Chapter 4788 Trouble in Lingnan
Princess Gaoyang frowned, looking suspicious: "Seriously?"
Fang Jun nodded: "Seriously! If this kind of thing is empty talk, Your Highness can go to His Majesty for verification. Wouldn't it be revealed immediately? With the wisdom of a humble minister, he would never be so stupid."
This matter was indeed instructed by Li Chengqian. He was happy to see the two tigers of the clan and the Wei family fighting, so as to achieve the purpose of dividing the clan and dragging down the Xiangyi County Prince's Palace, making him fall into the fight and have no time to care. However, the Chai family does not have the strength and foundation of the Wei family. Once it becomes the target of the clan, it will be swallowed up completely. This is what Li Chengqian does not want to see.
The ultimate goal of various strategies is "balance", but the Chai family does not have the ability to maintain balance... Therefore, Fang Jun must step in to suppress the clan so that it cannot exact revenge like thunder and rain on the Chai family.
The life and death of the children of the Chai family is not in his eyes, but the glory of Princess Pingyang Zhao must be preserved, and her bloodline cannot be cut off.
Of course, Fang Jun not only received Li Chengqian's instructions, but also benefited from the Chai family's benefits. This kind of "one fish, two meals" approach is not enough for outsiders...
"Haha, I'm afraid all your wisdom has been used on how to harm the princess?"
Princess Gaoyang is very confident and firmly believes that her husband is not clear with the Chai family, and the root cause lies with Princess Baling...
"I not only acquiesced in your hookup with Changle but even contributed to it. You and Jinyang were ambiguous. I turned a blind eye and turned a blind eye. That's all. But Baling is different after all. You have to be careful."
Fang Jun was very aggrieved. He was neither a saint nor Liu Xiahui. How could he resist being so proactive and enthusiastic?
This time it’s not your husband who harmed any princess, but a certain princess who harmed your prince-in-law...
However, this issue obviously cannot be deepened further, otherwise there is a danger of the secret being revealed at any time.
Fang Jun stepped forward and grabbed the princess's waist, dragged her back to the bed while she was struggling and beating her, and then pressed her under him to subdue her.
"After talking for a long time, didn't you just suspect that I went out to eat secretly? Then Wei Chen will show His Highness his strength and let His Highness see if he can survive."
"You're doing this again. Every time you feel guilty, you try to fool yourself. Get up and let's talk about it!"
"Theories naturally require theory, but you can only do it while communicating..."
"No! Ouch..."
……
Princess Gaoyang only felt that she was floating on the river and the sea. She was dizzy with the tide and her feet were weak. After a while, she surrendered. How could she still have the energy to reason in her dizziness?
Fang Jun's treacherous plan succeeded, and he smiled. After the maid cleaned and tidied the bed, he hugged his soft and delicate body and fell asleep soundly.
*****
The turmoil ended with Li Jingshu's violent death and Chai Mingzhang's exile for three thousand miles, but the turmoil under the water did not stop. The "attack on the Jingzhao Mansion" resulted in dozens of clan members and nobles being severely punished, including being demoted, dismissed from office, or fined. It affected a wide range of people and caused a heavy blow to the small group with Li Shenfu as the core, especially the incident. After the incident, Li Shenfu's attitude of silently watching caused many people to become alienated. The small group gradually became fragmented and its strength was not as good as before.
The originally turbulent undercurrent in the clan seemed to have calmed down a bit, and many people with ulterior motives had also calmed down.
An inexplicable "attack on Jingzhao Mansion" incident directly or indirectly weakened a long-simmering storm and made the throne more stable. It was inevitable that some "hindsight" people would conclude that this must be His Majesty's conspiracy, and even Li The death of Jing Shu was also part of this conspiracy. It was His Majesty's official warning to disloyal people not to attempt to steal the artifact. Otherwise, why did the Dongping County Prince's Palace not retaliate against Chai Mingzhang, the culprit who was exiled three thousand miles away after the death of his son?
All things were connected in series, slowly revealing the image of a strong man who was behind the scenes and strategizing. His Majesty's prestige expanded and became stronger in an instant...
Why was it that after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, there were undercurrents in the government and the public, and even within the clan, and the throne was unstable? It was because of Li Chengqian's lack of prestige that he did not have many impressive political achievements when he was the prince. Moreover, Emperor Taizong repeatedly questioned his ability and tried to change his position several times. Although he finally ascended the throne, he was unable to convince the public.
They are all outstanding people who came through the war years, and they cleaned up the dilapidated country of the Sui Dynasty until today's beautiful country. If there is not an emperor who has the ability, courage, and prestige to choose, how can these people be controlled?
For example, why did Li Ji sit on the wall and watch the fire from the other side?
It's because he doesn't think Li Chengqian is very good. He doesn't care if Li Chengqian takes the throne. It can't shake his status and power anyway, so why take the risk and get involved in the battle for the throne?
Whether it was Li Chengqian, Li Zhi, or even Li You, Li Zhen... as long as he was the son of Emperor Taizong, it would make no difference which one came to power.
This is almost the idea of most civil servants, military generals, and clan nobles.
The emperor is not just benevolent and generous. Without the corresponding talents and courage, he will not be able to sit on the throne. When the situation becomes unstable and the imperial power is overthrown, everyone will be trapped in it. This is what most people do not want to see. .
But now Li Chengqian is gradually showing tough tactics, and the situation is suddenly different from before...
The strength of Li Shenfu's small group, which had been jumping up and down, was greatly reduced and ceased. This seems to be the best proof that Li Chengqian is firmly on the throne.
……
In the Hall of Wude, several important ministers were all present. Tang Jian, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, presented a thick document file to Li Chengqian and said respectfully: "The Lingnan area is rich in mountains and rivers and lacks fertile land. It has been a barbaric and smog-filled area since ancient times. Although the population in the north has migrated a lot since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, several places The city is densely populated, but due to its disadvantaged terrain, it has never been able to develop better. The old minister requested that the Guangzhou Shipping Department be established to prosper the commerce and trade in Lingnan. This is a matter of public opinion and commercial exchanges in Guangzhou. Your Majesty, please consider it at your discretion. Give permission.”
The chamberlain took the document and presented it to the imperial case with both hands.
Li Chengqianxin flipped through it with his hands. This document was dozens of pages thick and contained basic public opinion in Lingnan, especially Guangzhou. Obviously, it could not be read in a short while, and whether to add a Guangzhou Shipping Department could not be decided in one day. time to make a decision.
After all, Lingnan is actually Feng An’s territory, and it is impossible for the central government to bypass Feng An and directly add an institution...
What's more, the establishment of a shipping department seemed to increase commercial tax revenue in Guangzhou, but in fact it directly shook the foundation of Feng An's rule in the entire Lingnan area.
Liu Ji expressed his support for this: "As the Duke of Ju said, Lingnan has been a barbaric and smoky land since ancient times. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many northerners have migrated south and entered it. Over the years, these people have already formed a political system based on clans and tribes. If the power structure of Lingnan cannot be changed, it will be a disaster sooner or later.”
The deep-rooted indigenous clan is the foundation of Feng An's rule, which makes him known as the "King of the South". Imperial decrees are not allowed in this area, and only Feng An's orders are followed. Although the administrative division belongs to the Lingnan Road of the Tang Empire, In fact, Feng Ang divided the territory and governed it, a country within a country. Officials serving in the imperial court were trapped in Nanhai County, and they were not allowed to leave the city under government orders.
Although Feng Ang has shown enough loyalty since the founding of the Tang Dynasty and has no ambition to secede territory for himself, he has tens of thousands of troops and controls hundreds of miles of land, which is really a serious problem for the central government.
How to leverage the Feng family's rule in Lingnan without forcing Feng An to rebel?
Business practices are an excellent way to do this.
Li Chengqian pondered for a while and looked at Fang Jun: "What does the Duke of Yue think?"
Fang Jun immediately said: "It is a feasible strategy to use prosperous commerce to enhance the wealth, strength, and status of the local Han people, and then shake up the Feng family's rule based on agriculture. Wei Chen fully agrees."
Liu Jie and Tang Jian nodded happily. Although they were often opposed to each other due to their interests, Fang Jun was able to abandon his own interests and consider the overall situation above national strategy. This can be regarded as a model for famous ministers.
However, Fang Jun paused and continued: "The establishment of the Guangzhou Shipping Department will have an immediate effect on promoting Lingnan trade. Feng An has been entrenched in Lingnan for a long time, how can he not see the pros and cons? With his powerful style in Lingnan Definitely won't sit down I am afraid that after the establishment of the Municipal Shipping Department, I will be blocked and threatened by it, so I proposed to set up a naval admiral's office at the Pearl River Estuary and dispatch a navy to maintain trade. This way, there will be no worries. "
Liu Jie and Tang Jian both wiped their faces. Okay, I take back what I just said. You are a model of a famous official. After all, this guy is still trying to do anything for the benefit of the military...
The reason why Lingnan has been outside the center of the dynasty for most of the time is because it is located "south of the Five Ridges" and is isolated from the Central Plains. It is difficult for the Central Plains to send large armies for conquest. As long as Lingnan nominally submits to the center, it will be left to its own devices. The indigenous people of Lingnan ruled by dividing the land.
Therefore, waterway is the only way to develop Lingnan's commerce. Once the Guangzhou Shipping Company is established, it will immediately monopolize the entire Lingnan's commerce.
And if the Navy sets up the Admiral's Office at the Pearl River Estuary, it can tightly control the commercial transportation of the entire Lingnan. When the time comes, the Shipping Department will also have to rely on it...
Liu Jie retorted: "The purpose of establishing the Shipping Department is to develop Lingnan's commerce. It is justified. No matter how dissatisfied Feng An is, he can only tolerate it. But if the establishment of the Navy Admiral's Palace involves military affairs, as the saying goes, how can we allow others to snore on the side of the bed?" ? Feng An is afraid that he will strongly oppose it, which will lead to unrest in the entire Lingnan area." Fang Jun disagreed: "As the name suggests, the Navy Admiral's Office is to maintain the safety of water routes and the entire Tang Dynasty's territorial waters. They are all within the navy's full responsibility, so why should Feng An object? Furthermore, he is king on land, but has no power on the sea. Even if he opposes it, it will not affect the overall situation. On the contrary, if there is no permanent force. The naval fleet stationed in Guangzhou will provide escort, and the pirates all over the South China Sea will destroy all sea trade. The so-called Shipping Department will collapse in less than two years. Zhongshu ordered not to lose the big for the small. "