Editing history, counting the top ten emperors at the beginning! Chapter 73 The first thing to do when you come back: recruit loyal ministers and kill treacherous ministers!
Chapter 73 The first thing to do when you come back: recruit loyal ministers and kill treacherous ministers!
Chapter 73 The first thing to do when you come back: Recruit loyal ministers and kill traitorous ministers!
Author: An Jing l
Chapter 73 The first thing to do when you come back: Recruit loyal ministers and kill traitorous ministers!
I have seen Shi Jingtang’s life without dignity and moral bottom line, and I have seen Liu Ao’s ridiculous career as emperor.
Yang Guang, who returned to his own world, has been staring at the roof in a daze since he woke up.
In the past, because Yang Guang issued the edict in time and vowed not to make those mistakes, he finally stabilized the wealthy families and the common people.
But Yang Guang knew that the estrangement between him and the Guanlong nobles had appeared, and it was probably impossible to return to the previous relationship.
But now he has another way to go, which is to unite the power of another class.
After the opening of the imperial examination, poor families and ordinary people in the middle and lower classes had a way to rise. As long as there were enough officials in the court to fight against the noble families, Yang Guang would have more means to consolidate imperial power and suppress the wealthy families.
What's more, he can now find someone who is powerful enough and loyal enough to help!
"Your Majesty, are you awake?" Queen Xiao immediately noticed that Yang Guang was lying on the bed and had opened his eyes.
Yang Guang slowly sat up with the support of Empress Xiao, and then asked: "Isn't Zhang Xutuo back yet?"
Since returning last time, Yang Guang has placed great trust in Zhang Xutuo, the "last famous general of the Sui Dynasty" in Li Shimin's words, and even gave him the secret mission of going to Li's house in Taiyuan to summon Li Shimin.
Yang Guang's mother and Li Yuan's mother are "blood sisters", so Yang Guang and Li Yuan are cousins.
It is said that the three dynasties of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty were "relative dynasties". It may seem that the dynasties have changed, but in fact the core ruling group is still the same family, which has not changed for hundreds of years.
After hearing Yang Guang's question, Queen Xiao replied: "I haven't heard any news about General Zhang's return yet."
However, before Queen Xiao could finish her words, there was a burst of footsteps outside.
"The last general, Zhang Xutuo, is here to see Your Majesty!"
"General Li Shimin, please see your Majesty!!"
Li Shimin is here!
Yang Guang's eyes lit up, he didn't even bother to put on his dragon robe, held the Loyalty Talisman in his hand, and ran out of the house with disheveled hair.
"Haha! My good nephew is here!!!"
Yang Guangdao smiled and ran to Li Shimin, then hugged him and patted the Loyalty Talisman on Li Shimin's back.
An imperceptible blue light flashed past, and the initial resistance in Li Shimin's heart suddenly disappeared.
Zhang Xutuo blinked violently, as if he had just seen a ray of green light in a trance.
But when he looked again, he couldn't see anything unusual at all, except for the sudden good relationship between Li Shimin and Yang Guang.
"Hahaha! Shimin, you are finally here! Come on, come on, I have set up a family banquet for you. You must not get drunk or come back today!"
"His Majesty."
"Call cousin!"
"Cousin."
"Okay! Shimin, you have given birth to a talented person with extraordinary valor. He will definitely be a rare virtuous minister and general in the world in the future! I will definitely put you to good use, and you will be no worse than General Zhang Xutuo!"
When Zhang Xutuo heard this, he was surprised and at the same time filled with endless gratitude, "Your Majesty, I am willing to die for your Majesty in the Sui Dynasty!"
"Come! Shimin, General Zhang, come with me to the banquet!"
After Li Shimin and Zhang Xutuo looked at each other, they both bowed to Yang Guang and saluted: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Li Longji is still in the tenth year of Kaiyuan.
At this time, the Tang Dynasty's national power was booming, and the world was singing and dancing at peace.
Although there is no crisis now, Li Longji and the civil and military officials, who have seen the tragic situation of the Tang Dynasty in the future, are still full of a sense of crisis for the future.
Li Longji is still a wise and decisive emperor.
He followed the advice of his ministers and immediately ordered the arrest of Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong and others, and also sent border troops to search for An Lushan's whereabouts.
At the same time, with the help of Zhang Shuo, he began to dismantle the border troops, reform the imperial military system in the capital, and was still planning how to reduce the power of the Jiedushi envoy.
The name "Jiedushi" has probably become a worry for all Tang people now.
An Lushan and Shi Siming, the protagonists of the "An-Shi Rebellion", both served as military envoys for one of the separatist regimes when they rebelled.
To a large extent, it can be said that it was the excessive power of Jiedushi that caused the tragedy of the "Anshi Rebellion".
How great is the power of Jiedushi? This can be explained from three aspects.
First, the financial aspect.
The Jiedu Envoys of the Tang Dynasty could farm in their own areas and be self-sufficient to meet the logistical supplies of their own armies. They did not have to worry about being strangled by the central government of the Tang Dynasty and having no food to eat.
At the same time, the Jiedushi also obtained the management rights of salt resources and collected salt taxes, so those Jiedushi became extremely rich.
Second, the military aspect.
In terms of military affairs, the feudal town implements a recruitment system. As long as the governor of the feudal town has enough money, he can recruit troops without limit.
However, the central government of the Tang Dynasty had no way to grasp and control the number of the Jiedushi's army. It could even be said that it had lost the right to manage the Jiedushi's army in the feudal town. These soldiers completely became the Jiedushi's personal private soldiers.
Moreover, Jiedushi can mobilize several armies with greater flexibility to fight in a unified manner, and has the power of "military exclusive killing".
Third, the administrative aspect.
In order to avoid the influence of local officials on the military operations of the Jiedushi, starting from Tianbaozhong, the Jiedushi had the administrative power of the feudal town.
The officials of the feudal towns were all reported to the central court of the Tang Dynasty for appointment by the Jiedushi. Even the provincial governors were subordinate to the Jiedushi.
In this way, the governor of the feudal town had the administrative power of several states within his jurisdiction and could select and appoint officials on his own, causing snakes and rats to gather together.
Not only that, some people even serve as governors of several Taoist circles. In this way, you can imagine what the result will be.
But why did Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty give Jiedushi so much power?
The reason actually lies in the powerful foreign enemies that Datang faced.
Since the early Tang Dynasty, the Tang court had faced huge threats from foreign enemies.
Tubo, Turks, Xi, Khitan, etc. took turns to invade the border areas of the Tang Dynasty.
Although Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty beat them down, he did not beat them to death. After these foreign countries recovered, they began to have thoughts about the rich Tang Dynasty.
It is a pity that not all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were Li Shimin, and there were not as many generals as there were during Li Shimin's period.
Faced with frequent and flexible harassment by foreign tribes, the Tang Dynasty army often had no choice but to run exhausted.
Foreign races often dispatch thousands or more than ten thousand fine knights, move quickly, and come and go like the wind.
Often when the Tang court received news of an enemy attack, they began to mobilize for battle, transport food and grass, and assemble troops.
By the time they finally got the troops to the frontline positions, the enemy had already disappeared without a trace.
In view of this dilemma of being passively beaten, the Tang Dynasty court began to station standing troops in key border towns, and the chiefs of key border towns were Jiedushi.
Since the central court did not know the specific situation on the border, it gave the Jiedushi the right to recruit troops on his own.
In the prosperous times, those who were willing to go to the border to serve as soldiers were generally homeless and desperate vagrants and desperadoes. They could only make the army their home and stay in the army for life, which was equivalent to professional soldiers.
Jiedushi holds the power of life and death, and they have a strong dependence on Jiedushi. If things go on like this, Jiedushi will have absolute control over the army.
In addition, the Jiedushi gradually took over the military, civil, financial and political power of a region, and they often controlled two to three towns, sometimes as many as four towns. When they controlled the world's most powerful soldiers, they were equivalent to each of them.
Tu emperor.
When the central power is divided and the authority of the central court is weakened, those local emperors will turn into hungry wolves with green eyes, showing their sharp fangs to the prosperous Central Plains world.
It was from later emperors that Li Longji learned about the dangers of the Jiedushi envoys, and then he made up his mind to check and restrain the Jiedushi envoys' rights first.
This point was a great test of Tang Xuanzong and Li Longji's ability to recognize and employ people.
But Li Longji is not panic at all now, because he can know from later emperors who are loyal ministers and who are treacherous ministers and sycophants!