A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 968 The emperor started to toss again
"How about letting Qingque go to Liuqiu after the new year?"

The emperor drank Liuqiu's tribute Dongding Oolong and couldn't help but said to Empress Changsun, "How about going to Qinghai? I feel that although Qinghai is closer to Chang'an, Liuqiu can be more comfortable."

Queen Changsun paused for a moment.
She and the emperor have been in poor health in the past few years, and they are even more reluctant to separate their children, especially Qing Que, who is indebted to the child since he was a child.

When the Supreme Emperor selected Qingque as his heir to King Wei, the couple had no choice but to adopt the second son to the name of the late King Wei. From then on, their biological sons could only call them uncle and aunt.

After the bloodshed in the palace that year, the queen also found her husband several times and asked him to take Qingque back and choose another nephew from the clan to adopt him to King Wei.

Qingque has been sensible and filial since he was a child, and the queen feels more and more indebted.

"The words that the Supreme Emperor said to me before his death, I have thought about them over the past six months and found them to be quite reasonable. When I look back and think of the words I said about the Crown Prince and the King of Wei a few years ago, they were very inappropriate, and they even led to some outbursts. By destroying the so-called princeling party and the Wei royal party, I almost made a big mistake and almost destroyed Cheng Qian."

Speaking of this, Li Shimin's eyes turned red, which reminded him of Jiancheng and Yuanji. When the Li family was just relatives of the emperor, as the brothers of the Duke of Tang Dynasty, they actually had a good relationship. .

At that time in Chang'an, Jiancheng, Chai Shao and others played together with Li Shimin, Li Yuanji and others. They were even famous young knights in Chang'an City.

But who could have imagined that brothers would kill each other many years later.

Then spread it out in front of the queen,
"This Dongding Mountain is in the middle of Liuqiu Island. Dongning City, the seat of Liuzhou, and Anping Port are both in the southwest of Liuqiu Island. I plan to choose Qingque's fiefdom in the middle."

The next day, he summoned the prince and prime ministers, and specially summoned Wu Huaiyu, Changsun Wuji, and even the old prime ministers Chen Shuda, Yu Wenshiji, and Yang Gongren, and Zhang Liang, who had worshiped the prime minister before, also summoned .

The chamberlains brought in two screens, one with the map of Liuqiu and the other with the map of Qinghai.

The kings involved were either the emperor's brother or his son. It was hard for everyone to interfere too much, but it was impossible not to participate.

With the state as the country,

The king of Wei, Li Tai, was granted the title of Chang Taizhou Governor.

"Qinghai or Liuqiu?"

After deciding this matter, Li Shimin became a little excited.

This area is not small. The west coast is more than a hundred miles long from north to south, and also more than a hundred miles long from east to west.
Half plain, half mountainous, almost two counties.

After settling this matter, Li Shimin seemed to have settled his worries.

Li Shimin looked at the map and thought for a while, "I might as well draw more points, from Wuxi to the north to the south bank of Dajia River. In this way, from the north bank of Zhuoshui River to the south of Dajia River, the fiefdom will be doubled. Now At least it’s a state.”

When these words came out, there was silence in the palace for a moment.

The emperor's finger traced circles and circles on the map,
It was chosen in the middle of Liuqiu Island, bounded by Wuxi River in the north, Zhuoshui River in the south, the sea in the west, and Sun Moon Lake at the foot of Yushan Mountain in the east.

"Previously, I established a system for all the clan kings to be appointed as governors, but later a lot of troubles occurred. After thinking about it, I feel that I was too hasty at the beginning."

It can be said that the previous feudal system was a mess. Qi Wang Li You acted recklessly in Qing Qi and made it very ugly, which made his uncle miserable.

The emperor said and asked someone to fetch a map of Liuqiu Island.

However, due to the firm opposition led by Changsun Wuji and Wu Huaiyu's suggestions, the title of Shifeng Governor was finally changed to Shifengzhou Biejia.

The emperor pointed to the middle part of Liuqiu Island and said, "I will grant Wei King Li Tai here and establish Changtai Prefecture. Wei King Li Taishi will make Changtai Prefecture governor and allow his descendants to inherit it."

"Guanyin maid, please try this tea. Liuqiu pays tribute to Bingding Oolong. There is a large mountain in Liuqiu called Fenghuang Mountain. A branch of Fenghuang Mountain is called Dongding Mountain by immigrants.

The Wu family brought Qingxin Oolong and other improved tea varieties from Wuyi Mountain in Jianzhou, and transplanted them to the Dongding Mountain and Sun Moon Lake areas, where the mountains are high and the forests are dense and the soil is good. The tea trees grow densely and are shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.
Tea making is also unique. After drying, you need to repeatedly roll the tea leaves into a ball shape to make the tea into a semi-fermented hemisphere. This is called hot dough kneading. In addition to the usual light roasting method, there is also aged charcoal. Hojicha is roasted repeatedly at high temperatures and slowly every year to produce a tea that is sweet and full of flavor.

It was hard to leave this matter behind for two years,

Empress Changsun looked at the frozen top oolong in the tea can. It was dark green and oily in color, and the soup was golden and green in color. It tasted sweet and rich, with a floral and sweet taste. It was indeed a good tea.

"I don't want my descendants to make the same mistake again,"

The emperor waved his hand,

The two major relatives of the Yin family and the Yan family were exterminated and demoted, which was extremely miserable.

"Liu Qiu, I heard that Yizhou has been developing well in recent years, with abundant products and more and more immigrants. The island natives there are also more submissive. I only hope that Qingque can be stable."

The grades of this tea are also very unique. There are nine grades in total, including special tribute tea, first grade, second grade, third grade, and then five plums, four plums, third grade plums, second grade plums, and first grade plums. "

Ministers have a headache.

All the ministers had different expressions, the emperor was going to cause trouble again.

Empress Changsun was silent for a long time, and finally reached out to hold her husband's hand, "I understand your majesty's good intentions. If that's the case, then your majesty will make arrangements."

"I have learned from this painful experience. After thinking twice, I plan to change it."

The emperor began to toss again.

Li Shimin grabbed his wife's hand tightly and said, "Let's settle this matter first. After the new year, we will send people to Liuqiu to build the palace. We will formally declare vassal status after Qingque turns eighteen. He can stay with us in Beijing for a few more years."

Except for Hou Junji and Qin Qiong, Li Jing complained that he was ill and could not come.

"It's good." The queen saw that this place was only about 200 miles away from Liuzhou, not far away.

The standards of this meeting are very high.

"The name of the state is Changtai," Li Shimin thought of a name, Changtai, which means long-term peace and prosperity for the country and the people, and it also contains the name of King Li Tai of Wei.

Hearing this,

"This Dongding Oolong tea can be harvested several times a year. Spring tea is the best, with high fragrance, strong flavor and bright color, followed by autumn tea and summer tea."

It is said that because of the heavy rain and the slippery roads on the mountains, if you jump to the top of the mountain on your toes, your toes will freeze, so it is called Frozen Top.

Even Concubine Yin and Concubine Yan were thrown into the cold palace.

In his previous life, he was granted the title of governor, and later in his new life, he was granted the title of bidder. Now he wants to be reinstated as governor?
Aren’t you tired of tossing and turning over and over again?

Wu Huaiyu was a little surprised. There was no news about this matter before.

But looking at the Liuqiu map, Wu Huaiyu felt that this was not a bad thing. He had always felt that the enfeoffment system was not entirely bad. The main thing was how to use it.
If the kings are entrusted to the heart of the Central Plains, it will definitely do more harm than good, and it will even become a nuisance to the inner circle. Sooner or later, the princes and kings will rebel.

But if the emperor is willing to enfeoff these dragon sons and grandsons to the frontiers, just like the enfeoffment in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and let them expand the territory or protect the territory, it will be beneficial in the long run.

This also represents the pioneering spirit of Datang.
Rather than just being conservative and enjoying yourself.

As for rebellion, as long as a few chains are attached to the vassal states, they will basically never be able to rebel, so there is no need to worry.

The crown prince sat there with a very calm expression, becoming more and more calm. Li Chengqian was very happy to send Li Tai overseas. He saved his younger brother from wandering around Chang'an every day, which was always a hidden danger. But he didn't show it.

"Your Majesty, how will the enfeoffment be divided specifically?" asked Wen Yanbo, the right servant.

"How do you think the enfeoffment should be divided?" Li Shimin asked back.

None of the ministers responded for a moment.

"Huaiyu, tell me." The emperor directly named Dai Sikong and Prince Taifu Wu Huaiyu.

It can be said that Wu Huaiyu had been advocating for the division of frontiers among the kings in the early years.

"Your Majesty, I support the enfeoffment of clan kings in the border areas and the expansion of territory in the center of the vassal state. Regarding the policies of the vassal states, I still stick to the original policy.
"Tell me more," Li Shimin said, holding up his sleeves.

In fact, everyone still remembers what Wu Huaiyu said very clearly. Wu Huaiyu reiterated it in front of everyone today.

The main ones are those propositions.

First, the kings divided the border areas and made the state their country. The kings also served as governors and enjoyed one-third of the taxes of the feudal state. The other one-third was retained in the state and county, and one-third was turned over to the country.

The enfeoffed kings enjoyed all the powers of the governor, including governing the affairs of the people, granting fish talismans, adding military titles and military titles, and commanding state soldiers.

However, officials within the feudal state must be appointed and removed by the court. The kings do not have the power to appoint and remove officials. However, the officials who have been exiled can be appointed by the princes, states and counties. Although the princes do not have the power to appoint and remove officials, they do have the power to supervise.

Furthermore, the judicial power of the feudal state belongs to the imperial court.

Then there is the military aspect,

Kings, governors, envoys and military commanders can control the state soldiers, that is, unite the militia. In addition, depending on the rank of the kings, they can have certain military guards, marriage affairs, tents, etc.

As for the town garrison troops and Zhechong government troops, the kings did not have the right to directly command them, but they had certain supervisory powers like the inland governors. For example, the court mobilized these town garrison troops and garrison troops in the state according to the system, the Ministry of War issued orders, and the generals must comply with the governor's orders. , to mobilize troops.

Civil affairs, finance and taxation, military, supervision, and justice are all divided very clearly.

And the most important point,
The issue of succession in vassal states, such as Changtai Prefecture, which was entrusted by King Li Tai of Wei. After his death, his eldest son inherited the title and worldly office. However, as a rule, he had to be demoted to the title, succeed to the first rank, and be called the heir king and the governor. Still attacking.

Other individual sons, or those with special merits and graces, can be granted the title of county prince, while other sons can only be granted the title of county prince.

The heirs of the heirs to the king and the county king were granted the title of Duke, and the other sons were granted the title of nobility.

As long as the person has a title, he can divide a fiefdom within the fiefdom. In principle, no matter how many generations the inheritance is passed down and how many descendants the fiefdom is divided into, the fiefdom will only be divided within the fiefdom of the first generation.

Li Tai's fiefdom of Changtaizhou seems not too small now, but overseas, the population is not that big, so it can't make any waves.

Even if the land is fertile and the population increases in the future, at that time, children and grandchildren will inherit and enfeoffment will be extended. Even if the line of direct descendants can maintain the title of King Wei and the governor of Changtai Prefecture from generation to generation, Changtai Prefecture will actually be enfeoffed into a large state. There are various fiefdoms, big and small,

The fiefdom of Li Tai's sons may be as big as a county or a township, but the fiefdom of his grandchildren may only be one li, and further down the fiefdom may be only one village.

There is no power to appoint and remove officials, no judicial power, and no military power. Even the fiefdoms must strictly implement the laws and regulations of the imperial court. In addition, the enfeoffment of enfeoffments has been extended from generation to generation.

In fact, the princes of Changtaizhou cannot become a threat to the court at all. The longer time goes by, the smaller the threat becomes.

And one-third of the tax revenue can support the princes without requiring additional money from the court.

This enfeoffment law did no harm to the court.

Of course, the question is still the same, that is, whether the emperor can give it up. After all, the enfeoffment is for the border areas, not the mainland of the Central Plains.

Even if a one-third tax is given, taking Changtaizhou as an example, how many Han immigrants will there be?
Li Tai also had to recruit immigrants, even businessmen, and settle the land himself. He had to start everything from scratch. Not to mention the tax income in the early stage, he only had to invest continuously.

Of course, Changtai Prefecture is not a truly barbaric and miserable land. The land there is fertile, the climate is good, and the barbarians are not a big threat. In addition, Liuzhou, which is now opened by the imperial court, has already begun to take off, and it can draw on a lot of strength.

Don't expect Li Tai to collect much tax now, but there are a lot of resources there, including fields that can be reclaimed and planted, mountains that can grow tea, forests that can cut down trees to pick medicinal materials and even boil camphor, as well as salt and fishery resources along the coast. If it is small, you can even reap the benefits of sea trade.

In addition, there are also mineral resources in the mountains,

If Li Tai can develop and utilize it, not only develop it himself, but also recruit investors to develop it, he can also get a lot of profits from it.

What Wu Huaiyu told Li Shimin was right at the beginning. Liuqiu is a treasure island facing Fujian. Depending on the air route, it can take off even if it grows sugar cane, boils camphor and collects sulfur.

Li Tai was entrusted to Liuqiu, which was definitely the best choice. Of course, in a place like Liuqiu, wealth and stability were more than enough, but there was no possibility for other careerists to develop.

Compared with places such as Annan in southern Qinghai and central Guizhou, Liuqiu wins is stable, but there is no other hope. It is not the foundation of a king.

But Li Yuan suggested to Li Shimin that Li Tai should go to Liuqiu, so he was not interested in this.

If Li Tai is allowed to go to Xiangzhou, Hebei, or Yangzhou, south of the Yangtze River, and someone instigates him to have undue ambitions, it will inevitably lead to disaster, and he may even end up being self-destructed. This is something neither Li Yuan nor Li Shimin want to see. the result of.

In the final analysis, Li Shimin's main consideration when dividing the kings was not to screen the vassal center, but not to let these kings stay in Chang'an and cause any trouble again.

The prince had passed his test over the years, and he recognized him as the prince.

Now we just want to stabilize the crown prince's position and don't want to shake the country's foundation anymore.

Send all the hidden dangers that could threaten the prince out of Chang'an and stay away from Chang'an.

"Your Majesty, there is one more important suggestion,"

"If the kings enfeoff into vassal states and use states as their country, they will no longer be able to hold other official positions in the court."

This article actually means that the emperor likes to use kings as governors and governors, or even as Yongzhou Mu, generals and other positions.

Even being a distant leader is inappropriate, not to mention that the emperor actually granted these important positions to adult kings.

If this is not changed,

After that, the kings had their own fiefdoms, but they also served as generals in the court and held important positions such as governors and governors in local areas. Sooner or later, they would repeat the old path of the Western Jin Dynasty. Eventually, the princes and kings became so powerful that they embarked on the old path of rebellion.

To enfeoff, the princes must be locked up in the border fiefs. If you have the ability, just concentrate on running the fiefs, and forget about other places.

The emperor was very responsive to his advice.

The discussion that day was very lively, with the emperor setting the tone, and what was discussed later was just to improve the system.

For example, in the future, only enfeoffed princes and heirs will have the right to set up military palaces. The princes can have a maximum of 1,000 troops, and the heirs can have a maximum of 800 troops. The sons of princes who have not been appointed as governors, even those who have been appointed as commanders and kings, are not qualified to set up a military palace.

The princes, princes, princes and other princes' sons can only set up a guard house after attacking the territory to organize the wedding ceremony and tent. The number of people in the wedding tent varies according to the title. The prince has one camp and the prince has one regiment. , the county official's first brigade, the county official's first team. There are no offices below the county level.

(End of this chapter)