noveltune Chapter 5509 Since ancient times
Chapter 5509 Since ancient times
Chapter 5509 Since ancient times
Confucianism has always upheld the idea of "loyalty to the emperor," but they have their own beliefs. Whether it is "benevolence and righteousness" or "the Mandate of Heaven," they believe that these are more worthy of their sacrifice than the emperor on the throne. As long as they can ensure that Confucianism monopolizes political and educational resources, they do not care who the emperor sitting on the throne is.
When the emperor hanged himself on Coal Hill, eunuchs died for him, but the city's great scholars rushed to submit their surrender documents...
Similarly, compared to assisting a "great emperor of all time" to achieve a glorious era, the allure of creating an era where "everyone has a house to live in and everyone has land to cultivate" and "universal harmony" is far greater.
The former is the emperor's achievement, while the latter is the achievement of all Confucian scholars.
Linghu Defen was also a great Confucian scholar. The idea that "the people are the most important, the ruler is the least important, and the state is the least important" was deeply rooted in his mind. No matter how loyal and virtuous he appeared in front of the emperor, he would never hesitate when he had to choose between the emperor and the people.
One by one, people reached an agreement, signed documents, and came over to sit down for a cup of tea and a chat, but most people were not actually qualified to get close.
Prince Li Yuanjia of Han took the teacup Fang Jun handed him, took a sip, and exclaimed, "Second Brother, you've made another fortune this time! I've noticed that you're particularly good at selling land. Qinglongfang has been a remote and desolate place since the Sui Dynasty. The mountains are barren and the ditches are shady. Even the people in the city don't want to go there to graze their horses and sheep. After you renovated it and built houses on it, you sold it for millions of strings of cash... Now it's even more remarkable. You've sold even territories that haven't yet been incorporated into the Tang Dynasty for an astronomical price."
Everyone's eyes turned to Fang Jun.
Everyone wanted to say this, but they were all hesitant, so no one said it.
Given Fang Jun's current status, power, and prestige, who would dare to question him?
They wouldn't dare to question it and would never come to pay money to buy land.
The reason they readily paid for the land they had their eyes on was entirely due to their trust in Fang Jun. After all, given Fang Jun's age, he could easily remain in power for fifty years. Even if they lost the land again, everyone would have already made a fortune.
However, there are still concerns.
Now that Li Yuanjia has spoken out in public, it has a completely different meaning. This is not questioning Fang Jun, but raising questions on behalf of everyone.
Fang Jun put down his teacup and asked in return, "Does the King of Han know that wherever the navy finds an island without a claim in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, or the open ocean, it erects boundary markers and draws nautical charts?"
Li Yuanjia grinned and nodded, saying, "I have indeed heard of it and have seen the nautical charts."
This was quite a strange story back then. The navy sailed around the sea, not limited to the routes that had already been developed, but exploring the deeper sea. Whenever they found an island, they would erect a boundary marker to mark it as the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and then solemnly include it in the nautical chart.
The court officials ridiculed it quite a bit, after all, some islands weren't even as big as the stables of the powerful and wealthy...
The Tang Dynasty was vast and rich, why should it care about such trivial matters?
petty and narrow-minded.
Li Ji chimed in from the side, "I also remember someone raising a question back then, and Erlang's answer was, 'The Tang Dynasty possesses the wealth of the four seas, yet it has not a single inch of useless territory.' Thinking about it now, what a magnificent spirit!"
More and more people gathered around, and even those who weren't entitled to a seat asked the waiter for tea and stood aside to listen.
Fang Jun smiled and said, "The saying 'even a broken home is worth a fortune' is something everyone understands when it comes to daily life. Some things may seem useless now, and you won't feel bad if you throw them away, but you'll always find that you can't find them when you want to use them later... Those islands may seem like a chicken bone now, but who can say for sure that they will be completely useless in the future?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Fang Jun continued, "The same is true for the lands of Hezhong and Qihe today. The Tang cavalry conquered them and stationed troops there, but who knows if those lands will still be under the control of the Tang Dynasty a hundred or a thousand years later? If they are lost one day, how will future generations reclaim them?"
He surveyed the surroundings and solemnly said, “Therefore, we shouldn’t be afraid of trouble, nor should we be afraid of being ridiculed for being ‘petty.’ Today, we will do our job properly: erect boundary markers, map the territory, send people to cultivate it, and build city walls and irrigation systems… These will all serve as evidence of our past rule over that area. It doesn’t matter if the country weakens or if we lose those lands; one day, our descendants will rise again to reclaim the lands their ancestors conquered. As the saying goes, a just cause is a just cause. With the evidence we have today, our descendants’ actions will be ‘reclaiming lost territory,’ otherwise they will be ‘barbaric aggression.’ Everyone will surely understand the reasoning behind this.”
Throughout history and across the world, there has always been a need for "legitimate justification," even if it involves sophistry and distorting the truth.
Li Yuanjia slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, "I know! This is the saying that Erlang always says: 'When poor, set aside disputes; when strong, follow the ancient ways!'"
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
When the situation is unfavorable, one should lie low and "develop stealthily," and even when the enemy bullies one, one should swallow one's anger and negotiate slowly; when the situation is favorable, one should be enterprising and courageous in pioneering new paths, for what is mine is mine, and what is yours is also mine!
It sounds a bit shameless, but it's really inspiring!
Bowing down to a powerful enemy is not a shameful act. Emperor Gaozu of Han faced the siege of Baideng, and Emperor Taizong of Han made the Treaty of Wei River. Both of them suffered perilous situations and humiliated themselves, but then launched a great counterattack to wipe away their shame and ultimately achieve great things.
Conversely, failing to exercise restraint and resorting to relentless force during times of decline will only lead to a situation where strength is easily broken. For example, declaring war on eleven countries is a foolish act that a wise person would not do.
When one is strong, one should strike swiftly and expand one's territory. As long as the foundation is built large, even if one's descendants squander the wealth, they can still squander it for several more years...
Fang Jun smiled and said, "The land in Hezhong and Qihe is not only plentiful, but also has a large population. Moreover, the rivers are dense and the water sources are abundant, making it the most suitable place for farming. However, they either leave the land uncultivated or graze their livestock, which is a complete waste of resources. This time, let us Tang people teach them what self-reliance and abundance mean."
Linghu Defen shook his head repeatedly: "Barbarians only know how to plunder, how can they know how to cultivate? They can't be taught. We just need to cultivate, and then trade grain with them for horses, cattle and sheep. Don't think about how to quickly assimilate them, it will not only be difficult but also backfire."
The others agreed wholeheartedly and offered their advice to dissuade him.
Although the saying "barbarians enter China and become Chinese" did not yet exist at that time, many people understood the principle.
Li Ji said: "When the Turks were destroyed, Emperor Taizong, mindful of the hardships and suffering of their people, relocated them to the 'frontier' area along the Great Wall, stretching from Youzhou in the east to Lingzhou in the west. He established the four prefectures of Shun, You, Hua, and Chang in the former territory of Tuli Khan, and the Xiang and Yunzhong prefectures in the former territory of Jieli Khan, which governed six prefectures. He also relocated a large number of Turkic nobles to Chang'an, with about 10,000 Turkic families settling there. More than 100 of their leaders were appointed as generals or lieutenant generals of the fifth rank or above... To this day, the assimilation has not been effective. Regardless of their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty, their customs and habits remain unchanged."
Changing customs and habits is something that can only be done gradually and cannot be accomplished overnight.
Even the Turks, who had long been influenced and invaded by Chinese culture, were like this, let alone the increasingly remote Transoxiana region and the Seven Rivers region.
Fang Jun nodded, but still insisted: "What you two say makes sense, but when China is strong, it should not only expand outward with military force, but also take the opportunity to promote its economy and culture, and force those barbarians to accept them. In this way, we can subtly change their customs and traditions, which is far better than iron cavalry and firearms."
No one understands the corrosive power of culture better than him.
Many people who stood firm in the face of powerful ships and cannons have bent their backs in front of a few books and magazines. The idea that "the moon is rounder in foreign countries" is not just a Chinese mentality; "admiration for the strong" is almost the instinct of all animals.
There was no clear answer to this question, so no one continued to argue about it.
On the other side, the students recruited by the academy were about to hand over the completed contract statistics to Fang Jun when Fang Jun waved his hand and said, "There's no need for me to look at them. Just reconcile the accounts and the money and silk. Then hand them over to the Anxi Protectorate."
He then explained to everyone, “The money you all spent on purchasing the land will be used collectively to build roads, construct irrigation systems, build cities, and even raise horses and purchase weapons. The money comes from you and will ultimately be spent on you, so there’s no need to feel any pain. In the future, this money will return to you tenfold or a hundredfold. The purpose of this matter is for everyone to benefit from it, and to bind everyone to that land through shared interests, so you can rest assured.”
"Rest assured, Grand Commandant, let alone the fact that farming and cotton cultivation are profitable, even if it is just a one-time contribution, we will not shirk our duty."
"It is an honor for us to contribute money and resources to the country!"
"Now that we have purchased this land, it belongs to the Great Tang Dynasty. If any foreign tribes covet it in the future, we will resolutely defend it even if it means sacrificing our homes and property!"
Money has been spent, land has been purchased, and future profits are expected; naturally, everyone will say nice things.
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and looked around: "In that case, everyone should go back and prepare, arrange manpower and supplies, and head to Hezhong and Qihe as soon as possible to settle down. Each person should confirm the land they purchased in the Anxi Protectorate and record it in their accounts. After everything is in order, formulate a farming plan, transport grain and cotton seeds, and start planting next spring. After all, the journey is long, and if we delay the planting season, we will have wasted a whole year."
The area around Hezhong and Qihe is mostly grassland and wasteland. After we get there, we will have to reclaim the land. Although the difficulty is far less than that of Liaodong and Dongting Lake, it is still no small project.
In particular, seeds, farm tools, livestock, and houses must be prepared in advance.
After everyone had taken their leave, Fang Jun and Li Yuanjia stayed behind. They led him to the map and pointed to the center of the basin east of Kuzhan, upstream of the Yaosha River: "I have left a 5,000-mu plot of fertile land here. The land deed is in my elder sister's name. I will take it back later."
Li Yuanjia stared at the map, speechless.
This plot of land is located in the center of the basin. The water source for the pesticide originates from the Tianshan Mountains in the northeast and runs across the basin. The climate is suitable, the soil is fertile, and the water source is abundant. It is clearly marked on the map that it is not for sale. I just spent hundreds of thousands of strings of cash to buy 8,000 acres of land, which is not even half the value of this plot of land.
The princess acquired such a fertile land simply by sitting at home. The harvest will surely be plentiful every year. The more money she has, the more powerful she will become. My own position in the family is truly worrying...