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

Chapter 507: The Emperor, the Power of Life and Death (Part )
It rained heavily.

The sound is like tearing silk.

Li Chengqian was dressed in raw hemp mourning clothes and stood quietly at the threshold of Liangyi Hall.

The rain curtain in front of me kept falling layer by layer, so heavy that it almost blocked all vision.

Li Chengqian's gaze fell on the Taiji Hall in the distance, which was faintly visible in the heavy rain ahead.

The late emperor's coffin has been moved to the Taiji Hall, where it will remain for seven days.

Seven days later, he was transferred to Qianqiu Palace.

On August 23rd, he was buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum.

It was raining heavily and many people were soaked, so after everyone paid their respects, they went to the side halls on both sides to change their clothes and wipe themselves.

Only then did Li Chengqian bring the kings and ministers to the Liangyi Hall to discuss matters.

Li Ke was left in Taiji Hall by Li Chengqian to keep vigil.

We must leave an older son in front of the late emperor's spirit.

"This heavy rain, if it continues, will inevitably affect this year's autumn harvest." Li Chengqian gently turned sideways, looked at Zhangsun Wuji behind him and said, "Uncle, we must order the various prefectures in Guanzhong to dig more ditches to speed up drainage. At the same time, we must also order the prefectures downstream of the Yellow River to immediately begin reinforcing the dikes to prevent flooding from breaking them."

"I obey your order." Changsun Wuji bowed solemnly.

The flooding of the Yellow River is a terrifying event every summer.

Li Chengqian turned sideways and looked at the ministers in the hall.

Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Tang Jian, Yu Zhining, Li Ji, Ma Zhou, Lai Ji, Yang Shidao and others were all present.

Standing on the other side, in addition to Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Jingde and many other generals, there were also King Jing Li Yuanjing, King Han Li Yuanchang, King Han Li Yuanjia, King Huo Li Yuangui and other kings.

Li Shenfu and Dou Dan were sent back home to rest.

They are both old and in poor health.

Li Chengqian didn't want anything to happen to the two of them.

As for Li Shen and Li Ke, the sons of the previous emperor, the matters to be discussed next have nothing to do with them.

Li Chengqian turned around and the ministers stood on both sides.

Li Chengqian walked up to the steps and sat down on the imperial couch.

He raised his eyes and looked at the ministers.

All the ministers saluted solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you. May your Majesty live forever."

Li Chengqian glanced at everyone.

They were even more respectful towards Li Chengqian than before.

With the previous emperor gone, Li Chengqian alone holds the power of life and death.

If he decides to kill, no one can stop him, so they can't help but be careful.

"Gentlemen, please stand." Li Chengqian raised his head solemnly and said, "The three ministries of Shangshu, Zhongshu, and Menxia have issued another notice to all prefectures and counties, ordering that the autumn harvest today must not be delayed. Those who violate this will be severely punished."

"We obey your orders." The ministers were in awe.

"Also, starting from today, there is no need to urge for the gold from Tubo. Tell the Duke of Weiguo to send people to Subi to look for the descendants of the queen of Subi. Make a bigger splash." Li Chengqian sneered softly.

The ministers were all a little dazed.

After a little thought, they remembered.

The gold from Tubo has not yet been delivered to Chang'an.

Now that the emperor has passed away, it is possible that they will wait and see.

Under normal circumstances, the emperor should have ordered Li Jing to take action, or even frequently dispatch troops to intimidate the Tibetans.

But such actions are difficult to hide from those who are interested.

But once they started looking for the descendants of Queen Subi, the situation was completely different.

The Tang Dynasty began to annex Subi and tear Subi away from Tubo as its next strategic direction, and officially started the action.

Although Subi and Yangtong were both vassal states of Tubo, their communication with Tubo was greatly limited due to the barrier of the Tanggula Mountains.

In its early years, Suobei was a country of women, with the queen in charge. Later, her husband, who was the prime minister, rebelled and colluded with Tubo, eventually making Suobei a vassal state of Tubo.

Once the Tang Dynasty finds the descendants of the queen, coupled with a fierce military attack, Tubo's rule in Subi will immediately be shaken.

There was no need to say anything more. As long as the relevant news was clearly transmitted to Lhasa, Tubo would immediately understand the emperor's anger.

In this way, they did not hesitate to send the gold to Chang'an.

"We obey your order." The ministers bowed in awe. The emperor's methods were imaginative, but they always hit the nail on the head, which was awe-inspiring.

"Send a message to Guo Xiaoke to patrol the border westward. The Western Regions must be kept quiet for the next few years." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "The Tang Dynasty's main military deployment in recent years has been focused on Goguryeo. We can't drag things out there forever. The constant depletion of food and fodder will have a disastrous impact."

"Yes!" The ministers bowed again.

Li Chengqian sighed, looked at the ministers and said, "My lords, when my father was dying, the thing he talked about the most was the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty is at its peak, and the Tang Dynasty will last forever! "

All the ministers bowed their hands, tears flashing in their eyes.

They were all present when the late emperor passed away.

They heard clearly every word the late emperor said before his death.

"During my Yongwei reign, to continue the prosperous Zhenguan era, a key goal is population." Li Chengqian glanced at Zhangsun Wuji, who was standing to the side. "I once told my father that in order to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, the world's population must exceed 60 million. Only then can we influence the will of heaven with human hearts, and the heavens will agree to the Fengshan ceremony without sending down disasters to prevent it."

Changsun Wuji nodded subconsciously.

He had heard about this from the late emperor. The emperor had indeed used this reason to dissuade the late emperor from performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, and had also suggested that the late emperor perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song first, which the late emperor did in the end.

Most of the ministers in the palace had participated in the events of that year, and many of them even submitted memorials to persuade the late emperor to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai.

If you think about it carefully, when the late emperor was about to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai, drought, plague, locust plague, war, and even arrows shot into the late emperor's bedroom in the hot spring palace immediately followed.

What kind of person was the late emperor? For three generations, no one was more wise and powerful than him.

The reason why there are so many obstacles is probably because God does not allow it.

Among the ministers, many people bowed subconsciously.

Li Chengqian nodded, then said seriously, "From today on, all prefectures, counties, and cities must prioritize population growth in their governance. The Ministry of Personnel will also prioritize this when evaluating officials' performance. If anyone achieves remarkable breakthroughs or offers extraordinary advice, I will not hesitate to promote or reward them."

"We obey your command." All the ministers bowed their hands together and began to think about strategies to increase the population.

A population of 60 million is not a simple number.

"Also, feeding 60 million people is no easy task. Therefore, all prefectures and counties should prioritize increasing food production..." Li Chengqian paused, then smiled. "Isn't this what I've been doing these past few years? Finding improved planting methods and searching for high-yield crops overseas."

"Your Majesty is wise, benevolent and filial." Changsun Wuji stood up and bowed seriously. He now finally understood the ambition behind Li Chengqian's previous actions.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly to Zhangsun Wuji, then looked at Tang Jian and said, "Mr. Tang, the Secretariat drafted an imperial edict and published my father's will and my own imperial edict throughout the country. At the same time, I issued a call for talented people to recruit new families, improve planting methods, and cultivate high-yield crops overseas. If you find anything, you can reward me."

"I obey your order." Tang Jian bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, glanced at His Highness and his ministers, and said, "With a population of 60 million and ample granaries, our army will naturally be sharp and sweep across the land.

My Lords, work together with me to build a glorious and prosperous Tang Dynasty."

"We are willing to work together with Your Majesty to build a glorious Tang Dynasty!" All the ministers raised their hands and bowed, their expressions excited and inspired.

The previous emperor passed away, and the world was in chaos.

Now, with just one word, the emperor directly opened up a path forward in the fog of chaos.

The entire huge ship of the Tang Dynasty will immediately follow the path drawn by Li Chengqian, cutting through the thorns and waves and moving forward bravely.

Li Chengqian is the man standing at the bow of the giant warship of the Tang Dynasty, leading the direction.

……

Sitting on the steps, Li Chengqian could feel that the atmosphere in the entire hall had suddenly become much clearer.

Even though it was still raining heavily outside, the previous confusion had completely disappeared.

After collecting his thoughts a bit, Li Chengqian continued, "Then there's the matter of Goguryeo. With the passing of my father and the lessons learned last year, Quan Gaisu Wen probably won't dare to make any rash moves, and the army won't be able to mobilize too much either.

Therefore, I intend to establish the Goguryeo River North Protectorate between the Yalu River and the Taedong River."

Goguryeo Jiangbei Protectorate?

The ministers couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

"Appoint Gao Baozang's envoy, Jin Shangquan, as the Protector General of Jiangbei, and honor Gao Baozang as the King of Goryeo." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Jin Shangquan will be in charge of Jiangbei's political affairs, and the Tang Dynasty will be in charge of Jiangbei's military affairs. Jin Shangquan will provide the garrison with food and fodder every year."

"Your Majesty, do you think it's a pity to leave such a large area of ​​fertile land along the Yalu River and the Taedong River lying idle?" Fang Xuanling stood up and bowed in a daze.

"A large number of troops are stationed at the Yalu River every year. Withdrawal is impossible. Even if we can offer full support, I don't think it will be possible within a year or two." Li Chengqian said solemnly, "Let Jin Shangquan integrate the local forces and provide supplies. At the same time, confuse some people in Goguryeo and Silla and Baekje, making them believe that the Tang Dynasty's goal is simply to restore Gao Baozang to his position."

The Tang Dynasty's goal was to annex the entire Goguryeo.

But if this is the case, it would definitely be a good deal if we could break down Goguryeo's resistance.

"But if this happens, Gao Baozang will die easily?" Changsun Wuji looked up after pondering.

"Isn't this perfect? ​​Find Gao Baozang's illegitimate son and make him the new King of Goguryeo." Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji with a smile.

"Your Majesty is wise." Changsun Wuji suddenly realized that everything in Goguryeo had fallen into the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

Changsun Wuji had some understanding of Li Chengqian's tactics. He used similar methods in Tuyuhun, undermining the royal families of Tuyuhun and Goguryeo, actually holding military power without having to take charge of logistics.

It's a bargain.

"Uncle, find some time to talk to Jin Shangquan. He is not here on behalf of Gao Baozang. When the time comes, we will need his help in finding Gao Baozang's son."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed. In the future, the Jiangbei Protectorate would rely on Jin Shangquan to govern the local area and collect grain and grass, and at the same time confirm the identity of Gao Baozang's son.

"One last thing." Li Chengqian looked at the ministers, sighed softly, and said, "Father has passed away. His temple name and posthumous title should also be decided. What does the Ministry of Rites say?"

Li Xizhi stood up and bowed earnestly, saying, "Your Majesty, we have decided to give the late emperor the temple name Taizong."

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

The Ministry of Rites, Taichang Temple, and Hongwenguan had no objection.

"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate!" Yuchi Jingde suddenly stood up, glared at Li Xizhi, and then said with a folded hand, "I think the late emperor's temple name should be Taizu."

Li Shimin, Emperor Taizu of Tang.

Li Chengqian looked at Yuchi Jingde with amusement and said, "Duke E, read more books every day. The Tang Dynasty already has Emperor Taizu. My grandfather posthumously named my great-grandfather Emperor Taizu Jing. How can this temple name be used for my father?"

Emperor Gaozu of Tang Li Yuan, Emperor Shizu of Tang Li Bing, Emperor Taizu of Tang Li Hu, Emperor Yizu of Tang Li Tianxi, Emperor Xianzu of Tang Li Xi
"If it's not Taizu, it could be another ancestor." Yuchi Jingde bowed his hands somewhat stubbornly and said, "For example, Emperor Liezu or Emperor Shizu. This is clearly recorded in history."

Emperor Cao Rui of the Ming Dynasty was the founder of Wei.

The founder of Wu was Emperor Wulie Sun Jian.

This was during the Han and Wei dynasties, and similar usage was not uncommon during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

Not to mention, there were Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, and Emperor Shizu of Sui, Yang Guang.

These distances are not far away now.

Yuchi Jingde held on to the word "ancestor" tightly and refused to let go.

(End of this chapter)