Chapter 211

After Li Ji stepped out and saluted, he cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

Li Chen raised his hand to signal him to continue.

They were brothers of the royal family, and they had indeed met often in the past, just not in recent years.

Li Chen was relatively homebound, and Li Ji didn't dare to cause trouble, so they really had no conflict.

Seeing Li Ji appear in court, Li Chen knew he must have something on his mind.

"In recent years, the Sassanid Dynasty has constantly peered at our border lands. Their ambition is great, and it is truly an act that shakes the foundation of our dynasty. As the Prince of Anxi, I am concerned about the country's safety. Therefore, I boldly request to serve the country, to lead an expedition against the Sassanid Dynasty, to manifest our heavenly might and protect the peace of our borders."

Li Ji's words were impassioned, and everyone in the court cast their eyes toward him.

Everyone was speculating what kind of medicine this guy was hiding in his gourd.

When the Minister of War heard this, he felt depressed, thinking: Good fellow, this Prince of Anxi is stealing my lines!

He had originally wanted to gain some presence in front of His Majesty, but now, it was all said by him.

Following Li Ji's request, many military generals also began to request to fight, including the Grand General Guo Guo Po Yun. For a time, the sounds of requesting to fight echoed one after another in the court.

Under normal circumstances, fighting a war requires money, and the Minister of Revenue, Liu Minghan, would definitely be the first to oppose it.

This time, he didn't say anything; after all, after raiding the Wang family, there was indeed money in the national treasury.

Moreover, the northern battles had already ended, and the wealth gained was not small.

However, building northern cities also required money, so the money from the north was basically used for construction.

Li Chen sat on the dragon throne, his deep gaze sweeping over everyone. After thinking it over, he spoke slowly: "I understand everyone's loyalty, but this time, I have decided to lead the expedition myself, personally serving as the commander-in-chief of the three armies to show my determination."

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar; no one expected the Emperor to lead the expedition himself.

Given Li Chen's current record and combat power, his leading the expedition was indeed a good thing.

What the ministers were worried about was how Li Chen would lead the expedition this time: would he lead the troops himself, or would it be like the last time he went north?

Li Chen's next words dispelled everyone's doubts.

"Grand General Guo Guo Po Yun, I appoint you as the deputy commander-in-chief of the three armies to accompany me on the expedition."

Hearing this, the ministers knew that Li Chen probably didn't want to arrange the marching and fighting; this time it was just to intimidate, and if Guo Guo Po Yun went, it would be relatively stable.

If Li Chen wanted to show off his skills alone after the great victory in the north, he might face a crisis due to lack of experience.

Li Chen allowed all the soldiers who requested to fight to participate, except for the Prince of Anxi, Li Ji, to whom Li Chen did not express his stance.

This made Li Ji feel uneasy; did the Emperor not want him to participate?

The court session lasted until very late because Li Chen hadn't attended court for some time, and each department began to report their work.

After the court session ended, Li Ji's heart was like a rabbit, jumping up and down.

He hadn't obtained Li Chen's permission for the expedition, and he hadn't been back to the imperial capital for a long time, nor was he familiar with these ministers, so he couldn't find anyone to discuss countermeasures, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do.

Just as he was letting his imagination run wild, a eunuch walked over hurriedly, his shrill voice saying in his ear, "Prince of Anxi, His Majesty requests your presence."

Li Ji felt a chill in his heart, then straightened his clothes and walked toward the imperial palace.

Inside the Imperial Study, Li Ji knelt and saluted, and Li Chen told him to rise.

"Fourth brother, what are you doing participating in the Western Expedition?" Li Chen asked in a very casual tone.

When Li Ji heard this, his heart skipped a beat, thinking: Is the Emperor testing me, or is he really this casual?

"Your Majesty, I just want to serve the country and be loyal to Your Majesty," Li Ji answered cautiously.

Li Chen rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you say such nonsense again, get out."

Li Ji's face was slightly embarrassed; he gritted his teeth and told the truth: "Your Majesty, my fief is too poor. The harvests have been bad these past few years, and there are demonic beasts causing trouble. My family is so poor we can't even put food on the table. I had no choice but to think of this method, wanting to earn some military merit to improve my life."

"Is it that poor?" Li Chen asked with a slight twitch of his mouth.

He thought: Even if the Crown Prince targeted you back then, you are still the late Emperor's own son; the late Emperor wouldn't have sent you to such a poor place, would he?

Li Ji sighed and began to sell his misery: "Your Majesty, it wasn't that poor before. I thought I would rely on my own efforts to get rich, so I invested a lot of money in planting some spiritual herbs, thinking this stuff was valuable and had high market value. But who would have thought that spiritual herbs easily attract demonic beasts, causing some losses? I also needed to hire people to guard them, and cultivation also costs money, and the yield wasn't high..."

Li Chen finally understood; it turned out that the fourth brother had failed in his business venture, which was why he was trying to find a way to earn some military merit to make a living.

He couldn't help but say, "You can be considered quite hardworking, but consider failure as accumulating experience. I will agree to let you participate in the Western Expedition this time; just come with me when the time comes."

Hearing this, Li Ji was so excited he almost cried.

He hurriedly kowtowed to thank him: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness! I will definitely be loyal to Your Majesty until death!"

Looking at him like this, Li Chen couldn't help but hook a smile at the corner of his mouth and said, "You haven't been back to the palace for a long time, have you? Accompany me for a walk."

Hearing this, Li Ji hurriedly stood up and followed Li Chen out of the Imperial Study.

Following the Emperor, the pressure was immense, not to mention that Li Chen had been Emperor for some time, his imperial aura was full, and coupled with his unparalleled strength, it made Li Ji feel a head shorter.

He spoke very carefully, fearing he would offend Li Chen; not being able to go on the Western Expedition was a small matter, but losing his head was a big one.

Serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger; that's how it is.

When Li Ji heard in his fief that Li Chen had become Emperor, he was also shocked beyond words.

At the time, he thought Li Chen might not sit on the throne for long; even if the Crown Prince was gone, the second and third brothers were no pushovers. They had many party members in the court and a group of powerful forces under their command; Li Chen was just a puppet of the Empress Dowager.

As it turned out, Li Chen revealed his Sage Realm strength, and all crises were resolved.

They had chatted before, after all, they both lived in the imperial palace and saw each other every day.

It just wasn't as cautious as it was now.

Actually, to tell the truth, if Li Chen weren't the Emperor, Li Ji wouldn't have dared to come and ask for a job.

The affection of the royal family is indeed very thin, but if there is no competitive relationship, it is still easy to talk.

"Do you know anything about the Sassanid Dynasty?" Li Chen asked casually.

"Returning to Your Majesty, my fief is in the west, and Sassanid Dynasty caravans often pass by. I have also come into contact with some Sassanid Dynasty nobles..."

When Li Ji came, he had done a very detailed investigation. According to him, the royal family in the Sassanid Dynasty had supreme power, but the other three families also had military power. They governed the Sassanid Dynasty together; this was their tradition.

Li Ji felt that to defeat the Sassanid Dynasty's army was also very simple: send troops to the front line to meet them, cause them huge losses, and then bribe some high-ranking officials of the Sassanid Dynasty to speak to the Empress, indicating that the Sassanid Dynasty's losses in this war were huge and they couldn't gain any benefits.

Then the Empress, after thinking it over, would also withdraw her troops.

The reason the Empress of the Sassanid Dynasty dared to attack the May Tian Ce Dynasty was that she thought the May Tian Ce Dynasty had internal and external troubles.

The north was likely to be a protracted war, and the Prince of Zhennan in the south and the Third Prince in the east would also contain the May Tian Ce Dynasty's military strength.

Her goal was to nibble away and develop, but who knew the Snow Eagle Royal Court would lose so quickly, and the Third Prince would go to fight the Prince of Zhennan.

Li Ji judged this point, thinking this was a favorable situation, so he came to earn some military merit.

After saying this, Li Ji noticed Li Chen looking at him, which made him feel as if he had said something wrong.

After a long time, Li Chen said, "The Western Expedition I speak of is not to repel the Sassanid Dynasty's army that has come to invade, but to expand our territory and occupy the Sassanid Dynasty. What do you think should be done?"

Hearing Li Chen say this, Li Ji was a bit surprised; it seems my perspective was too small. I really didn't know Li Chen's ambition was so great.

Attacking them is not that simple; the Sassanid Dynasty is not a small country, and the reason they dared to attack the May Tian Ce Dynasty is that they have a certain amount of strength.

Moreover, the Sassanid Dynasty's cities are solid, its territory is large, and its sources of troops are wide.

Most importantly, their commoners also keep demonic beasts at home; if this were in wartime, they would also have a certain amount of combat power.

"I am ashamed, Your Majesty. I cannot think of any way for the time being. I hope Your Majesty will give me a few days; I will definitely think about it with all my heart."

Li Ji had just racked his brains and didn't know what to do, and he was afraid Li Chen wouldn't take him, so he could only say this.

At this time, Li Chen smiled and said, "Actually, this is not where you excel. If I asked the third brother, he would definitely know."

Li Ji nodded and said, "In terms of marching and fighting, I am indeed not as good as the Third Prince." "Then do you know why you are not as good?"

"Perhaps this is talent?"

"Talent is one aspect, but the most important thing is experience..."

Li Chen told Li Ji that in terms of military formation, Grand General Guo Guo Po Yun had decades of experience, and his military achievements proved his strong military ability.

Therefore, during the Northern Expedition, Li Chen did not participate in the military layout, but only took action where Guo Guo Po Yun couldn't solve the problem.

Everyone knows that the Third Prince Li Yu's military ability is very strong.

But did he have military talent as soon as he was born?

That is definitely not the case; military talent is not something that can be seen directly.

Li Yu also learned from the experienced commander of the Second Group Army, Yun Xu, and trained in the military camp for more than ten years to have today's achievements.

Speaking of this, Li Chen looked at Li Ji and said, "Do you understand what I want to express?"

!

Li Ji nodded and replied, "I understand. Your Majesty wants to tell me that military talent cannot be seen; you only know when you go to the battlefield!"

Hearing this, Li Chen was so angry he couldn't stand it. If this weren't his own brother, Li Chen would probably have given him a flying kick.

I've explained it so simply, how can you still not understand?

Li Chen simply said, "You understand nothing. I'll just tell you directly: your status is special, you are a Prince. After you go to the western battlefield, many soldiers will not dare to disobey you..."

According to Li Chen, Li Ji only had high status but no command experience, and you kid always thinks you have some skills; this idea is too dangerous.

You want to earn military merit, so the position you go to definitely won't be low. If you encounter some difficulties during the attack, you kid will mostly follow your own ideas.

If you think correctly, it's fine, but if you think wrongly, not only will you die, but you'll also easily bury the army.

Just like you kid going to invest in planting spiritual herbs, the idea is good, and perhaps you can make money.

But you don't have experience in this area, nor do you go to ask professional people, just following your own ideas, which led to the current situation.

I saw this point, which is why I let you come out for a walk with me, to tell you to learn more and accumulate experience, especially in this military field that you have never stepped into at all. Don't always think you are very awesome; listening to the opinions of experienced people is very important.

When Li Chen said this, Li Ji finally understood what was going on.

After listening, he was indeed a bit ashamed, because when he came, he was still thinking, marching and fighting, I have at least read some military books, I will know some routines at least.

I can't compare to His Majesty and the third brother, but I'm still very strong compared to others; I'll just play normally when the time comes.

Li Chen must have seen this point, which is why he taught him earnestly.

Li Chen is a steady person; the Western Expedition is of great importance, and he cannot keep an eye on Li Ji all the time.

He is also afraid of someone like Li Ji, who has no experience and no talent, but dares to mess around.

As for why Li Chen let Xu Zifeng be the vanguard general, it is because Xu Zifeng's record in the south is indeed brilliant, and he has never lost.

Otherwise, even if his mother and aunt served him well, Li Chen wouldn't let him be the vanguard general.

Li Chen sees Li Ji as a royal brother; if you want to earn a living, I can give it to you, but you can't mess around.

It's not that I don't believe you, it's that you really don't have a record that makes me believe you.

Li Ji also understood Li Chen's painstaking efforts, knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, indicating that he would definitely follow the soldiers to learn hard this time and would not delay Li Chen's Western Expedition just to grab the limelight.

"As long as you understand, go back and do your homework well. Just follow Guo Guo Po Yun when he goes on the Western Expedition."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your guidance. I will keep it in mind."

After speaking, Li Ji left the imperial palace.

On the way out, he sighed in his heart, no wonder these ministers all said Li Chen was a wise and holy monarch; he saw many problems at a glance.

Moreover, when Li Ji attended the morning court, he also noticed that the atmosphere of the ministers was different from before.

In the past, everyone was scheming against each other, and the court was muddy.

Now the monarch and subjects are of one mind, and it is a scene of harmony.

When he was in his fief, Li Ji also felt, Emperor, who can't be one? I can do it too; I just didn't have the chance to be one. If I went up, maybe I wouldn't be worse than Li Chen.

After seeing Li Chen with his own eyes, Li Ji knew that the difference between him and Li Chen was not a little bit, but an insurmountable chasm.

No wonder the second and third brothers couldn't fight Li Chen. Li Ji felt that if the second and third brothers wanted to be Emperor, Li Chen might not even need to take action; these ministers definitely wouldn't be willing.

Li Ji also began to restrain his self-confidence and prepared to visit some generals.

What Li Chen actually wants to do is to select the virtuous and capable, and let the ministers exert their abilities, so the country can be stable and prosperous.

As for why Li Chen wants to lead the expedition himself, it is also because there must be problems in the western theater that Guo Guo Po Yun cannot solve, and he will have to go when the time comes, so he might as well hang a title first.

Just now Li Ji also didn't understand; Li Chen said to let him go with Guo Guo Po Yun first, which proved that Li Chen would definitely go, but he might not necessarily follow the main army.

After Li Ji left, Li Chen came to the Yantian Martial Field in the imperial palace, which is where people living in the palace cultivate.

Here, the spiritual energy is abundant, and all kinds of cultivation facilities are complete.

Chu Ruoyan, Li Sining, Zhu Zhuying, and others usually cultivate in this place.

Before Li Chen arrived, he heard the sound of weapons colliding from inside.

Now Li Sining is the favorite of the harem. When she cultivates here, the Empress Dowager will personally come to encourage her and bring some delicious food for her, taking care of her even better than her own mother.

Besides this, Li Sining's mother, Consort Yi, as well as her cousin Jiang Rong, her eldest aunt Jiang Ningyue, her aunt Xie Minjun, and others, were also taking care of her in various ways.

Actually, the most surprised one was Consort Yi. Consort Yi thought Jiang Ningyue and Xie Minjun were just sending Jiang Rong over, but she didn't expect them to also be here to serve in bed, and they even moved into the imperial palace.

Jiang Ningyue was a bit shy at first, but later she became righteous and told Consort Yi how amazing Li Chen was, which made Consort Yi not want to talk to her.

This is called, as long as I am not shy, then the shy one is someone else.

With Li Chen's strength, the number of harem consorts also increased.

Li Sining is undoubtedly the one who benefits the most; not only are there more and more relatives, but there are also many little sisters who can accompany her to cultivate.

Especially Ning Xiaoxiao from the Chensha Dao Sect, who chatted very well with Li Sining. Not long after she entered the palace, she became a good friend with Li Sining who talked about everything.

Ning Xiaoxiao has a combination in the Chensha Dao Sect, cultivating the Seven Absolute Meridian Array. If this meridian array is completed, it can exert powerful power, just like a sword immortal coming in person.

Now that the array is short of people, she suggested that Li Sining join.

Li Sining was very curious when she heard this and joined the cultivation of the Seven Absolute Meridian Array.

There were still three people left. Li Sining thought of Chu Ruoyan for the first time. Chu Ruoyan definitely agreed happily; her strength was already similar to Ning Xiaoxiao and the others.

Being able to cultivate with Li Chen's other consorts, she felt it was also a way to get closer.

Moreover, Ning Xiaoxiao and the others also had very rich experience, and exchanging with each other would be very beneficial.

For the second candidate, Li Sining considered her 'master' Xia Qing, but Xia Qing focused on alchemy and was not very interested in forming combinations, so Li Sining didn't force it.

It wasn't that Li Sining hadn't considered Wu Nanzhi, but Wu Nanzhi didn't pay much attention to cultivation, and her whole mind was on how to serve Li Chen well; Li Sining also knew this point.

Her cousin Jiang Rong and her younger brother's wife Dong Zhiqing hadn't cultivated, so they definitely couldn't form a meridian array.

Two more people were missing, which made Li Sining a bit worried; he seemed to have a certain obsession with forming this Seven Absolute Meridian Array.

Speaking of sword cultivators, Li Sining thought of one person, that is, the Princess of the Tianwu Dynasty, Pei Wanyu, but Pei Wanyu was not in the palace now.

At that time, Li Sining was thinking: Brother's consorts are still too few, not even enough for me to form a meridian array combination.

Li Chen didn't expect that even though he had worked so hard, his sister still thought there were too few.

(End of chapter)