All the rice purchased from Nanyang was piled up in Luoyang. Because the Yellow River froze and the Three Gorges was difficult to navigate, it could not be transported to Guanzhong. As a result, there was a shortage of food in Guanzhong and the price of rice soared. There was already a hint of a food shortage.
It sounds a bit unbelievable. The Tang Dynasty, when the country was prosperous and the people were prosperous, was threatening the world and running rampant. Chang'an, as the capital, might have a food shortage... but this is the fact.
In fact, there has been a food shortage in Guanzhong for a long time.
In the fourteenth year of the founding of the Emperor, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty had to temporarily go to Luoyang due to lack of food in Guanzhong, so he left behind words such as "the emperor chases food" and "eats in Luoyang", which have been passed down through the ages...
Li Ji looked solemn and said slowly: "Guanzhong is a country of abundance. It is surrounded by passes to block the inside and outside. As long as the weather is good and the weather is good, it can be self-sufficient. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It has achieved countless imperial hegemonies since ancient times. However, once there is a natural disaster and insufficient food production, those The pass that usually protects Guanzhong is It has become a natural chasm that blocks the transportation of food. Although the Yellow River runs from east to west, Sanmenxia is difficult for gods and ghosts and difficult for birds. Even if the urgent need can be solved, such food shortages will still happen in the future. We should discuss a complete solution. Strategies to relieve worries. ”
Although Guanzhong is a land of abundance, continuous development over thousands of years has caused a sharp decline in land output. In addition, since the Sui Dynasty, Guanzhong has been the capital and political center of the world, and its population has increased dramatically, resulting in increasingly huge food consumption.
Emperor Taizong's previous expedition to Goguryeo involved almost the whole country's efforts. Countless grains were transported from Guanzhong, which greatly reduced the grain stock in Guanzhong. In addition, the rains in the past two years were extremely abundant, resulting in constant flooding and reduced grain production. At this moment, the Yellow River suddenly Ice cut off water transportation, causing a sudden food crisis.
In fact, the Tang Dynasty was not without food. The rice purchased by the navy from Nanyang and food from Jiangnan, Shandong and other places were transported to Luoyang via waterways. The many official warehouses set up along the Yellow River in Luoyang were almost full, but it was difficult to transport them to Chang'an.
The Yellow River near Luoyang is frozen, and the Sanmenxia chasm is difficult to cross. Only a small amount of food can enter Guanzhong every day, which is far unable to keep up with the consumption of the huge population...
Li Ji, Li Xiaogong, Liu Jie, Ma Zhou, Xu Jingzong and others were all gloomy and helpless. Unless they could make the Sanmenxia natural moat accessible, this would be an unsolvable problem.
Liu Jie said: "The biggest obstacle to grain transportation is blocked roads, and this is within the scope of the Ministry of Industry. Now that there is a grain shortage in Guanzhong, the Ministry of Industry should solve the problem for His Majesty."
The rest of the people were speechless. Why are you still fighting blindly at this time? However, it cannot be said that Liu Jie is wrong. Transportation across the world, whether by land or water, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry. Now that food cannot be transported in, the Ministry of Industry cannot escape the blame.
Li Chengqian was also a little dissatisfied, but after all, Liu Ji was right, so he looked at Fang Jun. As an emperor, it was not easy for him to be biased.
Fang Jun turned a blind eye to the gazes around him, put down his teacup, and raised two fingers: "The food shortage in Guanzhong will inevitably lead to turmoil in people's hearts and unrest in the world. It needs to be solved urgently. The ministers have two strategies, up and down."
Xu Jingzong said curiously: "Guanzhong water transport has been a difficult problem in history. I don't know how many famous ministers and wise men are at a loss what to do, but the Duke of Yue actually has two strategies? Please come quickly, so that we can clear the clouds and see the sun, and solve our troubles." ! ”
Everyone was speechless. How was this person so oppressed by Fang Jun in the academy? Even though he was the Minister of Rites, he still had to shamelessly lick him?
Li Chengqian was also curious: "Aiqing told me to come and have a look."
Fang Jun nodded and said: "The biggest obstacle to water transport in Guanzhong is the Sanmen Gorge. It is difficult for humans and ghosts to cross, and there are no fish and turtles. The three gates in the river isolate the upper and lower parts, and the bridge on the road blocks the east and west. It is an excellent place in Guanzhong where tigers stand on one side and overlook the world. The pass is still inferior to the four passes. The next best solution is to set up two fleets, one above Sanmenxia and one below Sanmenxia. The grain will be transported to Sanmenxia, and then the ships will be unloaded and taken overland to bypass the mouth of the gorge, then load up another fleet upstream and pass through Tongguan and Enter the Weishui River and go straight to Chang'an."
Li Ji thought about it and said to Wang De: "Get the map of Sanmenxia."
"Here."
Wang De did not dare to delay, so he quickly agreed and ran to the side hall. After a while, he took out a map. The map was very small in scale, so it was so huge that it couldn't be placed on the table. Li Ji simply left the table and unfolded it in the palace. He knelt on it, found the location of Sanmenxia, and looked at it carefully.
The other people also left the table and gathered together. Li Chengqian also simply stood up and came forward to watch.
Xu Jingzong praised: "The map of the Ministry of War is so well drawn. Look at the winding river and the mountains on both sides. They are absolutely perfect and flawless. With the map in hand, it's like overlooking the country. It's amazing!"
Everyone was speechless. You haven't played yet, right?
Everyone knows that the level of map drawing in the Tang Dynasty only advanced by leaps and bounds during the period when Fang Jun was in charge of the Ministry of Government and War. Fang Jun even made huge investment in this effort despite all opinions. Now that Xu Jingzong is praising the map, he is clearly reminding everyone not to forget that this is Fang Jun. of credit.
This flatterer...
But before he finished scorning Xu Jingzong, he heard Li Ji say: "Erlang's method is wonderful! It seems like an extra procedure is a waste of manpower and material resources, but it speeds up the transportation of food to Chang'an as much as possible. What we are lacking now is not Manpower and material resources are the speed and quantity of food transportation! ”
At this time, there was no need to despise Xu Jingzong. The others gathered in front of the map to carefully examine the terrain and roads near Sanmenxia. After detailed calculations in their minds, they all felt that Fang Jun's seemingly clumsy method was indeed effective.
The fact is that Datang does not lack food now. What it lacks is how to transport more food to Chang'an in a short time. As long as this is ensured, no matter how much manpower and material resources are wasted, it will be worth it.
Liu Ji frowned and said: "It seems that the food shortage crisis in Guanzhong can be solved in the short term, but it will consume too much manpower and material resources. It is like drinking poison to quench thirst, and it will not last long."
Xu Jingzong snorted and retorted: "So what if you drink poison to quench your thirst? Since others have solved the problem, they should express their admiration instead of being picky. The higher the official position, the broader the mind. I am afraid that it is not right for a person with narrow privacy to suddenly ascend to a high position. The Blessing of the Empire.”
Liu Ji retorted: "It is precisely because we hold a high position that we should seek truth from facts, instead of just settling for temporary worries and muddle along, we must be prepared for danger in times of peace and solve the problem thoroughly."
Li Chengqian waved his hand to stop the quarrel between the two, and asked Fang Jun with a smile: "Ai Qing just said that there are two strategies, upper and lower. Since the lower strategy can solve the problem in a short time, how smart is the upper strategy?"
Fang Jun said: "The best solution is simpler, which can directly solve the problem of lack of supplies in Guanzhong, but relatively speaking, there are many things that need to be done, that is - moving the capital."
There was a sudden silence in the hall.
Liu Ji's eyes widened and he shouted angrily: "How outrageous! Emperor Gaozu raised his troops from Jinyang to attack Chang'an to deter the world. This is the cornerstone of the empire. Whether it is the place of Longxing in Jinyang or the Huanghuang imperial capital of Chang'an, they are all within Guanzhong , If you rush to move the capital, wouldn’t it be equivalent to abandoning the foundation? Such words are harmful to the country and should be punished by death!”
Fang Jun was also annoyed and glared at Liu Ji and said: "If you don't accept it, you can be reasonable. You will be punished by death at every turn. Who do you think you are? You'd better behave more politely when you talk to me in the future. If you continue to be so irritable, I will show you what to do." It’s real rage!”
The civil and military had different paths, and their interests were conflicting, so Liu Ji targeted him several times, but he didn't take it seriously. In the final analysis, it was just a fight in the court. At most, they had different political views and different positions, but they had no personal grudges.
But this guy probably thinks that he is the head of the civil service, and he is so arrogant that he shouts, fights, and kills all the time, and he gets used to it!
Ma Zhou, who had not spoken much, asked: "If the capital is moved, where will it be moved?"
Fang Jun said: "Of course it's Luoyang."
Everyone nodded.
If the capital is really to be moved, then Luoyang is indeed the most suitable place. The former Sui Dynasty also encountered difficulties due to unfavorable water transportation. Therefore, Emperor Wen and Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty vigorously planned Luoyang, making it the most prosperous place in the world. It not only had convenient water and land transportation, but also overlooked the plains and intimidated Shandong. It has been the capital of the dynasty since ancient times.
Of course, the reason why Luoyang was visited during the Sui Dynasty was not only to share the material pressure in Guanzhong, but also to be out of breath by the Guanlongmen clan and to strengthen the deterrent against the south...
All in all, at this time, if the world chooses a place other than Chang'an that is more suitable as the capital, it must be Luoyang.
Li Xiaogong shook his head and sighed: "Luoyang is indeed very good. The Grand Canal connects the north and south, and connects the world through the Yellow River. It can fully bear the increasing development and expansion of the imperial capital. However, if you want to move the capital, there are too many involved."
As the capital of the empire, Chang'an City was one of the most valuable cities in the world. Countless wealthy families and dignitaries settled in Chang'an. Merchants even invested huge amounts of wealth in Chang'an. This is an astronomical figure that cannot be calculated.
Once the capital is moved, land prices in Chang'an will plummet and wealth will shrink, and everyone will strongly oppose it.
When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty came to the throne, he determined to move the capital to Luoyang. After he ascended the throne, he built the Eastern Capital. With his great talent, strategy, and willfulness, he was unable to fully move the capital until his death, which shows the huge resistance.
Of course, the biggest obstacle why Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty failed to move the capital was the arrogant Guanlong Clan at that time. Now the Guanlong Clan has almost collapsed, and the rest are not worth mentioning. Without this biggest obstacle, Li Chengqian would be dead. Moving your heart to the capital may not necessarily fail.
But since then, the government will inevitably cause violent fluctuations, which will inevitably affect the various new policies that will be implemented around the world...
The other people also looked solemn, the involvement was really too great. Fang Jun suggested: "Relocating the capital rashly will naturally have a great impact. It is better to be still than to move now. Stability is the most important. However, for the long-term development of Chang'an, building Luoyang is the best strategy. It is better to increase money and silk, deploy craftsmen, or build the palace left by the former Sui Dynasty. The palace will be repaired or rebuilt on the original site. When the Yellow River is completely frozen in winter, water transportation will become more and more difficult. Your Majesty will lead all the civil and military officials to Luoyang to stay temporarily, which can greatly alleviate the shortage of supplies in Guanzhong. "
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