Chapter 252 Discussing State Affairs with the Sage, Becoming a General and a Prime Minister

"Assassinating a border commander is tantamount to treason and cannot be tolerated! As for resigning from the two towns of Hedong and Shuofang, let's talk about it after Qilang returns from his interview in Hedong!"

Li Longji did not agree to Li Xuan's resignation from the post of Jiedushi of the two towns, but instead asked him to go to Hedong with the title of Jiedushi of the two towns.

He learned from Lin Zhaoyin that Li Xuan was assassinated by dozens of assassins at Huangshui Bridge.

Through Li Xuan's memorial, he learned that these assassins were heroes from Yan and Zhao who were bribed by the powerful people in Hedong.

Li Longji was very angry about this matter.

Li Xuan killed the tyrant because there was irrefutable evidence of his guilt, and the tyrant killed the border commander and treated the law as a joke.

There was no emperor who did not hate the powerful, for they all knew that the powerful would shake their rule.

But they can't do anything about the powerful.

At the beginning of his reign, Li Longji also attacked the powerful.

During the Xiantian period, the Tang Dynasty went through a series of coups and upheavals, and powerful people took the opportunity to embezzle land and annex other countries at will.

In order to increase the country's revenue and crack down on the powerful people who seized land and concealed the truth, Li Longji launched an order to inspect land and register households.

In the early Kaiyuan period, the powerful people occupied the farmers' land and called it "land outside the register". They also turned the escaped farmers into their "private property", which were actually the "serfs" of the powerful people, evading taxes in terms of both land and population.

From the first year of Xiantian to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, Li Longji's policy of inspecting land and registering households was very effective.

He appointed the minister Yuwen Rong as the national envoy to cover the land and encourage farming, and set up ten envoys and judges to go to various places to check the hidden land and the farmers who sheltered them. Then all the land found was taken back by the court.

However, Li Longji also had some concerns and did not dare to kill people in large numbers like Li Xuan did.

At the same time, the land was distributed to the landless and land-poor people for cultivation. Farmers who concealed their identities were also registered.

In this way, Li Longji acquired a large amount of wealth when he was building the country in the early years of Kaiyuan.

But the fish that slipped through the net must still be there. Twenty or thirty years have passed, the government orders have long been relaxed, and the powerful have once again become brazen in their actions.

Because there was no bloodshed when dealing with the powerful in the early years of Kaiyuan.

This made the powerful people feel that even if they bullied the local people, it would only be a repeat of the situation in the early Kaiyuan period, so they had nothing to fear.

Who would have thought that Li Xuan, such a ruthless man, would be born who is not afraid of offending the powerful at all.

This was exactly what Li Longji wanted.

Because the big families maintain the stability of the countryside, and there are so many big families in the country, Li Longji cannot offend all of them.

Those big families also regard themselves as the "privileged class", and if they make a mistake in thinking this way, they can become powerful.

Li Xuan took back their privileges, and once they committed a crime, they were no different from ordinary people.

A capital crime is a capital crime, and exile is exile. Even those with less serious crimes must pay a fine.

"I obey your order..."

In order to enter the court, Li Xuan would have to step down as the governor of the two towns sooner or later.

Since Li Longji has said so, Li Xuan doesn't need to rush.

"The prosperity of a country depends on the size of its population. A large population means a prosperous age. But one of my ministers said that the population of a country will not grow beyond 60 million. Is that true?"

Li Longji changed the subject and asked Li Xuan.

Li Xuan was a border commander, but Li Longji asked Li Xuan about such livelihood issues.

This was usually a matter of state to be discussed with the prime minister.

Since ancient times, there has been no emperor who did not care about the population size and would find ways to increase the country's population.

"Of course not!"

Li Xuan shook his head slightly.

In the first year of Tianbao, according to household statistics, there were 1,528 counties, 16,829 townships, 8,525,763 households, and a population of 48,909,800.

It is only one step away from the 50 million population mark.

"But it seems that since ancient times, when the population exceeds 60 million, the heavens will be angry, and natural disasters and man-made disasters will coexist!"

Li Longji continued.

"I dare to say that this is untrue. At this time alone, including the military, the slaves, the monks, the Taoists, the music schools, the serfs controlled by the powerful, and the uncounted unregistered people, the country's population is no less than 60 million, or even more. Even if there are natural disasters, the foundation will never be shaken."

Li Xuan explained to Li Longji.

The household registration statistics in the Tang Dynasty were all registered households, commonly known as good citizens.

A large number of slaves were not registered as residents.

There are also unregistered households and serfs that have existed in every dynasty.

This does not include the many Hu tribes that belonged to the Tang Dynasty.

"I believe Qilang's conclusion."

Li Longji nodded and asked Li Xuan: "Qilang, how do you think we can increase the population of the country? The Tang Dynasty is vast and has many wastelands that can be developed."

"From the perspective of infant mortality, I have found the following points. This is the conclusion I have drawn through investigations of doctors and the people in the village. If there are any inappropriate parts, please correct them."

"First, people have been in a misunderstanding since ancient times, thinking that women giving birth early can increase the population. In fact, this is not true. If a girl gives birth at the age of thirteen, the child she gives birth to will be born with congenital deficiencies and easily die young. In addition, the girl's body is not fully developed, so her life is in danger."

"Secondly, when women give birth, the midwives do not deliver properly, which is also one of the fatal factors."

"Third, the women in poor families live in poor conditions and have insufficient milk. There are also many abandoned babies who are unable to be raised."

“Fourth, there are still people today who are unaware of the dangers of charcoal fire poisoning and burn charcoal at home in winter without ventilating the fire.”

"Fifth, there has been a rule since ancient times that people with the same surname cannot marry. But I think this is unnecessary. The most important thing is after the fifth mourning period. And the case of cousins ​​marrying each other is everywhere. The children born from them will inevitably be weak and have a high mortality rate."

Li Xuan said the above five points in one breath, directly hitting the nail on the head.

What seems to be nonsense has become basic knowledge in later generations.

Instead of simply increasing the population, it is better to think about how to make babies grow up healthily and enable women to give birth smoothly without any sequelae.

First of all, the current imperial court stipulates that men can get married at the age of 15 and women at the age of 13.

Although people of this era are independent and mature, no matter how mature they are, they are still human beings and must follow the laws of life growth.

When his sister Li Yuying was thirteen years old, she was like a child.

All the teenage girls that Li Xuan met were similar to Li Yuying.

How could a child born in this way be prone to death?
It is even common for two lives to be lost for one corpse.

It was okay for the nobles, as women in the Tang Dynasty still had some status and could choose not to marry so early. But the common people often had no choice.

Early marriage can theoretically increase the population, but this trend must be curbed because increasing the population mainly depends on political stability, reducing taxes for the people, and ensuring that the people have surplus food.

Although midwives have hygiene requirements when delivering babies, how can people have such a high concept of hygiene in this era?
Therefore, strict requirements must be imposed on the tools used and the quality of the midwife, as this is a matter of life.

Li Xuan encountered an abandoned baby in Helong. After picking up the baby, he asked a childless farmer in Huangshui City to raise the baby and gave him money.

A large proportion of infant deaths are caused by malnutrition.

Speaking of carbon monoxide poisoning, people in this era have already realized the "charcoal fire poison".

But many people have no such concept. Some know about it, but are unable to take adequate precautions.

Not to mention now, even in Li Xuan's era, there were thousands of people hospitalized every year due to gas poisoning.

There were also many people who recovered from coal poisoning and crawled out of the house on their own.

He might not have died from charcoal poisoning several times, and he thought he was just dizzy and seriously ill.

But if you don't pay attention, one day it will cost someone's life.

In the past, Li Xuan was a lowly person with little influence and it was useless for him to speak, but now Li Xuan is deeply trusted by Li Longji and has a certain political voice.

Li Longji listened carefully to Li Xuan's advice.

He had some children who died young, and their mothers were only fourteen or fifteen years old when they gave birth to them, which made him feel that what Li Xuan said made sense.

When Wu Huifei was still a concubine, she gave birth to Princess Shangxian. She was just a young girl at that time, but she soon died in infancy.

When Wu Huifei was seventeen years old, she gave birth to his ninth son, Li Yi, but he died before he was two years old.

Wu Huifei's three sons and two daughters were all over 18 years old and are still alive.

There is indeed a saying among the people that if a woman remarries, it will be easier for her to have children.

This also verifies what Li Xuan said, that children born to teenage girls are more likely to die young than those born after the age of eighteen.

Not marrying people with the same surname is a deeply rooted idea that is difficult to change.

But it is easy to investigate the children born between cousins.

"If you can solve the problem I mentioned, you can easily support 200 million people, not to mention 100 million. Even Yao and Shun are far less benevolent than you."

Seeing that Li Longji didn't say anything, Li Xuan bowed and started bragging again.

If we want the population to explode like it did during the Qing Dynasty, there will certainly be more than this.

Many reforms are fraught with obstacles.

What Li Xuan did was just a small step forward. After he came to power, he would try to make a big step forward.

"To be able to say this shows that Qilang has an extremely detailed observation of people's livelihood. Qilang fights for the country every year, and he can still do this, which is really commendable... However, this matter is of great importance, and I have to discuss it with all the ministers in the court."

Li Longji did not immediately agree to Li Xuan, but wanted to hear the opinions of court officials and the prime minister.

Li Xuan spoke slowly and steadily with a firm look in his eyes. Combined with his previous words, Li Longji believed that Li Xuan was a natural genius who had the ability to govern the country and maintain its security.

"I will obey the judgment of the sage."

Li Xuan's strategy was to fundamentally maintain Li Longji's rule and the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. So he was confident that he could eventually convince Li Longji.

The emperor is supreme, even though Li Longji was greedy for pleasure and acted foolishly in his later years. He was very careful about his posthumous affairs and cared about what the people thought of him.

"Agriculture is a major national project. Every year, various places report that a lot of wasteland has been reclaimed, saying that the people's livelihoods are getting better and better, and that the powerful are a phenomenon. Qilang is away, do you think this statement is true?"

Li Longji asked Li Xuan about policy again.

"The powerful are not an isolated phenomenon. As long as there are desires in the world, the powerful and corrupt officials will never stop. Even if the immortals in heaven govern the local areas, they cannot eliminate the evil. What we officials can do is to make the powerful less powerful, so that the people can feel the virtue of the saints, not the grace of the powerful."

Li Xuan replied to Li Longji.

A lot of wasteland was reclaimed every year, but the people's land did not increase. All the extra land flowed into the hands of the big families.

"Qilang is great!"

Li Longji clapped his hands.

Every word Li Xuan said came from his heart, especially intending to emphasize his influence in the hearts of the people.

What the emperor feared most was that the people in places where the emperor was far away did not know him.

Li Xuan's words also show his determination to eradicate the powerful.

"The financial management strategy that Qilang proposed earlier protected the safety of the grain transport. The establishment of Changping salt warehouses in various places increased the country's wealth. However, under the rule of a wise monarch, the people's food and clothing are the most basic things. If Qilang governs the country, what suggestions can you make for people's livelihood?"

Li Longji asked Li Xuan again.

"Governing a country starts with governing officials. This is fundamental. Sages have been working hard to punish corrupt officials. But the results have been getting weaker and weaker, all because corrupt officials have found loopholes under the law. Yao Yuanzhi was a prime minister who saved the time. His policies can only be implemented temporarily, not forever. Therefore, every prime minister must constantly adjust policies that benefit the country and the people."

"The Records of the Grand Historian says that food is the people's first need. I also think that hunger and cold give rise to the desire to steal. If the country is peaceful, crime will decrease. This is the direction that the prime ministers should strive for."

"I believe that many people became tenant farmers and slaves because they were forced to do so due to temporary difficulties. As long as we can help them overcome difficulties at the critical moment, how can they not be grateful to the saints and the country?"

"Those powerful families who lent food to the people usually had ulterior motives and were waiting for an opportunity to annex their territory. The people simply couldn't afford to pay back the interest they were paying, and eventually they had no choice but to sell their land, their children, and themselves, becoming serfs of the powerful families."

"I suggest that we convert the cost of the grain into the amount of grain we have earned and lend it to the people at an interest rate of 10% to help those poor farmers. This will not only increase the country's income, but also ensure that the country does not have to increase taxes and the people have enough money..."

Li Xuan improved the "Qingmiao Law" of later generations and informed Li Longji.

Wang Anshi's reforms in later generations were definitely based on the perspective of the people and the country.

However, he still underestimated the desires of the officials below and the obstruction of the conservatives who were conservative and stuck in the old ways.

The Qingmiao Law provided loans to the people at low interest rates, allowing poor people to survive the most difficult times by borrowing food from the state.

And with an interest rate of 10%, there won't be much difference after two years.

The granaries are just sitting there anyway, so it is better to help the people.

In the end, the country will have more food in its warehouses.

The possibility of "losing all the money" cannot be ruled out, but Li Xuan believes that it is definitely a minority, and the increased interest can easily offset the loss of grain.

For people who are truly in need, if the investigation proves the facts are true, it doesn't matter if they are given a few years' grace period.

"Snapped……"

Li Longji also thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped the jade table and said: "Yao Yuanzhi is a prime minister who saved the time, and you are at least Guan Zhong and Yan Ying."

Li Longji was impressed by the policies proposed by Li Xuan.

Why didn't he think of it before!
In Li Longji's mind, as long as it can benefit the people and enhance his reputation among the people, it is an excellent strategy.

"I don't deserve it. Although this method may seem beneficial to the country and the people, it is actually harmful!"

Li Xuan is a person who has witnessed history and is familiar with history, so he can foresee and predict the future.

He doesn't know any technology, he just wants to use his knowledge to make people's lives better.

He wants to leave his footprints in this era!
"Such a great law? What harm can it do? Isn't there enough grain in the granaries of the counties?"

Li Longji was puzzled. He thought about it over and over again, but couldn't think of any harm.

"Officials will inevitably take advantage of the situation to engage in corruption and raise interest rates. The originally low interest rates have been raised to a level that ordinary people cannot afford."

"There will also be officials who, in order to get promoted, arbitrarily raise interest rates and get more grain as their own political achievements."

"All these will lead to this law developing into official usury, which will ruin people's families and ruin their lives."

Li Xuan told Li Longji about the harms of the Qingmiao Law.

To put it bluntly, it is human desires that are at work.

The country is so large that it is impossible for supervisors to investigate all counties, and there will always be a large number of fish that slip through the net.

"How will Shichiro perfect this method?"

Li Longji frowned, it might be true.

"If I am allowed to preside over this, I will secretly investigate and execute anyone who is found guilty, even if they are relatives of the emperor or powerful families. There are so many scholars in the country. If we kill 10,000 of them, there are still 10,000 who will serve the saint. Officials are afraid of death, so they will naturally minimize the harm."

Li Xuan said murderously.

The status of literati in the Song Dynasty was too high, the court was not sharp, and they were often demoted if they made mistakes.

As a result, when Wang Anshi carried out reforms, there were opponents everywhere, from the government to the local areas.

Li Xuan made a shrewd policy, but also said such cruel words. This is in line with Li Xuan's identity as a frontier commander, and also fits Li Xuan's character.

“You can implement it!”

Li Longji nodded.

Li Xuan is well-known for his toughness.

This kind of character often does not please the emperor, but Li Xuan's words are either praising the saint or following the saint's wishes, and he always protects the saint's reputation.

Therefore, Li Xuan's uprightness brought satisfaction to Li Longji.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Li Xuan bowed again.

But Li Longji's words were very ambiguous. He neither appointed him to a post nor gave a specific time.

"I heard from the Central Army that Qilang improved farm tools and water wheels in Hexi, which increased farming efficiency. Qilang's talent is really comparable to Zhuge Liang's."

Li Longji changed the subject again.

The Zhongjun is the military supervisor.

Li Longji could not hide anything Li Xuan did in Hexi from his ears.

Unless he bribed the military supervisor like An Lushan did.

But Li Xuan was not afraid of the military supervisor's report.

"Your Excellency is too kind! My improvement has been proven after two years. We can ask Chang'an craftsmen to go to Hexi to learn and popularize it throughout the country."

"In addition, I spent a lot of money to buy a crop called cotton. Cotton is produced in the Kingdom of Daqin, and they prohibit the export of cotton seeds. So I spent a lot of silk."

"Cotton can be used to make cotton clothes, quilts, and even woven into cotton cloth for civilians to use... If cotton can be grown all over the country, the people will no longer suffer from the cold in winter, and the soldiers will be able to travel further in the snowy areas..."

Li Xuan spent a full quarter of an hour introducing the benefits of cotton to Li Longji.

At the same time, it was suggested that Li Longji should be trained in Longyou and Hexi for five years.

Five years later, after cultivating more seeds, they will enter the Central Plains again.

Then after another five to ten years, we crossed the Huai River and the Yangtze River and headed south.

This year the cotton is ripe, and a batch will be sent to Chang'an so that the saint can feel the soft cotton.

"You should be able to become a general or a prime minister!"

Li Longji knew that Li Xuan would not talk nonsense and looked forward to seeing a quilt made of cotton this year.

He had forgotten Li Xuan's age and made a decision in his heart.

Even if he wanted to become prime minister because of his military achievements, Li Xuan had already met the qualifications.

Li Longji could clearly feel that there was a huge difference between Li Xuan and those who became prime ministers due to their military merits during the Kaiyuan period.

"I am not worthy of being the one who eats your salary and shares your worries!"

Li Xuan suppressed his excitement and poured wine for Li Longji.

Then he toasted Li Longji.

With these words, he was certain that Li Longji would plan to appoint him as prime minister.

I just don't know whether Pei Kuan will be dismissed from his post as prime minister, or like during the Kaiyuan period, he will be kept as a minister and given the title of "Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi"!
(End of this chapter)