The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 37: The Love of the King
"What's wrong with the Saint..." Zhao gave him a strange look, came up and stroked the Saint's shoulder with concern.

"I just thought about my parents."

When Zhao heard this, some vague memories that had not been seen for a long time emerged in her mind.

Just when the emperor and his minister were feeling sad, a ruddy minister walked into the hall under the guidance of Liu Zipi, braving the chilly March wind.

He has a handsome face and a slightly thin body, but his steps are firm and powerful.

As soon as he entered, he lifted his clothes in a casual manner, bowed his head and said, "The ministers of the Ministry of Agriculture pay homage to the saint."

Li Ye looked at Li Qun. No wonder he could be Du Rangneng's son-in-law. He was indeed handsome.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture, please excuse me."

After asking Zhao to bring a cushion and offer him a seat, Li Ye picked up the memorial on the table and said straight to the point: "I have read what Li Qing said. It is a good policy. You should start to implement it immediately. In the twenty-two counties within the capital, how many wealthy families have built Wubao and occupied public land? How many mountains, forests, fields, and ponds have been swallowed up? How much unowned wasteland is there? How many tenants? How many refugees? Be sure to find out one by one and report to me truthfully."

"In addition, the blocked ditches of the Ba and Jing rivers must also be cleared and displaced people must be organized to clear them."

"Yes." Li Qun had already decided on this, and was relieved to hear Shang Yun's words. He only raised one point: "Since the Chaos Rebellion, many tombs of the Qin and Han emperors have been abandoned, and thieves are rampant, looting the tombs. Some people have also opened up land on the emperors' tombs, which must be stopped."

This is also an unavoidable problem in times of war - robbing the imperial tomb.

There are also many imperial tombs within the pass.

"I will summon Jingzhao Yin Sun Xianggong and Buliang Shuai to have them strengthen their inspections."

As for the problem of common people opening up land on the imperial mausoleum, which led to the destruction of the mausoleum, Li Ye could not turn a blind eye to the problem involving the ancestors of the Li family. He pondered for a while and added: "In recent years, people have been displaced and have been begging for a living, so we will not blame them. The current opening of land will be abolished depending on the situation."

Li Ye plans to take some time to investigate it himself.

"You can boldly go ahead with the farming this time." Li Ye was worried that the powerful landlords would not cooperate, so he went out of the west gate and warned them again: "Those who have occupied public lands must return them to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Revenue within one month. If they fail to do so within the time limit, I will ask the military envoy to send troops to recover them."

Li Ye had done his utmost by saying this.

It would be best if these powerful landlords would give him some face and not make things difficult for him, otherwise he would invite Ximen Chongsui out...

Humph, at that time it would not be as simple as just giving up the occupied public land and household registration.

People like Ximen Chongsui are not as considerate as he and Li Qun.

When Li Qun heard the three words "Military Commander", his heart tightened.

He did not want to see another bloody storm caused by the household registration and farming system, which would bring bad reputation to his family and Taishan Du Rangneng.

I hope those people can understand the pros and cons.

Therefore, the memorial of Li Qun, the Minister of Agriculture, proposing military farming was accepted by the emperor and was immediately sent from the Privy Council to the Secretariat for drafting an imperial edict.

There were many landlords in the capital who had embezzled the household registration and public land. How could these people be willing to give it back to him if the sage asked them to do so? However, this matter concerned the survival of the court, and Li Ye would never give in.

Twenty-two counties!
What a concept.

It is still a fertile plain with 800 miles of Qinchuan and crisscrossing rivers.

Even if the imperial court is regarded as a vassal state, its wealth is no less than any family in Henan or Hebei.

Li Ye made a rough estimate.

Historically, Zhaozong recruited soldiers in Gyeonggi Province many times, and the number of young men who responded three times was tens of thousands, 40,000, 60,000, and 20,000.

Based on the base of one adult per household and four people per household, Gyeonggi Province has a population of at least 500,000.

This is the worst case scenario. It is impossible for every household to have teenagers sign up.

Judging from this, the population of Gyeonggi Province should be over one million.

Unfortunately, Chang'an suffered from chaos many times, the palace was burned down, and many maps and accounts were destroyed. In recent years, the population count has been delayed due to the war.

Otherwise, why would Li Ye make such an estimate?

……

On the third day of March, Shangsi Festival is held. The southern and northern government offices are closed for holidays, and young girls go out to enjoy the peach blossoms.

Li Ye, the governor of the capital, had no time for vacation, so he took the prime ministers and some ministers on a tour to the west, mainly in Liquan and Wugong counties. Ximen Chongsui originally disagreed, but considering that the situation was relatively stable recently, he agreed and asked to return to the capital within one day. He also sent his adopted son Ximen Yuanyuan to lead 5,000 cavalry and infantry to accompany him for "protection."

Wugong County is located in the heart of the Guanzhong Plain.

Shangshu Li Xi rode on his horse, pointed his whip at the rushing river, and talked eloquently: "In the past, Shaodian married Youqi and gave birth to Huangdi and Yandi. Yandi was born by Jiangshui, and Huangdi was born by Jishui. They were born with different virtues, so Huangdi was named Ji and Yandi was named Jiang. Jishui is this river. When King Wu went to fight Emperor Xin, he crossed the river here."

"What a nice place." It was a beautiful day and the weather was nice and windy, and Li Ye was in a pretty good mood.

He had heard a little about Ji Shui, which was the Qishui River in later generations and where his mother-in-law grew up. How could he not be familiar with it?

"That mountain is Wugong Mountain." Li Xi pointed to a towering peak in the mist and introduced: "In ancient times, Hou Ji was grateful for Taibo's abdication and named the highest mountain in Qinling Mountains "Taibo", which means longevity like a mountain. In order to commemorate the achievements, the neighboring peak of Taibo Mountain, Chuishan, was named Wugong Mountain, and Xieshui was named Wugong River. This is the origin of the county name. Since the Zhou Dynasty, the county has belonged to the royal capital because of its importance."

"If we lose a mountain or a river of martial arts, the five elements will change, and the royal family will never be able to revive again."

"Hahaha!" Li Ye gained new knowledge and exclaimed: "The Shangshu is really well-read and educated. He is worthy of the title of prime minister."

Along the way, Li Xi explained everything as he went, like an expert tour guide.

I've never seen an old man so talkative in the palace before.

But then again, the area of arable land here is indeed quite considerable, and irrigation is very convenient. It is a treasure land blessed by God, and you can get a good harvest without much effort. The area around Taibo and Wugong Mountains can also be used as pasture.

Raising cattle and horses and so on.

The Longjie Army has newly recruited 6,000 knights, each with two horses, so the pasture they need is very large.

It is difficult to occupy the arable land near Chang'an, which is a waste. If possible, it is better to move it as far away as possible.

"Captain, do the people of Wugong County still grow medicinal herbs? This is really..." Li Ye pointed to a village with smoke rising from the chimneys, looking surprised. The things planted on the land at the entrance of the village were very familiar to Li Ye - Bupleurum chinense, which is used to treat colds, malaria, and irregular menstruation.

crooked day.

Did farmers in the Tang Dynasty already consciously grow cash crops?
"The saint has been in the palace for a long time and has not observed the people's sentiments." Du Rangneng pointed to the Bupleurum Garden and said, "This is the nature of the people, to pursue profit. In recent years, there have been frequent wars and the demand for medicinal materials is huge, so the people are busy with it to exchange for what they need. If we do not intervene, the people will all abandon rice and wheat, and the foundation of the country will be shaken."

"Not only in Guanzhong, but also in Hebei, Zhongyuan and Jiangnan, there are Jiedushi who send people to specialize in this matter."

Li Xi added: "Wugong is a land of natural resources and rich production. There are many kinds of medicinal herbs, as well as trees such as catalpa, cypress, locust, elm, willow, tung, and poplar, which can be used to make war tools. There are also many flowers. Emperor Xuanzong once sent people to get peonies to please his concubine. There are even more animals. Emperor Jingzong came to Wugong many times to hunt foxes at night, so most of the people live in mountainous areas and use their prey to buy wealth and goods in the capital."

Li Ye was speechless after hearing this.

What ancestors!

Why don't you manage such a good place well and come here to pick flowers and please women?

And Jingzong, that bastard, treats this as a hunting ground?
"Saint, look at the ruins of the temple." Du Rangneng suddenly discovered something and shouted, pointing to a piece of ruins in the distance.

Li Ye looked over there, but didn't understand what he meant.

It's just a dilapidated temple. The fat and big-eared monks must have been killed by warriors, so it has been abandoned and turned into a den of ghosts.

Unexpectedly, Du Rangneng's face was solemn, and he sighed and said, "That is... the former site of Qingshan Palace."

Seeing that Li Ye was still confused, Shangshu Li Xi continued to explain: "It was the hidden residence of Emperor Gaozu. Empress Dou became pregnant with Emperor Taizong and gave birth here. An Shouzhong entered Chang'an and burned Qingshan Palace to disappoint people. Emperor Suzong returned and sent envoys to comfort Emperor Gaozu, Empress Dou and Emperor Taizong, but it was already occupied by monks. So Emperor Suzong changed it to Enyi Temple to worship his ancestors. During the Chao Rebellion, Enyi Temple was destroyed by the rebel army again and it no longer existed..."

Speaking of this, all the accompanying ministers were filled with sorrow.

Li Xi's voice became heavier, and he sighed, "After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he once passed by Qingshan Palace and thought of Empress Dowager Dou, and he couldn't help sobbing..."

After listening to it, Li Ye realized there was such a story.

It turned out that this was Li Yuan's old house, and Empress Dowager Dou gave birth to Li Shimin here. Many years later, Li Shimin passed by here by chance, and when he thought of Empress Dowager Dou, his throat tightened and he cried. He said to the ministers around him, "I was born here, but I can't see my mother when I revisit the place today. How can I repay the kindness of raising me when my parents are gone?" After saying this, he sat on the ground and cried so hard that no one could pull him up.

Li Ye also sighed: "Things have changed, people have changed, everything has come to an end, tears flow before I can speak..."

Today, when I revisited the old place, I found that the former Heavenly Khan had become the governor of the capital.

"Saint, please go in and pay your respects." Du Rangneng reminded.

"Yes." Li Ye nodded and said, "Since it is the emperor's hidden residence, I should rebuild it to comfort him."

(End of this chapter)