Although Li Shimin was angry at the time, after calming down, he was able to understand that what Zhangsun Wuji said was right. To be an emperor, one must have a broad mind. If he cannot even tolerate his own grandson, how can he become an emperor of all ages?
Of course, only Changsun Wuji could say this, and even if Changsun Wuji said this, he would have to worry about his head. Fortunately, Li Shimin was not a tyrant. If Li Shimin was a tyrant, Changsun Wuji's head would have fallen off by now.
"My uncle's concerns are indeed justified. Just now in the court, everyone was able to speak freely and express their concerns. If I want to continue with this plan, I must address all your concerns one by one. Doing so will benefit the development of our Tang Dynasty and will also facilitate the Tang army's entry into Nanzhao."
Changsun Wuji nodded in appreciation for what Li Xiang said before. Li Xiang was much better than his uncle and grandfather for having such a mentality.
But when Li Xiang said the last sentence, Changsun Wuji immediately understood what was going on. Li Xiang used this way to tell himself that no matter how many difficulties there were, he must occupy the Kingdom of Nanzhao, and he had already made up his mind about this matter and would never back down because of various difficulties.
Although Li Shimin had just reached a conclusion, if Li Xiang was not so determined, Changsun Wuji could have joined forces with some other ministers to finally get the matter over with. But if Li Xiang kept talking about this matter behind Li Shimin's back, it might not have been so easy.
"I really don't understand. Those places are barren. Are they really that important to us? If the North and the Western Regions are still of some value, then I really don't see the value of those places. My subordinates have also heard about the situation in Nanzhao Kingdom. It's not even comparable to a few prefectures and counties in the wealthy areas of the Tang Dynasty. Is it really necessary to spend a huge amount of money to conquer them?"
Without the presence of outsiders, Changsun Wuji spoke more casually. Of course, this was also a habit that Li Xiang had given him at the beginning. When discussing issues between the two, they must put aside their identities and seniority. If there are various ties, then the problem will be difficult to solve.
"Uncle, look at this map. I gave it to my grandfather, and now I've drawn another one. This is the future territory of our Tang Dynasty. The reason we need to occupy these areas is to protect the core areas of our Tang Dynasty. Currently, the core areas of our Tang Dynasty are like borders. Someone may invade at any time, and we have no long-term strategic depth. After we occupy the Southern Zhao Kingdom, our strategic depth in the southwest will increase by a thousand miles. If an enemy invades, the battlefield will be in the southwest, and will not reach the Central Plains or Guanzhong. Then we will be invincible..."
Li Xiang took out another map. This map was the best map, Begonia. This was the map Li Xiang had always wanted.
At the beginning, Changsun Wuji didn't listen to what Li Xiang said, but when Li Xiang talked about strategic depth, Changsun Wuji was indeed a little moved. Take Chang'an City for example. It turned out that both Tuyuhun and Turks were close to Chang'an City. If they launched a surprise attack, we would most likely be caught off guard.
But now we have conquered both places and set up military camps on their land. If there are other places that want to attack Chang'an City, it is simply impossible now, unless you have an army of millions, and it must be an elite army, then it may bring some danger to Chang'an. If the command is improper or something happens in the middle, a million-strong army will not be able to reach Chang'an.
In just five years, Li Xiang has increased the strategic depth of Chang'an City by more than a thousand miles, which also allows the people of Chang'an City to live and work in peace. This is the fertile Guanzhong Plain. As long as nothing happens here, the foundation of the Tang Dynasty will be there. Even if the outside world is in chaos, we will not surrender easily.
What Li Xiang needs to do now is to continue to expand the core area outward and continue to occupy some desolate areas around the Tang Dynasty, and use these desolate areas as barriers for the entire Tang Dynasty. Then we will have more core areas. Once the core area doubles, it means that the population of the Tang Dynasty will be able to increase by at least 50%.
After Li Xiang finished speaking, Changsun Wuji sat beside him in silence, staring at the map with his eyes fixed. Many places on the map had been taken, but there were also many places that were not actually controlled. If he wanted to make the Tang Dynasty become like this according to what Li Xiang said, there was still a long way to go.
"Generally speaking, I agree with you. You have such a grand plan in mind. The Tang Dynasty is truly fortunate to have a ruler like you. However, we must exercise moderation and not allow the country to lose all its strength, like Emperor Yang of Sui..."
By the time he finished his last sentence, Changsun Wuji had already lowered his voice. Was Emperor Yang of Sui a man without ideals? Of course not. His ideals were very far-reaching. If he had considered the actual situation at the time and solved the people's livelihood problems, and if he had prolonged his ambitions, he would probably have been an emperor of all ages.
Unfortunately, Emperor Yang of Sui was too impatient. He had to do everything immediately and didn't care how the people were living. They couldn't even afford to eat, and you still wanted to force them to dig a canal. How could this work?
Li Xiang had said before that if Emperor Yang of Sui could provide three meals a day and keep the people well fed, let alone digging a Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou, even digging a canal to Europe would be possible for our people. Food is the biggest problem.
But now this problem can be solved. Li Xiang controls a large amount of land and already has high-yield grain seeds. If Li Xiang wants to dig a canal now, the grain he has is enough to support millions of people. The result will naturally be much better than that of Emperor Yang of Sui...