Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 288 Li Chengqian: You probably want my Great Tang Dynasty to perish, don't you? [Seeking monthly votes]

Rumble!
A rare spring rain suddenly fell.

The rainwater soaked all the tiles of the Ganlu Hall. The trickling rainwater gathered between the tiles, dripped down the gutters, and fell to the ground, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

A rustling sound could be heard from the sand at the base of the wall.

But no matter how exciting the voices outside the wall were, the atmosphere inside was so awkward it made you want to scratch your feet.

Although Li Shimin and his ministers weren't quite that undignified, they were truly speechless as Li Chengqian finished speaking.

It's like they carefully wove a fishing net, waiting for the fish to swim in. As expected, the fish did swim in, and then they discovered that the gaps in the net were as big as the fish.

awkward!

It’s so embarrassing!

Fortunately, Li Chengqian did not let the awkward situation last long. He looked at Li Shimin calmly and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, have you read the memorial I submitted?"

"This"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. He straightened his posture and said, "I have read it. I think your advice is good. Dai Zhou has indeed failed in his duties."

"but."

Then, he changed the subject and continued, "Are you sure Sun Fujia is up to the job of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? I remember he's currently in charge of the cases of those 390 death row inmates. If he fails in his duty, it won't look good!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I believe in Sun Fujia's abilities and will never let Your Majesty and the court down!"

"No, your belief is useless. I only look at the results. Just like you look at the results for Dai Zhou."

"Alright, since Father Emperor is looking for the results, let's wait and see!"

Without wasting any words, Li Chengqian stood up from his seat, ready to take his leave.

However, at that moment, Li Shimin quickly turned his gaze to Fang Xuanling, who immediately understood and said with a smile, "I just heard His Highness the Crown Prince say that he does not approve of the reform plan we proposed. Could His Highness please explain?"

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian frowned, but did not respond.

The next moment, Li Shimin turned his gaze to Changsun Wuji.

But then Changsun Wuji said with a smile, "The Crown Prince just said that when we discuss the reform plan, we should solicit the opinions of the generals and our subordinates. But if we try to get their opinions from all of us, the result will definitely be opposition."

"I'm sure the Crown Prince knows that the relationship between a general and his subordinates is one of life and death. If the relationship between the commander and his subordinates is not good, it is impossible to win a battle. Therefore, if both the general and his subordinates oppose reform, then reform cannot be carried out!"

"Of course I know this."

Li Chengqian said something indifferently, and then fell silent again.

Seeing this, Li Shimin said impatiently, "I only consulted you because I didn't have a good solution. Since you have opinions, just raise them. As long as they are reasonable, I will grant you the authority to reform. Why are you hiding things like this?!"

"Your Majesty is overthinking it. I have not been hiding anything. However, when I was in charge of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace, I prioritized orders, and everyone had to obey them."

"Is it really that simple?!"

Before Li Chengqian could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted him in a stern voice: "Let me give you an example. In battle, you issued an order. But the order was wrong. Would your Six Guards of the Eastern Palace carry it out?"

"meeting!"

Li Chengqian answered without hesitation.

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Will your Crown Prince's Six Guards be convinced?"

"Yes, it will!"

"Bullshit!"

Li Shimin immediately objected: "A wrong order will cause more sacrifices, how can anyone accept that?!"

But that's the truth!

Li Chengqian calmly said, "Even if I ordered them to jump into the Wei River right now, they would do it. That's what they mean by 'military orders are as solid as mountains'!"

"you!"

Li Shimin was momentarily speechless after being challenged by Li Chengqian.

Fang Xuanling, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Your Highness, we know that the Six Armies of the Eastern Palace are quite special, but the national army is not the same as the Six Armies of the Eastern Palace. It involves more people and covers a wider range. Therefore, we cannot reform the army according to the Six Armies of the Eastern Palace. We should reform the army according to the actual situation facing the country."

After saying this, he quickly gave Wei Zheng a look.

It means, it's your turn!
Wei Zheng, however, merely twitched the corner of his mouth in silence and said indifferently, "Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has implemented reforms, from the inside out and from this point to that. He has released palace maids, reduced the number of princes, and streamlined the central government, which has already yielded good results."

The state also accumulated strength, thus pacifying the Turks in one fell swoop.

However, the country had been through many years of war, and before that, there was a situation of north-south confrontation.

After unifying the country, there are still many issues to be addressed in institutional development. The burden on the people remains heavy, and the financial pressure is equally significant. Further resolving the financial problems is the most urgent task.

For example, our major expenditure right now is on the military, accounting for a quarter of the budget. What should we do? We need to find a solution!

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji glanced at Li Chengqian subconsciously. Seeing that Li Chengqian remained silent, he continued, "I said this during the previous discussion, and now that the Crown Prince is here, I will repeat it. If we can address the military issue from a financial perspective, it will indeed be of great significance."

"Indeed, during wartime, soldiers are raised for a thousand days, but used for only one."

Hou Junji interjected, "But we are in peacetime now, and we cannot spend such a large amount of money on maintaining an army. Moreover, the current system for maintaining an army is still the same as the system for maintaining an army during wartime."

"There was no other way at the time, but it really can't continue now."

Fang Xuanling nodded knowingly and said:

"The military consumes national funds for two main reasons: first, the daily supplies for soldiers; and second, the large number of officers in the military. Perhaps reducing personnel is a way out."

"So, according to the Grand Secretary, our Great Tang will no longer need to fight wars?" Li Chengqian asked coldly.

"This"

Fang Xuanling glanced at Li Shimin subconsciously and said with a wry smile, "I didn't mean that. I just felt..."

"Now I would like to ask the ministers!"

Before Fang Xuanling could finish speaking, Li Chengqian interrupted him, then looked around at the assembled officials and said, "Have you all forgotten that not long ago, two countries sent troops to threaten our Great Tang? Now, although Tuyuhun has withdrawn its troops, Goguryeo's troops are still outside Liaodong City. Do you think the world is at peace? That you can rest easy? That you can reduce your military strength?"

"This"

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's three soul-searching questions, the assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances.

Although Li Chengqian's various methods did resolve the current crisis for the Tang Dynasty, it cannot be said that the Tang Dynasty would never experience war again.

Therefore, whether it is appropriate to reform the military now is indeed a question that must be considered.

As a result, all the ministers turned their attention to Li Shimin.

Whether or not to reform the army depends entirely on his decision.

Li Shimin frowned slightly, glanced at Li Chengqian, then at the assembled officials, before calmly smiling and saying:

"That's right! The Crown Prince is right! Reforming the army does not mean reducing its strength!"

"What I mean is that reform is a means to make the country better!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers immediately understood Li Shimin's meaning: even if Li Chengqian's three questions were reasonable, he still wanted to promote military reform.

Li Chengqian's expression turned serious, and he spoke again: "Then may I ask Your Majesty, have you really thought it through to reform the army?"

Li Shimin's face darkened: "What do you mean?"

He didn't believe Li Chengqian couldn't understand the meaning behind his words; he was determined to reform the army no matter what.

However, Li Chengqian's repeated attempts to cause trouble for the military reforms made him wonder if Li Chengqian had ulterior motives.

After all, reforming the army might not necessarily be a good thing for Li Chengqian.

But then Li Chengqian calmly said, "What I mean is, Your Majesty, have you truly made up your mind?"

solitary?
He actually called himself "I"?
Looks like he's serious!
Li Shimin knew what it meant for Li Chengqian to address him as "I, the Son of Heaven," so he immediately shut his mouth.

The ministers all fell silent. Then Li Chengqian continued, speaking to himself, "I have a major concern, and if I don't voice it now, it might be inconvenient for me to intervene in the military reforms."

"What major concerns?"

Li Shimin waved his hand impatiently and said, "Just say it!"

"Your Majesty, our Great Tang Dynasty has only been established for a little over a decade, and the flames of war have only just subsided. To reform the army now, especially targeting officers, I fear it will arouse suspicion."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was greatly moved. He couldn't help but give Chengqian a deep look, then narrowed his eyes and said, "You mean, 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked'?"

"hiss--"

Upon hearing this, the officials gasped in shock.

When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked – this is a typical tactic of a tyrannical ruler!
No way, Your Highness, are you going to mess with His Majesty again?!

Just when the officials thought the father and son were about to fight again and were preparing to form alliances, Li Chengqian calmly shook his head and said, "The soldiers of my Great Tang are not so foolish as to think about 'the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked'!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"I'm worried, worried that they'll feel a sense of loss!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then looked at his ministers, stroked his beard, and said thoughtfully, "I know that they will definitely feel disappointed by the reforms, but aren't you also promoting reforms? Don't you know that reforming the imperial examinations will also disappoint those scholars who are well-versed in Confucian classics? Why do you still insist on reforming?"

"This is different!"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Reforming the imperial examination system is to elevate the officials of the court. There is no need to rush it. I can reform it slowly. For example, I will not add nine subjects all at once, but will increase them year by year until they completely replace the existing subjects."

"But would Your Majesty also reform the army? If so, Your Majesty wouldn't have summoned so many ministers to discuss solutions."

"So, Your Majesty is thinking of a reform method that will solve the problem once and for all. But has Your Majesty considered that this method might weaken the current fighting capacity of the army?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "Reform will certainly not come at the cost of weakening the army's combat effectiveness!"

After saying this, he looked around at his ministers and said, "Can we think of a way to reduce the financial burden without weakening the army's fighting capacity?"

"This"

The ministers exchanged glances again, then fell into deep thought.

After a long while, and after the palace servants had refilled the tea twice, Fang Xuanling said thoughtfully:
"Your Majesty should know that before his recuperation, Minister of War Du Ruhui proposed a reform plan, suggesting that the court adopt a system of separating military and civilian affairs. Now it seems that this system will be difficult to implement."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin felt extremely disappointed.

But Wei Zheng quickly retorted coldly, "Does it mean we shouldn't implement it just because it's difficult? What kind of reform doesn't face opposition? Didn't anyone oppose the reforms Your Majesty proposed before?!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that this troll wasn't so bad after all.

But then he laughed and said, "What do you think, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, should we do?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that opposition is not a big deal; the key lies in the reform plan!"

"Does Lord Wei mean that instead of proposing reforms, we should first come up with a correct plan?" Changsun Wuji asked, as if he understood something.

Wei Zheng glanced at him and nodded, saying, "Yes!"

"No, these days generals have been commanding soldiers for a long time. What's the point of separating generals from soldiers?"

Left Minister Xiao Yu stepped forward and questioned, "Are we going to reduce supplies? Won't separating the troops and generals affect combat effectiveness?"

"no no no"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling quickly waved his hand and explained, "This separation mainly refers to the separation of routine training and combat. Our current training is nothing special; everyone is pretty much the same. Such training doesn't necessarily require the general to come in person. However, leading troops into battle requires the general's presence. Our general can focus on studying tactics in peacetime, while training soldiers is handled by someone else."

He paused, then glanced at the silent Li Chengqian, and continued to explain: "The advantage of doing this is that soldiers and generals can adapt to more situations, rather than just sticking to one side."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately understood.

No wonder Li Shimin accelerated the implementation of military reforms; it was to centralize military power and prevent generals from leading troops in rebellion.

After all, under the current military system, soldiers recognized their generals, not the imperial court.

Once a general harbors rebellious intentions, they can quickly mobilize their troops.

This situation would not occur if a system of separating soldiers from generals were adopted.

But then Changsun Wuji said, "If we adopt the system of separating soldiers from generals, the supply of troops will need to be reduced. For example, the current supply is based on the wartime situation. But now that there is no war, it cannot be the same as during wartime."

"in addition!"

Hou Junji then spoke up, saying, "The current Twelve Guards and the Six Commanders of the Eastern Palace can actually remain unchanged. They can be used as the governing bodies for the guards. The Twelve Guards where the generals reside, including the Six Commanders of the Eastern Palace, can also remain unchanged. They can be used as a depository for salaries. At the same time, the Twelve Guards and the Six Commanders of the Eastern Palace form the promotion sequence for generals and commanders. Adjustments and supplements can be made between the various guards and commanders."

"Yes, General Hou is right!"

Li Shimin nodded in appreciation of Chao Houjunji and remarked, "During the war, we adopted many measures, and there were also many exceptions in terms of systems. For example, we set up several Grand Secretariats, and even more Grand Stewards and Stewards."

"After the war ended, we abolished the Grand Secretariat, and later we abolished the General Manager system."

"However, the abolition of the chief steward system was not actually thorough. The current governor system still retains many of the chief steward's powers."

"Your Majesty is quite right. In my opinion, during peacetime, these stewards are certainly not of any use. On the contrary, they have caused many problems, such as the rebellions of Luo Yi and the Prince of Chang Le."

Fang Xuanling interjected, "Therefore, I have an idea: to appropriately abolish the governorships."

"The General Administration system is a typical wartime system, as is the Governor-General system. During the Wude era, the idea was to divide the several prefectures into several levels, and those with great merit could become Governors-General or Prefects. However, because of the military power, the power was too concentrated, which led to rebellions."

"Abolishing the governorship system is not a problem."

Wei Zheng nodded and said, "Even if the governorship system is abolished, the various prefectures can still be divided into different levels based on population and status, which facilitates the transfer of officials. Therefore, abolishing the governorship system does not hinder the local areas."

"But."

Hou Junji pondered for a moment and said, "Some places are very important, and maintaining an appropriate military force is extremely important."

"For example, if Yangzhou and Yizhou have no military strength, in case of an emergency, it would be difficult to mobilize troops from the central government due to their distance!"

"In addition, could we also consider the border states?"

Changsun Wuji interjected, "As everyone knows, the border is a place prone to turmoil. Without a certain troop deployment and appropriate deterrence, it is a cause for concern!"

"If we abolish the governorship of a prefecture, what will happen to the local soldiers?" Li Shimin asked abruptly, as if remembering something.

"this."

The ministers exchanged glances, but Fang Xuanling spoke first:

"Your Majesty, I believe that for those that do not need to be abolished, we can communicate with the local governors to establish independent military institutions, on par with the governors of the prefectures. For those that do need to be abolished, we can directly settle these soldiers in the local areas, allocate land to them, and let them become ordinary people."

"If that were possible, that would be wonderful."

Li Shimin nodded knowingly and smiled, "The court can therefore save a considerable amount of expenses."

“If this plan is implemented, wouldn’t military reform be much easier?” Hou Junji said with a smile.

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers burst into laughter.

They seem satisfied with their new plan.

However, at this moment, Li Chengqian, who had been silent all along, suddenly sneered: "Yes! If we reform according to your plan, my Great Tang will perish in less than a hundred years. It's really that easy! It's utterly ridiculous!"

Wow!
As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar!

Even Li Shimin was taken aback.

Because they don't know that the An Lushan Rebellion, which would happen more than a hundred years later, would begin with these very reforms!

(End of this chapter)