Chapter 38: Wei Xuancheng has always convinced people with reason

The assassination of Chen Ying, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian all failed. Although Fang Xuanling and the Yuan Sui Imperial Guards beside Gao Shilian did not leave any survivors, the assassination of Wei Zheng and Chen Ying left no survivors.

Dai Zhou knew the depth of the water inside, but he was definitely not an official who was afraid of trouble. Although he did not use torture, some things could not be denied. The assassin who assassinated Chen Ying was one of Feng Deyi's concubines, Xue Nu, who had the blood of the Mariner.

Although Chen Ying did not know Xuenu, there were more people in Chang'an City who knew Xuenu. This Xuenu was good at playing the silence, singing and dancing. Feng Deyi often showed off Xuenu to the powerful people in Chang'an.

As for the assassin who assassinated Wei Zheng, he also confessed to the person behind the scenes under the interrogation of Dai Jia.

Li Jiancheng held a banquet for Chen Ying, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian. During the banquet, Li Anyan came to report: "Your Majesty, the assassin has confessed. He was hired by Feng Daomao, a son of the Feng family, to assassinate Wei Zheng. The person who assassinated Chen Xiangguo was Feng Deyi's concubine..."

Li Jiancheng was surprised and said, "Feng Family?"

Lee Anyan said: "Your Majesty, it's true that the assassin's confession has been caught.

Li Jiancheng was furious and said, "I just gave the Feng family so many rewards. They dared to kill my humble minister? Come on, I will put all the children of the Feng family into prison and punish them. Find out who will participate!"

"Let's wait!"

Li Jiancheng looked in the voice and saw Chen Ying making a sound.

Wei Zheng looked at Chen Ying in confusion.

Chen Ying smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, if you can do not kill, try not to kill people!"

Li Jiancheng said: "If such a traitor is not killed, it is not enough to calm the public's anger!"

Chen Ying looked at Li Jiancheng and said, "You dare to ask Your Majesty, how many people and households are in the Tang Dynasty today?"

Li Jiancheng said without hesitation: "The four major protectors of the Tang Dynasty have 367 states, with a total of 3,7497 households, with an area of ​​20 million and more than 437,000 people."

"Your Majesty, the territory of the Tang Dynasty is more than twice as large as that of the former Sui Dynasty!" Chen Ying smiled bitterly: "Since ancient times, the Dingkou period of the dynasty has only the strong Han Dynasty. In the case of household registration, some prefectures and counties, officials deliberately reduced their household registration in order to deceive political achievements, and in some prefectures and counties, officials deliberately reduced their household registration in order to impose taxes, and reported them step by step. Finally, the Ministry of Revenue will summarize the ministers in the court, and will modify and add or delete the emperor's likes and dislikes at that time and the needs of the current situation. The final number of the obtained number is recorded in history, that is, if the person who reports to the king on the same day, this number can only be used as the king and the king to participate in the supervision, and cannot be the original number."

Li Jiancheng was shocked when he heard this. In fact, when the Tang Dynasty captured Guanzhong from Hedong, did he find that it was unified today, but the number of household registrations calculated was less than one-third of the previous dynasty, and more than two-thirds of the population had disappeared.

Where did these populations go? Chen Ying thought about the practices of the census in later generations and felt relieved. In fact, in the era of harsh family planning, almost every village had black households. It was still like this thousands of years later. How could he be harsh on the ancients who were far behind in statistical technology?

Chen Ying looked at Li Jiancheng and explained: "Generally speaking, if a politically lenient person will gradually become more prominent, and if a politically lenient person will gradually become more hidden. Why? If a politically lenient person is open and upright, he can be protected by the law, have a basis for business, and has merits in joining the army, and has many benefits, so the household registration is gradually emerged. If a politically lenient person will not protect the people, and the journey to enter the government is not smooth, and those who are registered with the household registration are exploited, which has many disadvantages, so the household registration is gradually disappearing."

Li Jiancheng was shocked. Although wars were frequent at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, in fact, the casualties in the world were actually very limited. The Battle of Qianshuiyuan, the Battle of Luoyang, the Rebellion of Liu Wuzhou in Hedong, and the Rebellion of Jianghuai in Hebei, and the Rebellion of Jianghuai in these five battles were major defeats since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. However, the soldiers lost in the Five Battles were only 200,000 soldiers. However, the population of Guanzhong decreased from the peak of four to five million to more than three million now, and nearly two million people disappeared in the middle, while the population of other prefectures and counties disappeared more.

Li Jiancheng had to admit that he nodded and said, "In recent years, the household registration has faded away."

"Yes!" Chen Ying said without any hesitation: "The number of Dingkou in Guanzhong was extremely prosperous in the first year of Wude. At that time, not only the people in Guanzhong moved from Hedong to Hedong, and more than 50,000 households in Luoyang were moved to Luoyang. Seven years after the Zong Luohu entered Jingyang in the first year of Wude, Dingkou became more and more numerous, and political affairs were deteriorating. Laws did not protect the people. The officials sought to reduce taxes and pay themselves to be rich, and the people sought to evade taxes and flee to protect themselves, so they often hid in the three paths."

Li Jiancheng was silent.

He understood Chen Ying's meaning. Although Guanzhong did not experience war, its population was declining sharply. It decreased by two million in just seven years. These people were not killed or starved to death, but were hidden. The fundamental reason for population hiding is actually very simple, that is, major cases and frequent key points. In the beginning of Wude, the founding father Liu Wenjing, the case of Li's conspiracy against rebellion, Dou Jiande's conspiracy, Xuanwu Gate, and the current Feng clan. Once such major cases broke out, they would implicate thousands of people. Even if these people were not killed on the spot, they would find ways to escape.

When Chen Ying said this, Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian were all silent. They were full of thoughts and looked at Chen Ying with a different look.

Li Jiancheng frowned and said, "Can you say that Wu Delu is regarded as a decoration?"

Chen Ying shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you should use heavy sanctions in troubled times. Now it is not a chaotic time. Therefore, if you can kill less, try to kill as little as possible. Even if it is a sin of unforgivable sin, you should be pardoned and let them atone for their sins with their own practical actions!"

Chen Ying's purpose is still very simple. It is to make the population, and it is too difficult to migrate to the Western Regions, Liaodong and others. Now the population in Guanzhong is actually far from saturated and has not exceeded the land's ability to bear it. In this case, the Chinese people all have the fixed mindset of leaving their hometowns and are unwilling to stay away from their hometowns.

However, in new places like the Western Regions and Anton, they must immigrate to the real border, otherwise they will not be able to defend them at all.

Finally, Li Jiancheng nodded heavily.

...

In Chang'an City, Fengfu. A large group of imperial guards surrounded Fengfu. The soldiers of the imperial guards surrounded Fengfu into three layers inside and three layers outside, and the water was blocked.

A central servant read in front of the hall with the imperial edict and said, "...the crime is unforgivable and should be executed. Considering that he had made contributions in the first exam, he was punished with minor punishment. From now on, he will be removed from the position of Feng Daoyan's son-in-law, the supervisory gate, and the general Yangwu, and was exiled to the Western Regions. I hope you will learn lessons in the future and learn from it as a warning...

Feng Daoyan clenched his fists hard, and a gleam appeared in his eyes.

The Feng family's nephew was tied up and taken out of the mansion.

There was a burst of crying in the Feng Mansion.

The people from the surrounding neighbors stood on high places to watch.

A viewer who looked like a scholar sighed and said, "The three dynasties, the prime minister, had their bodies cold before they were locked up by the court. The court and the emperor were a little too unkind."

Several people walking around also echoed.

...

In Chang'an City, in Qujiangfang beside Qujiang Pool, there is an inconspicuous courtyard. At this time, in Chang'an City, all the well-known figures of the Guanzhong clan family came to the invitation. Wenxi Pei's representative, the former Shangshu Zuo Pushe, is currently the son of Sikong Pei Ji and Lawyer Pei.

The representative of Changsun clan in Luoyang is Changsun Anye.

Luoyang Yuan family represents Yuan Hongren.

Jingzhao Wei's representative Wei Shen.

The Liu family in Hedong represents Liu Yannian.

Dugu family in the cloud represents loneliness and virtue cultivation.

The Zhao family of Tianshui represents Zhao Mu.

The Yu family in Luoyang represents Yu Gongquan.

Representatives of Guanlong clans gathered together, and everyone was whispering. At this moment, Yu Wenhua and his background were in the lobby. Changsun Anye hurriedly stood up and said, "Everyone is quiet, please feel free to give me a first lecture!"

Yu Wenhe slowly glanced at everyone with his eyes that seemed like a poisonous snake.

Everyone bowed their heads unconsciously, and no one dared to look at Yu Wenhua and look at each other.

After a long time, Yu Wenhua slowly spoke: "Since the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the tyrant ruler has been unrighteous, trusting and slandering ministers, poisoning the aristocratic clans, forcing the old ministers to death, and forcing the remaining clans. Now people are on the throne, and I am fish. Do you sit and wait for death, or stand up and defend the country?"

Representatives of the aristocratic clans shouted in unison: "Clear the king and kill the treacherous ministers!"

Yu Wenji raised a dagger angrily and shouted fiercely: "Who is the foolish lord?"

The representatives shouted in unison: "Li Jiancheng!"

Yu Wenji said again: "Who is the treacherous minister?"

The representatives shouted in unison: "Chen Ying!"

As the saying goes, cutting off people's wealth is like killing parents. Originally, the Guanzhong family took advantage of the opportunity of a severe drought in Guanzhong to make a big profit. Unexpectedly, Chen Ying actually gave the other person's way. Chen Ying also made a plan, and this plan was set up more skillful than them, and he immediately put all the Guanzhong family into it.

They ate nearly two million shi of grain from Chen Ying at a high price. As a result, Chen Ying suppressed the price of grain to ten cents per bucket, and a net loss of seventy or eighty cents per stone. Their original inventory of more than five million shi of grain lost as much as four million shi, which was almost 80% of the annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty.

The collective property of the entire Guanzhong clan family shrank by one-third, and the fields, houses and shops passed down by their ancestors were all auctioned off by Chen Ying in Chang'an City. In just half a year, Chen Ying dug out at least seven or eight million chunks of meat from the Guanzhong clan family.

At this time, we have to ask who the Guanzhong clans hate the most. In fact, Fang Xuanling, who had abolished officials, and Wei Zheng and others were not yet ranked, and their number one target was Chen Ying.

The representatives of the aristocratic clans continued to yell: "There is Wei Zheng! Fang Xuanling..."

Yu Wenhe suddenly inserted the dagger on the table and looked at everyone and shouted: "Today, our aristocratic families are all in alliance, advance and retreat together, live and die together!"

The representatives shouted in unison: "Go forward and retreat together! Live and die together!"

...

In the residence of the Prince of Yi'an, Chang'an, dozens of people including the Li clan royal family, including the Duke, Hou, and others gathered together.

Huai'an King Li Shentong looked at the clans and said with a heartbroken look: "Now I can see that there is nothing to say. Dalang is another Yang Guang, the country conquered by the Supreme Emperor, and he is about to be defeated in his hands."

Li Xiaochang said angrily: "He is not even as good as Yang Guang. After Yang Guang became the emperor, he would not persecute the royal family, would not injure his brothers and sisters, nor would he punish himself."

Li Shentong looked around the Li clan relatives sitting around him and said slowly: "Everyone here is a well-known figure among our Li clan relatives. Now the titles of each family have changed from princes to county dukes. Maybe after a while, they will continue to surrender. Next, the house will be searched and beheaded..."

King Li Zhan of Shu said angrily: "I have an old bone, half of my body has been buried in the ground. I am not afraid that His Majesty will put a knife on my neck. To put it clearly, force the foolish monarch to abdicate and welcome the Supreme Emperor to restore the throne."

King Li Zhan of Shu is Li Yuan's second brother.

The Li family members immediately echoed with excitement.

Li Shentong stood up and gestured to everyone to be quiet. After a long time, Li Shentong continued, "Everyone, don't be impatient."

Li Xiaochang said in confusion: "King Huai'an, what else should we wait for?"

Li Shentong: "Now everything is ready, and only the east wind is needed. As long as there is another person from our Li family willing to join, the big thing will be accomplished!"

Li Zhan asked, "Who is there any other way?"

Li Shentong: "Prince of Hejian, Li Xiaogong!"

...

In the morning, there were dense crowds of people at the entrance of the Ministry of Personnel of the South Yai. These people were wearing their own official uniforms. At the top were thousands of eighth- and ninth-rank officials wearing blue official uniforms and stones, followed by sixth- and seventh-rank officials wearing green official uniforms and silver jewelry on their heads.

Standing at the end were hundreds of fourth- and fifth-rank officials wearing scarlet official uniforms and silverfish bags. There were even dozens of third-rank officials wearing red purple official uniforms and goldfish bags at the end.

The officials raised their arms and shouted: "Why should we be eliminated?

"Does the Tang Dynasty need to stabilize the world, and there is no need for talent?"

"The birds are gone, the good bow is hidden, the cunning rabbit dies, and the lackeys are cooked!"

"Is this personnel?"

"Are you really not afraid of five lightning strikes?"

"Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling are treacherous officials and party members who are in trouble with the country and the people."

Fang Xuanling was cruel enough. He cut off more than 3,800 officials in Chang'an in one breath.

More than 3,000 civil officials gathered outside the Ministry of Personnel and questioned and scolded each other in unison.

The huge sounds alarmed a large group of crows and birds.

A Shulingshi came in with a sad face and reported: "Wei... prime minister... prime minister can't go out anymore, and those civil servants who made trouble blocked the front and back doors."

Wei Zheng put down his letter, stood up and stood at the window and looked out.

Gao Shilian pulled Wei Zheng's sleeves pale and said, "Xuancheng, can't he cause death? Why haven't the imperial guards seen yet to protect us?"

Wei Zheng patted Gao Shilian on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, this is a big scene, what should I do, Xuanling and I, go out for a while."

Fang Xuanling smiled slightly and said, "That's what you mean!"

Thousands of civil servants blocked the door of the Shangshu Province with enthusiasm.

Everyone was spitting, beating their chests and stamping their feet, or crying and snatching the earth.

The door slowly opened, and Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling appeared in front of everyone.

More than a dozen politicians brought out two desks and a large number of documents from the hall.

Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling remained silent amid the noise and curses of the crowd.

Let the historians set up a case.

Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling sat down straight down.

Wei Zheng shouted loudly: "Who thinks the court is dealing with unfairly? If you want to argue, come here one by one, Xuanling and I will accompany you to the end."

The officials who were clamoring were immediately excited.

An official in a scarlet color stepped forward and stood in front of Wei Zheng.

"The court dealt with me injustice."

Wei Zheng said without a face, "Who is the surname? Where to take office? What are the injustices?"

The scorching official said: "Qiao Yong, the Minister of the Secretariat, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance and Economics."

Wei Zheng quickly searched for Qiao Yong's files in the high-row documents.

Fang Xuanling's face darkened and he shouted coldly: "What's wronged?"

Qiao Yong snorted coldly and said, "Fang Zheng is asking questions clearly. Since the rebellion of Taiyuan, Qiao has served in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and served in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In the fifth year of Wude, he has been promoted to the Ministry of Jin and the Ministry of War. He has been promoted to the Ministry of Jin and worked diligently and served the court for ten years. According to his qualifications, I, Qiao, could have been promoted to the Ministry of Jin and the Ministry of Finance, but I dare not take credit for myself and still perform my duties conscientiously. The court not only did not encourage me, but instead wanted to remove me from my official position. Prime Minister and Right Prime Minister, may I ask me, Qiao, which laws have violated the court? Which laws and regulations have violated the court? Is it because I, Qiao, did not go to the mountain gate to serve?

The officials behind were immediately exclaimed and scolded.

Wei Zheng took out a document and threw it in front of Qiao Yong and said, "You can take a look at it yourself."

Qiao Yong looked disdainful, picked up the document, and after looking at two lines, his face changed drastically. The more he looked, the paler his face became.

Wei Zheng shouted, "Qiao Yong, as the head of the Jin tribe, your daily duties are to be in charge of hundreds of officials, military towns, and foreign guests. You have deducted the rewards given to officials by the court over the years. Among them, the rewards given by King Du Fuwei of Wu were almost swallowed up by you. In order to cover up your crimes, you and your subordinates colluded with each other and attacked them. The court will dismiss you today, and the criminal officials of Dali Temple will come to visit tomorrow."

Qiao Yong's face suddenly turned like a mortal.

Fang Xuanling said expressionlessly: "Next."

The officials were a little hesitant.
Chapter completed!