A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 643 Mr. White Clothes
It’s cool at the beginning of the night,
The moon is like frost.

In the courtyard, set up a charcoal stove, warm a pot of wine, and grill a few small skewers.
After chatting with Wu Huaiyu for a long time, the emperor suddenly became enlightened. After feeling comfortable, he felt hungry.

Although it was the middle of the night, Wu Huaiyu couldn't help it. The Duke's Mansion of Jin State, which had more than 200 acres of land, still had a lot of food in reserve. Two chickens were caught and killed in the chicken coop, and one sheep was slaughtered. Then there are some fresh vegetables picked from the garden behind.

Get some more potatoes, peel and slice the sweet potatoes.
Heat some more vermicelli.
Li Shimin was already able to skillfully flip the roast on the stove, and he was also very skillful in sprinkling cumin, green salt, and fennel.

However, the three treasures of sheep, eggs, whips and waists of sheep had to be made by Wu Huaiyu himself.

Fang Xuanling and Ma Zhou started fighting.

Eunuch Zhang Ananda was chopping potatoes. Although this sword master was carrying a kitchen knife, he could still cut the potatoes with smooth movements and even bursts of light.

"Xuanling, Huaiyu is right. Now is not the time to talk to them about benevolence, justice and morality. The [-] Turkic prisoners sent back from the Northern Expedition were directly sold by Taifu Temple. The money they sold was just right. Used to replenish the national treasury and give rewards to soldiers,"

Wen Daya indeed proposed to the emperor that the imperial treasury should provide money to redeem and buy back all the Turkic prisoners Li Jingwu Huaiyu and others had given as rewards to the soldiers as slaves, and also return some livestock, etc., and move them to Hebei and other places, and allocate land to them. Land, teach farming and etiquette, and move and educate them.

If Li Shimin might have been a little hesitant before, now he no longer takes it seriously.

With that money, whether it is to reward the soldiers for their military exploits, or to provide compensation for casualties, or use some to reward Turkic leaders such as Tuli, Yu Sheshe, Simo, Zhi lost Si Li, Sha Boluo, or It's used to buy horses and weapons, isn't it delicious?
If it's not good enough to use it as capital for Chang Pingcang, it would be a good idea to buy more grain reserves while the price of grain is low.

No matter what benevolence, justice and morality, strength is still respected in the end.

If Li Jing, Wu Huaiyu and the others had not succeeded in the first battle and captured Jieli alive, no matter how well the Tang Dynasty treated the Turks, they would not be as respectful as they are now.

The fresh and tender corn collected in the greenhouse is boiled in a pot with fresh milk, cooked row by row and skewered with skewers, peeled and boiled with some oil and grilled on the fire, sprinkled with various small seasonings, and soon delicious grilled corn skewers are ready. .

Eunuch Zhang likes to eat this the most because he thinks it is tender and sweet. He does not participate in the discussion of military and state affairs at all.

The monarch and his ministers had a half-day of leisure eating skewers and drinking wine.

late at night,

Li Shimin wiped his mouth and said, "Okay, it's getting late, I'm full, and I have a plan for the Turks. It's a worthwhile trip. I'm back."

Wu Huaiyu sent it,

At the door, Li Shimin took Wu Huaiyu's hand, "I will forgive you for beating Hou Junji, and blame him for his rudeness."

"You can resume your official duties tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, you can't. Such childishness will damage the prestige of your Majesty and the court. I dare not obey the order."

Li Shimin frowned, "Don't always shrink back and be afraid. You and I are still young. It's time for monarchs and ministers to work together to create a great cause."

Being stared directly at by the emperor, Wu Huaiyu could only say, "Your Majesty is very ambitious and I understand, but the time is not ripe yet. Your Majesty is in a hurry, so you have to take your time."

"Ten thousand years is too long. I can't wait to seize the day." Li Shimin said bluntly,

"Your Majesty, after three years of farming, you have more than one year's savings; after nine years of farming, you have three years' savings."

"Eating for the remaining three years, entering the industry is called Deng, ascending again is called Ping, eating for the remaining six years, ascending for the third time is called Taiping, 27 years, eating for the remaining nine years, and then the virtues will be harmonious, and the rituals and music will be completed."

Wu Huaiyu's words silenced Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, Ma Zhou, Zhang Ananda also stood there silently.

What Wu Huaiyu said is the truth. Without war and famine, even if there were good harvests for three consecutive years, one could only save food for one year.
Having good harvests for nine consecutive years and saving food for three years is called climbing.

Two climbs, that is, a bumper harvest in 18, and six years of reserves saved, can we call it even.

Three harvests, that is, nine years of grain storage, can be called a good harvest and peace.

But these days, it's not that easy to have good harvests year after year. There are constant minor disasters, and there may even be plagues, floods, droughts, and famines.

Last year there was a severe drought in Guandong, and there was famine in dozens of states, and people had to go out to beg for food.

Although there was a big harvest in Guan Nei last year and this year, it can't even be considered as a harvest after one climb.It takes three consecutive years for a good harvest, three good harvests for one harvest, two good harvests for one level, and three good harvests for peace. No matter how good the weather is, it will take 27 years.

"There will be good harvests and peace, and I am not in a hurry. That's why I have to implement the two taxes immediately. Only when the government's finances are enriched can we do big things."

"Your Majesty, although it has been 13 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it is still in dire straits and is in dire straits.

The common people's families have no surplus food, and the imperial treasury also does not have much savings. Your Majesty has to do big things and reform the tax system. These are the country's basic major policies. One move affects the whole body, and the impact is too great. If the imperial court does not have enough reserves, it will be too big. It's dangerous,
I dare not say that we must have a good harvest and a peaceful harvest before we can start the reform, but we must at least have a three-year reserve of surplus grain."

"Our Tang Dynasty now dominates the world and is rising. However, there are Eastern Rong and Xidi, Southern Barbarians and Northern Captives, and there are many foreign enemies. The people have not yet completely come out of the turmoil of the Sui Dynasty. There is no rush. The people have finally passed a few days. In Ansheng’s birthday, most people haven’t had enough to eat yet.
If there is a big change now, it will easily lead to chaos. "

If a house is in disrepair and you don't have enough materials, you can only repair it first. You can't just tear down the beams and tiles as soon as you get started. It's easy to tear down. If you don't have the materials and manpower to replace and repair it in time, then this dilapidated house will be ruined. If it can't be protected, it will collapse if it encounters some wind and rain.

Fang Xuanling also took the opportunity to persuade the emperor. Now that the major concern of the Eastern Turks has been solved and northern Xinjiang is temporarily safe, he should recuperate first and the people's livelihood issues should be put first.

Ma Zhou also immediately made three suggestions. The first is to reduce taxes. For example, if the land granted to the people is insufficient, their rents and adjustments should be reduced accordingly.

The second is to reduce financial expenditures. The palace, officials, and the army are the main parts of financial expenditures.

Thirdly, the aristocrats and powerful families were encouraged to cultivate wasteland and farmland in the border areas, and businessmen were also encouraged to transport grain to the border areas.

Among them, when it comes to saving money, the most important thing is to fight as few wars as possible. Although the soldiers of the government do not need military pay at ordinary times, once they are gathered to fight, the money is like running water.

The imperial court prepared for three years, and the six-pronged Northern Expedition. Li Jing, Wu Huaiyu and the others performed exceptionally and quickly defeated the Khan Court and captured Jie Li in a very short time. However, the military expenditure was still terrifying. If it weren't for Wu Huaiyu and the others, they had captured so many prisoners and livestock for the imperial court. By the time this battle is over, the imperial treasury will be empty.

Why did the emperor finally agree with Wu Huaiyu's suggestion? It was based on reality. It would not be enough for Li Shimin to sell Tai Chi Palace just like Wen Daya said.

According to Wu Huaiyu's plan, if the [-] prisoners and those livestock are sold, the remaining military expenditure gap can be immediately solved, and even a small profit can be made. And the soldiers of the government received so many slaves, cattle and sheep this time , and there will be rewards for meritorious service and official positions later, which will be very satisfying. Whoever I fight next time will definitely still have to fight for it.

In the past, the imperial court fought more than 80 wars with the Turks. In every battle, money was thrown into it, like a bottomless pit. They raised money and grain in various ways, asking ministers to donate, borrowing from rich households, and apportioning money to the common people. There was nothing they could do. Well.

This time Wu Huaiyu and the others made money during their Northern Expedition.

From the court to the soldiers, everyone made money.Whoever lost, naturally it was the Turks who lost. Not only were more than 3 men and women killed by the formation, but more than 30 men, women, and children were also made captives and slaves, and their accounts of tens of thousands were lost.

But Wu Huaiyu felt that we had to do it this way. No matter how famous we were as teachers, no matter how loud our slogans were, fighting had to be a business and we couldn't lose money.

Otherwise it will be unsustainable.

You must find a way to not only win, but also make money.

In order to achieve these two goals, the rest is not so important. You can put aside benevolence, justice and morality. You can just talk about it, but you can't lie to yourself.

It is necessary to have an inner saint and an outer king.

Wen Yanbo was captured on the battlefield and grazed sheep outside the Great Wall for more than a year. The herdsmen on the grasslands were said to be very kind to him. Even the young herders worshiped him as his teacher and studied with him. The herdsmen were all very good. Respect this high official from the Central Plains and say that he is knowledgeable and so on.

But these same herdsmen were the same Turkic soldiers who plundered the entire Hedong before and after the Taigu Battle, and then wiped out the entire Tang army of more than 7 people in Taigu.

When they went south to plunder, they were savage and ferocious;
Returning to the grassland, he became a loving father in the eyes of his children, a reliable husband to women, and could even perform discipleship rituals for Wen Daya.
Every aspect is real.

If you want the Turks to become submissive, you must have enough force to suppress them.

"If I promise you to suspend the implementation of the two-tax law, will you be willing to return to the DPRK and resume your post as prime minister?"

"Your Majesty, you are not joking. You cannot change your order overnight. I have indeed made a mistake. It is appropriate to be dismissed from office now. How can I return to the court and reinstate it immediately?"

"Then you still want to be at home with your wife and children every day and be happy?" Li Shimin glared at him.

"I can pay tribute to His Majesty's staff at any time." Wu Huaiyu quickly expressed his loyalty.

Li Shimin was a little helpless, "You are just a scoundrel."

·······
The next day,

The emperor issued an order to conquer the Turks and all the tribes surrendered. Specifically, six governor's offices of Bei'an, Beikai, Beifu, Beining, Beiping and Beiting were established in Monan.

Among these six governor's offices, the Bei'an governor's office was set up in Tuli's hometown in the southeastern part of the desert. Li Shibobi, the prince of Beiping County, was the governor of Bei'an.

To the north of Daqing Mountain in Yinshan Mountain, the Governor's Mansion of Beifu was set up. Duke An Guozhi lost his ability and became the Governor of Beifu.

To the south of Daqing Mountain, the Governor's Mansion of Beikai was established, with Li Simo, Prince of Huaihua County, as the Governor of Beikai.

To the east of Langshan Mountain and to the north of Yinshan Mountain in Hetao, the Peking Governor's Mansion was set up, with Li Momo, the king of Huai'an County, as the governor.

To the west of Langshan and to the north of Hexi, the Beining Governor's Mansion was set up, with Shi Suni, the king of Huaide County, as the governor.

The Beiting Governor's Mansion was set up from the north of Gaochang to Jinshan, with Bi Guogong Li She'er as the governor.

In the original place of Hetao, Fengzhou and Shengzhou were re-established, and the Fengzhou Governor's Office was established. Kang Guogong Shi Danai was appointed as the Governor of Fengzhou.

The seven newly established governor's offices were all headed by Turkic princes. However, Fengzhou, under the governorship of Stanai, would be under the actual control of the imperial court, and the remaining six would be Jisi prefectures.

Although the edict to confer a surname on Sheer in Beiting and become the governor has been issued, in fact this person has not yet surrendered.

Immediately afterwards, another edict was issued.

The emperor ordered the Sogdian Hu tribes in the Turkic tribes to be unified and moved to Shuofang, Henan, and established six Sogdian Hu prefectures, namely Lu, Li, Han, Sai, Yi, and Qi. The imperial court appointed Han officials as governors. ,
The boundaries of the six states are south of the Yellow River in Fengzhou, west of Lingzhou, and north of Yanxia, ​​on the Ordos Plateau, surrounded on all sides by the imperial court's Fengsheng Lingyanxia.

The Turkic tribes, especially the Sogdian Hus in the Jieli, Tuli, and Yugushe old tribes, first moved to Liuhu Prefecture, and the other tribes also requested to move here one after another, and some Sogdian Hus will be moved to Western Liaoning and even Bashu and other places.

Divide and conquer the Turks and Sogdians, or even completely separate them.

Beikai, Beifu, Bei'an, Beiping, Beiting, and Beining are the six governor's mansions, plus the six Sogdian Hu prefectures.

Most of the Turkic tribes, such as Ashide, Sunong, Zhishi, Beishi, Yushe, Yishi, Guanbayan, Shili, Ashina, and Chuozhou, were all divided into left and right divisions, each with one prefecture, and the rest For small tribes, two tribes may be combined into one state, or three or five tribes may be combined into one state.

Each of the six Turkic governor's offices has six prefectures, totaling 36 Jisi prefectures.

Including the six Sogdian Hu states, they were also ruled by Jisu.

Other Turkic and Sogdian people who moved into the interior no longer established separate states and counties, but were divided into small tribes into villages, which were managed by counties and townships and organized into households.

The dispute over the five dispositions of the prime ministers ended, and the Emperor's Sacred Heart became dictatorial.

But soon the prime ministers also knew that the emperor went to the Duke of Jin's residence incognito incognito the night before and chatted until late at night.

"Your Majesty in White."

A new nickname was given away, and even if Wu Huaiyu dismissed all official positions, his influence was still not inferior to that of the purple-robed ministers in the political hall.

However, although Wu Huaiyu was actually dismissed from office, he did not seize the title. He was still the Duke of Tejin, Shangzhu Kingdom, and Jin Kingdom. He still wore the purple robe and jade belt as before.
On the day after the edict was read out, the emperor specially sent someone to reward Wu Huaiyu with a yellow and silver belt.

On this day, the emperor rewarded several gold and silver belts, including one for Wu Huaiyu, one for Fang Xuanling, and one for Ma Zhou. Then the late Du Ruhui and the Du family also received a gold and silver belt.

The emperor even specially asked an envoy to tell the Du Gou brothers that he had heard that ghosts and gods were afraid of gold and silver. He specially made a piece of gold and silver to bring to Du Jisi, so that he would not be bullied by ghosts and gods after tying it in the underworld.

Yellow silver is actually a naturally occurring silver-gold alloy. It is relatively rare. It is equivalent to natural gold containing [-] to [-]% silver. It is relatively rare. It is also said to have the effect of warding off evil spirits and exorcising ghosts.

After a few days,
Empress Changsun and Li Sanniang, the head of Yonggong County, Wuhuaiyu's concubine, both gave birth to a daughter. The emperor still remembered the agreement he made with Du Ruhui,
At that time, an edict was issued to confer the title Princess of Chengyang County on this daughter and marry her to Du Ruhui's second son, Du He. Du He was also given the title of Duke of Xiangyang County.

He also gave Du Ruhui's younger brother Du Chuke, who was involved in the incident, and promoted him to be the governor of Puzhou.After Du Chuke captured Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty, he lived in seclusion in Songshan Mountain. It was not until Du Ruhui's death that he accepted Li Shimin's call to worship Shi Zhong. Now he is directly appointed as the governor of Puzhou.

Immediately afterwards, Du Ruhui's eldest son, Du Gou, the Duke of Lai State, was also appointed as the governor of Laizhou by the fifth-rank Shang Shefeng.

When both the government and the public were moved by the emperor's deep love for Du Ruhui, another thing happened suddenly. Empress Changsun and the emperor recognized Li Qing's daughter as their goddaughter. The emperor also granted this goddaughter the title Wu Wu Niang Qiong Ying as Jiang Ning. County Lord.

(End of this chapter)