Chapter 131: The Iron-Blooded Emperor Han Wei Zheng (asking for monthly ticket)

After all, Sun Simiao is not omnipotent. For example, if Duan Zhixuan caught a cold, or if a prescription is found, Li Mingda and Li Lizhi's respiratory diseases can still be cured.

But for someone as terminally ill as Wei Zheng, there was really nothing that could be done.

The good thing about being young is that Li Xiang is Wei Zheng's disciple, so he can still sneak into the backyard.

"Teacher, teacher!" Li Xiang yelled and rushed into Wei Zheng's room.

Wei Zheng was sitting on the bed writing his memoirs. When he heard Li Xiang's voice, he turned over and lay back down, closing his eyes and not saying a word.

He pushed the door open and looked around, but there was no one there, only Wei Zheng lying straight on the bed.

Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, could it be that the teacher was dead?
He tiptoed over with trepidation, stretched out two fingers and touched Wei Zheng's nose.

Wei Zheng opened his eyes suddenly, which scared Li Xiang so much that he almost dug his finger into Wei's nose.

After looking at Lao Wei's unfriendly gaze for a moment, Li Xiang withdrew his fingers awkwardly.

Haha, I thought the teacher was crazy.

Wei Zheng stared at him for a long while, then turned around and stopped looking at him.

"Teacher, what's wrong with you?" Li Xiang asked tentatively. Why did it look like the teacher had an opinion?
"How dare I have any opinion about you?" Wei Zheng said with a groan, "You are the Little Khan admired by all the tribes. You are the second person in history who has neglected the main point and pursued the trivial!"

"Who is the first person?" Li Xiang asked, scratching his head.

"The contemporary saint, your grandfather, the Heavenly Khan." Wei Zheng snorted.

Li Xiang seemed to understand what was going on...

My teacher is an old iron-blooded man.

"Why do you say that, teacher? How could a student do such a thing that neglects the important for the sake of the trivial?" Li Xiang hurriedly apologized with a smile.

Wei Zheng lay on the bed and said, "You still say you are not? You spoke so confidently in the court, defended Qibi, and even said something like 'out of the country we are barbarians, in the country we are Chinese'. Do you really think those people who follow Turkic customs are Chinese?"

"Look at what you said, teacher, this is for others to hear." Li Xiang said with a smile: "Since the Turks have already submitted to the Tang Dynasty, I naturally don't mind saying a few good words for them."

"It's one thing to say, but I'm afraid you'll believe it yourself." Wei Zheng snorted.

"How could that be, teacher?" Li Xiang said, "I have suggested to you, old man, that we should first break up the Qibi tribe and distribute them to villages in Gyeonggi Province, organizing them into groups of three or two households into a village, and let them abandon nomadic life and learn farming..."

Gyeonggi Province at that time was very different from the current capital area. Not only did it lack various conveniences, but people had to be the first to be called up in war.

In addition, it is close to the capital, which makes it easier to monitor and control.

"Really?" Wei Zheng sat up immediately and looked at Li Xiang with shining eyes.

If you want to say this, I won’t be sleepy.

This was what he proposed when he conquered the Eastern Turks in the fourth year of Zhenguan.

Now Li Xiang actually thinks the same way, how can he not be happy.

Good, this is my, Wei Xuancheng’s, student!
"Of course it's true. I just don't know what Aweng meant by conquering the Turks and letting them keep their original customs." Li Xiang sighed and said, "Does preserving some of their customs allow them to know that they are not Tang people, but Turks?"

"Good! You are worthy of being my student!" Wei Zheng cheered, and then cursed: "Fuck that old bastard Wen Yanbo. When the Turks surrendered, the court officials suggested that they be relocated to Henan, dispersed to counties, and assimilated into the Han culture."

"As a result, this old man Wen Yanbo advocated adopting the practice of Emperor Wu of Han to settle the Xiongnu and settle the Turks in Shuofang to preserve their tribes and customs! He is really misleading the country! The court! The world!"

When Old Wei spoke, his gritted teeth seemed not fake at all; he really hated Wen Yanbo's behavior.

"Teacher, this happened in the fourth year of Zhenguan, how come you still remember it?" Li Xiang asked tentatively.

"What's wrong with the fourth year of Zhenguan? Even if ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years have passed, even if I turn into ashes, I will paste them on the tombstone of old Wen Yanbo! Let everyone in the world know that there is such a bastard!" Wei Zheng cursed with gritted teeth.

The case was solved. The teacher is truly a tough guy.

Li Xiang's mouth twitched. Wen Yanbo had been dead for several years, but...

However, this also shows that the teacher's love for the Tang Dynasty is truly unreserved.

If it was about the person and not the matter, there would be no need to drag Wen Yanbo out and criticize him even though the person is dead.

"Meng Ze, you must remember this." Wei Zheng still had that gnashing look on his face: "Don't extend the loyalty of one or two people to the entire ethnic group. Unless one day they are completely absorbed into the Tang Dynasty, wearing my Han clothing and following my Han etiquette, you can't trust them completely!"

"Student understands." Li Xiang replied solemnly.

Then he smiled and said, "In fact, the grassland people are the same. The so-called wolf worship is actually no different from dogs. As long as they are fed enough food, they will bark at you and even help bite you."

What Li Xiang said is actually correct. Dogs are domesticated from wolves.

Don’t talk about wolves being brutal. The internet-famous wolf from Hoh Xil has proven that giving food and turning into a dog is the true wolf culture.

Is it that the egg yolk pie is not fragrant anymore, or is it that the chicken leg is not tasty enough?
"I'm glad that you think this way." Wei Zheng stroked his beard. Although he was a little weak, his face became rosy.

Li Xiang looked at Wei Zheng's changing expression suspiciously. If it wasn't still December, Li Xiang would probably have wondered whether his teacher was about to have a last burst of energy.

After saying this, Wei Zheng took a stack of manuscripts from under the bed beside him.

"This is the memoir from the 9th year of Wude to the 16th year of Zhenguan. Mengze, keep it well." Wei Zheng handed over a pile of manuscripts: "I skipped the part about Xuanwu Gate. Of course, I also know that you hid the volume about the Wude period. You should just give these to the saint."

Li Xiang's heart tightened. Hand it over to Li Shimin?
Could it be that you, Old Wei, can't get over it and have backed up your advice?
"Don't worry, your teacher used the Spring and Autumn style of writing." Wei Zheng coughed twice. He also remembered what Li Xiang had said to him before.

You can't just write about the emperor's faults directly and dryly; you have to conceal them and then beautify them.

But this can be done, but it cannot be said.

Since Wei Zheng said so, Li Xiang felt relieved.

"That's fine." Li Xiang took the manuscript and looked at Wei Zheng again. "Teacher, can you ask Master Sun to come and take a look at your illness?"

"What are you looking at? Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by God." Wei Zheng waved his hand, "I have completed the last little thing I did for the prince. I will have no regrets when I die."

"Teacher..." Li Xiang's eyes were moist.

It is impossible to say that I am not moved.

No matter what the reason, at least Lao Wei sincerely supports him and his father.

"Why are you crying?" Wei Zheng waved his hands impatiently: "If someone didn't know, they would think I was dead!"

Li Xiang: …

"I also heard about your experience in Shuozhou." Wei Zheng leaned on the bed. "That caravan you mentioned is a good idea. It will strengthen the connection between the two sides."

"But I think you should consider how to transform the relationship between the grassland and the Central Plains into dependence."

"Well, the student just happens to have an immature idea." Li Xiang smiled.

"Oh? Tell me quickly!" Wei Zheng immediately became interested.

As a tough old guard, Wei Zheng certainly cared about such things.

"I have asked Aunt Gao Yang to research how to transform wool into yarn like silk." Li Xiang said with a smile, "We have already made some progress. The teacher should also know the situation on the grassland."

He repeated to Wei Zheng in detail what he had said to Li Shimin before, and Wei Zheng became happier the more he listened.

After hearing the end, Wei Zheng pondered for a while and said to Li Xiang: "This is indeed feasible. Master, I think Meng Ze should not suppress the price of wool too low."

"What does the teacher think?" Li Xiang asked.

"If the price is suppressed too low, there will not be enough wool for the grassland to expand the scale of wool-producing sheep breeding; if the price is reasonable, the grassland will definitely set off a trend of raising sheep." Wei Zheng stretched out his fingers and tapped the bedside: "In this way, the grassland will strengthen its dependence on the Central Plains. If the grassland dares to have a rebellious heart, our Tang Dynasty can call on the world to cut off the channels of trade with them. Within two or three months, the tribes whose trade channels have been cut off will inevitably be in chaos."

Li Xiang thought about it carefully and felt that there was nothing wrong with what Lao Wei said. After all, once the herdsmen who had tasted the sweetness lost this way of easily exchanging for daily necessities, they would definitely be the first to stand up against the leader.

"Teacher, you are right. As far as I know, sheep need to be sheared twice a year. In the past, this wool was completely useless and was either burned or thrown away."

"Nowadays, we can exchange for the necessities of life. This is a good thing." Li Xiang said, crossing his arms and said, "Whoever dares to destroy this good life will be their enemy!"

Wei Zheng suddenly sighed, "What a pity! It's a pity that the grassland people can't understand your magazine. Otherwise, their children will definitely be fascinated by our Central Plains culture and will definitely be attracted to the Tang Dynasty when they grow up!"

When Li Xiang heard this, he suddenly stood up.

Can't read the words? Is that a problem? Can this be a problem for an elephant?
"What's wrong?" Wei Zheng looked at him puzzled.

Li Xiang paced a few steps and said excitedly, "Yes, if it weren't for the teacher, my brain would have been almost limited!"

Wei Zheng:?
"It doesn't matter if you can't read the words. It's a small matter!" Li Xiang laughed up to the sky, and then said to Wei Zheng: "Since you can't read, you can at least recognize pictures, right? The magazine can print comic strips and give them to the caravans that buy wool for free."

"It doesn't matter if they can't read. Send a few poor scholars in the caravan to explain the contents of the paintings to the children. Children love to show off, and once they have heard it, they will tell more people."

"For these poor scholars, I will also petition the Saint to promise them that as long as they publicize their knowledge in the caravan for three years, they can be granted a real position below the eighth rank; if they publicize their knowledge for five years, they can be granted a real position of the eighth rank. In this way, poor scholars will surely flock to them!"

Don't tear it, it's for the child!

Wei Zheng stared at Li Xiang. He really wanted to cut open Li Xiang's chest to see what was going on with this kid.

He now felt more and more that his original choice was correct. If Li Chengqian did not make Li Xiang the crown prince in the future, it would be easier for him to leave Xuanwu Gate than for the current saint.

Seeing Old Wei's shining eyes, Li Xiang continued, "We don't need to promote the Four Books and Five Classics to children. We can start with the Chinese myths, from the ancient creation of the world to Nuwa's creation of humans to Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs, and then to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. We must let the children of the barbarians grow up listening to Chinese stories from an early age!"

"And we need to spread the message to them that we need to let the children on the grasslands recognize the theory of one China from an early age. We are all Chinese people. The Tang Dynasty is the main branch, and they are the branches that separated from it. In fact, we are all one family, but we just have different lifestyles."

"Good! Great!" Wei Zheng clapped his hands and praised: "This is a really good idea. This way, we can also mobilize the enthusiasm of the poor scholars."

Li Xiang thought, why should we grant them real positions? Most of the literati in the Tang Dynasty were die-hard emperors. This kind of thing of educating barbarians is already a great achievement to gain reputation. Add to that the incentive of real positions, and I'm afraid the threshold will be flattened.

"We should not only tell mythological stories, but also stories about Chinese heroes!" Wei Zheng said, "The deeds of Guan Zhong, Bao Shuya and others can be compiled into easy-to-understand short stories and told to them."

"This method can be used not only to deal with the people of the grasslands, but also the barbarians in all directions. It can make them admire the culture of the Tang Dynasty, and be proud to speak the Tang language, learn the Tang characters, perform Tang etiquette, and listen to Tang stories!"

Li Xiang nodded. This was the move used by Lao Mei in later generations.

Unfortunately, Laomei has weakened its own strength and has become useless in terms of cultural invasion.

Future generations will never forget the teachers of previous lives. Li Xiang felt that he should work hard to live longer than 72 years to keep the greatness of the Tang Dynasty going.

"Teacher is right." Li Xiang has already outlined a blueprint in his mind. According to this framework, he will use the influence of a superpower to radiate culture to neighboring countries and achieve a subtle assimilation effect.

"Since you think what the master said is right, why are you still staying here?" Wei Zheng suddenly blew his beard and glared at him, cursing: "Why don't you go to the palace and talk to the saint about your grand plan!"

Hey, Lao Wei, that's not very kind of you.

Since Wei Zheng had already issued the order to expel Li Xiang, Li Xiang had no intention of staying any longer.

"Then I'm leaving. Take care of yourself, Master."

He almost blurted out the word "Lao Wei", but luckily he reacted quickly and stopped himself.

Wei Zheng waved his hand, signaling the boy to leave quickly.

After Li Xiang left, Wei Zheng suddenly grabbed a silk handkerchief beside him, covered his mouth with it and started coughing violently.

After a while, he let go of the silk handkerchief, and it was covered with blood.

(Second update sent, feeling dizzy)
(End of this chapter)