"I understand the worries of the adoptive father."

Li Mu was already very moved by a cautious person like Li Ji to discuss such topics so openly and honestly. At the same time, he could also hear the meaning of Li Ji's words. He used Li Xiaogong's affairs to warn Li Mu not to be too popular. Because part of Li Shimin's character is to be competitive. What he wants to be the emperor of the ages and be a role model for emperors in future generations. Such people will not allow ministers to cover up his light.

Li Mu relies on his ability from nowhere to do anything, and he will never fail to do anything. His every move attracted people's attention, and he is the one who is the most popular in everything he does.

Li Ji was worried that if one day Li Shimin felt the threat from Li Mu, then his good days would probably end.

"... But if I think so, if Your Majesty wants to be a wise king, he must be the wise king. What I do is not for self-interest. If Your Majesty targets me because of the limelight, he will not become a wise king. As for the matter of the Prince of Hejian, I think so. The Prince of Hejian treats me well and I treat him well. If I am concerned about his identity and alienate him, then I, Li Mu, are not a gentleman."

"A saint says that a gentleman is open and honest. I don't want to consider the identity and status of this person, nor do I want to consider whether this person has money or not. If I share the same intention, I am a friend. Perhaps the adoptive father's concern is right, but I don't want to be so tired."

Li Mu sighed and said, "Entertainment Father, you know me. He came to Chang'an alone, and now everything is loved by God. Even if one day I lose everything, I don't feel any regrets. I just wish that the people around me are still there, and this is my greatest satisfaction."

"Siwen has a saying that men are born between heaven and earth, and should make achievements." He looked at Li Ji and said seriously: "Siwen has the path he wants to go, and I also have the path I want to go. I want to do my best to make the Tang Dynasty better and do not let me down when I come to this world. I will do my best, but to what extent I can do, it will be left to fate. If there is really a day when my adoptive father is worried, at worst I will resign and retire and return to Dingxiang to farm. I think that Your Majesty's heart is also fleshy and will not be so heartless. When I give up everything, can he not let me go?"

Li Ji smiled bitterly in his heart, but he still felt that Li Mu was too naive.

Human hearts are made of flesh, and this is true. But is the heart of an emperor really made of flesh? The ruthlessness of an emperor is not something that ordinary people can imagine. If Li Shimin was not ruthless, could he do something about killing his brother?

Although Li Ji did not participate in the Xuanwu Gate incident, as a general of the Tunwei Guard at that time, he held heavy troops in his hand. This happened almost under his nose. In terms of force, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were tied together, and they were not Li Shimin's opponents. In terms of strategy, they gave it to him for nothing, and this was not included in the Qin Palace's counselors. It can be said that when Li Shimin escaped the glass of poisonous wine, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had no chance. The moment Li Shimin decided to take action, the result was already achieved.

He has the ability to penetrate Yang with a hundred steps. If he doesn't want to kill Li Jiancheng, Li Jiancheng will not die. If he doesn't want to kill Li Yuanji, Li Yuanji, who has been injured, will not die. He can completely imitate the previous dynasty and imprison his brothers, but he did not. Instead, he chose to do something simply to prevent future troubles.

Such people have the hearts made of flesh?

Li Ji doesn't think so.

Although there was a reason for this, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji also wanted to kill Li Shimin. It was understandable that Li Shimin had a murderous intention. However, the good and evil of people often fall within a year. Good is greater than evil, repaying grievances with virtue, evil is greater than good, and repaying grievances with straightforwardness. It cannot be said that Li Shimin was wrong, but it can also be seen that he is not a person with good thoughts, and his measurement is not as great as he shows.

Li Ji’s reminder today is that he has another willingness, that is, he knows about Wang Ou.

Li Ji also heard about Wang Ou and Li Shimin. Li Ji was not sure how much Li Shimin admired Wang Ou, but what he knew was that no man wanted to see his woman being touched by others.

Li Mu was a son and nephew and a minister to Li Shimin. How much does it take to give Li Shimin the cuckold?

Li Ji thought with his toes, he could guess what kind of face would be like when Li Shimin learned about the details one day! By then, Li Mu's good things would not be able to resist this bad thing. In a rage, it would be impossible to confiscate the house and ask for it. Even if Li Shimin calmed down and regretted it, what's the use? The grass on the grave is two feet high, so where is Li Mu in the world?

Woman, disaster!

Li Ji couldn't tell this matter clearly, so he wanted to ask Li Mu for a few words to borrow Li Xiaogong's story. Li Mu really understood it, but his response made Li Ji feel cold.

This kid is confused! He has sacrificed everything for a woman. How could he escape so easily? Since ancient times, his favorite ministers have either been in the highest position or died or died. How could they have suffered a compromise?

Too young!

Li Ji sighed and said nothing else. Li Mu distracted the topic at the right time and talked about helping the Turks.

"Entertainment Father, when are you going to return to Bingzhou?"

"Your Majesty means letting me go with General Simo, it depends on you." Li Ji smiled and said, "He said he couldn't find your figure, and he also asked me to tell you that he would take time to get his business done."

"You can't be in a hurry." Li Mu became serious and said, "Enjoyed Father, General Qin, I have some questions about the Turkic people."

"you say."

Li Mu said solemnly: "Enjoyed Father, General Qin, you have all fought head-on with the Turks. Do you think that if you are talking about combat power, will the Turks be powerful?"

"This..." Li Ji and Qin Qiong looked at each other, and Qin Qiong said first: "We have defeated the Turks, hasn't this given the answer?"

Li Mu shook his head and said, "General Qin, I was once captured by Turkic cavalry as a village tycoon for transporting grain. I had a direct feeling about the combat effectiveness of the Turkic people. The Turkic people who captured me at that time were actually just a young Turkic herdsman. In the Turkic tribe, as long as I was an adult and healthy man, the horse and archery skills were very good. Our cavalry needed to be trained for many years to reach their level."

Li Ji took over the conversation and said, "Li Mu is right. Turks, Hus, Uighurs and other tribes are a nation of horses. They are born with good riding and shooting, but this is not an absolute talent. The main reason is that in my opinion, it is because our horses are few. Turks were born, regardless of poverty or humbleness, and there are horses to ride. In the Central Plains, horses are only available in wealthy families, and ordinary people cannot afford horses."

"Cheng Yaojin's eldest son Cheng Chumo is an example. His equestrian and archery skills are not inferior to those of the Turkish young and strong of the same age. This shows that I, a man from the Tang Dynasty, is not behind in terms of talent, but just lacks basic conditions."

Li Mu nodded and said, "Then the adoptive father thinks that what is the biggest reliance for us to defeat the Turks?"

Li Ji frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said, "If you want to win the war, the right time, place and people are indispensable. Last year's battle, the Turks encountered a blizzard, the weather was cold, and countless cattle and sheep were frozen to death. This was the weakest time of the Turkic tribe, which was the time. The advantage of the geographical location was that Jie Li chose the palace in Dingxiang. Dingxiang was only a few dozen miles away from Mayi, providing convenience for a rapid attack. Speaking of harmony, this is due to Jie Li's greed for enjoyment and extreme luxury in recent years. Not only did he rob the border town of the Tang Dynasty, but he also exploited the people of his own tribe, causing complaints..."

Li Ji analyzed it well, but Li Mu waved his hand and interrupted him: "Entertainment Father, you are right, but I have a different perspective on this matter."

"Our Tang lacks horses and few cavalry. When the two armies fight, the cavalry has a greater role than infantry, which is obviously not good for our Tang Dynasty. But why did the Tang Dynasty win in the end? I think it still wins on infantry."

"When I was in the Turkic camp, I was determined to escape, and I observed it for a long time. I found that although the Turkic cavalry was powerful on the horse, their combat power would be greatly reduced when they were off the horse. Their infantry was far from the opponent of the Tang Dynasty infantry. This was also very obvious when fighting. As long as our Modao team resisted the enemy's arrows, they would not be afraid of their cavalry at all. The Modao formation was arranged, either by killing people or by killing horses, and they would be invincible."

"The Turks also need one more important problem, that is, they lack iron tools. The terrible thing about the Turkic cavalry is that they have extremely accurate archery skills, but their arrows are not as good as ours. Our arrows are iron and barbs, which can cause greater damage, while the Turkic arrows are mostly bone spurs and wolf teeth, and they cannot break the armor if they are a little far away."

Li Mu looked at Li Siwen and said, "When I first met Siwen, Siwen was a record officer in the army. I read the battle damage booklet he wrote and found something worth noting. That is, many of the damage caused by the Turks to us were picked up our bows and arrows after we fired several rounds of volleys, and when they turned around and attacked us, our iron arrow pierced our leather armor and caused fatal damage."

"Let's talk about Mo Dao's thing I just mentioned, with my adoptive father and General Qin, I found a common point in contact with these two things. That is, in war, the first one is to fight people! Our Tang Dynasty's cavalry is not enough, and the infantry is not at the advantage, but with good military tactics and good generals, we can still win the war. The second is to compare materials. Our soldiers are fighting outside, and the country's strength is supplying food and grass in the rear. When the Turks died, they were no longer able to get enough, and they could not fill their stomachs. Where can they still have the intention to fight?"

"They have few iron tools and more iron tools, so we have the advantage. Modao is a rare thing in the army now. If we have enough iron to build countless Modao, everyone has one, will it be easier when fighting again?"

"Your Majesty and some people in the court have been worried that if the Ministry of Internal Affairs helped the Turkic tribes and made them rich, would they betray the Tang Dynasty in turn? Your Majesty even gave me a problem. He wanted the Turks to become a barrier to the Tang Dynasty and resist the rising Xue Yantuo, but he did not want the Turks to become a climate and threaten the safety of the Tang Dynasty." Li Mu sighed and said, "These are two contradictory things. At that time, His Majesty asked me what I had. I only said that I would do my best and did not dare to give a positive answer. But after so long, I already had the answer in my heart."

"First of all, if we want to suppress the threat from the Turks to the Tang Dynasty, we have to take away their war resources. Leather, iron tools, and horses are all very important war resources. I have already made arrangements for horse affairs. There is a horse dealer in the western city called Anilo. A few months ago, he came to surrender to me and promised to sell horses from the Turkic tribe for me. This person has some background, and he is the uncle of Dielaozhi, the son of Jie Li. Although Jie Li is already a prisoner under the ranks, he is still under the golden bloodline of the Turkic tribe after all. Dielaozhi is Jie Li's only living son, and it is also considered a golden bloodline. With him coming forward, it is much better than sending a Han man to the past."

"I will support Dielozhi and Anilo to establish a huge horse gang. Doing some shameful business requires the cooperation of the adoptive father, turning a blind eye, and when necessary, helping them and concealing them from General Simo."

Li Ji frowned, thought for a while, and said, "I understand what you mean, it's just that, have you discussed it with His Majesty?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "The adoptive father is too cautious. This matter will do all the benefits to my Tang Dynasty. The horses I smuggled are also for Your Majesty's ten thousand cavalry. How can Your Majesty be inaccurate?"

Li Ji nodded slightly and said, "Just be sure if you have the right attitude."

Li Mu continued: "I have arranged the leather. I will find many merchants to take pre-sale orders for the Turkic tribe in their personal name. But in fact, these orders are paid by the profits obtained from the business of the Turkic tribe. Most of these leathers, most of which will be made into leather armor, and these leather armor will be given priority to the soldiers in the border town."

Li Ji understood what Li Mu meant. He wanted to use the money he earned from doing business with the Turkic tribe to equipment the Tang Dynasty border army. There was only so much leather. After he bought leather from the Turkic people, the Turkic people themselves disappeared. As one went up and the other went down, the gap in defense would become bigger and bigger.

"This third point is about iron tools." Li Mu bent over and picked up a branch, drew a simple map on the ground, and marked several main locations. In the north of Hetao, in the area where the Turkic king Tingya was located in the Former Sui Dynasty, Li Mu drew a circle.

Li Ji recognized it and said, "Li Mu, what does it mean to draw this place? This is where the Turkic tent is located!"

“There is iron ore here!”
Chapter completed!