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

Chapter 325: The Imperial Meeting Before the Lunar New Year, the Emperor Reprimands the Crown Prince (Part )
Heavy snow fell all over the sky, covering the entire Taiji Palace.

Liangyi Palace.

The fire was burning fiercely, and the hall was warm.

Yang Shidao knelt at the head of the right side, looked at the emperor on the couch, and said seriously, "Your Highness and I believe that the most suitable candidate to succeed the Minister of Personnel is Tang Jian, the Duke of Ju."

Li Chengqian sat under the steps, his eyes sweeping lightly across the hall.

Seven prime ministers, namely Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Yang Shidao, Xiao Yu, Yu Zhining and Chu Suiliang, gathered together.

After the emperor returned to the court, the Ministry of Personnel began to sort out the promotions and demotions of officials in recent years, and now it is gradually being sorted out.

Therefore, the problem of the Minister of Personnel must also be solved.

The Minister of Personnel was originally Hou Junji.

After Hou Junji died, Yang Shidao was appointed as the acting minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

It's been almost three years.

Because the emperor was on an eastern expedition and the world needed stability, Yang Shidao had been serving as the Minister of Personnel in recent years.

But now the emperor is back, and he is personally pacifying the world, so there is no need for Yang Shidao to be the Minister of Personnel anymore.

The Minister of Personnel is the first person after the Prime Minister.

He was in charge of the appointment, dismissal, examination, promotion, awarding of honors, transfers and other matters of civil servants throughout the country, and also presided over the imperial examinations.

Originally, the replacement of the Minister of Personnel should have caused a sensation in the court and the country, but in fact, apart from the prime ministers, the crown prince Li Chengqian, and the emperor, almost no one knew about it.

Even without a sound, the assessment was completed.

Vice Minister of Personnel Tang Jiao, Vice Minister of Personnel Xue Yuanjing, and several other local governors and commanders-in-chief were all eliminated.

The candidate finally recommended by the Council of State was Tang Jian, the Minister of Revenue.

However, once Tang Jian became the Minister of Personnel, it meant that he would not be able to become the prime minister in a short period of time.

……

"Duke of Ju." The emperor sat on the imperial couch, reading Tang Jian's name. His eyes swept across the courtiers in the hall, finally looking at Li Chengqian and asking, "Prince, what do you think?"

Li Chengqian turned to look at the emperor and bowed, saying, "I believe that the Duke of Ju served as the Minister of Rites for many years in his early years. He is able to discern people's hearts and minds externally, and now he can naturally see through the wise and foolish within. At the same time, he has served as the Minister of Revenue for many years. The Ministry of Revenue is aware of the national household statistics, and household statistics are the most important in the assessment of all officials. I think the Duke of Ju's appointment as the Minister of Personnel is a very good choice."

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian, nodded, and said, "What the Crown Prince said makes sense, but there is one thing you should consider. The Duke of Ju is capable, but he has a soft temper... When it comes to matters in the Ministry of Personnel, a soft temper is not a good thing."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian looked serious and bowed and nodded.

Indeed, the Ministry of Personnel's Qinglisi was the most powerful department in the court to supervise officials, except for the Menxia Province and the Censorate.

There is no lack of personal connections here.

No, the entire Ministry of Personnel is the place where human relations are most important in the world, and there can be no mistakes...

"However, since the Crown Prince has approved of the appointment, and the Duke of Ju is a long-time minister, then let's make it a decision. He will be the Minister of Personnel." Li Shimin smiled and glanced at the surprised Li Chengqian. Then he turned to Yang Shidao and said, "Mr. Yang, this matter will have to wait until the New Year's Day court to issue an imperial edict and make a final decision. Until then, you will continue to manage the Ministry of Personnel."

"Yes!" Yang Shidao immediately bowed.

"Okay, the Minister of Personnel has been chosen, but the Minister of Revenue has been vacant again." Li Shimin looked at Yang Shidao and asked, "How many candidates are there for the Minister of Personnel?"

"The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Cui Renshi, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice Liu Dewei, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites Zhao Yuankai, and the Governor of Guangzhou Yan Lide." Yang Shidao bowed seriously.

"Forget Zhao Qing. He's only been the Minister of Rites for a short time. I don't want to consider his candidacy just yet." Li Shimin waved his hand, then turned to Li Chengqian and asked, "Crown Prince, Cui Renshi, Liu Dewei, Yan Lide, who do you think is suitable for the position of Minister of Revenue?"

Hearing the emperor's question, all seven prime ministers in the hall looked at Li Chengqian.

Now that the crown prince is in charge of government affairs, the emperor will consult the crown prince on almost all political affairs.

In the past, the emperor would not consult the crown prince even for appointments at the level of vice minister, let alone such appointments at the level of minister.

Fang Xuanling calmly withdrew his gaze. It seemed that he was asking a question, but in fact he was testing him.

Cui Renshi was born into the Cui family of Boling. A daughter of the Cui family of Boling had just entered the Eastern Palace. How would the prince respond?

Minister of Justice Liu Dewei is the only one of the six ministers who has stayed in Chang'an for a long time in the past two years. He cooperates with the prince in everything. The stability of public security in the world in the past two years has a lot to do with Minister of Justice Liu Dewei.

As for Yan Lide, he was the father-in-law of Li Tai, the Prince of Wei.

How the prince treats Yan Lide will determine the hearts and minds of a considerable number of people in the court.

Faced with this test from the emperor, Fang Xuanling was somewhat curious about what Li Chengqian would choose.

……

"Minister of Revenue?" Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then suddenly seemed to have figured something out. He looked up and said, "Father, the Minister of Revenue is in charge of the national economy, focusing on matters such as land registration, taxation, and overall financial management. Originally, the Minister of Rites would have been the most suitable, but now that the Minister of Rites is unavailable, I suggest that Yan Lide, the Governor of Guangzhou, should be appointed Minister of Revenue."

"Oh, why?" Li Shimin asked curiously.

"Goguryeo." Li Chengqian bowed and said, "In two or three years, my father will again march eastward to conquer Goguryeo. At that time, the Minister of Revenue will undoubtedly be appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Army, in charge of transporting food, fodder, and military equipment. There are only two routes for transporting food, fodder, and military equipment to Goguryeo: Hebei and Dengzhou."

The emperor and the seven prime ministers in the hall immediately understood.

The Emperor's eastern expedition to Goguryeo required the transportation of rations and forage through Hebei. Therefore, Cui Renshi, hailing from the prominent Hebei family of the Boling Cui clan, was clearly not in a position to oversee logistics, so he was the first to be eliminated. "As for the Minister of Justice, he comes from a military background, so he wouldn't have any problem managing logistics. However, Goguryeo is so far away, and transporting rations requires extra precautions against unexpected events..." Li Chengqian paused, but the ministers already understood his meaning.

Compared with Yan Lide, who once served as the chief architect and the admiral of the navy, Liu Dewei's response in this situation was indeed a little worse.

Li Shimin sighed and said, "The prince has convinced me."

Li Chengqian bowed slightly. Not to mention the long term, the battle with Goguryeo in two or three years would still be a difficult point in transporting food and grass.

Yan Lide can get things done well, but Liu Dewei may not be able to do so.

"That's it!" Li Shimin raised his head, looked at Yang Shidao and said, "There are other vacancies for the Governor of Guangzhou, and they must be filled as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Yang Shidao nodded seriously.

"Alright." The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Zhangsun Wuji and asked, "How is the war in Mobei going?"

"In the middle of the year, Yinan died of illness, and his legitimate son, Bazhuo, ascended the throne, proclaiming himself Duomi Khan. However, he distrusted the ministers Yinan had left behind, replacing them with his own trusted followers. This discontent led to the discontent of the nobles within the country, and Bazhuo responded with a butcher's knife... Furthermore, the Uighurs, Pugu, and Tongluo joined our army in advancing. After the war began, the Xueyantuo struggled to form a system and suffered repeated defeats."

The 30,000-strong Tang army, plus three times the number of vassal troops from various ethnic groups, suddenly attacked. The Xueyantuo, who were in the midst of civil strife, had no time to organize any resistance.

"There's news that Bazhuo has fled north, but we're still unclear about his exact fate." Changsun Wuji leaned forward slightly and said, "The Huihe, Pugu, and Tongluo troops are marching faster than ours, so the battle is going smoothly, but..."

"But you are worried that they will take over the territory of Xueyantuo and then become a disaster like Xueyantuo." The emperor directly spoke for Changsun Wuji's inner thoughts.

Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "Your Majesty, the Xueyantuo was originally an Eastern Turkic tribe with only more than 70,000 households. After the Eastern Turkic nation was destroyed, the Xueyantuo became the leader of the Tiele tribes, and then surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and became a vassal of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty appointed Yinan as Khan, and their country was established." Changsun Wuji looked at the ministers, and everyone nodded calmly.

"After its founding, with Your Majesty's support, ethnic minorities such as the Huihe, Bayegu, Adie, Tongluo, Pugu, and Xun flocked to it. Its territory extended to the Mohe in the east, the Western Turks in the west, the Shazhi in the south, and the Kulun River in the north. With 200,000 elite troops, its ambitions began to rise. It marched south to attack the Eastern Turkic tribes, intending to become another Eastern Turkic state."

Changsun Wuji sneered softly and said, "Their people even attacked the Great Wall several times, and even Dunhuang. Only now has your Majesty destroyed the country."

"However, you are worried that someone will replace the Xueyantuo and become a threat to the Tang Dynasty again in the future. So you are considering reshaping the situation in Mobei and no longer relying on a single dominant force." The emperor nodded calmly, then looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Prince, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I think what the Minister of Justice said is reasonable." Li Chengqian looked at the emperor and said, "The Xueyantuo incident is a one-time event. If they take advantage of the Tang Dynasty's troubles and march south to attack again, the Tang Dynasty will have to respond. It would be better to divide the Xueyantuo territory into four or five regions.

The Mobei Protectorate, the former Xueyantuo tribes, the Uighurs and the Bayegu tribes each led one of them, ruling the north and the south respectively, and finally they attacked each other and weakened each other.

The Tang Dynasty will then use the Mobei Protectorate to mediate, keeping Mobei permanently weak and preventing it from becoming a threat to the Tang Dynasty."

All the prime ministers nodded in agreement.

"You!" Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian helplessly at this time, shook his head and said, "You think a little shallowly."

Li Chengqian and all the ministers in the hall looked at the emperor in surprise.

"On the surface, it might appear that the fighting between Mobei will gradually weaken them, but that's generally the case. However, if one tribe grows stronger and stronger, ultimately uniting Mobei, then the Tang Dynasty's forces in Mobei will be unable to stop them." Li Shimin raised his head, looked outside the hall, and whispered, "If such a person were to unite Mobei and then invade the Tang Dynasty, that would be the real trouble."

The expressions of the ministers in the hall became solemn. What the emperor said was a low-probability event, but once it happened, the consequences would be unbearable.

"Also, although the Xueyantuo have rebelled against the Tang Dynasty in recent years, even so, the Mobei region still sends a large number of horses, cattle, sheep, camels, and sable furs as tribute to Chang'an every year. If the grasslands become chaotic, will this situation still be possible?" Li Shimin pounded the table and said to his ministers, "Also, don't forget the Turks."

The Turks, who had already moved inland to the vicinity of the Great Wall, suddenly popped into Li Chengqian's mind.

"Although the Xueyantuo pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty, is they strong? No, they are utterly weak. The truly powerful ones on the grasslands are the Turks." Li Shimin looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Wuji, how could you have forgotten that when we established the Xueyantuo, our fundamental purpose was to divide the Turks' influence on the grasslands."

"Yes, I was a little confused." Changsun Wuji bowed with a guilty look on his face.

Li Shimin turned to look at Li Chengqian and said, "No matter how powerful the Xueyantuo and the tribes of Mobei are, if they march three thousand miles south to attack the Tang border, will they be able to break through the Great Wall? On the contrary, if Mobei becomes completely chaotic, the Turks will take advantage of the situation and annex Mobei. That would be the greatest threat to the Tang Dynasty."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded seriously. Although he still had some doubts in his heart, he had no way to refute what the emperor said.

The reason why he had some doubts in his heart was actually because in later generations, the Later Turks re-established their country, the Uighurs joined forces with the Tang Dynasty to destroy the Later Turks, and then went south to invade the Tang Dynasty and looted Chang'an.

Suddenly, Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows.

The establishment of the Later Turkic state took place during the reign of Wu Zetian.

The fact that the Uighurs and the Tang Dynasty joined forces to destroy the Western Turks further demonstrated the correctness of the emperor's strategy.

As for the later invasion of the Tang Dynasty by the Uighurs, that was the Tang Dynasty's own fault during the An-Shi Rebellion.

In fact, the Uighurs later returned to the northern desert.

"Let the various tribes in Mobei fight for their own territory, but control the scale of the war. Whoever emerges victorious will rule over the others." Li Shimin sneered softly and said, "The hatred between the various tribes in Mobei is deeper than we imagined. We just need to control the overall situation, and let them fight it out on their own."

"Yes!" The ministers bowed in respect.

Li Chengqian lowered his head, and something began to dawn on his mind.

It turns out that after Li Zhi became emperor in his previous life, his way of governing the country was problematic.

No wonder there was the defeat at Dafeichuan later.

"This way, Mobei will have enough problems to solve. Every year, we can send a large number of cattle, horses, sheep, camels, sable furs, and other tributes to Chang'an." Li Shimin raised his head, looked outside the hall, and said calmly, "As long as the Tang Dynasty can remain strong enough, Mobei will always be its most powerful helper."

"Yes!" The ministers bowed their hands again and lowered their heads solemnly.

Changsun Wuji raised his head slightly and looked at the emperor.

Li Shimin smiled lightly, then his gaze fell on Li Chengqian who seemed to be lost in thought, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)