Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

There is absolutely no problem in suspending investigations into corrupt officials.

After all, the person in power now is Li Shimin. If he continues to rectify the corrupt officials in the Tang Dynasty, he may end up in big trouble.

Cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents!

If he acted too drastically and suffered backlash in the end, even Li Shimin might not be able to save him.

The painful lessons of Shang Yang and Lord Father Yan are still vivid in our minds.

As for shaking hands and making peace with Changsun Wuji, I'm afraid it's too late.

The old silver coin Changsun Wuji knew very well that the prince would not tolerate him as the king's uncle. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would definitely not give up.

Moreover, this old silver coin is greedy for power, so how can he bear to give it up?

A moment of silence.

Du He bowed and said politely, "Your Majesty, when I return, I will ask the Three Departments and the Ministry of Revenue to stop their actions, and then continue to sort out the various systems of the Ministry of Revenue."

"I have always been respectful to the Duke of Zhao. As long as he doesn't bully me, how could I dare to disrespect him?"

Ha ha.

A little rascal who talks nonsense.

Li Shimin knew Du He's temper and personality very well. How could this bold and daring boy be respectful to Changsun Wuji?

If he hadn't intervened in time, Changsun Wuji would probably have been forced into a desperate situation by Du He.

"Row!"

Li Shimin nodded and instructed Du He with his eyes fixed on him.

"Du He, since you have made a promise to me, then you should behave yourself. If you continue to attack Zhangsun Wuji, I will deal with you."

When did he make the promise?

Du He muttered a few words in his heart, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, what should I do if the Duke of Zhao bullies me?"

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "If Zhangsun Wuji takes the initiative to provoke you, I will also deal with Zhangsun Wuji!"

That’s it for now.

Du He stood up and said, "I obey your order!"

He knew very well that Li Shimin was playing a game of checks and balances. The Guanlong forces could be weakened, but they could not be completely defeated.

Otherwise, the Five Surnames and Seven Families and the new nobles in Hedong will become unbridled wild horses.

Du He, however, had no such concerns. With the Guanlong family down, he could easily suggest that Li Chengqian support the forces of the poor.

Except for Ma Zhou, Xue Rengui, Xi Junmai and others, more than half of the hundreds of scholars recruited by the Eastern Palace were from poor families.

Coupled with the subsequent imperial examinations to recruit talents, there would certainly be no shortage of officials from humble backgrounds in the imperial court.

Let’s finish talking about business.

Li Shimin said worriedly, "Du He, the population of the Tang Dynasty is less than 2 million now. Do you have any ideas for rapidly increasing the population?"

"Now that the territory of the Tang Dynasty is constantly expanding, it won't work without the people!"

Over the years, the Tang Dynasty brought back hundreds of thousands of young women from Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje and other countries, and also rewarded them to soldiers who had made military achievements.

But for some reason, the number of newborns just can't be increased.

He had previously discussed this issue with ministers such as Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Xiao Yu and Ma Zhou, and had also formulated a series of national policies.

But the effect is still not good.

On the other hand, this bastard Du He had six children in just a few years. He is definitely an expert in population growth.

In addition, Du He was the Minister of Revenue and was also responsible for the population affairs of the Tang Dynasty, so Li Shimin wanted to see if Du He had any good ideas.

"Increase the population?"

Du He's expression changed slightly, and then he frowned in thought.

Dozens of breaths passed.

Du He bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I believe there are two main reasons hindering the population growth of the Tang Dynasty."

"First, the able-bodied men of the Tang Dynasty were constantly away at war, leaving their wives and concubines unable to bear children."

Now most of the strong men in the Tang Dynasty have been recruited. If those women want to find the old man next door, I'm afraid they can only find the old man next door.

In this situation, if they get pregnant, it would be a disaster.

After two years of fighting outside, he returned home with a son who was only one and a half years old. No one could bear it.

There was a pause.

Du He continued, "Secondly, the soldiers' families were poor, and they were afraid of dying in battle and leaving behind orphans and widows, so they didn't dare to have too many children."

The biggest obstacle affecting the fertility of the people in the Tang Dynasty was money.

How can you dare to have new children when you can’t even eat enough and wear warm clothes?

Even though the Tang Dynasty is extremely wealthy now, that is only limited to princes, nobles and aristocratic families.

The lives of the vast majority of the people were extremely miserable.

If he had not innovated the method of raising domestic pigs, the people of the Tang Dynasty would probably have to wait until festivals to eat meat.

After listening to Du He's analysis, Li Shimin fell into silence.

In the first year of Zhenguan, after a long discussion with a group of counselors, he issued the decree to encourage people to get married.

The law stipulates that the marriage age for men is 20 years old and for women is 15 years old, and family elders cannot prevent their children from freely falling in love.

Widows and widowers whose mourning period has passed should also remarry as soon as possible.

Once this decree was enacted, the population did increase by two to three million within a decade.

However, considering the current speed of the Tang Dynasty's territorial expansion, this decree is obviously outdated and a new decree must be enacted.

Thinking about it for a long time.

Li Shimin asked expectantly, "Du He, do you have a solution?"

Since Du He can analyze the problem, it proves that he has solutions or a clear direction.

Du He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, since the soldiers spend less time with their wives and concubines, we must increase the time they spend at home."

"In addition, we must address the worries of soldiers who are poor and unable to raise children."

this...

Li Shimin's expression changed slightly.

He said in a deep voice: "Du He, it's okay to let the soldiers stay at home for a while. Now, except for the soldiers who are conquering the Western Turks, the remaining hundreds of thousands of troops can go home in batches to rest."

"As for solving the poverty problem among the soldiers, what solutions do you have?"

The imperial court not only exempted the people who served in the military from taxes, but also gave them dozens of acres of permanent farmland and land for each household.

Is this not enough support?

The court can’t just distribute the silver to the people, right?

If the imperial court really did this, prices in the Tang Dynasty would skyrocket, and a new crisis would then arise.

Du He bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, what we in the Tang Dynasty lack the least is land. We also have plenty of oxen, donkeys, and horses. The court can issue a decree to reward them."

"First: For every child born to a commoner, the court will reward 20 mu of permanent farmland."

"Second: The court gives priority to families who give birth to heirs, lending them oxen, donkeys, or horses free of charge."

"Third: The imperial court distributed grain and seeds free of charge to families who gave birth to offspring."

"Fourth:..."

Du He said out loud what he was thinking about.

Although doing so would increase the burden on the court, rewards were the simplest and most direct way to stimulate people's reproduction in a short period of time.

There will always be brave men when there is a big reward, and it is also useful for the reproduction of the people of the Tang Dynasty.

long silence.

"it is good!"

Li Shimin shouted "OK" in a hurried tone.

"Du He, write down all the measures you just mentioned!"

“The more detailed the better!”