Tibet

Chapter 335 Controversy at the court meeting ([-])

At this time, Li Dai also suddenly realized Zhang Jun's trap, and he quickly said loudly: "Your Majesty, I need to explain something, please allow me!"

Li Longji nodded, "Say it!"

Li Dai explained: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I did get the evidence of rebellion from Yuan Maile and others at the end, but that was just evidence, but I didn't realize that they were going to rebel at the end.

In fact, Weichen discovered the other party's sinister intentions during the negotiation. Yuan Maitreya proposed the conditions for the establishment of a farmers' self-government association in Yunyang County and asked the government to withdraw from Yunyang County. Weichen realized that they were going to rebel. On the one hand, Weichen Pretend to negotiate with them and stabilize them. On the one hand, he sent the head catcher Peng Haiyan to rush to the capital to report.

Your Majesty, the chief secretary Liu Yan and the captor Peng Haiyan are relevant witnesses, and they are also specially approved to participate in the court meeting, just behind, your majesty can question them. "

Li Longji winked at the eunuch next to him, and the eunuch immediately said loudly: "Xuan Liuyan and Peng Haiyan will testify in the hall!"

Liu Yan and Peng Haiyan stood at the end. They could hear Li Dai's words clearly. They went forward and knelt down to pay respects. Liu Yan said: "Report to Your Majesty, what Li Shaoyin said is correct, and the minister is in charge of recording the negotiation process in detail. Wei Chen also realized that the other party was going to rebel."

Peng Haiyan also said: "Li Shaoyin ordered the villain to rush back to the capital immediately to report that the other party was going to rebel. The villain went out through the transom behind the warehouse and met General Li at the gate of the manor. I explained the situation to him. He said that there were only a few hundred of them. There is no need to alarm the army, he can deal with it by himself."

These words were too domineering, and there was an uproar in the hall, and the ministers discussed one after another, and Lu Xuan, the imperial servant in the hall, shouted loudly: "Please keep quiet in the court!"

The hall suddenly fell silent, and Li Longji nodded, "I see, you go to the side first, and you need to testify later, Wei Xiangguo, continue to the second agenda!"

Assuming the responsibility of the government was over, Zhang Jun was a little anxious, and he winked at Chen Xilie who was next to him. Chen Xilie glanced at Yang Guozhong, seeing that Yang Guozhong was expressionless and silent, Chen Xilie also shut his mouth.

In fact, Yang Guozhong didn't agree with Zhang Jun's attack on Li Dai, because it would implicate Jingzhao Yinxian and Yu Zhongtong, and there were also differences within the Yang family. Yang Guozhong simply pretended not to know, and asked Zhang Jun and Zheng Ang to bite Li Dai and his son. .

Wei Jiansu said slowly: "The second topic is about preventing the second Yunyang incident from happening. This matter is my official account, so let me talk about it!"

Li Longji nodded, "Wei Xiangguo, please tell me!"

Wei Jiansu walked to the middle of the main hall and said, "Actually, Li Shaoyin has just made it very clear that since August, the pests and diseases have been serious, and the autumn harvest has dropped by [-]%. Qizhou in Qizhou is slightly better, and the autumn harvest is only reduced by [-]%. A sharp reduction of [-]%.

There have been signs of farmers gathering in various places to demand rent and tax cuts. Thousands and tens of thousands of people have gathered in more than a dozen counties. Weichen is very worried that those desperadoes will take the opportunity to move around.

We have suppressed one Yuan Maitreya, and there will definitely be Sun Maitreya, Zhao Maitreya and others, so I take this opportunity to strongly suggest that His Majesty immediately issue an order to reduce rent and tax, so as to prevent a wave of rebellion in Guanzhong. "

Why are rent and tax cuts only now?In fact, Wei Jiansu mentioned it a long time ago, but it was rejected by the Zhengshitang, and Yang Guozhong did not agree to the tax reduction. Moreover, Yang Guozhong had very good reasons. There is no evidence to prove that other places have also severely reduced production.

Wei Jiansu also knew that if he proposed a plan in the Political Affairs Hall, it would still not be passed in all likelihood, so he used the Great Court Council to make a resolution and directly bypassed the Political Affairs Hall.

This is also the characteristic of the Great Court Meeting. Once there is no strong opposition from the officials and the emperor makes a decision at the Great Court Meeting, then there is no need to vote through the Political Affairs Hall, which can be regarded as a recognition of the monarchy.

Li Longji nodded and asked Prince Li Heng, "What does the prince think?"

Li Heng bowed his body and said: "Reporting to my father, I think the country is the most important thing, and I agree with Wei Xiangguo's suggestion, but the court can reduce or exempt the tax burden, but the rent is related to private property, and I am willing to set an example. All the manors under my name All rent-free this year."

Li Heng played this move very skillfully. When he did it to himself, he first occupied morality and forced his father to follow. Once his father followed, then the reduction of rent and tax would be a matter of course.

Li Long basically wanted to ask Yang Guozhong again, and let Yang Guozhong make a formal decision as the right minister, but he was also worried that Yang Guozhong would oppose Wei Jiansu, and it would be morally untenable to say something about financial inadequacy.

Li Longji nodded and said: "The emperor said it very well. The so-called people are more important than the emperor, and the community is the most important. Naturally, I will not let the majority of Guanzhong subjects live in hardship. I agree to reduce taxes by at least [-]%. In addition, I declare that all Huangzhuang will be rent-free this year."

All the ministers bowed together and praised, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Longji smiled and nodded, "Everyone is a little sleepy, let's speed up and proceed to the third agenda!"

Wei Jiansu said in a loud voice: "The third agenda is Zheng Ang, the censor, to impeach General Yunhui, Li Ye, for indiscriminate killing of innocents in Wanma Manor, Yunyang County. Please make a statement!"

Of course, it is not the first time that an impeachment case has been discussed at the court meeting, but usually Yushitai officials or other advising officials directly propose impeachment at the court meeting. This is the first time it has been discussed at the court meeting.

Generally speaking, when the impeachment letter is handed over to the imperial case, it is either directly approved by the emperor and the impeachment is successful, but more often the emperor approves the joint trial of the three divisions or the third division, or it is directly rejected. to discuss.

Many ministers smelled something different, and the emperor had an ambiguous attitude towards this impeachment case.

Zheng Ang also felt that the emperor's attitude was unclear, but he had no choice. He impeached him only after receiving Yang Guozhong's instruction. Seriously affect his career.

Zheng Ang came out, bowed and saluted: "I report to Your Majesty, I have investigated, and the five hundred guards of Maitreya Sect are not Yuan Maitreya's entourage, but he hired them at a high price temporarily, and they are just local rogues in this county. Take some They were just fooling around with money, they deserved to die, but they were brutally massacred, killing innocent people indiscriminately, it is really not what a general of the Tang Dynasty should do."

Zheng Ang was not stupid at all, he knew that the generals of the Tang Dynasty killed a lot of people, Tang Taizong Li Shimin did not know how many people were killed, and which of the founding generals did not have blood on their hands.

So Zheng Ang put Li Ye's killing behavior on the words 'indiscriminate killing of innocents'.

Li Ye sneered and said, "Abusi's subordinates are not local ruffians, but honest and kind herdsmen. Which crime deserves death, and it's not the same as being massacred by the Tang army. How do you explain it?"

Zheng Ang glared at Li Ye and said, "That's different? You're usually a herdsman, but when you're on the battlefield, you're an enemy. It has nothing to do with the herdsmen."

Li Ye smiled and said, "What's the difference? Don't you think hundreds of people with spears and crossbows are staring at the court officials, are they on an autumn outing?"

There was a roar of laughter in the hall, and Li Longji couldn't help but laugh too. This kid is quite good at talking!

Zheng Ang blushed and said: "The warehouse is not a battlefield. They didn't kill anyone, they were just maintaining order. Before the court convicted them, they were just a religious group. Because they faced 10,000+ believers, the warriors they recruited A little more, this is normal, there are 10,000+ believers gathered in Wanma Manor, and [-] warriors maintain order, isn’t it normal? You want to massacre them indiscriminately, this is not indiscriminate killing of innocent people, what is it?”

(End of this chapter)