Fang Xuanling resigned to Zhang Chao.

"I'm old, now my eyes are blurred, and my energy is not as good as before. After watching the memorial for a long time, my eyes are blurred. Now there is nothing important in the Hanlin Academy, and I just happened to go home to retire."

Zhang Chao looked at Fang Xuanling and found that the old prime minister was indeed gray in his temples and a much hunched back. His face was full of wrinkles, especially his eyes were full of loneliness.

He witnessed the establishment and rise of the Tang Empire with his own eyes, but he also watched the empire reach its end. After standing in the last shift, he wanted to leave.

"Is Fang Xiang blamed me?"

Fang Xuanling shook his head.

Blame Zhang Chao? It would be better to blame himself. Didn’t he also launch the Xuanwu Sect Incident and forced the Supreme Emperor to abdicate? Maybe he worked harder at that time, or there would be a different result.

No, no, this day will come sooner or later.

It was history that chose today, and it was history that chose Zhang Chao.

They chose yesterday, the founding heroes of the Emperor of the Supreme Emperor and the Tang Dynasty, and chose a different path from the previous dynasty. It was a path that had not been taken by previous generations. In more than ten years, the Tang Dynasty had become extremely powerful.

But at that time, no one would have thought that this empire would go a completely different path from its predecessors. The division of feudals created a powerful vassal group, the new imperial examination and new official system also created a powerful literati group, and even the opening of industry and commerce, expanding maritime trade, which also gave the Tang Dynasty a strong capital class.

When they unite, they even surpass the imperial power.

The Supreme Emperor refused to give in, and the Emperor refused to give in. They were all pulled down.

Now, the three major groups have pushed Zhang Chao to that position.

"About the Hanlin Academy, I have actually thought about it these days. After the cabinet's responsibility system, the Hanlin Academy has no right to criticize the royal family, but it cannot be idle. This is what I thought, and transferred the six departments of the aristocratic Academy to the Hanlin Academy. Later, the cabinet will rule, the Hanlin Academy will block, and the parliament will legislate and supervise, and review the fiscal budget."

Zhang Chao smiled and said to Fang Xuanling, "The Hanlin Academy is not only the emperor's consulting agency, but also has the right to refute. It has a long way to go. Fang Gong, you have rich experience and prestige. The new dynasty also needs important officials like you."

The cabinet is in charge of decision-making and administrative power, and the Hanlin Academy has changed its power to seal and refute, and this balance is still needed. The transfer of the power to seal and refute from the parliament is also the continuous increase in parliament's authority.

The normal procedure in the future is that the cabinet holds decision-making and administrative power, while the Hanlin Academy has the right to review and refute administrative affairs, the parliament has the right to pass the fiscal budget, and the emperor has the right to veto it. However, if the emperor does not specifically target it, it will be considered as a default pass.

"I really want to go back to my hometown." Fang Xuanling sighed.

"I told Mr. Fang that you will be prime minister for thirty years. From the sixth year of Wude to now, you have been prime minister for only sixteen years. You have to serve as prime minister for at least fourteen years." Zhang Chao said with a smile.

If the Hanlin Academy holds the right to refute, it is equivalent to the past Menxia Province, and the Hanlin President is naturally equivalent to the prime minister.

Fang Xuanling also thought of what Zhang Chao had told him before the first Xuanwu Gate Incident. At that time, Zhang Chao told him that the Supreme Emperor had a destiny and should become the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Later, he said that he would become the prime minister, and he was the prime minister for thirty years.

Now, he has been in the center for years, including the left and right servants, the Shizhong, the Zhongshu Ling, the second minister of the cabinet, and the current Hanlin Dean. It is indeed the fifteenth year.

"Are you able to become the emperor even if you came out back then?" Fang Xuanling asked.

Zhang Chao smiled.

"Actually, I don't believe in the destiny of heaven, but I believe in the hearts and hopes of the people. Back then, the Supreme Emperor and Jiancheng competed for the crown prince, and the people's hearts were in the Supreme Emperor."

Fang Xuanling was half-believing and half-doubted. He always felt that Zhang Chao was the one who knew the destiny. Especially now, when looking back at what Zhang Chao had said in the past twenty years, the first step seemed to have a profound meaning.

"If the emperor was willing to give up some power, wouldn't you really be replaced?"

"What's the point of being an emperor? I'm just a regency now, but I've hardly had a good sleep over this period of time. I've been trapped in this capital every day, and I can't hold meetings or deal with memorials. It's just that the times are the momentum, and I'm also pushed to this position by the times. Sometimes, I can't get off when I come up."

Fang Xuanling nodded to express his understanding.

"Actually, you are too sharp in dealing with people. If you are willing to be more low-key and introverted, you are afraid you won't be as good as you are now."

"You said that, but many times, I can't help it." He proposed new policies, promoted feudalism, and even promoted the great navigation, the development of industry and commerce, and all of which he believed had responsibility and obligations.

He believed that if he had that ability, he should do more things so that China could get out of the small circle of Central Plains and let China go out too.

But if these things are done, it will be harder to keep a low profile.

"Actually, I admire your many decisions, including sending the emperor and Li Zhi and the others away, and now the decision to let the emperor and Changsun and the others move away. You are right and kind."

"If I could resolve these internal conflicts more gently, I would do this firmly. There is no need to blindly fight, just as I said at the beginning that I was willing to focus on the development of the fiefdom."

Zhang Chao took the initiative to talk about Qu Tutong to Fang Xuanling.

"The death of the old commander was a bit forced. The old commander was sometimes too persistent. He issued a military order to serve the king in the turtle. If he did not stop him, more than 100,000 soldiers would be controlled by him to go south. At that time, a great war would not be said to be how much internal damage the Tang Dynasty would be, the Xi, Khitan and Wu that we finally managed to break through may be lost."

"The hardest thing to get to my position is decision. Between killing one person, and killing ten thousand or even more people, I can only choose to kill one person. Fang Gong, can you understand me?"

Fang Xuanling sighed in a low voice.

The heavenly family is ruthless, and the emperor is the most ruthless.

Zhang Chao is now regent, and it is only a step away from becoming an emperor. He is now in charge of the entire empire. In the face of possible rebellion, he must make a decision.

He sent people to assassinate Qu Tutong, regain control of the northern legion of the Seychelles, and avoided a civil war. He successfully persuaded Changsun Wuji and others to accept the conditions and go overseas, and also avoided the rebellion of these families loyal to the emperor.

When Zhang Chao took Hanjing, no one died or shed a drop of blood.

Now, he also passed the law, the charter and those agreements to exchange for the power change of the empire without bleeding.

"You are also helpless. How do the Regent plan to resettle the old coach Qu Tu and his family?"

"The old marshal was assassinated by the sects, and this will be recorded in history. The old marshal tried to destroy the sects for the empire and expanded the territory for the empire. His lifelong achievements will be recorded in history forever. The court will posthumously award Qu Tutong the title of Taifu and posthumously granted him the title of King Ba. Qu Tushou, the son of the old marshal, inherited the title of Prince Ba, and his second son Qu Tuquan will be promoted to the title of Marquis of Baicheng."

Qu Tutong's death is considered to be a conclusion on this.

Zhang Chaohou gave him a title of Qu Tutong and gave him generous gifts to Qu Tutong's brothers and sons. Even if Qu Tutong raised the banner of serving the king and seeking rebellion, Zhang Chao would not blame him for his past, and the Qu Tu family would not be affected.

The 80,000 southern Yamen Army in the northern border of the imperial court will become the border troops stationed there. In cooperation with the court's next stage of road construction and immigration, they will carry out immigration and military construction there.

The soldiers and horses of the princes in the northern region fought back to their fiefdoms.

The soldiers and horses of the Uighurs and Qiezi tribes also returned to the north of the Mo River to sweep away the remaining tribes of Xueyantuo.

As for Shiwei and the Martyr, their chiefs and leaders had sent envoys to bring many tributes to apologize and reprimand them for tribute.

Zhang Chao temporarily accepted his sanctions and refused to conquer them before the court completed the transition of power and the northern border digestion.

"It's better to let the four armies of the Nanya stay in the northern army stationed in the army. In fact, I feel that over the years, our expansion has been a bit too fast and too urgent. We attacked everywhere, and we used troops at the same time on multiple battlefields, and we fought the battle to destroy the country. The imperial court's troops were frequently mobilized, and the military was always tense, so the generals were inevitably a little more unyielding. One ball and one gallop was the king."

Zhang Chao thought what Fang Xuanling said was also very reasonable.

In fact, it has indeed entered a bottleneck period since its expansion.

The main problem is not how strong the enemy is, but how far the enemy is.

The distant distance, unfamiliar environment, and different climates in the new environment, even diseases, are all problems, and the consequences of the rule of the newly occupied land, stability and digestion.

A sect is already five thousand miles away from Hanjing. If you go further north, the Shiwei tribes will be further away, making it more difficult to replenish supplies, and the cold climate of the Songnen Plain will indeed be a very troublesome problem.

In the south, the war with Zhen La continued. Now the Tang army first occupied the Mekong Delta along the coast and then attacked along the Mekong River.

However, the hot climate and rainy floods still caused a lot of trouble for the Tang army. After the flood, diseases often spread rampant, and non-combat reductions in personnel losses were more than those in war.

"The court may only be able to maintain the northern part of the northern part of the Great Xianbei Mountains. The northern tribes of Uighur and Qie are temporarily handed over to the Uighurs and Qiei tribes to annex Xueyantuo. I think at least ten years of stability in the northern part of the Mohei. In ten years, perhaps the Uighurs will also have internal struggles. As long as they have a little control, they will not be able to reach the end of the internal struggle within ten years and will not be able to go south. As for Shiwei and Jinghe, the court will establish autonomous lords, and first establish prefectures and counties in their places, but temporarily their own leaders will serve as officials at all levels, and they will be autonomous."

First set up a self-government, then slowly strengthen some commercial trade, understand their situation more clearly, and wait until the imperial court stationed food, grass and equipment in the original land, Liaodong, North Korea, Liaobei and other places to adapt to the situation there, and everything is ready, and then we will wipe out them in a battle.

Although the north is cold, there are cotton and kangs. Zhang Chao believes that it is not a problem to occupy the other side. The problem is that the army now needs to adapt to the terrain and climate there, and also needs to prepare enough food and equipment.
Chapter completed!