si-mexico Chapter 700 Hegemony
Chapter 700 Hegemony
In the autumn of the eighteenth year of Qianwu, the sky was high and clear without a trace of cloud. Under the autumn sun, the city of Chang'an was filled with a solemn and dignified atmosphere everywhere.
On Suzaku Street, the crowd was bustling but orderly. People stopped what they were doing and looked towards the direction of the imperial palace.
Just today, Li Jingyou, dressed in gorgeous crown and robes, steadily ascended the throne amidst the solemn sound of drums and music and the cheers of "Your Majesty", and from then on became the new master of the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty and its countless people.
Looking back at the Qianwu period, it was undoubtedly a glorious chapter in the history of the Tang Dynasty.
During this period, the country's civil and military achievements both reached unprecedented peaks. Even compared with the famous Zhenguan period, it was not inferior, and even surpassed it in many aspects.
With his outstanding leadership, Li Shimin initiated the Zhenguan Reign. In terms of civil administration, he implemented the imperial examination system, recruited talents from all over the world, and attached importance to the development of culture and education, which made the Tang Dynasty culture prosperous and admired by later generations, and became the solid foundation of the Tang Dynasty's prosperity.
Li Chengqian, an emperor gifted in the military field, fought wars in the south and the north after he ascended the throne, expanded the territory, and with his extraordinary military strategy, he expanded the territory of the Tang Dynasty and made it famous far and wide.
His outstanding achievements in both civil and military affairs are equally indelible, and he was posthumously named Wu, Emperor Wu of Tang Gaozong.
Among the people, people are more accustomed to calling him Emperor Qianwu affectionately. The reign titles he set during his reign are also very consistent with that prosperous era, which makes the people feel deeply appropriate, as if it is a symbol of the prosperity of an era.
As the saying goes, "A new emperor appoints his own ministers." This proverb, which has been passed down through the ages, was quickly fulfilled the moment Li Jingyou came to power.
Li Jingyou had just ascended the throne and hadn't even had time to warm his seat when a huge storm of reform swept through the court.
The officials were all silent, feeling uneasy, because a large-scale official layoff operation was quietly beginning.
The first to bear the brunt were a group of veteran officials headed by Li Wei, the Minister of Revenue.
Li Wei had served in the court for many years and had extensive experience. He had also made contributions to the court. However, in the eyes of Li Jingyou, he became a stumbling block to his control over the court.
Li Jingyou directly used the seemingly simple but irrefutable excuse of incompetence to ruthlessly order Li Wei to go home and retire, and at the same time stripped him of his honorable title of Sikong.
This high-ranking official who once had great power in the court lost all his power and glory overnight, and could only leave the court sadly and return to the people.
Immediately afterwards, Minister of Personnel Li Jingxuan, Minister of Personnel Li Yifu, and Minister of War Wu Tianyan were also caught up in the dismissal storm.
These officials each have a certain amount of power and foundation in the court. They rely on their family background or the connections accumulated over the years to stand firm in previous court struggles.
In order to firmly control the power of the court in his own hands and realize his political ambitions, Li Jingyou showed no mercy and decisively dismissed them one by one.
Afterwards, Li Jingyou quickly placed a group of officials loyal to him in power.
These new officials either had a close relationship with him before he ascended the throne, or had given him advice and made great contributions in his fight for the throne. They were loyal to Li Jingyou and followed his lead.
After completing the personnel changes in some key official positions, Li Jingyou made a series of important personnel appointments.
He appointed Xu Yuan as Grand Tutor and concurrently Minister of Revenue.
Jiang Liuer was appointed as Sikong and concurrently Minister of Personnel.
At the same time, Li Jingyou made a major decision that shocked the court - to abolish the Grand Council.
Since its establishment, the Grand Council has played an important role in handling state affairs and military decision-making.
But in Li Jingyou's view, the power of the Grand Council gradually expanded, and even to a certain extent restricted the imperial power.
Li Jingyou was deeply dissatisfied with this. He longed to concentrate all decision-making power in his own hands and become an emperor whose words were truly law.
So, he decisively ordered the abolition of the Grand Council. From then on, all memorials had to be submitted directly to the Liangyi Hall for him to review and approve personally.
This move undoubtedly completely redistributed the core power of the court, greatly strengthening Li Jingyou's imperial power.
In this series of intense changes in the court, there was one person whom Li Jingyou deliberately ignored, and that was Wang Wen.
Wang Wen enjoyed high prestige in the court and was one of the most capable assistants of the late Emperor Li Chengqian.
But for some reason, Li Jingyou did not attack him.
After leaving court, Li Jingyou returned to Liangyi Hall alone.
He summoned Wang Can, deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
After receiving the order, Wang Can did not dare to delay at all and rushed over immediately.
He walked into the Liangyi Hall and saw Li Jingyou's gloomy face. His heart tightened and he quickly saluted.
Li Jingyou and Wang Can revealed a hint of coldness in their eyes.
He didn't exchange any unnecessary pleasantries. The first time he saw Wang Can, he asked directly: "Wang Can, do you want to die or live?"
He was startled and instantly understood what the emperor meant. As the sharpest "knife" in the emperor's hand, the Jinyiwei was responsible for gathering intelligence and monitoring officials. Its importance was self-evident.
No emperor could resist the temptation of possessing such a powerful force.
But this "knife" must completely obey the emperor's command, otherwise it will become a hidden danger that threatens the imperial power.
Wang Can said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I want to live."
Hearing Wang Can's answer, Li Jingyou showed a barely perceptible smile on his face.
He knew in his heart that Wang Can might not be completely trustworthy, but at this critical moment, he needed someone to do things for him, and Wang Can was someone who could be used.
Li Jingyou looked at Wang Can leisurely and continued, "Wang Can, I'll give you a list. All the officials on it will be charged with treason. Do you understand?"
Wang Can's heart trembled. He nodded and said, "I understand!"
Since Li Jingyou came to power, the entire court seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand and gradually became his one-man show.
Although some ministers in the court had many complaints and grievances in their hearts, no one dared to speak easily under Li Jingyou's high-pressure rule.
Whenever someone wanted to speak a few fair words for the late Emperor Li Chengqian, or questioned some of Li Jingyou's policies, they would be ruthlessly suppressed by Li Jingyou.
Over time, the only sounds left in the court were flattery, and no one dared to go against Li Jingyou's wishes.
Not long after, a building called Siqian Pavilion rose from the ground outside the imperial palace.
The building is extremely exquisitely built, surrounded by green trees and has a quiet environment.
A lonely man trapped in a crystal coffin was sent in.
People from all over the world visit and commemorate it.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the winter of the eighteenth year of Qianwu has arrived.
The biting cold wind blew through Chang'an City, and the streets and alleys were covered with a thick layer of snow.
In this cold winter, the four capitals and other parts of the capital received invitations from Chang'an.
The new emperor Li Jingyou invited them to attend the New Year's Day celebration in the last year of Qianwu.
For officials from all over the country and envoys sent to the capital, no matter what they felt in their hearts, there was no reason to refuse.
Participating in the New Year's Day celebrations was not only a form of submission to the new emperor, but also an opportunity to demonstrate one's loyalty.
Li Jingyou held this New Year's Day celebration for a reason that had its own profound meaning.
He wants to use various means to take all the power of the entire Tang Dynasty into his own hands before next year.
This New Year's Day celebration is an important part of his plan. He wants to demonstrate his ruling power to the people of the world on this grand occasion and let everyone understand that he is the real ruler of the Tang Dynasty.
This year's New Year's Day is particularly different from previous years.
The envoys from the Arab Empire arrived in Chang'an early.
Their team was so huge that it attracted countless people to watch along the way.
Not only that, among those who came this time was a very important figure in the Arab Empire - the new Grand Amir Rutherford.
Rutherford was tall and strong, and his every move revealed the majesty of a superior.
His teacher, Anurchi, died under the firearms of the Tang people. This incident made Rutherford full of longing for the Tang Dynasty.
He was eager to find out how strong their enemy was now.
In order to please the new emperor Li Jingyou, Rutherford took great pains and carefully prepared a big gift.
At this moment, he was standing in the embassy with his hands behind his back, staring at the ancient bronze tripod in front of him.
This large tripod has a unique shape and exquisite craftsmanship. It is engraved with mysterious and ancient inscriptions all over and exudes a solemn atmosphere.
Rutherford believed that this unique and precious gift would surely catch Li Jingyou's eye.
The new emperor's attitude towards the Arabs was much friendlier than that of Emperor Qianwu.
If this gift-giving was successful, they would have the opportunity to buy a large number of muskets from the Tang Dynasty.
In Rutherford's view, advanced weapons such as muskets will greatly enhance the military strength of the Arab Empire and allow them to occupy a more advantageous position in future wars and diplomatic games.
He hoped that this gift would gain enough respect from the Tang Dynasty and initiate closer cooperation and exchanges between the Arab Empire and the Tang Dynasty.