Li Shimin had no intention of playing a slow, probing game with Tubo.
That kind of approach took far too long and moved far too slowly. It simply was not his style.
In the past, Tubo had been underestimated because it was unknown, which gave it the chance to bare its fangs toward the Central Plains. Now that its threat was clear, there were naturally many ways to deal with it.
As for those methods, Li Jing, the Grand Commander of the Qinghai Campaign, already had a clear grasp of them. Li Shimin was entirely at ease.
So the Emperor of Great Tang turned his attention back to what lay before him.
This year's imperial examinations had concluded.
The scale was larger, the subjects broader, and most importantly, following the suggestions of the younger generation's Wen Mang, the anonymity system had been added.
The benefits of anonymous grading were obvious. As a result, impoverished scholars traveling to Chang'an for the examinations praised the system endlessly. The resistance it encountered was exactly as Li Shimin had predicted, so weak it could almost be ignored.
After all, Jieli was currently living inside the palace city, dancing for the Son of Heaven of Tang. Anyone who chose this moment to openly oppose reform would first have to weigh their own worth.
There was also the matter that the aristocratic clans were now concentrated in Qi and Lu, far from the Guanzhong region. Not to mention confronting Li Shimin face to face, even getting their voices heard in Chang'an was no easy matter.
And of course, there was another crucial reason. Li Shimin had not yet touched the system of hereditary privilege. For the vast majority of people, inheriting their father's official protection remained the path of least resistance into office.
For Li Shimin, however, the next step of bureaucratic reform was already laid out clearly before his eyes.
Like a blacksmith forging iron, these talented yet humble scholars selected by merit were the finest iron billets.
All he needed to do was patiently and carefully forge them. Once they had been tempered a hundred times into true steel, they would become the pillars upon which he could sweep the world.
But as this thought surfaced, Li Shimin was reminded of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.
If humble scholars were good billets, then Fang and Du could be called peerless swords of Longquan and Tai'e.
Only, those two peerless blades had seemed rather busy lately.
Just as the thought arose, an attendant came to report that the Duke of Liang and the Duke of Cai had arrived together to request an audience.
Two senior ministers arriving simultaneously. Li Shimin immediately sensed the weight of the matter and his expression grew solemn without him even noticing.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were both dukes and currently serving as chancellors. An audience with the emperor required none of the usual cumbersome rituals.
After the Yellow Gate official announced them, they were allowed to enter directly. Shortly after, the same official returned to report that His Majesty would receive them in the Ganlu Hall.
Although renovations to the Taiji Palace had long been completed, many ministers were puzzled by one thing. Unless it was a formal court assembly, the current emperor spent most of his time in the Ganlu Hall.
Fang and Du both knew exactly why.
Upon stepping into the Ganlu Hall, the most eye-catching object directly opposite the entrance was a long scroll, carefully mounted. It was Li Shimin's own transcription of The Lament of the Qin Woman.
Even though they could recite it from memory, Fang and Du felt their hearts cut like knives every time they read it.
The emperor's intention in hanging it there as a constant warning to himself could not have been clearer.
In addition, the Map of Territorial Borders, the Map of the Eastern Sea's Isolated Isles, and the Map of the Earth were displayed prominently in the hall.
Elsewhere hung diagrams such as One Hundred Designs of Crossbows, Siege-Breaking Military Machines, Chang'an That Never Sleeps, and the Image of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.
No wonder His Majesty often lingered here. Gazing upon these images could spark countless ideas.
Many of them were nothing short of shocking to the age and were not suitable for display in the Taiji Hall.
Looking around, Fang Xuanling felt deeply moved. Scenes of the future often appeared in his dreams, making him reluctant to wake. Upon waking, he felt even more confident in handling state affairs.
Du Ruhui felt the strongest emotion of all.
If there had been no light curtain, as people of later generations would put it, he would probably already be dead by now.
Their brief reflections did not last long. After paying their respects, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui personally presented a memorial.
"Ke Ming and I spent over a month organizing the household registers of Hu County. We ask Your Majesty to review them."
Seeing Fang Xuanling's grave expression, Li Shimin grew tense as well. He accepted the memorial with equal solemnity.
This memorial was unlike any he had seen before. Upon opening it, he was met with dense rows of numbers.
Hu County had been established as early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Located only forty or fifty li southwest of Chang'an, its proximity to the capital meant many of its household records were also archived in Chang'an. These data had been fully preserved through the Sui and into the Tang.
The memorial began with the fifth year of Kaihuang under the early Sui as an example, listing in detail the acreage of cultivated land, the number of registered households, and then, through simple calculation, the average amount of good farmland per household.
Immediately after, the memorial applied the same method to list data for the third year of Daye, the first year of Wude, and the second year of Zhenguan.
For all four periods, the average acreage of good farmland per household was laid out clearly. Even without understanding the calculations, Li Shimin gradually saw the problem.
The third year of Daye was considered the height of Sui prosperity, yet the amount of farmland per household was actually less than during the Kaihuang era.
And Li Shimin knew this was only surface-level data. It did not even account for the more complex issue of land annexation.
Yet even so, during Daye, when the Sui was at its peak, the people still could not fill their stomachs.
If there was not enough land, there was not enough food. If the people could not eat their fill, rebellion would inevitably follow.
Li Shimin inhaled sharply.
This was an entirely new perspective. His body trembled slightly. As an emperor, he immediately saw that mathematics applied to governance was nothing less than a sharp weapon.
What eased him slightly was that the comparison between Wude Year One and Zhenguan Year Two was not as dire.
Compared to Wude Year One, Zhenguan Year Two showed growth in cultivated land, a slow increase in households, and a rise in average farmland per household.
But Li Shimin also understood that comparing eleven years to more than twenty was not entirely fair.
Even so, he sensed an ominous undercurrent.
Hu County lay too close to Chang'an for him to be unfamiliar with its geography. Though it bordered the fertile Lao River, the total amount of good farmland there was ultimately finite.
But was there a limit to population growth?
The answer was obvious.
This was the contradiction between finite farmland and infinite households.
Li Shimin's mind rang like a great bell, and he suddenly recalled that Ma-something trap.
The numbers Fang and Du presented were not complex. Similar comparisons had even appeared in other officials' memorials.
Yet with just one extra step of calculation, the result became shockingly intuitive.
Truly worthy of being called the king of sciences.
"Xuanling, Ke Ming, your contributions to Tang are immeasurable."
Li Shimin spoke with both praise and awe, prompting the two men to wave their hands repeatedly and protest that they dared not accept such words.
Carrying this heavy emotion, Li Shimin turned the page of the memorial. What met his eyes were even more complicated numbers.
Is this truly a memorial? Why can I not understand it?
Still, the words themselves were familiar. Li Shimin calmed himself and read slowly, word by word.
During this time, an attendant quietly entered to light the lamps, then withdrew without a sound.
The voices of Crown Prince Chengqian, Prince Tai, and the younger Prince Zhi arguing drifted closer from afar, stopping outside the Ganlu Hall. After a hushed exchange with the attendants, the three princes withdrew silently.
Throughout this time, Fang and Du stood upright and unmoving, occasionally lifting their gaze to The Lament of the Qin Woman hanging above. Bathed in candlelight, the characters seemed to weep blood.
The meals sent from the Imperial Kitchen had already been reheated twice. When an attendant prepared to inquire a third time, the Son of Heaven finally let out a long sigh.
"So that is how it is."
"The wealthier the state, the poorer the people."
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui bowed deeply, ignoring their exhaustion.
This was precisely what they admired about this young emperor.
Though no one dared say it openly when he ascended the throne, many secretly expected the former Heavenly Strategist General to fail.
After all, everyone knew that sharp blades alone could not govern the world.
Yet over these years, this former general had calmly dismounted from the battlefield and begun to rule with a balanced blend of civil and military governance.
Not born all-knowing, only diligent and eager to learn.
Facing Fang and Du's respect, Li Shimin returned the gesture solemnly to his two pillar ministers.
He then tucked the thick memorial into his robes. Only then did he feel his hunger and quickly invited them to dine together.
After spending half the day here, both ministers were visibly weary. Li Shimin did not detain them and ordered attendants to escort the two dukes home.
Unable to contain his excitement, Li Shimin then entered the inner palace and went straight to Empress Zhangsun, eager to share his thoughts with Guanyin Maid.
"The wealthier the state, the poorer the people? How does that make sense?" the empress asked, puzzled.
"If there is no war, how many children can a household bear?" Li Shimin countered.
On this matter, the empress was knowledgeable.
"In times of war, poor families often choose to bear sons to increase labor. Female infants struggle to survive, and many are drowned. In the end, a household may raise three sons."
"In times of peace, an ordinary household will usually raise three to five sons and two to three daughters."
Li Shimin nodded and continued.
"Then what happens after a hundred years of peace?"