Nine hundred and twentieth chapters Baiyue discussion
In short, Li Si talked a lot in frustration, which was a good way to pave the way.
And his actions were basically ordered by Ying Zheng, so our Emperor immediately took over and helped Li Si complete all the spell-casting actions.
"I also know what Tingwei said, but... what I need is a practical solution, not empty words."
Li Si lowered his head slightly and responded respectfully, "This... In my opinion, if you want to adapt to local conditions, you need the help of someone who knows yourself and the enemy."
Having said this, Li Si smiled, raised his head, and looked at Gu Xun aside.
Gu Xun's eyes were drooped, he met Li Si's gaze blankly, and yawned boredly, not surprised at all that he was looking for him.
After hearing the words "conquer Baiyue", he understood why Ying Zheng specifically informed him that he was coming to court today.
When it comes to understanding the Baiyue in Lingnan, one can’t help but think of Gu Xun, the quicksand leader of today’s Central Plains.
A puppet regime was successfully supported in Fujian and Yue (from Ying Zheng's perspective), and the quicksand that also had contacts with South Vietnam, Xiou and other countries would definitely add luster and icing on the cake to the empire's southern expedition.
However, Gu Xun is not as optimistic as Ying Zheng and Li Si.
Precisely because he understood Baiyue tribes relatively better, he knew that there was really no trick to conquer Baiyue.
Not to mention the external objective conditions such as the harsh environment, the biggest problem is the group of Baiyue talents with square heads.
Over the past few years, even though Liusha tried his best to suppress Tianze's development, he still succeeded in taking back almost all the rights belonging to the King of Minyue.
Because those Yue people just support him and can't stand quicksand.
Whenever Liusha shows an obvious tendency to suppress Tianze, the King of Minyue, he is likely to be unanimously opposed by them.
Before the war even started, the time, place and people were favorable, and the empire had already lost the latter two.
As for the final Tianshi... This is not a battle, but a huge territory that is almost equal to half of the Chu Kingdom. Tianshi cannot always be biased towards the empire, and it is basically a non-existent item.
This kind of battle is difficult to fight even if you think about it with your toes.
In the official history, Ying Zheng sent out five armies, and half a million troops marched together to defeat Baiyue. In the end, he fought with Baiyue's 50,000 troops, both sides suffered losses, and gained nothing. It was not until he had to painstakingly built the Ling Canal that he borrowed the power of the water channel.
Reluctantly captured Lingnan.
The most uncomfortable thing is that after Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo captured Lingnan, they were basically in a state of self-reliance. Not two years later, Zhao Tuo even closed the new Lingnan Road, cut off contact with the Central Plains, and established himself as king.
This is actually an inevitable result.
The central government of the empire simply cannot exercise effective jurisdiction over the Lingnan region, which is thousands of miles away and does not even have a decent road for carriages and horses. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, who can help but be excited?
The idea of "a lieutenant in the southeast and a marquis in the northwest" is all nonsense. It is even more outrageous than the Zhou Mu in the late Han Dynasty.
What's more, Zhao Tuo was able to sit in the position of Emperor Wu of South Vietnam later, and he was an ambitious master.
Li Si didn't know the complicated thoughts in Gu Xun's heart. He looked at Gu Xun's eyes as blankly as a dead fish and expressed his "opinion" in a leisurely tone.
"I have heard that the caravan under the name of the Imperial Master has many contacts with the Land of Baiyue. They sell rare specialties and treasures produced in Lingnan all the year round. I must have a long-term knowledge of the place."
"I don't know if the Imperial Master can help me... tell me something."
Gu Xun raised his hand to straighten his hair and looked at Ying Zhengdao expressionlessly, "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
Ying Zheng naturally agreed with Li Si's opinion, because this was what he had instructed, "I have heard about what Tingwei said."
"If the Imperial Master has a high opinion, he can express it clearly."
"Huh... okay." Gu Xun sighed, shrugged, and said helplessly, "According to my opinion, it's better not to attack Baiyue."
Although he has made plans to overthrow everything and start over, Gu Xun will not be ruined directly.
If you ask me for advice, I will definitely give you the most pertinent one.
"Ah..." Even though he was used to Gu Xun's habit of not going to court and singing the opposite tune when he went to court, Li Si couldn't help but frown and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
The important events of the country are in the army and in sacrifice.
Since the matter of starting a war has been put on the table for discussion, it means that we must fight, but you asked us to stop...
Gu Xun's words couldn't help but make Li Si feel uncomfortable, and all the courtiers couldn't help but talk in low voices, especially the military attachés who looked at Gu Xun very unkindly.
Blocking others from getting promoted is a disloyalty!
Ying Zheng is the most calm, but his eyes have become much sharper.
After all, he is different today from the past. The reality of sweeping Liuhe in just ten years is not only Ying Zheng's glory, but also his confidence.
The confidence to dare to defy any force.
However, he did not directly question Gu Xun.
As an emperor, he has someone to speak on his behalf.
Li Si immediately asked in a serious tone, "Does the Imperial Master's statement mean that he is not optimistic about the empire's conquest of Baiyue?"
Gu Xun spread his hands, not caring about the image in the court at all, and asked in a lazy tone, "Master Li, please tell me first, what are the benefits of defeating Baiyue?"
Lingnan has many luxury goods that are scarce in the Central Plains, and even a lot of hardware and mineral deposits, but for Liusha, it is a huge sum of money that will be difficult to finish in a lifetime, but for the empire, it is valuable, and that's all.
That’s all.
Compared with the human, material, and time resources required, the Central Plains has places that are more worthy of development.
Of course, in the long run, the value is great, provided that the country can survive until that time.
Lingnan Baiyue was theoretically occupied and conquered as early as the Qin Dynasty, but in fact, the initial effective development must be traced back to at least...after the Jin Dynasty anyway.
With the rise of the nomadic regime in the north, and the first trip southward, the Jiangnan region began to become prosperous.
Anyway, in Gu Xun's view, the conquest of Baiyue is definitely... a must-do, but it certainly cannot be done now.
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Li Si looked at Gu Xun with complicated eyes, a little surprised by his rhetorical question.
Is this Imperial Master just using this as an excuse, or is it really because of this reason that he doesn’t agree with the conquest of Baiyue?
Li Si probably knew in his heart that conquering Baiyue might not be a good thing for the country, but his principle was to obey the emperor, so he deliberately ignored the problems involved.
In any case, it is not a bad thing to acquire such a large piece of land.
"The expansion of territory is the result of Sheji. Don't you think it's enough?" Li Si suppressed his thoughts and didn't bother to analyze the benefits, so he just blamed it.
Gu Xun didn't care at all that Li Si was using the imperial government's government to pressure him, and replied indifferently, "I think it's not important whether it's enough or not. What's important is whether the government itself is satisfied with its contribution to the expansion of territory."
Many other courtiers did not even dare to show their anger at this time.
They didn't expect that discussing the conquest of Baiyue would bring the topic to this point. They now regretted why they didn't take sick leave to avoid this court meeting.
Sheji, what is Sheji?
The country is the country!
So the next question comes, what is a country?
Different people have different opinions, but generally speaking, it can be said that it is the result of the sum of the three - the king, the people, and the country.
Those who can stand in this hall are basically capable people who have read hundreds of schools of thought, so almost all of them know the sentence in "Mencius: The Second Part of the Heart"——
"The people are the most valuable, the country is the second most important, and the king is the least important."
It is obvious that in Meng Sheng's view, the people are the most important, while the king is the least important.
It is a pity that the empire implements Legalist governing ideas, not Confucian ones.
The meaning of Gu Xun's words is obvious. He is not responding to Li Si, but questioning Ying Zheng.
The contribution of opening up new territories and expanding territory may be enough for the emperor, but is this contribution meaningful to the people? Is it valuable? And can it satisfy them?
Li Si couldn't help but break out a layer of sweat on his head. He didn't expect Gu Xun to be so brave now that he dared to question the emperor in court.
The people are the most noble, Meng Sheng said that, in fact, the monarch must be the most noble!
What is the name of the people who are managed by the imperial court?
Called Dai Tianzi herdsmen.
Herdsmen!
I have made it very clear - the common people are the production tools that eat grass and milk cows to create value for the emperor!
Now that the emperor needs the credit for opening up new territories, is it time to consider the life and death of the people?
Li Si smiled bitterly, bowed his hands to Ying Zheng, and returned to the queue, not continuing to argue with Gu Xun.
Only His Majesty the Emperor personally came to deal with the other party's remarks. He... is no longer suitable to continue to speak on his behalf.
Ying Zheng's eyes looked at Gu Xun quietly through the bead curtain, and Gu Xun also looked at him.
After the monarch and his ministers looked at each other for a moment, Ying Zheng finally spoke.
He did not try to argue with Gu Xun about the pros and cons of right and wrong, but said directly and forcefully:
"I have decided to conquer Baiyue, and there is no need for the Imperial Guard to give up."
"What I need now is your advice on this matter, not your opinions!"
"Huh... Okay!" Gu Xun took a long breath and shrugged. He did not intend to argue with Ying Zheng, and replied with a relaxed expression, "Your Majesty must be very aware of the complex dangers in Baiyue Land, so I won't emphasize it.
”
"In short, if we send troops into Baiyue, we must ensure the timely supply of logistical supplies."
"This is not just a matter of food and grass supply, but also includes equipment, clothing, water supply, medicine, etc."
"You know, Lingnan is a place where there is not even a road, unless... you count the mountain forest paths formed by long-term trampling."
People can walk on the trails, but they certainly can't pass the army, and it's very expensive to open up wasteland.
When the ministers in the court heard what Gu Xun said, they had nothing to say.
The land of barbarians is really a land of barbarians. They don’t even build roads!?
Gu Xun ignored them and continued to talk to himself, "The poisonous miasma in Lingnan that you often talk about is actually... it is a problem of water and soil anyway. There is no cure, we can only rely on adaptation."
"As for poisonous insects, poisonous snakes and the like, I do have suitable prescriptions on hand, but the quantity of medicinal materials... I think it is definitely impossible to supply hundreds of thousands of troops."
"In general, environmental problems cannot be solved."
"The only good news I can give is that in order to facilitate trade, I built a reasonably usable road from Kuaiji County to Minyue. It's not too long, and at least... it can give the army a good start." Seeing that Gu Xun was relatively normal now, Li Si jumped out again and asked, "What do you think of the Yue tribes and national masters in Baiyue?"
Gu Xun glanced at him sideways and replied dryly, "The Yue tribe... is very stubborn."
"Stubborn?" Li Si's brows twitched. Is this the adjective that should be used here?
"The Imperial Master might as well speak more clearly."
"It's very straightforward. The people of Baiyue have nothing but stubborn rejection of the Central Plains." Gu Xun couldn't help rolling his eyes and explained, "To be more straightforward, if the empire intends to conquer Baiyue by force,
I'm afraid rebellion will be inevitable for a long time to come."
Ying Zheng suddenly asked at this time, "I heard that the relationship between the national preceptor and Tianze, a barbarian leader in the Minyue region who proclaimed himself king, is quite close. Is that true?"
Gu Xun didn't hide anything, he nodded neatly and admitted, "That's right."
"If you want to do business in Baiyue, you must have a good relationship with the local Yue leader."
Qin's national policy is to suppress commerce. As a high-ranking official, it is actually taboo for Gu Xun to talk about his so-called caravans so boldly.
But who dares to care about him? Ying Zheng doesn't care, and Li Si, a court captain, naturally won't do anything.
Ying Zheng then asked, "In this case, can the Imperial Master be confident that he can directly persuade the barbarian leader to surrender and join the empire?"
"Oh..." Gu Xun suddenly realized. No wonder he suddenly asked about Tianze. It turned out that he wanted to get rid of Bailang.
Although conquering the Minyue Kingdom next to Kuaiji County is basically a trivial matter for the empire, why bother with it when you can get it for free?
Attacking Baiyue is a big job, so it would be better to save a little on consumption.
Gu Xun did not rush to answer, but asked first, "If Tianze... is persuaded to surrender, what will your Majesty do?"
"At that time, I can appoint him as the highest governance official in the Fujian and Yue regions, responsible for the local military and political power, and continue to manage this land." Ying Zheng answered lightly.
It sounds good, but actually...it's ridiculous.
What is the difference between officials and nobles?
Officials are not hereditary, not even for life. You can be appointed as an official today, but you will be removed tomorrow.
The conditions Ying Zheng gave Tianze seemed very good, and still left him with similar power to what he has now, but in fact it was in the hands of Ying Zheng, the emperor of the empire.
If we look back and find a reason to withdraw from Tianze, we will barbarize the three tribes and leave no future trouble at all.
Gu Xun smiled, shook his head and said, "If this is the case, I can tell His Majesty directly that it is impossible."
It's not that Gu Xun is protecting Tianze, but... I'm not a fool, and I won't agree to it at all.
Ying Zheng was not angry at Gu Xun's rejection and asked calmly, "What do you think the Imperial Preceptor needs to do to persuade the other party?"
Gu Xun gave the answer without much thinking:
"In my opinion, I'm afraid we can only follow the example of the Qin Dynasty's annexation of Bazhong and implement the policy of restraining the emperor."
