The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 697

The news of the troubles caused by scholars in the Sui Dynasty quickly spread to Xiangyang, which made Li Yuan want to start a course to obtain a scholar, and discussed with Li Jiancheng and other ministers in the Zhengshitang.

At this time Li Yuan said: "Everyone, Yang Tong was able to open a course to obtain scholars, but my Tang Dynasty has not moved for a long time, so all the talents in the world belong to the Sui Dynasty. I thought, can't my Tang Dynasty do it?"

Ever since Yang Tong spread his prestige outside the territory and regained Bingzhou, and the Sui Dynasty gradually became stronger, all forces became less attractive to poor people than before. That is, because Yang Tong was against the nobles all over the world, the Kanto nobles and southern nobles successively moved forward. Come and go, the arrival of these people has indeed strengthened the momentum of the Li Tang Dynasty.The bad thing is that these gentry are obviously also worried that Li Yuan will suppress the gentry just like Yang Tong.As the number of official positions occupied by the gentry increased, they united with the Guanlong nobles to squeeze out and suppress poor scholars.

He now somewhat understands why Li Jiancheng said that if he could not win Xue Ju in the first battle, he would cease the war and push the imperial examination. It has also been continuously weakened. Take the current Li Tang Dynasty as an example. Even if Li Yuan wanted to submit to the Sui Dynasty, few of these officials were willing.

Take the Tu family as an example, many outstanding children died at the hands of the Sui Dynasty, and now they donate more than [-]% of their property. Why?Naturally, I hope that the Li Tang Dynasty will defeat the Sui Dynasty, and one day they will be able to avenge their hatred and obtain high returns.

There are many such families in Li and Tang, especially after Yang Yu assassinated Li Mi's official and took care of many of the gentry children who abused him, there were more people with such thoughts, so even if Li Yuan really wanted to submit, he would It is no longer possible. I thought it would be a good thing for many gentry to return to the Tang Dynasty, but now it seems that Li Jiancheng had already expected it back then.

Therefore, Li Yuan's idea was to take advantage of the cleansing of the Guanlong nobles, and distribute the vacated positions to the poor, so that the court could be balanced.The key is that Li Yuan and the Li Tang Dynasty were hit hard. He hoped that the local people would be stable, and he wanted the rulers to promote the goodness of the Li Tang Dynasty everywhere. The imperial examination became Li Yuan's best choice. It can win over literati and buy people's hearts.

"Father, you must not." Before everyone could send their opinions, Li Jiancheng objected: "Father, Yang Tong has made the imperial examination deeply rooted in the hearts of the people these years, and thousands of scholars have made troubles. It can be seen that the imperial examination is not handled well. If it arouses public outrage, it will cause turmoil in the world, which shows that the imperial examination is not open at will."

Li Jiancheng used to really advocate opening a course to obtain a scholar.He believes that the key to Yang Guang's ability to make the Taiyuan Wang family and Xingyang Zheng family have to bow their heads was the imperial examination.

Poor scholars regard the imperial examination as a road to success. In order to protect their rights, they naturally unite and fight against the famous families. There is no need for Yang Guang to persuade the famous nobles to give in. He does not need to worry about the Kanto nobles. He knows he can The person who confronted the famous gentry was not Yang Guang, but thousands of Hanzi from the Sui Dynasty.If he hadn't followed up to clean up the Guanlong nobles, and carried out big projects everywhere, and lost the hearts of the people, how could there be any troubled times?
Seeing that the Tang Dynasty was going the same way as Yang Jian, Li Jiancheng was so anxious that he suggested that his father should use war to reduce the Guanlong nobles' control over the army while striving for hegemony; Occupation, anyway, there is Yang Tong's hatred, even if there is some turmoil in the Tang Dynasty's opening a course to obtain a scholar, it will not be too serious.

The father was worried about offending the Guanlong nobles and many Guandong gentry who supported him, and planned to take the imperial examination after the world was settled, so as to recruit talents from all over the world. difficulty.But Li Yuan wanted to conduct the imperial examination when the army of Guanlong nobles had not been cleaned up, which shocked Li Jiancheng.

Even a stable Sui Dynasty was not enough for Yang Guang to toss about like this. If the precarious Li Tang used the imperial examinations to deal with the Guanlong nobles and the distant Kanto gentry, he would be finished immediately.Therefore, when Li Jiancheng heard his father's words, he almost fainted from fright.

"Didn't you advocate opening a course to obtain a scholar before? Why do you oppose it now?" Li Yuan was a little puzzled.

"Father, how can this be the same? In the past, the foundation of my Tang Dynasty was solid, and my momentum was the same for a while. Even Yang Tong was not as good. Now my Tang Dynasty is completely different from the original. Taking scholars and mobilizing the interests of officials from all over the country will not help the stability of our Tang Dynasty, but will cause huge turmoil."

"Your Majesty, I agree with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Xiao Yu stood up and saluted at this moment: "The imperial examination is not an easy task, and it concerns the interests of too many people. Yang Tong obviously failed to deal with the conflict of interests this time. It led to a great riot among scholars. As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning. My Tang Dynasty has never opened a subject to obtain a scholar. If I start it rashly, I am afraid that there will be more entanglements. The discussion will be held again, and only if the preparations are sufficient can it be beneficial and harmless."

"Forget it, let's put aside the matter of the imperial examination for now." Although Li Yuan was extremely uncomfortable, what happened in the Sui Dynasty also made him realize that rushing to obtain a scholar would only bring endless troubles. It will become the last straw that overwhelms Datang.

What makes me feel even more depressing is that the people he relies on all show signs of depression and decadence, and all of them have lost the "vigor" when they entered the main pass. In fact, what he needs most now is a big victory To boost the sluggish situation in the Tang Dynasty, he even wanted to agree to Li Shimin's request, abandon the Hanshui defense line, raise the soldiers of the Li and Tang Dynasties, and take the initiative to launch a war against the Sui Dynasty.However, Xiangyang still has the big trouble of the Beizhen Army, and the counter-insurgency has been in a stalemate.

Li Yuan also understood the difficulties faced by Li Shimin, who was in charge of annihilating the Beizhen Army. Last year's disastrous defeat in the Eastern Expedition made the morale of the Tang Army low. The embarrassment for Li Shimin was not only to wipe out the Beizhen army, but also to win easily. The Tang Dynasty could not afford a bigger loss. The town army is a helpless and lonely army. At this time, it is best to send a small group of troops to harass and try to destroy its food and grass. When it runs out of food, it will self-destruct internally.So Li Yuan agreed with Li Shimin's suggestion that he should not rush to a decisive battle. The powerless and resigned decadent situation in the court also made Li Yuan almost go crazy.

He finally thought of using the imperial examination to reverse the decline, but the Luoyang scholar riot poured cold water on him. Li Yuan couldn't help but heaved a long sigh, and changed the subject and asked, "What's Yang Tong doing recently?"

"Yang Tong has already returned to Luoyang. Except for the necessary soldiers and horses, the other troops have begun to withdraw from Huaiyang. Many of them marched towards Nanyang and Nanjun. After Qin Qiong and Zhang Zhenzhou wiped out Lin Shihong, they led an army of [-] Gather in Dongyang and prepare for a decisive battle with the coalition forces of Meng Haigong and Feng An. It seems that they intend to unify the south, and the Sui and Tang Dynasties will not be launched in a short time." Liu Wenjing replied.

Li Yuan smiled bitterly, Meng Haigong and Feng An's coalition army was as high as 25, Qin Qiong and Zhang Zhenzhou only had 10 people, but Yang Tong was as stable as Mount Tai, and instead of sending troops south, he continued to send troops to the border of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It can be seen that Yang Tong did not take the coalition army seriously , When he leaves Luoyang again, I am afraid it will be the time when the Sui and Tang Dynasties broke out.

"Your Majesty, the counties in Jingbei occupy too much of our troops, and they are defending everywhere, but the defense seems weak everywhere. If the Sui army is deployed and attacks from various sections, we will not be able to defend. Fang Xuanling's envoy to Xiangyang At that time, didn’t we ask us to exchange Jingbei for a one-year truce? In my opinion, I should simply agree to them, and move the capital and people to Yizhou as soon as possible, and rely on the danger of mountains and rivers to resist the Sui army.” Dou Gui used to say He and Duguzhen were afraid that the war would affect their interests in Yizhou, and opposed moving the capital, but when he decided to be completely loyal to the Li Tang Dynasty, his mentality changed. Game with the Sui army.

Li Yuan was silent when he heard the words. For him, it is not easy to move the capital now.

It is easy to talk about moving the capital, but moving the people is not a trivial matter. Not to mention the waste of food and grass, how many people died on the way?And with such a desperate approach, once the mountains and rivers are too dangerous to resist the Sui army, he doesn't even have a place in depth, so he can only fight Yang Yu head-on.What's more, there are still [-] rebels in Xiangyang. Before they were wiped out, didn't moving the capital give them a chance to make a surprise attack?In addition, there are many troops on the Hanshui defense line. If they withdraw, they will all be in chaos. How could the Sui army miss such a good opportunity?There is also the upcoming Tubo cavalry army, who are good at fighting on the plains. When they arrive in Yizhou, which is full of mountains and rivers, [-]% of their combat power will be cut in half. Are they only allowed to defend the plains of the land of abundance?
Speaking of it, Dou Gui was ignorant at the beginning, and was fooled by Duguzheng, who opposed moving the capital. If only the Dugu faction opposed it before, he would already be in Chengdu now.

Glancing at Dou Gui, Li Yuan shook his head and said, "It's not what it used to be. In the past, Yang Tong wanted to fight Li Mi. He was afraid of being attacked on both sides, so he wanted to make a truce with us. However, Li Mi didn't cause him any trouble. Annihilated. My Great Tang has become one of Yang Tong's few enemies, and the war will happen sooner or later, so how can he bring up the truce at this time?"

Dou Gui heard the words and didn't say anything more.

Li Yuan changed the topic and said: "With the current situation, Yang Tong is no match for my Tang Dynasty, if not..."

A guard rushed over with a serious face and said, "Your Majesty, something is wrong! The Beizhen Army has dispatched troops!"

"What's the matter?" Li Yuan frowned and asked in a deep voice.

"Returning to the Holy Lord, this morning, the Beizhen army quietly led the army to Gucheng County through the thick fog. The defenders were not prepared enough, and Dugu Yanyun broke the county seat. Our army stationed in Gucheng County suffered heavy casualties. Li Xiaotong died desperately Breaking out of the siege, he fled to Yincheng County through the fog, and now Dugu Yanyun has led his army to threaten Yincheng County, General Liu Hongji sent people to deliver letters one after another, please make a decision quickly." The guard finished speaking in one breath, and said fiercely Take a breath.

"What a treacherous Dugu Yanyun, at this moment, is he still cooperating with the Sui army?" Li Yuan was startled and angry, he slapped the table and stood up.

The Sui army is already sweeping away, and Li Yuan built the Hanshui defense line with heavy troops. Yincheng County, guarded by Liu Hongji, is an important node. Continuously cross the Han River and besiege Xiangyang City. Once Xiangyang is in crisis, the Han River defense line will be defeated and broken.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Wenjing frowned and said, "Then Dugu Yanyun, I am afraid that he wants to take advantage of the fact that the imperial court is now focused on appeasing the rebellious people and is unable to conquer, and occupy Yincheng County first, and force the imperial court to make concessions based on this place. We will cooperate with the Sui army internally and externally."

"The ability is not great, but the appetite is not small. Since they dare to tear their faces and attack the court, then I don't want to drag the Guanlong nobles down." Li Yuan snorted coldly: "Pass my military order and order Liu Hongji to choose an opportunity to attack the north. Zhenjun, order Dou Cong to lead the army from Xiangyang, order Zhang Shigui to send troops from Junyang, and attack the Beizhen army together, without any scruples, give me a hard hit!"

"Here!" The guard nodded in agreement and went to deliver the order.

Liu Wenjing's heart moved, and she said with a smile: "My lord, the Sui army has not yet reached an encirclement situation. If we can severely damage the Beizhen army in this battle, our army can not only wipe out the internal thieves, but also take this opportunity to attack Nanyang. If we can take advantage of this opportunity , occupying Nanyang County in one fell swoop, these three armies can unite with the Chongling Army to attack Xinye Sui Army from left and right. At the same time, the king of Jin can march into Nanjun, and the chances of winning are great."

Li Yuan's eyes flickered and he said nothing. This was the strategy Li Shimin had set for him at the beginning. Originally, he was worried about the power of the Sui army, so he finally took the sword of the Guanlong nobles. Seeing that the Sui Dynasty destroyed Li Mi and the Beizhen army rebelled, he dared not do it again. move.Since Liu Wenjing also has this intention, and it is difficult for the troops on the Hanshui defense line to retreat, why should he cover it up?If he could take the opportunity to take Yang Shanhui's Xinye Sui Army and occupy Nanjun, he would not only have a bargaining chip with the Sui Army, but also boost morale and move the capital in a victorious posture, which would also be convincing.Of course, the key to this battle is to quickly eliminate the Beizhen army, and then deal a heavy blow to the Sui army who is sitting on the mountain watching the tiger fight.

"Pass down the order, let Xiaogong prepare for the battle, let the people prepare the army, and once the Beizhen army is wiped out, immediately go to Nanjun." At this moment, Li Yuan finally showed the courage of the emperor, and continued: "Everyone, Xiangguo , perform their own duties, let the imperial court prepare for the capital move, and at the same time transport some supplies to Padang, giving the Sui Dynasty a tendency to move the capital, making the Sui Dynasty think that we dare not fight against the Sui army, and are forced to move the capital."

"Here." All the corresponding voices retreated.

When all the ministers retreated, Li Jiancheng saluted and said, "Father, my son has some ideas about the imperial examination."

"Go ahead!"

"Father, my son believes that the risk of the imperial examination is indeed relatively high, and it will inevitably touch the interests of many people. Didn't the father find out that except for Liu Xiang, he actually opposed it for the sake of opposition?" Li Jiancheng pointed out that it was naturally Dou Rail et al.

"The purpose of the imperial examination is to select officials for the imperial court. This is the most fundamental interest. However, my Tang Dynasty has a lot of power, and it is not as pure as Yang Yu's. It is bound to be a big conflict to open a subject to obtain a scholar, so I rejected your idea at the beginning. He also said that before the unification of the world, the imperial examinations would not be implemented to ensure the interests of the Guanlong nobles, the Guandong nobles, and the southern nobles, so as to obtain their full support. But now, the Guanlong nobles, the largest opposition group, have turned against the court. Are they Opposition is no longer important. This is the reason why you have the idea of ​​getting a scholar." Li Yuan sighed and said, "I never thought that when the Tang Dynasty reached this point, they would still haggle over every detail with the court."

Li Jiancheng didn't want his father to have a grudge against the relatives at this time, causing the monarchs and ministers to be suspicious, so he said: "Father, the opposing parties cannot be said to have selfish intentions, but my Tang Dynasty is now in a weak state. If there is another scholar riot, it will be very disappointing. It’s just that they didn’t think deeply about the problems existing in the imperial examination, and this person gives people a sense of selfishness.”

"The emperor's words are reasonable." Li Yuan was moved by his son's words, and Jian Jiancheng's words pointed to the root of the problem, which made Li Yuan suddenly enlightened. He nodded in approval, and asked again: "How do you plan to obtain a scholar?"

Li Jiancheng clasped his hands and said: "Although countless people participated in Yang Tong's imperial examinations every time, the officials he directly appointed each time were only a hundred people; , to pay military salaries; and the vast majority of scholars will enter the Sui Dynasty Academy to study. During the three years of study, not only are the scholars free of board and lodging, but they are also compensated with four buckets of rice and three guanqian per month. For the children, not only does it cost nothing to study and study, but it can also support the family. If you live frugally, more than half of the money and food will be brought home, which is a huge attraction."

Li Yuan understood what Li Jiancheng meant, and said with a smile: "You mean, as long as there are not many people who become officials, and they only serve as assistant officials without actual power, this will not touch their interests, and naturally no one will oppose the imperial examination. Is it this way?"

"Exactly." Li Jiancheng said: "Not long ago, Shimin and Xiaogong wrote to say that many children from aristocratic families who were originally serving in the army were afraid of death and could not bear the hardships, so they resigned for various reasons, which made the army civilians seriously Insufficient. So they asked their sons and ministers for civilian staff. Aristocratic families look down on military civil servants, but they can’t have no one to serve. We appoint poor soldiers to serve in the army. Why do they object? If they object, then let their children go Done."

"The emperor's idea is good." Li Yuan said approvingly. The purpose of his imperial examination is to let the ruling literati promote him and praise him. As for what position the underprivileged will take up, he is not in his consideration.

The employment that Li Jiancheng came up with for him, before satisfying his wishes, neither made him go back on his word, nor touched the interests of various aristocratic families, and could also solve the problem of having no civilian positions in the army.

Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "As long as everyone's interests are guaranteed, the ministers think that the imperial examination can be held. But we must communicate with them in advance, lest they fear the imperial examination like a tiger and alienate the court."

"The emperor's suggestion is very good, let's do it like this." Li Jiancheng untied a knot in Li Yuan's heart, which made him feel much better.Li Yuan looked at the humble and respectful eldest son, and said with emotion: "I'm getting old, and things haven't gone my way these years, and I've been exhausted physically and mentally. I don't have the energy to take care of everything. The emperor will take the initiative in the future. Don't always be like this." claim."

As the prince of the Li Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng was in an embarrassing situation where his father was worried and suspicious, and his brothers were thorns in his eyes, so he has been hiding his personality and obeying everywhere all these years.Most of them carry out their father's instructions. Even if there are disputes, they discuss the matter as it stands. They seldom take the initiative to have their own opinions.Because of this, he gained Li Yuan's trust.

"Here." Li Jiancheng replied respectfully.

(End of this chapter)