First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 552 Dismissal
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Facing Cheng Zhijie's rude reprimand, Du Yan ignored him, just bowed and waited for Li Shimin's statement.

It's just that Cheng Zhijie is destined to be just the beginning. After Cheng Zhijie came out, Yu Chigong, Qin Qiong and other dignitaries spoke out one after another.

After all, this is the meritorious service of their generals, and the Minister of War is also the leader of their generals in name. Whether it is out of personal friendship or official level, it is impossible for a warrior to sit back and watch Du Yan impeach Gao Chong.

Even Xi Guogong Zhang Changxun, Jiang Guogong Qu Tutong and others who had no contact with Gao Chong and who did not have a deep friendship with Gao Chong also came out to oppose it. This is a matter of position.

Gao Chong originally just sat there with no expression on his face, but as more and more officials came out, Gao Chong's face gradually became dignified.

If it's just three or two generals supporting him, that's all right, after all, he is the head of the military department, and it is reasonable for the generals to open their eyes for him.

But in the end, the debate became more and more intense, and many people from the civil servants lined up to support Gao Chong's innocence.

Gao Chong was a little flustered for a moment. He had made many good friends over the years, and now they have shown results. However, the results were a bit unexpected. This seemed to be a bit of a clique for personal gain. He quietly glanced at Li Shimin, who was sitting in the seat, but Li Ermian was completely indifferent. There was no hint of happiness or anger in his expression, and he felt so high that he couldn't continue to be like this.

Sure enough, Zhang Xingcheng, the attendant in the courtyard of Yushitai Palace, couldn't stand it any longer, and let out a cold snort to silence the noisy scene.

"Quiet", Zhang Xingcheng's voice was loud and loud, "Your Majesty will decide whether it is right or wrong, and it is not proper to argue endlessly in this court."

The censor in the palace ranks from the seventh rank. Although the rank is not high, his duties are extremely noble, such as rectifying the court, the etiquette of the court meeting, and the etiquette of the grand master.

Zhang Xingcheng was not an easy man, he was born in the Zhang family of Zhongshan, although he was only a third-rate noble family, he was also from a famous family, he was intelligent and intelligent since he was a child, in the former Sui Dynasty, he worshiped Liu Xuan, a famous scholar, as his teacher, and started his family scattered with Yuanwailang.

After Wang Shichong proclaimed himself emperor, he heard of Zhang Xingcheng's reputation, and awarded him the Minister of Branch. After the fall of the puppet Zheng, Zhang Xingcheng successively served as the lieutenant of Gushu County, the chief secretary of Fuping County and other local officials, with remarkable achievements.

Li Shimin heard that during his tenure, he enforced the law strictly and was not afraid of the powerful, so he summoned him to Beijing to teach him as a censor in the palace.

In just a few months after entering the court, Zhang Xingcheng has already built his reputation. As long as anyone who does not conform to the rules and regulations, no matter what title or official position you are, they will all be corrected in court. He is really proud. and others.

Hearing Zhang Xingcheng's words, Gao Chong immediately came out, first bowed to Li Shimin, then turned around and saluted, "What Zhang Yushi said is very true, right and wrong, His Majesty will make an impartial decision, everyone, please be safe and don't be impatient."

Cheng Zhijie and the others also understood the deep meaning, they just gave Du Yan a hard look, and then returned to their seats.

But Du Yan, who provoked the incident, just bowed and listened from the beginning to the end, and never spoke to argue.

Gao Chong also had sincere admiration for Du Yansheng in his heart.

Similarly, as the current prime minister, Gao Junya, faced with the impeachment of his eldest son, just closed his eyes and fell asleep from beginning to end, as if he didn't know Gao Chong.

Seeing that the dispute finally subsided, Li Shimin said slowly: "Do you have any objections to the impeachment of Dr. Du?"

As long as someone with a heart listens to Li Shimin's words, he will know Li Shimin's intentions. One calls him an official position, and the other calls him a watch word. The closeness and distance are very obvious.

Du Yan was finally moved, his face was a bit bitter, but he kept his head down and eyebrows down, but he couldn't see any reaction.

Du Yan knew well that he was just a knife in Li Shimin's hand, but he could only choose to play the role of this knife, and had no choice.

Now the emperor can still use him, which proves that his existence is valuable.

This is also the reason why Du Yan did not refute in the face of verbal abuse and disputes just now. He has already obeyed the emperor and completed the task assigned by the emperor, so there is no need for him to make enemies with the courtiers.

As for Gao Chong, Du Yan is not worried. He believes that Gao Chong, and even Gao Junya behind Gao Chong, must understand his motives.

In fact, at this time, Gao Jifu and Du Ruhui, who reminded Gao Chong before, also understood the deep meaning of this, Li Shimin must have made other arrangements, and looking at Gao Chong's expression, he was not worried at all.

"Returning to Your Majesty, the minister's planning was negligent, causing casualties to the people, and please punish him."Gao Chong took a deep breath and bowed.

Cheng Zhijie's round eyes rolled around, and he grabbed the sullen Yuchi Gong.

"What are you doing?" Yu Chigong panted and scolded, "Forcing the Turkic soldiers and horses to retreat, how could this make Youzhi feel guilty, what's the reason for that?"

"You have a little heart", Cheng Zhijie grabbed Yu Chigong with all his strength, and whispered in his ear, "When did you see that Youzhi was at a disadvantage? This is what they discussed. Why are we jumping up and down?"

Yuchi Gong couldn't help being stunned.

Officials above the fifth rank, even those who are superior because of their family background, are not stupid. At this time, they knew it in their hearts and just listened quietly.

Hearing Gao Chong's words, Li Shimin nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Although it was an omission in the plan that caused casualties among the people, you are not to blame. How could there be no casualties in the war? Compared with forcing the retreat of the 20 Turkic army, it is right and wrong. at ease".

All the ministers nodded in agreement when they heard the words.

At this time, Du Yan bowed down again, and said decisively: "Your Majesty, the thousands of people in Yanzhou must have an explanation."

Li Shimin frowned, and said angrily, "Then what are you going to do?"

"I am in charge of the Yushitai, and I should correct the rules and disciplines." Du Yan straightened up, waved his sleeves, and said very righteously: "Rewards and punishments are clear, and we should deal with them impartially. I will never say anything about it."

Li Shimin gritted his teeth, with a sullen expression on his face, "Okay, then I will give you an explanation."

Everyone looked up and looked up at Li Shimin. Some were shocked, some looked forward to it, and some were angry.

"Declaration: In response to the imperial censor Du Yan's impeachment, the Minister of the Ministry of War rushed to force the 20 Beidi rebels to retreat a month ago. However, the plan was neglected, resulting in the casualties of the people of Yanzhou. In memory of his past merits, he will be exempted from the death penalty. The Minister of the Ministry of War...".

When Li Shimin finished speaking, the officials were in an uproar.

Du Yan's heart became more and more bitter, Li Shimin was completely roasting him on the fire, and deliberately wrote him into the imperial decree, why should Du Yan impeach...

Once this decree is spread, Du Yan's reputation will be rotten. Gao Chong will plan to force the Turkic soldiers back. His prestige is very high, and the government and the public praise him. Now you, Du Yan, impeach Gao Chong because of the casualties of some people. heroes.

Not to mention, the people in Guanzhong, and even the people in Chang'an, must have cursed at Du Yan. If there is no high-level plan, the Turks will break through Guanzhong, and there will be corpses everywhere.

There is no war now, but the Turks plundered some people on the way to the south, causing some casualties, and even dismissed Gao Chong. The Turks did not plunder the people in the south, and the people in Guanzhong have been used to it for many years. This time the Turks invaded the country. The price Tang paid was already the smallest one.

Li Shimin naturally understood the stakes, so he deliberately emphasized that in response to the imperial historian Du Yan's impeachment, you can scold Du Yan if you want to.

Cheng Zhijie and others were confused about the situation now, so they could only glare at Du Yan and curse him loudly in court, blurting out words such as framing Zhongliang, but Du Yan remained expressionless and allowed Cheng Zhijie and others to scold him.

Then Gao Chong stopped performing, and after thanking Li Shimin, he presented the memorial in his arms with both hands.

"Minister Gao Chong, I would like to submit the "Please Set up the Secretary of the City and Ships"." Although he was dismissed from the position of minister of the Ministry of War, Gao Chong is still the duke of the country, and there is still a letter official of Doctor Guanglu. right.

Li Shimin showed anticipation without concealing his face, and said loudly: "I believe you have heard about the rumors about Lingnan in recent days. It just so happens that you are familiar with the situation in Lingnan and have unique insights into Lingnan's maritime trade. Ananda, read it in public."

The Internal Attendant Zhang Anan stepped forward, took the memorial, and read it aloud in front of His Majesty.

At this moment, the ministers suddenly realized that the emperor intended Gao Youzhi to go to Lingnan, but it was poor Du Yan who played an dishonorable role in it.

All the ministers were very curious about what Li Shimin said about the Shibosi, even the eldest grandson Fang Du and others looked at a loss, obviously they didn't know about this matter.

After Zhang Ananda finished reading, the courtiers talked a lot.

Du Ruhui looked excited and said bluntly: "Your Majesty, I second the proposal. This is good governance that benefits the country and the people. The Ministry of Revenue fully supports it."

It was still Du Yan, holding his head high and chest out, "Your Majesty, I am against it. As a city shipping department and regulating maritime merchants, it is actually competing for the interests of the people. In addition, the government and maritime merchants provide corresponding support. It is suspected of emphasizing commerce, which is really unacceptable." Pick".

Du Yan's words are also the opinions of some veteran officials, such as Li Gang.

Li Gang shook his gray beard, "Your Majesty, in the vast and barren land of Lingnan, we should pay more attention to enlightenment, encourage agriculture and mulberry, and publicize the court's kindness. What's the use of emphasizing business and taxation for enlightenment?"

This will be replaced by Gao Chong's expressionless face, his head down and his eyes closed, and he believes that Li Shimin has his own arrangements. After all, even Du Yan, the person who raised the bar, has already made arrangements, so the backup is naturally arranged.

It's just that Gao Chong didn't expect that this back-up would be so powerful, and it turned out to be Li Daozong, the king of Rencheng.

In Gao Chong's memorial, one of the tasks of the Shibo Department is to manage the tributes of overseas countries. Before that, this responsibility belonged to Honglu Temple, and Li Daozong is the current minister of Honglu Temple.

Logically speaking, this is the authority of Shibosi in Fenhonglu Temple, but Li Daozong actually found another way.

Said that Honglu Temple has already had many disadvantages in the management of overseas tribute, and immediately listed the disadvantages one by one.

For example, the inspection, acceptance and transportation of tributes, the number and reception of tribute envoys, etc., even involved some serious problems, that is, the corruption of local officials.

Prior to this, local officials had always been the first to contact the tribute, and the Honghe Temple of the imperial court only needed to receive tribute. However, under such circumstances, corruption is easy to breed. The tribute has been handed over by multiple hands, and it is inevitable that the occurrence of self-enrichment will inevitably occur. .

To be more specific, the establishment of the Shibo Department directly under the imperial household department will rise to the level where the court and the local government compete for the management of maritime trade. Once the Shibo Department is designed and operated, the sea trade will not continue to be monopolized by the local government. .

It is worth mentioning that tribute is also a part of maritime trade, and even at the current stage of maritime trade, a large part of it is tributary trade. For example, the Champa Kingdom paid a tribute to a batch of jewelry, and the Tang Dynasty gave a batch of silk in return. Trade generated by tribute.

This kind of tribute trade is currently controlled by the local government, and then handed over to the Honglu Temple. I don’t know how many times it has changed hands, and there will definitely be corruption.

Faced with such a sensitive question raised by Li Daozong, the courtiers were suddenly silent. After all, they are courtiers, not local officials, or that sentence, they can't sit crookedly.

Now that you oppose the establishment of a shipping department by the imperial court, you are siding with the local officials. Are you going to join the local officials in opposing the imperial court?Could it be that you have received benefits from it?In this case, no one dares to object.

At the same time, Gao Chong's acquaintance, Li Xiyu, the new Minister of the Taifu, came out and said bluntly: "Your Majesty, after taking over the Taifu Temple, I found that the tributes from overseas countries have been decreasing year by year. There is a huge disparity in value from the value of the gift from our country, and there must be something strange in it, so I seconded the proposal to set up a city ship department to clear the source."

Taifu Temple is one of the nine temples. It is in charge of treasury, cashier, trader tax and other affairs, ranking from the third rank.
The process of paying tribute is also simple to say. For example, the tribute from overseas countries is first received by the coastal local government, takes over the tribute, and then reports it to Honglu Temple. The tribute was handed over to Tai Fuqing for storage.

Such a process is simple to say, but it involves many departments and often takes a year and a half. Not to mention low efficiency, it is easy to cause problems.

When the Tang Dynasty was established, Li Yuan granted Li Xiyu the post of Shaoqing in the Taifu. Later, he was promoted to Yangzhou Governor's Mansion Chief Shi. He made outstanding achievements in Yangzhou, and then transferred to Youzhou Governor's Mansion Chief Shi to cooperate with Gao Chong to solve the hidden danger of Lujiang King Li Yuan. , Then support Liu Hongji to open a bargaining place at Jimen Pass, and exchange firewood and salt for horses, cattle and sheep.

A few days ago, Taifu Minister Zhang Qianzheng died of illness, so Li Shimin recalled Li Xiyu and gave him the title of Taifu Minister. After all, Li Xiyu served as the Taifu Shaoqing back then and was quite experienced in Taifu Temple affairs.

As for Li Xiyu's remarks about the diminishing tribute and unequal value, he vaguely meant to put the blame on Zhang Qianwei, but this point was automatically ignored by the ministers.

First, Zhang Qianwei is dead, there is no need to speak up for a dead man.

Second, Zhang Qianwei is a close friend of Li Yuan.

Zhang Qianwei, courtesy name Yuanjing, was born in the Zhang family of Qinghe. During the Kaihuang period of the former Sui Dynasty, he was appreciated by King Yang Guang of Jin because of his beauty and intelligence. Serve as the doctor of the audience.

Yezhe Dafu is the chief official of Yezhetai. Yezhetai is in charge of receiving imperial edicts, inspecting and conferring, and hearing unjust cases. A combination of Tang's Dali Shaoqing and Tongshi Sheren.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan abolished Yezhetai because the responsibilities of Yezhetai overlapped too much with other departments.

It can be seen from this that Zhang Qianwei was deeply valued by Yang Guang, but Zhang Qianwei still had a sliver of conscience. Seeing Yang Guang's extravagance in the later period, he went to the public to persuade him. Yang Guang was angry and no longer reused it. It was at this time , the lonely Zhang Qianwei and the low-key Li Yuan got acquainted.

Seeing that Taifu Temple and Honglu Temple all supported the establishment of the Shibosi, and the Ministry of Household Affairs supported it, even the courtiers who wanted to oppose it had no choice but to silence their drums.

Li Shimin's joy was palpable and he said bluntly: "It's very good, so I'll just rely on what you played."

Then his face became serious, "Decree is passed to promote the Guangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion to the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, govern Panyu City, and govern fourteen prefectures including Guang, Shao, Duan, Song, Long, and Wei.

In addition, the seven governor's offices of Gui, Rong, Yong, Jiao, Gao, Qin and Ya are under the control of Guangfu, and Lingnan economic envoys are set up to oversee the administration of the eight Lingnan prefectures.

In Panyu City, set up the Department of Maritime Ships, which is in charge of maritime trade and tribute matters, directly under the Ministry of Households."

Li Shimin's words were tantamount to breaking the sky, shocking all the officials.

　If there are any typos, please comment them out, brothers, and correct them in time, the dog's eyes are fooled.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)