roccoschili Chapter 5452 The Tragedy of Liaoze
Chapter 5452 The Tragedy of Liaoze
Chapter 5452 The Tragedy of Liaoze
One's stance depends on one's interests.
Fame and fortune, sunshine and fresh air—these are the pursuits of all things in this world.
For aristocratic families, meritorious officials, and nobles, it used to be possible to play both sides and compromise, navigating between the Emperor and the Crown Prince to avoid offending either side or to please both. However, since the development of Dongting Lake and Liaodong was implemented, it has become necessary to choose sides.
If we continue to "sit on the fence" now, we will only be rejected and targeted by both sides.
How to choose?
Of course, it depends on interests.
In fact, apart from the die-hard "Emperor's Party" loyalists and those who were frustrated and unsuccessful and needed to rely on their desperate support for Li Chengqian to gain the right to "get on the table," the rest of the vested interests would basically stand on the side of the Crown Prince.
The reason is simple: the Crown Prince's Palace, with Fang Jun as its core, has always promoted the strategy of having the Administrative Affairs Hall manage political affairs and the Military Affairs Office control military affairs. Every decree issued is based on "collecting wisdom from all sides" and "taking the overall situation into account," taking into account the interests of the majority as much as possible, rather than "the supremacy of the monarch" or "one family and one clan."
At least in form and in name.
Ultimately, no one, whether in the imperial court or in the countryside, wants to live in an environment where "imperial power is supreme" and "life and death are decided by the emperor."
One can agree that "national interests come first," but life, death, honor, and disgrace cannot be decided by the emperor's word alone...
Everyone knew that when the crown prince ascended the throne, imperial power would be weakened like never before, and replaced by a "grand cabinet" system, with prime ministers taking turns in power, and the emperor, as the nominal "ruler of the world," would be more of a symbol of the state.
This is extremely advantageous in ensuring the interests held by the family.
Some even fantasized that a "new-style cabinet" could be formed by princes, nobles, and powerful families in a certain proportion, with voting on matters and the minority obeying the majority. This would allow them to occupy the highest level of the empire for generations, possessing the power to control the empire's resources and becoming "hereditary" nobles...
But the foundation of everything lies in the fact that the Crown Prince can successfully ascend the throne and the Eastern Palace forces can control the court.
Therefore, even contemporary Confucian scholars and powerful family heads like Linghu Defen and Dou Dexuan had to personally travel to Huating Town to express their clear stance to Wu Meiniang and Fang Jun behind her.
Faced with His Majesty's pressure and the nationwide effort to develop Dongting Lake, the Eastern Palace's development of Liaodong will inevitably face numerous difficulties and obstacles. However, the sooner they choose a side, the greater the benefits they will gain in the future. After all, providing help in times of need is far more acceptable than adding to someone's existing success.
……
Of course, not all aristocratic families chose to stand firmly on the side of the Crown Prince like the Linghu and Dou families.
The empire's national policy has always been to "suppress powerful families and weaken aristocratic clans," minimizing their influence on the empire. In the process of implementation, the power of these clans has been severely weakened. Fang Jun is the most steadfast in implementing this policy, and as a pillar of the Eastern Palace, it is conceivable that he will continue this policy once the Crown Prince ascends the throne.
But His Majesty is different.
Today, in order to counter the Crown Prince's faction, they have come up with a variety of methods, each with its own agenda. They have changed their original policy of suppressing powerful clans and are now trying to win over as many forces as possible to strengthen themselves and maintain imperial power.
Under these circumstances, many powerful clans believed that His Majesty needed their support to suppress the Crown Prince, and this was precisely where their hope for regaining their former glory lay. It was possible that another powerful clan, the "Guanlong Clan," would emerge in the future...
These people also have their own stances, but their stances are based on imperial power, which leads to "imperial privilege" and "sole supremacy," enabling them to seize and even monopolize the resources of the empire.
Two completely different views and hopes give rise to completely different stances.
The development of Dongting Lake and Liaodong revealed completely different patterns. The former involved "the entire nation's strength," with imperial orders that could not be disobeyed, while the latter involved "the combined strength of many parties," working together to achieve great things.
……
Representatives of numerous nobles, high-ranking officials, and powerful families gathered in Huating Town to express their stance and demonstrate their attitude to Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian originally intended to hold a meeting to unify thoughts and actions and completely remove the obstacles to the development of Liaodong. However, these people were unwilling to appear together in public. Instead, they sought an audience in private, expressed their stance and demonstrated their attitude, and then quietly took their leave.
Most of the people who come to Huating Town seem to be willing to stand on the side of the Eastern Palace, but in reality they are afraid of both the wolf in front and the tiger behind. They not only do not have much hope for the development of Liaodong, but also have concerns about the future of the Eastern Palace. They are even very likely to bet on both sides.
This is a traditional skill of aristocratic families...
The reason they came to Huating Town was mainly because they were reluctant to give up the interests of their businesses and had to "compromise" to avoid being kicked out.
Wu Zetian did not comment on this, but she was quite disdainful.
However, I don't take it seriously, and there's no need to hold a grudge. The trend is overwhelming, and those caught up in it may not all be sincere. Just follow along.
Those who go against the tide will naturally suffer utter destruction.
*****
In October, Liaodong is still chilly and cool. In another month, winter will arrive, with biting winds and heavy snow.
At the mouth of the Liao River, hundreds of ships gathered to transport giant logs from the East and South Seas to the shore in small boats. Meanwhile, on the shore, tens of thousands of craftsmen worked day and night to build a huge wharf that rose from the sea and swamp, majestic and grand in scale.
On the open ground inside the port, thousands of tents stretched out in an endless, scattered pattern.
Cui Dunli, the Grand Protector of Liaodong, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a turban, stood on a section of a completed wharf and looked eastward. The boundless marshland stretched out before him, the sky and water merging into one, with the surging Liao River flowing westward into the sea.
This vast, swampy area, with its soft soil and abundant water, stretches from east of Liaodong City along the Liao River basin to its estuary. At its widest point, it exceeds 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers), a place uninhabited by people and livestock, overgrown with reeds.
It is the "Liaoze" which is no less than a natural barrier.
Although the Liao River is not wide, it has never been well managed because it is located in the sparsely populated Liaodong region. Every rainy season, the river would swell and overflow the banks, flooding both sides. For a long time, it served as a "buffer zone" between the Central Plains dynasties and the Liaodong region. In addition, the Yanshan Mountains separated Liaodong from the Central Plains geographically, hence the saying "to conquer Liaodong, one must first conquer Liaoze".
When Emperor Taizong mobilized the entire nation to launch an eastern expedition against Goguryeo, the first major obstacle he faced was the vast, boundless Liaoze, a marshland stretching for over two hundred li.
Looking at the vast Liaoze before him, Cui Dunli said to Luo Binwang, who was radiant and handsome, "The existence of Liaoze not only makes the river basin muddy and desolate, but also poses a huge obstacle to ruling Liaodong. If we can control the Liao River and prevent it from flooding again, and reclaim the marshland into farmland, it will surely be an unprecedented achievement."
Luo Binwang nodded, his expression resolute: "The Liaoze has existed since ancient times, causing immense harm. Its continuous expansion was directly related to the fall of the four Han commanderies to foreign invaders. Goguryeo's ability to occupy Liaodong and dominate the region, despite Emperor Yang of Sui's three failed campaigns, was also due to the Liaoze's obstruction of roads, hindering troop movements and logistical support, leading to disastrous defeats. Since we intend to develop Liaodong, our primary task is to subdue the Liaoze. Once the Liao River is calm and the banks are cultivated with farmland, the entire Liaodong region will be permanently incorporated into the Tang Dynasty's territory!"
He has now been recommended by Fang Junzhi to become the Chief Secretary of the Liaodong Protectorate, assisting Cui Dunli in formulating plans, arranging steps, and distributing grain and supplies. He holds great power and has lofty ambitions.
Naturally, people want to gain political achievements and make a name for themselves in history during this grand "development" process.
Cui Dunli smiled and said, "Do you know what I like most about the students of your academy?"
Luo Binwang was taken aback: "I would like to hear the details."
Cui Dunli remarked with admiration: "You students of the academy emphasize the unity of knowledge and action, applying what you learn. You don't just spout classical phrases and moral principles; you put truth into practice, something that ordinary Confucian students often lack. But your greatest strength is that you are always full of fighting spirit and passion. When faced with difficulties, you don't shrink back but forge ahead, paving the way through mountains and building bridges over rivers, pursuing your innate talents and believing that human will can overcome anything!"
Confucianism certainly has its merits; otherwise, how could it have survived to this day and become the largest school of thought in the world?
However, Confucianism also has many shortcomings. Its most criticized aspects are "stagnation" and "lack of ambition." It uses theories such as "poetry" and "rites" to stabilize the world, solidify social classes, and reduce mobility in order to achieve the most stable rule.
The advantage is that the ruling class can easily control the country and reduce internal friction; the disadvantage is that the beneficiaries will always benefit, and many predicaments will persist for hundreds of years.
We do not seek novelty or change.
For example, the Liaoze River has existed day after day, year after year. Everyone knows that its existence has not only swallowed up a large area of the most fertile land, but also hindered the central government's control over the Liaodong region. However, because governing it would require a huge investment of manpower and resources, and would even cause huge changes to the geography and culture of the entire Liaodong region, it has never been governed.
It's not that they're stingy with huge investments, but rather that they're afraid to face huge changes.
However, the students of the academy had no such worries. They were not only passionate and determined to overcome difficulties, but also proactive and committed to reform.
Since the establishment of Zhenguan Academy, the transformative achievements it has made, and the indirect changes it has brought to the entire country, have far exceeded the changes of the previous three hundred years.
Luo Binwang's lips curled up, full of pride: "In the academy, there is a set of theories written by the Grand Commandant, which talk about the relationship between the state, politics and economy, and the impact of the mutual restraint and integration of these three aspects on the future of the empire... The core of this theory lies in how to coordinate the relationship between the state, politics and economy so that the empire can make great progress."
The purpose of the academy's teaching is to proactively seek and embrace change, to find ways for the nation to progress amidst change, and ultimately to enlighten the people.
Instead of continuing to use Confucianism to keep the people ignorant.