Ji Tang

Chapter 1485 I heard that someone from your Ji family is in Rome?

Changsun was unable to come back to her senses for a long time. Although she knew that Ji Song would never divide the Ji family so easily, she never thought that he had already laid out his plans for the world without any sound, and he was worthy of being the first person in the overall planning of the Tang Dynasty.

She never doubted Ji Song's ability, and she had even greater faith in her husband's vision. Therefore, she really couldn't imagine that if one day the royal family and the Ji family came into conflict, who would be able to check and balance the Ji family?
"Then us"

Li Shimin stopped his eldest grandson and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I think I can judge people correctly. That bastard is just a house slave, he has too many concerns, and it is even more difficult to give up his relatives. In his words, what's the point of living as a lonely man?"

"Don't worry, he is too deeply bound by family and friendship in his life. If that day ever comes, he will go crazy!"

"As long as Cheng Qian doesn't do anything that would anger the heavens and the people, and drive him to a dead end, just treat him as if he doesn't exist. Pull him out to shock some people when he's useful. With his prestige and achievements, as long as he survives, the Tang Dynasty will be as stable as Mount Tai."

"Can"

Just when Chang Sun wanted to say something, Chen Shou's voice came from outside.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Emperor and the Duke of Qing request an audience!"

Li Shimin was stunned at first, then he looked at Changsun and said with some amusement: "Speak of the devil, and he will appear."

"Let them in!"

"promise!"
-
"Your son greets his father, the emperor, and his mother, the queen!"

"Your Highness, your Majesty, your Majesty!"

"Everyone, get up. How come you have time to come to my place today?"

Li Shimin's expression showed nothing, while Changsun looked at Ji Song with a complicated look. He really couldn't believe that this rascal whom he had watched grow up could have such courage.

"Your Majesty, news has just arrived from the west that the Eastern Roman Emperor, Constantine II, will come to the Tang Dynasty in person."

"what?"

Li Shimin sat up suddenly, and said in disbelief: "How is this possible? Doesn't he have any interest in the country at all?"

"This"

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment and said, "Let Ziyi speak. He knows more clearly."

So they all looked at Ji Song, who said without further ado, "To answer your Majesty's question, the Eastern Roman Empire has a long history, the royal rule is stable, and the lords rule mainly. This has been the case for hundreds of years. As long as there is no foreign invasion, the absence of the emperor himself will not affect anything."

"Plus, Constantine II is a rare wise king who is supported by the people of the country, so his visit this time will not have much impact!"

After listening to Ji Song's words, Li Shimin was silent. He knew the system of the Roman Empire. The emperor was like the Zhou emperor in the Spring and Autumn Period, who implemented the feudal system. Compared with the Central Plains, Rome was even more thorough. For thousands of years, there had been no centralized power, so the foundation of rule was extremely solid.

However, compared with the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the countries and lords of the Roman Empire seemed much more peaceful. Although there were wars, the emperor was the most powerful and was fully capable of suppressing the various countries.

"Do you know the purpose of his coming? As a king, he came all the way to the Tang Dynasty. It is impossible that he came here to enjoy the scenery or admire the Tang Dynasty. You also said that Constantine II was a wise king. As a king, every move must have a deep meaning. Now that he can take the risk to come to the Tang Dynasty, it is clear that he has a big plan!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Ji Song smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right, but in my opinion, there are only a few possibilities!"

"First, form an alliance with the Tang Dynasty and fight against the Arabs together." "Although the Tang Dynasty had dealt a heavy blow to the Arabs before, in order to prevent the Western Regions from losing their balance, it released hundreds of thousands of captives. Although the Arabs lost a lot of territory, their foundation was not lost. After stabilizing their position, they are now fighting back and forth with Rome, with both sides winning and losing. It can be said that they are evenly matched!"

"So, Constantine II must have come here with the intention of forming an alliance with the Tang Dynasty."

"Second, East-West trade and commerce."

"With the Red Sea under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire, it became possible to conduct maritime trade with the Tang Dynasty. Previously, it was the Arabs who cut off the trade between the East and the West. The Tang Dynasty sold one string of money to the Arabs for ten strings of money, while the Arabs sold it to Rome for a minimum of 100 officials. No one would ignore the benefits of this."

"As long as we put aside the Arabs and conduct direct trade with the Tang Dynasty, not only will Rome's national strength increase greatly, but it will also greatly weaken the Arabs. Why not do this, it will kill two birds with one stone?"

"Three, study!"

"Study?"

Everyone was stunned. What kind of purpose was this? How could the emperor of Rome, the ruler of one of the three great powers in the world, lower himself to become a student of the Tang Dynasty?
"Not bad!"

"If we had not yet established contact with the Tang Dynasty, we might not have had this idea. But in recent years, Roman envoys have returned to Rome many times with historical books and classics from the Central Plains. Your Majesty, what do you think an emperor of a feudal country would think after seeing the centralized system of our China?"

"I will definitely follow suit. I will try it if there is even a slight chance!" Li Shimin said without hesitation.

As an emperor, he understood too well that centralized power had too much advantage over feudal system. It is said that your monarch is not my monarch. Although the top-down feudal system can stabilize the rule, it also disperses the power of the country. As a result, resources are not dispersed and coordination is difficult. Once a war breaks out, the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems are clear at a glance.

It is like the Tang Dynasty was able to concentrate its superior forces to destroy the Eastern Turks at lightning speed and capture Jie Li alive. The Tang Dynasty was able to grow quietly, but Rome could not.

Although the Roman emperor was quite powerful, if he wanted to launch a war to destroy the country, he had to dispatch lords and recruit troops. But in this way, the news would inevitably leak out, and by the time they had assembled, the enemy would have been ready. Therefore, in the West, there were very few successful sneak attacks.

"Learn the system of the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Shimin frowned at first, but then he relaxed his brows and sneered, "China and Rome are two completely different civilizations. Whether it's writing, customs, military, politics, or ideas, there are huge differences. If you want to copy the Tang Dynasty, it's like an old man eating arsenic. You've had enough of life."

Thinking of this, he waved his hand and said, "Come if you want to. Not only that, all of Taibai Royal Academy is open to you except for some things that cannot be made public. Since you want to learn, you should learn it thoroughly, so as not to end up with a mess."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Ji Song quickly flattered him, which made Li Shimin very happy.

"I heard that some of your people live in Rome, and some of them have become Roman subjects?"

Just when Ji Song was thinking that the day was about to end, a few words from Li Shimin almost broke his defense.

“That’s true!”

"But we have been separated for more than ten years. I only know a little from the caravan. We have basically had no contact over the years, so I am not sure about the specific situation."

Ji Song pushed the issue forward, causing Li Shimin to roll his eyes and say unhappily, "Get lost! I get angry just by seeing you!"

"Okay, I'll take my leave now!"

After saying this, he hurriedly trotted out, his embarrassed look making Li Shimin laugh.