Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 153 The Heavenly Khan, Governing Foreign Barbarians (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The news kept spreading.

Li Shimin was not at all arrogant because of this great victory, and he never relaxed his control over the court.

This was actually one of the changes in Li Shimin.

Even though the greatest threat to Kyushu has been eliminated and the entire Kyushu is moving in a positive direction, he still feels it's not enough!
He has already set his sights on using the conquest of the Western Turks to reclaim the Western Regions!

But Li Shimin also understood—

This is not a good time for the Tang Dynasty at present.

The various tribes in northern Xinjiang need to be regulated.

This would inevitably involve the garrisoning of Tang troops, and the work of repairing irrigation canals throughout the country was not yet completely finished. If war were to break out again, the burden on the entire Tang Dynasty would be too great.

He can't take too big a step, that's for sure.

It was the end of June in the fifth year of the Zhenguan era.

People from all directions came to the Tang Dynasty again, and this time it was completely different from the last time.

It wasn't just the envoys from the four tribes who returned.

This also includes their tribal chiefs.

This matter is extremely extraordinary.

In fact, the ruling system of the four tribes was not so stable. It was a very risky thing for the chief to leave the tribe and go to the Tang Dynasty.

But they had no other choice.

Northern Xinjiang is now in complete chaos.

This chaos is not a superficial disorder, but rather a turmoil stemming from the turmoil in people's hearts and minds.

With the Tang army and the Gu clan still stationed in the northern frontier, no tribe dared to cause trouble.

Even the Western Turks softened their stance at this time. Although they were very dissatisfied with Gu Quan's occupation of Juyan Lake, they did not dare to easily take action against the Tang Dynasty.

But precisely because of this, the turmoil in people's hearts has reached its peak.

Various prophecies arose.

Those two banners planted on Mount Yudujin were like a thorn, impossible to erase from everyone's hearts.

The atmosphere of despair lingered.

Even though they already knew Li Shimin's attitude and knew he would let them go, this feeling was still hard to dispel.

This is the result of the collapse of faith.

Not to mention the various Turkic tribes, even other small tribes have been affected.

What choices can they make?

This time, they all rushed to the Tang Dynasty to show their attitude to the Tang Dynasty.

Chang'an, Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin once again held a banquet for the tribes from all directions.

"Summon the leaders of all departments to the palace!" The shout of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies pierced through the double eaves.

The next moment, the Uyghur chieftain Yaoluoge was the first to step into the hall, followed by Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan and Silla King Kim Jinde.

They have now all changed into the attire of Tang Dynasty officials.

It's clear that they've completely accepted everything.

Everyone was watching this scene intently, their eyes gleaming with barely concealed fervor.

They certainly knew the purpose of the tribal leaders' trip.

Many years have passed.

The scene that Gu Chen faced in the past is about to reappear in reality. That glorious era has long been regarded as an immortal mountain by the world. Now that all of this is about to happen again, how can they not be excited?
Only Li Shimin's expression remained relatively normal.

For him, this was just the beginning, and not enough to make him happy yet.

The leaders filed in.

As if by prior arrangement, they knelt down in the hall in perfect unison, each person's expression solemn, bowing their heads in unison, not daring to look directly at the emperor's majesty.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

Once everyone had arrived, the leading Uyghur chieftain shouted in broken Chinese: "His Majesty destroyed the tyrannical Sui Dynasty and pacified the Eastern Turks; His benevolence shines as brightly as the sun and moon!"

"All the tribes of the grasslands are willing to acknowledge the Emperor of the Great Tang as 'Heavenly Khan,' and will follow him in life and death, never harboring any rebellious thoughts!"

Before he finished speaking, the Khitan leader had already taken the golden knife from his waist, cut his palm, and shown his sincerity to Li Shimin.
This is a custom of their tribe!
The others did the same. Amidst all these customs, they then took out a pledge of submission drawn in cinnabar and placed it in front of them.

He then knelt and bowed repeatedly before Li Shimin, shouting in Chinese, "Heavenly Khan!!"

—Heavenly Khan!

The enthusiastic atmosphere inside the hall reached its peak at this moment.

Even Li Shimin was taken aback, never expecting that these people would bestow such an honorific title upon him.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

In the darkness, he seemed to have unknowingly fulfilled his past ambitions, becoming the second person to have all the barbarians from all directions bestow upon him a title of honor.

In an instant, Li Shimin's expression suddenly became complicated.

"The Heavenly Khan," he murmured, his eyes growing ever more profound and resolute.

Within the main hall.

As Changsun Wuji stood up first and bowed to Li Shimin along with the tribal leaders, the ministers also rose to their feet and shouted the name of the Heavenly Khan.

The shouts were deafening.

It seemed to penetrate the entire Taiji Hall, spreading in all directions.

Gu Yi was also watching all of this, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

After many years, since he ended his manipulation of Gu Ye, the development of the entire Kyushu region has finally been reconnected at this moment.

This time, the person in charge is different from Liu Jun back then.

He is Li Shimin.

He is an emperor who can be considered unique in the long history of China.

Kyushu is about to move forward once again!
From this moment on, the relationship between the two parties was finally and completely settled.

The entire northern Xinjiang region is undergoing a major transformation.

The balance of power and the preliminary analysis of habitats all require a process.

Li Shimin did not choose to conceal this matter.

After the banquet, he decided to lead his ministers to the Luo River to hold a grand sacrificial ceremony.

He wanted to take this opportunity to help the people of the world integrate more into the imperial court and become true subjects of the Tang Dynasty.

—A sensation worldwide!
The Luo River sacrificial ceremony is now a custom that is universally recognized by people from all directions.

Especially those sacrifices personally organized by the emperor attracted the attention of the world.

Not to mention that Li Shimin is now known as the Holy Emperor.

People from all directions gathered.

It was during this grand sacrificial ceremony that Li Shimin announced to the world the honorific titles bestowed upon him by the four surrounding tribes.

—Heavenly Khan!

As those shouts resounded through the sky, the prestige of the entire Tang Dynasty reached its peak at that moment.

Everyone knows perfectly well that the golden age has truly returned!
This event had a tremendous impact on the entire Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty's national strength did indeed recover extremely quickly. Under Li Shimin's various policies, the national strength of the entire country was increasing at a visible speed.

However, to expect to fully recover to its peak in just a few years is undoubtedly wishful thinking!

But now that they have learned of this matter, everyone from the court officials to the common people is absolutely certain about it.

That's the significance of this matter!

It can inspire enthusiasm from officials and the general public.

This move greatly benefited the development of the entire country. Li Shimin, however, did not become arrogant because of this, and continued to govern the nine provinces from the court as usual.

The road ahead is long and arduous—he cannot afford to relax yet.

It is worth mentioning that Li Shimin ordered a painter to record the entire sacrificial ceremony and the surrender of the tribes from all directions, and then bestowed the painting with his imperial seal and inscription upon the Gu family.

This included having the crown prince, Li Chengqian, study alongside the Gu family's children.

This is the extent of his favor towards the Gu family.

When power, fame, and wealth have reached a point of saturation, this is precisely what the Gu family needs.
Meanwhile, in northern Xinjiang.

Gu Quan did not stay at Juyan Lake, but secretly helped Gu Yan deal with the various remnants of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.

This was also Li Shimin's intention.

His trust in Gu Quan was unlike that of an emperor; he entrusted almost all matters concerning the northern frontier to the Gu family.

The courtiers naturally didn't say much about this.

Besides Li Shimin, what other family in the world could subdue the barbarians from all directions?
Only the Gu family!
It must be said that the effect of the Luoshu Harmonizing Device is terrifying in this situation.

Given that Gu Quan's attributes are already quite excellent, the adjustment effect it brings can help Gu Quan make up for his shortcomings, making him a well-rounded warrior and enabling him to better handle the affairs of the Northern Frontier.

Li Shimin did not impose too many restrictions on Gu Quan. He merely expressed his general attitude in a letter and handed over all the power of implementation to Gu Quan.

This is absolute trust.

This applies not only to Gu Quan, but also to the Gu family.

Most importantly, Gu Yu had already laid out many policies for this purpose. He seemed to have foreseen that such a day would come in the Nine Provinces, leaving behind a wealth of information for the Gu family.

Even Gu Yi had to admit that the Gu family's foundation was truly profound.

Without any major division within the family.

The insights passed down from generation to generation have elevated the Gu family's foundation to an incredibly profound level.

Each generation can climb upwards by standing on the shoulders of the previous generation.

With the foundation laid by Gu Yi, a modern man, as their core, this foundation is the fundamental reason why it is difficult for others to surpass the Gu family.

Given the current situation, Gu Quan is handling these matters with remarkable ease.

He ordered Gu Yan to disperse all the Turkic tribes and then relocate them.

In addition, he also gained complete control of several major grasslands, thus fundamentally curbing the nomadic tribes.

In the past, this move would have definitely provoked large-scale resistance, but things are different now.

Who dares to defy the might of the Gu family?

No matter how unwilling you are, you have to accept it eventually.

The entire grassland was thrown into turmoil.

Such a large-scale migration and dispersal would inevitably cause a lot of internal strife, but these strife would be quickly quelled and would not affect the Tang Dynasty's plans in the slightest.

The emperor and his minister each had a different role: one governed the northern frontier, while the other managed the nine provinces.

They are all moving forward toward a unified goal.

And this effect is quite amazing.

By the end of the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, the population of the entire Kyushu region had recovered to nearly five million households, and the great migration in the Hetao region was finally completed. Grain reserves had reached a total of twelve million shi (a unit of dry measure), enough to feed the entire population for more than a year.

Furthermore, Gu Quan proposed the dual-official system to Li Shimin.

While ensuring the stability of the interests of the Turkic nobles, they continued to divide the power in their hands.

Furthermore, a household registration system was established throughout the Hetao region, and a "Mutual Market Supervisor" was set up to exercise more detailed control over the entire mutual market and the trading between Han and non-Han merchants.

This move is truly a groundbreaking one.

The overall plan to integrate foreign tribes and expand across the vast Kyushu region can be summarized in the fundamental principle of trade, which can be considered the most important aspect of this plan.

Only by ensuring a stable life can we have the opportunity to more deeply influence and pass on culture.

Besides--

Gu Quan also proposed, based on Gu Yu's arrangement, to implement the military-agricultural colony system to defend the border. This would not only stabilize grain prices on the border but also bring more revenue to the court and gradually influence the lifestyle of the Hu people.

This included training a group of soldiers who belonged to the Tang Dynasty from childhood, further dividing their cultural affiliation.

With the foundation laid by Gu Ye in the past, all these institutional advancements are a natural outcome.

Gu Yi had been paying close attention to all of this.

According to the original history, the development of the system and national ideology of the entire Kyushu was gradually developed based on the successive changes of dynasties.

For example, the Qin and Han dynasties—

In the original history, the Qin and Han dynasties established the concept of "unification" and mostly used military threats and resistance against foreign tribes.

This concept only began to change during the Tang Dynasty after the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

The emergence of the Jimi Prefectures and tributary states made Chang'an an international multi-ethnic capital.

This can be considered a fundamental step forward.

However, the period of direct governance that can truly be considered a unified multi-ethnic system lasted until the Yuan Dynasty.

However, all of this has now come to fruition with the appearance of the Gu family.

Although this is only the beginning and only affects these Hu tribes in the northern frontier, in a fundamental sense, the Tang Dynasty has begun to directly govern them.

This is the progress and development of the system.

Although it is still unknown what changes this move will bring to Kyushu in the future, from the current perspective, it is definitely not a bad thing for the entire Kyushu.

At the very least, this golden age of the Zhenguan era will far surpass the original historical record.

The culture of Kyushu as a whole will also experience a period of rapid expansion.

Gu Yi firmly believed this.

—The clouds move in all directions.

When Gu Quan's various proposals were sent back to Chang'an, they naturally sparked a debate.

The officials were all quite cautious about this.

Direct intervention and control would definitely cause chaos and destabilize the Tang Dynasty, which had just stabilized. How could they not be cautious?
However, they also understood that as long as this system could be implemented, it would be of unprecedented help to the entire Tang Dynasty.

The ministers all had different attitudes toward this.

Some people hold conservative opinions, while others think it is feasible.

In the end, it was Li Shimin who officially finalized the matter, which is also one of his personal charms; his decisiveness is unmatched by others.

To reiterate, regarding Li Shimin—

Any enemy standing in his way to the rise of the Tang Dynasty will be crushed!
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"In the seventh month of autumn in the fifth year of Zhenguan (1540), the year of Gengyin, the day of Jiaxu

After the Turks were pacified, the surrounding barbarian tribes were terrified.

The chieftains of twenty-eight tribes, including the Uyghurs, Xueyantuo, Khitans, Tuyuhun, and Shiwei, presented treasures and local products at a meeting in Chang'an.

The emperor ascended the Taiji Hall to receive court congratulations.

On that day, the imperial palace was solemn and dignified, with banners and pennants covering the sky.

The chieftains untied their braids, changed into new clothes, danced on the red steps, and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty is divinely mighty, sweeping away all obstacles in the world. We, your humble subjects living in remote and desolate lands, wish to honor the Son of Heaven as 'Heavenly Khan,' to forever uphold the rites of vassalage, and to never betray you, even in life or death!"

The sound shook the palace.

The Emperor turned to his ministers and said, “I have received the Mandate of Heaven to nurture the Chinese and the barbarians. Now, the various tribes are showing their sincerity and wish to bestow upon me the title of Khan. What do you think of this?”

Fang Xuanling said, “Emperor Wu of Han was diligent in his distant campaigns, which only depleted the nation’s strength; Your Majesty’s power and virtue reach far and wide, subduing the enemy without a fight. This is the glory of Yao and Shun.” Wei Zheng replied, “The Hu and Yue peoples are one family, which has never happened before in ancient times. However, the weight of such titles and honors should be carefully considered from the beginning.”

The Emperor remained silent for a long time before descending the steps, taking the hand of the Uyghur chieftain, and said with great emotion: "I am the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang, and I am not obligated to deal with matters concerning the Khan. However, given your loyal hearts, how could I refuse? From now on, I will bestow imperial edicts upon all the northwestern kingdoms, and they shall all be addressed as 'Emperor Heavenly Khan'."

The courtiers offered their congratulations, the chieftains swore oaths filled with tears and blood, and countless others slashed their faces with swords.

—From the Annals of Emperor Taizong of Tang (Book of Tang)

(End of this chapter)