First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

After Gao Chong arrived in Hepu City, he acted irrationally, which was completely beyond Ning Huizao's expectations.

Ning Huizao felt a little uneasy for no reason now. Could it be that Gao Chong really dared to start a full-scale war against the Ning family? We are Lingnan Liao people. He shouldn't show his kindness and patiently comfort him.

"Brother, what should I do?"

Ning Can now also understands that the situation is urgent. Judging from Gao Chong's posture, he actually intends to attack the city, "Do you want to ask for help from your family?"

When Ning Huizao heard this, he just shook his head with a solemn expression.

"Father didn't reply. That means we have to deal with it on our own. You continue to set up your defenses. When I write a letter, I want to see what the high charge means."

Ning Can nodded in agreement, turned around and went down to consolidate the city's defenses.

In Lingnan, a storm is coming.

Chang'an City, Manlu Hall, Li Shimin's face turned gloomy and terrifying after reading the secret letter in his hand.

After a long time, Li Shimin could only be heard saying in a deep voice: "Prepare your horses and go to Qishan."

Zhang Anan paused after hearing this, and immediately went down to prepare his chariot. After a while, the emperor's chariot drove straight to Qishan in a mighty manner.

Qishan, Renshou Palace.

The Supreme Emperor Li Yuan spent every day hunting and having fun in the mountains, and he was very happy.

In the evening, Li Shimin came to Renshou Palace. There was no doubt that the palace was still full of singing and dancing, and people were drinking and drinking.

After hearing Li Shimin's arrival, Li Yuan's face darkened, "What is he here for? I have decreed to close the mountain, who let him in?"

This sentence made the commander of the imperial army not sure how to answer. He is the emperor, who dares to stop him.

"Aye, the people of the world will be waiting for you for the next few days. May your dragon body be well."

Li Shimin entered the palace on his own.

Pei Ji and others who were accompanying the banquet hurriedly got up to pay their respects.

Li Yuan had no expression on his face and just said lightly: "What's the matter?"

Li Shimin glanced at the palace, and then said with a smile: "I just have some free time, so I came to visit Aye."

After saying that, he stepped forward and poured wine for Li Yuan himself.

Li Yuan took a deep look at Li Shimin, then waved his hand and said: "Withdraw, let's drink another day."

Pei Ji and others stood up and left.

When only the father and son were left in the hall, Li Yuan still had a straight face and said nothing, just waiting for Li Shimin to speak on his own initiative.

Li Shimin lay casually on the soft couch next to Li Yuan, grabbed the wine glass from years ago and drank it down in one gulp, sighing sadly, "Aye, why is it like this? What's wrong with the people of the world?"

Li Yuan raised his eyebrows but still ignored it.

"Xiahouduan and his two men have done great things, Aye, do you know?" Li Shimin turned his head and looked directly at Li Yuan.

Li Yuan twitched his beard and looked over, "What's the matter?"

The father and son looked at each other for a long time. Li Shimin nodded and said with a smile: "So Aye doesn't know, that's good."

Then he filled a glass of wine for Li Yuan and said, "A few days ago, Jie Li invaded the whole country and attacked all the way to Tongzhou...".

"I know, you are a hero. You personally led six cavalry and forced back the 20 Turkic army...".Li Yuan immediately interrupted Li Shimin, shook his wine glass and sneered.

"It happened that at that time, Li Xiaochang colluded with the imperial guards to cause rebellion."

Li Shimin ignored Li Yuan's intentional or unintentional sarcasm, and just continued to talk to himself: "I was in Heshui at the time. Opposite me was a 20-strong Turkic army. The camp only had enough food and grass for three days. There were also Lingnan, and more than ten states were attacking each other. Expedition, Shazhou rebellion, Lizhou rebellion...".

Li Yuan's face gradually became solemn, and he just looked at Li Shimin and was still talking to himself.

"Aye, tell me, why can't those people see the stability of the Tang Dynasty?" Li Shimin suddenly raised his head and looked at Li Yuan, his eyes already red.

Li Yuan turned his head and said in a deep voice: "Do you think that seat is so easy to sit in?"

"Ha~" Li Shimin just chuckled upon hearing this.

"It doesn't seem that difficult now. Turk Jieli has retreated, Jingzhou Luo Yi is dead, Lizhou Li Xiaochang is dead, Shazhou Li Tong is dead, Yuezhou Ning Daoming is dead...those rebellious officials and traitors, they are all dead. The Tang Dynasty cannot be in chaos."

"Aye, there is no chaos in the Tang Dynasty." Li Shimin stepped forward to pour wine for Li Yuan, then leaned over and whispered in his ear: "Are you a little disappointed?"

Li Yuan's expression suddenly changed, "Nizi, what do you mean?"

"Aye, calm down." Li Shimin hurriedly knelt on the ground and offered the wine glass with both hands, "Take good care of the dragon body, and let's see how the people of the world can accomplish this great feat."

Li Yuan closed his eyes, and after calming down, he took the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp, sighing, "Step back."

Li Shimin didn't react and just looked at Li Yuan.

"Get lost," Li Yuan scolded, "I will handle it myself."

Li Shimin nodded in agreement and bowed before retreating, "Ah, please calm down and don't get angry. The people of the world will come back to say hello in a few days."

Three days later, Li Shimin of Chang'an City received a report: Chen Fu, the supervisor of the front palace, and Xia Houduan, the former secretary supervisor, were attacked by giant insects when they accompanied the emperor on a hunting trip in Yuntai Mountain, Qishan Mountain. The hand of the insect.

The Supreme Emperor was extremely sad and ordered to commend the two men. He personally took off his dragon robe and covered their bodies and gave them a generous burial.

Li Shimin looked at the memorial in his hand, just sneered and ignored it.

When the news spread, everyone in the government and the public expressed admiration for Xia Hou and the two, and people came to express their condolences. Li Shimin also respected the emperor's will, passed down praises, and buried them generously.

When the Di newspaper reached Lingnan, Gao Chong also scorned it.

Big insects... Yuntai Mountain, where the Renshou Palace is located, has been cleared by the imperial army countless times. Where can there be big insects?

However, in this way, it also allowed Xiahou and Xiahou to die in a dignified manner. Chen Fu, as a matter of fact, was worshiped as the eunuch of the palace because he was an official of the Duke of Tang as early as when Li Yuan succeeded to the throne of Tang Guogong. The confidant of Erba Jing.

Xiahou Duan is a true loyal minister, of course, he is only a loyal minister of Li Yuan.

Xiahou Duan also came from a well-known family. He was from Shouzhou and was said to be a descendant of the Xiahou family in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. His grandfather Xiahou Xiang was the Prime Minister of the Liang Dynasty and was worshiped by Zuopushe, the Minister of the Liang Dynasty.

In the last years of Daye, when Li Yuan was suppressing bandits in Hedong, Xiahou Duan was his deputy general. Later in Jinyang, it was Xia Houduan who urged the army to rise.

After Li Yuan founded the country, he worshiped Xia Houduan as secretary-supervisor. Later, Li Yuan sent Xia Houduan to serve as the envoy of Henan Province. It coincided with Wang Shichong's independence, and all the prefectures and counties in Central Plains surrendered to Wang Shichong. Wang Shichong appointed Xia Houduan as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he was granted the title of Duke of Huainan County.

Then Xiahou Duan refused and returned to Chang'an on foot. During this period, the rebels blocked the road and cut off food and grass. After Xiahou Duan returned to Chang'an through the arduous and thorny path, only about 2000 of his [-] people were left. His clothes are in rags, his hair is falling off, and he looks less like a human being.

This shows Xiahou Duan's loyalty to Li Yuan.

In addition, there is Li Xiaochang, the king of Yi'an, who comes from the Li family in Longxi. He and Li Yuan are from the same clan but different clans. It is impossible for Li Xiaochang to get the support of others when he rebels. He does not have the reputation to become emperor, but he unites with the imperial guards and plots the rebellion. .Li Xiaochang's first identity is Li Yuan's clan brother. The two have known each other since childhood. Li Yuan also served under Li Xiaochang's father Li Yuantong.

The second identity is Li Yuan's brother-in-law. Li Xiaochang married the clan sister of Queen Taimu's Dou family.

The third identity is Li Yuan's friend. When Li Yuan entered the customs, Li Xiaochang offered Yongfengcang to support him.

As for the imperial guards united by Li Xiaochang, there is also some inside information. I will only mention one person, that is Sun Anye, the general of the right prison gate. The eldest grandson Anye lives in the palace gate and has great power and responsibility.

At the same time, Changsun Anye is the half-brother of Changsun Wuji's brother and sister.

Changsun Sheng's original wife gave birth to three sons, namely the eldest son Changsun Xingbu, the second son Changsun Heng'an and the third son Changsun Anye.

After his first wife died of illness, Changsun Sheng married his stepmother Gao, who was Gao Shilian's sister. They had a son and a daughter, Changsun Wuji and Changsun Wugao.

After the death of Changsun Sheng, Changsun Anye inherited the family business. He was addicted to alcohol, was an eagle and a lackey, and did not do his job properly. He treated Changsun Wuji and his sister very harshly, even denying them food and clothing. Therefore, Gao Shilian took Changsun Wuji's brother and sister back. Raised at home.

Therefore, there was actually a grudge between the brothers Changsun Anye and Changsun Wuji, and they were naturally disliked by Li Shimin.

After such a review, the twists and turns are very clear, and many discerning people know it, but Li Shimin did not delve into it.

Chen Fu, the eunuch of the palace, and Xia Houduan, the secretary-in-charge, loyally escorted him to death, but they also retained some dignity. Some things just passed like this, and some of the dirty things were left behind.

Li Shimin then continued to carry out drastic reforms, starting with the redefinition of administrative divisions.

This work is destined not to be completed in a short time, but requires a step-by-step process.

When Gao Chong came to Lingnan again, he felt powerless because of the administrative divisions.

Five years ago, when he was ordered to recruit Lingnan, there were only more than [-] states in Lingnan. However, in just a few years, Lingnan suddenly increased to more than [-] states. According to incomplete statistics, in the eighth year of Wude, there were more than [-] states in the world. , large states govern more than ten counties, and small states even have only one county.

There is only one state and one county, but the official structure is quite small. The state has the governor, chief historian, Sima, etc., and the county has the county magistrate, county magistrate, chief registrar, etc., all of which are available. The redundancy of officials is very serious.

In fact, this has been a major shortcoming since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Since the war in the late Sui Dynasty, various forces have come together to form separate regimes. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, they sought to pacify the four sides, and those separatist forces joined forces one after another.

In order to win over these new local forces, official positions had to be conferred widely. Basically, if the state and county agreed, they could be awarded the governor (general governor). male.

In the fifth year of Taketoku, the general administration was changed to the governor's office, and some prefectures and counties were abolished. Even so, the number of prefectures and counties in the last years of Taketoku was still more than double that of Daye.

The abolition of prefectures and counties and the merging of counties and prefectures are actually ongoing and change every year. However, after the abolition of prefectures and counties, corresponding arrangements must be made for the original officials.

In this regard, Li Shimin has been making small-scale changes, such as withdrawing a county this month and a state next month. However, as the political power is consolidated, there are many wastes waiting to be revitalized without delay, and Li Shimin is unwilling to continue cutting flesh with a small knife.

An imperial edict directly shocked the world.

According to the situation of mountains and rivers, the states in the world are divided into ten roads, namely Guannai Road, Henan Road, Hedong Road, Hebei Road, Shannan Road, Longyou Road, Huainan Road, Jiangnan Road, Jiannan Road, and Lingnan Road.

Then each province has jurisdiction over a number of prefectures and counties, and there are currently three prefectures with special status, namely Yongzhou (Chang'an), Luozhou (Luoyang), and Bingzhou (Taiyuan).

The ten provinces in the world are not administrative regions and do not have permanent officials. They are supervisory areas. They supervise the prefectures and counties under their jurisdiction. The emperor appoints important ministers from time to time to serve as envoys to each Tao, such as inspection envoys, appeasement envoys, deposed envoys, etc., with their respective responsibilities. Different, it is a temporary assignment.

In this way, the division of states and counties can be simplified, local supervision can be better, and it is more conducive to central governance, but it will inevitably shake the interests of some people.

Even though Li Shimin was mentally prepared, the brutal struggle in the court still shocked the young emperor.

Even his most important ministers, his wife's uncle, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and the eldest son of Qi State, Sun Wuji, were subjected to overwhelming criticism.

The strange battle between Bo Yun in Chang'an City did not affect Lingnan, a wild and remote place.

In Yuezhou, outside Hepu City, Gao Chong, who was building siege equipment, welcomed two supporting troops, namely Feng Zhiyu, the governor of Lianzhou, and Chen Longshu, the governor of Longzhou.

The two people walked along the way, ten miles apart, without any friction, which made Gao Chong look at these two people in a new light again.

After all, such a great hatred can be tolerated by very few people.

The next day, the sky was bright.

In the Guanshan camp, the Chinese army gathered and drums rumbled.

Gao Chong sat in the main seat, flanked by Ning Chun, the governor of Nanhe Prefecture, Pang Xiaotai, the governor of Baizhou, Feng Zhiyu, the governor of Lianzhou, Chen Longshu, the governor of Longzhou, Tian Yangming, the magistrate of Panyu County, and others.

Behind him stood four young men on the left and right, like the guardians on the left and right, namely Gao Kan, Xue Rengui, Pei Xingjian, Tu Dijin, standing tall and tall, standing proudly.

"Everyone".

Gao Chong put his helmet through his armor and said in a deep voice: "Ning Daoming rebelled against Yuezhou and has now conquered Anchang and other counties. Only Hepu and Dadu counties are still in the hands of thieves. I have been ordered to conduct a military expedition to Lingnan." , Now I will fight against the thieves with integrity, and I hope that you will work together to wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop."

Everyone in the tent agreed together.

"The whole army marches forward and arrives at Hepu City."

Nearly [-] troops arrived outside Hepu City in a mighty manner. Ning Huizao's face was very ugly.

"Brother, didn't you say that you would write a book to explore Gao Chong's reality?" Ning Can looked shocked, "Then what happened to Gao Chong? Why did he directly attack the city?"

"The messenger didn't return all night," Ning Huizao said in a hateful voice through gritted teeth, "I guessed that Gao Chong was planning to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, and wanted our two brothers to be buried with Ning Daoming."

Ning Can's face turned pale, "How dare he...".

As soon as he finished speaking, a horseman came running out of the city. When he got fifty steps outside the city, he stopped his horse, drew his sword and shouted.

"Listen to the traitors in the city. The counter-rebellion troops from various states have arrived. If you don't open the city and surrender, you will be punished and your family will be destroyed."

The person who came was wearing a shiny Mingguang armor, holding a sharp sword, reining in his horse and pointing directly at Hepu City. He was so high-spirited that he wished everyone in the audience could look at him.

This person is Tian Yangming of the Tian family in Qianzhou.

Upon seeing this, Gao Chong smiled and said, "If I didn't tell him, who would have guessed that he was the county magistrate?"

Ning Chun also grinned and said: "Not to mention, Ziguang's outfit is really suitable for representing the officers and soldiers in fighting."

The officers and soldiers are upright and upright divisions.

Tian Yangming has a well-proportioned figure and a handsome face. He wears armor and holds a sword. From a high-spirited perspective, he is quite attractive.

On top of the city, Ning Can's eyes widened with anger, and he turned to look at Ning Huizao. If Ning Huizao didn't express his position, then he would be ready to use force.

Ning Huizao frowned, then shook his head and said: "We can't fight. Once we attack the city, the meaning will be different."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Ning Can didn't know this and was very depressed.

Ning Huizao patted him on the shoulder, walked forward, and shouted loudly: "May I ask where Gao Jinglue is?"

After Tian Yangming heard this, he looked back and saw that Gao Chong was nowhere to be seen. He understood in his heart and immediately waved his sword and scolded: "Who are you? How dare you occupy the state city and resist the heavenly soldiers?"

Last week, I had two days off due to the typhoon. Now I have to make up my shift and have to work for nine days in a row...I am physically and mentally exhausted.