The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 36: The White-Given One Does Not Worry on the Road

"Worry and hard work can make a country prosperous, but leisure and pleasure can destroy a person."

The saint stood with his hands behind his back beside the Taiye Lake, looking at the sparkling lake and sighing. The new generals such as Wang Congxun, commander of the left wing of the Yingwu Army, and Liu Xianyuan, commander of the Longjie Knights, stood behind him, silently listening to the saint's admonitions.

The more than 34,000 warriors recruited now are extremely rare.

What's so difficult about it?
This is because as the prestige of the imperial court gradually declined and the annexation of the princes became difficult to control, it became difficult for the eunuchs to send people to Guandong to recruit soldiers.

How to prevent the six armies of Yingwu, Longjie, Baoguo, Yousheng, Longhu and Neizhi from being contaminated by the long-standing bad habits and customs of the Shence Army and degenerating into a new batch of "Chang'an knights" is a difficult problem that the saint and the officials and envoys of the Southern Court and the Northern Court have been pondering in recent days.

The best strategy of the Ministry of War: to follow the example of the Hebei vassal states and tattoo the soldiers’ faces, but if they cause rebellion, their families will be killed.

The eunuch Xuanhui Envoy Jing Wuxiu said: Build a deep camp and strictly forbid the new troops to go out and not get close to the market.

Ximen Chongsui issued an order: All new recruits in the six armies were not allowed to talk in crowded places, and a curfew was strictly enforced, and they had to turn off their engines and go to bed at night.

……

There are countless examples like this, all of which are relatively effective methods of leading troops used by the feudal lords over the years. For example, Ximen Chongsui's policy was drawn from An Lushan, Shi Siming, Huaixi Jiedushi Wu Shaocheng and others.

The rebel army of An Lushan had to return to the camp when the sun went down and had to turn off the fire and go to bed at night. On a snowy night, An Lushan made a surprise inspection of a military camp. The north wind was howling and the camp was completely silent. An Lushan thought that there was no one in the camp and was furious. He ordered the drums to be beaten and the soldiers to be called. When the drums sounded, the soldiers came out of the tents one after another, and no one said a word. An Lushan looked at the list and asked for the names of those who did not respond. He ordered the execution of those who did not respond. After calling the names, not a single one was missing.

A strong army?

Wu Shaocheng and his son ruled Caizhou. Soldiers were not allowed to go to the market, drink alcohol, or gather to speak. They lived a primitive life of working from sunrise to sunset. They were called "wooden" by the people. In the Battle of Xiaoyinshui, Emperor Dezong sent Han Quanyi, the governor of Xiasui, to lead 17 troops to attack Wu Shaocheng.

The soldiers from various routes charged the battle line several times, and Cai's army suffered heavy casualties, but the soldiers did not make any noise. Their expressions were dull, as stiff as corpses, and as still as Mount Tai.

When Chi Cheng launched a counterattack, the mule cavalry rushed to the front, and Cai's army roared like wolves.

The soldiers from various routes were terrified and retreated one after another. The officers were unable to stop them and the royal army was defeated.

When Emperor Xianzong launched the campaign against Huaixi, powerful men like Li Su and Li Guangyan still had psychological trauma, and their army of hundreds of thousands could only maintain a stalemate.

Is Cai Jun scary?

The bosses’ methods are there, it just depends on whether they can be cruel enough to their own people.

In the late Tang and Five Dynasties, it was useless to promote military democracy and show favor to the warriors. As in many melodramatic novels, the warriors were given schools for literacy, schools for their children, and land distribution, and it was impossible to expect the warriors to fight to the death.

This is an extremely deformed and violent society of beasts. The warriors have problems with their brains and go against common sense.

If being nice to warriors is useful, then the generals of Wei Bo, Hedong, Youzhou, Henghai, and other towns are just licking dogs, worshipping the common people as their ancestors, and then what? Only one out of ten died a good death? Dozens of Jiedushi exchanged in the underworld how they were killed in various ways?

Who would cherish something that comes too easily?

Of course, in Li Ye's opinion, the warriors work hard for you, so you should be nice to them. But in order to keep the army fighting and basically controllable these days, you have to be like Zhu Quanzhong, Yang Xingmi, and Li Keyong, who managed the violence more cruelly and treated the warriors with limited kindness.

Even Guo Ziyi, a famous minister of the Restoration who was famous for his generosity and kindness to warriors, was also an unknown expert in burying people alive. He buried 7,000 cavalrymen alive in one go in Hedong. Yes, just like Bai Qi, the people were still alive, and he buried them in a pit dug on the spot. When he was in charge of the Shuofang Army, he heard that someone was going to cause a rebellion, so he immediately went to the door to surround and kill them.

This is the "characteristic" of the Tang Dynasty.

Since traveling through time, Li Ye's mentality has gradually changed amidst chaos.

Insult the Song Dynasty, question the Song Dynasty, understand the Song Dynasty... sooner or later, one will inevitably become the Song Dynasty and surpass the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, he did not participate in the Southern Court and Northern Court's regulations on the new military system.

The general strategy is this: on the basis of brutally suppressing violence, treat the new army with limited kindness. Follow the path of Zhu Quanzhong, Yang Xingmi, and Li Keyong, leaving them with nowhere to go.

In addition, considering his prestige, Li Ye also decided to review the troops at the military camps from time to time in the future, and use other methods to gradually strengthen the army's centripetal force towards the court and the emperor. Now that the situation is precarious, Ximen Chongsui and the eunuchs will not object much, because these new troops are nominally serving the emperor, which is one of the theoretical bases for the eunuchs to control the army.

The emperor had a certain prestige in the army, and the soldiers began to respect the emperor, which was conducive to the eunuchs' better control of the imperial guards.

However, this will also put pressure on the eunuchs.

This is because if the emperor's influence in the army surpasses that of the eunuchs, the sensitive eunuchs will worry about losing the army and fear that the emperor, whom they have controlled and abused for a long time, will take the opportunity to retaliate.

Therefore, it can be predicted that Ximen Chongsui and his ilk will continue to strengthen their control over the new army.

This is a long-term struggle in which both sides will benefit if they cooperate, but both sides will suffer if they fight.

take it easy.

He is only in his twenties.

If you take good care of yourself, maybe you can talk to Chai Rong and Zhao Da about how to subdue the warriors.

"You guys go ahead." Recovering his composure, Li Ye waved his hand.

"You're welcome." The generals took their leave one by one.

Wang Congxun also turned around and followed the others to leave, but Zhao grabbed his sleeve and said, "You stay. The saint has something to tell you."

After the others had left, the saint strolled in the direction of the Linde Hall, with the two following behind him.

"Congxun, do you know Emperor Zhaolie of Han?"

Wang Congxun was puzzled and didn't understand why the saint suddenly asked him this. After thinking for a while, he said, "I know a little bit. His surname is Liu, and his taboo name is Bei. He is a descendant of the Han royal family. He rose from poverty to become a powerful charioteer. He occupied Bashu and resisted the Central Plains. He is indeed a true master."

"Okay." Li Ye was surprised and continued to persuade him, "Then why do you think he could rise from poverty to become a powerful emperor?"

Wang Congxun thought without hesitation: "The first lord has a broad mind, is generous and knows how to treat people. He has the spirit of Emperor Gaozu and the qualities of a hero. When I was serving in the Tianwei Army, I heard the shogunate say this. I am here to advise the commander-in-chief to kill less..."

Having said this, he paused and tried to guess the saint's intention.

The sage also stopped, turned around, looked at him with a burning gaze and said seriously: "The first lord achieved his kingdom because of this, but his general, Huanhou Zhang Fei, was killed by a villain because of his violence and lack of grace. That day I came to inspect the Yingwu Army and saw you attacking your personal soldiers at will, threatening to kill them. You must know that those who kill will be killed. Killing blindly is useless. There is a more cruel person than killing people. Qin Zongquan is a hundred times more powerful than you. Where is he now?"

Wang Congxun's face suddenly became stiff, and he said with a dark face: "How can we control these thieves if we don't kill them!"

"You were also a thief back then." The saint changed the subject and said coldly, "If Lord Liu had not arrived in time to quell the rebellion, would you be standing here now?"

"I, I..." Wang Congxun's face suddenly turned red.

"I'm not telling you this to expose your past and humiliate you." Li Ye patted his shoulder and said in a gentle voice, "It's just that you really should control your temper. If something unexpected happens, I will lose a sibling, which is painful. But what about your newlywed wife? Will she be kidnapped and sold, and eventually disappear? You have a family now, not like before when you were all alone. If you die, you die."

"We need to consider others..." As he spoke, the saint choked up and whispered, "Besides, my family is also counting on you to protect us."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty..." Wang Congxun was at a loss, neither knowing how to pull nor persuade.

He suddenly felt an inexplicable emotion and responsibility—a feeling of being trusted and entrusted that he had never felt before...

"That is all I have to say. You can take care of yourself." The saint covered his face with his sleeves and passed away crying.

Zhao was stunned. Could the saint be so flexible now?

Looking at Wang Congxun's dull expression, I couldn't help but sigh: Ten birds in the bush are not as good as one bird in the hand.

"General Wang, I am willing to judge for myself." After giving a warning, he chased after the saint.

……

After returning to Penglai Palace, Li Ye wiped his face and read the memorial as usual.

"I, the Minister of Agriculture, have made a statement that the spring ploughing is just around the corner, but the farmers are short of grain seeds, cattle, horses, and plows. We request that the Shanglin, Taicang, Liangdu and other gardens and warehouses on all sides be opened to lend the agricultural seeds and tools they are in short supply. After years of chaos, a large number of vagrants have entered the country, and there is no land for farming. The twenty-two counties within the capital are fertile land for thousands of miles, and rivers run through them. Due to repeated wars, the ditches are blocked, and thorns grow in the fields. In addition to the imperial palaces and the mausoleums since the Qin and Han dynasties, all unowned land should be cleared. The vagrants should be registered as households, and they should be engaged in farming and cultivating ponds and marshes."

"After the Chaos Rebellion, many powerful families in Guannei built Wubao to protect their property and tenants. The public lands and households that they invaded should be handed over to the internal manor house envoys, who should send eunuchs to collect them for the benefit of the state..."

After reading it, Li Ye put down the memorial and slowly asked, "What is the origin of Minister of Agriculture Li Qun?"

The practice of cultivating the land to support the people and cultivating and fighting to strengthen the country was a precedent in the Qin and Han dynasties, and there was nothing wrong with its implementation. However, Li Qun, the Minister of Agriculture, who wrote the letter, also raised one point: since Huang Chao's rebellion, the population in the interior of the country has dropped sharply, and the powerful landlords have either actively or passively annexed many public fields and households. Now he asked the eunuchs to take back these state assets. It would offend people if they were forced to spit out the state assets after they had already taken the people.

That's why Li Ye asked this question.

Zhao, who was kneeling at the desk sorting memorials, ate a piece of preserved fruit and said with a smile, "The Grand Minister of Agriculture is the son-in-law of the Grand Commandant. The Zhaojun Li family opened a branch of the Kaikai Temple."

"I see." Li Ye nodded.

He had an impression of the Zhaojun Li family, which had always been prominent on the political stage of the Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Li Yu was the imperial tutor of Northern Wei.

Li Yuanzhong, Gao Huan's confidant.

Li Tonggui was the teacher of the brothers Gao Cheng and Gao Yang. Li Gongxu, Li Shenwei, Li Gai and Li Xiaozhen were the four great scholars of the Northern Dynasties. Li Shousu and Li Mengchang were the younger brothers of the great son Li Shimin. Li Jiang, Li Fan, Li Jifu and Li Deyu were the famous prime ministers of the middle Tang Dynasty.

There are so many talented people, too numerous to mention.

In other words, these people are Li Qun's ancestors and relatives.

No wonder he dared to openly demand action against the powerful landlords inside the Great Wall.

you can!

This thing really needs to be done.

Today, the only territory directly governed by the imperial court is Gyeonggi Province.

They are Wannian, Chang'an, Xinfeng, Weinan, Zheng, Huayin, Lantian, Huzhou, Zhuoying, Shiping, Wugong, Shangyi, Liquan, Jingyang, Yunyang, Sanyuan, Yijun, Tongguan, Huayuan, Fuping, Liyang, and Gaoling, 22 counties.

It must be utilized to the maximum extent possible.

Regardless of whether these powerful people annexed the land voluntarily or passively for various reasons, they all occupied the land and household registration that originally belonged to the country, and infringed on the interests of the Li Emperor, the world's largest landlord, because the money collected from tenant farmers was definitely not as much as that collected from self-cultivating farmers, and there were no middlemen to take a share of the difference.

If this matter were to be handled by a weak and powerless official from a poor family, he would not be able to withstand the pressure.

Li Qun's background as a nobleman, his status as Du Rangneng's son-in-law, and his status as an outsider from Guandong made him a perfect match.

In addition, this is one of the few political affairs that Li Ye can decide independently, because the eunuchs' attitude towards raising money for farming is consistent with that of the Southern Yamen, and he also needs to seize the opportunity to make friends with some more court officials as support.

After all, being trapped in the deep palace is not a long-term solution.

However, if he summoned ministers frequently, it would arouse suspicion among the eunuchs.

If this matter could be implemented, he could leave the palace and visit various counties in the capital under the pretext of inspecting agricultural affairs.

Once people move, things will be much more convenient.

Thinking of this, Li Ye ordered: "Go to Sinong Temple and summon Li Qun to see him immediately."

"Yes." The attendant Liu Zibi took the order and left.

Like the three ministries, the nine temples and their offices were also outside the Hanyuan Hall and outside the imperial gate, only an incense stick away from the Zhongchao Zichen Hall. But it would take a while to go back and forth. Taking advantage of the time, Li Ye stood up and paced around the hall to stretch his body.

For some reason, Li Ye was a little excited at this moment.

Maybe there is finally a chance to benefit the people.

On the day when the Qi people besieged the city, he had seen the gangsters captured by Li Maozhen to fill the trenches. The old man was skinny and his face was even drier than the face of the father in the famous oil painting. The women were half-dressed, using skirts made of palm leaves to cover their modesty, and shivering in the cold wind.

The child collapsed while walking, and was then caught by Qi Ze and smashed to the ground to see if he was really dead.

Now that he had the opportunity to provide land and help these refugees who had suffered so much from human tragedies to settle down and start a family, how could he not be excited?

After traveling through time for so long, he had pondered many times in the long night, wondering what he should do. Gradually, he found that there was only one thing he needed to do: to make this society normal.

Those who are awarded white robes shall not carry them on the road.

The man put down his weapons and picked up his hoe and sickle.

Women can live an "ordinary" life of taking care of their husbands, raising children, raising silkworms and weaving cloth.

Children grow up...

What Zhao Kuangyin could do, he also wanted to do, and he must do it.

Thinking of this, his thoughts drifted back to his previous life.

The grass on my tombstone must be ten feet high. My wife must be used to it. In the dead of night, will there be silent tears... My parents must have cried red eyes after losing their son in middle age. When friends and colleagues talk about me after dinner, will there be a brief silence?

(End of this chapter)