The moment he saw Xu Yan's head, Suning knew that the more intense battle was about to begin. Xu Yan's death only eliminated a great enemy for the Western Turkic Merchant Group, but this does not mean that the Shandong family could not choose a replacement for Xu Yan. Xu Yan was a businessman. Although the Shandong family looked down on the merchants, they had to raise a group of merchants to make money for them and squander them. Therefore, there were many commercial talents in Shandong.

However, Xu Yan's level of danger was beyond that of others, reached the SSL, and personally experienced the Western Turkic business model and sublimated its business philosophy. This is something other business talents do not have. So as long as Xu Yan is not the leader, Xu Yao, the most popular business elite in the Blood Drop, can handle it. Suning and Du Ruhui are in charge of Chang'an headquarters waiting for news and waiting for the final result.

Cui Xiaoyi led the Shandong United Business Group to set off, leaving Shandong with the eager expectations of the Shandong family and Cui Xiaoli's actions of threatening his family's lives. He led a huge business group of more than 2,000 people to fight the northern expedition, vowing to regain their trade routes and wealth. On the other hand, the Shandong family also began to operate with all their strength to open a second battlefield and strive for the qualification to open a northern border as a trade gate in the court.

The Lu family and Zheng family's power in the court was almost destroyed, but they were not the only ones! Therefore, more aristocratic court officials united and asked the emperor to open a trade port, use Shuozhou, an important town in the Great Wall in the north as a trade gate, and allow people of all ethnic groups to do business here and communicate with each other.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is the requirement of the minions of the Shandong family. Everyone can see it, but at this time it is not a problem that cannot be seen, but a problem that must not be controlled by the aristocratic families. To be honest, the trade plan of the northern gateway has always been prepared by His Majesty Li Er to implement. It is planned to build another business group and the Western Turkic merchant group to cooperate with each other, and there must be some opposition. Merchants must control and compete, so that they cannot make progress.

When everyone can have a full meal and cannot control the merchants, then wait for the overthrow. Suning will not tell His Majesty Li Er about this matter. After all, it is still very incredible now. People should believe that the merchants they despise will one day become the dominant of the country. I am afraid that not only do they believe it, but also merchants will not believe it. We just want to make money, so what does it have to do with other things?

It was just that Suning made His Majesty Li Er pay more or less attention to the power of merchants, so His Majesty Li Er became vigilant. The great success of the Western Turkic model proved the feasibility of the business control political model, and used money to corrupt those leaders in exchange for their support, so as to indirectly control the entire country. This situation attracted His Majesty Li Er to pay great attention. Now the Shandong family has taken the initiative to open a trade barrier and barbarian transactions. In this way, wouldn’t the northern barrier be controlled by Shandong?

With money, there are people, power, and status. Isn’t Shandong the second imperial court? Previously, because the Tang Dynasty border guards patroled constantly, all transactions could only be considered smuggling, so the scale was not large and they dare not put it on the surface. Once a trade barrier was opened, everything could be made public and legalized, and the wealth they could get would be greatly increased, which would be equivalent to having their own financial system. At that time, the long-term foundation would completely explode, and the situation would be worrying.

Therefore, no matter what, you cannot put the power of the trade barrier in the north into Shandong. You must be in the hands of the court. You cannot do business without the permission of the court. You can copy the Western Turkic model to the north. Otherwise, this will be a hidden danger. A group of businessmen who do not listen to the court's dispatch and only follow the Shandong family will definitely not be a good thing, but a cancer.

His Majesty Li Er convened all his think tanks overnight, including Suning, to hold a secret meeting. All the participants were from His Majesty Li Er's starting lineup. Even Wei Zheng did not come, and only a few were able to participate. Among the ministers after His Majesty Li Er became emperor, Suning was able to enter this core circle.

After everyone met, they knew that their group of people were the highest rulers in the Tang Dynasty, and Suning was an alternative person. He was young and had only been an emperor's minister for two years. He actually gained trust and could attend such a meeting. Everyone sighed, but they basically knew each other and had a chain of mutual interest relations. It was basically unlikely to say that he turned against others.

It was very simple for His Majesty Li Er to call a group of people, and the purpose was very clear. It was imperative to open a trade port in the north, and the Tang Dynasty did not object, because opening a trade gate was also a good thing for the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty also needed such a barrier to communicate with the northern tribes. With the help of its troops without fighting, it could occupy such a vast land with the smallest casualties, and copy the Western Turkic model to the northern tribes, especially Xue Yantuo.

After the eastern Turks in the north were eliminated, the largest country was the Xueyantuo Khanate. After the eastern Turks were eliminated, a large number of people were moved inland for labor reform. After the rebellion of Huxue, the Tang Dynasty's attack on the remaining tribes of the Eastern Turks further deepened. The rest of the entire Lingzhou were killed or captured, and all were captured in the mainland of the Tang Dynasty as slaves. Therefore, the most powerful tribe of the Tielite tribe took the opportunity to expand and joined forces with the surrounding Uighurs, Bayegu, Aduo, Tongluo, Pugu, and Wu, and their territory reached the Western Turks in the west, the Shaji River in the south, and the Julun River in the north, which was vast and vast.

In the past, in order to restrain the Eastern Turks, the Tang Dynasty strongly supported Xue Yantuo against the Eastern Turks before launching the Yinshan Battle, which was also effective. However, since the Eastern Turks were burned away by Suning, Xue Yantuo became the largest overlord in the north, and the Pearl Via Khan Yinan became the largest overlord in the north.

When the Tang Dynasty was discussing the plan to deal with Xue Yantuo's rise, someone proposed to marry her. However, Suning happened to be present at the time. When he thought of many things, he was furious and pointed at a group of generals and said, "Do you think there are no men in the Tang Dynasty? You actually want to exchange a woman for peace? Can the Tang Dynasty defeat Xue Yantuo?! That is something that only cowardly and incompetent people will do! It is an insult to the Tang Dynasty men and a shame for the Tang Dynasty men!

These words caused a huge response and shock in the court at that time. A large number of generals and schools were ashamed and angry about this. Yes, why did the peace in the Tang Dynasty be sacrificed for a woman? Is there no man in the Tang Dynasty? Is there a woman in the test for peace? The Han Dynasty could not defeat the Huns before this was the worst. Now the Tang Dynasty cannot defeat Xue Yantuo?

His Majesty Li Er gave up the marriage plan with a gloomy face. After that, many court officials requested the marriage plan to win over northern ethnic minorities several times, but were stopped by a group of generals with red eyes, claiming that anyone who dared to mention marriage would be slap them in the face and gave the emperor's daughter to others as his wife for peace. This was a shame from the beginning, not a plan, not a reward, not a shame!

The military generals unified their thoughts and hated the marriage plan from then on. Once someone proposed it, they would clamor to lead troops to destroy the tribe, which led to a serious confrontation between the military and civil officials. His Majesty Li Er also suddenly thought that the Han Dynasty had no choice but to marry the noble princess to the barbarians as their wives. He felt so frustrated that no matter how he thought about it, he was no longer very enthusiastic about the marriage plan and rejected many tribes' proposals. It once caused a diplomatic crisis, but after the Lingzhou rebellion, no one dared to rashly make a request for marriage.

For this reason, Suning's name spread in the inner palace, and many princesses' impression of Suning has greatly improved...

Now facing the issue of opening a northern pass, a minister once again proposed the intention of attracting and monitoring Xue Yantuo by marriage. Xue Yantuo is now unprecedentedly powerful, with tens of thousands of armored men. If you cannot confront him head-on, it would be better to control it according to the Western Turkic model and set up a trade pass. In order to relieve his doubts, Yi Nan just proposed to marry the Tang Dynasty and propose to marry the Tang Dynasty princess, so he simply allowed it and then opened a trade pass with it. It would definitely be done in one fell swoop, turning Xue Yantuo into the second Western Turkic.

This strategy was not proposed by the gentry ministers, but by some poor ministers from the perspective of the interests of the Tang Dynasty. It was indeed very feasible. His Majesty Li Er could not help but waver, so he summoned his confidants to discuss whether to implement this plan, and how to take control of the power to the court without being taken away by the Shandong family.

As soon as this matter was told, the current military chief, Hou Junji, the chief of staff, strongly opposed it, pointed at Suning and said, "Sanyuan Hou said at that time that marriage was the former Han Dynasty's decline in its power and could not defeat the Huns. It was a shameful policy of exchanging women for peace. It was really a man who had tens of millions of people in the Han Dynasty. Can't the Tang Dynasty beat Xue Yantuo? Why did he send the princess to? That was a shame for all men!

Your Majesty, I firmly oppose this move. If you marry a princess, it would be equivalent to looking down on the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty and the men of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty is not yet at the point of exchanging women for peace and interests. Your Majesty, I ask to attack Xueyantuo in the north!" Hou Junji was quite a strong personality, and he became angry when he heard this. People with narrow minds were more likely to get angry, let alone now that Hou Junji is one person and ten thousand people. So Hou Junji wanted to attack Xueyantuo in the north and prove that he was the leader...

Of course this is unnecessary. Xue Yantuo did not provoke the Tang Dynasty and is still a minister now. His Majesty Li Er comforted Hou Junji. Just as he had already comforted him, Yuchi Gong spoke in a muffled voice: "Your Majesty, I think we shouldn't have a strategy of marriage. We are not unable to defeat others. The princess is not an object. It can be sent to you. If you are a concubine and dancer, it would be fine, but the key is that it is a princess. Su Xiaozi is right. I feel frustrated no matter how I think. I will definitely not agree anyway. Who dares to agree? I will definitely go to his mansion to make trouble, and then drag him to attack Xue Yantuo in the north!"

Yuchi Gong was also the confidant of His Majesty Li Er. After attending this meeting, he became a scoundrel. His Majesty Li Er was so angry that he couldn't laugh or cry. The two generals immediately set the tone for the meeting. The plan of marriage was absolutely not allowed. The military denied it. His Majesty Li Er thought about it, so it was his own daughter, his father's daughter, and those eldest princesses, if they were sent out to trouble the barbarians, it would be really uncomfortable. It would be fine if Suning didn't say it before, but now he said it, why do you feel so aggrieved?

Waving his hand, His Majesty Li Er said, "That's it, I won't mention the marriage matter. In the future, don't mention it. Xuanling, when the matter is over, you go back and write a memorial and tell the abolition of the marriage matter and leave it to the subordinate province for deliberation. In the future, the Tang Dynasty will not be married. I also feel a little frustrated, well, let's do it... Suning, what do you think should be done? I don't want marriage matters, so how can I take the trade barrier into the hands of the court?"

Fang Xuanling responded, Suning was stunned and asked about himself again? He hadn't spoken yet...

"Your Majesty, this matter is really hard to do, but now Shandong has gathered a huge business group of 2,000 people to head north. The Western Turkic business group has also organized it. It is also a big business group that is heading to Xueyantuo. I am arranging this matter. As long as I drive the caravan from Shandong back, there should be a way." Suning thought for a while and said cautiously. (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!