roccoschili Chapter 5448 He got angry for a moment
Chapter 5448 He got angry for a moment
Chapter 5448 A Moment of Anger
Whether it is Dongting Lake or Liaodong, development is only a matter of time. This is not only a national policy to reclaim enough land to resettle millions of people and cultivate tens of millions of acres of fertile land, but also a glorious achievement that is destined to be remembered for generations. No one, whether emperor or minister, can turn a blind eye to it.
However, due to the limitations of national strength, and to avoid exhausting national resources and causing internal strife, only one option could be chosen.
At the last meeting of the Council of State, Li Chengqian, with the authority of an emperor, forcefully rejected the proposal to develop Liaodong and decided to develop Dongting Lake first.
This is not just a matter of choosing one of two options, but a power struggle between Taiji Palace and Donggong Palace.
Li Chengqian achieved a great victory, claiming the unfinished achievements.
Now, Ma Zhou is bringing up an old issue in public, re-presenting a proposal that he, the emperor, had already rejected. What is he trying to do?
To openly contradict the emperor's decision?
This is absolutely outrageous!
Li Chengqian suppressed his anger and spoke in a cold tone: "Regarding the development of Liaodong and Dongting Lake, a consensus was reached in the Council of State last time. Due to the limited national strength, we can only choose one. Dongting Lake will be developed first, and Liaodong will wait for the right opportunity. Today, the Grand Chancellor not only brought up the old issue again, but also overturned my decision. What is your intention?"
These words were extremely impolite for his character, and the fact that he addressed Ma Zhou, the head of the prime ministers, as "Zhongshu Ling" instead of "my dear minister" reveals the extent of his anger.
Ma Zhou remained unmoved, still bowing and presenting his memorial with both hands raised: "Liaodong is a vast land with a population of millions. It was acquired by Emperor Taizong through a massive eastern expedition, which was of paramount importance to the stability of the border and the foundation of the nation. How can we ignore it? Your humble servant has worked tirelessly day and night to devise this plan, which will not require the expenditure of national resources. It will ensure the full development of Liaodong, the stability of the situation, and the complete incorporation of its vast territory into the territory of the Tang Dynasty. I humbly request Your Majesty's review!"
The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly heavy, and no one uttered a sound.
The Grand Secretary, as the head of the prime ministers, is so tough, refusing to back down an inch in the face of His Majesty's wrath. The slightest misstep could destabilize the entire central power structure of the empire.
Li Chengqian's face was ashen as he stared at Ma Zhou without saying a word.
After a long while, Fang Jun stepped forward and stood beside Ma Zhou, bowing respectfully: "Your Majesty, please review this!"
In the Taiji Hall, you could hear a pin drop.
Li Chengqian's eye twitched uncontrollably, but he remained unmoved.
Chief Eunuch Wang De felt a cold sweat break out. He secretly glanced at His Majesty, then stepped down from the steps, took the memorial from Ma Zhou's hands, turned around and walked back, carefully placing it on the imperial desk.
Li Chengqian shifted his gaze from Fang Jun and Ma Zhou's faces, lowered his eyes to look at the memorial in front of him, raised one hand to pick it up, took a deep breath, and opened it to read it carefully.
In the hall, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
If Your Majesty does not back down and instead insists on resisting to the end, the consequences will be unimaginable...
The pendulum of the grandfather clock behind the desk swayed back and forth, ticking softly as time passed by.
After a long pause, Li Chengqian put down the memorial in his hand and said in a deep voice, "I need to read this memorial carefully and consider it thoroughly before discussing it further."
Ma Zhou bowed again and said respectfully, "Yes."
If His Majesty accepts this memorial, a reply must be given regardless of whether it is approved or not.
Li Chengqian nodded and flicked his sleeves: "Let's adjourn the court!"
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
The officials in the hall bowed in unison. Only after Li Chengqian's figure disappeared from the back hall did they stand up one by one, their gazes sweeping over Fang Jun and Ma Zhou before they turned and left the Taiji Hall with inexplicable thoughts.
*****
Inside the Imperial Study.
A sound of porcelain shattering rang out, followed by a furious shout through gritted teeth: "This is outrageous!"
Li Chengqian sat behind his desk, his plump face contorted with rage.
Pei Huaijie comforted him, saying, "Anger harms the liver, and excessive anger harms the body. Your Majesty is the ruler of all people and the supreme ruler of the world. You should enjoy your life in comfort and tranquility, and calm your mind to bring peace to the hearts of the people."
Li Chengqian laughed in fury: "Lord of all people? Supreme ruler of the world? Do you think I'm a fool?! Has there ever been an emperor throughout history who was so directly challenged by his ministers?"
Pei Huaijie: "..."
He meant that such emperors did exist, and there were quite a few of them.
But His Majesty was furious and naturally dared not say more. He glanced at Xu Jingzong, who remained silent, and also shut up and stood aside.
Li Ji put down the memorial in his hand, rubbed his temples, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Although the decision to develop Dongting Lake first had been made long ago, it was just a trade-off made under the condition of limited national strength. In fact, both Dongting Lake and Liaodong will be developed sooner or later."
Li Chengqian's anger was not yet satisfied: "But I have already made the decision to develop Dongting Lake first. Now you are asking me to develop Liaodong at the same time, but where does that leave me, the emperor?"
Li Ji said helplessly: "Although Ma Zhou's memorial suggested developing Liaodong together, it also clearly stated that the development of Liaodong would not require the use of national resources, and it does not contradict the development of Dongting Lake."
Li Chengqian angrily retorted, "Are you truly confused or feigning ignorance? This is not a matter of whether or not to mobilize the nation's resources! Whether it's Fang Jun or Ma Zhou, their intentions are despicable!"
He used his imperial power to forcefully decide to develop Dongting Lake. After all the plans were completed, he was about to start allocating manpower and resources to Yuezhou, and he was just waiting for the spring of next year to start a big project.
As a result, Fang Jun, Ma Zhou and others supported the Crown Prince to serve as the commander-in-chief for the development of Liaodong. They did not use the national power, but relied entirely on merchants to develop Liaodong. Wasn't this because they were thinking of competing with him?
If the development of Dongting Lake is not ideal, but Liaodong is a great success, what will people think of it?
As an emperor, he mobilized the entire nation's resources to develop Dongting Lake but failed to achieve complete success; the crown prince, relying solely on the power of his trading companies, completed the development of Liaodong... The difference in their abilities is immediately apparent.
Now he is powerless and unable to intervene in the affairs of the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince's prestige rises, wouldn't he be completely helpless?
How should he face the Empress and the Crown Prince?
Li Ji remained expressionless and calm despite being reprimanded, patiently explaining, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Liaodong is a vast region with numerous rivers and mountains. Even if the entire nation were to devote its resources to it, it would be difficult to develop it within a few years, let alone a mere trading company."
Xu Jingzong also said, "Liaodong is a vast and sparsely populated area. If hundreds of thousands or even millions of people were to be poured in, there would be no splash. Even if a merchant is very wealthy, it would be difficult to avoid the predicament of being short of manpower. This is not a problem that can be solved by immigrating a few hundred thousand people from overseas vassal states."
Li Chengqian realized he had lost his composure, and his anger subsided slightly. He waved for a eunuch to serve him fragrant tea before asking, "My two ministers, I would like to hear the details."
He was indeed furious, but that was all he did.
Li Ji said, "This humble subject is clumsy with words and his thoughts are slow to process. Please let Governor Xu speak."
Xu Jingzong nodded slightly to him, and said without hesitation, "Your Majesty is wise. The territory of Liaodong is no less than the sum of any two circuits of the Great Tang. However, even if all the Hu tribes were added together, their population would not be more than eleventh of any circuit of the Great Tang. Although the merchants are financially strong and can purchase sufficient grain and equipment to support development, equipment and farm tools still need people to use them. Without enough manpower, it is difficult to carry out large-scale development... This is the first point."
After a pause, seeing that His Majesty seemed to be deep in thought, he continued, "Merchants can organize fleets to travel upstream along the great rivers and quickly transport supplies to the confluence of waterways, which is a great advantage. However, Liaodong not only has great rivers, but also great mountains. Areas where mountains block the way and there are no roads are extremely difficult to develop. Therefore, the so-called development of the entire Liaodong region can only be done in the areas where the great rivers reach, namely the Liaoshui, Sumoshui, and Wangjianshui river basins, and that's all... That's the second point."
"In his memorial, Ma Zhou mentioned establishing multiple protectorates in various parts of Liaodong, under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong Protectorate, and registering the Han and Hu people within their respective jurisdictions as commoners and forming 'military groups'... In my opinion, this was largely the work of the Grand Commandant, since no one in the court is more familiar with various military systems than the Grand Commandant. Although this method restrains the various Hu tribes, preventing them from gathering in the mountains and forests and roaming the plains as before, making it easier for the court to manage them, it also increases the oppression of the Hu tribes. Those Hu tribes living between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River are unruly. How can they obediently lay down their swords and arrows, pick up hoes and cultivate wasteland and grow grain under the management of the protectorates? This will inevitably sow the seeds of hidden dangers. Once they erupt, the protectorates in various places will be too busy to take care of themselves, let alone have the energy to develop the land. This is the third point."
"Given these three drawbacks, I dare to guarantee that the development of Liaodong will not be entirely successful. At most, we can only reclaim land in the flat plains of the Liaoshui, Sumoshui, and Wangjian River basins. In this way, the development of Dongting Lake will be invincible."
Li Chengqian pondered for a moment and then understood.
The development of Liaodong is fraught with difficulties and crises, making it impossible to complete. At best, it can only keep pace with the development of Dongting Lake. However, if Dongting Lake can be fully developed, it will be a sure victory.
How could Dongting Lake, which has been developed with the full strength of the nation, possibly not be fully developed?
"So, it's almost a guaranteed victory?"
Xu Jingzong nodded: "That's inevitable."
Li Ji shook his head and said, "There's no need to be so narrow-minded. Both Dongting Lake and Liaodong are Tang territory. If both can be fully developed, the empire's food shortage problem can be alleviated to the greatest extent. This is a good strategy for the country. According to Ma Zhou's memorial, even if Liaodong cannot be fully developed in the end, all the Hu tribes will be completely brought under the control of the Tang Dynasty. In twenty to fifty years, the land and people of Liaodong will belong to the Tang Dynasty."
He had never thought highly of Xu Jingzong because of his short-sightedness and narrow-mindedness.
The development of Dongting Lake and Liaodong certainly meant competition between Taiji Palace and Donggong Palace, but behind it also concerned the interests of the empire.
The warm climate and abundant rainfall of Dongting Lake mean that the reclaimed land will inevitably have extremely high yields.
Liaodong is a vast and fertile region. Once developed, it will add hundreds of millions of acres of fertile land, transforming it into a huge granary comparable to Guanzhong and Sichuan.
Even if the development of Liaodong does not achieve the desired results, it can bring all the local nomadic tribes under its jurisdiction and assimilate them, which would be even more beneficial than adding millions of acres of fertile land.
The development of the two regions, progressing in tandem and competing with each other, ultimately benefited the entire empire.
(End of this chapter)