Tibet

This time Li Ye didn't give Li Xian the chance to resign. Resigning and going home was a luxury.

Li Ye directly dismissed Li Xian from the posts of Minister of Rites and Tong Zhongshu Menxia Ping Zhangshi on the grounds that Li Xian did not cultivate his official ethics and had an illegitimate son. The title of Duke was demoted to Sima of Duanzhou in the south of Lingnan.

In name, he was going to be a Sima in a remote state, but in essence he was exiled to Lingnan, and he would never think of coming back in this life.

At the same time, all twenty-three members of the royal family who signed the declaration were deprived of their royal family status, demoted to common people, and deprived of all their benefits.

The children of these small clans were all originally county kings, princes, and county princes. Later, they were affected by the expulsion order and were demoted to counts and viscounts. The highest level was only county princes.

They were extremely dissatisfied, and responded to the call to oppose the abolition of slavery and signed the declaration of opposition to the abolition of slavery. They did not know that the abolition of slavery was a sharp knife. How could he be spared if he hit it?

This is a good time. After being expelled from Zongzheng Temple, all the benefits of the clan are gone. Being demoted to a commoner means that the title is gone and the public house where he lives is gone. He will be kicked out and rent a house by himself.

This is just the first step. If they have done anything illegal and harmful, such as robbing other people's wives and property, without the protection of their clan status, they will easily be sued by their enemies. Then they will have to go to court to be tried. Once the charges are found Believe it or not, he will definitely be sent to the frontier.

Because the abolition of slavery had not yet been promulgated, his wife and children might also be taken away as official slaves.

This is the greatest irony. He opposed the abolition of slavery, and in the end his wife and children became slaves.

This was less than a month before Li Ye ascended the throne. Li Ye used the abolition order to show his sword. This is actually a clear sign. At this critical moment, opposing the abolition order means opposing his ascension to the throne, and that is his enemy. , will suppress and attack without mercy, kill chickens and scare monkeys, and deter others.

But for his staunch supporters, Li Ye showed love like spring breeze and rain.

In the afternoon of the next day, Li Ye met with veteran Guo Ziyi who had returned to the capital to report on his duties.

After the Battle of Youzhou, Guo Ziyi took the initiative to hand over military power, and was granted the title of Shangshu of the School Inspectorate and the Third Division of Kaifu Yitong by Li Ye. He also took the title of Yushi Dafu and served as the pacification envoy of Henan Province.

Before taking up his new post, Guo Ziyi had to return to the capital to report on his duties, summarize and sort out his previous position as deputy marshal of the Northern Expedition, go through the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, the Privy Council and the Yushitai, and fill out some declarations. During his tenure as deputy marshal, , = did not appoint private individuals, did he embezzle military salaries and food supplies, did he embezzle loot, did he disobey the king's orders, did he kill women and children, etc.

Of course, it was just a formality. If he had the above behavior, he would have been impeached by the imperial censor.

Moreover, Guo Ziyi himself does not need to go through the procedures of various departments. His son or staff can just do it for him and take them home to sign for him.

To a certain extent, Guo Ziyi's return home to report on her work is actually a kind of vacation.

"Veteran Guo Ziyi meets His Highness!"

Li Ye quickly smiled and said: "Old General Guo, please take a seat!"

Li Ye asked Guo Ziyi to sit down and asked with a smile: "Reuniting with your family during this time, can you enjoy the happiness of being a family?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have been very happy these past two years. Thinking back to the Battle of Xiangzhou, I feel like I have aged ten years. In the past two years, thanks to Your Highness's efforts to turn the tide, I have been able to win consecutive battles, and I am getting younger and younger. I feel comfortable." ah!"

Although there was a suspicion of flattery in disguise, Guo Ziyi said it sincerely and supported it with facts, so Li Ye felt very comfortable.

"I heard that the Guo family is also abolishing slavery recently. How is the progress?"

Guo Ziyi nodded, "I happened to have nothing to do at home, so I personally handled the matter of abolition of slavery in the Guo family. The Guo family has more than 1,200 slaves. Basically, they farm in the manor, and a few work as servants in the mansion. , the slaves in the mansion were a little simpler, they went directly to the county government to restore their civilian status, signed a labor contract, were paid monthly, and went home after the term was over, but they still encountered some problems, I don’t know if other families have encountered them. "

"Tell me, old general, what's the problem?"

"Because many people have lived in the Guo family for generations. Although they are slaves, the Guo family provides them with housing and allows them to marry and have children. But once they are free, they have nowhere to go. They don't have a house of their own, and they even have to face In a new world, young people are fine, but older people will feel scared. They are used to living in the Guo family and cannot face the new life. What should they do? "

Li Ye nodded, "This is indeed a problem. Many old people have lived in walls all their lives. If you give them freedom and drive them out, you are actually abandoning them and throwing away their burden!"

"Your Highness is absolutely right, that's what happened!"

Li Ye smiled and said: "Tai Chi Palace still supports thousands of white-headed palace maids, all in their forties, fifties and sixties, homeless. I will let them continue to live in Tai Chi Palace and pay them monthly They have a little money and food to support themselves. When they die, hold a funeral and bury them. This is an employer's responsibility. Since they have hired them for their whole youth, they have to be responsible for their old age. I think every family should have this Such awareness is our traditional morality!”

Guo Ziyi sighed and said: "Everyone can see that His Highness is generous and benevolent, but in fact not every family can do it, so I have repeatedly considered whether this situation can be guaranteed by law."

"Does the old general have any good suggestions?"

Guo Ziyi nodded, "I have talked with hundreds of slaves. Not every slave is willing to be free, especially the elderly who have been slaves all their lives. It would be too cruel to suddenly give him freedom and drive him away. .

Therefore, the veteran suggested that the abolition of slavery can be divided into two types, one is mandatory abolition, and the other is voluntary abolition, with the age of forty as the boundary. People under forty must abolition, and they can start again. Forty Slaves should choose whether they are willing to be free or maintain the status quo. In twenty years, when this group of people pass away, there will be no slaves in the Tang Dynasty. The old minister does not agree with one size fits all. It is too cruel to the elderly.

There is also the property arrangement of the slaves. The court must consider it carefully. For example, the house they live in cannot be taken away and must be left to them. These must be clearly stipulated! "

Li Ye nodded, "It's not that I don't accept suggestions. I hate the kind of opposition for the sake of opposition. And suggestions like the old general's are meaningful and hit the pros and cons. Of course I can accept them. The old general can write a memorial. , I’ll let the Political Affairs Hall discuss it carefully.”

Guo Ziyi smiled sheepishly and took out a memorial from his sleeve, "I have already written it!"

Li Ye laughed, took the memorial and said: "The old general is interested, I will read it carefully and then discuss it with everyone!"

"Thank you for your tolerance, Your Highness!"

Li Ye put the memorial aside, and he pondered for a while and said: "It is actually pointless to ask the old general to go to Henan Province to be a pacifier. Li Xian just happened to leave his post. Is the old general willing to take over Li Xian's position and join the political affairs hall to assist him? Mutually?"

After Li Xian was dismissed, Li Ye was considering a new assistant prime minister. Although Wei Jiansu recommended Zhang Hao, Li Ye valued Guo Ziyi more.

Guo Ziyi pondered for a moment, then stood up and saluted: "First of all, I would like to thank His Highness for your trust and love for me, but today I came to see His Highness because I actually came with a request."

"What do you think, old general? Just tell me."

Guo Ziyi sighed, "My biggest wish in my life is to open up territory for the Tang Dynasty, but there has never been a chance to realize it. The battle of Liaodong will begin next year. This is the opportunity that I have been looking forward to all my life. I am willing to go to Liaodong as an old pawn." Charge forward and open up territory for the Tang Dynasty to fulfill your lifelong wish!"

Li Ye was really moved. He nodded and said: "I can deeply understand the old general's innocence. I am also willing to let the old general fight in Liaodong, but the old general is old and I can't bear it!"

Guo Ziyi knelt down on one knee and said with emotion: "In the Warring States Period, there was Lianpo, and in the Han Dynasty, there was Ma Yuan. Could it be that there were no gray-haired veterans in the Tang Dynasty? If I can die on the battlefield, it will be the greatest honor of my life."

Li Ye looked at him for a moment and finally nodded, "Okay! I promise, old general."

In the evening of the same day, Li Ye issued the order of the regent, appointing Zhang Hao, the observation envoy of Jiannan Road, as the Minister of Rites.

Immediately, a second regent order was issued, removing Guo Ziyi from the post of pacification envoy of Henan Province, appointing him as deputy marshal for the eastward expedition, and chief guardian of Andong, and setting up the marshal's residence for the eastward expedition in Pinglu.

Immediately, a preparatory order was issued, ordering the Privy Council to mobilize an army of 200,000, a million dan of grain, a thousand warships, 40,000 camels, and a large amount of supplies to rush to Pingzhou after the spring of next year.