weight in a few days."
It will take at least two months.
My son still needs to go back to Xizhou; there are still some things he hasn't finished taking care of.
There are also industrial matters that need to be adjusted.
By the way, my son has decided to promote heated brick beds and stoves in the north, and starting this year, the price of coal will be reduced by another 50%.
We also need to make a type of smokeless coal called honeycomb briquettes to minimize the occurrence of coal poisoning incidents.
Li Shen has had too much to do this year. A trip to Xizhou takes at least two months to make and return. He also has to go to Japan, but he doesn't know if he'll have the time now.
With negotiations with Tibet imminent this year, the Tang Dynasty's three armies have been stationed at the border for over a year, and the court is spending money every day.
Otherwise, Li Chengqian would have said that the national treasury was not sufficient.
If the negotiations with Tibet fail, Li Shen doesn't know if he will be sent to the front lines, although the possibility is very low.
Li Shen's physical condition probably couldn't withstand the altitude sickness. He barely adapted to the Qinghai route, let alone the Tibetan territory.
He figured he'd die there.
These things, one after another, gave Li Shen a headache. He was the kind of person who didn't want to work but still wanted to get paid.
To put it nicely, it's called having lofty ideals; to put it bluntly, it's being lazy and unwilling to work.
Upon hearing that Li Shenshi was going to lower the price of coal, Li Chengqian nodded in approval:
"My tenth brother is concerned about the country and its people, which I admire greatly. Now the people have basically solved the problem of having enough to eat, but every winter, reports come from all over the country that people have frozen to death."
As your brother, I know that the actual situation is even more serious than what the local authorities have reported, but there is nothing I can do about it.
If my tenth brother can solve the problem of the cold in the north, that would be a great achievement.
Li Chengqian was somewhat excited.
"Yes, don't worry, brother. I've already arranged for Wang Hongfu to do it. However, the imperial court also needs to cooperate in the propaganda."
And most importantly, there's the cotton from Xizhou. The imperial court could encourage people to grow cotton in Xizhou.
In areas where cotton cannot be grown, the imperial court can organize the relocation of people, as the income from cotton per acre is much higher than that from growing grain.
"If cotton cultivation can be expanded, the clothing problem for people in the north can be solved."
This was also the first thing Li Shen resolved. Of the basic necessities of life, clothing came first, which shows just how important it was.
Li Shen hoped to expand planting, but manpower was sometimes limited. He didn't have enough people and couldn't hire people to plant, as that would delay the planting of grain.
If the imperial court were to intervene, this problem could be easily solved.
"Migrate north?" Li Shimin pondered after hearing this. Migration was normal, because not all places in the Tang Dynasty were suitable for planting.
They would starve if they didn't migrate, but there weren't many who migrated to other ethnic groups. Generally, it was other ethnic groups that migrated in, such as the Turks in Henan Province.
"Father, as the saying goes, a tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives. Rather than letting those people live in poverty and starvation, why doesn't the court find them a way out?"
This would not only solve their livelihood problem, but also ensure the basic needs of the people of our Great Tang Dynasty are met. Why not do it?
Seeing his father hesitate, Li Shen tried to persuade him.
"I understand what you are saying, but many people are probably unwilling to relocate to places outside the pass, especially to places inhabited by foreign tribes."
They've lived there for generations; if they wanted to move, they would have done so long ago.
After much deliberation, Li Shimin finally spoke, explaining that many times it wasn't that the court didn't help, but rather that these people were unwilling to leave.
Especially upon hearing the prospect of being relocated beyond the Great Wall, they were even more unwilling. In the minds of ordinary people, foreign tribes were all vicious and ruthless killers.
(I think I've broken up with someone again. Maybe I haven't even started dating yet.)