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

Chapter 1800: Three days and three nights to kill Silla

The back garden of Yangzhou Palace is full of blooming flowers.

The autumn wind blows quietly in the night.

"Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and Left Imperial Guard." Li Xuan held the chess piece in one hand, then looked at Duan Baoxuan seriously and said, "I have no intention of forcing Lord Duan to step back, but Lord Duan has been in Yangzhou for two years now. If Lord Duan doesn't want to stay any longer, he can return to Chang'an to retire. But if Lord Duan still chooses to stay in Chang'an, I will also make use of him."

Duan Baoxuan pondered every word Li Xuan said. After a moment, he finally understood: "Your Majesty means that there is no place for me in the Political Affairs Hall."

Li Xuan sighed softly, then nodded.

"Then what's the point of me going back? I might as well stay in Yangzhou. At least I can retire here and the weather is more comfortable." Duan Baoxuan shrugged with a smile.

"It's good that Lord Duan has made a decision." Li Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Today at the Governor's Mansion, I thought of my sister Wencheng and Duke Jiang. They may have died in office, and I felt very sorry.

Now that Lord Duan has chosen to stay in Yangzhou, I will confer upon my sons the title of Earl of Guzang County. However, to enter the government, you need to pass the imperial examination. Lord Duan, please choose well. "

Since Li Xuan ascended the throne, he has not been stingy with conferring titles, but if one wants to serve in the court through a title, then one needs to pass the Yin test.

Not to mention the title of hereditary emperor, even the descendants of the royal family had to pass the Zongzheng test.

In the past, there were often families where the eldest son inherited the title but had no motivation, while the second son, who did not inherit the title, had to work hard.

Nowadays, if the eldest son does not work hard, he will only have the title and can forget about becoming an official through recommendation. As long as the second son is capable, the old father may choose to apply to the court at the last moment to let the second son inherit the title.

Exams, exams, exams.

This is what Li Xuan meant.

Although the exam was still unfair in many ways, it was the greatest fairness he could achieve.

"I will choose the eldest son to inherit the title. He is not a waste and can still pass the test." Duan Baoxuan deeply understood the intention of Li Xuan's arrangement.

"That's good." Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, and then said: "Not many people can pass the Yin exam nowadays, but those who pass the Yin exam can be granted official positions in good places."

If you act early, you can always get some bargains.

"Your Majesty is wise." Duan Baoxuan nodded in agreement.

"In that case, I will take my leave." Duan Baoxuan stood up and bowed.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "Tomorrow, I will go to Zuohaiwei to take a look. Lord Duan, please go with me."

"Here!"

……

Under the cover of night, Duan Baoxuan returned home, sent the servants away, and then went back to his study alone.

Duan Baoxuan placed a long box with a black background and gold edges on the table.

His face was full of surprise.

This was handed to him by the eunuch Xu Lu when he was leaving the palace. As for what was inside it, he really had no idea.

The emperor ordered him to open it after he returned home.

What is so mysterious?

Duan Baoxuan opened the box and found an imperial edict quietly placed inside.

Secret decree.

Duan Baoxuan opened it in surprise and took a look...

With a snap, Duan Baoxuan closed the imperial edict and murmured, "No wonder a secret edict was needed."

Duan Baoxuan, Duke of Wuwei, was appointed Chief Clerk of the Grand Marshal's Office in Yangzhou, and was in charge of recruiting troops for Jiangnan. He was responsible for raising food and soldiers, and secretly transporting them to Hebei. He was given the same rank as the third-rank official in the Secretariat, and was allowed to act at his discretion.

Looking at the imperial edict, Duan Baoxuan became nervous for a moment, but then immediately relaxed.

He thought of his hesitation when the emperor asked him today whether he wanted to return to Beijing. If he had chosen to return to Beijing at that time, this third-rank position in the Secretariat would have nothing to do with him.

At that time, the next successor to him, the Chief Clerk of the Yangzhou Grand Marshal's Office, will be the prime minister under the same Zhongshumen.

However, judging from what the emperor said before and after, he, a third-rank official in the Secretariat, would have to stay in Yangzhou for at least another four or five years.

This means that even if he became the prime minister with the third rank of Zhongshumenxia, ​​he would probably not be able to enter the government hall in the end.

In addition, the third-rank rank granted to him was a secret decree, which meant that his position as prime minister could not be made public, at least before the war between Tang and Silla went on.

If he was unlucky and died before that, then I'm afraid no one would ever call him Prime Minister Duan again.

But even if he returned to the court, what would happen? He would still have to retire and wait for death. At least he had this letter. Although it could not be made public, he was still the real prime minister.

……

The red imperial ship sailed from Yangzhou along the canal into the Yangtze River, and then went straight into the East China Sea along the Yangtze River.

Today, both sides of the Yangtze River can be closed. Anyone who wants to go to the sea must either go through the canal to Hangzhou and then go to the sea from Hangzhou; or wait until the emperor returns. …

The sea is vast and the horizon is far away.

Standing at the bow, Li Xuan looked at Duan Baoxuan and said, "Next year, I need the merchants in Yangzhou to transport a large amount of grain from Yangzhou to Hebei, and then suppress the grain price in Hebei, so that the people can have a large amount of grain in their homes."

"But Your Majesty, low grain prices will hurt farmers!" Duan Baoxuan looked at Li Xuan cautiously.

"So next year, I will build roads in Hebei." After a short pause, Li Xuan said, "Next year, I will inspect Jingzhou, and the year after, I will inspect Hebei, so Hebei will build a lot of roads next year. This time, there will be no labor service, and all Kaiyuan Tongbao will be issued by Chang'an."

Duan Baoxuan frowned and said, "More money means lower prices, more grain means lower prices. In this way, the people of Hebei seem to be living a much better life."

Li Xuan smiled and said, this is actually a modern economic means.

What really needs to be absorbed by all this is the profit earned from transporting grain from Jiangnan to Hebei.

"The Tang Dynasty wants Silla to mobilize troops." Li Xuan raised his head, looked in the direction of Silla, and said seriously: "Silla will definitely be prepared, and even send people to keep an eye on Hebei and Dengzhou. Once a large amount of grain is transferred to Hebei and Dengzhou and granaries are built, the Silla people will immediately prepare quickly."

"Food from Jiangnan." Duan Baoxuan keenly grasped the key. Li Xuan would not build a granary in Hebei so quickly, but once the granary was built, the food would be in place immediately.

soon.

"It's just storing grain for the people." Li Xuan sighed and said, "In the year after next, as long as Hebei is not hit by a disaster, the people will not be short of grain because of the grain shipped from Jiangnan. Once the court starts to collect and buy grain, the people of Hebei will have a lot of grain to collect and then send to the granary."

"Your Majesty still has to print money." Duan Baoxuan has already seen through Li Xuan's methods.

Li Xuan smiled and said, "In the past two days, a large amount of gold, silver, jade, various furs, carpets, and wine have been transported from the Western Regions to Chang'an. Most of these things were exchanged by merchants in the Western Regions for my Kaiyuan Ruyi coins. I used these things to exchange for food from wealthy merchants in Jiangnan. The food was then sent to Hebei, and I bought a large amount of Kaiyuan Tongbao..."

As long as there are enough goods, money can circulate unlimitedly.

Li Xuan was not very proficient in economics, but he always grasped the word "flow".

If there is consumption here, then there must be replenishment. He believes that this is the right thing to do.

If it's not right, then someone is creating an obstacle in the middle.

Find this person and kill him.

……

"It turns out that Your Majesty is using the harvest from the Western Regions to prepare for the conquest of Silla." Duan Baoxuan couldn't see through the middle, but he could see through both ends.

"I am not conquering Silla for my own personal desire, but because there is a lot of wealth in Silla." Li Xuan looked at Duan Baoxuan and said, "Lord Duan, find out where these riches are hidden. It depends on your skills in Yangzhou. Now, the Silla merchants in the Tang Dynasty are mainly in Chang'an and Yangzhou."

"I know what to do." Duan Baoxuan is also a man who has experienced many ups and downs. Now he has the privilege of Li Xuan to take advantage of him, so there is nothing he can't do.

"The rest is easy to deal with. The key is that some Jiangnan merchants are greedy." Li Xuan took out a chapter from his sleeve, handed it to Duan Baoxuan, and said, "This is me, and there is a list of merchant caravans from some aristocratic families in Chang'an. They will buy grain in Jiangnan at a low price and then transport it to Hebei. By the way, they will also bring in a group of Jiangnan merchants, but some people will be dissatisfied..."

"I know what to do. If anyone tries to raise the price in Jiangnan, I will take ruthless action." Duan Baoxuan nodded seriously.

Li Xuan smiled and said, "That's nothing. Lord Duan, come and take a good look at this ship... Come here."

Li Xuan waved to Liu Jingxian, Cen Changqian, Xiao Siye, Cheng Chubi, Chunyu Gong, Shi Jin, Ji Xiao and others behind him, and then the ministers came up.

"Pei Qing, come and let everyone see the background of our ship." Li Xuan looked at Pei Feishu on the side.

"Here!" Pei Feishu bowed solemnly, then picked up a short axe, walked to the side of the boat, and smashed it lightly, and a piece of red iron sheet was smashed up.

Cheng Chubi subconsciously touched a handful of iron sheet, feeling the familiar cold taste. He looked at the entire ship again, then looked at Li Xuan in disbelief and said, "Your Majesty, this ship is completely covered with iron sheets. How much iron does it take!"

"Using these irons on ships can at least increase the combat capability of warships at sea by more than 30%. Once a battle begins, they can not only block fireballs and rocks, but also have a greater chance of winning if they collide with each other." Li Xuan looked at the unbelievable expressions of the generals, and couldn't help showing a hint of pride on his face. Then he looked at Pei Feishu and said, "Pei Qing, let's start."

"Yes!" Pei Feishu immediately couldn't help but bow excitedly. Then, he took out the whistle he carried with him and blew it at a very fast speed.

The next moment, sixteen soldiers immediately grabbed the ropes and slid down from the deck, landing directly on the water.

Immediately, a plug was pulled out from the hull by the soldiers, and at the same time an iron rod was stretched out from the boat, just above the water surface.

Immediately afterwards, a wooden wheel about the height of a person was sent down from above, then put into the iron rod and locked with an iron pin.

When it was opened from the outside, most of the lower half of the wooden wheel had fallen into the sea.

Sixteen soldiers returned to the deck at the same time, and Pei Feishu blew the whistle in the surprised eyes of everyone.

The next moment, sixteen wooden wheels began to turn rapidly.

Almost in an instant, the entire ship rushed forward rapidly, more than twice as fast as before.

……

The ship was moving at a very high speed. Li Xuan's eyes fell on the deck and he said with emotion: "These paddle wheels are actually powered by human power. Once the people are tired, they need to be replaced. If we can continue to move forward at this speed, traveling a thousand miles a day, then this ship will be able to reach Silla in three days and three nights."

Hearing Li Xuan's words, everyone's eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)