Duguhua, full of soreness, limped out of Wude Hall.
Her experience is really hard to describe. Ever since she could remember, she never dreamed that one day, someone would beat the Dugu family's daughter like a piece of wood.
The emperor obviously used military fighting techniques, attacking at close range, throwing her and hitting her. However, the emperor was merciful and did not beat her. He only used wrestling skills and threw her dozens of times.
Not to mention the noble daughter of the Dugu family, even the daughter of an ordinary family would probably never encounter such a thing in her life...
Duguhua's deep heart cannot be described in detail.
But this was indeed her first intimate contact with the emperor, and she was a little proud and a little shy. It was difficult to explain her mood at this time.
Of course, when Li Po felt that she was in good physical condition and could withstand beatings, he asked her to relinquish her duties in the palace and take charge of various matters in the Wude Palace.
Then... the disgraced Duguhua felt a little more surprised.
Again, the life of the concubines in the palace is not afraid of anything but having no hope. To a certain extent, they are similar to the officials of foreign dynasties. Power and status have a natural temptation for them.
In essence, they are different from foreign officials. What they want is to be different.
Obtaining the emperor's favor, giving birth to children, etc., can ultimately be attributed to issues that reflect their life value.
And only those women who are ambitious, smart, and lucky will reach a place where people look up to them and pursue higher goals.
You see, no matter men or women, no matter what era, they are essentially the same.
………………
For Li Po, it was more fun. Duguhua, the little sandbag, was very competent. Unlike Li Bi and Ashina Rong, he was really fierce and powerful, but not so ordinary, and he felt good in the hand.
The height and weight are just right. Although there is a lot less confrontation, it is just right for exercising, relaxing muscles and bones, and adding some fun.
Later, many people wanted to have a beautiful woman as a sparring partner. I guess this is the mentality?
Well, the emperor's little life was so simple and unpretentious...
………………
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all departments in the capital returned to their offices one after another.
The first meeting of the new year was mainly about the Beijing Examination at the beginning of this year. In addition, various academies were ordered to add subjects, mainly about craftsmanship, especially about military, agriculture, astronomy, architecture, shipbuilding, etc.
The cultivation of various types of craftsmen must form a systematic engineering category in the future.
Compared with the imperial examinations for selecting officials, Li Po finally began to concentrate the power of the entire Tang Empire to promote the development of social productivity. He also relied on various academies to focus on the most basic education links.
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, in four years, we have walked step by step, one link after another. Although the steps are a bit hasty, they can be said to be step by step.
This reflects Li Po's style of governing the country, not seeking temporary gain but long-term interests.
The reason why they took such a big step was mainly because they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when the war in the late Sui Dynasty had just subsided and the conservative forces had not yet risen.
This is the best time to break away from old ideas and break through the stereotypes that have existed for hundreds or thousands of years.
According to Li Po's idea, he wants to establish an effective education system that is different from previous generations, and even change people's old ideas, and help scholars who are deeply involved in the humanities to pay attention to social sciences.
.
Since ancient times, most of the shortcomings of the elite class in the Central Plains, what people call the scholar-bureaucrat class, are known to later generations. Judging from the current situation, they are not considered conservative, and there is no soil for the emergence of schools of thought such as Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism.
However, most of the hundreds of schools of thought that have emerged since the Qin and Han Dynasties can be classified as humanities. This has led to the scholar-bureaucrats being too focused on their own cultivation and neglecting to understand and explore the entire world.
This is undoubtedly a big topic and will affect the direction of civilization.
As a "knowledgeable" emperor, Li Po naturally wanted to intervene in this. As for the effect and the result, well, we can only say that we will know when the time comes.
Ten or twenty years is not a long time, and thirty or forty years may not be enough. This is what a hundred-year plan is like.
The subsequent reactions of the courtiers were neither enthusiastic nor negative. Most people believed that the emperor's various measures were concerned about people's livelihood and were part of allowing the people to recuperate after the war.
Even the wise men of the world cannot have too profound insights on this issue, because they do not know the classification of humanities and social sciences at all, and they also cannot imagine the huge role of social sciences in promoting production relations and the process of civilization.
.
That cannot be compared to things like changing dynasties. In the long process of civilization, everyone's life is like a firefly in the dark night, flickering and extinguishing, unable to shine through the past and present.
Even the imperial power, when it comes to such issues, is like a bad horse pulling a cart, panting and carrying a heavy load.
………………
Li Po had been fiddling carefully, not relying on any inventions or creations to "dazzle" people, nor did he use later rules and regulations to change the situation.
Anyone in a superior position will understand that that is ridiculous. It is like a child playing house. If the people who run a country are so naive, how can they win in complex political struggles? Do you think that everyone in the world is a fool?
?
In that case, Li Po's end would probably be a bit worse than Yang Guang's.
Long-term planning is moving forward, and current problems need to be solved.
In the fifth year of Emperor Yuanzhen of the Tang Dynasty, military adjustments also needed to be made.
In the second half of last year, all the troops stationed in various ministries were disarmament. At the same time, Zhechong Mansion was set up to accept some of the reduced troops, and the progress was accelerated.
The imperial court's goal has been set. In the next few years, the standing armies of various ministries will be reduced to about 500,000 people, which is still much larger than the scale during the previous Sui Dynasty.
However, the purpose of the Tang Dynasty was clearer and more ambitious than that of the previous Sui Dynasty. Conquering its neighbors was the first stage, and more ambitious strategic goals could not be formulated until the Tang Dynasty's national power became stronger.
At this stage, it is necessary to ensure a certain size of the standing army, as well as its elite level and weapons and equipment, so as to frighten the Turks while looking for opportunities.
The Zhechong Mansion set up in various places served as a reserve force and could be recruited at any time. With the current national power of the Tang Dynasty, if ignored, a million troops could be recruited at any time to fight with all their strength.
But if we really do that, the emerging Tang Dynasty will probably not be able to bear it no matter whether it wins or loses. The return of the Central Plains to a state of separatism may be the best outcome.
………………
After the meeting, Li Po summoned Minister Zuopu She Wen Yanbo, Minister of War Wei Chixin, Minister of War Dou Gui, Zhang Liang and others to the Tai Chi Hall.
When everyone sat down, Li Po ordered people to bring tea, soup and snacks.
The imperial court held twice a month is very tiring. When something important happens, the imperial court can last for a whole day. The king and his ministers are so hungry that they cannot eat or drink at the imperial court.
History books will never record these things. For example, on a certain day in the imperial dynasty, someone fainted in the palace. After being rescued, he died in battle. If he went to the history books, if he really wanted to record it, it would probably be only a few words. On a certain year and a certain month,
Someone suddenly fell ill and died.
You definitely don’t want to hear this kind of joke-like death from the historian, but if you pretend it didn’t happen, then it’s really a joke.
Therefore, for the sake of their own reputation, some smart people will secretly bring some snacks when they go to court to ensure that their blood sugar concentration does not get too low.
……………………
Li Po ate two snacks and drank a few sips of tea soup, and finally felt better.
He secretly moved his shoulders a few times, and then said: "I have read the memorial from the Ministry of War, and I think it is very thoughtful, but I intend to increase the number of troops in Silla this year. What do you think?"
Wen Yanbo was not surprised. Du Fuwei led his army to the sea last year and made great achievements. He destroyed Baekje in the first battle. Silla took advantage of the situation and sent envoys to become vassals. The situation there was very good.
Wen Yanbo took a sip of the tea soup, swallowed the snack, wiped the corners of his mouth gracefully, and spoke first: "Goguryeo is like a awn on the back if it is not removed for a day.
It has been a country for hundreds of years, has been capricious, and has repeatedly attacked us. It can be said that it is an untrustworthy country. Your Majesty sent people to sea to punish them. This is really reasonable.
It's just that... there aren't many big ships. If we send them all out, this year's water transportation will be a little difficult.
I would like to ask Your Majesty, do you want to complete this battle in one battle, or do you plan to do it slowly? If it is the former, then I have nothing to say. You can just plan for Goguryeo first, and then talk about other things. If it is the latter, I think we have to wait.
It took a year to complete.
The shipyards in Jiangnan are all under construction. This year, I will urge everyone to build as many sea-going ships as possible, which will be effective next year. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Obviously he preferred the latter and wanted to persuade the emperor to wait.
Li Po was also a little hesitant, but Wen Yanbo's suggestion was more prudent, because the forced increase of troops to Silla did not seem to be able to complete the battle. You only know how to fight after fighting. If you have a 50% chance of winning, you can start the war.
But the Tang army, which had just destroyed Baekje, was attacking Goguryeo from south to north. Would it have a 50% chance of winning? Li Po, who was not in front of the battle, was unsure.
The previously decided strategy was to focus on raids and harassment, to see the effect first and to make Goguryeo uncomfortable. In addition, the strategy was to continue to consume Goguryeo's national power and prepare for the final battle of annihilation.
But now that Du Fuwei has gone up and destroyed Baekje, will he be able to achieve a larger strategic goal?
Li Po looked at Yu Chixin and others. They all had military backgrounds. Their suggestions should be more informative than Wen Yanbo's, right?
Yu Chixin has been the Minister of War for several years. When he was leading troops in the past, he would have directly asked for orders to lead troops into battle, but now his perspective on the problem is obviously different.
I saw him saying: "I think it is urgent to increase the number of troops. Your Majesty's intention is Goguryeo, but I feel that we should first establish a foothold in Silla and Baekje..."