Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 692 The Three Kingdoms of the Eastern Islands, Presented to Your Majesty (Third Update)
Inside the Liangyi Hall, Zhang Anan placed a tray on the imperial desk.

On the tray was a bowl of cherries that had been washed very clean.

Li Chengqian picked one up, popped it into his mouth, and with a gentle bite, the sweet juice immediately burst in his mouth.

After spitting out the fruit pit, Li Chengqian looked towards the hall.

Du Zhenglun, sitting on the left, was also tasting cherries, as were Lu Dunxin, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong, and others who were a little later.

"The cherries in the palace are just ripe, please have a taste," Li Chengqian said with a smile. "Afterwards, the Imperial Household Department will send any extra cherries to your residences."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers bowed slightly, but they all knowingly spat the last fruit pit aside and their expressions became serious.

Li Chengqian looked at Du Zhenglun and said, "The most important thing for the Tang Dynasty now is to deal with the destruction of the three kingdoms of the Eastern Islands. With my father-in-law and Su Dingfang in charge of pacifying the area, I am not worried about the overall situation. What I am really worried about is the more than two million people that the Tang Dynasty will have to take in after the three kingdoms are annexed."

"Yes!" Du Zhenglun sat up straight.

“Therefore, we need a sufficient supply of grain and fodder.” Li Chengqian said solemnly, “The Duke of England is in charge of all taxes in the country. In addition to rent, labor service and tax, there are also commercial taxes from various regions. Whether it is the maritime trade in the southeast or the Silk Road in the southwest, the commercial taxes provided are of great benefit to the court.”

Not to mention, he also needs to oversee the war effort's deployment, so he won't have much energy left in that area.

"Yes!" Du Zhenglun's expression turned solemn.

“Zhao Qing is in charge of the new round of agricultural reforms. The rice seeds you brought back will also be cultivated by him. His responsibility is to significantly increase the yield per mu of every mu of land in the world.” Li Chengqian looked at Du Zhenglun and said, “And your responsibility is to ensure that there is more land in the world available for cultivation.”

"Investigate hidden lands and households!" Du Zhenglun bowed and said, "I know, I discussed it with the Prince Consort after returning to the capital."

Although Du He was young, he was the consort of Princess Chengyang and a confidant of the emperor, making him very influential within the Du clan of Jingzhao.

“Not bad.” Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, “Don’t move in Guanzhong. The situation here is complicated. Even if we find out the truth in the end, we won’t get much. So, my dear minister, you need to travel to Henan Province more often this year… Henan Province was investigated once a few years ago, but things have definitely resurfaced in recent years. My dear minister, you should investigate it again based on the previous foundation.”

"Yes!" Du Zhenglun nodded. Henan Road had already been checked once. There was no shortage of manpower, and the roads were familiar to them, so it wouldn't be difficult.

"Minister Chu is also investigating hidden farmland and households in Shannan Circuit, while my dear minister is taking action in Henan Circuit." After a slight pause, Li Chengqian said, "Once these two circuits are completed, I will have Minister Chu move to Huainan Circuit, and my dear minister will move to Hebei Circuit."

"Your Majesty!" Du Zhenglun couldn't help but look up in surprise.

“I know that there are many powerful and influential families in Hebei, and many of them are stubborn, so there are many difficulties.” Li Chengqian glanced at Du Zhenglun indifferently before saying, “That is why I need you, my dear minister, to do everything in your power to promote this.”

"Yes!" Du Zhenglun replied solemnly, bowing his head slightly.

Li Chengqian smiled faintly and said, "Of course, I am clear about the bottom line here. All I want is grain, not to shake my own foundation. So in the specific implementation, we should be lenient towards the Lu family of Fanyang, the Zheng family of Xingyang, the Cui family of Boling, the Cui family of Qinghe, and the Li family of Zhaojun. But... the limit of this leniency will not be too great."

"Your Majesty, I know what to do." Du Zhenglun breathed a long sigh of relief. Since the emperor wasn't pushing him to the brink, he had much more room to maneuver.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "First, we should appease these powerful families in Hebei, investigate and purge the other smaller families, and then find an opportunity to take action against these major families."

"Yes!" Du Zhenglun's lips twitched slightly. The emperor still wanted to take action against these powerful clans, but not now.

“This matter is not easy. Let me recommend one or two assistants to you, my dear minister.” Li Chengqian looked at the surprised Du Zhenglun and said, “One is Liu Shi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the other is Wu Yuanqing, the Prefect of Chenzhou. They were very helpful when investigating the Yang family.”

"Yes!" A hint of surprise flashed in Du Zhenglun's eyes. Liu Shi was a member of the Liu family, and Wu Yuanqing was the son of Wu Shiyue. They were both from the Guanzhong aristocracy and the Taiyuan nobility. Was the emperor purging forces outside the Guanzhong aristocracy?

"I hope that in three years, the court will have accumulated enough grain to feed three million people in Andong." After a slight pause, Li Chengqian said, "Including the grain possessed by the three kingdoms of Goguryeo, plus Liaodong and Tuzhou, and the grain in the court, all the grain should be enough to sustain three million people in Andong for a year... even if it is just the minimum ration."

"Your subject understands. Although it is not easy, it is still achievable," Du Zhenglun said solemnly, bowing with his hands clasped.

"Once these are prepared, we must begin to keep an eye on Tibet." Li Chengqian raised his gaze and looked in the direction of Tibet, saying softly, "Tibet is the greatest enemy of the Tang Dynasty, even more dangerous than the Western Turks."

"Yes!" Du Zhenglun nodded. In recent years, only the Tibetan rulers and ministers, taking advantage of the high plateau, had the strength to somewhat contend with the Tang Dynasty.

"Go ahead and do it." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly and said, "The Secretariat, the Chancellery, the Ministry of Personnel, the Three Departments, the Six Ministries, the Nine Courts and the Five Directorates—you can decide how many people to transfer."

"Your subject obeys the decree and takes his leave." Du Zhenglun rose, bowed deeply to Li Chengqian, and then left the hall.

Li Chengqian glanced down at the cherries on the table before getting up, walking down the steps, and calmly strolling through the main hall.

Lu Dunxin, Xu Jingzong, Li Yifu, Gao Jifu, Shangguan Yi, Pei Yan, Cen Changqian, Liu Fan, and Zhang Wenguan on both sides all stared intently at the emperor.

Li Chengqian walked to the center of the main hall, then stopped and said, "From today onwards, all matters concerning hidden fields and households, agricultural reform, Andong, Western Turks, and even Tibet must be summarized and statistically analyzed. I need to know the progress of each matter at every moment."

"Yes!" The ministers on both sides bowed in unison.

……

A series of hurried footsteps sounded at the entrance of the main hall. Lou Shide, a court attendant dressed in a green official robe, appeared in front of the hall, holding a military report in his hands, and said to Li Chengqian: "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Andong."

Li Chengqian turned around, and Zhang Anan stepped forward, took the memorial from Lou Shide, and handed it to Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian opened it, glanced at it, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then smiled softly.

He smiled with unusual satisfaction.

But in an instant, Li Chengqian's smile vanished completely, replaced by a hint of grief. As he handed the memorial back to Zhang Anan, he said, "Summon the Duke of Zhao, the Duke of Ying, and the Minister of War, Cui Dunli, to an audience."

"Yes!" Just as Lou Shide was about to turn and leave, Li Chengqian's voice came over: "Don't say anything more, just say that I summon you."

"Yes!" Lou Shide bowed again, then quickly turned and left.

Throughout the journey, Lou Shide's expression was extremely grave; he knew that something must have happened to Anton.

Soon, Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, and Cui Dunli all arrived at the Taiji Hall.

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch and waved to Zhang Anan.

Zhang Anan bowed and then handed the general's report to Changsun Wuji.

As soon as Changsun Wuji took the memorial, he heard Li Chengqian calmly say, "The Goguryeo people massacred a city in Silla. In retaliation for the Silla king's massacre of a Goguryeo city, several major families on the Goguryeo border joined forces, sent troops, invaded Silla territory, and massacred a city in Silla."

Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, and Cui Dunli all looked up at the same time, their faces full of surprise.

Li Ji was the first to react, stepping forward and bowing, "May I ask, Your Majesty, where is King Kim Chunchu of Silla?"

“He escaped from Liaodong.” Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and sighed, “There are Silla merchants in Liaodong who sent him back along the coastal route. Our people noticed it a step too late, but it’s good that he’s back.”

Li Chengqian raised his head and said calmly, "Only when he is dead will Silla be truly destroyed."

Of the three kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje, Li Chengqian disliked Silla the most.

In its previous life, the Tang Dynasty had gone to great lengths to finally destroy Goguryeo and Baekje, only to have Silla reap the benefits in the end.

In the end, the dynasty lasted for several hundred years, and even after the Tang Dynasty was destroyed, it was still around.

"Tell Su Dingfang to instruct the Goguryeo people to launch a fierce attack and invade Silla territory." Li Chengqian coldly raised his head.

"Your Majesty, are you not afraid that Goguryeo will destroy Silla?" Changsun Wuji couldn't help but look up.

"I hope so too!" Li Chengqian sighed softly, "But it won't be easy. Goguryeo can only rely on a few powerful families on the border. Given Silla's terrain, once they penetrate deep into Goguryeo, they will likely be annihilated in Shandong, and eventually, the Silla people will invade Goguryeo..."

"I will have Su Dingfang create a 'fast track' to Pingrang," Li Ji said, bowing slightly.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "With the fall of Pyeongrang, Goguryeo should be completely disappointed in Go Bojang... It's time for Yeon Gaesomun's three sons to go back as well."

"Put them all back?" Changsun Wuji looked up in surprise.

"Release them all." Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji and said, "I know what you are worried about, but now that we have confirmed that they will rebel, can't we at least plant enough people around them? Anyway, their biggest goal is to destroy the Goguryeo clan. Before that, we don't need to worry about anything. As for what happens afterward..."

Li Chengqian chuckled coldly and said, "That's perfect. Let all those anti-Tang people in Goguryeo be gathered under their command, and then wiped out in one fell swoop."

Li Chengqian couldn't help but clench his fists.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji and said, "Uncle, after the fall of the Three Kingdoms, I need to manage a large number of grassroots officials in Goguryeo."

“In these years, we can send those Goguryeo family members who submit to the Tang Dynasty to Chang’an to study at the Imperial Academy, to learn together with the students there, to cultivate relationships, and then send them back to Goguryeo together.” Changsun Wuji bowed and said, “Local county magistrates, county lieutenants, chief secretaries, and various military advisors will be appointed.”

Li Chengqian looked at Cui Dunli and said, "Begin preparations. This autumn, transfer all the soldiers from the current Zhechongfu in Hebei to Datongjiang."

“Yes!” Cui Dunli bowed respectfully.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji and said, "In Hebei, let's recruit another batch of local soldiers."

"Yes!" Li Ji nodded.

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji looked up and asked seriously, "Then what about Gao Baozang?"

Li Chengqian gently raised his head, looked at the azure sky outside the palace, and said coldly, "From today onwards, Gao Baozang is under house arrest. He is not allowed to have any contact with any news from Goguryeo until the Goguryeo Kingdom is destroyed."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)