Daming Super Dimension Company, President Zhu Yuanzhang!

Chapter 51 The prosperous Kaiyuan era that Li Shimin longs for!
"Li Longji just doesn't care?" Li Shimin couldn't understand why he allowed Li Linfu to target Li Heng like this.

It was impossible for Li Shimin to tolerate the bullying of his son by civil and military officials.

Li Tai said that all civil and military officials were not polite when they met him, and felt that this was disrespectful to him.

Li Shimin called all the civil and military officials to question him, but no one except Wei Zheng dared to say anything. Only Wei Zheng held his neck and argued with Li Shimin.

"Why does Li Longji care? This is the result that Li Longji wants to see most. Li Longji is very wary of his son. He can trust Li Linfu and other civil and military officials, but he does not trust his own son."

Li Shimin was also speechless. He didn't expect that Li Longji was guarding his son as much as he was guarding against thieves.

"This is what Li Longji wants, to let Li Linfu and Li Heng check and balance each other, so that he can eat, drink and enjoy himself with peace of mind. If Li Linfu and Li Heng had a good relationship, they would have been dismissed by Li Longji long ago."

"How about this Li Linfu?" Li Shimin already had murderous intentions towards Li Linfu.

"To be able to become prime minister and handle government affairs for Li Longji, he must have the ability. When he was there, the Tang Dynasty was still running normally. Li Linfu was already dead during the Anshi Rebellion."

"How is your character?"

Xiao Ran shook his head, "Li Linfu is the prime minister. He must find ways to get rid of officials who are superior to him in talent and merit and are favored by Li Longji and threaten his position. He is especially jealous of those who advance to official positions with literary talents. He is kind on the surface and speaks pleasantly. But he secretly conspired to frame him. People all over the world call Li Linfu the flesh-waist knife, and think that he has 'honey in his mouth and a sword in his belly'."

"At that time, people secretly called Li Linfu Suo Dou Chong, and he had a bad reputation."

"Li Linfu was prime minister for nineteen years and was the longest-serving prime minister during the Li Longji period. However, in the later period, he held power alone, blocked his own opinions, and excluded talented people, which caused chaos in the court. He also suggested re-employing General Hu, which made An Lushan's power Si Da is considered one of the key figures who turned the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline."

"Li Longji deserves to die! This Li Linfu is not a good person either!" Li Shimin was ready to get rid of these people.

"After all, An Lushan is also a member of Li Linfu. An Lushan is arrogant and disdainful of the ministers in the court. He only obeys Li Linfu."

"An Lushan, this rebellious minister and traitor, deserves to die even more!" Li Shimin gritted his teeth in hatred when talking about An Lushan.

"An Lushan and Shi Siming were just the trigger for the Tang Dynasty to turn from prosperity to decline. During the Tianbao period, the contradictions in the Tang Dynasty were already very acute. Without An Lushan, there would have been others. There is no way to avoid this."

"Aren't the Kaiyuan years and the Tianbao years a prosperous time? What's the contradiction?"

"Apart from Li Longji's greed for enjoyment at that time, neglecting government affairs, and reemploying people like Li Linfu, there are still three major contradictions." Xiao Ran held out three fingers.

"Let's hear it." Li Shimin definitely took Li Heng's order not just for Li Heng.

In order to solve the problems during the Tianbao period, the prerequisite for solving the problem is to understand the problem.

Li Shimin could investigate slowly, but with Xiao Ran here, there was no need to do so. Just ask Xiao Ran directly.

"Although during Li Longji's Kaiyuan period, the social economy reached unprecedented prosperity and a prosperous era emerged, at the same time, due to the development of the feudal economy, land annexation also accelerated, causing many people to migrate and go into exile."

"It's a financial problem, isn't it?"

Xiao Ran nodded, "Yes, the land equalization system was destroyed, and farmers who had equal land lost their land and became refugees. In addition, the highest ruling group became increasingly corrupt."

"Since the end of Kaiyuan, Li Longji has been living a sensual and sensual life all day long. Concubine Yang's family has become the world's most powerful and squanders arbitrarily. The five Yang brothers and sisters are sensual, lustful for power, and live a debauched life. Rule The decay of classes has increased the burden on the people and promoted social contradictions to continue to intensify."

"This Yang Yuhuan is really bringing disaster to the country and the people!" Li Shimin was very disgusted by this.

"There's nothing wrong with beauty, but Li Longji pampered her too much. Yang Yuhuan didn't do anything harmful to the world, nor did she interfere in government affairs. You can't blame Li Longji for his drunkenness and sex on Yang Yuhuan."

Queen Changsun nodded in agreement, "Xiaoran is right, in the final analysis it is Li Longji's fault."

Li Shimin did not refute Empress Changsun, "You continue."

"The intensification of contradictions within the ruling class was the direct cause of the Anshi Rebellion. In the later period of Li Longji, the treacherous prime minister Li Linfu, who had a sweet talk and a sword, controlled the government for nineteen years. During his tenure, he excluded dissidents, cultivated party members, and controlled the government. It’s outrageous.”

"Yang Guozhong, the brother of Concubine Yang who came to power after Li Linfu, is even more of a person who 'doesn't care about the success or failure of the world' and only cares about his own private interests and harms the country. He bribes the public, is jealous of the virtuous and capable, is arrogant and domineering, and is arrogant. The treacherous ministers in power have deepened the ruling class. Internal conflicts, especially the struggle for power between Yang Guozhong and An Lushan, became the fuse of the Anshi Rebellion."

"Yang Guozhong and An Lushan are at odds?" Li Shimin asked.

"Yang Guozhong came to power by stepping on Li Linfu. He just didn't like An Lushan. He kept telling Li Longji that An Lushan was going to rebel. Even to the point of framing An Lushan, An Lushan also had a headache."

"This is not the reason for his rebellion, he still has to die." Li Shimin could not bear to spare An Lushan.

"An Lushan was in an awkward situation after Li Linfu's death. If I were An Lushan, I would rebel too." Xiao Ran shrugged.

"What does this mean?" Li Shimin was puzzled, "Is there anything else that An Lushan can't say and hide?"

"An Lushan offended Li Heng to death in order to please Li Linfu and Li Longji. Li Longji was a lot older, Li Linfu was dead, and Yang Guozhong disliked An Lushan all day long. The first thing Li Heng did when he came to power was to clean things up. Anlushan. There were ten vassal towns in the Tang Dynasty, and Anlushan was also the governor of three vassal towns."

Xiao Ran added that Li Shimin did not understand how terrifying the Jiedushi of the vassal town during the Tianbao period was. "When it was first established, it was the branch envoy responsible for managing and dispatching military supplies. It also served as the camp envoy for managing the farmland. It was in charge of military affairs and defense against foreign enemies. During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, , and also serves as the envoy to supervise the prefectures and counties where he is located, integrating military, civilian, and financial affairs into one, and has reached the point of monopolizing power."

Li Shimin was shocked, "It would be strange if this power didn't rebel!"

Li Shimin also didn't expect Jiedushi to have such terrifying power.

Said to be a military envoy, he was actually almost the same as a vassal king of the Han Dynasty.

In the area of ​​responsibility, it is the Tu Emperor, who is above everyone and has no one to supervise.

"In Li Longji's period, the border towns had 490,000 troops in ten quarters, while the central forbidden army only had 120,000 troops. This is a typical example of emphasizing external importance and neglecting internal affairs. The central army has not fought for decades, its armaments are depleted, and military discipline is loose. All the troops in border towns are Elite, always opening up new territories and expanding territory.”

"So when An Lushan rebelled, his army was unstoppable and conquered Luoyang and Chang'an."

Li Shimin took a long breath, feeling very angry.

"This Li Longji, this idiot! Can't he see such a huge hidden danger?" Li Shimin became angrier as he thought about it.

"After the prosperous Kaiyuan Dynasty, Li Longji felt that he had made great achievements and was a little carried away. He couldn't listen to it. Even An Lushan rebelled, but Li Longji still didn't believe it."

Li Shimin rubbed his eyebrows, "This bastard, this bastard"

"There has always been a rift between Ge Shuhan, the military envoy from the northwest, and An Lushan, the military governor from the northeast. Internal and external conflicts have intensified the conflicts between the monarch and his ministers, and between civil servants and military generals within the ruling class in the later period of Li Longji. .”

"The military strength of the northwest is comparable to that of the northeast. They are also the elite of the Tang Dynasty. This brother Shuhan is also a famous general of the generation."

"In such an environment, it is reasonable for the Tang Dynasty to turn from prosperity to decline." Li Shimin felt uncomfortable, as his Tang Dynasty fell from the altar.

"From the beginning of Qin Shihuang to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the most clear period of politics was His Majesty's rule of Zhenguan, where the emperor was wise and the ministers were upright, civilized and martial arts, harmonious, cordial and tolerant. This was the political blueprint pursued by later emperors, Zhenguan This situation has never happened a second time." "Hahaha!" Li Shimin felt happy when he heard Xiao Ran say this.

The rule of Zhenguan was unique, and Li Shimin was quite proud, "What a wise king, a wise minister, and an upright minister."

Queen Changsun was Li Shimin's best friend.

Empress Changsun used her influence on her husband to protect the virtuous people in the court and correct her husband's mistakes.

On the one hand, he admired the loyal ministers who "protected" Wei Zheng who dared to speak out, and on the other hand, he constantly reminded Li Shimin to implement benevolent government.

With her unique female power, she played a unique role in the patriarchal feudal society. She assisted her husband and created a favorable political situation in the early Tang Dynasty.

Queen Changsun has an excellent reputation among the queens, and she is tied for first place with Queen Ma.

"As soon as I can see Zhenguan, I have been looking forward to what it will look like in the prosperous Kaiyuan era."

Putting aside his hatred for Li Longji, Li Shimin still wanted to see the prosperous Kaiyuan era.

Xiao Ran thought for a while and said: "Wang Wei, the poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote, 'Nine heavens open and close the palace, and all nations worship their crowns.' This is a portrayal of the prosperous Kaiyuan era."

Queen Changsun's eyes suddenly lit up. As a person who has read many poetry books, she naturally knows the quality of this poem.

"What a poem!"

"Nine heavens have closed the palace, and all the nations are wearing robes and hats." Li Shimin murmured to himself, "What a rare masterpiece!"

Poetry emphasizes that the words are exhausted but the meaning is endless. From this poem, Li Shimin and Empress Changsun seemed to have seen the prosperous age of Kaiyuan.

"Du Fu, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, also said, 'Recalling the heyday of the Kaiyuan Dynasty in the past, there are still thousands of families in the small town.'"

"It's really exciting!" Li Shimin sighed immediately, "It's a pity that it's too short."

"There have been several prosperous times in feudal history, but the Kaiyuan prosperity of the Tang Dynasty should be the first. Your Majesty, this is enough." Xiao Ran said.

"Indeed, Xiao Ranqian continued."

"Another problem is that there is no upward channel."

Li Shimin frowned, "What does this mean?"

"Since the Zhenguan Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, it has been popular for generals to become prime ministers, and this tradition has continued. It is a normal process for military envoys with military merits to enter the court to worship the prime minister."

"But the appearance of Li Linfu, in order to consolidate his power and prevent border generals from becoming prime ministers, praised the Hu people as loyal, courageous, honest, and simple. He suggested that Li Longji use Hu people as military envoys to guard the border, and he also allowed them to support their own troops. "

"This gave An Lushan and the Three Great Military Towns the ability to control a force of 183,900 men and have the strength and ambition to rebel against the Tang Dynasty."

"Recruiting generals and becoming prime ministers can indeed solve many problems and give outstanding military generals a good home." Li Shimin nodded.

"In addition, there is a very serious problem. Students from poor families have no way out."

Li Shimin shook his head, "This is impossible. Our imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty allows students from poor families to have the opportunity to become officials in the court."

"The imperial examination is controlled by aristocratic families, and it is impossible for students from poor families to pass the examination. The imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty focuses not on talent and ability, but on noble birth."

"That's unreasonable!"

"The poetry of the Tang Dynasty is unique. The frontier fortress poetry of the Tang Dynasty is very famous. There are also many frontier fortress poets with many popular poems. These poets not only like the frontier fortress, they also want to realize their political ambitions in Chang'an, but they cannot pass the imperial examination. , just went to the frontier, hoping to be promoted through military merit. Your Majesty also proved from the side that the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty was not perfect."

"That's true!" Li Shimin became melancholy, "The influence of the family members is too great, and I am powerless now!"

This cancer has existed in the family for hundreds of years, and it is indeed difficult to eradicate it.

"Many of Jiedushi's staff were all students who failed to pass the imperial examination. There were also many of Anlushan's staff. It is true that Anlushan was the culprit, but the Tang Dynasty at that time made many people unable to see a way out."

"So, a rebellion brought down the prosperous Tang Dynasty." Li Shimin looked at Xiao Ran, "The imperial examination system should be getting better and better!"

"The imperial examination system became different after the Tang Dynasty. The imperial examination system in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was already very complete."

"If you have the opportunity, tell me that the imperial examination system is really a good way to weaken the influence of aristocratic families."

"no problem."

People from aristocratic families naturally understood this truth, so they controlled the imperial examination so that people from poor families could not enter the court through the imperial examination.

"Let's not talk about anything else. Let's go see Li Heng!" Li Shimin stood up and said.

"How long will it take to come back?" Queen Changsun asked.

"It shouldn't take long. I have asked Cheng Qian to supervise the country. If I have anything to do, I can ask you, Queen." Li Shimin has almost made arrangements.

"That's good."

Xuanzong Dynasty

Tianbao five years
Because he had no credit for Li Heng's establishment of the crown prince, Li Linfu was worried that there would be disaster in the future, so he had the idea of ​​launching a prison to shake up the East Palace.

He targeted Wei Jian, Li Heng's brother-in-law, and introduced Wei Jian to an important position, but ordered the censor Yang Shenjin to secretly observe his mistakes.

Longyou Jiedu envoy Huangfu Weiming entered the court to show victory. Seeing Li Linfu's monopoly, he suggested that Li Longji remove him from the position, which aroused Li Linfu's jealousy.

Li Heng went out to play in the palace and met Wei Jian by chance, while Wei Jian met Huangfu Weiming secretly.

Yang Shenjin reported to Xuanzong that Wei Jian was a relative and should not associate with the generals.

Li Linfu took the opportunity to make a false accusation, saying that Wei Jian colluded with Huangfu Weiming and wanted to make the prince emperor.

Li Longji was furious, demoted Wei Jian and Huangfu Weiming, and ordered Li Hengxiu to abandon the Crown Princess Wei.

Prime Minister Li Shizhi was worried and resigned, and was dismissed as Crown Prince Shaobao.

(End of this chapter)