The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 330 You Are the Arms
But Guo Luotuo's eyes were bright. He had never gained so much in his life.

After sleeping for two hours, the team headed towards Tingzhou at dawn.

Guo Luotuo, sitting in the carriage, continued writing. The achievements in the Western Regions needed to be compiled into a book. This would be the most precious wealth left for the Tang Dynasty or for future generations.

Today, Guo Luotuo arrived in Tingzhou, and Pei Xingjian hurried to greet him, saying, "Guo Siqing, are you planning to return to Guanzhong?"

Guo Luotuo, carrying a bag, took his family and children and said, "Well, let's go back. From now on, the affairs of the Ili River will be handed over to Chongwenguan and General Liang."

In the Western Regions, Bai Fang is not important, even Xuanzang is not important, let alone this Protector General.

Guo Luotuo is the most important person in the Western Regions.

After resting in Tingzhou for two days, Guo Luotuo did not go to Xizhou, but went straight towards Chang'an.

A team of soldiers was arranged to escort them, and Pei Xingjian and Liang Jianfang bid farewell to Guo Luotuo and his family.

Bai Fang stood far behind, watching the group of people going away. He envied the Tang people who could come to the Western Regions at any time and return to their home in Guanzhong.

No matter how hard the Tang people worked, they always had a home far away in Guanzhong.

Guo Luotuo is the most important person in all the Tang army. He is not a general who can command with great confidence, nor is he a warrior who can fight bravely on the battlefield, but he is comparable to the thousands of soldiers of the Tang army.

His karez allowed the Tang people to rule the Western Regions, win over the hearts of the people there, and also enabled the Tang army to station troops in the Western Regions for a long time.

Winter has arrived in Guanzhong, and heavy snow has covered the entire land.

Today, two old friends, Xu Jingzong and Shangguan Yi, were waiting on the official road beside the Xianyang Bridge.

Shangguan Yi, hunching his neck in the heavy snow, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, said, "Have you really sent someone to check? Will he be here today?"

The court distributed cotton-padded clothes to officials. This kind of warm clothing has always been in great demand, and the two of them also got one.

Xu Jingzong was shaking off the snow on his shoulders. He almost looked like a snowman. He said, "After you meet him, you can go to Shandong."

Shangguan Yi took a breath of hot air and said, "Zhang Xingcheng went to Luoyang first, so he didn't leave so soon. There are still many things to prepare in the court. I can eat and drink well with you for a few days."

The sound of horse hooves came from the distance. The sound was very frequent, but it didn't sound like they were moving fast.

Shangguan Yi looked up from Xianyang Bridge and said with a smile, "Here they come!"

Xu Jingzong looked towards the Xianyang Bridge, where a group of soldiers were escorting two carriages.

When the carriage came closer, Shangguan Yi shouted, "Brother Guo!"

The carriage stopped on the official road. Guo Luotuo got off the carriage and smiled happily when he saw the two of them. He said, "It's been many years since we last met."

Shangguan Yi patted Guo Luotuo's shoulder heavily, but seeing that Guo Luotuo was now thinner and his back was more hunched, his heart ached when he smiled. He whispered, "You have suffered."

Xu Jingzong also said: "It's good that you're back. Now that you're back, you should rest well."

Guo Luotuo said: "I will report to the court first, and I dare not delay."

"It's okay, we'll go with you." Xu Jingzong pulled the horse from the side and followed the carriage.

Guo Luotuo asked, "How is Guanzhong these past two years?"

"Very good." Xu Jingzong said, "The grapes are selling very well, and the wheat and millet harvests are also better. Nine silt dams have been built all the way to Luoyang. Four years have passed, and a certain family is still the Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture, and Shangguan Yi is now the Imperial Censor."

Guo Luotuo sat on the shaft of the cart, stroking his sparse beard and said, "Jingzhao Prefecture cannot do without Xu Shaoyin, and no one can replace you."

Xu Jingzong sighed in the cold wind and said, "Yes, I am not happy if someone else sits in this position."

Along the way, Xu Jingzong told Guo Luotuo about the current changes in Guanzhong and how Jingzhao Prefecture overcame all difficulties and built the workshop with great difficulty.

Guo Luotuo asked: "Since the harvest in Guanzhong is better, why is the price of grain rising?"

Xu Jingzong explained: "It is precisely because of the changes in the past two years that the population moving into Guanzhong has reached nearly 100,000, and the number is increasing every month. Now all counties are carrying out workshop reconstruction. We have dismantled the county workshops, retained some of the staff, and let the residents of each county develop on their own."

"Think about it, a county workshop can only accommodate hundreds of people, but if each county is allowed to open its own workshop based on households, more workshops will require more people. This will not only solve the problem of population growth in Guanzhong, but also increase the tax on output. Everyone who enters the workshop will have to pay the city tax when they get their wages. This will kill two birds with one stone. In the words of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the price of grain in Guanzhong will continue to rise in the next few years."

"With more people, the price of food will go up, and the land will be more valuable."

Shangguan Yi said: "Not only that, there are many more craftsmen who can build houses in Guanzhong."

As he spoke, he pointed to the villages and counties in the distance and said, "Look at these newly built houses. They were built by the people who moved to Guanzhong."

Guo Luotuo hesitated and said, "Guanzhong is changing so fast."

Xu Jingzong said: "The county workshops are still preserved, not all replaced."

Shangguan Yi said: "Some people say that your Highness is moving too fast, but your Highness said that it's okay to move faster. If you will encounter problems sooner or later, it's better to encounter them sooner."

Guo Luotuo nodded and said, "Your Highness is indeed such a person. He is never afraid of making mistakes, but is afraid of not daring to do them."

Xu Jingzong stroked his beard, smiled and said nothing.

The one in power now is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Fortunately, Xu Jingzong did not follow the wrong person. His Highness has never been a person who retreats when faced with difficulties, but dares to face them head-on.

The construction of Guanzhong, no matter it was the workshop, the silt dam, or the construction of Chongwen Hall, each one was achieved by rising to the challenge.

If Guo Luotuo is the god that the people of the Western Regions hope will stay, then the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is the crown prince that the people of Guanzhong hope will ascend the throne as soon as possible.

Since the prince is not afraid of the consequences, what should the ministers be afraid of? Just go ahead and do it.

When the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was young, some people said that he was aloof and unkind.

Now the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is over 20 years old and holds great power. Some people say that this crown prince is bold, murderous, harsh and tough.

This is because a lot of things happened from last year to this year. Among the four captured royal family members who were made kings, two were punished. The prince also beheaded dozens of people and exiled nearly a hundred people.

When the carriage was about to arrive at Chang'an City, Guo Luotuo ordered people to stop the carriage and changed into the official uniform which he had not worn for a long time.

This official uniform is the one he has kept in the Western Regions until now, and it is still very clean. However, because it has been folded for too long, there are some creases on the fabric.

At this moment, in the heavy snow, he straightened his official uniform, put on his official hat and boots, straightened his back as much as possible, and walked towards Chang'an City.

The eunuchs in the palace had been waiting here for a long time. When they saw Guo Luotuo coming back, they said in a loud voice: "His Royal Highness has ordered that Guo Luotuo, the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, take a half-month break before going to the court to report on all matters in the Western Regions."

Guo Luotuo bowed and said, "I have sorted out many files and am about to present them to the court."

The eunuch asked, "Where is the file?"

Guo Luotuo stepped aside and lifted the curtain of the carriage behind him.

The carriage was filled with books, almost stacked up full.

The eunuch understood and ordered the carriage to be pulled away. Then he said, "Mr. Guo Si has come a long way. Go back and rest first. Mother Guo is still looking forward to your return." Hearing this, Guo Luotuo bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for taking care of my mother."

The eunuch smiled and said, "It's okay. Your Highness said that all ministers are the arms of the Tang Dynasty and are indispensable."

After saying this, Xu Jingzong and Shangguan Yi hurriedly led Guo Luotuo and his family into Chang'an.

The wind and snow were still blowing, flooding the houses in Chang'an City. Li Chengqian stood in front of the Secretariat and listened to the report from the returning eunuch.

Chu Suiliang looked at the full cart of files and said, "Your Highness, this is too much."

Li Chengqian picked up a volume and said, "I've finished reading it."

After reading the prince's words, Chu Suiliang felt distressed.

All the files were moved out and placed on the bookshelf of the Secretariat, and three volumes were emptied to store these files.

There are a total of 671 files. Judging from the handwriting, they were all written by Guo Luotuo himself. They all record the climate, land, karez, or fruit crops in the Western Regions.

In fact, in recent years, reports have been sent from the Western Regions intermittently.

Li Chengqian opened a huge map, which was a detailed map of the Western Regions, stretching from the Pamir Mountains in the west to the Hexi Corridor, and also included various trails and the distribution of mountains and deserts.

What surprised Li Chengqian was that desertification in the Western Regions two thousand years ago was not too serious.

Those thin lines marked the locations of the karez he dug in the Western Regions, and also indicated the depth and water output, as well as the number of acres of farmland that could be irrigated.

Using his own understanding, Guo Luotuo demarcated the cotton-growing area, and also marked out several high-yield fruit and vegetable growing areas and population settlements.

There were a few coughs heard in the Secretariat. Many people were working overtime here. There were many things to do next year.

Li Chengqian said to Yu Zhining who was also looking at the map, "Let them all go back and rest. This is the end of the year."

"Here."

Yu Zhining walked up to the crowd, gave an instruction or two, and everyone dispersed.

Prime Minister Fang and Duke Zhao did not work overtime. Those who worked overtime were officials of the fourth rank or below in the court.

If all officials above the fourth rank are here, then something big must have happened.

Chu Suiliang finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the Secretariat. He tapped his shoulder and said, "The knowledge of Jingzhao Prefecture is really difficult to understand."

Cen Wenben looked at the heavy snow, then looked at His Highness who was still flipping through the files, and whispered, "Do you know a saying that is circulating in Jingzhao Prefecture?"

Chu Suiliang stopped tapping his shoulders.

Cen Wenben said: "Learning is lifelong. To build our homeland, we must keep learning and studying. This is a lifelong process."

People walked into the heavy snow in twos and threes, some walking home at a fast pace and some at a slow pace.

Chu Suiliang lowered his head slightly, shrunk his neck and walked in the snow, saying: "The ideas of those old aristocrats and old families, such as land annexation and supporting nurses... are really boring and worthless to Chongwenguan, and not worth mentioning."

If you ask someone with experience, you will find that an illiterate person can annex land by using despicable means. These tricks have been used over and over again for thousands of years and are indeed not worth mentioning.

The production and construction methods advocated by Chongwenguan in the past two years are far superior to this.

In other words, those who are busy annexing land are wasting productivity.

The court was getting busier every year. The prince had to govern Shandong, investigating and reforming, building and producing, and advancing both ends at the same time.

The prince repeatedly tested the limits of the court officials' abilities.

Court officials could only use what they had learned throughout their lives to serve the country.

In the Ganlu Hall of the Imperial Palace, three middle-aged men were sitting around a hot pot.

Li Shimin said: "I heard that Duke Zheng's health has improved."

Changsun Wuji said: "It would be a good thing if Duke Zheng could recover."

Li Shimin added: "Dongyang said that we cannot let our guard down now. If nothing unexpected happens this winter, we can still enjoy our old age, but we can no longer manage government affairs."

Li Xiaogong turned his back and sneezed twice loudly, saying, "My nose is an old problem. It happens every winter. I am sorry for my rudeness."

Li Shimin poured him a bowl of warm wine and said, "You should also pay attention to recuperation."

Li Xiaogong held the wine bowl with both hands, took a sip and said, "Jingde has retired. How many heroes and heroes are left in the court now?"

Your Majesty has not been in a very good mood recently. The imperial grandson has been becoming more and more noisy. The puzzle that the Ministry of Works had just made was destroyed by the imperial grandson. Several of the famous inkstones that Your Majesty had collected from all over the place were also broken into pieces.

We really don’t dare to put valuable items in the Ganlu Hall. Today’s Ganlu Hall is simpler than before, even simpler than the Sanqing Hall.

Li Shimin said: "Cheng Qian wants to distribute the fiefs of Prince Teng and Prince Jiang to the villagers and farmers."

This is originally the fiefdom of the royal family, so it is difficult to comment on this matter, but fundamentally speaking, the land in the fiefdom should be considered as belonging to the royal family. It is a bit excessive for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to divide it up.

"After hearing Xuanling's talk about this, I have not yet agreed."

The hall was silent for a moment, and no one dared to get involved in this topic.

Zhang Sun Wuji asked tentatively: "Your Highness, why do you have such an idea?"

Li Shimin put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Xiaogong beside him.

"Hmm?" Li Xiaogong first looked at His Majesty, then looked at Changsun Wuji beside him. He noticed that the atmosphere was not right and no longer had the desire to eat the mutton from the pot. He quickly put down his chopsticks.

Li Shimin took a sip of wine and said, "I don't know who taught me that."

Changsun Wuji seemed to be thinking about something, then looked away, as if he was pondering.

Li Xiaogong, who was originally sitting on a stool, looked confused. He quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"Ok?"

"This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"Why did I hear that your house is full of gods and Buddhas, shining brightly?"

"Who said that? I'm going to fight him to the death. I can never forgive such a man!"

Li Shimin naturally knew what kind of people his brothers were. This kind of thing was definitely not something that Cheng Qian, who was taught by Xiaogong, could do. He couldn't even manage the Zongzheng Temple, and he asked his son to do the work. Not only was it embarrassing, but he was also asked to read more books before, but he couldn't read at all.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I also heard that Du He wants to sell the papermaking workshop to the court, and at a very low price."

(End of this chapter)