Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4983: Counterattack

Fang Jun looked calm and spoke without thinking, "Your Majesty, I agree with the assignment of 'Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi' to allow more ministers with outstanding talents to assist in state affairs. However, Su Dingfang is the admiral of the navy, stationed in Huating Town, far away from the central government. Not only does he not understand the central government's national policies, but it is also inconvenient to communicate with the central government. He should not be on this list."

His words were calm and his expression was peaceful, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his words.

You are the emperor, and if you want to remove me from my position as prime minister, I have nothing to say. But if you want to appease me by promoting my subordinates, there is no need to do that.

The hall was in complete silence. Everyone kept silent and pursed their lips to control their bodies. If they couldn't help coughing at this moment, they might become the target of public criticism...

Everyone knew that there was a rift in the relationship between Your Majesty and Fang Jun, and that they were no longer as close as before, but no one had expected that it had escalated to such an extent that Your Majesty suddenly revoked the prime ministerial powers of the left and right ministers, and Fang Jun even expressed his dissatisfaction in public.

Li Chengqian's expression remained unchanged. He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. This kind of scene had been expected, and Liu Li had already stepped forward to deal with Fang Jun's anger.

Liu Li straightened his back and said, "What the commander said is wrong. The empire has a vast land territory and an even more vast sea border. The prosperity of maritime trade and the growth of the navy have made the importance of the sea border more and more prominent. However, there are very few ministers in the court who are familiar with maritime affairs. Naturally, we need someone like Su Dingfang who travels on the sea all year round and manages maritime trade to provide consultation and counsel."

He paused, looked directly at Fang Jun, and said with a smile: "The reason why Su Dingfang was appointed as the Prime Minister was because he was cautious and thorough in dealing with state affairs. There was no personal factor involved. The Grand Commandant probably misunderstood."

Do you think that because your position as prime minister was revoked, Su Dingfang was promoted to appease you? Haha, you think too much.

There was a strong sense of sarcasm in his words.

The strength of the military has caused His Majesty to have a strong sense of crisis, and he has to fully support the civil servants to fight against it. With His Majesty's support, what does he have to fear?

Especially after eliminating the power of the left and right prime ministers, he, as the Minister of the Secretariat, is the undisputed head of the prime ministers and the prime minister. Naturally, he has to respond to Your Majesty with a tough attitude - you are right to support me.

Do Li Ji and Fang Jun dare to rebel?

Fang Jun glanced at Liu Li calmly, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "In that case, why not dismiss Su Dingfang from his position as the Grand Admiral of the Navy and transfer him back to Chang'an for your Majesty to consult at any time? The current scale of maritime trade has reached the limit of national strength. The next stage should be to stabilize the routes and consolidate the market. The strategic intention of the navy should also change from being aggressive and pioneering to reorganizing and training, and reducing the number of soldiers. After all, the navy is too large in scale, and the annual military expenditure is in the millions of strings of cash, which is likely to drag down the national finances."

Liu Li was immediately dissatisfied and glared at him: "The Grand Commandant wants to use the navy to control the central government?"

At present, all prefectures and counties in the empire are actively carrying out infrastructure construction. Roads, water conservancy projects, city walls, etc. have set off a wave of construction frenzy. The national strength is growing day by day, and it is getting stronger every day. And the reason why such unprecedented construction is supported is the wealth that continuously flows into the country from the sea.

Every year, the taxes that the Huating Town Maritime Customs delivered to the capital and rushed into the national treasury were as high as a mountain and as vast as an ocean. In addition, the gold, silver and copper that the navy mined in foreign countries and brought back to the country were incalculable. The royal treasury was more abundant than ever before, and His Majesty even had to build a silver vault in the Taiji Palace to store the gold and silver...

Especially with the maritime trade boom set off by the "Dong Da Tang Trading Company" overseas, the Kaiyuan Tong Bao coins minted with new technologies unscrupulously reaped all wealth.

Aristocratic families who had relied on land for generations all threw themselves into this unprecedented feast; they never imagined that the barren sea would one day become a huge treasure trove, and that the shipping routes that were opened up would be channels for transporting wealth, earning money that was ten or even a hundred times more than what the land produced.

If the navy were to reduce its personnel, size, or even reduce routes and restrict maritime trade at this time, the consequences would be disastrous.

Not to mention the aristocratic families whose power has been reduced and can only be appeased by maritime trade, whether they will be furious and cause war again everywhere in the world, the mere fact that the infrastructure design and construction that is now in full swing has to be suspended is unacceptable in any way.

Fang Jun frowned, looking slightly puzzled: "The Minister of the Central Secretariat is the Prime Minister of the Empire, in charge of all the ministers and government affairs. He should know that the current maritime trade seems to be booming, but in fact it is full of difficulties and dangers, right?"

Liu Li was choked and very annoyed. He really didn't know the details of maritime trade, but was he unwilling to know? The sea borders were the domain of the navy, but they were very wary of him as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, so he had no chance to learn even if he wanted to.

Fang Jun sighed and continued, "It's not that I'm using the navy to control the center, it's just that the navy is having a hard time right now."

He turned and saluted Li Chengqian: "In order to protect the safety of the shipping routes and ensure the smooth overseas trade of the imperial caravans, the navy has been maintaining extremely high-intensity patrols, investing huge manpower, material resources, and weapons to continuously eliminate the pirates entrenched in the ocean, and the effect was remarkable at one time. But pirates are like scabies, how easy is it to eradicate them? The navy is powerful, and they can't fight hard. Sometimes they break up into small pieces, sometimes they lurk on islands and reefs, and often sneak attack shipping routes and harass caravans, making the navy exhausted. What's more, the navies of many foreign countries are also mixed with pirates. Under the prosperous scene, there is a huge crisis. It is urgent to train the navy, adjust the strategy, and enhance the combat effectiveness. Otherwise, when the pirates are powerful and the losses in maritime trade are heavy, it will be too late to regret."

The prime ministers and councillors in the government hall looked at each other, not knowing whether what Fang Jun said was true or not. However, almost all the families present were involved in maritime trade, to some extent, and they did not dare to gamble. If the situation at sea really deteriorated, each family would suffer heavy losses.

Having said that, now that the navy is under the control of Fang Junzhi, his orders are as strong as mountains and his words are laws on the sea. As for whether there are "pirates" or not, isn't it Fang Jun who has the final say?
Everyone looked at His Majesty.

You used the Political Affairs Hall to restrain Fang Jun, and Fang Jun used the maritime trade to strike back...

Li Ji glanced at Fang Jun and sighed imperceptibly. He was still young and too arrogant. What would happen if he took a step back under such circumstances?
Clashing head-on may not be the most appropriate approach.

Li Chengqian continued to drink tea slowly, seemingly thinking, but more like he was distracted.

Liu Li was a little embarrassed.

Fang Jun's remarks were not only a counterattack using maritime trade, but also an excuse for the navy's previous attack on the port of Shilov on its own. Pirates were everywhere and there were many dangers. The navy was facing a catastrophe every moment while drifting on the sea. How could they report every counterattack and every attack to the central government in advance?
It’s not that the navy disobeyed the emperor’s orders, but the situation was dangerous and they had no choice.

If you want the navy to obey orders all the time, that's fine, but if this leads to missed opportunities for war and huge losses in maritime trade, it is not the navy's responsibility.

Does Your Majesty dare to give such an order?
In Liu Li's opinion, he definitely wouldn't dare to do that.

Because if you issue such an order now, tomorrow the merchant ship will be robbed by pirates due to the delay of the central command...

After all, whether the sea is in chaos or not is up to Fang Jun.

It's not just on the sea, what if there is danger in the Western Regions?
Did they also require the Anxi Protectorate to first report, then ask for permission, and then send troops to repel the invading enemy?

What about Hanhai Protectorate?

What about Andong Protectorate?

Following Fang Jun's speech, the prime minister and the ministers in the Council of State all understood a fact: the military had become independent and had a certain degree of independent authority. If the empire's vast territory was to be safe and stable, the military must have this kind of authority.

Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.

Liu Li had not received any hint from His Majesty, so he had to bite the bullet and said, "The ocean is vast, and it is not easy for the navy to maintain the stability of the thousands of miles of sea borders. The contributions of all the soldiers cannot be erased. Maritime trade is extremely important to the empire, and we must do our best to overcome difficulties, ensure the safety of shipping routes, and continuously enhance the influence of the empire. In this way, Su Dingfang is even more needed to stay in the East China Sea and deter foreign countries."

He still insisted that Su Dingfang be stationed in Huating Town and control the navy, but the meaning was completely different.

To some extent, it means that the Political Affairs Hall has granted the navy the authority to start a war on its own...

Fang Jun smiled slightly: "The Secretary-General is very righteous and capable. I admire your comprehensive consideration."

*****
In the Council of State, His Majesty's counterattack seemed to be brief and died down after Fang Jun's counterattack. But in fact, the power of the Council of State expanded unprecedentedly, while the power of Fang Jun and Li Ji declined greatly. As a result, the suppression of the military began to show results.

Soon, the news in the government hall spread out, causing an uproar in the government and the country.

Most people may not have seen the confrontational and invisible struggle between imperial power and military power, but they all saw the many prime ministers added to the Council of State. The position of "Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi" swept Chang'an in an instant, and there was a lot of discussion in the court and in the streets.

In the eyes of ordinary people, "Prime Minister" means the pinnacle of power, "second only to one person and above everyone else". Who among those who hold this position is not a prominent figure of the time and a giant with great power in the government and the country?

As a result, now, apart from the two prime ministers, Zhongshu Ling and Shizhong, there are six more...

I wonder if the eight prime ministers in the court will fight because the food provided by the imperial kitchen at noon is insufficient?

……

"Your Majesty's move not only enhances the power of the Council of State, but also divides the power of the Prime Minister, making it difficult for anyone to dominate alone, and will not pose a threat to the imperial power... It is very smart."

Inside the Ministry of War, Fang Jun was sitting on a mat by the window drinking tea, Cui Dunli was talking in a low voice, and Liu Rengui was boiling water nearby, silently observing Cui Dunli's expression and behavior, secretly admiring him in his heart.

Although he was granted the power of prime minister, Cui Dunli was not complacent at all. Instead, he was worried. He analyzed the intention of Your Majesty's move and was worried about Fang Jun's situation.