"Your son greets the emperor!" Liu Zhao bowed respectfully and obeyed.
"I'm back! Come walk with me."
An old voice sounded in Liu Zhao's ears.
"Father!" He was excited and his mood was very complicated.
After not seeing him for several years, my father has aged a lot, and it’s hard to look at him.
Emperor Wende laughed. He wanted to reach out and pat Liu Zhao on the shoulder, but suddenly found that his son was half a head taller than him.
At the moment when Emperor Wende was about to let go, Liu Zhao suddenly made an unexpected move.
He squatted down, looked up at Emperor Wende, and with mixed emotions, he called out, "Father!"
Emperor Wende's lips moved slightly, his eyes complex. He smiled again, and this time he patted Liu Zhao's shoulder. "Well done! You didn't bring shame to the Liu royal family."
"I dare not lose my life but my dignity."
"Hahaha……"
Emperor Wende put his hands behind his back and walked out of the hall first, following the three-foot-wide path towards the back mountain.
Liu Zhao lagged behind half a step and followed Emperor Wende.
He would extend his hand to support her from time to time, and then quickly let go before Emperor Wende noticed.
He did this naturally.
Sometimes Liu Zhao thought that he was filled with hatred in his heart.
He hated his father for treating him unfairly and for his cruelty and heartlessness.
However, when he saw his father's hair and beard were gray and his steps were slow and heavy, all the hatred turned into nothingness.
The father who was tall and majestic in my memory will actually grow old one day.
Birth, old age, sickness and death are inevitable, even for an emperor.
Liu Zhao's heart was in turmoil and he felt many emotions.
Neither the father nor the son spoke as they climbed the mountain in silence.
The palace maids and guards followed closely behind.
Finally reached the top of the mountain.
The mountain behind was not high enough to overlook all the other mountains. All one could see were the palaces hidden in the forest, and the palace maids and concubines moving among them.
Outside the palace, there are rows of houses, which are the residences of accompanying officials, royal relatives and others.
Liu Zhao looked around and finally found where he and Gu Jiu lived among the numerous houses scattered around.
It is located in the center of many houses, surrounded by stars.
He was shocked. All the stars are surrounding the moon?
Was this intentional or a coincidence?
He looked towards Emperor Wende.
Emperor Wende found a stone and prepared to sit down.
Chang En hurried forward and placed the soft cushion on the stone. "The stone is cold. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."
Emperor Wende waved his hand, signaling him to leave.
He beckoned Liu Zhao over and said, "Tell me about the situation in the northwest. What is the current situation? Have you, Lord Lu, seen anything?"
"Your Majesty, the situation in the northwest has been resolved. The Grand Commandery has decided to send troops deep into the grasslands and seize the opportunity to occupy them."
"Occupy the grasslands?" Emperor Wende pondered for a moment. "Li Bingming mentioned this in his memorial, but I haven't considered it carefully. Tell me what you and Li Bingming think."
"The idea of this son and Lord Li is to push the border deeper into the grasslands."
Emperor Wende frowned.
"The grasslands are vast, with a harsh climate, making them unsuitable for farming. They're only suitable for a nomadic lifestyle, following the water. Living near water means a constantly shifting population. How can the government manage this? The Great Zhou only has officials assigned to each city, but no officials who move with the nomads. This is detrimental to government administration."
"Your Majesty is right. This is the fundamental reason why successive dynasties have abandoned grassland management. It's impossible to count population and acreage, and it's impossible to manage. But if we don't manage the grasslands, the enemy will. Not only will the enemy manage the grasslands, but they will also trample on us in return."
After a pause, Liu Zhao continued, "Without Beirong, the Great Zhou will not manage the grasslands. Within a few decades, new ethnic groups will emerge on the grasslands. The Western Rong and the Eastern Rong are all ambitious and want to plunder the Great Zhou for a living. I believe that we can no longer follow the old path of past dynasties. Why not try a new path, a path that no one has taken before? I believe that no matter how bad the new path is, it will not be worse than the situation of the past two years."
Emperor Wende gazed into the distance, frowning in thought, "What new path do you want to take?"
Liu Zhao said, "A few years ago, with my father's permission, we built a number of fortresses on the grassland. These fortresses effectively blocked the Xiliang cavalry and established an effective supply line. When we manage the grasslands, we can use these fortresses as a hub to count the population and livestock."
Emperor Wende asked, "Have you ever considered how much it would cost to govern the grasslands? Where would the money come from? How much tax could the grassland herders' livestock provide? What if the barbarians learned how to build fortresses and fortresses and used them against the Great Zhou?"
Liu Zhao had clearly made preparations. He calmly replied, "My son, I've considered this carefully. The funds needed will primarily come from three sources. First, we'll establish a designated market and collect taxes on livestock transactions. Second, we'll establish a winemaking industry and collect taxes on alcohol. Third, we'll collect taxes on minerals. The grasslands also have mineral resources, which are worth developing. In a few decades, perhaps we can build a city on the grasslands."
Emperor Wende smiled and said, "It's a good idea, but it's just an idea. If you can present your idea to the court, I bet no one will support you."
"I understand! I'm not in a hurry. This matter needs to be planned slowly."
Emperor Wende nodded approvingly. "It's a good idea. Only by being patient and not impulsive can you accomplish great things."
"Your son will always remember your father's teachings." Liu Zhao said with a bow.
Emperor Wende looked at Chang En.
Chang En saw the opportunity and immediately led his men to retreat far away.
The guards surrounded the entire hilltop to ensure that not even a mosquito could fly in.
Emperor Wende patted the stone beside him and motioned Liu Zhao to sit down.
Liu Zhao picked a small stone and sat down at the bottom.
Emperor Wende asked casually, "Tell me about the Marquis of Lu! Is there any way the court can control him?"
Liu Zhao thought for a moment and said solemnly, "The Duke of Lu has already established his power and it is difficult to control it. If we use tough measures, I am afraid that war will be unavoidable."
Emperor Wende frowned. "Is there no way to deal with him? Must I cede the northwest to him? With the northwest, he'll want to take over the entire Great Zhou. Even if it means war, we must find a way to eliminate this thorny threat, the Marquis of Lu. If we continue to support the Pei family father and son, they will eventually become a traitor and a traitor."
Emperor Wende was very anxious and wanted to solve the problem of the Northwest Army as soon as possible.
After resolving the two external threats of Beirong and Xiliang, the Northwest Army became the internal worry of the Great Zhou and the biggest and most serious destabilizing factor.
Liu Zhao said slowly, "Father, calm down! Your Majesty, if you can avoid war, we should do our best. I have a half-baked idea that might be useful."
"Tell me about it."
Liu Zhao dipped his finger in water and made a few random strokes on the stone, outlining the general terrain of the northwest.
"We can try the strategy of driving the wolf to devour the tiger, and have the Duke of Lu personally lead the Northwest Army to attack westward. The imperial court will provide a portion of the food and fodder, and the Northwest Army will be allowed to plunder the rest along the way, using war to support the war."
Liu Zhao's finger inched towards Xiliang. "If the Northwest Army can capture this place, it's too far away to send officials to govern it. It would be more generous to grant it to the Pei family. This would allow the Pei family to govern the northwest for generations, and the Great Zhou army would be firmly headed west. It would also be a good place for training. Bringing in new recruits would ensure the army's combat effectiveness. At the same time, this grassland fortress would become the Great Zhou's true first line of defense. This is my son's initial idea. What do you think, Father?"
Emperor Wende stared at the stone in silence for a long time.
The water marks gradually dried up and disappeared.
Emperor Wende did not look away.
After a long time, Emperor Wende breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is this your personal opinion?"
Liu Zhao shook his head. "Lord Li has the same idea. This is a necessary move to avoid war."
Emperor Wende asked again, "How much did Gu Jiu participate in your thinking?"
Liu Zhao was stunned on the spot.
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "You still want to hide this from me? Dream on." Such a long-term plan, such a grand gesture, is exactly like Gu Jiu's style. She likes to kill several birds with one stone, always finding ways to take care of the interests of multiple parties when doing something. This plan is equivalent to dividing the land and conferring titles, using the land of Xiliang as a favor to win over the Pei family and the Northwest Army.
I suspect the Marquis of Lu will be unable to refuse. After all, he has no assurance of victory against the imperial army, yet he also doesn't want to lose everything he has. The situation is at a stalemate, but it can't remain so forever. The northwest army's westward advance is a stroke of genius.
Liu Zhao secretly broke out in a sweat.
He really didn't expect that his father was so sharp and could see through Gu Jiu's shadow in this opportunity at a glance.
After Emperor Wende finished speaking, he laughed out loud again.
After laughing, he asked, "Did Gu Jiu tell me how much money and grain would be needed to promote this opportunity, and how many years would it take?"
Liu Zhao did not hide it. "This plan must be completed within ten years. The money and grain required will be no less than ten million taels."
Emperor Wende frowned, "Where does so much money and food come from?"
"From Beirong, from Xiliang."
"She's quite bold. She's more courageous than many of the court officials. Those civil officials keep nagging me about a benevolent and righteous nation, but that's all bullshit."
Liu Zhao laughed, "Xiao Jiu also said that being kind and righteous to foreign enemies is the greatest cruelty to the people of the Great Zhou."
"That's right. You should tell the court officials about it. Let them know what true benevolence and righteousness are."
Emperor Wende was in a good mood.
He patted Liu Zhao's shoulder and said, "This plan may not be realized in my lifetime. Dealing with the Marquis of Lu and the Pei family depends entirely on you."
"Father!" Liu Zhao was shocked.
Emperor Wende's words were almost a statement that he wanted to pass the throne to him.
Emperor Wende smiled calmly, "I know my own health well. I don't have much time left. I don't trust anyone else with the country and people of the Great Zhou. I trust you."
Liu Zhao knelt on the ground, his eyes reddened. "I, your son, will not disappoint your father's trust. I will expand our territory and spread the might of our Great Zhou, so that everyone in the world can hear our voice."
"What a great ambition! I also want to go to the northwest to see if there are really so many countries and so many people."
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