hsntnovel Chapter 2661 You have changed
Chapter 2661 You have changed
Li Shen's expression was excited, yet he also roared in a low voice with feigned mystery, clearly expressing his desire to convey that this was a great thing.
However, Li Shimin remained calm. He had learned his lesson and was no longer going to let Li Shen sway his emotions, or he might be tricked again later.
These are all Li Shen's usual tricks.
"You mean to repeat the same trick?" Li Shimin took a sip of tea.
"Father is wise! You are indeed my father, you guessed it right away." Li Shen immediately flattered him.
"Hehe, are you praising me or complimenting yourself? Tell me, with Japan in turmoil, how do you plan to make a fortune?"
Li Shimin chuckled dryly; his son's words just now sounded awkward no matter how you looked at them.
Li Shen was somewhat excited. He had already come up with a plan at Chengtian Gate, but he didn't mention it when Li Chengqian asked.
He felt that Li Chengqian was not important enough; he couldn't make any decisions, and in the end, his father had to make the final decision. It wasn't worth it for him to share the burden with Li Chengqian.
They didn't even know they could skip the middleman.
"Father, Japan is a small country with harsh living conditions and extremely scarce resources. The people are poorly clothed and starving."
The Japanese court now desires centralized power, and rebellions are erupting across the country, so war will soon break out.
But wars are fought because of a lack of food and weapons.
The son's plan was simple: as before, sell grain at high prices to nobles and daimyo in various regions to support their resistance against the Japanese imperial court.
Li Shen spoke with some excitement.
"Do you mean we should sell them weapons again?" Li Shimin asked.
Li Shen nodded immediately:
"That's right, weapons are the most profitable business. We can sell the weapons that the garrison soldiers discard to them at a high price."
We use the money we earn to equip the soldiers with standardized weapons and equipment to strengthen the army of our Great Tang Dynasty.
My lord, the equipment of the local soldiers varies greatly. It would be better if the imperial court distributed and trained them uniformly.
This is the only way to improve the fighting strength of the garrison troops.
Although the Fubing system could reduce the expenses of the imperial court, it also had some drawbacks. Fubing soldiers had to prepare their own rations and weapons.
This resulted in the weapons used by the soldiers being of varying quality, some good and some bad.
If their weapons were sold to Japan and then they were issued standardized weapons and equipment, wouldn't their combat effectiveness be significantly improved?
The key point is that Li Shen can also reap huge profits from this.
After pondering Li Shen's suggestion for a moment, Li Shimin found it feasible, as this was the method they had used against other countries in recent years.
They sow discord between local governments and the imperial court of other countries, secretly fund rebellious forces, and reap huge profits while disrupting the situation in enemy countries.
When the time is right, we will launch a massive invasion and, with the might of a superior nation, annihilate both sides, restoring peace and prosperity to the people.
"Your strategy is not bad, but as you just said, Japan is resource-poor. How much wealth can they possibly give us?"
"Do you think we'd do this at a loss? Don't forget Japan is overseas, a long distance away; the transportation alone would be a considerable expense."
After a moment's thought, Li Shimin looked up and asked. He had no problem with the strategy, but the question was what he could get from Japan.
This is thousands of miles from Japan, and the sea is extremely dangerous; it's easy to lose both people and money.
"Father, if the court is worried about taking risks, I have a foolproof plan." Li Shen's eyes lit up as a plan came to mind.
"Oh? Tell me about it," Li Shimin asked.
“Father, since the court is unwilling to take the risk, then I will do this on my own. The court only needs to sell the weapons of the palace guards to the Prince Ji’s mansion and will not need to bear any risk.”
Even if the Prince Ji's mansion loses money in the end, it will have nothing to do with the imperial court. I wonder what Father thinks?
Selling weapons originally required the cooperation of the imperial court, so Li Shen had no choice but to seek cooperation with his father.
He does have a lot of steel, enough to produce enough weapons to sell to Japan.
But Li Shen wasn't stupid. If he waited until his plan was implemented, wouldn't that mean the Japanese would use the weapons he had manufactured against him?
His steel is much better than that produced by Changsun Wuji and the others. Investing so much money in the research institute every year is not a waste.
Giving it to Japan would definitely mean giving them scrap metal, and they'd have to sell it at an even higher price.
That was to purchase the weapons and equipment of the imperial guards from the imperial court.
However, seeing his father so worried, Li Shen suddenly had a thought of taking it all for himself.
However, he underestimated his father, the emperor, whose intentions were immediately seen through by Li Shimin.
"You want to take it all for yourself?" Li Shimin stood up, startling Li Shen, who reflexively jumped up from his chair and took a step back.
Li Shen watched as his father stretched his limbs, then lay down in front of the bed, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
My broken leg was acting up, so I started running outside.
"Father, you've misunderstood. There's no such thing as keeping it all to yourself. I was just worried about losing money."
In this way, the imperial court would definitely profit. Li Shen returned to his seat.
"Do you think you can hide your true intentions from me? Tell me, what exactly is your plan?"
Li Shimin lay on his side on the couch, looking at Li Shen not far away.
After fighting for so long, he had already used all of Li Shen's tricks on him. He was hoping that Li Shen could give him a surprise and open his eyes to some new tricks.
"Hehe, look at what Father is saying. I'm just thinking of Father's best interests. Since Father is unwilling, there is another way."
The imperial court provides the weapons, and the son is responsible for their transportation and sale, including contacting powerful nobles and even turning them against their cause.
At that time, it will help my army to advance rapidly and conquer the entire Japanese country.
After the deed is done, we will split the profits 50/50. The land will go to the imperial court, and the profits will go to Prince Ji's residence. What does Father think?"
Li Shen chuckled and offered a second solution.
After laughing a few times, he realized that his father was still looking at him expressionlessly, which made him finally give a forced laugh.
"Li Shen, tell me the truth, have you started studying military strategy?" Li Shimin suddenly asked.
"Huh? No." Li Shen shook his head blankly, wondering what this had to do with military strategy.
"Alas, I still prefer the you of the past, who was idle all day, did nothing, and never made any progress."
"But you've changed now. You've started reading books, and you've even taken a liking to military strategy. Could it be that you're planning to enter the court and participate in politics?" Li Shimin shook his head and sighed.
"What court are you going to join? What politics are you going to participate in? Father, what are you talking about?" Li Shen looked completely bewildered.
He turned to Wang De and asked with concern:
"Is my father suffering from hysteria? Quickly go and fetch the imperial physician."
"Hehe, Your Highness Prince Ji, His Majesty is in good health. His Majesty is saying that you, Prince Ji, have improved." Wang De explained to Li Shen with a smile.
（2025年12月17日02:31:05，老话说的好。）