A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 797 The deal with Wei Zheng

At noon in July, the sun was still a bit fierce.

After the court meeting ended, Wu Huaiyu did not go home. Today's meeting took a long time, so the emperor prepared food for the ministers on the porch.

The food is pretty good.

After staying in Lingnan for a year and a half, he really missed these Guanzhong foods, especially the Guanzhong noodles.

As usual, the prime ministers eat sheep in the corridor. The Tongzhou sheep being slaughtered are very delicious, which is not available in Lingnan sheep.

There were snacks and fruits after the meal, but unfortunately no wine.

"Wei Gong,"

There are many rules for eating in the corridors of the palace. You are not allowed to chat noisily while eating. After eating, Huaiyu was not idle and took the opportunity to communicate privately with the prime ministers.

"Let's take a walk to eat."

"it is good."

The waiter Wei Zheng smiled and responded, and the two of them walked on the corridor. The sun was shining brightly outside, and it was quite cool on the corridor.

"You won't leave when you come back this time, right?" Wei Zheng asked.

"The things in Lingnan haven't been settled yet. It's all that bastard Hou Junji who is messing around. I can only wipe his ass," Huaiyu said with a smile, "Fortunately, the progress is going smoothly, but it still needs some time. Waiting for the suppression." After Fu Bingyong pacified the left and right Xi barbarians, he still had to take advantage of the situation to implement the Two Taxes Law in Lingnan.

There are a lot of things to do, and I managed to squeeze out some time from my busy schedule to come back this time.

After pacifying the left and right streams, they also planned to take down the Lazi tribe in the middle of Lingnan, Qianzhong and Nanzhong roads. After conquering them, they would establish Jiyi Prefecture County and incorporate it into the territorial rule of the Tang Dynasty... "

What Wu Huaiyu said had been reported to the imperial court a long time ago, and was even part of the future strategic plan reached after discussions between the emperor and the prime ministers. The Lunzi Department was a large blank area, and even superficial surrender had not yet been achieved.

Capturing this blank area will have a great effect.

The biggest role is to open up the communication channels between Shu, especially the Shu area to the sea, and the connection with Shu. Then it can radiate and deter the wild areas such as central Guizhou, Nanzhong, and the western part of Lingnan Yongfu and the western part of Jiaofu.

In this way, the entire southwest border of the empire can be effectively integrated.

It not only strengthens the empire's actual control over southern Xinjiang, but also promotes trade on the Southwest Silk Road and Southeast Maritime Silk Road, allowing goods from the interior of southern Xinjiang to flow. Of course, it also facilitates the flow of goods from the interior of the Central Plains into the border.

In all aspects, this strategic line is great. Although it may take hundreds of years to continuously invest and expand, it is worth it and can bring huge returns, both in geopolitics and military strategy. And also financially.

But coordinating such a large stall is not something that a certain governor of the governor's mansion can do.

It’s not even something that can be accomplished in one place. It involves Lingnan Road, Qianzhong Road, Jiannan Road and other roads. It not only requires the overall coordination of the court, but also requires someone with sufficient qualifications, prestige and level at the local level. and sufficiently capable people.

And Wu Huaiyu happens to be the right person in all aspects.

Of course, he's not the only one suitable;

The imperial court could send many important officials, such as Yang Gongren, Li Daliang, Li Daozong, Chai Shao, Li Xinzhi, Qiu He, etc.

"Prime Minister Wu is really willing to stay in Lingnan? To be honest, I think the situation in Lingnan has been straightened out now. It will not be affected by Prime Minister Wu's return to the court. He can send a general there, and Xiao Gui and Cao can follow him." Wei Zheng said bluntly, "Prime Minister Wu will stay in Lingnan." In Lingnan, killing chickens with a sledgehammer is a bit overkill.

Last year, the imperial court implemented the new two-tax law in Yongzhou. Based on the experience of Sanyuan and other places, the implementation was relatively smooth, but there were still many new problems encountered.

The new two-tax law has a huge relationship. I think it would be better for the Prime Minister to personally sit in the DPRK and coordinate and direct this area.

Dai Xiang was originally in charge of this area, but he suddenly died of illness..."

Wei Zheng supported Wu Huaiyu to stay in the court, and also supported him to coordinate the wider implementation of the new tax law this year. The financial situation of the court has improved in the past two years, but after all, the foundation is weak and there is no savings.

The imperial court launched a war in Lingnan and stationed more than 60,000 troops there. Nearly 50,000 of them were garrison troops who were rotated from the Central Plains. Moreover, the campaign to suppress the Han rebellion lasted from last year to this year. It is not yet known when it will end. ,

The expenses are huge,

Li Jing and the military personnel are still considering fighting Xue Yantuo in the north, and are even preparing to fight Tuyuhun in Longyou Qinghai.

These generals only care about war, but they don't care about financial expenses, food, grass and equipment.

They only have enemies and wars in their eyes. They will kill anyone who threatens Datang. They don't care about the rest.

The military has even begun to collect intelligence on Goguryeo to prepare for another battle in Liaodong. They have proposed sending people to Liaodong to collect the remains of the Central Plains soldiers who died in the battle in Liaodong.

They even paid to redeem the soldiers and people from the Central Plains who were left in Liaodong back then.

And all of this requires a lot of money to support.

Wei Zheng was a servant, in charge of the province, and was responsible for the review and approval. He was not good at finance and economics, but he knew that Wu Huaiyu was good at it, and Wu Huaiyu was even more suitable than Dai Zhou.

"Your Majesty has appointed Zhou Guogong to take over as Minister of Civil Affairs." Huaiyu also had no reservations about Wei Zheng. "Although Zhou Guogong is my fourth uncle, Wei Xiang should also be aware of his abilities. He is good at logistics and finance. Back then, he and Liu Yijie But the Supreme Queen’s right-hand man who is diligent in finance..."

Wei Zheng also recognized the ability of the warrior Xun. Not only was he senior, he also had a rich resume. In the Wude Dynasty, he served as the Minister of Huangmen, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and the Chief of the Yangzhou Governor's Palace. Governor of Zhou, Governor of Lizhou, Governor of Jingzhou, Governor of Luozhou, etc.

Those official titles are very dazzling.

Not to mention that he went from a businessman to a founding hero.

"The ability of Zhou Guogong is obvious to all, but the Two Taxes Law was proposed by your Prime Minister Wu, so it is more appropriate for you to be responsible for it,"

"I still stay in Lingnan to finish my affairs. I will resign from the sage and will not take up this position." "I hope that Wei Gong can support Zhou Guogong to enter the politics hall, so I will use the Ministry of the People's Republic of China to plus Just participate in political affairs and become the Prime Minister."

Wei Zheng looked at Wu Huaiyu and did not agree immediately.

"Du Zhenglun was implicated in the Eastern Palace and was demoted. I know that Duke Wei has always admired Du Zhenglun's talent. I am willing to help in this matter. I have always admired his talent and integrity."

Du Zhenglun was a scholar in the Sui Dynasty, and all three brothers were admitted as scholars. It can be said that he was very famous. He was later recruited by Li Shimin into the Literature Museum of Prince Qin's Mansion, and he was considered to be very qualified.

In the first year of Zhenguan, Wei Zheng strongly recommended Du Zhenglun, saying that his talents were unparalleled in ancient and modern times. Therefore, Li Shimin promoted Du to the rank of Wailang, a member of the Ministry of War. Later, he was recommended and supported by Wu Huaiyu, and his official career was compromised.

After Wu Huaiyu left the capital, Li Shimin had high hopes for Du Zhenglun, hoping that he could become like Wu Huaiyu. Prince's Master,

As the saying goes, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. Previously, when the East Palace caused such a big incident, the emperor was extremely angry, and many officials in the East Palace were unlucky because of this.

Du Zhenglun was extremely disappointed with Li Shimin and wanted to demote him to Jiaozhou.

Wei Zheng loved Du Zhenglun's talent and even thought that he was his political successor. However, although Du Zhenglun was talented, he was a bit narrow-minded. When the Du family jointly revised the family genealogy, they were ridiculed and rejected by the Du family.

Du Zhenglun's official career has been smooth in recent years, and he can't help but feel a little complacent, while the Du family's two prime ministers, Du Ruhui, Du Yan's uncle and nephew, have died of illness one after another. be reused,

It happened that Du Chuke and Du Zhenglun had similar official positions, and they had many conflicts.

This time Du Zhenglun was implicated in the East Palace and was demoted. In fact, Du Chuke had put in a lot of effort.

Wei Zheng wanted to win over Du Zhenglun.

"We can first find a way to ensure that Du Zhenglun stays in the capital. First, he can retain the position of regular servant of the Sanqi to assist the prince in supervising the country, and then resume his position as the prince Zuo Shuzi later." Huaiyu said.

Wei Zheng understood that this was the exchange condition offered by Wu Huaiyu. He would help keep Du Zhenglun from being demoted to the state, and Wei Zheng would help recommend the warrior Xun to the political affairs hall.

"It has been several months since Hou Junji was dismissed from his post. Your Majesty has long intended for him to come back." Wei Zheng said this.

"Does Prime Minister Wei think he is suitable for a comeback?"

"Hou Junji has contributed to the country. Although he has made some mistakes, he cannot let his talents go to waste. After all, he is still young." Wei Zheng said.

"Prime Minister Wei is quite attentive to this student." Huaiyu smiled, "Since Prime Minister Wei wants to protect him, why not let him inspect the Sima School in Jingzhou and follow Li Zihe to Pingshan Qiang in Jingzhou, which can be regarded as atonement for his sins. .”

A mere former prime minister, the number one hero of the Xuanwu Sect, is now reduced to a Jingzhou Sima, and the word "inspection and correction" is also added, which is a bit insulting.

However, Wei Zheng was very satisfied with this. If Wu Huaiyu was willing to let go, others would not object so much, and Hou Junji's path to comeback would be smooth.

It doesn't matter whether Sima is Sima or not, what's important is that he can come back.

Wei Zheng did not confiscate Hou Junji's gift. He accepted Hou Junji as his student and thought he knew Hou Junji relatively well. He also knew what Hou Junji was doing in Yongfu, Lingnan, but he still felt that Hou Junji was a talent. , cannot be wasted just like that.

What's more, Hou Junji visited his house many times and expressed his determination to change his past, and the emperor had already intended to give Hou Junji a chance.

The two prime ministers reached an agreement in the corridor.

Wu Huaiyu always kept a smile on his face. He hated Hou Junji with all his heart. He was one of the few people he could truly call his enemy.

Others, such as Chai Shao, were at best incompatible opponents, but they were at loggerheads with Hou Junji, but he also knew that with Li Shimin around, it would be too difficult for Hou Junji to kill him as long as he did not rebel. Disaster.

Today, first Wen Yanbo and then Wei Zheng had to speak for Hou Junji, so Wu Huaiyu had no choice but to compromise.

In the final analysis, politics is about transactions and compromises. Only by giving up can you get something. If you can send the warrior Yu to the political hall, it is not impossible to let Hou Junji go first.

After bidding farewell to Wei Zheng, Wu Huaiyu went straight to Wen Yanbo.

He got straight to the point, "I plan to recommend Hou Junji to inspect the Sima School in Jingzhou and follow Li Zihe to Jingzhou to quell the Qiang rebellion. After the Qiang rebellion in Jingzhou is quelled, Hou Junji can be asked to take over as the governor of Jingzhou. What does Prime Minister Wen think?"

Wen Yanbo stroked his beard, a little surprised.

"Xiangong Wu is indeed a prime minister who can support a boat and has a big picture in mind,"

Huaiyu chuckled,

They are all old foxes. If he gave in, Wen Yanbo would of course reciprocate the favor. Huaiyu did not hide it, hoping that he could support the warrior Xun to enter the political hall. He also made it clear that he would continue to stay in Lingnan.

The three brothers of the Wen family are known as the Three Heroes of Hedong. They are as famous as the uncles and nephews of the Xue family of Sanfeng in Hedong. However, their official career is stronger than that of the Xue family. He has a good relationship with the warrior Xun. He is a fellow from Hedong and a hero of the Yuanmou in Taiyuan. He is willing to support the warrior Xun to enter the court. Of course, he also has conditions. He hopes that Wu Huaiyu can take care of the Wen family.

(End of this chapter)