On March 28th of the seventh year of Yuanzhen, King Wu Li Fuwei returned to the court.
Because he came back escorting Goguryeo officials, it was regarded as a victory for the army.
Moreover, spring was just in time, and everyone in the imperial court wanted to have some fun to make a good start for the seventh year of Yuan Zhen. Li Po felt that this was exactly what he should do.
When news of the great victory last year came to Datang, Chang'an and even other places in Datang, it can be said that the whole country was rejoicing.
At that time, someone suggested a grand celebration, but Li Po suppressed it, mainly because it was winter and people's lives began to become miserable again.
Military victory is indeed worthy of praise, but war is not friendly to ordinary people.
In the winter of the sixth year of Yuanzhen, both the people and the Tang Dynasty actually lived a very compact life, which was far from the prosperous or peaceful season that people in the court talked about.
That is to say, there is no internal war, and people are gradually able to focus on improving their lives, but they are still far from being wealthy. The sequelae of the war in the late Sui Dynasty are not easy to eliminate.
The imperial court was actually not having a good time either. Most areas in the north were still exempt from taxes, and most of the grain and materials entering the national treasury came from Shuzhong.
Although the situation in various provinces in the south of the Yangtze River was much better than that in the north, water transportation had not yet begun, so it was more difficult to transport grain and grass, so the imperial court simply did not bother with that matter.
The grain handed over from various roads in the south of the Yangtze River was sent to Shandong, Henan, and Hebei nearby to feed the conquering army and the various military units stationed in Henan and Hebei.
Sichuan is worthy of being a land of abundance, with grain production increasing year by year, almost single-handedly supporting the operations of the Kansai and Northwest provinces.
The people who lived the best life were actually those in the Jin region where Li Po started his family. The grain production was enough for the people in the Jin region to be self-sufficient, and the pastures in the north could also supply meat. People who wanted to trade with the Turks were still willing to go to the Jin region to reach Dali City.
This trade route is easy to walk and safe.
The more convenient Shuofang and Yulin Commercial Roads are much worse. One is that the inn system is not perfect enough, and the other is that walking there leads to an uninhabited area, which makes business travelers more worried about safety and food and drinking water supply issues.
.
If you are not an experienced businessman, you will definitely not want to take this route. The cost is much different from going to Jin.
The influence of Li Po's collection of refugees to Jin was gradually revealed. In addition, the traffic of caravans made the places along the way to the north of Jin become increasingly prosperous. Except for Jingzhao, other places in the north cannot compare with that there.
.
Every time he saw the performance sent from Jin, Li Po was very proud. That was the place where he started. If after he became emperor, life there would be miserable, wouldn't he be like Lao Zhu?
…………
Having said that, Li Po felt that it was time to celebrate the seventh year of Yuanzhen. After surviving the winter of the sixth year of Yuanzhen, the court and the people could breathe a sigh of relief. Good times were still to come.
This year, when the army returns to the court, some celebrations will be held throughout the Tang Dynasty. Of course, now is the season of spring plowing, and no celebrations can delay the spring plowing.
Everyone in the Tang Dynasty is waiting for this year's autumn harvest to be at its lowest, and the Central Government has also estimated that the water transport fairs will be opened one after another during this summer and autumn.
This must be due to the extensive engineering construction of Yang Jian and his sons in the former Sui Dynasty. As long as the canal channel is dredged a little, the products from the south will be continuously and smoothly transported to the north, which can greatly help the recovery process of the northern region.
It also effectively guaranteed the influence and control of the imperial court over the north and south. This is actually the same as Xiu Chi Dao.
The previous enfeoffment system was particularly helpless because the roads were not smooth, so some nodes had to be established to control the whole country.
Therefore, once there is a problem in the DPRK, it will easily lead to a situation where the princes from various places compete for hegemony. Moreover, once the princes become independent, it will be difficult to pacify them.
Nowadays, roads and canals are like the blood vessels of the entire empire, which can reach every corner faster than before, so centralized governance can be realized.
This is the political significance of infrastructure construction. Thousands of years later, the country's construction of infrastructure is actually inherited from this, and it is not a pioneering move.
In other words, the civilization of the Central Plains has never been cut off, and many things have been inherited consciously or unconsciously. This is the advantage of Chinese civilization. There are too many lessons and fine traditions to learn from.
Therefore, the opening of water transportation is undoubtedly a major event for the Tang Empire. Preparations began in the fifth year of Yuanzhen, and by this year it was almost completed.
It just so happens that next year the tax exemption decree for most areas in the north will expire. As long as there are no unexpected events, with the help of water transportation and road transportation, the granaries prepared by the governments everywhere will gradually become full.
Whether it is infrastructure construction, war, or disaster relief, the government will receive stronger support.
After obtaining Goguryeo's manpower and material resources, the population of the Tang Dynasty will soon exceed 15 million. Compared with the census conducted when the Tang Dynasty was founded, the population has increased by more than 5 million people.
Therefore, the Tang Dynasty will conduct a census this year to let the court know more clearly where the population growth comes from.
The 50% increase is of course due to the continuous foreign wars over the years, and the rest is the natural population increase of the Tang Dynasty.
Others include the barbarians who surrendered in Shu, the Qiang people, Tuyuhun, Turks and other tribes recorded in the northwest region, etc.
If there are no other accidents, it should be easy to break through 20 million people in ten years. The nascent empire has already shown its huge body, and it contains endless vitality and vitality.
…………
Southern suburb of Chang'an.
The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites are responsible for welcoming General Xianjie, Taichang Temple and Guanglu Temple are responsible for the placement and catering of the guests, and the Yulin Army and the Tunwei Army are responsible for security.
There are also prison guards guarding the gates of Chang'an City. Three provinces and six ministries and all the guards have sent people to come. The whole scene can be described as orderly.
The imperial court has also thought about it. The scale should be smaller, and the most solemn and top-level reception must be reserved for when Li Jing's squadron returns to the court.
And this time is also equivalent to a rehearsal, and the army commander will follow this example in the future.
I feel a little sorry for the soldiers who came back last year to annihilate Tubo. It was already the middle of winter, and the court had no preparations, so it didn't make too much noise.
This time it was different. The East China Sea War lasted for more than three years and solved a century-old problem for the Tang Dynasty. The results were brilliant and the achievements were outstanding enough to deserve the high-level reception of the imperial court.
And people have been holding their joy in their hearts for half a year. You can’t hold it in forever, right? That’s not good for your health.
…………
On the outskirts of the south gate of Chang'an City, in addition to the officials of the imperial court, there were also many common people gathered here to greet Xianjie's team.
Only the shadow of the team was seen, and the people, no matter how many there were, suddenly burst into cheers.
This is the morale of the people. Military victory not only brings glory to the face of the emperor and courtiers, but can also greatly boost the morale of the army and the people and increase the cohesion of the empire.
This is especially true for victory in foreign wars.
When the team came near, the officials went up to receive it, while the common people looked at it and saluted amidst cheers to show their respect and admiration for the soldiers who had returned from hundreds of battles.
A team of thousands of people, led by the etiquette officer, entered from the main gate of Chang'an South Gate, Mingde Gate, passed through Zhuque Street, entered the imperial city at Zhuque Gate, and went all the way to the square in front of Chengtian Gate.
At this time, the streets of Chang'an City were deserted. The people in Chang'an City, supporting the old and the young, came to both sides of Suzaku, waiting for the arrival of the Xianjie team, as if they were participating in the Vitality Lantern Festival.
This kind of lively scene happened when Dou Jiande, the last rebel king in the late Sui Dynasty, was brought to the capital, because it meant that more than ten years of war had finally passed. For the people, it was natural to celebrate and celebrate
Ichiban.
This time, it eliminated a lingering shadow in the hearts of the people of the Tang Dynasty. The former Sui Dynasty attacked Goguryeo several times, resulting in more than a million casualties. Emperor Yang's three conquests of Goguryeo also disturbed the foundation of the former Sui Dynasty, leading to the collapse of the Sui Dynasty.
End of war.
Not to mention the court officials, even ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty gnashed their teeth when talking about Goguryeo.
In another time and space, Li Shimin raised his arms and people in the Tang Dynasty prepared their own weapons and joined the army. The statement may be exaggerated, but it also illustrates the attitude of the Central Plains people towards Goguryeo.
According to folklore, the image of the Goguryeo people has always been very obscene. This did not require the guidance of the court and was completely the result of the imagination of the people based on various rumors.
Not as vicious as the Turks, but just wretched, the Goguryeo people were capricious and had no credibility at all, which also played a big role in this.
…………
There are no flowers to pave the road, but Suzaku Street has been cleaned by the Japanese and sprinkled with water to prevent smoke and dust.
The common people poked their heads around both sides of the street, making the Yulin Army and the sergeants of the Tunnel Guards who were guarding the street shout constantly. They were also very nervous. They worked hard with the Chang'an Lingyamen and Jing Zhaoyin's officers who were wandering around.
They maintain order.
In a house next to Zhuque Street, on the second floor of a small building, Dou Jiande and Mr. and Mrs. Cao sat opposite each other. The window was open, and they could see the scene on the street through the wall. The location was chosen well.
Dou Jiande is aging very quickly. He is already almost sixty years old. In just a few years since he was taken to Chang'an, he has aged at a speed that is visible to the naked eye.
There is no way, the person who made the storm is now in ruins, it is not easy to survive until now. Many people have lost their power. Even if they can survive at the time, they will soon suffer from mental reasons.
And completely collapsed.
The main reason why Dou Jiande seems to be okay is because his wife is by his side constantly comforting him, and there is a daughter outside who deserves his concern...
This chapter has been completed!