Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5181 Parting on bad terms
After listening to Fang Jun's words, Liu Li said to Li Chengqian: "I agree with this. Whether it is the Seven Rivers Basin or the Central River Region, they are too far away from the Tang Dynasty. Not only is communication difficult and travel is inconvenient, it is also difficult to station more troops there. More importantly, it is still managed by the tribes themselves. If Persia is in the way, it will be more convenient for the Tang Dynasty to govern the above areas."

In fact, both the Seven Rivers Basin and the Transoxiana region could only exist as a buffer zone between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire. There was no real governance, and there was no point in "incorporating them into the territory". Why bother with a piece of land thousands of miles away from the Tang Dynasty, just for a false name?

He did not oppose Fang Jun on everything. When it was truly beneficial to the country and concerned the society, he could put aside his differences and reach a consensus.

Li Chengqian was very satisfied with this.

To ensure his status and power as a king, he must practice the art of "balance", but the civil and military officials are quarreling all day long, only caring about their own interests and ignoring the interests of the country, which gives him a headache as an emperor.

"Then, I will follow your advice. The Military Affairs Council will come up with a plan to help Persia restore its country. The Political Affairs Hall will then review the required troops, food, and funds. We will wait until the Persian prince arrives in Chang'an and discuss the matter with him in detail."

War is a game of money. Even if the Tang Dynasty needed Persia to restore its independence in order to stop the Arabs from infiltrating and advancing eastward, it could not spend countless food and fodder to provide free financial support to Persia, nor could it let its soldiers fight for another country.

Persia must pay enough benefits.

Fang Jun and Liu Li nodded in agreement.

Li Chengqian asked again: "Erlang mentioned the policy of 'autonomous region' in his memorial earlier, which is to replace the vassal states. Please explain the details of it."

The "Jie Mi System" has a long history, and its origin can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty, when the "Yue in the outer service, Hou Dian Nan Wei Bang Bo" system was established, which can be regarded as the beginning of the "Jie Mi System". The Han Dynasty began to use the "Jie Mi System" on a large scale during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, who established the Protectorate General to govern the various tribes in the Western Regions and the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei and other tribes.

The Anxi Protectorate was the largest vassal state...

Now Fang Jun's suggestion to abolish the vassal states and set up an "autonomous region" can be said to be groundbreaking. Some people in the government and the public agree and some oppose. There are different opinions and no consensus.

……

Fang Jun explained his concept of "autonomous region" in detail.

Liu Li frowned and said, "According to what the 'Grand Commander' said, in an 'autonomous region', there are no officials, no taxes, and even the army is only nominally under the central government, and they can only obey orders but not announcements... With such a lax policy, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control the land, let alone the people."

Fang Jun asked in return: "The policy of controlling the prefectures has been in place for a long time. Can we really control the land and the people?"

The saying “Those who are not of my race must have different hearts” is by no means empty talk.

Due to many differences in culture, customs, lifestyles, etc., the interests of different races are naturally different. Without common interests, how can they be integrated into one?
When the empire was strong, the tribes feared the empire's military power and had to bow down to it. Once the empire's power declined, these tribes would act on their own or even turn against the empire. This was perfectly normal.

Whether it's bowing down or turning against the enemy, it's all about profit.

"If we cannot tie the interests of the various tribes to the Tang Dynasty, the vassal states and autonomous regions will be nothing more than formalities."

Liu Li was silent.

Thinking about how Fang Jun just elaborated on the "autonomous region" policy and mentioned various ways of ethnic integration, cultural penetration, etc., I thought it might be worth a try.

Anyway, it is difficult for those tribes to be of one mind and one heart with the Tang Dynasty. If the situation changes slightly, they will do their own thing...

Fang Jun said: "Of course, this is just my opinion. Whether it is feasible or not, and whether it should be revised if implemented, is the business of the Minister of the Central Secretariat."

Liu Li snorted: "Thank you for your generosity, General, for not interfering in government affairs."

Fang Jun shook his head and said, "If you want to completely control those tribes and lands, you must take multiple approaches. How can you separate the military and politics?"

The civilization of the Hu people was extremely backward. Their clothing, food, housing, transportation, grazing and fighting were often combined into one. It was even more difficult to distinguish between the military and politics. It was extremely difficult to subdivide them like the Tang Dynasty did.

Liu Li thought about it and agreed.

Whether it is a vassal state or an autonomous region, it takes an extremely long time to reorganize, infiltrate and integrate. It is by no means a matter of overnight. During this period, not only countless huge investments are needed, but also enough patience.

Li Chengqian said: "Whether it is the Western Regions or the Seven Rivers Basin and the countries in the river, it requires the empire to spend huge manpower, material resources and financial resources to prepare and operate. This undertaking is not only related to the empire's rule in the area, but also to the well-being of our Chinese people for thousands of years. I hope that you can put aside the differences and be close to each other, and the military and political parties will stop making dirty moves."

"Balance" is the art of emperors and an excellent means to control their subjects, but you cannot play with "balance" all the time. If anyone dares to create chaos and struggle in the Western Regions, the Seven Rivers, and Hezhong and destroys the empire's strategy, don't blame him for turning against you.

Fang Jun and Liu Li quickly bowed: "Yes!"

……

Soon, Liu Li knew that Fang Jun must have something to say to His Majesty in private, so he stood up and said goodbye.

When only the emperor and his ministers were left in the imperial study, Li Chengqian personally held the kettle and poured tea for Fang Jun, saying sincerely, "In this battle in the Western Regions, thanks to Erlang's personal presence and command, otherwise we would not know the outcome."

This is certainly not to praise Fang Jun, but it is the fact.

The disputes and struggles between the military and the government are not due to individual differences, but because the interests of both sides are contradictory and one side is gaining while the other side is losing, so there are irreconcilable contradictions. Do you really think that this battle, which is related to the empire's Western Region strategy, can make the civil and military sides work together and unite as one?

Absolutely impossible!

The military would exaggerate and tirelessly ask for food and fodder at the front, and sometimes even nurture the enemy to gain as much benefit as possible; and the civil officials in the rear would drag their feet from time to time, repeatedly cutting the food and fodder for the front, because food and fodder meant political achievements, and if all the food and fodder were sent to the front, the political achievements of the civil officials in their own areas would not look good...

Throughout history, there are countless examples of delaying military operations for this reason leading to serious consequences.

This time, it was because Fang Jun personally served as the commander-in-chief of the Gongyue Road army, rushed to the front line and commanded all the troops, which avoided the delay of important matters due to wrangling between the civil and military sides.

At the front line, the Anxi Army followed his lead, not only obeying orders and fearless of death when going into battle, but also not daring to slack off or have any evil thoughts. When asking for food, fodder and supplies, the central civil officials did not dare to go too far. Although it was inevitable that they would hinder the troops, they dared not withhold what was due.

With such unity and concerted efforts, we were able to achieve this great victory in the Western Region.

Otherwise, why not give Pei Xingjian a try as the commander-in-chief of the Gongyue Road army?
Not to mention whether the Anxi Army would obey orders, the food and fodder supply in the rear would be very difficult to obtain. Even if the army set out, it would not be uncommon for the supply to be less than ten days after the military order was issued...

Fang Jun said modestly: "It is my duty to contribute to the empire and to relieve your majesty's worries. I do not deserve your praise."

Li Chengqian sighed, "If everyone in the world can keep their duty, why worry about the empire not being strong and the world not prospering? However, 'keeping one's duty' seems simple and reasonable, but it is the most difficult thing in the world. People are never satisfied and always want more. This is human nature."

Fang Jun nodded: "Your Majesty is wise."

Then he lowered his head and drank his tea.

Li Chengqian glanced at him, paused, and said with a smile: "You have been away from the capital for a long time. I have a new prince whom you have not met yet. Come with me to see him later. You are a talented scholar in the Tang Dynasty and a master of poetry. Bring more literary and elegant spirit to the little prince. Maybe he will inherit your literary talent one day and become the most talented person in the royal family."

Fang Jun said: "Your Majesty is handsome and graceful, and the little prince is naturally gifted and of noble blood. However, I have traveled thousands of miles to return to the capital, and I am exhausted and dusty. The blood evil spirit on my body has not yet disappeared. I am afraid of disturbing the little prince. After I return home, I will bathe and burn incense, and then choose a day to enter the palace to meet the little prince."

After saying that, he put down the teacup, looked at Li Chengqian's slightly ugly face, and asked: "When I left the capital to fight in the west, I heard that the Crown Prince was ill and the Queen was taking care of him in the East Palace. I don't know if the Crown Prince can recover and if the Queen can return to the palace?"

Li Chengqian: "..."

Which pot should not be opened and lifted?
He was a little annoyed, tapped the coffee table with his fingers, and asked, "It's ok for you to be worried about the prince, but why are you also worried about the queen?"

Fang Jun laughed: "Your Majesty, could it be that you believe those nonsense spread outside the palace?"

Li Chengqian snorted, without commenting, his eyes sharp.

Fang Jun sighed and said, "I will give your Majesty one last piece of advice today. As the saying goes, 'A harmonious family brings prosperity'. How did a couple who were once in trouble end up being so respectful to each other today? The prince is intelligent and kind, which is a blessing from heaven. Why do you still have suspicion in your heart? Why must the prince go through the same hardships that your Majesty went through in the past?"

Li Chengqian said nothing, but his expression was firm.

Fang Jun said helplessly: "Emperor Taizong loved me a lot in the past, but even so, I firmly opposed Emperor Taizong on the issue of changing the crown prince. Of course, there are reasons for the personal feelings between me and Your Majesty, but more importantly, it is for the sake of the country. The vitality of the Tang Dynasty should be used to conquer the four directions and create great achievements, and should not be consumed in internal friction such as the succession of the throne... The succession of the clan is natural and right, why do we have to make so many troubles on this matter?"

Li Chengqian was furious: "In your eyes, the succession to the throne is just a piece of cake?"

"Your Majesty, you should know that this is not my intention. It is just that it is easy for Your Majesty to change the crown prince now, but if the new monarchs follow suit in the future, there will inevitably be constant turmoil, fathers and sons will kill each other, brothers will stab each other in the back, ethics will be reversed and moral principles will be lost. What can we do?"

"Haha, in my opinion, you ministers don't care whether the king is virtuous or not. It's better for him to be extremely stupid so that you can manipulate power and steal the king's power!"

This was a serious statement and Fang Jun couldn't refute it.

After confessing his crime, he left on bad terms.