noveltune Chapter 5447 A Heart Fluttering
Chapter 5447 A Heart Fluttering
Chapter 5447 A Heart Fluttering
Empress Su smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Fang Jun. Her gaze was gentle and captivating, displaying a refined and submissive demeanor, like a young lady meeting her dream lover with a mixture of joy and shyness…
Fang Jun glanced at the Empress and warned, "Your Majesty, I am upright and steadfast, and my heart is as firm as iron. Please do not try to use your beauty to seduce me. I will not fall for it!"
"cheeky!"
Empress Su retorted and rolled her eyes.
She immediately frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes: "Such a massive project not only requires the division of the scope and authority of each Protectorate, but also the investment of countless manpower and resources. Cui Dunli has only been the Minister of War before and has never participated in central government positions. Can he handle it? If the results are not ideal or even fail halfway through, and the momentum is suppressed by Xu Jingzong, then things will not go as planned."
She understood that Fang Jun's advocacy for the development of Liaodong, besides the reasons mentioned earlier, was primarily a direct challenge to His Majesty. His Majesty, relying on imperial power, had seized the development authority, shifting the focus from Liaodong to Dongting Lake, and the person in charge had changed from Cui Dunli to Xu Jingzong…
In a sense, this is a contest between Taiji Palace and Donggong Palace.
Whoever loses in the contest will inevitably implicate their own camp, which in turn will affect the succession.
Once the Crown Prince suffers a complete defeat, his prestige will plummet, and His Majesty will face less and less resistance if he tries to push for a change of heir.
Conversely, it would be equivalent to forging the crown prince into an iron armor, making him impervious to swords and spears, thus ensuring the succession to the throne would be without any further obstacles.
Fang Jun reassured her, "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Our chances of winning this time are over 90%."
Empress Su's eyes sparkled: "How do you know?"
Fang Jun patiently analyzed: "First of all, Xu Jingzong's development of Dongting Lake relies on the power of the central government. However, the central government has a tight structure and strict rules. Every matter, from the local level to the central government, has to go through layers of institutions and many government offices. Every official is responsible for it. Therefore, convening meetings and weighing the pros and cons are essential. Most importantly, His Majesty will definitely intervene. Every request from Dongting Lake will definitely be decided by His Majesty before being approved and allocated. The administrative efficiency will inevitably be a disaster."
Whether it's conscripting laborers, allocating grain, or dispatching officials, countless local government offices are involved. The achievements of the Dongting Lake development have nothing to do with these offices, but if this causes delays in local government affairs or prevents the timely implementation of local policies, the blame falls on them.
"Shifting responsibility" is an essential skill for officials. Every conscription of corvée labor and every transport of grain must be carefully considered and reported to superiors for decision-making. They must absolve themselves of all responsibility, seeking neither merit nor demerit.
Such layers of delays and buck-passing make administrative inefficiency beyond description.
In contrast, Liaodong was under a "vertical management" system. Local protectorates formed "corps" and recruited personnel, all of which were handled by the Liaodong Protectorate. The necessary supplies were purchased through merchants and transported to the local areas by fleets.
"Before graduating and taking the imperial examinations, the students of the academy would go to Liaodong for a year of internship to participate in the development of the entire Liaodong region. These students were ambitious and full of fighting spirit, and their efficiency was far superior to that of the bureaucrats. They not only improved the efficiency of Liaodong's development and operation but also accumulated experience, achieving two goals at once."
Regardless of the era or system, young people are always the most powerful tool for breaking down bad habits and shattering old conventions, because while older bureaucrats can lie in office and enjoy benefits and privileges, young people cannot.
Young people are ambitious and seize every minute.
Young people crave achievements.
In terms of management system, Liaodong is definitely superior to Dongting Lake.
As for the various urgently needed supplies, Dongting Lake needs to report through multiple levels and then coordinate the collection from various places, while in Liaodong, as long as there is money, it is fine. Merchants can send everything needed, and they can put it on credit first, and repay the money later by monopolizing the purchase of grain in Liaodong...
Empress Su was overjoyed: "In that case, I can rest easy!" She trusted Fang Jun completely, and since Fang Jun said "victory is certain," then it must be "victory is certain."
Fang Jun glared at her, annoyed: "Nothing in this world is absolute. No matter how great the advantage, there is no such thing as 'certain victory.' On the contrary, there is the saying that arrogance leads to defeat!"
Empress Su's pretty face hardened, and she said angrily, "What kind of attitude is that? You dare to glare at me!"
Fang Jun scoffed: "Who told you to say such stupid things?"
"You said you would definitely win!"
"The so-called certain victory is nothing more than words to boost morale. It may greatly inspire the soldiers below and make them fearless in the face of death, but if the commander is convinced of certain victory, then he is utterly foolish!"
Empress Su retorted, "Then tell me, how did we lose this battle?"
"The variable lies in the natives of both places. Although there are Liao people around Dongting Lake, they are mostly small bands of bandits, and can only be dealt with by means of surprise attacks and assassinations. However, Liaodong is a vast area with many tribes. Whether it is the Khitan, Shiwei, or Mohe, they are all large tribes with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of archers. These tribes are united and powerful. If they are not properly appeased and the situation becomes unstable, a large-scale war will break out in an instant, and all previous achievements will be destroyed in one fell swoop."
Nestled between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, Northeast China has been a fertile and abundant land stretching for thousands of miles since ancient times. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on three sides, the Greater Khingan Mountains isolate most of the threats from the grasslands, while the Lesser Khingan Mountains and Outer Khingan Mountains prevent the Pacific monsoon from continuing northward, bringing abundant moisture.
The Liao River, Songhua River, Nen River, Tumen River, and even Yalu River crisscross the area, with low forests and gently rolling hills that have nurtured countless nomadic peoples throughout history.
The Sushen of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Donghu of the Qin and Han dynasties, the Fuyu of the Jin dynasty, the Xianbei who existed throughout the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties, the present-day Mohe, Khitan, Shiwei, and later the Jurchen...
On this fertile and abundant land, alongside forests and great rivers, lived powerful tribes. Here, tribes stood in great numbers, the strong survived, and the martial spirit endured.
Anyone who dares to underestimate this place because of their superior military strength will inevitably pay a heavy price.
Empress Su understood. This fellow was determined to prevent her from having even the slightest bit of pride, repeatedly undermining her confidence to make her obedient and compliant, lest she act on her own and ruin everything.
This made her quite resentful. Did this guy think she was a fool?
She stared at Fang Jun with her beautiful eyes, biting her lip and remaining silent.
Fang Jun coughed lightly: "Of course, I will definitely plan carefully before acting. There are some dangers, but I will try my best to keep them within an acceptable range."
Although machine guns had not yet appeared, the rapid development of firearms meant that both nomadic peoples on the grasslands and fishing and hunting peoples in Northeast China would soon be able to sing and dance.
……
After Fang Jun took his leave, Empress Su sat alone, holding a teacup in her hands, lost in thought, her beautiful face gradually flushing crimson.
What's wrong with me?
Just now, when facing Fang Jun, she acted like a little girl, being coquettish, pouting, and bickering...
Her toes curled tightly inside the embroidered shoes, and an unprecedented shyness made her feel almost ashamed.
This is hardly a willingness to sacrifice everything for the position of crown prince.
She was clearly smitten and couldn't contain her feelings.
When a young woman is still unmarried, this is called "having someone she loves and someone she cherishes." But now that she is the empress and the mother of the nation, what should she be called?
Empress Su put down her teacup, raised her delicate hand to cover her burning cheeks, she could hardly believe it.
*****
On the first day of September, there will be a court meeting.
Before the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) was over, the doors of houses in various neighborhoods of Chang'an City opened one after another, and carriages and horses filed out of the neighborhoods. High-ranking officials of the court, escorted by their personal guards or surrounded by their servants, carried lanterns and headed towards Chengtian Gate, like fiery dragons winding and swimming in the dark night, converging on the imperial city.
At 3:45 AM, the Taiji Hall was brightly lit and bustling with people.
Li Chengqian sat upright on the throne, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, his crown adorned with tassels, his expression majestic.
One by one, the ministers in charge of the Three Departments, Six Ministries, and Nine Courts raised various matters, and Li Chengqian responded to each of them after listening to their advice.
Finally, the highlight of the day arrived: Xu Jingzong, who had already assumed the post of Prefect of Yuezhou, presented to the public his "Plan for the Development of Dongting Lake," which he had been working tirelessly to draft for several days.
Although the monthly court assembly on the first day of each month summons officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital, it is mostly used to handle foreign affairs, propaganda and other matters. The truly important matters are usually discussed and decided by the prime ministers in the Hall of State Affairs. However, the development of Dongting Lake is a major event that requires mobilizing the entire central government and even more than ten prefectures and fifty counties. Announcing it publicly in the Taiji Hall can attract the attention of the court and demonstrate the emperor's determination.
When Xu Jingzong finished reading the plan briefly, there was a chorus of approval in the court.
"Yunmengze has been a barren and desolate place since ancient times. Your Majesty's ambitious and determined development of it is a great act that will benefit all people and leave a lasting legacy!"
"Throughout history, with the rise and fall of dynasties, has any emperor ever possessed such courage and resolve? Your Majesty is wise and insightful, accomplished in both literature and martial arts!"
Li Chengqian sat on the throne, looking down over the entire hall with a sense of smug satisfaction.
This is just an announcement of the development of Dongting Lake. If the development is completed in the future, it will remove this ailment that is entrenched in the heart of the empire, resettle millions of people, and cultivate millions of acres of fertile land. What a glorious achievement and a great increase in prestige it will be!
"Since all of you ministers have no objection to this project, I hereby declare it officially launched! All relevant government offices, prefectures, and personnel must do their utmost to cooperate. Anyone who delays, obstructs, or shirks responsibility will be severely punished!"
"Here!"
The assembled officials in the main hall responded with a resounding roar.
Li Chengqian nodded with pleasure.
Wang De, the chief eunuch, seeing that the proceedings were complete and there was nothing else to attend to, stepped forward to announce the end of the court session.
Before he could take a step, he saw the Grand Secretary Ma Zhou step out from the crowd and stand in front of the emperor.
Wang De hesitated for a moment, then stopped...
Li Chengqian was quite surprised and looked at Ma Zhou, asking, "Is there anything else, my dear minister?"
Ma Zhou bowed, held up the development plan for Liaodong with both hands, and said loudly, "I advise that while developing Dongting Lake, Liaodong should also be developed at the same time. A detailed plan has been drawn up, please review it, Your Majesty!"
The Taiji Hall was completely silent.
Li Chengqian's face was gloomy...