Li Ji nodded in agreement: "It is indeed necessary to build Luoyang to share the pressure of Chang'an. Now the empire is prosperous and there is no shortage of supplies. It is just that it is difficult to transport them to Guanzhong. If things go on like this, countless supplies will be consumed in transportation. There are too many National power is wasted in vain, so we should prepare for a rainy day."
In fact, this is no longer a plan for a rainy day, but an urgent one, because the food shortage has already occurred and the stubborn disease has emerged. If we just sit back and ignore it, it will only get worse day by day until it is difficult to recover.
The pressure to move the capital is indeed great, but building Luoyang to share the pressure from Chang'an is not necessarily impossible.
Li Xiaogong said: "It's a pity that after Emperor Taizong conquered Luoyang, he demolished the end gate of the imperial city, burned Zetian Gate, Qianyang Hall, and destroyed countless palaces and palaces. Although he wanted to rebuild them later, he was blocked by admonishments. Let it go, otherwise it would be much easier now."
Everyone was speechless.
Li Ji shook his head and said nothing...
During the Luoyang War, Emperor Taizong, who had superior military skills, was repeatedly restrained and was very angry. Therefore, after breaking the city, he issued several orders. Not only did he order the demolition of many buildings in Luoyang Palace, he also ordered Qu Tutong to burn down several main halls and even killed almost everyone. Shan Xiongxin, who captured him, was indifferent even if Li Ji begged.
In the early years of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong visited Luoyang and saw that the majestic and gorgeous palace was in dilapidated condition. He regretted the impulsive order he had issued and wanted to renovate the Luoyang Palace. Wei Zheng held his neck and advised him: "I must be childish at that time." , I only regretted it afterward, and now I have to waste money and people, what’s the difference with Yang Guang?” I had to give up.
If it weren't for Wei Zheng's advice back then, things would be much easier now...
Ma Zhou reminded: "Your Majesty, even if the construction of the Eastern Capital is implemented, it should not be leaked for the time being. Otherwise, it will not only cause turmoil in the court, but also cause land and commodity prices to soar in Luoyang, which will be detrimental to the people. You can choose to send an experienced person to take charge of Luoyang. , while summoning craftsmen and preparing materials, we also maintain people's livelihood and guard against someone speculating on land. Once someone disrupts the market, they will be severely punished. "
At that time, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty built the Eastern Capital, moved merchants from all over the country, and tens of thousands of wealthy families settled in Luoyang, making it a gathering place of wealth and one of the few prosperous cities in the world. Compared with Chang'an, it is not far behind. This has made Luoyang The price of goods is higher than that of other cities. If the news of moving the capital to Luoyang comes out at this moment, more merchants and aristocratic families will rush to Luoyang. Not only will the land price be skyrocketed, but the prices of various goods will also rise.
In this way, not only the cost of building Luoyang for the imperial court soared, but also the lives of the people of Luoyang were plunged into hardship and distress, which completely deviated from the original intention of moving the capital.
Li Chengqian looked solemn, nodded and said, "That's exactly it."
Although he does not have much experience in governing, he is not a fool. He understands the interests of the imperial court. As long as there are transfers of officials and supplies, the news of the construction of Luoyang will inevitably be leaked. If you want to hide it, you will definitely not be able to hide it. The only way is He sent a tough official to Luoyang to suppress all parties with thunderous means and frighten those who tried to gain profits through speculation, monopoly, etc.
Whichever hand reaches out, cut off that hand.
But it’s hard to choose such a person...
Liu Ping stroked his beard and felt that moving the capital was indeed the right way to go. Even if we suppress it now, every time Guanzhong encounters food shortages, lack of supplies, and difficulties in water transportation, the matter of moving the capital will be mentioned. There will come a time when it cannot be suppressed and cannot be stopped.
In this case, it is better to take the initiative.
"What Ma Shizhong said is reasonable, but it is not easy to choose such a person. He needs a certain amount of prestige to be able to overwhelm the scornful, he must also be impartial, honest, and of high moral character. He must also be selfless and have a strong character. Only in this way can he take on big responsibilities. I have seen it many times.
In the court, perhaps only the Duke of Yue can take on the important responsibility..."
Hearing Liu Ji's words, the other people's eyes twitched almost at the same time. Although they knew that the two of you were fighting passionately, but it was so obvious that you wanted to transfer Fang Jun out of Chang'an, so you weren't afraid of the stick?
Without Li Chengqian's need to speak, Li Xiaogong rejected the proposal: "Now that the Jinwu Guards are at the critical stage of formation, how can we let the Duke of Yue leave? As the most important armed force that will guard Chang'an in the future, the Jinwu Guards cannot afford to slack off. Since the Duke of Yue will follow
He has set it up from the beginning and has taken everything into consideration, so he should be responsible until the end. If someone is replaced midway, there will inevitably be many twists and turns, which will do more harm than good."
Li Chengqian also said: "The establishment of the Jinwu Guards is of great importance and cannot be missed."
Although the rebellion of King Jin has been put down, there are still those who are colluding with King Jin in the court, inside and outside the army. If Fang Jun is not in charge of Chang'an and Su Wei Palace is banned, he, the emperor, does not even dare to sleep. How can he let Fang Jun go?
Liu Jie then said: "If the Duke of Yue cannot go, it will be really difficult to choose this candidate. Or... the imperial censor can do it?"
"Liu Xiangdao?" Li Ji was slightly startled and frowned.
Ma Zhou asked: "Liu Xiangdao is selfless, honest, and capable enough, but he lacks prestige, so it is doubtful whether he can deter Luoyang. Furthermore, if he goes to Luoyang, who will be responsible for the Yushitai?"
In the scene just above the court, Liu Xiangdao could be said to have won a great victory. Liu Ji's previous team at Yushitai not only lost one Li Yifu, but also Li Qianyou, Wang Lun and others were suppressed. Liu Ji proposed at this moment
Liu Xiangdao went to Luoyang, not necessarily because he wanted to move this big stone and let Li Qianyu and others take over.
Unexpectedly, Liu Jie said: "You can transfer Xu Shangshu to be the imperial censor. Xu Shangshu has sufficient qualifications and outstanding abilities. The minister of the Ministry of Rites is an aristocratic official position, and it is more pragmatic and cannot demonstrate Xu Shangshu's ability. If he is allowed to serve as the censor,
Sir, I will definitely be able to straighten out the rules and regulations, subdue the petty ones, and make the whole court look brand new."
Everyone looked at Xu Jingzong, who had been silent.
Xu Jingzong said hurriedly: "The imperial censor is in charge of correcting hundreds of officials inside and outside, and correcting the court discipline. He debates major matters and corrects small matters. People who are not upright and upright cannot be qualified. Although the ministers have little qualifications, they are capable.
If it is not enough for the time being, I would never dare to take on this responsibility."
He spoke humble words, but his eyes kept glancing at Fang Jun, hoping that Fang Jun could speak for him.
He had wasted many years and could only struggle to survive in a corner of the academy. Later, he rose to the top and served as the Minister of Rites. He felt that he had achieved his goal and his wish was fulfilled, and he was very satisfied.
However, people always look forward. Now that the official position of a censor is in front of you, how can you not be excited?
Although the Minister of Rites is noble and is nominally the head of the six departments, he is usually more pragmatic. Although his rank is high, he does not have much real power. How can he be compared to the "Da Sikong", a prominent official who oversees hundreds of officials?
Bit?
He naturally understood that the reason Liu Ji recommended him to him must be because he wanted to regain control of the Yushitai, and even had other plans. But even so, it was difficult to resist the temptation of the official position of Yushitai.
Fang Jun naturally received the gesture from Xu Jingzong's eyes, but ignored it.
He had always been deeply wary of Xu Jingzong and despised his moral character. However, unlike Li Yifu, the latter had no connections and could be trampled to death anytime and anywhere. After all, Xu Jingzong was one of the top ten officials in the Qin Palace back then. One of the Eight Scholars, a subordinate of Emperor Taizong, with too much seniority.
It is not easy to confine him to a pragmatic position like the Minister of Rites. How can he be allowed to serve as a censor and shoulder the power of supervising hundreds of officials and then soar to the sky?
Therefore, he retorted: "Liu Xiangdao is conscientious and dedicated to his duties. He has made outstanding achievements since he became the imperial censor and is well-known. The chaotic government has just been sorted out. If he is rashly transferred, wouldn't all the previous efforts be wasted? Let's choose someone else."
Xu Jingzong was speechless, unable to hide his disappointment. Liu Xiangdao couldn't leave, so naturally he couldn't take the position. The perfect opportunity was missed in vain...
Li Ji was not sure about the relationship between Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong. It is said that the two men were once the same masters in the academy, and together they punished Chu Suiliang to death. The relationship should be extremely close, but since Xu Jingzong was promoted to Fang Jun, the Minister of Rites, was always wary and suppressive, which inevitably made Xu Jingzong feel resentful.
He recommended: "How about Pei Xizai, Minister Zuocheng?"
Ma Zhou said: "But the one whose father is Pei Zhongxiao?"
Li Ji nodded and said: "Exactly, this person was born in the Dongjuanfang of the Wenxi Pei family. His grandfather Pei Zhongxiao once served as the Third Secretary of Yitong in the Later Zhou Dynasty and the governor of Jinzhou. However, his family status has not been obvious since the Sui Dynasty. He is a fair and selfless person with a strong character. , if he is given the title of Governor of Luozhou, he will be qualified for the job."
During the Sui Dynasty, the two capitals were developed simultaneously. Daxing City and Luoyang were generally the same in terms of political status. If the emperor was in Daxing City, he would set up "Luoyang Stay", and vice versa, he would set up "Daxing Stay". However, although it has been decided to build Luoyang now, it is temporarily It is not appropriate to announce it to the outside world, so the "Luoyang Stay" cannot be set up, otherwise everyone will know the court's intentions, and the original intention of blocking the news will be defeated.
Li Chengqian had an impression of this person. In fact, because Emperor Taizong once held the post of Shangshu Ling, the Shangshu Ling has been vacant since Zhenguan. The highest official of the Shangshu Province is Shangshu Zuopushe, and under Zuopushe, he is Zuo Cheng. .
Because the emperor personally controlled the Shangshu Order, the status of the entire Shangshu Province officials was actually one level higher. Shangshu Zuopushe was the actual head of the ministers and assistants, and Shangshu Zuocheng was the third-in-command of the Shangshu Province, which was considered to be a high-ranking position.
It is very suitable for such a person to serve as the governor of Luozhou and be responsible for the construction of Luoyang.
"Let's do this for the time being. The New Year is about to come, and all the affairs in the court are complicated. It is difficult to plan and build Luoyang at the moment. We will discuss it after the New Year."
Li Chengqian made the final decision, and then said to Li Ji: "There is a shortage of grain in Guanzhong, so we have to trouble the Ying Gong. According to the strategy Erlang just mentioned, the two fleets are going up and down the Sanmenxia to transport as much grain as possible into the customs. It is of course a waste of manpower. Material resources can also solve urgent needs."
Li Ji accepted the order: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will personally handle this matter and will not dare to cause panic in Guanzhong due to lack of food."
I thought that this matter would be like this, and it would just be confirmed again after the new year, but Fang Jun suddenly said: "Wei Chen has thought of a more suitable person... What do you think, His Majesty, His Majesty the King of Wei?"