The Great Tang General

Of the five current prime ministers, except Yan Zhenqing who was appointed prime minister later, the other four prime ministers, Li Xian, Pei Zunqing, Liu Yan and Yang Wan, have already completed the term of office stipulated by Li Xuan.

According to the "eight plus four" system established by Li Xuan, except for the chief prime minister, a prime minister who has not yet reached the position of chief can serve as chief prime minister again if he is valued by the supreme ruler.

Pei Zunqing was too old, and people believed that Liu Yan and Yang Wan might be one of the next chief prime ministers.

Those who lose the election can only retire in idle jobs.

Give the position to other ministers.

This can prevent a prime minister from gradually becoming powerful with many disciples all over the world.

It can also give some Shangshu hope, so that they can work hard and strive to become prime ministers.

Being a prime minister is the lifelong pursuit of scholars. They will leave their names in history and be recorded in the biography by historians.

Moreover, Li Xuan has decided to expand the number of prime ministers to seven next year.

Continue to dilute the power of the prime minister.

Li Xuan also took all aspects into consideration.

In today's political arena, there are Shangshu You Pushe, Shangshu Zuo Pushe, Zhongshu Ling, and Shizhong.

Stable Prime Minister.

The last prime minister was undoubtedly the Minister of Personnel.

The Secretariat has nine departments, and if it were only like this, it would seem inflexible.

The other eight Shangshu, Zhongshu Shilang, Huangmen Shilang, etc., felt there was no hope.

Li Xuan will probably select two more ministers to serve as prime ministers.

It was also a preparation for his western expedition to prevent some people from having inappropriate ideas.

After Li Xuan summoned the five prime ministers into the Council of State, he told them about Cui Hanheng's diplomatic mission to the Roman Empire.

Prime Ministers such as Li Xian knew that Li Xuan was going to lead the Western Expedition in person again.

With the experience of the northern expedition against the Uighurs, and the fact that the prime ministers were about to retire, no one stopped it.

Li Xuan's northern expeditions and inspections have proved to the world that even if he is not in Chang'an or Luoyang, he is always powerful and fearless.

The ministers checked and balanced each other, and the army was united and dared not disobey.

For the Tang Dynasty, this military expedition was still a local battle rather than a national mobilization.

The main forces against the Arab Empire were the Anxi Military Governorate, Zhezhi Military Governorate, Beiting Military Governorate, Dunhuang Military Governorate, and Wuwei Military Governorate.

The Turkic tribes, the Uighur tribes, the Thirty-six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, and the Karluk tribes sent 50,000 elite cavalry to follow.

Among them, the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, the Turgesh tribes, and the Qarluk tribes sent 50,000 logistics soldiers and knights to transport food and fodder to the Persian Empire.

The Anxi Protectorate and the Congling Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty provided 20,000 laborers to help the army transport food.

One hundred thousand civilians were dispatched from Hexi and Longyou to transport food and fodder to the Western Regions.

In addition, the Tian Ce Guard and the Shen Ce Guard each selected 20,000 elite soldiers to follow the army.

The Feilong Imperial Guards, Yulin Army, and Longwu Army selected 5,000 troops to follow the army.

Chang'an and Luoyang were garrisoned by the remaining Tian Ce Guards and Shen Ce Guards.

Li Xuan's confidant Che Shensai led 30,000 Fengxiang troops to garrison Chang'an.

You know, Che Shensai was a rare general who served as the governor of Fengxiang for eight years.

It can be considered that Fengxiang Military Governor's Office was another imperial army in Chang'an.

After discussing with the prime ministers, Li Xuan held a court meeting the next day and announced to all civil and military officials that he would lead the army to the west.

The Zhongshu Sheren drafted the summons and announced it to the whole country:

I have received the mandate of heaven and reign over all nations. Since I ascended the throne, I have devoted all my energy to the cause of peace and prosperity, and for the common people to enjoy peace. Today, the Western Arabs have repeatedly invaded the Tang Dynasty, refused to accept education, disregarded justice, and repeatedly committed rebellious acts.

They set up obstacles on the trade routes, causing the stagnation of precious goods of the Tang Dynasty, the unevenness of the Silk Road, and the difficulty of developing various industries; they also treated the imperial edicts of the Khan as rags, treated them with contempt and disrespect, making it difficult for the grace of the Khan to be delivered and the government orders to be implemented. They are truly the public enemy of the Tang Dynasty...

I have the whole world in mind, and did not start a war at first. I have repeatedly sent envoys to explain the benefits and disadvantages, and to show my benevolence, hoping that they will repent. However, the Arabs are stubborn and self-willed, and they are unrepentant. Instead, they are arrogant and provocative. My tolerance is not cowardice, but I really want to protect the lives of all people and maintain the harmony of the country. However, their actions have now endangered the foundation of China and hindered the prosperity of the country. If we continue to tolerate them, it will inevitably lead to unrest on the borders and the people will be in trouble.

Now I have decided to march west, to obey the will of Heaven and to suppress the rebellion. I have issued a proclamation to the world, to gather the mighty troops of the west, and to select good generals and counselors. All troops should be loyal and righteous, march forward bravely, to promote the power of the Tang Dynasty, and to boost the spirit of China. Wherever we go, we must not harm anyone, and use our benevolent and virtuous army to influence the stubborn and ignorant; we must fight when we encounter the enemy, and we must win the battle, so that the barbarians of the Arab world will know that the power of Heaven of our dynasty is difficult to violate, and the will of the emperor is difficult to disobey. I will personally supervise this battle, and on the day of triumph, I will celebrate with all the people and share the prosperity of peace...

Li Xuan also ordered the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance and other departments to prepare food and fodder, and send food, silk, money and supplies along the highway from Chang'an to Dunhuang.

To reward the soldiers and increase reserves.

Now the Tang Dynasty has integrated the barbarians from all directions, and the number of horses in the horse sanctuary exceeds 2.4 million, which is three times that of the peak period of Kaiyuan.

This does not include the army's war horses and the horses of minority herdsmen in the ten major protectorates, including the Grassland Protectorate, the Hanhai Protectorate, and the Snowy Region Protectorate, as well as the horses of vassal states and the private horses of Han herdsmen.

The Tang Dynasty selected 100,000 good horses as reserve horses for the expedition.

Prepare 30,000 camels from Hexi and the Western Regions to transport supplies.

After the order was passed, the Ministry of War and Tian Ce Palace of the Tang Dynasty began to operate.

In mid-September, 40,000 Tian Ce Wei and Shen Ce Wei troops took the lead and left Chang'an with supplies.

Their destination was the city of Samakan in the Pamir Protectorate.

Generals such as Li Siye and Ma Lin would also prepare their troops for war.

Among them, half of the troops of the Hexi, Dunhuang and Beiting armies participated in the war, and the rest were stationed.

After all, the Uighurs had just been destroyed, and the grassland still needed a famous general to rule.

Soon after, Li Xuan used the summons from the Heavenly Khan to send orders to the subordinate Hu tribes and the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, asking them to cooperate.

Li Xuan also asked Nan Jiyun, who was on the snowy plateau, to select 5,000 Tibetan cavalrymen and enter the Western Regions from the northwest, waiting for the call.

After next year, Li Xuan will lead the Yulin, Longwu and Feilong Imperial Guards to the Western Regions with light equipment.

At the same time, Li Xuan was preparing to set up a new Shenjiying.

The Shenji Camp had one hundred bronze cannons as thick as bowls, five hundred musketeers, and five hundred throwers.

To throw Datang's new type of grenade.

After the Shenjiying and others completed their preliminary training, they headed to the river three days later, transported by mules, horses and chariots.

Time flies, and the ninth year of Qianyuan has arrived.

On the first day of the first lunar month of that year, Li Xuan held a rare grand banquet to celebrate the occasion.

Civil and military officials all understood that the court was going to undergo a major reshuffle.

This grand banquet was obviously a farewell banquet for the prime ministers who had worked hard for state affairs for eight years.

During the Lantern Festival, Li Xuan brought his wife and children, and invited civil and military officials to Longshouyuan outside the city to enjoy the fireworks.

Colorful, its beauty is even better than iron flowers.

People were shocked by the strangeness of this flying across the sky.

Gorgeous fireworks bloomed in their hearts.

In Chang'an City, Yang Yuhuan, who heard the noise, went up to the attic in Taizhen Temple.

This three-story attic faces the direction of Longshouyuan.

Although she is very elegant, she is already thin.

The red face leaves the mirror, the flowers leave the trees, and they are the things that cannot be retained in this world.

Suddenly, in Yang Yuhuan's sight, a point of light, like a meteor with a long tail, rushed straight into the endless night sky.

"Boom!"

Instantly, there was a loud bang, like the sound of a drumstick striking the sky, breaking the silence of the night. The light burst out and turned into thousands of bright stars. For a moment, the entire sky was lit up.

The golden flames seemed to be tempered by the afterglow of the sun, and they hung down like fine tassels, flashing noble and dazzling light, wantonly swaying in the air, as if to re-gild the night sky. The pink halo was like the most beautiful petals in spring, stretching out layer by layer, soft and charming, slowly falling, adding a bit of charm to the cold night...

Yang Yuhuan used to like flowers blooming, but now she likes them falling.

In spring and autumn, whenever the flowers in the courtyard fell, he would play the zither and wait, or he would read the "Tang Monthly" which he had never missed, and wait for the wind to blow.

This fleeting thing brought flashes of memories to Yang Yuhuan's eyes.

I vaguely recall the time more than a decade ago when iron flowers were blooming in the Huaqing Palace.

But the iron flowers were not as beautiful as the fireworks of today. The miracle of them flying into the sky and blooming made her unable to blink.

After becoming a admirer of Christianity, Yang Yuhuan no longer wanted to gain anything.

Especially after Li Longji's death, Yang Yuhuan was also very sad.

But the fleeting falling flowers and the fleeting fireworks are destined to be memories that Yang Yuhuan will never forget...

I searched for him everywhere. Suddenly I looked back and found him, in the dimly lit place...

After the fireworks, the city of Chang'an was filled with the dancing of fishes and dragons all night long.

……

Just after the new year, the court’s new policy was officially launched.

Li Xuan at the first court meeting after the Lantern Festival.

Li Xian was dismissed from his position as Shangshu You Pushe and appointed as Tai Shi.

Pei Zunqing was dismissed from his post as Shangshu Zuo Pushe and appointed as Taifu.

Yang Wan was dismissed from his post as Zhongshu Ling and appointed Sikong.

He dismissed Liu Yan from his post as the Minister of Personnel and appointed him as the Right Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and officially appointed Liu Yan as the chief prime minister.

His term was only four years, but for a man with great ambitions, that was enough.

Choosing a chief prime minister among Liu Yan, Yang Wan and Yan Zhenqing is undoubtedly because Liu Yan has more comprehensive abilities and is better at coordinating.

Yan Zhenqing was dismissed from his position as Shizhong and appointed as Zhongshu Ling and Canzhi Zhengshi, the fourth prime minister.

He dismissed the Minister of War Li Mi from his post and appointed him as the Minister of the Left, the second prime minister.

The Minister of Rites Lu Sigong was changed to Shizhong, the fifth prime minister.

The Minister of Agriculture Zhang Hao, who had made great contributions in eliminating the inferior and improving the good, was promoted to the Minister of Personnel, Co-Prime Minister, and the third-rank prime minister.

Duan Xueshi, the Grand Protector of Hanhai, was changed to the Minister of War and Vice-President of State Affairs, becoming the sixth prime minister.

Wang Changling had made great contributions in relocating people over the years, and for that he was promoted to the position of Vice-Chancellor and became the seventh Prime Minister.

Originally, the Minister of Culture Gao Shi was qualified to be appointed as prime minister, but Gao Shi is now seriously ill and has resigned from his post.

Li Xuan was afraid of losing another friend.

In the Tian Ce Palace, Privy Councilor Feng Changqing retired and was appointed as Grand Marshal to live out his retirement.

Guo Ziyi retired and served as Minister of Education to support his old age.

Li Xuan promoted Nan Jiyun, the governor of Baihai Military Governor's Office, to be the Privy Councilor and in charge of Tiance Mansion.

Li Guangbi, Wang Nande, Zhang Xing and other envoys took turns.

Li Xuan asked Fengxiang Governor Che Shensai to concurrently serve as the weapons commander of Tiance Mansion.

After Li Xuan returned to Beijing, Che Shensai officially resigned as the governor of Fengxiang.

The governors of various places will also be rotated according to the allocation of the Tiance Palace.

Some governors retired and new governors and deputy governors came to power.

The terms of office of the governors in various places have expired, and they returned to Chang'an to report on their work in August this year.

August.

After Li Xuan's assessment, nine governors including Wei Zhi, Wei Lun, Chang Cui, Du Fu, Xiao Xin and Xu Yuan were promoted to assistant ministers.

Among them, Du Fu was the Minister of Culture.

In the next step, they may be promoted to Shangshu and then become prime minister.

After the governors of various places were arranged, Li Xuan asked several governors to retire because of their old age and return to the two capitals to hold nominal positions and enjoy their retirement.

Others changed places and prepared for the next term.

Li Xuan asked the prime ministers to evaluate the deputy governors in various places and promote those with outstanding performance to governors.

The local governor was promoted to deputy governor with preferential treatment, or appointed as a doctor in Chang'an.

Li Xuan recalled Anxi Protector-General Cen Shen and appointed him as Minister of Culture.

Wang Yu was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Chang Gun as the Minister of Punishment, Diwu Qi concurrently the Minister of Commerce, Cui Hanheng as the Minister of Rites, and Yang Yan as the Minister of Works…

These are also strong candidates for the next prime minister.

There were also some old ministers, such as Cui Guangyuan, Liu Zhiru, Zhang Renxian, Yan Gaoqing, etc., who retired due to age and health reasons. Li Xuanjie allowed them to retire with a honorary position of the first rank.

Li Xuan gave the position of Chief Censor to Zhang Xun, asking him to replace Yan Gaoqing and supervise all officials.

Now the Ministry of Censors has thirty supervisory departments. It is a huge organization and the person in charge must be upright and incorruptible.

Zhang Xun would do anything for the Tang Dynasty, and he was even more suitable to manage the Censorate than Yan Gaoqing.

In addition, Li Xuan handed over the Taifu, which was in charge of finances, to his former confidant Liu Dan, and granted Liu Dan the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi.

Xiao Hua was appointed as the Chief Justice of Dali Temple.

The position of Secretary General was held by Jia Zhi.

Although Yan Zhuang was one of the instigators of An Lushan's rebellion, Li Xuan still let him serve as the secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.

He was submissive in the court and lived in seclusion after court. He was grateful that he could live in peace until now and did not dare to have the slightest extravagant desire.

It took Li Xuan more than half a year to complete the arrangements for the new dynasty.

In this appointment and removal of officials, only the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Liao Zhengrong, and the three generals of the Imperial Guard, Pei Ying, Luo Xing, and Xue Cuo, remained unshakable.

In October of the ninth year of Qianyuan, officials from various places completed the handover.

The prime minister and officials of the Tiance Palace have all taken office.

Li Xuan also received unfortunate news that the great poet Gao Shi died of illness on October 2nd.

Li Xuan personally attended Gao Shi's funeral, wrote an epitaph for him, and posthumously awarded Gao Shi the title of Grand Marshal.

The great poets of the prosperous Tang Dynasty passed away one after another, and Li Xuan could not help feeling sad.

Fortunately, the torch was passed on, more poets and lyricists emerged, and the ancient Chinese literature movement was in full swing.

There are some poets that Li Xuan had never even heard of, but they were able to write excellent works.

After Gao Shi's funeral, in late October, Li Xuan led 5,000 troops from the Feilong Imperial Guard, Longwu Army, and Yulin Army to start the Western Expedition.

Li Xuan entrusted state affairs to prime ministers such as Liu Yan and Li Mi.

The defense of Chang'an and Luoyang was entrusted to the Jinyiwei commanders Liao Zhengrong, Luo Xing, Xue Cuo and Che Shensai.

In the past, every month, every prime minister had to send a briefing to Li Xuan so that Li Xuan could understand current affairs and give instructions on major issues, major corruption, and appointment and dismissal cases.

Half a year before Li Xuan's Western Expedition, the Shenji Camp had already taken the lead and headed for the Western Regions.

The 40,000 soldiers of the Shen Ce Guard and Tian Ce Guard have already arrived in Hezhong and are gathering their strength in anticipation of the next battle.

With the farewell of the prime minister and the people, Li Xuan, along with the crown prince Li Yi and the prince of Yan Li Song, set out on the journey...

(End of this chapter)