The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 346: Long-term vision

In Qianyang Palace, Cen Wenben said loudly: "Your Highness, I request your order to deal with Wei Ting!"

As soon as the words fell, someone in the hall shouted loudly again, "Deal with Wei Ting!"

"Take him to jail!"

"Dismiss him from office!"

The ministers were so enraged that they wanted to rush to Hebei right away and tear Wei Ting into pieces.

The old general Li Daliang stepped out of the court, saluted and said, "I am willing to lead the troops to capture Wei Ting and bring him to Luoyang."

Li Chengqian listened to everyone's story. Standing in front of the ministers, he noticed General Niu who was already standing outside the palace. "General, please enter the palace."

"Yes!" Niu Jinda responded and walked into the hall.
Looking at the unfamiliar hall, Niu Jinda felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, but he still strode into the hall, clasped his fists and said loudly: "I am General Niu Jinda, and I have been ordered by His Highness to come to Luoyang."

"Thank you, General."

After saying that, Niu Jinda stood in the court class together with Li Daliang.

Li Chengqian said: "Uncle, please explain the rules and regulations in detail about Guanzhong."

Changsun Wuji stepped out of the court and began to talk about the governance of the counties in Guanzhong.

Since the Tang Dynasty established its foothold in the Central Plains, all parts of the Central Plains were once in depression, and the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty almost destroyed the world.

This empire, which was mainly based on agriculture and had a weak foundation at the moment, was still a small peasant society mainly based in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins.

Guanzhong was also depressed at the time. When Jingzhao Prefecture first took over the agricultural affairs of Guanzhong, it found it difficult to handle many matters.

Nine years ago, after large quantities of grapes were grown in Guanzhong, Jingzhao Prefecture officially gained absolute say among farmers in various counties.

After that, the Hexi Corridor was built, and soap was used to trade with the Western Regions and merchants from all over the country. Guanzhong began a development plan lasting two three-year periods and one five-year period, thus forming primitive accumulation.

This original accumulation was very rare. Firstly, because of the war in the Western Regions, the first beneficiary was Guanzhong. Secondly, under the centralized rule, the emperor had great appeal and mobilized manpower.

War has its advantages and is not necessarily all bad. At least in the grand narrative of foreign wars, Guanzhong's basic base is very solid.

Guanzhong has gone through two three-year plans and one five-year development.

The next development direction of Jingzhao Prefecture is to obtain surplus value from agricultural civilization.

This surplus value is huge and very valuable, and today's agricultural civilization still has a large amount of surplus value.

The past ten years were difficult. Xu Jingzong was not a talented ruler, but he conquered the twelve counties of Guanzhong with his own fists. From the moment he took office, he fought from Lantian County to Gaoling County.

Li Chengqian also thought that it was rare for Xu Jingzong to be able to achieve this and to have served as the Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture for eleven years without going crazy.

Working at the same intensity day after day for ten years would probably drive someone else crazy.

It may also be because he had experienced the vicissitudes of the Sui Dynasty that he was more willing to take risks and became a cruel official.

Now my uncle is talking about the replacement of the village head in Guanzhong. This matter is mainly arranged by the teacher. The teacher ordered the people from Chongwenguan to set up chief clerks in each county. The people from Chongwenguan served as chief clerks, received salaries from the court, and were rotated.

The chief clerk can directly participate in governance and restrict the behavior of officials in counties and townships.

At first, the teacher thought of sending the government decree to the county, and his way of solving this problem was very simple. Now, the government decree needs to be not only sent to the county, but we have gone a step further and sent it directly to the township.

Chongwenguan not only provides teaching support, but also guides the mayors of each township from a certain perspective.

Regardless of the new township head's background, he must obey the arrangements of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and the chief clerk sent by the Chongwenguan can directly submit a memorial to replace the township head.

After Duke Zhao finished talking about the arrangements for Guanzhong this year, the sunlight outside the palace became brighter.

As the morning court session was about to end, Li Chengqian said, "Everyone, please go back to your work."

After everyone turned around, Li Chengqian said again: "Ma Zhou and General Niu stay for a while."

After everyone left the hall, Li Chengqian asked, "Do you know anything about the Hebei nobles?"

Ma Zhou saluted and said, "Your Highness, are you talking about the noble families in Hebei?"

"Well, Zhang Xuanbi didn't go with my father to the war, did he?"

Ma Zhou said: "This person is in Luoyang."

Li Chengqian said: "I see, he is a disciple of a great scholar, so he probably knows about the local nobles."

Ma Zhou added: "Your Highness, Zhang Xuanbi has always regarded himself as a disciple of a famous scholar. I'm afraid he would not want to get involved in Wei Ting's affairs."

"I just want to know why Wei Ting summoned the noble families and clans from all over the place and delayed the transportation of food and grass."

Hearing this, Ma Zhou's expression became a little more nervous.

If it was just to capture Wei Ting, I'm afraid Your Highness wouldn't be so hesitant.

Outside the palace, the previously indignant courtiers arrived at the official residence in twos and threes, and everyone looked puzzled and conflicted.

Normally, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should give orders now and order troops to capture Wei Ting.

But now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has left Ma Zhou and General Niu alone.

After the emperor left Luoyang, more and more court nobles came to Luoyang.

Outside Luoyang City, Hou Junji rode his horse to the city. He said to Li Chongyi who was accompanying him, "Luoyang used to be very depressed. I still remember that there were starving people everywhere outside Luoyang City."

Li Chongyi saw groups of vendors at the market on the edge of the city, and villagers going in and out of the city in twos and threes, which looked like a prosperous scene.

Along with Hou Junji came a group of farmers from Guanzhong who came here to sell sheep.

When the lambs were brought to Luoyang, someone asked, "How can Guanzhong raise so many lambs?"

"This little brother must have heard that Guanzhong does not allow us herders to raise too many sheep. A household cannot have more than ten sheep, and a county cannot have more than a thousand. These are the sheep of several households combined, and we brought them to Luoyang to sell."

If an old shepherd can understand the governance strategies of Guanzhong so well, people in other places would probably be surprised.

But this kind of thing is very common in the counties of Guanzhong, and the officials in each county are eager to let the villagers recite it.

Hou Junji looked at the villagers behind him. They all followed him and were led to Luoyang by the nobles, so they could be less questioned.

Hearing that Niu Jinda had come to Luoyang, he naturally wanted to come and see him. He asked the guards at the city gate and learned where Li Daliang lived. Then he walked quickly to

Luoyang City looks a bit old everywhere, but it has a large population.

Since the battle in the Western Regions, although Hou Junji could no longer lead troops, his relationship with the generals in the army was still good.

Li Daliang settled down in Luoyang.

Hou Junji explained his purpose and walked into the house with the gatekeeper.

Li Daliang, who had just finished his morning court session and changed out of his court robes, saw Hou Junji and asked, "Why are you here?"

Hou Junji put a jar of wine on the table with a smile, "Come and see the brothers, eh? Where's Niu Jinda?"

Li Daliang was not in the mood to drink, so he explained, "When I arrived in Luoyang, His Highness kept me in the palace. He was probably still discussing with Ma Zhou that something had happened to Wei Ting, who was the transport envoy in Hebei."

Hou Junji was somewhat suspicious, and then said, "Wei Ting should have been killed back then."

Li Daliang nodded. Before His Majesty ascended the throne, Wei Ting was demoted for a time because of Li Jiancheng's affair. Later, when His Majesty ascended the throne, the court was short of officials, and Wei Ting was recommended to the court.

Li Daliang looked at Li Chongyi who was standing beside him, "Why are you here?"

"My father in Chang'an is concerned about the situation in Luoyang, so he ordered my nephew to come and visit the general."

Li Daliang nodded and said nothing more.

Li Chongyi said, "My nephew still remembers that my father said that Your Majesty actually didn't like Wei Ting, so why did he give him such an important position as the Transport Commissioner?"

The younger generations may not have a deep impression of it, but Hou Junji and Li Daliang know very well that the Crown Prince and the King of Qin were in a fierce dispute back then, and Wei Ting wanted to poison the King of Qin back then.

At that time, the emperor was still in power and he dismissed this man from office and exiled him.

Later, due to the advice of the court and the influence of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, His Majesty summoned Wen Ting back.

Li Chongyi's words woke them up.

Why was Wei Ting appointed as the transport envoy?

Seeing that the two elders had a lot to talk about, Li Chongyi left on his own accord. He happened to see General Ma Zhou and General Niu Jinda riding horses with a team of soldiers out of Luoyang City.

After leaving the mansion, Li Chongyi came to Chongwenguan in Luoyang.

Zhang Daan looked at the visitor and said, "How come Master Chongyi has the time to come to Luoyang City?"

The two knew each other when they were young. They were of similar age and had a good relationship since childhood, and it is still the same now.

Li Chongyi sat in front of the door and said, "Now, Chongwen Hall is very powerful in Guanzhong."

“That’s what should be done.”

"What's going on with Wei Ting?"

Zhang Daan smiled and said, "Why are you asking these questions?"

Seeing that the other party looked as if it had nothing to do with him, Li Chongyi frowned and said, "No word has been sent from the court so far. How will Your Highness deal with Wei Ting?"

"Alas..." Zhang Da'an walked out with a book in his hand, looking at the prosperous Luoyang City and said, "At that time, His Majesty ordered the noble families in Shandong and Hebei to forbid intermarriage."

Li Chongyi asked, "What does this have to do with Wei Ting?"

"After His Majesty's decree was issued, not only did the noble families in various places not restrain themselves, but they gained even greater prestige because of this decree. They made up stories to justify themselves, saying that even the emperor was afraid of them, which invisibly gave them even greater prestige."

"In our Chongwenguan article, there is also a discussion about the relationship between aristocratic families and the imperial examination. Today's aristocratic families have not yet separated from the local areas. They are always aristocratic families in Shandong or Hebei. Aristocratic families do not like the imperial examination, but they let their children participate in the imperial examination very actively."

"From this we can see that the aristocratic families no longer oppose the imperial examinations, but participate in them. They want to control the imperial examinations, control the number of successful candidates, and thus control the court and the path to officialdom. In this way, the aristocratic families will move out of the local areas and truly cut off the path for poor children to enter officialdom."

"The aristocratic families have been operating for hundreds of years. They will exploit the stable country. The stronger the Tang Dynasty is, the happier they are. The imperial examination is a panacea for the country and an opportunity for the aristocratic families to be promoted from the local areas to the court, thus becoming a pair of big hands that control the fate of everyone. Therefore..."

After a pause, Zhang Daan continued, "They now want to shed their local titles and become a family of the Tang Dynasty, rather than a family of some locality. They arrogantly believe that the emperor and the prince cannot see this critical point."

Li Chongyi was surprised and asked, "Do you think so far?"

Zhang Daan smiled and said, "Speaking of Wei Ting's case, I thought of these. The prince often said that treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause is equivalent to not treating it at all. In other words, we should look at the long term. Is it important to arrest Wei Ting? If we only arrest him, it would be treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause."

Li Chongyi stood up and said, "You have changed. You used to be a pure and kind person."

"Brother Chongyi, you're joking. I haven't changed."

In June of the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, Qibi Heli and Li Ji's army arrived at Liaoxi County on the border of Youzhou.

Zhang Jian, who was preparing the army for the emperor in Youzhou, greeted the two men.

The three generals came into the big tent, and Qibi Heli sat on one side.

Li Ji looked at the map and asked, "How far is it from here to Liaoshui?"

"A fast horse only needs one day." Zhang Jian asked again, "How long will it take for Your Majesty to arrive?"

“July at the earliest.”

"July..." Zhang Jian murmured, "It's slower than expected."

Qibi Heli looked sullenly at the map, and said unhappily, "Let's go and help His Majesty conquer Liaoshui first."

Zhang Jian hesitated and said, "There are heavy troops stationed on the other side of the Liao River. Goguryeo has been prepared for this. Now the army has not arrived yet..."

"Qibi Heli, how many cavalry do you have?"

Before he could finish his words, he heard Li Ji asking a question.

Zhang Jian sighed helplessly after his speech was interrupted.

"four thousand."

"That's enough. I still have 5,000 soldiers under my command. I order the soldiers to rest for a day and a night. We will cross the river at the emperor's hour the next day."

Zhang Jian advised: "If His Majesty asks about this, how should we explain it?"

Li Ji said loudly: "The punishment will be military law."

Qibi Heli said: "This is just a small matter, your majesty does not need to take action, we are enough."

Looking at the two fierce men in front of him, Zhang Jian was speechless again.

Qibi Heli has fought for Your Majesty in many campaigns for many years. Duke Ying defeated tens of thousands of people from Mobei with only 5,000 cavalrymen. They were all top-notch warriors in the army.

Zhang Jian knew that he could not stop these two powerful men, so he had to truthfully inform the emperor in the rear about the plans of Qibi Heli and Ying Gong.

At noon the next day, a vanguard cavalry of the Tang army crossed the river under the cover of darkness.

The target this time is Anshi City across the Liao River.

While these people were crossing the river, Duke Ying Li Ji ordered the army to march south and approach Huaiyuan on the east bank of the Liaoshui River, making a feint to attract the attention of the Goguryeo people.

Duke Ying led a team and crossed the Liao River with King Jiangxia Li Daozon on the north side of the river while the Goguryeo people were guarding Anshi City and Huaiyuan.

The Tang army deployed its forces quickly, so quickly that the Goguryeo people did not expect the Tang army to attack so soon. They even received the letter from the Heavenly Khan just two days ago and thought that the Heavenly Khan would not care about the matter of Yeon Gaesomun.

As soon as they crossed the Liao River, a soldier came riding up and shouted, "General! Qibi Heli and General Xue Wanbei are attacking Anshi City."

Li Ji suddenly smiled and said, "Okay! We will be your Majesty's vanguard and seize the Liao River."

At this moment, under the city of Anshi, the Tang army and the Goguryeo people were fighting. When daybreak just came, the Tang army had arrived at the city, and now the Tang army began to attack the city.

Liu Jun'ang, the captain of the front army, had just fought his way out of the crowd when he looked up and saw another wave of Goguryeo people coming towards him. He breathed heavily and was too exhausted to lift his sword.

Just as the Goguryeo people were about to surround and kill them, suddenly a fast horse came galloping from afar.

It came quickly, and after just one encounter, the Goguryeo general's head was no longer on his neck.

The Tang cavalryman held the head in his hand and shouted to the Tang army behind him: "General Xue Rengui has been ordered to come to your aid."

(End of this chapter)