The Bad Guys: Playing the Fake Li Xingyun at the Beginning

This is not only a reward from Your Majesty, but also a favor and unique trust from Your Majesty!

There are so many civil and military officials in the court, who else is there!

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your reward!" Li Cunli immediately knelt down and saluted, his face full of excitement.

"Be flat."

Then, Su Ming painted a big pie for him, "You have always been steady and a loyal minister to me. If you can handle this matter well, I will reward you generously."

You know what, Li Cunli fell for it and instantly felt like he was given an injection of chicken blood.

In fact, the key to the problem is not that Su Ming made empty promises, but that all the promises he made in the past have come true. Otherwise, Li Cunli would not be so loyal and obedient.

After saying this, seeing that Li Cunli was about to salute again, Su Ming stretched out his hand and raised it in the air. An invisible force lifted Li Cunli up, preventing him from kneeling.

Su Ming smiled faintly and said, "We are the king and his subject, there is no need for so much formality. It is getting late, you should go back and rest early. I will not keep you for dinner."

Li Cunli gave an awkward smile and said, "I'll take my leave." After saying that, he bowed and retreated.

After he left, Su Ming picked up the memorial on the table again and looked through it carefully. He had just taken a quick glance and had only gotten a general idea of ​​many things. Now he had to study it carefully.

The importance of the military examination is no less than that of the imperial examination. Only by giving equal importance to civil and military affairs can one achieve long-term success. If one only focuses on the imperial examination and ignores the military examination, the power of the court will inevitably be unbalanced in the future.

Moreover, the civil service group is inherently the enemy of the military group. Once the civil service forces gain the upper hand, they will inevitably squeeze the living space of the military forces and even restrict the imperial power.

It was precisely because of this imbalance that the later unified dynasties ended up with the situation where the civil dynasty prospered but the military declined.

Once you hold on to your rights, you will never let go.

The Ming Dynasty is the best example. The original emperor had great power and it was easy for him to deal with civil officials. However, in the middle and late periods, he was still controlled by the power of civil officials.

In this process, in addition to the weakening of the power of military generals, what was more important was that the power belonging to the emperor was eroded bit by bit, from top to bottom.

In the end, the emperor had to go back to the old ways and rely on eunuchs to fight against the power of civil officials. This is truly a tragedy.

Therefore, Su Ming must take advantage of the fact that the various forces in the court are not yet stable to set the tone and build a good framework. With the framework in place, it will not be so easy for civil servants to intervene in the future.

Of course, civil officials will be divided into various factions, and military generals are no exception. If they are not divided into factions and are not hostile to each other, it will be the emperor's turn to have a headache.

……

"Li Wentong, would you like to take a look at this memorial?" Su Ming handed the memorial sent by Li Cunli to Li Wentong. Although he came from the future and had a different perspective, there were many things he had not done before, so it would be better for him to ask people who knew the subject directly.

Sometimes, we really have to admire the wisdom of the ancients. They are not as rigid and inflexible as later generations believe.

On the contrary, the bottom line of the ancients was very flexible, adapting to local conditions and the times. It was just that some unspoken rules could not be written down, so they left behind rigid dogmas, making later generations think that the system was very rigid.

"Your Majesty, Lord Li has a good idea, but I have only one question I would like to ask Your Majesty. Will civil officials and military generals have their own duties in the future? Can civil officials become military generals, and can military generals become civil officials?" After reading the memorial, Li Wentong asked a fatal question.

This time, Su Ming was stumped.

Are the ways of civil and martial arts really clearly distinguished? Su Ming's original intention was to preserve the bravery and bloodiness of the Han people, so as to avoid the end of the sinking of China.

"This matter is of great importance. I need to think about it carefully, but I can tell you that it can be transferred."

Li Wentong's eyes flashed with a strange look, and he continued, "If that's the case, then it's easy. Since the military examination is to select military officials, the examiners must be military officials. Civil officials can assist, but they cannot interfere with the content of the examination."

"Military officers must go to the battlefield to kill the enemy. Even generals must experience the battlefield. To lead troops in battle, we don't need people who only know how to talk about war on paper. Civil officials should not go to the battlefield. It is best not to let them interfere."

"But if Your Majesty wants your subjects to become generals or ministers, I think that the imperial examinations should be appropriately added. The six arts for gentlemen also include archery and charioteering. If you want to become a military general, you can't be powerless, right?"

Su Ming nodded and said solemnly, "You are right. These opinions are very pertinent. I will consider them carefully."

It is true that one person's plan is short-sighted, while two people's plan is long-sighted. The regulations proposed by Li Cunli are based on the perspective of civil officials, and will subconsciously favor them. It is not his fault.

It is human nature that the head is always determined by the butt.

Three days later, Su Ming announced the reformed regulations for the military and civil examinations in the court.

Suddenly, the court officials were in an uproar, and they felt that their thoughts were a little out of sync.

The military examination is the business of military commanders, and civil officials can stay out of it. But why should we add horseback archery to the civil examination, which is a science and education system? Isn't this insulting to civility?

However, Su Ming had already discussed this matter with Empress Li Cunli and others. The emperor and his subjects had a tacit understanding. Li Cunli obeyed their orders and would not object at all. He even supported it very much.

Although the court officials had some complaints, their opposition was not strong. Moreover, the Six Arts of a Gentleman were proposed by Confucius. How could they, who had read the books of sages, oppose it?

After the court session ended, the news quickly spread, causing the people of Luoyang to talk about it. The common people at the bottom loved gossip the most, because they did not have much fun in their lives and could only talk about it.

Once I am full and have some tea and dinner, I naturally start to play politics on the keyboard.

Compared to the civil servants' unhappiness, the common people were much happier. You know, the people at that time were very brave and courageous.

Hundreds of years of integration between the Hu and Han peoples have also made the Central Plains tainted with the habits of the Hu people. Especially in times of chaos, having the ability to save your life is more important than anything else.

Of course, ordinary people may not be able to afford the cost of learning horse riding and archery.

Su Ming simply listed this as a bonus item. In other words, in the civil service examination, the number of places will be determined entirely by the written test scores, while the ranking will be determined by the riding and archery scores. The proportion of riding and archery scores is not high, but it is definitely no problem to move up one or two names, but it is impossible to move up more.

The assessment of riding and archery is also participated by military generals.

If it was for the sake of the rule of the Li Tang royal family, Su Ming should not have done this, but he was not from this world at all, and he didn't care at all how many years the Li Tang could last.

He would leave this world sooner or later. After he was gone, he would not care about the chaos in the world or the collapse of the Li Tang royal family. It would have nothing to do with him.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, he can’t care so much!

Chapter 266 Godfather, you forced me to do this!

Hedong, Taiyuan.

As soon as Li Siyuan came back, he stripped the generals of their military power and swore to the soldiers and civilians of Hedong who was the master of Hedong.

Jiedushi Mansion.

Li Congke sat in the study room, his face dazed and his eyes dull. Ever since Li Siyuan came back, he had been reflecting on his mistakes and had not eaten or drunk for a day.

After years of fighting, his body was very strong, and he was young and strong, which made him look very heroic.

However, he now looked desolate, as if he had been hit by a stick.

He was very clear about the situation in Hedong. Shi Jingtang had defected to Luoyang with his elite troops, and their strength was only half left. If the court wanted to control Hedong, it had to rely on their power.

In the vast Hedong area, without these military leaders, big and small, the imperial court would have no way to maintain its rule.

This was his bargaining chip with the imperial court, and also the source of his dissatisfaction with his adoptive father. He could have gotten more, but failed because of his adoptive father's concessions.

What the Bad Guys, what Yuan Tiangang, he simply didn't believe that there could be a person in this world who could live for three hundred years. If Yuan Tiangang was really that powerful, how could the former Tang Dynasty have perished?

Only those who are ignorant can be fearless.

This is the situation Li Congke is in now. In his mind, no matter how powerful their martial arts are, they are only at the Great Heaven Level, which is enough to kill them with soldiers.

He had never seen Yuan Tiangang, so naturally he didn't know that someone could live for three hundred years. One of the most difficult things in the world is to change a person's perspective.

Especially people with strong determination like Li Congke, they only believe what they see and hear, no matter how much others say, they will not believe it.

In his eyes, his adoptive father was a waste. After Li Cunxu died, they marched into Luoyang and he could become emperor when the time came. However, he wanted to support the bloodline of the former Tang Dynasty, making him a puppet so that he could slowly take over the power of the court.

As a result, two years passed, the emperor's power grew stronger and stronger, the people became more and more dependent on him, but Hedong became weaker and weaker. Li Siyuan had to submit to the emperor and hand over Hedong.

This was unacceptable to Li Congke and a group of ambitious generals.

They desire to follow the emperor, desire wealth and honor, and desire a higher status and identity, and the same goes for the wealthy families behind them.

If Li Congke were alone, he would never dare to have any second thoughts.

However, Shi Jingtang, who had once been at odds with him, was gone, and Li Siyuan could not satisfy the ambitions of the Hedong high-ranking officials, so they turned their target to Li Congke.

Compared with Li Siyuan, who was subservient to the court and had no ambition, the more ambitious Li Congke was more in line with their interests.

The same was true of the Guanlong clans in the past. Now, the Guanlong clans have disappeared in the long river of history, and have been replaced by the Hedong generals.

They hope to gain higher status, more wealth and glory by changing dynasties. As for whether they will die or how many people will die in the process, they will not consider it or even think about it.

In this world, the common people at the bottom of society have only the fate of being harvested. They are just consumables to the local vassal states and even the imperial court.

Ten people dying is a number, one hundred thousand people dying is also a number, and they won’t even blink an eye.

Suddenly, Li Congke's gaze wandered and suddenly fell on the bronze mirror in the room.

When seeing himself in the mirror, Li Congke felt a sense of violence for no reason. Why should Li Siyuan hand over Hedong to others? Why should he listen to him?

For this foundation, I have risked my life many times, but he denied me with just one sentence. This is so unfair.

Li Congke stared at the crazy eyes in the mirror, "Foster father, you forced me to do this. Hedong is not your Hedong alone. My son, I am just taking back what belongs to me!"

The murmured words sounded like a declaration, or like talking to himself, which made Li Congke make up his mind.

After nightfall, when the servant brought dinner, they found that Li Congke had disappeared.

……

"Eighth Brother, you've had a pretty good time these past two years!" Li Siyuan sat in the upper seat in the hall, raised his wine glass high, and said while shaking his head.

Not far to his right, a middle-aged man with a wealthy face and wearing a blue brocade robe said with a smile, "It's all thanks to big brother, otherwise how could I stay so comfortably in my hometown."

This person is none other than Li Cunxin, the leader of the Xin Sect, who is ranked eighth among the Thirteen Guardians of the Tongwenguan.

"Old Eight, you really don't know what kind of life I, your brother, have been living in Luoyang. During those months when your elder brother was away from Luoyang, I felt like each day was a year. I wished I could just leave."

"And that bastard Lao Liu, who surrendered to the emperor without any trace of our old friendship." Li Cunzhi drank the contents of the cup in one gulp, feeling a little tipsy.

A strange color flashed in Li Cunxin's eyes, and he raised his glass with a smile, "Seventh Brother, you have suffered a lot. Come, I will toast you a glass."

Li Cunzhi filled his own glass, raised it from a distance, and drank it all in one gulp.

The brothers hadn't seen each other for several years, so naturally they had a lot to talk about. Li Cunzhi was not good at drinking, and he got drunk even without drinking, so he soon fell asleep.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere was almost set.

Li Cunxin looked at Li Siyuan and asked, "Brother, what are you doing back this time? Is the imperial court going to take action against Hedong?"

Li Siyuan narrowed his eyes, smiled and shook his head, "Old Eight, you should have seen clearly the battle at the Jieliang Salt Lake. The emperor is even stronger than Yuan Tiangang."

"Besides, he has obtained the Longquan treasure and the imperial seal. Under this trend, no one can stop him. If I resist stubbornly, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. I am overestimating my own abilities."

"I know how powerful my brother is. The emperor is already invincible, and with Yuan Tiangang and the omnipresent bad guys, as long as they want to kill someone, that person will never escape."

"How can you expect my brother to maintain this situation? It's no longer realistic to fight for world domination. Being able to leave the stage with dignity as a wealthy man is the best outcome."

Thinking of the scene of that battle, Li Cunxin fell silent.

Before that day, he never believed that there was anyone in this world who could reach that level, but after seeing it with his own eyes, he had to believe it.

Li Cunxin took a long breath and asked, "Brother, whatever you want to do, I will do it even if I die!"

"Okay, that's what I've been waiting for." Li Siyuan showed a satisfied smile and said with emotion, "Over the years, our Thirteen Guardians of Tongwenguan have suffered heavy losses, and only the three of us brothers are left. I feel relieved to have you here this time."