Chapter 223 Tailoring
After much thought, Li Jing wrote a memorial and sent the general of Turkic origin to contact the Khan of Western Turkic Khaganate. If the threat of Murong Fuyun could not be resolved once and for all, he would attack again in a few years.

Still a little worried, Li Jing instructed his confidant, "Select twenty of the most majestic Qinghai horses and bring them back to Chang'an to present to His Majesty."

"promise."

But the confidant did not retreat. After the other generals had left, he whispered, "Duke Wei, perhaps keeping Murong Fuyun is the best choice for you."

Li Jing asked in confusion: "What?"

But he quickly reacted and raised his eyebrows: "You want me to protect myself by keeping the enemy?

The man bowed his head and said, "Duke Wei, this is the land of four counties, and it is quite remote. There are many Hu merchants coming and going. If I could be the general in charge, wouldn't it be great?"

Li Jing sneered: "You have followed me for some years, and you actually thought I was greedy for wealth and fame."

"Lord Wei has great ambitions, but can you not consider your children and grandchildren? The eldest son is simple and kind, and cannot inherit your legacy. We can only rely on you to accumulate more foundation and pass on your wealth."

Li Jing looked at the man deeply and said, "I am just a humble person. I have praised you too much. Go away. You don't need to come to see me in the future unless I give you instructions."

The man didn't say anything more, just sighed and walked out.

Li Jing actually knew that this person was just put forward as a representative, and there were definitely many generals who had the same idea.

As the saying goes, a man cannot become rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot grow fat without night grass. The same goes for generals. If there is no war, it is common for them to make no progress for many years.

And if we can stay here to guard it, keep Tuyuhun, and fight against them every now and then, all the merits and hard work will be rewarded, and sooner or later we can give our wife and children titles.

……

After several months, the Turks finally decided on the Khan, but not one, but two Khans.

As the third son of Qimin Khan, Ashina Duobi won the battle for Khanship by virtue of his age and the fact that he had once served as Mohe Duoshe (general) of the Turkic people, even though his two elder brothers had passed away.

But after all, he had been severely attacked by Shibi Khan, so he had to compromise with another strongest competitor, Princess Yicheng.

He drove away his wife and welcomed Princess Yicheng as Khagan. He also appointed Ashina Shibobi, the son of Yicheng and his elder brother Shibi Khan, as the Little Khan, who was in charge of the eastern region of the Turkic Khanate and was in charge of the Khitan, Mohe and other tribes. His royal court was connected to Youzhou in the south.

In addition, he distributed most of the fertile grasslands to his supporters and members of the Ashina family, retaining only the right to collect taxes.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks only joined forces to attack. There is no doubt that Tong Yehu was the main force, and Li Jiancheng only sent Luo Yi to lead 20,000 troops to the north as a show.

It is possible to weaken the Eastern Turks together, but Li Jiancheng absolutely does not want to see the Eastern Turks being annexed by the Western Turks. A unified Turkic population, even if only for a short period of time, would be a disaster for the Central Plains dynasty.

But before that, Li Jiancheng had to push for the elimination of redundant officials. After the turbulent times, the population of the world had dropped sharply, but the number of officials was still more than during the heyday of the previous dynasty.

There are fewer people who need to be governed, but more people to govern. How can this be possible?
However, when Fang Xuanling, at the emperor's suggestion, spoke this matter in front of all the ministers, he was immediately attacked.

The Guanlong officials were the most stubborn, because they accounted for the largest number of officials in the court. No matter how the court reduced the number of officials, it would undoubtedly hurt them the most. As the prime minister, Pei Ji, the Minister of the Left, was of course most aware of the redundant officials, but he had to act according to the position he represented. He stepped out of the line and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I think what Minister Fang said is a bit alarmist.

Everyone is aware of the disadvantages of redundant officials, but the reason why our dynasty was able to quell the war so quickly is because Your Majesty is magnanimous and benevolent, and has recruited all the heroes in the world, granted them positions, and worked together to create peace.

If we were to make large-scale layoffs now, it would discourage the officials and easily cause chaos."

Xiao Yu, the newly promoted Minister of the Central Secretariat, said, "I agree with what the Prime Minister said. We should take our time in this matter and not rush into anything."

Wang Yu stood up to support Fang Xuanling: "I think it is urgent. There are more than 800 officials on the list in the Ministry of Shangshu alone. Prime Minister, do you really need so many officials to pass on your orders?

After the local counties were merged into ten, there were thousands of redundant officials. Don't they need to be streamlined and laid off?

Officials do not engage in production, and their salaries all come from the blood and sweat of the people. If they have made contributions to the country, they can eat the emperor's salary and keep it. If they have no merit or work, should they continue to keep their positions and do nothing?"

Wang Gui, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, also said: "The skins of a thousand sheep are not as good as the armpits of a fox. It is imperative to reduce the number of officials!"

There was a fierce quarrel in the court, but Pei Ji and others generally had the upper hand.

For most officials, maintaining the status quo is undoubtedly the safest option. Everyone is worried that they might be among those being cut back and streamlined.

After watching for a long time, Li Jiancheng saw the situation clearly and also saw where the obstacles to the smooth implementation of this matter lay.

After the court was dismissed, he left behind his trusted ministers who were not Guan Long, and first made his attitude clear to show his support for them: "If we can get the good ones, even if they are few, it is enough. If we get the bad ones, even if there are many, what is the use?
From this we can see that the key to good governance lies in careful examination, appointing people according to their abilities, and reducing the number of officials.

My dear gentlemen, even if there are obstacles, this matter must be accomplished. You must not retreat easily. I will issue an order immediately, and you will be responsible for this matter.

In my opinion, it is sufficient to keep 300 officials in the Secretariat, and the other government offices, such as the five censors, the two Sitian offices, the Taichang, Guanglu, Weiwei, Zongzheng, ... the nine Taifu temples, the Guozi, Shaofu, Jiangzuo, Junqi, and Dushui four bureaus, as well as the sixteen military guards, and the ten local officials, should all follow the example of the Secretariat and reduce the number of officials! "

"I will receive the order."

The emperor's clear statement inspired everyone, and the threat from Guanlong was no longer a big deal. All they needed to do was to move forward with bold and decisive actions.

But when they really tried to carry it out, they found that it was indeed not easy, because the Guanlong nobles were watching them all the time, looking for evidence of their personal vendetta.

Therefore, they were forced to deal with their incompetent relatives and old friends first, so that they could carry out the important tasks entrusted by His Majesty.

But doing so would be tantamount to cutting off all relatives and old friends, and not doing so would be deceiving the emperor, so one can only grit one's teeth and do things in the most fair and just manner.

Any slight flaw would result in an immediate impeachment before His Majesty, forcing them to become more and more ruthless, and in order to be fair, they would not even spare their own sons.

………………

(End of this chapter)