At the beginning of May, there was no Labor Day or a seven-day holiday. The DPRK and Central Government were still busy, but slightly more relaxed than before. After all, spring plowing had come to an end.
Spring plowing and autumn harvest are major events that the imperial court pays close attention to, and there are definitely many things going on.
There is little rain here and drought there, there is more rain there, etc. These are inevitable in the season when we rely on the weather. Especially this year, every county is trying its best to resume production, and there are many more incidents reported than last year.
Some local officials wanted to avoid being blamed by the imperial court when something happened, so they reported every detail to the capital, saying that they had worked hard and if trouble happened again, it wouldn't be our problem.
Although I feel a little embarrassed, this is indeed a good sign. It shows that local officials not only recognized the rule of the Tang Dynasty, but also wholeheartedly supported it. It is one of the clear evidences that the world is gradually becoming more peaceful.
At the great court meeting in early May, the court also commended some local officials and once again made an outlook on the court's measures this year. Personnel appointments and removals were still somewhat frequent, indicating that the bureaucracy still needs to be rectified.
The most important decision is to conduct an official examination in June. A pilot test was conducted in Chang'an at the end of last year, which eliminated some idlers from the official ranks.
There are not a few people who have been convicted of this, and this year it has been extended to all counties across the country. It is estimated that there will be no shortage of tricks among them. There are not many ways for the government to intervene. You don’t have to think about what the local people will do.
In fact, the main intention of the imperial court was to test the waters for the upcoming imperial examination, conduct a large-scale examination in advance, and train the team.
The official examination is tentatively scheduled to be held every three years. It is the same term as the local officials of the upper and lower grades stipulated in the Tang Dynasty. I don’t know whether it is scientific or not. It is combined with the annual performance appraisal of the Ministry of Personnel. It can be regarded as a relatively strict measure on the quality of officials.
constraints.
The power and responsibilities of the Ministry of Rites were greatly increased, so the position of Minister of Rites was added in advance, and was filled by Rui Guogong Doulu Kuan.
This man was over sixty years old. Li Yuan was the Minister of Rites at that time. After Li Gang was demoted, he temporarily took over the post of Minister of Rites. When Li Po took over Guanxi, he retired to the position of Minister of Rites.
Although this person is from Xianbei, he is cautious and polite. He was a relative of the emperor in the former Sui Dynasty. His mother, Princess Changle, was the daughter of Sui Taizu Yang Zhong and the sister of Emperor Wen Yang Jian.
When Li Yuan entered Guanzhong, he followed Xiao Yu and surrendered to Li Yuan. As a minister of the dragon, Li Yuan treated him extremely well.
Later, he changed his master again. He was old and liked rituals and music. He probably felt a little ashamed. Soon he resigned from the post of Minister of Rites because of illness.
Recommended by Xiao Yu last year, he shyly returned to the post of Minister of Rites.
It can be seen that it was not fashionable in the world for loyal ministers to die for the king. Everyone changed families easily and no one made a fuss about it.
Almost everyone has a general moral character, no one can criticize anyone else.
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In addition, Su Quan, the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu, recommended Zhang Gongjin, the chief minister of Liangzhou, as the minister of the Ministry of Hubu, and the candidate was Zhang Xingcheng, the imperial censor in the palace.
He can be considered calm and has only now recommended someone to fill the position of Minister of Household Affairs. He is also very particular about the people he chooses.
Zhang Gongjin was a native of Weizhou, Henan. He served as an official under Wang Shichong. After joining the Tang Dynasty, he did not achieve much. He traveled between Luoyang and Jinyang and started a business as a "human trafficker", sending grain to Luoyang, and then
Take the time to send some talents from Luoyang to Jin.
Later, I don’t know when I caught up with the Lady of Chu State and went to the side of Li Wu, the general manager of Liangzhou. He made contributions in the battle to pacify the barbarian village in Liangzhou, and helped Li Wu in the administration of Liangzhou. He also made great achievements.
Moved to the post of governor of Liang Dynasty.
This man had many connections with the generals in the army. In addition, Li Wu was a relative and a confidant of the emperor, so he got a lot of credit. In the process of transporting grain from Shuzhong to Kansai, he often interacted with the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Made a deal.
This year Su Dan finally made up his mind to recommend him to the court as an official. He wanted to use him as the leader to deal with the Ministry of War. If there was an emergency, he could also travel around like Wang Qing and Dou Gui.
As for Zhang Xingcheng, he was almost a foil. He was once Wang Shichong's minister, and he joined the Tang Dynasty not long ago.
Because he felt that the Ministry of Revenue now needed someone who was capable of both literary and military skills to assist him. Zhang Xingcheng was inferior in this aspect and was not as suitable as Zhang Gongjin.
Li Po looked at it and agreed. Nowadays, there are many talents in the court, and the positions of senior officials are limited. Who is promoted or demoted is not only based on talent, but also on opportunities.
Zhang Gongjin has a good opportunity, and the people he associates with are the ones he trusts the most, so the opportunity will come.
The same was true for the few people Li Wu brought with him when he left the capital. Basically, Feng Li and Wei Baizi had a bright future.
Especially Wei Baiji, Li Po still remembered the young man who talked freely in front of him and worried about his family when he led his army to Wannian County.
Although he had never experienced the wars of the late Sui Dynasty, if he was given a few years to rotate around the place, he might be a prime minister.
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There have been a lot of things going on in recent years, so Li Po simply added a minister-general position in the Ministry of Household Affairs and asked Zhang Xingcheng to take up the post. This can be said to have given Su Yu enough face.
Look, the personnel changes in the court are still so frequent, and many officials still have great room for advancement. Although they seem to be full of vitality, it also shows that the foundation of rule is not yet solid.
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After the meeting, Li Po personally received the envoy from the Western Turks, Ashina Zerli.
The son of Tong Yehu Khan can be called a prince in the Western Regions, and he needs to be personally received by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
There was nothing much to say. The young man looked very straightforward (a bit naive), and Menxiasheng was responsible for receiving them. After arriving in Chang'an, Ashina Zerli was full of praise for everything in Chang'an. Li Po felt that this was really a real person.
A good seed for Proton.
I really want to keep him to stay and travel in Chang'an for a few years. I guess the young man will be happy to enjoy his life in Chang'an.
It's just that the Western Turks had no intention of surrendering to the Tang Dynasty. It would be inappropriate to do so, so Li Po just thought about it and put it aside.
I met Ashina Zeli and didn't talk about any substantive issues. In fact, they just expressed friendship to each other, not even a promise.
Just as Li Po thought, if these envoys came to Chang'an to observe the situation, even if it was beneficial to the Tang Dynasty, it would be of limited benefit.
After meeting Ashina Zeli, he met people from Tibet.
Songmohachi, the Tibetan king's Xinanxunbo, was the one who had to bring an interpreter to the palace to speak.
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In the Tai Chi Hall, Li Po carefully looked at the Tubo man in front of him and compared it with the plateau man in his impression. Well, the difference was quite big.
Especially in terms of dress, I must give a bad review. He actually has feathers on his head, which looks like a later Indian. He also has too many odds and ends on his body, like a street vendor who wants to sell something.
The clothing and accessories were designed to be bright and conspicuous, making them look like those of the nouveau riche, but the quality was still very rough. If the nobles of Tubo were like this, it would not be unfair to call them savages.
Arriving at the Tai Chi Hall, even though Songmohachi tried his best to stay calm, he still seemed too reserved and stuttered a bit when speaking.
Chang'an, this legendary city in the Tubo Kingdom, exceeded his imagination. The pride of the Tubo people was shattered the moment they entered Chang'an.
Not to mention the palace in Chang'an. Compared with this place, the palace in Tubo is more like... a place where slaves should live.
Compared with Chang'an, Luoxue City, which the Tubo people are proud of, is not worth mentioning. In fact, even Guzang City cannot compare, let alone Chang'an.
The power of the lowlanders was suddenly displayed in front of the Tibetan people, and the shocking effect can be imagined.
According to the customs of the Tubo people, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was no different from a god. When meeting him, he should kneel down and kiss the traces of his passing to express his admiration and piety.
But he still retained some sense and remembered that he was an envoy from Tibet and did not do such stupid things.
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Songmohachi's performance obviously lowered Li Po's expectations again. After a little evaluation, he said: "I heard that your king Langri Lunzan has unified all the tribes of Tubo and is the well-deserved king of Tubo.
But why did he come to attack the Tang Dynasty? Was it the guidance of the gods?
You invaded for no reason, and the atrocities you committed in Liangzhou can be said to be the outrage of both humans and gods. A messenger who can speak nice words cannot extinguish my anger. Not only do you need to explain, but you also have to pay the price.
Have you figured out how to compensate for this?"
His words were as fierce as a warmonger, which was unworthy of the emperor's dignity, but his tone was very calm, as if he was chatting.
Under his gaze, Songmohachi lowered his head in fear, thinking that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty seemed to be closer to the gods than Langri Lunzan.
After what the translator said, a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead and quickly dripped down. The barbarism of the Tibetan people left him at this moment, leaving only the trembling meekness.
He stammered: "As a slave of Zamp, I came here to meet you just to express the goodwill from Zamp to you.
I humbly request you not to be like us Tubo people. The previous ones were all caused by misunderstandings. You should know that the royal city is too far away from the highlands. To get to the highlands, we have to pass through the barriers of rivers and mountains. Even if it is
It's also difficult for the gods to notice what's going on there.
Generals are always as difficult to tame as wild beasts in the wilderness. They offended your majesty without the king's permission. Zamp was equally angry after knowing it and punished them severely.
Zamp asked me to come here to tell you, let us get along in a friendly manner, that will bring prosperity and peace, and merchants will become the rope that connects us.
As compensation for the unnecessary war before, if you need our warriors to attack your enemies, the Tibetans are willing to wield swords and guns for you to conquer those who do not obey you."
Li Po smiled and said, "If I understand correctly, are you saying that Langri Lunzan wants to surrender to the Tang Dynasty?"