First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 602 Zhao Deyan offers advice
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After Jieli Khan returned to the golden tent, he drove out all the attendants in the tent and thought for a long time alone under the lamp.

Zhao Deyan's previous words could be said to have hit Jieli Khan's weakness directly.

The status of the Little Khan in the Turks is not trivial. The Turkic official system is self-contained. If the extension is equivalent to the vassal king in the Central Plains, and the special service is equivalent to the princes and nobles, then the Little Khan is equivalent to the prince to a certain extent.

When Shibi Khan died of illness, the younger Khan of Tuli, Ashina Shibobi, was still too young to succeed as the Great Khan, so he was succeeded by Shibi Khan's second brother Chuluo Khan.

After the death of Chuluo Khan, Ashina Shibabi was nearly [-] years old. Due to emotions and reasons, Ashina Shibabi should succeed to the throne. After all, he was the eldest son of Shibi Khan.

However, Jieli Khan was so ambitious that he was not willing to give up the position of Great Khan. After some maneuvers, he successfully succeeded him as Khan. However, Jieli Khan was in his prime at this time and could barely be regarded as a talented man. He also knew that he could not act recklessly and had to win over All tribes.

After all, as the first heir, Ashina Shibobi, the son of Shibi Khan, the great lord of the generation, also had the support of many tribes, so Jieli Khan ennobled Shibobi as a junior khan, named Tuli Xiaoke Khan, and gave him the entire eastern part of the grassland to rule over the Khitan, Xi, Mohe and other tribes.

In recent years, Tuli Little Khan has become more and more rampant and rebelled many times. Jieli has long been dissatisfied with him, not to mention that Tuli Little Khan has repeatedly flirted with Datang.

The first time was in the sixth year of Wude, at Wulongban in Binzhou, the young Khan Tuli made an alliance with Li Shimin without permission and became brothers, which forced Jieli to withdraw his troops.

The second time was in the seventh year of Wude. At Jimen Pass in Youzhou, Tuli Khan arbitrarily cleared customs and traded with the Tang Dynasty.

The third time was in the eighth year of Wude. On the banks of the He River in Tongzhou, Tuli Khan once again retreated without fighting.

Challenging Jieli's bottom line again and again, Jieli can no longer bear the murderous intention.

The lights flickered, reflecting the uncertain expression on Jieli Khan's face. After a long time, he must have been a little tired. Jieli lay on the soft couch and let out a low growl.

The guards outside the tent were busy entering the tent to make promises.

"Send the order and order Shibobi to send troops today to annihilate Xue Yantuo. This Khan wants him to personally deliver Yi Nan's head." Jieli closed his eyes and his voice was low, like a dormant wild wolf, dark and cruel.

The guard respectfully accepted the order and was about to retire when he heard Jieli Khan say in a deep voice again: "Notify all tribes that from today onwards, Zhao Deyan will be in charge of the royal court and will be granted a gift of five thousand cattle and sheep, one hundred slaves and ten beauties. people".

The guard raised his head when he heard the words, and was a little surprised for a moment. When he saw Jieli Khan opening his eyes and hurriedly bowing to accept the promise, he was already extremely shocked.

When word of this appointment spread, all the tribes were also shocked. Zhao Deyan, who knew by his name that he was a Han, actually took the position of Qilifa.

The Royal Court is where Jieli Khan is. Wherever the Great Khan’s golden tent is, the Royal Court is.

Qilifa was an important minister of the Turkic Khanate. He could participate in decision-making and comment on political affairs. He was equivalent to the prime minister of the Central Plains Dynasty, and his status was of great importance.

Such an important official position is now held by a Han. The tribes are surprised and puzzled, which is expected. However, now Jieli Khan is coercing the tribes and acting more and more violently. He whips the tribal leaders at every turn, and he is completely alone. dictatorship.

Therefore, although the tribes were confused or dissatisfied, they did not dare to blatantly oppose it, let alone complain at all.

When Zhao Deyan received the appointment, he remained as usual and just thanked him according to etiquette.

After the person who announced the order left, Zhao Deyan was the only one in the tent.

Zhao Deyan suddenly beamed with joy and knelt down facing south, his eyes full of uncontrollable excitement.

"King of Xia, I am not talking about the Central Bank, and I don't want to eat the wealth of the Tang Dynasty. I only want to subvert the Turks and prevent Hebei from suffering another disaster."

Zhao Deyan had tears in his eyes and was extremely excited in his heart. However, when he saw the shadows of people outside the tent, he did not dare to speak out and could only think silently in his heart.

In the past, every time the Turks invaded and plundered from the south, the Hebei provinces were the first to suffer. This was one of the reasons why Zhao Deyan agreed to Xue Shou.

As a loyal minister of Xia King Dou Jiande, he was unfortunately captured in Hulao Pass. He originally wanted to die rather than surrender, but Xue Shouxiao persuaded him with his great righteousness and the people of Hebei, so Zhao Deyan agreed and went north alone to become a member of the Wei Feng Guard. Dark child.

Zhongxing said that he was an eunuch during the period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. He was dissatisfied with being an attaché of the Han-Hong Dynasty and had a grudge against the Han Dynasty. , he can also be regarded as the first true "traitor".

Since the Han Dynasty, there have been more and more people like Zhong Xingshuo. Those who were impoverished in the Central Plains took refuge with the nomadic tribes in the north, suddenly became important ministers, and in turn exacted revenge on the Central Plains dynasty. Many of them later became important ministers, such as Bank of China in the Western Han Dynasty said he would seek refuge with the Huns, and Zhang Bin in the Eastern Jin Dynasty would seek refuge with the Jie tribe.

Now Zhao Deyan is following the example of these notorious "predecessors". After he came to the grassland, he met Jieli Khan after many difficulties, and then offered advice several times, even almost losing his life, and helped Jieli Khan achieve several great achievements. , and also succeeded in making Jieli Khan address him as Mr.

Now that the clouds have finally cleared and the moon is clear, Jieli Khan finally trusted Zhao Deyan completely and began to appoint him to official positions, and this move was to give him such an important position as Qi Lifa.

In the Turks, a political power formed by a coalition of grassland tribes, the concept of hierarchy is more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In the Central Plains, scholars may still pay attention to being unyielding or disrespectful of superior officials, but on the grasslands, this does not exist.

On the grassland, it is directly reflected in the killing of people by the official level. Anyone who dares to be disrespectful will be killed directly, and others will have nothing to say.

For example, the leaders of various tribes were equivalent to high-ranking frontier officials in the Central Plains Dynasty. The emperor also had a friendly attitude when meeting these important ministers. He gave them seats and tea, and the two sides talked on an equal footing. The relationship between the emperor and his ministers was very cordial. To a certain extent, To a certain extent, they are also complementary and mutually restrictive relationships.

But on the grassland, Jieli Khan took life and death from various tribes and did whatever he wanted. He would whip or even kill them if they disagreed, and he bullied each tribe at will. This was the law of survival on the grassland.

The official position of Qi Lifa is undoubtedly a good time for Zhao Deyan now.

After laying out the paper and grinding the ink, Zhao Deyan took up the pen and wrote a letter called "Tax Collection of the Turkic Khanate". Zhao Deyan had already planned it and had the draft in his mind. Thousands of eloquent words quickly appeared on the paper.

"Here comes", Zhao Deyan sealed the so-called memorial properly, put it in his arms, stood up and shouted.

The guard outside the tent heard this and entered the tent. After a slight hesitation, he knelt down and prostrated, saying, "As soon as possible, please give me your instructions."

This is the power of power. Previously, due to Jieli Khan's high regard for Zhao Deyan, these guards only respected Zhao Deyan superficially, but in fact they still looked down on this helpless Han Chinese. Now Zhao Deyan has become an important minister. These guards are in awe from the bottom of their hearts.

"Wait until I go see the Khan," Zhao Deyan snorted coldly and said with his hands behind his back. "Yes," the guard responded respectfully.

At this time, Jieli Khan was about to fall asleep, but when he heard Zhao Deyan requesting an audience, Jieli still had the patience to meet him.

"What's the matter with you?" Jieli Khan yawned and narrowed his eyes and asked: "If you come here to thank me, then there is no need. You Han people are too vain."

Zhao Deyan pursed his lips and smiled, "I owe you the great kindness of the Khan. I have nothing to repay, so I came here to offer you a tax collection to solve the Khan's urgent need."

"What book?" Jieli Khan was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened, and he said in a cold voice: "I will never read the books of the Han family. Besides, what is my urgent need?"

Zhao Deyan paused for a moment, a little speechless, and could only say: "It's not a book, it's just some strategies about taxation. Even if the Khan didn't say it, he would have heard about it. Last year, there was a heavy snowfall, and all the tribes were severely affected. Of course, except for the eastern tribes, With the current chaos in Mobei, the taxes collected by the royal court are very few. If this continues for a long time, wouldn't it enrich the tribes and make the royal court difficult?"

When Jieli Khan heard this, his expression suddenly became solemn, and he slowly sat up straight, with an angry look on his face, "Do you have a solution? This is the third time this year has been increased. The tribes only talk about poverty and refuse to pay, and they are arrogant. If there is a better strategy to make them pay taxes obediently, let’s tell them quickly.”

Zhao Deyan smiled confidently and took out the "Memorial" from his arms, "I do have some ideas, please read them."

Jieli Khan waved his hand, and an armored guard behind him stepped forward to receive the transfer.

However, Jieli Khan only read about three or five lines and threw the memorial aside.

Zhao Deyan's heart skipped a beat when he saw Jieli Khan rubbing his brows and saying, "Just say it bluntly. Ben Khan was dazzled."

A few years ago, the young and powerful Jieli Khan would have had the patience to continue watching. However, in recent years, his temper has become more and more manic, and he really does not have that patience.

Zhao Deyan once again felt contempt in his heart. Compared with the King of Xia back then, the old and violent Jieli Khan in front of him was worthless.

But he didn't dare to show it, so he immediately stepped forward to pick up the "Memorial". When Jieli Khan saw this, he raised his chin and said, "Sit down and talk."

After Zhao Deyan thanked him, he slowly said: "Although the White Disaster last year was serious, as far as I know, it was only the most serious in Mobei. Monan is close to the southern country, so the situation is less serious. This is also the reason why Xue Yantuo dared to take risks and rebel. Because Mobei is colder, the disaster is really serious."

Jieli Khan snorted coldly upon hearing this, seeming to be a little dissatisfied with Zhao Deyi's words.

Zhao Deyan continued: "Of course, this is not the reason for Xue Yantuo to commit rebellion. Xue Yantuo must conquer it."

"Since the tribes in Monan were not seriously affected by the disaster, they still shirk and procrastinate, using the excuse of being affected by the disaster and not paying taxes. This is because the Khan was too benevolent, causing them to blame all their reasons on the disaster, leaving the Khan with no suitable excuse. To urge conquests, especially from the eastern tribes, I heard that the little Khan of Tuli was quite good at being a merchant. He opened a market in Youzhou and exchanged supplies with the Central Plains. The tribes had piles of firewood, salt, cloth, and other materials."

When Jieli Khan heard this, his face was gloomy, he slammed the desk and stared at Zhao Deyan with a pair of hazy eyes, "Zhao Deyan, Qi Lifa, are you here to instigate a relationship?"

Zhao Deyan was shocked, but on his face he just shook his head and said with a smile: "Khan, please listen to me."

"This is just a matter of means. The tribes used the excuse of suffering from disasters and were unable to pay taxes, so the Khan had no choice but to give up. After all, it was impossible to push them to death, but the Khan treated them so lightly, which further encouraged the tribes. arrogance".

"Don't talk nonsense when talking about your strategy," Jieli Khan interrupted Zhao Deyan and said directly.

"Does the Khan know the quality warehouse in the Central Plains?" Zhao Deyan asked directly when he saw this.

"Pledge warehouse?" Jie Li frowned, "I heard it is a place where items are pledged."

"Exactly, the treasury was first operated by monks and monasteries in the Southern Dynasties of the Central Plains. People who were short of money could mortgage valuable items, such as gold and silver jewelry, real estate, etc., to the treasury in exchange for money, but this kind of mortgage could It’s not a mortgage of equal value, but it’s often like nine times out and thirteen times out.”

"Nine departures and thirteen returns?" Jie Li frowned. He was really puzzled by the twists and turns of the Han people in the Central Plains.

"Exactly, let me give you an example," Zhao Deyan said while picking up a gold wine vessel from the desk.

"For example, this piece of wine vessel is worth ten guan. It is sent to the pledge warehouse for three months and the monthly interest is the same. However, the pledge treasury only yields nine guan. The other guan is the deed money deducted. In the end, the mortgager only gets nine guan. However, The contract expires after three months, and when you redeem it, you will need to charge three months of interest, that is, three guan. A total of [-] guan will be spent to redeem the wine vessel. This is the Nine Out and Thirteen Returns. ".

"It's so dark," Jie Li was stunned when he heard it, "You Han people have such dark hearts."

Zhao Deyan was speechless for a while, and could only say: "The quality bank is in urgent need of people, and it can help people temporarily tide over the difficulties. This is just a transaction between you and me."

"What do you mean?" After hearing this, Jieli Khan roughly understood, "Are you going to use nine outings and thirteen returns on tribes that default on taxes?"

"Not entirely, but the principles are almost the same," Zhao Deyan said with a smile, twisting his beard.

Seeing that Jieli Khan frowned again, Zhao Deyan did not dare to sell out anymore and said directly: "Those tribes shied away from being seriously affected by the disaster, so Khan just gave up on it. It would be too easy for them. It would be better to adopt a strategy similar to nine outings and thirteen returns." Method. Make them use valuable things to mortgage the tax, agree on a period of several months, and then set the corresponding interest."

"In this way, they either choose to pay taxes on time, or they choose to mortgage, but they have to pay high interest. I believe this can greatly encourage tribes to actively pay taxes and not dare to default."

Jieli Khan's expression changed when he heard this, and he said slowly: "This is a good idea. In this way, they will have no reason to continue to shirk the blame. No wonder I am urging the conquest again."

"The specific implementation method is all in the memorial." Zhao Deyan prostrated again and offered it with both hands. "The Khan can give it a try. It turns out that this method cannot collect taxes. I will take the blame and resign."

"No, I won't look at it," Jieli waved his hand and said, "I will leave all the power to you. Anyone who dares to obstruct me can be killed directly."

Zhao Deyan was overjoyed and thanked him immediately.

Then Jieli Khan nodded with satisfaction and asked thoughtfully: "It seems that your plan was not a sudden idea today. It must have been planned for many days. Why didn't you propose it earlier?"

Zhao Deyan's face remained as usual, and he just bowed: "Khan, there is a saying in the Central Plains: If you are not in your position, you will not seek political power. Yesterday, I was just a wanderer living in the Turks. Today, I have earned a salary from the Turks, so I can make rational decisions. Commit to corresponding merits, otherwise it will be a corpse and nothing but infamy."

Jie Li nodded slowly and sighed: "This can be regarded as the saving grace of you Han people. You can rest assured. I am never rigid in employing people. As long as you can achieve meritorious deeds, I will not be able to achieve achievements that you can't achieve in the Central Plains." Make your wishes come true."

(End of this chapter)