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

Chapter 1774 Li Heng (2/2)

Summer has gone and autumn has come, and in the blink of an eye it is already mid-July.

In the dim morning light, Li Xuan slightly let go of Qu Douer's shoulder, quietly stood up, and walked out of the hall.

Several maids quickly helped Li Xuan change into a black robe with gold silk dragon pattern, and then put on a twelve-beam crown. Li Xuan calmly walked out of Feixiang Palace.

Li Lingwen stood in front of the Zhulong Gate, watching Li Xuan coming. With a wave of his hand, the Zhulong Gate immediately opened.

"Your Majesty, this is a summary of what happened last night." Li Lingwen handed a memorial to Li Xuan, who handed it to Shangguan Wan'er behind him and asked, "Nothing serious, right?"

"No, Chang'an and Luoyang are peaceful." Li Lingwen bowed seriously.

"That's good." Li Xuan stopped for a rare moment, and then said, "Only when the central government is harmonious and the government is clear can the people of the world be prosperous. Only in this way can the world take a step towards prosperity."

"I accept your advice!" Li Lingwen took a step back with a respectful look.

Li Xuan smiled and then walked towards Qianyang Palace.

……

"Your Majesty, we are here to pay our respects. May your Majesty live forever." Seeing Li Xuan walk into the hall, all the ministers in the hall bowed and saluted.

Li Xuan walked to the imperial desk and sat down, then raised his hand and said, "Everyone, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The ministers then stood up solemnly.

Li Xuan glanced over and saw that all the prime ministers in the Council of State, the six ministers of the six ministries, the nine temple ministers, the sixteen generals, and the great general were all in the palace today.

"We just had a day off, and it seems that all the ministers have rested well." Li Xuan smiled casually, then raised his hand and said, "Left Prime Minister, let's talk about business."

"Yes!" Lu Yuanfang immediately bowed, and then said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the governors of most provinces and counties in the world have sent letters the day before yesterday, and the autumn grain harvest has begun in various provinces. As for the places that have not yet begun..."

"The places we haven't reached are because they have already been harvested." Li Xuan waved his hand indifferently.

The south is the first place in the world to start harvesting autumn crops.

Especially in Jiaozhou, with three harvests a year, it is not an easy place.

Therefore, Li Xuan did not force the South to report on the autumn grain harvest.

The key lies in the north, especially Hebei, Bingzhou, Yongzhou, Longxi and other places, where the autumn grain harvest is the bulk.

Li Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "Order the provincial governors and county magistrates to go into the fields to supervise the autumn harvest and adjust personnel transfers. At the same time, they should supervise the local areas. When collecting autumn taxes, no one should be allowed to drink wine or drink with other people. This must be stopped resolutely. If anyone is found, they should be dealt with. We must ensure that the people can have more food in their homes after the autumn this year."

"I obey your order!" Lu Yuanfang and other ministers bowed in unison.

Lu Yuanfang raised his hand slightly and held the hu tablet carefully, saying, "Your Majesty, should we reduce the number of provincial governors and county magistrates going to the countryside? I'm afraid their behavior will cause a lot of pressure on the local areas."

"I have considered this matter." Li Xuan nodded to Lu Yuanfang and said, "Whether they go or not, the pressure on the local area will not be small, but if they go, the people may be able to store more food at home, which is a good thing for the people. Of course..."

Li Xuan leaned forward and sneered, "But if they go there and all kinds of bad habits continue, then they will have to stop being county magistrates and governors."

"Your Majesty." Wang Dezhen stepped forward and said, "Will this lead to local officials oppressing the people in other places?"

"It is inevitable that they oppress the people." Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "They will not stop oppressing the people just because I relax the requirements on them. It's just that there will be more supervision and fewer places for them to act.

Of course, they will have to make up for today's losses in the future, so how to limit these local officials from oppressing the people is your business. Do you have any good ideas?"

Li Xuan glanced at the ministers in the hall. Many of them had experience in governing local prefectures and counties. However, as for the local officials oppressing the people, they could only try their best to restrict them when they were there and in places they could see.

Once they are transferred, it is hard to say what their successors will be like, and whether the local officials will retaliate even more severely.

While the ministers were thinking, He Yiqiu was the first to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest that a permanent monument be erected in the local area to restrain people's hearts with laws."

"Yonghui Stele." Li Xuan nodded slightly. This was one of the strategies he proposed back then. Many officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple liked to use this trick when they took up positions in local areas.

"Your Majesty." Wang Jishan stood up and said with a folded hand, "I agree to erect a monument to deter local officials, but using the Yonghui Law as the theme is not only extremely expensive, but also very easy to cover up the key points. I suggest that the laws commonly used in the local area and the laws related to the people be engraved on the Yonghui Monument to restrain the local area."

"Okay." Li Xuan raised his hand and said, "The Ministry of Personnel, the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Luozhou Prefecture will jointly participate in engraving the stele. The inscription will be reviewed by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Shangshu, and the Ministry of Zhongshu will make the final review. I will make up for any omissions."

"Your Majesty is wise." All the ministers bowed in unison. Li Xuan's last words also meant that he would not intervene too much in this matter.

"Your Majesty." Cen Changqian stood up and said with a folded hand, "Your Majesty, I think we can speed up the elimination of the old and weak local soldiers, and at the same time order the prefectures and counties to build academies in wealthy areas, and discuss ways to build academies in poor areas."

"Mr. Cen, this is a deterrent method." Li Xuan glanced at Cen Changqian, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "Mr. Cen, discuss with the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Imperial College to come up with a proper method for setting up the academy."

"I obey your order." Cen Changqian immediately bowed.

Li Xuan turned to look at Wang Fangyi and said, "The Ministry of War has issued an official document, asking all the Zhechongfu to cooperate in replacing and replenishing the troops."

Wang Fangyi immediately cupped his hands and said, "I accept your order."

……

Li Xuan looked at Wang Fangyi deeply, then tapped the imperial desk lightly and said, "I suddenly feel that all the arrangements just now are somewhat inadequate."

"I wonder what your majesty thinks?" Lu Yuanfang stepped forward and bowed seriously.

Over the years, Lu Yuanfang has had a sufficient understanding of Li Xuan. Li Xuan is not the kind of person who acts recklessly, even if he becomes emperor.

"Since I ascended the throne, although I have ruled the country, I have mostly learned about the affairs of the country through memorials, which lack the truth." After a brief pause, Li Xuan looked at Li Yiyan and said, "Prime Minister Li, if I remember correctly, when Emperor Gaozong was in power, he often sent prime ministers to tour the country. Is this true?"

"Yes!" Li Yiyan bowed solemnly and said, "There is such a thing. In the past, Duke Bian, Prime Minister Xue, Duke Xu and others have inspected the local areas many times, but...but at that time, the inspections lasted for half a year. Now it is sudden, isn't it a bit hasty?"

Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "Back then, we inspected the local government, agriculture, criminal law, river engineering, and education. Now my idea is to only inspect the autumn tax of agriculture and mulberry. Go early and return early. Once the autumn grain is stored in the warehouse, we will set off to return to the capital. This is also what I thought of from Prime Minister Cen."

Cen Changqian was slightly stunned, but then he understood that his suggestion was just to threaten those corrupt officials by saying that the people might not come so that they would not dare to act recklessly. However, Li Xuan was now using the prime minister's inspection tour to deter those corrupt officials from acting recklessly.

"This is a one-time thing, and within three years, the country will have a clean and honest government. That's it." Li Xuan waved his hand, and all the ministers bowed and said, "Yes!" From today until the autumn grain is stored in the warehouse, it will only take two months to go back and forth, and they will be back in early winter.

Li Xuan turned to look at Lu Yuanfang, nodded, and said, "Prime Minister Lu, please go to Hebei and serve as the inspector of Hebei Province to inspect the autumn harvest in Hebei. However, if there is any slackness or oppression, Prime Minister Lu can do it at his discretion. Those below the sixth rank can be directly dismissed, and those above the sixth rank can be directly suspended and ordered to return to Beijing for questioning."

"I obey your order." Lu Yuanfang immediately stood up and bowed. He went to Hebei as the left prime minister, which showed how much Li Xuan cared about Hebei.

"Right Prime Minister, please go to Jiangnan and serve as the inspector of Jiangnan Road to inspect the autumn harvest in Jiangnan. You can do whatever you want." Li Xuan mentioned Jiangnan second. Jiangnan is still the top priority, so he sent Right Prime Minister Wang Dezhen to Hebei. Li Xuan also emphasized: "You were once the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. You must pay close attention to the grain tax in Jiangnan."

At the beginning of the year, Li Xuan tried to exempt two small taxes in Hebei and Jiangnan. Whether it had any effect or not would be known after Lu Yuanfang and Wang Dezheng went there.

"I obey your order." Wang Dezheng immediately stood up and bowed.

Li Xuan turned to look at Cen Wenben and said, "Mr. Cen, please go to Huainan Road and serve as the Inspector of Huainan Road to inspect the autumn harvest in Huainan. You can do whatever you think is appropriate."

"Yes!" Cen Wenben immediately bowed and said, "I accept your order."

Li Xuan looked at Wang Jishan and said, "Prime Minister Wang, please go to Jiannan and serve as the Inspector of Huai-Jiannan Road to inspect the autumn harvest in Jiannan Road. You can do whatever you think is appropriate."

"I obey your order." Wang Jishan bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan raised his head, glanced at the ministers, and then said, "The Duke of Taiyuan should go to Guannei and Longyou Road. It's a good time for the replacement of troops, and there is also the autumn harvest inspection. Oh, and there is also Changzhou. Do it as you see fit."

"I obey your command." Wang Fangyi stood up and bowed solemnly with a serious expression.

Li Xuan smiled, then looked at the Minister of Justice Xiao Siye and said, "Xiao Qing was once the Chief Clerk of the Shanyu Protectorate. Now he is inspecting Bingzhou. You can act as you see fit."

All the officials noticed that Li Xuan did not include the Chanyu Protectorate in the list.

No one spoke as their thoughts turned. Only Xiao Siye stood up and bowed, saying, "I accept your order."

Li Xuan nodded, looked at the Minister of Honglu Temple Chen Yi, and the Minister of Sinong Temple Dou Xiao, and said, "Mr. Chen and Mr. Dou can go to Lingnan Road and go straight to Guangzhou to inspect the autumn harvest in Lingnan Road. You can do whatever you think is appropriate."

"We obey your orders." Chen Yi and Dou Xiao bowed their hands at the same time.

Li Xuan paused for a moment and said, "Lingnan is the farthest. After you arrive, you don't have to rush back. First, take a look at how Jiaozhou's rice is harvested three times a year. One of you is the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the other has just resigned from the Ministry of Agriculture. This matter is still under investigation. Let's see if we can transplant it to Guangzhou, or even to southern Fujian, southern Jiangxi, and southern Hunan.

As long as there is success, it will benefit the country. I can still afford to give him one or two more dukes."

"I will definitely live up to your Majesty's expectations." Chen Yi and Dou Xiao immediately bowed at the same time, but as they looked at each other, they both understood that they would have to go south in the future.

"Good!" Li Xuan nodded, then looked at Huang Rensu and said, "Huang Qing, go to Shannan and take He Qing with you. After checking the Shannan Road, go down the river to Yangzhou to check the waterways. The Yangtze River water transport and the Grand Canal water transport all need to be checked. You can do whatever you think is appropriate."

"We obey your order." Huang Rensu and He Yiqiu bowed at the same time.

"Everyone, please get ready. We will set off within three days." Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "Dismiss the court."

"Your Majesty, we respectfully bid farewell to you." All the ministers bowed in unison.

The prime minister in the court and the six ministers inspected the ten regions of the country.

Within the ten regions, all officials and civilians will completely submit to Li Xuan.

……

In the Zhenguan Hall, Li Xuan stood in front of the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory, with Wang Fangyi and Xiao Siye standing behind him.

"The Duke of Langya is in Bingzhou, so we might as well make a bigger noise and strictly check the transportation of ironware and tea to attract the attention of the Turks to Bingzhou." Li Xuan lightly pointed at the location of the Shanyu Protectorate.

Xiao Siye immediately bowed and said, "Yes!"

"Taiyuan County Lord should take Xiongzhou as the base and mobilize the troops. By the end of August or the beginning of September, when the military rations have been transported, we can attack Yinzhou at any time and march into the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain." Li Xuan clasped his hands heavily on the map, and Wang Fangyi immediately bowed and said, "I obey your order."

Li Xuan pointed at Zhongwei County and said solemnly, "You have the right to act at your own discretion. You can execute anyone below the governor first and report later. Even if the governor refuses to obey orders, you can arrest him directly. I really only ask for one thing, that is, when the Turks discover a large amount of gold and stone in Yinshan at the end of August and mobilize a large army to go south, you can hold them back, and then Wuchuan County Duke Quan Shancai and Xue Guogong will directly intervene and kill them completely."

"Yes!" Wang Fangyi immediately bowed.

“Once the war breaks out, you will be the Minister of War, the General of the Right Guard, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mo Nan Road, and command the entire army. Any general who disobeys orders can be executed first and reported later.” Li Xuan's eyes were slightly cold. This time, he granted Wang Fangyi almost the same privileges as Li Jing and Li Ji in the past, all for this great war.

As long as he can win this war, Li Xuan will have no worries when he marches eastward to Silla in the future.

"I obey your order and thank your Majesty for your grace." Wang Fangyi bowed solemnly.

Xiao Siye stood aside with a solemn expression. He had long known that Li Xuan's purpose of ordering the prime minister to inspect the country this time was to confuse Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochuo so that they could lead the army south with confidence.

Once their army appeared at the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain, they would be completely finished. All that was left was to pursue them northward. Wang Fangyi was conferred the title of Duke.

……

"You go to Jingzhou, Yuezhou, Jiangzhou and Hongzhou mainly to check where is the most suitable place to build warships." Li Xuan turned sideways and looked at He Yiqiu.

He Yiqiu bowed in surprise and asked, "Shouldn't Minister Huang be in charge of building warships?"

Li Xuan shook his head and said, "Huang Qing is the Minister of Works, which is too eye-catching. When you arrive in Yangzhou, you will meet the former Chief Architect Yang Wulian. He now lives in Yangzhou and occasionally helps the navy repair warships. When you arrive in Yangzhou, you can discuss a proper strategy with Yang Qing. As for the shape of the warship, I will also be involved."

"Yes!" He Yiqiu immediately bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan sighed, then walked to the table, picked up an imperial edict and handed it to He Yiqiu, saying, "When you arrive in Yangzhou, send this imperial edict to the Yongchang County Lord's Mansion, promoting her to the Lady of Chen State, giving her son the name Heng, granting her the title of Earl of Yongchang, and making her the Commander of the Yangzhou Navy."

"Yes!" He Yiqiu bowed solemnly, then took the imperial edict.

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and He Yiqiu quickly retreated.

Outside the hall, He Yiqiu only heard some sighs from Li Xuan.

(End of this chapter)