Tang's dining table

Yunchu stood in front of the map, looking down at the great rivers and mountains of Yanshi County in front of him. Li Jingxuan opposite him also looked at the map with glaring eyes.

He gently picked up handfuls of clean sand and sprinkled a circle on the map to represent Yanshi City. A pile of small sand dunes was a mountain, and a line was sprinkled to represent a river...

His hands kept moving sand on the map, and the originally flat map turned into a vivid scene with undulating mountains and crisscrossing rivers.

"I don't need a large army of soldiers and horses to follow. I only need one donkey, one servant, and three or five followers to stabilize Yanshi County."

Seeing Yanshi County gradually coming to life, Li Jingxuan's eyes were bright and he looked at Yunchu expectantly.

Yun Chu frowned and said, "This great chaos is due to the weakening of laws and the cowardice and incompetence of officials, which has led to the proliferation of bandits in Yanshi County. In times of great chaos, heavy codes should be used, and the minister wants to use a soft policy, which is not conducive to the long-term stability of Yanshi County." .”

Li Jingxuan shook his head and said: "I didn't think about Huairou..."

Wen Wenwen had just figured out the general direction of Luoshui on the map. She patted the sand on her hands and said, "It will be difficult to agree with His Majesty."

Li Jingxuan looked at Yunchu and Wenwen, thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty likes Chang'an the most."

Yun Chu shook his head and said: "Yun has served as an official in Chang'an for more than ten years, which is the result of His Majesty's trust. If he gets involved in Yanshi again, the consequences will be unpredictable."

Li Jingxuan smiled when he heard this and pressed his hands on the jade belt, looking quite high-spirited.

However, after waiting for a while, he did not hear the words of Yunchu and Wenrou recommending him, so he simply pointed out the topic and said: "The prince is your majesty's backup and cannot be separated lightly."

Yunchu sighed and said: "The minister wants to recreate the Chang'an model in Yanshi County. It may be difficult for you to do it alone. You must know that the Chang'an model has been continuously supplemented and filled by a certain family for more than ten years. The documents, laws and regulations We have built a bed frame house a long time ago, and it is not one person who is connected with each other..."

Li Jingxuan smiled, patted the back of Yun Chu's hand on the desk and said, "I heard from my son-in-law that a small official under the rule of Chang'an is enough to serve as a ruler. If a whole team of people can be transferred from Chang'an, I don't need to put myself in the pile of old papers and study the method of Chang'an.

What's more, during His Majesty's eastward tour, it is impossible that only one Yanshi County is in chaos. After the governance of Yanshi County is completed, what about Zhengzhou, Bianzhou, and what is east of Bianzhou? "

Yun Chu watched Li Jingxuan's fingers meandering forward on the map, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Chang'an doesn't have that many manpower for you to call upon, not to mention that Your Majesty has already prepared candidates in his pocket."

Li Jingxuan smiled and said: "Can someone who has read a few books really be able to use them to govern the world immediately?"

Wen Wen shook his head and said, "No, last time I met a person who used "The Analects" to govern the country and "Spring and Autumn" as the criterion for judging cases."

Li Jingxuan smiled and said: "Where did such a great talent go in the end?"

She smiled softly and said, "I became a treasurer in Chang'an County. Later, I was sent to the Western Regions for embezzling money from the treasury."

Li Jingxuan laughed and said: "It is indeed a good place, Junhou, how about we make an agreement on it?"

Yun Chu pointed to the decree on the table and said: "Your Majesty has not specified the time when I will enter Yanshi County, but I can only delay it for three days at most. If Li Shilang wants to do something, it is best to go faster. Once a certain time, When our troops enter Yanshi County, it will be the harsh winter in Yanshi County."

Li Jingxuan smiled and said: "Fortunately, it is only fifty miles away. I will return to Zhengzhou immediately and recommend myself to His Majesty."

Li Jingxuan was a man who could sit up and walk. After reaching the terms of exchange with Yunchu, he left Hulao Pass and rode away with his followers.

Wen Wen watched the backs of Li Jingxuan and his party disappear at the end of the dark blue earth, and said to Yun Chu: "The path of the eastward patrol is a line."

Yun Chu said: "It is also a line of defense."

Wen Wen added: "To the south of this line is spring and scenery, but to the north of this line is the cold wind."

Returning to the room, he said softly: "Is it possible for the emperor's policy to succeed?"

Yun Chu grabbed a large handful of sand and sprinkled it evenly on the ground in Shandong and Hebei. Even though it was only on the map, the handful of sand only left some dust on the map. After blowing on it, the sand dispersed.

"Ministry of War, why hasn't Yunchu entered Yanshi County yet?"

Li Zhi's face was cold and his low voice lingered in the palace hall.

Ren Yaxiang came out and said: "Two days ago, the order to dispatch troops was delivered to the rear army Yun Chu. I have the receipt signed by Yun Chu here."

"In that case, why is Yunchu still standing still at Hulao Pass?"

Ren Yaxiang cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Yun Chu said when he received the order, there is no need to use a bull's knife to kill a chicken."

Li Zhi sneered.

"I'm a man with two hundred and fifty, and now he's claiming to be a great swordsman? Continue to pass on the order. If he doesn't enter Yanshi County again, I'll kill the cow with his great sword."

Seeing that the secretary-general had already begun to write down the decree, Li Jingxuan went out to announce: "Your Majesty, the incident in Yanshi County was a small situation set up by your Majesty to observe the world. Now, various defeats have appeared. , which is when you need to get closer and observe carefully.

Most of Yun Chu's subordinates are arrogant and powerful generals. Once they enter this small Yanshi County, they are like giants waving their brooms. Under the swirling force, they can certainly sweep away all the evil atmosphere in Yanshi County and give His Majesty a clean Yanshi County.

However, His Majesty has no way of knowing the subtle changes. I believe that what Yanshi County needs at this time is not a giant broom like Yunhou, but a small brush like Weichen.

Be patient, clean up bit by bit, observe bit by bit, observe the details to prevent future troubles, and then build up bit by bit, so that all processes are under the control of the court, eliminate the land where bad consequences occur, and preserve the germination of good fruits. of water source.

I believe that in this way, we can fulfill His Majesty's expectations to the greatest extent possible, and then lay the foundation for His Majesty's eternal unification. "

After listening to Li Jingxuan's words, Li Zhi leaned forward, looked at the serious Li Jingxuan and said, "What do you know?"

Li Jingxuan said respectfully: "I am your Majesty's minister, and what your Majesty has to do is the goal that I must work hard to achieve.

As for knowing something, it is not difficult, because I and Your Majesty share the same spirit, breath and fate. If your Majesty has hidden worries in his heart, I also have hidden worries in my heart. The hidden worries in your Majesty's heart are also the hidden worries in my heart. Even if there is something, Even if they go wrong, they will end up with the same destination. "

Li Zhi invited Li Jingxuan to talk in the back hall. As soon as he sat down and put his hand on the giant bear's round head, he asked impatiently: "You have been busy running between Zhengzhou and Hulao Pass these days. Is it Yun?" What different opinions did Yunchu have that led you to go overboard today and want to go to Yanshi County to restore the chaos for Yunchu?"

Li Jingxuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty should trust me. A fourth-rank West Taishi Minister will not be attached to anyone except Your Majesty. If everything I do is not beneficial to the country, at worst it is only beneficial to the country." At the same time, there are some small benefits to myself.”

Li Zhi said thoughtfully: "What are your benefits?"

Li Jingxuan said loudly: "Follow His Majesty's footsteps, let Shandong return to your heart, and make Hebei surrender to the Tang Dynasty sincerely."

Li Zhi smiled and said: "Keep talking, keep talking, I think what you said is very reasonable."

Li Jingxuan looked around and remained silent.

Li Zhi waved his hand, and the palace maids and eunuchs waiting around him all retreated. Only Ruichun stood near Li Jingxuan holding a waist knife.

After Li Jingxuan and other eunuchs closed the palace door, he raised his hands and said, "Take time to go to Chang'an!"

Li Zhi frowned when he heard this and said: "Chang'an is the center of wealth in the Tang Dynasty. It can only be strengthened, not weakened."

Li Jingxuan said: "Chang'an Operation has established its own rules. As long as the two core figures of Yun Chu and Wen Wen are not touched, the others are not irreplaceable."

"Oh, what do you say? I know that your son-in-law is now serving as an eighth-grade official in Chang'an. Do you want to arrange a good position for him?"

Li Jingxuan said: "My humble son-in-law still needs to serve under Yunchu in Chang'an for three years before he can be of great use.

At the end of the year, my son-in-law came to Luoyang on official business. He once told the ministers that a small official who led him to familiarize himself with official duties would be enough to be the head of a county in other places, and he would definitely be an official.

Nowadays, there are no less than a thousand people in Chang'an and Wannian counties who serve as minor officials but are qualified for high positions elsewhere.

When the poor son-in-law said these words, I also laughed it off, and then read the documents from the Ministry of Personnel of the officials who were transferred from Chang'an and Wannian counties to other places over the years. As a result, I found that their performance in various places was... It is exactly the same as what my humble son-in-law said. "

As he spoke, Li Jingxuan took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Ruichun took the memorial from Li Jingxuan, checked it, and put it on Li Zhi's desk.

Li Zhi flipped through the memorial casually, and after reading only a few pages, he said in surprise: "More than 50% is the best choice?"

Li Jingxuan said: "Your Majesty should take a closer look at the resumes of those officials who have been designated as middle level or even middle level officials by the Qing officials.

The only ones chosen for the top are those who know how to serve as officials. In terms of ability, those officials who have taken drastic measures in local areas, eliminated bad governance, and enriched the country and strengthened the people are the mainstay among these people.

Among them, there was a Qipin County Magistrate named Liu Jiang who took the lead in Jinji County. He tied a hemp rope around his waist and led the villagers to use axes to dig canals among the cliffs. After four years, he just managed to bring clear water from the other side of the mountain. After being brought over, more than 16,000 acres of paddy fields were built on the dry plateau.

This alone allowed the people of Jinji County to go from being naked and hungry to a river of rice grains that was envied by everyone around them.

Your Majesty, I really can't imagine that a county magistrate can do such a thing. I think such an achievement is comparable to the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains.

This kind of person cannot be found among scholars.

Everyone thought that His Majesty's eastward tour was because of His great achievements and that he wanted to publicize the great achievements of the Tang Dynasty over the years on the top of Mount Tai. However, they did not know that His Majesty had far-reaching plans for the Tang Dynasty and solved the problem of separation between Shandong and Hebei and the Tang Dynasty. This is the real purpose of His Majesty's eastward tour. "

Li Zhi quickly read through the memorials, found the entry of the local official named Liu Jiang, and started reading.

Pointing his finger at the impeachment record, he said: "In June of the fourth year of Xianqing, six thousand kilograms of gunpowder were used to blast mountains and open canals. The source of the gunpowder is unknown.

There is no need to check the source. Ruichun, go to Yunchu and ask him directly. If he agrees, just tell him that he will be fined for two years and the matter will be over. If he denies it, he will be demoted to Yazhou for two years and walk over. Year, it is just right to come back for a year. "

Ruichun listened to the emperor's obviously emotional decree and didn't know whether to accept it, but she heard the emperor continue.

"In March of the fifth year of Xianqing's reign, there were 43,000 kilograms of various fine varieties, including beets and onions. This should be the handiwork of the prince.

Haha, with the help of Chang'an Mansion and Prince's Mansion, what else can't be done in this world?

This Liu Jiang was just doing some hard work and could not be called a hero. However, the Qing officials' evaluation of him as inferior was really unfair to him.

Since he is used to asking for help, he might as well find a poor place for him to serve as a local magistrate, lest he be regarded as a god by the people in Jinji County. "

Li Zhi rambled on about the conversation with his boss. When he looked up and saw that Ruichun had no intention of leaving, he sighed and said, "Forget it, forget it. The gunpowder Yun Chu took out was used to blast mountains and build canals." It’s much better than those people who go out and do some unexplainable things.”

Li Zhi was talking to himself, and it was unclear whether he was happy or angry. Ruichun and Li Jingxuan held their hands respectfully, waiting for the emperor to wake up from his thoughts.

After a long time, Li Zhi raised his head and looked at Li Jingxuan and said: "Don't play with your little cleverness, it won't be enough in front of Yun Chu.

You thought Yun Chu pushed you out to ward off disaster, but you didn't know that he was giving you real benefits.

You don't need to come up with any plans to take away Chang'an to plot against Yunchu. Chang'an belongs to me. I can use it if I want to, and don't use it if I don't want to.

However, since you want to do this, and Yunchu doesn't want me to think that he is planning other places besides Chang'an, since you two hit it off, you must get things done.

You already know my purpose, and you have also said that we, the monarch and the ministers, need to work together, so we should work hard to build Yanshi County well so that the wealthy families who died feel that they died unjustly.

When things are done well, when my prime minister is your favorite, if you can't do it well, then come and see me. "