Many people were summoned, including Yuwen Shiji, Xiao Yu, Yang Gongren, Gao Jifu, Changsun Wuji, Yang Shidao, Chu Liang, etc. Even Gao Shilian, who had made mistakes before, was also present.
There are also Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong, Zhang Shigui, Zhang Liang, Chai Shao, Li Ji, Fang Xuanling, Duan Zhixuan, etc.
As well as Li Daozong, Li Shenfu, Li Xiaogong, etc., the total number of people totaled more than thirty.
But if you look closely, you will find that these people are either the core figures of Guanlong's powerful people, the Li Tang clan, or the confidants who follow Li Shimin.
It can be said that most of the basis for Li Shimin's rule is here.
Although there were so many people, the hall was very quiet.
It was obviously a big deal for the emperor to call so many of his confidants, but what kind of big deal was it that required calling so many people together?
They are all old foxes. Without any clue, the best way is to remain silent, so no one takes the initiative to speak.
Li Shimin seemed to be trying to temper their temper, or perhaps to highlight his emperor's authority, so he made everyone wait for half an hour before coming.
And he was still wearing a dragon robe.
You must know that dragon robes are too formal. They are only worn during annual court meetings and activities such as worshiping heaven and ancestors. The emperor usually wears ordinary clothes when he goes to court.
So when they saw Li Shimin coming out wearing a dragon robe, everyone was shocked and knew that the matter was serious.
Usually when summoning these confidants, Li Shimin would start by saying a few polite words, such as "Thank you for your hard work", to show that he was a polite and virtuous corporal.
But today he didn't say anything. He just sat down with a golden sword and glanced at everyone with a pair of tiger eyes. Everyone who was swept by his gaze couldn't help but lower their heads.
Seeing that everyone showed signs of surrender, Li Shimin withdrew his gaze with satisfaction and said: "The Tang Dynasty can be what it is today because of your great contributions."
Everyone said in unison: "Your Majesty is wise, and I dare not take credit."
Li Shimin said: "I know this matter well, and you don't need to be humble. I have called you here today to discuss some matters, but before I get down to business, I want to show you something."
After saying this, he gestured towards Ren Feng.
Ren Feng immediately directed the waiters to bring in a screen covered with red cloth, put the screen in place, and all the waiters exited, leaving only these core members in the room.
What is this? Everyone is very curious.
Li Shimin did not show off. He stood up and came to the screen, pulling off the red cloth to reveal what was covered.
What kind of screen is this? It's a huge map.
If Chen Jingke were here, he would definitely recognize that this is the abridged version of the world map—the Americas and Australia have been deleted, but everything else is there.
But for everyone here, you can imagine how shocking this map is.
"Wow!" Yuwen Shiji stood up and said: "Sage, this is... this is..."
Li Shimin was very satisfied with the effect and said in an understatement: "This is the whole picture of the universe, the true appearance of the world."
"Buzz." Everyone couldn't bear it any longer and shouted one after another.
Some asked about the origin of the map, some confirmed its authenticity, and some asked about the information marked on it...
Li Shimin wanted this effect, so he didn't stop them and just watched them making a fuss.
After a while, Fang Xuanling said loudly: "Everyone, please don't let me lose my etiquette before you."
After shouting three times in a row, everyone calmed down. Everyone looked at Li Shimin, waiting for his answer.
Li Shimin then said: "This picture was drawn by the imperial court at great cost. The outline is 90% accurate, with only some differences in local details."
Seeing someone wanting to ask questions, he raised his hand to stop them and said, "Don't ask too many questions. You just need to know that this picture is true."
Then he introduced everyone to the various forces and the past history of these lands.
He also introduced the several origin civilizations that have been destroyed, and emphasized: "Of the five major origin civilizations, only the Huaxia family is left, and the rest have been destroyed."
"The words and history they created have been destroyed. Their emperors, generals and heroes, no matter how heroic they were, have been forgotten and no one will remember them anymore."
Everyone's expressions and moods at this time were even more shocked than when Li Shimin first learned the news.
Li Shimin finally asked them a question, saying: "If China is destroyed by foreigners, do you think those invaders will erase all traces of our existence?"
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to answer. But just thinking about this possibility, they felt panicked.
Xiao Yu stood up and said: "Your Majesty, it's not because I don't believe what you said, but the news is really shocking. So I dare to ask Your Majesty to tell me where I got this information."
Li Shimin had no intention of engaging in Tai Chi with them, and said in a cold voice: "The channel for getting this information is my trump card. Whoever inquires will die."
Xiao Yu's face froze, and he subconsciously wanted to refute, but when he saw the undisguised murderous intent in Li Shimin's eyes, he immediately withdrew his refutation with a chill in his heart.
"Yes, I was presumptuous. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Li Shimin said calmly: "Just this time, I won't do it next time. Sit down."
After he sat down, Li Shimin said to everyone: "I didn't call you here today to ask you to question me..."
"You don't need to know where these messages come from, you just need to know that they are true."
For a while, everyone couldn't adapt to his strength.
As mentioned before, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the nobles and nobles were very powerful, and the emperor was more like the representative of Guan Long and could not do whatever he wanted.
Yang Guang has personally demonstrated the consequences of doing whatever he wants.
Li Shimin was undoubtedly a very powerful monarch, but before that he knew how to balance all aspects of strength, and he was often gentle on the outside and strong on the inside when dealing with his ministers.
Being so ruthlessly strong as today is very rare.
Everyone felt uncomfortable and a little worried. Could this be the second Yang Guang?
Li Shimin ignored them and continued: "No one can take anything away from them, but they are subject to chaos. Now that we know these lands, we must find a way to conquer them."
"Not only these unclaimed lands, but also those forces in the West, there will eventually be a battle between us and them. The winner will become the real master of the world, and the loser will lose everything."
Everyone is even more worried. If they are so aggressive, they really want to be Yang Guang's second.
At this point, Li Shimin changed his subject and said: "But such a huge land is beyond the reach of the imperial court and cannot be effectively managed, so..."
He picked up a pen and drew circles on large areas of land such as Fusang, Luzon, Indonesia, Java, Tianzhu, and Africa. After finishing the drawing, he threw the pen directly on the table and said:
"These lands will be used as fiefdoms and will be given to the Tang Dynasty for their merits to establish the fiefdom."