While Li Jue was confronting the Xueyantuo cavalry, Li Shimin was having a headache over how to deal with Bazhuo.

If it were up to his temper, he definitely wouldn't be satisfied even if he killed this guy.

But he remembered Li Jing's words: destroying Xueyantuo was easy, but controlling the Cao Yuan clan was difficult.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he finally sent someone to summon Li Jing.

"Lord Wei, what do you think I should do with Ba Zhuo?"

Li Jing had already heard about this matter, and now that His Majesty had taken the initiative to ask him, he immediately offered three strategies: superior, middle, and inferior.

"Your Majesty, I have three plans."

"Let's start with the worst option: to execute Bazhuo by slow slicing. This would not only appease His Majesty's anger but also give the people of Shuozhou an explanation and serve as a warning to the Western Regions, preventing them from harboring any disloyalty towards the Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this. He decided to disregard the middle and upper strategies and instead follow Li Jing's inferior strategy.

"Guards, drag Ba Zhuo out and behead him for me!"

Li Jing became furious upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, I have two more strategies, one of the better and the lesser, that I haven't mentioned yet."

Li Shimin waved his hand dismissively upon hearing this.

"No need. As long as the kingdoms of the Western Regions can keep their own order, that will have already met my expectations."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing spoke up again to offer advice.

"Your Majesty, the Western Regions are not just Xueyantuo and Western Turks, but also include the Uyghurs, Kangguo, Shiguo, Kucha and other countries."

"According to the customs of the grasslands, one of these tribes will inevitably rise to power and become a major threat to our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Therefore, the middle strategy is to keep Bazhuo in Chang'an, support his son to ascend the throne, and then use his father to control his son..."

Li Shimin smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

"Lord Wei, there are no outsiders here, so I'd like to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

"Do you think I would have given in if someone had taken the retired emperor hostage and used him to coerce me?"

"this……"

Li Jing was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly realized the problem.

This tactic might be considered a decent strategy in front of others, but it's a terrible idea in front of His Majesty.

"Your Majesty is wise; it was I who was ignorant!"

This was the first time Li Shimin had caught Li Jing off guard, and he immediately waved his hand happily.

"It's alright!"

"You, Li Jing, are a brilliant strategist, but your understanding of human nature is still lacking."

"Therefore, this is why I can be the emperor, while you can only be a general!"

"Lord Wei, you just said you had a superior strategy. I would like to hear the details."

"The best course of action..."

Li Jing pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Your Majesty will certainly not agree to my best policy."

"How can you know I disagree if you don't tell me?"

"Actually, my best course of action is quite simple: give Bazhuo a warning and then send him back to be Khan."

"oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's eyes immediately became deep and thoughtful.

"Li Jing, if I didn't know your character, I would have suspected you of taking the gold and silver treasures of the Xueyantuo!"

Li Jing smiled bitterly upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, I truly mean what I say."

"The grasslands are vast and boundless. If we rely solely on the soldiers of our Great Tang to govern them, the military expenses alone would be enough to bankrupt the Great Tang."

"Therefore, we must adopt the strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians, let the grassland people govern themselves, and then we can check and balance them to prevent any one group from becoming too powerful."

“Bazhuo has been terrified of the Tang Dynasty. If we let him go back to be Khan, he will never dare to be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty in his lifetime.”

"In this way, the Tang Dynasty has another mad dog in the north that can bite people at any time, and can keep the Western Turks and Uyghur tribes in check at any time."

Just as Li Jing was speaking, Li Jue walked in.

"Master Li, what if we kill all the grassland people?"

Upon hearing Li Jue's words, not only did Li Jing laugh, but Li Shimin also burst into laughter.

"Eldest grandson, what you're saying is absolutely impossible!"

Li Shimin smiled and waved to Li Jue.

"Silly child, the grasslands are interconnected. As soon as our army arrives, the herders will scatter and flee. How do you expect our army to kill them?"

"If we really wanted to kill them all, we'd probably have to mobilize at least several million troops, right?"

"Where did the Tang Dynasty get so many troops?"

Is that so?

Li Jue was skeptical when he heard this, but he searched through all the history books in his mind and it seemed that no one in history had ever done such a thing.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who hated the Tartars as if they were his father's killer, did not exterminate the steppe people. Instead, he incorporated the Mongol cavalry into the Ming army and made them fight alongside the Ming army.

This shows that his suggestion to kill all the grassland people seems a bit unreliable.

Li Jue realized his own unreliability, so he immediately sat on a small stool and listened to the discussion between the two big shots.

"If Your Majesty can let go of your obsession, you might as well try my method. At the very least, it can bring decades of peace to the northern border of the Tang Dynasty."

"As for whether the Xueyantuo tribe will surrender and then rebel again in the future, that's not our business. It's the Crown Prince who'll have a headache, hehehe!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin glanced at Li Jue with considerable pride.

“I am not worried about Li Jue. I personally taught him how to ride and shoot, and you personally taught him how to lead troops into battle.”

“He combines the strengths of both our families, which is more than enough to deal with the northern barbarians.”

"I am just worried that this grandson is too eager for war and has a penchant for grandiose achievements. He thinks about fighting all day long and drags down the economy of the Tang Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Li Jue quickly shook his head.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty and Duke Wei, I will not do that. I know the importance of the economy better than any of you."

Li Shimin nodded affirmatively upon hearing this. He wouldn't believe others saying this, but he truly believed Li Jue when he said it.

After all, no one in the entire Tang Dynasty was better at making money than him.

"Li Jue, you tell us how to deal with Ba Zhuo?"

"Grandpa, I agree with Master Li's suggestion!"

"oh?"

"Li Jue, you personally captured Ba Zhuo, are you really willing to let him go?"

Li Jue shook his head upon hearing this.

"Of course I wouldn't!"

"But the problem now is that even if we destroy the Xueyantuo, it will only create a large open space. Moreover, in a few years, this open space will be overgrown with grassland people again."

"Therefore, rather than letting the grassland people grow wildly, it would be better to give them a timid king, so that they would behave themselves and obediently graze and raise horses for the Tang Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was so excited that he stood up immediately.

"Li Jue, are you serious about what you're saying?"

"yes!"

"To be honest, I'm currently researching a new machine. Once it's successfully developed, I'll be able to completely solve the grassland problem!"

"What kind of machine could have such a miraculous effect?"

"Wool spinning machine!"

"Wool spinning machine?"

"yes!"

"This material can be spun from the wool that is readily available on the grasslands into a soft fabric, which is an excellent choice for both military uniforms and cloaks. Even ordinary people can use this material to keep warm."

"Furthermore, I also plan to cultivate cotton extensively in the Western Regions, making the Western Regions a cotton-producing area of ​​the Tang Dynasty!"