Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 702: A World of Struggle for Profit
"Aye, who is Erfeng?"

Li Chengqian's question suddenly made the atmosphere in Ganlu Palace much more cheerful.

Old ministers like Fang Du all had smiles on their faces, and Chu Suiliang, who also had doubts but was not in a position to ask, also looked curious.

The one who showed the least respect was Empress Chang Sun, who just laughed out loud.

Li Shimin only took a glance to know that the eldest son was making fun of him. After all, Wu Hou suffixed the word "Your Majesty" after the two words, and his continuous responses made it very clear who Er Feng was.

So the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty slapped the crown prince on the back of his head without any hesitation, and then he said leisurely:

"That's because Wu Hou knew your father's achievements and praised me for my majestic demeanor, so he addressed me in this way. What do you think?"

The Prince of the Tang Dynasty touched his head and grinned:

"In front of?"

Li Shimin snorted and glanced at his son, his eyes showing no trace of guilt:

"Cheng Qian knows that when the dynasties of later generations talk about governance, they all praise it as far superior to the Han and Tang dynasties."

"Moreover, the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty that I and the other ministers started will still be remembered by the Han people a thousand years later."

These words immediately made all the ministers forget about the names they had just mentioned, and they all bowed to the emperor in a show of humility.

Du Ruhui even said loudly:

"Looking at the sorrows of the Song Dynasty, we can see that it is not enough to just cultivate literature."

"Looking at the Mongolian splitting of the country during the Yuan Dynasty, we can also see that blindly praising military power is not the way to achieve peace."

"From this perspective, the most important person who can praise the Zhenguan Reign in later generations is Your Majesty."

Du Ruhui's somewhat vulgar remarks made Wei Zheng grumble a few times, but he had to admit that there was some truth to them.

Li Shimin waved his hand reservedly:
"I and the other ministers have been able to act without any flaws only by supporting each other. How can I boast alone?"

"The Great Tang Dynasty has a vast territory and numerous affairs every day. How can one person make decisions alone? Moreover, I only have a basic knowledge of battle formations. If I were to make decisions on my own about state affairs, I'm afraid that I would fail seven out of ten. Over the years, I would make many mistakes. I'm afraid that we will soon perish. How can we have the rule of Zhenguan?"

It was well-reasoned and well-organized. Not only the other ministers in the Zhenguan period, but also Li Chengqian bowed and accepted his advice.

Looking at his son, Li Shimin felt relieved.

If it were in the past, Cheng Qian would have been walking on thin ice every time he saw him, and deliberately teasing him like he did today was simply unthinkable.

Li Chengqian, with his back straightened, had no idea of ​​the complicated emotions surging in his father's heart.

At this moment, the most curious thing for him was the light screen in front of him. Just now, he was very curious about the Three Kingdoms of Liu Sheng, Sun Cao, the Song Dynasty that succeeded the Tang Dynasty and quelled the rebellion, and Zhu Yuan who expelled the Hu Yuan and restored China, just like now he was watching the words of Emperor Ming floating by.

Zhu Yuanzhang: I am not joking. It's just that when we founded the Ming Dynasty, we had to recover Yanyun, expel the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, and bring the north and south together. Now, we have been instructed by future generations to develop maritime affairs in preparation for the future. It is not easy.

Zhao Kuangyin: I will launch a northern expedition next year, and I will complete the Yanyun issue myself. I will never allow it to bring disaster to future generations.

Liu Bei: It is a great honor for the Emperor of Song to have such a wish. If it can be accomplished, then the era of great contention that Kong Ming talked about may not necessarily be known by the Chinese Song Qi.

In Guangzheng Hall, Zhao Kuangyin seemed to be thinking:
"A time of great strife?"

"I'm afraid it's called the window period." Li Yu guessed.

"Then why is it called this?" Zhao Kuangyin was still a little confused.

He could vaguely understand the meaning of the word "window period", but the murderous intention in this era of great contention was a bit too strong. "Haha, if the emperor asked about poetry, fine wine, and good places to go for a walk in the south of the Yangtze River, Li Congjia would probably be able to talk to the emperor for three days and three nights."

"But if we talk about the strategy of governing the country, I can try to say a few words."

Then Li Yu showed an obvious unhappy look on his face, and he threw his sleeves and said:

"Qian Wende, if you want to say something, just say it. Why are you saying so many nonsense?"

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's inquiring look, Qian Chu smiled and said simply:
"The government probably doesn't know where the Wu merchants can go when they go out to sea."

Zhao Kuangyin raised his eyebrows and pointed to the map on the side of the hall.
“It’s all marked.”

After being reminded by Zhao Kuangyin, the two of them saw the map which was completely different from what they had seen before. Qian Chu quickly stepped forward and almost lay on it to observe it carefully.

The map on the screen switched very quickly. Unlike the one in front of him that he could examine carefully, it started from the Qiantang area that he was most familiar with and continued to outline along the familiar trade routes. The locations on the map also corresponded one by one with the descriptions he remembered in his mind. In the end, he shook his head with emotion:

"I had forgotten that the emperor had received such a favor from heaven."

Then, Qian Chu spoke out his thoughts based on this map:
"When merchants go out to sea, the most important thing they care about is profit. In the pre-Han Dynasty, the sea dwellers did not know the value of treasures. At that time, you could use millet and wheat to exchange for the sea dwellers' pearls and gold, and make a hundred times the profit."

"In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, Nanyang knew about the existence of China and knew what the Chinese people wanted, so the benefits they exchanged were dozens of times higher."

"To this day, countless people have gone out to sea, taking advantage of the opportunity to sail south in pursuit of profits, and the profits they have made have exceeded twenty times."

"As far as I know, merchants are after profits, and brave men open new trade routes, looking for people who are ignorant of the king's rule, exchanging treasures for huge profits."

"However, there are also many people who form associations and go to sea, control the trade routes, enslave the natives, and take the output of the land and return it to the Song Dynasty for profit."

"It has been like this since the Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty. If another hundred years pass, I think there will be navies from other countries coming to the South China Sea for profit."

"This is a time of great contention, a struggle for the benefit of the nation and the country, and a struggle for the benefit of China."

Although Qian Chu spoke briefly and used the merchant rhetoric he was most familiar with to explain the changes in the world, Zhao Kuangyin knew that he was right.

Qian Chu didn't know, but he had personally witnessed the changes in Western ships listed by later generations, as well as the actions of forming a fleet to forcefully knock on the door of China.

Combining what Qian Chu said with what he knew, Zhao Kuangyin also vaguely understood what Zhuge Wuhou meant by the era of great contention, so he sighed:

“The world is like a mighty river, and those who are brave enough to take action will succeed!”

The emperor had already decided that what Qian Chu said made sense, so Li Yu admitted it reluctantly:

"Qian Wende really knows money matters."

Qian Chu didn't take it seriously, but said with a hint of deep meaning:

"What the government said makes sense. The power of China is also vast and powerful. When all rivers converge into one and compete with the barbarians across the sea, this is the great power."

Li Yu seemed to be thinking about something, and Zhao Kuangyin also had a satisfied smile on his face.

Zhao Guangyi touched his nose and hissed, which aroused the fist wound on his forehead, making it hurt even more. However, it did not stop him from wondering:
How come Qian Chu of Wu Yue and Li Yu of Jiangnan Tang seemed to be closer to the emperor after they had abused him?
[Thanks to the unreliable kurultai, the once huge Mongol Empire eventually fell apart.

And until the demise of the Mongol Khanate, the Southern Song Dynasty still survived.

This was all thanks to the famous prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty at that time: the treacherous prime minister Jia Sidao, who was praised and criticized by many people. 】

(End of this chapter)