Beauty has white hair, heroes are old and old. This is the cruelest thing in the world.

Li Su looked at Li Shimin carefully and finally had to admit that Li Shimin is indeed old.

My temples were stained with white frost, my forehead and corners of my eyes were covered with wrinkles, and even my waist was not so straight. I knelt in front of the desk and hunched over. Although I was less than fifty years old, I lost my spirit like an old man. Only the sharpness that flashed from time to time in my eyes proved that he was still a wise king of the generation.

Historical books have criticized Li Shimin during this period, such as "I am so happy to be successful in my life, but I am so stupid and despaired", etc. The evaluation is objective, but many things cannot be judged only by how the historical books are finalized. In the end, they are all other people's conclusions.

Because of his old age, he had to seize the time to do what he should do before he passed away. This is what Li Shimin thinks now.

A thousand years later, a great man once said, "Ten thousand years are too long, so I have to seize the day."

Li Su understood Li Shimin's idea. If it were him, he might have tried his best to achieve the goal of the Eastern Expedition in his lifetime.

It is not completely correct to say that it is to satisfy his vanity. It has been eighteen years since Zhenguan, and it needs a great victory to lay the foundation for the world's return. This is true. However, what Li Shimin needs more is to clear the hidden dangers inside and outside the country before he dies. Not only are they hidden dangers, but they also have to bear the reputation of "military military force" on his shoulders. After the prince ascended the throne in the future, he does not have to launch a large-scale war on the outside, nor does he have to consume the foundation of the treasury. He only needs to develop the national economy with peace of mind and create a glorious era.

Li Shimin can only do so much. Li Su understands it, but he still doesn't agree.

If you fight in a hurry, you will suffer heavy casualties. From the perspective of the emperor, Li Shimin believed that this battle must be launched, but from the perspective of the people, Li Su felt that this battle was really too rapid.

If we could wait for three or five years, and wait for the national treasury to be rich and the people had accumulated a certain amount of family fortune, the Guanzhong Prefecture's troops were trained enough, the weapons and food were piled up like mountains, and even the thunder created by Li Su was sufficient, wouldn't it be twice the result with half the effort to launch the Eastern Expedition?

Unfortunately, the emperor was Li Shimin, not Li Su, so Li Su could no longer persuade him to give up. Li Shimin was strong and decided that one thing would never listen to any advice. Li Suruo continued to persuade him, and there would be no other result except to offend him.

So Li Su had no choice but to shut up. He was not Wei Zheng, and he had no interest in challenging his limits of survival, nor did he have the hobby of committing suicide.

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful. If you say you want to fight, then let's fight." Li Su nodded solemnly.

Li Shimin glanced at him: "It's so sarcastic, what's the sarcastic sense of mocking me? If you don't agree, just say, where is the Li Zizheng who openly scolded me in the hall that wrote "Afang Palace Fu" back then?"

Li Su smiled and said, "My wife is pregnant and I am about to become a father. The whole family is supported by me. If a man is tied, he should naturally be more pity for his life. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if he dies. It is the irresponsible to lose his family's life. So try not to say what he shouldn't say."

Li Shimin's face gradually slowed down and suddenly sighed: "Li Zizheng is almost a father. Time is like a flash of time. I am not forgiving others. It seems that the best way to smooth out a man's edges is to make him a father. Good. Calculate your life. You haven't caused trouble for a long time, right? I'm very pleased with this now..."

"Your Majesty, I am honest like a rabbit recently..."

Li Shimin sneered: "Don't insult other people's rabbits. You are honest and just doing it for everyone to see. There is still bad water in your stomach. I think I don't know?"

Sighing, Li Shimin continued, "The Eastern Expedition is a foregone conclusion. Zizheng, let me tell you, how can you take care of both the east and the west? I know you have a way, take it out quickly, and don't let the children in Guanzhong of the Tang Dynasty increase more casualties."

Li Su smiled bitterly and said, "In a hurry, how can I come up with a solution? Your Majesty is making things difficult for me."

"I don't care. I won't come up with a solution today. Don't think about going back. Just sleep under the porch of the hall at night. I'll have someone give you a bedding."

Li Su's face became more and more bitter. Is the unreasonable tradition the characteristic of the monarch and minister of the Tang Dynasty? But even if you are unreasonable, you can't just pick soft persimmons like me, right?

No matter how much I think about it, Li Su could only think of a solution seriously.

Li Shimin was not in a hurry, and slowly picked up the teacup, took a sip, nodded in satisfaction, and then took the time to glance at him, condescendingly.

After a long time, Li Su finally sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I, uh... I think..."

Li Shimin frowned dissatisfiedly: "If you have something to say, why are you stuttering and making a fool of yourself?"

Li Su smiled bitterly and said, "I only have one compromise method, maybe... I can take care of both ends."

Li Shimin brushed his sleeves and said, "Say."

"The battle to fight against King Yanqi in the Western Regions is probably inevitable. The army has begun. Thirty thousand soldiers and horses eat horses and eat and eat countless food and grass every day. If the fight really starts in the future, more food and grass will be consumed. If the Western Turks also participate in this battle, the Western Regions will probably not be pacified within three to five years. Therefore, I think it is better to let General Hou use the word "drag"..."

Li Shimin was stunned: "Drag?"

"Well, drag it, against Yanqi, it should be as fast as thunder and quickly pacified. Yanqi's combat power is not strong. General Hou can go directly to Yanqi, kill Yanqi, and completely destroy Yanqi. As for the Western Turks, it is better if they choose to stand by and watch. If they also send troops, let General Hou drag them."

“How to drag?”

Li Su slowly said: "War is a continuation of politics, so this battle requires political cooperation. Your Majesty sent envoys from Chang'an to negotiate with the Western Turks. The content of the negotiation is that the two countries are friendly and non-aggressive. When talking here, General Hou is fighting. The negotiation requires skills and military tacit cooperation. If the negotiations are progressing, General Hou might as well stop the action to give the Western Turks an illusion or hope. If the negotiations are not going well, General Hou will pursue Yanqi and actively contact the countries in the Western Regions to jointly fight against the Western Turks. While fighting and talking, it will take three or five years. As Your Majesty said, the war will be in a stalemate."

Li Shimin said in confusion: "The war is stalemate and protracted. Isn't this what I am worried about? In this way, how can the army continue to eat and food? The treasury still consumes a lot. What should I do when the Eastern Expedition?"

Li Su smiled and said, "So I just said that I will destroy Yanqi Kingdom with thunder, and then... I can order General Hou to support the war."

"Fight to support the war?" Li Shimin's expression moved slightly.

"General Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty led his own army to the Huns for thousands of miles and destroyed countless Xiongnu tribes. They were cavalry and ran hundreds of miles a day. How could the court's logistics supplies keep up? It was nothing more than that every time a tribe was destroyed, they would slaughter their cattle and sheep, and plunder their food and grass as military rations. This was to support the war. If General Hou destroyed Yanqi, the first thing he had to do was to take over the Yanqi treasury, plunder the country's food and grass, and at the same time hand over the treasury money from the treasury to Xizhou. Now Xizhou is a transit station for merchants in the Western Regions. This money can be used to buy food from merchants from various countries, which is equivalent to raising General Hou and a lonely army. Even if there is no supply from the court, it will be no problem for General Hou to support him for one or two years. One or two years later, Your Majesty's Eastern Expedition is about to come to an end. Will you still have to support him at that time?"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, he pondered for a while, and he couldn't help but nodded and praised: "It is indeed a good way to support the war. You can plunder the treasury and food of Yanqi. Wouldn't the people of that country..."

"Your Majesty, if you are not a member of our race, your heart will be different. The so-called 'benevolence and righteousness' can be done just by doing it. However, this battle is related to the luck of the Tang Dynasty, so I don't care about so much."

Li Shimin glared at him angrily: "You are indeed a bastard with bad habits, and you are even more ruthless than me."

"Your Majesty is apologizing." Li Su smiled modestly.

"Do you think I'm praising you?"

Li Su smiled and said, "I will regard Your Majesty as praising me."

Li Shimin hummed, then pondered for a long time, and slowly said, "This method...is feasible. At least it can buy me about one more time. A year is enough for me to do a lot of things, and at the same time it has saved me a lot of food and grass, which is very good..."

Li Su thought for a while and said, "There is also the food and grass aspects of the Eastern Expedition..."

Li Shimin was stunned and smiled happily, "Is there any way to solve the problem of food and grass?"

Li Su smiled bitterly and said, "I only thought of a temporary solution. Since Your Majesty is determined to fight in the east, I have to share your worries for Your Majesty. Regarding the food and grass, I guess that the national treasury is probably not enough, right?"

Li Shimin's face suddenly became gloomy and nodded worriedly: "Yes, Jiaji and Xuanling have been silenced for a long time, and there is still a lot of gaps. If the war in Goguryeo is not going well, it will be even worse. The folk wheat rice ripens twice a year. The rice seeds you introduced from Zhenla Kingdom are still only improved in agriculture and have not been popularized by the people. Even if you count the two wheat rice ripens next year, it is still much worse."

Li Su thought for a while and said, "Why don't Your Majesty try to buy food and grass from other countries?"

Li Shimin was stunned again: "Buy food and grass?"

"Yes, just like the neighbors in the streets, which one suddenly has a short hand and temporarily borrows some grain from the next door. It usually borrows it. The same goes for countries and countries. Let's pay to buy food from neighboring countries, such as Zhenla, Chameng, Linyi, etc. These southern countries are good at growing rice, and the annual surplus is not small. I believe their treasury has a lot of stocks. Why not buy it from them? We spend money to buy it without damaging the dignity of the Tang Dynasty, why not do it?"

Li Shimin took a breath and his eyes suddenly widened.

This idea...is very creative.

The whole court was thinking about how to raise food and grass from the country, but no one thought about buying from neighboring countries. It was mostly due to the dignity of the great country. The civil and military ministers always felt that it was a shameful thing to reach out to others, which was weakening their own prestige, but where did the purchase of food and grass damage their face? It was a very normal transaction and trading relationship.

The more Li Shimin thought about it, the more feasible he felt. Li Su seemed to open a door to a new world for him. In that brand new world... there was so much food.

The problem that has troubled Li Shimin the longest time was food. Others such as military sources, weapons, attacks, etc. are not a problem, food is the key.

At this moment, Li Su's words made Li Shimin suddenly realize, and he felt that he was transparent from top to bottom, and he felt very excited.

Then Li Shimin thought of something again, and his face continued to sink.

"The national treasury lacks food and grass, and the money... is not enough. If you can't afford it, how can you buy it from your neighboring countries?" Li Shimin said with an ugly expression.

Li Su sighed heavily, "What do you want is nothing, what emperor do you want? Can you change your career to beg for food?"

Also, the treasury has no money and is so stupid that it is all over the country. Is it necessary to make money and goods clear between big deals?

So Li Su couldn't help but look at Li Shimin, and then quickly turned around.

Li Shimin captured his gaze and his expression couldn't help but stagnate.

This bastard... was the look of the eyes just now despising me?

After gritting his teeth, Li Shimin said in a bad tone: "I have something to say, please stop hiding!"

Li Su sighed: "Your Majesty, you can do business even if you don't have money. You don't want to give it to me. You owe it first. When we have the convenience of our hands, you will give it to me. Your Majesty will follow my original words and who dares not agree to the envoys of those countries."

Li Shimin showed hesitation, obviously Li Su's words seriously challenged his moral bottom line.

"This... isn't it? The Tang Dynasty is the sect leader of many neighboring countries. If you still owe money from others, it would be... Cough cough, Zizheng, is there any better way to make neighboring countries willing to serve food?" Li Shimin said with a hint.

Li Su's cheeks twitched.

I have to reach out to someone again, but I don’t want to hurt my face. I don’t give you any money and I have to offer my food with my hands... I just thought it was wrong. I thought it was too incompetent to beg for food. You can not only rob the food, but also rob the beauty.

Li Su sighed again and said, "Your Majesty doesn't want to owe money, so just exchange it for something."

"What to exchange for?"

"Everything is good, such as the siege of the culprit, swords, bows and arrows, ladders and sieges, or the culprits and other things, or the envoys of those countries come to come and pay the price one by one, and then slowly talk. When everyone accepts it, the deal will be done."

Li Shimin thought about it and laughed happily: "Okay! This strategy is very wonderful. I am worthy of being a pillar of the Tang Dynasty. I should call you into the palace to report earlier, so as to avoid the difficulty of sleeping and eating because of food and grass these days."

Li Su smiled and said, "I just said it casually, Your Majesty praised it..."

Then Li Su was stunned and asked seriously: "Your Majesty is really praising me this time, right?"

Li Shimin was in a very good mood at the moment and laughed: "This time I am really praising you, so please accept it with confidence."

Li Su curled his lips and said, "Since Your Majesty has decided to fight east this winter, we must do these things quickly. Now it is late summer and not far from winter. Negotiating with envoys from various countries, as well as passing news, transporting food, etc., will take at least a few months."

Li Shimin nodded: "Yes, I will issue an order immediately. No matter how late, it will change."

Turning his head to look at Li Su, Li Shimin said, "Have you sat for enough?"

Li Su was stunned and immediately heard the string song and realized the meaning of the elegant words: "I'll get out now."

…………

As soon as Li Su walked out of the palace gate, he saw Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling hurried into the palace. Li Shimin was indeed fast, and it took him a long time to summon the two prime ministers.

Li Su hurriedly greeted the two of them.

Fang Xuanling nodded to him with a smile, and Changsun Wuji's performance was even more like a spring breeze. Li Su and him had a secret conflict in Feng Du's assassination. At this moment, he seemed to have forgotten it all, still looking like a kind elder, and he still held Li Su's hand in slander and asked about his well-being. Li Su responded awkwardly, with a layer of white hair sweat coming out behind him.

The more Changsun Wuji performed like this, the more worried Li Su felt.
Chapter completed!