Chang'an, like the city of Pyongyang, is already a silvery white.
It's just that it's peaceful and prosperous here.
The sixth year of Yuanzhen in the Tang Dynasty is about to pass. In October, all government offices in the imperial court are quiet. Many people are already sorting out official documents and recording them in files. By December, they can report them and then rest.
Go home for the New Year.
Of course, this is true for most government officials, but not the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs.
As long as the war against Goguryeo is not over, they will not be able to relax even if the new year comes.
In the side hall of Taiji Hall, the ministers who were summoned into the hall saluted and took their seats.
There were more than ten people, which was a lot of people for a small pilgrimage party.
Several chief officials of the craftsmanship supervisor were headed by Dou Shilun, the chief craftsmanship supervisor.
The people of the Shaofu were headed by Wei Jie, the Shaofu's supervisor, and Duan Lun, the Shaofu's supervisor.
There is also the official assistant of Taichang Temple, led by Taichang Qing Yuwen, a scholar.
In Taichang Temple, the officials of the Shaofu are among the internal ministers, while the supervisors from the Ministry of Works and Craftsmen are among the external ministers.
However, they all have one characteristic, that is, they are all industrial departments of the Tang Dynasty, mastering the industrial technology of the Tang Dynasty, and almost all aspects of society are inseparable from these government agencies.
Like Taichang Temple, the things involved are very complicated. Meeting the artistic and religious needs of nobles inside and outside the court is also one of their responsibilities.
Li Po's voice clearly reached the ears of his ministers.
"I have been on the throne for six years, and the world is gradually becoming more peaceful, which can be considered as living up to everyone's expectations.
After the fall of the Sui Dynasty, there was more than ten years of chaos. The people were displaced, and countless people died in the war. There were fewer people farming the land, and more and more people took up swords and guns.
When you see this, you probably won't be indifferent, but do you know what it means to be in such troubled times?"
Li Po looked around, but no one said anything. Well, even if they didn't dare to talk nonsense at this time, interrupting his train of thought, he continued: "In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a hundred schools of thought contended. In the chaotic times of the late Qin Dynasty, everyone rose up, and hundreds of scholars rose up.
How many are left in the family?
The Han Dynasty has ruled the world for more than 400 years. How many classics and techniques have survived to this day?
The rise and fall of a dynasty can range from more than ten years to hundreds of years. I feel that I am quite wise, but it can only last for a few decades at most. I can't care about things that are too far away."
The emperor uttered ominous words, and the palace immediately became lively. Several chief officials spoke one after another, almost wishing the emperor a long life.
Li Po waved his hand to calm everyone down, and then said with a smile: "Life, old age, illness and death are all God's will. I don't care about this, but as long as I reign for one day, I must be a good emperor.
Qing and others often say that serving as an official will benefit one party, and this is actually the truth.
When we talk about life and death, everything changes color. Look, where has all this gone?"
The ministers were very uncomfortable. Monks and Taoists talked about life and death, but it didn't matter. How could the emperor be the same? After enjoying all the wealth and honor in the world, the most taboo thing was the word death.
And the aging of every emperor is related to the wealth and lives of countless people. Even if you don't care, can we people not care?
The ministers were slandering in their hearts, but the emperor's tone was relaxed and somewhat joking, so everyone had to laugh. Many people thought that they would drink some wine to calm down the shock.
Li Po hummed twice, straightened his posture, and continued the previous topic, "The reason for calling you here is for nothing else. Your official position, power and responsibilities in your hands are all related to craftsmanship."
Having said this, Li Po paused and asked, "He's artifacts have been published all over the world. Have all the ministers read them?"
At this time, the smarter people already understood why the emperor summoned them to see him.
Wei Jie is now in his fifties, but he still looks so graceful and elegant. He lives a very carefree life in his position as the chief eunuch of the Young Mansion. He is fair and clean and has a good spirit. He has a bit of a sense of living until he is old and handsome.
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At this time, he was the first to applaud and said: "He Gong is a great talent. His writings are full of exquisite words and wonderful meanings. He inherits the wisdom of his predecessors and enlightens future generations. He is truly a masterpiece."
Everyone nodded in agreement. He's artifacts were issued by the emperor himself. They were official official books, and most of them involved craftsmanship. These ministers had indeed read them, and their praise was not just for flattery.
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Li Po nodded with satisfaction, "I only hope that under my rule there will be more pillars of the country like He Chong. You don't have to envy others. They are all talented people."
Nowadays, when everything is in ruins and waiting for prosperity, Qing and others are in charge of the world's arts and crafts. The rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty and the prosperity of all industries are all tied to this.
Farmers work in the fields, and whether their life is good or not depends on how well the tools in their hands work. Merchants trade, and the more sophisticated the goods they sell, the more profits they make.
Even if you are a noble person or a well-educated person, you must dress appropriately to look extraordinary.
Therefore, I intend to take work as the body and commerce as the use, and promote industry and commerce simultaneously. If I take further measures, I will not rush to talk. I will go back and think about it carefully. Anyway, it is winter, and all the yamen will save time. After thinking about it, I will report it to the court.
The provinces will discuss this further.
Anything that is helpful to industry and commerce, I can order everyone to implement it."
The ministers were very excited. Well, it's not that exaggerated. The trend in recent years has been obvious.
The emperor's political attitude was very open-minded and he was willing to accept new things. Ruling the country based on Confucianism, agriculture-oriented, and combining industry and commerce have become the basic national policies of the Tang Dynasty.
Your Majesty's statement today is just more clear, and he wants all government offices to work together to carry out further reforms.
As for the details, it is the emperor's usual practice to give everyone a briefing first, leaving a lot of room for everyone to play. In fact, he probably already has some ideas in mind.
After that, they are allowed to express their opinions, and if they have good ideas, they will adopt them. They are not afraid of errors or omissions in the suggestions given, that is, they can just put them aside and ignore them without fear of being held accountable.
The emperor used to handle most of the state affairs through this process, and his ministers knew it well, so they naturally did not think that the emperor always had an idea in mind.
From the perspective of later generations, this was actually a comprehensive industrial meeting, a prelude to concentrating efforts on big things.
According to the historical laws summarized by later generations, the advantages and disadvantages are very obvious.
Needless to say, there are advantages. The most fundamental progress of civilization is the progress of productivity. What is productivity? Industry and agriculture are the main bodies of productivity, and commerce is the lubricant.
Judging from the current situation, the Central Plains civilization has initially met the conditions for sprinting to a higher stage. It has a high degree of cultural identity, such as writing, language, and unification at the national level. On this premise, it can mobilize national resources
It's extremely huge.
Coupled with the centralization of political, military and other aspects, these are extremely favorable conditions for the advancement of social productivity.
The shortcomings are also extremely obvious. The current small-scale peasant economy under the feudal royal power cannot carry out large-scale industrial reform at all when land annexation is not serious.
There is also the core of the Central Plains civilization, which is the system of philosophical speculation formed from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and even the Qin and Han Dynasties. Industry and commerce are a suppressed class.
No matter from a civilizational level or a practical perspective, it was impossible to achieve the vigorous industrial reform at this time.
That's why the ministers formed the understanding to govern the country with Confucianism, agriculture as the foundation, and industry and commerce as the purpose. However, this was a very enlightened thought at that time and for a long time afterwards.
After the ministers retreated, Li Po wandered around the hall again.
There were many things that I didn't mention to my ministers, and I couldn't explain them clearly. Everyone was drunk and I was the only one awake? Maybe the one who was awake was the one who drank too much.
After the opening of the sea route, a new situation ushered in. The Central Plains Dynasty was bound to become the central dynasty of the entire continent and even the entire world for a long time.
Before such a change comes, Datang must do its best internally, that is, be more developed and prosperous than others, so that it can be inclusive and extend its influence to farther places.
Letting people from far away come to the imperial court was a matter of course and not worth mentioning. What he wanted was to use the outside population to make up for the damage caused by the war to the Tang Dynasty.
Relying solely on war and plunder is really a bad idea. After pacifying Tubo and Goguryeo, there should be no such large-scale use of foreign troops in the short term.
Li Po thought silently, and was a little worried about the war in Goguryeo.
The report sent to the capital by the army not long ago was not very optimistic. The Turks were moving south. Ashina Duowen really chose a good time.
Instead of baring his teeth to his master, he turned back and wanted to give Datang a try. He really didn't know how to live or die.
I don't know if Li Jing and others can handle it well, but he is very confident after reading the report. He is also very confident in the leading generals at the front and the soldiers who have fought hundreds of battles.
But having said that, as long as the good news has not reached Chang'an, my heart will always be carrying it and I can't let it go.
Since the alliance, he and Ashina Yang Huan have been exchanging letters continuously. They have continued their previous friendly attitude and discussed everything.
But Ashina Duowen led his troops south to the peninsula, did the Turkic royal court know? What did his cheap aunt do? Did he want the result of Ashina Duowen jumping over the wall in a hurry?
So next spring, in view of this, should we send troops to Yu Wenxin in Youzhou to teach Ashina a lesson?
Damn it, allying with the Turks has many consequences.
In September, Ashina Danai, Chen Li and others led their troops back to Liangzhou, and the Tubo War was finally over.
The result was naturally what Datang wanted to see.
The goal of the war was achieved. In fact, even if it was a victory, the Yalong tribe that established the Tubo Dynasty was destroyed by the Tang army, and the plateau tribes lost the opportunity to unify.
The remaining Xiangxiong, Subi, and various Shannan tribes all sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to seek canonization. They were torn apart. Under such circumstances, even if the Tang Dynasty left them alone, they would not be unified in a short time.
Together.
The next step is very simple. The Tang Dynasty will create several more vassal states, making them more independent. There are many methods, divide and rule, not to mention Li Po, even the previous kings of the Central Plains have no lack of experience in managing vassal states.