"Aweng is still very optimistic about Wang Wenzuo!" Li Jingye said with a smile.
"In Baekje, in Wa, and in Chang'an, people can rise to great heights. How can we look down upon such people?" Li Ji snorted coldly: "Besides, I am already at this age, so what I say and do is not all for you. ?”
"My grandson is incompetent and has disappointed Aweng!"
"That's it!" Li Ji sighed: "You still didn't understand what I said before. Some things are brought from the mother's womb. If you have them, you have them. If you don't have them, you don't have them. It doesn't mean that you are my grandson, Li Ji. You can learn it. How could I be disappointed by something like this?"
"Then Aweng has no expectations for his children and grandchildren?"
"Loyalty and filial piety lead to a long and prosperous life, isn't it?" Li Ji asked, "Dedication, do you know? Being my grandson, Li Ji, is actually a very dangerous thing!"
"Is it dangerous? My grandson doesn't understand!"
"I have been on the battlefield for decades and have gained a reputation by luck. If you lead an army in the future, your opponents will only think that you have inherited my heritage and regard you as a powerful enemy. But you have no real ability. Isn't it very dangerous? "
"Ah Weng!" Li Jingye was already angry because Li Ji compared him with Wang Wenzuo from the beginning to the end. He could still hold it back when Wang Wenzuo was around just now, but now that no one else is present, how can he still hold his temper? He asked Said: "You always say that I have no real ability, so what is the real ability? Now that you keep me by your side every day, are the things you talk about the real ability?"
"Finally lost your patience?" Li Ji said with a smile: "That's fine, what I ask you to learn on weekdays is what a general in the army should know! But that alone is not enough!"
"Then what's missing?"
"Take Wang Wenzuo as an example! How much did he know about the enemy's situation when he went to Japan? Everything can only be adapted to changes. If you make a wrong step, you will be doomed. Everything else can be taught, but no one can teach you the ability to adapt to changes. This is what you’re missing!”
"You didn't let me try it, so how do you know I'm not successful?" Li Jingye sneered.
"You are my grandson. If you are really as talented as Wang Wenzuo, how come you are not known to everyone today?" Li Ji sighed: "In fact, why should you be unhappy because of this? If the earthen jar is not broken near the well, the general will inevitably break. Shangdi, you envy Wang Wenzuo, how do you know whether he envyes you or not?"
Li Jingye was so angry that he couldn't speak. He just bowed his hand to Li Ji and turned away, leaving only his grandfather shaking his head and smiling bitterly.
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"Sanlang, you are back!" Shen Faseng came up to him happily: "What did the British Duke say to you?"
"Just some gossip!" Wang Wenzuo untied his cloak and handed it to Cao Wenzong: "We won't talk about the military affairs until everyone arrives!"
"So I have to stay in Yingzhou for a while longer!" Shen Faseng sighed, looking gloomy.
"Didn't I just arrive?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "Why are you still thinking about your business?"
"Yes!" Shen Fanseng sighed: "To be honest, since I followed you Saburo, I have become less and less interested in fighting and killing. Looking back on when I first arrived in Baekje, killing everyone to the death can only How many bolts of silk do you need? After you return, you will be made difficult by the minions in the Ministry of War. It’s really stupid.”
"You can't say that. Without a life-and-death fight at the beginning, we wouldn't be able to do anything later!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "In any case, defeating Goguryeo is also something that is of great benefit to us. If nothing else, just If Baekje, Silla and the northeastern territory of Tang Dynasty are connected, our business will be much easier!"
"That's true!" Shen Faseng nodded: "But will the court intervene when the time comes -"
"This is not something you and I should consider now!" Wang Wenzuo said: "We must believe that the emperor's sage knows everything, and we will definitely be able to see what is best for the Tang Dynasty!"
Looking at Master Shen's leaving figure, Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but sigh. Money corrodes his subordinates very quickly. A year or two ago, Monk Shen said that the Mohe people, the Baekje people, the Goguryeo people, and the Japanese people were all barbarians and disobedient to the king. If it weren't for Yuan Aoli and He Bayong. A few children with the surname Lu would probably even curse Suo Lu and Hu Gou.
But as he owned more and more manors in Baekje and Wa, he also had lucrative trade with the Mohe people and the Ezo people. His names for these people changed dramatically, and at the same time his loyalty to the Chang'an court also declined rapidly, especially when it jeopardized his own pocket. Although all this was expected by Wang Wenzuo, it was too fast, right?
From the traditional historical point of view, the vassal towns of the Tang Dynasty were considered to have eroded and destroyed the unified power of the Tang Dynasty, and were considered to be an important reason for the decline of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity after the Anshi Rebellion. However, with the development of modern historiography, the evaluation of Tang vassal towns has become increasingly complicated: a considerable number of historians believe that the existence of vassal towns not only weakened the central power, but also shared responsibilities, thereby extending the life of the Tang Empire;
Others believe that the existence of vassal towns protects the local economy and culture, because before the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Empire was actually "Guanzhong-oriented", centered on Luoyang and Chang'an, and other parts of the empire only had the obligation to pay taxes and labor. Without any power, the result was the abnormal prosperity of Luoyang and Chang'an and the decline of other local states and counties.
The existence of vassal towns protects the local area to a certain extent. Taking Weibo among the three towns in Hebei as an example, except for the symbolic payment of a little tax, the rest of the financial resources are left to the local area. The Jiedushi are also very simple because they are worried about mutiny. , scholars who were unable to stand out in the central government could also seek a way out from the shogunate in the feudal towns.
In stark contrast, the Jiangnan region had no feudal vassal towns during most of the middle and late Tang Dynasty, so it became a "cow" in the eyes of the empire. As a result, Weibo Town was in decline for 150 years. There were no peasant uprisings or refugees fleeing, but famines occurred every three days in the Jiangnan area. When Weibo Town ate 10 coppers per dou of salt, the people in Jiangnan ate 370 coppers per dou of salt. (Students who are interested can look up the experiences of Huang Chao, Wang Xianzhi, Wang Jian, the founder of the former Shu Kingdom, Qian Liu, the founder of the Wuyue Kingdom, Zhu Xuan, the governor of Tianping, and Xu Wen, the founding emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty. They all worked as private salt traders. , this is not accidental, and none of these people are from Hebei)
Of course, Wang Wenzuo does not think that we should start a rebellion now and create vassal towns decades in advance, but one thing is certain. The existing system of the Tang Empire is too easy to collapse. Everyone has shown that the Qing Dynasty Officials were corrupt, but compared to the local officials of the Tang Dynasty, the local officials of the Ming and Qing Dynasties could only be juniors.
For example, Du Ya, the governor of Huainan in the Tang Dynasty, raced dragon boats during his tenure. The bottoms of the dragon boats were all painted, the crew wore satin clothes painted with tung oil, and the sails were embroidered. All the treasury of the famous wealthy Huainan at that time was used up in one go. , spent tens of millions of money, and this man is still well-known in history. It was just because he was unhappy about not becoming the prime minister that he only had fun and did not work during his tenure as Huainan Jiedushi. This was left in the history books. The local officials who dared to do this in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were killed by the local gentry in the same year when they contacted the court.
The imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty had just begun, and there was no large scholar-bureaucrat class in the local area. As long as they did not encounter those high-ranking officials, other places could squeeze them at will. According to the rules of the political game of the Tang Dynasty, after Xiang Xiang, the central boss stepped down, he would usually be sent to the Jianghuai and Jiangnan areas to serve as Jiedushi or Dazhou governor. After serving two terms, his wallet would be bulging, or he could retire or return to Chang'an to play for power. Game, the food appearance of these Jianghuai Jiangnan governors is comparable to that of the provincial governors of the ancient Roman Republic. As evidenced by Bai Juyi's famous poem "Jiangnan Drought", they have the style of the three-couch restaurant of the ancient Roman senators.
In Wang Wenzuo's view, the current Goguryeo is just a remnant of corpses, and destroying it is just a piece of cake. But the question is how to manage it after the war is over. If the system that Datang is currently playing in Jiangnan, Jianghuai, and Hebei is placed in Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and other regions where martial virtue is abundant, it will be the same as throwing cold water into hot sulfuric acid. Even if it can be suppressed, the huge financial burden will destroy the finances. Sooner or later, if you eat something, you will have to spit it out.
Now it seems that the only feasible way is to ensure its submission to the Emperor of Tang while giving it sufficient autonomy to obtain benefits through various franchises and trade rather than taxes and labor. Forcing a group of exiled officials who served for only a few years to leave their posts on the heads of these unruly Hu Han tycoons is no different from using wolves to herd tigers.
Of course, this is just Wang Wenzuo's own opinion. Although from the perspective of later history, this may be the only way for Datang to maintain its influence on Northeast Asia for a long time, the Chang'an court at that time may not be willing to accept it. After all, it has never been Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty have been invincible, and those who dare to resist have been turned into fans. If this is the case, why not let the winner take all?
"Ming Gong, there is an urgent message from Baekje!" Cao Wenzong whispered.
"Oh? The letter came as soon as I got here, and it's chasing after us!" Wang Wenzuo took the letter with a smile, opened it, looked at it, and sneered: "Silla people really don't miss any opportunity. !”
"What's wrong?"
"At this juncture, there is a conflict with us on the border! To be honest, don't you just know that we will send troops to conquer Goguryeo next year, and want to force us to pay a high price to buy peace before sending troops?"
"What should we do?"
"Just report it! Let the British public worry about it!" Wang Wenzuo sneered: "We don't have to get into trouble ourselves!"
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"Wen Zuo, what do you think about this matter?" Li Ji put down the letter in his hand and asked.
"I think the Silla people are preparing to carve up Goguryeo!" Wang Wenzuo's answer immediately aroused a burst of low laughter from the surrounding people. Few people present took this vassal country seriously.
"What's the reason?" Li Ji didn't seem to hear the low laughter around him: "Border conflicts like this should be very common, right?"
"Yes, but this timing is a coincidence! Quan Gaisuwen is dead. As long as the Silla people are not fools, they can guess that we are about to attack Goguryeo from the north and the south, and the Silla people are the main force on the southern front. If this happens at this time Conflict, in order for them to send troops, many things will be suppressed!”
"This is a good idea!" Li Ji nodded: "It is indeed very likely, but it is just a border conflict. With the national strength of the Silla people, it is still far from being able to carve up Goguryeo, right?"
Wang Wenzuo didn't answer Li Ji's question immediately. He stood up, walked to Li Ji's case and confessed his crime. He picked up a cantaloupe on the plate and threw it to the ground. The cantaloupe suddenly fell into pieces. No one knew it. No matter what his intentions were, he was stunned.
"This cantaloupe is Goguryeo, and after we win, the old land of Goguryeo will become this puddle on the ground!" Wang Wenzuo pointed to the broken melons on the ground: "Everyone, it's easy to pick up the cantaloupe, but you have to It is difficult to clean up the broken melons in this area. The people of Silla are like slaves who keep their owners unaware and eat a few pieces of broken melons when their master is not paying attention. I think it is not difficult!"
"This is a good analogy. Goguryeo is indeed a melon!" The speaker was Gao Kan, the governor of Yingzhou. Although his surname was Gao, he had nothing to do with the Goguryeo royal family at that time. He was from the Gao family in Bohai and related to the Northern Qi Dynasty. The royal family was considered a distant relative, and Yingzhou was an important town in Liaodong during the Tang Dynasty at that time. He knew the situation in Goguryeo very well, and his words were of great weight.
"Captain Gao, please elaborate!" Li Ji asked.
"Goguryeo was originally built by the Buyeo people and was divided into five tribes. However, apart from the five tribes, there were many subordinate people. Goguryeo could only defeat them with force. Its territory was vast, thousands of miles away, and it was not like Baekje, Baekje, etc. Silla is comparable. If I defeat Goguryeo and its people are scattered, I will definitely establish myself as the king and defend according to the danger. I will be like a broken melon on the ground. How can I take all of it? If the Silla people send troops to lure them, it is really true. It’s hard to deal with!”
"Then simply destroying Silla as well, wouldn't it save worry?" someone said.
"Silla is a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, and the imperial court has not issued an edict. How can we attack it lightly?"
"It was Silla who first plotted evil, and we sent troops to punish him. The officials went out to the frontiers to benefit the country, so it is only right to do so. This is the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the British Lord is the minister of the Zhuguo. How can he not have arbitrary power?"
The generals in the hall started arguing, but Li Ji pretended not to hear it and just twisted his beard and said nothing. Wang Wenzuo didn't say anything either, as if the dispute had nothing to do with him.
After a while, the quarrel gradually subsided, and everyone's eyes focused on Li Ji again. After all, everyone knew that there was only one person who could make the decision here, and that was the British Duke Li Ji.
"Except for Gao Yingzhou and Governor Wang, everyone else should stand down!"
"Yes!" Everyone resigned in unison. When there were only three people left, Li Ji snorted coldly: "Wen Zuo, tell me what your plans are, please?"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo saw that Li Ji had seen through his thoughts and no longer concealed it: "From what I have seen, I will use a false strategy to destroy Guo, killing two birds with one stone!"
"Destroy Guo in a false way?" Li Ji smiled: "You have a big appetite, please tell me carefully!"
Ten poems written in the Qin Dynasty "Light Fatty" (one is about the drought in the south of the Yangtze River)
Tang·Bai Juyi
The road is full of arrogance, and the saddle and horse shine on the dust.
If I ask what he is doing, he is called an internal minister.
Zhu Fu is a doctor, and Zi Shou is a general.
He boasted about going to a banquet in the army and rode away like clouds.
Zun Lei is overflowing with nine treasures, and there are eight treasures in water, land and Luo.
The fruit is broken into Dongting oranges, and the Tianchi scales are cut into pieces.
Feeling satisfied after eating and feeling refreshed by drinking wine.
That year there was a drought in the south of the Yangtze River, and people in Quzhou were cannibals.
Although Lotte Gong's monthly salary should have been 70,000 to 80,000 yuan when he wrote this poem, it was still better than those who turned a blind eye to the drought and cannibalism in Jiangnan. Most of the characters in my books are from the exploiting class, and so are the protagonists. I will not whitewash them or make excuses for what they did, but this does not mean that I agree with what they did. As a historical writer, Writer, I just tell it as objectively as possible. As for right or wrong, good or evil, readers can make their own judgments.
(End of chapter)
