With the smell of alcohol on his body, Li Chao was taken to Ziwei Palace by the eunuch Wang. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info Li Shimin is drinking tea, he makes it himself, and he looks good.

Purple sand teapot, small stove.

Look at the tea leaves, it's tea cakes.

"This is the tea that Mengshe Zhao paid tribute to, Mengcha."

Li Chao also sat down next to him after saluting, and he looked at the cup of tea in front of him.

The tea soup is orange and yellow, the aroma is sharp and long-lasting, and the fragrance is very unique.

I took a sip of it, and the taste was very strong.

Li Chao, who likes to drink tea, drank it all at once, this is a common bait.

Of course, in the Tang Dynasty, Li Chao drank bait for the first time, and there was no bait in this era. Li Shimin called it Mengcha, and said that it was a tribute from Mengshezhao, which is not wrong.

"This tea is a good tea, the tea tree is tall, can reach several zhang high, the tea leaves are large, the young branches have slight hairs, and the top buds have white pubescence. Tea pays attention to brewing skills and the art of drinking, and its drinking methods are abundant, which can be drunk clearly or mixed. ”

"Sun-dried green hair tea is used as raw material, and it is fermented and processed into loose tea and pressed tea, and Your Majesty's tea should be a pressed tea made by natural fermentation. This tea can be called the best quality. However, the processing methods are still somewhat lacking. ”

Li Shimin laughed.

"I have forgotten that you are the ancestor of selling tea, and now more than half of the share of the tea market belongs to your family. The classification of various teas, as well as the processing and drinking methods of various teas, are all fried by your family. I still want to talk about tea in front of you, it's really a class axe. ”

When it comes to tea, there is indeed no one who has more say than Li Chao and the Li family.

"You're the one who wrote the Book of Tea." Li Shimin shook his head with a smile and put the teapot down, "But to tell the truth, this tea from Mengshe Zhaogong is really delicious." Your Li family can consider sending someone to collect the tea, process the tea well, and don't waste it. ”

Li Chao held the teacup and thought.

He didn't think that the emperor came to him just to talk about tea.

Li Chao can't understand Li Shimin now, and feels that Li Shimin is no longer as outgoing as before, and has become more introverted, and his thoughts are difficult to guess.

"Since Wen Yuan can know so much about Mengcha, he must also know about Mengshezhao?" Li Shimin asked.

Li Chao nodded, of course he knew.

Mengshe Zhao is a small country in the Erhai region, in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties, the Erhai area of Yunnan Province, there are many small countries, and they do not serve each other. Among them, there are six small countries with strong strength, called the Six Edicts.

Among them, Mengshe Zhao is in the south of the edicts, so it is also called the Nanzhao, which is slightly stronger among the six countries.

Moreover, this Nanzhao is a little more civilized than other countries and accepts Han culture.

In the past, the edicts often invaded Shuzhong, and sometimes they would plunder Dongnu and other countries.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the control of Shuzhong was strengthened, and the defense was also strengthened. Dongnu and other southwestern countries also attached themselves to the Tang Dynasty and became vassal states of the Tang Dynasty.

In the past, the Eastern Woman Kingdom was a sworn enemy with the edicts, and they were often at war. But in the past two years, the Silk Tea Road in the southwest was opened, and the trade between the Dongnu Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty increased greatly, and they especially purchased a lot of ordnance from the Datang, and got the officers sent by the Tang Dynasty to help them train the army, which greatly enhanced the strength of the Dongnu Kingdom and the Eight Kingdoms of the West Mountain.

Nanzhao saw this change and also understood that all this was Datang. He did not continue to live the old days like other edicts, but began to take the initiative to trade with the Tang Dynasty, and even recently sent envoys to Xiangyang with tribute.

"Your Majesty, this Southern Edict must have a plan, is it trying to use the power of the Tang Dynasty to annex other edicts?"

"The envoys of Nanzhao said that they admired the Tang Dynasty and longed for it." Li Shimin was still very happy about the tribute of that small country in the far southwest, and felt that the influence of the Tang Dynasty had been so great and he was very proud.

But Li Chao had another idea.

Nanzhao, this is not a small tribe in the southwest, during the Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao established a country, annexed Zhuzhao, and even later unified the land of Yunnan, and began to confront the Central Plains Tang Dynasty, between the two super powerhouses of the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, but Nanzhao swayed left and right, and let the Tang Dynasty suffer.

In the end of the Tang Dynasty, they failed to destroy this small country, but were invaded by Nanzhao many times.

Later, in the five dynasties, the Southern Zhao destroyed the country, but it was not destroyed in the Central Plains Dynasty, but was usurped by one of their Han ministers. But shortly thereafter, the state of Dali was established, and it replaced Nanzhao to continue the confrontation with the Central Plains, and Dali was even longer than the Song Dynasty.

However, if you go back a long way, this area of Yunnan, during the Qin and Han dynasties, was controlled by the Central Plains Dynasty.

Meng's edict, Yue's edict, Langqiong's edict, 'Edict', 'Lang's edict', 'Lang's edict', and Mengshe's edict.

There are many barbarians in the southwest, all ethnic groups coexist, and the chaos continues, and the place is remote and remote, which makes the Central Plains not control. However, Li Chao did not want to let the southwest have one more vassal state to confront the Central Plains, and he did not want this vassal state to integrate and unify the southwest.

Meng Shezhao was in the south of Erhai Lake, and they were originally the Shelong clan in the Ailao royal family, and they moved to the evil dragon for refuge. The evil dragon was originally the territory of the Ailao country, located in the Weishan Mountain of Yunnan in later generations.

During the Han Dynasty, it was forcibly set up as Evil Dragon County and was under the jurisdiction of Yizhou County. The Later Han Dynasty was weak, and after the Han Dynasty withdrew, it was occupied by the Hao chieftains. With the arrival of the Shelong clan, they received the support of the Ailao clan, and their power continued to expand and grow, and gradually formed a tribal alliance centered on the Shelong clan.

This alliance began to be called Shemeng Shelong, and in order to win over the Shelong family, the Hao chief Zhang Lejin married his daughter to Shelong's son Xinuluo.

This envoy to the Tang Dynasty was the idea of Xinuluo.

After marrying the daughter of the Han chieftain, this Xinuluo can be regarded as having increased his knowledge and knowing the strength of the Han people. What he meant was to attach themselves to the Tang Dynasty, and then, like the Dongnu Kingdom, trade with the Tang Dynasty, buy ordnance from the Tang Dynasty, ask the officers of the Tang Dynasty to help them train the army, and then they annexed the other surrounding Five Edicts, as well as more of those small countries.

"Since Nanzhao came to pay tribute and ask for help, isn't this an opportunity? Datang took the opportunity of supporting Nanzhao to begin to enter this area, familiarize himself with it, and then intervene. ”

Li Shimin is not a simple person, although he is proud of the Nanzhao tribute, but he is not only satisfied with this. Nanzhao wanted to annex the six edicts to unify the surrounding areas, but Li Shimin also had his own plans, and he planned to take the opportunity to intervene.

This is indeed Li Shimin's style.

"Your Majesty, as far as the minister knows, there are now five larger tribes around Erhai Lake, namely the Langqiong Edict, the Lang Edict, and the Shi Lang Edict of the River Barbarians, as well as the Yue Analysis Edict of the Mo Some People, and the Mengwang Edict of the Mourning Prison People in the west of the Erhai Lake."

These five edicts were actually established by the people of the three tribes, the river barbarians, the grinding people and the mourning people.

As for the Six Edicts, they were established by the Shelong clan with the support of the Ailao people.

Therefore, it can be said that the situation of the Six Edicts is quite complicated.

If you add in the countless small countries around it, it's a mess.

Six edicts, equivalent to six tribal alliances, and then there are more small tribes around. Most of these tribes are called fangs in the Central Plains.

The so-called fangs are those small tribes of various nationalities, which are much more humble than the barbarian Rong Di.

Among the fangs, there are many of them, such as kudzu fangs, hunting fangs, etc.

Gefang also refers to those fishing and hunting tribes, and hunting fangs are tribes with head-hunting customs. Headhunting, specifically refers to the head hunter.

In the eyes of the Han people in the Central Plains, the fangs, especially the hunting fangs, are simply barbaric and like animals.

However, it is precisely because it is too far away, and these countless small tribes are numerous, that it is difficult for the Central Plains Dynasty to reach there. Especially during the hundreds of years of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in the Central Plains, the Central Plains has been busy with civil strife and war, so how can I have time to care about the fangs in the southwest.

"Fang, another species of Nanban, from Hanzhong to Qiongdi, between the Sichuan Cave, there are all there. There are many kinds, scattered in the valley, there is no difference between clans, and there is no name, and the men and women born are called only by the order of the eldest and youngest······" Li Shimin read slowly.

"I intend to educate the four seas and let the Tang Dynasty unify the eight directions. In the past, there was civil strife in the Central Plains, and there was no time to take care of the barbarian fangs in the southwest, but now, if there is a chance, you can't miss it. ”

Li Chao sat there and listened.

He knew that the emperor was an assertive man, and he wanted to hear what he meant.

"Didn't Nanzhao send envoys to pay tribute, they wanted to trade with the Tang Dynasty, and at the same time hoped that the Tang Dynasty could send officers to help them train the army, sell them ordnance, etc., I think it's okay."

Li Chao nodded.

"I have decided to give Shelong the title of the king of Nanzhao County, and divide the surrounding area of Erbian into Nanzhao District, with prefectures and counties under it, and at the same time set up the Zhennan Protectorate there. I also plan to build a road from Yizhou to Nanzhao, set up a border city on the border, and exchange markets with them. ”

"I plan to send Hou Junji to Nanzhao and serve as the protector of the southern capital of Zhennan."

Hearing this, Li Chao suddenly realized.

It turned out that Li Shimin had been talking for a long time, and he still wanted to protect Hou Junji.

It is indeed no problem to support the Nanzhao Kingdom, and it is normal to trade, trade, sell ordnance, build roads, and set up border markets with them.

Even if a Zhennan Metropolitan Protector is set up, there is nothing wrong with it, but it will be a bit of a problem to let Hou Junji serve as the Protector of Zhennan.

Hou Junji is still fighting a lawsuit with Cheng Yanjin.

But anyone can see that Hou Junji ignored it, as long as he tracks it down, Hou Junji will definitely have to go around without food. A lieutenant general, fighting a lawsuit with the main general, and how can he win when he abandoned the main general and ran away first.

Now that Li Shimin has sent Hou Junji to Zhennan Protectorate to be the protector of the capital, he wants to turn big things into small things, and small things into small things.

"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with the rest, but I think it's a little inappropriate to let Hou Junji go to be the protector of the south of this town. The matter between him and Cheng Biting Jin has not yet come to a conclusion. ”

Li Shimin sighed.

"Hou Junji did a lot of things this time, but he followed me from birth to death for many years, and I was a little reluctant. Give him a chance and send him to Zhennan. ”

"If Your Majesty wants to forgive him and spare him once, that's fine. But the minister thought that even if he wanted to let him go, he had to find out what happened this time first, and then he would be convicted of whatever crime he should be, and finally His Majesty could pardon him, which was no problem. However, the matter has to be clarified first, and it can't be unclear and just forget it. ”

Li Chao didn't have a good impression of Hou Junji, of course he didn't want to let him go like that.

The emperor wants to protect him, yes, but first make things clear.

Hou Jun gathered in Tibet, what mistakes he made and what he did, he made it clear one by one. And then, whatever sin should be, in short, let the whole world know.

As for the end, the emperor wants to pardon Hou Junji with his prerogatives, that is the emperor's business.

Li Shimin looked at Li Chao for a long time before he smiled bitterly and sighed, "Then so be it." ”