Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Before Du He could stand up to accept the order, Li Chengqian continued, "The new dynasty has implemented many policies, and the Zhenguan Code is no longer sufficient for the operation of the new dynasty. King Han, you must also organize officials to revise the Hongmeng Code."

"You are fully responsible for revising the national history and the laws!"

Besides bestowing titles upon his officials, the new emperor's tasks upon ascending the throne included overseeing the compilation of the national history and revising the laws.

National history is not merely a record of events, but a core carrier of the Mandate of Heaven, the legitimacy of imperial power, and the experience of governance. It also embodies the concept of learning from history.

As for amending the laws, it was also to consolidate the authority of the new dynasty.

Under the watchful eyes of all the civil and military officials, Du He stood up and bowed.

"The minister obeys the order!"

The group of civil officials stared intently at Du He, their minds racing once more.

Compiling the national history and revising the laws would be great achievements for them, and they might even be rewarded with titles. It would be wonderful if they could be chosen by the King of Han!

"Ah."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, and then ordered, "Li Ji, Hou Junji, the countries of India have completely fallen into the territory of our Great Tang. There is no rush to establish new prefectures and counties. You must send people to India to grow grain!"

"India and the Western Turks will be important granaries for the army's westward expedition!"

There was a pause.

Li Chengqian continued, "In addition to establishing military farms, we also need to build a large number of official roads within the territory of India to facilitate the transportation of grain and the marching of large armies."

"You may order around the millions of Indians who have surrendered to the Tang Dynasty."

Last year, when Duhe led an army of 30 to conquer India, there was a problem that the supply lines were too long and the food could not be delivered in time.

India bordered desert states such as Kapisa, Kajutsa, and Gandhara, while Tokharistan bordered the Sasanian Empire and the Khazar Khanate of Persia.

When the army sweeps across the land, it can launch attacks from these two territories.

Hou Junji and Li Ji stood up together and responded.

"The minister obeys the order!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will definitely establish more military farms in India to ensure the food supply for our million-strong army!"

The officials currently guarding the western Turkic territory have stockpiled a considerable amount of grain there.

With the successful experience of establishing settlements in the Western Turkic Khaganate, establishing settlements in the fertile lands of India was not a difficult task.

After discussing the important matters...

Li Chengqian stood up and said, "My dear ministers, the arsenal will officially begin accepting pre-orders today. You may bring your money to the Privy Council to purchase weapons and equipment."

"Don't worry, the weapons the arsenal will provide you will definitely be better than those of your future enemies!"

"Retreat."

Amidst the respectful farewells of civil and military officials, Li Chengqian strode away from the Taiji Hall.

A group of officials and princes surrounded Du He, talking all at once.

Du He heard a buzzing in his ears and couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

"stop!"

Du He shouted, and after they quieted down, he pointed in the direction of the Taiji Hall entrance.

"The people in charge of the arsenal are Ma Zhou and Pei Xingjian. They have already gone to the Privy Council. You should quickly send someone with money to place the order."

"In addition to ordering the weapons, you also need to prepare a list of 3000 militiamen in advance and then submit it to the Ministry of War for approval."

"His Majesty is only allocating 50 spots; if you miss this opportunity, you'll have no chance at all!"

The reason Li Chengqian chose to announce this in the imperial court was that he hoped these 50 spots would be taken by the powerful families behind these officials.

Subsequently, these officials were enfeoffed as princes, and their families became the royal families of their fiefdoms. This was a win-win situation.

The officials were startled when they heard Du He's words.

"what!"

"Do we still need to report to the Ministry of War?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the officials and princes rushed out of the Taiji Hall.

As the crowd dispersed, Du He discovered that only his elder brother Du Gou and his younger brother Du Aitong remained in the spacious Taiji Hall.

Du Gou stepped forward and said, "Second brother, you have been promoted to King of Han, and the third brother and I have been appointed governors. Such important matters should be informed to our parents."

"If you are free tonight, take your wife and children back to the Duke of Lai's mansion."

"The third brother will be going to Bingzhou to take up his post in a few days, and you will also be going to your fiefdom in the future. We brothers will not have much time to get together."

As the eldest brother, Du Gou raised Du He and Du Aitong single-handedly. He never expected his second brother to be so successful, actually promoting them both to the high position of governor.

Although they have not yet been granted titles of kings, they believe that they will receive fiefdoms when His Majesty unifies the world.

Even the three brothers and their father were able to enter the Lingyan Pavilion.

Du He smiled and said, "Brother, once I've made the arrangements, there's nothing left for me to do."

"Tonight I'm bringing my wives, concubines, and a bunch of rascals home to pay respects to our ancestors."

The three brothers chatted for a while longer before leaving the Taiji Hall one after another.

When Du He returned to the main gate of the Privy Council, he found a loud commotion coming from inside.

"Xu Jingzong, who do you think you are? How dare you stand before me! Get out of my way!"

"Pei Datong, don't think you can rank above me just because your son Pei Yan is the director of the arsenal."

"Yang Cen, can your Hongnong Yang clan even muster 3000 militiamen to dare to come and buy weapons and armor?"

"Make way, everyone! Let the King of Jing pay first!"

"..."

Du He peeked inside and saw that the officials and princes were arguing over who would pay for weapons and armor. The princes were even fighting with the officials.

He shook his head slightly, then quickly left the area.

After a cup of tea.

Du He went to the Ministry of Personnel and found a quiet office. He then pondered who would be responsible for revising the national history and the laws.

These tasks would be best left to Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, Shangguan Yi, and Gao Jifu, but they all hold multiple positions, so there's no way to distract them.

Just before his shift was about to end, Xu Jingzong knocked on the door and came in, bowing obsequiously.

"Greetings to the King of Han."

Du He smiled and said, "Minister Xu, there are many sacrificial rites to be performed these days. Why are you here in the Ministry of Rites instead of overseeing the implementation of government affairs?"

Despite being despised by all the officials, Xu Jingzong is quite capable.

Xu Jingzong was a learned man, especially skilled in parallel prose and imperial edicts, whose writing style was both elegant and dignified, as well as powerful and majestic.

His writings were even better than Ma Zhou's.

He is generally reliable when asked to draft important imperial edicts, documents concerning military and national affairs, and sacrificial rites.

Xu Jingzong respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I previously participated in the compilation of the 'True Records of the Martial Virtue' and the 'True Records of the Reign of Zhenguan,' and I hereby volunteer to follow Your Majesty in compiling the national history of the Reign of Zhenguan."

"Although I cannot follow Your Majesty the King of Han in your campaigns, I can serve as your court poet."

Ha ha.

This guy has a good way of talking.

Du He shook his head and said, "Minister Xu, when you were compiling the national history, you exaggerated Feng Deyi's crimes because you had a grudge against him."

"You married your daughter to Qian Jiulong, the Left General of the Imperial Guard. You privately exaggerated Qian Jiulong's achievements and described his family as a top-tier aristocratic family."

"Your compilation of the national history is distorted and unjust; how can I employ you?"