Start with detective Li Yuanfang

Chapter 399 Empress Wu: Political struggles have suppressed human nature since ancient times...but I can't help it!
Although he wanted to report to Empress Wu, Li Hong first called Pei Xingjian, An Yuanshou, Hei Chi Changzhi and other generals who had returned victorious not long ago to discuss Xue Rengui's strategy to lure the enemy.

After all, Bren Zanren and Wu Youning are on the run, whether to arrest or manipulate, there can be no delay, and a decision must be made immediately.

According to what the generals said, they did try to send troops to Tubo before. After Tang Jun made a test, he found that although the Tubo army was tired, and the disaster in the pass was still in a serious stage at that time, he was worried that the supply of food and grass in the rear would not be good, so he returned to Tuyuhun. Empire.

Seeing the Tang army retreating, Tubo immediately sent out fierce soldiers to plunder, and was repelled by the Tang army. The two sides came and went for several rounds, and found that they could not take advantage of it, so they settled down peacefully.

Pei Xingjian is a Confucian general. He is not as brave as Xue Rengui in front of him, but he is better at making calculations in the temple. He is also the leader of the inner guard cabinet. He sent out spies early on, and then bought the chieftains with a lot of money. Based on the results of all parties:

"Qinling still has a lot of support in the Tubo army, with tens of thousands of elite soldiers in his hands, and firmly controls the military power, but now he has no logistics supplies, and it is difficult to travel far to fight. If we take the initiative to enter the country, I am afraid it will be in his favor."

An Yuanshou also analyzed: "After all, the Gar family has controlled the Tubo regime for more than [-] years. It has been deeply rooted from bottom to top. If the princess of Tubo Zanpu really united with her in private as Sun Bo Ruben said, then the family I'm afraid it will come back to power again."

Li Hong nodded: "This is also because of our Great Tang Heavenly Army's oppression, so they have to make concessions, otherwise the country will perish, and the struggle for power will lose its meaning."

Pei Xingjian said: "Your Majesty is wise, I think General Xue's plan has more advantages than disadvantages, so you can give it a try!"

But he paused, and expressed similar worries: "It's just that Brun Zanren held Wu's son hostage, and the Queen Mother..."

Li Hong has always been responsible, and this time he is full of expectations: "I leave the strategy of leading the snake out of the hole to you, and I will explain it to the Queen Mother."

……

Changshengyuan.

Li Hong walked in briskly, feeling that his back was no longer sore, his legs were no longer painful, and his greetings became stronger.

However, when he entered the hall, he found that his mother was not sitting in the royal tent, but was standing in front of a screen, looking at the wooden signs on it, and the wooden signs were full of neat handwriting.

Empress Wu had already finished dressing at this time, with a high bun and hairpins, a solemn palace skirt, and her aura was fully opened: "Your Majesty, come and see!"

Li Hong walked up, looked at the handwriting on the wooden sign, and his face became solemn: "Is this the governor of every state in the world?"

Empress Wu nodded slightly, then shook her head again: "This is only the governors of the Jianghuai states. Don't look at the large number, it's because there are county magistrates appointed by them. I can't remember them all, I can only write down the outline."

Li Hong looked at the hundreds of large and small wooden signs, and took a deep breath: "Is this just the land of Jianghuai?"

Empress Wu said leisurely: "This method was used by Taizong, and it is also what I saw and learned when I served Taizong."

Li Hong was a little embarrassed.

Empress Wu didn't take it seriously, and recalled: "In order to govern the world, Taizong hung a wooden sign on the screen like this, and often remembered that every time the governor came to Beijing, he could clearly understand it. If the governor was unable to govern a state, he could do it in time. Replace them, and prevent mediocre people from occupying high positions and poisoning the common people."

In a sense, Empress Wu was taught by Li Shimin and Li Zhi.

Li Hong suddenly showed admiration: "The former Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty abandoned morality and poor soldiers, abused people's power, refused to accept loyal advice, and ended up in the end of the country. His life was ruined, and his life was ruined. It was Taizong who was compassionate to the common people, accepted advice humbly, and worked hard to rule. I have been taught by great Confucians since I was a child. If you can follow Taizong as an example and teach the way of governing the country for the people, I live in the Hall of Zhenguan, if I can achieve some achievements in Zhenguan like Taizong, my wish is enough!"

Empress Wu said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to belittle yourself. The wounds left by the previous Sui Dynasty were too great. Taizong's Zhenguan rule only gradually restored the national power. Now that there are two dynasties accumulated, the Tang Dynasty can be expected to flourish. Everything must be tied to Your Majesty. .”

Li Hong nodded slightly. His starting point was much stronger than his grandfather's. Deep in his heart, he naturally hoped to create a prosperous world and surpass the achievements of his predecessors. His eyes subconsciously fell on the wooden sign.

Empress Wu drew up the blueprint, and began to tell in detail: "Since the first year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong divided the world into ten kingdoms. The land is exactly what Jiangnan Road and Huainan Road are called, with eighty-six prefectures and two hundred and ninety-one counties."

"Let's look at Jiangnan Road first."

"Chu Hongdu, the governor of Changzhou, with infinite characters, the son of Chu Shi, a Yanguan in Hangzhou, less motivated and eager to learn, known for his ci, weakly crowned as Zhi Ke Dengdi, Shi Huang Puzhou Judiciary joined the army, in the second year of Xianqing, he was appreciated by the secretary and the young supervisor Shangguanyi In the first year of Linde, Li Anqi, the servant of Zhongshu, recommended him to move to Zhongshusheren..."

"I've met this person twice. He's full of scheming, deep-seated, and very good at disguising. Most of the magistrates of the counties under his command promoted him, united with the local prominent families, and Changzhou has long been ruled by him..."

Empress Wu used to confuse people with her words before, but now she is all dry goods, speaking in a leisurely and eloquent manner.

Li Hong was dumbfounded when she heard all the details about the family history, personalities, and official connections of the governors of the Jianghuai states.

He was also very diligent after he ascended the throne. In order to control the local situation on weekdays, he also asked the Ministry of Officials to sort out the appointment records and understand the appointment of officials in each state. It can be known through the official department.

Empress Wu didn't say all of them, but she talked about a dozen typical ones, who either ruled her subordinates so that they couldn't get in, or just sat by and watched the counties being disrupted by prostitution, and then asked: "Now Di Huaiying is Jiangnan. As the governor, you have passed through the prefectures of Run, Chang, Su, Hu, and Hangzhou. Does Your Majesty know how many governors among them are related to Lai Heng, and how many county magistrates among them were promoted during his previous inspections in the south of the Yangtze River?"

Li Hong said solemnly, "I would like to hear the details."

Empress Wu didn't say it directly, and began to take off the plaques, one by one, and handed them to Li Hong.

Li Hong took over, and the first one was Lai Kai, the governor of Runzhou, with the word Jingye, a native of Nanyang Xinye, a younger brother of the Laiheng clan...

Before I had time to read it, the second, third, and fourth pieces were handed over again.

Not long after, he was holding a stack of wooden signs, with an angry expression on his face: "How dare you do that!"

Empress Wu said: "This man Lai Heng was born in Jiangdu, his brother Lai Ji entered the court as an official during the Zhenguan period, and became a prime minister after the first emperor ascended the throne. His family has a lot of influence. The trend in the south of the Yangtze River has long been unstoppable."

"Di Huaiying's appeasement of Jiangnan this time has greatly offended Lai Heng. In order to save face and for the officials he promoted before to enjoy their positions, the two must have a fight."

"If Your Majesty just sits and watches, I'm afraid that Di Huaiying's painstaking efforts will be spent on flowing water, and the land in the south of the Yangtze River will return to chaos."

Li Hong did not agree to Empress Wu's previous admonition with the emperor and courtiers, but now he was holding the other party's cronies heavily in his arms, and he really couldn't accept it: "After careful investigation, I will definitely make a decision."

If it is confirmed that what Empress Wu said is true, even if Laiheng is the auxiliary minister appointed by the late emperor, he will not be able to stay.

He looked at the screen again, unconsciously eager in his eyes: "Your Majesty has worked hard, this screen..."

Empress Wu smiled slightly: "If your majesty needs it, just take it to the Zhenguan Hall. I'm an idler in the harem, and I just use it to pass the time."

Li Hong nodded again and again: "Good! Good!"

I have to admit that this person's ability to assist the government is really strong, and Li Hong couldn't help being moved at this time.

He is about to open the Cao Division and appoint various transshipment envoys. If he can be assisted by Empress Wu who knows the world's governors well, it will definitely be of great benefit to clean up local officials and stabilize the central imperial power.

But Li Hong thought of his father Li Zhi and Shangguan Yi who was rehabilitated not long ago.

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. Empress Wu has this ability, so naturally she will not be willing to stay behind the scenes. With her father's tactics, Shangguanyi persuaded her to give birth to the idea of ​​abolishing Empress.

Weighing the pros and cons at that time, his father still felt that it was better to delegate power to his queen than to be obtained by his courtiers. Even if the latter was equally ambitious and difficult to fully control, it was better than those courtiers with ulterior motives. But later facts proved that , Empress Wu almost lost control...

If he is also tempted by it now, wouldn't he repeat the same mistakes?

While hesitating, Empress Wu suddenly said, "What is your Majesty doing here?"

Li Hong was startled, why did he come here?

Oh, I came to see Empress Wu's joke...

Seeing that the servant had already moved the screen outside under his own order, Li Hong immediately felt embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Something happened to Wu's son before, and I have come to report the whole story to the empress."

Empress Wu said faintly: "No need, in the past, there were foreign relatives in the Han Dynasty who caused disasters, and the late emperor also suffered greatly from them. If Wu's sons caused disasters, he obviously relied on me... From now on, if Wu's family causes disasters, it is up to His Majesty to decide, and it must not be taken lightly. Forgive me, then Zhou Guogong Wu Chengsi won't have to enter the palace to pay his respects, so I wonder if His Majesty can agree to my mother's little request?"

Hearing this sad voice, Li Hong was even more apologetic, and hastened to say: "This is really a disgrace to the child, I will obey my mother's order, and don't let Wu Chengsi enter the palace to upset my mother!"

He asked for warmth again, and waited until Empress Wu showed signs of exhaustion before saluting again: "Retire, my child!"

"I will send it to His Majesty!"

Empress Wu sent him out of the palace gate, watched Li Hong's back disappear completely, and raised her eyebrows slightly: "Since ancient times, political struggles have required the suppression of human nature. If a saint does not suppress, he will never be qualified!"

Eunuch Gao and Eunuch Cai are not far behind, obsequious.

After evaluating the saint, Empress Wu held her head high, turned back to the hall, sat on the imperial tent, and beckoned: "Come out!"

A group of confidant eunuchs filed out and fell on the ground: "Queen!"

Empress Wu did not ask Li Hong for details, but she would not lie to her ears. She had to find out what Wu's son had done: "How is the investigation of the foreign court affairs going? Don't need to open your mouth. Write it down and submit it to the palace..."

The eunuch took the order to write it down, and submitted it one after another.

Compared with direct reporting, written writing is naturally easier to accept. Empress Wu took a few sips of tea, silently recited the scriptures three times, adjusted to the best state, and took a closer look.

She just finished reading the first copy, she fell silent, then read the second copy, and said, "Back off!"

There was a slight tremor in the voice.

Everyone retreated as they said, among them, the eunuch Gao walked the slowest. After leaving the hall, he walked slowly in small steps, and vaguely heard the sound of smashing vases in the hall.

Only then did Eunuch Gao leave briskly.

I thought I could hold it back, but it turns out that your human nature is too suppressed!
　Thanks to the book friends "Why is the novel so white", "Rogeotarifos" and "Feng Jie Wuhen" for their rewards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)