When the imperial power was provoked, the most angry person was of course Li Zhi, who was directly involved.
Different identities lead to different perspectives on problems.
In Li Zhi's eyes, the right and wrong of things are actually not that important. Even if the Jiangnan noble family takes the lead in this matter, to Li Zhi, they are still treasonous.
No matter what the reason is, it is not an excuse to challenge the imperial power.
If Li Zhi is the son of a true dragon, then the real reverse scale of the dragon is the imperial power, which no one can touch, including close relatives.
After listening to King Teng talk about his experiences in Jiangnan and Lingnan, Li Zhi's face turned livid, and murderous intent rose in his eyes.
The Holy King not only kills people, but also kills people.
"Your Majesty, I have personally traveled all over the south of the Yangtze River and Lingnan. The local clans are deeply entrenched, and the interests and relationships are deeply entangled. Now it is no longer a matter of growing sweet potatoes. The major families in the south of the Yangtze River rely on the power accumulated over hundreds of years. The local farmers have become They don’t hear about the imperial court in Chang’an, but only the names of prominent families.”
Li Zhi had a cold face. Hearing this, he turned to look at Li Qinzai and said, "Does Jingchu have any ideas?"
Li Qinzai pondered for a long time and whispered: "Your Majesty, I agree with His Highness Prince Teng. Now it is not as simple as whether to plant sweet potatoes or not."
"The power of the clan has been deeply rooted in the local area, and it has become a small local court. If things go on like this, the court will become increasingly unable to control the local area. In the end, it will only allow the local forces to become stronger, and gradually form a situation of separate vassal towns. At that point At that time, the Tang Dynasty would be really in danger."
Li Zhi's face became more and more ugly. He knew very well that Li Qinzai's words were not alarmist. The founding of the Tang Dynasty was basically based on the joint support of aristocratic families from all over the country, and it quickly overthrew the Sui Dynasty.
If the aristocratic families can unite to support the Li family in proclaiming themselves emperor, they can naturally unite to overthrow the Li family, just like they overthrew the Sui Dynasty.
As long as the power of the family is not eliminated, the imperial power of the Li family will always be a castle in the air and in danger of being overturned at any time.
However……
Li Zhi gritted his teeth and said: "If they were enemies, I would give an order and chop down the soldiers on the battlefield with one strike. But the family members... I treated them too lightly, and they didn't hurt them. I treated them too harshly, and I was afraid that the family members would join forces. Incite the people to cause civil unrest and eventually force them to rebel."
"It doesn't matter whether it's too light or too serious. How should I deal with it?"
Empress Wu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I think this matter should be done softly first and then hard, and politely before attack."
"How to say?"
"I think that your majesty should not be too tough on the Jiangnan noble families. It is better to issue an order to ask the Jiangnan noble families why they resisted the imperial decree, and let the noble families submit their petitions and explain the reasons."
"At the same time, Baiqisi should also be dispatched to secretly monitor and investigate the noble family to see if they have committed any treasonous act."
"In addition, Your Majesty should select an imperial envoy in advance in the court to set off to the south of the Yangtze River and Lingnan at any time to supervise the famous families and supervise the planting of sweet potatoes in the local area."
Empress Wu smiled at Li Zhi and said: "It doesn't matter whether you plant sweet potatoes or not. What matters is whether the local nobles will continue to disobey the imperial decree. If they still go their own way after the imperial envoy is sent, your Majesty, this is not a simple violation of the order." Complied."
"Until then, I ask Your Majesty to be decisive and act as a warning to others, so as to cut off the disobedience of local clans in a timely manner and not allow them to become powerful."
After Empress Wu finished speaking, the three people present nodded slowly.
Li Qinzai secretly admired her. She was worthy of being the only empress in thousands of years. Her thinking was clear, her city was profound, and she was very organized in her affairs. Even though she was a woman, she was definitely Lu Bu among women, and the red rabbit among horses. She had been a leader for thousands of years. There was such a one.
Li Zhi agreed with Empress Wu's suggestion, so he looked at Li Qinzai again.
"Does Jingchu have any ideas?"
Li Qinzai said hurriedly: "I second the Queen's advice."
Li Zhi hummed and said, "Jing Chu has always been thorough in his actions. Is there anything he can add to this?"
Empress Wu on the side smiled and said: "Jing Chu can speak freely. This is a major political matter. There is no need to care about human relations."
Li Qinzai understood the implication of Empress Wu's words, that is, don't worry about disobeying Empress Wu's suggestion just now. As long as Li Qinzai's suggestion is better, Empress Wu will not hold a grudge.
They are all people who do big things, and they still have a little bit of mind.
Li Qinzai thought for a while and said: "I will boldly make two more suggestions, which can be regarded as filling in the gaps..."
"I think that in addition to what the queen just said, we should make other preparations."
"First, when the Baiqisi was secretly instructed to investigate, they deliberately showed their signs to let the noble families know, and let them know that their behavior of disobeying the government order had attracted the attention of the imperial court, and they were coming to investigate them, so as to deal with them Causes psychological stress.”
"Secondly, a good general can be dispatched to mobilize troops and horses from the capital, and march to Jingzhou, Ezhou and other places north of the Yangtze River. They can declare to the outside world that they are mobilizing normal troops and perform military exercises on the north and south banks of the Yangtze River to boost the morale of the army and win the hearts of the people."
"Wen has imperial envoys to monitor, military forces have hundreds of cavalry divisions to frequently move around, and the imperial army conducts martial arts drills on both sides of the Yangtze River. They are eyeing the Jiangnan and Lingnan roads on the south bank. This can cause psychological panic among the prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River."
Li Qinzai smiled and said: "They may be brave enough to defy the imperial decree, but if the imperial court mobilizes soldiers and horses to fight them for real, I think the famous families in Jiangnan may not have the courage to overturn the table."
"Even if they really dare to instigate the local area and lead to a civil uprising, the soldiers and horses on the north and south banks of the Yangtze River will arrive at dawn and dusk. They will strangle the civil uprising in the cradle as soon as it is formed. Moreover, we can also take advantage of the situation to completely liquidate the prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River. .”
"If you need to caress, you will caress, if you need to kill, kill. The court should not only have the compassionate heart of a bodhisattva, but also have the means of thunder and lightning to caress a hundred and kill one. If it is handled properly, Jiangnan and Lingnan can maintain peace for fifty years."
Li Zhi thought for a long time and finally smiled: "Jingchu's opinion, I deeply agree, it's not bad!"
Empress Wu covered her mouth and smiled, and said: "Jing Chu is getting older, and he is becoming more and more thoughtful and meticulous in his affairs. Back then, he only made fire weapons and mines to boost the army's power, but now he has become a prime minister with great talent in the world."
After Li Qinzai's analysis and suggestions, Li Zhi felt relieved at this moment. Hearing this, he laughed and said: "What the Queen said is absolutely true. In another ten or twenty years, Jingchu will also be a scheming old fox. In the future, In the hall, Jingchu takes his seat as prime minister."
Li Qinzai said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I don't have that much ability. In this life, I just want to have a family full of descendants, and it's enough to just eat and die."
Li Zhi said dissatisfied: "How big your abilities are and how big your responsibilities are. There is no reason to hide them. Don't forget that the East China Sea has been leveled. In the future, the Tang Dynasty will build sea ships and explore new lands. These are all your ideas." , if you are no longer prime minister in the future, who should I ask if I have any questions?"
The monarch and his ministers were chatting harmoniously, but Prince Teng beside him had a bitter look on his face.
In the past few years, Prince Teng has completely changed his mind, and he has been working hard to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes. Li Zhi used to dislike the emperor's uncle, but now he finally has a good look on him, and gradually entrusts him with important responsibilities.
He originally thought that he had finally integrated into the power center of the Tian family, but looking at the atmosphere in which Li Zhi and Li Qinzai were chatting, Prince Teng had nothing but envy.
His son-in-law is the one who has truly integrated into the center of power, and is even a bit arrogant.
The emperor forced him to be the prime minister, but he refused to accept it. But King Teng sharpened his head and dug in, and the emperor reluctantly gave him a smile.
When I married my daughter to him, I felt dissatisfied, but now it seems...it seems like it was not a big loss.
If the emperor cannot hold his thighs, how can he hold his son-in-law?
