Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 157

Li Ji established a policy of forcefully suppressing the powerful and wealthy families of Weibo. Although Du Huangshang and others felt it was somewhat too harsh, they had no choice but to comply. In order to restore production and ensure long-term stability, suppressing land annexation was a necessary measure. Besides, the military governor did not intend to carry out a massacre, so that he would not end up in the "Biographies of Cruel Officials" in the future.

Yan Zhenqing presented the tax ledgers collected last autumn. Li Ji glanced through them and found that the total harvest of millet, wheat, and other grains amounted to 478,000 shi, while the value of silk and miscellaneous goods was 520,000 strings of cash. Just as Yan Zhenqing had said, this was barely enough for the needs of the officials and 30,000 soldiers in the prefecture for a year... In other words, there was no surplus money left to invest in production.

Then the only option is to force the auxiliary troops to cultivate the land—news has come from Gaoying that, although most of the auxiliary troops were initially unwilling to obey, after Yan Zhenqing ordered the defense troops to conduct a large-scale search of the prefecture and ransacked several houses, they quickly became obedient...

So Li Ji asked Yan Zhenqing, "If the land tax is like this, what about the commercial tax?"

Yan Zhenqing said, "According to my examination of the records, the annual commercial taxes of Wei and Bo prefectures amounted to over 100,000 strings of cash. Of that, 70% was customs duties and about 30% was market taxes..."

Commercial taxes in the Tang Dynasty mainly consisted of two parts: customs duties, also known as transit taxes, were generally levied at 20 wen per thousand coins when goods passed through customs; and market taxes, also known as residence taxes, were levied at 30 wen per thousand coins when goods were sold in the market. Weizhou was not particularly prosperous—Bozhou was even worse—but it still occupied a section of the Yongji Canal. Taxes were collected upon entering the prefecture, at the Guixiang wharf, and again upon leaving the prefecture. This is why customs duties constituted the majority of commercial taxes.

Li Ji planned to reduce commercial taxes and ordered the dismantling of checkpoints within the prefecture, including the Guixiang Wharf, retaining only taxes for entry and exit. Furthermore, both customs duties and municipal taxes were to be reduced by half. Yan Zhenqing vehemently opposed this, arguing that the only way to enrich a region was to prioritize agriculture, while heavy taxes should be levied on commerce and industry—"I'd like to increase them, why are you suggesting reductions?"

Li Ji argued with him for a long time, explaining that only by reducing commercial taxes could merchants from all over be attracted to come and the market in Weibo prosper. In that case, even if taxes were halved, the total volume could be expected to increase significantly. Unfortunately, Yan Zhenqing was stubborn and simply wouldn't listen.

However, Yan Zhenqing made a statement that made a lot of sense: "Now all towns are poor, and merchants are exploited. Checkpoints are densely packed along the way. Although my Weibo town has reduced taxes, neighboring towns have increased them. It's like building a high dike. Where will the water flow? Then distant merchants will not come, markets will not be bustling, and taxes will be further reduced. I think this is unacceptable."

Finally, Li Ji had no choice but to say that they would only reduce the commercial taxes from the Zhaoyi Army—"I have already agreed with Commander Xue that the taxes from our town will also be reduced." He pondered whether he should send someone to negotiate a trade agreement with the Wu Shun Army and the Tianping Army as soon as possible…

Weibo also had another source of revenue, namely industrial tax, or rather, handicraft tax. However, the manufacturing industry in the two states was not developed—the textile industry was all individually operated and merged into the tax system—so it could only earn a small amount of money and was not worth mentioning.

Yan Zhenqing remained confident about the future. He said that after statistics and estimates, confiscating the surplus land of wealthy households in the two prefectures and returning it to the common people, plus military farms, if the weather was favorable this year, the autumn harvest might exceed last year's by 30%, and then the government would no longer be struggling financially. Li Ji, however, thought to himself: "Then I still can't recruit more soldiers... The court hopes I can train an army of 50,000!"

Having discussed the most pressing issue of tax policy, Yan Zhenqing then moved on to mention Yang Shigu. He said, "Upon closer examination, Yang Shigu seems to have instigated Li Ziyi's treachery, but there is no concrete evidence; however, his cousin Yang Shiyan has frequently entered and exited his camp, as well as the home of the Yang clan patriarch who spearheaded the rebellion, suggesting possible collusion between them..."

Li Ji instinctively turned his gaze to Yin Shen, who hurriedly bowed his head and apologized: "I failed to foresee the signs of turmoil beforehand, and I failed to investigate the misdeeds of the Yang family afterward. It is my fault, and I am willing to accept the punishment."

There was no other way; he was in charge of intelligence work under Li Ji, and with such a huge blunder, he would definitely be held responsible. It was better to ask for punishment first, at least to appear remorseful. However, Yin Shen was also frustrated. He had recently been forced by Yan Zhenqing to go to the countryside to survey land and then tally taxes, leaving him no time to investigate the movements of the gentry and wealthy families in the prefecture…

Li Ji stared at him for a long time before slowly saying, "When you first entered Weibo, you were unfamiliar with both the people and the land, which led to this mistake, but it is understandable. Raise your head. Just remember this and be more diligent in the future so as not to repeat the same mistake."

Then he asked, "Has Li Ziyi been captured?"

Yan Zhenqing shook his head: "There was chaos in front of the yamen that day. Li Ziyi was the leader, and more than a dozen people escaped. They have probably fled to other prefectures. I have already sent notices to all counties and posted arrest warrants." He paused and then asked for instructions: "As for the Yang brothers, what should be done?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Since there is no concrete evidence, it is not convenient to convict him." The key point is that he was in a good mood at the moment. Regardless of whether the mutiny was instigated by the Yang brothers, every cloud has a silver lining. The result was that Yan Zhenqing was able to more decisively reform the administration of the state, and that he himself was determined to suppress the powerful families and curb mergers. So, if we look back from the result, Yang Shigu was meritorious and not at fault.

"Yang Shigu has rendered meritorious service in quelling the rebellion, but he acted without orders and committed a crime, which can be offset. As for the soldiers who entered the city with him to quell the rebellion that day, they should all be rewarded..." Because the soldiers only obeyed the orders of Yang Shigu, the sergeant of their own camp, they only had merit and no fault - "each person was given two hundred coins as a reward."

Li Ji's separate handling of Yang Shigu and his troops was also an attempt to divide and disintegrate any alliances within his camp.

Afterwards, Li Ji summoned Du Huangshang, Yin Shen, and others for a private conversation—these were all his own people, unlike Yan Zhenqing, who was a deputy appointed by the court, thus creating a distance between them—and shared his thoughts on state affairs with his staff, including matters such as reducing commercial taxes, which Yan Zhenqing did not approve of. When it was Yin Shen's turn, he bowed again and said, "Regarding Yang Shigu, this humble official still has some information to report."

Li Ji thought to himself, "I knew you had something to say in private—we've known each other the longest, so we have that kind of understanding." So he waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, come closer and talk."

Yin Shen moved closer and reported in a low voice: "During Li Ziyi's rebellion, I failed to detect or prevent it in advance, and I am guilty. Afterwards, I secretly deployed scouts and repeatedly investigated in the prefecture and the army. I learned that Yang Shigu had plotted to seize his uncle's property, claiming that he could avoid the autumn tax increase, but his uncle firmly refused to give it to him..."

"Is he the one who is now imprisoned for instigating a rebellion?"

“Indeed, however—the Yang family is not the one who instigated the rebellion. It was Yang Shigu who came to visit this lowly official, saying that his uncle was the first to resist the tax increase and even instigated the tenants to beat up the tax officials. He suggested taking this opportunity to punish him severely as a warning to others who might follow suit…”

Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned slightly: "Is the enmity between those uncle and nephew really so deep?"

Yin Shen explained, “They are beyond the fifth degree of kinship and there is no kinship between them. Moreover, that Yang is accustomed to forging documents and lending money to seize land from others, and even his own clansmen are not exempt from this, causing deep resentment in the village. Yang Shigu has volunteered to collect evidence of his uncle's crimes over the years and establish an ironclad case…”

Li Ji smiled slightly: "What benefits did he promise you? And what benefits does he want to gain for himself?"

Yin Shen hurriedly said, “Yang Shigu did indeed bribe the lower-ranking officials, but the lower-ranking officials firmly refused to accept it… As for himself, he said that he saw that most of his clansmen were destitute, and that he himself only had five mu of ancestral land. He earnestly requested that his uncle’s land be divided and distributed to his relatives according to the number of males—naturally including himself and his cousin Yang Shiyan.”

The equal-field system of the early Tang Dynasty was a land nationalization system. The state allocated land according to the population, and officials' official land and meritorious land were also their own and not allowed to be inherited—theoretically, it was impossible for large landowners to emerge. However, given the social reality and the government's control, and the lack of explicit prohibition on land sales, after decades or even centuries of snowballing, the landlord and gentry class gradually grew stronger, and it was common for individuals to privately occupy dozens or even hundreds of acres of land.

According to the equal-field system, adult males were entitled to 80 mu of allotted land and 20 mu of permanent land. The former was reclaimed by the government upon death, while the latter could be inherited—for example, used as homestead land. Of course, depending on the population, arable land ratio, and soil fertility of each prefecture, there were variations in the allocation of land. Weizhou was a prefecture with a narrow allocation system; even in the early Tang Dynasty, males generally did not receive more than 100 mu of land, with 60 mu being the maximum.

Yan Zhenqing's confiscation of large households' land only referred to their private fields. Even if the people were imprisoned, they were not convicted and still retained a certain amount of farmland recognized by the government. The confiscated land was immediately distributed to the landless or land-poor people in the same village. If the tenants were registered residents, they were naturally granted land; if not, they were first registered and then granted land.

Even so, it's impossible to restore the equal-field system of the early Tang Dynasty, and it's impossible to distribute the land so evenly—in fact, it was difficult to distribute it evenly even in the early Tang Dynasty—within a village, some people would always get more and some would get less. That's why Yang Shigu went to discuss with Yin Shen whether to confiscate my uncle's land and distribute it to the Yang family members first?

He had no other choice. He had originally planned to turn against his uncle and seize his land, but the government had simply confiscated it. To make matters worse, Yan Sima was incredibly perceptive, seemingly able to see right through him. Even if he had a chance to take advantage, he could only quickly hide his claws. He couldn't help but privately complain to Yang Shiyan, "Look at the brilliant idea you gave me..."

After months of hard work, unwilling to leave empty-handed, he attempted to extend the benefits to his relatives, hoping to eventually reclaim the land from them. He even discussed with Yin Shen the possibility of receiving a smaller share of the official and meritorious lands…

Yin Shen dared not make a decision on his own—although his refusal of Yang Shigu's bribe was a complete lie—he was also afraid of acting rashly and being caught by Yan Zhenqing, that intolerant old man. He could only wait until Li Ji returned before reporting to him in person.

Li Ji stroked his beard and pondered, "So he wanted the land..."

Li Ji did not intend to grant land to soldiers—unless their families had other male members—because he did not want to create a hereditary military household class. Soldiers without land, relying solely on their military pay for survival, would remain firmly in the hands of their generals; if they did have land, they would easily become the armed forces of local gentry. Therefore, he instructed Yin Shen: “My intention is that soldiers will not be granted land, but if their families have other male members, or if they have retired from military service, they may be granted land according to the highest standards; if they are wounded or disabled in battle, the military governor will recruit people to help them cultivate the land…”

This is like dangling a carrot in front of the soldiers.

"As for the Yang family, their request can be granted, and land can be allocated to their relatives first. However, since Yang Shigu is already receiving an official salary, he cannot obtain land again."

Finally, he lowered his voice and instructed Yin Shen: "I have long known that Yang Shigu is cunning. At a time when we need people, it is not convenient to dismiss him without cause. But you must secretly plant spies around him and keep an eye on his movements at all times to prevent him from plotting anything else—and even if he does plot something, we can have concrete evidence to punish him!"

Yin Shen accepted the order and withdrew.

Li Ji brought several more people with him from Chang'an this time. He was about to add Xu Yu to the defense army and replace Li Ziyi as a battalion commander. He was lucky this time because there happened to be a vacancy. Jia Huai and Ma Meng were to join the staff as officials. The former was in charge of weapons and the latter was in charge of horses.

Finally, a place needed to be found for Lao Huang. Li Ji then merged several small official workshops in Guixiang and Yuancheng into one, rebuilt it beside the Yongji Canal, put it under the management of Jia Huai, and appointed Lao Huang as the master craftsman. More than half a month later, the workshop was completed, and Li Ji went to inspect it and summoned the two men to inquire about the manufacture of weapons.

Old Huang said, "Given the situation in Weibo, I suggest that we should manufacture more bows and crossbows and station more archers."

Although Weibo Town lacks mineral resources, it is rich in other resources. At least it still retains large areas of forest, where birds and animals thrive. The six materials for bow making—wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer—are all readily available in the town. That's why Old Huang said, "Your town lacks good iron, which has to be imported from other prefectures, making it very expensive. Only the six materials for bow making can be obtained locally, so you should produce them in large quantities."

Li Ji said that while bows and crossbows should be produced in greater quantities, swords and spears should not be purchased directly from the Zhaoyi Army. Even if the cost is slightly higher, it's best to manufacture them ourselves—to avoid being held hostage. He instructed Lao Huang: "Military weapons should be standardized; there should be no slight difference in weight or strength..." Otherwise, switching weapons on the battlefield would be extremely difficult—"and all parts should be interchangeable..."

I had originally planned to have a serious talk with Lao Huang about standardization, but to my surprise, Lao Huang understood immediately without needing any explanation. After all, the standardization of weapons in the Qin Dynasty was quite high; it's unlikely that a thousand years later, they wouldn't not only fail to inherit it but would also regress significantly... In fact, most craftsmen in those days were very clear about standardization (of course, the term didn't exist). For example, most buildings used wooden mortise and tenon structures; if the dimensions weren't standardized, could they simply try to carve and test on the spot?

However, since most of these items are handmade, a higher degree of standardization inevitably increases the difficulty and time required. Therefore, unless instructed personally, most craftsmen are unwilling to put in too much effort. Of course, Lao Huang is a national-level important military equipment craftsman, and his standards for himself were already quite high.

However, he earnestly pleaded with Li Ji: "I have heard that the troops in Weibo garrison are now divided into the defense army and the auxiliary army. In fact, the auxiliary army does not need very good weapons... The defense army numbers 15,000. If Commander Li wants everyone to be equipped with good weapons, I am afraid there will not be enough craftsmen..."

Li Ji smiled and said, "You should work hard first, and be selective in your work. As for the craftsmen, I will look for them gradually. In addition, you can also recruit some apprentices here to pass on your skills. They can also take care of you in your old age."

You're over forty, aren't you? Even if you take a few more concubines, what are the chances of having children? You should give up this wishful thinking...

Chapter 48, The Old Curtain Falls

Li Ji first cracked down on wealthy households in Weizhou. After confiscating their land, many people were forced to flee to Xiangzhou. However, Xue Song refused to help plead for them anymore. "You are still alive, and Li Ji has already done me a great favor."

He then governed Bozhou, where the gentry colluded with bandits to cause chaos, which was easily quelled by Nan Jiyun. As a result, a dozen or so households fled to the northern prefectures of Bei and De. Guo Mo advised Qin Rui, "If the commander-in-chief wishes to befriend Weibo, he should not accept them; it would be better to expel them." However, many of the fleeing gentry were scholars, and Qin Rui's staff lacked such scholars; he was truly reluctant to let them go…

Therefore, he specifically wrote to Li Ji, saying that his acceptance of those fleeing households was not to oppose him, but to create the illusion of discord between the two towns in order to lull the Tianxiong Army into a false sense of security.

Tianxiong Army was formerly the Jizhou Garrison, governing the four prefectures of Ji, Cang, Ying, and Di. Tian Chengsi had just obtained the military title from the imperial court. Qin Rui deeply resented Tian Chengsi and always wanted to seize his territory. Although Tian Chengsi did not harbor much ill will towards him, his ambition only grew stronger. Because he was inherently ambitious, he was unwilling to remain in Jizhou, a place surrounded by enemies. To the north was Li Huaixian of Youzhou, and to the west were Li Baochen of Chengde and Xue Song of Zhaoyi Army, all of whom were powerful. The only weaker neighbor was Qin Rui of Wushun Army to the south.

However, although Wu Shun's army was weak, it still had 20,000 elite troops. Before he had dealt with the remaining forces in Yan and Zhao, or at least kept them on the sidelines, Tian Chengsi dared not rush into action. Therefore, he often sent his subordinates to Qinghe, pretending to befriend Qin Rui, but in reality, he intended to lull the enemy into a false sense of security—the two enemies were thinking exactly the same thing.

Qin Rui wrote to Li Ji, saying that our two families are joining forces to secure Tian's succession. However, if this plan is leaked, Tian may be caught off guard and unable to act. Therefore, it would be better if we remained distant on the surface but cooperated in private—this is my reason for accepting the surrendered people from your town.

Li Ji replied, expressing his understanding. Qin Rui was overjoyed and immediately summoned many scholars from the fleeing households to serve as officials under his command—as for the widespread hostility towards Weibo that had arisen in Wu Shun's army, he didn't care much.

Because Qin Rui didn't necessarily have much goodwill towards Li Ji; he even hoped to kill Li Ji so he could inherit the estate of a young widow...

Time flies, spring ends and summer arrives. Li Ji received a letter from Lu Qi, the acting envoy of Shangdu. He unfolded it and nodded in approval—this director of the Beijing office is quite competent, having gathered so much useful information.

But he immediately frowned, because Lu Qi reported that Cheng Yuanzhen was finished.

Cheng Yuanzhen was originally highly trusted by Li Yu, and his power was immense. When Li Fuguo was in power, people in the court called him "Fifth Brother" but dared not call him by his real name. When Cheng Yuanzhen took over, he was called "Tenth Brother"... However, his intentional evil went unpunished, but his unintentional evil dug his own grave.

Previously, out of concern for Li Yu's health, Cheng Yuanzhen had concealed the battle at Fengxiang from the news. Fortunately, Li Ji reminded him in time, preventing a major mistake. After the Tibetan army withdrew and Ma Lin returned to the capital, he rebuked Cheng Yuanzhen to his face. Li Yu was furious and reprimanded him for his lack of understanding of the bigger picture.

In fact, the four-character accusation of "lacking a sense of propriety" wasn't particularly serious, especially in the emperor's eyes. What kind of "propriety" did eunuchs need to know? Obedience was enough. However, the court officials seized this opportunity to impeach Cheng Yuanzhen one after another. Liu Kang, a Doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and a Hanlin Academician, even submitted a memorial strongly advising that Cheng Yuanzhen be executed to appease the people.

Because Cheng Yuanzhen had completely alienated the military governors, in this respect he was even more hated than Li Fuguo: first, he lured and killed Lai Zhen, then he offended Ma Lin, and furthermore, Li Huairang, the military governor of Tonghua, also died because of Cheng Yuanzhen.

Li Huairang was from Chengji in Longxi, the son of General Li Ju. He served as a military officer in his youth and entered the palace to practice archery during the reign of Emperor Suzong. Later, he was promoted to General of the Left Divine Martial Army and actually commanded the Weiyuan Camp—Li Sheng's former superior. After the An Lushan Rebellion was quelled, Li Huairang was appointed as the military governor of Tonghua to protect the eastern capital. He had also led the Tonghua army in the previous war against the barbarians.

However, when Li Ji went to Fengxiang, he did not see Li Huairang, because he was already dead... It is said that after the defeat at Dazhen Pass, he and the Hua army retreated first. Cheng Yuanzhen questioned Li Huairang about this, and Li Huairang, fearing that he would be harmed, simply slit his own throat...

When a tree falls, everyone pushes it down; thus, the blame for Li Huairang's suicide was entirely placed on Cheng Yuanzhen. The reason is simple: Li Huairang had a close relationship with Li Fuguo in the past and could be considered an important henchman of the old eunuch. So how could Cheng Yuanzhen tolerate Li Huairang taking command of a large army after Li Fuguo's death and Cheng Yuanzhen's succession?

—In Lu Qi’s letter, he was vague on this point. Li Ji guessed that there seemed to be rumors in the capital that Li Huairang was actually forced to his death by the emperor… It’s hard to say for sure.

In conclusion, the court was in uproar, and Li Yu ultimately blamed Cheng Yuanzhen, stripping him of all his posts and sending him back to his hometown.

Whether Cheng Yuanzhen falls from grace or not is not important. What Li Ji is most concerned about is that, according to Lu Qi's report, half of the positions Cheng Yuanzhen previously held have fallen into the hands of Yu Chaoen... Damn it, that bastard has started to tremble again, and I'm afraid no one can restrain him anymore!

At the same time, there was also good news: Li Yu finally succumbed to the repeated urging of his ministers and officially appointed Li Shi as the Crown Prince.

Lu Qi was quite responsible in his work. While in the capital, he used the 30,000 coins left by Li Ji and the profits from the Yaxuan Tea House to cultivate good relationships with ministers, and to publicize Li Ji's virtues and the hardships of Weibo Town. As a result, Li Yu wrote a large piece of paper and took out 3,000 bolts of brocade from the Daying Treasury to reward Weibo.

Upon receiving the news, Li Ji's first reaction was: "Are you trying to fob me off? The Emperor himself bestows this little bit of wealth upon a regional governor? This is a reward for Weibo, not for me personally. Two prefectures, and you can't even see a ripple in the water after throwing away these three thousand bolts of silk!"

Besides, Weibo is a major producer of silk products, so why are you offering it for forging? Wouldn't it be better to convert it into cash?

Then my second reaction was: The imperial court has only just become a little richer, and you, sir, have already started spending lavishly...

At the beginning of the An Lushan Rebellion, prices in the capital soared, with a dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice costing a thousand coins. Even the imperial kitchens lacked enough for a single season's supply. It was only through Liu Yan's tireless efforts that prices were managed to be brought down. Liu Yan's policies primarily involved reforming the salt monopoly and the Ever-Normal Granary system, and innovating the Grand Canal. While these measures couldn't fundamentally solve the problem, they minimized losses in the distribution sector and channeled some local revenues back to the court. However, the problem was that Li Yu was using money from the Imperial Treasury to reward the imperial guards, and now he was rewarding Li Ji. He wasn't using private royal funds, but rather state funds…

In the past, Fifth Qi was in charge of finance and managed the Left Treasury. Because many powerful figures in the capital sought rewards that he could not refuse, he suggested that taxes from various regions be directly deposited into the Emperor's private Great Treasury... From then on, public and private funds were no longer distinguished. If he encountered a spendthrift emperor, no matter how capable the financial officials were, they would inevitably be unable to make ends meet! Fortunately, it seems that Li Yu is somewhat more frugal than his father... However, he is never stingy when it comes to rewarding the Imperial Guards and his confidants.

Oh, this time the reward for Weibo is an exception...

Lu Qi wrote to Li Ji almost every month to report on the affairs of the central court, and would also send envoys temporarily in case of urgent matters. However, Li Ji was most worried about the defense of the western frontier against the Tibetans. He had told Lu Qi about this before he left. As a result, when the Tibetans invaded in the autumn, Li Ji already knew about it before the official document from the court arrived.

This time, Ma Chongying did not attack Longshang again—presumably not because he was frightened by Li Ji, but because he was disgusted by the two-faced Western Qiang—but instead sent a large force to attack Liangzhou.

Yang Wenlie, the deputy military governor of Hexi, sent his supervising officer Bai Wenda with more than 10,000 troops to defend against the enemy. The barbarian army launched a night attack, and the Tang army suffered a great defeat, with more than half of its soldiers killed or wounded. Bai Wenda led the remaining troops back to Guzang in tears. However, Yang Wenlie personally went to welcome him and comforted him, saying, "It is good that the supervising officer was able to retreat safely. What is the loss of a few soldiers?" The soldiers all resented his words.

The Tibetan army then captured several cities in succession and besieged Guzang. Yang Zhilie still wanted to hold the city, but his soldiers were unwilling to serve. In just ten days, Liangzhou fell. Yang Zhilie fled to Ganzhou, where he was killed by the Shatuo tribe.

By capturing Liangzhou, the Tibetan Empire not only completely severed the connection between the interior and the Western Regions, but also effectively opened the gates to Zhenxi and Beiting...

Fortunately, at the same time, Yan Wu, the military governor of Jiannan West Circuit, led his troops westward, defeated the barbarian army in front of him, and captured Danggou City and Yanchuan City, which saved face for the Tang court.

That autumn, the Tang court's main strategic objective was to eliminate the hidden dangers on its side. Guo Ziyi defeated the Western Qiang and, as he had previously said, moved the Dangxiang Qiang of the six prefectures of Jingbian to the north of Yinchuan and the west of Xiazhou, and moved the Tuyuhun of Ningshuo Prefecture to the west of Xiazhou—to prevent them from causing trouble again and colluding with the Western Barbarians.

Immediately, Li Yu summoned five people, including the chieftain of the Dangxiang tribe, the Left Feathered Forest General Tuoba Chaoguang, and Tuoba Qimei, to the court for an audience, and bestowed upon them generous rewards. From then on, Tuoba Qimei resided in Qingzhou and was known as the Dongshan tribe; Tuoba Chaoguang resided in Xiazhou and was known as the Pingxia tribe.

Because of this merit, Li Yu wanted to appoint Guo Ziyi as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, but Guo Ziyi declined, saying, "Since Emperor Taizong held this position when he was still a prince, successive emperors have not appointed him again. Recently, the Crown Prince (Li Shi) also held this position. This is not something that I, your humble servant, should be entitled to." He declined the position three times. It is said that Li Yu was deeply moved and ordered that this matter be recorded in the national history.

In preparation for the Western Barbarians, based on Guo Ziyi's suggestion, the four garrisons of Anxi and the Beiting military camp that had previously come from the east to defend the emperor—originally stationed in Hezhong, but now the Hezhong military governor and Yaode Army had been dismissed—were relocated to Jing and Yuan prefectures. The position of military governor and observer of the four garrisons of Jing and Yuan and the Beiting military camp was established concurrently with the position of prefect of Jing prefecture, and Ma Lin was appointed to the position.

With Longyou fallen and the Tang army defeated at Dazhen Pass, and the barbarian army once besieging Fengxiang, Liangzhou was left isolated and helpless, destined to fall sooner or later. This was within Li Ji's expectations, and although he sighed upon hearing the news, he was not greatly alarmed or angry. In the autumn and winter of that year, only two unexpected pieces of news deeply affected Li Ji.

First, Li Guangbi passed away.

Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were two pillars of the Tang court, holding the rank of one of the Three Dukes and both having served as regional commanders, including deputy marshals. There was also Pugu Huai'en, but his political career, and that of his entire family, was essentially over. It's likely that two prestigious but ultimately unfilled positions were already prepared in Chang'an. However, Guo Ziyi immediately obeyed the imperial edict and returned to court, while Li Guangbi, holding troops in Xuzhou, resolutely refused to return.

Li Yu, knowing that Li Guangbi's mother was in Hezhong, repeatedly sent imperial envoys to inquire after her well-being. Later, he simply brought her to Chang'an, provided her with a residence and generous provisions, and put Li Guangbi's younger brother, Li Guangjin, in command of the Shence Army. However, Li Guangbi still refused to obey the imperial edict. People at the time said that this was because the death of Lai Zhen had served as a warning to him, and he feared that he would be framed by Cheng Yuanzhen after returning to the capital... Cheng Yuanzhen's downfall may not have been without this factor—if he could bring Grand Commandant Li back to the capital and prevent him from following in the footsteps of Pugu Huai'en, why would the emperor hesitate to sacrifice a eunuch?

However, although Cheng Yuanzhen was dismissed, Li Guangbi still refused to return—perhaps out of fear of Yu Chaoen—and eventually died of illness in Xuzhou in August of that year. Upon hearing the news, Li Yu suspended court for three days in mourning, posthumously awarded him the title of Grand Tutor, and the posthumous name "Wumu". He then appointed Wang Wei's younger brother, Wang Jin, to succeed him as commander of the Henan, Huaixi, and Shannan East Circuits.

Guo Ziyi is old and frail, Pugu Huaien is like a prisoner, and now Li Guangbi is dead. Li Ji seems to see the end of the old era... But can he lift the curtain on a new era? Who will fight alongside him to support this crumbling edifice?

As for the other matter, it was reported by Lu Qi. When Li Ji saw the letter, he slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "This treacherous Hui scoundrel and his old eunuch brother-in-law, I will never let him get away with this!"

The phrase "treacherous and wicked Taoist, old eunuch's brother-in-law" refers to Yuan Zai, the prime minister of the time. Because Yuan Zai came from a humble background and failed the imperial examinations repeatedly, he finally passed the examinations by appealing to Emperor Xuanzong's tastes and thus entered officialdom. Therefore, his enemies privately cursed him as "wicked Taoist." He had once curried favor with Li Fuguo and formed a kinship with the wife of an old eunuch, hence Li Ji's nickname "old eunuch's brother-in-law."

Yuan Zai sought to monopolize power in the court, but while he could make decisions with a single word in the Council of State Affairs, he was powerless to control the "Inner Chancellor" Li Bi. Therefore, he often plotted to expel Li Bi from Chang'an. Unfortunately, Li Bi not only enjoyed the deep trust of Li Yu and his son, but also knew how to protect himself, neither forming factions nor easily offending others. On the matter of peace talks with Tibet, he unusually refuted Yuan Zai's words, which further fueled Yuan Zai's resentment.

Ultimately, however, it was Li Bi himself who handed the excuse—not a handle—to Yuan Zai.

Furthermore, Li Yu was often troubled by the invasions of the Western Barbarians and consulted his ministers. Li Mi then presented a "Strategy for Confining the Barbarians," the main content of which was:

Every autumn, the state would gather troops from various towns in Guanzhong to defend places like Dazhen Pass and Fengxiang in the west, setting up dense fortifications to prevent the Tubo (Tibetan) forces from taking advantage of any openings. Especially now that the Qianxi Qiang had been defeated and Li Baoyu had quelled the bandits in the southern mountains, the Tang army could focus all its efforts on defending against the Tubo. Since the Tubo had captured Liangzhou and could not take Longxi, their main target would definitely be Guazhou, Shazhou, and other prefectures, as well as Zhenxi and Beiting.

We could request troops from the Uyghurs, urging them to march south and help defend the Western Regions, thus instigating several fierce battles between the Tibetans and the Uyghurs, forging an irreconcilable enmity. This would tie down the main force of the Tibetans in the north for a long time, while the imperial court would send envoys south to establish friendly relations with the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Initially, Zhang Qianda, the governor of Yunnan, failed to extort bribes and humiliated and falsely accused Geluofeng, the ruler of Nanzhao. This led Geluofeng to raise an army and kill Zhang Qianda. Xianyu Zhongtong led an army of 80,000 to the south. Geluofeng's surrender was refused, and he ultimately defeated the Tang army at the Xier River. This incident created enmity between the two sides, and Nanzhao sided with Tibet.

However, it is said that after defeating the Tang army several times, Geluofeng erected a stone tablet in his capital city of Taihe, explaining the reasons for his forced rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. He then told his attendants, "My family has served China for generations and has received numerous rewards. I hope that my descendants can return to the Tang Dynasty. If a Tang envoy arrives, you can point to this tablet to clear my name."

In particular, under the pretext of assisting Nanzhao in resisting the Tang Dynasty, the Tibetan Empire seized many strategic locations, stationed heavy troops there, and demanded military supplies and provisions. Nanzhao could no longer bear this burden, and Geluofeng truly harbored thoughts of returning to the Tang Dynasty. If we could persuade Nanzhao to drive out the Tibetan army and invade Tibetan territories in the south, then over a distance of thousands of miles, the Tibetan Empire would be forced to defend against Nanzhao in the south and fight against the Uyghurs in the north. Its army would be exhausted from running around and would inevitably become impoverished in the long run.

Furthermore, Li Mi suggested: "Currently, the barbarian bandits are in Longyou and Hexi, using oxen to transport grain. When the grain runs out, the oxen are useless. I propose to release the hidden inferior silk, dye it into colored silk, and trade it with them through the Dangxiang. Each ox would only cost two or three bolts of silk, totaling 180,000 bolts, which could yield more than 60,000 oxen. Then, order the forging of agricultural tools and the purchase of wheat seeds, distribute them to the border garrisons, recruit soldiers to cultivate the barren land. The soil in Guanzhong is fertile and has been barren for a long time, so the harvest will surely be plentiful. The soldiers will profit, and more and more people will cultivate the land. In this way, the border will be secured and agriculture will be facilitated. In five years, we can say that the barbarians have been defeated!"

Li Yu was overjoyed upon reading the plan and immediately recruited someone capable of being sent as an envoy to Nanzhao. Yuan Zai seized the opportunity to instruct his cronies to submit a memorial, saying that Nanzhao was far away and its situation was unclear, so only a highly capable and important minister could be sent to persuade them—the implication being that since Li Mi had come up with this idea, only he could convince Geluofeng!

This sparked a heated debate in the court and among the public, and Li Changyuan certainly couldn't withstand it—he still had his pride—so he was forced to volunteer to serve as the pacification envoy of Nanzhao.

Upon receiving the report, Li Ji was filled with resentment and worry—the transportation conditions nowadays are not like those of later generations. Not only is the Shu Road difficult to travel, but Yunnan is also a land of miasma. With your health, brother, wouldn't you be exhausted from this trip? I guess Yuan Zai was planning the same thing. A round trip would probably take more than a year, giving him the opportunity to completely eliminate Li Mi's influence in the court. Even if you return victorious, you will no longer have a position in the central government!

Li Ji thought to himself, "I've long suspected that Yuan Zai is a scoundrel. What good can a shameless guy like him, who clings to the leg of the old eunuch Li Fuguo, possibly do? Besides, his governance skills are only mediocre. He's supposedly good at financial matters, but he's never actually managed the Ministry of Revenue. You could say he's accomplished nothing. So why did two emperors allow him to monopolize power in the central government?"

In private conversations with his staff, Yan Zhenqing offered a relatively simple perspective on the issue. He said, "Yuan Zai entered the Council of State Affairs primarily through Li Fuguo's support, and he further relied on Fuguo's power to suppress other officials. Once Fuguo was removed, his influence became uncontrollable. Moreover, most of the ministers in the Council of State Affairs are mediocre and incompetent, only seeking to secure their positions and salaries, and are therefore unable to compete with Yuan Zai..."

On the contrary, Du Huangshang and Gao Ying had a deeper understanding—of course, they dared not say it in front of Yan Zhenqing.

Du Huangshang said, "When the current emperor first ascended the throne, there were almost no trustworthy officials in the court. Moreover, Li Fuguo was very powerful, so he tried to win over Yuan Zai to counter him..." Li Ji nodded slightly—back then, it was he who helped Li Shi and Yuan Zai to make connections and plot against Li Fuguo.

"...Although Li Fuguo was dismissed afterward, Cheng Yuanzhen and Yu Chaoen were appointed. How could the emperor not know that eunuchs were in power and wielding their power? However, fearing that the Council of State Affairs would become too powerful, the emperor had to strengthen the inner court to maintain a balance. Unless all eunuchs were dismissed and prevented from participating in politics and commanding the military, the Council of State Affairs would have to appoint Yuan Zai. Although Yuan Zai was treacherous, he was capable of handling affairs. People like Pei Mian, who were old and confused, were not as good as Yuan Zai."

Gao Ying added: "Only when the tripod is in place can it be stable. The tripod used by the sage is the tripod of the inner court, the outer court, and the various towns."

Li Ji nodded slowly: "What Gongchu said hit the nail on the head."