The Great Tang General

With the support of the prime ministers, Li Xuan began to prepare to eliminate the lowly and bring good people to the country.

After the Jinyiwei has completed the propaganda in the counties, Li Xuan will immediately take action and not give the powerful families too much preparation time.

Li Xuan also summoned the Minister of War Feng Changqing, the Vice Ministers of War Zhang Xing and Cen Shen to discuss the establishment of the Southern Governor's Office with the prime ministers.

When suppressing An Lushan's rebellion, Li Xuan sent his trusted generals to the south in the name of eliminating any fish that had escaped the net.

We have now arrived at the station and have completed recruitment.

Li Xuan was also dispatching war horses, armor and weapons to the south.

When Li Xuan was in Luoyang, the whole world had only one governor's office in Zhezhi, which was of the third rank.

Fifteen third-rank military governorships were also successively determined.

Among them, Cui Yuan, the governor of Shu County, was dismissed from his post for his failure to resist Tubo, and was replaced by his famous general Jiang Zhen from Sichuan.

The other nine governors were also in place.

Zhang Shouyu, who was stationed in the western part of Jiangnan, was appointed as the governor of Hanzhong, granted him the title of Supreme Protector General, and enfeoffed him as the Duke of Chenggu County.

The Hanzhong Military Governor's Office led 20,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry. The Military Governor's Office was stationed in Hanzhong City and set up the Hanshui Army, Yuzhou Army, Bashui Army, Yangtze River Army, and Wushan Army, each with 4,000 soldiers.

He appointed Ashina Fuwen, who was stationed in Shannan East Road, as the governor of Xiangfan, granted him the title of Senior Protector General, and conferred him the title of Duke of Tangcheng County.

The Xiangfan Military Governor's Office commanded 20,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry. The Military Governor's Office was stationed in Xiangyang City, and set up the Xiangyang Army, Wudang Mountain Army, Funiushan Army, Yunmeng Army, and Jingzhou Army, each with 4,000 soldiers.

He appointed Wei Boyu, who was stationed in Huainan Road, as the governor of Guangling, granted him the title of Senior Protector General, and conferred him the title of Duke of Zhongli County.

The Huainan Military Governor's Office led 20,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry. The Military Governor's Office was stationed in Yangzhou City, Guangling County, and set up the Yangzhou Army, Chaohu Army, Mulan Mountain Army, and Tianzhu Mountain Army. Each army had 5,000 people.

Hao Tingyu, who was stationed in the western part of Jiangnan, was appointed as the governor of Xuancheng, granted the title of Senior Protector General, and conferred the title of Duke of Suian County.

The Xuancheng Military Governor's Office led 20,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry. The Military Governor's Office was stationed in Xuancheng and had Xuancheng Army, Pengze Army, Yuzhang Army, Ganshui Army, and Dageng Army.

In order to control the Jiangnan area, Li Xuan established another military governor's office in Wuling County, west of Jiangnan West Road, and appointed Bai Xiaode as the military governor of Wuling, granted him the title of Protector of the Country, and conferred him the title of Duke of Longyang County.

The Wuling Military Governor's Office led 20,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry. The Military Governor's Office was stationed in Wuling City and set up the Wuling Army, Dongting Lake Army, Xiangshui Army, Lingling Army, and Jiuyi Mountain Army. Each army had 4,000 people.

Liu Zhiru, who was stationed in the eastern route of Jiangnan, was appointed as the governor of Dongyang, granted him the title of Supreme Protector General, and conferred him the title of Duke of Yiwu County.

The Dongyang Military Governor's Office led 20,000 troops, including 5,000 cavalry. Its headquarters was in Jinhua City, the county seat of Dongyang County. It had Dongyang Army, Jinyun Mountain Army, Wuyi Mountain Army, Yongjia Army, and Changle Army, each with 4,000 men.

Like Jiangnan West Road, Jiangnan East Road also had two military governorates, because the entire Jiangnan East Road had more than one million households and a population of more than seven million.

The difference is that Jiangnan West Road consists of two military governorates, one in the east and one in the west, while Jiangnan East Road consists of two military governorates, one in the south and one in the north.

To the north of Dongyang Governor's Office, the Yuhang Governor's Office was established, and Li Baoyu was appointed as Yuhang Governor, granted the title of Senior Protector General, and conferred the title of Duke of Lin'an County.

The Yuhang Military Governor's Office led 20,000 troops, including 5,000 cavalry. Its headquarters was in Qiantang City, Yuhang County. It had Qiantang Army, Taihu Army, Zhongshan Army, Kunshan Army, and Linhai Army, each with 4,000 men.

He appointed Lifei Shouyu, who was stationed in Qianzhong Road, as the governor of Qianzhong, granted him the title of Shang Hujun and conferred him the title of Duke of Xinning County.

The Qianzhong Military Governor's Office led 20,000 troops, including 5,000 cavalry. The Governor's Office was stationed in Pengshui City, Qianzhong County, and set up Pengshui Army, Furong Army, Lingxi Army, Ningyi Army, and Anfan Army, each with 4,000 troops.

Li Xuan would send a message to Li Fei Shouyu, asking him to try his best to appease the southern part of Qianzhong.

There were many barbarian tribes in the south, and the Tang Dynasty only had nominal control over them and did not establish any counties there.

After all, there are too many mountains in the south of Qianzhong, and it is even more difficult than the road to Shu before it is developed.

It was not until the Ming Dynasty that China achieved actual control over southern Qianzhong.

The last one is the Nanhai Governor's Office stationed in the vast Lingnan area.

Lingnan covers a vast area and has forty-four counties.

However, the registered population was only one million, and the five counties of Nanhai, Jiaozhi, Shixing, Shi'an and Nan accounted for more than 600,000 people.

Nanhae County and Siheung County alone have a population of 400,000.

This also forced Li Xuan to set up only one governor's office in this vast area.

When setting up a military governor's office, one must consider the local grain production and tax situation. If it is not enough to supply the army, setting up more military governor's offices will only be a burden to the local area.

According to the previous plan, Xin Yunjing was appointed as the governor of Nanhai County, granted the title of Shangzhuguo, and conferred the title of Duke of Shan.

The Nanhai Military Governor's Office had 30,000 soldiers, with the Jiaozhi Army, Nanyue Army, and Shixing Army each having 5,000.

The last 10,000 people were from the Southern Navy, including 2,000 cavalry and 5,000 navy.

The imperial edict will soon be delivered to the new governor, who will be appointed along with his deputy governor and subordinates.

The establishment of these nine military governorates enabled Li Xuan to control the southern army and cooperate with the Jinyiwei to carry out the movement to eliminate the lowly and promote the good.

Li Xuan wanted to take advantage of the opportunity after the announcement of the performance evaluation system and the land-based tax system to take the initiative.

He also conveyed military orders to several military governorates in the north, asking them to prepare their troops and await imperial edicts at any time.

Of course, as an emperor, Li Xuan could not personally fight against the powerful families.

At this time, a cruel and sinister person must be used.

So Li Xuan summoned Yan Zhuang to Ganlu Palace.

"I pay my respects to the Supreme!"

Yan Zhuang was suddenly summoned and bowed to Li Xuan with great fear and trepidation.

Because of his dark history, Yan Zhuang was like an invisible man in the court, submissive and timid, not daring to speak.

All civil and military officials knew that Yan Zhuang was An Lushan's chief adviser.

Yan Zhuang played an "indispensable role" in the rebellion of An Lushan's mixed Hu people.

In the end, Yan Zhuang managed to survive by "killing his master".

He was disloyal and unjust, and his reputation was in great disrepute. The ministers were all trying to catch his faults.

Yan Zhuang’s current official position is Secretary-General.

After the restructuring, the Secretariat completely replaced the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Logically speaking, the Junior Secretariat should also be an important position.

However, the officials were ashamed to associate with Yan Zhuang, and they obeyed the orders of another secretary, Jia Zhi.

Secretary General Wang Wei held this position more for the prestige, as he was still nostalgic for his life of "sitting alone in the bamboo grove, playing the zither and whistling".

"No need to be polite, Mr. Yan!"

Li Xuan signaled Yan Zhuang that there was no need to be so polite.

"Thank you, Supreme!"

Yan Zhuang bowed.

"It is said that Yan Shaoqing is a bird of prey in the court. Is this true?"

Li Xuan asked Yan Zhuang with a smile.

A bird of prey does not flock together, which means sticking to one's moral principles and going against the flow. When Li Xuan said this, it sounded very strange.

"Even if there is thunder from the sky, I will still fly high. I am grateful to the Supreme for not killing me. I have been waiting for the Supreme to summon me, ready to go through fire and water."

Yan Zhuang broke out in a cold sweat in an instant. He fell to his knees and bowed to Li Xuan again, vividly demonstrating what it means to be walking on thin ice.

He thought Li Xuan was saying that he was not sociable.

But how could someone like him fit in with others?
When civil and military officials visited friends, they never looked at him more than once.

He could do nothing about the minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank who put on airs in front of him.

Countless times when I was walking on the street, I heard people pointing and talking behind me.

As soon as I got home, I closed the door tightly.

"I just heard it from someone and asked casually. Why take it seriously? Even the ministers who advised me would not go to this extent."

Li Xuan said calmly, and asked Yan Zhuang to stand up: "Get up!"

After hearing this, Yan Zhuang dared to stand up and look up, and obeyed Li Xuan's teachings as obediently as a little bird.

There had never been a person that Yan Zhuang was so in awe of. Even when An Lushan beat him violently during his illness, he was not so afraid, but rather, he was filled with hatred.

Is it Li Xuan’s great martial arts, or his invincible power that far surpasses Xiang Yu?
Yan Zhuang felt that it was not just that.

When he was in Fan Yang, he began to study Li Xuan. The man in front of him was such a versatile person.

By improving farm tools, such as changing straight-beam plows to curved-beam plows, the level of farming was greatly improved, and water wheels, hoes, etc. were also improved.

In medicine, Li Xuan proposed that there is a highly toxic substance in coal and carbon, so ventilation is necessary when burning coal. After announcing it to the world, countless people were saved from death. He even invented forceps and various knowledge of childbirth for pregnant women.

Li Xuan used the Yin-Yang theory, a very mysterious thing, combined with reality to prevent young men and women from getting married.

Many women in the Tang Dynasty died in their twenties or thirties, and many gave birth as minors, which damaged their vitality.

Li Xuan also introduced agricultural products from the Western Regions, especially cotton, which directly replaced the kapok that had been used in the Tang Dynasty for a long time.

In addition, Li Xuan is a famous poet and the best lyricist in the world. The exquisiteness and beauty of his lyrics are unmatched.

When Li Xuan was not yet prime minister, he used political tactics to crush Li Linfu. Li Linfu, who had been prime minister for 17 years, was almost defeated by Li Xuan alone.

Yan Zhuang also believed that Li Xuan's policies and decrees were timely and effective.

A man in his thirties has already shone through the ages.

He felt that those old ministers who said that Li Xuan "plotted to usurp the throne and would not have a good end" were truly ridiculous.

The world should belong to heroes like this.

Li Xuan has shone through the ages and is the number one person in history. Even if his descendants are not up to par, it will not affect Li Xuan's status.

It was because Yan Zhuang was blinded by greed that he instigated An Lushan to rebel.

"Does Yan Shaoqing think the world is at peace?"

Li Xuan asked Yan Zhuang again.

"Replying to the Supreme, you have ascended to the throne, and all the people in the world obey you, and all the people cheer for you. The world is now at peace!"

Yan Zhuang replied to Li Xuan.

"No! There are wicked people everywhere. The lives of the people are worse than during the Kaiyuan period. We are still in the process of order and chaos."

Li Xuan shook his head in denial.

"I am ignorant and don't know what to say."

Yan Zhuang didn't dare to make any speculations.

"The equal-field system has collapsed, and the people have no land to share. Countless people have become serfs. I am ready to eliminate the lowly and make them good people. Now I need an arm!"

Li Xuan stared at Yan Zhuang and said.

The moment he said the words "get rid of lowliness and become good", there was endless murderous intent in his heart.

These two words determine the life and death of countless people.

The reason why Emperor Wu of Han could kill the powerful and tyrants without restraint and cause rivers of blood to flow was because of his supreme control over the army.

Li Xuan's control over the army was even better than that of Emperor Wu of Han.

Yan Zhuang was stunned when he heard the words "eliminate the lowly and establish the good".

It is definitely not the literal meaning, otherwise it would only require sending ministers to implement it like "inspecting land and expanding households."

To eliminate the status of slaves means to remove the status of slaves, and even the status of slaves does not include serfs.

The clever Yan Zhuang knew that it could also mean "eliminating the powerful."

"If Yan Shaoqing is unwilling to serve me, there are loyal ministers in the world."

Seeing Yan Zhuang didn't say anything, Li Xuan said in a deep voice.

"I am willing to sacrifice my life to assist the Supreme Lord in eliminating the lowly and making the good good."

After Yan Zhuang came back to his senses, he quickly bowed to Li Xuan.

This is a hard-won opportunity for him. Once he misses it, it will be difficult for him to recover.

Even though I know that being a good person is not an easy life.

Because there must be some noble families and powerful families that he would offend, and there are also many big families among the court officials.

"I appoint you as the ambassador of demotion in Henan and Hebei. I will assign subordinates and imperial guards to you, and let the governor's office assist you, responsible for removing the lowly and turning them into good people in Henan and Hebei."

"I grant you the Shangfang Sword to execute horses. Any powerful and wealthy clans who refuse to accept the trial or resist will be regarded as treasonous and can be executed first and reported later. Their property and land will be confiscated by the court."

Li Xuan gave Yan Zhuang power.

Now the court no longer dismisses the position of ambassador.

Li Xuan temporarily appointed this envoy to represent Yan Zhuang as the imperial envoy of Henan and Hebei. Of course, in order to prevent Yan Zhuang from disobeying his will in private and killing innocent people, he would send a general of the imperial army to lead the imperial army to monitor Yan Zhuang.

"Replying to Your Excellency, there are many powerful families in Henan and Hebei. I am afraid they will annex land and bully the weak. If we encounter them, how should we deal with them?"

Yan Zhuang asked Li Xuan for advice and said that the main reason was that there were too many officials from the gentry.

The Zheng family of Xingyang, the Lu family of Fanyang, the Li family of Zhaojun, the Cui family of Qinghe, the Cui family of Boling, the Yang family of Hongnong, and the Gao family of Bohai.

As the gentry multiplied and dispersed, there would always be some who became powerful and wealthy.

"Have they accomplished something as great as killing An Lushan?"

Li Xuan hinted at Yan Zhuang with this sentence.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Yan Zhuang quickly obeyed the order.

"On June 1, we officially left Luoyang and began to eliminate the lowly and make the good good."

After Li Xuan gave Yan Zhuang some specific instructions, he set a time to get rid of his low status and turn him into a good person.

There is no need for Yan Zhuang to take action in the Guanzhong and Hedong directions.

Under Li Xuan's intimidation, the Jingzhao Yin was responsible for eliminating the lowly and virtuous people in Guanzhong area.

Hedong is under the charge of Taiyuan Yin.

The military will be mobilized to help at any time.

"I resign!"

After getting the details, Yan Zhuang left Ganlu Hall.

He is not afraid of wearing shoes even if he is barefoot. As long as he can do the things the Supreme has ordered him to do well, he will definitely have a chance to turn things around.

He felt that with the supreme character, he would not be like Emperor Wu of Han, who killed the cruel officials right after using them.

……

In the Guanzhong region, the announcement of the land-based tax system and the performance evaluation system had a huge impact on all counties.

But now is not the eighth year of Tianbao.

At that time, local officials and powerful people took advantage of Li Longji's mentality and strangled the Kaocheng Law and Tiaobian Law promulgated by Li Xuan in their infancy.

Now that Li Xuan has made a comeback with his supreme authority, some interest groups have thought of the Single Whip System and the Performance Evaluation System.

They did not dare to confront Li Xuan's power and were ready to make concessions.

For the powerful families, it was just a temporary stop to land annexation.

However, the performance evaluation system and the land-based tax system dealt a double blow to some corrupt officials, causing them to complain bitterly.

Li Xuan holds great power. If he resists, he will probably be escorted to Chang'an at any time.

It all depends on their political achievements after the exam. No one will pity them.

The news about the performance evaluation system and the land tax distribution were delivered to the prefects and county magistrates in various places through express horses at the post stations.

Li Xuan also asked the editor-in-chief of the Tang Monthly to put his personally written articles on the performance evaluation system and adding a child to the land on the front page of the Tang Monthly to be published in May, so that more knowledgeable people could see them through the Tang Monthly.

In late April, Li Xuan led the Tiance Guard and left Chang'an to inspect the Guanzhong area.

The emperor’s tour of inspection has been a custom since ancient times.

He couldn't stay in the palace forever, as he would be ignorant of the world's livelihood and people's daily life.

He didn't want to end up like Li Longji in his later years, with his ears covered and his eyes blinded.

When the time is right, Li Xuan would tour Lingnan to see the magnificent South China Sea.

He became the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty to travel to Lingnan.

When the Tang Dynasty was prosperous, the population must have migrated to Lingnan as soon as possible.

Only in this way can the wealthy Indochina Peninsula be annexed.

His first stop was Jishengtang at the foot of Mount Li.

This can be said to be the first medical university in China.

Li Xuan's trip was not very high-profile. In addition to the officials of the Secretariat, he was also accompanied by several assistant ministers, several censors, the left and right pickers of lost items, and the attendant.

He even forbade the honor guard to follow him. Only a thousand cavalrymen, divided into two groups, guarded Li Xuan in front and behind, and around him were two hundred Flying Dragon Guards.

There are also some plainclothes guards.

Only the inner guards knew the places that Li Xuan must pass through.

Jishengtang was apparently unaware of the Supreme's arrival.

The Inner Guards had already infiltrated Jishengtang, and the students only learned of the arrival of the Supreme when the Tiance Guards in front arrived at Jishengtang.

There are nearly 3,000 male and female students, including doctors, in Jishengtang.

It is just like a village, with no walls and only houses of various shapes and sizes.

In order to ensure that students can become apprentices within ten years, students generally choose a medical skill as their major.

He is truly a genius who is proficient in many medical skills.

In addition, Jishengtang has a special clinic that treats sick patients from around Chang'an.

Chen Zangqi and Wang Bing would teach their disciples that it is not enough to work in isolation, and that they need to gain practice by treating patients.

In the fields surrounding Jishengtang, there are endless fields of medicinal herbs.

"The Supreme One has arrived..."

Just as Chen Zangqi and Wang Bing came out to greet them, Li Xuan's carriage had already arrived at the intersection of Jishengtang.

Thousands of students gathered there, looking forward to it.

It was Li Xuan who proposed to establish Jishengtang and personally donated two thousand taels of gold, which enabled Jishengtang to achieve its current development.

As the number of students in Jishengtang increased and the new students had not yet graduated, in the 14th year of Tianbao, Jishengtang was once out of food.

Fortunately, they finally survived. After Li Xuan came to power, he continued to support Jishengtang.

"Meet the Supreme One!"

After Li Xuan got off the sealed dragon chariot, Chen Zangqi, Wang Bing and the students of Jishengtang paid great tribute to Li Xuan.

The sound was loud, like the sound of thousands of troops.

"Chen Jijiu, please stand up quickly. I am just here to take a look. Why do you have to go through such a big ceremony?"

Li Xuan ignored his status as the emperor, stepped forward quickly and helped Chen Cangqi up.

He saw that Chen Zangqi was still using a cane and it was obvious that he had difficulty walking.

Just like what Du Fu wrote in his poem, it is rare to live to be seventy.

Chen Zangqi, who is over 70 years old, is too old. His hair is gray and his face is full of wrinkles.

He is a great doctor who can be compared with Sun Simiao. Historically, he, like Wang Bing, is ranked among the top five doctors in the entire Tang Dynasty.

In particular, the ten-volume "Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica" he wrote in the 27th year of Kaiyuan is a magical book for Jishengtang.

Li Shizhen, who had a direct influence on the Compendium of Materia Medica in later generations, commented on Bencao Shiyi: He is extremely well-versed in many books, has carefully examined the categories of things, corrected errors, and collected obscure information. Since the Bencao, there has been only one person who has done this.

"You are the Supreme, you can't do this!"

Chen Zangqi was flattered.

"Emperor should also respect great doctors like Chen Jijiu. The emperor is only a guide for the people. You and I are doing the same thing."

Li Xuan was filled with emotion. Chen Cangqi was much older than he was ten years ago.

A great doctor of his generation, he dedicated the rest of his life to Jishengtang.

"This is the true Son of Heaven! This is a blessing for all people in the world."

Chen Cangqi burst into tears.

He had been a county lieutenant for a long time, and he also realized that he was not cut out to be an official.

So in his spare time as an official, he sorted out the medical skills of ancient and modern times, combined with his own experience, and wrote "Bencao Shiyi".

I thought this book would be the only thing I would have left behind in my life.

Unexpectedly, Li Xuan left Jishengtang for him, giving him the opportunity to benefit the world.

Li Xuan asked other doctors and students not to salute.

He showed that he was just a passer-by.

But the more he does this, the more respectable he becomes.

"Please ask the Supreme Minister to return to the main hall of Jisheng Hall."

When Chen Zangqi was about to walk with the cane, Li Xuan personally went to support him.

This caused dozens of officials in the rear to rush forward in a hurry.

Li Xuan's behavior made the ministers feel embarrassed, but they could not compete with Li Xuan.

The accompanying reporters and attendants immediately recorded the incident and made sure to write it up in great detail.

The students around were so moved when they saw this.

The unparalleled, godlike supreme being actually condescended to support his teacher.

I never thought that a doctor could be so honored.

This made the young students determined to work hard and become great doctors like Chen Cangqi.

"If Jishengtang has any difficulties, just report it to the court. In a prosperous era, we should protect the people from suffering from colds. I am very pleased to see the energetic faces of Jishengtang."

Li Xuan said to them as he walked slowly with Chen Zangqi and Wang Bing.

In his eyes, a prosperous age is not just about having enough food and clothing, but medicine and learning are the foundation for moving forward.

Jishengtang, which is highly expected, has trained so many doctors in just ten years, and will train more in another ten or twenty years.

From gynecology, to pediatrics, to internal medicine and surgery.

One day, the doctors from Jishengtang will come to the countryside.

"This is all thanks to the Supreme. Without the Supreme, Jishengtang wouldn't be what it is today."

Chen Zangqi's words were not compliments, but the truth.

"Doctor Wang, when Jishengtang is teaching students, we must also keep innovation in mind. The purpose of systematically establishing the school is to achieve breakthroughs in medical skills and to overcome difficult and complicated diseases. No matter where the students of Jishengtang go in the future, as long as they have made achievements in medicine and can be a role model for all doctors, I will confer a title on them."

Li Xuan wanted to use incentives to make the country develop rapidly.

He had previously announced to the world that he would confer a title on any craftsman who could create high-value skills.

If someone invented the steam engine, what would happen if Li Xuan made him a duke?

The Duke, who had no real power, didn't care about Li Xuan, and the country only spent more on clothing and salary.

But for ordinary people, the title of nobility can be obtained through lifelong efforts.

"I will inform Jishengtang of this news and will teach the students carefully."

Wang Bing bowed to Li Xuan.

He is in his forties, but looks like he is in his thirties.

Wang Bing and Chen Cangqi took two different paths. Wang Bing was a Taoist doctor, and he attached great importance to the five elements and yin and yang.

Li Xuan talked with Wang Bing and Chen Zangqi for an hour in Jishengtang and formulated a long-term development plan for doctors.

Of course, he couldn't let doctors just give their all. Even if this generation had dreams, the next generation would definitely be different.

In addition to remuneration, doctors will have a rating and reward system.

Finally, there is the title of “great doctor”.

The emperor personally issued a jade gourd representing the great physician and conferred the title on him.

In addition, when the Datang Monthly develops and matures, the Bian Que Medical Journal will be created to publish medical articles from time to time, allowing doctors from all over the world to comment on them, point out mistakes, and argue with them if they are not satisfied.

Just mail your article to the newspaper and it will be published in the next issue after review.

(End of this chapter)