Change the Tang Dynasty Li Yuanba

Chapter 26 The Lively Grand Meeting ([-])

"My loves, this is the end of these two matters. I have someone to choose in my mind. I don't need to discuss any more. Is there anything else to do now?" Li Shimin walked up to the high throne and said .

"Report to Your Majesty, I have something to play." Li Ji, Minister of the Ministry of War, came out and said.

"Please tell me, Li Aiqing," Li Shimin said.

"I would like to report to Your Majesty, there are two matters in the Ministry of War that need to be decided by His Majesty. The first thing, I would like to ask Mr. Liu, the Minister of the Ministry of Households, why the funds for the replacement of war horses of [-] yuan per year in the Ministry of War have not been in place yet? My cavalry of the Tang Dynasty Tens of thousands of war horses are about to be retired, and your household department won’t give you any money, so what are we going to use to buy new war horses?”

When Li Ji came up, he fired at Liu Zhenghui, the Minister of the Ministry of household affairs.

"General Li, your Ministry of War needs money in addition to money. You have to go to the Ministry of War for most of the country's taxes. Now that the treasury is out of money, I can give you [-] guan at most. My household department is also difficult. I hope General Li understands. "Shangshu Liu Zhenghui didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Ten thousand? Master Liu, do you want half of my Tang cavalry to become infantry? Do you know what's going on now?" Li Ji was shouting with his eyes wide open.

He is really anxious.Because he had just received a secret report from Qin Qiong, the Protectorate of Anbei, Turkic was about to go south again.

"General Li, there is no war now. Why are there so many horses retired from your military department? During the war, the annual military expenditure of [-] horses was [-]. Even if my household department saved money, I would set aside this money for you, but last year , There will be no wars this year. This money has been embezzled to support the people. Ten thousand guan is already the biggest capacity of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and if there is more, it will have to wait until next year."

Liu Zhenghui, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, refused to budge.

"Most of the retiring horses are caused by the wear and tear of the horseshoes. Although there has been no war in the past two years, my soldiers in the Tang Dynasty are waiting for the day and vowed to avenge their shame. Therefore, the training should be harder. It is worthwhile to damage some horses." Li Jing stood up. Help Li Ji.

"That can't be helped. It's your own business. The responsibility of my household department is to comfort the people. Since there is no war, my household department will take out the money to comfort the people, so that the people of Tang Dynasty will not starve to death. , freezing to death, is also the responsibility of our household department." Liu Zhenghui argued hard.

"Bold, you, Liu Zhenghui, are wronging the country. How can you guarantee that there will be no war this year? How dare you embezzle my military expenditures of the Tang Dynasty without permission. For your majesty, Liu Zhenghui is wronging the country. The second thing I want to say is The Ministry of War received a secret report from General Qin Qiong of the Protectorate of Anbei, that the Turks are going south again." At this time, Li Ji was already blushing with anxiety.

It turned out that Li Shimin was sitting leisurely on the high throne watching the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Minister of the Ministry of Households quarreling again.The emperor, who already had a solution for the war horse, was not in a hurry.Moreover, he had long planned to take the credit for the horseshoe for himself, and was waiting for the two of them to finish their quarrel and announce it, waiting for the admiring eyes of the officials.

At this time, when Li Shimin heard that the Turks were about to go south, he reversed his leisurely attitude just now, and hurriedly said: "Li Aiqing, don't worry, I have my own solution to the problem of war horses. Don't worry, you can explain Qin Qiong's secret report in detail first." Listen to me."

When the emperor said that there is a solution to the problem of war horses, Li Ji's mood gradually calmed down. He knew that the emperor was also an invincible commander who led troops to fight and knew the importance of war horses. He would not lie to him about this kind of matter. .

"Your Majesty, General Qin Qiong has secretly reported that the conflicts between the Turkic Jieli Khan and the Turkic Little Khan were deliberately spread by the Turkic Royal Court to confuse Datang. The two have long since resolved their conflicts. The plan has failed."

"Now the Turkic people are united and have been preparing to attack the Tang Dynasty. In the past two years, the Turkic royal court has been sending envoys to lobby the surrounding tribes and want to jointly attack the Tang Dynasty. The Lingxi Shiwei tribe was triggered by the lobbying of the Turkic envoys a few years ago. As a result of civil strife, Murong Changfeng, the great shaman of the tribe, listened to the bewitchment of the Turkic envoys and imprisoned Mohefu Wuma Shaosen who was unwilling to oppose the Tang Dynasty."

"It's just that Murong Changfeng was killed for unknown reasons. After Wuma Shaosen was rescued, he spread the news to the Anbei Protectorate. Now, the Turkic headquarters has sent [-] troops, and the surrounding tribes have sent [-] troops. They may invade the Tang Dynasty at any time. General Qin Qiong is asking for support from the imperial court." Li Ji, Minister of the Ministry of War, said slowly.

"Have you heard all the loves? I don't know what your opinions are." Li Shimin asked the officials below.

"Report to Your Majesty, our soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are ready to fight against the enemy, train hard, and vow to avenge their shame. The final general proposes to defend against the enemy outside the country, and our army of the Tang Dynasty should take the initiative to attack the Turkic royal court and try to annihilate the Turks in one fell swoop, in order to repay us In the early days of the founding of the country, the revenge of the first battle of Weishui. The last general Li Jing asked for the battle." Li Jing came out and said.

"Why are you talking so much nonsense? Your Majesty, I, Cheng Yaojin, asked for a fight. These Turkic people should have been ten years ago when there were constant internal wars in the Tang Dynasty. As long as they dare to come, my old Cheng will beat them to death I can’t even recognize it.” This is Cheng Yaojin, the demon king of the world.

"Report to Your Majesty, the last general, Yuchi Jingde, invites you to fight." This is Yuchi Gong who is the most loyal to Li Shimin.

"The last general, Hou Junji, invites you to fight..." "The last general, Qu Tutong, invites you to fight..." "The last general, Zhang Liang, invites you to fight..."

As soon as Li Shimin's words fell, all the generals blurted out a call for battle.None of the generals in the Zhenguan period were afraid of fighting, they were afraid that there would be no battle.

First, killing the enemy and destroying the country on the battlefield is always the fastest way for them to increase their officials and ranks, and their children and grandchildren.

Second, once there is no war, all the resources of the country will be tilted towards civil servants, and they can only follow behind to drink some soup.Which general doesn't have a big family to support, how can he do without some oil and water?
After the generals expressed their sincerity, the civil servants started again, and on the contrary, they were all opposed. Once the war started, they would also go to the battlefield. Although they didn't need to rush to the front line, it was their job to supervise the army and logistics. .

It doesn't mean that Tang's civil servants were afraid of death. They were so afraid of dying that they couldn't leave their names in history. There were only a few records in the history books that they died in certain battles.

"Your Majesty, my emperor's benevolent heart shines thousands of miles away. Now that the world is at peace, it is really impossible to lighten up the chaos of war and let our soldiers of the Tang Dynasty die on the battlefield in vain. Your Majesty, think twice." Zhongshu servant Cen Wenwen came out and said .

"I would like to report to Your Majesty, 'Grandfathers of the Han and Tang Dynasties won the world on horseback, but not on horseback. Your Majesty used martial arts to pacify the world, how can he be ambitious on a wild beast again?' I am willing to send an envoy to Turkic again and persuade him to retreat." Tang Jian, the Duke of Ju, came out and said.

"I report to Your Majesty, the grace of the Great Tang Dynasty is destined to shine everywhere. I implore Your Majesty to follow the example of Princess Yicheng of the previous dynasty and send the royal princess to the Turkic Imperial City to make a marriage and create a relationship between Weng and son-in-law. Friendly neighbors and common development." Qi Jilang Chu Suiliang came out and said.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe that war should not be taken lightly at present. I believe that we can send the Duke of Ju to go to the Turks on the one hand, and on the other hand, send troops to assist General Qin Qiong, the governor of Anbei, to defend Muxia and Shimen to the death. , to resist the footsteps of the Turkic cavalry going south, the Turkic people will naturally retreat if they can't attack for a long time, their food and grass can't support a long battle." Wei Zheng said.

"Fart, the brilliance of my Tang Dynasty was typed out, not spoken out." "Nonsense." The huge court was in chaos.

Li Shimin on the throne rubbed his humming head, "Okay, stop arguing, I will make my own decision on this matter, and we will discuss it later."

"Your Majesty, this matter is very important. One hundred thousand cavalry marched south, and the [-] defenders of the Anbei Dufu Mansion could not hold out for two months. Furthermore, whether it is attacking or defending, the problem of war horses cannot be delayed. It cannot solve the problem of war horses. I The combat effectiveness of the Great Tang cavalry will drop by more than [-]%. I implore Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible," said Li Ji, Shangshu of the Ministry of War.

"Tang Jian listened to the order, and I appointed you as the envoy of the Tang Dynasty to go to Turkic, accompanied by hundreds of soldiers, and set off immediately."

"The minister leads the order."

"Liu Zhenghui listened to the order, and I ordered your household department to immediately calculate the food and grass for the [-] Xuanjia troops to go out, and there must be no mistakes."

"The minister leads the order."

After listening to Li Ji's advice, he issued two orders directly.

Li Shimin really listened to Li Cha's suggestion, and he didn't want to start a war lightly and make ordinary Tang people suffer.

And what Wei Zheng said just now was right, the food and grass of the Turkic cavalry could not support them to fight for a long time, as long as they were guarded, the Turkic cavalry would naturally retreat.As for whether to actively attack or passively defend, Li Shimin hadn't made up his mind yet.

"The Turkic issue will be discussed later. Now, dear friends, please move outside the hall to see how we can solve the problem of war horses." After speaking, Li Shimin stepped down from the high platform and led the ministers to the outside of the hall.

There were already five guards waiting there with five horses outside the hall.The wide and long stone road has been filled with gravel and broken weapons.

"My love, war horses are a very heavy financial expenditure of our Tang Dynasty. The retirement of war horses is mainly due to the wear and tear of horseshoes. I was also a general who led troops to fight. I know the importance of war horses to my Tang soldiers. Therefore, after thinking hard, I finally found a solution to the waste of war horses."

Li Shimin talked carefully in front of the ministers, our emperor really shamelessly credited himself with the invention of the horseshoe.

"My dear friends, please watch first, come here, the experiment begins."

Following Li Shimin's order.Five war horses galloped back and forth at extreme speed on the stone road full of gravel and broken weapons.The ministers looked confused.What is His Majesty the Emperor doing?What's the use of letting war horses gallop on this simulated battlefield?This is the role of war horses.

Although the officials were confused, seeing that the emperor did not speak, they stood quietly by the side and watched the horses galloping on the simulated battlefield with the emperor.

After the horse ran back and forth for more than [-] times, Li Shimin shouted: "Stop, let the horse lie down. Lovers, come forward and watch. Look at the horseshoe that I racked my brains to invent."

All the ministers came forward to watch, and saw that the horse's hoof was nailed with four semi-circular iron bars. Some scratches could be seen on the iron bars, but the horse's hoof was not injured at all. Both civil servants and generals were stunned.

As long as four iron pieces solve the problem that has plagued the generals of the world for nearly a thousand years?There is no need to consider the problem of shoe wear at all. Once the horseshoe is damaged, just throw it away and replace it with a new one.The annual military expenditure of [-] guan can be solved with only [-] guan?
All the ministers knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is wise and has solved the most troublesome problem of the Tang army."

Li Shimin enjoyed the praise of the ministers with peace of mind.The original angry mood gradually relaxed, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Apart from his anger when he first heard the news that the Turks were about to invade, Li Shimin actually didn't have much worry in his heart.At the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, he and his generals fought many battles. Let alone 40 cavalry, even [-] cavalry invaded.

"Today's court meeting is over. Let's talk about things tomorrow. All lovers, please leave the court. Duan Zhixuan, Qiu Xinggong, and Changsun Wuji will stay." Finally, Li Shimin announced his withdrawal from the court.

"Wuji, there is no one now. Tell me, should I send a large army to attack this Turkic invasion, or should I send elite Xuanjia troops to defend?" Li Shimin asked his best friend Changsun Wuji road.

"Your Majesty has made a decision a long time ago, and my ministers will not interfere with your Majesty's decision." Changsun Wuji said, because he remembered that Li Shimin asked the household department to prepare food and grass for [-] Xuanjia troops to go out in the court.

"Yes, I have indeed made up my mind. Now that the people are finally able to recuperate for a while, I don't want to drag them into the flames of war anymore. I can't take the initiative to attack the Turks without an army of 20. The people of the Tang Dynasty are enough. It's hard. This time I will bear it, and sooner or later I will lead my troops to destroy the Turks." Li Shimin said with a sigh.

"Duan Zhixuan, Qiu Xinggong, get ready to rectify the Xuanjia Army. It will take about ten days to half a month. After the Xuanjia Army is equipped with new weapons and horseshoes are put on, they may set off to support Qin Qiong at any time." Li Shimin told Duan Zhixuan. Said to Qiu Xinggong.

"The last general takes orders."

"Wuji, you should also prepare. This time, you may be troubled to supervise the army, and you will also set out with the army at that time."

"The minister obeys the order."

PS: "Zizhi Tongjian" records that "(During the Zhenguan period) the world was in great trouble, and a bucket of rice was only three or four dollars".According to the current unit conversion, a liter of rice now weighs 1.25 catties, 10 liters of rice is a bucket, and a bucket weighs 12.5 catties, = 6.25 kg.One penny can buy about four catties of rice.One hang is a hundred Wen, and the usual is a thousand. According to this calculation, the usual money is equivalent to the current [-] to [-], and the [-] war horse is really a lot of money.This is the Song Dynasty, which was not really prosperous during the Zhenguan period.Silver only flowed into China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and there was very little silver in the Tang Dynasty.The emperor's so-called "reward of a thousand taels" was actually copper coins.

Is writing a book as tiring as I am?
　In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Lao Yu really couldn't find out who the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs or the Minister of the Ministry of Households was, so let Liu Zhenghui live.Anyway, history has been emptied.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)