"The task given to me by Emperor Li Yuan is to investigate the collusion between Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu and Li Shimin, but there is no reason for them to collude?" Zhang Chao thought.

Zhang Chao began to write and draw on the white paper, and then began to write and draw with the quill pen he had just made. This quill pen was used by Zhang Chao to make some drafts in order to adapt to the habits of later generations. Some documents are not official, and he mostly uses a quill pen to write and draft, and then uses a brush to re-transcribe. However, he is not writing a draft now, but analyzing some relationships.

"Chen Shuda was the royal family of the Nanchen period, after Nanchen was destroyed by the Sui Dynasty, he entered the Sui Dynasty as an official, and he was regarded as a royal family of the dead country. Chen Shuda has a very huge influence in Jiangnan and represents the interests of the wealthy families in Jiangnan. And Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu is the clan of the Western Liang royal family, and the Western Liang originated from the Southern Liang, and the Southern Liang was destroyed by Chen Ba of the Southern Chen. They should logically be enemies, and the relationship should not be good. And the previous situation also showed that their relationship was not good, and they often quarreled. ”

"But why would they speak for Li Shimin together? The Jiangnan Hao clan did not support Li Shimin's idea, at least on the surface, there was no obvious situation. And Xiliang has no cooperative relationship with the Li family, whether Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin are emperors, then they can actually enjoy wealth and prosperity. However, it doesn't make sense why they would support Li Shimin together! ”

Zhang Chao wrote the names of Chen Shuda, Xiao Yu and Li Shimin together on this blank paper, and then tried to analyze the internal connection between them. But Zhang Chao couldn't figure out why this Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda would help Li Shimin, preferring Li Shimin to help him speak, especially helping Li Shimin say good things in front of Li Yuan. Of course, if you follow the original historical records, it shows that they take a fancy to Li Shimin and think that Li Shimin is the master, so they will support Li Shimin.

But Zhang Chao will believe this kind of bullshit reason, history books can never believe it, history is a bitch. Son, anyone can "" twice. There is no love for no reason in this world, let alone hate for no reason, Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu, the two who represent the identities of the two royal families who died in the country, and they are both people who have a bad relationship and actually support one person together, there is definitely an article in this. Both of them actually had a grudge against the country, and the Chen family destroyed the Southern Liang, causing Xiao Yu's Xiao family to be forced to establish the Western Liang with the help of the northern regime, and then later incorporated into the Sui Dynasty. This is also related to the Southern and Northern Dynasties back then, but later Nan Chen was eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty, so that both families were the royal family of the dead country. However, Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda represent the identity of the two families in the Tang Dynasty, and they actually have a very poor relationship, after all, the ancestors have the enmity of the country, which is not so easy to dissolve.

On the other hand, there is no need for them to participate in the battle for succession, and there is not much benefit for them to participate in the battle for succession. They are all royal families of the dead country, and their transcendent status in identity makes it impossible for them to obtain an absolute high position in Li Tang. No matter who they support, they actually represent the interests of the Jiangnan Hao clan behind them, and they are actually all representatives of the Jiangnan Hao clan. There is no reason for them to participate in the succession, and the benefits of the succession are not as great as they imagined.

But this Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda actually supported Li Shimin together, and this must have his internal connection. However, Zhang Chao couldn't judge their internal connection for a while. If he didn't figure out this inner connection, Zhang Chao wouldn't be able to complete the task given to him by Li Yuan. Because Li Yuan asked him to investigate why Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu supported Li Shimin, there must be an article in it.

Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda's subordinates did not directly support Li Shimin, nor did they publicly support Li Shimin. They only secretly supported Li Shimin in private with the two prime ministers, just to help Li Shimin say two good words at a critical time, but that's all. Therefore, all this evidence also shows that the Jiangnan Hao clan did not join in this battle for succession. Judging from the past history, the Jiangnan wealthy clan does not have too many advantages in the 'game' of dominating the world, and they all rule the south in the north. Since ancient times, China has dominated the north with the south, so the political groups in the north have a major advantage. In the past few hundred years, the Guanlong group has dominated China, and the Shandong scholars have also been suppressed a lot, and they do not occupy the mainstream. As for the Jiangnan Hao, they are not too qualified to participate in the game of dominating the world. They are too far away from the Central Plains to effectively influence the Central Plains. If they want to support Li Shimin, then their 'logistical pressure' is really big enough. It is too unrealistic to convey political influence from Jiangnan. Instead of participating in the battle for succession, it is better to find a way to run the local area, and then stick to one side, and finally send a few outstanding people to participate in the struggle for power and profit in the central government, and just show each other well. As for the battle for succession, isn't it too redundant? ”

Zhang Chao quickly analyzed that there was no reason for the wealthy families in Jiangnan to participate in the battle for succession. In fact, this battle for succession is also qualified to participate in the Guanlong Group in the north and the Shandong Shi clan, as for the Jiangnan Hao family, they have a high cost and low income to participate in this battle, so they should not be so stupid to participate in this battle for succession. And there is no evidence above the court that the representatives of the wealthy clans in Jiangnan participated in a large number of battles for succession, and even this Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu helped Li Shimin through some simple help such as saying good things, and did not support Li Shimin with all their might.

And Zhang Chao immediately began to think, after the Xuanwumen Revolution in history, Li Shimin became the emperor and immediately deposed Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda. And if you look at it from this aspect, there are obviously some problems with Li Shimin's behavior. Although Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda are listed in history as one of the important contributors to helping Li Shimin win the throne, why did Li Shimin not long after he became the emperor, and these two guys were dismissed from their positions as prime ministers? And if it is just on the surface, Li Shimin may not believe these two guys. Of course, at that time, it was not ruled out that Li Shimin wanted to leave the position of prime minister to his own people, that is, the eldest grandson Wuji and Fang Xuanling Du Ruhui, these senior cronies.

But Li Shimin's behavior of directly exempting the patriarch and prime minister is too ugly, and he is not afraid of the chill of others? Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu were obviously also heroes who helped him win the throne, but Li Shimin actually abolished their prime minister position just a few days after becoming emperor. This is obviously not in line with common sense, because any emperor who has just taken office, although he will inevitably face the situation of a son of heaven and a courtier, but Li Shimin seems to be too anxious, and it is not at all like the behavior that a politician should have.

However, it can be judged that Li Shimin is not a mature politician by virtue of his "impulsive" behavior, if this is really the case, then I am afraid that every emperor of all dynasties can be called a mature politician. Li Shimin is not stupid, but very smart. But Li Shimin actually did such a "stupid thing" and was too anxious about personnel adjustments, especially the personnel adjustment of the prime minister, which was simply "hard work"! That is based on the fact that Li Shimin is not stupid, which shows that Li Shimin has undergone careful consideration, and he thinks that even if he does it hard, he will "get rid of" these two prime ministers.

"Li Shimin is not stupid, he has only been the emperor for a few months, and he has deposed the prime minister, and in the eyes of everyone, these two are still his heroes and cronies, and they shouldn't be so fast when they cross the river, tear down the bridge, unload the mill and kill the donkey! From this point it is enough to show that Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu may not be Li Shimin's cronies, and even Li Shimin is not at ease with them at all, or even distrustful. But could it be that Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda are also fools who help a prince who doesn't trust him? Why did they come to this? Zhang Chao thought again.

Zhang Chao asked the next scribe in his hand: "You have also been in office since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, can you tell me how Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu became prime ministers back then, and what did the imperial court experience at that time?" ”

The scribe heard Zhang Chao's inquiry, and immediately explained very happily: "The emperor had just raised his troops, and his subordinates were all brought from Taiyuan. At that time, there were not many cronies around the emperor, especially those who could be qualified to serve as Zaifu. Sufficient qualifications are insufficient, and sufficient qualifications are insufficient. When the emperor started his business, he used talents in an eclectic manner, and even the businessman of Yoshihara County was reused, and even treated as a close friend. However, at that time, when my emperor accepted the Zen concession, there were not many people in the three provinces in the center of the imperial court who could take on the position of prime minister. When the emperor was proclaimed emperor, Dou Wei and Xiao Yu served as the historical order of the internal history province, that is, the Zhongshu order of Zhongshu Province. Liu Wenjing is Nayan, that is, the current servant of the door, Pei Lin shoots for the servant. Although the King of Qin was Shang Shu Ling, he did not have the actual right to manage Shang Shu Province, and in fact Pei Lin was the de facto person in charge of Shang Shu Province. ”

Later, Liu Wenjing rebelled and was killed by the emperor. Then Dou Kang took over Na Yan, which also caused the two prime ministers of Nei Shi and Na Yan to be from the Dou family. ”

Zhang Chao immediately asked: "Doesn't the emperor shy away from it?" The Dou family is a relative! ”

"Yes, the Dou family is a relative, so naturally it cannot be reused. But at that time, the emperor really had no choice, and there was no suitable talent, so naturally he had to give priority to his relatives. However, Dou Kang was soon ordered by the emperor not to interfere with Nayan's authority, and instead let Chen Shuda be in charge of Menxia Province. Chen Shuda was the Huangmen Shilang of Menxia Province at the time of the founding of the country, so it was actually Chen Shuda who was in charge of Menxia Province. After Dou Kang died, Chen Shuda took over the position of Nayan, and later changed his title to become the current servant. Later, Dou Wei gradually faded out of the imperial court, and was honored as a foreign relative, and did not continue to interfere in government affairs. Therefore, Xiao Yu also became the direct person in charge of the Ministry of Internal History, and was later promoted to serve as a scholar. ”

Zhang Chao immediately asked: "Then why did the emperor let Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda pay homage?" ”

"Because the emperor has no one available, that's why they will be the prime minister. If you want to be the prime minister, it is not so easy, background, qualifications, ability, etc. are indispensable. Therefore, when the emperor has no one available, he can only use them temporarily! ”

Zhang Chao continued to think that the political personnel arrangements in the early days of the Tang Dynasty were not very suitable. Because Li Yuan couldn't come up with a talent to take the lead at a critical time, he did not hesitate to appoint his relatives. And being a prime minister is not so easy, especially when the Tang Dynasty has not yet been established, it is even more difficult to be a prime minister. Background, ability, qualifications and even chance are all indispensable, especially the issue of birth, which is a very huge gap and the most difficult gap to cross. When Li Yuan had just opened the country, of course, it was impossible to appoint an official from a poor family as the prime minister, because he wanted to gain the approval of the scholars. If Hanmen is directly appointed as the prime minister of the founding of the country, it will definitely chill many scholars and will not support Li Yuan. So, what to do in the future will be talked about later, but during the founding period of the country, the Shi clan must be appointed as the prime minister, and the Shi clan must leave a good first impression.

However, Li Yuan, as a member of the Guanlong Group, could not appoint someone from the Shandong Shi clan in the first place. At that time, there were not too many people in the Guanlong Group around Li Yuan, and the qualifications with strong abilities were not enough, and the ability with sufficient qualifications was not enough. So you can only use relatives, but relatives are also a dangerous thing. Therefore, Li Yuan's appointment of his relative Dou family is also a temporary choice, not a long-term one. Sure enough, Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda, who were born in a wealthy family in Jiangnan, soon took the throne. Maybe this is a way that Li Yuan has no way to appoint the Jiangnan wealthy family, so as to avoid chaos within himself. Li Yuan is in the mud, and he doesn't use his own Guanlong group people, nor does he use the Shandong Shi clan.

If, from a political point of view, both sides are vying for a position, then they will definitely fight. And sometimes the two sides are about the same strength, and if they fight, they will inevitably fall into a kind of lose-lose situation, and then let the regime fall. And this is not something that both sides want to see, so it is easy for them to strike a balance. If the strength of the two sides is about the same, and the fight will be lost and both sides will lose, then it is better to arrange a candidate acceptable to both parties, so as to balance everyone's interests. Politics is the art of compromise, so maybe Li Yuan was out of a balance between the Guanlong group and the Shandong Shi clan, and then appointed Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda, who were from the wealthy families in Jiangnan.

If this is the case, then it can really be explained, Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda are just Li Yuan's choice to balance the interests of all parties in the absence of a suitable candidate. However, this choice of balancing the interests of all parties is not a very good choice. Once a new compromise is reached, it is unlikely that they will be able to continue to sit in this position. ”

That means that Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda were dismissed in the original history, although Li Shimin was crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, it was also an inevitable factor in history. Their position as prime minister came by a very fluke, just because of the compromise between the Guanlong group and the Shandong Shi clan. Therefore, whether Li Shimin becomes the emperor or Li Jiancheng becomes the emperor, the final result is to clean them out. Because by the time the second generation of emperors of the Tang Dynasty began, the second generation of emperors had gathered a lot of talents around them, and according to the practice of a son of heaven and a courtier, the new emperor would definitely support his own people. Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda, the two old ministers, are very eye-catching, so their dismissal is an inevitable factor in history. ”

"However, can't Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu see this? As mature politicians, they should naturally see that they are a product of balance, and they will certainly be able to see that they will not be in this position for long. What would an official think if they knew that they had been in office for a short time and were about to retire? ”

Zhang Chao began to speculate on Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu's thoughts, they should know that they have been slaughtering for a short time, since they know that they will not be in office for a long time, they must find a way to make profits for themselves. Zhang Chao has experienced many officials in his later life, and of course he knows which officials who are about to retire have an idea, that is, they have the right not to expire and be invalid. Since Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu knew that they would not be able to continue to be prime ministers soon, they must find a way to profit for themselves within this last range of power, so as to seek the greatest benefit for themselves. has the right not to expire and invalidate, this should be the idea of Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu.

"I see that maybe they're just doing power rent-seeking. Their relationship with Li Shimin is nothing more than a benefit giveaway, and then they help Li Shimin say good things. They did not represent the Jiangnan wealthy family to help Li Shimin win the heir, but just to get the maximum benefit when he was the prime minister in the end. The relationship between them and Li Shimin is definitely a transaction of interests in Chiguoguo, Li Shimin doesn't know what benefits he has come up with, and then asks Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda to say good things for him, so that Chen Shuda and Li Shimin are just a one-shot deal. Anyway, they all know that whether Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin becomes the emperor, they will have to leave mellowly, so he will simply blackmail him. While he was still in the position of prime minister, he chose to cooperate with Li Shimin. Anyway, Li Shimin gave them enough benefits, so they would all cooperate with Li Shimin. ”

Zhang Chao figured it out, these two guys were bought by Li Shimin's monetary interests, so they both chose to support Li Shimin. And Li Shimin also chose to buy these two prime ministers, so let these two prime ministers help him say good things in front of Li Yuan. Li Shimin had already calculated that they would have this kind of thought, and then spent monetary benefits to buy them, so that they would all say good things for Li Shimin. However, this only represents personal support for Li Shimin, and does not represent the support of the wealthy families in Jiangnan for Li Shimin.

"Li Shimin has been preparing for a long time in order to be the emperor. Not only did he install people around Li Jiancheng, but he also did the work of the two prime ministers a long time ago, so that the two prime ministers had already taken refuge in him. And the so-called Li Shimin's destiny in history, and he was still moved by Li Shimin's benevolence and righteousness, so those prime ministers helped Li Shimin, so it must be Li Shimin who bought him with money. Zhang Chao thought.

In history, Li Shimin used money to buy all kinds of people, and then created the so-called situation that Li Shimin was a good person, as if Li Shimin was a bad guy when he was built. However, Zhang Chao actually does not reject these from the bottom of his heart, because in fact, politics is so dirty, most of them are power-for-money transactions, and even all kinds of red fruit transactions. In order to inherit the throne, the prince bribed his courtiers. And the courtiers, in order to obtain glory and wealth, engaged in political speculation here. As for what it means to win by personality charm, there are very few of them. At least Li Shimin may have a good personality, but he is only a person from the middle and lower classes. Li Shimin is very concerned about the middle and lower-class figures, so he has attracted many generals from poor families like Cheng Biting Jin Wei Chi Gong, so Li Shimin has a great influence in the army.

But in the face of those nobles, these so-called charismas are useless. The Shi clan values the interests of Chiguoguo more, so they are a group of guys who don't see rabbits and don't scatter eagles. And Li Shimin also understands this truth, so he uses personality charm for the lower classes, and buys the interests of Chiguoguo for the scholars. In this way, a network that can spread all over the upper and lower classes of society can be formed, so that this network supports Li Shimin as emperor. Li Shimin was actually weaving a network before this, working hard to compile his own network, and then he could eventually become an emperor.

Li Shimin's ability is very good, he is an excellent commander on the battlefield, and he can lead many famous generals to win the war. And even in the rear, they are good at governing people's livelihood, and they are also very good at intrigue and trickery. From this point of view, Li Shimin is indeed better than Li Jiancheng.

"However, this has nothing to do with me, I just want to come up with something to deal with now!" Zhang Chao thought.

Zhang Chao's current role is not to support Li Shimin, or to oppose Li Shimin. At present, he just wants to seize the evidence that Chen Shuda, Xiao Yu and Li Shimin are trading power rent-seeking and power-for-money, and as long as he finds evidence, he can give Li Yuan an account. Now Zhang Chao's boss is Li Yuan, and he must first take care of his boss's tasks, not to please the heir of a certain boss. Anyway, he is also a "low-level employee", and this kind of high-level struggle has nothing to do with it directly, so he just needs to complete the boss's task.

However, how did Li Shimin hand over the money to them? If there is no suitable fund delivery channel, then I am afraid that anyone will be able to know that Li Shimin has colluded with them, so Li Shimin, Chen Shuda and Xiao Yu must have a hidden fund delivery channel, otherwise they will not be able to reach a deal at all. Our duty is to find this channel of capital delivery and hand it over to Li Yuan, the emperor, and then it has nothing to do with us. Zhang Chao thought.