In June of the fifth year of Yuanzhen of the Tang Dynasty, Yun Dingxing, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, wrote a letter regarding the selection of the site for the imperial mausoleum.
According to the discussions between relevant officials, several plans were given for the location of the imperial mausoleum. Li Po took a look and saw the name of Mount Jiuwei at a glance.
He knew this. Among the eighteen tombs in Guanzhong, Zhaoling was the first to be chosen. Li Shimin and the Changsun family were buried there, so it should be a good place.
It's just that the Ministry of Industry's proposal puts it at the end. The reason is very simple. There has never been an imperial tomb built on the mountain. The amount of work is definitely smaller than other plans, but the difficulty is not at the same level.
However, the feng shui of that place was good, and the officials in charge of Kanyu spent several months surveying it before recommending it.
………………
There is no rush to build the imperial mausoleum. According to the plan of the Ministry of Industry, it will take at least one or two years to prepare from the location to the start of construction.
Judging from the current national strength of the Tang Dynasty and the measures it has implemented, this time will have to be delayed further.
It is difficult to set a timetable. Even if it is fast to start construction within five years, it is not impossible to start construction after ten years. This mainly depends on the emperor's own wishes.
Considering that the emperor was extremely cautious about using civilian husbands, it is estimated that the preparation time will not be short.
Li Po really didn't mean to take this as a big deal. He thought that national destiny, dragon veins, and Feng Shui were all nonsense.
The emperor is fatuous, the officials are corrupt, the people are miserable and helpless, and the dynasty has come to an end. This has nothing to do with God's will or the discontinuation of the dragon's veins, but only with people.
When the building is about to collapse, every snowflake that falls is not innocent. It is your own fault.
Li Po just thought about it and did not make an immediate decision. Instead, he ordered the newly appointed Taishi to order Yuan Tiangang to lead his people to do something embarrassing again.
He had met Yuan Tiangang before. He was really good-looking, could speak well, and was very knowledgeable.
No wonder he can fool so many shrewd nobles by talking nonsense.
Yuan Tiangang studied Taoist doctrines such as the Book of Changes and Bagua. He also dabbled in astronomy, geography, and calendars. He also had profound attainments in magic.
In the end, all this knowledge was used by him in fortune telling and fortune telling.
Just like Empress Nuwa refining the divine stone to mend the sky, she finally produced a useless piece of wood and a monkey that disturbed the world and made it unsafe.
Yuan Tiangang is not young anymore, and he looks like an immortal.
When I met the emperor, he was still playing the same trick as the literati who said nothing but would not stop until he died.
What did he say? Your Majesty is very spiritual and energetic, but when he saw me, his brows were filled with anger and his eyes were red. It seems he doesn't like me.
Well, it's a little different from the original words, but that's basically what it means.
Li Po was a little surprised by his sensitivity, and thought to himself that it was no wonder that this fortune teller had the reputation of being the boss. He really had some moral integrity, so he would just be a psychiatrist later on.
So he didn't hide it and said: "It's pitiful that you sit down at the front table in the middle of the night and don't ask about the people or ghosts and gods. So how do you think I should treat you?"
Yuan Tiangang was surprised. He had never expected to meet an emperor who "understood the truth" so much. After meeting him, he didn't ask about the length of the country, the ups and downs of his fate, or the blessings of gods and ghosts, so why bother?
Will he summon Yuan Tiangang to the court?
It was a pity that he sat in front of the table in the middle of the night. He didn't ask about the people or the ghosts and gods. He touched it and finally felt that this Taishi Ling was a bit hot to the touch.
Of course, he was only slightly surprised, but not too alarmed, and immediately replied: "Ghosts and gods are ignorant, but the human heart is unpredictable.
Your Majesty, it is better to ask your ministers than to save yourself... Since your Majesty came to the throne, you have embraced everything and embraced all rivers. I am willing to measure the hearts of your Majesty and get rid of evil spirits..."
This was Yuan Tiangang's opening remarks when he entered the court, and he made a complete turn in a few sentences.
Basically, he told Li Po that things about ghosts and gods are illusory, but people's hearts can be measured. He told Li Po about divination and prediction in a fresh and refined way, and it was like digging up the ancestral graves of his colleagues and shining a light on them.
He is one of the representatives of the Taoist school today. He has been dealing with nobles for many years. His ability to talk to people and tell ghosts is really extraordinary.
In addition, he has an excellent appearance, is knowledgeable, has a good tongue, and has good emotional intelligence, so the nobles flock to him and believe in him without any doubt.
After Li Po talked with him, he handed over the previous revision of the calendar to him. Li Chunfeng was still too young to convince the public.
Now there is the matter of selecting the location of the imperial mausoleum. It happens to be the fortune teller's old profession, so it is also on his shoulders to prevent this person from wandering around the court and ruining the atmosphere.
This is not unfounded Li Po worries about.
Nowadays, there are many people who worship Buddhism and believe in Taoism. Before the Sui Dynasty, Buddhists had always had the upper hand. Now, with the great chaos, a blank area has formed in the north.
The monks all ran away, or entered the noble houses to avoid the disaster of war. On the contrary, Taoism emphasized hiding in prosperity and cultivating in troubled times.
Therefore, after the war, because the south was more peaceful and there were more monks, Taoism developed in the north. Many Taoist priests were dedicated to helping the Ming Lord and bringing peace to the world.
A more typical example is Sun Simiao, who travels everywhere, diagnoses and treats patients, and the ultimate goal he pursues is to be like those Taoists in ancient times, to be able to ascend from the ground and become an immortal and an ancestor.
And when the troubled times passed, it was time for the monks to take the lead again.
Temples near Chang'an had prospered before, and some people in the court suggested that the court build a large Buddhist temple.
The Taoists, however, were not very interested and went on sightseeing tours one after another to cultivate their minds and natures, vividly demonstrating Lao Tzu's theory of inaction.
And there are people like Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng who have been Taoist priests in the court. If you don't pay attention, it is likely to trigger a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism one day in the future.
Religious disputes have no market in the Central Plains. Li Po does not believe in these. So under his rule, religion can exist, but no one can cross the line.
Not to mention that kind of life-and-death situation is not allowed to occur. Otherwise, he would not mind imitating the literary emperor Yang Jian and launching a campaign to cut down mountains and destroy temples.
I don’t know if Li Yuan will stop him like Yang Er then...
………………
In early June, before the palace examination, officials from the Ministry of War such as Yuchi Gong and Yu Chixin came to see him.
The preparations for rebuilding the Habayashi Army are almost complete.
After Li Po asked, he no longer hesitated and issued an edict to restart the Yulin Army and merge the left and right Qianniu Beishen Mansion and some of the left and right prison guards into the Yulin Army.
Yuchi Gong took over the post of Yulin Zhonglang General. He was in the third rank and was under the direct jurisdiction of the emperor. He stayed in the imperial palace, the imperial city, and accompanied the attendants. Then, the former personal guard commander Luo Shixin, the imperial concubine, and Zuo Qianniu, the chief minister of Beishen Mansion,
General Ashina Yongzhen was appointed as the right and left Habayashi Lang.
In addition, after discussion with the Ministry of War, General Yu Lin was appointed as the Minister of War. From then on, it was regarded as the norm. In addition, the border troops of each ministry were ordered to select elites and go to the capital every three years, under the command of Yu Lin's army.
This is obviously because the border army is stationed in a place with high mountains and far distances, so it is easy for them to form a self-contained unit in the border area. It is a measure that allows the soldiers of the border army to feel the majesty of the royal family from time to time.
Li Po didn't really need this, because he was the founder of the country, a serious emperor on horseback, and the military power of all the ministries in the Tang Dynasty was firmly in the hands of his old ministries, so he didn't exist.
This was for the sake of future generations. Regardless of whether it would work or not, some of the suggestions seemed good to Li Po, so he agreed.
It just so happens that this can also reduce redundant personnel. The garrison in the capital has always been a meal for the nobles.
The emperor wanted to use military positions to win over the nobles, and the nobles were happy to send some capable children to serve with the emperor. It could be said that everyone got what they needed and everyone was happy.
Of course, there are also those big nobles who fill their homes with rubbish and just get a job.
The nature of the Yulin Army also determines their combat effectiveness. They guard the emperor all year round. It is not easy for them to support themselves, and it is extremely easy for them to breed corruption and redundant personnel.
This has always been the case in peacetime in all dynasties, and there is no good way to change it. Otherwise, how could the people of the Imperial Guard ridicule the guards of the capital as household dogs? This is where it comes from.
If you have no fighting ability, you still act arrogantly and think you are superior to others, so you will be looked down upon by others.
It's just that the situation in the early Tang Dynasty was different. All the ministries were still able to fight, including the garrison of the capital. Many of the soldiers had participated in various wars and were not so corrupted that they could not even hold a sword and did not dare to kill.
To the point of seeing blood.
Therefore, there will not be too many redundant employees...
Yuchi Gong had more and more chores, and he often had to attend some meetings of the Ministry of War. Now he no longer had much murderous intent, but his face was full of bitterness.
Li Po secretly laughed, now the door god has really become the door god, but it's a pity that Qin Qiong is missing. That guy is more unlucky, and was blown away by one of his own wings.
Well, even if Cheng Dabeard is still around, he can still form a combination with Yu Chigong.
I don't know where that guy went. Ever since Nang Nie led the Tibetan people in the highlands to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, there has been no news from there.
Thousands of miles away, Cheng Dabeard, who had just led his people around the Snowy Mountains, sneezed twice and immediately went to the doctor in the team to ask for some herbs to eat. He did not dare to fall ill here.
Entered the gate of hell.
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When everyone in the military department resigned one after another, Yuchi Gong stayed. Li Po thought that this guy was trying to get a job, but he didn't expect that Yuchi Gong whispered to him privately.
"Your Majesty, you'd better send me out to lead the troops. I haven't read any books and I can write my own name. If this goes on for a long time, I... I'm afraid I will embarrass Your Majesty."
Li Po held back his laughter and waved his hand, and said seriously to the guy who once sent him to the refugee camp: "What nonsense are you talking about? You are my confidant.
How could I sleep at night without you leading the troops to protect me? You have given me good control over the Yulin Army, which is better than any other military merit.
Shameful? When Bu Qun and others return to the court, they will all be envious of you... What? Do you feel that by serving beside me, you will not have the opportunity to display your talents?
Then I really have to entrust you with some important responsibilities..."