Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4213 Reform of the Military System
Li Ji sipped his wine slowly, pondered for a long time, then let out a breath, and said slowly: "I'm not passionate about power."

When others said this, Fang Jun scoffed, but Fang Jun believed what Li Ji said.

When Fang Xuanling became an official, the position of chancellor and assistant was vacant, and His Majesty Li Er ordered Li Ji to take over. Li Ji refused several times, but he refused. In the end, he was forced by His Majesty Li Er to retire and had no choice but to take over.

Even so, he did not install cronies and hold power like others, nor did he work hard and sleep late at night. Instead, he was a monk hitting the clock for a day, muddling along, and messing around if he can...

Throughout the ages, as Zaifu, it has never been like this.

It can be seen from this that Li Ji is not only not keen on the power brought by Zaifu, he even regards the position of Zaifu as a scourge and avoids it for fear of being too late...

Fang Jun toasted, and then said calmly: "The position of Zaifu not only represents great power, but also means unparalleled responsibility and responsibility. To seek the well-being of the common people, rather than to waste one's life in mediocrity, to die in the future, and to examine the whole life, so as not to regret and sigh."

One should have ambitions in one's life, as long as one has worked hard for it, even if one cannot achieve it, one's life will not be wasted.

On the contrary, even if the glory and wealth, the bells and the feasts, and the end of the loess disappear in smoke, what's the point?
Li Ji was lost in thought.

It's not that no one has ever said this to him, and it's not that he doesn't understand it, but it's unprecedented for Fang Jun to speak like this.

How can a person with such authority and great favor like him have no ambition?

only……

He sighed softly, and said slowly: "When the moon is full, it loses, and when the water is full, it overflows. The blessings and misfortunes of my life are of course insignificant, but how can I feel at ease if I implicate my descendants and cause harm to my family?"

People can't be too selfish, let alone disregard the life and death of those around them in order to satisfy their own ambitions.

The road to power is full of thorns and thorns. While being glorious, it is also dripping with blood.Especially when the power reaches its peak, there is no room for change between Xiangquan and imperial power. The past sympathy and mutual support will no longer exist, and they will only collide in the day-to-day suspicion and defense.

That's not what Li Ji wants to pursue.

And these words also express my wishes to Fang Jun and Li Chengqian behind him: I have no intention of throwing power into the court, and I am even willing to defile myself for it, and I will not hesitate to cause the king's suspicion and anger, just to take a step back and use the power of the whole monarch and ministers. camaraderie.

If the moon is not full, it will not lose money; if the water is not full, it will not overflow.

As for the matter of the throne, he is even more unwilling to participate. Anyway, you will choose one of the late emperor's sons, and you will fight on your own. Whoever takes the throne will be supported by me...

Fang Jun was speechless.

This is simply the ultimate embodiment of the Tang version of "laying flat"...

However, although the purpose of lobbying has not been achieved, it is also known that Li Ji will not turn to support King Jin, which is not unacceptable to Li Chengqian.Li Ji didn't want to stand at the top and be jealous of the king, so he was willing to take a step back. He couldn't be aggressive and kill him all, right?

Fang Jun nodded: "Uncle is one of the few smart people in the world. Although he doesn't know the general idea, he knows how to advance and retreat. My nephew will forward these words to His Majesty and explain the difficulties of Uncle in detail. Your Majesty is lenient, and he will help Uncle if he thinks about it." painstaking efforts."

As No. 1 in the military, Li Ji has unparalleled prestige and influence. As long as he is not supporting King Jin against Zhengshuo with his chariots and horses, any king will tolerate and understand him.

As for people who don't want to be an extreme minister, and are willing not to express their position in the battle for the throne... At least a king like Li Chengqian has nothing to do with him.

As long as it's not on the hostile side.

Knowing Li Ji's thoughts and indirectly getting Li Ji's promise, Fang Jun put the matter aside and talked about military aspects with Li Ji instead.

The two drank wine, Fang Jun said: "Uncle, what do you think about the government military system and the recruitment system?"

Li Ji took a mouthful of vegetables, chewed and swallowed, chewed Fang Jun's toast, picked up the cup and took a sip, thought carefully, and said: "You want to promote the recruitment system of the Youtun Guard and the Navy to the entire army ?”

Fang Jundao: "That's what I mean. The government military system and the recruiting system have their own advantages and disadvantages. The former's advantage lies in farming in leisure time and going out in wartime. At the limit, all the people can even be soldiers, which saves a lot of military expenses for the country. It can also be exempted from paying taxes and corvee. The morale of the army is very high. The disadvantage is that the young and strong will go to the border for a long time, which will delay the farming and seriously affect the economic development. The advantage of the latter is that the soldiers serve for a long time, which is the most acceptable Sophisticated training has maximized combat power, but the disadvantage lies in the sharp increase in military expenditure. Although the world is not stable and the world is peaceful now, there are fewer and fewer frontier wars. If the large number of troops is still maintained, it must be It will lead to a slow recovery of the domestic economy. Why not abolish a large number of sixteen guards, frontier troops, and Zhechong Prefectures in various places, and replace them with more elite professional troops? In this way, the combat power of the army has not been reduced, but it can make more people Specializing in farming and commerce has enabled the economy to develop by leaps and bounds."

Li Ji frowned, picked up the wine glass, saw Fang Jun toasting, touched it subconsciously, then came to his senses, glared at Fang Jun angrily, but could only drink the wine in the glass.

No one knows that Fang Jun drinks like a sea, but anyone who is drunk by him will never end well, so he just drinks his own. If he clinks glasses with Fang Jun and drinks it all, he may die of drunkenness...

Seeing that Fang Jun filled the wine glass again, he didn't stop him. With his current status, status, power, and the situation he was in, it was really rare for him to have someone to drink with without any precautions.

Whether it is the government military system or the recruitment system, from ancient times to the present, they have been carried out alternately, and none of them is truly orthodox, but they are just tailored to local conditions.

Whichever one is more in line with the current situation will be adopted.

Since the implementation of the military system in the Northern Wei Dynasty, it has greatly covered up the shortcomings of the sparse population and insufficient military strength in the Northern Wei Dynasty, making all the people soldiers and improving combat power. It was then inherited by the nobles of Guanlong, and finally created the Sui and Tang Dynasties consecutively, occupying the center of power, and aspiring to the top. The world has made the Guanlong nobles become the top clans in the world.

So now Fang Jun wants to reform the military system, and Li Ji is very clear about it. One is to liberate more people to develop the economy, and the other is to cut off the foundation of powerful families holding power since the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

When the military power is all vested in the central government, no matter how well-educated and financially rich those aristocratic families are, they will not be able to control the government as before, and even abolish the king and change the dynasty.

So after thinking about it for a while, Li Ji knew that this was the general trend, no matter what he said, what the courtiers said, or what the people of the world said, nothing could be changed.

The stability of the imperial power is a good thing for the country and the people. However, even the wise and powerful His Majesty Li Er, because of the support of the Guanlongmen Clan, was able to ascend to the position and sit in the world, so he had to accept the constraints of the Guanlongmen Clan and wanted to take over. Power is not available, and after finally making up his mind to suppress Guan Long and weaken the clan, the Guan Long Mutiny ushered in.

Now that the court is in turmoil, the original imperial power structure is already chaotic, Guanlong is weak, and the elites in Shandong and Jiangnan are more likely to face a disastrous defeat. Fang Jun is such an outstanding person, how can he miss it?

Of course, the recruitment system is indeed more suitable for the future of the empire. Abolishing the government military system and restoring the recruitment system can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

There is no reason to object.

After thinking about it carefully, Li Ji said in a deep voice: "The government military system is indeed not conducive to the national economy. If you want the country to be strong and the people rich, the recruitment system is a good way. But you have to know that freezing three feet is not a day's cold. From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the present, The Fubing system has been developed for more than a hundred years, and it has penetrated into all aspects of the empire. It has a huge impact and a profound foundation. The turmoil is not worth the loss."

Any kind of system must be escorted by its vested interests, and anyone who wants to change it will inevitably suffer backlash.

Right now, the Guanlongmen clan is almost abolished, and the clans in Shandong and Jiangnan are very likely to suffer heavy losses. But the so-called centipedes are dead but not stiff. These clans have been entrenched in all directions for hundreds or even hundreds of years. Time will wither?
Once it launches a backlash, it will be overwhelming and earth-shattering.

Fang Jun nodded again and again, looked at Li Ji, and said: "This is a big matter, and I dare not act rashly, but once it is completed, it must be a meritorious service that will last forever. As the head of the prime minister, my uncle is even more prestigious in the military. Lead the reform and create the cornerstone of a century-old prosperity."

Li Ji is silent.

It is true that he does not care about fame and fortune, nor does he care about great power, but in the face of such a long-standing achievement, can he really remain indifferent?
But once he participates in the reform of the military system, he is bound to become the leader of the matter, and when the time comes, isn't it another great feat?

This is contrary to the original intention he tried to avoid...

Things seem to be back to square one.

(End of this chapter)