"Heh heh heh heh, Your Majesty Taizong, Duke Ang Guo had promised before that once we arrived here, he would enfeoff us as kings and grant us land."
"You see, about this matter, is it~~"
Zhao Guangyi fawned over, handing the towel on the wooden rack to him.
"Is it just for this? Look at your eyes, like they've been smeared with soot. Go back and get some more sleep. After I finish eating, I'll have someone call you."
Li Shimin waved his hand, dismissing the two, then swaggered to the stool and opened his bloody mouth to the plate of pan-fried blood sausages.
However, with the same plate of blood sausages, these two bites made him frown.
"Kid, something's not right. Why does this taste different from before?"
Fang Er was speechless.
Before you washed your hands, what were they covered in? Didn't you have any clue?
"Uh, could it be that those two guys just now affected your appetite?"
He could only try to divert the topic.
Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully and said to Wang Xuance, "You are Xiao Wang, right? Go, beat up those two guys for me!"
"Damn it, they won't even let me have a peaceful meal in the morning!"
Wang Xuance: ..........
Not long after, the sound of fists hitting flesh, mixed with the screams of the two, was heard.
Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction, "Hmm, that's right, now the taste is correct!"
After the meal, the father and son of the Zhao family, with their swollen faces, were called over.
Li Shimin wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth with a napkin and waved at them, "Let's go, I'll take you to mark out your territory~"
Upon hearing this, the two instantly felt no pain in their faces, and their suppressed grievances vanished. They followed Li Shimin, mounted the warhorses prepared nearby, and galloped towards the distance.
Fang Er, Chai Shao, Cheng Yaojin, and others also followed behind.
After galloping for a full hour, everyone reined in their horses and stopped.
Li Ji opened the map, scanned the surrounding terrain, and then nodded at Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty, no immigrants have been settled here yet."
Li Shimin said to Zhao Guangyi, "With our location as the limit, you two will go east, and one will go west."
"I'll give you one day. However far you run, that's how much land you'll get!"
"How about it, am I generous enough?"
The father and son nodded frantically. This gesture far exceeded their expectations!
Before Li Shimin could say another word, the two of them galloped away on their horses.
One went east, the other went west, their whips constantly lashing the horses' backs, fearing they would be at a disadvantage if they ran too slowly.
To prevent the two from cheating, Zhu Zi and Zhang Tian quickly followed and rushed out.
Zhao Xu was strong and robust; how far he could run depended entirely on the warhorse beneath him.
But Zhao Guangyi was in a sorry state. He already had an old injury on his buttocks, and he had been traveling for an hour, making him itch and ache unbearably.
Not long after running out, his posture became peculiar.
He stood on the stirrups with both feet, his buttocks moving back and forth on the saddle, his expression contorted beyond words.
"Hiss~~~"
"Ah~~"
It wasn't until the sky completely darkened that the results of the father and son were relayed.
Zhao Xu had run a full three hundred li.
As for Zhao Guangyi, due to his old injury, he could only run fifty li before he could no longer ride a horse.
When Zhu Zi brought him back, his buttocks were so swollen that he was too ashamed to show his face!
"Hahahaha, Zhao San, this is your own failing. You can't say I'm stingy~"
Li Shimin was extremely amused and teased him.
Zhao Guangyi wanted to cry but had to nod in response, "It's my own lack of effort, and it has nothing to do with Your Majesty Taizong."
Li Shimin stroked his beard and said to the two with satisfaction.
"Good, good. It wasn't in vain that you followed me for a few months; at least you know how to accept defeat when you lose a bet."
"Since that's the case, dismount and receive your enfeoffment!"
The father and son quickly dismounted and bowed.
"Let my decree be known: from this day forth, Zhao Guangyi is enfeoffed as King of Song Bian, and Zhao Xiang as King of Song Liang. The land circled today shall be established as a prefecture under your royal titles!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty Taizong!"
As the two bowed and expressed their gratitude, they felt a pang of sorrow.
These were once emperors, now reduced to mere princes, with such small territories. Whom could they reason with?
However, upon second thought, it was just as Fang Er had said.
Since they couldn't resist, they might as well close their eyes and enjoy it. They were still princes, and they could still spread the Zhao family line in the future.
Zhao Ji, that scoundrel, could have dozens of children, so they shouldn't fall behind!
One word:
Just do it!
Upon returning to the encampment, the father and son of the Zhao family withdrew on their own.
Cheng Yaojin, Chai Shao, and the others gathered around, and Du Yiyang was also summoned by Li Shimin.
"Meeting!"
Beside the bonfire, Li Shimin sat in the north, his gaze fixed intently on everyone.
"Hundreds of millions of common people have already settled here. It is time to discuss future strategies."
"Du Yiyang, you go first. What problems have you encountered these days?"
Du Yiyang quickly got up and saluted, "Replying to Your Majesty, I have three points to mention."
"First, the foreign tribes. Not only the common people of the Song Dynasty have migrated here, but also many people from overseas."
"These people are wild and untamed, and they have been causing the most trouble recently."
"And then there are the military families of Song. Their soldiers are strong and well-equipped. If a decision is not made soon, I fear great disaster may arise in the future."
"Finally, how should taxes be collected?"
With the migration of people from three dynasties, the problems were more than ordinary. Those that could be brought up here were the key issues.
Li Shimin did not speak but looked at the others.
Cheng Yaojin took a bite of a beef leg and said carelessly, "Foreign tribes are easy to deal with; just kill them!"
Li Ji quickly retorted, "Unacceptable! These foreign tribes are not a small number. If they are all killed, how will history judge Your Majesty in the future?"
Li Shimin glared at Cheng Yaojin fiercely, "Do you want me to be a tyrant?"
Cheng Yaojin shrunk his neck and stopped speaking.
Qin Qiong pondered for a long time and then slowly said, "Your Majesty, I believe we can screen them out and select a place for them to settle, separating them from the Song people."
"In this way, even if they cause trouble in the future, it will be their own foreign tribe's affair. We only need to maintain vigilance."
"Moreover, having enemies nearby serves as a warning to future generations."
"If they are well-behaved, they will be treated as subjects; if they are not, they will be a training ground for future generations."
Li Ji's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he clapped his hands, "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Then he immediately looked at Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this method is feasible!"
Li Shimin pondered for a moment and then said to Fang Er, "Write it down. We will proceed according to this method in the future!"
Next, it was the issue of the military families of the Great Song.
The Yang, Cao, Shi, Gao, Huyan, Li, and Zhe families, the seven great military families of the early Song Dynasty, as well as the Yue Family Army and the Han Family Army, and other commanding generals from Zhao Gou's era, had all come here.
If not handled carefully, these people could become hidden dangers like a powder keg.
Niu Jinda proposed, "Your Majesty, I believe it would be best to have them lay down their arms and retire to farming."
"All the guardian armies are equipped with firearms, so keeping them is of little use."
Chai Shao shook his head, "I'm afraid they won't comply willingly. If there is chaos, many people will likely die. After all, these are our descendants."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly looked at Fang Er and asked, "Kid, is Yang Liulang's wife, Chai Meirong, related to my Chai family?"