I was very nervous about writing this book. I had to look up a lot of information for each chapter, and found out many obvious errors in the history books. Many times, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to update more, but that I really couldn’t finish it, even though I knew I had to write it.
What.
I want to ensure that I can restore the historical trend as realistically as possible, instead of copying history books, which often makes my brain hurt. Historical materials really cannot be swallowed wholeheartedly and used.
For example, according to the results of repeated research by Mr. Yan Gengwang, a leading modern historian, the population of Kuizhou is at least five times that recorded in food records.
Obviously, historians were limited by the limitations of the times and ignored the influence of the floating population on the economy, and their understanding of the commodity economy was also very shallow.
According to historical records, Kuizhou was a barren land with a population of no more than 10,000 households. However, based on other historical data, Mr. Yan found that the household registration in Fucheng alone exceeded 10,000 households.
It is one of the largest metropolises in southwest China besides Chengdu, and it was the economic and cultural center of Eastern Sichuan that lasted for a long time during the feudal period.
For another example, the Tang Dynasty's finances at the end of the Kaiyuan Dynasty were actually in a state of collapse. They relied on the "tear down the wall" model, through the central government allocating less or even no funds to local governments, allowing local governments to bear more financial pressure, in order to achieve fiscal revenue.
Branch balance.
The situation at that time was such that some local post stations were so difficult that the government was unable to operate them and had to be subcontracted (forcibly apportioned) to local large households. Then whichever local large household took over would soon go bankrupt, and people often fled with their families to avoid apportionment.<
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There are detailed records in historical materials unearthed in recent years, but these historical books will not be written directly.
The first 100,000 words, maybe a simple sentence in it, are the result of my hard work for a long time.
The plot of the first act is half-concealed. In fact, the theme is about the monetization of Tang court tax and an attempt to adjust the mediocrity of rent. Historically, similar operations were launched under the control of Li Linfu, but they were abandoned halfway. p>
The competition for tariffs led to Li Longji's extravagant desires, the biased position of Chang'an, and the systemic conflicts between Guanzhong and Hebei.
This is the first act, and it is also the historical trend in the last years of Kaiyuan.
What I’m talking about are these historical contexts, not things like Li Longji killing his three sons, making Li Heng the new crown prince, Li Linfu taking the throne and driving away Zhang Jiuling, which led to the corruption of the government.
These are all appearances, and readers all know that I don’t want to use this as the main background to write about it anymore. It’s all badly written.
If I write this again, it will be like killing these people, and the Tang Dynasty will last forever. If I write like this, I can update 15,000 times a day, and I won’t have a headache at all.
When I was writing the last book, I paid more attention to the historical "plot" and the direction of the story in the overall background. Because many readers of the previous book didn't even understand the basic story background. They had to do it as a last resort.<
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As for this book, everyone knows something about it. My focus is on the underlying context of history.
Try to restore the real social, economic, political and humanistic forms of the Tang Dynasty during the Kaiyuan Tianbao period. It is not limited to Chang'an City.
Ancient people who studied the economy of the Tang Dynasty often ignored a problem that modern people can easily detect: when they calculated economic accounts, they only counted the country's total volume, not the speed of economic operation.
Only the circulation of coins is calculated, regardless of its circulation speed and circulation area.
We only look at the health of the country's economy at the national level, and don't care about the stability of the grassroots society. (I'm not making fun of the past, don't relate it to the modern world, thank you).
Many times, different judgment standards lead to completely opposite conclusions.
For example, the Tang court's treasury in various places in Hebei was full. It had always been full, including before An Lushan's rebellion. There was never any mention of a shortage of military rations.
This will create the illusion that society is stable and prosperous.
But if we use this to explain that Hebei's financial situation is excellent, the people's livelihood is also good. During the Tianbao period, the Tang Dynasty was invincible. It was because the border generals deliberately caused trouble that the Anshi Rebellion broke out and the people were in dire straits.
Then this is a very wrong view.
Every country in the world has also built many large granaries for its own food security, and these granaries are often full.
For example, the author myself was in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, and I was too poor to open the pot and had no money to eat. So can I go to the government granary to beg for food? Should the staff of the granary open the granary and let me eat?<
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The answer should be self-explanatory, right?
The government belongs to the government, and the people belong to the people.
I think there is no similar book to write about signs of troubled times in "The Prosperous Age", including the two books I have written. This is a new challenge for me.
I try to tell the story clearly, telling the foreshadowing and changes within the general trend, without getting entangled in some small details. I also try not to write some stupid plots that modern people think are self-righteous and try to reverse the disadvantages.
If you can’t write this kind of thing, you will definitely not be able to write it.
For example, if you think you are eloquent and attentive, if you catch a little bit of your opponent's hair, you can reason with Li Longji or talk to Li Linfu about how to persuade the opponent.
Let the people who were originally dismissed from office be exempted from dismissal, and the minions around Li Linfu can be played with applause.
Thinking that with a little information advantage, you can turn around the desperate situation.
This type of story will never appear in a book, and not even a chapter will be written. Many small things are just the fuse of the general trend. No matter how you fiddle with the fuse, as long as you are unable to defuse the bomb, it is impossible to change anything, not at all.
None.
Most of the ancient stories I know are actually not that complicated, because in ancient times when information was not transmitted smoothly, it was really difficult to perform them.
The more complex the routine, the greater the possibility of failure.
For example, in the historical facts of the plot background, Yan Tingzhi helped the prisoners to plead for mercy, and was then dragged into the water by Li Linfu. Through this, Zhang Jiuling was also dragged into the water by Yan Tingzhi, and was eventually dismissed.
Is the whole thing complicated?
The big event of killing a famous prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and a minister of Zhongshu was really that simple?
Unfortunately, it is really not complicated. The matter itself is so simple. What is complicated is the game and choice behind it.
Li Linfu's people found out what Yan Tingzhi had done through a casual search. They all used government channels, and there were not so many private spies, keeping secrets, and counter-reconnaissance.
There is no such thing as hiding something and then being exposed, and then counterattacking, and doing whatever it takes after fifty rounds of wits. There is nothing. Even going to Li Longji to file a complaint is a final decision.
Limited to the objective conditions of ancient times, it was impossible to implement so many routines. The more complex the conspiracy, the greater the possibility of failure.
Even if it does exist, it is nothing in the face of power.
The "horse stabbing case" in Jiangnan in the Qing Dynasty was not complicated. A stranger could solve it with just one blow.
The assassination of Prime Minister Wu Yuanheng in a feudal town in the Tang Dynasty was also carried out with a knife, and the court knew who sent it as soon as it was investigated. This incident did not produce the political effect that the planners needed.
These real stories in history are hard to watch and don’t have so many twists and turns, but there’s nothing you can do about it, because it’s the truth. I can’t make up a show under the guise of “art comes from life and is higher than life”.
With the style of my book, it is impossible to come up with those "complex plots" that are so wild and childish that you want to pinch your toes. I can write it, but I can't write it in this book.
Maybe there will be one in the next book, who knows.
Officials in the Tang Dynasty could have sex with prostitutes, fight for power, and even frame people and use tricks.
However, they also have to do things, serious things, work, and political achievements. It’s not like they think about doing this today and doing that tomorrow.
Just like a reader in the book club said: Why do people in modern urban dramas seem to do nothing but fall in love all day long!
When you go home, you fall in love, when you work, you fall in love, when you go to school, you fall in love, and when you go on a business trip, you fall in love. All other things have faded, disappeared, can no longer be seen, and become blurred.
Switching to historical texts, these officials fight for power all day long without talking about what they have done. Isn’t this just like people in urban dramas who only talk about love?
Just change a word.
If nothing else, let’s talk about Li Linfu.
Li Linfu is true to his words, but he spends most of his time dealing with government affairs instead of racking his brains to deal with political opponents.
Getting money for Li Longji is a very demanding mental and physical task, and the risks are not small. The emperor has a huge appetite, and it is not easy to serve him.
Your Majesty, are all your energy focused on killing your competitors? This is written in the history books, but you can’t just copy it for granted.
This brain is different from the "love brain". Let me call it the "power brain". That is, except for the struggle for power and gain, nothing is worthy of this person's attention.
I'm afraid of those "powerful" stories.
According to the story logic of "powerful brain", the protagonist should seek refuge with the emperor and powerful ministers, pull and step on them. Then ignore the objective laws, seize military power, become a military governor after the An-Shi Rebellion, and then dominate the country.
The next step is to eliminate the opponent and build the country, and create a new one step by step, a "Datang" that is not called Datang.
I can't write a story like that according to my ideas. To be honest, I know what the ending will be after reading the first volume of a similar book. Can I still write a book that I can't stand for you to read?
There was no rule of law in the Tang Dynasty, and there was no place to reason and talk about right and wrong. These were not important to the powerful. Power is law, and law represents power, just like big fish eating small fish.
Where was the judiciary in the Tang Dynasty? Where was the justice?
If I wrote it, I would find it ridiculous and would not dare to post it to shame myself.
If the protagonist is weak, the "power skills" that can be used are actually very limited. In the face of power, the so-called modern skills are pale and helpless.
It's like you wrote an impassioned pleading, but people didn't even read it, just threw it in the trash can and then pronounced the verdict.
It's that simple, direct, and unabashed.
At that time, the people in Chang'an who were qualified to call a deer a horse were not limited to Li Linfu.
The number of people is not even less than double digits.
Instead of thinking about so many sexy tricks, the protagonist might as well practice the guitar to see if he can please Li Longji and enter the opera house.
In the future, you can naturally use your identity as a Liyuan disciple to do things, and your chances of winning may be greater, at least in line with the political environment at the time.
Otherwise, don’t think too much.
During the Yingzhou Incident of the Wu Zhou Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of people from Hebei were killed, but the imperial court refused to allow them to be killed. Wu Yizong still killed a large number of people without going through any formalities, and was not punished in any way afterwards.
When Li Longji killed his three sons, no officials from the Ministry of Punishment were involved, and even foreign officials were not involved at all. There was not even a window-dressing step, and the involvement was extensive.
I don’t even bother to play around with it, I just kill it if I really want to.
In the face of absolute power, any skill is like a spider weaving its web, in vain.
If the powerful want to kill you, even if you find a lot of evidence to prove your innocence, it will be useless. Those things are no different from paper shields.
If I ignore these and write about things that are gripping and impossible to exist in the social environment at that time, it will become my own delusional story under the guise of history.
The book may be very popular, even lively, and even make a lot of money, but I have not planned such a plot, nor do I intend to write anything similar.
It is absolutely impossible to write this book. It depends on the next book.
Li Linfu often defeated his political opponents with just one or two sentences and the guidance of the forces behind him. He used the general trend to eliminate his political opponents.
These methods are efficient, concise, and immediate.
I will analyze the general trend and use similar techniques to express the conflicts that should exist, without making any more showy moves.
The first act will end in the next chapter, and the second act will begin soon, so stay tuned.
In this book, I try to use plain language and direct and easy-to-understand writing methods to express what I want to express. I will not package Yi Tuo Xiang to look good, nor will I use some mysterious writing methods. It is okay to make something boring.
The meaning of the platitudes is fascinating.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
When I wrote the book, I said in the book club that this book does not seek results, I will write it according to my own ideas.
It will take time to rectify the name of my current book. This is my expectation.
Regarding some issues about character creation, since some book friends have asked about them before, I will focus on explaining them.
First:
Xiaofang is a child, so this is necessary. If he is an adult, he must make a choice in advance, because a capable person cannot hide. If Xiaofang is an adult, he plans to be Li Longji's dog now.
Or is he the next An Lushan?
If you are a dog, you will definitely die miserably in the end; if you are not a dog, you may die soon. How to choose?
Besides, it is now the 24th year of Kaiyuan. By the time the bomb explodes during the Tianbao period, Xiao Fang will be 40 years old. With the average life expectancy and medical conditions in ancient times, how many more years can he still be able to bounce around?
If he pursues something at this age (such as overthrowing Li Tang), does it sound like an "old boy"? Don't you feel sad if he dominates the world at the age of seventy?
Second:
As for Xiao Fang’s character, those who have read my last book know that Governor Liu’s character and emotional intelligence are first-rate. If I want to create a character, I can create a childhood version of “Captain Liu”.
What does the current arrogant character design mean? We have to look at Xiao Fang’s name. If you are younger, older may not be better. If you talk too much, it will be boring. Just read the book slowly.
Third:
Why was the character Lao Fang inserted and why was his character so extreme?
Lao Fang's original form is Zhang Chengye of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. He is the "half protagonist" of this book. He is also the protagonist of some historical novels. He believes that after killing the rebel generals of the Anshi Rebellion, the country can be rebuilt.
The theme of my book is: History cannot be turned back. The prosperous Tang Dynasty can never be recreated, and we can only move forward to find a new path. Trying to recreate the prosperous Tang Dynasty is reversing the course of history and will surely lead to destruction.
The Mid-Tang Dynasty was at the crossroads of history, and many problems that had accumulated for hundreds of years were bound to explode.
This is the comprehensive effect of geographical, humanistic, economic and even climatic factors that have long existed in Chinese civilization.
As for why it is impossible to return to the state of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, I will reveal it bit by bit in my book. The 100,000 words that have been written now can also reveal a lot of tricks, right?
Please look forward to the second act, the stage is Chang'an.
Today I am planning the plot, so I won’t update it again.