My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 433 The Tyrant Crown Prince, No Mercy
In the sixth month since the new policy was implemented, a sense of anxiety permeated both the sweltering heat of Jiangnan and the chilly northern regions.

Local resistance, like vines, entangled the new policies, making their implementation difficult, but ultimately could not stop the swift cut of imperial power.

In Qinzhou of Longyou Road, the soldiers' hands, which were used to holding hoes, were still not used to holding account books.

The new clerk in the county's Ministry of Revenue was a young man who had just passed the imperial examination. He was going door-to-door checking the land area with three clerks, but he was surrounded by the old military households in the threshing ground.

“Our ancestors fought alongside the captain for generations, and the land was allocated by the captain. Why should you pens be the ones to calculate it?”

A soldier with a thick beard slammed his hoe on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust: "The captain said this new policy is just making things difficult for people!"

Before he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement arose from the surrounding crowd, and some people even picked up stones, which frightened the clerks so much that their faces turned pale.

Three days later, five hundred soldiers arrived outside Qinzhou City, their armor gleaming coldly in the scorching sun.

The provincial commander personally carried the "Performance Evaluation Law" notice and posted it on the old locust tree in the threshing ground. His voice, amplified by a copper loudspeaker, spread throughout the fields: "His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered that all military households undergo land assessment within three days. Those who disobey will be punished for 'obstructing the new policy,' with penalties ranging from caning to exile!"

The bearded soldier who led the disturbance was tied up that very day and given forty lashes in front of the prefectural government office. His trousers were soaked with blood, and the soldiers watching were terrified.

The next day, when the team from the nuclear field entered the village again, no one dared to stop them.

In Suzhou, a city in the Jiangnan region, the obstacles are hidden in the gentle and soft Wu dialect.

The local gentry family, the Gu clan, was deeply entrenched. The clan head, Gu Yanyuan, was the son of a former Sui Dynasty official. He smiled at the newly arrived Minister of Personnel and said, "Your Excellency has come from afar. Please try some of the new tea from Dongting Lake first."

After several rounds of tea, they never mentioned the matter of dividing up clan lands or setting taxes for individual households.

When the county's household registration department sent the account books, they were always returned by Gu's protégés for "unclear handwriting" and "incorrect format," and this would drag on for several days.

When the news reached the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian's imperial edict arrived in Suzhou five days later: "It has been found that the Gu family has three thousand mu of hidden land. It shall be confiscated immediately. Gu Yanyuan shall be stripped of his official rank and exiled to Lingnan."

When the imperial envoy led the Imperial Guards straight into the Gu residence, Gu Yanyuan was still playing the zither in the garden. The moment the zither string suddenly broke, the sound of iron chains dragging on the ground could be heard outside the mansion gate.

Seeing this, other gentry families in Suzhou sent the hidden land registers to the county's Ministry of Revenue overnight, and no one dared to use "soft resistance" to delay anymore.

The situation was even more difficult in Qinzhou, Lingnan Circuit. The chief of the Li people's tribe held a cow horn wine pot and looked at the "Encouraging Education Hall" regulations sent by the State Ministry of Rites. He felt that the Chinese characters on the paper were like heavenly script.

"Do we Li children need to learn hunting, brewing wine, and these Chinese characters to fill our stomachs?"

He threw the charter into the fire pit, watching the pages curl into ashes: "Tell your crown prince that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so don't bother us."

Half a month later, the governor of Qinzhou, along with a translator and three hundred soldiers, entered the largest Li village.

They didn't burn down the village or arrest anyone. They simply set up a shed at the village entrance and wrote down the number of households the Li people had concealed and the amount of wasteland they had cultivated on wooden boards. Next to it, a cannon stood darkly pointed at the village gate.

"His Highness the Crown Prince said that Li people who are registered will be exempt from taxes for three years, while those who are not registered will be treated as 'people outside the civilized world,' and their tribes will not be allowed to trade with the prefectures and counties."

The translator's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. The Li chieftain, gazing at the cannons capable of blasting rocks, finally lowered his head and pressed his fingerprint onto the citizenship document.

These scenes played out repeatedly across the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Some local officials outwardly complied but inwardly defied the rules, secretly tipping off the gentry. When this was discovered by the imperial inspector, he was stripped of his official hat and sent to Chang'an in shackles that very day.

An experienced official, familiar with local corruption, instigated the people to disobey orders. He was exposed by the newly appointed county magistrate, given thirty strokes of the cane, and demoted to a commoner.

Even some county magistrates in remote areas attempted to emulate the previous dynasty's practice of "concealing from superiors but not from subordinates" by locking the new policy regulations in a cabinet, only to be startled into a cold sweat by the imperial edict delivered by the Crown Prince via express courier.

The handwritten order even clearly marked the page numbers of the regulations in his cabinet, and at the end it simply said, "If it is not implemented within three days, I will resign."

In this era of absolute imperial power, when reason fails, power becomes the only means of communication.

Li Chengqian's will spread throughout the country through the post stations. The armor of the soldiers, the imperial envoy's token, and the vermilion comments on performance evaluations formed an invisible net that tightened all obstacles.

There were complaints in the local areas. In the nursery rhymes of Jiangnan, people cursed that "the new official is more venomous than a snake." Military households in Longyou prayed at night that "the pen will rot." The local people in Lingnan secretly cursed that "Chinese characters will burn your hands." But when the performance evaluation officials from the prefecture came to their door again with account books and chains, all the complaints had to be swallowed back down.

This is the iron law of the dynastic era: once the supreme ruler has made up his mind, no matter how much resistance there is, it will eventually be crushed under the wheels of imperial power.

The new policy was like a transplanted tree. Its roots tore through the soil amidst local resistance, taking hold with pain, while its branches, nourished by imperial power, stubbornly stretched towards the sky.

Li Chengqian sat in his study in the Eastern Palace, looking at the "implementation progress reports" submitted from various places. The imperial annotations on them were becoming more and more frequent. Behind each "approved" was a record of countless old habits being forcibly reversed and countless heads that had to be bowed.

He knew the process would be bloody and filled with resentment, but he had no other choice.

In an era devoid of consultation mechanisms, the only way to allow the seeds of new policies to sprout was to forcibly carve a new path through the old soil using the plowshare of imperial power.

The furrows that the new policies forcibly carved into the old soil ultimately revealed their fatal vulnerability in the face of a natural disaster.

In July of the 21st year of the Zhenguan era, the Yellow River suddenly breached its banks in the Huazhou section of Henan Province.

The turbid floodwaters, like a runaway horse, breached the newly built river embankment, overflowed thousands of acres of fertile land, and threatened the city.

The breach opened by the Yellow River in Henan Province was quickly infused with new elements by the undercurrents of Chang'an City.

Those powerful clans and noble families, Guanzhong aristocrats, and even former officials of the previous dynasty, whose power had been stripped by the new policies, emerged from their slumber like sharks smelling blood, turning the natural disaster into a sharp weapon to attack the new policies.

The first to launch an attack were the Cui family of Boling.

The head of the Cui clan submitted a memorial stating: "I have investigated and found that the dikes of the Huazhou River have collapsed. This is all because after the implementation of the new policies, the Ministry of Works of the prefecture forcibly ordered the use of the 'new method' for dike construction, abandoning the ancient method of using glutinous rice mortar and replacing it with lime and sand, claiming it would 'save on labor costs.' Now, the floodwaters have washed them away. This is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one! The new policies have been a wasteful mess that has harmed the people!"

Zheng from Xingyang submitted a memorial stating: "I have heard that the Minister of Personnel of Huazhou, in order to meet the 'performance evaluation for project progress' under the new policy, forcibly conscripted laborers to build dikes day and night, resulting in the deaths of dozens of laborers. The remaining laborers dared not speak out in anger, and cut corners during the construction of the dikes. All of this was forced out by the 'performance evaluation law' of the new policy! If the old system had been followed and the governor had been in charge of overall coordination, how could such a failure have occurred?"

The imperial court was in an uproar.

The old ministers from the Guanzhong region shook their heads and sighed, saying that the new policies were "too hasty, even discarding the water management methods passed down from our ancestors."

The veteran censors then brought up the old story of the Yellow River flooding at the end of the Sui Dynasty, implying that "those who arbitrarily change the system will surely be punished by Heaven."

These were details that needed to be adjusted during the reform, but now they have been magnified infinitely and become irrefutable evidence that the "new policies have brought disaster to the country".

Even more ruthless was the Li family of Luoyang.

Rumors were spread among the refugees: "In order to promote the new policies, the Crown Prince has used all the money meant for river management to support new officials! Look, there is grain in the state granaries, but it is locked up by the 'new policy regulations.' The Crown Prince would rather watch the people starve to death than break the rules. This is not governing the country; this is forcing the world to rebel!"

Rumors spread like wildfire among the refugees.

The people who had just escaped the flood listened to these words on empty stomachs, while the state officials argued back and forth with the "disaster relief process form".

Naturally, the resentment was directed at the new policies. Some people threw mud at the prefectural government office sign, shouting, "Give me back my old officials! Give me back my livelihood!" The scene was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

The undercurrents within Chang'an City were also surging faster.

News from all over the country poured into the Eastern Palace.

"The five clans and seven prominent families have gathered their own troops in Hebei Province, ostensibly to 'prevent the rebellion of displaced people,' but in reality... they fear there might be some unsettling activity."

Fang Xuanling held the "disaster reports" sent from various places, which were densely covered with words such as "public resentment is boiling" and "please suspend the new policies". Even some officials who were implementing the new policies mentioned in the reports that "it is hoped that Your Highness will temporarily quell your anger to appease the people".

Inside Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin's face was gloomy, his brows furrowed as he looked at the rain outside the window and sighed, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The Crown Prince forced the boat to change course with a knife, and now the boat is about to capsize. If we don't change course, we're afraid the boat and its inhabitants will sink into the Yellow River."

In the East Palace.

Li Chengqian's expression was cold and stern.

He knew that these forces didn't care about the flood or the lives of the displaced people; they only wanted to use this natural disaster to completely overturn the new government.

The Yellow River breach was merely a pretext; what they wanted was to convince the world that the new policies were the root of the disaster, and that only by abolishing the new policies and restoring the old system could they appease the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.

Li Chengqian looked at the "Disaster Relief Regulations" on the table. Every article on it read "implement according to regulations" and "responsibility at different levels," but at this moment it seemed particularly jarring.

People are the ones who implement the system. When most people want to shirk responsibility and procrastinate, even the best system cannot be implemented; it's all just empty talk. Li Chengqian knew very well that he could not back down.

There's no such thing as taking a step back and finding a brighter future.

Once he backs down, those dormant forces will surge forth like a flood, tearing his painstakingly constructed new policies to shreds.

Fortunately, the 100,000 troops from Liaodong had already arrived in Chang'an.

"Wen Zhong."

"The minister is here."

Li Chengqian's voice was filled with icy killing intent: "Reveal the Crown Prince's decree."

"Hou Junji is appointed as the Grand Commander of the Henan Road Army, and Li Xiang, the eldest grandson of the Emperor, is appointed as the Deputy Grand Commander, leading 30,000 infantry and cavalry to Henan Road immediately."

"Issue the order: Anyone who hoards grain or obstructs the distribution of grain shall be executed!"

"Anyone who spreads rumors or incites a popular uprising shall be executed!"

"Anyone who fails to manage the river effectively or shirks responsibility shall be executed!"

The three "execution" orders, like three thunderclaps, cleaved through the chaos in Henan Province.

When Hou Junji arrived in Huazhou with 30,000 armored cavalry, the floodwaters of the Yellow River had not yet receded, and tens of thousands of refugees had gathered outside the city, threatening to breach the city gates.

Hou Junji did not shout anything, but simply followed the Crown Prince's instructions and built three high platforms outside the city.

On the first high platform, tied up was the state official who had delayed the process by a day because he insisted on "reviewing the disaster situation according to regulations."

Hou Junji personally wielded his sword, and the moment the head fell to the ground, the clamor of the refugees abruptly ceased.

On the second high platform, bound were the servants of the Li family of Luoyang who spread rumors that "the crown prince hoarded grain and harmed the people," along with the head of the Li family branch who was behind it, all of whom were cut in half at the waist and displayed to the public.

Blood stained the high platform and the fear in the eyes of the refugees.

On the third high platform, grain and fodder confiscated from the estates of the Cui and Zheng families and other aristocratic clans were piled up. Hou Junji ordered his soldiers to open the seals in public, cook the grain into rice porridge in large pots, and distribute it to the refugees with banners that read "The Emperor's Grace is Boundless".

Without the new policy's "three-level approval" or the cumbersome "receipt and registration," the starving people tasted the imperial court's "blessing" for the first time during a famine, all thanks to the clash of swords.

At the same time, Li Xiang led 5,000 cavalrymen straight to the Hebei Taoist clan's family soldiers who were "preventing the rebellion of refugees".

Outside the manors of the five clans and seven prominent families, the sounds of battle raged incessantly for days. The soldiers of the Cui clan of Boling had just formed ranks when they were shattered by cavalry; the fortified village of the Zheng clan of Xingyang was breached by cannon fire.

The private soldiers inside the fort were all slaughtered.

In his battle report, Li Xiang wrote only eight characters: "Those who resist will be killed without mercy."

The bloody crackdown was swiftly effective.

The locks on the state granaries were broken open with axes, and grain flowed into the disaster area like water.

The craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, along with the conscripted laborers, worked day and night to repair the river embankment.

Those refugees who had been shouting "Give us back the old system" could only swallow their sobs in silence after witnessing the massacre on the high platform and the distribution of rice porridge.

The efficiency of flood control was astonishing because of this iron-fisted approach.

Hou Junji disregarded any "county work department requisition procedures" and directly dispatched troops to requisition the stone quarries and timber mills of the gentry. Anyone who dared to obstruct him was executed on the spot.

Tens of thousands of laborers, under the supervision of swords and guns, jumped into the turbid Yellow River and used sandbags, sunken boats, and even living people—that is, prisoners who were designated as "obstructors"—to block the breach in the dike.

This is very Hou Junji.

Half a month later, the breach in the dike was finally plugged. Although the cost was the lives of thousands of laborers and the destruction of dozens of aristocratic estates along the river, the Yellow River's flow was eventually stabilized.

The news reached Chang'an, where a solemn atmosphere prevailed.

At the court assembly in the Taiji Hall, Li Chengqian listened to the reports without any expression on his face.

He knew that in the past two weeks, the blood of those in Henan had stained the Yellow River red, and also his dragon robe.

The title of "tyrant" had spread to every corner of the Tang Dynasty through the mouths of refugees, the grievances of the gentry, and even the whispers of court officials.

Some say that the crown prince killed an entire county in order to protect his new policies.

Some say that he even forced people to work with knives during disaster relief efforts, making him even more cruel than Emperor Yang of Sui.

Even many officials in the court sighed: "His Highness the Crown Prince is using blood to nurture the new policies, but what is nurtured with blood will eventually backfire."

Inside the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin was copying the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" when he heard the news. His brush paused, and a drop of ink fell onto the paper, spreading into an ugly black dot.

"He was scared."

Li Shimin put down his pen, his voice tinged with weariness: "I was afraid that this flood would destroy my new policies, and that the old forces would take the opportunity to launch a counterattack, so I used the most ruthless method to establish my authority."

"But he forgot that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The people may fear his sword today, but they will hate his sword tomorrow. When they have hated him enough, the sword will no longer be able to protect him."

But regardless of the discussions in the court and among the public, the majesty of imperial power ultimately reached its peak in this bloody suppression.

After the soldiers of the five clans and seven prominent families were slaughtered, no one dared to openly question the new policies anymore.

Local "soft resistance" has completely disappeared, and when state and local officials handle regulations, their palms are sweatier than ever before.

Even the most remote Lingnan people heard about the massacre in Henan Province, and the speed of their naturalization accelerated dramatically.

Faced with absolute violence, all discontent and resistance were temporarily suppressed.

At night, when Li Chengqian was in the Eastern Palace, he could often hear the sound of the wind outside the window, which sounded like the weeping of countless wronged souls.

On his desk was a "Record of Merits and Demerits for Disaster Relief" sent by the Henan Circuit, which stated "more than 3,000 people were killed and 50,000 refugees were saved".

He knew what kind of hell was behind those numbers, and that the label of "tyrant" would follow him for the rest of his life.

But he had no choice. In this era of absolute imperial power, when the foundation of the new policies was hit by both natural disasters and man-made calamities, he could find no other way but to consolidate his authority with the bloodiest means.

The Yellow River gradually receded, leaving behind a devastated mudflat.

On this mudflat, the framework of the new policy, nurtured by bloodshed, continued to grow upwards in a distorted yet resilient manner.

But everyone understands that the resentment buried in blood and the contradictions suppressed by violence have not truly disappeared.

They were simply waiting for the next opportunity, a chance to completely overthrow this seemingly solid imperial power.

Li Chengqian, the young crown prince who single-handedly created an iron-fisted order, was destined to walk a difficult path between the infamy of being a "tyrant" and the ideal of being a "wise ruler."

But he doesn't care.

With the strength of the new policies, Li Chengqian now holds unprecedented power.

He has already subtly surpassed Li Shimin.

Having power is the beginning of reform after the initial stage of reform.

Li Chengqian was well aware that the bottom line of industrial civilization was far higher than the upper limit of agricultural civilization.

Only with centralized power can we concentrate our efforts on accomplishing major tasks.

(End of this chapter)