Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Ha ha.

How dare Li Chengqian mention filial piety?

When he led his army to destroy Tibet, on his way back to the capital, Li Chengqian went to Yuhua Palace to force Li Shimin to abdicate ahead of schedule.

This guy is no filial son.

Du He said with a smile, "Your Majesty, since you are in such a good mood, then I will gladly accompany you on a hunting trip to Jiuzong Mountain."

"However, we must keep a low profile when we set off, otherwise Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, Liu Ji and others will do everything in their power to stop us."

"These officials are quite resentful right now!"

Now, with an army of 200 million fighting in Africa, Oceania, and North America, the imperial court not only has to handle logistical matters, but also has to send officials to take over the conquered territories.

In addition, several major projects undertaken by the imperial court required the conscription of more than ten million laborers.

In addition to ensuring the quality and quantity of various major projects, the heads of the three provinces and six ministries also had to ensure that local farmland was not left uncultivated, which was an extraordinary task.

These ministers suffered in Chang'an and didn't want to see the two of them enjoy a life of luxury.

There was a pause.

Du He said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you haven't raised the salaries of officials for several years. In addition, everyone is facing arduous tasks now. Shouldn't you slightly increase the salaries of all officials?"

Li Chengqian nodded: "We must raise the salaries of all officials. Du He, how much do you think would be appropriate?"

As someone who experienced it firsthand, he knows how exhausted those officials were during that period.

After thinking about it for a while.

Du He said softly, "My salary should be increased by 30%."

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian nodded, then ordered the eunuch, "Laiji, take my edict to the Secretariat and have Gao Jifu personally draft the imperial decree. From today onwards, the salary of every official will be increased by 30%!"

"promise."

Lai Ji received the order and left quickly.

Li Chengqian and Du He did not stay in the main hall for long. They agreed to set off in two hours and then go back to make preparations.

In the afternoon.

When the officials in Chang'an were the first to receive the imperial edict announcing a raise in their salaries, everyone was immediately overjoyed.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"We received a raise a few years ago, but we never expected His Majesty and the King of Han to be so considerate of our hard work and give us a 30% raise all at once. They are truly our saviors!"

"It's all worth it, no matter how hard or tiring it is!"

Listening to the officials praising His Majesty and the King of Han, Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, Gao Jifu, Shangguan Yi, and others vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

However, considering that they have indeed been very busy lately, and that King Han is a good official who cares about his subordinates, it is only natural to suggest that His Majesty increase their salaries.

When the next value is approaching.

Officials from the Inner Palace Secretariat arrived at the Three Departments, Six Ministries, Ten Temples, and Five Directorates, and conveyed an order to all officials.

"The Emperor Emeritus, His Majesty, and the Prince of Han went to inspect the area north of the Wei River. The court was closed for ten days. The chief officials of the three provinces were in charge of the administration of the various departments, and Prince Li Tai of Zhendong was in charge of supervising the various departments."

Upon hearing this news, Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, and the others were stunned.

The Jiuzong Mountains north of the Wei River are a natural hunting paradise, and His Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus used to go there to hunt often.

I never imagined that with such busy political affairs, Your Majesty and the King of Han would go hunting!

Hey!

Li Tai, who was left behind in Chang'an, also looked resentful.

He was originally just someone waiting to be transferred to a new fiefdom, but his elder brother insisted on assigning him work, and when his father and elder brother went to enjoy themselves, they didn't take him with them.

My heart is cold!

True heartbreak isn't about making a scene, but about remaining silent.

While Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, and Du He were happily hunting and barbecuing in Jiuzong Mountain with their wives, concubines, and children, the officials in Chang'an were busy handling government affairs.

The ten joyful days flew by.

Hanyuan Hall.

A meeting of hundreds of officials.

When Li Chengqian and Du He appeared in the main hall looking refreshed, they found that Li Tai and the civil and military officials were looking at them with eyes full of grievance and resentment.

"hehe."

Seeing the expressions on the officials' faces, Li Chengqian and Du He chuckled dryly.

Li Chengqian said with a serious expression, "My dear ministers, the King of Han and I have been inspecting the Wei River these past few days and found that the local officials have governed it very well. I am very pleased."

"Let's begin today's morning assembly."

The officials dared not cause trouble for His Majesty and the Prince of Han, fearing that these two unreliable fellows would find another excuse to go on an eastern or southern tour to go hunting in places thousands of miles away.

When that time comes, they will suffer greatly.

...

Ever since Li Chengqian and Du He went hunting without a word, the officials have been keeping a close eye on them, so much so that they haven't had time to go for a walk in the snow to relax.

Even towards the end of the year, Du He and Li Chengqian couldn't find a moment of rest.

When officials from the Three Departments, Six Ministries, and the Privy Council saw that the two of them had some free time, they would come to them with a bunch of thorny government affairs, and would even hold various meetings with them.

Left with no other choice, Du He and Li Chengqian had to stay in Chang'an obediently.

Since Du He took charge of the overall situation in Chang'an, the economy, culture, science and technology, and agriculture of the Tang Dynasty have further accelerated their development.

In the third month of the sixth year of Hongmeng, Crown Prince Li Jue established the Great Tang Chamber of Commerce and led a group of officials to build workshops throughout the territory of the Great Tang.

In July of the sixth year of Hongmeng, the Han King's Mansion established the Datang Real Estate Group and began large-scale construction in various prefectures and counties.

In October of the seventh year of the Hongmeng era, the railway connecting Chang'an and Luoyang was completed.

In May of the eighth year of Hongmeng, the first steam engine was officially pulled onto the railway line for testing.

In just three years, the commerce, handicrafts and technology of the Tang Dynasty developed rapidly, and three- or four-story brick houses sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

As for Chang'an, the imperial capital, the changes were even more rapid.

After the outer city was completed, a large five-story reinforced concrete library, a large opera house, and two bustling commercial streets were built.

The population of Chang'an City was as high as 300 million.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is October of the ninth year of Hongmeng.

After a year and a half of testing, the first freight train was officially put into operation. Li Chengqian and Du He found an excuse to go to the ribbon-cutting ceremony and took Li Shimin to Luozhou ahead of time.

As for the chubby Li Tai, he was still assigned to supervise the officials in Chang'an.

The three men, armed with flintlock pistols, hunted for five days in the Western Garden of Luozhou before happily heading to the southern suburbs of Luoyang for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Li Shimin pulled his fox fur cloak tighter, looking at the long iron lump stopped on the tracks with a look of novelty on his face.

"Du He, is this a steam train?"

"The iron chariot was entirely black, with its front towering like a giant beast; it truly looked like something from outer space!"

"I just don't know about its cargo capacity!"

Since the research and development of steam engines and trains began in the 23rd year of the Zhenguan era, it was unexpected that steam trains would be put into operation in just nine years.

Unbelievable!

Du He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is a steam train. Because the technology is not yet mature, the train is very loud and the ride is very bumpy. It is easy to feel dizzy and lightheaded if you sit for a long time."

"When the coal is burning, there is also a pungent coal smoke and sulfur smell."

"Currently, this steam train can only transport provisions, supplies, and weapons; it is not suitable for human passengers."