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墨書 Inktalez
"Your Majesty, we..."
"Ah, Brother Xuan Yin, even elders cannot refuse a bestowed honor, let alone Sovereign Father. It is better for us to obey respectfully."
Dai Zhou was naturally loyal and serious, while Wen Yanbo was tall and handsome with a carefree personality. One hailed from the Wen family of Taiyuan, and the other from a commoner background; their temperaments were quite different, yet they were close friends.
Li Wei hurriedly arranged for two food tables to be set up. Even though it was a meal bestowed upon them, they could not sit at the same table as the emperor; they still had to eat separately.
Li Jian Cheng selected two dishes on the imperial table: one serving of Cloud-Wrapped Dream Meat for Dai Zhou and a single basket of Golden Milk Curd for Wen Yanbo, then he poured each of them a jug of wine.
Cloud-Wrapped Dream Meat consisted of tender meat wrapped around various ingredients, pressed into shape and sliced thinly before being served.
Golden Milk Curd was made by boiling cow's milk and adding vinegar, similar to making tofu, allowing the milk to gradually solidify. It was drained of excess water, wrapped in cloth, and pressed down, resulting in a dish that was visually appealing and flavorful.
Even the surrendered generals from the Liaodong Three Kingdoms received their due rewards.
Not long ago, the court had relocated the people of Goguryeo, and now there were intentions to move the people of Silla and Baekje as well. It was indeed not advisable to fill the prefectures with foreign populations in such a short time.
Wen Yanbo stopped speaking; ultimately, it would be up to His Majesty to decide. He had already expressed his thoughts.
After pondering for a moment, the emperor said, "The Turkic people should not descend south this year. The Turkic Child sent envoys to request grain, but I did not agree. He turned around and began to exploit the Tiele Tribe instead."
...
No one expected that the benefits gained from expanding territory would also include their share.
Although the granted prefectures were relatively remote, they were truly lands belonging to them.
"What you say has merit; I will consider it further."
Then he proceeded to allocate rewards based on merit, with even the lowest ranking receiving a thousand households' worth of land.
Li Jian Cheng's usual meals consisted of four dishes, but upon seeing that only one dish remained on the emperor's table, the two quickly stood up to express their gratitude.
In terms of expanding territory and increasing population, the emperor had far surpassed many rulers in his five years on the throne.
In the summer of the fifth year, news came from Liaodong of a great victory: Baekje had been destroyed, and its royal family was executed. Only three of the Eight Prominent Clans survived due to their contributions in surrendering.
"Wenqing, pay close attention to this matter."
Although our soldiers are valiant, once war breaks out, the consumption of resources is significant, not to mention the enmity created with various factions, which would be a loss rather than a gain.
If we could win them over with kindness and have them return to our fold, taking their troops and educating the populace would be a great benefit.
The Tang Dynasty gained the entirety of Baekje's five divisions, thirty-seven counties, two hundred cities, and a population of five hundred thousand households.
Among the ministers, naturally, Duke of Wei received the most—twenty thousand households in fiefdoms and land across five counties.
Those officials who received only fiefdoms without land were filled with regret for not having made significant contributions in previous years, missing out on opportunities for land grants.
Of course, given the scale of the Andong Protectorate, managing such a vast territory and population was still quite challenging.
Those who received land immediately sent their family members to Liaodong, eager to govern well and leave a lasting legacy for their families.
"I believe we should settle the Turkic captives in Youzhou in empty lands and subtly change their customs rather than recklessly relocating them to the Central Plains."
Li Jian Cheng waved his hand for them to sit down and eat comfortably. Once they had finished their meal, both put down their chopsticks and stopped drinking to indicate they were done.
"There is nothing inappropriate about this. Your Majesty's virtue has clearly influenced the Barbarians. However, I think that with Dong Xie and Xi Xie facing such difficulties, many other tribes along Qianzhong Road are likely in similar situations.
This year, Jiangnan has sufficient grain reserves and has prepared nearly eighty thousand stones to be transported by waterway to Luoyang for storage. I believe we can temporarily allocate some of it."
"Dai Zhou said, 'Your Majesty, I have come on behalf of the Turkic people from the Northern Frontier who wish to submit to our dynasty. I have heard that there are as many as tens of thousands of them.'
Such a great favor left the courtiers with nothing to say but to bow and express their gratitude.
These barbarians are known for their martial prowess; they do not adhere to laws and each pursues their own livelihood. They gather in battle formations, do not pay taxes, and have little interaction with one another, raising yaks, sheep, and pigs for food, unaware of agriculture.
It is said that the Zangke Tribe possesses tens of thousands of troops and occupies several states, while the Tangxiang Eight Tribes have large groups with thousands of riders and smaller factions with several hundred warriors.
After the emperor finished speaking, he turned to another. Wen Yanbo spoke loudly, 'I have come on behalf of the chiefs of Eastern Xie and Southern Xie to pay my respects today.'
'Do you find anything amiss?'
'Your Majesty, I wish to accompany the Dong Xie leader back to Qianzhong Road.'
Now that we have achieved victory in Liaodong, it is surely the will of heaven.'
Wen Yanbo did not feel any dissatisfaction at his friend's rebuttal; he merely smiled and said, 'The news about Dong Xie and Xi Xie receiving provisions cannot be hidden for long. The Zangke and Tangxiang will surely come to court seeking assistance.'
The emperor was overjoyed and conferred titles upon Zhang Hutan as Duke of Ying and Luo Yi as Duke of Lu. The remaining generals were also rewarded based on their merits, regardless of their origins.
After expressing their gratitude, the two ministers accompanied the emperor for a meal. Halfway through, the emperor bestowed upon them a dish called Shengping Zhi, which is roasted deer tongue seasoned with spices.
Li Wei ordered the food table to be cleared and served tea instead. At this moment in court, no one disliked this slightly bitter tea; what those above favored was surely embraced by those below.
Adjusting supplies was not out of the question, but it would be better to wait for Zangke and Tangxiang to come seeking assistance before discussing this matter.
The emperor waved his hand, and the Minister of Civil Affairs stepped forward to announce the decree. First among them was the royal family, with King Li Shimin receiving rewards amounting to thirty thousand households along with two counties as his fief.
'Your Majesty,' I believe we must first take care of ourselves before attending to others.'"
"Ready."
Amidst the praises sung by the courtiers, the Emperor looked at his ministers: "I have stated that I will grant fiefs to those who have rendered merit to the court, to reward you all for assisting me in governing the nation.
Dai Zhou frowned: "This is inappropriate. The Turkic tribes are suffering greatly and may descend southward at any moment. The grain stored in Luoyang is prepared for this reason."
It is easy for our dynasty to refuse, but would the leaders of the Zangke and Tangxiang tribes watch their people starve? They will surely resort to plundering Dong Xie and Xi Xie, or even gather troops to attack the court's prefectures.
The entire population of the Three Kingdoms adds up to over a million households, which means around six to seven million people if we count five per household.
The Emperor nodded: "There are over thirty thousand people; I am prepared to accept them. The Ministry of Rites has proposed to settle them in Henan across various prefectures."
Before the Emperor could respond, Dai Zhou could not help but say: "Since last winter, disasters have occurred everywhere. The court has already allocated tens of thousands of stones for relief to Dong Xie and Xi Xie. Where would there be enough grain left to appease the other tribes?"
Once this news spread, it shocked the world. His Majesty's generosity is rarely seen, and it spurred young men to enter government service and achieve merit; as long as they could obtain a county, they would be great benefactors of their families!
The Emperor's authority was once again solidified, returning him to the status of a Sage. Throughout the land, no one dared to speak ill of him.
Some commoners, coming from families with little influence, could only recruit fellow townsmen from their hometowns, ensuring they could effectively control their territories.
………………
(End of Chapter)
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