Tibet.

Chapter 1236 Unexpected News
The streets of Chang'an were filled with the sounds of gongs and drums and cheers. The Tang army had won the first battle and eliminated Li Zhengyi, the vassal state entrenched in the Shandong Peninsula. There were no more vassal states south of the Yellow River. The separatist rule of the vassal states, which had always weighed on the hearts of the Tang people, had finally begun to be resolved. How could the people of Chang'an not be proud and cheer?

The people only want news of victory and good news, but for Regent Li Ye and all the officials in the court, the most important thing is how to solve the problems left behind by Li Zheng.

The only problem Li Zheng had left behind was the Goguryeo people. Li Zheng had introduced nearly 50,000 Goguryeo households, almost 200,000 people, from Silla and settled them in Laizhou and Dengzhou. The court certainly could not allow this.

In the Regent's Council Hall, Li Ye convened a meeting of the Council of State, and the nine members of the Council of State discussed together how to deal with the 200,000 Goguryeo people.

Wei Jiansu was very disgusted with these Goguryeo people. He was the first to speak, "These Goguryeo people easily form groups and set up various Goguryeo mutual aid associations. They are like this in Chang'an and Luoyang. Goguryeo has been destroyed for nearly a hundred years, but they still can't forget to restore their country. They are a disaster wherever they are. I suggest sending them back to Silla and let them harm Silla!"

Pei Zunqing disagreed with Wei Jiansu's one-size-fits-all approach. He said slowly, "The An-Shi Rebellion caused us to lose tens of millions of people. But now is the time when we need people the most. Mining needs people, farming needs people, and migrating to new territories needs people. Tens of thousands of Goguryeo households are still relatively precious. So many troubles occurred before. The fundamental reason was that they were not handled properly. After destroying Goguryeo, we should not let so many people live in Youzhou and Liaodong. We should disperse them and settle them in various parts of the Tang Dynasty. After two or three generations, they will consider themselves Tang people."

Li Xian also said: "I also agree with Minister Pei's proposal to disperse them and change their names and surnames, and disperse them to the counties in the Central Plains where there is a shortage of population, and let them rent official farmland for a living."

Left Prime Minister Zhang Li added: "Each county should be responsible for monitoring them and not allow them to gather or travel. Those who gather privately should be sent back to other places."

At this time, Liu Yan hesitated and said, "Your Highness, doesn't the newly opened Liuqiu Island need population? Can we send them to Liuqiu Island?"

“That won’t do!”

Li Ye shook his head firmly and said, "They will definitely restore their country on Liuqiu Island. This is tantamount to raising a tiger to cause trouble."

Liu Yan smiled and said, "What I mean is that we should let them develop Liuqiu Island and take it back after a few years, but we should not let them settle on Liuqiu Island."

Li Ye still disagreed, "Give them a few years, they will form some kind of national organization. Once they rebel in Liuqiu, it will be inconvenient for us to suppress them."

Li Mi smiled and said, "Minister Liu's idea is very good, but the risk is too great. However, we can reduce the risk. For example, we can place their wives and children in Fujian Province, and then send them to Liuqiu, requiring them to cut wood in Liuqiu to support their wives and children, and then disperse them to various places after three years. If Your Highness uses some tricks to plant spies among them, you can always understand their movements."

Li Mi's hostage plan won everyone's approval. Li Ye walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and said to everyone, "Regarding the laborers needed for the development of Liuqiu and the southern islands, I have decided to recruit them from Silla and Japan. Silla and Japanese laborers only want to make money and go home, and will not consider occupying Liuqiu, but the Goguryeo people are not necessarily the same. They are seeking to restore their country, so it is not appropriate to let them gather together. I think it is better to follow Minister Pei's plan and disperse them all. I don't want to see a scene in the future where they are all slaughtered."

Li Mi nodded, "Your Highness is right. Once there are signs of rebellion, they will face massacre. That would go against the will of heaven. It is better to disperse them and resettle them. I agree with your Highness's plan."

The Council of State Affairs unanimously agreed with Li Ye's plan to disband all the insurgents and relocate them to various counties in the Central Plains, renting land from the government.

Liu Yan personally took charge of the expedition, leading more than 100 officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, Censorate, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Rites and other ministries and temples to the Shandong Peninsula.

Li Ye's carriage was moving slowly on the street, closely guarded by two hundred cavalrymen, although he could take the corridor inside the city wall.

But if he walks along the street occasionally, he can also feel the atmosphere of the people.

The streets are very lively and bustling, and scholars can be seen in groups of three or two everywhere. The imperial examination is approaching again.

Two months ago, the military and political council held a major vote, and the resolution to encourage the establishment of schools was passed almost unanimously. The Tang Dynasty would increase investment in education, encourage reading, and form a complete official school system from elementary school, county school, state school to Imperial College. At the same time, private schools would be encouraged. The first thing to be implemented was to expand the enrollment of Imperial College from the current more than 1,000 to 10,000, including the two Imperial Colleges of Chang'an and Luoyang, as well as the four prefectural schools of Taiyuan, Chengdu, Jiangdu, and Xiangyang.

The consensus reached was that the Imperial Academy would train assistant teachers for provincial schools, the prefectural schools would train assistant teachers for county schools, and after provincial school students passed the examinations, they could directly teach in elementary and primary schools.

Today, the Imperial College will recruit 1,500 new students. Every scholar who takes part in the imperial examination will fill out an Imperial College admission opinion form. They can choose to fill it out or not. If they fill it out, they may be admitted to the Imperial College after failing the imperial examination.

However, if one changes his mind and refuses to go after being admitted to the Imperial College, he will be disqualified from taking the imperial examinations for five years. If he refuses to go after being admitted twice in a row, he will be banned from taking the imperial examinations for the rest of his life.

Of course, in order to encourage scholars to study at the Imperial Academy and become teachers, the court also gave many preferential treatment. Studying at the Imperial Academy for four years was exempt from all tuition fees, free food and accommodation, and subsidies for participating in various projects. This was particularly attractive to students from poor families.

In addition, after teaching in the provincial school for five years, one can be promoted to professor. Not only will the salary be doubled, but the official title of the ninth rank can also be granted, and an official residence of three acres is obtained, of course not in Chang'an, but in the provinces.

Therefore, a series of incentive measures were introduced, which caused a huge response among the scholars. Many scholars who did not have an admission letter from the Imperial College before went back and filled out this letter.

This was inevitable. After the Tang Dynasty had wiped out the feudal lords, it would enter a ten-year period of recuperation, with social stability, political clarity, the army to be reduced, the population to be increased, technology to be developed, and culture to flourish.

When Li Ye returned to the princess's house, he unexpectedly saw his mother. Seeing that his mother was worried, he asked her to sit down and asked, "Mom, what happened?"

Pei Sanniang sighed and said, "Go back and comfort your father when you have time!"

Li Ye was startled, "What happened to my father?"

Pei Sanniang was silent for a moment and said, "Li Huai passed away."

"what?"

Li Ye was shocked. "When did it happen? How did he die?"

"It happened three months ago. An assassin shot him in the chest with a poisoned arrow and he died that night."

Li Ye frowned, "He is a civil servant and the son-in-law of the Goguryeo people. How could he be assassinated?"

Pei Sanniang shook her head. "I don't know the details either. You can go ask your father. The messenger told him a lot. He is about to have a breakdown. I can't persuade him."

Li Ye nodded, "I'll go now!"

(End of this chapter)