.

"Di Shilang, what did I do wrong?" Ximen Chong still didn't see the key place.

"It's not just wrong, it's ridiculously wrong......," Di Renjie sighed.

There is no much to blame Ximen Chong.

There are several levels of being an official, and they generally only go to officialdom, especially those who are from poor families, and they all want to make a difference. But in officialdom, you can't get into the position by doing something. Then I began to gradually comprehend, and some officials slowly realized that it was not because I did not do much to continue to be promoted, but also to stammer with my superiors, intrigue with my colleagues, and win over my subordinates in order to support me. Some officials fell in the process of degeneration, and with the dazzling material enjoyment brought about by power, they lost their nature. In addition to encountering a ** imperial court, it is generally difficult for such officials to make a difference. After all, if the upper-level officialdom wants to appoint an official to the post, it must also look at the general character of this official. If we ignore this, the country will be doomed. Either they haven't changed, and it's still difficult for the stunned officials to raise it and show Hai Rui. Or Bao Zheng, he met a good emperor, and then look at his same year (the same list of Jinshi), Han Qi, Wu Yu, Zhao Xu, Wen Yanbo, and then at home for his parents for ten years of filial piety, what does it mean in the Song Dynasty, which values filial piety? So as soon as you enter the career, it's like making a rocket. And his immutability also did many things that were not good for the Song Dynasty.

The third type knows how to build a layer of relationship network, which Di Renjie didn't wake up until he was in his forties, and only took the initiative to find the prince to come to defect, not just to see the prince's love for the people. This network is not necessarily maintained by money, this is an inferior network, and there are many ways, find a big backer, or pull a few more capable friends, or close relatives, or fancy talents, when he is embarrassed, reach out and pull, or the friendship between teachers and students, etc. The fourth group knows the true meaning of rights, which is the interweaving of interests. Even the emperor can't get rid of this custom, otherwise he may not even be able to keep the throne.

Ximen Chong is good, and he is also a talent, and his ethics are good when he is an official. But after all, he is young, although he has followed the prince for many years, but his foundation is thin, and he has not seen too much inside the officialdom, so he can only just enter the second realm. It's not surprising that when I was in my twenties, I looked like him, so I almost went to prison.

The Queen Mother found him because she also took a fancy to him.

With shallow qualifications and little knowledge, he wanted to open a breakthrough when the emperor was away, but he didn't expect Ximen Chong to send this gift to the queen mother.

Officials earn only on their salaries, and it is difficult for them to make ends meet except for high-ranking officials. Fewer than 10 officials who can survive on their salaries alone. Of these 10 percent, at least 9 percent of the families are in good financial condition, and if they don't expect to live with this salary, promotion is only an honor, otherwise 1 percent is not enough. However, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the rule of officials has been relatively peaceful, and only about half of the officials have really fished from the heads of the people. What about the other officials? There are many ways to do this, such as letting a domestic servant or a relative run it. A lot of officials have a hidden second income. One. There are also some various incomes, such as banquets, birthday banquets, wedding banquets, funeral banquets, and even concubine banquets, sons and grandsons to catch the week banquet, and lower-level officials and people who have stammered have to give gifts. Second. Finally, it's this fire.

This is important.

Even some state and county officials are unable to handle government affairs without it. Ximen Chong is the Taicang Order, which is not needed. But what about being an assassin and a prefectural magistrate?

For example, some impoverished counties are only equipped with a county order and a county officer, and they do not even have a master book. However, these counties are the most difficult to govern, the simplest is to have officials and clerks, etc., and the imperial court also has a salary, but it is not an official salary, which is deducted from the local finances. In places that are difficult to govern, if you want your subordinates to be motivated, you must pay enough salaries. If you don't pay the decree, can you make it publicly marked on the finances? No! Therefore, these expenses are also deducted from fire consumption.

These situations have been the case since ancient times.

Li Wei also discussed this with Di Renjie.

But both of them passed by slightly, and Li Wei didn't say deeply, and there was no way to say it. If the imperial court withholds the salaries of officials, it will become more and more greedy, with high salaries and incorruptible salaries, and people's hearts will be inadequate, and they will be greedy for ink. There is one point, Li Wei has not said it, Zhu Yuanzhang hates corrupt officials the most, his parents and his two elder brothers have forced corrupt officials to death, so after ascending the throne, tens of thousands of corrupt officials were killed, and at the highest time, 364 officials were released in a year, and six were executed a year later, and 358 people were killed and flowed in vain, and none of them were moved, but did they eliminate corruption?

It seems that this is also a virtue of China, as soon as you become an official, you must be greedy for ink, as if you are not greedy and not a Chinese person.

Originally, Li Wei also hated it, but when he grew up to now, he has three masters in recent years, one is Di Renjie, who is the first person to talk to him about all kinds of truths, the second is Pei Xingjian, who teaches him military affairs, and the third is his mother. Guarding against his mother, he is also studying in secret. Therefore, I have gradually seen this, as long as I don't overdo it, I have to get by.

In particular, fire consumption cannot be mentioned, and this topic is still a forbidden topic compared to the annexation of land and the sale of human beings.

can't be revealed, whoever reveals it will be embarrassed.

But the two also talked about something.

Mainly gold and silver treasures, gold and silver as a monetary system, officially to the Song Dynasty, but still not widespread, although the trade is developed, gold and silver are less, can only be used as a quasi-monetary system, even inferior to today's Tang Dynasty Jianghu status. After the Ming Dynasty, there was more silver, and it became one of the mainstream currencies of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Li Wei had good intentions and got it out in advance. Various measures have also been taken, including anti-counterfeiting, promotion and increasing the number of sources. But there were still drawbacks quickly.

The first drawback is the instability of the price, it is not only a quasi-currency, but also a precious metal, which is not like paper money, in addition to making money can be stupid? Writing, drawing, or wiping your mouth? A large amount of gold and silver was brought from overseas, but how large was the total economy of the Tang Dynasty? It's not taxes, the average tax of the Tang Dynasty is only one-eighth of that of the Song Dynasty, don't look at such a large territory. However, the reason for this is the underdevelopment of commercial taxes and the fact that there are too many large households that are exempt from taxes. Similarly, there was the Ming Dynasty, which was poorer than the Tang Dynasty. However, this is not the case among the people, and the disparity is at most a quarter of that of the Song Dynasty. Once recognized by the people and circulated rapidly, the gold and silver of the Tang Dynasty were simply not enough. Moreover, it continues to be needed to make beautiful utensils and jewelry.

As a result, the price gradually rose all the way as Li Wei sent people to threaten. After the rise, it also caused a result, the Chinese like to follow the trend, the more the price rises, the more people collect it, reluctant to take it out and use it. In the long run, there will be no officials who will re-melt the gold and silver treasures for the sake of fire, and there will be private individuals who will melt it for the difference in price.

Another incident happened, a small island in the South Seas is rich in gold, and I don't know how to let this group of seafarers know. But which island has a small country that the Buddha swore that it had never had contact with the Tang Dynasty before, and the civilization was also very backward. For Haike, it is a big country, so several Haike joined forces to attack this small country, and after several fierce battles, this small country was finally destroyed, killing and wounding hundreds of strong men. Ignore this.

Di Renjie was worried about the former point. Eventually, the source of gold and silver will increase, but the people will melt the gold and silver treasures, and once they increase, the price will become a downward trend. Big households don't matter, some big families are even more sensitive than the imperial court. Once sold in advance, the people will still suffer. That would create a small disaster for the people, and it would also cause a lot of strife.

Li Wei was very surprised. Di Renjie is talking about the bubble theory. But not without reason. Therefore, I had to say that I would take a look in two years, and if the situation was bad, the court would make another adjustment. He only knows a little bit about economics, and that's all he can do.

The second drawback is not fire consumption, but taxation.

At that time, in order to reduce the unfairness, Li Wei used two forms of grain and silk tribute tax and numismatic tribute tax to use each other. It is not only convenient and fair, but also has some benefits, such as the same state and county, those in Nanshan must go to Beishan to pay grain, but there is a small river in front of Nanshan, and the grain can be transported out when it is loaded on the boat. Then I can sell it on the spot in Nanshan and go to Beishan to replace taxes with cash. It's a local convenience.

And according to the equal division, there were gram discounts, and these gram discounts were thrown away from the loss of transportation, and the taxes that the court finally received did not change, but the people paid a large amount of taxes less. This is also equivalent to reducing the burden of the people, of course, the imperial court also got real benefits, a process of transportation, a process of storage and loss, and every year will save a lot of money.

The intentions are good, but the implementation process is not the same.

As Huang Zongxi wrote in the Ming Dynasty, he said a problem, whether it is two tax laws or one whip law, the motive for the implementation is very kind, but once it is implemented, the tax is always increasing, that is, every time the agricultural tax is changed, the farmer's tax will be increased once. It is also called Huang Zongxi's law. It's a pity that Li Wei hasn't read this book, and even if he did, he forgot it negligently.

This phenomenon also existed in later generations, two counties had the same income, and a county leader said that we were a well-off county for the sake of political performance, and we were promoted. Another county took pity on the people, saying that we were a poor county, and the officials did not want to be promoted, but the people benefited. The people of Xiaokang County over there are still wondering, no matter how you look at it, it's almost the same, why have we become well-off, isn't it? Don't forget, you're just a common man, and you can't complain. The former is a bastard, the latter is not desirable, they all pity the common people, the state wants to be exempt from taxes, it wants subsidies, what about the state finances? It's best to be realistic. But how many officials can do it? And it's definitely the former. Promoting officials and making a fortune is the main idea of officials, loving the people like a son, playing a fart role?

The same was true of the Tang Dynasty.

This tax was saved, but the officials thought that the people still had potential to be tapped, so they added other taxes in disguise to improve their political performance. They also have a good idea, you have replaced taxes with money, saved transportation labor and losses, I have a political achievement, and you have not increased the burden. But this is not the case, for example, in the case of the former, the people of Beishan continue to pay taxes in kind, and the loss has not decreased, and the labor force has not decreased, but the tax has doubled.

As a result, the imperial court's finances increased, and it must have increased somewhat, but many local people began to complain. This investigation is not very easy to check, of course, in doing so, the fire consumption has also increased, and the private pockets of officials have become more and more bulging than before.

There is nothing to be done about this Li Wei, after all, once it is seriously handled, it will offend many officials, and it is not a rational approach in this kind of political situation. can only wait, and wait for him to officially take over the power before seriously dealing with it.

But the harm is definitely not as great as Ximen Chong's proposal.

Ximen Chong didn't expect it at all, first, he looked uncomfortable, and second, he was afraid that Wu Zetian would take the opportunity to suppress him, and it would be too easy for the Queen Mother to suppress him. So the topic was thrown out and used as self-preservation.

But Ximen Chong still didn't understand, Di Renjie didn't want to talk to him anymore, and said, "You go." ”

Big trouble is coming.

Moreover, Liu Renliang was put in Chang'an, ostensibly because Li Zhi borrowed his son to go to the Western Regions and reshuffle the court, he thought that he still had vitality, and his vitality was so full that he could seal the five mountains. The minister also understands that this father-son style is already very restrained in the royal family, and if it were another father and son, there would have been a long time ago. However, Di Renjie's intuition told him that this was not the case, the imperial court had made some big changes, Liu Renliang was the biggest card of the imperial party, and if it was sent to Chang'an, what would the emperor think?

This approach is very unwise, but it makes Di Renjie smell a breath, a breath that is very beneficial to the emperor, Di Renjie doesn't know the specifics, and he doesn't know what the emperor's physical condition is. At this time, no matter what, it is necessary to protect the emperor from major accidents. So he found Wei Yuanzhong and discussed for a long time, but in desperation, he had to come up with a stupid way to lose the car and protect the handsome.

The next day, Wu Zetian made a move.

But she didn't speak, it was Li Zhi who said it, summoned the ministers in the palace, and said Ximen Chong's words as they were. Then he said dissatisfiedly: "If it weren't for Ximenqing, I would still be in the valley today." Why hasn't any of you brought this up to me? ”

Li Zhi's anger is also true, and Li Zhi will know some of the greasy things in the middle, but he grew up in the deep palace since he was a child, and he still doesn't know enough about folk affairs, so he doesn't know how deep the cat is greasy. Most of the ministers bowed their heads, and most of them climbed up step by step from the grassroots level, more or less stained with the smell of fire.

But a few people looked at Ximen Chong together, and then looked at Di Renjie and a few of them, thinking, are you stupid?

said that it was a fire consumption, and Ximen Chong also knew that it could not be cured, but he originally wanted to say it, first, for self-preservation, and secondly, for thinking that it was a malaise of the Tang Dynasty, and whether there was a way to improve it. But isn't that the case?

If you want to control the fire consumption, it is possible that more than 70 percent of the country's officials will go into the water. It is a disadvantage, and the previous method of dealing with it by the imperial court has always been too much, and sending people to check it may even become a tool for political opponents to suppress the enemy. However, this is a lose-lose game, and few officials use it. Dealing with officials who have gone too far is normal and has a shocking effect, but that's it. Ximen Chong made a suggestion, but he also had another identity, an important staff member of the prince.

As long as the words came out of his mouth, it was inevitable that various officials would have some ideas, thinking that the emperor was burning the fire. The emperor had similar examples, such as dissatisfaction with the annexation of fields, and set out to make small moves.

Once an official thinks so, a third of them will defect. These are officials, and the impact is worse than that of big households. Not to mention the local officials, that is, the officials of the court, how many of them are suspected of not being involved in fire?

Wei Yuanzhong didn't wait for Li Zhi to finish speaking, and immediately bowed down and replied: "Emperor Taishang, this matter has been going on for a long time, not our dynasty, it has been in all previous dynasties. If you want to deal with it, it will be widely implicated, and the country is in an eventful time, so it is better not to move. ”

"Wei Qing, you are famous for your uprightness, does the country have such drawbacks, and you sit idly by?" Li Zhi said angrily.

He didn't know much about the situation, and after listening to Wu Zetian's relay, he added fuel and vinegar, this is his money, and it is possible that millions of dollars a year will be lost like this, not into the pockets of the people, but into the pockets of corrupt officials and corrupt officials. It can be imagined that his mood is extremely bad.

Di Renjie had no choice but to interject: "Emperor Taishang, this is not the case. Low-level officials are poorly paid and have little to do with their families, so these wastes are generated. In the past, the minister also thought about this, and when the water is clear, there are no fish, and when people are observed, there are no fugitives. If you want to make an inventory, it will have serious consequences. ”

He is also a face-saving person, and in order to eliminate the negative impact of the emperor, he even said that when the water is clear, there is no fish. continued: "And the attrition does exist everywhere, and it is difficult to say that there is a single ugly one. Even if even the most shrewd officials are sent to check the accounts, it may be difficult to find out. And when they check it, officials in various places will immediately feel uneasy and turbulent. Besides, the reason why the Emperor Taishang sealed Zen was because he told the heavens and was auspicious. However, the country was plagued by many disasters, and the people in Guanzhong were displaced and starved everywhere. The four Yi invaded each other and rebelled. The regeneration incident loses the wonder of sealing Zen. ”

This sentence is said sharply, it is said like this, but it cannot be heard like this. What is the light of day, you are still sealing Zen, and you have to think about sealing Wuyue, the upper beam is not correct and the lower beam is crooked, how to make the officials below honest?

At this time, Ximen Chong came to his senses and made a serious mistake, and immediately said: "Emperor Qiqi, this is a young minister who doesn't know how to do things, so he made some roundabout discussions. I also hope that the emperor will forgive his sins. ”

There is no way to control the fire consumption. Even the person who made the suggestion took the initiative to think that it was a roundabout statement, and the matter was put down. But Li Zhi was still very angry, and in a fit of anger, after all, Di Renjie and Wei Yuanzhong were in harmony, lost their integrity, and took the opportunity to demote Wei Yuanzhong to Youzhou for a long history. Not only did it return to its original form, but the situation in Youzhou was not very good, and it would be invaded by the Turks at any time. This is no less than exile. Di Renjie was also relegated to Weizhou to make a history of assassination. As for Ximen Chong, he became a villain over and over again, and was demoted to a small county in Chaozhou to make a county order.

This time, the imperialist party suffered the heaviest blow.

The Six King Kongs, Pei Xingjian's condition worsened, Liu Renliang went to Chang'an, and then Wei Yuanzhong and Di Renjie, leaving only Zhu Jingze and Li Yiyan with two fruitful results. Li Yiyan's talent, everyone knows, Zhu Jing's status is not too high.

This is great news for the post-party.

Yet the other suffered a small retribution.

Seeing that Gu Dulu was in the Dujin Mountain, Tiele in the north thought that their power was weak, so he organized an army of 3,000 and launched an attack. But they underestimated the appeal and expansion speed of Gu Lulu, who personally commanded 2,000 troops and fought fiercely with the Tiele people on the banks of the Dule River. In the battle, the army of 3,000 Tiele was completely defeated, and countless soldiers were killed. This great victory restored the fear of the Turks to the Tiele tribes in the north. Gu Lulu quickly forcibly expanded his power to Mobei.

But it was still not enough, and he sent Ashide Yuanzhen to establish Nanya in Heisha. The policy of the Tang Dynasty at this time was to wait for the drought in Guanzhong to ease before preparing for the army. In any case, the scale of the Turkic rebellion was far less than before, and it was deep in the desert, so it was intended to take a long-term view.

However, the Turks returned to Heisha, and Zhang Qianmiao, who was stationed in the Shan Yu Protectorate, could not bear it anymore and took the initiative to lead his troops to attack. The two armies fought, but the results proved that Zhang Qianmiao was at least a brave general for now, not a famous commander, and not as he and Cheng Wuting said, Ashina Funian and Ashdwinbo were forced to defeat by the two of them.

In the Battle of Heisha, the Tang Dynasty army was defeated, with countless casualties. They were embarrassed to report it, but vaguely wrote a letter of remarks and exaggerated the strength of the Turks, and presented it to Mount Tai. But Gu Dulu was not satisfied, he was a subordinate of Ashdwinbe, and he also gave Wenbo some ideas. The Tiele people scared the Turks, and the Turks scared the Tang people, but at this time, the hated emperor went to the Western Regions, Pei Xingjian was seriously ill, and it was a good time to attack the Tang Dynasty.

He wanted to build the confidence of the Turkic warriors with victory after victory.

A larger offensive is already brewing in the desert. After receiving Zhang Qianxuan's recital, Li Zhi thought hard about meditation, and thought of a person, so he issued an edict to recall Xue Rengui. The original meaning of this edict is good, and it is also used by the right person. But as soon as Xue Rengui left, Songzhou left a big gap. So many things have happened, and Li Zhi didn't have the heart to read it. But that wasn't enough, Li Wei forcibly disbanded the pharyngeal face, which finally led to a second war in the Western Turks.