"How is the discussion about the memorial presented by Liu Xu?" Emperor Liu asked, changing the subject.
After hearing the question, Liu Yang couldn't help but glance at Emperor Liu, as if he wanted to see some attitude from his face, but unfortunately the result was still disappointing.
After thinking about it, Liu Yang replied: "The central ministers have already held two discussions on Big Brother's request. There is a lot of controversy, but most of them are inclined to reject it."
"What's the reason?" Emperor Liu didn't seem to understand.
Liu Yang: "The ministers believe that the Northeast is located in a remote location, with bitter cold and frequent disasters, mixed barbarian tribes, complicated human relations, and a vast territory. It is too difficult to completely occupy and rule as the elder brother said.
In addition, in recent years, in order to govern Liaodong, the imperial court has supported a large amount of money and food, and it is still barely self-sufficient. There are tens of thousands of troops stationed in Liaodong, and the annual military supply is also a huge expense.
If we continue to carry out in-depth development of the Northeast, the investment is difficult to predict, and it may not last long. The Northeast is only a corner, but the borders of the Han Dynasty are far from just the Northeast. In recent years, all military expenditures have been given to the imperial court for border defense in recent years.
It poses a huge financial burden.
Therefore, most people believe that after the internal strife among the Shiwei clans and the king's campaign, the situation in the Northeast has stabilized. With a little show of gentleness, all the clans will disappear and the security of Liaodong can be guaranteed.
..."
"Is a temporary peace considered stable?" Before Liu Yang could finish speaking, Emperor Liu asked back, his words already revealing their edge: "Are they still considering reducing the garrison in the Northeast to save military expenditures?"
Liu Yang was silent. Judging from his reaction, Emperor Liu guessed it right. In fact, there was more than just Liaodong. Someone in the DPRK and the Central Committee had already proposed the reduction of border defense expenditures, especially during the financial constraints in the past few years.
.
The current territory of the Han Dynasty is too vast. These thousands of miles of mountains and rivers also mean thousands of miles of frontier defense. From east to west, from south to north, the total number of border guards in various places has already exceeded 300,000. This is amazing.
They are all regular soldiers of the imperial court. Even if they are not in a state of war, maintaining basic training is a very huge expense.
This does not include funding subsidies for rural soldiers and volunteers who undertake certain garrison tasks in various places. Liaodong alone used to have nearly 60,000 troops stationed all year round. Even though more than 10,000 of them were part of the Forbidden Army's rotating garrison, it seems that,
There are really too many.
After this Northeastern campaign, which expanded two thousand miles of territory, in order to ensure control of the occupied areas, the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses seemed to be few, at least in the short term.
Therefore, those who propose reducing the garrison in Northeast China may not necessarily have this intention. They may be afraid that instead of reducing the number of troops stationed in the Northeast, they will increase the number.
Under such circumstances, Liu Xu proposed a "deep cultivation of the Northeast" plan with no visible cost margin. It was naturally difficult to get the support of those ministers, at least among the ministers such as Wang Zhu and Shen Yilun who were in charge of finance.
In my eyes, this is inappropriate.
Faced with Liu Yang's silence, Emperor Liu couldn't help but lost his temper: "Cutting military expenditures and weakening defenses, some people want the big men to abandon their martial arts? Without those soldiers who stick to the border defenses to protect the borders, where would the stability and prosperity of the Central Plains come to be?"
They can see the waste of money, but they can't see the importance of territorial defense? Could it be that they are used to living in peace, and they really think that the world is fine, the world is peaceful, and they can put their horses into Nanshan and store their weapons?"
Seeing Emperor Liu's merciless refutation, even with some criticism and ridicule, Liu Yang immediately offered words of comfort: "Please calm down, the ministers' consideration is based on the actual situation of the court. This time, it is only for the Northeast."
It’s just a matter of expressing your opinion.”
Looking at Liu Yang, Emperor Liu asked: "You just said that most people hold negative opinions. Who are the few people who hold positive opinions?"
When asked about this, Liu Yang was silent again. Obviously, there was probably no real support. In fact, if this matter had not been raised by Qin Wang Liu Xu, the ministers might not have paid attention to it, let alone organized a special discussion. If it had been changed.
As a Song Xiong, Ma Renyu and other Liaodong civil and military officials suggested that they might not cause even the slightest disturbance in the court, so they directly rejected it.
"Do you have any idea?"
When asked, although Liu Yang had already considered it, he still thought about it seriously for a while and then said calmly: "I think it's better to find a compromise.
The eldest brother's idea is to be greedy for big things and to be comprehensive. The cost is really huge and the gains are indeed not worth the losses. However, the territory must be consolidated and Liaodong must be unstable.
Prime Minister Zhao thought that the government of the Northeast should not be accomplished overnight and should be planned slowly. Therefore, Er believed that the current priority should be to suppress the bandits and maintain peace in the area.
On the basis of the original cities in the Northeast, fortification strongholds were established along rivers, major passes, and livable places to ensure the imperial court's influence and control over major areas.
At the same time, for the Northeast, the imperial court can formulate special policies to attract businessmen to cultivate and promote the development of private agriculture and commerce. The Northeast is indeed remote, but it is not a barren land with winter all year round. The land there is enough for cultivation, construction, and leather goods.
Medicinal materials and livestock products are all available, which is still very tempting for those business travelers. As long as the court clears the law and order to avoid the intrusion of barbarians active in the mountains, forests and wilderness, and ensure the safety of business routes...
Operate like this for a few years, and when the time is ripe, carry out a more profound Wanghua rule! Although this method is slow, it will advance steadily. After twenty or thirty years, the Northeast may not be able to have a new atmosphere!"
"It seems that you have thought carefully!" After listening to Liu Yang's description, Emperor Liu looked at him with a little surprise, and his tone was full of appreciation: "This is the attitude towards doing things! I think
What you listen to is how to do it, not whether to do it or not!
How can I not understand the concerns and considerations of those ministers? It's just that if you don't do it when it's difficult, or give up if it's costly, then what else will the Han Dynasty do with its thousands of miles of territory? If it's all cut off, what administrative and military expenditures will it take?
Gotta save it all!”
If Emperor Liu's extreme remarks spread, I'm afraid the prime ministers and ministers in the court would be in panic again. Fortunately, this was just a conversation between their father and son.
"Dad, I'm so impressed!" Liu Yang smiled and responded softly: "The considerations of the court princes are not unreasonable. There have been cases in the past. For remote areas, they adopted a policy of restraint and laissez-faire. As far as the court was concerned, it was
It is a lot more convenient. This idea is not wrong.
My son just felt that if this was the case, he would just follow the old path of previous dynasties. As his father said, he could get peace for a while, but twenty or thirty years later, when the barbarian tribes had recovered and grown stronger, the imperial court would how?
Although King Shiwei's regime was overthrown, the Shiwei people are still there. The Shiwei people were suppressed, and there are still Jurchen tribes in the huge Northeast.
If the imperial court leaves it alone, and if a force like the Shiwei people who disobey the king and challenge the majesty of the imperial court arises again in the future, then the imperial court will have no choice but to return to the old path of sending troops to suppress rebellions. If this is repeated, the situation will not be fundamentally resolved. changes.
The performance of the Wanyan Jurchens in recent years is worthy of vigilance. It’s just that they were not strong enough and failed. If the Wanyan Jurchens rise and replace Shi Wei, who can guarantee that they will not abandon the Han Dynasty and go against the imperial court? The barbarians will repeat it. It is the most obvious historical lesson.
The former listened to history and talked about the Eastern Wu Dynasty's conquest of Shanyue. The foundation for the prosperity of today's Southeast has been laid since then. There may be differences between the Northeast and the Southeast, but there are some differences in the suppression and naturalization of barbarians. Where there are similarities, the imperial court can imitate them.
Perhaps, even if we spend our whole lives, it will be difficult to achieve what Southeast is like, but even if we lay the foundation for future generations, it is still worth trying.
And a hundred years later, if we can open up a new southeast for the Han Dynasty, it will be a great honor and merit..."
When Liu Yang said such words sincerely, Emperor Liu was stunned. He looked up at the prince with a solemn expression, and the emotion called relief filled his heart.
"Sit!" He lifted up his robe legs and sat on the horizontal chair beside the waterside pavilion. Emperor Liu motioned for Liu Yang to come to him.
The emperor's grandson Liu Wenhuan, listening to the conversation between his grandfather and his father, felt a little sleepy at this time. He sat on the instep of Emperor Liu, hugging his calf and fell asleep.
Looking at Liu Yang, Emperor Liu pointed to his heart and said: "Your words are very insightful and they really speak to my heart! How could I not know the difficulties of developing Northeast China? If I only focus on the present, The Central Plains, Hebei, Hedong, Jiannan, Lianghu, Lianghuai, Southeast, Guangdong and Guangxi are enough places for the Han Dynasty to enjoy safely for a hundred years!
But after a hundred years, you should be prepared for danger in times of peace and worry about the long-term and near-term. Ministers should be concerned about their power and official status. They do not want to take risks and troubles, and would rather be stable and stable.
But a king cannot do this. He needs to stand on a higher ground and plan for the long term! As you said, even laying a foundation for future generations is a meritorious deed. There are some things that we can still do without taking the lead. Do you expect your successor to break down barriers and bring forth new ideas?
I am very happy, not for anything else, but because I have found a close friend and a fellow-minded person among all living beings and thousands of subjects..."
In such a long life, this is probably the first time that Liu Yang has been so recognized by Emperor Liu. Therefore, facing Emperor Liu's gentle gaze and listening to those words of approval, Liu Yang couldn't help but feel warm in his heart, blushed slightly, and held his hands. Said: "Son, it's such an honor!"
"In this case, how should the imperial court respond to the proposal proposed by eldest brother?" Liu Yang asked while the iron was hot.
Emperor Liu ordered almost without thinking: "There is no need to let Zhao Pu and the others discuss it again. According to the situation, they can't come up with anything, it's just a waste of time!
In this way, you personally take the lead and draw up a system according to your ideas. In addition to the basic strategies you just mentioned, discuss the structure of the Andong Dudufu. From now on, the governance outside Liaodong will be
The Anton Metropolitan Government is responsible for this.
The imperial court allocates a reasonable amount of support every year, and also provides part of the funds from internal funds. In addition, in addition to encouraging private businessmen to go north, they also call on the nobles of the Han Dynasty to develop northern Xinjiang for me.
They all dare to go to Qinlong to cut down huge trees and sell them for profit. The northeast is far away. With such a huge treasure land and so much wealth, I don’t believe they are not tempted at all!"
Liu Yang listened to Emperor Liu's instructions, worked hard to record and digest them, and agreed very seriously: "Yes!"
Following the conversation between the father and son, the Han Dynasty court made plans for the development of Northeast China in the next twenty to thirty years, or even a hundred years.
