Upon hearing this, Li Shimin, without waiting for Zhang Anan to step forward, personally rose from his dragon throne, came to Li Zhi, and took the document from him, then carefully began to peruse it.
"good!"
"Zhi Nu's calligraphy is becoming more and more impressive. I could never write such elegant calligraphy when I was his age, hahaha!"
Li Zhi smiled shyly upon hearing his father's praise.
"It's all thanks to Father's excellent teaching; I've only learned a little bit of what Father has taught me..."
Li Zhi was not being modest; he had been copying Li Shimin's calligraphy since he first started writing, and it had been seven or eight years since then.
Of course, Li Shimin's own calligraphy skills were also excellent. After all, Li Shimin was copying the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, which was already the pinnacle of calligraphy from the source.
"Since you've written so much, you must have some insights into the political affairs since the Zhenguan era, right?"
Tell me, what shortcomings do I still have?
"Uh..."
Li Zhi was stunned when he heard this, and for a moment he couldn't figure out his father's intention.
“Father, the administration since the Zhenguan era has been excellent. Your son really cannot see any shortcomings.”
"My father has cherished the people's strength and worked hard to develop agriculture. Militarily, he has far surpassed the Qin and Han dynasties, and has completely resolved the troubles of the Western Regions and the Northern Turks."
"Whether in terms of civil administration or military achievements, Father Emperor has far surpassed the previous dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that he is unprecedented!"
Li Shimin was in a good mood after hearing Li Zhi's praise, but when he thought of what that kid who called himself Shi Dakai had said, he still felt like he had a thorn stuck in his heart.
"Isn't there absolutely no problem?"
"No!"
"Anyway, my son is dull-witted and really can't see the problem..."
"Don't you think our Great Tang Dynasty lacks a highway that connects the entire country?"
"Chidao?"
Li Zhi was completely dumbfounded when he heard this. He never expected that his father would suddenly hear about "imperial roads," let alone roads that ran throughout the entire country...
"Father, building such a long road must have cost a lot of money, grain, and manpower, right?"
"This is not the way of a wise ruler. I beg Father Emperor to rescind his decree!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin felt a slight disappointment.
Is this the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty?
Their vision and knowledge are actually inferior to that of a child!
"I was just joking, don't take it seriously. Go back to your studies."
"promise!"
After seeing Li Zhi off, Li Shimin went alone to the north wall of the palace and stared blankly at the map of the Tang Dynasty hanging on the wall.
In fact, on the way back to the palace, he calmed down and seriously considered what the boy who called himself Shi Dakai had said.
Putting aside the question of whether or not ordinary people can afford meat, the matter of the Chidao (a road construction project) is truly meaningful!
Li Shimin had long realized the problem of the Tang Dynasty: its territory was too vast, making it too troublesome to collect grain, deploy troops, or transport supplies.
For example, a couple of years ago, the Kingdom of Kang in the Western Regions wanted to become part of the Central Plains, but he had no choice but to give up on Kang because it was too far away from Chang'an.
While this move saved the Tang Dynasty a lot of trouble, it chilled the hearts of the various kingdoms in the Western Regions. As a result, the power of the Xueyantuo has increased significantly in recent years, and many small kingdoms have submitted to the Xueyantuo.
The reason is simple: the Tang Dynasty is too far away from them, so it can neither pose a constant threat to them nor send troops to protect them in time when they are in danger. So why should they submit to the Tang Dynasty and become its vassals?
However, if there were a highway running through the Tang Dynasty, this problem would be easily solved!
First, the taxes and grain reserves of the Tang Dynasty could be quickly centralized.
Secondly, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty could be mobilized quickly!
As long as the above two conditions are met, the Tang Dynasty can quell any rebellion, whether it occurs within its borders or in remote areas of the Western Regions, at the fastest speed!
Such a simple problem went unnoticed by the emperor, the court officials, and even the crown prince on whom he placed his hopes!
Moreover, despite his repeated reminders, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji failed to realize the problem and were preoccupied with how to save money.
In their eyes, maintaining the empire's territory and stabilizing the empire's situation are not as important as money, food, and manpower.
Now, Li Shimin only wanted to find that little boy again and ask him whether he was deliberately arguing with him or truly realized the serious problems facing the Tang Dynasty.
"Zhang Anan, go and make preparations. I plan to leave the palace for a stroll..."
"promise!"
Not long after, Li Shimin reappeared on Zhuque Street. The fried dough stick stall was still there, but the chubby little boy was gone.
Where is that little baby?
"Sir, our young master has gone home to study!"
"oh oh……"
"Our young master lives in..."
Before the woman who was helping him could finish giving him the address, Li Shimin hurriedly got into the carriage and headed straight for Qinglongfang.
Although the Hundred Cavalry Division that went to Qianzhou to investigate has not yet returned, the Hundred Cavalry Division in the capital has already thoroughly investigated Shi Dakai's residence.
Li Jue only said he was going home to study, but in reality, there were almost no books in his home, only a set of the Four Books and Five Classics used to decorate the house.
But he didn't sit idle; instead, he lay on the table, trying hard to recall the content of his nine years of compulsory education in his previous life.
Things like the three laws of mechanics, the Pythagorean theorem, and the periodic table.
In short, write down whatever comes to mind, and it's okay if you can't remember anything at all; save it for later.
Just as Li Jue was pondering the topic of functions, he suddenly heard a knock on the door outside the courtyard.
Is Young Master Shi home?
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