"He actually dared to take action."
Among the onlookers, many were shocked to see the imperial guards actually dare to attack the Turks in the courtyard. Some secretly cursed the King of Tang as a madman, reckless and unrestrained.
Of course, there were also those who cheered for Daniel Davis and the imperial guards, loudly condemning the Turks. The arrogance of the Turks and other foreign tribes had long displeased many citizens of Luoyang. However, due to various reasons, as long as these foreigners didn't cause too much trouble, the higher-ups mostly turned a blind eye.
As the Confucian scholars had said to Daniel Davis earlier, it was necessary to display the magnanimity of a great nation. If small, uncivilized countries didn't understand etiquette, shouldn't a great nation like theirs set an example? After all, they were dealing with foreigners.
Being friendly to outsiders while harsh to their own people was a hallmark of Confucianism. Sometimes, this friendliness could even border on sycophancy. As long as it wasn't their own interests at stake, the deaths or injuries of a few commoners were of little consequence.
"Too much rigidity leads to breakage. This is no exception." Some self-proclaimed intellectuals in the crowd shook their heads in disappointment. The saying went that a nation that loved war would inevitably perish. Governing a country required flexibility. Some seemingly weak actions might actually be wise strategies.
Dealing with the Turks in such a manner might cause other foreign tribes to leave Luoyang out of fear, which wouldn't be good for the city. Luoyang's prosperity relied heavily on commerce. While the foreigners in Luoyang were indeed arrogant, it couldn't be denied that they had contributed to the city's prosperity by bringing goods from distant lands.
The idea of closing off the country and isolating itself from the world would never be proposed in this era. Only in later times would some fools come up with such laughable methods to maintain their rule.
Daniel Davis, of course, had no such intentions. If the Turks hadn't caused such a disturbance, he wouldn't have dealt with them so harshly.
Considering the overall situation of the country, Daniel Davis couldn't possibly kill all the foreigners who came to the Central Plains. For example, Tuli of the Turks, Fu Qian of Tuyuhun, Qu Ao of Tiele, and the disciples sent by Bi Xuan to chase Ba Fenghan.
Even though Qu Ao had sent his son, disguised as Ren Shaoming, to cause trouble in the Central Plains, Daniel Davis couldn't openly act against him. After all, Qu Ao was an important minister of the Tiele king. If Daniel Davis took action, the repercussions would be significant, possibly even leading to war between Tiele and the Central Plains.
Daniel Davis wasn't afraid of war, but the perspective of a nation and an individual were vastly different. Even though he was powerful, he couldn't be everywhere at once. Moreover, his plan was for the entire Huaxia to rise, not just himself.
As the leader of a faction and a ruler, if he had to handle everything personally, it would be a sign of failure.
Just like how the navy wouldn't send an admiral to deal with a minor pirate, or how a national leader wouldn't handle street brawls.
"The purpose of law is to ensure the stability and security of the nation. The law of heaven and earth must be enforced without fail. Even without the support of the state, there must be laws to follow, laws to enforce, and strict punishment for violations."
Looking at the headline of the new "Great Tang Daily," Daniel Davis nodded in satisfaction. Although dealing with the troublesome Turks might seem impulsive according to Sulia and Dugu Feng, Daniel Davis didn't regret it. If he didn't have the power, it would be one thing, but since he did, he wouldn't allow such things to happen.
Moreover, this was a perfect opportunity to promote the concept of the rule of law. He wasn't targeting the Turks specifically but those who broke the law. As long as they didn't violate the laws of the Great Tang, the empire welcomed guests from any nation.
This article wasn't written by Daniel Davis himself. Instead, he borrowed content from an article Han Fei had once published in the "Great Qin Daily." Of course, he made some modifications, incorporating some modern legal concepts.
"Newspapers for sale! Freshly printed 'Great Tang Daily'!"
Two days later, after a brief training period, the newspaper boys made their debut. These boys were mostly orphans who had lost their parents. After becoming the King of Tang, Daniel Davis immediately turned his attention to these orphans and established several orphanages to take them in.
The war had left too many orphans, forcing Daniel Davis to allow slightly older children to take on simple jobs. In modern times, this would be considered child labor and would likely draw severe criticism. But in this era, it was seen as an act of charity and benevolence.
Fortunately, the Yin Kuai Sect had some experience in this area, and the new orphanages were established smoothly. In fact, the Demon Sect had secretly set up similar orphanages to recruit suitable disciples, somewhat like Ji Wuye's "Hundred Birds."
Of course, Daniel Davis didn't choose very young children as newspaper boys. Most were around thirteen or fourteen, with the youngest being about eleven.
"Newspapers? What's that?"
Seeing the newspaper boys shouting everywhere, this new profession, combined with the never-before-seen concept of newspapers, piqued the curiosity of many. Since the newspapers weren't expensive, people didn't mind spending a little money to see what they were about.
"The rule of law: the foundation of national stability."
"From today onwards, the Great Tang will establish the Six Gates to handle arrests, investigations, and related matters."
The first issue of the "Great Tang Daily" didn't have much content. After all, this wasn't the modern era. Even with limited content, the newspapers sold well, as no one would accuse Daniel Davis of monopolizing the market.
"The Six Gates' constables—this is an attempt to completely separate the military from local governance. A separation of military and political power. Quite an ambitious idea, but this will likely offend many."
Song Shidao, after reading the content about the Six Gates in the newspaper, couldn't help but take a deep breath before falling silent. For ordinary people, this might just seem like a change in which department handled criminal cases—instead of reporting to the local government, they would now go to the Six Gates.
But for someone like Song Shidao, he could clearly see the hidden implications, which filled him with dread.
In ancient times, local officials were very different from modern ones. Modern officials were responsible for urban development, planning, and public welfare, with no authority over the military. Even military crimes were handled by military courts.
But in this era, local officials held both military and political power. During peaceful times, this wasn't a big issue, but in times of chaos, it was a different story. Take Wang Shichong, for example. If he couldn't control Luoyang's military, how could he have dared to rebel?
Of course, this wasn't the main issue. The main issue was the noble families. Why were the noble families of this era so powerful? It was because they controlled the military. Look at the Li Clan—they could easily raise an army of nearly 100,000.
With such military power, changing dynasties was a simple matter. If the emperor couldn't satisfy the interests of the noble families, they would replace him. This was how Yang Guang fell.
Throughout history, before the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible for peasant uprisings to ultimately seize the throne. The so-called struggle for the throne was a game played by the noble families.
Take Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period, for example. He never became emperor in his lifetime. Did Cao Cao not want to? Of course, he did. The key was that becoming emperor at that time didn't satisfy the noble families, who opposed him. Despite Cao Cao's power, he couldn't ignore the noble families.
Now look at Cao Pi. After Cao Cao's death, why was it so easy for him to become emperor? It was because he agreed to Chen Qun's Nine-Rank System, and all obstacles disappeared, allowing him to smoothly ascend the throne.
What was the Nine-Rank System? Simply put, the rank of an official was determined by the strength of their family background, leaving no room for commoners.
Of course, if a commoner aligned themselves with a noble family, that was a different story.
"Uncle Lu, Brother, what's wrong?"
Seeing Song Lu and Song Shidao fall silent after reading the newspaper, Song Yuzhi immediately asked. Compared to the two of them, Song Yuzhi was much slower and didn't notice the hidden content—that the noble families' control over the military was to be stripped away.
From a national perspective, achieving this goal would undoubtedly be greatly beneficial. But the problem was that Song Lu and Song Shidao were from the Song Clan. From their standpoint, they were naturally opposed to Daniel Davis.
"Only Father can decide."
Song Shidao sighed softly. Personally, he agreed with Daniel Davis's strategy. It had to be said that in this regard, he wasn't a qualified heir to a noble family. In contrast, Li Shimin was the ideal heir.
In the original story, even though the Li Clan was deeply infiltrated by the Demon Sect, Li Shimin's first consideration was always the interests of the Li Clan—capturing Luoyang and eliminating Kou Zhong and his Shao Shuai Army.
This didn't contradict Li Shimin's desire to weaken the noble families after becoming emperor. It was a matter of perspective. As an emperor, he naturally didn't want noble families to hold power over him, especially since he wanted the Li Tang dynasty to last for generations. In his later years, he even sought immortality, following in the footsteps of Qin Shi Huang.
---
"Your Highness, you've offended all the noble families this time. My turn—I sacrifice three tributes to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and attack!" In the palace, while playing a card game with Daniel Davis, Sulia casually played a card and spoke.
"Not all of them. Not everyone can understand the implications. And even if I did offend them all, do you think I care? I concede." Looking at the card he had just drawn and the cards on the virtual table, Daniel Davis knew he was defeated. He didn't have the ability to create cards out of thin air like a certain game protagonist.
"That's true. It seems I worried for nothing. Then please continue your game, Your Highness. I need to go train. I can't wait to meet that Shi Feixuan." With a smile, Sulia left.
"Everyone's off training, while I'm stuck here working."
Playing card games with Sulia was Daniel Davis's way of stealing a moment of leisure. Considering they would likely be together for a long time, Daniel Davis didn't hide the technological aspects from Sulia and Dugu Feng. He even shared some of the martial arts he had collected. Of course, he didn't hold back on the True Pill, Immortal Gathering Pill, Blood Bodhi, or the spiritual water created from the Water Spirit Pearl. If these could help the two women advance to the grandmaster level, it would make his life much easier.
As a result, Dugu Feng immediately took a liking to the Holy Spirit Sword Technique and went off to train, while Sulia began studying the Tai Chi Fist and Yin-Yang techniques.
Sulia's ability to adapt was remarkable. After all, she only needed to know how to use the techniques and their effects, not the underlying principles like a scientist.
"Qing'er pays her respects to Your Highness." After Sulia left, Bai Qing'er entered. Daniel Davis didn't treat Bai Qing'er the same way he did Sulia and Dugu Feng, letting her in on many secrets. However, he had to admit that Bai Qing'er had been a great help, easing his workload significantly. It was no wonder she would later establish the Jade Maiden Sect.
While Bai Qing'er might not match Sulia in the quality of her disciples, she far surpassed her in quantity. In fact, Hou Xibai would later die at her hands.
Zhu Yuyan didn't particularly like Bai Qing'er as a disciple, as evidenced by the fact that Bai Qing'er practiced the Charming Maiden Heart Technique instead of the Heavenly Demon Scroll. This was understandable, as Bai Qing'er wasn't raised by Zhu Yuyan from childhood but was recommended by another faction within the Demon Sect.
But for Daniel Davis, this didn't matter. As long as she was talented, worked diligently, and didn't violate his principles, that was enough. After all, at this stage, he couldn't afford to be picky.
"Take a seat."
"Yes."
Bai Qing'er didn't stand on ceremony. After a few days of interaction, she had already grasped Daniel Davis's style. Without wasting words, she began reporting on the tasks he had assigned her.
In the absence of other capable individuals, Daniel Davis had no choice but to delegate some tasks to the Yin Kuai Sect, such as establishing orphanages, paper mills, and glass factories.
Although paper existed in this era, due to the limitations of craftsmanship and other factors, it was expensive. As for printing, not only was movable type printing nonexistent, but even block printing hadn't been invented. Without the Mo Family or the Gongshu Family, who were skilled in mechanics, technological progress had stagnated. Books were primarily copied by hand.
"You've worked hard these past few days. It's just that I don't have many trustworthy people at my disposal yet." Facing Bai Qing'er, Daniel Davis didn't mind revealing his shortcomings. His modern education made him vastly different from the rulers of this era.
"It's an honor to serve you, Your Highness. By the way, the person you were looking for, Xu Xingzhi, is currently in Luoyang."
"That's excellent news. Let's go."
Upon hearing about Xu Xingzhi's whereabouts, Daniel Davis immediately stood up. Finally, an expert in internal affairs had arrived. Wang Shichong's subordinates included many talented military figures, such as Yang Gongqing and Zhang Zhenzhou, but none were particularly skilled in governance.
Of course, this assessment was based on Daniel Davis's standards. By the standards of this era, Wang Shichong's administrative officials were quite competent.
"The people from the Solemn Fortress? So that's how it is. The name is similar to the Solemn Fortress, but unfortunately, they don't have the same strength."
Hearing Bai Qing'er mention Xu Xingzhi's background, Daniel Davis recalled some details. Due to his arrival, the tasks originally assigned to Sulia were now handled by Bai Qing'er. As a result, Xu Xingzhi, who had been an advisor at the Solemn Fortress, fled immediately.
Similarly, because of Daniel Davis's appearance, the Twin Dragons' actions had diverged from the original story, allowing Du Fuwei's Jianghuai Army to seize Jingling.
(End of Chapter)
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