The hall fell into silence. The emperor was eager to go to war, and the weapon in his hand was the gunpowder, but suddenly someone told him that it was not ready yet. When the emperor wanted Li Xiang to do it, Li Xiang said that there was not enough time. This seemed impossible in the feudal dynasty because the emperor's will was irreversible, but at this moment Li Xiang really took on the task.
Li Shimin was so angry that he was out of breath, but he could do nothing about Li Xiang. After all, it was your mistake. Li Xiang wanted to take all the responsibility at that time, but Li Shimin thought that Li Xiang wanted to monopolize gunpowder, so he handed the matter over to Li Tai. As a result, Li Tai procrastinated and was later delayed because he went to Tuyuhun. Can he blame others?
"Then tell me, how can I ensure there is enough gunpowder on the battlefield?"
In desperation, Li Shimin could only bow his head again, but it was different from the last time. Last time, Li Shimin knew what Li Xiang wanted, but this time, Li Shimin didn't know what Li Xiang wanted, so he could only take one step at a time. As the saying goes, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, he had to see what Li Xiang wanted.
"Your Majesty, everything has its own rules. For example, if we try to force the growth of grass, it will die. The same is true for gunpowder. If we don't have enough time to prepare it, the gunpowder may be substandard. If we use substandard gunpowder, let alone kill the enemy, we may even lose our own lives. Your Majesty, please reconsider."
Li Xiang seemed not to answer Li Shimin's question, but in fact he also answered Li Shimin's question. Your will is important, but your will cannot violate the laws of nature. The emperor is the biggest in this court, but if he violates the laws of nature, he will be retaliated by God.
"Two hundred thousand troops are ready. Are we going to delay them just because of this little gunpowder? You must resolve this matter. Tell me what you want now, and I will satisfy you. But this batch of gunpowder must be delivered when the army sets out."
Li Shimin spoke arrogantly and unreasonably, but in fact, people who were familiar with Li Shimin could see that although Li Shimin spoke very arrogantly, there was actually a bit of compromise in his words.
"Your Majesty, if that's the case, we can only hire craftsmen at a high price and have them do the work on the road. However, if that's the case, they'll need stable carriages, and they'll have to be separated from the main army. If something happens, a single spark could kill many people. This is actually a very dangerous move, and my grandson doesn't approve of it."
Li Xiang began to throw out some ideas. What this guy said was very simple, but some people understood it. You want to make gunpowder on the road, and these people are far away from the army, but these people are very important, and someone must be sent to protect them. If the emperor sends someone else, I guess you will definitely say that this person is not suitable, and you can only send your own people for protection.
Li Shimin now understood the situation. If he wanted to see the gunpowder on the battlefield, he had to agree to Li Xiang's request. Some people did not understand Li Xiang's request, but Li Shimin saw it very clearly. That was to form his own army and then control the gunpowder on the battlefield.
Cheng Yaojin realized it later, but he also knew what his son-in-law was thinking. If this matter could be realized as his son-in-law wanted, then the credit must be given to Li Xiang. Everyone knows the power of gunpowder on the battlefield. The people of Tuyuhun suffered a great loss. When they return to the court victoriously in the future, how can Li Xiang be left out of the credit?
Of course, there is another result, that is, Li Shimin gave up using these gunpowders. As long as he gave up using these gunpowders, then this matter would not be a big deal. You can fight in the original ancient way. Maybe you can win in the end, but it is hard to say how many casualties there will be. Anyway, the last time Li Xiang fought on the grassland, the enemy's casualties can be said to be negligible. If your casualties increase exponentially, even if you win, what will happen? Everyone will say that it is a miserable victory.
Anyone who has read military books knows that a tragic victory cannot be called a victory, and our losses may even be greater. So if you want to pursue such a victory, it only means that you don’t understand military affairs.
If a war had been waged against Tubo, then the heavy casualties were understandable. After all, the power gap between the two empires was not that great, and Goguryeo was only a regional power. What would the people think of the huge casualties incurred during the attack on Goguryeo? They might think that our emperor was no longer good at fighting. If the crown prince had been sent to fight, the outcome might have been even more different.
Li Shimin had clenched his fists at this moment, and Wang De was frightened beside him. If the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince clashed in the hall, the situation would be difficult to predict. Wang De knew what Li Shimin was thinking, but he must not make a big mistake. What if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was young and impetuous, and the two of them really broke up? The anger would be a small matter, and the safety of the Tang Dynasty would be at stake!
Wang De calmly sorted out the memorial for Li Shimin. Li Shimin saw something moving nearby and immediately got himself out of the dilemma. You know, from the day Li Shimin became the King of Qin, basically no one dared to disobey him in everything he did, including his father. Now a kid actually dared to threaten him. This was a great insult.
But now Li Shimin has come to his senses. In fact, if you think about it carefully, Li Xiang did not do anything excessive. It was actually Li Shimin who was excessive. Li Shimin also knew what he had been doing recently. If he did not do this, Li Xiang's strength would become stronger and stronger, and it would be impossible to restrain him in the future.
"If that's the case, then I'll leave this matter to you. If there's anything, please discuss it with General Li Jing and report back to me after the discussion."
The court ministers all breathed a sigh of relief. They were all afraid that Li Xiang and Li Shimin would confront each other. If you two were to confront each other, not to mention the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, there would be a lot of fun in the court. It is indeed a little safer now, but enemies are watching here from all directions. We must not let anything go wrong internally, lest the wolves around us come and bite us.