A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 655 Canonization
"Sikong,"

Liu Shiche hurried to see Li Yi, "News from Chang'an: the Prince of Qin has quelled Yang Wengan's rebellion."

Li Yi is inspecting the summer grain being stored in the warehouse.
Truckloads of newly harvested wheat, still fragrant with the scent of wheat, were being transported into the granaries, ensuring that the 100,000 border troops in Daibei would have no worries about food this year.

Li Yi was not at all surprised that Yang Wengan had quelled the rebellion so quickly.

But Liu Shiche's next words surprised him.

The emperor not only summoned Li Yi, the Prince of Yan and Governor-General of Jingzhou, and Li Youliang, the Prince of Changle and Governor-General of Liangzhou, back to Chang'an, but also appointed Zhang Jin and Yuwen Shiji as the two superintendents.

He also issued an edict.

The Yizhou Circuit Administration, the Southeast Circuit Administration, and the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Administration were abolished, thus eliminating the three existing administrations.

He summoned Li Xiaogong, the Grand General of Yangzhou and Prince of Zhao, and Li Gui, the Grand General of Jingzhou and Prince of Hanyang.
Li Daoxuan, the Grand General of Youzhou and Prince of Wei, and Li Yi, the Grand General of Bingzhou and Prince of Dai,
They were all sent to Korea together.

Of the six major military governorates in the empire, four of the governors were recalled to the capital.

All three offices were abolished.

Liu Shiche asked with some concern, "What is the meaning of His Majesty summoning you to court at this time?"

"A storm is coming!"

A storm is coming.

The next day,

The emperor's edict summoning Li Yi back to court was indeed delivered by fast horse.

Instead of being summoned to the capital to meet the emperor and report on his duties, he was appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Shaanxi-Eastern Circuit, the Grand General of Bingzhou, the Governor of Bingzhou, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Hedong Circuit Army.
All of that is waived.

The Shaanxi Eastern Military Command was abolished, and the Hedong Military Command was also abolished.

Dou Jing, the Chief Secretary of the Bingzhou Grand General's Office, temporarily presided over the affairs of the General's Office, while Li Shiji, the Duke of Cao and Governor of Qizhou, was appointed as the Acting Grand General of Bingzhou.

Ren Gui, the governor of Xuzhou, was appointed as the acting governor of Jingzhou.

Liu Zhenghui, Minister of Justice and Duke of Xing, was appointed Grand Commander of Youzhou.

Wu Shihuo, a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, was appointed as the Chief Administrator of the Yangzhou Grand General's Office and was in charge of the affairs of the Yangzhou Grand General's Office.

Li Jing, Duke of Yongkang County, was appointed Inspector-General of Daizhou; Qin Wutong was appointed General of Shuozhou…
"His Majesty has already appointed Tuli as the Turkic Khan in Chang'an, and Shaboloshe Sunishi as the Lesser Khan. Li Simo and Yusheshe have been appointed as the Left and Right Wise Kings of the Turkic Khaganate..."

Li Yi gleaned some useful information from the angel's words.

The Turks have now submitted to the Tang Dynasty. Jieli was brought to the Chang'an palace to dance, and Tuli went to court to meet the emperor.

The powerful tribes—Shaboluoshe, Yusheshe, Yugushe, Tuoshe, Bulishe, and Tutunshe—have all sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to pay tribute and pledge allegiance, and have also sent their sons to the capital to serve the emperor.

This gesture naturally pleased the imperial court.

Therefore, outside the nine prefectures of Dingxiang and Yunzhong, the six governors each established a governorate with their own followers, bringing the entire Turkic Khaganate under the Tang Dynasty's tributary system. They not only conferred titles upon the Turkic Khaganate as Lesser Khans and Governors, but also as Princes, Dukes, Governors, Prefects, and Generals of the Tang Dynasty.

The sword that had been hanging over the head of the Tang Dynasty since its founding was thus removed.

The threat from the north is gone.

The emperor could then readjust the personnel on the frontier.

The abolition of the Shaanxi Eastern Grand Secretariat and the Hedong Military Camp also meant that the 100,000 troops in Daibei were no longer a unified force.

They were divided among the five governorates of Bingdai, Xishuo, and You.
Moreover, without the Hedong Headquarters, they no longer have wartime authority, making it even more difficult to mobilize these troops.

According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, anyone who, without prior reporting, privately mobilizes ten or more, but less than one hundred, soldiers from the local garrison without authorization, shall be sentenced to one year of penal servitude. Anyone mobilizing one hundred or more soldiers shall be sentenced to one and a half years of penal servitude; anyone mobilizing more than one hundred soldiers shall be punished one degree more severely; anyone mobilizing more than seven hundred soldiers shall be exiled three thousand li away; and anyone privately mobilizing one thousand soldiers shall be hanged.

To mobilize more than ten soldiers, the normal procedure required first reporting to the prefectural governor's office, which would then report to the central government's Secretariat and Chancellery. After review, the report would be submitted to the emperor for approval, and finally, an imperial edict would be issued and military tallies would be granted.
The generals of the cavalry or chariots who command troops in the military government must match the troops under the governor's command, and only with the assistance of troop mobilization orders can troops be mobilized.

These shackles

This blocked any possibility of unauthorized troop deployment; to dare to deploy troops without authorization would be treason.

The emperor ordered them to enter the capital immediately upon receiving the imperial edict, and to travel by ten post stations per day.

Three hundred li a day, this is extremely urgent.

Like Li Yi, Yuchi Gong, the governor of Shuozhou, and Wang Xingmin, the governor of Daizhou, were also summoned to the capital. Li Jing and Qin Wutong took over as governors of Daizhou and Shuozhou, respectively.

Li Yi was somewhat surprised when Li Shiji came to take over as the Grand Governor of Bingzhou.

"I have a feeling that His Majesty is about to take action against the King of Qin?"

On the city wall of Taiyuan, Ma Zhou said with concern.

Liu Shiche also agreed with this statement. If the Crown Prince was implicated in the Yang Wengan incident, or even if the heir apparent had to be replaced, then there was no reason for them, the Prince of Qin's faction, to mobilize their forces.

Although Li Yi and Li Youliang were from the Crown Prince's faction and were also recalled to Chang'an, everyone could see that the Youbing Legion was the direct line of the King of Qin.

"Don't worry, the storm comes quickly and goes quickly. Soon the clouds will part and the moon will shine through." Li Yi knew that this moment was finally approaching.

Li Yuan's personality destined Li Shimin to have no other way to go, and he would eventually have to take this step.

Compared to history,

This time, however, it happened three years earlier than expected.

The country was pacified much earlier, and the battles in Hedong and Hebei were not as bad. In fact, the Turks were defeated and subdued seven or eight years earlier.

When Li Shimin was placed on that throne...

The Tang Dynasty entered the Zhenguan era of prosperity ahead of schedule.

There will be no more Battle of Taigu where the entire Tang army of 70,000 was wiped out, nor will there be another instance of Jieli forcing Li Shimin to sign a treaty under duress at the Wei River.
There will be no millions of border residents being abducted.

Ma Zhou and Liu Shiche both decided to go to the capital with Li Yi.

Yuchi Gong, Wang Xingmin, Luo Shixin, and Zhang Daoyuan, these commanders, were also recalled to the capital. Their return at this time wasn't entirely a bad thing.
This will provide the King of Qin with some additional manpower. Without the two thousand Changlin soldiers from the Eastern Palace, the Xuanwu Plan should proceed more smoothly this time.

Zhang Liang was in Chang'an, and he had been secretly sending him messages, so he was basically aware of everything happening in Chang'an.

The emperor openly told the Prince of Qin that he wanted to enfeoff him as the Prince of Shu and to make Li Shimin the crown prince.

On the one hand, they had already prepared for the day when Li Shimin returned to the capital after suppressing Yang Wengan's rebellion, and they would reassign him as the Prince of Shu and the Governor of Nanning Prefecture.

Li Yuan really courted death.

Time and time again, they broke their promises.

If he had truly heeded Li Gang's advice and used Yang Wengan's rebellion as an excuse to demote Li Jiancheng to the Shu region as the King of Shu, he might have been able to save the Jiancheng and Yuanji families.

By establishing Li Shimin as crown prince, Li Shimin would no longer need to stage a coup, and Li Yuan could continue to reign peacefully as emperor.

Perhaps his throne won't be so secure in the future, and his power might be taken away by Crown Prince Li Shimin, but at least he can continue to be emperor.

It's better than abdicating and becoming an emperor emeritus.

Unfortunately, Li Yuan remained obstinate and refused to see the truth.

If there is even the slightest possibility

Li Yi believed that Li Shimin was unwilling to take this step; even if he succeeded in seizing the throne through a coup, it wouldn't have been a sustainable solution.
He didn't even get a drop of blood on his hands.

But they will also bear eternal infamy.

However, Li Yuan gave him no chance at all, so this was the only path he could take.

in fact,

Although the Tang Dynasty had only been established for five or six years, the Prince of Qin had made great achievements in his eastern and western campaigns, and had already built a powerful new group of military elites under his command.

Compared to Li Shimin's hesitation,
None of the people in the Prince of Qin's mansion hesitated. They were all completely unconcerned about a coup. As long as it succeeded, what did it matter how it succeeded?

Only the King of Qin would care whether his usurpation of the throne was legitimate or not.
The soldiers only longed to achieve merit in supporting the emperor, to advance further in the court, to be ennobled and granted titles, and to bring down the powerful officials of the time so that they could take their place.

If it weren't for these concerns, the Qin King's faction would have been willing to support him in seizing the throne a few years ago after pacifying Wang Shichong in Luoyang and Dou Jiande in Hebei.

Even at this point, Li Shimin was determined to seize the throne by force.
However, he still chose the most difficult palace coup, precisely because such a risk could prevent greater turmoil, minimize losses, and prevent the newly established Tang Dynasty from being crippled by internal strife again.

If we disregard these factors,
Li Shimin could have chosen a safer approach, such as raising an army directly in Taiyuan and then marching on Chang'an under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials."
Who can stop it?

However, this would inevitably lead to countless battles from Taiyuan to Chang'an.

Countless Tang soldiers would be forced to fight among themselves.
Countless people will bleed to death.

Countless ordinary people will also be plunged into the throes of war.

"I have selected fifty riders to accompany me to the capital; we will depart tomorrow."

The emperor summoned all the chief stewards to the capital, hoping to resolve the dispute among his sons over the throne. Little did he know that this would only make his throne more unstable.

When a group of generals from the Qin King's faction entered the capital, even if each of them had thirty to fifty soldiers, they could instantly add hundreds or even thousands of elite troops to the Qin King's forces.

···
Chang'an

Above the Golden Hall of Taiji Palace
Civil and military officials gathered.

The emperor sat on his imperial couch.

"Xuan,"

"Summon Tuli Khan to the palace!"

Ashina Shibobi entered the palace dressed in a purple robe and jade belt from the Tang Dynasty, even his braided hair had been replaced with a Tang Dynasty hair ornament and crown.

Attendant-in-Ordinary Chen Shuda presented a bright yellow imperial edict and handed it to Attendant-in-Ordinary Cui Dunli for reading.

"Yu Xi!"

"The Turkic tribes, who had lived in the desert for generations, were finally subdued by the commander-in-chief. The three tribes and the ten chieftains all adopted the traditional dress and became his subjects."

"I, the Emperor, rule the entire realm and nurture all things. I have bestowed upon this great creation to preserve a lost kingdom. Having restored the former court, I have established a ruler."

Li Sizhong, the Right Guard General, Prince Consort of Beiping, is a man of great vision and wisdom, with profound understanding and ability. He is of noble lineage and highly respected, and has been granted the surname Li.

Loyalty and filial piety are simple in my heart, and wisdom and talent are valued in the common people.

"I hereby appoint you as Yimini Shushilibi Khan, to be passed down to your descendants, to serve as a bulwark for the Tang Dynasty..."

Cui Dunli's voice was loud and clear.

The edict appointing Tuli as the Great Khan of the Turks was read aloud with great emotion and intonation.

“Looking back from ancient times and observing modern times, those who uphold integrity and honesty have protected their people, while those who act wickedly will inevitably face ruin. Go forth and take heed!”
"Take heed of these past events, and heed my words: serve the nation with utmost loyalty and integrity, and govern your subjects with unwavering faith and righteousness. Strive to rectify yourselves, diligently care for your people, avoid associating with wicked and flattering officials, avoid alienating loyal and virtuous men, avoid indulging in arrogance and extravagance, and avoid pursuing greed and violence. Be conscientious and diligent in your work to secure your territory. How can you not be careful!"

Tuli knelt in the hall, listening attentively.

He was completely confused by the imperial edict of investiture, but he could tell that it contained a warning.

After Cui Dunli finished reading...
Tuli remained bent over there for a long time, his rear end sticking out.
Until Cui Dunli reminded him to accept the imperial edict,

He quickly and loudly thanked the emperor for the imperial favor.

"Your subject, Li Sizhong, thanks Your Majesty for your gracious bestowal of this title. We are sinners, deserving only to be reduced to dust. Fortunately, Your Majesty has spared us and appointed me Khan."

May we serve Your Majesty and remain loyal to the Tang Dynasty for all eternity!

The emperor smiled and told him to rise.

Tuli prostrated himself and bowed again, saying, "I am grateful to be appointed as the chief of the tribe. I only hope to be a dog for the country for generations to come, guarding the north gate of the emperor!"

(End of this chapter)