Chapter 56: Fooling the People

"Smart!"

Li Chengqian praised loudly, his gaze toward Su Liangsi becoming increasingly satisfied:

"Both of you are talented people; you should understand that Great Tang still has a large gap compared to the Kaihuang era.

Not to mention other places, the two hundred and fifty-nine grain cellars of the Hanjia Granary are still full to this day, which shows how prosperous the Kaihuang era was.

I don't have much ambition; I require every household to have a grain cellar, so that the commoners won't starve to death when they encounter a disaster year."

"Your Highness is benevolent; we will certainly fulfill Your Highness's ambition even at the cost of our lives!"

"That is excellent!"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Have you two ever understood Jiaozhi Commandery?"

"Jiaozhi in the Lingnan Circuit?"

"Yes!"

Su Liangsi blurted out: "Shi Xie of the late Han dynasty once spread Confucianism here; the local customs and folk feelings are not much different from Great Tang.

Although the barbarians here often rebel, the influence is not great; the soldiers of the Lingnan Circuit are enough to quell the chaos.

Moreover, planting rice and wheat here can achieve three harvests a year, and the grain harvest is more than both the Huainan and Jiangnan Circuits."

Cui Zhiwen also spoke at the right time: "Lingnan is covered in dense forests, and there is miasma everywhere, so past dynasties have always focused on appeasement.

As long as the locals don't raise flags and rebel, the Central Plains dynasty doesn't want to care too much."

"Are you two willing to go to Jiaozhi?"

"Willing!"

The two spoke in unison without a hint of hesitation. Shi Xie could go; why couldn't they?

Li Chengqian was very satisfied with the two's attitude and spoke with a smile:

"Then Brother Su, you go. The position of Jiaozhi Commandery Governor is yours. You stay in the Axe Pavilion first and make some preparations.

After Father launches the eastern expedition, you will set off for Jiaozhi. Remember, safety first!"

"Governor?"

Su Liangsi and the other widened their eyes, full of disbelief:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I have no merit and no labor; how can I shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

"That place is already equivalent to exile."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, then turned his gaze to Cui Zhiwen:

"Brother Cui, from today on, you are the Siyi Lang of the Left Spring Office. Your responsibility is even more important than Brother Su's."

"May I ask Your Highness the Crown Prince, is my responsibility to manage attendants and remonstrate, refute and memorialize, or something else?"

"Do you know about rumors and gossip?"

"I know!"

Li Chengqian beckoned to Wang Qi, and before long, a scroll of paper was placed in front of Cui Zhiwen.

"Open it and see!"

After Cui Zhiwen opened it, he glanced at it quickly, then read it seriously from beginning to end.

Seeing this scene, Su Liangsi was full of curiosity, but hindered by etiquette, he could only suppress the restlessness in his heart.

After a while, Cui Zhiwen raised his head with a face full of horror:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, the manpower and material resources required for this are not a little bit. Why spend such a great price?"

"It won't be too big!"

Li Chengqian rolled up the paper and placed it in front of Su Liangsi:

"Woodblock printing already exists, new paper also exists, retired soldiers are already being arranged, and there are people teaching in various prefectures.

What you need to do is learn, verify, and prepare for controlling the 'Gazette' in the future.

When there is nothing to do, just follow by my side and listen to my instructions."

After finishing, Li Chengqian turned to look at Su Liangsi:

"Brother Su, the tax revenue of Jiaozhi Commandery doesn't need to be handed over to the imperial court; intercept it all to support Brother Cui.

The 'Gazette' matter can also be piloted in Jiaozhi. That place is different from the Central Plains; you must use the 'Gazette' to make the barbarians completely submit."

"Fine! With the foundation laid by Dragon Bian Marquis Shi Xie, civilizing is not difficult."

"That is excellent!"

Hearing this, Cui Zhiwen looked at Li Chengqian with a serious face:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, may I ask what the purpose of doing this is? This move cannot make the commoners eat their fill and wear warm clothes."

"Is that so?"

Li Chengqian's mouth curled up slightly: "Brother Cui, the prerequisite for eating one's fill is stability, and the world having no war.

Commoners are ignorant and easily bewitched by others to become knives. With this, they can know the policies of the imperial court."

"Lord Shang said: If the people are weak, the country is strong; if the people are strong, the country is weak. Therefore, a country with the Dao focuses on weakening the people.

Laozi said: Always make the people have no knowledge and no desires; make those who know not dare to act, then there is nothing that cannot be governed.

With the six types of people of Han Feizi, all show that foolish husbands and foolish wives are more beneficial to the imperial court.

Why does Your Highness the Crown Prince want to open the wisdom of the people?"

Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No matter which prosperous age, and no matter which emperor, the policy of fooling the people is carried out to the end.

He knew that for a unified feudal dynasty, the method with the lowest cost to reduce turmoil is fooling the people, just like the clan system. Knowing the harm of imperial power not reaching the villages, the imperial court still has to use the clan system to reduce institutional costs.

The harm of aristocratic clans and great families is known to emperors of all generations, and the harm of exclusively respecting Confucianism is also known to Emperor Wu of Han.

But there is no way; only the ritual and law of Confucianism can reduce institutional costs. This is a problem of productivity.

Before productivity is improved, the clan system must be carried out.

Looking at Cui Zhiwen, Li Chengqian decided to teach this young man:

"What Laozi and Lord Shang said is nothing more than letting the people return to simplicity, which is what Zengzi called the people's virtue returning to thickness.

However, after more than a thousand years of changes in the times, father passing to son, son passing to grandson, generation after generation of survival experience passed down, returning to simplicity is already impossible.

For example, Brother Cui is well-read in poetry and books. If your descendants become commoners in the future, will they bring some of your survival experience?"

Cui Zhiwen lowered his head and spoke with some hesitation:

"They should, but I have read poetry and books; those commoners' ancestors didn't necessarily read books."

"If the ancestors didn't produce powerful people, do you think their bloodline can be passed down?

Not to mention how many years the Spring and Autumn and Warring States fought, just the Five Barbarians' chaos killed how many Han people?

Just find a commoner; as long as his surname is Cui, it is possible he has the same ancestor as you, but they lost their genealogy for various reasons."

Speaking of this, Li Chengqian sighed long: "Don't think about fooling the people. The Han dynasty used 'Heavenly Man Induction' and 'White Tiger Comprehensive Discussion' to fool the people—wasn't that powerful enough?

When encountering natural and man-made disasters, if the commoners can't survive, they should rebel.

If the commoners can't survive, don't say you are the Son of Heaven; even if you are Heaven, they will pierce through this Heaven before they die."

Seeing Cui Zhiwen and the other in deep thought, Li Chengqian stood up slowly:

"You all think about it carefully. Fooling the people is fooling the people, and the people's virtue returning to thickness is the people's virtue returning to thickness; the two are worlds apart.

You are all from aristocratic clans and have ignored commoners since childhood. You can continue to ignore them, but you cannot fool them."

"Yes!"

Li Chengqian was not worried that they would exploit the commoners. For aristocratic clans, corruption was the most unrefined thing. If other aristocratic clans knew, they would be mocked for a lifetime.

And at this time, inside the Zhao State Duke Mansion, Zhangsun Chong repeated what Li Chengqian said to Zhangsun Wuji:

"Father, this son feels what the Crown Prince said is reasonable. Some things cannot be started.

Since there is a method, there is no need to start from the 'Kuodizhi' again."

Zhangsun Wuji did not reply, but asked back:

"Is the Crown Prince still fishing?"

"Yes! Last time Lizhi and Princess Chengyang went to the Eastern Palace, they were also fishing. I heard they are already addicted, just like those people who eat Cold Food Powder."

"It seems I was overthinking!"

Zhangsun Wuji picked up a pen and wrote the two characters 'Lubu' on the paper, then fell into deep thought:

*'The 'Lubu' reform was proposed by Su Xu. If I use 'Lubu' and Buddhism, whether it is merit or fault, Su Xu cannot stay in Chang'an. *

*Without this Eighteen Scholar Su Xu making plans behind the scenes, the Prince of Wei would be missing an arm. *

*But doing this, the Prince of Wei still has a chance; it's not as simple and convenient as the 'Kuodizhi'. *

*If I use the 'Kuodizhi', the Crown Prince will definitely take action; he has always kept his word. *

*Even a rebellion can be called a drill; wanting to protect the 'Kuodizhi' with his cleverness, I think it's no problem. *

*It's difficult! If I had known, I wouldn't have gone to find the Crown Prince!'* ===== CHAPTER 57 =====