Hearing King Yong say this, the faces of the officials present were more or less unnatural.

In the past few years, the situation inside and outside the court has not been calm enough, and they, the people of Longbian, also feel it deeply. In particular, the momentum of the rise of Tibet is becoming more and more rapid, and the troubles and pressures brought by it are also increasing.

However, in such a situation, the imperial court reversed its previous business strategy for the Western Regions and set up heavy troops in the four towns, which undoubtedly added a big burden to them. The garrison of the four towns of Anxi is like a gold-swallowing beast with an infinite appetite, constantly extracting manpower and material resources from Longbian.

This is just over a year, and if it continues like this, the burden will undoubtedly increase.

In the past, there was frequent turmoil in the imperial court, and even the prime minister was in danger, and these officials from other states did not dare to criticize the military plan, and they were also worried that even if they made a statement, they might not be able to reach the heavens. Now that King Yong is coming to Longbian in person, he is giving them a chance to express themselves.

But now listening to the meaning of King Yong's words, it seems that he also agrees with continuing to maintain the garrison of the four towns of Anxi, which naturally makes them very disappointed.

Li Tong saw the changes in everyone's expressions, and he also knew in his heart that it was unrealistic to want the horses to run and not to eat grass.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, he continued: "The garrison of Anxi is beyond doubt. But the burden of border affairs brought by this, the imperial court actually has a strategy. At present, I am also in charge of Longyou's military affairs, and I can't stay out of the matter, and I gather all the people, of course, to discuss a way to get both. ”

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but cheer up again, even if Anxi didn't withdraw his troops, but since King Yong was willing to talk, it meant that the situation could still be improved, at least it was much better to ignore the situation in the imperial court.

"The people are recuperated, especially food and clothing, the cultivation is not mistaken, the production is at any time, there is no hunger and cold, and the people are at ease. Longbian is close to the fishy place, and the situation is a little more dangerous than that of the inner state, the mediocrity is heavier, and it is more of a burden to lose military aircraft, so I plan to ask the imperial court to reduce some of the mediocrity in the Longbian states as appropriate. The fee for straight feet is also slightly reduced to help the state affairs. ”

When everyone heard this, they all expressed their joy. If the civil service can be reduced or reduced, it will undoubtedly be a great good news for the people in the country. Longyou is not too peaceful, so the people have to frequently participate in various military defense construction, and it is indeed a heavy burden in terms of forced labor.

As for all kinds of foot power, it goes without saying that the transportation of all kinds of materials to help the army has almost no stop from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Moreover, in recent years, with the difficulty of the imperial court, it has become popular to fold money with foot power, and nominally there is no longer a need for foreign state governments to organize the dispatch of foot power to transport goods, but it needs to be converted and handed over.

But the situation in Longbian is like this, the foot power money must be collected, and the foot power must be used as well. Anyway, once the military period is delayed, it is a big crime.

King Yong was able to carry out certain reductions and reductions in these two aspects, which is definitely not a lip service, once it can be implemented, the situation of the county officials in the lower states of Danglong will be greatly improved.

Of course, there are those who disagree. For example, Meng Lingqing, the husband of the Heyuan Army, said: "Tubo is fierce, and it is still necessary to strengthen the efforts to prepare for thieves and prevent trouble." If Longbian Yong is exempted from military service, will this affect the Heyuan military aircraft? ”

There has always been a certain amount of competition between the military and the government, and each wants to grasp more national resources. Civil officials are greedy for fame, and military attaches are greedy for merit. Although Fumeng Lingqing is also complaining, his motives are not the same as those of the state and county governments, and more importantly, as a military town, some are not angry that the four towns of Anxi enjoy more resources, hoping to fight for a certain treatment for the Heyuan army.

However, if the people are exempted from mediocre service, this will affect the entire border army system, and it is natural to emphasize it.

After Li Tong heard this, he smiled and said: "Tubo is vicious, and my Tang people are troubled and tired. Longbian Zhuhu, can you make any contributions? Previously, in addition to the meager tribute, the Zhuhu Department still had the responsibility of helping the army in the city. But Hu is timid and weak, and he is unusable, if not, why would Anxi have to fight it heavily? If you can't put on armor for battle, you can simply be a slave and a slave. The state officials and governments each bracket Hu as officials, and they can use their mouths to fill their mouths, but they can make up for their mediocrity. ”

Not giving the Hu people too much room to live is a major idea of Li Tong on the issue of border affairs. Previously, the Tang Dynasty invested so much in conquering Zhuyi, but the development of war dividends was not detailed and specific enough. Now that the new frontier is rising, there is naturally no reason for the Tang army to fight hard in front and the turtle to retreat behind and develop with peace of mind.

It is true that the cityside armed forces formed by the Hu people were a great help for the Tang Dynasty to control the border areas. However, it is also a common fact that the fighting effectiveness of the Hu people is generally not high, or that their stance is not firm enough.

Especially in terms of the gains and losses of the four towns of Anxi, this problem is particularly obvious. From the eve of the Battle of Dafeichuan, around the four towns of Anxi, Tubo and Datang fought for hegemony in the Western Regions.

The four towns changed hands several times, and both countries were guest armies, and in the process of this kind of competition, these Western Regions Zhuhu gradually realized that they had a lot of influence on the victory and defeat of the two countries, and then they bred arrogance, and there was no shortage of people with the idea of fighting left and right.

In the early years, the imperial court decided to abandon the four towns and rely on the local Hu people in the Western Regions to resist the invasion of Tibet. As a result, these Hu people were not useful at all, except for the leading party, the rest were beaten to the point of holding their heads and bowing their heads.

In this case, it is better to transfer part of the pressure of the garrison of the four towns to these Hu people. So Li Tong continued: "Zhuhu Prefecture, according to its size, each has its own household, and it is called with the levy, three times a year. If the number is insufficient, the state capital will be withdrawn and its land and pasture will be confiscated! ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone present changed color again, and even Duan Da, who was the first to complain, couldn't help but say: "Zhenguan old system, push still leniency." Since Xianqing, the use of military service has gradually multiplied, breeding Turkic rebellion. Now that the Tibetan wolf is looking at the side, holding on to the attack, once the Zhuhu can not be served, breeding civil strife, I am afraid that it will ......"

"Those who dare to cause trouble will punish their clan and exterminate their species!"

Li Tong sneered when he heard this, and then he said with a straight face: "Everyone, everything that is used is a matter of course at any time. Fang Jinshi Dao, first give something, then get something. Therefore, it may be beautiful at the time, but it is not suitable for the present! ”

During the Zhenguan period, the Tang Dynasty had not been established for a long time, and it was necessary to actively expand its influence and establish a regional order with itself as the center. With a big stick in one hand and a radish in the other, as long as the surrounding Huken is obedient, they will basically not be wiped out, and this strategy has also greatly promoted the establishment of a fetters and order centered on the Tang Dynasty.

But now, the restraint policy established on the basis of leniency has brought little growth to the national strength of the Tang Dynasty. In particular, as the struggle against Tibet gradually becomes white-hot, it is all the more necessary to clearly understand who is the enemy and who is the friend.

As for whether this will force many Hu tribes to the side of Tibet, this is completely too much to consider. At present, Tibet is pursuing a relatively pure militaristic line, which is to devour the enemy through war and thus strengthen itself.

This regime rising on the plateau does not have the foundation and blood-forming ability to maintain a large empire, and needs targets that can be devoured directly, rather than allies when they are separated and united.

Don't say that at present, Li Tong just decided to change the forced labor levy in Zhujian Prefecture from a temporary nature to a customized one, even if the government decree is several times stricter, it is still very tolerant compared to Tubo.

At present, Tibet is far from being as powerful as it was after the Tang Dynasty, and it does not have the background to imitate the rise of the Tang Dynasty, so it is difficult to expand its influence through lenient policies, and even Buddhism, a high-consumption religion, cannot play. Those side beards are not stupid, what good will happen to them mixed with such a poor thing?

Of course, any change is inevitably resistant, and certain conditions are required to cooperate. Even if the control of the state is strengthened, the current crisis of war needs to be resolved first.

The reason why Li Tong put forward such an idea at the moment is mainly to appease these Longyou officials, there are always more ways than difficulties, and I am of the same mind with you. By the way, I help you, and you have to help me.

"I have not been in charge of the military for a long time, and what I have said is only a superficial statement. At the moment, we still need to focus on the Longbian military aircraft, but please rest assured, so that I can live in the customs and go straight to Longyou for a day, and I will definitely try my best to promote this matter! ”

His words have two meanings, first of all, I shouldn't ask about this matter, after all, I am only in charge of the military power of Longyou, and I am not responsible for government affairs. But even so, I'm willing to put myself in your shoes. Secondly, only by properly solving the current situation can I have more say in the matter, so that your dream of alleviating the predicament can become a reality.

When everyone heard this, no matter what they thought, they still had some sense of identity in their eyes when they looked at King Yong. Although the plan proposed by King Yong may not be perfect, it at least points out a route, which is much more reassuring than the attitude of the imperial court to ignore it.

At the same time, they finally realized why those Chang'an people who fled to Longyou gritted their teeth with hatred when they mentioned King Yong. King Yong has not yet entered the Longyou Realm here, and he is already planning to attack those Bondage Prefecture Mansions.

But I also have to say that King Yong's clear attitude towards personnel inside and outside is still quite popular. In fact, they each have their own ideas, but one is soft-spoken, and the other involves Datang's adjustment of the entire fetters order, and they don't dare to suggest it easily.

But in fact, in private, there is no shortage of officials who secretly strengthen the control and extortion of the state government. Previously, they were worried that if this did cause a riot, they might be held accountable by the imperial court, but now that King Yong is with them, his confidence is undoubtedly much stronger.

Regardless of the overall situation, King Yong's brave and healthy style is still quite in line with the temperament of these border state officials. After all, they are the one who is directly on the front line, and the group that is under pressure is more real and direct in the trouble.

In this meeting, Li Tong mainly listened to the grievances of the people in Longyou, and also put forward some ideas of his own, which can be regarded as a preliminary consensus, and they are quite happy with each other.

Because King Yong was tired from afar, everyone did not stay for a long time, and after some communication, they got up and retired. As for Liu Youqiu and other cronies, they naturally stayed behind and wanted to talk to His Highness about more details.

After everyone left, Guo Yuanzhen, who had been sitting at the last seat and was quite peaceful, stepped forward, bowed in front of King Yong's seat and said loudly: "Guo Yuanzhen, a servant and a lowly servant, knock to see His Royal Highness King Yong!" ”