Chapter 392 Royal Academy of Sciences

Feng Changqing said, "The Khitan, Shiwei, and Heishui Mohe have all sent troops to support the An Lushan rebels. Now they have sent envoys to surrender. What should we do with them?"

The Khitan later established the Liao Dynasty, the Shiwei later established Mongolia, and the Heishui Mohe, which was later known as the Jurchens, are now engaged in fishing and hunting in the Northeast.

However, these three tribes now have no concept of nation, nor do they have a strong political organization, only a chaotic tribal alliance.

Because the reason came from later generations, Li Heng believed that the Northeast should be registered as a common people by the Tang Dynasty.

However, it is a bit difficult to register all the citizens now.

Although the people in this area were settled, there were too many tribes. Each alliance of Khitan, Shiwei, and Heishui Mohe had more than a dozen tribes, and transportation was relatively closed. Conflicts often occurred between tribes, making management costly and difficult.

Moreover, if they are integrated, it may not be a good thing for the border.

The scattered tribes mainly focus their energy on internal consumption, and the Tang Dynasty can check and balance them. If they are integrated, over time they will be able to unite into a huge force.

The ancestors of the Tang Dynasty believed that the climate in the Northeast was bad, the environment was harsh, and it did not have unified values, so the policy they adopted was to divide and govern, and to control the people.

If we only look at it from the perspective of agricultural civilization, this is undoubtedly the right choice.

However, Li Heng knew that agricultural civilization was only the first step. If industry and commerce were developed, the value of unifying the Northeast would be enormous.

Therefore, Li Heng felt that unifying the Northeast and registering all citizens was something that had to be done, it just required the right time.

However, now is definitely not the best time.

Li Heng pondered for a while and said, "If they are willing to surrender, we will accept them and treat them the same as before."

"Alright." Feng Changqing agreed and said, "Nanzhao has occupied Yaozhou and requests that the land of Yaozhou be granted to them."

Li Ying wanted to let Feng Changqing show his talent, so he asked, "What do you think, General Feng?"

General Feng said, "Yaozhou is different from the three surrendered cities. The dispute over Yaozhou started with Li Lin's failure. Later, Prince Rong hosted the peace talks and chose to put aside the Yaozhou dispute. Both sides took a step back. Now they are bringing up Yaozhou again, which is an old matter. Moreover, after Tubo weakened, Nanzhao was more inclined to unite with Tubo to fight against the Tang Dynasty. If it is not handled properly, it will easily lead to war. Therefore, I advise you to negotiate first and prepare for war at the same time."

Li Heng asked: "Who is more suitable to lead the army?"

Feng Changqing said: "Let Li Sheng and Ma Lin go. Li Sheng is resourceful and Ma Lin is decisive. Their personalities complement each other and they are both very brave in battle. They can handle complex and ever-changing situations."

Li Ying said, "Then let's do as you say. Yang Xuanlu will still be the grain and grass transport envoy."

"Your Majesty is wise." Feng Changqing said.

Li Heng added: "What we just said is just a preliminary strategy. How to implement it specifically should be discussed by the Secretariat, the Ministry of Personnel, and the various ministries."

"Yes." Feng Changqing accepted the order.

……

The next day, there was a court meeting.

The court officials first discussed border policy, issues regarding neighboring countries' forces, and overall strategy, which was similar to what Li Heng had discussed with Feng Changqing before.

After the discussion, Zhang Hao presented his memorial.

The content of Zhang Hao's memorial was very simple, asking Li Heng to introduce policies to restrict land annexation.

Although Li Heng implemented the Two Tax Law, it did not restrict land annexation.

This is the second problem Li Heng faces.

Li Heng actually thought about the problem that the Two Tax Law could not restrict land annexation, but he was struggling with the extent to which land annexation should be restricted.

Because although land annexation is not good for feudal society, it is a process of primitive accumulation of capital.

In Capital, Marx defines primitive accumulation as follows: “So-called primitive accumulation is nothing more than the historical process of separation of the producers from the means of production.”

Land annexation means the separation of producers from the means of production.

The primitive accumulation of capital is a necessary process for the development of capitalism.

If Li Heng wanted capitalism to germinate and develop, he would not have to impose such strict restrictions on land annexation.

What he needs to do is to vigorously develop industry and commerce.

Li Ying pondered for a long time and finally decided to let capitalism sprout.

Li Heng said to Zhang Hao, "Because of the war, a large number of northerners fled to the south. After the implementation of the two-tax system, the rebellious tyrants in various places were also exiled to the south. Now the land annexation in the Tang Dynasty is not that serious. Forcibly equalizing the land will cause unrest. It is better to slow down for now."

Zhang Hao was only responsible for giving advice. When Li Heng refused to listen, Zhang Hao did not force him to do so. He only said, "Your Majesty is right. For now, we should focus on stability. I am just preparing for a rainy day."

Li Heng nodded.

Liu Yan then submitted another memorial.

The content of Liu Yan's memorial was a request to allow merchants to take part in the imperial examinations.

Li Heng did not immediately agree to Liu Yan's memorial, but asked his ministers to discuss it.

More than half of the officials opposed it.

Most people still think that agriculture should be emphasized and commerce should be suppressed.

In this regard, Li Heng did not force Liu Yan's proposal to pass.

Of course, Li Heng did not force it through, not because he did not know that allowing merchants to participate in the imperial examinations would be conducive to the development of industry and commerce and improve the status of merchants, but because he felt that some things did not have to be done from top to bottom, but could also be done from bottom to top.

The implementation of the Two Tax Law will give rise to larger manor landlords, the implementation of the new salt policy will improve the status of merchants, and Liu Yan's reform of the employment method of the grain transport system will provide a good template for employment relations. These policies are all aimed at enhancing the strength of merchants.

When the merchants' power reaches a certain level, their demands for status will become very strong, and they will then be able to force officials to agree to let them take part in the imperial examinations.

This was the case in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Li Heng did not want to concentrate all the conflicts on himself just because of a momentary rush.

However, although Li Heng did not force through Liu Yan's proposal, he proposed another idea.

Li Heng said: "I want to set up a new department dedicated to technical development."

After spending some time with Li Heng, the ministers below roughly understood what technological development meant.

Cui Youfu was the first to object, saying, "Your Majesty, the so-called technological development is nothing but a gimmick. If the Tang Dynasty wants to develop, it needs to get back to the basics. Agriculture is the foundation of the Tang Dynasty!"

Zhang Hao followed up and said, "The emperor should do the right thing. Your Majesty is too concerned with strange tricks and lewd things, which is not the right thing for a monarch."

Wang Yu, the Junior Minister of Rites, said: "If the Tang Dynasty is to last for thousands of years, it should focus on national destiny and feng shui, not technology."

Cui Youfu and Zhang Hao did not know how important technological change was to a country's development. In their opinion, hundreds of years later, the country would still be dominated by agriculture.

Wang Yu, the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was a person who worshipped feudal superstition. He thought that everything should be based on feudal superstition. Li Heng could not explain these things to them clearly, so he could only say: "My father likes singing and dancing, so he built the Pear Garden. I like technology, so I also want to build a technology park. Moreover, since Minister Zhang and Minister Cui believe that the Tang Dynasty should focus on agriculture, the first technology to be studied in the technology park I want to build is agriculture."

Zhang Hao and Cui Youfu didn't know how to refute for a moment.

Li Ying continued, "My initial idea is to set up three departments in the technology park: one for agricultural research, two for weapons research, and three for shipbuilding research."

As for agricultural research, Li Heng's idea was to cultivate high-quality seeds. As for weapons research, the focus would be on the group of people who were previously researching gunpowder led by Cen Shen. As for the shipbuilding industry, Li Heng wanted to build a sailing fleet.

Moreover, research in any industry does not exist in isolation. For example, the improvement of the steam engine cylinder benefited from the cannon boring machine technology.

Li Heng didn't know much about industrial technology. He only knew the most basic things. However, he believed that the wisdom of the ancients was not bad. As long as he gave them proper guidance and sufficient financial support, these ancient people would be able to create what he wanted.

Seeing that Li Heng had made up his mind, the others did not want to continue to object. They thought that Li Heng was just acting on impulse and thought that they could just let Li Heng have fun on his own and then it would be over.

Seeing that no one objected, Li Heng asked the Sinong Temple, Cen Shen, and Liu Yan's shipbuilding team to select people each to form a new department, which was named the Tang Royal Academy of Sciences.

The team has been formed, and the next step is to select a leader to lead the team to do practical work.

When Li Heng was hesitating about choosing a leader, Yuan Chao came back.

Yuan Chao brought back several carts of rice seeds.

Li Yan met with Yuan Chao in person.

Yuan Chao once again described to Li Heng the characteristics of the seeds he brought back. This time, Li Heng was completely certain that what Yuan Chao brought back was Champa rice.

Champa rice is early maturing, drought-resistant, and resistant to barrenness. It has a short production cycle and can be harvested twice a year in the low latitudes of the south, with a high yield.

If introduced, it can solve the problem of food shortage to a large extent.

The only downside is that the taste is not very good.

Of course, some people also think that even with the introduction of Champa rice, the Song Dynasty fell into the Malthusian trap.

The so-called Malthusian trap states that population growth is growing at a geometric rate, while survival resources are only growing at an arithmetic rate.

Taking Champa rice as an example, in short, if grain production increases, the population will grow, and if the population grows, there will still not be enough food.

However, if there is not enough food after the population grows, that is a matter for the future. What Li Heng needs to solve now is to ensure that the current people in the Tang Dynasty have enough to eat.

Again, no single method or technological advancement can solve all problems, but we cannot do nothing just because we cannot solve the problem once and for all.

However, although Li Heng knew the benefits of Champa rice, he did not ask for its immediate promotion. Instead, he asked Yuan Chao to arrange people to take Champa rice to the southern states for a pilot project.

Li Heng wants to wait until the pilot is successful before gradually promoting it.

At the same time, Li Heng asked Yuan Chao to take on a part-time role as the head of the Agricultural Department of the Royal Academy of Sciences, while still serving as the Secretary of the Sinong Temple.

Li Heng has found the leader in agricultural convenience.

Next, there is the leader in black powder research.

Previously, the research on gunpowder had always been led by Cen Shen, but Cen Shen’s main responsibility was to lead troops. Later, when he held important positions, he was unable to devote himself wholeheartedly.

Regarding this situation, Li Heng asked Cen Shen to recommend a candidate.

Cen Shen recommended someone Li Ying was relatively familiar with, Chen Wulang.

This Chen Wulang was the fugitive that Li Ying met in Fenglin County when he left Chang'an for the first time.

After Chen Wulang was rescued by Li Heng, he was grateful for Li Heng's kindness, so he settled his sister down, took the initiative to join the army and follow Li Heng.

Because of his nightmarish disaster, half of the reason was that the dike was blown up by hidden fire mines, turning fertile fields into cheap fields. Therefore, he followed Cen Shen and devoted himself to the study of gunpowder. After so many years, he became an outstanding person among them.

Chen Wulang is not a historical celebrity. Li Ying felt strange about his growth at first, but later he found it normal.

Because, not only celebrities can become talented. Chen Wulang was also one of the people he influenced early on.

Li Heng agreed to Cen Shen's recommendation and appointed Chen Wulang as the leader of black powder research.

Finally, there is the leader in the shipbuilding industry.

It was Liu Yan who proposed letting the government build ships, and Li Heng asked Liu Yan to recommend.

Liu Yan recommended a person whom Li Heng had heard of but had never met.

This person's name is Sun Daifeng.

Sun Daifeng was Liu Zhan's deputy general. He was born in the south of the Yangtze River, was familiar with naval battles, and was well versed in shipbuilding.

Historically, Liu Zhan was forced to rebel, and Sun Daifeng, as Liu Zhan's deputy general, followed him in the rebellion. After Liu Zhan's failure, he surrendered to the government army general Li Zangyong.

Afterwards, as there was no standard for the use of property in the warehouses by the Jianghuai states, Cui Yuan, the governor of Jianghuai, submitted a memorial requesting verification.

At that time, soldiers were recruited hastily and a lot of property was scattered. When it was verified that the number was insufficient, the generals often sold their own property to compensate.

Li Zangyong was afraid that the conspiracy would be brought against him, so he told people that he felt a little regretful about serving as the governor of Chuzhou.

A senior official under Li Zangyong held an old grudge against him, so he sent people to Guangling to accuse Li Zangyong of treason, and first sent troops to attack Li Zangyong.

Li Zangyong fled, but Gao Gan chased him and killed him.

Cui Yuan interrogated Li Zangyong's generals according to the order of documents to verify whether Li Zangyong was plotting a rebellion. The generals were very scared and agreed with Gao Gan's statement that Li Zangyong was plotting a rebellion.

Only Sun Daifeng insisted that Li Zangyong did not commit treason, so Cui Yuan ordered his men to take him out and behead him.

Before being beheaded, Sun Daifeng's friend asked him, "Why don't you follow everyone's advice and survive?"

Sun Daifeng said, "At first I followed Doctor Liu and took office in accordance with the imperial edict. People said I was plotting a rebellion. Lord Li raised an army to eliminate Doctor Liu. Now people think Lord Li is plotting a rebellion. In this case, who is not a rebel? How can this end? I would rather die than falsely accuse an innocent person."

After saying this, he was beheaded.

This is all Li Ying knows about Sun Daifeng in history.

But now, Liu Zhan was not forced to rebel, and Sun Daifeng became the general of Bianzhou. When Liu Yan recruited high-tech talents in shipbuilding, Liu Zhan recommended Sun Daifeng. Sun Daifeng performed well and had strong skills, so he was noticed by Liu Yan, who then recommended him to Li Heng.

Judging from the fact that Liu Yan recommended Sun Daifeng, he did not think that Li Heng’s establishment of the Royal Academy of Sciences was just a game. He knew that Li Heng was really selecting talents.

Therefore, Li Heng agreed to Liu Yan's recommendation and appointed Sun Daifeng as the leader of the shipbuilding industry.

At this point, Li Heng had selected the three leaders he wanted, and then he summoned the three of them to mobilize them.

Yuan Chao, Chen Wulang and Sun Daifeng were all of humble origins, but they were so grateful to Li Heng for such an important task that they swore to be loyal to him until death.

(End of this chapter)