Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 277 Li Chengqian: I Want to Settle Accounts with Father (Part )
"Good news, good news."

On Chang'an Street, a Qianniu Guard madly ran towards the palace, shouting at the same time: "A great victory in Liaodong. In the battle of Anshi City, Your Majesty defeated Goguryeo's 150,000 troops with only 30,000 men, beheaded 40,000, and captured 60,000. He also captured Anshi, Yinshan, Houhuang, and other cities. The vanguard of the army has reached Wugut City, only 400 miles away from the Goguryeo capital..."

How many?

Four hundred miles?
On the streets of Chang'an, countless people couldn't help but look out.

Although they were delighted that the emperor defeated Goguryeo's 150,000 with only 30,000 soldiers, in fact, the Tang Dynasty had been engaged in wars over the years, and destroying tens of thousands of people was common. The emperor's victory in Liaodong was something they had expected, but it was really surprising that they had now reached a place only 400 miles away from the capital of Goguryeo.

It is only four hundred miles away from the capital of Goguryeo, which means that this battle will be over soon.

And it will be easy.

The people of Chang'an immediately cheered with joy.

However, many elderly people couldn't help but have a solemn look in their eyes.

Because they all knew that the war had only just begun.

For four hundred miles, there are mountains and forests, and swamps spread out.

What's more, Pingrang is located in the northeast of Goguryeo. Once the Goguryeo people abandon Pingrang and flee into the southwestern mountains, the entire war will spread indefinitely.

……

"...In this battle, they captured seventeen cities, including Xuantu, Gaimu, Liaodong, Baiyan, Beisha, Mai'an City, Yinshan, and Houhuang. They beheaded over fifty thousand Goguryeo soldiers, captured over seventy thousand prisoners, and captured 150,000 households and 370,000 civilians."

Fang Xuanling presented the victory report and bowed to Li Chengqian, who was sitting on the main couch in the Wude Hall. He said, "Your Highness, the military report is a victory. May your majesty's military fortune flourish and the Tang Dynasty prosper forever."

Gao Shilian, Yang Shidao, Xiao Yu, Yu Zhining, Liu Dewei, Yuchi Jingde, Zheng Rentai and others all bowed their hands and said, "May your majesty's military fortunes flourish and the Tang Dynasty last forever."

"Gentlemen, please stand!" Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, then said with a smile, "Now that the army has reached Wugut City, the main force of the Goguryeo people has suffered heavy losses. At least this winter, the Liaodong battlefield will be more peaceful."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Although there are only 370,000 people now, there are still hundreds of thousands of former Sui survivors in the deep mountains and old forests of Liaodong. It is estimated that even if we only have the Liaodong area now, we will be able to gain more than 500,000 people."

"That's good news." Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then closed the memorial in his hand and said, "Liaodong is vast, with countless lands, minerals, and medicinal herbs. If it can be fully developed, it will be of great benefit to the court."

"But Your Highness!" Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Those former Sui survivors will not be willing to stay in Liaodong any longer."

Li Chengqian turned sideways and looked at Fang Xuanling in surprise.

"Your Highness!" Fang Xuanling bowed, sighed, and said, "Many of these former Sui survivors were well-off men from Guanzhong and Heluo. Many of them have parents, even wives and children. Now that the Tang Dynasty has taken Liaodong, not only will they have to return to the court, but even Your Majesty will not allow them to stay in Liaodong."

"Land?" Li Chengqian's brows furrowed, and he immediately shook his head. "Although there are still quite a few vacant farmlands in Guanzhong and Heluo right now, they are all reserved for land grants in the next five to ten years. If tens of thousands of people were to suddenly pour in, the future land grants in Guanzhong and Heluo would be significantly impacted."

The Tang Dynasty still adheres to the land grant policy of Emperor Gaozu's period.

Thirty mu of permanent land and seventy mu of land for each family member.

Later, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, newly adult males were only entitled to 30 mu of permanent farmland, and the land allocated to each person was completely gone.

Things are still okay in the Tang Dynasty now, but in ten or twenty years, the amount of land allocated to new adult males will decrease rapidly.

Then in a hundred years, it went from seventy acres to zero.

These will undoubtedly be troubles for Li Chengqian.

Especially in Guanzhong and Heluo, these two places are the most densely populated areas in the world, and the reduction of land per capita is also the fastest.

Now tens of thousands of people are coming in all at once, which is going to cause trouble.

"The population can be resettled and we can talk about it later, but these people must come back." Fang Xuanling bowed, then turned sideways to look at Gao Shilian and Xiao Yu.

Gao Shilian and Xiao Yu stood up at the same time and bowed with serious expressions.

Li Chengqian immediately understood. Gao Shilian was from the Bohai Gao family, and Xiao Yu was a relative of the former Sui Dynasty. Not to mention others, maybe those who returned from Liaodong might be their relatives, so this matter could not be discussed.

Li Chengqian sighed and said, "Well, since they are coming back, their homes, fields, seeds, and farm tools—all their necessities for the next year—need to be prepared properly. So, if their families are still around, then I think we can leave them alone except for the fields. If they don't have families, the court will have to prepare everything for them."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Gao Shilian, Xiao Yu, and many older ministers in the hall could not help but bow slightly.

At this time, Fang Xuanling hesitated.

He is now the regent and he has to settle the accounts.

Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling with a smile, this account was really not that easy to settle.

"If you don't have family, then disperse them." Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Xuanling, then looked away. He said calmly, "Send the order down. Have the counties of Yongzhou and Luozhou begin preparing land and houses for collective living, along with a year's worth of food and drink. The houses are rented, and the food and drink for a year is on credit. The money will be repaid in three to five years."

Asking the court to prepare houses and food for tens of thousands of people for free for a year is a huge expense even for the court, so it can only be calculated by renting or buying on credit.

"Your Highness, isn't this too much?" Gao Shilian couldn't help but stand up.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "This is the basic policy and cannot be changed. However, some people can send their children to join the imperial army. Some even brought their own wealth back from Liaodong and bought their own houses, without the need for court-provided food and drink. Some can even engage in business. Anything is possible as long as they don't need the court to provide them with housing and food."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "The rent provided by the court is already the lowest, and it will be recovered in three to five years. If you are unwilling to accept it, go back to Liaodong... The Tang Dynasty didn't bring back a bunch of bigwigs from Liaodong. If you really have any objections, you can just take the land and don't want the rest of the government loan at all." "Yes!" Li Chengqian said this, and Gao Shilian and others could only bow.

"In fact, if after three to five years, these people can only rely on the fields for a living, cannot join the government soldiers, cannot be craftsmen, cannot do business, cannot become civil servants, cannot be officials, and cannot even serve as guards, then are these people really worth your attention?" Li Chengqian's words were cold, but they were the real reality.

Among the 360 ​​professions, there is always one that suits them.

Especially in the Guanluo area.

Since they can’t do it now, we can only wait for their descendants to do it in 20 or 30 years.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"Very good. All local governments should be prepared. There should be at least three to five hundred people in a county. Be prepared to support them for a year for free, and they will start to make a profit in the second year." Li Chengqian made the final decision, and the Secretary of the Central Secretariat next to him had already written a memorial.

"And then there's the Liaodong area. Similarly, land planning and renovation, house construction, the provision of farm tools, and mine surveys all require manpower and material resources from the court, as well as considerable expertise." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian continued, "The court needs to send people to Liaodong. Send them now to plan ahead so that next year's spring planting, irrigation, and mining operations won't be affected."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed their hands in unison. What the prince said was the state affairs of the court.

"Then who will go to Liaodong?" Fang Xuanling frowned.

"Two people," Li Chengqian said, looking at the ministers, "Zhao Yuankai, Minister of Rites, and Su Xu, Director of the Imperial Academy."

"I'm here!" Zhao Yuankai and Su Xu stood up at the same time.

"Go and prepare. While the weather is not too cold now, hurry to Liaodong. If you go when the weather gets cold, you will easily get sick." Li Chengqian couldn't help but look at Su Xu.

"Yes!" Zhao Yuankai and Su Xu bowed and accepted the order at the same time.

Many of the ministers looked at the two of them with envy in their eyes.

The two of them have now gone to Liaodong, and at worst they can get the position of a governor. If Zhao Yuankai is not like that, he may even get the position of governor of Liaodong.

Li Chengqian looked at his ministers and said, "My Lords, winter is about to arrive. Before winter arrives, we must send the largest batch of food and bedding over there. The rest will be a matter for next year."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed and became excited for a moment.

"Also, regarding the great victory in Liaodong, pass on the message." Li Chengqian raised his head and said, "For the next three days, the curfew in Chang'an and Luoyang will be extended by two hours... This is the highest authority I have."

Hearing Li Chengqian say this, all the ministers bowed and said, "Your Highness is virtuous."

Although Li Chengqian was the crown prince, it was the emperor's right to cancel the curfew. Li Chengqian never thought of offending the emperor's authority, so within his maximum authority, postponing the curfew for two hours was enough to make the subjects in Chang'an and Luoyang extremely happy.

"Finally," Li Chengqian said, looking at Fang Xuanling, "Prime Minister Fang, write a memorial requesting that the Emperor return all the gold, silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and fine medicinal herbs seized from Liaodong. It's not easy for the court to hold out for this past year, and we need to hold out for another year, otherwise the Ministry of Revenue will have a major financial crisis."

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, Xue Renfang, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, stood up and bowed with some surprise.

When the Tang Dynasty conquered Liaodong, the Ministry of Revenue was the most frightened.

When the army moves, it's worth a fortune.

Even if an army of 100,000 is prepared for three or four years, the losses every day are terrifyingly high.

Especially this time, there were 300,000 more people, and the Tang Dynasty had to be responsible for their food, drink, defecation and urination. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue almost had their hair wrinkled off.

If Liaodong cannot support itself, there will be a major war next year, and the savings of the court over the years may be completely consumed.

"That's all." Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "All officials are resting this afternoon, so I won't invite you all to have dinner here."

"Yes!" The ministers couldn't help laughing as they bowed.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.

The Crown Prince's servant, Dugu Dabao, hurried into the hall and, with an anxious expression, bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess just heard about the great victory in Liaodong. In her joy, she lost her attention and suddenly became pregnant. She is about to give birth. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Liangti also became pregnant and is about to give birth."

"What!" Li Chengqian couldn't help but stand up immediately, his face showing both joy and surprise.

Now, today, the news of the Emperor’s great victory in Liaodong has just arrived, and the Crown Princess and Crown Prince Liangti are about to give birth.

If she gives birth to two sons, then the crown prince will be destined by heaven.

The ministers watched Li Chengqian walking anxiously out of the Wude Hall. Some of them followed him, while others ran out of the hall and headed outside the palace.

Crown Prince Liangti Wei Wei is the daughter of Wei Zheng, Duke of Zheng. If Wei Wei is going to give birth, it means that Wei Zheng will become a grandfather.

It is unknown how many people in the court were promoted by Wei Zheng.

For example, Xue Renfang, the Minister of Revenue, was saved by Wei Zheng.

Now, Wei Wei is the daughter of Crown Prince Liangti and is about to give birth, and Xue Renfang suddenly feels a sense of belonging to the Eastern Palace.

(End of this chapter)