Zhou Chang's hand pointing at Zhang Cang was trembling. Although the two were about the same age, Zhou Chang obviously looked older. Zhang Cang looked about the same age as his son, with a gray beard and a hunchback.
From the back, Zhou Chang no longer had the upright posture he once had. He looked thin and small, but the old man's temper was getting worse and worse.
"If one day the big man perishes in our hands, you will be the culprit!"
"You don't want to dissuade His Majesty, how can you instigate him to continue doing it?!"
Zhang Cang just took a sip of tea and said disdainfully: "According to Prime Minister Zhou's wishes, I should tell His Majesty not to pursue any prosperity, but to let him enjoy fun, squeeze the people, and pursue a world like Jie and Zhou?"
"Now is the prosperous age! The people are rich, what else is there to do?!"
"Yes...I have a lot of wives and concubines, the dogs in your house are almost as big as calves, and the dignitaries in Chang'an are having fun all day long and are beaming with joy. This is of course a prosperous age...but what your Majesty wants is
The prosperous age not only allows people like us to live a good life... but also some people whom Zhou Xiang cannot see."
"Can't I see? The whole world is at my mercy. You stay in Chang'an all day, but you are not qualified to say this to me."
Zhou Chang said seriously: "Your Majesty may have good intentions, but the prosperous age he mentioned will definitely not be achieved in one day. Your Majesty is pressing harder and harder. Do you know what impact it will have?"
"I know...it will make that prosperous age come earlier."
"You! You!"
Zhou Chang also did not expect that Zhang Cang, who had always been kind and gentle and never made any enemies for him, would be so determined this time. Zhou Chang leaned on crutches again and said angrily: "Your Majesty, this is just messing around, it is impossible to complete!
"
"So what if it's impossible to complete...The important thing is to do it...As long as you do it, you are better than someone who is leaning on crutches and shouting that he is destined to fail."
"What if it's wrong?"
"If something goes wrong, the entire prosperous age will be ruined!"
"I really can't think of how your majesty can ruin this world. After your majesty came to power, everything he did made the Han Dynasty strong and prosperous. Now the people are living a little harder, but now the Han Dynasty has cultivated countless fields, manpower has increased dramatically, and the treasury is full
There is no shortage of food, and it can withstand all kinds of disasters. The nobles are frightened due to their tyranny, and the Xiongnu and other powerful enemies have fled. Please tell me how your majesty can destroy this world."
Zhang Cang slowly stood up and looked down at Zhou Chang in front of him.
"Your Majesty acted too hastily!"
"Don't say such nonsense, just tell me what your majesty can do that will destroy this big man!"
"A war?!"
"The current famous generals of the Han Dynasty are the most famous in ancient and modern times. The Marquis of Huaiyin is strong and young generals emerge in an endless stream. There are mountains of grain piled up in granaries everywhere. The powerful Huns are all fleeing in panic. What kind of war can destroy the Han Dynasty?!"
"Are you constantly issuing decrees? Which of His Majesty's decrees are meant to trouble the people? Why, is Prime Minister Zhou related to those powerful families?"
Zhang Cang approached step by step, his brows furrowed, "Invest in Shang Fang, and you will tell me what kind of act it is to destroy the country. How much salt did the salt wells last year produce this year? How many people were saved? Do you know what happened next year?
How big a role did the water-powered spinning wheel play? Do you know how big a role paper played in printing going forward?"
"No matter what the methods or policies, Your Majesty always puts the people first. When building channels, have people died because of this? Have the people been starved by corvee work? Have nine houses out of ten been left empty during wars?! On the contrary, the channels have nourished the people along the road.
The cultivated land and Chidao facilitated the people everywhere, the cultivated land belonged to the people, and the elimination of foreign enemies also protected the people on the frontier..."
"Is the foolish king you are talking about who wants to destroy the Han Dynasty the Holy Emperor who I saw dragging the drowning people out of the water and letting them eat their flesh?!"
"The people are in dire straits, the people are in dire straits... Where are the people who can't survive? Is it because of Your Majesty?!"
"Did His Majesty reduce taxes so that the people couldn't survive? Or did the corvees provide food so that the people couldn't survive? Or did he set up medical clinics and open county schools so that the people couldn't survive?"
"It's ridiculous. The great Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, if you go by your statement, Yao, Shun, and Yu who wanted the people to live a good life were all sinners through the ages. It is possible that Jie and Zhou did not act because they felt that the people could not live a good life.
He must be a real saint!"
"When did it become a mistake to want to build a prosperous age and let the people live a good life?!"
"Just because the prosperous age your Majesty envisions is impossible to achieve, do you have to do nothing?!"
"It is also a waste of people's power and national power... Hehe, the responsibility of the temple is to use the power of the people and the country to do things that make the people live a better life. Otherwise, there is no need to build a temple. Everyone will go back to the era of living on trees and drinking blood.
Just fine!
"
"see a visitor out!
!”
Zhang Cang waved his hand and turned away from looking at Zhou Chang.
Zhou Chang's face turned red and his whole body was trembling with anger.
"Old...old...I'm not good at words, you...you're a sophistry villain!"
Zhou Chang would stutter when he was excited and was really not good at debating. Facing the extremely tough Zhang Cang, he could only return to his house angrily. But when he returned home, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became and he cursed Zhang Cang angrily.
........
Liu Chang was sitting in the Hall of Houde, with Liu Jing, Zhang Buyi, Ji Bu and other ministers beside him.
"Gentlemen, I have thought about it carefully. If I want to create a prosperous world, the most important thing is food."
"Food is the foundation of society. No matter what we want to do, we cannot do without food."
The ministers were a little silent, as His Majesty still had not given up on his idea of a prosperous age. Only Zhang Buyi was willing to wave the flag and shout for Liu Chang at this time, "Your Majesty is right! This should be done, and the grain production of the Han Dynasty must be given up."
More, the newly built granary must be filled with grain!
"
The ministers did not make any comments. Anyway, for Zhang Buyi, no matter what His Majesty said, it was right.
They really suspected that if one day Liu Chang felt that Zhang Buyi should be executed, Zhang Buyi would readily accept it and say that His Majesty was right.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhou should be involved in such a matter."
Liu Jing said helplessly.
"I haven't seen Prime Minister Zhou for several days... This guy is so arrogant that he has repeatedly written letters asking for his resignation!
"
Liu Chang was very angry. The prime minister of a country always did what Fan Qing did to him. He wanted to go back to his parents' house whenever there was a quarrel. How unbecoming! He must not bow his head so quickly this time. He must be left alone!
Liu Jing continued: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhou is really ill this time... The Imperial Physician has been there several times..."
Liu Chang pursed his lips.
Ji Bu hesitated for a moment and asked, "How about we put the research and development of this big ship on hold?"
"But I didn't affect it...sigh..."
Liu Chang shook his head and slowly raised his head. Why can't these people understand him?
He did these things carefully and on the basis that the national treasury has sufficient savings and can cope with various disasters. How can he realize his own ideas by squeezing the people? When the big ship is built and goes to sea, who knows what will happen?
How many good things have been brought? These good things are not just good things for Liu Chang to enjoy, but good things that can benefit the world.
After driving the Xiongnu out of the Western Regions, many crops from the Western Regions are now flowing into the Central Plains, including various fruits, vegetables, which have greatly changed the lives of the Han people. Even, in Liu Chang's idea, the cotton
After the introduction of similar crops, it is best to promote and sow them on a large scale in the Western Regions, because the Western Regions are semi-cultivated and semi-nomadic. Subsidy from animal husbandry and temples can prevent the people from starving to death and let the crops they produce
Cotton can cover the cost of maintaining the temple's rule, and even surpass it.
As for the Dian Kingdom, there are a lot of medicinal materials here, including copper and iron. Although it cannot be developed currently due to manpower, the number of people will increase sooner or later. Iron is also the foundation of the country. What can you do that does not require iron? A made of iron
Farm tools can change a family's life.
It's the area in South Vietnam. The rice produced in South Vietnam is now widely promoted in Wu, Changsha, and Chu, gradually replacing the original varieties, and the yield is very high. This is the prerequisite for Wu to be strong today. Without these crops, Fourth Brother
No matter how talented you are, can you develop Wu State so quickly?
As for the peninsula, needless to say copper and iron, the south is a suitable place for farming. The Yan Kingdom has a lot of bitter and cold land. If this area can be used as the future granary of the Yan Kingdom, how many people can be fed?
Why do these people just can't see it and always want to go against themselves?
Zhou Chang was really sick. After being scolded by Zhang Cang, he immediately fell ill.
And if you want to cure his disease, perhaps you can only reduce expenses as Ji Bu said.
None of the ministers in the court seemed to understand him.
Even for Zhang Buyi, his support cannot be regarded as support, because no matter what Liu Chang says, he will support it.
Liu Chang looked at the many ministers in front of him and was silent for a long time.
"Okay... hold off."
At this moment, Lu Lu rushed into the hall excitedly.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"General Xu Li is here to report!
!”
As for the outcome of this war, no one doubted that they would lose. Success was inevitable. In the known world, the only ones who could trade with the big Han were the Huns. The rest of the small countries could trade with the big Han.
Five, or even one for ten, the same goes for the Xiongnu. You don't even need to use your brains to defeat them, just coerce them into the battlefield as your own army of servants.
"Victory? So quickly?"
Liu Chang was just surprised and victorious, while Lu Lu nodded and handed the memorial to Liu Chang.
Liu Chang looked at it for a moment and suddenly felt a little dull.
The ministers saw His Majesty's hands trembling slightly. Suddenly, Liu Chang raised his head and laughed.
"Hahaha~~~"
"Everyone!
Come, Lu Lu, read this content to the officials! Let them listen too!
"
Lu Lu hurriedly picked up the memorial and began to read it. In the memorial, Xu Li first mentioned the war. The Han Dynasty pacified Ma Han without spending much money. King Ma Han was also captured as a prisoner, and then
, it’s about Zhou Shengzhi’s pursuit of King Ma Han.
Xu Li mentioned in his memorial that Zhou Shengzhi set out from Mahan and arrived at a strange island just south of Mahan.
This island is much larger than the islands along the coast of Dahan. Its size is currently unclear. There are many savages on the island. The size is not lower than that of Buyeo Mahan. There may be even more. There are also those who followed Xu Fu there.
For the Qin people there, there are various resources here, including plain areas suitable for farming, and even open-pit mines!
!
According to the prisoner, there are many open-pit mines here, the largest of which are silver mines, which are distributed in the area where Zhou Shengzhi landed.
At first, many scholars believed that the use of silver coins in medieval times was very late. However, the silver coins unearthed in Fugou, Henan Province shattered this idea. Silver coins appeared in China in the Spring and Autumn Period, but they were not as popular as gold and copper. In the Qin Dynasty, silver coins appeared
The country simply issued gold and copper, with cloth as an assistant. It was not until the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the Han Dynasty issued official silver coins. This was because of the frequent foreign trade during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The denomination of gold was too large and copper coins were inconvenient.
, so I chose silver coins.
It’s not that we don’t want to use silver, but there are too few silver mines to establish a “silver standard” monetary system at this moment.
The ministers were stunned as they listened to Lu Lu's story.
"There is land, close distance, various rare minerals, and sufficient local manpower... Is it wrong to go to sea?!"
"Is it a ridiculous decision for me to go to sea? How many islands are there overseas and how many resources are there?! Is the cost of shipbuilding over the years worth it compared to a silver mine?!
"
Liu Chang's voice was very loud at this moment. Not to mention the ministers, even the attendants outside the palace heard the emperor's roar of filial piety.
"No one believes me! They all think I am wasting my efforts!
What do you think of it now?!"
"Ji Bu! Do you still want to stop building big ships to go to sea?!
"
Looking at Liu Chang who was proud and ready to vent his long-term grievances, Ji Bu said softly: "There is no need to delay. Since there are islands that are going to become the land of my Han Dynasty, then naturally we need big ships to transport supplies to the islands and help.
To educate the people there..."
This big ship must have gone to the island to transport supplies, but it's hard to say what it was transporting there and what it was transporting back.
Liu Chang grinned.
With the development of today's economy, the private currency system is becoming more and more inconvenient, and Liu Chang is also preparing to explore the world. In places where the cavalry cannot reach, naturally he still has to focus on trade, and the current gold and copper coins are not convenient.
, the face value of copper coins commonly used by the people is too small. When doing business, merchants from all over the country have to empty their cars to load money. If there is enough silver, it can form a situation of large denominations of gold, medium denominations of silver, and small denominations of copper.
, using silver as the intermediate between gold and copper and becoming the conversion unit, can the monetary system be stabilized?
Liu Chang is not an expert in this area, so he still has to let Legalists or Huang Lao people be responsible. Confucianism is also not good at this aspect. Among hundreds of schools, only Legalists and Huang Lao are the best at this aspect.
In an instant, Liu Chang had already thought of a lot.
He looked at the ministers with a smile, "What do you think?!"
"If it is true, then of course..."
None of the ministers chose to continue to fight against the tyrant at this time.
Liu Chang was focused on this good news at the moment, so he asked the officials to leave first, while he left Zhang Buyi and Ji Bu to discuss the matter.
"Hahaha, there really are treasures overseas!"
"I'm right!"
"Shipbuilding is not a useless endeavor!"
"The same goes for Shang Fang. Sooner or later, Shang Fang will make all the ministers shut up!"
.......
After walking out of the palace, the ministers were sighing, is there really such a thing as destiny? His Majesty had just planned to postpone the ship, but then such a news came. Such luck, the ministers shook their heads helplessly,
Now, they didn't even have any reason to object. The cost of shipbuilding over the years was not comparable to that of a huge open-pit silver mine. Let alone the current one, even if it takes another ten years, it would be worth it.
Of course, many ministers were also shaken in their hearts. Could it be that in these years, His Majesty has really not been overjoyed with success, but has his own ideas?
But he has never gone to sea, how could he know that there are treasures overseas?
This must all be a coincidence!
Just hit by accident!
"Mom~~~"
When Liu Chang walked into the palace triumphantly, Queen Lu was coaxing her two grandsons.
She glanced at Liu Chang and told him to shut up, and then asked Yong'e and the palace maid to take the child back to the inner room.
Liu Chang couldn't wait to sit in front of Queen Lu.
"Mom! Xu Fu has found it! This guy really didn't go to any fairy island. He went to an island. Zhou Shengzhi caught his disciple. On that island, there were people, mines, and plains. Hahaha, as long as
Once organized, the big man will be able to obtain silver continuously..."
Listening to her son's show off, Queen Lu looked a little calm.
The more Liu Chang talked, the more excited he became.
"Okay, I get it."
"Mom, they don't believe me...I'm not doing it for my own merit, I really..."
Looking at Liu Chang, who was gesticulating but unable to express his thoughts, and looking at his aggrieved look, Queen Lu pursed her lips.
"I know."
"I always knew you could do great things."
"It's not that the ministers are distrustful, they are just afraid that you will increase your investment in these things, and instead despise people's livelihood, which will eventually affect people's lives..."
"What about grandma... Why are you worried about why you always advise me?"
Queen Lu was silent for a long time.
"How long...I heard that Xunzi lived a very unhappy life. Do you know why?"
"have no idea."
"Because he spent his whole life chasing an unattainable ideal."
"It's not just him, Mencius, Confucius, Han Feizi, Zhuangzi, Laozi... all those who have a prosperous age in their own understanding are like this."
"I have never doubted your ability...I just hope that my children can have an easier life."
"Now, you can still come to me to complain...show off to me...but I am already very old...I am afraid that one day, there will be no one in this world who can understand you anymore."
Empress Lu sighed. This time, she no longer pretended to be indifferent, nor did she hide her love for her child. She spoke it directly.
She was already very old and no longer as beautiful as she was when she was young. When she looked at Liu Chang, her eyes became softer and no longer as sharp as when she was young.
"However, I am very pleased...my husband is a hero and has the ambition of the world."
"And my son wants to be even better, because his ambition is even more ambitious. He wants to create a kingdom of gods so that people in the world will no longer have to worry about eating and drinking... When my husband told me about his ambition
, others have ridiculed me, but when my son told me about his ambition, everyone could not even laugh at him, they only felt fear in their hearts... because they did not dare to have such an ambition, and they did not even speculate.
your ambition."
"Mom...I..."
"Okay, are you hungry?"
"Um...."
"Come here, get some mutton..."
"Look at your sleeves... why are they so dirty again... Hey, roll up your sleeves before eating... Wipe the corners of your mouth, you look like a hero who wants to create a prosperous world.
..”
Inside Yongshou Hall.
Amid the mother's complaints, the son just lowered his head and immersed himself in eating.