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

Chapter 638: When does Your Majesty plan to return to Chang'an? (First update)
The fire burns.

The smoke is curling up.

Li Chengqian took the initiative to stand up, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup of tea for Changsun Wuji who was sitting opposite him.

Zhang Ananda, who was standing on the side, lowered his head, as if he didn't see it.

Zhang Sun Wuji stroked the teacup in his hand for a moment before he raised his head and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty appointed Liu Dewei as the Minister of the Central Secretariat. I'm afraid he has other intentions, right?"

"I knew I couldn't hide it from my uncle." Li Chengqian smiled nonchalantly, picked up his teacup and took a sip, his expression gradually becoming serious. "The most intense part of the Pingrang Battle is over. After that, it's all about governance, and then watching the Three Kingdoms fight and perish."

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly and listened quietly.

"My uncle just mentioned the reward for the Duke of Ying. He retained his position as Shangshu You Pushe and promoted him to Sikong. This is probably what he would like most." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

Changsun Wuji subconsciously nodded in agreement.

Li Ji was a very cautious person, whether he was marching or serving as an official.

If he really lets go and lets Li Ji be the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, believe it or not, whether Li Ji is willing or not, he will fight with Zhangsun Wuji and the Guanzhong lineage.

This is inevitable.

Even Li Chengqian couldn't control him, so the best way was to prevent Li Ji from being the Shangshu Zuo Pushe and directly promote him to Situ. However, in this way, he would still be under the pressure of Changsun Wuji, and he would have no real power, which was not a good thing.

Therefore, it is best to let him be Sikong and hold the position of Shangshu You Pushe.

Of course, descendants will inevitably receive inheritance and titles.

"The Duke of Ying's affairs must be handled with caution, but besides him, there are many others who deserve to be rewarded." Li Chengqian raised his gaze, looked outside the hall, and said in a deep voice, "Uncle, the war is over, and the entire structure of the court will undergo a drastic change."

"Your Majesty is right!" Changsun Wuji nodded seriously with a solemn expression.

The rewards after every war and the countless changes in power also carry huge risks.

When the Eastern Turks were destroyed, Su Dingfang was the first to break into Jie Li's tent, but he was impeached. Although he was implicated by Li Jing and was cleared of the charges later, he served as the General of the Left Golden Guard for many years.

There is no migration.

After Li Jing conquered Tuyuhun, he was impeached for treason. Although he was later exonerated, he mostly stayed at home and no longer participated in government affairs.

Hou Junji destroyed Gaochang, and within a few years he was executed for treason.

The previous emperor went on an eastern expedition to Goguryeo, Cen Wenben died of illness, and Liu Li was impeached and executed.

Li Jing defeated Tubo with Tuyuhun, but he rarely returned to Chang'an after that.

Although the capture of Pingrang City this time did not lead to the destruction of the country, it was still a great achievement, and there were more than one or two people who needed to be promoted.

If one person is not handled well, it will take more than one or two people to deal with it.

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhangsun Wuji, saying, "Uncle, Prime Minister Tang is two years older than you, but he will be seventy-five next year... I'm not saying he's incompetent, but if I keep him around any longer, I'm afraid he won't be eighty."

In any case, it was impossible for Tang Jian to serve in the court until he was eighty.

If Tang Jian's health fails one day, he may have to retire.

"The Duke of Pengcheng is two years younger, but he spent his early years on the battlefield, and his health is even worse than that of the Tang Prime Minister. Who knows, one day they might both retire at the same time." Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh softly and said, "Uncle, I don't mean to kick you out, but I have to make preparations in advance."

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly and asked, "Your Majesty, your consideration is correct."

This time may not be too late, it may even be earlier.

"Fortunately, the Duke of England will return to the court at the end of next year, so there is still a lot of room for adjustment." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief.

Changsun Wuji lowered his head in thought, yes, there is still time to make preparations in advance.

Li Chengqian smiled and continued, "Besides, the Duke of Pengcheng is already seventy-three years old. He served my grandfather, my father, and me for many years. It would be better for me to grant him the position of Zhongshu Ling before he retires than to confer a higher title after he retires."

Changsun Wuji nodded with emotion.

At this time, Li Chengqian's expression calmed down.

Tang Jian and Liu Dewei are in poor health, and these were discovered through examinations.

Even a few years ago, Tang Jian had some health problems. At that time, he was still the Minister of Revenue. Later, he was promoted to the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and his health improved.

The same goes for Liu Dewei. He has served as the Minister of Justice for many years and his health is not very good. Now that he has been promoted to the Minister of the Central Secretariat, he may be able to hold on for a few more years.

It’s not that there are no talented people in the future, but because Li Chengqian needs these old ministers to balance the situation in the court.

Or to put it more directly, it is to balance Changsun Wuji and at the same time avoid conflicts between others, especially Li Chengqian's confidants who have gradually risen in recent years, and Changsun Wuji.

That was what Li Chengqian least wanted to see.

It is also his deepest thought.

……

"Your Majesty has considered everything." Changsun Wuji raised his head and continued, "Then, Your Majesty, after these two, who do you plan to appoint as the Minister of the Central Secretariat?"

Li Chengqian thought for a while and said, "Master Yu, Ma Zhou is in poor health." "Yes!" Ma Zhou is now the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Gao Ji helps him on weekdays. Once he becomes the Minister of the Central Secretariat, his responsibilities will be even heavier, and it will be difficult to handle.

"One move can affect the entire body." Changsun Wuji looked up and continued, "What happened next? The Minister of the Interior is now vacant again!"

"I haven't decided on that yet." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Perhaps Sun Fujia will be appointed Minister of the Interior, Gao Jifu will be appointed Imperial Censor, and Liu Rengui and Li Yiyan will be successively appointed Ministers of the Secretariat... Of course, before that, Yin Jun will be appointed Minister of Justice, and Wuzhou Governor Cui Yixuan will be appointed Minister of the Supreme Court."

"I thought Your Majesty would use Cui Renshi, the governor of Dingzhou?" Changsun Wuji was a little surprised.

"Mr. Cui!" Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Mr. Cui should not be transferred back to the court for the time being. Wait a year or two, and I will transfer him to Liaodong to stabilize the situation for a while."

Cui Dunli is still serving as the Minister of War. If Cui Renshi is transferred back, he will definitely be the Minister of Nine Temples and the Minister of Six Ministries. How could Li Chengqian give it to him?

In comparison, although Cui Yixuan had made great contributions in Wuzhou, he was born in the Qinghe Cui family, and his relationship with Cui Dunli was distant, and his foundation in the court was also shallow.

In this way, transferring him to be the Minister of Dali Temple would not disrupt the political structure of the court.

"So, Your Majesty is planning to use Su Xu to replace Duke Yingguo to handle the affairs of the three countries on Dongdao Island?" Changsun Wuji keenly grasped Li Chengqian's thoughts.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "It's not Su Xu, it's Su Xu and Su Dingfang. No one alone can completely pacify the three kingdoms of Dongdao. If the two of them join forces, and I add Liu Rengui, it will be enough."

Changsun Wuji's eyes flickered slightly.

He knew in his heart that Su Xu actually did not have much ability. He was only able to sit in that position by taking advantage of the Queen's uncle and Zhao Yuan's biological father.

Su Dingfang was at most a military general.

The person who truly made the emperor trustworthy was Liu Rengui, who was hiding under Li Ji and Su Xu.

It was impossible for Li Ji to stay in Tuzhou for long, so the next person to take over was Su Xu, assisted by Su Dingfang, and finally Liu Rengui took over.

In this way, things in Dongdao will go smoothly.

……

Changsun Wuji took a sip of tea, then looked up and asked, "Excuse me, Your Majesty, how long do you plan to take to completely destroy Goguryeo?"

"About three to six years." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Now that we have cut off half of Goguryeo, the rest is to slowly govern it and make the remaining people of Goguryeo fall in love with the Tang Dynasty. Only in this way can we gradually resolve the problems of the remaining two million people of Goguryeo."

Goguryeo may have insufficient military strength, but its population cannot be underestimated.

In other words, Goguryeo itself was unable to convert all of its population into combat power, and there were not enough weapons in the army.

Otherwise, it would not be so easy to capture Pingrang City.

However, these two million people are still the most pressing problem that Li Chengqian and the entire Tang Dynasty need to face.

"It will take three to six years to secretly control Goguryeo and, combined with Goguryeo's own strength, prepare enough food for two million people for a year." Li Chengqian couldn't help but shake his head and said, "Uncle, six years is too difficult for me."

"It's not difficult, Your Majesty, you're just overthinking it." Changsun Wuji handed the memorial back and said, "If we follow Duke Ying's instructions, feeding them only a small amount each day to ensure they don't starve to death, it would be much easier. Furthermore, Goguryeo probably has enough food stored within its borders. If Duke Ying hadn't destroyed the food in Pingrang City this time, this wouldn't be so easy."

Quan Gaisuwen had accumulated enough supplies in Pingrang City to feed more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians for two years, and they could be deployed to fight at critical moments.

It is conceivable how well prepared Quan Gaisuwen is for this battle.

But he didn't expect that Li Chengqian was more prepared.

Silla, Baekje, Gao Baozang, and the powerful army of the Tang Dynasty led to internal and external divisions, and finally Quan Gaisu Wen died.

"That's right, uncle." Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, "What's more, we have Gai Suwen's three sons on our hands, so it will be easier to deal with us."

"Yes!" Zhang Sun Wuji raised his head and suddenly asked, "When does Your Majesty plan to return to Chang'an?"

The emperor has been in Luoyang for more than a year. Although Chang'an is peaceful, the emperor cannot stay in Luoyang for long!
Li Chengqian's expression calmed down. After a moment's thought, he said, "It's not possible this year. After all, it's already mid-November, and I'll soon have to offer sacrifices to Mount Song and appease various people. If I were to toss and turn, it would probably be the end of the year. Moreover, although the war is over, the army is still at the front, and the transportation of food and fodder cannot stop. Besides, I want to go to Hebei next year."

"Hebei?" Changsun Wuji remembered that the emperor had said he wanted to go to Hebei two years ago.

Emperor Ping Rang would not go there, but going to Hebei and looking at it from afar was the best the emperor could do.

"Firstly, the first group of soldiers withdrawn from Tuzhou should be back by the middle of next year, and I'll welcome them. Secondly, I also want to take a closer look at Hebei." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Last year, Zhang Daxiang, the Minister of Revenue, mentioned that the people of Hebei were burdened with heavy taxes and hoped that I could ease them a little."

Zhang Sun Wuji's expression suddenly became solemn, and he asked, "What did Your Majesty say?"

Zhang Ananda, who was standing aside, glanced at Changsun Wuji gently.

"What else can we do? We just need to continue recruiting more soldiers from Hebei Province and then transfer them to Tuzhou. At the same time, we need to increase the migration of people from Hebei Province. Taxation is not so easy to adjust." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly.

"Your Majesty is wise." Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "It is easy for Your Majesty to reward the people of Hebei, but for many years, the court has been harsh on Hebei, and it is not easy to reverse it."

"Unless we can find another place to replace Hebei." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and asked, "Uncle, do you have any good suggestions?"

Zhang Sun Wuji thought for a moment and said, "Jiangnan?"

"Jiangnan has already rebelled by mid-year, so not reducing taxes is already a good thing." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "So the safest way now is to divide Hebei's burden equally among Hebei, Liaodong, and Tuzhou, and finally transfer it completely to the three kingdoms of Dongdao."

The three countries on the East Island will eventually be completely incorporated into the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the conflicts will be transferred outward, thus completely liberating Hebei.

The three countries on Dongdao Island are the lowest level entities that truly undertake the operation of the entire Tang Dynasty system.

(End of this chapter)