manynovel Chapter 2154 The Accounts Are Wrong
Chapter 2154 The Accounts Are Wrong
Li Shen remained silent after hearing this. He knew that this was indeed the case in the early Tang Dynasty. The military system of the Tang Dynasty adopted the principle of supporting soldiers through agriculture. Otherwise, where would the Tang Dynasty's million-strong army come from?
Ten years ago, the imperial court was extremely poor, and his father was living frugally. How could he possibly afford to support an army of one million?
But the premise of this system is land. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, land annexation was serious, and with the increase in population and no land, the military system would soon collapse.
However, Li Shen did not think much about it. He might not live to that time. His descendants would have their own blessings.
"Is it the same for the palace soldiers here?" But Li Shen was a little curious.
His understanding of the Tang Dynasty's system was limited to the level of moral constraints, and he knew nothing else.
“Your Highness, the soldiers here are different. They provide their own weapons and armor, and everything else is borne by the court.
This is not only the case here, but also for the border guards and the various protectorates."
Wang Xuance immediately explained that he was familiar with the laws, systems and rituals of the Tang Dynasty so that when Prince Ji made a mistake,
Let King Ji know what punishment he will receive.
Li Shen nodded after hearing this:
"That's good, but you should still follow my orders. After all, they have left their lives here for the sake of the Tang Dynasty."
"Yes, I will tell General Li." Wang Xuance accepted the order.
Li Shen continued:
"This battle result is still very good, but I have a new plan.
So the original plan to wipe out the rebels has to be changed."
"Change? Your Majesty, you don't plan to wipe out the rebels?"
Wang Xuance asked with some surprise.
“No, we still have to suppress them, but the previous strategy needs to be changed. I want to drive the remaining rebels to the north near Tiele.
I wonder if you have any opinions.”
Li Shen shook his head.
"This is not difficult. We just need to have the soldiers move from south to north."
Xue Rengui replied.
Only Wang Xuance asked again with some confusion:
"Your Majesty, why are you driving those rebels to the north? Could it be that Your Majesty wants these rebels to deal with the rebels on the Tiele border?"
The so-called Tiele rebels were some Tiele tribes that were unwilling to submit to the Tang Dynasty. They were driven out of their original territory by other tribes.
If you are unwilling to submit, then you are a rebel, that's the truth.
“Xuan Ce, I have a plan.
This time we went to Qu Zhiping's tribe and found that the tribal leader there...
I have come up with a plan, which, if executed well, can kill two birds with one stone."
At that moment, Li Shen recounted what happened to Qu Zhiping. The main point was that some tribal leaders sold their cotton to people from aristocratic families.
Wang Xuance thought for a moment before speaking:
"Your Highness, this plan will work if it is executed well, but if it is not executed well and the noble families know about it, they will definitely impeach Your Highness in the court."
"Don't worry, they won't know. I have already sent the sharp blade over.
And even if they knew, so what? They were the ones who did what happened to Wang Wencheng, and I know that too.
I have not used this matter to impeach them, so of course they must abide by the rules."
Li Shen said nonchalantly that when playing together, you have to follow the rules, otherwise Li Shen will overturn the table.
"Okay, there's no need to discuss this matter. Tell me why you want to check the accounts.
Did you discover something?"
"Your Majesty, I did find out something."
As he spoke, Wang Xuance took out another notebook and handed it to Li Shen.
"Your Majesty, these are the inaccuracies in the accounts that I have found in the past few days.
Originally, I had no intention of checking the accounts, but after the prince left, some officials began to do as they pleased.
I have some complaints about my taking over the governor's office in your place."
"So you are going to give these people a warning and check their accounts, right?"
Hearing this, Li Shen knew what was going on.
"Your Majesty is right. I do think so. I also sent people to investigate the residences of these officials.
Many officials' residences were not commensurate with their salaries, and their lifestyles were extremely luxurious.
I suspect they are enriching themselves, and this is indeed the case.”
In front of Li Shen, Wang Xuance had no need to hide anything and spoke directly.
This is also to show Li Shen his methods.
King Ji has entrusted him with an important task. If he is incompetent, it will disappoint King Ji.
"Xuan Ce, checking the accounts is indeed a solution, but it's not ruthless enough. Didn't I say that anyone who disobeys will be beheaded?
If you kill a few people they will all obey you, why go through so much trouble?
Besides, didn't you use the token I gave you?"
When Li Shen heard Wang Xuance say that someone was actually disobeying his orders, he frowned.
He felt that Wang Xuance's methods were too weak and not like his style at all.
Whoever disobeys will be killed. Kill two people and they will all obey.
“Your Highness, they are all officials appointed by the court, and they cannot be killed without reason, otherwise it will cause trouble for Your Highness.
As for the token, I did not use it. It is your Majesty's token and I will not show it to anyone unless it is absolutely necessary.
I also want to gain some experience through this matter. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to do so."
Wang Xuance explained helplessly that he didn't dare to use Li Shen's rogue style of play.
Killing an imperial official is a big deal.
Besides, if it is as King Ji said, then it will not serve the purpose of training.
Li Shen felt even more helpless after hearing this.
"Forget it, just make your own decision. I will try not to get involved, but now that I am back,
I believe they will not dare to disobey orders again. I am afraid you are doing useless work."
"Your Majesty, that's not the case. I have found out that there are indeed problems in Xizhou Prefecture these days.
The biggest problem is the Grand Protector Guo Xiaoke."
Wang Xuance smiled slightly.
"Really?" After hearing this, Li Shen opened the notebook Wang Xuance gave him and looked at it carefully.
The more he looked at Li Shen, the gloomier his expression became, and his brows were furrowed.
Listed above are the salaries and family situations of officials at all levels, as well as the expenditure loopholes of Xizhou Prefecture.
The biggest one is Guo Xiaoke.
"Assholes! It's totally lawless, these parasites.
It is said that Guo Xiaoke was greedy for money, but unexpectedly he even extended his hand into the army.
If they are allowed to continue like this, how can the Xizhou army still have the combat effectiveness?
Check, we must check.”
I don’t know, I’m scared.
In recent years, the Anxi Protectorate has suffered serious shortages of military food and wages, which are several times higher than before.
Damn, the imperial court has become rich in the past two years and has started to plunder people.
“Your Majesty, please calm down. The situation in the northwest is unstable right now. If you punish them severely, I’m afraid there won’t be anyone left to use.
The court was unable to send anyone in a short period of time, so I thought we should give a warning and punish a few people to serve as a warning to others.
It won’t be too late to report to His Majesty for disposal after Guo Xiaoke comes back and the prince returns to the capital.”
Seeing Li Shen furious, Wang Xuance hurried to comfort him. He was really afraid that Li Shen would purge the Anxi Protectorate in a fit of rage.