My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 35 Is there any emperor in his forties in the world?

As soon as Sushan, a groundbreaking product, appeared, it immediately became popular in the entire Chang'an City.

To ordinary people, it was unbelievable that one could buy Sushan for only five cents.

Even a five-cent piece of Sushan is only as big as a newborn baby's fist.

The people in Chang'an City are still quite rich.

For the entire historical dynasty, it is an insurmountable peak.

This has a lot to do with population size.

The population of the Sui Dynasty was over 50 million, but by the beginning of the Tang Dynasty it was only over 10 million.

Li Shimin adopted the equal-field system, which meant that every male adult could be allocated one hectare of land, or one hundred acres.

An acre of land in the Tang Dynasty was smaller than that in later generations, roughly equivalent to 80% of that in later generations. Although the people only had the right to use it and not the right of inheritance, it would have to be redistributed after their death.

But not only can we eat our fill, we can also have plenty to spare.

The New Book of Tang records: The system of granting land is that each adult male or male aged 18 or above is entitled to one hectare of land, of which 80 mu is for each person and 20 mu is for permanent ownership.

The elderly, the seriously ill, or the disabled are entitled to 40 mu each, widows and concubines are entitled to 30 mu, and the head of the household is entitled to an additional 20 mu. Twenty mu for all is their permanent property, and the rest is divided among the family members.

The fields of permanent ownership are planted with elm, jujube, mulberry and other suitable trees, all of which are limited in number.

A small population, abundant fields and effective policies led to the prosperous era of Zhenguan Reign.

A dou of rice cost four or five cents, which was unimaginable in any dynasty.

It is said that people do not lock their doors at night and do not pick up things on the road. Especially when people travel thousands of miles, they will always have food to eat and will not worry about having no food at all.

With abundant supplies and low prices, people from surrounding small countries flocked to the Tang Dynasty to seek refuge. Historical records show that there were as many as 1.2 million people.

There was so much rice during this period that people’s warehouses were almost full.

Of course, after a few decades, the population of the Tang Dynasty increased and the price of rice rose accordingly, reaching more than one hundred coins per dou.

After the Anshi Rebellion, the price of a dou of rice had reached 7000 coins.

By the way, did nearly 40 million people really die at the end of the Sui Dynasty?

Li Chengqian didn't believe it.

So where did the rest of the people go?
Naturally, it was the aristocratic families who hid their population.

Li Chengqian estimated that the Tang Dynasty had a population of at least 30 million.

Why can the power of ministers suppress the power of the emperor?
This is because half of the world’s population is controlled by aristocratic families.

In Li Chengqian's eyes, the 360 ​​states of the Tang Dynasty are equivalent to more than 300 bosses of all sizes.

This requires slow play.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian sighed deeply.

My life has really been like walking on thin ice.

"Why does your highness sigh?"

Su Yuer came over and asked.

"I was thinking of something not so happy. Why are you here?"

"My father sent me a message, asking me to tell Your Highness that Su Dingfang, the Left General of the Imperial Guard, is willing to pledge his loyalty to Your Highness."

Su Dingfang?
Li Chengqian thought about it carefully and seemed to have some impression of the name, but he couldn't remember the specific details.

After all, who in the previous life would be bored enough to memorize the entire five thousand years of history.

But he felt somewhat familiar with this person, so he must be a person who will go down in history and is still worthy of attention.

For example, Wang Xuance, although he could only be a goalkeeper in Lingyan Pavilion, he was still better than most people.

Su Yuer continued, "General Su Dingfang was born in the Wuyi Su family, and he is from the same clan as my Wugong Su family. My father used the opportunity of his promotion to persuade and recommend him."

"It was not going well at first, but after hearing about the Crown Prince's martial arts, he went to find his father and hoped to meet His Highness."

"Su Dingfang was a formidable general. In the fourth year of Zhenguan, when he was fighting against the Eastern Turks, he led only 200 cavalrymen to break into the enemy's camp and break through the tent of Jie Li Khan."

Li Chengqian asked: "With such achievements, why is he still only a General?"

Su Yuer said, "It was because he allowed his troops to plunder at the time, but he also made contributions in defeating the Eastern Turks, so he was only awarded the title of General of the Central Army." "There have been no wars in recent years, and the Wuyi Su family has also declined. No one in the court has a say, so he has never been promoted."

Li Chengqian nodded.

He is capable but unsuccessful, making him a good target for recruitment.

Then he asked curiously, "Why did my father-in-law help me recruit generals in the army?"

Su Yuer rolled her eyes at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness has been demonstrating his martial arts skills frequently. If father still can't guess it, then this position is in vain."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Yes, my Lord."
-
Chang'an City, Wubenfang.

This place is right next to the gate of the imperial palace, and those who can live here are naturally princes and nobles.

Fang Xuanling's mansion is also here.

It is very convenient to go to court and leave.

Inside the house.

"Father, the prince is showing off his martial arts skills because he wants military power."

Fang Yizheng, the eldest son of Fang Xuanling, is not comparable to the second son, the unruly Fang Yiai.

After saying that, he added, "Is the prince really as powerful as the rumors say?"

Fang Xuanling said: "Of course it's true, my father saw it with his own eyes, it is indeed miraculous."

Fang Yizhi was puzzled and asked, "How come the Crown Prince has such great martial arts skills, and I have never heard of them before? Could it be that he has been hiding his abilities?"

"This is not something that can be practiced in a short period of time."

Fang Xuanling couldn't think of a reason, so he said, "Just assume that the prince has been hiding his incompetence."

Fang Yizhi was a little worried: "My second brother is following the King of Wei, do we need to withdraw earlier?"

"If the crown prince succeeds to the throne, he will definitely target the King of Wei and implicate my second brother."

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly: "Why are you so anxious? The winner has not yet been decided."

Fang Yizhi advised, "Father, the prince has come to his senses and is valued by His Majesty, who has even awarded him the Juque Heavenly Bow, his personal weapon."

"Although the King of Wei is powerful, he has no access to military power and cannot influence the overall situation."

"Now that the crown prince is so outstanding, Your Majesty cannot possibly depose him. With the support of the court's important officials, the crown prince will definitely succeed to the throne in the future."

Fang Xuanling did not answer the question directly, but sighed: "Yes, the prince is too outstanding, so your majesty is afraid of him."

Fang Yizhi heard a different meaning: "Father, what do you mean by this? Could it be that His Majesty..."

Fang Xuanling continued, "The prince is precocious and intelligent since childhood. He began to deal with court affairs at the age of twelve and assumed the responsibility of regent at the age of thirteen."

Fang Yizhi couldn't help but say, "The prince is smart, isn't that a good thing?"

Fang Xuanling smiled and said, "For our Tang Dynasty, it is of course a good thing that the crown prince is intelligent and has a successor."

"But such a smart prince is not good for your majesty."

"The year the crown prince became regent, the Eastern Turks had just been destroyed, and Your Majesty was honored as the Heavenly Khan, and he had just turned thirty."

Fang Yizhi hesitated and said, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, so he shouldn't worry about these things."

Fang Xuanling murmured, "The thirteen-year-old crown prince is the regent, and the most senior minister in the court is his uncle. This means that the crown prince naturally has the support of the major families in Guanlong."

"At that time, whether the crown prince could ascend the throne was a matter of course for the people of the world. The five surnames and seven aristocrats, as well as the major clans, naturally all attached themselves to the crown prince. A new emperor appoints new ministers in order to gain the merit of following the dragon."

"How can Your Majesty not be afraid of such an outstanding prince?"

"Even if the prince is pure and filial, benevolent, and righteous, does Your Majesty dare to gamble? He can be regent at the age of thirteen, what about ten years later?"

"Even if the Crown Prince is willing to wait, will the Five Surnames and Seven Families be willing?"

"Your Majesty is wise and brave, with great talent and strategy. He became famous when he saved the emperor at the age of 16. He went on many expeditions and conquered most of the Tang Dynasty."

"By then, even if another ten years have passed, Your Majesty will have just passed the age of forty. Would Your Majesty be willing to be a retired emperor like Emperor Gaozu?"

"Is there a retired emperor in his forties in the world?"

(End of this chapter)