The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 435: Which emperor has never encountered rebels?
The officials of the Tang Dynasty are neither good nor bad. It is the collective consensus of the civil servants that a civil servant who cannot defeat a military general is not a good civil servant.

The conflicts between the civil and military officials in the government and the country have existed for a long time, and have become even more so since the students from Chongwenguan went to the army.

The military generals had long been dissatisfied with those teachers. The soldiers, including these old generals, had to follow them to read and write, which was almost driving those old generals crazy.

This is how the current situation of being as hostile as fire and water came about.

Li Chengqian walked out of the Taiji Hall for only ten steps before he stopped and ordered, "Ask the Imperial Medical Bureau to prepare a few more doctors who are good at treating injuries or trauma."

"Here."

At this point, he added: "Let the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau go over there."

"Here."

Back in the new palace, Li Chengqian looked at the map in front of him. There were still many small countries in the current Nanzhao territory, such as Zhenla further south, or the Mi Kingdom.

There are some records of these small countries in the Book of Sui, but they are rarely seen in the books of the Jin Dynasty due to wars.

Today, the Tang Dynasty is still vague about the territory south of Nanzhao.

The only things we know are these place names.

The eunuch handed over a scroll and said, "Your Majesty, this is the letter from the Arab envoy."

Li Chengqian took the scroll and saw some crooked Arabic characters. He couldn't understand what was written on it and the characters were very ugly.

Li Chengqian could only know some of the reasons based on the confession submitted by Jingzhao Prefecture, such as that the Arab envoy was sent by the current fourth Caliph of the Arabs.

Caliph was a title similar to ruler in the Caliphate, and the first ruler of the Caliphate was a prophet. Later, several Caliphs of the Caliphate expanded westward and eastward.

But how many years has it been since the Tang Dynasty became powerful? Ten years, twenty years?

This is already the fourth caliph, and their rulers are far too short-lived.

Li Chengqian closed the confession submitted by Jingzhao Prefecture, rubbed his brows and recalled that the territory of the Arab Empire at that time should have been extremely large, and it should have been their most prosperous period.

If the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire were to go to war, it would be a war between the two largest civilized empires in the world.

A small figure walked into the hall, and Xiao Que'er looked at the eunuch standing in the hall.

All the eunuchs here smiled at the princess, including the oldest one, whose eyes narrowed with laughter.

The eunuchs said nothing and allowed the little princess to walk into the palace.

"Daddy, are you tired?"

Li Chengqian heard his daughter's words and smiled, "Not tired."

Little Que'er grabbed the edge of the table with both hands. She stood on tiptoe and pursed her lips to look up, wanting to see what the document was that was troubling her father so much, and he looked as if he was facing a great enemy.

Li Chengqian simply picked her up, put her on the table, and let her watch.

Little Que'er frowned as he read the memorial, trying to see if there was anything bad about his father between the lines.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of the Central Secretariat is here."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Let him in. Que'er will play with you after noon. Go and play with your old man."

Only then did the little magpie retreat sensibly.

As soon as she reached the palace gate, she saw Cen Wenben who was about to enter the palace. The little girl turned her head and left arrogantly.

Cen Wenben bowed to the princess and then hurried into the palace.

Li Chengqian sorted out the memorials on the table and said, "My daughter is playing around, I made you laugh."

Cen Wenben bowed and said, "Your Majesty is joking."

"I have read many files from previous years on the affairs of the Arabs."

Cen Wenben asked again: "Your Majesty, are you going to go to war with the Arabs?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "I want to hear your opinions."

In this regard, Cen Wenben began to explain the current situation in Guanzhong and other parts of the Central Plains, especially in Guanzhong. The construction of workshops once threatened farming, not to mention the need to recruit soldiers to attack the Arab Empire. For the development of the people's livelihood in Guanzhong, the productivity and surplus value of the villagers in various counties were almost used up.

In other words, Cen Wenben still advocated not recruiting soldiers in Guanzhong, not to mention that it is very difficult to conscript corvée labor now.

All in all, the population is still not enough.

Li Chengqian also wanted to tell Cen Wenben that if the Central Plains wanted to become rich and develop, it could not do without expanding its territory, and more resources were needed to feed this huge empire.

Furthermore, the story of the Japanese has proved that expanding territory can bring great benefits.

But when the words came to his lips, Li Chengqian still asked: "Can the troops of the Western Regions stop the attack of the Black-robed Arabs?"

"Your Majesty, I have read the confession of the Jingzhao Prefecture after interrogation. The Arab envoy said that they have a million troops."

"One million?" Li Chengqian suddenly smiled and said, "You dare to ask for it."

Cen Wenben said: "Your Majesty, I have also read the Persian's statement that the Arabs do have a million-strong army."

"I remember that Persia is now a place where bandits are rampant. According to reports from the Western Regions in recent years, bandits went to Persia to plunder and then took the goods to the Western Regions to sell?"

Li Chengqian asked someone to give the old minister a seat, and then said in a more relaxed tone: "In fact, the Arab Empire is still some distance away from the Western Regions. I am not in a hurry. What should be in a hurry are those small countries between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire."

"Five-colored salt and gold are indeed very tempting. My ministers have always been tough. I can understand their threats to attack the Arabs, but it has only been four years since the end of the Eastern Expedition. The Eastern Expedition almost emptied out most of the Central Plains. Now we can't afford such consumption."

Cen Wenben is an old minister in the court. He has been in the position since the early years of Zhenguan. It is possible that in two years, he will retire from his position as the Minister of the Central Secretariat.

After all, he is much older than his uncle.

Li Chengqian personally poured a bowl of tea for the old minister.

Cen Wenben took the teacup with both hands and said, "I hope Your Majesty will understand."

He still had to listen to the advice of the Minister of the Central Secretariat, but if he compromised and formed a friendly alliance with the Arabs and gave up the five-color salt and gold there, then he, Li Chengqian, would no longer be Li Chengqian.

The emperor talked to Cen Wenben about another kind of political wisdom.

For Cen Wenben, this was a field he had never touched before.

Li Chengqian said: "Both sides of the Ili River and even the hinterland of the Tianshan Mountains have their own unique advantages in stationing troops. In addition, the Sinong Temple has built a production and defense palace at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. They are gradually expanding the cotton cultivation and fruit planting areas."

"The court has not sent food to Tianshan for six consecutive years. Fifty thousand soldiers can be self-sufficient. The Tang Dynasty is not afraid of war. If they dare to attack the Tang Dynasty, we will return tenfold. Therefore, I decided to take advantage of the inherent advantages of the hinterland of Tianshan to build a war preparation area in case of emergency. I will move some of the soldiers in Tingzhou to the foot of Tianshan, build a war preparation area with the Yili River as the boundary, and unite with the people of the Western Regions to guard Tianshan."

"In addition, we will borrow troops from Songzhou to go to Tianshan, increase the number of troops to 80,000, recruit Tibetan youths over 20 years old from Songzhou into the Tang army as successor troops, drive out the enemies west of the Ili River, set up a defense line, and expand the Protectorate. So far, in addition to the Tang army, there are Tibetan soldiers and Western Region soldiers in the Western Regions. This is the lowest cost in exchange for defense."

After His Majesty finished speaking, Cen Wenben held the tea bowl in both hands and did not drink it. He was digesting these words, which seemed not difficult to understand. Until he bid farewell to His Majesty, Cen Wenben never mentioned anything about the Arabs again in the next few days.

Both the government and the public felt that the elderly Minister of the Chancellery was about to retire.

The emperor still has not summoned the envoys from the two countries who are in the dungeon of Jingzhao Prefecture. They have been imprisoned for more than a month and it is rumored that they have gained a lot of weight.

Li Chengqian and Duke Ying left Chang'an City and watched people drying this year's harvest.

Li Ji said: "Your Majesty can send Su Dingfang to Tianshan."

Li Chengqian walked along with his hands in his pockets, saying, "Su Dingfang has retired, so why not let Lord Lu go?"

Li Ji frowned and said, "I heard that Lord Lu's son is in the Anxi Protectorate?"

"Yes, I sent it."

"I will arrange this matter after I return."

"The construction of a war preparedness zone cannot be accomplished overnight. We need to take our time." Li Chengqian stopped and handed over a letter, saying, "Would you like to take a look, Lord Ying?"

Li Ji took the letter, folded the paper in half, and looked at the contents with a serious expression.

Li Chengqian took an orange from the basket of the eunuch beside him, and handed two to Ying Gong, saying, "They are sent from Lingnan, and they are very sweet."

Li Chengqian ate while walking.

Li Ji was eating an orange and reading the letter, looking unhappy as he said, "I didn't expect they were still bothering about the teaching issue. If the old thief Chang Sun was here, he would definitely punish them."

After finishing his meal, Li Chengqian sighed, "The nobles in various parts of the Central Plains are not as obedient as those in Guanzhong. Now they have united with the remaining forces of the aristocratic families. Some people will always have rebellious intentions. We can't catch them all or kill them all."

"Your Majesty, shall we arrest them?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and laughed, "They hope to unite the world's celebrities to build a college to attract students from all over the country, so as to fight against the teaching support. It's a ridiculous way to save themselves, and it's also a ridiculous way to resist."

"Mr. Ying, I think that as long as we issue a decree to limit the number of bookstores in the prefectures and cities of the Central Plains, and no one is allowed to open a bookstore or participate in the imperial examinations without the permission of the court, their resistance will become a joke. After all, the world belongs to the Li Tang Dynasty."

Li Ji no longer had the nervous expression he had before, but instead began to smile in a relaxed manner.

Li Chengqian continued peeling oranges as he walked, and asked, "Have you sent oranges to Brother Shen and the others?"

The eunuch beside him replied, "Your Majesty, all the green-skinned oranges have been sent to the Western Regions. I also heard that oranges can be grown in Tianshan as well."

Only then did Li Chengqian nod.

Li Ji stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty misses his brothers."

Li Chengqian said: "Zhi Nu likes to eat noodles, and Shen Di likes to eat oranges. They have been sent to the Western Regions for a year."

"Your Majesty, I will send someone to deal with those who resist the teaching."

"I have opened up new schools and built Chongwen Halls in various places, which will definitely affect their interests. If they lose their interests, they will rebel. Who hasn't encountered a few rebels when they were emperors?"

"Your Majesty is open-minded."

Li Chengqian continued to eat the orange, looking at the villagers who were sifting wheat in the distance, and said, "Dealing with them will not only make me look stingy, but also waste manpower and resources, affecting my reputation. It is better to let them make trouble on their own. At worst, I can send a few students from Chongwenguan to keep an eye on them. That will be enough."

Still chewing an orange, Li Chengqian asked again, "What do you think of my idea, Lord Ying?"

Li Ji regained his senses after a long while, scratched the back of his head in annoyance, and said, "I am old, and I will be distracted if I hear some words too much. Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"How is Mr. Ying's family affairs?"

"My grandson is used to playing around and often gets into trouble."

Li Chengqian wiped his hands with a cloth and said, "Then send him to the Western Regions to train himself."

Li Ji responded, "If my grandson is not capable, let him die in the Western Regions. Your Majesty, please understand. I will obey your orders."

I meant this to be just a suggestion.

Sure enough, after becoming an emperor, one cannot give advice to others easily.

Ying Gong's son Li Zhen was a very good person. The prosperity of the Hexi Corridor was all thanks to Li Zhen.

Letting Duke Lu go to the Western Regions was also Duke Ying's suggestion. Even if he is too old to go to the Western Regions, it would be good for him to be in charge of the overall situation in the rear.

Li Ji added: "Although Liang Jianfang is brave, he is unlikely to be able to take charge of the overall situation. Cheng Zhijie is also likely to make mistakes. It is better to let General Zhang Shigui go to Xizhou again."

"Where are Liu Renyuan, Wang Xuandu and the others?"

Seeing that His Majesty knew all the generals in the court, Li Ji smiled comfortingly and explained: "These two people need to guard Liaodong to prevent Silla from rebellion. Although Gao Yanshou is loyal to the Tang Dynasty, he is a Goguryeo after all."

The emperor and his minister were walking and talking when a horse caught up with them. It was an official from Jingzhao Prefecture. He dismounted and said, "Your Majesty, the Persians want to find a place to stay in Chang'an and build a temple."

"Are they still in jail?"

"Still."

"Today, Di Zhixun will be appointed as the Minister of Justice. The decree is being prepared in the Secretariat and can be issued."

The eunuch hurried off to do his work, carrying a basket of orange peels.

Li Chengqian raised his head and continued, "Tell Xu Jingzong to confiscate all the gold coins of the Arabs and Persians, and not allow them to build temples. Those who stay in Chang'an will continue to sweep the streets."

"Here."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian took out a gold coin from his sleeve and handed it to Duke Ying.

Li Ji took the gold coin and looked at this thumb-sized coin. It was not cast very neatly, but it was indeed gold. Such a piece of gold was too precious in the Central Plains.

"I dare not accept it."

"Take it, Lord Ying. Jingzhao Prefecture has confiscated 531 pieces of gold, which is all the belongings of the envoys of the two countries. This amount of gold is enough to raise an army of tens of thousands of people."

Li Ji said: "Fortunately, it was confiscated by Jingzhao Prefecture."

"I will also send envoys to the Pamirs to ask the rulers of the various Hu countries about the reasons for the Persian defeat. Persia was defeated too quickly. Now many Persians are in exile in the Western Regions. There are such gold coins in the Western Regions and even in the Hexi Corridor."

In Anning Village on the north side of Longshouyuan, Li Shimin was drinking tea and looking at Cheng Yaojin's excited expression.

Yuchi Gong said, "Your Majesty still wants you to lead the troops at your age, why not let me go?"

Li Shimin nodded, "It's good for Zhijie to go. Let Niu Jinda come to play cards with me in the future. Chengqian asked you to go to the Western Regions for your own good, to avoid the limelight of the Censorate, lest you beat all the censors to death."

(End of this chapter)