Li Shimin first looked down at the princes in the hall, and when he saw that everyone was listening attentively, he nodded slightly and said:
"I am facing the officials of our great Han Dynasty. No matter what decisions the court makes, we must try to take care of everyone. The purpose is to make Shuzhong strong and prosperous.
Regarding the issue of replacement, if I unify the conditions as land-for-land, then wouldn’t those who originally had no property be directly disqualified from replacing land?
You, the princes of Yizhou, are worried that fertility will be replaced by poverty.
In this way, those who want to exchange have no conditions, and those who have conditions do not want to exchange. Doesn't these lands fail to achieve the purpose of rewarding meritorious officials?
Moreover, the imperial edict has clearly stated that those who participate in the replacement have priority in being rewarded with the newly occupied land.
Unless the princes themselves have no hope in our Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty, the princes will definitely only make profits but not lose any money.
Think more about what you are thinking about in daily life, and if you understand this, you will naturally not feel that my conditions are unfair.
Also, don't always talk about "providing soldiers, horses, money and food".
Isn’t that one of the princes of Yizhou rich in property?
Since you are a minister of the Han Dynasty and you respect me as "Your Majesty", then your contribution to the imperial court is not worth mentioning!
There is no need to change this matter, and the land replacement will be implemented as originally planned! "
As soon as he finished speaking, there was another commotion in the court.
Especially those from Jingzhou, Dongzhou, and descendants of senators who had little private property were even more impressed by His Majesty's move.
Some of the princes in Yizhou suddenly showed signs of enlightenment.
"Your Majesty is giving us another chance!
In our eyes, the final fate of the Han Dynasty may be to "decline" and eventually die at the hands of Wei and Wu.
But in your Majesty's opinion, my great Han will be able to revive one day.
If we look at it from His Majesty’s perspective, this land swap is indeed a business that only makes money but does not lose any money.”
"Alas! Having said that, after all, Shu is a state. If we develop, won't Wei and Wu also develop?
Anyone who can believe in His Majesty is gambling with his wealth and wealth on a heaven-defying act that may have little success.
We can't defeat His Majesty today. As long as we don't participate in the land swap in the future, in short, as long as we don't touch my own property, I can accept everything else. "
Li Fu saw that the princes of Yizhou were not strongly opposed to this matter, so he knew that it would be useless to talk more.
This time, His Majesty suppressed the Yizhou princes invisibly.
"Your Majesty, I know the content of the imperial edict. Your Majesty is wise!"
Li Fu had no choice but to express his attitude to His Majesty, and then silently returned to the train.
Li Shimin looked at Li Fu and other Yizhou courtiers with a smile, and said harmoniously:
"You don't have to be like this. If the Northern Expedition is successful in the future, I will not treat you favorably.
No matter what, the contribution of the Yizhou princes to the imperial court is recognized by everyone.
I hope that all of you who have confidence in the Han Dynasty, the imperial court, and me will actively participate in the land exchange. "
After saying this, Li Shimin looked at Meng Huo again and said with a smile:
"King Meng, don't worry, I have already considered this matter in my mind.
If you barbarian kings want to participate in the land swap, you only need to add a prerequisite.
Whenever a barbarian king exchanges land, he can only exchange the land of his own county.
As for the intertwining of territories, the barbarian kings in this county can discuss it among themselves.
I only look at the information you submitted when applying to replace the land for you. "
"If this is the case, then Xiao Wang and others will have no doubt."
Seeing that all the issues in the first imperial edict had been dealt with, Huang Hao took out the second imperial edict and said loudly:
"When all the imperial edicts are read out, all ministers will receive the edicts together!"
After the ministers responded, Huang Hao began to read the second imperial edict:
"There are many barbarian people in our Han Dynasty, and from time to time there are those who do not respect the king and cause trouble to the states and counties.
In the past, when the Prime Minister pacified Nanzhong, the method of "barbarian autonomy" used had some omissions. I would like to add little to the Prime Minister's strategy.
The seven counties in Nanzhong also include the four counties of Wenshan, Wudu, Yinping, and Hanjia, making a total of eleven counties. There are seven governor's offices to cooperate with the counties to control the barbarians.
All governor's offices have a number of positions including chief, deputy captain, and chief secretary of the office.
The Governor's Mansion is under the jurisdiction of the three governors of Najiang, Yong'an and Hanzhong, and is not subject to the control of counties and counties. It has direct access to Tianting and does not need to be reported to each level.
The Governor's Office has three responsibilities: to supervise the barbarians within the territory and prevent rebellion; to protect the barbarians loyal to the imperial court and enable them to live in peace; to select and divide some of the mountain forest and mineral resources within the barbarian territory to belong to the state, and is also responsible for development and maintenance.
In the past, the "Wudang Flying Army", "Liannu Shi", "Tiger Infantry Army" and "Magic Sword Army" set up by the Prime Minister were evenly distributed to various supervisory offices.
When the number of soldiers obtained in each place is less than two, the imperial court will order the imperial army to replenish it, and the food and salary will be temporarily provided by the imperial court.
The former commander-in-chief of Wudang Feijun and other armies, no matter where he is or what his position is, cannot prevent his elite troops from entering the Governor's Mansion.
Each commander-in-chief is allowed to recruit corresponding troops and train them to prepare for emergencies. Its scale must not exceed its previous size.
All barbarians within the territory must be registered in the local counties, but their taxes are reduced by half.
Those of all ethnic groups who conceal and lie will be punished as deceiving the emperor! "
"Wow!"
As soon as Huang Hao finished speaking, there was a burst of exclamations in the hall.
“Your Majesty’s move kills two birds with one stone...
A governor's office was set up, but it was not subject to the control of counties and counties.
According to His Majesty's temperament, the people in power in the Governor's Mansion must be the descendants of the senators who were promoted previously.
He also handed over the elite soldiers from all walks of life to the commander of the Governor's Palace, and the court also provided them with food and salary.
Isn't this an indirect move to put his direct relatives in charge of elite troops?
Measures such as registering the remaining barbarians and dividing and managing some resources are all things that will be of great benefit to the imperial court..."
"Your Majesty's approach may seem excessive, but it gives us hope, the hope of reviving the Han Dynasty...
With this order, the imperial court will have more comprehensive supervision over the barbarians, and your Majesty will control the elite of the army, so our country in Shu can only become stronger and stronger.
At that time, when Your Majesty heads north to the Central Plains, the governor's palace will gather barbarian soldiers, as well as elites such as the flying army, to respond to Your Majesty at the same time..."
At this time, Yizhou, Jingzhou and other officials had no objections, but the barbarian leaders were somewhat dissatisfied.
Meng Huo still represented the barbarian kings and said:
"Your Majesty, the little king has something to say!"
Li Shimin was not surprised. He nodded with a smile and motioned for Meng Huo to continue.
Seeing His Majesty nodding, Meng Huo first bowed to thank him, and then said seriously:
"Since we, the barbarians, are sincerely convinced by the imperial court, we will naturally support any of His Majesty's decrees.
It's just that after registering us barbarians, His Majesty has to collect taxes. Although he only collects half of the tax, this is far different from before. I'm afraid we won't be able to explain to the people in the tribe! "
When Li Shimin heard this, he left the dragon bed with his hands behind his back, walked to Meng Huo, and said with a smile:
"I'm afraid King Meng may have misunderstood me.
Previously, in your barbarian lands, the main thing was to accept offerings, and there were no regulations on value or frequency.
I would like to change your donation to a regular and quantitative tax payment, which can be replaced by items of equal value.
In this way, you no longer have to think about how to donate.
I also considered that some tribes did not engage in farming and were afraid that their people would live in poverty, so I only collected half the tax.
Looking at it this way, is it not so difficult for you and other barbarian kings? "
Meng Huo scratched his head, feeling that His Majesty's words made sense, but he also felt that something was not right.
"this……"
Meng Huo subconsciously looked at the various barbarian kings behind him, his eyes filled with confusion and embarrassment.
At this time, most of the barbarian kings nodded to Meng Huo, indicating that Meng Huo could accept His Majesty's words.
Only Lei Ding, Yelang Bamboo King and a few others remained silent.
Seeing that most of the barbarian kings were in favor, Meng Huo suddenly turned around and looked at His Majesty.
"Since your Majesty has already promised to support the imperial court in all arrangements within our territory, the little king will not be nagging. The little king will accept the order on behalf of all the barbarian kings!"
"Very good! I really did not misjudge your loyalty!"
After saying this, Li Shimin stepped back to the dragon bed.
"Huang Hao, continue!"
Huang Hao accepted the order, took the last imperial edict from Xiaohuangmen, and said loudly:
“Since the death of the Prime Minister, many official positions have been transferred and vacant.
I should reward many meritorious ministers and loyal people to encourage them.
After Prime Minister Zhuge, there is no one who can replace the position of prime minister in Shu, so there is no prime minister in the court.
Now Wei Yan, the general of the Northern Army, has been granted the title of Taiwei, with the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Central Region and the Commander-in-Chief of Hanzhong.
He promoted Jiang Wan to the rank of general, opened a government office, and recorded official affairs.
Wu Yi was promoted to the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry, appointed governor of Yongzhou, and promoted to Marquis of Jiyang.
He promoted Wu Ban to the rank of Hussar General, led him to be the governor of Jiangzhou, and entered the Marquis of Mianzhu.
Fei Yi was moved to the position of general on your right and participated in the affairs of Shangshu.
He was promoted to Dong Yun Shangshu Ling, gave Shizhong, and recorded Fu Jie Lingshi.
He was promoted to Huo Yi Guang Lu Cheng, and also served as Huang Menlang.
He moved to the position of general in the west of Jiangwei Town, served as the right supervisor of the army, and the governor of Xijiang, and entered the Marquis of Pingxiang.
After moving to Chen, he became the general and became the governor of Yong'an.
He moved to Ma Dai and became the general of Pingbei, led the governor of Liangzhou, and entered the Marquis of Chencang.
Wang Ping, the general of Anhan, was also the supervisor of the left army and the prefect of Yueyong.
Qian Ma Zhong..."
As soon as the imperial edict was read out halfway, all the nobles in the hall began to whisper.
"Why do we Yizhou people, except for Wang Pingping and a few others, keep their official positions intact?"
"Your Majesty's move must be a hint to us that anyone who expresses support for the Northern Expedition or is a member of His Majesty's direct line will be promoted to an official position. If we want to be promoted to an official position as well, we need to defect to support His Majesty..."
"Are the beliefs that we Yizhou princes insist on wrong? Is it really better to stay in Shu and enjoy the glory than to rely on the imperial court and revive the Han Dynasty?
Huang Hao saw that the discussion among the people was getting louder and he had no choice but to stop reading the imperial edict and turned back to look at His Majesty.
Seeing this, Li Shimin stood up from the dragon couch and reached down to the hall.
“My lords, please don’t think that my arrangement is partial.
After all, I am the king of a country, and I need people who can be sincerely loyal and have meritorious deeds and talents.
Aren't people like Wang Ping a good example?
You don’t need to discuss this matter too much. When you truly contribute to the Han Dynasty and the imperial court, I will reward you based on your merits! "
