Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 150: Having fun? Make a list.

The naughty boy from Taiji Palace entered Pingzhou.

The monkeys of Chang'an disappeared in Yanshan...

The traitors in Lide Hall have become bandits!

Liaodong Jiedushi resisted Goguryeo? !
His Highness Li Ming will arrive at his loyal Yingzhou today~!!!

↑The above description basically represents the mental journey of Zhang Jian, the governor of Yingzhou, over the past few months.

At the beginning, he was very disdainful of Li Ming who came to seize his power.

Can this little rascal who was raised by women in the deep palace and was hyped up as a so-called "child prodigy" by his followers govern the rough land of Liaodong?
Later, when he learned that Li Ming was suddenly kidnapped by bandits and had become the bandit leader when he reappeared, he smelled something wrong.

Later, when Goguryeo brazenly invaded, cut off Xue Rengui's main force, and surrounded Yingzhou, causing widespread misery, the "bandit" Li Ming suddenly appeared and took on most of the firepower for Yingzhou.

Until the end, the 150,000 Goguryeo troops that had been mobilized in full force were pushed back, pushed back, and pushed back by the wise and powerful His Highness Li Ming...

Therefore, when Li Ming's messenger came to Liucheng, the capital of Yingzhou, to inform Zhang Jian that his younger brother Li Ming (Zhang Jian was Li Yuan's great-grandson, and the two were of the same generation) was about to arrive in Yingzhou.

Zhang Jian did not ask many questions or think too much. After bathing and changing his clothes, he led a group of military officers from the Governor's Office and knelt beside the avenue at the entrance of Liucheng to welcome the royal army.

He didn't know how Li Ming planned to deal with him and his Governor's Office.

But he knew that no matter what decision Li Ming made, it would not be influenced by a mere governor.

Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the Lord!
…………

"Your Highness, nobles, the capital of Yingzhou, Liucheng, is just ahead!"

Zhang Jian's deputy general was very enthusiastic in welcoming the Jiedushi Li Ming and his entourage.

This Confucian general who had made many contributions was able to receive this honor and observe the great Jiedushi up close only after he had defeated a number of his colleagues.

The war against Goguryeo that had just ended not only lifted the siege of Yingzhou, but also shocked the people of Yingzhou and established unparalleled prestige for Li Ming.

Among the people of Yingzhou, His Highness Li Ming's reputation is almost as good as that of a living Buddha.

By throwing beans, soldiers are created. Goguryeo is reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. By turning stones into rice, Pingzhou becomes prosperous in the blink of an eye.

The two major wishes of the ancient people were fulfilled at once.

If this isn't a miracle, then what the fuck do you translate as a miracle?!
"Well, thank you for your hard work." Li Ming stuck his head out of the carriage window and said politely.

He actually spoke to me, he actually said that I had worked hard... The deputy general was so excited that his hands holding the reins were shaking.

Since entering Yingzhou, Li Ming had long been accustomed to the admiring gazes of his fans. He sat in the carriage calmly, looking out the window.

His low-key and luxurious carriage from Chang'an to Pingzhou, along with the Fulai Inn, were all seized by Goguryeo.

So he could only let Hou Junji lead the group, with two people riding one horse, and Wei Daijia lead the three kids, each riding one horse, and the five of them, with four horses, entered the territory of Yingzhou with a light entourage.

Xue Wanche, a rough man who has been single for thirty years, stayed in Pingzhou to look after the house.

As a result, as soon as they crossed the border, they were treated like treasures by the Yingzhou bureaucrats.

Not only did they change to a new carriage, but the local chief official also accompanied them all the way.

I wish I could lie on the ground and carry His Highness Li Ming to Liucheng.

Within the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office, their worship of Li Ming did not reach the level of worship as did ordinary people.

But as the chief officers in charge of both military and political affairs, they can be considered Li Ming's colleagues.

Therefore, they had a deep understanding of the hellish difficulty that Li Ming was facing at the time.

The admiration for him is greater than that of ordinary people who know nothing and just blindly worship him.

At the beginning, he just starts with his mouth, fooling the bandits first, and then he controls the army with his hands.

Finally, he lightly swung a punch and knocked away the 150,000-strong army of Goguryeo that had been gathered by the whole country.

Not only did he beat the enemy on the battlefield, but he also killed their king.

Well, they also fed the poor families in Pingzhou, reclaimed wasteland, built bridges and roads, and developed water conservancy projects...

It is a level that even these military and political leaders would think is too radical in their dreams.

Stop talking, stop talking. If you continue, they will also think this is a miracle and worship it with their whole body.

"So this is the prestige of war? How cool." Li Ming sat in the carriage very contentedly, inspecting the scenery of Yingzhou along the way.

The road conditions here are much better than those in Pingzhou, and the carriage can drive on it quite smoothly.

On both sides of the road were farmers preparing for spring ploughing. Pingzhou was busier than when Li Ming first arrived. The farmers looked healthier. Their clothes were not very thick, but at least everyone had clothes to wear.

Of course, happiness is created by comparison.

Although the conditions in Yingzhou are better than those in Pingzhou, they are still far inferior to those in the heart of the Central Plains.

Poverty and hardship remain the underlying tone here.

Moreover, among the farmers who work hard in the fields, there are also several disabled people with missing limbs.

There are quite a few people with scars on their bodies.

It constantly reminds outsiders that this is a frontier area where wars are frequent and the situation is complicated.

"Is it His Highness? Is that His Highness Li Ming in the car?!"

A farmer took one look at the noble carriage and probably guessed the identity of the fat child at the window, and knelt down in front of the convoy from a distance.

Soon the news spread from one person to ten people, and from ten to a hundred people, all the farmers put down their farm work and kowtowed to Li Ming.

He was a living Bodhisattva who blew away the Goguryeo beast soldiers in one breath and not only saved Pingzhou but also Yingzhou!

Worship quickly and get some fairy air.

"Hello, comrades~"

Li Ming waved to the people and said with a smile to the three big and three small friends in the same car:

"It seems that Zhang Jian has managed Yingzhou quite well. Life here is much better than in Pingzhou at the beginning."

It has to be admitted that although Yingzhou was a military-controlled vassal state before, its leadership was not a traditional civil service system.

However, the worst order is better than no order in Pingzhou.

What's more, Governor Zhang Jian's level of civil administration was quite acceptable, and the lower limit was far from being as low as "the worst order".

Therefore, Yingzhou, where Hu and Han people lived together and the climate was colder, was actually much richer than Pingzhou at the beginning.

It seems that even a military government is better than landlords and compradors.

"Yingzhou originally had more than 1,000 households and more than 5,000 people. After it was changed to a direct jurisdiction, the re-verified household registration was more than 3,500 households and more than 15,000 people."

Wei Daijia casually introduced the situation in the car.

Of course, it was just a casual remark and no one took the information seriously.

When it comes to grassroots governance, they are not targeting anyone, everyone here is garbage.

After taking over the local civil affairs, it was necessary to organize officials to go to the mountains and the countryside to count the heads of people again one by one.

…………

When he arrived at the gate of Liucheng County, Li Ming saw from afar a long line of Yingzhou officials kneeling to greet him.

He pretended not to see it until the carriage approached, then he pretended to be surprised and said:
"Commander-in-Chief Zhang Jian? Oh, oh, I am so embarrassed. Please stand up quickly."

Of course, he was just being polite, his body was too lazy to move at all.

There's no way around it. Having prestige means you can do whatever you want.

"Your Highness, I am so ashamed for not welcoming you from afar! Your arrival is like the sun shining through the clouds, bringing glory to our humble home..."

Zhang Jian knelt for a long time and could not get up, reciting the flowery and ornate words respectfully.

After a lot of boasting, he also prepared three kinds of animals and five kinds of fruits, and planned to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth on the temporary altar at the city gate, and welcome Li Ming into the city like welcoming a Bodhisattva.

Li Ming felt that this was a bit troublesome and shook his finger calmly:

"do not waste time."

"As ordered!"

Zhang Jianru, following the imperial order, immediately waved to his subordinates:

"Withdraw! Don't block His Highness's way. Welcome His Highness into the city!"

Soldiers are soldiers. The Governor's Office had been busy with the altar for several days, but Li Ming said one word and they withdrew without any complaints.

Moreover, under the filter called "War Halo", they feel that His Royal Highness Li Ming's actions are a manifestation of cherishing the people's strength and are a good policy!

Liucheng County is no different from other counties and cities in the inland areas of the Tang Dynasty.

Neighborhoods, markets, curfews, everything is available.

The Tang Dynasty's control policy in Yingzhou was to implement the Tang system in the county seat and allow chieftains to govern the countryside.

Therefore, Liucheng County can be said to be the most marginal county in the Tang Dynasty.

The carriage drove all the way to the Governor's Mansion. On the road, people spontaneously brought food and drink to welcome the governor to his loyal Liucheng.

There are Han people and also Hu people dressed in different styles.

The Goguryeo army doesn't care what ethnicity you are from, they will kill you.

Yingzhou is adjacent to Pingzhou, so it is more informed about the news from there.

They knew that the group of human apes from Goguryeo did some "unhuman" things in the neighboring Pingzhou.

"Burning, killing and looting" are just four light words in history books.

But for ordinary people at that time, it was like the sky falling.

It is no exaggeration to say that His Highness Li Ming is the savior of every citizen in the two states of Liaodong!
Moreover, this little benefactor saved people to the end, and with a little trickery, he was able to feed countless poor people.

Originally, these people were determined not to survive this winter.

In the past few months, the people of Yingzhou have been admiring the great name of His Highness Li Ming.

And now, this little Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering has come in person to spread the Buddha's light to Yingzhou!

How could they not rejoice?
The common people are very simple-minded. They will follow whoever gives them a way to survive and enough food to eat.

"How is it? My strategy of not asking the court for help and resisting the enemy with my own strength is correct, right?"

Li Ming said to his companions with a smile.

Independence and self-reliance are the eight-character mantras that never deceive us.

If he had mobilized people from the beginning and relied on his father's thigh to defeat Goguryeo, his reputation in Liaodong would never have reached such a high level.

In this case, the implementation of "some" policies in the future will encounter great resistance.

This will further affect his subsequent strategic layout...

"Your Highness is truly... a man of great skill and courage, taking a risky move." Wei Daijia said with a wry smile.

Although they had accompanied Li Ming all the way, they still could not understand why this young leader was so stubborn and refused to ask the emperor for help.

Now, they finally understand.

From the very beginning, this reckless little prince had been planning to appear as the "only savior"!

Although the risks are huge, the rewards are undoubtedly greater.

Now it's time to harvest.

"With such a reputation from His Highness, we will be able to do things more easily." Hou Junji commented objectively.

Two adults and two children, a total of four elders from the Fourteen Parties, nodded in agreement.

Yuchi Xunyu's clear and foolish eyes flashed, and he always felt like an outsider:

"Brother Ming, what should we do next?"

Li Ming withdrew his gaze and looked at the excited and thin pedestrians outside the window, his expression gradually becoming serious.

Contradictions can be transformed into each other. Prestige can be both a driving force and a burden.

He had raised the expectations of the people of Yingzhou for him. If he disappointed them, causing a huge psychological gap, the backlash would be extremely serious.

The scariest thing is when fans quit and turn against you.

Li Ming tapped the window sill with his fingers and said slowly:

"Yingzhou is different from Pingzhou. Pingzhou cannot be rushed, and Yingzhou cannot be delayed.

"A heart of a bodhisattva, a method of thunderbolt."

Yuchi Xunyu understood what was said and nodded heavily.

…………

"About 40% of Yingzhou's population are Han Chinese, and 60% are Hu people, including indigenous peoples such as Khitan, Qiang, Fuyu, Mohe, and Shiwei, as well as many millet merchants and their descendants."

In the Governor's Mansion, Zhang Jian reported the detailed situation of Yingzhou to Li Ming.

Logically speaking, as the Liaodong Military Town and the Governor's Office are two independent institutions, Zhang Jian does not need to report to them one by one in detail like his subordinates.

This was also Zhang Jian's plan at the beginning. He handed over the civil affairs documents warehouse by warehouse, dug a few pits and buried a few mines, and hid nearby to watch the show.

Of course, after His Highness Li Ming established his authority in one battle, even if Zhang had ten thousand guts he would not dare to use such tricks.

If Mingge tells him to go east, he would be considered disloyal if he deviates even slightly.

Beside Zhang Jian, his deputy Xue Rengui stood by, imitating the other generals with starry eyes, but did not show any special attitude.

Li Ming also pretended that he was just an ordinary colleague to him. After nodding politely at the beginning, he did not communicate with him anymore.

"Thank you for the introduction, Governor." Li Ming remained polite at all times:

"Have these barbarians caused any rebellion? Are they dissatisfied with the imperial court?"

"There were some frictions in the past, but after Your Highness won the final battle, they all became completely obedient. However..."

Zhang Jian carefully chose his words:

"It's just that after your highness showed his might, those barbarians suddenly had new complaints about one of our policies."

Li Ming raised his eyebrows:
"What policy?"

Is it because I enjoyed killing so much that I scared them silly?
Zhang Jian: "The second generation of the Hu people will automatically obtain Tang household registration. This is your majesty's benevolent policy, and it is also a strategy to digest and dissolve the Hu people."

Li Ming: "Those Hu people don't want their descendants to enter China?"

Zhang Jian: "No, they complained about why they had to wait until the next generation to get a household registration, and why they themselves could not become citizens of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Ming: “Ah, this…”

Well, after I won a battle, people from the Run Kingdom were everywhere, and everyone wanted to be an honorary Tang citizen, right?
"Thank you for your help in governing the area, Commander Zhang Jian. From now on, I will shoulder this heavy responsibility."

With just a few words, Li Ming smoothly took away the power of civil affairs.

Zhang Jian had no intention of objecting at all. He handed over the power to the emperor with both hands and stammered:
"Then... this Governor's Mansion..."

"Of course the Governor's Office is still there." Li Ming showed a magnanimous smile:

"Without Commander Zhang Jian leading the Tang army, how can I govern the area with peace of mind?"

He wants to keep me, he actually wants to keep me, which bastard said that His Highness Li Ming is planning a rebellion... Zhang Jian was so excited that his whole body was shaking.

"Besides," Li Ming added:
"To destroy Goguryeo, we still need the support of Governor Zhang Jian and the entire Governor's Office."

His original intention was that the three terms of the peace treaty with Goguryeo required military deterrence from the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office in order to peacefully transform Goguryeo.

Since Li Ming had to keep the Governor's Mansion in order to appease Li Er's sensitive nerves, he had to find a way to make good use of it.

But Zhang Jian obviously didn't understand the meaning and looked a little dazed:

I destroyed Goguryeo? Is that true or false?

…………

While the Jiedushi and the governor were socializing, Changsun Yan sneaked into the corner of the provincial government and caught several old clerks who were running around.

It is often these low-level experts who can grasp some of the real situations.

"Shi...Shizi?!"

The clerk was suddenly caught by the living Bodhisattva's left and right protectors and was terrified.

Chang Sunyan looked at these old men whose wrinkles were deeper than the soil and whose eyesight was a little bit due to long-term work at their desks, and smiled with a friendly smile:
"Brother, want one?"

I walked around in a familiar manner, and what I smoked was not cigarettes, but hawthorn cakes.

His friendly attitude and amiable wheat-colored complexion quickly put the clerks at ease.

A few people squatted on the ground and chatted like old farmers in the fields.

"Brother, I have a business matter I want to ask you." Chang Sunyan asked casually:
"How did you investigate the household registration in Yingzhou?"

"Visit in person, or have the village head or neighborhood chief report truthfully." The clerk answered in a straight line.

Chang Sunyan glanced at them and jokingly nudged them with his elbow:
"Come on.

"We are grassroots workers, and we have tricks that we can hide from our superiors, but if you hide it from me, then you are a bit unkind."

The clerks looked at each other and laughed awkwardly.

The most senior one among them said:

“To be honest, counting heads may seem simple, but it actually requires a lot of knowledge.

“Some wealthy families may look wealthy, but the number of people in their families cannot be counted.”

Chang Sunyan raised his eyebrows:
"Brother, can you tell me something?"

The old clerk lowered his voice:
“For example, the Hao family of Liucheng has been operating in Yingzhou for many years, and even Governor Zhang Jian has to give them some respect.

"But do you know how many people are registered in his family? One, so his family only needs to pay rent and taxes for one person every year.

"If you give him one more, then you will have to pay the extra tax for him."

Chang Sunyan squatted on the ground, listening silently, his eyes sparkling.

Similar conversations took place across the state capital.

…………

The next day.

Chang Sunyan and others handed in a long list with panda eyes.

"Brother Ming, I have compiled a list based on your instructions and the information from the lower-level clerks.

"These people are suspected of concealing a large number of household registrations."

Hiding one’s household registration is not a big problem, but concealing it on a large scale is a problem.

How big can a family be that it can conceal hundreds of strong laborers at one time?

Obviously, he was a big landowner who employed a large number of tenant farmers.

On the one hand, these landlords occupied a large amount of land, causing a huge gap between the rich and the poor.

On the other hand, they paid less rent and taxes by colluding with officials and concealing their household registration.

Social wealth was concentrated in the hands of this small group of people, but the imperial court was unable to collect taxes from these wealthy people.

With tax sources drying up and fiscal pressure tight, the only option is to double down on exploiting ordinary people who are unable to evade taxes.

Finally, it fell into a vicious cycle, the dynasty collapsed, the world was in chaos, the population was reduced through war, the land was redistributed, and a new dynasty was established, and the cycle continued over and over again.

This is the essence of the so-called "historical cycle law" -

The rich and the poor are unevenly distributed, and fiscal revenue is exhausted.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Li Ming opened the list and took a quick glance at it.

As expected, those who were able to conceal the population in such a large scale were all local landlords in Yingzhou.

Although they could not be called an "aristocratic family" and were far inferior to the Murong family, they were also well-known in the local area.

Many of them were Zhang Jian's guests of honor.

For example, the "Liucheng Hao family" was the so-called "local celebrity" that Zhang Jian specifically introduced when he reported to Li Ming.

It’s good to be a local celebrity. That’s what I do.

We must consolidate the basic foundation of Liaodong, improve people's well-being, broaden the country's tax base, and prevent historical cycles.

We have to take action against these landlords.

"Write a letter to Xue Wanche, urgently." Li Ming instructed calmly:
"Tell the villagers in Yingzhou that the bandits are coming."

(End of this chapter)