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

Chapter 716 Li Yifu: Di Renjie Wants to Be Prime Minister, Let's Wait Another Twenty Years (Second Update)

The autumn sun shines brightly, and the golden steps gleam.

Wearing a green robe and with a solemn expression, Di Renjie stepped up the golden steps and, led by the interpreter, entered the Qian Yuan Hall.

“There are three passes along the Tanggula Mountain Pass.” An elder dressed in a black robe and wearing a turban sat on the right side of the throne and said earnestly to the emperor on the steps of the palace: “Although these three passes were built in the early years, they were just oversights. It was only after the defeat more than ten years ago that the Tibetans really took them seriously.”

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch and nodded slowly. His gaze swept over Di Renjie, who had just entered the hall, and he slightly raised his finger to point at the old man.

Di Renjie immediately clasped his hands in greeting and then knelt down behind the old man.

Looking up, Di Renjie saw Han Yuan, the Vice Minister of War, sitting opposite him, and bowed slightly in greeting.

Han Yuan nodded, and the two of them then looked at the old man together.

"The former Tibetan king, plus the great defeat in Xichang Prefecture more than ten years ago," the old man sighed and said, "At that time, what the Tibetans feared most was that the Tang Dynasty would take advantage of the situation and invade Tibet. After all, the late emperor was still alive then."

The old man didn't know what taboos were, and he spoke his mind without hesitation.

Li Chengqian didn't pay much attention and nodded, saying, "Master Dou has traveled the trade routes to Tibet for many years and knows a lot about them. Please tell me more, Master Dou."

Di Renjie, who was sitting below, immediately understood.

The old man in front of us is surnamed Dou, and the emperor calls him Old Man Dou. He must be a member of the Dou family of Fufeng who has been traveling between Tang and Tibet for many years.

The Dou family of Fufeng was the family of Empress Dowager Dou, the grandmother of Emperor Gaozu. Their relationship was naturally extraordinary.

The Dou, Changsun, and Su families are among the most prominent families in Longxi in recent years. Their historical foundation may not be as strong as that of the Wei, Pei, Xue, Liu, Yang, and Du families, but their power and influence are superior.

The Dou family enjoyed enduring prosperity, the Changsun family flourished like oil in a blazing fire, and the Su family was poised for takeoff.

None of the three are easy to mess with.

The Dou family's trade along the Silk Road made them true leaders among the ethnic groups of Longxi, and their caravans were respected both in the Tang Dynasty and in Tibet.

Needless to say, in the Tang Dynasty, and even in Tibet, the Dou family was nominally the direct paternal grandmother of Princess Wencheng.

"Although His Majesty later turned east, at that time, Tibet was still actively building the Tanggula Three Passes. The passes were personally overseen by Minister Nyang Chisang Yangdun and took five years to complete." After a slight pause, the old man surnamed Dou said with a solemn expression, "Nyang Chisang Yangdun was one of Songtsen's wise ministers. He was responsible for the construction of Lhasa City and the Potala Palace, so this pass was not easy."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. Songtsen Gampo originally had seven wise ministers under his command, but later some were framed and killed, some were killed for refusing to help others, and some gradually withdrew from the core of power. In the end, Songtsen Gampo only had four wise ministers left.

And Niang Chisang Yangdun was one of them.

The old man surnamed Dou looked up at Li Chengqian with some worry and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, although Mother Chisang Yangdun passed away five years ago, the passes she built were extraordinary. This old servant once witnessed a slave die suddenly while building the city, and the Tibetans buried his body directly in the city stones."

Li Chengqian's face darkened. Although the human body is not as solid as bricks and stones, the blood in the human body has many other functions.

"It was winter then, and the person had just died when he was frozen solid." The old man surnamed Dou lowered his head slightly and said with a hint of fear on his face, "The person was buried in the city stone, with half of his body sticking out of the city wall. Finally, someone cut him in half with a knife, and he froze before the blood could flow out."

"Is the weather there that cold?" Li Chengqian's expression finally turned serious.

"Yes!" The old man surnamed Dou nodded and said, "Most of the mountains in the Tanggula Mountains are towering and rugged, with glaciers lying across them, making them almost a dead end. Only the mountain road at the Tanggula Pass has a gentler slope and is passable, but the highest point is not much different from the other places. Especially in autumn and winter, it is bitterly cold and difficult to pass."

"High-altitude miasma, glaciers of extreme cold, and fortified cities—in the end, we still have to attack upwards." Li Chengqian looked at Han Yuan to the side and asked, "Han Qing, am I right?"

"Yes!" Han Yuan said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. If these three checkpoints are like this, they are probably as difficult as insurmountable barriers. Overcoming them will be extremely difficult and require a great deal of effort. If the time drags on and the consumption is too heavy, it will be easy for the Tibetans to seize the opportunity and then break out of the Tanggula Mountains in one fell swoop."

“The Tibetans will not give up.” Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly and said, “Therefore, do not attack these three passes lightly.”

"Your subject understands." Han Yuan nodded and said, "If there is no proper procedure, the Ministry of War will not allow the army to send troops to attack the passes."

Although the general decides on actions at the front, the overall strategy must follow the regulations of the Ministry of War. Acting rashly may result in a great victory, but any minor victory, a draw, or even a major defeat will lead to accountability.

Li Chengqian turned to look at the old man surnamed Dou and asked, "Old Dou, please continue."

"Yes!" The old man surnamed Dou nodded, and then continued, "After passing the highest point of the mountain, the journey is smooth sailing. Except for the occasional blizzard or hail, it is a very easy road. In the end, we can reach Nagqu in Tibet. The weather is warm all year round, just like in Luoyang."

"I have also heard of this matter." Han Yuan nodded and said, "Since Songtsen established the country, Tibet has had a pleasant climate, abundant grain production, and wise ministers and rulers. It has almost become a prosperous era."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "In a prosperous era, there would be no such thing as filling city walls with stones by commoners."

"Yes!" The group was startled, then bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian raised his head and said, "Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the world has gradually become prosperous, and its development momentum is even greater than that of the Sui Dynasty. In my opinion, Tibet has only benefited from the development of the Tang Dynasty. Now that the Tang Dynasty is in power, although Tibet is blessed with good fortune, its behavior is bloody and its actions are reckless and cunning. It will not be tolerated by Heaven, and its destruction is inevitable."

"Your Majesty, we will obey your instructions!" Everyone bowed in unison.

“We should make more preparations for this matter.” Li Chengqian looked at Han Yuan and said, “Regardless of other matters, we must prepare more fire-starting and warming items. Even if we don’t plan to attack the city, it is still necessary for the soldiers to keep warm in winter.”

"Your Majesty, we obey the decree." The officials bowed in unison.

"The Tibetans have committed many unjust acts in their attack on the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty is doomed. A proclamation of condemnation is needed." Li Chengqian looked up at his ministers and finally spoke to Xu Jingzong, who was behind the curtain on the left. "Minister Xu, you will be in charge of this matter. The Secretary of the Imperial Library, the Chongwen Academy, the Imperial Academy, along with Minister Shangguan and Minister Pei, and also, summon Li Yifu, to grind a document. I will use it to proclaim this to the world."

Xu Jingzong stepped out from behind the curtain, bowed, and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Li Chengqian nodded and looked at Han Yuan, saying, "Han Qing, take Dou Weng to the Ministry of War. Ask him about all the details regarding the Tubo matter. The Tang Dynasty's conquest of Tubo was not just about conquering Tubo; there were many other things to deal with afterward. The matter is complicated, so please pay close attention."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Han Yuan's body trembled slightly, then he bowed deeply and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded calmly.

Han Yuan then got up and led the old man surnamed Dou out of the hall.

Di Renjie, standing to the side, watched this scene with some surprise. The emperor did not speak directly, but his words clearly showed his high regard for Han Yuan.

Han Yuan has served as Vice Minister of War for many years. In another year or two, his seniority will be sufficient, and he will immediately become the Prefect of a State, the Minister of the Nine Temples, and the Minister of the Six Ministries.

He might even become prime minister directly.

The emperor's words were clearly not directed at the Ministers of the Nine Ministries, but rather at the Ministers of the Six Ministries, or even the prime minister.

Cui Renshi held the position of Grand Protector of Andong and was a third-rank official in the Secretariat and Chancellery. Although he did not participate in court affairs, he was in fact a prime minister.

……

"Minister Di!" The emperor's voice came from the steps of the palace. Di Renjie immediately came to his senses and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Does Your Majesty already have a plan to conquer Tibet?"

Li Chengqian was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh: "I knew you were perceptive, Minister Di. I had only just begun to have a thought in my mind, and you had already seen it through."

In short, everyone behind the pillars and curtains in the hall couldn't help but look up.

Breaking through the Tanggula Pass is a difficult problem facing everyone in the government and the central government.

The words of the elderly man surnamed Dou today have increased the difficulty of this task by an immeasurable amount.

Everyone was terrified as they listened, but how could the emperor have found a solution from just his words?

But the emperor found a way, and Di Renjie, after listening for only a short while, was able to discern the emperor's thoughts, which was quite an extraordinary ability.

Li Yifu sat behind a low table, his gaze toward Di Renjie carrying a hint of deep thought.

He sensed a hint of Liu Rengui in Di Renjie.

However, Di Renjie is too young. If he wants to become prime minister, he should wait another twenty years.

It posed no threat to Li Yifu.

Li Chengqian paid no attention to what others were thinking and looked at Di Renjie, saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore. How is the investigation into the matter of various families smuggling ironware to Tibet progressing, Di Qing?"

"Your Majesty!" Di Renjie bowed and presented his memorial, saying, "In the past few days, several caravan members have confessed that they were coerced and bribed by the Tibetans and forced to participate in smuggling. In fact, the amount they smuggled was not large, and it was only a little at first, but the Tibetans seized the opportunity and lured them step by step, making it difficult for them to turn back."

Li Chengqian nodded, looking at the memorial placed on the table by the eunuch, and said, "Tibet's ambitions against the Tang Dynasty are not a recent phenomenon, and it is inevitable that some people will be caught out... In that case, there are not many problems with the various checkpoints on this trade route to Tibet."

“Your Majesty!” Di Renjie nodded and said, “The person’s smuggling of a slightly larger amount was discovered.”

“In the end, there was a mistake. All the gatekeepers will be fined one month’s salary.” Li Chengqian raised his hand and said, “As for the others…”

“He is completely ignorant of everything,” Di Renjie said earnestly, bowing. “He has no secret dealings with the Tibetans.”

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Then let's punish them with a month's salary. After all, they acted carelessly."

"Yes!" Di Renjie's lips twitched slightly as he bowed and replied, "Yes!"

In July, these people all stayed at home and surrendered themselves to the authorities. What salary could they possibly receive?

"Pass down the decree: all men are to cease their self-defense." Li Chengqian glanced at Xu An.

Xu An immediately cupped his hands in greeting and then strode towards the outside of the hall.

Li Chengqian calmed down and turned to Di Renjie, saying, "Dai Qing and Liu Qing have also reported back from Lanzhou about this matter. The Tibetans have made many efforts to stir up trouble both inside and outside the country, and there have also been assassination attempts. Fortunately, everyone was on guard, so they did not succeed."

"Yes!" Di Renjie's expression immediately turned serious.

In a major battle, the Tibetans resorted to any means necessary. How the Tang Dynasty should respond ultimately depended on the Tibetans.

Li Chengqian picked up Di Renjie's memorial, read a few sentences, nodded slightly, and said, "You have worked hard to investigate all these matters clearly, Di Qing."

"I dare not!" Di Renjie immediately bowed deeply.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "I have never been a ruler who wrongs meritorious officials. You have worked hard in court affairs and deserve to be rewarded. However, you have only been serving as a censor for a short time. I think you should be appointed as a Confucian scholar. In the future, you should pay more attention to the supervision of the palace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Di Renjie immediately stood up and bowed respectfully in gratitude. (The following appears to be a separate, unrelated entry: 儒林郎，文散官，从九品上。)

This is not a very big reward.

To be honest, Di Renjie wouldn't dare accept a bigger reward.

"Rise," Li Chengqian said, raising his hand. "You should have heard what I just said. For the Tang Dynasty, the most important thing right now is to pacify Tibet. Otherwise, it's not good if Tibet comes to cause trouble in the Tang Dynasty every ten years!"

"Yes!" Di Renjie raised an eyebrow and bowed slightly.

Twenty years ago, Songtsen personally led his troops in a surprise attack on Songzhou.

Ten years ago, Songtsen sent a double to impersonate him and lead troops in a surprise attack on Shanzhou and Lanzhou.

Although Songtsen Gampo is dead, Tibet's ambition to covet the Tang Dynasty remains undiminished, and it has once again sent troops to launch a surprise attack on Xichang Prefecture.

The true intentions of the Tibetans are clear.

They wanted to grow stronger and dominate all directions, and the Tang Dynasty was their greatest enemy, which is why they wanted to use every means to destroy the Tang Dynasty.

"Now that you, my dear minister, have seen through everything and cleared up all the injustices, all the families will remember your kindness, so..." Li Chengqian's expression turned serious as he said, "My dear minister, you must make a trip to the Northwest!"

"Your Majesty!" Di Renjie looked up in surprise.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly and said, "In large-scale military operations, logistics is of paramount importance. In the war against Tibet, although various parties need to transport grain and fodder, the Guanzhong region is actually the key. Therefore, we need to investigate the autumn harvest in Guanzhong, especially the grain stored in the Ever-Normal Granaries in recent years. We need to carefully check whether it is intact and in good condition."

Of the taxes collected in the imperial court, only a portion was delivered to the granaries in Chang'an and Luoyang during the autumn harvest. Another portion was left in the localities to be used for officials' salaries and other expenses. The last portion was stored in the Ever-Normal Granaries to prepare for years of famine.

Normally, the central government would not easily touch the reserves in the Ever-Normal Granary.

Every three years, local officials would also resell the old grain stored there, and most of the money from the resale would be used for local expenses.

However, sometimes, some officials would secretly sell off the new grain in the granary before its expiration date, and then transfer it to the old grain. After three years, they would sell the old grain at a lower price.

It is even quite possible that by then, these officials were no longer in office in that place.

They make a quick buck and leave.

Normally, the imperial court would regularly send people to inspect local granaries and treasuries.

However, no matter how thoroughly the people in the central government investigate, local officials still have ways to quietly profit, though they do it on a smaller scale.

Normally, the court turns a blind eye and doesn't interfere much. However, in years of famine or during wartime when temporary mobilization is needed, food shortages can affect disaster prevention and combat readiness.

Now that the Tang Dynasty and Tibet are at war, the Ever-Normal Granary needs to be checked in order to prevent food shortages.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Di Renjie bowed respectfully. Having served as a local official, he knew what was going on.

“Go all the way to Lanzhou in Guanzhong, and make more trips to local affairs, not only grain administration and criminal matters, but also bridges and canals. Ask us more questions about them.” Li Chengqian paused slightly and said, “When you get to Xichang Prefecture, go to Haixi Prefecture and Haibei Prefecture. Although the Tang Dynasty has been in charge of people’s livelihood for many years, things will be different now that this place has come under the control of the Tang Dynasty.”

The changes in people's hearts are the most difficult to describe. Before entering the Tang Dynasty, everyone might envy you, but after entering the Tang Dynasty, people might have different intentions.

"You are the Censor of Guanzhong, and you can inspect the area once your duties are transferred. As for Xichang Prefecture, I hereby appoint you as the Inspector of Luoxie Circuit. Take a closer look." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Within a year, Supi and Yangtong will be captured by the Tang Dynasty. You should also go and see for yourself. Some things can only be understood by seeing them with your own eyes."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Di Renjie bowed solemnly.

"Alright, that's settled then." Li Chengqian smiled gently and said, "When you get to the Northwest, seek advice from Dai Zhide and also take a look at military affairs."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Di Renjie cupped his hands again, then bowed and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then watched as Di Renjie cautiously withdrew from the hall.

At this moment, he turned to look at Xu Jingzong beside him and asked, "I have heard that the Di family of Taiyuan has Qiang blood?"

Xu Jingzong cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I have had dealings with the former Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Di Xiaoxu. His ancestors were the Duke of Lueyang of the Northern Wei Dynasty, belonging to the Di clan of Tianshui. They originally migrated down from the plateau."

“Rongdi.” Li Chengqian nodded and said, “My dear minister, when you have time, talk to him and tell him to pay more attention to this. Tuyuhun and Dangxiang are also common people. If a descendant of a great Qiang chieftain is serving as an official in the court, people’s hearts will be more at ease.”

"Yes!" Xu Jingzong bowed respectfully.

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze, looked at the memorial in front of him, and pondered for a moment.

Di Renjie was sent to the Northwest to gain more experience.

Many people who have been in the central government for a long time become insensitive to local affairs.

Only through local experience can a person be tempered and honed, and only then can they be of great use in the future.

The prime ministers of the three central government departments, the Grand Secretary and the Grand Councilor, can be relatively upright, while the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel need more local experience.

The Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel were the true Left and Right Chancellors.

Li Chengqian composed himself. He did have some ideas about the Tanggula Mountain pass, but he still needed to test them out to see how they would work.

……

As Di Renjie walked out of the palace gate at Chengtian Gate, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

There was something he really wanted to say when he was in the Qian Yuan Hall, but in the end, he swallowed it back, along with the anger in his heart.

There were some things about the emperor's actions that Di Renjie disapproved of.

With his intelligence, he could naturally see that the Tibetans' rash invasion of Xichang Prefecture was nothing more than falling into the emperor's trap.

This is how it is now, and it was the same ten years ago.

While this scheming method is effective, it relies too heavily on people's hearts and minds. Once people's hearts and minds waver, a major crisis will immediately follow.

Di Renjie saw through the shady dealings in this matter concerning Tibet.

Many people can probably see that, regarding the emperor's actions, there are likely some reservations in many people's hearts.

After all, it lacked a certain grandeur and uprightness.

If the emperor were to act in this manner in the future, he would likely be easily caught out and suffer a severe backlash, the consequences of which would be unimaginable.

Di Renjie originally intended to say these things today, but the emperor was right when he said that if the Tibetans hadn't always coveted the Tang Dynasty, they wouldn't have given the emperor this opportunity.

If it weren't for someone having designs on the emperor, they probably wouldn't have paid attention to the emperor's schemes later on.

Then the problem doesn't lie with the emperor.

Furthermore, the emperor wasn't the first to resort to such underhanded tactics.

When Emperor Wen of Sui defeated the Turks, he relied on Suwei's instigation and division within the Turkic Khaganate, which ultimately led to the division of the Turks into the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, thus laying the foundation for the overall situation in the Central Plains and the grasslands.

Furthermore, when the late emperor destroyed the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Zhao Deyan was sent there by the late emperor. Wasn't that a conspiracy? But in the end, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was destroyed in one fell swoop.

Wei Zheng mentioned this matter more than once.

The emperor's current behavior is somewhat similar to that of the late emperor.

If this continues, problems are bound to arise.

However, Di Renjie soon realized a big problem: did the emperor really like using such methods?

His answer was no.

The emperor had ten years of patience in dealing with Goguryeo before finally eradicating it completely. The reason why he did the same with Tibet was because it was not easy for the Tang Dynasty to destroy Tibet.

The high-altitude miasma was a problem that the Tang Dynasty could never completely overcome. Therefore, in order to avoid heavy casualties in the army, the Tibetans were lured into the Eastern and Western Tuyuhun regions to wage war.

This is the right path.

Furthermore, once Tibet was destroyed, the Tang Dynasty would have no more enemies in the world, and the emperor would no longer need to resort to such methods.

Reflecting on the emperor's reign since his ascension to the throne, he expanded the territory, suppressed powerful families, investigated hidden lands, dealt with corrupt money, focused on agriculture, made the people prosperous, and finally alleviated the conflicts in the country. The flourishing of the Tang Dynasty is evident to all.

Although some people were harmed by the emperor's actions, a closer look reveals that the emperor's methods were much milder than in the past.

Someone was suspected of having illicit relations with Tibet, but the emperor ultimately only ordered them to stay at home.

It might seem that once the truth is confirmed, the consequences would be severe, but in reality, everything was under the emperor's control, and in the end, others even had to be grateful to the emperor.

Of course, some people harbored resentment, and some had ulterior motives. Di Renjie believed that he could help the emperor keep an eye on these people.

He believed that if a similar situation occurred again in the future, he would be able to persuade the emperor to allow the country to enter the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which was just around the corner.

The Tang Dynasty in its golden age.

Datang, Datang.

In order for the Tang Dynasty to usher in a golden age, perhaps Di Renjie should take the initiative to do it for the emperor if similar things happen in the future.

Once Di Renjie made up his mind, he smiled and continued on his way.

The bright autumn light shone on Di Renjie and the eaves of the palace beside him, creating a magnificent scene.

(End of this chapter)