In the autumn of the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan, after years of poor harvests, Guanzhong ushered in a rare bumper harvest.
So Li Longji ordered the left prime minister Zhang Shougui to be responsible for deploying the "peaceful purchase method" in the Guanzhong area. That is: purchasing grain from Guanzhong at a price 20% higher than the market price to supply Chang'an's needs.
For a time, the government and the public were very happy, and the people all shouted long live.
This move not only prevents "low prices of grain from harming farmers", but also enriches the granary.
Now that "open source" is available, it is inevitable to "cut expenditure". Li Longji also ordered that the water transportation volume be stopped by half. Jiangnan water transport, with its freight rates remaining high, is no longer organized by the government to purchase, and the profits and losses of transactions are determined by merchants from various places.
Whether it is lucky or not, whether it is lucky or not, the court will not interfere.
In order to enrich the internal treasury, Li Longji appointed Yang Shenjin as the supervisory censor and Taifuqing; he also appointed his younger brother Yang Shen as the supervisory censor and the cashier of Hanjiacang, taking over Zheng Shuqing's original powers and responsibilities. In addition, Yang Shenyu was also appointed as the prince's minister, serving as the censor and in charge of the capital.
The three Yang brothers were unparalleled in the limelight for a time and became a new force promoted by Li Longji. They were responsible for large-scale treasury and had a vague attitude of decentralizing power to Li Linfu. Li Linfu's close confidant Zheng Shuqing not only asked to be dismissed from his official position as Minister of Household Affairs, but was also sent to Qizhou as the governor. This can be seen as Li Linfu's compromise with Ji Ge's appointment.
Yang Chongli, the father of the three Yang brothers, served as Taifuqing for twenty years and was always fair and honest. When he was in his nineties, he was appointed as the Minister of Household Affairs. However, he was dismissed from the post of Taifu Qing due to old age and illness. He has been dead for three years now.
On the surface, this is because Li Longji missed his old friendship, took care of Yang Chongli's descendants, and vigorously promoted and appointed them.
But from the perspective of actual power operations, whether it is Zheng Shuqing, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who "asked for demotion", or the minister of the Ministry of household affairs was concurrently appointed by Zhang Shougui, and the three Yang brothers were all appointed to manage the granary of the Gyeonggi Prefecture, the power of the right prime minister Li Linfu lies in Continuous loss.
It's hard to tell. It's not Li Longji's beating on Li Linfu, or in the eyes of outsiders, it's Li Longji punishing Li Linfu for his strong support of King Longevity Li Xuan!
As for the actual reason, only Li Longji himself knows clearly.
Recently, Li Linfu's house in Pingkangfang has been deserted again, and no party members or cronies have come to conspire. Li Linfu's quietness and calmness make it difficult to figure out what he is thinking.
Chang'an's political situation is turbulent, and even veterans such as He Zhizhang, who have been in politics for many years, have to be cautious and do not dare to miss work and drink as often as before.
At the same time, the proportion of talents from the imperial examination system in the central court continues to decrease, and the number of admissions for imperial examinations this year is twenty, which is far lower than the average number of twenty-seven people admitted for imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty over the years.
After Zhang Jiuling was dismissed from office, Li Longji obviously became more disgusted with courtiers who came from the imperial examination. Perhaps he thought in his heart that they were incompetent and full of nonsense, and he did not want these people to enter the court. Therefore, the officials controlled by Li Linfu also continued to send candidates with Jinshi background to local prefectures and counties to serve as county captains and join the army.
On this day, after attending the autumn harvest ceremony, Li Longji was resting in the main building of the Qin Government Affairs Building.
The emperor's participation in the harvest celebration on the outskirts of Chang'an is the same as the spring plowing ceremony. This is an "old rule" passed down from the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Since the Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, every emperor must participate without exception.
Li Longji has participated in this event for decades, and has never been absent since he ascended the throne. However, this year, he felt a kind of fatigue coming from the depths of his soul.
That's right, I am tired, both physically and mentally.
He was tired of this "established program" year after year.
"Lux, how's the war going on over there in Hexi? Is there any battle report coming?"
Li Longji was lying on the couch in the study room and asked feebly.
The farmers participating in the celebration on the outskirts of Chang'an probably didn't know that the energetic saint of Chang'an was as tired as a dead dog after returning to Xingqing Palace. If they knew, they might not have much respect for the emperor in their hearts.
Fortunately, only Gao Lishi knew about Li Longji's fatigue.
"Back to the saint, Wang Zhongsi led troops to conquer the Tubo New City. He has written a memorial and came back to ask the saint for instructions on how to deal with the next step. He suggested setting up a new army in the Tubo New City to guard the traffic arteries and prevent the Tubo people from easily entering Dadouba valley."
Gao Lishi was well-read and had a strong memory, and was quite capable of handling government affairs. He recited the memorial written by Wang Zhongsi to Li Longji verbatim. The latter nodded frequently, but seemed disapproving of the Tang army's victory in Hexi.
"That's fine, then let's set up a powerful army in the new city, with a strength of a thousand people."
Li Longji accepted all Wang Zhongsi's suggestions, and now the war against Tibet is just an appetizer.
"By the way, Cui Xiyi, the governor of Hexi Province, is now notorious among the Tibetan people, who all think he is treacherous. Tubo Zanpu used this to boost morale and avenge Cui Xiyi for betraying the alliance and attacking Kilixu. How does the saint think this should be done? What about disposal?”
Gao Lishi asked cautiously.
His words had one meaning: Should the court clear Cui Xiyi's name?
If the imperial court comes out to clear Cui Xiyi's name, then Cui Xiyi's actions are "just acts" authorized by the Tang court. Soldiers are not afraid of deception. What morals can be said about the Tubo clown?
If the imperial court remained silent, or even dealt with Cui Xiyi, then it would mean that this move was the "private use of troops" by the Hexi Jiedu envoy. It was not Tang Ting who was indebted to Tubo, but Cui Xiyi himself!
However, everyone familiar with the matter understood that Cui Xiyi had no intention of sending troops to Tibet at first, and only did so under the pressure and urging of the imperial court. From this perspective, the person who became the clown was not Tubo, let alone Cui Xiyi, but Li Longji, who was very happy with his success.
How can a saint be a clown?
So the person who becomes the clown can only be Tubo or Cui Xiyi!
Sure enough, as Gao Lishi expected, Li Longji pondered for a moment and said: "Remove Cui Xiyi from the post of Hexi Jiedu envoy, change it to Henan Yin, and let him serve as a political party in Luoyang."
"Well, who will take over as the governor of Hexi?"
"Let Xiao Jiong promote Wang Zhongsi to the deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu, and let him recommend a place for the military envoy of the Great Dou Army. Kang Taihe is old. It is time to return to Chang'an to report on his duties and enjoy his old age."
Li Longji decided the fate of local officials in Hexi with just one sentence. Those who should be promoted would be promoted, those who should be retired would be retired, and those who should be relocated would be relocated. As for rewarding the three armies, Ji Geti didn't mention it either.
Perhaps in his opinion, there are only a thousand troops stationed in Tubo New City. The Tang army deployed heavy troops in Longyou in the southeast. There are also 78,000 or 80,000 elite troops available in Hexi. The Chishui Army is still a direct ace army that has been in existence since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. .
Is it really worth mentioning such a powerful force to defeat the Tubo people in a small town with a population of 1,000 people?
Li Longji obviously didn't think this was the "big meal" he was looking forward to, it was just an appetizer at most.
"After autumn, the Tubo people are likely to invade in a large scale, so Wang Zhongsi should be prepared. I don't want to hear the news that Liangzhou City is in danger."
Li Longji said bitterly that these military and government affairs had delayed a lot of his time, leaving him no energy to enjoy himself, and destroying his peace of mind.
"Well, I'll do it now."
Gao Lishi said with a low eyebrow. In fact, he still had many questions in his mind, but... that's all. If Li Longji thinks it's nothing, then it's nothing.
"By the way, Huanhuan lives with Yuzhen, and I always feel uneasy. Is there any way to bring her to Xingqing Palace?"
Li Longji pulled Gao Lishi's sleeve and asked in a low voice.
Gao Lishi's heart tightened. Li Longji's "uneasiness" was fake, and his "impatientness" was real. It was just these little secrets that his personal eunuch who had been following him for many years could not expose them.
"Sage, King Shou's position as concubine is currently vacant. If Yang Yuhuan is allowed to enter the Xingqing Palace, I'm afraid he will be criticized.
It's better to arrange the marriage of King Shou first and order him to get married in the near future!
If King Shou gets married, then... everything will fall into place naturally. "
Gao Lishi suggested calmly.
"wonderful!"
Li Longji was overjoyed, held Gao Lishi's hand, and roared excitedly: "Go and do it quickly, be sure to do it in a grand manner, and let everyone in Chang'an know about it. Why not just open a big banquet and let everyone know about it?" Let’s celebrate King Shou’s marriage.”
"I'm going to make preparations now. It's just that the big money... is it coming from the inner treasury?"
Gao Lishi asked doubtfully.
Li Longji is usually very generous, but when it comes to inner treasury matters, he becomes extremely stingy.
"Let the various states and counties in Gyeonggi distribute it, and don't touch a penny from the internal treasury. It's the wedding of King Shou, not mine!"
Li Longji said impatiently.
…
Fang Chongyong's suggestions played a major role in the Tang army's attack on Tubo New City. Since they are all young soldiers under the age of twenty, their adaptability to altitude sickness is unmatched by older soldiers.
Therefore, this time the Tang army fought across an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters. Their bravery, decisiveness, and crispness exceeded the Tubo people's expectations.
Even so, the Tang army still suffered many casualties in the fierce battle. Wang Zhongsi established an army in Xincheng, named "Weirong Army" with a quota of one thousand soldiers. He also appointed Cui Qianyou as the military envoy of the Weirong Army, responsible for supervising the movement of the Tibetans to the north.
Wang Zhongsi himself returned to Liangzhou City with his wounded soldiers and remaining troops, and discussed the next action plan with Cui Xiyi, the governor of Hexi Province.
In the courtyard of a medical center in Liangzhou City, wounded soldiers of the Tang Army were lying on the ground. They were all people who had broken bones in battle and needed to go to a medical center for "bone-setting" treatment.
Because most tribes of the Tubo people do not like to use bows and arrows (especially in the plateau areas where Zanpu developed), but like to use stone-throwing Udo. Therefore, in battle, the proportion of fractures among Tang soldiers was higher than that of arrow wounds and knife wounds.
For these people with fractures, the injured area is difficult to treat on the spot, and it also affects the march and fighting.
Due to Dr. Li's inconvenient legs and feet, Anaye was responsible for directing and arranging everything in the medical clinic, with several soldiers from the Chishui Army helping out. Fang Chongyong, a half-grown child, was simply a spectator.
This is just a certain medical center in Liangzhou City. There are many more medical centers like this, and each one is responsible for treating the wounded of the Tang Army. And the "subsidy" they can get is almost negligible. It would be good if they can get the money for medicinal materials back.
It can be regarded as a kind of "corvee" that is not called corvee, and there is no way to refuse.
The military pressure on the border towns is actually borne by every Hexi person. Whether they are Han, Sogdian, or naturalized Turks, they must bear such tangible or intangible pressure unconditionally.
Fang Chongyong asked Fang Laique to buy a stack of paper from the city, put a table in the yard, and then write a letter home to the wounded soldiers of the Tang Army here.
"I am safe in Liangzhou City, and I have achieved military exploits in the battle against Tibet. There will be no corvee at home this year, and I have to collect all the money for my mother's dowry. Please don't worry, mother.
That’s all, right? "
Fang Chongyong asked as he looked at the young man in front of him whose leg was broken by a stone thrown by Wu Duo. After being splinted, he could barely walk with crutches.
"Yes, it's just a minor injury. You don't have to worry about it at home."
A heartfelt smile appeared on his sunburned face, as if the person who had broken his leg was not himself but a Tibetan man.
"When you've finished writing it, leave it here with me. Write your name, and someone will take the post road to deliver it to your family over there in Guazhou."
The Tang soldier wrote his name at the end of the letter, and then lowered his voice and exclaimed: "Young Master must be a senior official of the imperial court. I used to see the handwriting of those Hexi officials, and they were all very crooked and ugly. Lang Jun This word is well written!"
"Don't get too close, bring me a penny."
Fang Chongyong smiled and patted the other party's arm.
A penny is not the cost of production, but tells everyone here: there is a price to pay for any service. If you don't accept this penny, you may have to pay back the favor in the future, which will cost you your life!
Fang Chongyong's temper was really to the liking of these Hexi Qiuba people. The young soldier with a broken calf carefully took out a "Kaiyuan Tongbao" and put it on the table, and then said to him: "What errands does the young man have in the future? As long as they are not rebels, just send someone to the Chishui Army branch to call them."
"How miserable must I be before I send you to do this? Just save up for your dowry. Thinking about these useless things all day long, go away! Next one!"
Fang Chongyong waved his hand impatiently, and an unlucky guy in the team who had his hands broken came forward, blushing and lowering his head without speaking.
"There are a lot of people queuing up behind you, can you be more prompt?"
Fang Chongyong sighed and said.
"Write a letter to Xiaohua, asking her not to get married..."
The man held it in for a long time before he finally said something.
"I would like to be a winged bird in the sky, and a twig on the ground. If you want to marry, don't marry someone else, but you must marry me. Is it okay to write like this?"
Fang Chongyong asked with a bored look on his face, fearing that this boring gourd wouldn't be able to say a word for a long time.
"Okay, okay, really good, there is nothing better."
The soldier had a look of surprise on his face. He didn't expect Fang Chongyong, a half-year-old boy, to be so reliable.
"Xiao Langjun is really awesome!"
he added.
"Your hands are not empty, let me sign for you. What is your name?"
"My name is Liu Zhan, from Chen Liu. I came to Hexi Fan when I was fifteen years old. It has been five years."
He seemed to be unwilling to speak just because he was afraid of being laughed at for thinking about women. It wasn't because he couldn't speak clearly.
"That's all, after five years it's time to return to my hometown."
Fang Chongyong sighed and said: "Give me your military identity card, and I will tell the Jiedushi to return you to your place of origin. It is not too difficult to let a veteran who has been on duty for many years return home. "
In fact, there are still a very small number of soldiers in the Hexi area who were recruited from other places to join the army. When the time came, the military mansion was empty and no one could replace them, so they could only stay on duty there until they died of old age!
Nowadays, the Hexi frontier army does not like such government soldiers. They think that they have no land in the local area, so they have no intention to defend the cities in Hexi. When fighting, you will cherish your life and not use any force.
"Thank you, Mr. Sir! I cannot thank you enough for your kindness!"
The man was about to kneel down when he discovered that both arms were broken. He could only nod his head cautiously with a dejected look on his face.
"Go ahead, next one."
Fang Chongyong took out a penny from his pocket and called the next person forward.
Anaye was surprised to find that the wounded Tang Army soldiers who were lying on the ground wailing all consciously lined up one by one, waiting for Fang Chongyong to write a letter home to them.
(End of chapter)
