The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 345: Sitting up in a dream

In May, my father's army finally sent news that the army had arrived at Yecheng, which was occupied by Cao Cao back then. In other words, the army had reached the border of Hebei. According to this pace, the emperor's letter should have arrived in Luoyang by now.

In other words, the Eastern Expedition Army should have left Hebei and started heading towards Youzhou.

Li Chengqian was looking at the letter sent by his father. In Yecheng, Hebei, his father evaluated Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao, saying that Cao Cao was able to make changes in times of crisis and although he was able to anticipate the enemy and make unexpected plans, he had more than enough wisdom as a general, but not the talent to lead an army of ten thousand chariots.

The general meaning is that he is more than capable of being a general, but not enough to be an emperor.

When my uncle heard the news, he laughed out loud and pointed at the retired emperor and scolded him, saying that the current Khan had the same character as the retired emperor.

Li Chengqian was a little depressed when he heard the news. Of course, this was all his father's personal behavior and had little to do with his own prince. It basically had nothing to do with him.

My father's comments on Cao Cao soon spread throughout the court and the country.

Li Chengqian watched as the memorials of advice were delivered to his desk one by one and slowly piled up.

The three brothers and sisters sitting in the hall were feeling a little bored.

"Sometimes, I think it's not good if the paper is too cheap."

Knowing her brother's helplessness, Li Lizhi looked through the memorials of persuasion and admonition, as well as the eunuchs who came in and out of the palace and continuously delivered memorials.

"In fact, it's okay for my father to comment on Cao Cao, and everyone knows it." Li Lizhi was a little depressed about this.

What else can be done? The words have been spoken, and Emperor Taizong's evaluation of Emperor Cao Cao of Wei has finally been written into the history books.

Dongyang also had a worried look on his face.

Because of the news sent from Chang'an, Doctor Sun left Chang'an again. No one knew how long he would be away this time, where he would go, and when he would come back.

Dongyang whispered, "Sister, I always feel that Dr. Sun will not come back this time. He has already done what he wanted to do in Chang'an."

Li Lizhi said, "Zhi Nu and Shen Di only arrived in Bozhou in April, and they only sent the letter now. They must have been having fun on the way."

Li Chengqian was still worried about his father's evaluation of Cao Cao.

Therefore, the three brothers and sisters in the hall each had their own troubles.

Li Lizhi asked, "Do you want to explain to the court officials?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "No explanation, let someone hand all these memorials over to the emperor. The emperor... forget it, whatever."

"Okay." Li Lizhi nodded, picked up a thick booklet and left with Dongyang.

Among the many memorials admonishing the emperor, there was one sent by the Ministry of Personnel.

After more than a month of rotation and adjustment, the Ministry of Personnel finally resolved the problems in various counties and townships in Guanzhong. After reorganization and adjustment, and with the arrangements made by Prime Minister Fang in Guanzhong, the problems in various counties were finally settled.

Since then, Guanzhong has added 331 townships, with an officially settled population of nearly 200,000, and the population is still increasing.

As a result, the total population of Guanzhong has reached 2.71 million.

Such a powerful Guanzhong gave many officials in Luoyang tremendous confidence. Even if the Central Plains were in chaos again, with the solid foundation of Guanzhong, the worst that could happen was another expedition.

With the basic base in Guanzhong stable and the Hexi Corridor, Songzhou and the construction of the Western Regions in the rear, the foundation of the Li Tang Dynasty was laid firmly.

And this foundation is very rich.

Li Chengqian flipped through the report and found that the population of Guanzhong could actually increase further, even to five million or seven million.

Only with talented people can there be construction; if people leave, we will be abandoned.

Therefore, we must continue to develop and continue to build.

There is one piece of definite good news. Trees have been planted in the Gobi Desert west of the Hexi Corridor for ten years. The criminals who were exiled to the Western Regions and the herdsmen of Tuyuhun have planted a very vast poplar forest. In a few years, this poplar forest can be planted all the way to Shazhou.

This is extremely exciting news. This achievement was not achieved overnight, but the result of people continuously planting trees in the Gobi Desert over the past decade.

In the past, it cost soap to ask them to plant trees. After Gaochang City was conquered by the Tang army, they no longer gave soap, but instead exchanged horses and camels with the herdsmen who planted trees.

Now the entire Western Regions belongs to the Tang Dynasty, and there are as many camels and horses as you want.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Censor Ma Zhou is here."

Li Chengqian put down the memorial and said, "Let him in."

Ma Zhou walked into the hall and bowed. He first looked at the prince's expression and said, "The prince seems to be in a good mood today."

"I heard something very interesting, it's worth being happy about."

Ma Zhou bowed and said, "I have heard something that has spoiled my mood."

Li Chengqian said: "It's okay to talk about it. There have been enough disappointing things recently."

Ma Zhou reported: "I heard that Duke Zhao ordered officials from all counties in Shandong Bozhou to come to Luoyang to report on their work. Thirty percent of the county officials responded, while the rest of the county officials claimed to be ill and shirked their responsibilities. Is this true?"

"some."

This is exactly why my uncle thinks the Bozhou issue is tricky, but from my own point of view, my uncle's handling of the matter is still too cautious.

Ma Zhou continued, "I am from Bozhou, Shandong."

It turned out that Bozhou, which was to be renovated, was Ma Zhou's hometown. Li Chengqian was a little confused.

"I was born in a poor family, my family was a poor farmer in Bozhou. When I was young, I followed Chang He and was later appointed by Your Majesty. Now many people in Bozhou have heard that I was appointed as the governor, and they also learned that Duke Zhao was investigating Bozhou, so they wrote to ask me."

Seeing the prince drinking tea with a calm expression, Ma Zhou continued: "If Your Highness wants to investigate the counties, I can write a letter to help Your Highness investigate the counties in Bozhou. However, there are county magistrates who are dedicated to governing, and there are also arrogant and tyrannical ones. But even if these county magistrates come to Luoyang."

"Listening to their reports on their work and how their governance is going is just one-sided."

Li Chengqian said, "So I asked Shangguan Yi, Li Yifu, Zhinu and Shendi to go to Bozhou. Don't worry, if they are county magistrates who can govern properly, I will let them go back to continue their duties. Otherwise, they will be dismissed from their posts or even punished with serious crimes."

Led by Shangguan Yi, Li Yifu, Li Zhi and Li Shen, they investigated various places in Bozhou like a patrol team. On the surface, they were escorted, but secretly protected by the Right Marshal of the Eastern Palace to avoid local conflicts.

Seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince walking towards him, Ma Zhou lowered his posture even more.

Li Chengqian walked out of the hall, looked at the repaired Qianyang Hall, and whispered: "You think that since you were born in Bozhou, it would be better for you to investigate, right?"

Ma Zhou still bowed, "I know Bozhou very well."

"From a standpoint, you are from Bozhou, so you should avoid suspicion." "Your Majesty..."

Li Chengqian said: "The people who are inspecting Bozhou this time are not from Bozhou. Let's see the results this time. Every year, there will be officials inspecting from all over the country. It will become a regular practice and will be implemented for a long time. Whether it is Shandong, Hebei, or Jiangnan, it will be the same. People will take turns to supervise each other."

Ma Zhou said: "If the court is too harsh on local officials, they may be even harsher on local villagers."

"But we cannot do without supervision. Ordinary people can retreat when faced with difficulties, but we cannot. Just like the emperor knew that the disadvantages of the expedition to the east outweighed the advantages, but for the sake of the people's hearts and the country, he still launched the expedition. In fact, the emperor could have chosen not to go on the expedition and stayed in the palace, even if he went out hunting."

"But even so, we still faced the challenge head-on and wiped out the resentment left by the people from the previous Sui Dynasty, bringing stability to the country and winning the hearts of the people."

"For hundreds of years, the Central Plains has had too many problems left by successive dynasties. Just last month, I received another memorial from Hebei, in which someone impeached Wei Ting, the Hebei transport envoy who presided over this grain and fodder transportation."

"It is said that he spent all day hanging out with local nobles, and even once advised the front army to slow down its march, in fact, to delay the march. However, he spent all day preparing banquets in the rear, neither running for his duties nor checking whether the canal was unobstructed. Instead, he built ships to transport grain, causing the canal to be congested and impassable. Fortunately, Zhang Jian in Yingzhou had already stockpiled grain and grass."

"This is how our father's army arrived in Yingzhou and received food and supplies."

Ma Zhou was surprised and asked, "Is there such a thing?"

Li Chengqian took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "This was sent by my brother Ke, who follows father. If he hadn't sent the letter, I wouldn't have known about it. In the letter, my brother Ke was very angry about this. He wanted to go to Hebei several times and kill Wei Ting, but he had a military post and couldn't do anything without authorization."

Ma Zhou replied, "Your Highness, I have long advised Your Majesty that Wei Ting is stubborn and self-willed. Appointing him as the transport envoy may cause problems."

"So, you decide whether supervision is important and whether it needs to be carried out persistently. Even if there is a knife hanging over the heads of officials in the Tang Dynasty, inspections are worth it."

This was an extremely infuriating thing, and Ma Zhou really wanted to chop off Wei Ting's head with his own hands.

But when the prince said it, it was so easy, as if he was numb and accustomed to it. Ma Zhou said sadly: "I beg your Highness to abolish Wei Ting's post as the transport envoy and arrest him in Luoyang for delaying military affairs. I am willing to go to Hebei in person to inspect the local area."

Li Chengqian said with his hands in his pockets: "Okay, in two days, when my decrees and documents are ready, I will order you to be the Imperial Censor of Hebei Province and inspect all the places."

"Here."

So, my father has good intentions.

"Your Highness, why are you standing here?"

Ma Zhou had already left. Li Chengqian stood in front of the hall, looked at Ning'er who was speaking, and said with a smile, "King of Han Li Yuanchang sent me a memorial. He said that my life was too dull, and in order to have more heirs, he asked me to take in a few more concubines. When your father returns victorious next year, he will be even happier to see that the East Palace has more heirs."

Ning'er frowned and said nothing.

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "Why do these uncles like to meddle in other people's business so much?"

Ning'er still kept her head down and said nothing.

"In fact, life is always better the calmer it is." Li Chengqian took her hand and said, "Don't take it to heart."

Ning'er knew clearly in her heart that it didn't matter whether she was the Crown Princess or not.

They each gave birth to a son and a daughter, and the treatment was completed last year, which was also Dongyang's instruction.

Therefore, they avoided the marriage ceremony for some time.

The couple walked hand in hand. Li Chengqian continued, "I'm afraid we'll have to kill some people and dismiss some people this year. We can't leave everything to my uncle. After all, he's loyal to my father..."

Ning'er suddenly laughed as she listened to the Crown Prince's complaints about court officials and state affairs.

"What's wrong with people in this world? Hasn't it been the Han Dynasty that people value being a minister? How can someone not think about the country?"

As soon as he walked into the bedroom, His Highness complained again.

Su Wan supervised her son's meal. Little Yu Tu was putting rice into his mouth with a wooden spoon, looking around from time to time, and was not concentrating on eating.

After hearing His Highness' words, Su Wan, who was from a well-known family and had profound knowledge, explained: "After the Han and Wei dynasties, the rites and laws were lost for a time. Although the Sui Emperor unified the Central Plains, it only lasted for a short period of 38 years."

Li Chengqian said: "Perhaps by tomorrow, everyone in the government and the country will want to eat Wei Ting alive."

Seeing her son reaching out to take the toy again, Su Wan glared at him and little Yu Tu had to lower his head and continue eating.

Since the prince's transfer order was sent to Songzhou in March, on this day in mid-May, General Niu Jinda finally arrived in Luoyang.

After this rotation, people from all walks of life could feel it. Li Zhen, who is now stationed in the Hexi Corridor and Songzhou, and the newly appointed Songzhou garrison general Wang Xuance, Anxi Protectorate Governor Pei Xingjian, and Tingzhou General Liang Jianfang.

After Niu Jinda was transferred back, the remaining four cities in the Hexi Corridor were guarded by General Li Zhen's Hexi Zhechoufu with 60,000 troops.

General Liang Jianfang led 50,000 troops in Tingzhou Protectorate.

Although Pei Xingjian was only a protector general, he still had 20,000 soldiers under his command.

There are still 40,000 troops garrisoning Songzhou and 30,000 troops stationed in Qinghai.

Two Protectorates, a Hexi Corridor, Qinghai is an important place for farming, Songzhou is a place, if these generals are all under the command of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace...

In the past, all the officials in the court thought that the prince had no troops, but it seemed that it happened in the blink of an eye, without any movement.

The ministers then reacted, as if they had suddenly awakened from a dream in the middle of the night, and realized that the prince already had five brave generals, six armies, and an army of 200,000.

They all guarded the important western roads in Guanzhong, with Li Zhen as the center and the Hexi Corridor as the key location. If they moved westward, they could transport supplies to the Western Regions and Songzhou. If they retreated, they would use Songzhou and the Hexi Corridor as places for farming and storing grain.

All the counties in Guanzhong are under the rule of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. They have a foundation of development for more than ten years and a population of more than two million.

There was also Prime Minister Fang who was in charge of the government affairs in Guanzhong. Even Duke Li Wei and the Prince of Hejian lived in Guanzhong.

There is a large army stationed in the west. Guanzhong is a wealthy land. The prince is in Luoyang to handle state affairs. Behind Luoyang, that is, behind the prince, there is such a strong force.

The abundance of soldiers, money, food and population is outrageous.

The court officials were in a daze. When did the Tang Dynasty have such a powerful prince?

This prince is still so humble and relies on court officials.

General Niu Jinda arrived in Luoyang and came to the newly renovated Qianyang Palace at the morning court today, ready to meet the prince.

The ministers were standing in the hall. Ma Zhou was holding a memorial and cursing, "I will kill Wei Ting with my own hands."

Niu Jinda then stood in front of the hall.

As a veteran, he looked calm, but when he heard Ma Zhou's angry curse, he looked surprised and suspicious, wondering what had happened.
Note: Zizhi Tongjian, "Sacrificial Essay to Emperor Taizu of Wei" Emperor Taizong's evaluation of Cao Cao.

Note: New Book of Tang: After Wei Huaizhi returned to the court, he impeached Wei Ting, saying, "Wei Ting prepares banquets every day without considering his duties. He does not go to inspect whether the canal is unobstructed. I am afraid that the food and grass needed by the army are not as good as Your Majesty originally thought." Taizong was angry and sent Li Daoyu, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Works, to replace Wei Ting, and ordered Tang Lin, the Imperial Censor, to escort him to Luoyang and demote him to a commoner.
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(End of this chapter)