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

Chapter 432: The Truth of "Tui Bei Tu", the Unchanging Law of History (Part )
On the imperial couch, Li Chengqian opened the fourth image of "The Book of Changes".

Ding Mao, Kun below and Qian above, no.

The prophecy said:

Those who fly will not fly, those who walk will not walk.

Vibrating Yu Gaogang will lead to a descendant.

Li Chengqian pondered the words carefully.

To be honest, most people really can't understand this.

After ascending the throne, what Wu Meiniang was most concerned about was the issue of heirs.

Li Dan, or Wu Chengsi.

Li Xian, or Wu Sansi.

One day, Wu Meiniang suddenly had a dream in which she saw a parrot with both wings broken.

Di Renjie interpreted the dream: the parrot represents Empress Wu, and her sons Li Dan and Li Xian are her wings. If Li Dan and Li Xian can be appointed to positions of power, "then the two wings will be flourishing."

At the same time, it also means that it is not feasible for the Wu family to inherit the imperial throne.

This is the contrast of this prophecy.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly. These prophecies written by Yuan Tiangang were indeed quite confusing.

However, with Li Chunfeng's explanation just now, Li Chengqian seemed to understand a little.

If Wu's replacement of the Tang Dynasty was unstoppable, then after Wu, the people's hearts would return to the Li Tang Dynasty.

At that time, the one who could best represent the Li Tang Dynasty was none other than Wu Meiniang's descendants, not necessarily sons, but grandsons as well.

This is the meaning of "振羽高山，乃成功有后".

It's actually more of inertia.

If Wu Meiniang had not usurped the throne of the Tang Dynasty, none of this would have happened.

Li Xiang.

It was Li Chengqian's sudden inspiration to attribute this prophecy to Li Xiang. As for what specific measures should be taken to make him fulfill the prophecy, we will talk about it later.

If this is possible, then the phrase "振羽高岗，乃克有后" might have a different meaning.

Li Chengqian smiled lightly, but then his expression became serious.

Yuan Tiangang made five prophecies before his death. There was nothing wrong with the first four, but what about the fifth?

……

Li Chengqian lowered his head, took a look, and his expression changed slightly.

The fifth image: Wuchen, Kun below and Xun above, Guan

The prophecy said:

Willow catkins are flying, the road to Shu is difficult.

Only after cutting the bamboo flute can the sun be seen, and without any official, there will be no peace.

Li Longji, Mawei Slope Incident.

An Lushan Rebellion.

Li Chengqian relaxed and breathed.

The Anshi Rebellion was superficially about Li Longji, Li Linfu, An Lushan, Yang Yuhuan, and Yang Guozhong, but in reality it was about Hebei.

The taxes collected by the Tang Dynasty in Hebei were extremely heavy.

There are also unimaginable amounts of various exorbitant taxes and levies.

Emperor Gaozu, Li Shimin, Li Zhi, Wu Zetian, and Li Longji, five generations of people, were unable to solve the problem in Hebei.

The situation had become so dire that Hebei had to resort to rebellion against the country.

In the end, the three towns in Hebei became the fuse for the destruction of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Hebei’s problems must be resolved.

As long as the problem in Hebei was solved, the Anshi Rebellion would not have happened.

There were bound to be more conflicts back then, but at least they would be delayed.

Li Chengqian looked up and sighed softly.

Could he create an eternally unchanging Tang Empire that would last for thousands of years?
Although any emperor who wants to completely and once and for all solve the empire's eternal crisis will inevitably end in failure.

But Li Chengqian couldn't help feeling a little restless in his heart.

But in an instant, he extinguished the delusion in his heart.

He just needs to do his best during his time in office.

No one has ever done that before.

Even if someone as powerful as Zhu Di or Yongzheng was no match for a foolish descendant.

Not to mention, there is also Li Longji.

The emergence of Li Longji was the inevitable end of the prosperous era.

Once all external pursuits are exhausted, one will inevitably turn to internal struggle.

This was the beginning of the downfall.

For Li Chengqian, it was not difficult to control Wu Meiniang, but the Hebei issue involved too many things.

The most direct impact is that it may shake the fundamental national policy of the Tang Dynasty.

Rule the world with Guanzhong.

But we have to do it no matter how difficult it is.

Now is a good opportunity.

That was the war between the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo.

Once Goguryeo was conquered, the people in Hebei who could not survive would be relocated to Goguryeo.

Tax exemption, levy exemption and rent exemption, and distribution of over 100 hectares of land.

Digest Hebei’s problems bit by bit.

……

Recovering his composure, Li Chengqian looked at the sixth prophecy.

This was a prophecy that Li Chunfeng came up with himself after Yuan Tiangang's death.

The prophecy said:

Not everyone is the capital, not the emperor is the emperor.

The haze is gone, and the sun and moon are shining again.

Li Chengqian was stunned when he saw this scene, and then he couldn't help laughing.

Shaking his head, he stood up directly.

The ministers on both sides bowed and said, "Your Majesty!"

"It's snowing today, let's go back and rest early." Li Chengqian waved his hand and walked towards the palace door.

The ministers bowed and said, "Farewell, Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then walked out of the hall.

Snowflakes fell from the sky and landed in the entire city of Chang'an.

Li Chengqian stretched, then turned around, sat on the imperial sedan chair, and walked towards Xianchun Gate.

Passing through the Tongxun Gate and entering the East Palace, all the palace maids and eunuchs encountered along the way bowed to Li Chengqian.

Soon, he came out from the Xuande Gate, the north gate of the East Palace.

Arrived at Beiyuan.

In Beiyuan, the world suddenly became wider.

The vast sky and earth are covered with falling snow.

The mountains in the distance appear faintly at the end of the sight.

Li Chengqian, sitting on the imperial carriage, leaned back and sneered slightly.

He has completely understood what "The Book of Changes" is.

Li Chunfeng was a little stupid after all, far inferior to Yuan Tiangang, which led to the sixth chapter he wrote, which allowed Li Chengqian to see the truth of the so-called "Tuibei Tu".

The cold snowflakes fell on his face, and the people around him just carried the emperor, who suddenly felt interested in enjoying the snow, towards the children of Daming Palace.

A cold wind blew in my face as I walked forward in silence.

Snow and rain alternate, and the four seasons rotate.

Just like the world and the country, there are also rules.

The country was founded, it recuperated, won foreign wars, and reached prosperity at home, then it went downhill, and finally struggled a few times until the dynasty collapsed.

Things like this are called historical laws.

The core and fundamental issue is land annexation.

Human power cannot resist the trend of the times, that's how it is.

Yuan Tiangang is a god in the world!

He saw through the general trend of history, and then used his top-notch physiognomy skills to read the physiognomy of almost all the important officials of the dynasty.

Finally, the most powerful deduction method was added, supplemented by the right time and place, and finally it became the five chapters of "Tui Bei Tu".

This is the truth of "Tui Bei Tu".

But unfortunately, Li Chunfeng only made a poor addition, and although he did produce some things, they were far inferior to Yuan Tiangang's.

Li Chengqian saw through his true intentions at a glance.

As for the nonsense about "Female warriors replacing the Tang Dynasty", it is nothing more than a historical story of the Western Han Dynasty.

Isn’t “Nu Wu” just the character “Lu”?
It’s just that a person named Wu Meiniang happened to be born in later generations, so the word “Wu” came into being.

So there is no Wu Meiniang, we are talking about just a "Lu".

Lü Zhi, Empress Lü.

The harem is involved in politics.

The core of this sentence is that the harem interferes in politics.

As long as there is someone from the harem interfering in politics, the prophecy of "Tui Bei Tu" will come true.

Is it a problem for the harem to interfere in politics?

not a problem.

During the Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, there were cases of interference from the imperial harem within three or four generations.

The word "代" has a very broad scope.

People like Empress Lü are also called acting rulers.

This is the truth of "Tui Bei Tu".

Or to put it more directly, Yuan Tiangang applied what happened in the early Han Dynasty and even the entire Eastern and Western Han Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty.

Why not Sui?

Because he believed that the Tang Dynasty was more powerful than the Sui Dynasty.

Moreover, if the Tang Dynasty had really perished completely after three generations, no one would have talked about the "Tuibei Tu".

As for why there are so many contents in the "Tuibei Tu" of later generations, it is actually as Li Chunfeng said. Today he is adding some contents of the "Tuibei Tu" after Yuan Tiangang, so naturally there will be people in the future who will continue to write the contents of his "Tuibei Tu".

Some people even write about things that have already happened.

This kind of person is not even as capable as Li Chunfeng.

Of course, there are dozens of copies of the Tuibei Tu written by later generations, but the only one that has been passed down is the one that is consistent with history.

As for the others that were inconsistent with history, they have all been destroyed.

This is the "Tuibei Tu" that people in later generations saw.

……

The imperial carriage landed to the east of Taiye Lake in Daming Palace.

Li Chengqian stepped down from the imperial carriage and looked back at the entire Taiye Lake.

Compared with the canal in the distance, the entire Taiye Lake is much higher.

As for why it is so high, the reason is the dozens of water-lifting windmills on the edge of the canal and even around the entire Taiye Lake.

In front of us is the Zuogentai Hall. Standing at the door of the hall, we can faintly hear the sound of iron hammering coming from inside.

Li Chengqian calmly walked into the hall. Major General Yang Wulian quickly stepped out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian nodded and, as he followed Yang Wulian into the backyard, he asked, "What's the situation here now?"

"There is less water in winter, but the wind is much stronger. We use the rotation of the windmill to drive the machinery to make armor, swords, spears and crossbows." Yang Wulian said as he and Li Chengqian stopped at the backyard door.

The front and backyards were dug down a deep layer.

Windmills, water wheels, pulleys, heavy hammers, furnaces, hammer platforms, grate platforms, and other equipment, as well as more than 20 craftsmen, are now constantly hammering weapons.

On the table nearby, there were densely packed semi-finished weapons.

Further inside the backyard, there was a slight, dense, and continuous pounding sound.

Li Chengqian knew what it was.

Whether it is a windmill or a waterwheel, the natural hammering force generated by it makes it difficult to make much carving on the details.

So what remains is more craftsmen working on the details.

"Next summer, when the wind is low and the water is high, we can mainly use the windmill." Yang Wulian bowed and said, "If the wind is low and the water is low, we can use manual labor, or we can store the water in the pool like they do outside, and release the pressure at the critical moment."

"How many crossbows and crossbow arrows can be made here in a month?" Li Chengqian stared at Yang Wulian.

"Your Majesty, if everything goes well, we can make 2,000 crossbows a month. Crossbow arrows are easier to make, reaching tens of thousands per month. From July of this year to February of next year, we can make 12,000 crossbows and over 70,000 crossbow arrows." After a brief pause, Yang Wulian continued, "This is just for this workshop. The other workshops under the General Administration of Works can make fewer crossbows, but they still make tens of thousands..."

"Alright." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "What's made here will be secretly sent to Lanzhou. Besides the regular replenishment, more of what's made in other places will be sent to Liaodong."

"Yes!" Yang Wulian nodded. He knew that the emperor was committing a war fraud against Tubo.

If Songtsen really invaded Tuyuhun next year, he would be finished.

"Any other questions?" Li Chengqian continued to ask.

"Yes!" Yang Wulian cupped his hands and said, "We don't have enough bowstrings. After all, crossbow strings are shorter than longbows, but we've made plenty, so we can still supply them for now. But in two or three months, I'm afraid we might run out of bowstrings."

"Let's use as much as we have." Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "At the end of the year, my father will be performing the Fengshan ceremony, and the various tribes will be paying tribute. We should be able to have quite a bit."

"Yes!" Yang Wulian looked relieved. Everything just needed to hold on until February next year.

"Let everyone rest when it's time. Also, make sure the rewards are distributed in full." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "If Songtsen really does come with an army of tens of thousands, then a great victory is inevitable. Then, everyone will be credited with merit."

"Your Majesty's design is ingenious." Yang Wulian bowed seriously.

Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "That depends on whether the Tibetans will fall into my trap."

“It’s bound to happen.”

(End of this chapter)