Chapter 51 People-oriented
[The world does not belong to one person, but to the whole world.]

Heaven did not create the people for the sake of a ruler; Heaven established the ruler for the sake of the people.

Since the “Heaven” approach doesn’t work, why not start with “People” – that is, “People”? This is not a completely new and blank area. Many great scholars in history have also discussed “People” in many ways.

As early as in the "Book of Documents", there were the views that "the people are the foundation of the country, and the country will be peaceful if the foundation is solid" and "what the people want, Heaven will grant."

Since "the people" are so important, and even "Heaven must follow it", then if the emperor can be recognized by the "people", doesn't it prove his legitimacy?

This is indeed a new angle, but Li Shimin has the confidence and courage to try it. His personal ability, achievements, and outstanding ministers can support him to try it.

It turned out that his attempt was correct.

Since the Tang Dynasty, starting with Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, everyone's eyes began to focus on "the people". Discussions on the legitimacy and sacredness of imperial power also included the content of "the people". Any policies and concepts also began to use "the people" as the measurement standard, rather than the gods, ghosts, religions and auspicious signs of heaven and earth.

This road continues all the way.

As long as your achievements are brilliant, benefiting all people and unifying the world, you are orthodox and you are the destiny. Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin regarded this as orthodoxy, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang regarded this as orthodoxy, and even the Liao Dynasty, which was the same period as the Northern Song Dynasty, also used this to prove its orthodoxy.

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

"…That's it, that's it!" A smile finally appeared on the face of His Majesty Li II, which had been extremely gloomy since the competition for the position at Xuanwu Gate. He had read through the classics and history books, discussed with his ministers countless times, and collected information from various places through various channels. Wasn't this the policy and idea he was looking for?

Regarding "people", both he and his ministers actually only had a preliminary idea, and now they were just trying cautiously, striving to implement this concept.

Now, Tianmu affirms his approach, agrees with his ideas, and gives him greater confidence.

Thinking of this, he did not forget to remind his trusted ministers: "Although this path is correct, we still need to be careful and not get carried away." After all, we also have to consider the psychological endurance of those who have been immersed in gods, ghosts and religions for many years.

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Liu Che first thought of another question: "Two Han Dynasties lasted four hundred years? Is that the Eastern Han Dynasty? Then what is my Han Dynasty? The Western Han Dynasty?" If the Han Dynasty today is the Western Han Dynasty, then what was the Eastern Han Dynasty like?
It is no wonder that Liu Che was so concerned. After all, the last dynasty to divide the East and the West was the Zhou Dynasty, and it goes without saying what the "East" of the Zhou Dynasty was like. Now, Liu Che was very worried. Would the Eastern Han Dynasty also end up like the Eastern Zhou Dynasty?
Qin Dynasty.

"Heaven created the people, not for the sake of the ruler, but for the sake of the people." Ying Zheng thought about this sentence, and he remembered that this seemed to be Xunzi's point of view. He turned his head and glanced at Li Si, who instantly understood what the emperor meant and nodded, and it was indeed his teacher's point of view.

Ying Zheng frowned. It was not that he didn't care about the people. According to his governing philosophy, this was how he dealt with the people, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But the rebellion of the people at the end of the Qin Dynasty gave him inspiration. At this time, there was another theory that emphasized the people...

[With such theory, Li Shimin began his days of governing the world.

In the second year of his reign, he changed the name of the era to Zhenguan, which was the Zhenguan Reign.

The first thing to do is to improve the internal situation of the Tang Dynasty and develop national strength as quickly as possible.

Therefore, Li Shimin began to reorganize the internal administrative system of the Tang Dynasty, because after the development of the Tang Dynasty Wude years, due to political chaos and the reward of meritorious officials and relatives, the number of bureaucrats in the Tang Dynasty expanded rapidly, and the number of prefectures and counties was almost twice that of the Sui Dynasty. Reducing institutions and numbers was imperative.

As a result, the Tang Dynasty was redivided into ten "dao", namely Guannei and Longyou in the northwest; Hedong in the north and Hebei in the northeast; Henan, Huainan, Shannan and Jiannan in central China; Jiangnan and Lingnan in the south.

At the same time, he tried to improve the status of local officials as much as possible, requiring everyone to attach importance to the functions and roles of local officials, believing that local officials "are the key to order and chaos, and they must be the right people."

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin nodded as a matter of course: "Local prefectures are of course important. They govern a place and govern it. The local people's food, clothing, housing and transportation all depend on them. The stability of the country also requires them to do their job well."

He admitted that officials in Beijing did have a higher status than local officials, but this did not mean that local officials could take it for granted that they would only focus on being transferred to the capital and ignore local affairs, nor did it mean that officials in Beijing could justifiably treat local officials as superior.

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Liu Che smiled and said, "Local officials are of course important." Especially those local officials next to the fiefdoms of the kings...

Humph, keep a close eye on them all and see who is not behaving honestly!

[At the same time, Li Shimin attached great importance to the role of talents.

Of course, normal emperors would attach importance to collecting talents, mainly talents that can be used for their own purposes.

However, the reason why Li Shimin was able to stand out here lies in his attitude towards talents - the heroes of the world are within my grasp.

Regardless of one's background, as long as one is talented and loyal to himself, Li Shimin will soon put one in a suitable position to shine.

[What's more, he was not the kind of boss who was "demanding perfection" when it came to talents. On the contrary, he paid more attention to a person's outstanding talents. For example, the famous "Fang's strategies and Du's decisiveness" was because Fang Xuanling was good at strategies and Du Ruhui was decisive. Therefore, Li Shimin often let the two make decisions together, which eventually formed an administrative method.

On the other hand, Li Shimin appointed people regardless of their ties to relatives or enemies.

After he ascended the throne, he generously employed civil and military officials in the Qin Palace. Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Zhang Gongjin and others were all placed in appropriate positions by him.

As for those who once had grudges against him, he also made great efforts to employ them as long as they were talented and willing to serve him. He also opened his heart to the surrendered enemy generals such as Yuchi Jingde, who later became the most hostile officials of the Eastern Palace, including Wei Zheng, Xue Wanche, Feng Li, Wang Gui, etc., and allowed them to display their talents.

Later, he also employed people from other ethnic groups, including Turks, such as Zhishisili, Ashina She'er, Qibi Heli, etc. These people became generals who fought for the Tang Dynasty in all directions, and some of them even married into the Tang royal family and became relatives.

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

"Zhishisili?" Liu Bang raised his eyebrows. "Isn't this the Turk who was ordered by Jie Li Khan to go to Chang'an as an envoy and then threatened Li Shimin?" He seemed to be Jie Li Khan's general.

There is nothing wrong with employing talents without any restrictions, but Li Shimin does seem to have a broad mind. After all, he gave them real official positions and powers instead of just for the sake of face or as a decoration.

"In this case, it seems that the days of the Turks will not last long." Xiao He said.

After all, let alone others, Zhishisili, who actually served Jie Li Khan, actually transformed himself into a general who fought for the Tang Dynasty. This fully explains the fate of the Turks.

When Jie Li sent Zhishishili to meet Li Shimin, Zhishishili must have been able to take charge of things on his own, so he was definitely not a teenager. And as he would be able to fight for the Tang Dynasty in the future, he should not be too old. In this case, the Turks would have been under his control for a few years.

Song Dynasty, the first year of Kaibao. Zhao Kuangyin still admired Li Shimin, especially his ability to recruit talents: "Tang Taizong had many foreign generals under his command, and the Song Dynasty could not compare with them."

Of course, this does not mean that there were no foreign generals in the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin still had some under his command. However, these people were foreigners who had lived in the Central Plains for a long time. They were not like the famous foreign generals under Emperor Taizong of Tang, such as Ashina She'er, Zhishishili, Qibi Heli... These people lived as foreigners before joining the Tang Dynasty.

Tang Dynasty, the eighth year of Wude.

Looking at those familiar names in the miracles, Li Jiancheng's body shook slightly.

These are his subordinates! Especially Feng Li and his men, how could they become Li Shimin's good ministers?

[At the same time as he employed talents without any restrictions, Li Shimin was also willing to accept advice.

For example, when talking with Wei Zheng, Wei Zheng was upright and never gave in. He also believed that he had met a wise leader and would often speak out all his thoughts.

Li Shimin was often willing to accept Wei Zheng's various opinions, and thought, "The advice you have presented covers more than 200 items. If you were not sincere in serving the country, how could you have listed more than 200 things that needed improvement?" If he was not wholeheartedly serving the country, how could he have listed more than 200 things that needed improvement?

Wei Zheng was never afraid of difficulties in giving advice and remonstrances. He said, "I have been on the throne for a short time, and many people have broken their promises!" This is what he said to Li Shimin in person.

Han Dynasty, during the first year before Emperor Wen.

Crown Prince Liu Qi shook his head: "This Emperor Taizong of Tang is indeed lenient and kind." Lentient, but not gentle.

Although Liu Qi was still young, he had experienced several political crises and had already formed his own theories and methods and had his own insights.

Li Shimin was indeed tolerant and could employ people without avoiding enemies. He could also accept such direct criticism. What else could he be but tolerant? Of course, this had various political purposes, but personality is difficult to change. If a narrow-minded person imitated this approach, he would not be able to persist for long.

But Li Shimin was definitely not a gentle person. How could an emperor who had fought on the battlefield be that kind of gentle?
On the side, Liu Heng smiled gently: "Yes, Kuanhe."

Liu Qi turned his head and looked at his father: "Father, you are also very tolerant."

"Really? I think so too. It's not a bad thing to be more lenient."

[In various systems, Li Shimin continued to use the military service system, the equal-field system, and the rent-and-labor system.

The Fubing system is a military system that has existed since the Western Wei Dynasty and was continued in the Tang Dynasty after being improved. Military offices were set up at the central and local levels to command the troops of the country.

However, the distribution of military headquarters in the Tang Dynasty was not even. The number of military headquarters in Guannei Road where Chang'an was located accounted for more than one-third of the country's total, perfectly implementing the concept of "holding the heavy and controlling the light, and using the people of Guanzhong to control the four directions."

The "soldiers" of the Fubing system were selected from the common people and also integrated into the common people. They farmed on weekdays and were only called together when necessary. They were trained during the slack season, which not only saved the country's military expenditure, but also ensured economic and agricultural development.

The equal-field system was a prerequisite for the implementation of the fubing system.

In the Tang Dynasty, unowned land was divided into permanent land and personal land. Permanent land belonged to private individuals, while personal land had to be returned to the court when it expired.

On this basis, every male over 18 years old in the Tang Dynasty received 80 mu of land for each head of household and 20 mu of permanent land. Old men and disabled people received 40 mu of land for each head of household, and widows and concubines received 30 mu of land for each head of household. If these people were heads of households, they received 20 mu of permanent land and 30 mu of land for each head of household.

Miscellaneous households received the same amount of land as ordinary people; industrialists, businessmen, and government officials received half the amount of land that ordinary people received; Taoists and monks were given thirty acres of land, and nuns and female priests were given twenty acres of land.

Also based on the equal-field system was the rent-and-labor system, which levied a fixed amount of taxes based on the number of male adults.

Under these sound systems, the Tang Dynasty gradually recovered from the chaos of the late Sui Dynasty. With the success of foreign conquests and the construction of the Silk Road, the Tang Dynasty's economy gradually prospered. The most intuitive population data showed that the number of households increased from 2 million in the early years of the Zhenguan period to more than 3.8 million in the early years of the next emperor, Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin's eyes sparkled: "Three million and eight hundred thousand households!" The population is almost double that of today!

As a result, he saw his ministers nodding perfunctorily, and their minds were obviously not on this matter, and he didn't know what they were thinking.

??? Li Shimin was puzzled. Why aren't you happy about such a good thing? What are you thinking about?
In fact, although this matter was indeed worth celebrating, Changsun Wuji and others were originally happy about it, but as soon as they thought about it, their attention was distracted by a more important matter.

"The next emperor"... How long did it take for the population to grow from 2 million to more than 3.8 million, nearly doubling? In other words, how long will His Majesty live?

After all, according to their current estimates, it would take a long time to achieve such an effect, but it would not take too long either, at least not thirty to fifty years. Counting backwards like this, Your Majesty...

But the emperor looks quite healthy now!

Could it be that he was injured in battles in his early years?
[The success of foreign conquests and the construction of the Silk Road.]

Perhaps, people at that time had not thought that the Tang Dynasty would be able to achieve glory during the Zhenguan period alone.

After all, the Han Dynasty, the last complete unified dynasty, did not wash away the shame and establish the title of the powerful Han until the seventh emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, founded the country after Emperor Gaozu.

But Li Shimin did it, with his usual confidence and his shining Zhenguan ministers.

In the 21st year of Zhenguan, Wang Xuance served as the chief envoy and led 30 people to India. As a result, he encountered the death of King Shilayitta of Central India, and the country was in chaos. The minister Navodi Alonashun usurped the throne.

Alona Shun, who usurped the throne, did not want the Tang Dynasty to intervene, so he used his army to stop Wang Xuance. The thirty cavalrymen following Wang Xuance fought against them, but were defeated and captured. Alona Shun also took the opportunity to plunder the property contributed by various countries.

Wang Xuance was not caught, so he took the opportunity to escape to Tubo, where he issued a letter to recruit troops and received 1,200 Tubo soldiers and 7,000 Nepalese cavalry, a total of more than 8,000 people.

Afterwards, Wang Xuance led the two armies to attack Chabei and Luocheng in Central Tianzhu. It took three days to capture Chabei and Luocheng, beheading more than 3,000 people.

Alona Shun escaped, but instead of surrendering, he gathered his scattered soldiers and fought again. As a result, he was captured by the deputy envoy Jiang Shiren.

Afterwards, Wang Xuance captured Alona Shun’s concubines and princes, as well as 12,000 men and women, 30,000 livestock of various kinds, and 580 cities surrendered.

In May of the 22nd year of Zhenguan, Wang Xuance surrendered the captives in Chang'an, and Li Shimin rewarded him with the title of Imperial Doctor, which was the fifth rank, the thirteenth rank of civil officials.

(End of this chapter)