People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1756 Gold Mine, Gold Mine in the Northern Foothills of Yinshan Mountain
On the site of the Taiji Hall, an even more magnificent Taiji Hall stood before Di Renjie.

Noticing that Di Renjie slowed down his pace, Xu Lu paused slightly, looked in the direction of the Taiji Hall, and said softly: "The materials used in this Taiji Hall were all harvested from Zhongnan Mountain. They may not be as old as those from Jiannan. In addition, in order to meet the deadline, many of them were made of stone instead of wood. Your Majesty likes it very much."

"Stone lasts longer and saves money." Di Renjie came back to his senses and bowed to Xu Lu, saying, "Your Majesty advocates frugality, and this approach is more in line with your Majesty's mind."

Xu Lu bowed, then continued walking forward and said, "Many patterns have only been carved on the outside, and there is no time to carve the inside. So after your majesty ascends the throne, the Taiji Hall will be closed again and continue to be repaired. At that time, we can carve more carefully, but your majesty is more concerned about grandeur."

Di Renjie couldn't help but smile. After all, Li Xuan did this to save money.

Grandeur only needs to focus on the material, but details cost money.

Spend big money.

Passing the Taiji Hall and the Liangyi Gate, the low-key and ancient Liangyi Hall appeared before Di Renjie's eyes.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Di Renjie's eyes fell on the wooden box on the left, which was covered with a stone cover to protect it from wind and rain.

"What's in there is a memorial. All the governors of all provinces and counties in the world have sent their congratulatory memorials. Yours is also included in it." Li Xuan's voice appeared from above.

Immediately afterwards, Li Xuan's figure appeared in Di Renjie's sight.

Di Renjie immediately knelt down and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I, the governor of Yingzhou, Di Renjie, pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live a long and healthy life."

"Stand up." Li Xuan raised his hand slightly.

Only then did Di Renjie stand up and bow solemnly.

Li Xuan looked towards the Imperial Ancestral Temple and said, "General Tang is offering sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Have you seen him?"

"Yes!" Di Renjie bowed and said, "The general conquered the Five Kingdoms and made outstanding contributions. The sacrifice to the Imperial Ancestral Temple is a good way to celebrate his achievements."

"Haha!" Li Xuan smiled, nodded, and said, "Did you see the tax sign next to Taiji Gate?"

"I see." Di Renjie bowed slightly.

"This year, the country is well governed, and the annual tax revenue is one million strings of cash more than last year," Li Xuan said excitedly.

Di Renjie bowed earnestly, "Your Majesty, if you take a year to recuperate, the people will benefit, and the whole country will benefit. Even if General Tang were to conquer Tubo, he would do his best to minimize the loss of people's strength. Your Majesty is extremely wise, and I admire you very much."

"This is not enough, far from enough." Li Xuan raised his head, looked at the entire Chang'an in front of him, and said softly: "What I want to create is a prosperous era, a prosperous era that inherits Emperor Gaozong, inherits Emperor Zhongzong, surpasses Emperor Gaozong, and surpasses Emperor Zhongzong. This is what I really want."

"I am willing to follow Your Majesty and do my best for the world." Di Renjie bowed calmly.

The smile on Li Xuan's face gradually faded, and he sighed and said, "Let's go into the hall."

"Yes!" Di Renjie bowed solemnly.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xuan sat on the imperial couch and looked at Di Renjie and asked, "Are the Eastern Turks and Khitans making any moves?"

"Ashina Gudulu did send people to look for the Eastern Turkic Queen and the Khitan tribal leader, but both ignored him. Now they even sent envoys to Chang'an." Di Renjie hesitated for a moment and said, "The Turkic Queen originally planned to go to Chang'an to meet Your Majesty in person, but was later dissuaded by me. Your Majesty sent people to secretly patrol the central grasslands..."

"You know?" Li Xuan looked up in surprise.

Di Renjie bowed and said, "Your Majesty's military operations have always been unpredictable and difficult for ordinary people to guess. Now that Duke You is stationing troops in Andong to intimidate Silla, it is the best time for Your Majesty to make plans for the central grasslands."

"You have figured out all my tricks." Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west has always been his favorite thing to do, but now he is more and more inclined to the overall situation, so that even if others guess that he has other purposes, they don't know where exactly he is going to send his troops.

Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "We'll talk about sending troops later."

"Yes!" Di Renjie immediately bowed.

Li Xuan took a deep breath and said, "I chose you to be the Crown Prince's Secretary. You should know what that means, right?"

"I understand. Your Majesty will not let me stay there for a few years." Di Renjie nodded slightly.

"When the matter of Silla is settled, I will transfer you back to the capital." Li Xuan looked at Di Renjie and said seriously, "You will be selected as the Minister of Dali Temple, Minister of Punishment, or Imperial Censor. After a few years, you will be the Minister of Revenue and Minister of Personnel. By that time, the Crown Prince will be old enough, and you will be the Crown Prince's Left Assistant."

"Yes!" Di Renjie bowed with a serious expression.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "I and Emperor Gaozong have different ways of educating the Crown Prince. I will let the Crown Prince study in the inner school with the other emperors and the children of the royal family with meritorious service. In a few years, I will also let the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Wei enter the inner school and study together."

"Your Majesty, do you want the Crown Prince to always maintain a sense of crisis?" Di Renjie understood Li Xuan's meaning with some keen insight.

"Half and half." Li Xuan raised his head calmly and said softly, "I just want him to understand that nothing is innately deserved. He must have a clear understanding of where his reverence comes from and where his power comes from. If he becomes a confused 'Renzong', I would rather not have this son."

Renzong, these two people have the highest titles in the mouths of civil officials, but in Li Xuan's eyes, they are so worthless.

"May I ask Your Majesty, what is the other half?" Di Renjie bowed seriously.

Li Xuan calmed down and said softly, "Di Qing, let's go later this year. On February 2, I will take the prince to plough the fields myself. You and Prime Minister Lu should go as well and teach him a few words, just like you and Prime Minister Lu taught Sanlang in Taozhou that year."

"Yes!" Di Renjie bowed deeply. He finally felt the qualities of a wise ruler in Li Xuan.

The world deserves to belong to him.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xuan put down the golden pen in his hand, looked at Tang Zhenxing who was kneeling on the ground, and said with a smile: "How do you feel about offering sacrifices in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Tang Zhenxing knelt on the ground and said gratefully, "I know that my contributions are not enough. Your Majesty wants me to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, which is a great honor. I feel ashamed to accept it." "Don't feel ashamed." Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "I asked you to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. In addition to rewarding you for your merits, there is another reason. That is, I may place you in Dianzhou for a long time to develop Dianzhou, then connect to Qianzhou in the east, advance to Yongzhou in the south, and open up the southwest. If you succeed, I will allow your descendants to be Duke of Deng for generations. How do you think?"

Tang Zhenxing looked up in surprise, then his face became solemn, he kowtowed solemnly and said: "I am willing to die for your majesty."

At his age, his achievements and honors have already been determined, and all that remains is for his descendants.

If my descendants can become dukes for generations, then it wouldn't matter if they stay in the southwest forever.

"Get up." Li Xuan raised his hand slightly and said calmly: "I will leave later next year, after the imperial examination. By then, I will transfer a group of people to you to strengthen the local administration."

"Yes!" Tang Zhenxing bowed and stood back in the train.

Li Xuan's expression became solemn, and he looked at the ministers and said, "My Lords."

"Your Majesty!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Xuan looked at the huge table behind the east column. Xu Lu ordered the eunuchs to lift the green cloth on the table, revealing a huge sand table inside.

The ministers looked at the sand table in surprise. Those who were familiar with it knew at a glance that it was the sand table corresponding to the grassland map.

Li Xuan stood up from the imperial couch and walked towards the sand table. All the ministers in the hall immediately turned around and followed him.

The prime ministers in the Council of State, the six ministers of the six ministries, the sixteen generals of the guards, including the general of the imperial guards Heichi Changzhi who had just returned to Chang'an, the general of the left guards Tang Zhenxing, the general of the left brave guards Shi Liang, the general of the left martial guards Bulun Zanren, the general of the right garrison guards Nan Ju, and the governor of the Shanyu Protectorate Li Sizhen.

Of course, there is also Di Renjie, the governor of Yingzhou.

……

Li Xuan stood in front of the huge sand table, pointed to the location of the central grassland, and said in a deep voice: "The real problem we need to solve is the Central Turkic region. The Central Turkic region is vast. After several defeats, the brothers Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochu fled to Urge, the northernmost part of the Anbei Protectorate. But with the support of the Huihe people, they gradually fought their way back."

Turks, these three words immediately made all the ministers solemn.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the Turks have always been a threat to the Tang Dynasty. It was difficult to destroy the Eastern Turks and the Western Turks, but within a few decades, they rose again.

Fortunately, the Later Turks were pacified by Pei Xingjian, and the Western Turks were pacified by Li Xuan, but now the Central Turks have emerged.

Especially the two brothers Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochu, who had been escaping from Pei Xingjian's hands, making a comeback, then being defeated again and escaping again, and they were killed endlessly.

"You gentlemen, you know that I will gradually increase troops in Hebei in a few years. The Eastern Turks are stable now, but if at that time, they stab me from behind, not only will Silla be difficult to win, but the north will also be in turmoil again." Li Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, he seemed to see the scene of Turkish cavalry roaring down the grassland.

"Your Majesty!" Lu Yuanfang was the first to stand up and said, "The brothers Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochu rely on cavalry and come and go like the wind. If we want to capture them, we must mobilize a large army, but the food stored in the court cannot support a long-term large-scale war."

In the past, when the imperial court attacked Tubo, it always used an army of hundreds of thousands to jointly dispatch and directly fight the Turks. Now, Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochuo would not easily approach the Tang Dynasty, so how could they be given the opportunity to fight a decisive battle?

Li Xuan smiled, pointed the stick in his hand in the direction of Yinshan Mountain, and said softly: "It's right here, in the lower reaches of the Wuga River on the north side of Yinshan Mountain. At the end of September, someone suddenly discovered gold sand."

All the ministers looked at Li Xuan in disbelief.

Gold sand equals gold mine.

If someone really discovered a gold mine on the north side of Yinshan Mountain, not only would the Turks be interested, but the Tang Dynasty would also be interested.

Heichi Changzhi couldn't help but ask, "May I ask your Majesty, is this gold sand real or fake?"

Many of the ministers immediately reacted. Wasn’t it the end of September when Li Xuan just ascended the throne?

If it were according to his habit, it would be normal to set up the layout there at that time.

"It's fake." Li Xuan's words disappointed the officials, but he immediately added: "But there was indeed a gold mine there, but it sank due to an accident later. I believe the Turks should be able to find records. So as long as they continue to tamper with it, then in the summer and autumn of next year, Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochu will definitely come to kill us."

The ministers came to their senses immediately. Their target was Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochuo. As for the gold mine, they could slowly search for it after killing the two brothers.

"So!" Li Xuan looked at the generals and said directly: "The General of the Left Guard Shi Li will be transferred to the post of Protector of Anxi, and the Western Region will be handed over to the General of the Left Guard Yan Tao."

"I obey your order." Shi Ling immediately stood up and saluted. The four towns of Anxi are close to the central grassland.

"General Brunzanren of the Left Guard has been transferred back to the court to garrison." Li Xuan looked at Brunzanren.

Brunzanren immediately bowed and said, "I accept your command."

"General Nan Ju of the Right Tunwei Guard has been transferred to be the deputy governor of Anxi." Li Xuan looked at Nan Ju.

Nan Ju immediately bowed and said, "I accept your order."

"General Quan Shancai of the Right Guard has been transferred to be the governor of Daizhou!" Li Xuan looked at Quan Shancai.

Quan Shancai immediately bowed and said, "I accept your order."

"Right Gate Guard General Qu Chongyu, Shanyu Protector Li Sizhen, Yingzhou Governor Di Renjie, and generals from various units are ready to take orders." Li Xuan looked at more generals.

"We obey your orders." All the generals bowed their hands together. Now they were back to the time when Li Xuan was commanding the army.

"As for the other ministries of war, finance, and industry, all other ministries must carefully and secretly prepare for the war next autumn. Don't rush and take your time. If you don't move, it's fine. If you move, you must strike with thunder and lightning. In the shortest possible time, completely defeat the Turks." Li Xuan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, looked at the ministers and said, "I want to see the heads of Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochuo by the end of next year."

"We obey your orders and will live up to your Majesty's trust." All the ministers bowed their hands and accepted the order solemnly.

"My lords, besides pacifying Silla, this battle next year may be your only chance to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, or even enter the Imperial Palace. Please do not disappoint me." Li Xuan's eyes swept over everyone, and everyone shuddered as if their hair stood up. They bowed and said, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)