Li Shimin was actually a rebellious person. If Li Xiang had not said this, Li Shimin would have forced his son in no matter what. But now that Li Xiang said this, and in view of what King Li Ge of Shu had done before, Li Shimin didn't know how to respond.
This son is indeed talented, but whenever he is responsible for a specific task, he is unable to do it well. In the end, Li Xiang even has to finish it. This has caused great doubts about his talent.
As for the last time he led the Eastern Expedition to Fuso, everyone understood that it was just a figurehead. From the navy to the army, basically no one directly obeyed his orders.
"Since your third uncle has started socializing with famous scholars, he should have his own affairs. There's no need to bother him with this matter. However, his son, the King of Chengdu, is an option. You're all cousins, so what do you think of this?"
Li Shimin was also very cunning. Seeing that his son was useless, he immediately pushed forward the King of Chengdu, who was also Li Ge's eldest son.
Li Xiang has a balancing strategy at all times. He wants to arrange all the people from the front to the back as his own, but it seems too difficult now. In this case, he will just follow Li Shimin's wishes. After all, except for an empty title, the people working below are all his own people, and Li Xiang is not afraid of anything happening in the rear.
What's more, Li Xiang has always relied less on logistics when fighting. He has a system where all kinds of things can be exchanged, and he fights to support the war locally. This is also Li Xiang's usual style, so no matter who is in charge of logistics, it is the same for Li Xiang.
The second is the Nanzhao Kingdom. Li Xiang has already managed the Nanzhao Kingdom very smoothly. Even if the supplies from Sichuan cannot arrive, the supplies from the Nanzhao Kingdom can be used to replace them at any time. So no matter who Li Shimin wants to promote, just promote him directly. His contribution will be indispensable at that time. As for wanting to expand his own power in this matter, I'm afraid it won't work.
"If that's the case, then just follow Grandfather's wishes. I'm fine with whatever you say."
After hearing what Li Xiang said, Li Shimin felt a little sorry for Li Xiang. After all, this was equivalent to letting others take advantage of Li Xiang's achievements.
"Fathers and sons fight together in battle, and brothers fight together against tigers. You cousins should interact more with each other. When you are on the battlefield, others may not be trustworthy, but your brothers at home are the ones you can truly trust."
Because of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin valued brotherly love and respect the most. But the problem is, where does so much brotherly love come from in the royal family? It is normal for them to like each other even if they don't see each other. If they are really as close as brothers, how tiring would it be to act every day?
Take the two brothers that Li Xiang brought this time for example. On the surface, they seem to be okay, but Li Xiang is also wary of them. If they are willing to be small roles, Li Xiang doesn't mind promoting them. But if they have evil intentions, they may find an opportunity to eliminate you on the front line.
In the past, when members of the royal family went to the battlefield and something happened, many people would be implicated. But with Li Xiang's current ability, if a member of the royal family really died, would Li Shimin have to chop Li Xiang off? It was impossible. At most, he would issue an imperial edict and scold him. Li Xiang could handle such a minor matter, but the person who died would be wronged.
"I won't waste your time. Hurry up and prepare. You don't need to come to me before you leave. When you get to the front, write more letters to the court and tell them about the situation there. Although I can't give you much support here, it's still possible to analyze the enemy's direction. Those old guys in the Ministry of War must have something to do. If you don't inform them of the military situation, they will run to the Ministry of War every day."
What Li Shimin said was true. Those generals were too old and could not be allowed to go to the battlefield casually. Take Cheng Yaojin for example. He had followed Li Xiang to Fusang before, but he felt pain all over his body after returning. He rested in Chang'an City for nearly three months before he felt a little better.
In fact, not only those people missed the battlefield, but Li Shimin also missed the battlefield. However, Li Shimin also knew that he had the Spring and Autumn Period now. If he insisted on going to the battlefield, it would not only bring various troubles to the army, but if something happened, it would really shake the foundation of the country.
Li Xiang kowtowed solemnly to Li Shimin, and then left.
"Do you think I still have fantasies about the third brother?"
Li Shimin was also observing his eldest son just now. His eldest son had regained his mind now and was watching coldly most of the time. If you didn't ask him, this guy would not say a single extra word and would wrap himself up completely.
"Father naturally has his own reasons, and I will obey."
Seeing his eldest son being so smooth, Li Shimin lost interest in the conversation and asked his eldest son to leave. In fact, Li Shimin had no other ideas. He just looked at his sons and always thought that they should not waste their days like this. They should be given a chance to serve the empire at such a young age.
Li Chengqian also kowtowed to Li Shimin obediently, and then walked out. In fact, Li Chengqian had already encountered the same dilemma that Li Shimin was facing now. When Li Xiang came back next time, he might introduce two brothers to Li Xiang. No father would want to see his son become so decadent.
Li Xiang first went back home and gathered everyone in the family. After having a meal together, Li Xiang prepared to go to the military camp. Originally, there were not so many people at home, but if they wanted to play mahjong now, there would probably be enough for three tables.
After many people got married, they only had the status of husband and wife with Li Xiang, and had no other chance to talk. Now seeing Cheng Ying, a person without a formal status, leaving with Li Xiang, they were very angry in their hearts, but who could blame the other person's sister for being the hostess?
Li Xiang had already thought about Cheng Ying's status. He could not have six concubines, but he could have twelve talented women. From then on, Cheng Ying would be a talented woman.
Back then, Wu Zetian also started out as a talented woman...
