Ji Tang

Chapter 1028 Layout of the Western Regions
Everyone was filled with indignation and were really disgusted.

It doesn't matter if he occupies the transportation hub. It doesn't matter if he makes more money. Datang just knows it and just curses him. Who allows others to occupy such a unique place?

But you eat from the bowl and look at the pot.Now the cook in Datang just accidentally said that we want to make more money, but before we take action, you are about to take action. How can there be such a cheap thing in this world?
"Your Majesty, you must teach them a lesson no matter what. Otherwise, do you really think that the Tang Dynasty has lost its temper? Since they don't want us to get through to the Western world, then let's give them a try. If you have the ability to fight, I, the Tang Dynasty, are afraid of it. Who’s coming?”

"It just so happens that the lieutenants in the army are so idle right now. I want to see how thick-skinned they are. Can the Tang Dynasty's horizontal sword cut through them?"

Li Ji now only trains troops every day. Without a goal, he can't cheer up in the army.In the Tang Dynasty, only military merit could lead to nobility. This was an iron rule.But where are there so many wars to fight now? If this continues, Datang's military strength will decline. This is not good!
"Yes, Your Majesty, Dashi is simply bullying others. Such a shameless country dares to take the lead in attacking the Tang Dynasty? This is so shameless. I invite you to fight!"

Niu Jinda, Cheng Yaojin, Zhang Liang and others all asked for a fight!
"What do you think, Medicine Master? Why don't you say a word? Or maybe you don't agree with what other beloved ladies said?"

Everyone else asked for a fight, but Li Jing said nothing, which made Li Shimin extremely unhappy.

But when Li Jing heard the words, he said calmly: "Your Majesty is overly worried. I just want to think about where to attack better. It is useless for us to go to sea. The Western Region is too far and it is difficult to supply food and grass. A small number of elites is fine, but a large army Going there is not worth the gain, so I thought about whether we could start from other aspects."

Everyone was stunned when they heard it. Well, we are still on the first floor. Good thing you have already gone to the third floor.

"Does the pharmacist have any ideas? As far as I know, the Anxi Protectorate in the Western Regions and the Beiting Protectorate are close to Dashi, but they are also separated by several countries. Although the sea is simple, there are thousands of miles. Far away. And the maritime power of the Tang Dynasty is not necessarily higher than that of Dashi."

"Does the pharmacist have other ideas?"

Everyone looked at Li Jing after hearing this. Li Jing was now gray-haired and had difficulty walking, but no one dared to look down upon him.

"Your Majesty, don't you think the Western Turks have been staying in Moxi for too long?" Li Jing said quietly.

Western Turks?
Li Shimin was stunned. If Li Jing hadn't mentioned it, he would have forgotten it.After the Eastern Turks were destroyed, the Western Turks still wanted to make a comeback, but in the end, for some unknown reason, they had internal problems.

In addition, Hou Junji pursued and fought fiercely, completely disintegrating his power in the Western Regions.Now only the Tang Dynasty can fight against them, how can they dare to challenge the power of the Tang Dynasty?

In the 20th year of Zhenguan, Khan Yibi Shekui came to Chang'an to pay tribute and asked for a marriage. Although he was not agreed, it also showed his intention to surrender.In order to win over and divide the Western Turks, the imperial court even ennobled the fifth grandson of Shi Dianmi Khan, and then appointed Ashina Helu, the son of Shekui Teqin Jieyue, as the Western Turk Khan. This indeed made the Western Turks who were not united in the first place To add insult to injury.

In order to protect his dominant position in the Western Turks, Yibishegui Khan was very close to Ashina Helu on the surface, but secretly he kept expelling him, and thousands of his people were forced to turn to the Tang Dynasty. .

However, Ashina Helu's status is relatively transcendent in Western Turks, and he is also the most orthodox candidate for Khan of Western Turks.Although he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, he kept in contact with other Western Turks, which shows that he was not a peaceful master.

The Chief Protector of Anxi Protectorate reported to the court many times to be wary of this person.

"What the pharmacist means"

Li Shimin didn't understand what Li Jing meant for a while and said hesitantly.

"Your Majesty, although the Western Turks were defeated and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty at this time, both Yibi Shekui Khan and Ashina Helu are ambitious people. I believe that they must either eradicate their roots or force them to advance westward."

"I am more optimistic about the latter!"

Everyone suddenly realized it, but their eyes flickering towards Li Jing, this old guy is so sinister.Drive away the wolf and devour the tiger. It’s better to drive away the wolf and devour the tiger.

Li Shimin also thought of the beauty of it, and his eyes kept flashing.Once the Western Turks advance westward, they will inevitably conflict with the countries along the way. If the Tang Dynasty plays the role of a hunter again, will it be able to compete with the Great Food?

Don't you think your life is too comfortable?Okay, Datang has now found an opponent for you and delivered it to your door. If you want to play, have fun!
"We will discuss this matter later!"

Li Shimin decisively interrupted everyone's discussion. This matter must be kept secret. Once the Western Turks learn about it, they will definitely not settle down.After they have made a plan, it will not be too late to show off their cards!

"Order Guo Xiaoke, the Protector-General of the Beiting Protectorate, to be the Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate. He will be given the title of Crown Prince and Grand Master to recruit 5000 troops locally. He will then guide the landless young people in Guanzhong to Anxi, Beiting and other places. I am also willing to be registered in the local household and be rewarded with 150 acres of Yongye land and five slaves. I order the Beiting Changshifu and Anxi Changshifu to cooperate in allocating the land and resettling it without any mistakes!"

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

As prime minister, Fang Xuanling has unshirkable responsibility for this matter.He knew what the emperor meant after a moment's thought.It is nothing more than enriching the population of the Western Regions and making plans for the future.

As for conscription of 5000 soldiers, that is even simpler.In the past few years, there were as many as 8 landless young people from Guanzhong to the Western Regions. Many of them were resettled in Beiting and Anxi.There is only one place where so many people can be accommodated.

After all, the Western Region is not just sand and Gobi. The water and grass in some places are extremely rich, even as good as those in the south of the Yangtze River. The land is also relatively fertile, which is very suitable for farming and housing people.

Just last year, statistics from Beiting and Anxi Changshi Mansion revealed that there were more than 3000 Han households in Anxi at this time, and even more in Beiting, with a total of [-] households.

They were basically young Han people who moved from Guanzhong to the Western Regions. After they got married locally, their local rule was greatly strengthened.

According to reports from the governors' offices of the two places, more than [-] Han children were born in just a few years. On average, each young Han gave birth to at least three children in two to three years.

The birth of so many children has a lot to do with the allocation of foreign women to marry young Han men. Think about it, there are at least two foreign women per person, and some with great ability may even have more than a dozen.It is foreseeable that the Han population in the Western Regions will grow rapidly in the future.

The laws of the Tang Dynasty have long been settled. If the father of a child is Han Chinese, then no matter how many children you give birth to, they must be Han Chinese when registering their household registration. Anyone who dares to interfere with this aspect will definitely be impatient.

"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate to recruit troops directly in Anxi and Beiting. Although the Han people in the two places are now mainly young and strong in Guanzhong, after all, they have not stayed for a long time, and there are only slaves, women and children in the family. Once the recruitment begins, 5000 people, that is, [-] families have lost their backbone. How can the women and children survive in this way? You must know that they are all women of foreign races, plus foreign slaves. Once there is a change, a slight mistake will be a huge disaster, sir. I beg your Majesty to take back your order."

Du Ruhui stepped forward and said.

"If there are not enough soldiers in the Western Regions, they can be mobilized from the Monan Protectorate, Mobei Protectorate, and other places close to the Western Regions. It is better for the Han people in the Western Regions to stay put for the time being. Their existence itself is of great significance to the Western Regions. Once they leave for a long time, , I’m afraid something might happen!”

Li Shimin was stunned, but he didn't consider this.He was also considering matters in the Western Regions according to the consistent thinking of the Central Plains.In his opinion, since there are already so many Han people in the Western Regions, conscription of more than 1 soldiers should be nothing.But after hearing what Du Ruhui said, he woke up in vain.It is true that the Western Regions are now in a critical period of development. The Han household registration is mainly young and strong in Guanzhong. Apart from himself, there are no father, son or brothers in the family.Once he joins the army, only women and children will be left at home.

In addition, if the foreign slaves who were assigned to them did not return home for a long time, something would happen.

Thinking of this, he hurriedly said: "What Du Aiqing said is absolutely true, but I didn't think it through properly. Just as Aiqing said, 5000 people will be recruited from the Mobei and Monan Protectorate to go to the Western Regions. The remaining candidates can be recruited from Hebei and Guan Recruitment from mid-level areas. In addition, the Sixteenth Guards have been resting for a few years. It is not enough to stay in Chang'an all day as the elite of the imperial court. We can select 5000 people from the Sixteenth Guards to go to the Western Regions."

Seeing the emperor's actions, everyone was very happy and said quickly: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Let's leave it like this beforehand in the Western Regions. According to Wu Yingge's deduction, it is unlikely that Dashi will march from the Western Regions, because they are only a few countries away from the Tang Dynasty. Even if they want to confront each other, it will not be now. But after all, we have to guard against it. , if the opponent jumps over the wall in a hurry, Datang should also be prepared, right?"

"Now let's talk about other things!"

"Thank you, Aiqing!"

Xie Lian, who had been acting like a transparent person just now, suddenly heard the emperor calling him, and said quickly: "I am here!"

Li Shimin nodded and said with a smile: "Did you hear what happened just now? Whether it's recruiting merchant ships from aristocratic families and private merchants, or recruiting soldiers from the Western Regions, these are big money spenders. How about it? Is there any difficulty in the Ministry of Household Affairs?"

Xie Lian also laughed when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, although the tax revenue of the two ports has declined to a certain extent this year due to the South China Sea incident, the tax revenue of other places has increased. Not to mention other things, it is said that the tax revenue of Shuzhong in the second half of this year is more than double that of last year. In addition, The Xuanzhou officialdom has lost all its income, and now the Ministry of Revenue has saved 300 million gu, more than 200 million shi of various grains, and [-] million shi of fodder. And there will be a batch of income before the end of the year, so the Ministry of Revenue can afford it!"

wow~
As soon as Xie Lian finished speaking, everyone stared at the indifferent Xie Lian. They never thought that the Ministry of Revenue would be so rich now?More than 2000 million yuan of money?800 million shi of food?There is still one at the end of the year?
Damn it, when did Datang become so rich?
"Xie Shangshu, you don't dare to talk nonsense here. This is a major matter for the imperial court, and you can't make any jokes? You can think about it clearly before speaking."

Fang Xuanling kindly reminded him.I think Xie Lian is exaggerating!

Xie Lian smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Fang, no matter how courageous Xie Lian is, he won't dare to joke about this matter. If you don't believe it, go to the Ministry of Household Affairs to check. If it's missing, I'll let you do whatever you want!"

"All right!"

Li Shimin waved his sleeves and said energetically: "Xuan Ling doesn't have to doubt it, it's all true."

After speaking, he looked at Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, and said: "Gong Yun, please tell everyone about the official collusion case in Xuanzhou, so that everyone can hear how much they have been corrupted."

Li Shimin looked a little uncertain and looked extremely dangerous.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Liang stepped forward and said: "The Xuanzhou incident was jointly investigated by the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and Yushitai. The final results are as follows."

"All officials below Tiecheng County magistrate in Xuanzhou and below Tieguan colluded up and down. In addition, officials from the three surrounding counties of Tiecheng were involved, and three people below Xuanzhou governor were involved. According to the confession, they colluded up and down, officials protected each other, and took advantage of their powers. They wantonly seek personal gain. Not only do they resell iron ingots privately, but they also unite with local powerful men to inhumanely exploit miners in order to obtain high amounts of money."

"The supplies for this expedition were also a helpless choice for them to make ends meet, because they simply did not have the iron ingots to build these supplies. In order to prevent the court from convicting them, they finally did such a stupid thing."

"After investigation, it was found that a total of 32 officials from Xuanzhou, big and small, as well as the general supervisor in the capital and above were involved, and 130 other people were involved. After being interrogated by the Third Division, I was detained, and everyone confessed!"

"In the end, more than 380 million taels of embezzled and bribed money, [-] hectares of farmland, and more than [-] shops and properties were confiscated."

After Zhang Liang finished speaking, the anger on his face was even more undisguised.

"Shuo Shu, Shuo Shu!"

Xie Lian stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, please deal with these people strictly. They are court officials and do not want to contribute to the country. They dare to take advantage of their power and embezzle such huge wealth. If they are not severely punished, how can they deter others?"

"Yes, I also ask your Majesty to severely punish these rats. Not killing them is not enough to deter them!"

"My minister agrees!"

"The minister agrees!"

On this matter, all the opinions are surprisingly unified. It is really like a rat spoiling the pot and making it very hot.Under the rule of Emperor Shengming, the Tang Dynasty has entered a prosperous age, and the crime rate has been decreasing year by year, making them think that the clearest era in history is coming.

But now, as soon as the Xuanzhou officialdom case comes out, it would be nice to be clear and not be scolded by future generations.Not only will the Xuanzhou officials be in disgrace this time, they will also be implicated. Who has sympathy for them under such circumstances?They all want to kill him quickly!
"Did Yuchi Baolin participate?"

Li Shimin looked at Yu Chigong's anxious look and sighed.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang also looked at Yuchi Gong and said: "The current evidence does not prove that Yuchi Baolin was involved in this matter. Not only did he declare the governor and others, there is no evidence that he was involved in this matter. It can be confirmed that the governor's office was not involved! "

Call ~
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Yuchi Gong almost fell to the ground.The devil knows how he got here during this period. His son was accused of embezzlement and bribery, and used substandard equipment for the expedition.Now he feels like someone is poking his spine whenever he leaves the house.Under this condition, he seemed to be much older.

"but"

Zhang Liang sighed and continued: "But Yuchi Baolin, as the governor of Xuanzhou, is suspected of ineffective supervision. Therefore, after a joint trial by the three departments, he was found guilty of failure to supervise!"

After hearing this, everyone shook their heads with regret, which meant that it would be difficult for Yuchi Baolin to be a high-ranking official in the future.With such a criminal record, who would dare to use it?Aren't you afraid that such an ugly case will happen again?
But this was Zhang Liang's way of dealing with it, and His Majesty's acquiescence, otherwise how could this be fooled by someone without noticing?If it had been anyone else, he would at least have been exiled to the frontier!
(End of this chapter)