Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5114: Emphasis on Agriculture and Suppression of Commerce
After a tour around Ganzhou City, the group stayed in an inn in the evening.

Lu Dongzan was in excellent physical condition. After taking a bath and drinking some wine, he looked radiant and all the tiredness from the journey was gone. He just sat there with a frown, not knowing what he was thinking.

Siddo sent her father's changed clothes to the servants for washing, then came back, brewed a pot of tea and placed it on the table. She sat opposite her father, poured two cups of tea, placed one of them respectfully in front of her father, and took a sip of the cup herself.

As he savored the sweet aftertaste of the tea, he sighed, "In the past, whether in Luoshui or Fushi City, such high-quality tea had to be consumed with caution, after all, it was too expensive. One pound of tea was almost equivalent to hundreds or even thousands of pounds of barley... But now that I'm a prisoner, I can drink such tea at will. It's really fate's trick."

Seeing that his father was still frowning and in a bad mood, he asked again: "The prosperity of Ganzhou City is more than ten times that of Luoshui City, but I wonder what Chang'an is like?"

Chang'an is a city that is almost like a god in the minds of people all over the world. Although people have never seen it, they have heard of it for a long time. Whether they have seen it or not, they all agree that it is the number one city in the world. Countless people consider arriving in Chang'an as the glory of their lifetime.

The heart longs for it.

Lu Dongzan forced a smile, revealing a look of reminiscence: "Chang'an... the streets and alleys are crisscrossed, horizontal and vertical, the 108 districts are like a chessboard, and millions of people live in it. It is a gathering place for goods from the north and south, and a gathering place for wealth from all over the world. The city gates are tall, the palaces are lined up, the streets are paved with bluestone slabs, the river surrounds the whole city, and the roadsides are lined with trees. There is no other city in the world that can compare with it. The only city that can be compared with it is probably Luoyang..."

Xi Duoyu couldn't help asking, "Father has also been to Damascus. How does it compare to Chang'an?"

Lu Dongzan thought without hesitation: "How dare the light of a firefly compete with the brightness of the bright moon?"

The so-called largest city in the West is nothing more than a market surrounded by city walls.

He thought of Fang Jun's words again. Why could such great cities as Chang'an and Luoyang, which stood proudly in the world, only appear in the Han territory, but not in Tubo, Goguryeo, or even the Arab Empire?

Are the Han people really good at construction and have high wisdom?

Xi Duoyu looked longing: "I really want to go to Chang'an to take a look..."

Lu Dongzan's brows relaxed, he looked at his son and said with a smile: "Why not? Perhaps one day, my Gar family will be able to live in Chang'an City forever, and our descendants will pass the imperial examinations and become officials of the Tang Dynasty. They may even make achievements on the battlefield, be awarded honors, and live with the Tang Dynasty..."

"Father, do we really want to submit to the Tang Dynasty?"

Xiduo was somewhat conflicted, as he longed for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, yet was reluctant to give up his ancestral family business.

Lu Dongzan's eyes were dazed for a moment, and he turned his head to look at the dim sky and dry trees outside the window. After a while, he slowly said, "To this day, the Zamp sees my father and me as rebels. We have no home to return to, and the Tang people treat us like cattle and horses. They use threats and inducements to the extreme. But apart from these two places, where else can we stay? It's just like a good bird choosing a tree to roost in."

I am speechless.

Sometimes he really envied the Tang people. Even if they died on the battlefield, there would be people who would erect a monument and write a biography about them, which would be passed down through the ages. A line would be written in the history books: "Unwavering loyalty, sacrificed their lives for the country." Whenever future generations thought of those who fought for the country and died on the battlefield, they would pay the highest respect to them. Even thousands of years later, when the world has changed dramatically, it will still be firmly remembered in their hearts.

But what about the Tibetans?
Most slaves were treated like livestock. Even if they died, they would not receive any compensation, let alone remember him.

Fight for the Zamp?
But the Zamp was neither a god nor a blood relative. He was just a leader elected by many tribes. Since he could be elected, he could naturally be replaced. No one would fight to the death for the Zamp.

Fighting for the tribe?
But the so-called tribe is just a few nobles. Most of the enslaved people have no concept of "swearing allegiance to death" to their own tribe. If they can survive, no one cares whether they change tribes or gods...

Therefore, if Tubo could really surpass the Tang Dynasty one day, it would only be because the Tang Dynasty itself was in turmoil and its power was weakened, and the Tibetans, who had developed a tough character due to their difficult and harsh lives, would be able to gain the upper hand for a while.

That's it.

To take a step back, even if the Tang Dynasty were to perish one day, a new dynasty would immediately be born on its ruins. It would simply be a change of country name and emperor, but the Han people would continue to thrive and pass on their legacy.

But if Tubo falls apart, will there be another Tubo?

*****
Two days later, all matters were settled, and the group set out on the journey westward under the escort of three thousand elite soldiers.

The sky was still gloomy, with gusts of northerly wind and a sharp drop in temperature.

At noon.

Lu Dongzan's carriage was extremely spacious. Fang Jun and Pei Xingjian both got on the carriage. A copper hot pot was placed on the table.

Pei Xingjian was in charge of putting the meat slices and ingredients into the pot. Fang Jun opened a jar of rice wine and poured wine for Lu Dongzan while saying with a smile, "Have a good meal. Once you pass Yumen Pass, not only will the journey be difficult, but the ingredients will also be extremely scarce. If you want to eat good food, you'll have to wait until Jiaohe City or Gongyue City."

Lu Dongzan took the wine, looked at the steaming pot, shook his head and said, "Although I am old, I am still strong. I have traveled a lot over the years, and it is common for me to eat and drink dew. It doesn't matter whether I eat better or worse."

"A guest is a guest. We must always do our best to ensure the daily life of the Prime Minister. Come on, have a drink!"

Fang Jun raised his glass to invite him, and Lu Dongzan and Pei Xingjian responded by raising their glasses and taking a sip each.

Yellow wine is refreshing, mellow and sweet, and is a top-quality product.

There was a commotion outside the carriage. Lu Dongzan lifted the curtain and saw a carriage overturned on the side of the road with a broken axle. The servants of the accompanying caravan were shouting and trying to lift the carriage up. Many people gathered around.

Lowering the curtain, Lu Dongzan said, "The reason why the Tang Dynasty is so rich and prosperous is due to the merchants. They circulate goods from north to south and connect the east-west trade routes, allowing all kinds of materials to circulate, taking advantage of others' strengths to make up for their shortcomings and filling the void with what is available. I heard that the prosperity of maritime trade is even more than ten times that of the Silk Road. I wonder if it is an exaggeration?"

Pei Xingjian took a piece of meat and put it in the bowl, nodding his head and said, "Shipping is much more convenient than land transportation. The loading capacity of a ship is equivalent to dozens or even hundreds of horse-drawn carriages, so the scale of maritime trade is larger and more convenient."

Lu Dongzan frowned and looked at Fang Jun: "Excuse me for being blunt, but since the Han and Tang Dynasties, China has been following the policy of 'emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce', which has never changed. But now many aristocratic families have all devoted themselves to business. If this continues, the status of merchants will inevitably soar, which will shake the social structure of the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if the Tang Dynasty has prepared a plan to deal with it?"

The so-called "social structure", in short, is the structure of "scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans". Merchants are at the bottom and suffer from discrimination and oppression.

But with the development of trade, the power of merchants has soared, and it is only a matter of time before this structure is disturbed or even overturned.

Does it mean that the ruling foundation since the Han Dynasty has undergone a fundamental change?
Fang Jun ate meat, drank wine, and said with a smile: "The country needs merchants. The prosperity of commerce not only means the improvement of people's living standards, but also means the abundance of commercial taxes and the strengthening of national strength."

Lu Dongzan nodded and said that Tubo also vigorously encouraged commerce, but due to geographical limitations, the results were minimal.

"But in this case, the status of merchants continues to rise and their power continues to expand. How should we deal with it?"

Fang Jun said: "Why should we respond? It is enough to just stick to the rule that 'merchants are not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations.'"

Lu Dongzan was puzzled.

Pei Xingjian, who was eating and sweating, explained: "The structure of 'scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans' has long been deeply rooted in people's minds. In addition, restricting merchants from participating in the imperial examinations is enough to ensure that the best talents are always in the official career. Merchants can never become big no matter what."

"Promoting agriculture and suppressing commerce" is politically correct.

Merchants do not engage in production, but they can grab huge wealth and influence politics through their wealth... Once the merchant class becomes the ruling class of a country, it may prosper for a while, but the country will eventually fall and the family will be destroyed.

Businessmen are profit-driven. They have neither national interests nor patriotism in their eyes. They put profit above all else and put a price on everything. As long as the price is right and the profit is enough, anything can be sold.

If the country is dominated by such a group of people, with morality, integrity, and benevolence thrown aside, and they only talk about money and pursue profits, it will inevitably lead to restlessness and social unrest, which is definitely not a long-term solution.

A country or nation may become strong for a while due to the circumstances of the times, but a country or nation that lacks a spiritual core will surely perish once it encounters setbacks.

Although Confucianism has its shortcomings, it is unique and unrivaled in the world when it comes to shaping the spiritual core.

Lu Dongzan took a sip of wine, lowered his head to eat, and remained silent.

In order to strengthen Tubo, he and the Zamp formulated a strategy to propose marriage to the Tang Dynasty. They used threats and inducements to force the Tang Dynasty to use craftsmen, doctors and various books as dowries, which made Tubo become a powerful country at that time. For this, the monarch and his minister were once complacent and boasted that their strategy was great.

Now it seems so shallow.

Although the marriage proposal failed and he could not obtain the heritage accumulated by the Han people for more than a thousand years, what was the use even if he succeeded?
It only made Tubo strong for a while.

National beliefs and national ideas without a core are ultimately just fortresses on the beach. They may look mighty and majestic at ordinary times, but once the tide comes, they will collapse and turn into a pile of loose sand.

Relying on the geographical advantage of the plateau, it can only survive in a corner.

In essence, they are no different from other Hu tribes such as the Xiongnu and Turks.

The most terrifying thing is that if you want to compete with the Han people, you must completely sinicize yourself and use their spear to attack their shield, only then will you have a chance of winning.

However, the Han people’s ability to assimilate is too strong. Once they are sinicized, it means that the roots of their ethnic group will be completely lost.

Even if they drank from the Yangtze River and ruled the Central Plains, they would eventually become part of the Han people...

What’s the point of it all?