Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 150 A true man should not get involved in matters of the North Gate.
After hearing Zhang Jiuling's words, Zhang Dai finally understood why Zhang Jiuling could be considered the last famous prime minister of the Kaiyuan era.

Although Zhang Jiuling misunderstood his own meaning, the viewpoint he put forward was very much in line with the vision and awareness of a statesman. It showed a clear understanding of wanting to limit the arbitrary expansion of public power, which was fundamentally different from those who tried various methods to harvest and amass wealth in the late Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods.

Of course, Zhang Jiuling's words also avoided an important question: if we do not prioritize profit in governance, how will we maintain these rapidly increasing internal and external affairs?
This is such a vast issue that, not only in the Middle Ages, but even in later generations when productivity has reached an extremely high level, it remains a very complex systemic problem, a fundamental issue concerning social organization and wealth distribution.

Zhang Dai didn't actually have a clear answer to this, but he didn't reject the practice of accumulating wealth; he simply treated it as a means rather than an end in itself. For example, the "flying money" system he promoted, while certainly a form of exploitation, enabled the rapid allocation and circulation of funds, thus driving the development of commerce.

To accomplish great things, you need to spend a lot of money. The most important thing in this era is how to collect money reasonably and invest it in the right things.

Becoming the overlord standing on this continent is not because the Tang emperors and people are ambitious and fond of grand achievements. This is the destiny of the Tang Dynasty. From the very beginning of its birth, this dynasty has been on a path that can only move forward and cannot retreat!
The reason is simple: because you are so large and occupy the most fertile land! The barbarian tribes on the borders are not born to love hardship or to hide in remote corners; they are simply forced to do so because they have no other choice.

Zhang Dai simply smiled and said he accepted Zhang Jiuling's words, but he didn't take them to heart.

For now, they are just discussing it, and it doesn't matter if they disagree. The age and seniority difference between them is obvious, and even if Zhang Dai is promoted to an official position in the future, he will not have any direct conflict with Zhang Jiuling.

It was getting late, and after everyone had made their decision, they got up one by one to say goodbye. Zhang Dai, on behalf of his grandfather, saw them off one by one.

"You said that making a move in Hebei first indicates a lack of optimism about the situation in the court?"

When Zhang Dai returned, Zhang Shuo summoned him again and asked him questions. He now had a deep understanding of Zhang Dai's style and habits, and naturally understood the deeper meaning in his words.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded and then said, "Although Prime Minister Du is a newcomer to the court, he holds a high position and wields great power. He may need to be supported for the time being, but after he adapts, he will inevitably need to promote his confidants. It is fine for my grandfather to discuss matters with him, but it is difficult for him to handle affairs on his behalf. He has the title but no power. Although he needs to be relied upon, we should also be wary of him."

The previous dismissal of several officials by Chancellor Li should serve as a warning. My grandfather sent my father to an outlying prefecture because he knew my father was ill-equipped to handle such complex court affairs. The previous turmoil in the court will certainly not be resolved simply because Chancellor Du has entered the court.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo nodded, agreeing with Zhang Dai's view. Although Du Xian was famous in Anxi, he was not powerful enough to suppress the personnel disputes surging in the court on his own. At least Zhang Shuo did not respect him much; on the contrary, he wanted to exert influence and control him.

Under such circumstances, Du Xian's entry into the court will only exacerbate the already tense situation. In particular, if Du Xian wants to build his own personnel team in the court, it will inevitably involve personnel changes in many important positions.

Zhang said that he is now in a state of having a name but no power, and being all talk and no action. So, it is the most convenient way to poach his people and take his place.

Therefore, even if there is interaction and cooperation between the two sides, Du Xian will not give Zhang Shuo much face in terms of actual power. Only when he has established a firm foothold in the court will he have the qualifications and strength to clash with other prime ministers.

The personnel situation in the court is currently deadlocked. Zhang Shuo has lost the power struggle at the top. Even if he has managed to recover some of his losses, he is honestly no longer qualified to be at the table.

However, given his connections and influence, he could certainly secure positions in several major states for his cronies.

After all, positions in outlying states are not at the core of the power struggle in the central government. Some promising mid- to high-ranking officials would rather stay in the central government and wait for an opportunity, even if it is just a sinecure. They are not very interested in going to outlying states where trouble is brewing.

While the governors of the Tang Dynasty faced many restrictions and found it difficult to maintain any significant influence in one place for long, they were usually transferred to other places after a few years. Without any special opportunities, it was also difficult for them to achieve remarkable political achievements.

But things are gradually changing now; a new era is dawning. For example, in the first half of the year, military forces were established in five prefectures in Hebei, and each prefecture now concurrently holds the position of military commissioner, thus gaining military power. The newly appointed military governors this year have also begun to concurrently hold authority over agricultural land and salt ponds.

In his early years, when Zhang Yue served as the governor of Youzhou, he was only in charge of military affairs. Even the idea of ​​establishing military farms in Youzhou required reporting to the imperial court. However, now the military governors of the border towns have more power and no longer need to report to the imperial court on everything.

Given this trend, instead of continuing to fight for those few positions in the central government, it would be better to transfer the remaining political power to the prefectures and counties as soon as possible.

If personnel arrangements are made now in places like Hebei, which are destined to be very important in the future, then by the time the laws and regulations are relaxed in the Tianbao era, a large amount of personnel influence will undoubtedly be accumulated, and things will be done more efficiently.

With Zhang Yue dismissed from his post as prime minister, the Zhang family is unlikely to exert much influence in the central government for the foreseeable future. If they can capitalize on Zhang Yue's remaining influence and promptly reshuffle their political resources, they could become a very important regional power, even if they are no longer considered prime ministers. To put it bluntly, if they can make timely changes, and the country truly descends into chaos, Zhang Dai could even use his family's connections to flee to Hebei and become like Yuan Shao.

Of course, Zhang Dai couldn't tell his grandfather about this plan, as it was far too rebellious.

Even though the Tang Dynasty is still in a state of great prosperity, there are still many discordant elements. If someone were to say that it would degenerate into something like that in the future, no one would believe it. They would never imagine that their sage was actually a genius like Xiao Pusa or Emperor Yang of Sui!
After listening to Zhang Dai's explanation, Zhang Shuo frowned and pondered. He had indeed sent his son to a post outside the capital because he couldn't bear to see the boy continue to embarrass himself in the court. Moreover, Zhengzhou wasn't far away, and it would be very easy for him to achieve political success there.

However, the shift of diverting political resources to other prefectures like Hebei was too drastic, and he couldn't make up his mind for the time being. Moreover, he wasn't a sage-like ruler whose word was law and no one dared to disobey him; he had to ensure that people were willing to be appointed to their posts in prefectures and counties.

"The matter still needs to be considered in the long term."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Shuo spoke again, then turned to Zhang Dai and asked, "What did the Duke of Bohai summon you for just now? It seems that Consort Hui returned to the capital ahead of others recently. Is this related?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai did not hide anything and directly explained the hidden story.

"Human desires are insatiable! Wang Maozhong is shrewd in small matters, but prone to scheming in important ones. He was content to stay in the Northern Court, with no one daring to challenge him, yet he offered a woman to the emperor—what was he thinking!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue couldn't help but sigh. Although Wang Maozhong was not a meritorious official of the Tang Dynasty, the favor he enjoyed was unmatched among all the meritorious officials. Even Zhang Yue avoided his sharp edge and dared not compete with him.

During the Fengshan ceremony last year, he oversaw the presentation of horses by the imperial entourage and demonstrated remarkable competence in managing the affairs of the pastures. This greatly pleased the emperor, who even bestowed upon him the title of "Kaifu" (meaning "opening a government office"), a title previously reserved for only the emperor's father-in-law, Wang Renjiao, and the renowned prime minister, Yao Song, since the Kaiyuan era.

The sage had succeeded because of the 10,000 cavalry of the Northern Army, so he was very cautious about the military affairs of the Northern Army. As long as Wang Maozhong was law-abiding, his position could be said to be as stable as a rock.

The generals of the Southern Army and the border generals could not possibly take charge of the military affairs of the Northern Army, and there was no one in the Northern Army with the talent and prestige to surpass Wang Maozhong. In previous eras, the imperial relatives such as members of the royal family and imperial sons-in-law may have been in charge of the Northern Gate troops, but these people, as the vanguard of various coups, had long been excluded by the emperor.

Therefore, Wang Maozhong had almost no competitors in the field of Beiya, yet he insisted on making things more difficult for himself, which was truly puzzling.

"The soldiers at the North Gate are arrogant and unreasonable. Consort Hui and the Duke of Bohai may seek their advice, but you should not get too deeply involved in these personnel disputes. A true man should not get involved in matters of the North Gate!"

Although he wouldn't impose too many restrictions on Zhang Dai, he would prohibit anything that was clearly problematic.

Zhang Dai was somewhat amused and exasperated upon hearing this. He could only lament how unruly the Li family was and how fierce the Tang Dynasty's social customs were—they'd even come to the point where a true man should avoid the North Gate. But how could one approach the highest power without passing through that gate? The roll call at Xuanwu Gate—that was true heroism!

Of course, even if Zhang didn't confess, he wouldn't interfere too deeply in this matter. Even if he really charged into battle and defeated Wang Maozhong, his aunt couldn't elevate him to the position of crown prince, nor could he cut off his own flesh to become Gao Lishi's follower.

After finishing these trivial matters, Zhang Shuo then tested Zhang Dai on his recent studies. Since Zhang Dai hadn't been frequently going out and about during this period, he had done quite well in his studies.

In terms of actual talent, he is certainly not as outstanding as these contemporary prodigies, but he has the advantage of deep accumulation.

With increasing proficiency in phonetics and prosody, even if one cannot copy large sections of the original text, one can still make clever adaptations, such as the two lines of excerpts that slapped the faces of the candidates from the capital prefecture.

This ability is reflected in his specific writing and answers. Almost every poem and essay he wrote had one or two famous lines that served as the key to the essay. Even if the overall style of each poem or essay was not high, having one or two key lines could greatly enhance its quality and make it worthy of repeated reading and appreciation.

"My son's writing skills are becoming more and more proficient. At this rate, he will be able to pass the imperial examination next year without any interference from corrupt officials!"

After browsing through all the poems and essays written by Zhang Dai during this period, Zhang said with a satisfied smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's expression changed slightly. "Thank you for your jinx, don't let the bad things come true instead of the good ones!"
(End of this chapter)