Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 90 Up and down the temple
"Wu Zhen, a monk from Shazhou, followed the order of Zhang Yichao, the governor of Guasha, and passed through Mobei to return to the Tang Dynasty. After nine months, he finally arrived in Chang'an..."

"I am writing this memorial to wish Your Majesty a long life... Hexi, Xigua, Sha, Gan, Su, four states, eight cities and six passes have been recovered!"

On May 12, the fifth year of the Dazhong period, in the Xuanzheng Hall in Chang'an City.

As the monk Wuzhen finished speaking, the ministers in the hall were still as excited as before after hearing the news, although they were no longer as excited to tears as when Gao Jinda came.

On the Golden Platform, Li Chen could not help but sigh:

"I can still vividly remember the scene at the end of last year when Ya Ya Gao Jinda presented to me the report on the recovery of Guasha."

"Only six months have passed, but I have heard that Zhang Yichao has recovered Gansu and Suzhou. I feel so moved that I cannot express it in words..."

Li Chen thought that Zhang Yichao had recovered the two states of Gansu in just half a year, but he did not expect Wuzhen to report after hearing this:

"Ya Ya Gao Jin Da left two and a half years ago, and Cao Min left in July last year."

"Before I set out, Zhang Liuhou had just returned victoriously and was preparing to repair his weapons and recapture Yizhou."

"If things go smoothly, Your Majesty should be able to hear the triumphant sound of the recovery of Yizhou in a few months."

When Wuzhen said this, Li Chen had never thought that Zhang Yichao would recover the lost territory so quickly.

"Reward! A loyal man like Zhang Yichao deserves a generous reward!"

Hearing this, Wuzhen knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the soldiers and civilians in Hexi do not need any rewards. We only hope that the Heavenly Army will march west to recover the lost land in Helong!"

“……”Wu Zhen’s words instantly cooled Li Chen’s blood.

Recovering Helong would certainly allow him to fulfill the long-cherished wish of several generations of Tang emperors, but he had already learned about the situation in Helong from some officials who had been diplomatic envoys to Tubo.

In the Helong area, there are ten tribes and five Han people, and outside the city there are also Huihu, Umu and other Hu people.

In such a situation, it is difficult to recover, and even more difficult to defend.

This is no longer the Kaiyuan Prosperity, let alone the Yuanhe Restoration.

Judging from the numbers alone, the annual income seems to be higher now than during the Kaiyuan period, but prices are also growing exponentially.

In order to intimidate the vassal states, the cost of the more than 100,000 Shen Ce troops in Guanzhong was not small, and the military expenditure was three times that of a normal border army.

Under such circumstances, being able to maintain the current situation would be the most satisfactory result for Li Chen.

Recovering Helong is indeed exciting, but if it is recovered by the imperial court, it will only add to the burden.

If he followed the example of setting up Jiedushi in Hexi and Longyou in the past, Li Chen was worried that the local military governors would become too powerful and threaten Guanzhong.

After thinking it over, Li Chen still couldn't make up his mind. Finally, he smiled and said to Wu Zhen: "I will discuss this matter with all the officials."

"You have come here so tired, you must be very tired, go down and rest first."

Li Chen's words might be able to fool Gao Jinda, but Wu Zhen was the head of the Wu family in Shazhou and a disciple of the monk Hong Bian. He had witnessed the dealings and struggles between Hong Bian and the Tibetan nobles since he was a child, so he naturally understood what Li Chen meant.

His eyes dimmed, and then he stood up and saluted Li Chen respectfully, and finally left the Xuanzheng Hall under the guidance of the eunuch.

Seeing him leave, Li Chen also turned his attention to the temple.

There are many important things to do today, and meeting Wuzhen is just one of them. I really didn't expect that Wuzhen would bring the good news that Zhang Yichao has recovered the four states of Hexi.

With Wuzhen's good news, Li Chen also felt more energetic.

Seeing him sitting upright, Lu Shang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, stepped forward and bowed with a tablet in hand:

"Your Majesty, Si Bai reported victory in a timely manner. On the tenth day of April, he sent General Shi Yuan to defeat the Pingxia Dangxiang at Sanjiao Valley."

Lu Shang brought good news, that is, the Dangxiang tribe that had been plaguing Henan (south of the Hetao area) was defeated by Bai Minzhong.

This news made Li Chen very happy: "Prince Bai has reported to me that he has pacified the Pingxia Dangxiang. From now on, the border affairs can be settled!"

Seeing that the emperor was happy, Lu Shang continued to bow and said, "Your Majesty, our army has been in disrepair since the Yuanhe period. I ask Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree to all provinces to rectify the military preparations."

"Hmm..." Li Chen nodded. He agreed with what Lu Shang said. After all, he had seen the decline of the military preparedness of the Tang Dynasty.

He had long intended to reorganize the military, and now that Lu Shang had spoken, things would be much easier:
"Minister Lu is right. From now on, I order each province to carefully select two military commanders who are proficient in military tactics and have outstanding martial arts skills as trainers, and to review military tactics and martial arts on schedule every year."

"Where there are soldiers in the branch counties, they will also be inspected and trained by the local prefecture."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for the ministers to speak, he took the initiative to say: "Although the national treasury can still be maintained, if we want to rectify the military preparations, money and grain expenditures are indispensable. What good ideas do you have?"

Li Chen glanced at his ministers, and one of them, an old minister of the fourth rank, walked out holding a tablet and bowed.

Li Chen recalled for a moment before he spoke: "What good ideas do you have, Minister Pei?"

Seeing that the emperor agreed to his memorial, Pei Xiu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, spoke up: "Your Majesty, regarding the issue of money and grain, I think the most important thing is the grain and tax money."

"Grain prices in Guanzhong remain high, mainly because of the sluggish grain transport."

"Since Emperor Wenzong, the imperial court has transported 400,000 shi of grain from the Yangtze and Huai Rivers every year. However, officials and soldiers have been stealing and sinking grain along the way, so that when the grain reaches Wei Cang, less than 200,000 shi remain. The "grain transport law" established by Liu Situ (Liu Yan) in the past has been completely destroyed."

"I think that if we want to solve the problem of grain transport officials, we must adopt a good policy!"

After Pei Xiu finished speaking, Li Chen nodded and said, "Could you please tell me what we should do?"

"I think..." Pei Xiu sorted out his thoughts and then said:
"We should clearly divide the responsibilities of the grain transport assistants and the county officials, and motivate the officials through different rewards and punishments."

"For example, if we assign all the annual commissions from the grain transport business to the clerks, we can solve the problem of 'profit' that the clerks are most concerned about."

“If we can fix the rewards and punishments in the Canal Transport Act with legal measures, then we can settle a big issue!”

Pei Xiu briefly explained his ideas. Li Chen thought there was something he could do, so he immediately asked, "Although the grain tax has been set, what about the tax?"

Pei Xiu replied without hesitation: "Since the Tianbao period, each military governorate has set up a warehouse (a warehouse set up by the government to store grain and other supplies), where tea is often stored and sold at a high price to make a profit."

"For other goods of merchants, additional taxes are imposed, exploiting passing merchants and pedestrians."

"I think that it is already a fact that the vassal states store and sell tea. The court should allow the states to store tea, but it needs to set rules so that the states cannot collect taxes on merchants and pedestrians without authorization."

"If anyone collects taxes from merchants or pedestrians privately, they will be disqualified from storing tea."

"In addition, the imperial court can return the rights of 'mountain and swamp treasure smelting' to the Salt and Iron Commissioner, which should increase tax revenue..."

In just a few words, Pei Xiu set a general direction. Although Li Chen didn't know whether it was feasible, seeing that Pei Xiu was so confident, he softened his tone.

"The strategy proposed by Minister Pei is indeed a good one. I would like to appoint Minister Pei as the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner to help the court solve the problem of money and grain."

"Your Majesty, I, Pei Xiu, thank you for your grace. May you live a hundred million years!"

Pei Xiu bowed slowly upon hearing this, and Li Chen had solved the two difficult problems of lax military preparations and lack of financial resources.

Seeing Li Chen scanning the ministers, a fifth-rank official walked out of the team and bowed to Li Chen.

"Your Majesty, the Tibetan envoy to Luomenchuan, Lun Kongre, invites you to come to Chang'an to pay homage."

"On fear of heat?" Li Chen frowned slightly: "Why did he come to the court?"

"I heard that there is a shortage of food in Helong and no rain. I am afraid that I will surrender to the Tang Dynasty and ask for the governor of Helong and Weilong."

The official from the Ministry of Rites said this, but Li Chen was very sensitive. He snorted coldly:

"This official is brutal and cruel. His so-called surrender is nothing more than borrowing the power of our dynasty to revive his power."

"If he comes to the court, let him hang out for a while before expelling him from Guanzhong!"

"I have received the imperial edict..." The official from the Ministry of Rites responded respectfully. Seeing that all the ministers were fine, Li Chen signaled to a eunuch beside him with his eyes, then stood up and walked towards the side hall.

"Retreat—"

The eunuchs sang a loud song to dismiss the court, and Lu Shang, Pei Xiu and other officials above the fourth rank went to the side hall under the guidance of the eunuchs.

However, the person walking at the front of the team was an old minister who had not spoken in the court just now.

Without the purple robe, he would probably be inconspicuous in the team.

The team walked into the side hall, and the officials, led by the old minister, saluted and sang to Li Chen, who was in a high position.

"Tens of millions of years old..."

"Be flat."

Li Chen nodded in agreement, and then went straight to the point: "I have been thinking about what the monk Wuzhen from Shazhou said for a long time, but I still can't make up my mind."

"Recovering Longyou and Hexi is the long-cherished wish of my great Tang emperor. Moreover, Helong is close to Guanzhong. If we don't recover it, we will be in danger of being invaded by Tubo."

"But there are ten tribes and five Han people in the Helong area, and outside the city there are also Huihu, Umu and other barbarians."

"It's not easy to recover from this situation, and it's even harder to defend it."

"I summoned you all here for this matter..."

Li Chen told all the ministers about the pros and cons of recovering Helong and his concerns. The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Lu Shang was the first to speak and bowed, saying, "I... do not recommend sending troops to Helong."

To avoid being accused of cowardice, Lu Shang explained: "Although the Helong states appear to be divided, once the imperial court mobilizes troops, they will gather together to resist the imperial court."

"The foreign soldiers in Helong number at least 100,000, and Shen Ce..."

Lu Shang hesitated as he spoke, and Li Chen frowned: "How about the Shen Ce Army?"

"The Shence Army..." Lu Shang hesitated for a moment and was about to say it, but he saw several eunuchs beside Li Chen staring at him.

The four eunuchs were of different ages, but the looks they gave him were full of warning.

"The Shen Ce Army needs to defend against too many vassal states. Even if they send out troops, they can only send 20,000 to 30,000 people."

"Even if we take Helong, we still need to garrison Helong and send enough soldiers."

"The national treasury is short of money and grain at the moment, so sending troops to recover Helong is a bit..."

As soon as Lu Shang changed the subject, the eyes of several eunuchs softened instantly, and several officials beside Lu Shang frowned slightly, but no one objected to what he said.

"Minister Lu, I remember that there were many military farms in Helong. In the past, the income from military farms in Helong accounted for one-third of the military farms of the imperial court at that time, right?"

Pei Xiu suddenly asked Lu Shang, and Lu Shang nodded and said, "It was indeed so in the past, but now after a hundred years of harm from Tubo, it is no longer as bad as it was back then."

What Lu Shang said was true. Before the Kaiyuan period, agriculture in the Helong region was well developed, and the amount of grain purchased by the Tang Dynasty ranked first in the country.

According to historical records, "Mulberry and hemp grew in fields, and houses were visible from one another; no place in the world was as prosperous as Longyou."

After the fall of Helong, the Tang Dynasty lost this large area of military farming and its food reserves were sharply reduced.

In order to defend against Tubo, the imperial court had to station more than 100,000 troops in Guanzhong. However, Guanzhong's economy had been difficult to recover since the war and was completely dependent on transportation from Henan, Jianghuai and other places, which made the financial burden of the court extremely heavy.

If Helong today is still the same as it was a hundred years ago, no matter who it is, they will actively retake the area.

But the problem is that Helong now has difficulty in being self-sufficient. Even Lun Kongre, who nominally can mobilize the various states in Helong, has to come to the Tang Dynasty for help due to lack of food.

Even if the Helong area was recovered, it would take a lot of effort and money to rebuild it.

The emperor and his ministers of the Tang Dynasty did not have that much energy and effort, and the national treasury did not have that much money and grain.

Therefore, in the view of Lu Shang and others, recovering the Helong area would only disrupt the current situation.

By that time, Helong will not be able to be self-sufficient and will need Guanzhong for food supplies, and the burden on the imperial court will be even heavier.

"Ugh……"

Li Chen sighed and said, "If that's the case, let's put the Helong area aside for now."

"It won't be too late to discuss it again after the grain transport, salt, iron and tea taxes are sorted out..."

"By the way, have the officials sent to Lulong returned? How about Zhang Yunshen?"

Li Chen put more energy into Youzhou Lulong Town. The purple-robed official who had not spoken before bowed and said:
"The officials reported back that Zhang Yunshen was diligent in military affairs and respectful in his conduct."

"Since it is as the Prime Minister said, then send someone to formally appoint Zhang Yunshen as the Jiedushi of Lulong and the Inspector of the Ministry of Works."

Li Chen called the old minister the prime minister, and Bai Minzhong was supervising the army outside, so the only person in the court who could be called that was Linghu Tao, who was the co-minister of the Secretariat.

"If there's nothing else, go away."

Seeing everyone bowing in response, Li Chen signaled everyone to leave.

While everyone was leaving, Wuzhen, who was arranged to leave the temple, saw many things on the way to the post station.

"You ate two pancakes and you still dare to ask me for money, are you tired of living?!"

"General, spare my life... I am a poor talker, I am a poor talker!"

Outside the window, a team of soldiers in armor surrounded the stall. The leader grabbed the stall owner by the collar, while the stall owner was slapping himself in the face madly.

"parking……"

Wuzhen's voice came from inside the carriage. The coachman driving him was the righteous man from Shazhou who was traveling with him to Chang'an. He naturally stopped the carriage.

"Why did Dade stop?"

The servant who was in charge of receiving Wuzhen tried to stop Wuzhen, but Wuzhen bowed to him and then reached out to pull his hand away.

The servant was unable to stop him and could only follow Wuzhen out of the carriage.

Wuzhen walked towards the group of soldiers, and the soldiers also discovered him and the palace servant behind him.

However, they did not restrain themselves and instead cast provocative glances at Wuzhen and the others.

"You Shaman, are you here to die?!"

The military leader looked at Wuzhen's expression and started cursing at him.

Wu Zhen was not angry, but saluted the military leader and said, "You are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, why do you want to attack the people?"

"Damn it, it's such a bad luck that I ran into a pig-dog like you today!"

The military leader pushed the stall owner to the ground and walked closer to Wuzhen.

He was not tall, only about five feet five or six inches, but he was still half a head taller than Wu Zhen.

Seeing that things were about to get out of hand, the servant immediately scolded: "You bastard, do you know that this is an envoy sent by the Shazhou Yili!"

Sheren thought that he could make the military leader restrain himself with these words, but he saw the military leader spit on the ground.

"Bah!" The military leader looked at Wu Zhen and his servant with disdain: "They are just a bunch of bastards who are dependent on foreign dogs and turned against the imperial court in the middle of a battle!"

"you!!"

The servant widened his eyes, he did not expect the military leader to be so vulgar. You know, people from all walks of life in the court and the country admired the Shazhou volunteers who recovered the four Hexi states.

Even though they won't help, they still have the most basic respect.

Now such a group of volunteers were being called "bastards", and even he, a servant, couldn't help but get angry.

But facing the insults, Wu Zhen was not angry, but just discussed calmly:
"You eat the people's tax grain, is this how you bully the people?"

"Haha... listen to what he said!" The military leader laughed and joked with the soldiers around him, and the soldiers also laughed.

After laughing for a while, the army leader said disdainfully: "The Shen Ce Army eats food provided by the court and wears clothes issued by the court, but this group of common people..."

The military leader was too idle to keep busy, so he grabbed the stall owner by the collar while speaking.

"We wore armor to protect them from the bandits. They ate a few of their cakes and still dared to ask us for money. This is outrageous!"

The military leader stared at him, and the stall owner slapped himself in the face: "I am the one who is clumsy and blind, please, sir..."

Wu Zhen couldn't listen any more to what the stall owner said next. He never thought Chang'an would be such a place.

They have been making a fuss here for at least a cup of tea. Logically, the government office should have discovered what happened here, but no one from the government office has shown up until now.

"Bald thief!"

The military leader spat at Wu Zhen, then slammed his shoulder against him and said lazily, "Let's go, let's go have a drink!"

"Hey!" Many soldiers followed the leader away chatting and laughing, while Wuzhen bent down, helped the stall owner up, and took out a small bunch of old coins from his arms.

"Let's take it and see the doctor..."

Wu Zhen was as hopeless as a dead man, but he tried to comfort the stall owner in front of him.

The stall owner saw the money and did not take it. He just complained: "This kind of thing happens all the time. Don't worry about me, sir."

He turned around and began to clean up the smashed tables, chairs and benches. Wuzhen helped him clean up, but when he left, he still left the money on the table.

He and his servant returned to the carriage. Seeing that he said nothing, his servant could only sigh:

"Since Emperor Wenzong, the eunuchs have controlled the Shen Ce Army. Since the army's pay is three times higher than that of the frontier army, many eunuchs have placed a lot of playboys and rogues among them."

"But don't worry, Great Master. The current Supreme is willing to rectify military affairs. I believe things will get better in the future."

Hearing this, Wu Zhen nodded without saying anything. For a moment, the car fell into deathly silence.

It was not until the carriage arrived at the posthouse that Wu Zhen asked his servant before getting off the carriage: "Can such an army really recover Helong?"

"This..." The servant was stumped by the question, and finally could only stammer and say: "The court will definitely recover Helong, please rest assured."

Seeing him hesitating like this, Wu Zhen felt sad. After meeting several righteous men from Shazhou at the entrance of the posthouse, he sighed and said:
"Let's return in three days. There's no need to stay in Chang'an any longer."

(End of this chapter)