"Just exile, and even the mastermind Ming Ge exiled them together. Is this too cheap?" Mr. Ma said dissatisfied while brushing his teeth. The table next to him was full of chewing bones. This place was still the old house of Li Xiu's family. There were half of roasted lambs left with bones on the fire next to him. It seemed that Mr. Ma came here to steal food again.

"The punishment for exile is no longer light, and it is exiled to the northern grassland. We will never be able to turn back to the Central Plains. With the conditions on the grassland, they will be left there for the rest of their lives. I guess they will suffer. In addition, it can also give His Majesty a good reputation of kindness, which is a killing of two birds with one stone!" Li Xiu said with a smile at this time, and said that he had already peeled a pear in his hand and handed it to Ma Ye who had just brushed his teeth.

Mr. Ma was not polite to Li Xiu. He took the pear and bit it hard a few bites. Then he came over to ask Li Xiu and said, "Smell it, does it still smell on me?"

"There is another point, mainly because the smell on the clothes is quite strong. Just change your clothes later!" Li Xiu said helplessly. Mr. Ma's liver has some problems, so the doctor told him to avoid eating, not drinking alcohol, and eat less meat. This was the biggest torture for him, so he often came out to eat it secretly, but Princess Guanghua's nose was very flexible. Last time she smelled Ma's smell of mutton, and she was complained about it very much. So now Mr. Ma had to be careful. After eating, he had to brush his teeth and eat fruits. It was really hard to eat a meal.

Mr. Ma was prepared for this, so he changed his original clothes before eating. He immediately pulled off his clothes when he heard Li Xiu's words and changed back to his original clothes. He also brought a sachet and immediately gave the odor on his body. Anyway, Li Xiu's nose couldn't smell it.

"No, with your temper, how could you easily let those who frame you secretly? Tell me honestly, does Your Majesty have any other profound meanings?" But at this moment, suddenly Ma Ye asked again about the punishment of Mingjia's monks.

"This...haha, there is indeed a little bit..." Li Xiu saw that he could not hide it from Ma Master, and he couldn't help but smile, and then told the reason why Ming Jia and others were exiled to the northern grassland.

Originally, according to Li Shimin's intention, Ming Jiao and several other main behind-the-scenes envoys would definitely be killed, and the rest of the others would all be used as cannon fodder. If they were not concerned that these monks had many believers, Li Shimin might have cut them all with one knife.

However, Li Xiu suddenly thought of a way to use waste and kill two birds with one stone. This method is to attract the east, to be precise, it should be to attract the north. Although religion has a certain effect on rule, if there is no restriction, it will also become a poison of the country.

For example, although the Qing Dynasty in later generations was ruled by ethnic groups, their control over the grassland was very effective. The main method was to use the Lamaism religion to control the population of the grassland. For example, each family was allowed to leave only one son, while other sons had to become monks and become lamas. It was with this method that the Qing Dynasty successfully reduced the population on the northern grassland by more than half.

Lamas are considered a branch of Buddhism. Since Lamas can do it, there is no reason why Central Plains Buddhism cannot do it. So Li Xiu suggested to Li Shimin that all the famous monks from Chang'an were exiled to the grassland, and that the Tang Dynasty border troops could even provide certain protection for them to preach on the grassland.

Li Xiu even suggested that if these monks succeed in preaching, they could find ways to get more monks to the grassland. For example, the assessment of monks and Taoist Records can be added, that is, they must go to the grassland to preach for several years before they can participate in the assessment, etc.

"You kid is too cruel. You have already been tragically messed up by you. As a result, you don't plan to let them go. Could it be that you really plan to drive the Buddhist out of the Central Plains?" After hearing Li Xiu's story, Ma Master couldn't help but shake his head and said, "He doesn't believe in Buddhism, but he is worried that Li Xiu will force the Buddhist to be too cruel. Something like this time you are secretly plotting against him in the future. Although Li Xiu has a high position and a powerful position, it is difficult to defend against a hidden arrow.

Li Xiu also knew what Ma Ye meant, and immediately smiled and said, "Uncle Ma, don't worry, I will try not to participate in the monks and Taoists' records in the future. As for these things, they can be left to Fu Yi to do. I guess he wouldn't want to do this."

"Haha, this guy Fu Yi doesn't know how much hatred he has with Buddhism. When the Supreme Emperor was in the first place, he wrote letters several times to request the destruction of the Buddha. However, at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, it was really inconvenient to attack Buddhism, so the Supreme Emperor did not agree. Now he finally got his wish." When Li Xiu mentioned Fu Yi, Ma couldn't help but smile again.

The next morning, after Li Xiu got up, he did not go to the financial management supervision like usual. The main reason was that he had fewer and fewer things to worry about in all aspects of the financial management. Moreover, he had just experienced the fact that Ming Jia and others had falsely accused him, so he also asked Li Shimin for a few days off and planned to take a good rest at home for a few days. Li Shimin also got used to Li Xiu's practice of two-day fishing boats and three-day drying nets. As long as Li Xiu could ensure that there was no trouble in the financial management supervision, he would not bother to take care of it.

However, just after Li Xiu rested for a morning, just after lunch and was about to take a nap, someone suddenly came to report that Su Dingfang was coming to visit, which made Li Xiu stunned. Last time he helped Su Dingfang handle a batch of spoils. According to the other party's statement at that time, he should have returned to the northern border to garrison. Why was he still in Chang'an?

With doubts in his heart, Li Xiu immediately came to the front hall. In the end, not only did Su Dingfang come, but he also brought Pei Xingjian, whom he had met last time. It seemed that Su Dingfang really valued him a student and even brought him with him in private visits. This was obviously intended to deepen Li Xiu's impression of Pei Xingjian so as to facilitate his future career promotion.

"I will pay homage to the prince-consort!" Su Dingfang saw Li Xiu coming in, and immediately stood up and saluted Pei Xingjian.

"Dingfang doesn't have to be too polite. Shouldn't you go back to the northern border? Why are you still in Chang'an?" Li Xiu immediately asked the doubts in his heart. During this period, his attention has been on Huiming's death, so he is really not very clear about Su Dingfang and the others' movements.

"The last general came here to say goodbye to the prince-consort, but we are not going back to northern borders, but to Liaodong!" Su Dingfang said with some excitement at this time.

"Liaodong?" Li Xiu was stunned when he heard Su Dingfang's answer, and then he thought of his suggestion to attack Goguryeo. He immediately reacted, "So that's it. Your Majesty wants to transfer you to Liaodong and lead a small group of troops to harass Goguryeo?"

"Yes, we were all about to leave Chang'an, but suddenly we received an imperial edict from Your Majesty to let me enter the palace. Then Your Majesty personally explained the strategic intentions to me and asked me to lead a side teacher to harass Goguryeo. I heard that this strategy was proposed by the prince-consort to His Majesty, and the general agreed very much, but the general's departure may not be able to come back for several years, so the general's family also asked the prince-consort to take care of him!" Su Dingfang nodded immediately, and then entrusted his family to Li Xiu.

"Dingfang, you are brave and resourceful. It is perfect to send you to lead a partial army to visit Goguryeo. And this time you are leading the troops alone. This is also Your Majesty's recognition of your talents and a test. If you can complete the booked goal, you will definitely be comparable to General Cheng, General Qin and others in the future!" Li Xiu couldn't help but say excitedly when he heard this. Su Dingfang was a talent he recommended. He could be valued by the court and his face was also shining.

"Well, I am a latecomer, how dare I compare with the two generals Cheng and Qin?" Su Dingfang hurriedly said modestly when he heard this, but he was a warrior, with a very straightforward temperament, and the joy on his face could not be concealed no matter how much. Speaking of which, he was just a prisoner a few years ago, but now he holds heavy troops and has become one of the powerful generals of the Tang Dynasty. Thanks to Li Xiu's original recommendation, he respects Li Xiu even more when he thinks of this.

"Haha~, don't be humble. Speaking of General Cheng and General Qin, they are getting older and they will have fewer and fewer opportunities to go to war in the future. In contrast, you are a young and strong soldier in the army, and your performance is so outstanding. Your Majesty will definitely be used more heavily in the future!" Li Xiu couldn't help laughing when he saw Su Dingfang's inappropriate look.

In fact, in terms of age, Su Dingfang is only three years younger than Cheng Yaojin and is limited to Qin Qiong. However, Yaojin and Qin Qiong are both founding generals. They have made too many contributions and are already facing the situation of no promotion. Therefore, Li Shimin was very cautious when using them. In contrast, Su Dingfang was a general who was promoted only during the Zhenguan period. There was a lot of room for growth. In addition, coupled with outstanding performance, he naturally became loved by Li Shimin.

When Su Dingfang heard Li Xiu's praise, he felt a little embarrassed. Pei Xingjian next to him couldn't help but smile. It was probably the first time he saw Su Dingfang, who was usually strict in the army, show such an expression.

"By the way, Shouyou also wants to go to Liaodong with you?" Li Xiu also noticed Pei Xingjian and asked immediately.

"Yes, although students have learned a lot from Master Su, they still need to increase their practical experience. This opportunity is rare, so the students do not want to give up this opportunity. In another few years, there will definitely be a big battle in Liaodong. It is a good time for men to make achievements. Although Pei is not talented, he is also eager to make achievements on the battlefield and restore the reputation of my Pei family!" When Pei Xingjian said it at the end, a solemn expression appeared on his face, probably this was what he said in his heart.
Chapter completed!