Chapter 85 "Tang Rites"

Chapter 85 "Tang Rites"

Chapter 85 "Tang Rites"

Li Chengqian did not answer in a hurry. He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before speaking.

“Worship heaven and earth, pray to the ancestral temple, pay homage to the saints, and pay homage to the ancestors.”

"Why can't we pay homage to the spirits of the heroes who died on the battlefield?"

His expression was solemn and his voice was clear, echoing throughout the hall. "The heroes who established the Tang Dynasty, overthrew the tyrannical Sui Dynasty, and founded the new dynasty, and whose souls were stained with blood on the battlefield and passed away, will only be given pensions and preferential treatment by their descendants."

"How can we show their bravery and righteousness if only future generations pay tribute to them from time to time?"

"The Tang Dynasty cannot forget them. Giving them some compensation and then letting it go is undoubtedly a betrayal."

"The people of the Tang Dynasty can live and work in peace and contentment, and we should be grateful for their heroic sacrifice and dedication."

"Without the heroes who died in battle, how could the Tang Dynasty be stable and strong today, and how could the people be where they are today?"

"They used their lives to build the Tang Dynasty, but they never saw its heyday. We can't forget their contributions, otherwise, how can we rest in peace?"

"There are places to worship heaven and earth, and ancestral temples to worship ancestors, but there is no place to worship the spirits of the heroes who died in battle."

He raised his head and said loudly: "Where are the countless heroic spirits floating in the sky above the battlefield?"

"Fight for the country, die for the country, sacrifice for the people, and die for the people."

"They are doing this for the country and for the people of the world."

"One family cannot bear this great responsibility, and one ancestral temple is not the final resting place for the heroic spirits."

“Only when the country and the world come together can we shoulder this great cause and this is the place where the heroes’ souls return.”

Li Chengqian scanned the entire audience with a dignified gaze.

"Therefore, I think the court should come forward and pay tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country, died on the battlefield, and defended their country with the great ceremony of the state."

"Erect a monument to commemorate the heroic deeds of the heroes, so that people all over the world can pay tribute to them."

"In this way, the state's most important affairs, namely sacrifice and military affairs, will not be just empty words, but will be more profound!"

There was silence in the hall.

Everyone was stunned.

Your Highness's words are too shocking.

After all, no one had ever thought of erecting a monument to commemorate the soldiers who died in battle.

"Your Highness..."

"This has never happened before..."

Zhang Shiheng's voice was a little trembling.

"Not before."

"Why can't our Tang Dynasty have it?"

Li Chengqian said in a loud voice: "The Tang Dynasty will never forget the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country, no matter their status or military position."

"As long as he died for the country, we should remember his achievements and pay tribute to his spirit with great ceremony."

"Let him enjoy the respect and gratitude of the people of the world after his death."

"The living are heroes, and the dead are even more so."

This paragraph of content.

It was difficult for everyone present to digest.

After all, there has never been such a saying since ancient times.

The prince suddenly brought it up righteously, and it sounded like there was some truth to it.

It was a little hard to accept for a while.

Li Er's eyes were a little empty.

As a military man and General Tiance, he naturally knew the situation in the army.

He led the army to conquer the world, fighting in the south and the north. Countless soldiers died fighting under him.

But he never thought about being grateful for the contributions of those soldiers.

All he cared about was military achievements and defeating the enemy; he never thought about the soldiers who died in battle.

After death, the descendants will be given pensions and preferential treatment.

Who would care so much?

After all, serving in the army and fighting in wars is natural.

I still want to pay tribute to them, but they are not my ancestors and they are not important figures.

Li Ji felt a little numb after hearing this.

He almost knew how much of a sensation the prince's words would cause if they were spread to the army.

Especially the soldiers at the bottom.

They didn't have much pursuit. Just having enough food to eat and not starving to death was enough. If they died, they would get a pension. If they had military merit, that would be even better.

Who would have known that now the imperial court was going to erect a monument, and that after his death he would have the honor of being worshipped by the country and people all over the world.

That's okay.

He dared to say that the soldiers would fight even harder.

Morale will be at an all-time high.

Don't worry about what will happen after your death. Now you will have a good reputation after your death.

What is there to be afraid of?

"If this is accomplished, the Tang army will be invincible and unstoppable."

He muttered to himself.

Li Chengqian watched the discussion quietly.

His idea is simple.

It is just to give a halo to the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.

This method is also used to improve the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the army.

He still doesn't believe it.

For the first time in the history of the world, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were not as violent as if they were injected with chicken blood.

Of course, he was influencing the thinking of the army little by little, trying to transform them, and eventually putting them in shackles that would prevent them from acting recklessly.

You will be honored by the state after your death.

You are still stretching your hands and feet to take things and bullying the people. Do you feel guilty about this?
Moisturizing is silent.

This is exactly the effect Li Chengqian wanted.

Unconsciously, the Tang army will be constrained. What to do and what not to do is stipulated in military discipline, and there is more judgment in conscience.

"Everyone!"

Li Chengqian stood up, and Chang Sun Chong hurriedly helped him up and did not let go until he stood up.

Li Chengqian walked forward a few steps and said, "Since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, rituals and music have been in decline, discipline has been abolished, people's hearts have been corrupted, barbarians are everywhere, and rituals and laws have been almost completely destroyed."

"China is a country of etiquette. Without etiquette, how can we show off our Chinese culture?"

"The Tang Dynasty was established not long ago, and it is our responsibility to re-establish rituals and music, rebuild social norms, and regain the hearts of the people."

"I would like to ask Your Majesty to invite many wise and famous people and great scholars to formulate rituals and music for the Tang Dynasty."

"It's called Tang Li."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Tang Li

The two words "simple" have so much weight, everyone present here understands.

Li Er could no longer sit still.

He no longer hid behind the screen and walked out.

Li Chengqian was not surprised at all to see him come out.

It would be strange if it didn't come out.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Everyone was stunned at first, then hurried to greet him.

"Excuse me!"

Li Er smiled and said, "What I heard today has touched me deeply."

"The Crown Prince requested the enactment of the Tang Rites, and I agree with it."

"Zhang Shiheng, you are a master of etiquette, so you should take the lead, and Kong Yingda, Yu Zhining, Jia Gongyan and others should work together to compile it."

He couldn't wait to take over the "Tang Li".

What kind of disciple of the emperor?

Why erect a monument for the soldiers?

None of them can compare to the value of the two words "Tang Li".

He ordered Kong Yingda, Jia Gongyan and others to compile "The Five Classics Commentary", but the scholars in the world did not really accept it.

Now, after the prince's operation, the "Tang Li" is almost a sure thing.

It just takes time to compile.

How could Li Er miss it?

Li Chengqian didn't care either.

After all, as the crown prince, it was a bit too much for him to mess with "Tang Li".

It would be better to let Li Er bear the pressure.

It’s not like he can’t interfere in the compilation of Tang Li.

These people need to be kept a close eye on.

What Li Chengqian wanted was for me to annotate the Five Classics, not for the Five Classics to annotate me.

The early Tang Dynasty was the best time to recreate rituals and music.

One is that Li Er wants the legal system to be correct.

Another thing is that if there is a lack of unity in thought, it is easy for personal opinions to be mixed into the process.

After the Tang Dynasty, there was no such good opportunity.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Zhang Shiheng was very excited and took charge of compiling "Tang Li".

Such an achievement actually fell on his head.

He recalled that he was still shy at first.

It was a good thing he didn't miss it, otherwise, he would have regretted it and killed himself.

Yu Zhining, Kong Yingda and other scholars could not help but envy him.

"It just so happens that you all are here, so I would like to ask for your advice."

Li Er took the place of Li Chengqian, and Li Chengqian sat not far to his left.

"Prince."

"Just now I heard you say it was to commemorate the heroic spirits."

Li Er said: "If the imperial court comes forward to erect a monument, how should we arrange it?"

"The generals and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were all heroes, and this should be a memorial tablet for the heroes and martyrs of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian said: "It is advisable to erect a monument in the square of Chengtian Gate."

"The Monument to the Heroes of the Tang Dynasty."

Everyone couldn't help but murmur.

The meaning is very straightforward and simple.

It is to comfort the heroes.

"Everyone, what do you think of what the prince said?"

Li Er asked.

"Your Majesty, what Your Highness said has never happened since ancient times. I don't know what to do."

Yu Zhining said.

Li Er was somewhat dissatisfied with him and nodded lightly.

"Your Majesty, I deeply agree with what you said."

"There has been no such thing since ancient times, so why can't we have it in the Tang Dynasty?"

Zhang Shiheng said, "If our Tang Dynasty is to formulate the Tang Rites, we should draw on the ancient rites, but we should also formulate new rites."

"Erecting a monument for heroes can be regarded as one of the new rituals of our Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian gave Zhang Shiheng a thumbs up.

This old Confucian scholar of rituals is not conservative in his thinking and has grasped the essence of inclusiveness.

"Tang Li" can draw on "San Li", but it also needs to create new ritual content to distinguish it from "San Li".

Otherwise, how can we say that "Tang Li" is a new ritual?

If you don't have any new ideas and just repeat what others have said, you will see how many jealous people will criticize you.

"So, I just thought of something."

Li Chengqian suddenly said, "That day, I was ordered by His Majesty to go to Jinguang Gate to welcome the army that had returned victoriously from pacifying Gaochang."

"The first thing you see when you see a large army is the general's flag, and the big banner comes after that."

"I think it is possible to unify the flags in the army, so that there will no longer be general flags or general flags, but only the flag of the Tang Dynasty?"

Ok?
There is something hidden in the words.

Very harsh.

See the general's flag first, then the big banner?
who is it?

It must be Hou Junji.

Li Er looked a little unnatural. He looked at Fang Xuanling, as if saying, why didn't you tell me?

"Your Highness is right. If there is only one national flag, the soldiers will be more accepting."

Zhang Shiheng had just spoken when Li Chengqian said, "I have another idea."

"Build a pole platform in front of Chengtian Gate."

"Every day when the sun rises, the Tang flag is raised and lowered when the sun sets."

“Use a different side every day and keep the ones you’ve used.”

"People who have made contributions to the country and the people of the world can be honored to be buried under the national flag after their death."

"Is that good?"

　Today's update is complete, and will be updated tomorrow during the day
　　
　
(End of this chapter)