A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 457 General Tian Ce, Grand Administrator of Mingzhou
East Palace.

Crown Prince Li Jiancheng was enjoying a delicious meal of finely sliced ​​fresh perch, the slices of which were as tender and yellow as jade, and seasoned with wild rice, which was as tender and yellow as gold.

"Ren Can, this dish is very well made today, it deserves a reward."

Jiancheng immediately rewarded the cook with ten bolts of silk.

"Your Highness seems to be in a particularly good mood today," Ren Can said with a bow and a smile.

"Yes, I'm in a good mood, and I have a good appetite too."

Jiancheng had a good appetite and quickly finished off a plate of golden minced fish.

"Cool!"

When Wang Gui, the Crown Prince's advisor, came to pay his respects, Li Jiancheng took him for a walk along the corridor outside the palace.

"Does Zhongyun know about today's court discussion?" Jiancheng asked with a smile.

"I have heard some things. Prime Minister Xiao proposed to enfeoff the King of Qin in Longyou and Hehuang to reward him for his merits. The ministers also proposed to enfeoff Li Yi as the Prince of Wu'an."

"Hmm, you said that Erlang was enfeoffed in Longyou to establish a fiefdom, so wouldn't I be able to rest easy?"

Unexpectedly, Wang Gui shook his head.

"Your Highness, you are mistaken. I believe that Your Highness should not be happy, but rather worried."

"What are you worried about?"

Wang Gui stopped and said directly, "If the King of Qin stays in the court after returning from his campaign, then we can keep an eye on his every move and even put him in a position of power without giving him any real authority."

However, the distance from Shanzhou in Longyou to Chang'an is three thousand li.

As the saying goes, the emperor is far away and the land is in the northwest frontier. Shanzhou also has six hundred miles of the Hehuang Valley. If the Prince of Qin is enfeoffed here, what kind of power will he be able to accumulate in ten or twenty years, given his abilities?
If Your Highness were to inherit the throne in the future, and the Prince of Qin harbored rebellious intentions, it would be easy to establish fiefdoms today, but difficult to weaken them tomorrow.

Your Highness, please do not forget the Rebellion of the Seven States in the Western Han Dynasty and the War of the Eight Princes in the Western Jin Dynasty.

"The King of Qin is a master of military strategy, and he is still young. Even in ten years, he will only be in his early thirties, and in twenty years, he will only be in his early forties. He is in the prime of his life."

Li Jiancheng was initially in a good mood, believing that the enfeoffment system could eliminate the threat posed by the King of Qin. However, he did not expect that Wang Gui would have a completely different opinion.

"Your Highness, only by keeping the Prince of Qin in Chang'an can we keep him in check. If we allow him to be enfeoffed in Longyou, it will cause endless trouble in the future."

"It can't be that serious, can it?" Jiancheng frowned. "With Erlang in the capital, I always feel uneasy, like I have a thorn in my side. Even if he's enfeoffed in a remote place like Shanzhou in Longyou, it's still just a prefecture, no matter how big it is."

What threat could he pose?
I'm afraid he won't be able to handle the Tuyuhun and Dangxiang Qiang tribes then."

“No, you are completely wrong. Although Shanzhou in Longyou is remote, it is an excellent place for raising horses and producing elite cavalry. If the Prince of Qin were to win over Tuyuhun again one day, the consequences would be even more unimaginable. It would be better to let the Prince of Qin stay in Chang'an than to let him establish fiefdoms.” Wang Gui said anxiously.

"But His Majesty has already agreed to this..."

Wang Gui immediately said, "Your Highness, please ask Prime Minister Pei to speak to His Majesty against the enfeoffment system and explain its drawbacks. This will surely change His Majesty's mind."

Jiancheng sat down.

"Zhongyun, is enfeoffment really not a good idea?"

"The enfeoffment system was inherently detrimental to the country, and allowing the King of Qin to establish enfeoffed states was even more undesirable."

After being persuaded by his words, Jiancheng changed his mind and said, "Alright, I will ask Prime Minister Pei for help right away."

"Your Highness, please do not go to see Prime Minister Pei in person. Just arrange for someone else to deliver the message."

“Alright, I’ll have the Imperial Kitchen Manager Ren Can send Prime Minister Pei some golden minced fish and jade slices.”

······
After eating the golden minced fish and jade slices given to him by the Crown Prince, Pei Ji went to the palace to meet the Emperor.

The emperor and his ministers went boating on the sea pond.

During the Zhonghuo season, the weather gradually cooled down, and a gentle breeze blew across the sea pool. The two first played the pipa for a while, and then went fishing.

Pei Ji intentionally steered the conversation toward the topic of enfeoffment.

"What does Supervisor Pei think of the enfeoffment?"

"Your Majesty, times have changed, and systems must change as well. Implementing the prefecture-county system is an inevitable trend. Xiao Yu's proposal of enfeoffment is an act of clinging to the past. If we were to implement enfeoffment today, it would be like using knotted ropes to govern the dynasties of Yu and Xia, or using symbolic punishments to govern the later generations of Liu and Cao—it would be like trying to find a sword by marking the boat!"

"If we enfeoff princes and establish vassal states, then the ministers and officials will live on their salaries, which will inevitably lead to a large amount of taxation."

In addition, the tax revenue from the capital region is not much. Originally, it relied on the area outside the capital. If it were all distributed to the vassal states, the national treasury would immediately be short of funds.

Moreover, after the establishment of feudal states, the families who received the fiefdoms became arrogant because of their noble lineage, forgetting the hardships their ancestors had endured to build the nation, and each generation became more extravagant and cruel than the last.

Moreover, after several generations, once the royal family weakens, the so-called vassal states, which were supposed to be a buffer, will become enemies. The vassal states will act independently, with the strong bullying the weak and constant wars for land and population.

Historical records clearly state that during the more than two hundred years of the Spring and Autumn Period, there were hardly any peaceful years.

Pei Ji's advice caused Li Yuan to fall into deep thought.

"To be honest, Pei Ji, the reason I want to grant titles to the Prince of Qin is not because he is too accomplished to be granted a title. In the past two years, there has been a rift between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin, and I am worried that if this continues, they will turn against each other in the future."

"I wanted to protect Erlang, which is why I thought of granting him a fiefdom."

"Your Majesty, if this is the case, then enfeoffment is even more unacceptable. If the King of Qin truly intends to seize the throne, enfeoffing Longyou would only give him the opportunity to rebel in the future. The Han and Jin dynasties both have many precedents for this."

"With the Qin king's enfeoffment, he will have land, population, taxes, and troops. Would he willingly remain on the northern frontier of Longyou for the rest of his life?"

"If we can't enfeoff him, how will we settle Erlang? Erlang has made so many contributions to the country, he must be properly settled." Li Yuan sighed.

"Promote and elevate the King of Qin's rank and title!"

"Could it be that you really intend to appoint Erlang as Grand Chancellor?" Li Yuan asked with a wry smile.

"The Grand Chancellor is definitely not suitable, but we can create a new official position, ranking above the Three Dukes, Princes, and Chancellors,"

Li Yuan stroked his beard.

There were official positions that ranked above the Three Dukes, Princes, and Prime Ministers in the past.

For example, Erzhu Rong during the Northern Wei Dynasty was appointed General of the Heavenly Pillar for his meritorious service in supporting Emperor Xiaozhuang of Wei, a position above that of the prime minister. Later, when Erzhu Rong was defeated, this position of General of the Heavenly Pillar was abolished.

After Yuwen Tai and others established the Western Wei Dynasty, they established the position of Pillar General, who was in charge of the imperial guards. Initially, there were eight Pillar Generals. However, later on, the title of Pillar General was given out indiscriminately and became worthless. Now, the highest rank among the twelve ranks of meritorious officials is Upper Pillar General, but even Upper Pillar Generals can only be selected from sixth-rank officials.

Hou Jing once proclaimed himself Grand General of the Universe and Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs in the six directions.

Hou Jing was originally a subordinate of Erzhu Rong, and later he attached himself to Gao Huan. However, he was ambitious and fickle. He first promised to cede six prefectures in Henan to the Western Wei, and later surrendered to the Southern Liang, giving all eleven prefectures in Henan to the Liang. Emperor Wu of Liang appointed him as Grand General and King of Henan. However, the Eastern Wei later seized all of Henan. Fearing betrayal by the Southern Liang, Hou Jing simply rebelled and established his own regime.

He proclaimed himself the Great General of the Universe, but was defeated and killed two years later.

The titles of General of the Heavenly Pillar, General of the Universe, and General of the Pillar of the Nation, although they were once ranked above princes and prime ministers, are not suitable for use now.

However, it would be fine to get a new one like that.

Li Yuan thought it over and over.

Pillar of Heaven, Pillar of the Nation, Universe

"Pei Ji, what do you think of calling him General Tian Ce?"

"General of Heavenly Strategy, that's good, but it would feel even better if it were changed to General of Heavenly Strategy."

The imperial court had many generals, with each of the twelve guards and four prefectures having a general, and even among the meritorious officials, there were generals and senior generals.

The general did not.

The title of Grand General of the Heavenly Strategy sounds like it's on the same level as the Grand General of the Left Guard, but the title of Superior General of the Heavenly Strategy is immediately different.

"Then we will appoint the King of Qin as the Supreme General of the Heavenly Strategy, a position above the Three Dukes, and allow him to establish his own government and appoint his own officials. The Heavenly Strategy Government will be ranked first among military government offices, above the Twelve Guards and Four Governments."

The Grand General of Heavenly Strategy is in charge of all national campaigns and oversees all government affairs.

Pei Ji nodded in agreement. Although the Heavenly Strategy General and the Heavenly Strategy Mansion seemed to wield astonishing power, Pei Ji knew that the more powerful they were, the more the Prince of Qin would be elevated to a position of power, and it would be impossible to give him real authority.

"Your Majesty, now that the Heavenly Strategy Office has been established, should the Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit be abolished?"

Li Yuan wanted to withdraw, but the war in the north was already over, and there was no need to retain such a temporary wartime institution as the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Secretariat. However, after thinking about it, he shook his head.

Removing the Grand Chancellor now would undoubtedly give the impression of suppressing the King of Qin.

Let's keep it for now.

"The Tian Ce Prefecture was established in Luoyang," the emperor added after a moment's thought.

The Tian Ce Prefecture was located in Luoyang, sharing the same office with the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Secretariat. It was even possible to transfer most of the officials from the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Secretariat to the Tian Ce Prefecture, creating a single entity with two separate offices.

Most importantly, the Tian Ce Mansion is in Luoyang, so we can leave the Tian Ce General in Chang'an.
Then the King of Qin, the Grand General of Heavenly Strategy, would be rendered useless.

At this time, Li Yuan's shrewdness and strategic thinking were still quite remarkable.

Pei Ji then smiled and said, "The war in Hebei has been settled. I think there is no need to keep the Shandong Circuit Office any longer. It can be abolished like the Yizhou Circuit Office was before."

"After the abolition of the Shandong Circuit Administration, a Grand General Administration can be established in Mingzhou to govern eight prefectures including Ming, Ci, Xing, and Zhao. Prince Wu'an, Li Yi, will serve as the Grand General and Governor of Mingzhou."

Youzhou was elevated to the status of Grand General Administration, governing eight prefectures including You, Yi, Ping, Tan, Yan, Bei Yan, and Ying. The Yingzhou Grand General Administration was abolished, and Li Yi, the Prince of Yan, was appointed as the Grand General of Youzhou.

The two major general administrations, You and Ming, each govern three more general administrations. The Mingzhou Grand General Administration governs the three general administrations of Huaizhou, Weizhou, and Xiangzhou.
The Youzhou Grand General Administration governs the three Grand General Administrations of Jizhou, Dezhou, and Dingzhou.

Hebei Province still consists of eight general administration offices, two major general administration offices, and six medium general administration offices.

After the war, Pei Ji withdrew the Shandong Circuit Commander-in-Chief, which seemed like a routine operation, but Pei Ji subtly reduced Li Yi's military power.

Originally, the Xingtai was above all the general administration offices. Li Yi, as the Left Minister of the Xingtai, commanded the eight general administration offices and twenty-four prefectures in Hebei, and was in charge of both military and political affairs.

But now that the Xingtai (military headquarters) has been abolished and Li Yi has been reassigned as the Grand General of Mingzhou, even if he concurrently oversees three Central General Offices, he will effectively only be in charge of four General Offices.
The other four general administration offices were overseen by Prince Yan, Li Yi.

Suddenly, he lost control of half of Hebei, and his position as Xingtai Pushe was changed to Da Zongguan, but his rank was also reduced by one level.

Pei Ji also suggested first abolishing the Shandong Circuit Administration, which would also prepare for the later abolition of the Shaanxi East Circuit Administration.

Li Yuan liked to hear this.

The establishment of the Xingtai during wartime was indeed convenient for overall planning and deployment, but after the war, it seemed to have too much power.

"Your Majesty, recently, Li Shenfu, the Prince of Xiangyi who is stationed in Bingzhou, has repeatedly submitted memorials, saying that Liu Shirang does not respect him, has offended him many times, and has often bullied him. The Prince of Xiangyi has impeached Liu Shirang and requested to be transferred."

"Liu Shirang, the Inspector General of Bingzhou, also submitted several memorials attacking the King of Xiangyi."

"I believe that neither the King of Xiangyi nor Liu Shirang are suitable to remain in Bingzhou. It would be better to appoint the King of Qi as the Grand General of Bingzhou, and then select a general to govern Bingzhou."

One was a prince of the imperial clan, the emperor's cousin, and the governor-general of Bingzhou. The other was Liu Shirang, who had made significant contributions in resisting the invasion of Hebei by Liu Wuzhou and Chuluo Khan, as well as in the campaign against Dou Jiande in Hebei; he was also the acting governor-general of Bingzhou.

The emperor originally arranged for the two to be partners, one as the governor of Bingzhou and the other as the inspector governor of Bingzhou. In reality, he was letting his cousin take charge, while Liu Shirang was in charge of military affairs. However, the two clashed fiercely and were irreconcilable.

Li Yuan was very dissatisfied. "Is Liu Shirang being arrogant? Does he think that just because he has some merit, he can be so contemptuous and even domineering?"
An imperial edict was issued ordering Liu Shirang to be stripped of his official rank and exiled to Dunhuang in Hexi!

"Summon the Prince of Xiangyi back to court to serve as the Minister of the Imperial Treasury!"

"Your Majesty, I recommend that the Prince of Qi be appointed as the Grand General of Bingzhou, and that Dou Cong, the Right General of the Imperial Guard and Duke of Qiao, be appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Grand General's Office of Bingzhou."

Dou Cong was Empress Dou Mu's cousin. He actively participated in planning the uprising in Taiyuan and was deeply trusted by Li Yuan, serving as a general.

Li Yuan was naturally at ease letting him take up the post of Bingzhou.

Pei Ji recommended Dou Cong because Dou Cong had always had a good relationship with Jiancheng, but was at odds with his cousin Li Shimin, back in Taiyuan.

Pei Ji is fighting for territory on behalf of the Crown Prince.

Bingzhou is the birthplace of the emperor, so it's essential to place our own people there. We also need to win over Li Yi, the Prince of Yan in Youzhou.

Pei Ji had long seen through Li Yi. Although he held a concurrent position as an official in the Eastern Palace, he could never get along with the Crown Prince. Since that was the case, he had to find a way to suppress Li Yi.

We cannot allow the King of Qin to remain in the provinces.

Li Yi, on the other hand, could not be allowed to enter the court. Otherwise, if Li Yi were to serve as Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary, he would become the prime minister. Therefore, he could only be kept in the provinces and his power should be reduced as much as possible.

Old ginger is spicier; Pei Ji may not be good at fighting, but he is extremely skilled at using underhanded tricks.

(End of this chapter)