Chapter 301: An important decision in the ninth year of Tianbao
The grass grows and the warbler flies in February, and the willows are drunk in the spring.

The children came back early from school, busy taking advantage of the east wind to release paper kites.

During this flower festival season, Yang Yuhuan missed the blooming flowers in Qujiang, so Li Longji decided to return to Chang'an City early.

Li Longji repeatedly looked back to the warmth of Huaqing Palace.

He will never forget the fireworks that night, which was his paradise of enjoyment.

He felt that the rest of his life would be like this, he and his wife Yuhuan, spending spring in Chang'an and winter in Huaqing.

The only regret is that time is unforgiving.

In his limited years, Li Longji only wanted to enjoy himself.

When he was in Huaqing Palace, he went to court once every seven days on average.

At that time, the civil and military officials believed that it was because of the cold weather and the old age of the sage, and that they should not harm his health.

Ordinary people can understand it too.

He is over sixty years old, the age of sixty.

Emperor Taizong lived to be fifty-two years old, Emperor Gaozong lived to be fifty-six years old, Emperor Zhongzong lived to be fifty-four years old, and Emperor Ruizong lived to be fifty-five years old.

The common people and ministers all thought that Li Longji was old and it was reasonable for him to enjoy his remaining years in retirement.

But after returning to Chang'an, even in the spring season, Li Longji often did not attend court for several days.

He could get up early and go to Taiye Lake and Qujiang to appreciate the flowers with Yang Yuhuan.

But I will definitely not attend the morning court.

At this time, the court was in disarray. The chief prime minister Li Linfu had no decision-making power, and Li Xuan was only the third prime minister.

Li Longji thought Li Linfu was old, but he did not want to remove Li Linfu from his position as right prime minister.

Even though Gao Lishi hinted that this would only make the conflict worse, Li Longji remained indifferent.

It would be fine if Li Longji was diligent in state affairs, but he only cared about some military and political affairs.

He holds power but has no intention of caring about trivial matters.

This phenomenon of inaction has caused the power of the two factions to tilt.

Amidst the open and covert struggles, time passed into the third month of the ninth year of Tianbao.

Li Longji did not fulfill his promise. It snowed continuously today during the New Year, but Li Longji was still enjoying himself in Huaqing Palace.

It was just the fireworks that were displayed again that made him walk out of Huaqing Palace.

In late March of the ninth year of Tianbao, Li Longji returned to Chang'an City from Huaqing Palace, later than usual.

Many major events happened in the blink of an eye during the eighth year of Tianbao.

The most significant thing for Li Xuan was that Pei Lingxi gave birth to Li Xuan's eldest son.

Last August, after Li Xuan's sleepless night of waiting, mother and child were found to be safe.

The stone in Li Xuan's heart finally fell to the ground.

For days, he was immersed in joy.

Li Longji kept his promise and granted the title of Taizhong Daifu to Li Xuan's eldest son when he was one month old.

This is a rank-four official who flaunts his status, representing a noble position.

Li Xuan named his eldest son Li Yi, which has the meaning of accumulation and brightness. Li Xuan hoped that his son would be knowledgeable and upright in the future.

What also made Li Xuan happy was that Jiang Yueyao was pregnant in June last year, and Shuang'er was also pregnant in October.

Li Xuan hopes that they can give birth to children smoothly this year.

In the eighth year of Tianbao, Wu Jing, the most experienced minister in Chang'an and a historian who was as famous as Li Yanshou and Liu Zhiji since the Tang Dynasty, died at the age of seventy-nine.

Li Xuan personally wrote his epitaph, praising Wu Jing as a historian like "Dong Hu and Sima Qian".

When Zhang Shuo was the prime minister, he asked Wu Jing to change a few words. Even if he knelt on the ground, Wu Jing still refused righteously: "If I comply with your request, then the writing style of this history book cannot be considered upright. How can future generations believe it?"

That is why Li Xuan used Dong Hu's straightforward writing to praise Wu Jing.

After Wu Jing's death, Li Xuan spent a month sorting out historical materials and found that the historical materials in recent years, from war to people's livelihood, as well as local events, contained certain metaphors.

Li Xuan did not tell Li Longji, but ordered the historical materials to be sealed and stored in the National History Museum.

At the same time, in August, Wang Zhongsi, the prefect of Yongjia County, died of illness.

When he was young, Wang Zhongsi braved the bitter cold of the plateau and was extremely brave, which inevitably resulted in injuries.

In addition, after leaving the army, he became depressed and fell ill.

This famous general, who was only 45 years old, left the stage of history.

No one did not feel sorry for him.

After Li Longji received the news, he did not posthumously confer a title on Wang Zhongsi.

Originally, Li Xuan wanted to change the Temple of Taigong Shangfu into the Temple of Martial Arts, add 64 generals to the Temple of Martial Arts, and include Wang Zhongsi among them.

But after seeing Li Longji's indifference towards Wang Zhongsi, Li Xuan decided to wait and see.

In history, Wang Zhongsi was a tragedy both during his lifetime and after his death.

During the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang, sixty-four generals were added to the Martial Temple, and even Zhang Qiqiu was allowed to enter, but Wang Zhongsi was excluded.

As an old subordinate of Wang Zhongsi, this may be one of the things Li Xuan will do in the future.

Li Xuan could imagine that after Wang Zhongsi's death, the Hu people in the northeast were celebrating.

Because Wang Zhongsi was a big threat to An Lushan.

When the country is in trouble, even if Li Longji is unhappy with Wang Zhongsi, he will re-recruit him.

Now that Wang Zhongsi is dead, Li Xuan is the only major enemy left in the military.

In February of the ninth year of Tianbao, the mother of Li Xuan's good friend Wang Wei passed away.

Wang Wei lost his father when he was young and was raised by his mother.

Because Wang Wei's mother believed in Buddhism, she named him "Wei" after the Buddhist Bodhisattva Vimalakirti, and his courtesy name was "Mojie".

Therefore, Wang Wei resigned from all his official positions and mourned for his mother for three years.

After handling his mother's funeral, Wang Wei said goodbye to Li Xuan and said that he could not support the implementation of Li Xuan's new law for the time being.

Li Xuan understood Wang Wei's grief over the loss of his mother, so he did not arrange a banquet, but simply left Chang'an to see Wang Wei off...

In May last year, Li Xuan completely resolved the issue of the military system.

Although the Fubing system collapsed, there are still many problems left over.

There are still many bureaus across the country where people are just sitting there doing nothing, which is a burden on local and national finances.

From the Western Wei Dynasty to the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, the military system was once radiant.

This system of soldiers serving as soldiers in wartime and farmers in truce, combining soldiers and farmers, was very popular for more than a hundred years.

However, since Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian, wars have been constant, military service has been heavy, the people have avoided service, and the soldiers have fled, which has led to the gradual disintegration of the government troops.

This was particularly evident in the early Kaiyuan period under Li Longji's rule.

Although there were many border troops at that time, their quality was mixed. The soldiers of the Zhechoufu began to flee. In the tenth year of Kaiyuan, Zhang Shuo petitioned Li Longji to amend the regulations to reduce labor and recruit strong men, thus the "recruitment system" was formed.

The collapse of the Fubing system was mainly due to the increasing land annexation and the destruction of the equal-field system. The Fubing system was originally recruited from the people under the equal-field system. With the destruction of the equal-field system, the Fubing system lost its economic foundation.

Since there is no land to be divided, Zhechoufu will have no soldiers to surrender.

Previously, the Zhechoufu had wooden deeds and copper fish. When the imperial court wanted to mobilize, it would issue an imperial edict and the wooden deeds and copper fish. The governor and the county government would verify whether they were consistent before sending troops.

When there were no soldiers available in the Zhechoufu, all those who should have served as soldiers fled.

Leaving the Zhechoufu behind would inevitably affect the administration of the court. So after Li Xuan had figured out the Zhechoufu in various places, he began to rectify them, just like Li Linfu in history.

He petitioned to stop the fish writing between the upper and lower levels of the Zhechoufu, which marked the complete destruction of the Fubing system.

He was even more ruthless than Li Linfu, and handed over all the soldiers, horses, weapons, etc. of the Zhechoufu to Chang'an.

However, the rank of "Zhechou Duwei" at all levels was retained as a symbol of the border generals' status.

In fact, the Zhechongfu had been completely eliminated in all counties, and all the officials under its management had been cancelled, waiting for assessment and selection of the best ones.

It saved the court a lot of expenses.

Those laid-off officials, who usually just sat there with their legs crossed and collected salaries without doing anything, now developed hatred towards Li Xuan.

Because Li Xuan was too ruthless, he cut off their jobs.

The biggest disadvantage of implementing the conscription system is that it increases the financial burden.

However, Li Longji changed this into a Jiedushi, who collected local taxes and supported the army, seemingly reducing the financial burden on the court.

However, a Jiedushi who is in charge of military, political and financial affairs will eventually become too powerful to be removed.

Once, Zhang Shuo selected 130,000 elite soldiers from the 600,000 palace soldiers to strengthen the imperial guards in the capital, and even formed a cavalry guard.

This made Chang'an strong and powerful.

But no matter how skilled the soldiers are, after thirty years of living a comfortable and enjoyable life, how much combat effectiveness will they still have?

Li Longji believed that the best horses and the most refined armor were in Chang'an, and that his proud "military supervision system" was enough to allow him to control the world.

What he thought was a "strong trunk and weak branches" had long since turned into a "weak trunk and strong branches".

He believed that the loyal border generals were guarding his kingdom.

He was intoxicated and lost in the sight of Yang Yuhuan's stunning beauty.

Perhaps peeling the fresh lychee skin and hearing a beautiful woman’s smile on the lychee road that was just opened last year is worth more than anything else.

In July last year, dozens of countries and tribes, led by Tubo Huai'en Zamp, Uighur Yingwu Khan, Nanzhao Yunnan King, and the Western Regions, jointly wrote a letter to honor Li Longji as the Heavenly Khan.

Enjoy the same honor as Li Shimin.

This made Li Longji even more arrogant.

……

On August 14 last year, Luo Zhentan, the king of Humi, a small country in the Western Regions, came to the court. When he saw the prosperity of Chang'an, he did not want to go back and asked to stay as a guard. Li Longji agreed and appointed him as the General of the Left Guard.

Humi was a small country canonized by Li Longji in the eighth year of Kaiyuan. At that time, the Humi tribe was seduced by the Arabs, but their hearts were towards the Tang court and they remained loyal and refused to obey, so Li Longji canonized them as king.

After Luo Zhentan went to Chang'an to enjoy his life, his son Hui Humi, who was held hostage in Chang'an, inherited the throne.

It was also this month that Tocharian Yehu requested to send troops to attack the Kingdom of Qishi because Qishi seemed to be flirting with the Arabs.

In the past, Master Qi had a criminal record and had always followed the lead of Tubo. Only after Li Xuan surrendered to Tubo did Master Qi defect to the Tang Dynasty.

But the Tang Dynasty never had any troops stationed in Qishi.

Li Xuan remained silent because he knew that a series of major events would happen in the Western Regions next.

Li Longji is now the "Heavenly Khan" who reigns supreme over the world, and he must be displeased with the Arabs who refuse to pay him tribute.

He agreed to Tokharistan Yehu's attack on the Kingdom of Qishi.

At the same time, the inflated Li Longji ordered Abu Abbas, the leader of the Black Caliphate, to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty, withdraw from his former territory of Zhaowu, and restore his old title to the Tang Dynasty.

Abu Abbas was not originally the leader of the Hashemite family. In the eighth year of Tianbao, he inherited his brother's position as the patriarch and obtained the position of "Imam" of the Black Caliphate.

Imam means leader and example, indicating that Imam Abbas became the leader of the Hashemite family.

When Li Longji asked Li Xuan about the situation in the Arab Empire, Li Xuan analyzed that Emma Abbas would definitely overthrow the Umayyad Dynasty and become the new ruler of the Arab Empire.

The Abbasid Dynasty existed for five hundred years in history. During the Mongol invasion of the West, it collapsed along with the Arab Empire. Both the dynasty and the country were buried in the dust of history.

From then on, Arabia was no longer a country.

Li Longji believed that Emma Abbas, the new successor of the rebel army, would be afraid of the power of the Tang Dynasty and allow himself to be controlled by him.

Little did they know that when the edict reached the Caliphate, Aima Abbas led his army to capture Damascus and overthrew the Umayyad dynasty. The Hashemite family, headed by Abu Abbas, took advantage of the people's uprising and was elected caliph.

None of the founding monarchs were simple. Emma Abbas called himself "Safah", which means butcher.

The intention was to rule the Arabs with an iron fist. Li Longji's edict would not only fail to make the up-and-coming Emma Abbas submit, but would also make him angry.

When the Black-robed Arabs visited the Tang Dynasty as envoys, they always treated each other with equal courtesy.

Why did the Tang Dynasty rule over the Caliphate?
They believed that they were noble and inviolable, and Li Longji's actions were undoubtedly a blasphemy against them.

Even if they defeated Tubo, it would be impossible because they had a supreme god in their hearts.

……

In the imperial examination of the eighth year of Tianbao, Li Xuan admitted as many as 68 Jinshi.

Shocked the government and the public!

Because the number of Jinshi admitted through the imperial examination is often twenty to thirty people.

At the same time, the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel was completed.

Because Zhao Fengzhang eliminated hundreds of officials during the assessment.

Li Xuan gave priority to those who passed the imperial examinations and became Jinshi to serve as local officials, and then those who entered the government through family connections. The path from the imperial examination to officialdom was wider for common people.

Many people who would not have been able to pass the imperial examination were able to embark on a career in officialdom.

Their quality far exceeds that of officials who entered the government through family connections or recommendations.

The proportion of officials who entered the officialdom through the imperial examination, including those who passed the Mingjing examination, was less than 15% in the Tang Dynasty.

This ratio is too low, and Li Xuan will definitely increase it significantly in the future.

From Mingjing to Jinshi, the increase in the number of successful candidates was inevitable.

Under such circumstances, more scholars studied hard because the hope in their hearts was growing.

Of course, Li Xuan also proposed the idea of ​​"If you can't be a good prime minister, be a good doctor" to the literati in the imperial examination in the eighth year of Tianbao.

Among the Jinshi candidates, a large proportion were young people who were eager to make progress, some of whom had just reached adulthood.

They are naturally intelligent, but may not be suitable for being officials. They spend their entire lives studying classics and have white hair in front of the mirror, which is a loss to the country.

He hoped that these talented failed candidates would not have to be too obsessed with the imperial examination, and could also save their lives and go to Jishengtang to learn medical skills.

If you become a good doctor within ten years, you will still have a bright future.

If you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor. This sentence also expresses that if the literati in the world cannot make a difference in politics, then they hope to make contributions in the field of medicine to save the people of the world.

As prime minister, Li Xuan combined physiognomy with medicine.

I just hope that one day the Tang Dynasty will not be short of doctors.

Even in the field of medicine of the Tang Dynasty, it continued to develop and made infinite progress.

Li Xuan's status and actions make his words very convincing.

Hundreds of young scholars turned to Jishengtang and devoted themselves to medicine.

Li Xuan, through the Zhongshu Menxiatang, designated ten hectares of official land in the east of Chang'an as medicinal fields.

……

After more than a year of implementation, the new Changping Law has spread to all counties and prefectures in the country.

Since the new Changping law was implemented on the basis of the Changping granary, in every county.

They all have Changping granaries.

Once the new soldiers of Changping are in place and the laws are received, they can be implemented.

Within a year, Li Xuan executed three county governors and seventeen county magistrates who obstructed the new law, and sent their heads to various counties.

This let the local officials know that Li Xuan was going to kill people.

But there were countless corrupt officials, and Li Xuan could not kill them all.

He could only rely on the informants from the new recruits in Changping.

After the counties and prefectures learned that the new recruits from Changping were Li Xuan's spies, they were on guard against them in everything they did.

On the surface, the Changping New Army was only responsible for collecting debts and had no greater power, nor could it interfere in county affairs.

When a big hand blocked their view, the new recruits from Changping had no way to find out more information.

Through the inquiries of the people, there was insufficient evidence.

Li Xuan's killing was not for no reason, there was evidence behind it.

However, due to the severity of the law, officials were able to behave themselves and the powerful families could endure the pain.

The results of the new Changping law actually showed an upward trend.

This made Li Xuan very conflicted.

Li Xuan was happy that the people would not be annexed by the powerful.

But he has less and less time, which goes against his philosophy.

"Husband, it seems that one of the branches on this year's pear tree has withered..."

Jiang Yueyao came to the back garden with her big belly and said to Li Xuan who was reading under the pear tree.

Li Xuan looked up only after hearing Jiang Yueyao's words.

He hadn't noticed it before, but there was indeed a branch of pear blossom that had not yet bloomed, and it was a pretty big one.

"The pear tree is too old. Now that one branch has died, it should be cut off."

Li Xuan said quietly and let out a long sigh.

Can't wait any longer.

He had to take that step eventually. If he didn't make up his mind, his current glory would be like bubbles.

Seeing Jiang Yueyao stroking her belly, Li Xuan put down the book and helped Jiang Yueyao sit down under the pavilion.

"In about ten days or half a month, my baby will be born."

Li Xuan half-knelt on the ground, lowered his head and listened to the movements in Jiang Yueyao's belly.

The best midwife in Chang'an is already living in the Tianshui Palace.

Be ready to deliver at any time.

When Pei Lingxi gave birth, it was also the midwife who delivered the baby. She was taught the new methods on hygiene and skills, so Li Xuan felt relieved.

"I wonder if my husband wants a boy or a girl?"

Jiang Yueyao suddenly asked Li Xuan this question.

"Both boys and girls are welcome. I will treat them as treasures and educate them well."

Li Xuan said with a smile.

"I hope the boy will become a great general like his father."

Among the nobles, there is no woman who does not hope that her child will be a boy.

Given Li Xuan's status, it doesn't matter if he doesn't inherit the title. He will definitely be able to enter the officialdom in the future and have a bright future.

On the contrary, women may need to arrange marriage.

"Gender is determined by fate. If it's a girl, I will definitely not restrict her freedom, and she will grow up without worries in the future."

Li Xuan knew what they were thinking.

But he had no such prejudice.

"Yuying is still unmarried, and Aung is very worried."

Jiang Yueyao thought of Li Yuying again. She was the same age as her and should have started a family long ago.

When Li Shizhi threatened to choose a husband for Li Yuying, she ran to the Tianshui Palace.

Li Xuan also protected her.

"Let Yuying look for it herself. If it succeeds, I will make the decision." Li Xuan didn't care.

"This might make Grandfather unhappy." Because of Li Shizhi's status, he would never allow Li Yuying to marry someone who is not of equal status.

"In the past, when Dai Shuluan married his daughter off, he would only marry a virtuous man, regardless of his social status. As long as the man had good moral character, there was nothing wrong with that."

Li Xuan thought he could persuade Li Shizhi.

Jiang Yueyao also stroked Li Xuan's head very gently, and she also hoped that Li Yuying would have a good home.

Over the past year, Li Xuan treated them no differently than he treated Pei Lingxi.

He never does anything bad to them. With a husband like this, what else could a woman ask for?

Li Xuan and Jiang Yueyao spent some time together, then returned to the study, where they prepared to start writing an order that would leave corrupt local officials with nowhere to go.

Everything starts with this.

"Greetings, Prime Minister Li. Tomorrow morning, the Saint invites you to Qujiang to enjoy the flowers."

In the afternoon, an official entered the Tianshui Palace to inform Li Xuan.

It seems that the saint will not attend the court early tomorrow.

The next day, Li Xuan got up early and went to the martial arts hall in the front yard.

"Boom!"

At this time, Hun Yu and Che Guangqian were stabbing each other with long spears with wooden tips. Both of them were young and energetic, and neither of them would give in to the other.

Che Guangqian was already eighteen years old, and Hun Yu was only fifteen.

After more than a dozen rounds, Che Guangqian was older and stronger, so the wooden spear pierced Hun Yu's shoulder.

Then, they both sighed at the same time.

They didn't notice that Li Xuan had arrived.

"Great martial arts! Do you miss the battlefield?"

After Li Xuan applauded, he asked Hun Yu and Che Guangqian.

The two men bowed to Li Xuan. Che Guangqian didn't say anything. He had never been to the battlefield and was just looking forward to it.

But Hun Yu had been to the battlefield and had shot and killed enemies before. He wanted to be like the warriors in the Battle of Dayuechuan, armed with weapons and charging into battle.

"My dear, I want to go to the battlefield, but I don't know where to go?"

Hun Yu was of Tiele Hu descent and was warlike by nature.

Although he could learn martial arts by following Li Xuan, and Li Xuan would also teach him military strategies and battle formations when he had time, Hun Yu mistakenly believed that Li Xuan wanted to be prime minister for life.

He doesn't want this!
"There is no war in Longyou and Hexi anymore. It is said that some generals in Helong are dishonest and want to provoke Huihe and Tubo, but the two tribes retreated when they saw the Tang cavalry. I think there will be a war in the Western Regions!"

Li Xuan answered Hun Yu seriously.

"Will my husband allow me to go to the Western Regions?"

Hun Yu's eyes suddenly lit up. As a Tiele man, he was very familiar with the Western Regions.

Che Guangqian next to him gripped his spear tightly, indicating that he also wanted to make a contribution.

His father Che Shensai was the commander of the Lintao army, but he did not want to go there.

Nowadays, the Lintao Army is known as the "No. 1 Army in the World". Even in peacetime, Li Xuan would constantly replenish the Lintao Army's war horses.

The Lintao army had only 20,000 men, but the number of war horses was always 50,000.

As long as Li Xuan serves as the ambassador of Longyou herdsmen, the Lintao Army will remain like this.

"Within a year, you and Guangqian will go to the Western Regions together, and I will promote you to Langjiang."

Li Xuan spoke calmly to Che Guangqian and Hun Yu.

Xue Cuo and Luo Xing are both married.

They married the singing girls in Li Xuan's mansion. These women used to be in the musical school and were awarded to Li Xuan by Li Longji.

Li Xuan usually doesn't watch singing and dancing, and he can't let them grow old in the Tianshui Palace.

So they were turned into good families and allowed to choose their own guards as their husbands.

These women were pretty and one in a hundred. Although they were of low status, men like Liao Zhengrong were lucky to marry such women.

After obtaining a beautiful wife, the guards all felt an urge to die for Li Xuan.

They can all help Li Xuan do great things in the future.

"Thank you sir!"

Che Guangqian and Hun Yu looked surprised and they couldn't wait.

"Come, let me see if your skills have improved..."

Li Xuan took the spear and prepared to compete with them.

He is already 23 years old this year, trains regularly, and his strength is still growing.

Li Xuan is physically strong and has never been injured or seriously ill. Under normal circumstances, his endurance and strength will reach their peak when he is around 30 years old.

When practicing with Che Guangqian and Hun Yu, Li Xuan basically did not take the initiative to attack.

The two men joined forces and thrust forward together, but Li Xuan blocked with his spear.

This will not only improve Hun Yu and Che Guangqian's attacking skills, but also enhance Li Xuan's reaction ability.

Li Xuan hopes that they can become famous generals in the future just like in history.

Their qualifications are rare in the world, but they do not have Li Xuan's talent to kill the enemy with one blow.

Therefore, in addition to military force, the deployment of troops is more important.

After practicing with Che Guangqian and Hun Yu for more than half an hour, Li Xuan asked Luo Xing to prepare the carriage.

After he and his wives finished their meal, he headed to Qujiang, taking with him the document he had just written yesterday...

(End of this chapter)