Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 477: North and South Coexist
Chen Zhan sighed and said, "I'm just an old man, how can I understand whether these things should be done?"

He looked at the many ministers present and said, "Your Majesty, please discuss this with the court officials."

Then he closed his eyes again.

At this time, only two people could sit in the hall. One of them was the Emperor Li Shimin who sat on the throne, and the other was the head of the Chen family.

When the head of the Chen family sat here, his attitude had actually been made clear, and he didn't even need to say the previous words.

what does this mean?
Some smart people instantly realized the problems and gaps.

The head of the Chen family does not need to express his attitude so clearly, so who needs to express his attitude so clearly?
Who is the Chen family's head showing this to?
Who else needs the head of the Chen family to act like this?

Yu Wenzhi, who was standing below, lowered his head and said nothing. Although he had no political wisdom, he always felt that many ministers in the court were really inferior to himself.

This is actually true.

When someone who doesn't need to make such a statement makes such a clear statement, doesn't that just show that it is a warning to certain people?

He looked at some of the confused ministers with a little pity, sighed deeply in his heart, and then raised his head to look at the man who was about to become the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Silently, Li Shimin and Yu Wenzhi looked at each other, and Yu Wenzhi quickly lowered his head.

He nudged Pei Ju with his arm and whispered, "Luckily you were there that day."

If he really confronted such a dragon-phoenix-like being, a being of heaven and earth, what would be his final fate?
The fifth year of Changde.

The emperor of Southern Tang, known in history books as the "Pseudo-Tang," issued an edict and ordered envoys to go to the capital Luoyang, hoping that Li Shimin, who had conquered Luoyang, would surrender - but was rebuked by Li Shimin.

Even Chen's people stood up at this time to support Li Shimin and express their dissatisfaction.

The world did not unite as they had previously imagined, but instead a situation of coexistence of the North and the South was formed again.

Amidst the numerous anti-rebel manifestos and Li Shimin's attitude, some of the officials of the Southern Tang finally understood one thing - you were just pretending before? I really thought you had a good relationship with Li Shimin and that the world would be unified soon. I really thought you were a family.

Isn't it the same?
But at this time, this tattered Southern Tang ship was already carrying quite a few people, and they could not get off the ship which might be completely destroyed at any time. At least the part of the tribesmen who had already defected to the Southern Tang could not get off this broken ship.

Not only were they unable to get off, they also had to do their best to patch up the broken ship. Otherwise, the ship that they could not get off would have completely crashed, and they would have had no choice but to crash together with it.

The Northern Tang - which was called the "Northern Tang" by Li Shimin in order to distinguish it from the Southern Tang during a certain period of time - was officially established at the end of the fifth year of Changde.

The founding emperor of Northern Tang was the second son of the founding emperor of Southern Tang, and the name "Tang" was vying for use by these two people.

It is for this reason that people use Southern Tang and Northern Tang as titles to distinguish the two.

When it comes to the country name "Tang", some people in later generations have debated about who is the orthodox Tang Dynasty - and not just in later generations, there were also many people in the contemporary world who discussed this issue.

Some people believe that Li Yuan was the real "Duke of Tang" and that there was nothing wrong with him using "Tang" as the name of the country. But Li Shimin was different. After all, Li Shimin was Li Yuan's son. If he inherited Li Yuan's title of Duke, then it would not be impossible to use Tang as the name of the country.

But isn’t he the one who has inherited the title of Duke of Tang now?

Another group of people believe that the origin of a country's name is very particular, either based on a fiefdom, the place where an army was raised, or the title of a noble. However, neither "Liao", "You", or "Tian Ce" are suitable as the country's name.

In this case, if we trace back to the origin, Li Shimin can use the country name "Tang".

People from both factions were arguing endlessly, but Li Shimin, who was trapped in the center of this matter, did not feel troubled or guilty. He was just waiting - waiting for the quarrel in the court to end and then give him an answer.

With Chen Zhan and the Chen family in charge, this quarrel was nothing more than a joke and relaxation.

That's exactly what happened.

At the end of the fifth year of Changde, a group of people finally reached an agreement, and the country's name remained Tang.

This was Li Shimin's victory.

On the first day of the first month of the following year, Li Shimin, despite the pleas of many court officials, proclaimed himself emperor, offered sacrifices to God, and solemnly brought out Yu Wenzhi, and repeatedly stated that he was the legitimate heir.

After the sacrificial ceremony, the Tang Emperor Li Shimin announced the change of the reign title to "Chengtong".

This reign title was very common, but the ministers always felt that it was a bit strange, as if it was mocking someone.

When the explanation about this reign title came out from the palace, the ministers understood more clearly that it was a mockery of the pseudo-Tang emperor in the south.

What does "inheritance" mean?
Inherits the orthodox meaning.

If someone inherits the orthodoxy, then there must be someone who does not inherit the orthodoxy.

Let us guess, who is the person who did not inherit the orthodoxy?

There was almost no need to think too much, as everyone could guess with their heels who the person who did not inherit the orthodox tradition was, and they also understood who the emperor was mocking.

but.
As Li Shimin ascended the throne, his majesty grew, and few of his subjects dared to say anything. After ascending the throne, Li Shimin gradually revealed the domineering aura of "the greatest emperor of all time."

He is gradually becoming a qualified superior.

March, the first year of Chengtong.

Three months after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, when many things in the country were gradually becoming stable, but not so stable, Li Shimin brought up a topic that had been mentioned before but shelved.

Move the capital.

This time, no one objected.

This time, it was not a discussion, but a simple notification.

What can the court officials do?

It has always been like this: when the emperor becomes tougher, his ministers become softer; when the emperor becomes softer, his ministers become more aggressive.

The development of imperial power and court officials' power was like this, changing slowly in the tug of war.

Either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind overpowers the east wind.

There is no doubt that the emperor succeeded this time.

The first year of Chengtong, autumn.

The emperor ordered the construction of Chang'an City, or it would be better to describe it as "expansion". The emperor wanted to build a magnificent city that could rival Guandu - the emperor even wanted to build a city that was more magnificent than Guandu City.

The development of Luoyang City is good.

But in a certain fixed area, the upper limit of a city's development is fixed.

For example, when sharing a piece of bread, if one person eats more, then the other person will definitely eat less.

Similarly, if one city develops rapidly and becomes large, the development of another city will definitely be restricted.

For example, Luoyang City and Guandu City. Where is Guandu? Where is Luoyang?

Luoyang and Guandu City are only 300 miles apart and belong to the same Henan Province, the same province, and the same jurisdiction. Even if Luoyang City is the capital, how can it compare with the majestic Guandu which has been built for nearly a thousand years?

But the emperor was very unwilling to let Kyoto always be suppressed by Guandu.

Especially an emperor like Li Shimin.

Therefore, Li Shimin had to move the capital.

Once the relocation of the capital became a foregone conclusion, the location of the relocation could basically be determined.

First, the capital cannot be too close to Guandu - secondly, the capital cannot be too far from the Central Plains.

This is an extremely complicated matter.

After all, Guandu City is almost the center of the entire Chinese land. If you want to choose a place that is not too far and not too close,
Moreover, the south is not under Li Shimin's control at present. Even if it is under his control, he will not choose a city in the south - there are not many places to choose from in the south, either Nanjing Prefecture or Linjing City.

The former is near the sea and has developed transportation and economy, and the latter was once the capital of Dayu.

However, Nanjing City's proximity to the sea is also its weakness. According to Chen's sea map, there is more than one Chinese Kyushu in the world. If Kyoto is established here, what should be done about the enemies coming from the sea in the future?

It should be noted that explosives have already appeared at this time!

His power shocked everyone.

And what about Linjing City?
Linjing City is too far away from the Central Plains and cannot be controlled at all. After the founding of the Kingdom of Dayu, the capital was quickly moved.

After much deliberation, Li Shimin finally chose the place he first proposed.

Changan.

Linjing City

Li Yuan of Southern Tang temporarily set the capital in this place. In fact, he had no choice. After all, he had heard that Li Shimin was going to build a navy, so choosing a place close to the inland was the best.

Although the power of gunpowder on land is also very strong, it is much smaller than at sea.

Tai Chi Hall

Li Yuan's expression was gloomy and indifferent: "This rebellious son actually dared to do this! He truly has no father or king!"

Li Jiancheng, who had become the crown prince of Southern Tang, gave a very gentle exhortation, showing his "kindness" and magnanimity. He quietly flattered Li Shimin in the court and in front of many ministers.

"Father, Erlang's power is huge at this time. Perhaps someone under his command instigated him to do such an unfilial act."

“Maybe because.”

Li Jiancheng sighed, his voice filled with helpless calmness: "Perhaps it's because of the child. Erlang has always been arrogant. If he is made the King of Qin and his son is made the Crown Prince, he will definitely not accept it."

"I, your son, ask that you depose the crown prince and make Erlang the crown prince."

He raised his head, his eyes full of determination.

"It's just the position of Crown Prince. If I can persuade Erlang not to start a war again and make the world peaceful and unified, then I am willing to give up the position of Crown Prince!"

Li Jiancheng kowtowed: "Please grant me your blessing, father!"

"For the sake of the great cause of the world!"

The many ministers around looked at each other and said nothing. They couldn't tell whether this was the prince's true words from the bottom of his heart or something else, so the best thing they could do was to stay out of it.

But "Wang De" took a step forward, with an angry look on his face: "Your Majesty! The crown prince of a country is of utmost importance and the foundation of the country. How can he be replaced at will because of some people's evil tricks?"

"Li Shimin did such an unfilial act against his father and his king, and yet he wanted His Royal Highness to finish it. How unfair is this to His Royal Highness?"

"I beg your Majesty to think twice!"

When Wang De stood up and spoke, the ministers also saw the essence of the matter clearly.

Who is Wang De?

He is the Shaofu, one of the Thirty-Six Ministers, but this identity is not the most important one. His most important identity is the father-in-law of the crown prince!
When he stood up and spoke, and performed this double act with the crown prince, everyone could understand that the crown prince did not resign voluntarily, but instead wanted to use this as an "excuse" to set up His Majesty - after that, even if the emperor really wanted to depose the crown prince, it would be difficult to carry out.

This is Li Jiancheng's purpose.

Li Yuan obviously saw it, and for a moment a hint of ugliness and anger flashed in his eyes, but all these emotions disappeared in the next instant.

He sighed and said softly: "Jiancheng, why do you have to do this?"

"Erlang is stubborn and stubborn, how can he be responsible for such a big task?"

Li Yuan looked a little serious. "Besides, as Wang Shaofu said, the crown prince is the vice-king and the backbone of the country. How can he be replaced so easily? Erlang is resentful at this time, so he deposed you and gave him the position of crown prince. What about the future?"

"Don't do something that goes against etiquette."

Li Yuan closed his eyes and waved his hands, unwilling to look at the miserable court any longer: "Let's leave it at that for now, there's no need to say anything more."

In the second year of Chengtong, spring.

Rebirth.

北唐
Taiji Hall
Chen Ruohan traveled thousands of miles from Liangzhou to Luoyang City, covered in dust.

At that time, the city of Chang'an had not yet been completed, so it could not be easily relocated. Half of the funds used to build Chang'an City were from the inner treasury and half from the national treasury, and the method used was the same as that used to build the Grand Canal - hiring instead of labor.

Because of the presence of explosives, the construction speed of Chang'an City was still very impressive.

"His Majesty."

Chen Ruohan pressed his forehead and took a look at the letter in front of him. It was sent from Southern Tang, and most of the content was sour words about Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng.

Ever since Li Shimin killed Li Yuan's envoy last year, letters have been coming in one after another, most of which were admonishing Li Shimin.

"Why are you asking me to look at this?"

He looked disgusted.

In order to convince Li Shimin and achieve his wish of unifying the world without bloodshed, Li Yuan dared to say anything sour in the letter, which made Li Shimin feel a little sick.

"Are you really moved?"

(End of this chapter)