Late Tang Dynasty: I

Chapter 387 Political Reform of the Tang Dynasty
Datang spent half a year preparing for this voyage. When the thick data was placed in front of His Majesty the Emperor's case, Li Ye still shook his head.

Not enough!
Going to sea at this time is a complete gamble. The most feared things at sea are wind and waves, lack of water and food, and safe routes require human lives to fill them.

……

Jian Zhengde, the young eunuch of Si Tianjian, was very curious about the news circulating in the market. The so-called heaven and earth were nothing but celestial bodies orbiting the sun over and over again.

Using heliocentric theory, it is easy to explain why there are solar and lunar eclipses, as well as the so-called broom stars.

"The ancient sages all said that the sky is round and the earth is round, and Confucians and Taoists believed this deeply. Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty said that the sky is like an eggshell and the earth is like an egg yolk. The so-called celestial bodies all move on eggshells!"

Jian Shaojian smiled and said: "Nowadays, people say that the sun, moon and stars are all celestial bodies. Even the earth and ocean we live in are also celestial bodies. Many celestial bodies are in a void, and the celestial bodies all revolve around the sun!"

"Unbelievable, unbelievable!"

Liu Zuoling, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, spoke.

"In this case, where are the stars and where are the gods and Buddhas in the sky? Is this emperor still the son of heaven? Are the books of sages and sages read by the scholar-officials still correct?"

Jian Shaojian smiled and said: "Have you seen Mr. Liu? Kong Sheng never said that he had seen gods and Buddhas!"

"..."

"But I have seen that the so-called Toad Palace Fairy is just a dilapidated and desolate ball."

……

The ideological confusion has already begun. Scholars don’t know what to believe?
His Majesty the Emperor does not dare to throw out materialism now, for fear that these unscrupulous people will revolutionize his life.

At the Royal Maritime School, someone boldly proposed that the sky is round and the earth is round, or that the earth under our feet is originally a ball.

You won't know until you try it.

"Yes, once you try it you will know that if you drive in one direction, you will always return to the starting point!"

"Who dares to go? If it is not round, the land is square. I heard that the end of the sea is an endless abyss, and there may be eighteen levels of purgatory in it..."

Even if someone mentions it, very few people will agree with this argument.

His Majesty the Emperor had no choice. Europe's great voyage was driven by the Ottoman Empire, which cut off the connection between Europe and Asia. The fanatical Europeans hoped to open the road to Europe and Asia through the great voyage.

Their driving force is endless money.

This did not exist in the Tang Dynasty. The Celestial Empire was rich in products and did not need the ocean to bring him wealth.

"Your Majesty, Hainan Airlines costs a lot of money and is not profitable. Over time, I'm afraid it will..."

Even people close to him like Liu Wei and Jing Xiang think so.Jingxiang was worried. His Majesty the Emperor unified the world, and his civil and military skills were unparalleled in ancient and modern times. But now, he is gone!

"Your Majesty's kindness is spread all over the world. Recently, in the southwest of Bianjing, century-old trees sprouted again, and an old farmer presented more than [-] ears of rice. This is all auspiciousness from heaven. I think your Majesty's virtue is comparable to that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. This should be announced to the world, sealed to Mount Tai, and told to Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother..."

Cui Yin, a member of the Ministry of Rites and Foreign Minister, went to the emperor and proposed to enshrine Mount Tai. Unexpectedly, he was unanimously recognized by the court.

"Your Majesty's achievements are enough to merit the title of Zen Emperor Taishan!"

Du Rangneng nodded. Who among the emperors of all dynasties in this world would not want to be enshrined in Mount Tai, shining through history and being sung throughout the ages.

"If Your Majesty goes, he will be the emperor. This is orthodoxy!"

Du Rangneng nodded, sighed and said: "There are a lot of strange rumors now, but we can't interfere with the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and Yushitai. These people have no control and are getting more and more rampant!"

Feng Chan's memorial was handed to Li Ye's desk. Li Ye waved his pen and said no.

His Majesty the Emperor is not interested in enshrining Zen in Mount Tai.

He currently has two major issues on his hands, one is navigation, and the other is the internal affairs of the Tang Dynasty.

The reform of Datang's internal affairs was quietly proceeding.

The original six ministries, including the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Punishment, all belonged to the Shangshu Province, and the Prime Minister could directly intervene in the government affairs of the six ministries.

Now His Majesty the Emperor has slipped out the Ministry of War and pulled out the Ministry of Personnel.

The prime ministers and assistants are now in charge of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Punishment.

The Ministry of Household Affairs was further subdivided into the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Industry was subdivided into the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Water Resources, a new Ministry of Commerce was established, and the Ministry of Defense was established to manage the urban defense troops in each state.

As for the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, they were under the direct control of the emperor. Li Ye also changed the Hanlin Academy into the Secretary's Supervisory Office, which contained four departments: the Propaganda Department, the Archives Department, the Science and Education Department, and the Legal Affairs Department.

The secretaries and supervisors uniformly serve the emperor, and their official ranks are not high. The secretaries and supervisors have left and right junior supervisors, who are the fifth rank.

The Ministry of War was split into the Military Department and the Logistics Department.

The Ministry of Military Affairs is in charge of reserves, recruitment, retirement, training, and assessment of generals and colleges, etc.

The Logistics Department is in charge of grain and grass supplies, armaments replenishment, war grain and grass transshipment, etc.

In this way, the emperor had all personnel and military power in his hands.

(End of this chapter)