Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5092: Warlike people do not necessarily lead to death!

"Your Majesty, my colleagues, I feel that everyone has some misunderstandings about the saying 'A country may be great, but it will perish if it loves war'. Your understanding is not profound enough, which has led to many misunderstandings and affected the formulation and implementation of national policies. Therefore, I need to explain my understanding here. I sincerely ask for your guidance and corrections!"

Fang Jun stood straight, full of vigor, with an easy-going look but a firm expression.

Everyone: "..."

Couldn't help but look at each other.

When it comes to poetry, songs, and prose, no one here can compare to Fang Jun. After all, the titles of "a master of both poetry and prose" and "a master of calligraphy" did not come out of thin air. There are very few people in the world who can be compared with him.

But when it comes to the right to interpret various classics, Fang Jun is completely inferior. After all, he has a history of being laughed at. He has not even finished reading the "Book of Han"...

The civil officials were all excited. Liu Li sat upright and said, "I'd like to hear the details!"

Let’s see what profound ideas you, a guy with only one subject, can come up with!
Seeing Fang Jun looking like a scholar about to give a long speech, Li Chengqian, who had always looked gloomy, became interested...

Fang Jun said: "Whether it is true that those who love war will perish or that those who forget war will be in danger, first of all, we must understand the nature of war, or what supports a war?"

Without waiting for anyone to answer, he directly called out Li Ji: "Mr. Ying is the best general in the empire. May I ask Mr. Ying, what is your opinion on this?"

Li Ji stroked his beard and glanced at him with dissatisfaction. It was unclear whether he was dissatisfied with the high-profile title of "the first general in the empire" or dissatisfied with dragging him, a spectator, into the water. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "A war involves countless areas, including the commander's formulation of strategy, the officers' execution of strategy, and whether the soldiers can be brave and fearless... But the most important thing is logistics. The so-called 'winning with fewer troops' may seem exciting, but it is actually not advisable, because in ten battles with fewer troops, you may not win once, and even if you win once, it is just luck. Adequate logistics is the decisive factor in supporting a war."

The Tang Dynasty had just been established, and although "becoming a general or a prime minister" had become an unattainable high standard, the prime minister and ministers at the time were all proficient in military affairs, and they all nodded when they heard this.

Liu Li continued, "So to some extent, wars are fought with logistics, and logistics means money, food, weapons, armor and weapons... and now even firearms. After a war, regardless of victory or defeat, the logistics consumed are astronomical figures."

Fang Jun nodded and patted the table in front of him gently. "So, this is the most fundamental reason why 'those who love war will perish'. For example, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty lost countless soldiers, money, food, armor, and weapons. Although he won the victory in the end, expanded the territory by thousands of miles, and gained great power, and won a reputation comparable to 'the greatest emperor in history', he squandered the national finances. While he won unprecedented victory, the people in the country suffered hardships and difficulties, and even suffered financial collapse at one point."

His eyes were bright. "So the original meaning of 'Those who love war will perish' is to advise the king to think carefully before launching a war. Will this war be a loss or a profit? If it is a loss, you should be cautious, but if it is a profit, why not fight it?"

There was a sudden silence in the imperial study.

Because this view is somewhat beyond people's inherent thinking - from ancient times to the present, except for the chaos in the world and the warlords fighting for the throne and unification of the world, almost all other wars were fought with the Hu people on the grassland.

Whether it is passive defense or active attack, the purpose is either to defend the country or to leave a name in history. Who would fight a war for money?
It’s impossible to make money by fighting the Hu people!

After spending countless manpower, financial and material resources, and facing domestic public opinion, what does it matter if we finally win?
How many cattle and sheep can be seized? How much land can be occupied?
No matter how many cattle and sheep were captured, most of them died before they could be driven back to the country; no matter how much land was occupied, troops had to be sent to garrison there; as for the captured people... the Central Plains dynasty had plenty of people, so why would they need those filthy and smelly Hu people? !

Therefore, since ancient times, foreign wars of all dynasties have always been losses. The only difference is whether the loss is big or small and whether the strategic goal is achieved.

This is also the main reason why the civil service group, which is mainly composed of Confucianists, opposes war. In many cases, the cost and benefits are completely disproportionate.

Since war is bound to cost money and there is a risk of defeat, why not negotiate to resolve the dispute? At most, it is just a loss of money. If you are worried about domestic public opinion, you can give the compensation a nice name, such as "annual tribute". Anyway, the Central Plains Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, so what is the point of a mere "annual tribute"?
Even at times, in order to curb the military, the civilian group was willing to hand over the territory that was won at the cost of countless soldiers’ blood and bones, calling it “cutting losses”…

As long as there is no war, power will remain firmly in the hands of civil servants.

On the contrary, civilian officials are unable to check and balance the military and are forced to give up greater interests.

Moreover, whenever there is a debate about whether to go to war or not, the civil officials will always mention a classic case, which makes opponents have no rebuttal: Emperor Yang of Sui, who mobilized the whole country to conquer Goguryeo and eventually led to the destruction of the country, is simply a classic example of "those who love war will eventually perish"...

Liu Li frowned, "You are talking nonsense! The so-called profit is only possible when you win. If you lose, no matter how you calculate before the war, it will be in vain. The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly. Even if you are always victorious, can you dare to assert that you will win the next war?"

Fang Jun laughed and said, "Your argument is absurd! Doesn't victory or defeat in a war depend on the opponent?"

He turned around and asked Li Ji with a smile: "If we conquer the Turks, Tuyuhun, and Goguryeo as we did in the past, it is hard to say that we will win. If you lead our Great Tang Tiger Guards and set up warships to conquer Linyi, Johor, and Lion Country, can you say that you will win?"

Li Ji sighed and replied helplessly: "With ten or a hundred times more troops, and with more weapons and weapons, if we cannot defeat them, I can commit suicide to thank the world."

There is no guarantee of victory in war, but we can "one hundred can defeat one". There is a generation gap in weapons and equipment, and the bravery of the Tang Dynasty soldiers. "One Han can defeat ten barbarians" is by no means an exaggeration. Even if we want to lose, it will not be easy.

Pei Huaijie could not help but say: "However, war is not a business. Once a war is launched, both sides will be plunged into dire straits. Although the generals will gain great reputation, the people at the bottom will suffer in the end. Whose husband is not a husband, and whose son is not a son? If they turn into a pile of bones in the war, how miserable it will be for these people who hate war."

As if he had found the political correctness, Liu Xiangdao quickly said, "That's right! After a war, the history books only record 'so many enemies killed, so many casualties'. Who knows that it was the blood and tears of the common people? Throughout history, both in China and abroad, the common people have suffered the most!"

In the imperial study, there was a feeling of emotion, sympathy for the people, and condemnation of suffering, as if at this moment they had all become saints and sages.

"Dangdang"

Fang Jun knocked the table with his teacup, looking puzzled: "Everyone, have you become stupid from reading so much? Why are you talking nonsense?"

Liu Xiangdao was so angry today that he asked, "Which of our words are false and which of our words are nonsense?"

"In front of His Majesty, the Grand Commandant spoke out without any respect, without any regard for the dignity of an important official of the court. This is really too much!"

"In the war, there are blood and tears, and the people are crying miserably. Can the commander refute this?"

"The commander only sees his own glorious achievements, but how many of the soldiers who followed you to fight have returned home safely?"

"Cold-blooded and extremely cruel!"

For a time, people were outraged and criticized Fang Jun verbally and in writing.

Li Chengqian watched coldly and did not stop it.

Fang Jun knocked on the table again, and when the imperial study was quiet, he said solemnly: "Those soldiers who followed me to fight, those who are alive will naturally be promoted and have rich spoils, and those who unfortunately died in the battle will also be given generous pensions and have no worries. I have a clear conscience in treating them well."

Liu Li said: "No matter how much compensation is, it is not as important as human life. I think his parents, wife and children would rather not have the compensation, the spoils and the land. They just want their son, husband and father to come back alive and well."

Fang Jun turned his head to look at Li Chengqian and sighed, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. Please dismiss the Minister of the Central Secretariat and select a wise and capable person. This person is pedantic and ignorant of worldly affairs. He only knows some principles learned from books, but has no ability to apply them to governing the country. If such a fool rules the world and assists Your Majesty, I am afraid that he will make a big mistake in the future and regret it for thousands of years!"

Li Chengqian glared at him and pursed his lips without saying anything. This guy was used to making such irrelevant sarcasm, and most people couldn't stand it.

Liu Li was so angry that his face turned red. He gritted his teeth and said, "Taiwei, please tell me how I am so pedantic and ignorant of worldly affairs. If you are right, I will resign from my post in front of Your Majesty and give way to someone more capable than you! But if you are wrong, I will not let you go!"

Although he looked fierce and spoke harshly, he felt a little nervous in his heart. His mind was working quickly, trying to think whether there was anything inappropriate in his words. After all, Fang Er looked honest but was actually very sharp-tongued. It would be terrible if he could catch him.

After thinking about it, I don’t think I did anything wrong…

But when he saw Li Ji shaking his head and sighing beside him, his heart suddenly skipped a beat and he realized that something was wrong.

Fang Jun's eyes were piercing and full of vigor. "May I ask the Minister of the Central Secretariat, how is it that the Tang Dynasty has been victorious in all foreign wars since its founding?"

Liu Li snorted and did not answer, looking like he was asking a question even though he knew the answer.

In fact, he didn’t dare to speak…

Liu Xiangdao, Pei Huaijie and others also realized that something seemed wrong and kept their mouths shut.

Fang Jun's face was solemn, and his voice shook the whole house: "Soldiers, fight to the death!"

"Why do soldiers dare to fight to the death? Are they willing to sacrifice their lives for the empire? Of course, there are some, but most of them can't even read a single word. How can they understand the feelings of family and country, and what it means to serve the country and the people? The most important reason is nothing more than the generous rewards!"

(End of this chapter)