roccoschili Chapter 5445 A Two-Pronged Approach
Chapter 5445 A Two-Pronged Approach
Chapter 5445 A Two-Pronged Approach
Li Chengqian was no ordinary man. He received the most comprehensive imperial education from a young age and had been emperor for many years. He had a deep understanding of politics and knew that no matter how autocratic an emperor was, he had to compromise at certain times—compromise with his ministers, compromise with foreign enemies, and even compromise with himself.
Knowing something is one thing, doing it is another.
Feeling uncomfortable is another matter entirely...
Reminded by Li Ji, he took a deep breath and nodded: "What you all say is very true. Yan Qinli is indeed very suitable for the position of Minister of Rites. The Yan family of Langya is a leading figure in Confucianism with countless disciples, and can play a role in promoting education and rectifying etiquette."
Li Ji said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Fang Jun nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise and insightful, illuminating all corners of the world."
Li Chengqian: "..."
Why does this sound so sarcastic?
That idiot!
*****
The Imperial Study.
After the meeting at the Council of State Affairs, Li Chengqian returned here and continued to discuss matters with Li Ji, Pei Huaijie, and Xu Jingzong. The topic was naturally handing over his duties at the Ministry of Rites and preparing to develop Yunmengze.
Li Chengqian changed into casual clothes, washed his face, and looked much more refreshed. He took a sip of hot tea and sighed, "I almost lost face in the government hall because of my efforts to secure this position for you, my dear minister. You must handle this matter properly, otherwise you will be criticized by the court and the public."
Xu Jingzong, of course, knew how much anger His Majesty had suppressed in the Hall of State Affairs. With a grateful expression, he respectfully said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble subject will go to the Great Marsh to cultivate the land, working tirelessly day and night, devoting himself to the country!"
He was not only grateful to His Majesty for securing such a powerful position for him under such dire circumstances, but also because his own career success or failure hinged on this battle.
Looking across the court, there are very few who can rival him in terms of seniority as one of the "Eighteen Scholars of the Prince of Qin's Mansion." His own abilities are also extremely outstanding, and he is only one step away from becoming the prime minister, who is "second only to the emperor." How could he not be ambitious?
Pei Huaijie frowned, glanced at the ambitious Xu Jingzong, and said to Li Chengqian, "Although the water level of Yunmeng Marsh is decreasing year by year, it has fluctuated throughout history, with its surface area varying greatly. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, and the Han Dynasty, Yunmeng Marsh was very small, only between Danyang and Jiangxia. By the Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasties, the Xiang, Zi, Yuan, and Li rivers no longer flowed directly into the Yangtze River but instead converged into Yunmeng Marsh, causing the water level to rise and the surface area to expand rapidly. The lake is now over 500 li in circumference, and the sun and moon seem to rise and set within it..."
He paused, and seeing that everyone, including His Majesty, was looking at him, he continued, "...Another reason for the expansion of the lake is the backflow of the Yangtze River. The Yunmeng Marsh north of the Yangtze River has gradually been transformed into land by siltation, losing its water storage function. The Yangtze River is flowing south, causing the lake area to expand rapidly. Currently, the land north of the river that has been exposed due to siltation can be reclaimed. However, since the river can flow south, it will inevitably flow north when the water level rises sharply. If we cannot build dikes and dams to prevent flooding, the farmland that has been reclaimed with countless manpower and resources may be destroyed in an instant."
In short, Dongting Lake is often affected by the inflow of water from the upstream rivers, causing the lake surface to constantly shift southward and become unpredictable. Although the land that is exposed above the water is fertile, it is necessary to build dikes to prevent the backflow of floodwaters. Otherwise, if a flood comes and the water level rises sharply, it will backflow and submerge all the cultivated farmland.
While reclaiming land is not difficult, building dikes is an extremely difficult project.
Li Ji added: "The area around Dongting Lake is characterized by towering mountains, numerous waterways, deep ravines, and dense forests. As a result, the climate is humid, snakes and insects are everywhere, and miasma and wilderness abound, making survival extremely difficult for people. Preparations must be made in advance, otherwise, every step will be extremely difficult."
Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, successive dynasties have coveted the fertile and moist land near Dongting Lake, which has been soaked by the lake for hundreds or thousands of years. However, due to insufficient national strength, unsuitable climate and other difficulties, they could only put it aside and let it go to waste. Developing it would not be an easy task.
It is only because the country is currently strong and prosperous with abundant resources that we dare to transform the land and cultivate fertile fields in this way.
"Even if there are difficulties and obstacles, I will definitely turn the lake into fertile land, not only to feed more people, but also to make this achievement known in history, so that future generations will praise Your Majesty's great achievements!"
Xu Jingzong knew that this task was extremely difficult, but he had no way out.
We have to go through with it, even if it's tough.
Li Chengqian readily agreed, saying, "My dear minister, just focus on making the plans and putting them into action. I will instruct the Ministry of Civil Affairs to provide full support, prioritizing your needs in terms of manpower and resources, and strive to achieve a remarkable political achievement that will attract worldwide attention!"
This is not only Xu Jingzong's achievement, but also Li Chengqian's achievement.
Imagine, the Dongting Lake, which had been plagued by floods for thousands of years, was transformed into vast fertile fields and bountiful harvests under his rule, surpassing even the expansion of territory.
After all, the Chinese tradition has never been about conquering cities and destroying countless countries, but about farming.
Whoever can acquire more land for the people to cultivate is a good emperor; conversely, even if one expands the territory by thousands of miles and conquers other countries, one may still be branded as a "militarist."
……
The Eastern Palace.
Inside the side hall, Empress Su, dressed in palace attire, with her hair piled high and adorned with jewels, sat gracefully in the main seat. Fang Jun, Ma Zhou, and Liu Rengui each occupied a seat, with tea, pastries, and dried fruit laid out on the tables.
Empress Su looked at Fang Jun with sparkling eyes: "So, His Majesty has rejected the proposal to develop Liaodong and instead appointed Xu Jingzong to oversee the development of Dongting Lake?"
Ma Zhou, standing to the side, said respectfully, "Although the empire is currently prosperous, developing either Dongting Lake or Liaodong requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. We can only choose one of the two."
Empress Su looked slightly disappointed.
She certainly understood that the importance of developing Liaodong lay not only in adding tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land to the empire, but also in providing more officials who supported the Crown Prince with opportunities to participate and achieve success, which would be extremely beneficial to the Crown Prince's prestige.
She complained, "Xu Jingzong actually went so far as to instruct Chu Suiliang's son to impeach Liu Ji. He is greedy, ungrateful, and of low moral character. How can he be entrusted with important responsibilities? Why don't you impeach him before His Majesty?"
Ma Zhou remained silent.
Fang Jun explained softly, “Struggle must have a bottom line. It must be limited to a certain scope. We cannot disregard national interests for the sake of struggle, nor can we fight for the sake of fighting. Otherwise, internal strife will intensify and the consequences will be dire. We are not only loyal to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, but also represent the interests of the people of the Tang Dynasty. We must always put the interests of the country and the people first. As long as Xu Jingzong is indeed suitable for developing Dongting Lake, then no matter who he is or what his moral character is, we should support him.”
In officialdom, where are there so many moral saints?
Whether an official is honest or corrupt, the most important thing is ability. As long as they can formulate and implement national policies, they are good officials. Whether they will engage in other corrupt practices during their tenure is another matter.
Empress Su glared at him and remained silent.
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and looked at Ma Zhou: "As for His Majesty, although he has decided to develop Dongting Lake first, there is no need to put the development of Liaodong on hold."
Ma Zhou was taken aback: "How can we manage to do both at the same time? The most important national policy of the empire right now is infrastructure construction, such as building water conservancy projects, laying roads, repairing city walls, and dredging waterways... The manpower and resources consumed by each of these projects are astronomical. If it weren't for the import of money and slaves from overseas, it would be impossible to sustain them. If Dongting Lake and Liaodong are developed together, it will inevitably affect these infrastructure projects. Once many projects are stopped, it will be extremely difficult to start them again. We should prioritize certain projects and not try to do everything at once."
The Tang Dynasty launched a massive infrastructure construction project. For such a vast empire, this national policy was destined to require years of sustained and continuous investment to see results. Once effective, however, the benefits would last for generations, with countless descendants benefiting immensely.
Even after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, these infrastructure projects still exist, benefiting future generations.
How can we allow it to be shelved and halted?
Fang Jun shook his head and said, "The development of Liaodong does not necessarily need to be led by the empire."
Ma Zhou asked in bewilderment, "For such a massive project, aside from the imperial central government allocating resources and conscripting laborers, who has the capability to undertake such a task?"
This is no small matter. Liaodong is a vast and expansive region with tens of millions of acres of land available for reclamation. Once developed, what a magnificent sight it would be!
Apart from the entire nation's resources, who could undertake such a massive project?
Fang Jun already had a plan in mind: "First, we will subdivide and plan the Liaodong region. We will set up the Andong Protectorate south of the Yalu River, the Raole Protectorate on the grasslands to manage the Xi and Shiwei tribes, the Songmo Protectorate to manage the Khitan, the Heishui Protectorate to manage the Heishui Mohe, and the Bohai Protectorate in Huhan City... These protectorates will manage the various Hu tribes. The Liaodong Protectorate, which is subordinate to Liaodong City, will form the administrative division of the entire Tang Dynasty territory outside Shanhaiguan."
Liu Rengui was shocked by such a grand plan and asked, "If these protectorates were managed with the participation of local Hu peoples, and the court were to appoint official titles to these Hu leaders, they could be incorporated into the Tang Dynasty's territory very quickly."
Using barbarians to control barbarians—this was the policy of appeasement implemented since the Sui and Tang dynasties, allowing the central government to stabilize the border regions with minimal cost and maximum speed.
Fang Jun shook his head resolutely: "Absolutely not! The saying goes, 'Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts.' Now the Tang Dynasty is powerful and its military might is formidable. Those barbarian tribes may seem submissive, but in reality they are secretly accumulating strength and developing their own power. Once the situation changes, they will quickly rise up and turn against the Tang Dynasty. What we want is not a nominally controlled prefecture, but territory that truly belongs to the Tang Dynasty."
The concept of a "tributary state" was nothing more than a lie used by ambitious monarchs to showcase their achievements. In reality, apart from being nominally incorporated into the empire, the central government had no jurisdiction over it. The various tribes and ethnic groups within the region acted independently, neither paying tribute nor taxes. They were nominally under the military leadership of the central government, but when war actually broke out, they often did not contribute their efforts.
What's the use of it?