Chapter 610: Li Shimin dies and the new emperor ascends the throne
Li Min looked at Shangguan Yi with a smile, and then asked: "Shangguan Chang Shi, it seems that you have something to say to me!"
Shangguan Yi sighed, and then asked Li Min: "Your Majesty, I have something that I don't understand. I hope your Majesty can clarify it."
Li Min smiled slightly and said: "I don't know what Shangguan Changshi has any doubts about? But it doesn't hurt to say it?"
Shangguan Yi couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, what my subordinates are confused about is that Your Majesty clearly has the opportunity to ascend the throne, why don't you fight for it?"
Yes, if Li Min had not recommended Li Ke, King of Qi, but had chosen to take the throne himself, Li Shimin would have definitely made him the crown prince.
Hearing Shangguan Yi's question, Li Min couldn't help but shook his head: "Whether I am the prince or my brother is the prince, isn't it the same?"
Shangguan Yi shook his head and said: "Of course it's different! Your Majesty, it's not that your subordinates are greedy for glory and wealth. They want to use your Majesty to achieve the goal of being promoted to a high position and becoming a noble."
"But the prince's strength is simply too powerful! So powerful that it can threaten the throne. I really don't know which emperor can tolerate such a thing."
Yes, with Li Min's current strength, he can easily reach Chang'an if he wants to.
Even if the new emperor is his brother, even if he misses Li Min now.
But as time goes by, he will inevitably become suspicious of Li Min and even eventually take action against him.
Li Min's existence will definitely make him like a thorn in his side, a thorn in his flesh, and he will definitely get rid of it quickly.
Hearing Shangguan Yi's words, Li Min laughed and said: "Shangguan Changshi, I know what you are worried about, but just rest assured, this kind of thing will never happen."
"I have told you a long time ago that the outside world is very big, and the Tang Dynasty is not the only one in the world. There are places overseas that are even more vast and have more fertile land than the Tang Dynasty!"
"There, you don't even need to cultivate. As long as you scatter the grain, you can harvest the grain, and you will be rich in products and minerals."
"So, the problem you are worried about will never arise."
After listening to Li Min's words, Shangguan Yi's face showed a thoughtful expression.
Finally, he took a deep look at Li Min and said: "Your Highness, this subordinate is short-sighted. Just now, I made disrespectful remarks and went to the prince to atone for my sins."
Li Min laughed and said: "What Shangguan Changshi said is all because of my worries. How can I blame you?"
…
In February of that year, Di Renjie led the Yizhou Academy of Sciences to successfully develop the telegraph and telephone.
The telephones developed here were naturally wired telephones.
Next, Li Min began to lay the telephone lines.
First, it started in the entire Jiannan Road. At the same time, Chang'an was also erected simultaneously.
Now that Li Ke is the crown prince, Li Min, the king of Shu, is no longer a threat, but a solid backing for the crown prince.
Before the king of Shu, Li Min, fell, no one could threaten Li Ke's position.
It is precisely because of this that the laying of telephone lines was given the green light.
Even Li Shimin, after hearing about the functions of the telephone, immediately realized the strategic significance that the telephone could bring.
Then Li Shimin issued an edict, ordering all states in the Tang Dynasty to start building telephone lines.
With the involvement of the imperial court, the telephone line was constructed very quickly.
In just one month, the telephone lines in Yizhou and Chang'an were completed.
Of course, the phone number in Yizhou can be connected to China Unicom.
You can also make calls on Chang'an's phone number.
But the phone call between Chang'an and Yizhou still doesn't work.
The distance between Chang'an and Yizhou is more than a thousand miles. It is impossible to complete the connection in a short time.
However, just the opening of telephone calls between Chang'an and Yizhou also brings too many novelties.
Even if one is in the east of the city and the other is in the west, as long as they pick up the phone and dial the number, the two can talk to each other remotely.
This phone call is really amazing.
I heard that after all the telephone lines are opened, casual calls will be possible throughout Datang.
In addition to telephone calls, there are also telegraphs.
The laying of telegraphs is simpler, but the telegraph collectors need special training.
After more than a month of training, a group of talents have been initially trained.
Now it is possible to send telegrams between Chang'an and Yizhou.
If there is any news, it may only take a quarter of an hour to deliver the news to Chang'an.
The telegraph is currently designated as a dedicated line, which only conveys national events and has no civilian channels for the time being.
It would only take about a year to complete the telegraph network throughout the Tang Dynasty.
At that time, any corner of the Tang Dynasty can deliver messages to Chang'an within an hour at most.
This is really fast.
In the original historical trajectory, when the Anshi Rebellion broke out, local officials rushed 800 miles and took about seven or eight days to deliver the news to Chang'an.
And what if there was a telegram at that time? It would only take half an hour to deliver it.
And the court can discuss it immediately and then come up with a solution.
In just one hour, the imperial court's will can be conveyed back.
This can save half a month of time.
How much can be done in half a month?
Therefore, with the telegraph, the mobility of the Tang Empire could be quickly improved.
…
Unconsciously, the time came in May, and Li Shimin deposed Li Shiji and demoted him to the governor of Diezhou.
At the same time, some officials were dismissed.
These appointments seem a bit baffling.
Because these people have no obvious fault at all.
It was just a small mistake that led to such severe punishment.
If Wei Zheng was still here, I'm afraid he would have to remonstrate with the emperor again.
Now Li Shimin's health is getting worse day by day.
Many ministers felt that the emperor must be confused now to make such a foolish decision.
Of course, there are still discerning people who can see it.
In fact, it's not that the emperor is crazy, he is paving the way for the prince.
After the prince ascends the throne, he can personally appoint Li Shiji as a servant, so that he can subdue Li Shiji for his own use.
Within a few days, Li Shimin's condition worsened.
Li Shimin summoned Chu Suiliang and others to entrust the funeral affairs, and asked them to assist the prince. He also asked Chu Suiliang to write an edict and pass the throne to the prince.
After Chu Suiliang finished writing the edict, Li Shimin died.
Prince Li Ke ascended the throne in front of the coffin and was honored as Gaozong by later generations.
After Prince Li Ke ascended the throne, he immediately issued a decree to allow brothers from all walks of life to return to Beijing for the funeral.
In that era, the emphasis on rituals and music came from the emperor.
That is to say, whether it is a national ceremony, a grand ceremony or an expedition, these orders must be issued by the emperor.
Li Shimin's death was a national mourning.
But the princes are not allowed to come back without the permission of the new emperor.
It is common for some emperors to dare not let their princes come back because they are afraid that their princes abroad will become too powerful.
Li Ke, on the other hand, asked all the princes to return to Beijing for the funeral.
This time, Li Min still only took ten guards with him and rushed to Chang'an.
After arriving in Chang'an, Li Min first came to pay homage to the emperor.
"Brother, I pay my respects to the Emperor!"
Li Ke took two quick steps, helped Li Min up, and said sincerely: "From now on, when my sixth brother sees me, there is no need to be polite!"
Li Min smiled slightly, and then said: "The etiquette cannot be abolished. Your Majesty, please redeem me and I will not dare to obey!"
Li Ke pointed at Li Min helplessly and said, "Sixth brother, you! From now on, you can just call me your royal brother."
"By the way, I heard that you only brought ten guards with you when you entered the capital this time? How could you be so careless?"
Li Min smiled faintly and said: "Brother Emperor, the last time I brought these ten people to the capital, more than a thousand thieves were helpless. What's more, now that Brother Emperor has come to Dabao? What are you afraid of?"
Li Ke couldn't help but frowned and said: "This is impossible! Come and mobilize five hundred imperial guards to protect the King of Shu at any time."
"yes!"
Of course, Li Ke sent these five hundred people not to monitor or put Li Min under house arrest.
He was really afraid that something would happen to Li Min.
The reason why Li Ke was able to ascend to the throne was entirely due to his younger brother.
If something happens to Li Min, it is still unknown whether he can secure his throne.
Therefore, Li Ke will never have the slightest intention to disturb the King of Shu until those noble families are eradicated.
Of course, Li Min actually knew his brother very well.
He values love and justice, and treats him like this. As long as he doesn't rebel, his brother will never do anything against him.
Of course, no matter how strong family ties and friendships are, including love, they may not be able to withstand the test.
Therefore, Li Min would basically not leave too difficult a test to his brother.
Next, Li Ke held a grand funeral for Li Shimin.
Nomadic peoples and barbarians also came to attend the funeral.
Moreover, they highly recognized Li Shimin, the Heavenly Khan.
At the funeral, they did not hesitate to prick their cheeks or even cut off their ears and stain the ground with blood.
These actions made the emperor and all the ministers moved.
After the funeral, the emperor did not let the King of Shu go back. Instead, he kept the King of Shu and gave him a courtyard in Chang'an again.
His son actually became the emperor, and the two sons were very harmonious.
The happiest person right now is of course Fei Yangfei.
Li Ke was about to make Concubine Yang the Queen Mother, but was stopped by Concubine Yang.
Now that Taizong has just passed away, it is not advisable to rush this matter. It is better to wait and deal with it temporarily.
And Li Ke left Li Min behind. First of all, in these years, the two brothers have been together and separated frequently, and they have rarely seen each other.
This time, it is between brothers, we have to reminisce about the past.
Secondly, it was Li Ke who wanted to consult Li Min about something.
In recent days, the emperor summoned the king of Shu almost every day.
The two brothers would also talk to Concubine Yang every day.
On this day, Li Ke left Li Min in the imperial study.
Li Ke couldn't help but ask Li Min: "Sixth brother, which countries in ancient times and why did they perish? How can we prevent an empire from eventually perishing?"
Is this probably something that all emperors would be concerned about?
Their first concern is probably the issue of immortality.
The second thing to worry about is probably whether the empire you have established can last for a long time.
After listening to Li Ke's inquiry, Li Min pondered for a while and then said: "Brother Emperor and Brother Chen believe that there are probably two fundamental reasons for the demise of the previous dynasty."
Is there really an answer?
Li Ke's eyes lit up and he said quickly: "I don't know which two points it is? Sixth brother, please tell me."
Li Min couldn't help but said: "Brother Emperor, I think the first point is that there is only so much land, but the population is growing day by day. One day, the growth of population will be greater than the output of the land."
"The output of the land is not enough to feed such a large population, and there will inevitably be an accident!"
"The next day is land annexation! The more intense the land annexation, the sooner the country will be destroyed."
"If these two points can be fundamentally resolved, there will be no worries within the country."
If these two points are solved, will it last forever?
The answer is of course no.
Just look at the Song Dynasty and you will know.
In addition to internal worries, a country also has external worries. In short, if it falls behind, it will be beaten.
Moreover, there are many conflicts in the country, and they are definitely not limited to these two points.
But Li Min was right about one thing. If these two points cannot be solved, trouble will sooner or later occur in a country.
In fact, most empires in ancient times failed on these two points.
Hearing Li Min's words, Li Ke frowned slightly.
He had never realized these two points before.
Even now, he still doesn't quite understand it.
Li Min couldn't help but explain: "Brother Emperor, there is an interesting thing. I wonder if you have discovered it."
"When my brother was in Yizhou, he once discovered a pond in which countless tadpoles were bred."
"The tadpoles are growing up day by day, but the water in the pond is decreasing day by day."
"If nothing happens, all these tadpoles will die."
"But at this time, the tadpoles will release a toxin that will turn the pool water into poisonous water."
"At this time, 90% of the tadpoles will die. But the remaining 10% of the tadpoles will survive to the end and transform into frogs."
"In the face of a catastrophe that threatens the entire population, he must destroy 90% of the individuals in order to maintain the continuation of the population."
"In fact, the same is true for human beings. Land annexation is serious, population is increasingly competed for, and food is seriously insufficient. What should we do at this time?"
"If a disaster or plague breaks out, there must be a war!"
"Then, countless people will die, and those who survive can continue to create a prosperous age!"
"Why was it that the founding emperor was able to create a prosperous age? Because when the country was founded, the population was sparse and there were large tracts of land for cultivation."
"With fewer people and more land, we can feed many people and develop rapidly."
After listening to Li Min's words, Li Ke fell into deep thought for a long time.
At this moment, he finally understood what Li Min wanted to express.
That's right, the demise of a country is fundamentally caused by these two points.
As long as ordinary people have a mouth to eat, they will basically not choose to rebel.
Thinking of this, Li Ke couldn't help but look at Li Min, and then asked: "Sixth brother, do you have any good solutions?"
Li Min smiled slightly and said: "There is a way, but it is not easy to implement."
"As for the problem of land yield, it is easy to solve. All we need to do is increase investment in agriculture and continue to cultivate improved varieties."
In later generations, Mr. Yuan Longping increased rice production to more than 1,000 kilograms per mu.
In this way, our own output alone can feed the whole country.
However, Li Min blinked and continued: "There is another way. In fact, there is a vast continent along the sea to the east."
"That land is bigger than ours in China. The land there is more fertile than ours in China. As long as we occupy that place, we no longer have to worry about food problems."
Hearing Li Min's words, Li Ke couldn't help but asked in surprise and joy: "Is this true? Is there really such a large area in our east?"
Well, actually Li Min is talking about North America, which is the area that is now the United States.
Of course, there should be no country now, there should be only indigenous people.
In fact, North America is to the west of China because China is in the Eastern Hemisphere and North America is in the Western Hemisphere.
But if you go to North America, you really have to go east along the ocean.
For a while, Li Min couldn't explain this very well, so he could only say that he was in the east of the Tang Dynasty.
Hearing this, Li Ke nodded slightly and then asked:
"Sixth brother, how should we solve the problem of land annexation?"
After pondering for a while, Li Min said: "Brother Emperor, the best way to solve the land annexation is to take back all the land and then redistribute it according to the registered population, and trading is strictly prohibited. Anyone who violates the order will be beheaded directly in public.
"
After hearing Li Min's method, Li Ke couldn't help but worry and said: "But, I'm afraid this is difficult to do, right?"
This method is of course difficult to achieve.
In the entire ancient history, no dynasty has ever been able to do this.
Only the People's Republic of China in later generations took advantage of the opportunity at the beginning of the founding of the country to achieve this.
But the Communist Party at that time was a proletariat and could move the interests of the landlord class.
And now, the Li family of the Tang Dynasty royal family comes from a noble family.
The royal family actually represented the interests of aristocratic families, and most of the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty came from aristocratic families.
If you want to do this, it should not be said that it is difficult, it is simply difficult.
If one thing is not done well, the Tang Dynasty is in danger of overthrowing.
Not to mention taking back all the land, even trying to carry out reforms to make everyone pay taxes is still very difficult.
Historically, this kind of change, even if it can be successful for a short period of time, will be abolished afterwards.
It was only in the Qing Dynasty that Yongzheng truly successfully implemented the reform of dividing the land from one person to another.
But that time, there were so many heads, no one knew how many people were killed and how much blood was shed before this reform was completed.
In the Tang Dynasty, they wanted to take back the land directly, distribute it according to their capita, and prohibit private sales.
In Li Ke's view, it is basically impossible.
Li Min smiled slightly and said: "Brother Emperor, it all depends on people. I believe that if all the major families can be excluded, there will still be a very good chance."
Li Ke couldn't help but asked curiously: "Sixth brother, how can we exclude all the major families?"
Li Min smiled slightly and said: "Brother Emperor, we can actually change the concept. For example, we can first send people to occupy a certain place overseas."
"Then we can take pictures of some fertile land to let them see the richness overseas. I think these aristocratic families will definitely be tempted, so we can provide them with opportunities to use domestic land to exchange overseas land."
Hearing Li Min's words, Li Ke couldn't help but feel excited.
"This is indeed an excellent method, but in this way, these aristocratic families will have no control overseas and will eventually become their own country."
"When they develop to a certain extent, won't they pose a threat to Datang?"
Li Min laughed and said: "Brother Huang is overly worried. Do you think these aristocratic families can live in peace while overseas?"
"In order to seize resources, they will inevitably fall into endless infighting. As for Datang, we can enter a period of rapid development after eliminating these cancers. How can we be afraid of a few clowns like them?"
Hearing Li Min's words, Li Ke couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead and couldn't help but admire: "I have my sixth brother, I am really like a fish in water! I can only rely on my sixth brother for all this!"
Having said this, Li Ke couldn't help but stand up, put his hand on Li Min's shoulder, and said seriously: "Sixth brother, now that the emperor has just ascended the throne, his foundation is shallow and there is no one to help him. Can the sixth brother return to the court to help the emperor?"
Li Min couldn't help but said happily: "Brothers go into battle, father and son fight against the tiger. Since the emperor brother needs the help of the younger brother, then the younger brother will come back!"
Hearing Li Min's answer, Li Ke couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.
He was actually very afraid that Li Min would not come back.
In fact, Li Ke was really not testing Li Min, he really needed Li Min's help and control.
Li Ke immediately said: "Sixth brother, this is great! The Jiedu envoy of Jiannan Road is still yours, but you have to return to the court to help me at the same time!"
Li Min nodded and said, "Okay, brother Huang!"
…
The next day, the emperor issued a transfer order.
He directly transferred King Shu Li Min back to Chang'an and granted him the title of Shangshu Ling.
Shangshuling is an official position of the second rank, which is half a rank higher than that of prime minister.
Li Shimin held this position when he was still the king of Qin.
Since Li Shimin ascended the throne, the Shangshu Ling has been vacant.
And now, the emperor has once again granted the title of Shangshu Ling to the King of Shu.
All civil and military officials had quite a few complaints about the emperor's appointment.
However, at this time, no one dared to provoke the King of Shu.
Li Min's Shu Prince's Mansion in Chang'an has been burned to the ground.
The emperor gave Li Min a larger courtyard last time, and wrote the three characters "Shu Prince's Mansion" in his handwriting.
Li Min also brought his family back from Yizhou.
All the officials in Jiannan Road were extremely worried.
With the King of Shu here, they all have a backbone.
Now that King Shu has left, they are all afraid that the emperor will send someone else to take over Jiannan Road.
After all, the King of Shu has been running Jiannan Road for many years. Jiannan Road has been managed like a piece of iron and has been labeled as the King of Shu.
They felt that the Emperor's transfer of the King of Shu to the capital as Shangshu Ling was a promotion in name only. This was the Emperor's plan to disturb the King of Shu.
Only Guan Yi, the chief official of Jiannan Road, remained unmoved.
Li Min had already communicated with him before this.
What's more, even without this communication, Shangguan Yi absolutely believed that the emperor would not touch the King of Shu so soon.