"Although we have secured twenty years of peace for the Tang Dynasty, there are too many soldiers who have made meritorious contributions in the army, and the rewards from the court have not kept up. If this continues, it will inevitably become a burden on the court."

"burden?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi looked puzzled and expressed his doubt for the first time.

"Mr. Liu, how can this be a burden?"

Liu Rengui sneered upon hearing this.

"Your Highness, consider this: if there were ten Grand Pillars of State in the court, it would be a blessing for the court and the world. But if there were ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand, Grand Pillars of State, how would the court reward them?"

Li Zhi was very puzzled when he heard this.

"Mr. Liu, you're exaggerating. How could there be so many Grand Pillar of State titles in the court?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Rengui secretly rolled his eyes.

"Your Highness can find out by checking with the Ministry of War. In fact, there are already several thousand Shangzhuguo in Guanzhong. In a few years, it won't be difficult to reach one hundred thousand Shangzhuguo..."

"ah?"

Li Zhi was stunned when he heard this. He never imagined that the Tang Dynasty had so many Grand Pillars of State.

Since Shangzhuguo was already the top of the military merit titles in the Tang Dynasty, if there were several thousand Shangzhuguo, wouldn't that mean there were tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of lower-ranking titles?

You should know that these titles all come with the granting of land and even the bestowal of official positions!

In fact, these problems had already begun to emerge. It was only because Li Shimin's prestige was so high that no major incidents occurred.

However, in recent years, the enthusiasm of ordinary people to serve as soldiers has not been as high, and in some places, people have been hired to serve as soldiers.

"Mr. Liu, have you said these words to the Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Rengui shook his head, thinking to himself that he dared not say anything. But just as he thought this, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"