The sound of firecrackers marks the end of the year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu.
Amidst the sound of fireworks all over the city, Zhang Wu's thirteenth year arrived as promised, and the whole city of Luoyang celebrated with joy, and the New Year atmosphere reached its peak.
Liu Bei held a grand dinner in Quefei Hall. In addition to the officials who had to be on duty, Luoyang officials of fifth rank and above, nobles, princes, and casual officials all attended to celebrate the New Year.
The dinner lasted until midnight, and the bright light outside Zhuque Gate also lasted until early the next morning. People came to watch in an endless stream and talked about it.
In the entire history of Chinese civilization, there have only been two and a half vast civilizations that attracted the world's attention, once during the Qiang Han Dynasty, once during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and only half of that in the early Ming Dynasty.
Because except for Zheng He's voyages to the West, the Ming Dynasty was almost closed to the outside world, unlike the Han and Tang Dynasties, which were open to all rivers.
When comparing the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty was stronger than the Han Dynasty in terms of external influence and overall strength.
The Han Dynasty was the pioneer of foreign influence. Through the Western Silk Road, commodity trade reached as far as Rome.
The prosperous Tang Dynasty was the one who carried forward the great achievements and truly embraced all rivers.
It was an era when emperors despised life and death, and heroes valued promises. The people were bloody, and poetry made the Tang Dynasty prosperous.
Confident, tolerant and open, the culture and food are splendid. The constraints of etiquette are not as perverted as after the Song Dynasty, and women receive unprecedented respect.
Similar to the United States in later generations, many people are proud to be people of the Tang Dynasty. The royal family of Goryeo would rather become a minor general of the Tang Dynasty. The king of the Western Regions lives in Chang'an and does not want to go home.
According to Du Fu, "Recalling the heyday of the Kaiyuan Dynasty in the past, there were still thousands of houses in the small towns, the rice was dripping with fat, and the corn was white. The public and private warehouses were both abundant, and there were no jackals or tigers on the roads of Kyushu. It was a good day to travel far, and the sun rose, and Qi Wan and Lu were on the road.
class."
It can be seen that the Tang Dynasty almost reached the heyday of the feudal era in terms of economy, culture, military, agriculture, diplomacy, and science and technology.
In comparison, the big man is still a little worse.
Mainly because the two great times of the Tang Dynasty were so brilliant.
Although the Han Dynasty had the Silk Road and "those who offend the powerful Han Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away", the social order was far less prosperous than that of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty almost overturned the situation in the later period.
But today, strong men are rising again.
After Liu Bei, who was later known as Emperor Zhangwu, became the emperor, he reused Chen Mu, Xun Yu, Ju Shou and other virtuous officials, reformed official positions, rectified the administration of officials, and worked hard to govern, restoring the prosperity of the strong Han Dynasty in a short period of time.
Politically, Liu Bei reformed institutions; restored the prime minister system, established a cabinet, rectified official administration, weakened the power of local officials, improved the efficiency of the bureaucracy, reused virtuous ministers, and revised laws.
Economically, Liu Bei formulated economic reform measures: cracking down on wealthy nobles and liberating the labor force; reforming and implementing the food feudal system to increase government revenue and reduce the people's burden; cracking down on manor landlords and vigorously developing agriculture.
Culturally, we adopt an open and positive policy; we do not suppress Buddhism and Taoism, and require normal taxation of Buddhism and Taoism; we do not prevent people from having normal beliefs and fight against evil and evil ways; we advocate education and rule of law; we advocate equality between men and women and liberate women.
It also popularizes knowledge through the printing industry, promotes the development of cultural carriers such as poems, songs, and poems; develops drama, song, dance, and sports, introduces foreign musical instruments, develops national musical instruments, and develops new culture to entertain the public.
In terms of education, a six-year free education system is implemented across the country; township schools, county schools, county schools and state schools are developed. Women are required to go to school and study normally like men; a new type of knowledge called science is actively developed, and the slogan "Education rejuvenates the country, science and technology revitalizes the country"
A strong country.”
Militarily, Liu Bei reformed the military system, established six major military regions, vigorously developed farming in border areas, and actively expanded the territory. He attacked the Xiongnu Xianbei in the north, defeated the Manyue in Jiaozhou in the south, leveled the Sichuan Yi Yi in the west, and conquered the Japanese slaves in the Three Han Dynasties in the east.
The territory of the Han Dynasty increased by millions of square kilometers.
There are also a series of other reforms, such as the introduction of foreign high-yield crops, the promotion of scientific and technological development, the excavation of the Grand Canal to promote domestic economic prosperity, and the large amount of silver and gold flowing in from Wonu Island. Through a series of economic measures, the Han Dynasty ushered in a
grand occasion.
This is another prosperous age of the Han Dynasty since the rule of Wenjing, the prosperous age of Hanwu, Zhaoxuan Zhongxing, Guangwu Zhongxing, and Mingzhang rule. And compared with the previous five times, this prosperous age is more unprecedentedly prosperous, and it has already moved towards the Kaiyuan rule of the Tang Dynasty.
The trend of grand occasions is getting closer.
However, for now, the prosperous age created by Liu Bei has not reached the height of the Kaiyuan Age. This is because the Kaiyuan Age inherited to a certain extent the rule of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, and the rule of Yonghui, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.
From the end of Tang Taizong's Zhenguan reign in 649 AD to the beginning of Tang Xuanzong's Kaiyuan reign in 713 AD, there was a gap of 64 years. Except for the political turmoil during the Wu Zetian period, the country did not decline as a whole.
Through the rule of Zhenguan and the rule of Yonghui, the foundation was laid. When the political situation returned to stability during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and a series of clever political measures were taken, it was natural to accumulate and make progress.
On the other hand, what kind of mess did Liu Bei inherit?
The last years of the dynasty.
The last prosperous period of the Han Dynasty was the rule of Mingzhang during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty more than 120 years ago, which could not leave any political legacy to Liu Bei.
Therefore, the current prosperity, in fact, to a certain extent, can only be regarded as a false prosperity that has been rapidly spawned.
In terms of agriculture, Liu Bei introduced high-yielding crops from overseas, which quickly increased domestic productivity and achieved the results of raising the Han people in a short period of time.
Economically, plundering gold, silver, and copper mines from overseas to make up for the country's deficit is equivalent to the Roman Empire's continuous plundering and plundering to fill the domestic deficit.
Once the plundering of overseas countries stops, the huge domestic financial deficit caused by the construction of the canal can cause the empire to collapse in an instant.
Therefore, in order to achieve true prosperity, the Grand Canal must be fully opened, the domestic economy must achieve perfect internal circulation, the Western Region must be pacified, and the Silk Road and the Southern Maritime Silk Road must be opened.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Only in this way can we continue to prosper and use the strong manufacturing industry to maintain the economy. Instead of relying on mining to maintain the country's operating costs in a short period of time like now,
It's a bit like sitting on your butt.
However, this time is not far away, because by the 13th year of Zhang Wu's reign, the Southern Canal was basically fully open to navigation, and Guangzhou became the second navigable port of the Han Dynasty after Qingzhou.
The Han fleet went south to Southeast Asia and ruled the local indigenous people from there. They searched for minerals, spices, and wood in Southeast Asia, and at the same time let the locals plant rice, rubber, and fruits in Southeast Asia to fill the domestic vacancies.
At the same time, the fleet continued to explore overseas. Some passed through Southeast Asia and continued south to Australia. Some went west along the coastline, bypassing Singapore and reaching the Bay of Bengal. Some even bypassed Sri Lanka at the southernmost tip of India and reached the Middle East and Africa.
.
Ocean-going fleets like this are the norm in today's Han Dynasty, because the imperial court supports such activities. With Qingzhou's two successful overseas explorations, a large number of gold, silver, and copper mines were discovered in Japan, gold, silver, and copper mines were discovered in America.
Various products.
The Han people's enthusiasm for going to sea is very high. Guangzhou Port, Qingzhou Port, and Qiongzhou Port have an endless stream of people going to sea every year. Maritime silk trade has gradually begun to emerge. Although the scale of the trade is not large, at least this is a good start.
However, there was one thing that was strictly prohibited by the imperial court, and that was the slave trade.
The Han Dynasty abolished the slavery system and proposed that everyone is equal. Therefore, no one is allowed to go to Japan, Southeast Asia, Three Koreas and the Northeast to capture slaves to bring about darkness and evil.
It's not that the imperial court is bright and righteous, but that in the eyes of the imperial court, these places will be the territory of the Han Dynasty in the future, and the local indigenous people will also be the common people of the Han Dynasty.
The indigenous people in the above-mentioned areas are not much different from the Han people in appearance, and can be included in the scope of rule. There is no need to carry out the three-guang policy.
As for the black slave trade, it doesn't even exist. At present, the imperial court has only explored overseas and learned that there is such a place. It has not even made contact with it, let alone engaged in triangular trade.
On the contrary, if the Han Dynasty did not ban the slave trade, the Native Americans might suffer.
Because the Indians are pure fools, the Indians in North America and Canada are not very friendly, but the Indians in South America have a very good relationship with the Han people. It is easy to capture or trick them into becoming slaves to the Han people.
However, the Han Dynasty also regarded North America as its own, and the native Indians would also become Han subjects and workers in the future, so it was naturally strictly prohibited.
At the same time, the imperial court was still developing North America, building cities on the west coast of North America, advocating the theory of a single nation, fabricating stories that the Indians and the Han people were one family 10,000 years ago, providing ideological education to the Indians, and hiring them to work in the Han people's North American estates.
Even now, the imperial court has set up an American governor's office in North America to implement ethnic integration rule in North America. It cooperates with local Indian leaders to civilize and educate them and develop and prosper together.
Although the process will certainly be accompanied by some armed conflicts and bloody sacrifices, compared to the massacre policy of the Angsa barbarians, the policy of the Han Dynasty is already very mild.
certainly.
This process is just the beginning.
There are only a small number of Han people taking root in North America, and the real Han people still continue to be glorious and prosperous.
As the New Year of Zhang Wu's thirteenth year has just passed, it is another busy year.
The officials of the imperial court took annual leave when they were supposed to take annual leave, and those who were supposed to take up their duties came to take up their duties. The common people cultivated the fields when they were supposed to, and repaired the canals when they were supposed to. The capital of the Han Empire still maintained its former order.
By March, spring flowers are blooming.
After nine months of no news, the report on the battle in the Western Regions finally came belatedly.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei surrounded the Huns and Xianbei people, and a large number of northern minorities surrendered. The Han Dynasty sent troops to the Western Regions and achieved the first stage of victory.
Zhang He sniped the eastward advance of the Kushan Empire in the Qiuci area, and resisted it tenaciously for dozens of days. Finally, he cooperated with the cavalry to defeat the Yueshi army, and thwarted the Kushan Empire's plot to conquer the Western Regions and encompass Central Asia.
In the second half of the twelfth year of Zhangwu, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's army returned for reinforcements. The main force took advantage of the situation and marched westward, defeating more than ten countries and cities occupied by Dayue clan along the way, and pushed them back to Guishan City in Dayuan Kingdom.
Guishan City is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Han army attacked for more than ten days but still failed to capture it.
After all, they only brought a certain number of firearms with them on this expedition and did not bring cannons and other offensive equipment. As a result, it was difficult to break through a fortress with high walls and thick walls like Guishan City.
In fact, the main reason lies in the supply of grain and grass. Although it took half a year to stock up on grain and grass, it was enough to last the army in the Western Regions for two or three years.
But the Western Region is really too big.
From the Yumenguan area at the easternmost end of the Western Region to the Congling, Dawan and Wusun areas at the westernmost end of the Western Region, the straight-line distance is nearly two thousand kilometers.
With such a long supply line, even if the army has sufficient food and grass, it will not be easy to transport it in a short time.
On the other hand, the Kushan Empire also faced supply line problems, but as they were beaten back all the way, the further they retreated, the closer they got to their own country, making supplies easier.
Therefore, after Guan Yu and Zhang Fei besieged Guishan City for more than ten days and retreated because their supplies were about to run out, they first stationed their troops in Shule State to wait for supplies.
From the beginning of the eleventh year of Zhangwu to the thirteenth year of Zhangwu, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have been out of the Western Regions for two years.
Most of the time was spent on the road, and very few actual battles were fought.
The battle report arrived at the court.
Liu Bei knew that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had won a great victory and were now stationing troops to continue the attack, so he discussed with the cabinet to let them come back.
He believed that since the two had achieved a major victory and the Kushan Empire was no longer able to advance eastward, there was no point in continuing to advance westward. It would waste national power in vain. It was better to return to the army first and station only a small number of Han troops in the Western Regions to coordinate the efforts of the countries in the Western Regions.
troops, and continued to attack the Kushan Empire.
This proposal was approved by most people in the cabinet, including Ju Shu, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Zhong Yao, Xun You, and Tian Feng who returned from Bingzhou. They all thought there was no problem. Only Chen Mu thought that the attack should be continued to eliminate the Dayue clan.
Offend the enemy.
As the saying goes, if you hit with one punch, you will avoid hundreds of punches.
The Kushan Empire is eyeing the Western Regions, and now it is just repelling them instead of annihilating them. When the Han army retreats, they are likely to sweep back and harass the Western Regions again.
If we send out more troops at that time, it will consume even more national power. It is better to take advantage of this opportunity to attack Huanglong and annihilate all the invading enemies.
It would be best to threaten the Kushan Empire itself and make them feel afraid.
Only in this way can the Western Regions achieve a hundred years of peace.
Just like during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he had clearly expelled the Huns from Monan, but he still had to expend national power on an expedition to Mobei. Only by wiping out all the enemies and leaving a short vacuum period in the surrounding area could the stability of the empire be maintained.
After Chen Mu's proposal was made public, no one in the cabinet objected. Although Liu Bei was worried about his second and third sons, he finally thought that what Chen Mu said was reasonable, so he agreed.
In fact, the main reason was Chen Mu's analysis of the essence of the problem. He told everyone that the prosperity of the Han Dynasty was inseparable from the Silk Road.
Although the Silk Road is now dispensable, because by plundering Japan, the Han Dynasty has no shortage of gold, silver and copper for the time being. However, economic prosperity naturally should not rely solely on plundering. A surplus in foreign trade is the capital for the rise of a great power.
The purpose of attacking the Western Regions is to maintain the stability of the Silk Road. At least before the opening of the Suez Canal, trade between Asia and Europe cannot rely on shipping, and going around the Cape of Good Hope is too far.
In the era of the Han Dynasty, there were only four empires in human society from west to east: Rome - Parthia - Kushan - Han Dynasty, which were in the feudal era.
The rest of the world is completely primitive society.
It just so happened that the Silk Road connected the trade routes between these four empires.
In other words, before the opening of the Suez Canal, the Silk Road was the only road that could carry out trade.
If you control the Western Regions, you will control the entire Asian trading system.
If we can continue the Western Expedition, we can defeat the Kushan Empire and completely control the Western Region.
Then the Han Dynasty relied on the Silk Road in the West to seize gold, silver and copper coins from the Roman Empire, the Parthian Empire and the Kushan Empire.
In the east, we mine iron ore, gold, silver, and copper from Japan and South Korea, then go south to Australia for mining, and then to the Americas.
The left hand holds tea, silk, and porcelain. The right hand holds the mining shovel, mine cart, and mining hat. While doing business, open new mines. Make money from the two worlds of the East and the West, and nourish the Han Dynasty.
Then domestically develop science and technology and education, and dig canals to strengthen economic and trade circulation between the north and the south. If these two things continue, it will be difficult for the empire to become strong or not.