Chapter 187 Discussion

During dinner, Li Ke solved the design problem of the knife handle pattern, and he seemed very relaxed. He chatted with Lan'er from time to time and told some interesting stories that made the little girl giggle. Lan'er and Li Ke didn't last long, but it was not short. After a long time of contact, she also knew that Li Ke's personality was very gentle, so she didn't seem very restrained in the conversation with Li Ke.

"Lan'er, have you ever had a crush today? If you have any, tell me, I will be the leader of you and betroth him." Li Ke said with a smile.

"Your Highness——" Lan'er said shyly, "Lan'er just wants to serve your highness for the rest of her life, and Lan'er doesn't want to get married." Lan'er whispered, "I'm just afraid that your highness will dislike Lan'er after a long time."

Li Ke understood Lan'er's thoughts. As the personal girl serving Li Ke, her status as a concubine before Li Ke got married was equivalent to a concubine. "Silly girl, how can you not get married? It is an ever-changing custom for men to get married when they are old. If you have someone you like, tell me that I am not the kind of pedantic person, and I will definitely marry you out in a grand manner."

"Your Highness - Lan'er doesn't want to get married, you-" Lan'er wanted to say something but she stopped talking. She stomped her feet hard, and her grievance was about to cry, which made Li Ke feel a sense of love in her heart. At the same time, Li Ke was also surprised why Lan'er reacted like this when talking about her own marriage? Li Ke didn't know that the personal maids who served the prince in the royal palace were usually taken into a side room, and many maids had their favorites. However, because of this habit, they could never be with the person they liked. Li Ke said this to Lan'er because he didn't want such a tragedy to happen to the maids around him, but what he didn't expect was that Lan'er would have such a strong reaction.

"Your Highness, Governor Di, Xu Ganjun, and General Su are asking for a meeting. They are already waiting for you in the living room." Li Ke was thinking about how to comfort Lan'er and the Black Hawk Guard reported.

"Let them go to my study, and I will arrive later." Li Ke ordered, and then he said to Lan'er, "Lan'er, what I mean is that if you like someone, I will not stop the marriage between you two, and will not break up the couple. Of course, if you don't like someone and want to stay in the palace for the rest of your life, I will not rush you to leave, do you know?"

"Please forgive me. It was Lan'er's fault just now. Please punish me." Lan'er apologized. Only when she met a gentle prince like Li Ke would dare to give Li Ke a sage from time to time.

"Okay, I am going to the study room to discuss countermeasures with the three of you. You ask the kitchen to make some late-night snacks and send them to my study room later." Li Ke ordered.

"Lan'er understands." Lan'er said.

Li Ke left the side hall, walked through a corridor, and came outside the study door. The guards saw Li Ke, gave him a standard military salute, and gently pushed open the door of the study door for him. Li Ke stepped into the study room and saw Di Zhixun in the study room, Xu Jingzong and Su Dingfang were waiting patiently for him. They saw Li Ke walking into the study room hurriedly stood up from the stool to salute Li Ke. Li Ke waved his hand gently to stop the three of them, sat at the desk and said, "You don't have to be too polite, sit down."

"No." The three of them bowed their hands and then sat on the stool respectfully.

"I discussed with the Yan tribe with the morning about the rewards for soldiers fighting on the battlefield. My king meant that he wanted to add an honorary reward system based on the imperial military merit reward. At present, it is set to give them honorary rewards by giving them a knife." Li Ke paused at this point, looked at Xu Jingzong and said, "As for the details, I told the Yan tribe very clearly. Yan tribe, you should explain my ideas to Tonghuai and Dingfang for me first. After listening to it, Tonghuai and Dingfang would also talk about their opinions and ideas. If it is feasible, we will come up with a specific plan tonight."

"No." Xu Jingzong replied. He discussed this matter with Li Ke in the morning. Now Li Ke asked him to explain to the two of them. He told Di Zhixun and Su Dingfang to listen to Li Ke's idea. Su Dingfang and Di Zhixun remained silent after listening to Xu Jingzong's statement. They thought Li Ke's idea was good, but since Li Ke said that they wanted to ask them to put forward their opinions and ideas, they naturally could not make decisions so rashly.

"Your Highness, rewarding the sword is very consistent with the soldiers' mentality of yearning for honor. Using the sword to prove their honor and status makes them feel more accomplished than giving them money. Your idea is not an objection." Di Zhixun said the first time. He is a civil servant and does not understand the way of using troops. He can only analyze from the mentality of the soldiers and thinks that Li Ke's method is feasible.

"Well," Li Ke nodded, and then he saw that Su Dingfang was still pondering and said nothing, so he turned his eyes to him and asked, "What do you think Dingfang has?"

"Your Highness, I thought about this problem at the beginning, that is, how to improve the confidence and fighting spirit of the soldiers during the battle, but I have never come up with any effective method. Now that I heard your Highness's idea, I think it is the most appropriate reward system at present. There are many warriors fighting on the battlefield, and they often do not receive any substantial rewards, even if they receive rewards, and there is little money. Therefore, many times such rewards lead to their contempt and dissatisfaction with the profession of soldiers. Your Highness's method just solves the problems in their hearts, so that they can be proud of their profession and proud of their mission. Therefore, I have no opinions or suggestions." Su Dingfang finished speaking the words in his heart in one breath, and then he was relieved.

"Okay!" Li Ke said loudly, "Since you three don't object and think it's feasible, then I will start with the Bingzhou Army and gradually expand to the army under the Bingzhou Governor's Office."

"Your Highness——" Di Zhixun asked worriedly after seeing Li Ke's words, "Where do you want the sabers you give to the soldiers to create the materials you want? It cannot be ordinary materials, and where do the craftsmen come from? These issues must be carefully considered. The court stipulated that no one could cast weapons and armor on a large scale without permission. If found out, they would be punished for the crime of treason."

"The question that Tonghuai asked is exactly the question that I want to discuss with everyone. After all, casting weapons is not a trivial matter, and you must act carefully." Li Ke said, "Since Tonghuai raised this question, I think you must have an answer in your heart, right?"

"I do have a suggestion in my heart, that is, why not report this to the emperor? I believe that the emperor is proficient in marching and fighting, and he must attach great importance to His Highness's ideas. He knows that His Highness's ideas will definitely be of great help to marching and fighting, and can condense the confidence and willpower of the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. If you get the support of the court, your Highness will ask the emperor to implement it from Bingzhou first. Wouldn't the problem of casting a knife be easily solved? I wonder what Your Highness thinks?" Di Zhixun said his own idea.

After hearing Di Zhixun's words, Li Ke fell into silence. He had thought of telling Li Shimin about his idea and letting him implement it in the name of the court, which would definitely be more authoritative and honorable. However, there were two reasons why he thought about it but did not do this. The first was that he knew that this idea was not very mature, but the reward mechanism he had initially planned was still in the verification stage. If it was implemented on a large scale, it might backfire. The second reason was that he wanted to use this method to gather some brave soldiers who fought to his side for his use. If he handed over this idea to Li Shimin, wouldn't it be in vain for his long period of effort? Due to these two factors, Li Ke did not do this. Now Di Zhixun proposed it, and he could only express his attitude with silence.

"Your Highness, I believe that the proposal of Governor Di may not be desirable," Xu Jingzong said, seeing that Li Ke did not say anything, "The reward mechanism for the reward of the sword is not very perfect. Rampantly presenting this idea to the emperor may not be valued by the emperor. At that time, it is impossible for Your Highness to implement it in Bingzhou, so you must get the permission of the court. The most important point is that if the court adopts this opinion and needs to implement this reward system on a large scale, then what kind of judgment system will be used? Therefore, I believe that this matter does not need to be presented to the emperor, and the reward of the sword is only a small number, and the purpose is to inspire the confidence and sense of honor of the soldiers. If we cast more than ten Tang swords in a small number, there will be no problem that violates the court's laws."

"Yeah." Li Ke was very satisfied with Xu Jingzong's answer. He didn't want to cast too many ideas and rewarded too many people. He knew the principle of not being too little than being too bad.

"The generals also believe that the Yan tribe's method is feasible. Rewarding the sword only makes the soldiers feel honor and motivated, and can inspire their fighting spirit. Therefore, the number of swords rewarded should not be too many, otherwise it will be counterproductive and not achieve the purpose and effect we want." Su Dingfang also said.

"Well-- what you three of you all make sense," said Li Ke. "Together, I understand your thoughts, but I can't be too hasty about this matter. Why don't you present it to your father first?"

After saying his own proposal, Di Zhixun understood what Li Ke was thinking when he saw Li Ke's expression. Therefore, when Li Ke asked him for his opinion, he did not object to this matter and made a decision consistent with Li Ke's interests. This is the effect that Li Ke wanted. He hoped that his decision would make those who support him not object. Only by achieving such an effect would he feel that everyone would save time and effort when doing this.

None of the three people had objections, so Li Ke handed the pattern he designed to the three people. Among the three people, Xu Jingzong and Di Zhixun were both civil officials. They only felt that the pattern was very consistent with the style of the army, and they all felt that Li Ke's design was very vivid. As a soldier, Su Dingfang liked the ostentatious and domineering style designed by Li Ke even more.

"Your Highness's unique design style also reflects the domineering and aloofness of a soldier. I think it's best to use these two pictures." Su Dingfang smiled.

"Well, I also feel that these two paintings need no further modifications." Xu Jingzong said.

"I have no objection," Di Zhixun said.

Seeing that the three of them had no objection to their design, Li Ke discussed with them about the quantity of rewards, specifications of swords, quality and other issues. During the discussion, the three of them put forward their own different opinions, and finally after repeated discussions and modifications, specific reward measures were finally formulated.
Chapter completed!