roccoschili Chapter 5426 Wise Ruler and Heroic Emperor
Chapter 5426 Wise Ruler and Heroic Emperor
Chapter 5426 Wise Ruler and Heroic Emperor
For a newly established vassal state, the most important thing is not gold but population.
There are quite a few indigenous tribes in overseas lands, but these savages live by fishing and hunting, do not understand reason, do not know how to farm, do not know how to educate, and do not obey government orders... If they are made the foundation of the country, there will only be riots and upheavals, and the country will perish in an instant.
Therefore, it is necessary to take the people of the Tang Dynasty as the foundation, and gradually guide and educate those indigenous tribes so that they can be assimilated.
But the Chinese people's attachment to the land is unparalleled in the world. If there were any other way to make a living, who would be willing to cross the ocean and leave their homeland?
Fang Jun took out a small booklet from his pocket and handed it to his younger sister: "Even if people from Hebei are willing to come now, it is only because they are forced by life. They still miss their homeland. If the situation in Hebei stabilizes and there are two years of good harvest, these people will definitely pack up and go back to their hometown. Therefore, we must appease people's hearts with extremely favorable policies so that people can live and work in peace and contentment."
While the Chinese people cherish their homeland, they also possess an extremely strong ability to adapt. As long as they can find a way to survive somewhere, they will take root and live tenaciously like wild grass.
"These are some policy guidelines I summarized on my way here. They include how to resettle immigrants, encourage agriculture and sericulture, and reward childbirth, as well as some insights on the establishment of government agencies and trade. You can use them as a reference."
Fang Xiaomei took the booklet, blinked, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned closer to her brother and cautiously asked, "Second brother gave me this, you wouldn't be thinking of...?"
Who in the Tang Dynasty did not know that Fang Jun was a genius of unparalleled talent?
While he may lack some expertise in handling political affairs and governing a region, his ability to grasp the big picture and formulate policies is unparalleled. Even Emperor Taizong praised him as having the talent of a prime minister. When Chiang Kai-shek first established his regime, what he needed most was this kind of policy directive that was developed from scratch, adapted to local conditions, and rationally structured. This booklet was equivalent to a "founding strategy for the nation."
If she could come up with some highly feasible suggestions, she would undoubtedly have unparalleled prestige throughout the entire Chiang Kai-shek regime.
She was just a queen; what did she need so much prestige for?
Could it be that her brother wants her to "turn the world upside down" and "be a hen crowing at dawn"?
Fang Jun smiled and said earnestly, "It may not be necessary to do that, but it's not impossible if you want to. You must remember that a person's foundation is never based on another person, not between father and son, nor between husband and wife. No matter how harmonious the relationship is, it cannot compare to the importance of interests. When your existence has value to Prince Jiang, that is your most solid foundation, not just a marriage certificate or the title of queen."
What is a queen anyway?
They can replace or depose the empress whenever they want!
Only when a queen possesses value and prestige, and has a group of civil and military officials supporting and admiring her outside the palace, can her position be secure.
Seeing that Fang Xiaomei hesitated to speak, Wu Meiniang whispered her advice: "Your brother is not trying to sow discord between you and your husband, but you should be more sensible. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your child. In a sense, your position is your child's position. Only if you, as the Queen, are as stable as Mount Tai can your child be the heir apparent of Jiang Kingdom... His Majesty back then and the Crown Prince now are both lessons from the past."
Fang Xiaomei gripped the booklet tightly and nodded solemnly.
As Wu Zetian said, even the crown prince appointed by the imperial court could be deposed, let alone the heir of a mere vassal state.
She knew all too well the tragic fate that awaited the Crown Prince or the Heir Apparent if they were deposed.
The women of the Fang family may be domineering and willful, but there has never been a clueless fool who is uneducated and unreasonable...
Fang Jun said, "Take a good look at the booklet. If you don't understand anything, ask Meiniang. In a few days, advise Prince Jiang to convene officials to discuss some specific matters. I've thought of a name for you: 'The First Five-Year Plan'."
……
Three days later, Li Yun convened a meeting of civil and military officials in the main hall of the palace.
Although they were called "civil and military officials," the newly established state was short of personnel, and they were all officials and advisors he brought from the Tang Dynasty. In total, they were only Xue Yuanchao, Cui Xianyi, Lou Shide, Liu Shenli, and a few others. To put it nicely, they were all young and promising talents; to put it bluntly, they were just a makeshift team.
When the group arrived, they were somewhat taken aback to see the queen sitting to one side of the king.
After exchanging greetings, they looked at each other in bewilderment.
Li Yun took the initiative to explain: "In the Tang Dynasty, there is a rule that the empress must not interfere in politics. However, in this Jiang Kingdom, we are starting from scratch and are extremely poor. Everything must be built from nothing through hard work... The Queen and I are husband and wife, so we should work together to build our country. Let's put those old rules aside."
Fang Xiaomei smiled and said, "I am merely listening in. The affairs of the fiefdom should be handled by all of you ministers assisting the king, so that the monarch and his ministers can work together to create a great cause and leave a lasting mark on history."
The group exchanged glances, and then Prime Minister Xue Yuanchao spoke up: "What Your Majesty says makes sense. The Queen comes from a noble family and is intelligent and virtuous. She is truly Your Majesty's wise and capable assistant. We are overjoyed."
These men were either from academies or had received favors from Fang Jun. They were all carefully selected by Fang Jun to serve as officials in Jiang State, so they were naturally part of the Queen's faction. How could they possibly oppose Fang's younger sister's participation in politics?
I just have doubts about Fang Xiaomei's ability to participate in politics, but I don't want to express my doubts directly...
Li Yun gestured for the group to drink tea, and said with a smile, "Although you ministers and I are of different ranks, we have worked together to build our country in this remote and impoverished land of Jiang, so we can be considered comrades-in-arms. Besides, today's meeting is just about seeking each other's opinions, so please feel free to do as you please and don't be too formal."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Yun took a sip of tea and said seriously, "We are starting from scratch here, and everything has to be built from nothing. It is a difficult challenge, but it is also an opportunity to make a name for ourselves. After all, it is easier to draw a grand blueprint from scratch on a blank sheet of paper than to change a painting."
Cui Xianyi said, "Your Majesty, please speak freely about your strategies."
Li Yun nodded: "As the saying goes, 'Preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure.' Therefore, I accept the Queen's suggestion and plan to combine reality with a bold assessment, and then formulate a five-year plan, which will be called the 'First Five-Year Plan.' This will then be established as national policy. Every five years, based on the completion of the previous 'Five-Year Plan' and the actual situation, we will formulate the next 'Five-Year Plan.' All major military and national affairs and policy guidelines must be implemented step by step within the plan."
Everyone was astonished and looked at Fang Xiaomei sitting to the side, praising the Fang family for their profound family learning. Not only was Prime Minister Fang a famous prime minister and Fang Jun a genius of the time, but even their youngest daughter had such insightful vision and boldness.
Liu Shenli asked curiously, "Is this the Queen's advice?"
Fang Xiaomei smiled gently and spoke with a soft demeanor: "If there is anything lacking, please feel free to correct me."
Xue Yuanchao exclaimed in admiration: "Where is there any need for correction? This is simply the most suitable national policy for Jiang State! For a behemoth like the Tang Dynasty, with its bloated institutions and numerous redundant officials, it would be extremely difficult to establish plans for everything. After all, it involves too many aspects and too many interests, making it very difficult to reconcile them. On the contrary, our Jiang State started from scratch with nothing, and by setting various plans at the beginning and implementing them step by step, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Cui Xianyi also said, "This humble official suggests that this be made a national policy, implemented for a long time and never changed!"
"I second that proposal!"
"I second that opinion!"
Clerk Lou Shide meticulously recorded the meeting minutes, which became the first national policy established after Chiang Kai-shek founded the country. It would be fixed in the form of law and become the guiding principle for future governance, and would not be changed.
Xue Yuanchao was somewhat excited. He had responded to Fang Junzhi's call to give up his bright future in the Tang Dynasty and come to Jiang State. He originally planned to make a great effort to realize his many governing ideals. Now he found that although the country had gone through many hardships and difficulties from scratch, the people were united and shared the same ideals, which was the perfect opportunity to make his mark.
He asked, "Since we're making a plan, we need to be bold in our visions while also being realistic. So, what's our first plan?"
Li Yun said confidently: "The first thing is naturally agriculture. Without agriculture, there is no stability. Our vassal state is newly established, so we must prioritize stability. Only by consolidating the foundation and making it as solid as a rock can we realize other plans on this basis."
Xue Yuanchao nodded repeatedly: "What Your Majesty says is very true! May I ask for more details?"
Li Yun spoke eloquently: "The climate within our borders is warm and the rainfall is abundant, allowing for two rice harvests each year. However, we should not be greedy for scale or pursue comprehensiveness at the outset, as many indigenous tribes in various regions are still very hostile to the Tang people. Our priority should be to cultivate wasteland and plant rice along the banks of the Chao Phraya River. This will ensure smooth flow between the north and south and provide support in case of any situation. It will also allow us to properly resettle the people from Hebei who are about to arrive. Once we have control over the upper and lower reaches of the Chao Phraya River, it will not be too late to expand to other places."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Yuanchao and the others all looked at Fang Xiaomei.
They knew Li Yun quite well, knowing that he was a clever and quick-witted member of the royal family, slightly willful but not a spoiled brat, kind and generous, but not capable of governing the country.
Thus, that was the advice from Fang Xiaomei, this "wise and helpful wife"...
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, Fang Xiaomei smiled and said softly, "Your Majesty's thoughts are thorough and your plans are meticulous. What do you all think?"
Everyone then knew that the Queen was giving credit to the King so that the King could establish his prestige as soon as possible.
The ministers, who had been somewhat worried, were now relieved.
Otherwise, with her family backing her up and support, and with such wisdom and strategy, wouldn't the queen be able to sideline the king?
Even though everyone belonged to the queen's "family," they did not want to see a woman seize power, sideline the king, and imprison him in the palace...
"Your Majesty is wise and mighty, possessing the qualities of Emperor Taizong. This is a blessing for the people of Jiang!"
Everyone unanimously praised Li Yun as a "wise and enlightened ruler".