On the day Li Shimin ascended the throne, Jieli and Tuli Khan led 200,000 soldiers and horses to invade Wugong County.Li Shimin was furious when he heard the news, and reprimanded: "Take advantage of people's danger! The Turks thought that there was a big change in our country, and I had just ascended the throne, so they poured out their country and tried to get some cheap. Hmph, if I show weakness and refuse to guard behind closed doors, They will definitely send troops to loot. Is Jingde here?" Yuchi Jingde went out to play and said: "The minister is here." "I entrust you as the general manager of the Jingzhou Road March, and you can lead 100,000 soldiers and horses out of the city quickly to meet them."

"The minister leads the order." Li Shimin turned his gaze to Du Ruhui again: "Ruhui, you can draft an order for Li Jing and Li Shiti to come. In addition, Fei Ge passed a letter to Zhang Wansui, asking him to secretly tell Wuji to lead the troops back to Beijing. With these two ways Soldiers and horses, as long as Jingde can resist for a while, Liang Jieli will not get any benefits." Du Ruhui and Yuchi Jingde turned around and left the hall. Looking at the backs of the two of them walking out, Li Shimin sighed and said: "Since ancient times, Huayi has been very defensive, and it seems that there are some reasons. Needless to say, Jieli, like Tuli who just made a deal with Zhenmeng. Brother, knowing that I have recently ascended the throne, I should congratulate him, but I didn't expect him to choose such a way of congratulating."

Xiao Yu cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the Turks have always been human-faced and beast-hearted, and they are good at taking advantage of the fire to loot. Alliance as brothers? That is not true. To them, the only way to destroy their prestige is to fight them with soldiers and fight an eye for an eye." At this time, Wei Zheng went out to play and said: "Your Majesty, I dare not agree with Duke Xiao's point of view. Now that Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, the world is not peaceful, and the country is not yet stable. Although Turkic troops are approaching the city, it is not appropriate to go to war. I think that soldiers do not kill blood."

Xiao Yu glared at Wei Zheng, and reprimanded: "What do you know? You still want to disturb His Majesty's mind here." Wei Zheng looked calm, and said lightly: "Now I am advising the doctor, and it is my duty to express my opinion. Responsibility." Not soft but not hard, Xiao Yu was touched back. Li Shimin looked stern, and stopped their dispute with a soft snort, and said: "Soldiers without blood? Now that the Turkic soldiers are approaching the city, it's hard to do. Let's stop and see how Jingde's first battle is fought." Yuchi Jingde lived up to Li Shimin's high expectations, he led his troops to Jingyang quietly, set up an ambush at the place where the Turkic soldiers invaded the capital, and ate up 10,000 of his forward soldiers.The news spread back to the capital, and everyone in the city was excited about it.

However, after Xieli was frustrated, he did not weaken the momentum of the attack. He readjusted his deployment and divided his troops into three groups to advance side by side.After all, Yuchi Jingde had no experience as a commander, and after a brave strike, he had no follow-up power, and it was difficult to parry the Turkic three-way army, so he had to fight and retreat, and retreated all the way across the Weishui River.He didn't hold his ground until the Turks' offensive momentum slowed down. Standing on the edge of the Wei River, Jieli looked at Chang'an in the distance, turned his head and called out: "Chuan Zhi Shi Si Li." Shibi Khan sent to help Li Yuan.Zhishisili is twenty-seven years old this year. He has extraordinary courage, quick thinking, and eloquence. He is a leader among the young Turkic generation.

Zhishisili is now serving in the army, and upon hearing the call, he hurried to see Jieli.Jieli said: "When you go to Chang'an City to meet Li Shimin, you tell me that Tuli and I have millions of soldiers, and that we really want to visit the city. If he is interested, he will bring gold and silk as early as possible, so that I won't do anything." Losing his mind and strength without following others, he sneaked to Chang'an alone.At this time, people of all kinds lived in the city of Chang'an, and it was not eye-catching for a person from a foreign land to come in and out. He lost his mind and easily mixed into the city, and soon came to Suzaku's gate.It was almost dusk at this time, Zhi lost his mind and said to the guard at the palace gate: "I am the special envoy of the Turkic Khanate, please report to Honglu Temple and say that I have something urgent to meet you."

At this time, the Turkic soldiers were approaching the city, and it was an extraordinary period.Hearing that the Turkic special envoy came to Beijing, Tang Jian, Hongluqing, dared not neglect, and hurriedly reported the news to Shangshu Zuopushe Xiao Yu and Shangshu Youpushe Feng Deyi.At this time, the two were discussing with Li Shimin in Xiande Hall.When Li Shimin heard about it, he raised his eyes and said, "I lost my mind? Unexpectedly, Xieli sent him as an envoy. Speaking of which, he is still my old friend. Well, let him come in." In the hall, Gao Shilian, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were also present.

Li Shimin said: "Jieli's soldiers came to the edge of the Wei River, thinking about it, I feel that I have some capital. Guess, what is the reason for the stubbornness?" Feng Deyi laughed and said: "Jieli must still be in the same old way, he just threatened a few words and asked for some gold and silk." Li Shimin said: "That's right, he will definitely do this. Alas, although Jingde won the first victory this time, after all, he didn't stop Xieli's offensive momentum, and he gained some power. Ruohui, it seems that Jingde is just a general. It may be a little bit reluctant for him to control all military aircraft."

Du Ruhui replied: "Things started in a hurry, it is not easy for Jingde to lead a team that is not convenient. After all, the Turkic army is several times stronger than him." While speaking, Tong Shi sent people into the hall to report, saying that he had lost his mind and power and had gone outside the hall.Li Shimin was sitting upright, with a serious expression on his face, and then summoned Zhi Shili to enter. After entering the palace, Zhi Shi Si Li did not kneel down to salute, but cupped his hands and said: "The Emperor of Tang, I am ordered by the Great Khan, and I am a special envoy to express the meaning of the Great Khan to Emperor Tang Shen."

Li Shimin's expression was serious, and he said solemnly: "You have lost your mind, you came just in time. Not long after I made a new alliance with Jieli and Tuli, when I took the throne, they led troops to invade our border and entered our country to plunder. What's the point?" "Your Majesty, the Great Khan has no other intentions in coming here. But I would like to ask why the tribute of gold and silk has not been seen so far since the original alliance has been made?" No hindrance. Feng Deyi on the side scolded: "Jieli is too greedy! I import gold and silk as a rule every year to give back to the needy. Why do I increase the size at every turn? My dynasty is no longer in the past when you were in dire straits. Your mere 200,000 soldiers What a horse! My emperor is famous for his heroism. If he drives the heavenly soldiers, Jieli will have no place to hide. My emperor has endured it until now, and he is unwilling to disturb the people by using weapons. Can't you understand my compassion? ?”

Li Shimin waved his hand, signaled Feng Deyi and other courtiers not to intervene, and said kindly: "I have lost my mind, you and Naifu were not ignorant people when we fought with me. Now that Jieli's army is suppressing the situation, bullying I have recently ascended the throne and my foothold is not stable, if this matter is for you to judge, do you think it is appropriate?" Shame appeared on his face, and his head was slightly lowered.He said in silence for a long time, and then said: "Your Majesty, this matter is a long story. Please turn your back, I have something to say." After everyone exited the hall, they lost their minds and knocked on the ground: "Your Majesty, just now, the villain is a special envoy, so I can't fully salute. I hope to beg for forgiveness." Li Shimin walked past the dragon case, stepped forward to hold up the lost thoughts, and said softly: "I know your heart, and the friendship we formed during the war is not in vain. Get up, let's sit down and talk slowly." Zhishi lost his mind and did not dare to sit flat against Li Shimin, but sat with his body half bent, looking very cramped.When he got along with Li Shimin before, Li Shimin was only the commander in chief of the army, he treated his subordinates very kindly, his age was about the same as him, and he was from a foreign land, so Li Shimin was more polite.Li Shimin in front of him was already the emperor of a great country. He was covered in a ocher yellow dragon robe. Although his face was peaceful, he was not angry and majestic, which made him feel fear from his heart. Li Shimin asked the court lady to offer a cup of fragrant tea to Zhishenli, and said: "I remember when we first met, we were both young men. Time flies, and now I am over thirty years old. You can also It should be twenty-seven years old. How many sons and daughters do you have now?" Li Shimin's question made him lose his mind for a while, and he replied: "Your Majesty, the villain has three daughters, but luck is not good, and he has not yet had a son." Li Shimin nodded, and said: "The bitter cold place in the north of Saibei is caused by the climate." Suddenly he laughed dumbfounded, "Look where I thought, how can the matter of childbearing be related to the climate? Haha." Zhishen Li also laughed along with him. Li Shimin slowly suppressed his smile, looked directly at Zhi Sisi and said: "You tell me to back away, what do you have to say?" Zhi Shisili stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Da Khan asked the villain to pass on a message. I have already said it just now. The villain still has some words from the bottom of his heart, and I want to speak to your majesty alone." Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Don't be too polite, just sit down and talk slowly." Zhi Shili did not sit down, and talked eloquently: "Your Majesty, the Great Khan led the troops to invade the country this time, because he saw that His Majesty had not long since ascended the throne, and his foothold was not stable. The Great Khan has tried his best this time. If Changsun Wuji Fighting against Yuchi Jingde's two troops, I'm afraid they will be powerless. If your Majesty wants to win a big victory, you have to spend half of the country's troops. In this way, it will take time to mobilize troops." Li Shimin nodded, and said, "That's right, Xieli just took advantage of this gap and wanted to have something in mind. Tell me the truth, what exactly is Xieli trying to achieve?" "It's very simple. He just wants to force His Majesty to contribute gold and silk, and has no other intentions. He once told his subordinates in private that if His Majesty pays the Great Khan twice as much as the annual tribute this time, he will definitely withdraw his troops." "Hmph, taking advantage of others' danger! You should know my temper. I will be strong when I encounter a strong one. If I try to gain some advantage by showing my prestige, it will be fruitless. Yes, the two soldiers of Wuji and Jingde combined are less than fifteen. Wan, but I still have follow-up soldiers. The army of Li Jing and Li Shi has already begun to go south. If I lead the soldiers of Gyeonggi to conquer in person, our army will not be less than 400,000. Can Jieli be an opponent? The Tang Dynasty is no longer in dire straits. , all the thieves in the country are leveled, and the national strength has doubled, if Jieli wants to be strong, he can let go." "However, if this is the case, after the battle in the capital, there will be mourners everywhere. Although the Great Khan returns home in defeat, his Majesty's land will be broken, and it may not be His Majesty's wish. In fact, this time the Great Khan only asks for gold and silk, and His Majesty wants to give up. People's lives are at peace, and this war can't be fought. What's more, the gold and silk that His Majesty gave to the Great Khan has gone to a place in the northern part of the Great Khan that has nothing to spend, and the Great Khan has stored it in the warehouse. things." Li Shimin was puzzled, and asked with wide-eyed eyes: "Your words have confused me, so what can I do?" Zhishili smiled sadly, and said sadly: "The villain father and son have been serving His Majesty for many days, witnessed the rise of the Tang Dynasty, and sincerely admired the heroism of the Supreme Emperor and His Majesty. In contrast, the situation in our country is going from bad to worse. Now there is serious suspicion among the khans, There are many contradictions between Jieli, Tuli, and Yu Sheshe, and they each go their own way. What's more, Jieli Khan despises tribesmen and values ​​outsiders, and fights fiercely with Xue Yantuo and other tribes. It is different to lure wolves into the house. Alas, the Khanate appears to be powerful to outsiders, but internal crises are rife. The villain discussed with his father that within a few years, the Khanate will fall apart. The villain actually has selfish intentions in his mission this time. If this happens in the future, I hope His Majesty will lend a helping hand so that we can have a place of refuge." Li Shimin was extremely shocked by these words of losing his mind.He had also heard of internal discord in East Turk before, but he did not expect it to be so serious.He thought of Qin II, Emperor Sui Yang and others. It seems that the reason for the disintegration of a great empire does not lie in external forces, but the key lies in internal factors!This made him suddenly have a hazy idea. In the future, the method of dealing with the East Turks should be changed, not to have a direct conflict with them, and to wait for the chaos before making a decision. Li Shimin thought in this way, but there was no strange color on his face. It took a long time before he said slowly: "I know what you mean. Last time in Binzhou, Tuli also made an alliance with me as brothers, and he also said Similar words. Okay, I promise you. The Supreme Emperor once granted my father the title of Great General of the Right Guard. From today on, this title will be inherited by you. I will also give my father the title of Great General. What do you think?" After hearing the words, Zhi Shi Si Li bowed down immediately, kowtowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, the villain will definitely follow His Majesty in this life, and there will be no second thoughts." Li Shimin smiled and said: "Pingshen. From now on, you can't be so polite. Like the Supreme Emperor, I have a more casual temperament. Especially when facing alone, it seems a bit natural for you to be so polite." Losing his composure, he kowtowed again and said, "Even though a villain was born in a barbaric place, he also knows the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers. Today, since he was conferred an official position by His Majesty, he is a minister of the Tang Dynasty. There is nothing wrong with respecting the emperor. .” "Okay, get up. I have never defended myself against the barbarians. As long as I am a minister of the Tang Dynasty, I treat them all the same. You can rest assured. Shi Danai was originally a descendant of the Western Turks, and now he has also become an important minister of the Tang Dynasty." "I understand." Zhishenli kowtowed again, then slowly stood up. Li Shimin raised his head and glanced out the window, seeing that the night was already dark outside, he said, "You have come here in a hurry, you must be hungry, so come and have dinner with me tonight. Come and pass on the meal to serve you." At the dinner table by candlelight, Li Shimin ate and talked with Zhi Shili, and formed a plan to deal with Xieli in his mind.Zhi lost his mind, finished his dinner in trepidation, then bowed his head and left. In the early morning of the next day, I only heard the sound of the Jingyang bell, the net whip cracked three times, and all the officials entered the court.After a while, Li Shimin entered the hall and took his seat to accept the worship of all officials. Tang Jian first played and said: "Your Majesty, the Jieli army is approaching the Wei River, and now we have sent a special envoy to wait outside the hall." Li Shimin said: "Show him in." Under the guidance of Tongshisheren, Zhishisili entered the Hall of Xiande, saluted Li Shimin according to the Turkic custom, then said the words of Jieli, and finally said: "The two Khans of Jieli and Tuli have a million soldiers. Now we have arrived at Weishui, waiting for His Majesty's reply." After hearing this, Li Shimin was furious, and rose up against the case, scolding: "I and Erhan made a face-to-face marriage, and donated gold and silk, just like yesterday's ear. Now that Erhan is proud of the covenant, and leads the army deep, don't I deserve it! Li, even though you are a Rongdi, you still have people's hearts, why forget about your great kindness and boast about your strength! Left and right, pull him down first and behead him immediately, so that Jieli can understand my attitude." Zhi lost his mind and was terrified when he heard this. He fell to the ground and begged for mercy, saying: "Your Majesty, since ancient times, the two countries have been fighting each other without beheading them. I hope that your Majesty will read that the villain has made little contribution to Tang Ji and beg for his life." Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi also rushed out of duty, begging Li Shimin to appease his anger, saying that they should maintain the demeanor of a great country, and they should be sent away with courtesy. Li Shimin slowly sat back on the dragon chair, his face still serious, and he said angrily: "I have lost my mind, because of the fact that you fought against me in the past, Duke Xiao and Duke Feng pleaded for you again. I will spare your life for the time being." But now that I put you back, Jieli will definitely think that I am afraid of him, and I will become more and more arrogant. How about this, Gao Shizhong, first imprison this person under the door, and you will strictly guard him, and you are not allowed to go out." Gao Shilian led the decree to lead the power out of the hall. Li Shimin stood up again, and said: "My lords want to talk about other things, let's put it aside for now, let's finish this matter first. If it's dark, how is the deployment of soldiers?" Du Ruhui said: "According to your majesty's decree, I have sent someone with a talisman to dispatch the six armies, including the Shenqi Army, Drum Banner Army, Yuange Army, Pingdao Army, Tianji Army, and Tianjie Army. They are now outside the city. waiting." Li Shimin nodded and said, "Okay! Ruhui did a good job, and they came fairly quickly. Qin Shubao, Shi Danai, Duan Zhixuan." The three of them left the class at the same time and said in unison: "The minister is here." "The three of you lead the Canqi Army, Drum Banner Army, and Yuan Ge Army to go west along the Weishui River and set off immediately." "The minister leads the decree." The three of them went to Du Ruhui's place to get the military amulet, and immediately left the hall. Li Shimin called again: "Hou Junji, Xue Wanche, Ma Sanbao." "The minister is here." "The three of you lead the Pingdao Army, Tianji Army, and Tianjie Army to outflank the capital from south to north." Hou Junji, Xue Wanche, and Ma Sanbao led the order out of the hall.Standing in the Hall of Xiande right now, Li Shimin completely forgot that he is a newly enthroned emperor, but he looks like a powerful military commander. After arranging these matters, Li Shimin's expression was a little more friendly, and he said to the officials: "Everyone, please go back to your duties and act as usual. Xiaogong, Fenggong, Gao Shizhong, Xuanling and Ruhui, you can follow along as you like." I will go back to the front of the formation." Li Shimin did not bring a guard of honor, and only led five hundred soldiers behind him.When passing Xuande Gate, Li Shimin saw Chang He leading his subordinates to kneel down and salute him.He looked up at the three big characters "Xuanwu Gate" on the tower, recalling what happened behind this gate not long ago, he couldn't help feeling mixed feelings in his heart.His eyes were a little moist, so he swung his whip and slammed on the horse's belly. The team accelerated their pace, galloped through the city, and rushed out of Kaiyuan Gate. It is the autumn ripening season in the field, yellow corn stalks and red millet stalks are lying across the field, and the ears on the stalks have been cut by farmers and threshed for storage.There are many busy people in the field, they want to gather corn stalks and millet stalks together as firewood for winter.Some people began to plow deeply to dry the farrows, and then plowed and harrowed to harvest moisture in preparation for sowing winter wheat.Li Shimin pointed to the field and said to Xiao Yu: "Look, Mr. Xiao, the people have just harvested. If Jieli's army is allowed to plunder, the people will be short of food. It seems that Jieli has deliberately planned this." Xiao Yu said worriedly: "Under the nest, how can there be any eggs? If this battle starts, the people here will suffer." "Yes, it is the foundation of the people not to miss the farming season. I have just ascended the throne, how can I send troops to make people miserable?" "However, Your Majesty is in a hurry to mobilize troops, and he has already prepared for a decisive battle. The minister believes that this battle is inevitable. Your Majesty, are you being too rash for you to bring these hundreds of horses to face Jieli? It's a dangerous place, it's better to be more cautious." "It's okay, this is the land of Gyeonggi, not his Jieli's territory. Even if something unexpected happens, I have a chance to win. Xiao Gong, you have been with me for many days. Now that I am getting older, how can I be brave for a while?" my husband?" Feng Deyi and the others behind him saw that Li Shimin seemed to be winning. Although they knew that he was a man with careful planning, but Jieli's army was overwhelming, and with hundreds of people in this area going to fight, they didn't know if he had broken their heads. What a clever plan, the doubts in my heart are hard to explain for a while. The horses galloped all the way to the northwest of the capital, and in a blink of an eye they reached the south bank of the Weishui River. There used to be a wooden bridge on the river here. Dark bridge piles.Li Shimin stopped his horse and looked towards the north bank, where he saw flags and flags flying, and Turkic soldiers and horses had set up many tents according to the terrain.Li Shimin concentrated his attention for a moment, then turned his head and said, "Ruhui, you send two people to wade across the water, and tell Jieli and Tuli to come over, and we can talk across the water." The Wei River is not that deep, two soldiers waded through it, the deepest part was only up to their necks, but the current was very fast.The two of them paddled vigorously with their arms outstretched, slanting to a mile downstream before landing. Feng Deyi looked around for a while on the horse, but there was no sign of Tang Jun. He said worriedly: "Your Majesty, Jieli is a jackal. If there is no force to force him, he will become more and more rampant. We only have these few hundred people. If he gets big Drive soldiers and horses, why don't we capture them without a fight?" Li Shimin said: "He dare not! I have shown my attitude by not letting him go. Now that the two countries are facing each other head-on, our dynasty is not without strength. In this capital city, Jieli knows me. I won’t make empty plans. You can rest assured that I have my own ideas, and you will understand after listening to what Xieli and I have to say.” Du Ruhui said: "After Jingde retreated across the Wei River, I ordered him to shrink his troops and hide in the mountains, and now he is leading troops to move here. With these three troops, forgive Jieli not to dare to act rashly." While talking, I saw a group of horses galloping out of the opposite camp, and a cloud of dust was raised from the horseshoes.In an instant, they grew from small to large, and they had already reached the opposite bank. The two leaders were Xieli and Tuli.As soon as Na Jieli stood still, he immediately shouted at the top of his voice: "What a Li Shimin, you didn't take the initiative to pay a visit when the army came, but detained the lonely special envoy instead." Li Shimin retorted: "When we made the Binzhou alliance, we had already agreed not to invade each other. The Tang Dynasty has long since stopped being a vassal to you, and it is a good-neighborly and friendly country. I have just ascended the throne, and you should come to congratulate me with courtesy. Why did you tear up the alliance agreement?" , Raising troops without authorization, could it be that you deceive me that the Tang Dynasty has no soldiers?" Jieli said: "Gu has already met the Tang army, and Yuchi Jingde, who is known as the number one tiger general in the Central Plains, has already been defeated." Li Shimin ignored Xieli's quarrel, turned his head slightly and said to Tuli: "Brother Tuli, you know that your brother has ascended the throne, and you want to come and celebrate in person." Li Shimin's words contained sarcasm, Tuli couldn't answer, and his face was flushed red with a trace of shame. Li Shimin laughed again, turned to Jieli, and said, "It's true that Jingde suffered a defeat, but he has a kind of energy that would rather bend than bend. Look, he's coming again." Everyone listened intently, and they heard the faint sound of drums.At first, the voice seemed to be far away in the sky, dull and ethereal.After a while, the sound gradually intensified, mixed with the sound of horseshoes like wind, like thunder coming from the ground.Soon it can be seen that behind Li Shimin, there are three groups of Tang troops facing the Wei River and marching side by side. Li Shimin carefully observed each other's movements, and saw Jieli and Tuli staring blankly at the Tang army team approaching from a distance with their mouths open.He no longer took the initiative to talk to them, and there was a moment of silence on both sides of the strait. When Xieli came here, he originally wanted Li Shimin to kill Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji and force Li Yuan to abdicate. He had just become emperor and could not calm down the various factions in the country soon.He will be caught off guard if his own soldiers press down on the situation.Who would have thought that Li Shimin would not show weakness at all, first he dispatched Yuchi Jingde to take the initiative to fight, then withheld Zhishisili, and then came to the edge of the Weishui in person, leading only a few hundred people, showing no fear.Xieli knows Li Shimin's character: although he is brave and does not fight unprepared battles, he must lay down powerful backup.The Tang soldiers coming from all over the mountains and plains in front of us is a good footnote. When Jieli saw the figure of Tang Jun, he had already ordered his men to wave the red flag, calling for the Turkic troops to line up by the Wei River.For a while, on both sides of the Weishui River, there were shadows of the two armies, a busy scene.Seeing that the teams of the two sides were slightly arranged, Jieli said loudly: "Li Shimin, how about we just have a decisive battle today?" Li Shimin smiled slightly and said, "Soldiers are murder weapons. How can we use swords unless it is absolutely necessary? We used to have an alliance in Binzhou, after all, we are friendly countries. Jieli, although you violated our border today, I will return it to you." I want to treat you with courtesy. How about we talk about it alone first? If we can’t agree, it’s not too late to start fighting." Jieli didn't expect that Li Shimin's attitude would change after the backup came, and he hesitated for a moment.Li Shimin didn't wait for his answer, turned his head and said loudly: "Hou Junji, quickly send someone to build a temporary bridge." Hou Junji agreed resoundingly, and then waved his hand, and saw a group of people carrying wood on their shoulders rushing out from the queue behind him. Gao Shilian asked Xiao Yu softly: "Hou Junji was ordered to fight, why did he bring so many craftsmen? He also brought so much wood with the army, isn't he afraid of burden?" Xiao Yu was also puzzled and shook his head. Feng Deyi at the side glanced at Li Shimin meaningfully, and said softly: "The emperor's expedition, no matter how big or small, is always thoughtful, even Hou Junji can't think of such an idea." The two armies along the coast were amazed to see that a new bridge had been built in such a short period of time.Li Shimin saw that the craftsmen had retreated into the formation and there was no one on the bridge, so he stretched out his hand and signaled, "Jieli, please." After that, he jumped off his horse and walked slowly towards the bridge. Xieli hesitated for a moment, then jumped off his horse and motioned for Tuli to go with him.Tu Li didn't want to face Li Shimin at close range, so he shook his head resolutely.In this way, Xieli was a few steps late, and Li Shimin was the first to walk to the middle of the bridge. Jieli approached silently, and stopped at a place three steps away from Li Shimin, and the two were silent for a moment.It was Li Shimin who spoke first: "Jieli, we had a covenant, and if you have any words, you can just send someone to pass them on. Now you are working hard on an expedition, why bother? If you use weapons rashly, it will be bad for you and me." After finishing speaking, he A smile appeared on his face. Jieli was at a loss for words for a while. Li Shimin went on to say: "You have told me everything you want to say. Alas, in fact, you are too impatient. I just ascended the throne. I wanted to send someone to the north in the next few days to send some gold and silk to me. Go. I know, it’s winter in Saibei, and these things are useful.” Jieli said: "This year my place suffered from a severe drought, and the number of livestock raised has decreased by 30% compared with previous years. I know that you have just ascended the throne, and there are some difficulties. However, the annual tribute must be doubled, otherwise I will not be able to overcome the difficulties." Li Shimin pondered for a while, and then said firmly: "No, I can't afford it if you increase a lot all at once. How about this, from this year onwards, we can increase the loss by 30% to make up for it." Jieli shook his head and said, "No, at least we have to increase by 50%. I have many tribes under my command, and if there are too few things, it will be difficult to take care of everything." Li Shimin's eyes were bright, and he shook his head slowly, but Xieli didn't make a sound, and there was a sudden silence. Jieli stared at Li Shimin's face, and saw a calm expression amidst his determination.Jie Li was a few years younger than him, and at this moment he suddenly felt that his aura was being compared.Jieli's eyes wandered over Li Shimin's back again, and there were Tang soldiers standing neatly and majesticly there.He couldn't help turning his mind quickly, thinking that if he turned his back on this, the two armies might not be able to get a bargain in a confrontation, and besides, this place is close to Chang'an, and the Tang army's follow-up soldiers are endless.Thinking of this, he was immediately discouraged. Jieli sighed softly and said, "Okay, I think you have just come to the throne, and there are many difficulties, so I will do as you said first. I will retreat immediately, and you will pay tribute every year as promised. Put it back immediately." Li Shimin looked stern, and said: "I know the most important promise of a prairie man. Since we have this alliance, we must not repeat it. I will definitely do what I promised you, and my soldiers and horses will not leave the country and take a step north. You What about it? Will it easily invade my territory?" Jieli pulled out an arrow feather and broke it with a "snap" sound: "A broken eagle falling arrow is the heaviest oath of our Khanate. If I violate the alliance, it will be like this arrow!" "Okay, let's make an alliance on a white horse in front of the two armies. What do you think?" With just a few words, the two of them eliminated a battle invisible.Li Shimin promised to send gold and silk, and used money and goods to maintain domestic stability; Jieli's intention here was to ask for gold and silk. Seeing the mighty Tang army, he had no chance of winning, and he really didn't want to go to war.The two got something, and reached a covenant on this bridge. A white horse was pulled to the bridge, and Hou Junji held a sharp knife and wanted to behead its head in order to take the blood covenant.Li Shimin waved his hand to stop him, and said: "Since we avoid war, we don't need to kill the horse as a sacrifice. We can stab its butt and take a cup of blood, and we can make a covenant." After a while, Hou Junji stabbed the horse to draw blood according to the order.Two soldiers were holding jade cups, which were 70% full of "Town Cellar Spring" wine.Hou Junji mixed the horse's blood into it, and the clear wine immediately turned red. Holding the jade cup in his hand, Li Shimin turned to Jieli and said loudly: "In the end, the two of us will live together, and the two countries will never invade each other again." Jie Li also said loudly: "That's what I said." The two of them raised their heads and drank the blood wine in one gulp. While they were drinking, the two armies were silent, except for the rushing of the Wei River.After the two had finished drinking, they threw the jade lamp into the water under the bridge.At this time, the two armies gave thunderous cheers at the same time. Li Shimin looked at Xieli and sighed: "Listen, they actually don't want to fight. Following the people's will is the monarch's first purpose, and you can't go against the trend. Let's take care of each other!" Hearing the thunderous cheers, Jieli was surprised at first, then at a loss, unable to understand what it meant.He hesitated for a while, then cupped his hands and said, "If that's the case, I will return to the north. I hope you will remember today's alliance and send the gold and silk items as soon as possible." Li Shimin nodded, and said: "You can rest assured that the gold and silk items will be brought back by Zhishisili. You are now returning to the north, so please forgive me for sending them off soon." The two said goodbye and returned to their respective armies.Afterwards, the rear teams of the two armies changed to the front teams, slowly shifting divisions. When Li Shimin returned to the army, all the ministers came up to ask what happened.Xiao Yu asked with concern: "When Your Majesty met with Jieli just now, the veteran thought that the Turkic jackal's heart was not trustworthy. Your Majesty stepped forward and suspected that he underestimated the enemy. We are really worried. Who would have thought that His Majesty was so confident that he would say nothing in a few words?" To persuade Xieli to retreat, I wonder what trick His Majesty used?" Li Shimin said: "The reason why Jieli dared to come all the way to the outskirts of the capital is because the chaos in our country has just been calmed down, and I have newly ascended the throne, thinking that we are invincible. I go out alone on light cavalry to show contempt and encourage our army. Wei, expressing the confidence to fight. This is beyond Xieli's expectation, making him hesitant. Jieli has entered our land deeply, surrounded by our soldiers and people, and he must have fear. I dare to go out alone on light horses. In order to take risks, Xieli's scheming has been predicted." Xiao Yu asked again: "However, your Majesty will not allow the generals to fight in advance, and the ministers are really confused. Now that Jieli retreats, what is his strategy?" "I see that although the Turkic people are numerous and uneven, the ambition of the monarch and his ministers is to ask for bribes. Just now, if they crossed the water and attacked, they would be rotten. I also ordered Changsun Wuji and Li Jing to ambush in Binzhou to wait for them. If the Turks ran back , Ambush soldiers to attack, the army trails behind, and victory is like turning the palm of your hand. Therefore, the reason for not fighting is that my accession to the throne is shallow, the country is not safe, and the people are not rich. And the enmity with Jieli deepened, the Turks must be afraid and prepare for it, take stricter precautions, and frequently violate the border. We take advantage of this gap and try our best to raise our prestige to wait for the side, and we can destroy it in one fell swoop. The ancients said that if you want to take it, you must give it first. In other words, this is the reason.” Feng Deyi clasped his hands and praised: "Your Majesty is very clever, and the ministers are really inferior. Your Majesty can show compassion for the people and drive the enemy invisible with wisdom, which is the blessing of the Tang Dynasty." Li Shimin looked at the Turkic soldiers who were slowly retreating on the opposite side, and seemed to say to himself: "Blessings in the world? This sentence is easy to say, but hard to do." He tilted his head slightly, looked at his subordinates and said: "I am I love guns and arrows since I was young, and I am good at fighting by nature. In the past few years, I have gone to war more. It seems that cross-horse battles seem to be my strengths. Now the Supreme Emperor has handed over the world to me. To govern the world well, it is not enough to fight and kill. Yes. These days, I have been tossing and turning, worrying a lot. My dear family, now that the threat of the Turks has been eliminated for the time being, everyone must devote all their efforts to governing the country. As for how to govern the law, I have no clear idea yet, and I still need to listen to everyone idea." Li Shimin pondered for a while, looked at Fang Xuanling and said: "Xuanling, after tomorrow's morning court, the civil servants above the third rank and all the scholars in Beijing are ordered to enter the Hongwen Hall for discussion." After the morning court the next day, the officials dispersed.Civil officials of the third grade or above had breakfast in the palace, so they followed the order and went to the Hongwen Museum.A moment after the officials entered the hall, they heard a loud shout outside the hall: "The emperor is here." The ministers hurriedly lined up to meet them, and saw Li Shimin striding into the hall without taking a step.As soon as he entered the door, he first waved his hand and said: "You don't need to be too polite. From now on, when you enter the hall to discuss matters, you don't have to be as serious as when you went to the court. It's best to be loose. This will become a common practice in the future." After the Xuanwumen Incident, when Li Shimin was just established as the crown prince, every time he met with his officials, he always looked dignified and solemn. When the officials acted, they were unavoidably afraid, fearing that an inappropriate word would cause thunder and wrath, so they were often at a loss between words and actions. Heavy.At first Li Shimin saw his subordinates tremblingly playing against him, a little funny, but also a little proud, and felt that establishing dignity should start from little by little.After this state lasted for several days, Wang Gui asked him to correct it.Among them, he remonstrated: "The ministers are afraid, but they only know that they are obedient and follow the rules. No one dares to disobey. Using the wisdom of one person to decide the affairs of the world, using the method of losing half of the relationship, there are too many perverts. If you flatter and deceive, what do you do if you don't die!" This made Li Shimin vigilant, and immediately rewarded Wang Guisi with a hundred horses.From this time on, every time he saw his ministers playing a role, he no longer looked at each other with a serious look, but became more pleasant. Li Shimin scanned the hall with his eyes, and said loudly: "Just after I ascended the throne, the Turks impromptuly invaded and rebelled, so there was an alliance of Weishui, which can be regarded as temporarily stabilizing the frontier affairs. When the Supreme Emperor was in power, I and The families of the ministers fought south and north, and finally unified the world. The above two things have been decided, and from today onwards, everyone will devote all their energy to governing the country." Du Ruhui said: "Your Majesty is benevolent and doesn't want to raise troops to disturb the people, but the Liang divisions in Shuofang are ready to move around these few days. Wuji came to report that the Liang divisions have finished their army and are preparing to invade our territory." Li Shimin shook his head and said: "On the way back to Beijing yesterday, I have already told everyone, so those who don't want to start a war with Xieli, but want to appease the people. Liangshi is a clown, is it worth my army?" If it is dark, the Ministry of War can send an order to the states, telling them to stick to it and not let Liang Shi all violate the border. In the next few years, I don't want to use swords again. "This is one of the reasons why I let all the ministers come here to discuss matters. Emperor Yangdi's tyranny caused chaos in the world, and there were many heroes. The people here have lived in two dynasties, and they have deep feelings for Emperor Yangdi's mistakes. Xiaogong, Chu Liang, you can say a few more words on this topic in a moment. Alas, these years of melee wars, although they were wiped out one by one by the Supreme Emperor, the mountains and rivers are broken, and the people are withered. According to statistics from the household department, the current number of households is less than one-fifth of that in the heyday of the previous Sui Dynasty. When I made an agreement with Jieli yesterday, Jieli said that after returning home, he would donate 3,000 horses and 10,000 sheep. I refused. I asked Xieli to return the looted Chinese household registration and let him return to Wen Yanbo. Horses and sheep are all raised by people. If the population is not prosperous, how can we talk about other things?" 温彦博是李渊派往突厥的使者，他出使的时候适逢玄武门之变，颉利起心侵扰中原，遂将温彦博扣下。 李世民接着道：“原因之二，是我朝的吏治不好。太上皇这些年将精力放在征伐上，他性格简慢，将国事多委以臣下。臣子中不乏忠谨之人，也难免良莠不齐，有些人背着太上皇自行其是。”说到这里，李世民向坐在前排的裴寂扫了一眼，裴寂看到李世民那锐利的目光，不由得低下头来。这时，李世民的声调变得高亢起来：“隐太子帮助父皇辅国，然不将心思用在正道上，肆意放纵臣下，使政刑纰缪，官方弛紊。唉，这吏治之道，为何就不能清明简约呢？这让我想起了一件事，武德之初，李密降唐。京城之官欺他是一名降人，又以为他家中有金山银山，大小官吏都变着法儿前去勒索，这分明是前隋遗风嘛！他们的所作所为与虞世基毫无二致！对了，如今天下民户不及前隋五分之一，然我看各级官吏却不比前隋少。玄龄，你将这件事儿好好查一查，养着这么多的官吏加重了百姓的负担不说，还不知要多生多少事，该裁撤的就要坚决裁撤！” 李世民的音调一高，吓得群臣不敢多发一声，待他话音一停，满馆寂静。这使李世民又觉察到自己的严厉，遂展颜一笑，说道：“瞧我，一激动就跑了题儿。我刚才说的两个原因：一是外部的，一是内部的，因之形成了今日纷乱的情形。这正是我们今日要议论的话题：如何治理当今的天下。嗯，萧公，你先说说。” 萧瑀缓缓说道：“治理国家之事不可操之过急，须缓缓为之。譬如租庸调令和均田令订于武德七年并推向全国。现在看来，此两法在京畿收到了效果，而在京畿之外效果甚微，盖缘于时日太短。一项田亩制度尚且如此，要彻底改观天下之容，那是需要许多时日的。陛下让臣谈谈前隋之事，虽是过眼烟云，然恍在昨日。文帝将江山交给炀帝的时候，有户八百九十万七千，计口四千六百零一万；西京太仓、东京含嘉仓、洛口仓、永丰仓、太原仓及天下义仓充满，京都及诸州库，布帛各数千万；且四夷宾服，输贡者众。自秦汉以来，未见有如此富庶之朝代者。” 李世民插话道：“你提到秦汉，令我想起了这秦朝和隋朝，确实有相似之处。其祚运者短，又遇上暴君。不同的是，秦始皇首先是削平六国的雄主，其次才是肇始秦亡的暴君。隋炀帝和他相比，就显得一无是处了。” 萧瑀点点头：“陛下所言不错，秦隋祚运太短，和暴政休戚相关。臣曾经计算过，炀帝恃天下富饶，因而劳役不息。如建东都，开运河，修长城，进攻高丽，到各处巡幸等，十余年间，共征用人力……”说到这里，萧瑀记不准数字，一时语塞。 褚亮接口道：“合计用人口约三千零一十二万人。” 褚亮此语一出，举座惊叹。以前他们皆知隋炀帝滥用人力，但不知确切数字。隋最盛时人口为四千余万人，隋炀帝这样使用人力，基本上将国中丁男用过三遍。加上其后诸强争斗，伤亡又多，人口当然要锐减了。 李世民道：“然大乱之后能否实现大治？萧公刚才言道有待时日，到底需要多长时间呢？还有，若实现天下大治，要采用什么办法呢？” 房玄龄说道：“百姓经历了多年的战乱，人心思静。陛下实行抚民以静之国策，臣想不出三年，即可实现天下大治。至于如何治理，陛下如今偃武修文，以教化百姓，当能收到事半功倍的效果。” 萧瑀冷冷说道：“三年？房中书以为这是一场战事吗？何期其速耶？须知治国与征战是两码事儿。你以前多随皇上出征，未曾理政，这怪不了你。然不可妄发空言，若因言误国，那就是大罪了。” 这句话让房玄龄面红耳赤。一段时间以来，萧瑀、陈叔达、封德彝等人自恃为老臣，将房玄龄等人不放在眼里，议事的时候往往当庭驳斥。李世民理政要倚重他们，且想房玄龄等人也的确需要历练一番，就并不在意。但萧瑀刚才的这番话让他第一次有了一丝不舒服，本来今天来议事就是自由讨论，不拘对错皆可说出。然萧瑀自恃老臣，以训斥的口气动辄给房玄龄扣帽子，言语中也透出刻薄，就不合平等议事的初衷了。 这边的陈叔达点点头道：“对，若说三年实现大治，时日太短，臣看至少要有十年。须知打破一件东西容易，然建成一件东西就难了。” 群臣纷纷交头接耳，观众人神色，赞成萧瑀、陈叔达观点的倒有一大半人。 房玄龄不同意萧瑀、陈叔达的观点，说道：“不错，两法令于武德二年初定，然武德七年以前，征战频繁，无暇顾及。七年以后，皇上刚刚说过，隐太子不专其事，放纵大臣，未将全力用在以静抚民上。若拿过去的老眼光来看现在，什么都一成不变，不是积极的态度。” 李世民微微颔首。 这时候封德彝插进话来。房玄龄抬出了李世民刚刚说的话，他不好在此问题上继续纠缠，遂变换角度说道：“不错，房中书说得有理。如今陛下专事以静抚民，然不能像房中书认为的那样，搞什么教化百姓。要知道，秦始皇灭六国，隋文帝取代前朝，他们若采用教化的方略，断不能成。陛下，臣以为，天下大乱之后，若想取得大治，必须采用严厉决然的手段来训导百姓，而不是采用渐进之教化手段。如此，臣以为三年之内可以实现大治。” 封德彝的这番话引起了萧瑀、陈叔达的不满，以为这是他惯用的左右逢源手段，两人都重重地哼了一声。 群臣复又低头议论，只听馆内充满了嗡嗡的人声。这时，从馆内最后面冒出了响亮的声音：“若依封公此言来治理天下，则陛下与秦始皇、隋炀帝有何不同？莫非想陷皇上于不义之境地吗？” 众人扭头一看，只见后排缓缓站起一人，却正是谏议大夫魏征。