My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 432 He is ultimately my son

No one expected that the Crown Prince's new policies would be implemented so quickly.

In the twenty-first year of the Zhenguan era, at the first court assembly, the Crown Prince promulgated new policies.

Many people originally thought that the Crown Prince would ascend the throne first. Back then, His Majesty waited three months because he went through the Crown Prince process. Now that the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince, there is no need to wait so long.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince was not enthusiastic about ascending the throne. At least, there was no news from the palace about preparing for the enthronement, and even the Imperial Astronomical Bureau did not notify him to choose an auspicious day.

Some people think that perhaps the 100,000 troops from Liaodong haven't arrived yet, and the crown prince feels uneasy.

But what about this new policy?

Such a momentous undertaking was undertaken so quickly that even the officials were caught off guard, and the detailed regulations were already printed out.

Moreover, the new policy's regulations were extensively published in the Chang'an Gazette.

The current Chang'an Gazette is strictly speaking the Tang Dynasty Gazette. Each time it was published, it would circulate throughout the Tang Dynasty and even be purchased by neighboring countries.

The major moves of the suzerain state have a significant impact on the surrounding vassal states.

Not to mention the new policies, which were almost equivalent to a change of dynasty.

Whether you like it or not.

In short, under Li Chengqian's strong pressure, the new policies were carried out.

The new policy has some minor changes compared to the original, with the most significant changes occurring in county towns.

The counties of the Tang Dynasty were divided into several levels, including Chixian, Jixian, Wangxian, Jinxian, Shangxian, Zhongxian, Zhongxiaxian, and Xiaxian.

The term "赤县" signifies the core, representing the highest level, specifically referring to the county where the capital and secondary capital are located.

The Tang Dynasty had only four counties: Chang'an County, Wannian County, Henan County, and Luoyang County.

The term "Ji-gen" refers to the area surrounding the capital city, including other counties under the jurisdiction of the prefectures where the capital or secondary capital was located.

Taking Chang'an as an example, among the counties under its jurisdiction, except for Chixian, the rest were all Jixian (metropolitan counties). The same applies to Henan Prefecture, where Luoyang is located.

The two levels of "Wangxian" and "Jinxian" are mainly classified based on the county's economic strength, population size, and transportation status. They are high-level counties other than Chixian and Jixian.

“Wang” means “renowned and prosperous”, and Wangxian refers to a county with high reputation and developed economy.

“Jin” means “important, crucial”. A “Jin” county refers to a county with a key geographical location, such as a transportation hub, a military stronghold, or a relatively developed economy.

A county with more than 5000 households is considered a superior county, while a county with 2000-5000 households and a moderate population and economic level is considered a medium county.

Counties with approximately 1000 to 2000 households are classified as medium to low-income counties.

Counties with fewer than 1000 households are classified as lower-level counties.

The rank of a county magistrate decreases as the county level decreases: the magistrate of a superior county is of the sixth rank, the magistrate of a middle county is of the seventh rank, and the magistrate of a lower county is of the seventh rank.

The changes mainly concern the scale of the six county-level departments.

Some small border counties have more than 300 households. If each household has four people, the population is only about 1200. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for the county's six departments to have two or three hundred people like the upper counties. Naturally, the scale is reduced.

It's roughly the prototype of a county-level six departments, and twenty or thirty people would be enough.

While it's said to be a three-tiered system of county, prefecture, and circuit administration, everyone knows that this new policy primarily targets county-level governance.

As the saying goes, imperial power doesn't extend to the countryside.

This township is not a village in the narrow sense, but a place in a broader sense.

The imperial power actually had very weak control over local areas, which was a drawback of the dynastic era.

The main purpose of this new policy is to significantly strengthen the relationship and interaction between local authorities and the imperial power.

In theory, if the new policies go smoothly, the imperial court's influence will directly reach the county seat.

This is an unprecedented change for centralized power.

This would also strengthen imperial power like never before.

The new policy has countless advantages, but its biggest drawback is obvious: the burden on the national treasury.

Li Chengqian was naturally prepared for this.

Most monarchs, even Li Shimin, followed the path of 'cutting expenses'.

Because they don't understand business, or perhaps they are influenced by Confucianism and don't compete with the people for profit.

To put it another way, if the royal family were to enter the commercial world, given the influence of imperial power, what merchant could compare to them?
The ideology of prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce made it difficult for merchants to gain access to the court, and emperors, whether they conquered or maintained the empire, simply did not possess a commercial mindset.

There were emperors who understood and valued business, but their involvement was minimal.

But Li Chengqian was different; he had the foresight of later generations and understood very well how to 'open up new sources of income'.

However, this happened after the new policy was initially implemented.

Thanks to Li Shimin's reign of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty's treasury is still quite full.

This is also the source of Li Chengqian's confidence to make bold and decisive moves.
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In April of the twenty-first year of the Zhenguan era, spring rain had been falling for three days.

In the corner of the side courtyard of the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace, several new green grass sprouts have emerged.

Li Shimin, wearing a worn brocade robe, sat by the window listening to the rain. On the table lay a scroll of the May Report on the Implementation of the New Policies, its ink still dripping wet.

This is a rubbing that Zhang Anan just brought from the Secretariat.

"Your Majesty, please take a look at this."

Zhang Anan came in carrying a small charcoal stove, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy: "Wang Erlang, the county clerk of Huazhou in Henan Province, was originally an old clerk in the county government. He was promoted through the 'clerk-to-official' examination."

"During this month's audit, we managed to recover three thousand strings of cash in embezzled river works funds from the brother-in-law of the prefectural official, and all of it was used to repair the river embankment in Huazhou."

"The people of Huazhou presented him with a 'Ten Thousand People's Umbrella,' saying, 'The new official is more honest than the old one.'"

Li Shimin's gaze shifted from the newspaper to the raindrops outside the window: "Wang Erlang? There was a clerk named Wang in Huazhou during the Sui Dynasty. Back then, he had his finger chopped off by Dou Jiande's soldiers while protecting the account books. I never expected that decades later, such a tough guy could still emerge from a humble background." Zhang Anan laughed: "This is all thanks to the new policies."

"His Highness the Crown Prince's regulations state that 'the assessment of officials should be based solely on their talents.' Those veteran clerks are familiar with local affairs and eager to get ahead. They are more willing to do practical work than those scholars who only know how to read the classics."

Li Shimin picked up the monthly report on the table and traced the "Operational Status of the Six Ministries in Prefectures and Counties" column with his fingertip. It was marked in red ink: Of the seventy-two counties in Guannei Circuit, sixty were operating normally; Of the ninety-six counties in Henan Circuit, twelve were experiencing obstruction, mostly in areas occupied by aristocratic families.

Hebei Province was only 50% complete because the remnants of the Khitan tribes had not yet been pacified. However, the newly established "Border County Military Department" had already begun training local militia to guard against attacks by the Hu people. The most striking example was Lingnan Province, which had a "superior" mark circled in red ink and noted next to it that "three hundred households of Li tribes voluntarily registered."

“Can Lingnan have ‘superior’ qualities?” Li Shimin raised an eyebrow. “That old fox Feng Ang was still saying in his memorial last year that the Li people were ‘uncivilized’. How come they’ve changed their minds in just five months?”

“It wasn’t Feng Ang’s doing,” Zhang Anan said in a low voice. “It was those twenty ‘practical’ scholars sent by His Highness the Crown Prince. They opened ‘educational schools’ in the Li villages, taught children to read, helped the tribes calculate their taxes, and, according to the ‘tribal self-governance’ regulations, allowed the Li people to elect ‘elders’ to participate in county affairs.”

I heard there was a scholar named Zhang Jiuling who could speak three different dialects. He managed to turn the "Equal Field Distribution Edict" into a folk song, and the local people, by singing along, understood how much land they were entitled to.

Li Shimin's hand holding the monthly report trembled slightly. He suddenly remembered that in the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, the officials he sent to Lingnan were either killed by the Li people or ran back crying, saying, "The barbarians are unreasonable."

At that time, he thought that governing the frontier could only be done by force, but he never thought that a set of regulations and a few folk songs could persuade three hundred Li people to voluntarily register.

"It's more ingenious than my method back then."

Li Shimin murmured, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery, yet also a subtle sense of satisfaction.

Seeing that his expression had softened, Zhang Anan handed him another copy: "This is the movement of the five surnames and seven clans. The Cui family opened a 'mathematics school' in Boling to teach their children arithmetic; the Lu family sent ten of their children to participate in the 'prefectural and departmental chief clerk' examination, and also asked Grand Tutor Changsun to pass on a message, hoping that they would be appointed to the six prefectural and departmental offices in Jiangnan Circuit."

Li Shimin sneered upon hearing this: "Oh? Didn't they say that 'it is impossible to govern the world without the teachings of Confucius and Mencius'?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to learn math?"

Zhang Anan explained, "Because His Highness the Crown Prince's regulations state that 'officials of the provincial and ministerial departments must be proficient in mathematics,' otherwise they won't even be able to understand the accounts, so how can they check their subordinates' performance evaluations?"

"The Cui family's concealment of 2,000 mu of land last year was discovered, and they were fined half a year's salary. Now they finally understand that they can't hold out against it. The Li family, on the other hand, is still putting on a show. Their manor in Luoyang, relying on its large number of people, refuses to follow the new regulations of 'taxing by household.' When the people from the county's Ministry of Revenue went there, they were beaten out by their servants."

Li Shimin's gaze darkened: "What does the Crown Prince suggest we do?"

Zhang Anan lowered his head slightly: "It hasn't moved yet."

"His Highness the Crown Prince ordered the Commandant of Henan Province to lead three hundred soldiers to garrison outside Luoyang City, but he did not give the order to take action. He only had the Ministry of Rites of the province post notices, clearly stating that the Li family had concealed the amount of land they owned and had injured officials. These notices were posted all over the streets and alleys of Luoyang City. The people are now pointing at the Li family's manor and cursing them, saying that they 'occupy imperial grain and even beat up people from the court.'"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes: "Surround without attacking, use the people's hearts as a weapon."

"This method is more ruthless than sending troops to confiscate their property. The Li family is a century-old aristocratic family that values ​​its reputation above all else. Being cursed by the common people is worse than being killed."

Zhang Anan suddenly said, "Your Majesty, this old servant went to the Ministry of Personnel yesterday and saw those newly appointed 'Provincial Six Ministries Assistants' studying the 'Performance Evaluation Law.' Most of them were from poor families, and they were studying the book until late at night."

“A young doctor said, ‘His Highness the Crown Prince said that new officials must pass three tests: be able to calculate accounts clearly, be able to judge cases clearly, and be able to reason logically.’ This sounds crude, but it is much more practical than ‘loyalty to the emperor and love for the country.’”

Li Shimin picked up a chess piece from the table and gently placed it on the chessboard: "Really? He's trying to turn all officials into accountants and scribes."

His tone was tinged with dissatisfaction, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "However... wasn't this the kind of official I was looking for in the early years of the Zhenguan era? Someone who could get things done and didn't just talk nonsense, much better than those pedantic scholars who only knew how to 'cite classics'."

The rain gradually subsided, and the water droplets from the eaves fell onto the bluestone slabs, making a monotonous sound.

Li Shimin stared at the article in the newspaper that "150 people from Guanzhong have entered officialdom" and remained silent for a long time: "Fuji is certainly good at going with the flow. He has stuffed all the sons of the Changsun family into the prefectures and counties of Anxi, which both pleases the Crown Prince and preserves the foundation of Guanzhong."

Zhang Anan laughed and said, "As Minister Changsun said, 'The new policies are like a flood; if you can't stop them, build a bridge.'"

"He made the young men of his clan learn Turkic and Arabic languages ​​and practice arithmetic, saying that he wanted them to be 'border generals in the new regulations.' A few days ago, he even submitted a memorial proposing to set up a 'mutual trade office' in the Anxi Protectorate, to do business with the Western Regions countries in accordance with the regulations of the State Revenue Department, and to use the money earned to support the army."

"His Highness the Crown Prince approved it and even rewarded him with a Ferghana horse from the Western Regions."

Li Shimin picked up the monthly report and turned to the last page. Above was Li Chengqian's vermilion annotation, the ink even deeper than before: "Five months have passed, the new policies have been established, but the foundation is not yet stable. We must guard against arrogance and complacency, and prevent slackening, like spring rain nourishing the fields, not seeking quick results, but only long-term stability."

These few words, written with less sharpness and more composure, are reminiscent of his admonition to Li Chengqian that "governing a country is like cooking a small fish."

Li Shimin stared at the line of words and suddenly felt his eyes getting hot.

This child has finally grown up and understands that "seeking long-term stability" is more important than "seeking quick success."

"Ananda," Li Shimin suddenly said, "Go and bring me that 'Chart of the People in the Zhenguan Era'."

Zhang Anan quickly retrieved the scroll and spread it out on the table. The scroll depicted the household registration statistics for the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan era, densely marked with the number of households and cultivated land in each prefecture. Li Shimin picked up Li Chengqian's monthly report and meticulously checked the numbers on the scroll against the figures: "The cultivated land in Guannei Circuit increased by 20,000 mu in five months; the number of displaced people in Henan Circuit decreased by 3,000 households; the tribute from Lingnan Circuit increased by 5,000 bolts of cloth..."

The more Li Shimin calculated, the more his brows furrowed, but in the end he smiled gently: "I didn't realize it until I calculated it. These five months have actually achieved more results than I did in a year back then."

Zhang Anan respectfully replied, "Your Majesty laid the foundation for the Zhenguan era of prosperity."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is building a tall building on a solid foundation."

Li Shimin looked at the rain outside the window and said, "Building a tall building? Tall buildings look nice, but if the foundation is not solid, they will collapse in a gust of wind."

“Look at how he dealt with the Li family in Luoyang. He surrounded them but didn’t attack, hoping to make the gentry back down. But the five clans and seven families are deeply entrenched. How could they be easily intimidated and forced to back down? And those old military households, the Longyou Road newspaper said that they complained that ‘the county military department’s approval was too slow and delayed the spring planting.’ The new policy was too detailed, so detailed that it tied their hands and feet.”

His words were full of worry, but when his finger traced the words "300 new households added," his tone softened.

He suddenly remembered that when Li Chengqian was a child, he always liked to write the character "民" (people) very large when learning to write, saying, "The people are the root, and only when the root is strong can the tree be stable."

At the time, I thought it was just childish talk, but now I actually see the shadow of "the people are the foundation of the state" in his charter.

The rain stopped, and sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the monthly report and the "Chart of the Zhenguan Population" on the desk. The two documents, old and new, overlapped in the light and shadow, like a dialogue between two eras.

“Tell the Crown Prince,” Li Shimin suddenly said, “to put the matter of the Li family in Luoyang on hold. Spring plowing has just ended, so don’t cause unrest among the people. As for the military households in Longyou, have him add a clause to the ‘County Military Department’ that ‘military affairs should be simplified during the busy farming season.’ Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.”

Zhang Anan bowed in agreement, but did not leave immediately. Looking at the white hair at Li Shimin's temples, he suddenly said, "Your Majesty, yesterday His Highness the Crown Prince held a 'political council' in Hanyuan Hall and said, 'Governing a country should be like water, which can penetrate stone and also flow around mountains.' These words sound like something Your Majesty taught him."

Li Shimin was taken aback, then smiled. In that smile were relief, nostalgia, and a hint of pride that even he himself was unaware of.

“Chengqian…” Li Shimin gazed at the new greenery outside the window: “He is, after all, my son.”

The water droplets from the eaves have all fallen, revealing watermarks on the bluestone slabs, winding like a river.

That river connects to the past of the Zhenguan era and flows toward an unknown future.

In a side courtyard of the Taiji Palace, the emperor, who was under house arrest, finally saw another possible form for the Tang Dynasty in the densely packed regulations five months after the implementation of the new policies.

(End of this chapter)