The Great Tang General

In Jisheng Hall, after Li Xuan talked with Chen Zangqi and Wang Bing, he went to the square in person and summoned a group of students.

Li Xuan's words were like a beacon, personally pointing them in the direction.

He advocated medical ethics and encouraged students to conduct in-depth research on pharmacology and medical principles, hoping that they would explore endlessly.

He proposed the concept of "alcohol" and used distilled liquor to continuously separate and purify it to create the ultimate alcohol of that era.

The role of alcohol in medicine is self-evident.

He used ancient great doctors such as Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing and Sun Simiao as examples, and used their expertise to illustrate the profoundness of medicine.

Like Hua Tuo's surgery, it is definitely feasible.

Doctors cannot overcome difficult and complicated diseases in isolation, but need to communicate about the pathology.

In Jishengtang, teachers should not try to hide anything, but teach their students everything they know.

If one day, the student becomes a great doctor, it will be a great honor for the teacher.

Finally, Li Xuan focused on describing the concept of the great doctor, making the great doctor deeply rooted in people's hearts.

He awarded Chen Zangqi the title of great doctor on the spot and conferred him the title of Marquis of Yijun County in recognition of his contributions.

In the future, a jade gourd representing a great doctor will also be given.

It has never happened before in history that a doctor can be granted a title of nobility.

He practiced medicine to save lives and cured countless people; he compiled ten volumes of "Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica" and worked hard for Jishengtang for more than ten years.

Chen Cangqi deserves the title of great doctor.

The Han people have a deep-rooted obsession with official titles. Since ancient times, there have been few famous doctors who did not want to be officials.

As long as doctors can see the motivation to be granted the title of nobility, they will definitely make breakthroughs in medical skills.

The same is true in science and technology, astronomy, geography, and mathematics.

As for Wang Bing, he is still young and lacks academic achievements and contributions.

Historically, Wang Bing lived to be over ninety years old.

In this era, living to ninety years old is incredible; this is the age he has always dreamed of.

Li Xuan felt that Wang Bing had real knowledge in studying the art of health preservation, and within reason, Li Xuan would ask him for advice.

The students listened attentively to every word of the Supreme, and witnessed the great doctor Chen Cangqi being conferred a title of nobility. They were so excited that they could not control themselves.

The seeds of struggle have been planted in my heart.

The next day, Li Xuan left Jishengtang, and Chen Zangqi and Wang Bing brought all the students to see Li Xuan off.

Li Xuan, the emperor, waved to his students and boarded the dragon chariot.

All the students had tears in their eyes; they could feel the Supreme's expectations.

To truly bear the disgrace of the country is to be the master of the country; to bear the misfortune of the country is to be the king of the world.

……

After leaving Jishengtang, Li Xuan went around the north of Chang'an City and arrived in Xianyang.

He first went to the Salesian Church in Xianyang.

The Supreme Being's visit to such an ominous place caught the petty officials of the Salesian Church off guard.

The manager of the Ciyu Hall in Xianyang was just an official from outside the imperial court. How could he dare to imagine that the man in front of him was the current emperor?

He accompanied Li Xuan to visit the Salesian Church.

The staff of the Salesian Church are mainly women from the surrounding villages.

Li Xuan saw that among the children in the Salesian Church, there were those with congenital disabilities as well as healthy orphans.

To put it cruelly, one Salesian church may not be enough for an entire county.

Fortunately, Xianyang is a relatively wealthy county and not many babies are abandoned.

"Quick...come and meet the Supreme."

Wang Qingshan, the head of the Salesian Church, gathered the orphans together out of courtesy.

There were some babies or young children in the house, and their cries could be vaguely heard coming from through the window.

"There is no emperor here!"

Li Xuan lightly scolded Wang Qingshan.

Looking at all those little boys and girls, the oldest of them are no more than his own children. How would they know anything about honor, disgrace, and etiquette?

"Is it about the emperor who knows that every grain of rice on the plate is the product of hard work?"

A little girl who was dressed simply and huddled together with other children spoke timidly.

They shouldn't be so timid, but Li Xuan was too powerful, with soldiers outside in a menacing manner, which scared the children.

"Exactly."

Li Xuan smiled and asked, "How old is the young lady this year?"

"Eight years old!"

The little girl uttered these two words.

"You are the same age as my daughter. I hope you grow up healthily and live happily as well."

Li Xuan walked over, half squatted down and held her little daughter's hand.

He was very compassionate.

He didn't want to speculate with the utmost malice, and hoped that some of their parents really had difficulties and were forced to abandon their own parents.

Li Xuan's actions shocked the hall master Wang Qingshan.

This is the emperor, who is more supreme than Li Shimin in the hearts of the people.

He could actually stoop like this.

Just like the legend says, he cares about all living beings.

The officials knew that the Supreme had always practiced benevolence.

Even if the position is not glorious, the benevolent heart remains.

Especially in the imperial palace, selection of concubines was prohibited.

Li Xuan’s reason is very simple: All people in the world are suffering, so is beauty more important than virtue?

What it means is that the people are still suffering, so how can the king not worry about the affairs of the world and hide in the beautiful harem?

From the three palaces and six courtyards to the eunuchs, all the important matters concerning the ancestral temple and the country, all sounded high-sounding, but were nothing more than the emperor's own selfish interests!
"Xiao Lang, what's your name?"

Li Xuan asked a little boy next to him, whose face was rather rough.

"Your Majesty, this child cannot hear or speak. I have named him Wang Ming."

Wang Qingshan said to Li Xuan with a trembling and nervous voice that he was just a poor scholar who couldn't even take the provincial examination.

The government required literacy when recruiting managers for the Salesian Church, but many scholars were unwilling to do so because they were looked down upon. He came to support his family.

Over the years, after going through many hardships, I developed feelings for the children.

When he was not busy, he used his limited knowledge to teach some children to read.

“He can feel my voice.”

Salesian Hall was a place that made Li Xuan sad. He stood up and told the imperial army general Xue Cuo: "Go kill two sheep and stew the meat for the children."

"According to the order!"

Xue Cuo stepped back and gave instructions.

After comforting the child, he, under the guidance of Wang Qingshan, entered the inner room to visit the baby in the simple house.

Without breast milk, the condition is not very good.

“How many children are there in the Salesian Church now, and how old are they?”

Li Xuan asked Wang Qingshan.

"Reporting to Your Majesty. Xianyang Charity House was established in the seventh year of Tianbao, and abandoned babies were taken in at that time. After many years, there are now 78 babies in Charity House, the youngest is over a month old, and the oldest is ten years old."

Wang Qingshan replied to Li Xuan,
The Ciyu Hall embodies the "benevolence" advocated by the Tang Dynasty, which is consistent with the Confucian idea of ​​"Respect the old and the young, not only my own but also those of others."

Li Xuan's establishment of the Salesian Church was undoubtedly a waste of money.

But this was an open conspiracy. Even though he had different political views from Li Xuan, he could not refuse for fear of being criticized.

Yang Guozhong was so selfish that he only dared to cut the fees of the Salesian Church but did not dare to cancel it.

“What do babies eat?”

Li Xuan asked Wang Qingshan again.

"We only have rice porridge. Occasionally, we ask some women in Xianyang City who have enough milk to feed us."

Wang Qingshan replied.

"Many babies died from malnutrition!"

When Li Xuan heard this, he immediately thought of this.

"Of three or four children, you can only raise one."

Wang Qingshan has buried many babies personally. Some of the abandoned babies were beyond saving once they were sent to Jishengtang.

“The planning of the Salesian Church is a long and arduous task!”

Li Xuan said slowly.

It is unknown whether the plan he has in mind can be popularized even if he spends his entire life on it.

Let all Salesian churches have cotton-padded clothes and quilts as soon as possible.

The milk is sterilized, made into milk powder and then delivered to the Salesian Church, so that the infant mortality rate can be reduced.

Similarly, it can also be applied in ordinary people's homes.

After taking a walk outside the Salesian Church, Li Xuan saw the church’s farmland.

There are hundreds of acres in total, cultivated by Wang Qingshan and the women he hired.

It is very ordinary and needs government subsidies.

When the children of the Salesian Church grow up, they will need to be allocated some land.

A glimpse of the whole picture can reveal the whole picture. Through the Xianyang Ciyu Hall near Chang'an, Li Xuan could almost foresee the situation of the Ciyu Halls in various counties.

Locally, Salesian churches are only popular in counties.

It must be very easy to support a Salesian church in a county. It just depends on whether the local people are willing to do so.

"Has the Xianyang magistrate ever been to the Mercy Hall?"

Li Xuan looked around the fields and suddenly asked Wang Qingshan.

"The previous Xianyang magistrate did not come, but the new Xianyang magistrate came once last year, and sent some meat during the New Year this year. We were short of food and clothing before, but since the new magistrate came, we are no longer short of food."

Wang Qingshan replied to Li Xuan.

The original county magistrate got his position by currying favor with the Yang family.

When Li Longji fled westward, he saw that the situation was not right and ran for his life.

After hearing this, Li Xuan nodded secretly.

He remembered that the new magistrate of Xianyang was Li Yi.

Li Yi was the great-great-grandson of Li Shimin and also the brother-in-law of Prime Minister Liu Yan.

The reason why Li Xuan appointed him to such an important position was certainly not because of Li Yi's background, but because Li Xuan valued Li Yi's integrity and ability and believed that he could govern the Xianyang he had planned.

Later, when Liu Yan visited his brother-in-law Li Yi, he saw that the door curtain at Li Yi's house was very worn out and almost broken, but it was still in use. So he ordered his subordinates to measure the size of the door, and then weave a curtain with unpolished bamboo, without any decoration, and gave it to Li Yi.

It was not a valuable item in the first place, and since it was related to his brother-in-law, Liu Yan was afraid that Li Yi would refuse because of his integrity, so he went to Li Yi's house three times with the door curtain, but left without daring to mention the matter.

Jishengtang is fifteen miles outside of Xianyang City, near a village called Lingmu Township. Li Xuan has been at Jishengtang for a long time, but Li Yi has not come to visit him.

On that day, Li Xuan's troops were stationed around Jishengtang.

At sunset, he saw the children cheering and jumping for joy when eating meat, and he couldn't help feeling moved.

On the second day, Li Xuan's team left the Salesian Hall and headed for Xianyang City.

When he left, a group of children leaned against the wooden railings, watching Li Xuan's back as he drove away.

At this time, the morning sun appeared.

……

Not long after, Li Xuan arrived outside the city of Xianyang, and Xianyang ordered Li Yi to bring officials out of the city to welcome him.

"I pay my respects to the Supreme!"

"I was at Xianyang Ciyou Hall yesterday, why didn't you come to see me?"

As soon as Li Xuan saw Li Yi, he asked this fellow relative.

"Your Majesty has not summoned me, so I cannot leave my county affairs behind and go."

Li Yi bowed to Li Xuan and replied.

"You have a point."

Li Xuan nodded. Li Yi met Li Xuan outside the door, which was a courtesy for a minister. "Don't enter Xianyang City first, take me to see Xianyang Industrial Park."

Li Xuan had been to Xianyang many times and had no intention of entering the city. His main purpose for coming here was the Xianyang Industrial Park.

This is the factory forest area that Li Xuan ordered to be built when he was the Prince of Qin.

It is no longer a small workshop like those outside Liangzhou City and Qiuci City, but a factory of a certain scale.

Some craftsmen and workers will be dispatched from the Western Regions.

In the Xianyang area, there are three parks, located in the east, west and south of Xianyang city.

To the west are steel mills, textile mills, garment factories, leather factories, paint factories, glass factories, engraving factories, porcelain factories, jade factories, honeycomb coal factories and other industrial factories.

To the east are secret forbidden areas such as the crossbow factory, bow and arrow factory, armor factory, weapons factory, ironware factory, chariot factory, and mint.

To the south are distilleries, wineries, various fine wine factories, beef jerky factories, sugar factories, oil factories, spice factories, candied fruit factories, nut factories and other food factories.

All of them were funded by the state.

There will be more factories in the future.

Li Xuan has organized craftsmen to reform steelmaking. Many people don't know the details, but the Tang Dynasty has mastered the technology of wootz steel from Persia. Li Xuan can arrange dozens of groups of people according to the knowledge to experiment with better steel again and again.

He specially organized craftsmen to explore iron ore, copper mines, coal mines, and some other non-ferrous metals in Hedong and Guanzhong.

At the same time, Li Xuan officially began to prepare gunpowder.

Look for saltpeter and sulfur.

Li Xuan clearly remembered that saltpeter accounted for the majority, sulfur was the least, and then charcoal.

Through proportions and repeated experiments, the power of gunpowder was tested.

Li Xuan doesn’t know how to do things that are too profound.

When Li Xuan traveled through time, he wrote down the basic knowledge of physics, chemistry, and mathematics in a small notebook to prevent it from being erased by time.

As a time traveler, if he doesn't bring these things out, he'd seem like a mentally retarded person.

Even if his generation cannot succeed, he hopes that future generations can carry on the legacy.

These factories employed tens of thousands of people in total to build.

Once it is completed, it will not only enable many people to have a better livelihood, but also benefit the country.

Products such as silk, porcelain, soap, etc. were sold to the Western Regions, Central Asia, India, Persia and other regions, and there was no worry about not being able to sell them.

Some rare items can be sold to the two capitals, but they are still in short supply.

"Xianyang protects Chang'an. Once the three parks are built, it will be a good business. Xianyang will also be rich because of this."

After inspecting the three parks one after another, Li Xuan spoke to Li Yi, the governor of Xianyang.

Looks like progress is good.

The reason for choosing this place is that there are coal mines and iron mines here, and transportation is important.

All the goods in Guanzhong can be transported to these factories for processing.

In addition, once the products are manufactured, it is very easy to sell them in Chang'an City.

It can also be purchased by foreign merchants and passed through the Silk Road and out of Yumen Pass.

"The country has invested billions of dollars to build a large temple. In the long run, it will definitely benefit the people. Your Majesty has made a wise decision."

Li Yi replied to Li Xuan.

These factories were not established on impulse. The colored glass and soap from Kucha in the Western Region were precious commodities in Chang'an.

Anyone with a discerning eye would know that building a factory like this next to Chang'an would make money.

On the Silk Road, silk and porcelain were as valuable as gold and a sure win.

The imperial court would only dare to build other things if they had a market for them.

"What do the nobles in Xianyang think of the land tax?"

Li Xuan no longer mentioned the industrial park in Xianyang, but asked about the issue of allocating land tax to each acre.

"Xianyang is too close to Chang'an. The emperor once hunted here, and it is also a place where princes and nobles often visit. The nobles that Your Majesty mentioned are all referring to these..."

Li Yi implied that most of the arable land in Xianyang belonged to princes and nobles, and ordinary people did not have enough land to share.

Under the policy of equalizing the land tax, the people can have enough arable land, which will benefit both the officials and the people.

As soon as the policy of equalizing the land tax was introduced to Xianyang, he knew it would be difficult to implement in Xianyang.

Fortunately, the strong men in Xianyang were all building factories, and the monthly income from the court was no worse than that from farming.

In the future, when factories recruit workers, some ordinary people will also enter the factories to reduce the pressure on land shortage.

"When I was the King of Qin, I ordered the confiscation of all orchards, fields, and estates of the eunuchs and Yang family. How much of Xianyang was occupied?"

Li Xuan asked Li Yi again.

There are five counties in Guanzhong, namely Jingzhao Prefecture, Fengxiang County, Huayin County, Xingping County and Fengyi County.

Among them, the registered population of Jingzhao Prefecture is over two million.

Except for Chang'an and Wannian counties within the city, Xianyang County has the largest population.

Li Xuan believed that Xianyang should not only develop industry and commerce, but also return arable land to farmers, which was a necessary condition.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the eunuchs and Yang prefer the area around Mount Li to the east of Chang'an, the Wei River to the north of Chang'an, and Mount Zhongnan to the south of Chang'an. The land originally allocated to the government in Xianyang to the west is still not evenly distributed."

With the indulgence of Li Longji, the eunuchs of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods had assets worth tens of millions.

In their eyes, Weishui River, Mount Li and Mount Zhongnan are good places.

The further west you go, the poorer the land becomes, so there is less land occupied on the Xianyang Plain.

The princes and nobles could only eat inferior food and took over many fields on the Xianyang Plain.

"I understand!"

When he returned from his inspection tour, he punished some of the princes and princesses of the royal family and confiscated their land outside their registered jurisdiction and the excess land within the system for the livelihood of the people.

The royal family was not satisfied with being supported, and they followed the example of the powerful families in annexing land.

"What do Magistrate Li think of the performance evaluation law I promulgated?"

Li Xuan wanted to see the county magistrate's true opinion.

"All the officials in Xianyang feel pressured. But I don't consider these things. I only care about the people's food and clothing, which is more important than the performance evaluation."

Li Yi replied.

"It's good to think this way. If all the officials in the world were like Magistrate Li, there would be no need to worry about unrest."

Li Xuan praised Li Yi's words.

The success of the legislative examination is clear at a glance. Those who just want to eat and wait for death will definitely not be able to make it.

Even a mediocre person would burst into tears the moment he saw the imperial edict.

Survival of the fittest is the rule of officialdom.

But in the current Tang Dynasty, there are just some mediocre people and rogues who have been wandering around in the local areas for their entire lives. Wherever they go, they bring disaster.

On that day, Li Xuan and Li Yi entered Xianyang City and lived there.

The people lined the streets of the city to welcome them and cheered.

The arrival of the Supreme Emperor brought glory to the small city of Xianyang.

Over the next ten days, Li Xuan inspected Fengxiang, Fengyi and Xingping counties successively.

The governors and county magistrates of Guanzhong were all newly appointed by the imperial court. At least they looked OK.

Li Xuan did not come for supervision, but just to see how the people in Guanzhong lived.

The Guanzhong Plain was a land of abundance during the Qin and Han dynasties, but by the Tang Dynasty, it could not even support three million people.

Li Xuan was also in the fields, looking at the newly planted millet and wheat.

After asking old farmers, I learned that the per-acre yield of land in the Guanzhong Plain is lower than that in the Central Plains.

This made Li Xuan even more certain that the soil erosion in Guanzhong was serious and needed to be recuperated.

And afforestation on the Loess Plateau is imperative.

But the Tang Dynasty did not have the manpower and resources to plant trees at the moment.

The only way was to send prisoners to the Loess Plateau and release them after they had served their sentences.

Li Xuan's inspection this time was also intended to intimidate the powerful families in Guanzhong.

In this land, no matter what their surnames are, they must abide by the laws of the country.

They have to obey the policy of getting rid of lowliness and becoming good starting from June, otherwise they will be ruined.

Wherever Li Xuan went, the people welcomed him wholeheartedly.

Li Xuan would meet with the villagers in almost every county where he stopped.

For ordinary people, being able to see Li Xuan would make their ancestral graves smoke with joy.

Li Xuan shared the joys and sorrows with the people, and never forgot to remind them of some matters.

For example, what to do when giving birth to a baby? Coal is highly poisonous and must never be lit when sleeping.

He earnestly warned the people of the harm of women giving birth before the age of eighteen.

There are too many examples in later generations that prove that underage childbirth is not only more dangerous for the baby, but also harmful to the woman's body.

This is true even in later generations, let alone this era.

Look at the celebrities in the Tang Dynasty, many of their original wives did not live long.

When they have enough food and clothing, no parent wants their daughter to come into harm's way.

Li Xuan knew that his policy had been criticized.

But precisely because we know the seriousness of the harm, we are bearing the pressure, hoping that the people can understand the seriousness of the situation.

Of course, Li Xuan understood that the best way was to make the people well-educated and have enough food and clothing.

When the emperor spoke personally, it was like the words from heaven, so the people naturally believed him and the word spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

On May 5, when Li Xuan returned to Fengtian County, Jingzhao Prefecture, a military document from Bai Hai was delivered to Li Xuan.

It is a military document written by Nan Jiyun, the governor of Baihai.

He reported to the emperor that several Tibetan tribes had surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and expressed their permanent allegiance.

He also brought news that the battle between the old Tibetan aristocracy and Mashang Zhongbajie had reached a fever pitch.

Mashang Zhongbajie wanted to eradicate the old aristocratic forces as soon as possible, integrate the few remaining forces of Tubo, and fight against the Tang Dynasty.

Even though he had apologized and paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty, he was still worried.

The old aristocratic forces, under the slogan of rescuing the old and young Zamps, won over the tribes that were dissatisfied with Mashang Zhongbajie and at one point had the advantage in numbers.

In the past ten years, Tubo's greed ruined the good situation.

Since Songtsen Gampo integrated the tribes of the snowy plateau and established Tubo, the powerful Tubo Dynasty finally collapsed.

Li Xuan believed that the opportunity to destroy Tubo had arrived.

He ordered the Baihai Military Governor's Office and the Qinghai Military Governor's Office to prepare cattle, sheep and food, and under the guidance of the captured Tibetan great minister Jiesangdongzebu, who had surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, he entered the snowy plateau and went straight to Lhasa.

Attack directly before August 1st.

As for Jiannan, keep your troops in place.

One reason is that the troops led by Lai Chen were not adapted to the climate of the snowy plateau.

The second reason is that most of the Shu troops were deployed on the Nanzhao front and were not suitable for mobilization.

To destroy Tubo, two military governorates, plus the affiliated Hu tribes such as Subi, Tongjia, and Tuyuhun are enough.

Datang’s Baihai Ranch and Heyuan Ranch have enough cattle and sheep.

The army marched into the snowy plateau, stewing beef and mutton was the main food.

A large number of mules, horses and dromedaries were used to transport food and fodder for the horses.

The Hu and Han armies had a total of 80,000 troops, with more than 120,000 war horses, steeds, and dromedaries.

After Li Xuan's urgent military order was delivered to Qinghai over a distance of 700 miles, Duan Xueshi received the news and began to act.

Li Xuan appointed Nan Jiyun as the marshal to destroy Tubo, and Duan Xueshi as the deputy marshal and military commander.

Give orders to all the Hu people.

At this time, the various Hu tribes in the southwest were eager for the destruction of Tubo and would certainly assist it with all their strength.

On May 7, after Li Xuan returned to Chang'an, he informed the Ministry of War of the matter.

Let the Ministry of War make preparations for the aftermath and send officials to the snowy plateau in advance.

Nan Jiyun and Duan Xueshi in the southwest destroyed Tubo.

In the Northeast, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and Wang Sili conquered Bohai and Shiwei, which was the last battle before Li Xuan's great reform.

Li Xuan is always paying attention!

(End of this chapter)