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

Chapter 87 Those who follow me will prosper, those who go against me will perish! [Please give me a monthly ticket]

After Li Chengqian and his grandson left Chang'an, Li Shimin encountered one trouble after another.

First, the Ministry of Personnel assessment chaired by Changsun Wuji encountered unprecedented opposition. The old officials of Wude, led by Pei Ji, submitted memorials to dismiss Changsun Wuji.

However, Li Shimin did not compromise. Instead, he forcibly promoted the civil service examination and forced officials from all over the country to come to Beijing.

This laid the groundwork for sacrificing Changsun Wuji and replacing him with new officials.

Secondly, the snow disaster on the border is becoming increasingly serious, and disaster relief has had little effect. Many people have flocked to the border and attacked the checkpoints, bringing considerable pressure to the Guanzhong area.

On this day, Li Shimin convened a court meeting to discuss with his ministers whether to open the gates to allow the victims to flow into Guanzhong to beg for food.

Li Shimin looked around at his ministers and said with a melancholy tone:

"Although we learned about the snowstorm in advance, we didn't expect its impact to be so severe, leaving us unable to provide disaster relief. It's truly unfortunate!"

Upon hearing this, Dali Temple Minister Dai Zhou was the first to step forward and say, "Your Majesty, I believe that at this point, every dynasty has allowed the people to beg for food elsewhere. The Tang Dynasty should be no exception and release the people as soon as possible!"

"I've considered releasing the people, but Guanzhong has only just stabilized. If we release the people, and it causes chaos in Guanzhong, what should we do?"

"This"

Dai Zhou was speechless.

Pei Ji then added, "During the Wude era, the gates were not opened in the event of a disaster because there were powerful enemies outside. If we open them, not only will there be chaos in Guanzhong, but there will also be trouble outside the gates. What if the Eastern Turks come to rob people?"

"Having said that, if we don't turn it on, we'll still be in trouble!"

Fang Xuanling stepped forward and said, "We are only facing disaster victims now. If we don't open the gate, the disaster victims will become hungry people. Hungry people are likely to cause chaos!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin felt quite helpless, and finally gave the order: "Then open the gate! Allow the people to beg for food!"

After saying this, he seemed to remember something and added, "Although I allow the people to enter the pass to beg for food, it does not mean that I will ignore them. The Ministry of Revenue will also mobilize food to provide relief to the victims."

"Your Majesty, the national treasury has limited grain reserves. Some of the grain is used as a war reserve. If we mobilize the grain to aid the victims, I'm afraid..."

Having said this, the Minister of Revenue stopped talking.

Li Shimin naturally understood what he meant, and then frowned and said, "Then find a way to buy some food from the people to help the victims. Otherwise, how can I face them?"

After saying this, he waved his hand without questioning: "Dismiss the court!"

"Wine! I want to drink!"

Li Shimin, who originally didn't like drinking, started drinking to drown his sorrows after encountering so many bad things.

But after waiting for a long time, no palace servant brought any wine, and he couldn't help but feel angry.

"Where's the wine? Where's my wine?!"

"Your Majesty, your wine collection is gone!"

A palace servant knelt down tremblingly.

Li Shimin's face darkened and he was about to get angry.

However, another report came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, urgent news from Lingnan!"

He was slightly stunned and frowned: "Let him in!"

"promise!"

The palace attendant agreed, and soon a messenger came in and reported: "Your Majesty, the Lingnan chieftain Feng Ang has rebelled!"

"what?!"

Li Shimin was surprised.

Feng Ang had actually surrendered to the Tang Dynasty long ago, but he did not obey the Tang Dynasty's orders and often attacked other tribes.

This was already the case when Li Yuan was in power.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty never received tribute from him.

Therefore, the neighboring states of the Tang Dynasty submitted memorials, claiming that Feng Ang was in rebellion and requesting the court to order an expedition to suppress him.

But whether it was Li Yuan or Li Shimin, they often ignored dozens of such memorials.

Because these memorials only said that Feng Ang intended to rebel, there was no conclusive evidence.

Now, hearing the news that Feng Ang had rebelled, Li Shimin felt that such a war could not be abandoned because of national strength, like the Eastern Turks.

Therefore, as soon as he received the news, he immediately summoned Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng and others.

"You've heard the news. Feng Ang's nature is a rebellion, completely different from the Eastern Turks. I have decided to mobilize troops from dozens of states in Jiangnan and Lingnan to jointly attack Feng Ang. What do you think?"

"This"

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other and were about to speak.

Suddenly, Wei Zheng beside him spoke first, "I believe Feng Ang's case is no different from the Eastern Turkic case. The empire has just been stabilized, but Lingnan is plagued by miasma. Furthermore, the distance is so great that even troops from dozens of surrounding states cannot be stationed there for long."

"What's more, the evidence against Feng Ang for rebellion is still insufficient. I think it's still inappropriate to mobilize the army!"

"People have come to Chang'an to report Feng Ang's rebellion, and you still don't have enough evidence?"

Li Shimin said with some displeasure: "Besides, there have been dozens of memorials before that accusing Feng Ang of rebellion!"

"Then, Your Majesty, have you ever considered that if Feng Ang rebelled, he would have divided his forces and taken positions in strategic locations, attacking prefectures and counties. The accusations against him have been made for several years now, so why was it only reported this year?"

Wei Zheng remained calm and said, "If this person's report is true, then why didn't the court receive any news that Feng Ang's troops had crossed the border? Clearly, in my opinion, this is not rebellion, but a deliberate frame-up!"

Hearing this, Fang Xuanling's heart moved, and he couldn't help but ask: "Then why didn't Feng Ang come to Chang'an to prove his innocence after being reported as a traitor for so many years?"

"This matter itself is very strange. People in various states in the south of the Yangtze River say that Feng Ang is rebelling, but Feng Ang has not taken any actual action. Your Majesty and the Supreme Emperor have not sent any envoys to inquire about what is going on. Feng Ang is in this situation and is afraid of death, so naturally he dare not come to Chang'an!" Wei Zheng interjected.

Li Shimin said thoughtfully, "So, you mean that I should send an envoy to inquire about the situation first, as a sign of sincerity?"

"If Feng Ang can be saved from disaster, he can naturally be made to submit without a fight!"

After hearing this, Li Shimin thought about it carefully and felt that there was some truth in it. After all, he had made a mistake. So he immediately arrested the person who reported the news, interrogated him strictly, and then sent an envoy to Lingnan to show his sincerity.

the other side.

On the big ship heading to Gangneung.

After the brainstorming session at the inn that night, Li Yuan, Cen Wenben, and Ma Zhou all became staunch supporters of Li Chengqian.

This made Li Chengqian very happy and relieved.

As the saying goes, anyone who wants to accomplish great things must be united.

Li Chengqian knew this very well, so before going to Jiangling, he held a brainstorming session for the people around him.

Otherwise, it would be too late to tell them my purpose once I arrived in Jiangling.

After all, time is running out for me.

An ancient wise man once said, "Become famous as early as possible."

If you want to do big things, you have to start early.

However, Cen Wenben has been absent-minded these past two days and wants to have an in-depth discussion with Li Chengqian.

Because he felt that since he needed power, staying away from Chang'an was not a wise choice.

"Your Highness, I still don't understand. Even if it's just for food, there's no need for you to go to Jiangling in person!"

Cen Wenben said cautiously, "Wouldn't it be better to leave these matters to us, the ministers?"

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Lai Fu and said, "Lai Fu, bring me my pot of wine!"

"promise!"

Lai Fu agreed and ran out quickly.

But then Li Chengqian said again: "Old Du, keep a close eye on the door and don't let anyone get close!"

"Don't worry, sir. I'll be guarding the door myself and make sure not even a mouse can get in!" Du Caigan responded with a smile.

Soon, the entire cabin fell into silence.

It wasn't until Lai Fu came in with wine and food, and then respectfully withdrew, that Li Chengqian smiled and said, "This is the wine I specially prepared for this trip to Jiangling. Drink this, and then we can talk it over!"

After he finished speaking, he picked up the wine jug and poured a glass of wine for Cen Wenben and Ma Zhou respectively.

"This wine."

Li Yuan was stunned for a moment when he saw the wine in the glass. Then he swallowed unconsciously and murmured, "Is this the kind of wine you said real men drink?"

"Yes, Grandpa!"

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "It took me a long time to make this pot. I'm happy today, so I took it out!"

"Then pour me a glass!"

Li Yuan quickly picked up the cup and handed it over.

He was a wine lover and had drunk all kinds of wine in the palace, including a lot of wine from outside the palace.

But ever since Li Chengqian accidentally drank a sip of his wine and complained that what he drank was not wine for a real man, he has been brooding over it and insisted on drinking a pot of Li Chengqian's wine.

Now, seeing Li Chengqian take out a pot of wine, he naturally became interested.

"Grandpa, don't be impatient. We are the host. Let the guests drink first. After they finish, you can drink!"

Li Chengqian smiled and rejected Li Yuan.

Li Yuan's face suddenly turned stern, and he said with some displeasure, "What host? You are the crown prince, and I am the emperor. Why are we still distinguishing between host and guest?!"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian smiled, but still did not pour wine for Li Yuan. Instead, he looked at Ma Zhou and Cen Wenben and raised his hand to signal, "You two, please!"

"This"

The two looked at each other with hesitation on their faces.

At this time, Li Yuan looked over coldly.

What do you mean?
You ungrateful animal?
"Uh"

Feeling Li Yuan's murderous gaze, Cen Wenben was the first to be unable to withstand the pressure. He had to grit his teeth, pick up the wine glass, and take a sip of the wine.

"Cough cough cough cough."

A violent cough suddenly broke out just as the wine entered his throat, almost making Cen Wenben cough out his throat.

When Ma Zhou saw his expression, he was extremely happy.

This guy cooperated with the prince before, saying that he would send me to the government to be beheaded. Now he wants to cooperate with the prince again and act out the poisoned wine scene to scare me, right?

It was obvious that Ma Zhou didn't believe that the wine was poisonous at all, so while Cen Wenben was coughing, he simply picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

After a while.

Ma Zhou's expression was unpredictable, he was stunned, even holding his breath, his cheeks quickly turned red, and he looked so ferocious that his eyeballs were about to bulge out.

He clutched his neck with both hands, his face flushed red.

Li Yuan was frightened by his appearance and couldn't help but ask, "What's going on?!"

"Uh"

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched, and he said awkwardly, "Maybe he's drunk too much and hasn't adapted to the alcohol yet. I'll pour him a cup of tea to moisten his throat!"

As he said this, he prepared to pour tea for Ma Zhou.

At this moment, Ma Zhou waved his hands at him repeatedly, then slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it! Good wine! I've been drinking for so many years, but I've never tasted such a strong wine!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his face flushed quickly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Cen Wenben's face had already turned as red as a monkey's butt.

He pursed his lips and stood there in a daze for a long time before he let out a long breath. The breath he exhaled was full of a strong smell of alcohol.

"Good wine! It's really good wine!"

“Spicy, fragrant, pure”

“When I drink it, it feels like a knife cutting my throat, but after that, it feels so comfortable and refreshing.”

After he finished speaking, his eyes became a little blurry.

And he only took one sip, which shows how poor his alcohol tolerance is.

"hehe."

Li Yuan and Li Chengqian smiled at each other when they saw that they were fine.

Immediately afterwards, Li Chengqian poured Li Yuan a glass of wine and reminded him to drink slowly.

Li Yuan carefully examined the wine in the glass and could not help but sigh: "This wine is crystal clear, purer than the wine we usually drink, and has a stronger flavor."

As he spoke, he took a sip and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Although he had been mentally prepared after seeing the performances of Ma Zhou and Cen Wenben, he still couldn't help but be surprised by the wine when he drank it.

After a moment, he let out a long breath, narrowed his eyes and said, "It's powerful and aggressive on the first taste, but the aftertaste is soft and mellow, and the aftertaste is long. It's truly a man of steel and tenderness, a true man!"

"Haha, Grandpa, you don't know that this wine is much more difficult to brew than the wine you usually drink, and the alcohol content is also much higher. I secretly got a bottle of it, and I secretly purified it from my father's wine collection!"

"good good good good!"

When Li Yuan heard that it was Li Shimin's collection of wine, he immediately felt that the wine was better, so he picked up the wine glass again and took a big sip.

hiss!
what!
It’s really refreshing!

Seeing that Li Yuan was drinking happily, Ma Zhou came to his senses from the alcohol and unceremoniously picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of wine.

This time, he didn't swallow it in one gulp like Zhu Bajie did when he ate the Life Fruit. Instead, he took a small sip, closed his eyes, and savored it carefully: "The taste is pure and fragrant, with a sweet aftertaste."

Both the emperor and his minister were experts in drinking and had been accompanied by wine all their lives. They never thought that they would be able to drink this kind of liquor, which was similar to Fenjiu in later generations. They were inevitably intoxicated by it for a while.

Li Chengqian was speechless when he saw them like this.

Drinking on an empty stomach, one or two sips is enough, how can you drink wine like water? Won't it cause heartburn? So he hurriedly dissuaded the two of them, saying, "Don't just drink, eat your food!"

"This is the latest stir-fry that Lai Fu has learned. Come and try it and see how it tastes."

"Stir-fry?"

Li Yuan and the other two were slightly stunned and immediately became interested.

"Huh? It tastes good!"

Li Yuan was the first to taste the fish-flavored shredded pork and praised it highly.

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhou and Cen Wenben also started eating, expressing their surprise.

Soon, the four of them had a meal and drank.

Only after they had eaten and drunk their fill did Li Chengqian speak slowly and calmly, "Mr. Cen just asked me why I was going to Jiangling in person. Now that we've had a few drinks and eaten some stir-fried dishes together, I won't hide it from you. I'm going to deal with the aristocratic families!"

"What!?"

When Cen Wenben heard what Li Chengqian said, he sobered up a little.

He never imagined that asking this question would be a foolish act that would bring trouble to himself.

You know, his family is in Jiangnan, and they are a real aristocratic family.

Although it is not as good as the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Clans and the Guanlong Clan, it is also a well-known aristocratic family in the Jiangnan area.

"No, Prince. Why is that? Do you have a grudge against any aristocratic family?"

Cen Wenben, relying on his drunkenness, became much bolder and even dared to directly question Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian, facing his question, simply smiled faintly: "From a personal perspective, I have basically no grudge against the aristocratic families, but from a national perspective, I have an irreconcilable feud with them!"

"what!"

Cen Wenben was so frightened that he lost about 70% of his alcohol.

What's going on!

The prince is only eight years old, how could he have such an irreconcilable feud with the aristocratic families?!
Which blind family could possibly have caused the Crown Prince to harbor such hatred?!
Cen Wenben was very depressed at the moment.

But then Li Chengqian continued:
"That night we talked about land annexation. I'm sure you're aware that a lot of the land in the Tang Dynasty is now occupied by aristocratic families. They've accumulated a lot of wealth through annexation and now control the income of almost all industries in the Tang Dynasty!"

"Add to that the large number of people who depend on them, and think about what this means?"

"what?"

Cen Wenben asked subconsciously.

Ma Zhou, who was standing by, glanced at him and sneered, "It means they will support the emperor who suits their interests, and overthrow the emperor who doesn't!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Cen Wenben angrily denied: "My family has never thought of such a treasonous thing!"

He knew very well that if this hat was put on, many people would die.

But Li Chengqian still smiled faintly and comforted:
"Mr. Cen, don't get excited. Ma Zhou means that the aristocratic families have this kind of influence, not that they can really do it!"

"Moreover, the aristocratic families I want to target are not those of yours, but the Five Surnames and Seven Families!"

"Ah? This"

Cen Wenben was a little surprised, but also relieved. He thought that he had overthought it. The prince was targeting the five surnames and seven families, so it was okay!

"But the Five Surnames and Seven Families are very powerful. Can we deal with them?"

"I can handle it, why not?"

Li Chengqian spoke eloquently, "I've said before that I want to get food in Jiangling, lots and lots of it. Currently, most of the food in the Tang Dynasty is in the hands of the aristocratic families. If a natural disaster or man-made disaster were to strike the Tang Dynasty, food prices would surely rise. This way, the aristocratic families could suck blood from the Tang Dynasty and strengthen themselves."

"But they forget that everything has a limit. Once you cross the limit, you will be killed."

"And I will be the one who makes them pay the price. I will make their food worthless."

Hearing this, Li Yuan's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but get excited.

However, Li Chengqian hadn't finished his words yet: "However, hoping to use food war to defeat the aristocratic families during natural disasters and man-made disasters is nothing but wishful thinking."

“So, we have to solve them from the root.”

"What is the foundation of the aristocratic family?"

"As I said earlier, the majority of the population will be dependent on them. So, what does this majority of the population consist of?"

“In my opinion, it consists of two parts.”

"Some are the exploited poor class. These people are mainly used to engage in production, providing them with a steady stream of wealth, or to form an army in wartime to gain supreme power for them."

"The other part, mainly the wealthy landlords, often rely on the aristocratic families to seek official positions, borrowing the power of the aristocratic families to achieve their own goals."

"As a result, the influence of the aristocratic families covers many classes and many aspects. Even a small move can affect the entire body! Even the current emperor dare not touch them lightly!"

"This"

Hearing this, Cen Wenben suddenly felt that his family was nothing compared to the Five Surnames and Seven Families.

Ma Zhou, on the other hand, looked solemn.

Because he came from a poor family, and Bozhou was the territory of the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Houses, he was naturally very aware of the influence of the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Houses.

A poor kid like him who wanted to make a difference in Bozhou had to either serve the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Houses like him like a dog and wag his tail at them, or be ostracized and humiliated and flee Bozhou.

And he just happened to choose the latter.

As for Li Yuan, after listening to Li Chengqian's words, he thought carefully and realized that when he was in power, he was also oppressed by the aristocratic families, and had to compromise again and again, suffering humiliation and embarrassment.

Although Li Shimin was the one in power now and would be constrained in the future, he was not happy about it.

If these aristocratic families are not completely dealt with, Li Chengqian will be the next to fall.

It is no wonder that Li Chengqian said that the aristocratic families had an irreconcilable feud with him.

"So, if we want to completely dismantle the aristocratic families, we must start from their foundation!"

Seeing that Li Yuan and the other two had come to their senses, Li Chengqian continued, "The aristocratic families now rely on large estates for self-sufficiency, and the most important of these foundations is land. Although we can't implement the land policy we discussed earlier, we can find another way to defeat them economically!"

"economy?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan and the other two looked at each other in surprise.

But then Li Chengqian continued, "All the industries they control now belong to the private economy. What we want to develop is the state-owned economy."

"What is the state-owned economy? For example, industries like salt and iron are basically controlled by the state. But that's not enough. The state-owned economic system I want to establish includes food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Every aspect needs to be controlled by the state."

"This formed the foundation of our Tang Dynasty."

"Although the aristocratic families have a strong regional focus, which is their advantage, the areas they cannot control are our economic power. You have to know that the Tang Dynasty is huge, and the areas that the aristocratic families can control are very small!"

"Their advantage will also become their disadvantage."

"Once the state-owned economy becomes dominant, their wealth and influence will be greatly reduced. That's when it happens."

Having said this, he looked deeply at Li Yuan and the other two, and said word by word: "Those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan and the other two looked at each other.

The shock in his eyes was beyond words.

The blood in my heart seemed to be boiling.

How shocking!

It's actually possible to get the Five Surnames and Seven Families! ?

　[I wrote it quite late today, so I don't have time to divide it into chapters. However, the word count is the same. I will continue with two chapters tomorrow. In addition, I am asking for subscription, full subscription, recommendation votes, and monthly votes.]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)