Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5193: Prosperous Luoyang
Fang Jun stroked his wet hair and said indifferently: "Perhaps 'popular election' is the ultimate form of the country, but for Japan, where people are not yet enlightened, any method is just a means to achieve political goals, and has nothing to do with 'advanced' or 'backward'. If we want to make it an advanced model, the first condition is to open up people's wisdom, so that the people know the true meaning of those loud slogans, rather than the half-understanding obtained through political propaganda."

The Japanese are generally illiterate, with a literacy rate of only one in a thousand. They are ignorant and backward. How can they know the true meaning of "popular election"?

They listen to whatever the ruling class promotes and have no ability to make their own decisions.

Even after more than a thousand years, those so-called "civilized" countries can still rely on powerful propaganda to fool their citizens, making them completely unaware of the truth abroad and indulge in the lies constructed by the media...

For the foreign countries at that time, "popular election" was just an excuse. Under the powerful force of the Tang Dynasty, no one could say anything against supporting the foreign people's pursuit of progress and being masters of their own destiny.

But this is the choice of all Japanese people. Who dares to say it is wrong?

Anyone who dares to oppose will be killed.

The only ones left are the fans...

Wu Mei Niang's eyes were burning: "Even if it is placed in the Tang Dynasty, it is not completely impossible to operate, and there are already successful precedents."

"Ok?"

Fang Jun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and agreed: "Although Wang Mang did not implement true popular elections, he already understood the essence of popular elections, and his essence is no different from that of popular elections."

Of course it’s Wang Mang!
This emperor, who was most like a "time traveler" in Chinese history, stole the state treasures of Liu Han as a relative of the emperor and ascended the throne by "abdication".

He tried hard to package himself as a morally perfect person in the Confucian sense, whether true or false, and received fanatical support from all walks of life across the country, both inside and outside the court. Nearly 500,000 petitions were received hoping that Wang Mang would be granted the "Nine Gifts".

What kind of concept is this?

At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the national population was close to 60 million, and the literacy rate was less than 1%. Excluding extremely remote areas with inconvenient transportation, the number of people who could write a petition and send it to Chang'an City was less than one million, and Wang Mang's support rate was close to half.

The princes, dukes, and ministers in the court also stood up to support, and more than 900 people personally wrote letters to the emperor.

Even the Liu clan members supported Wang Mang and called him the "Regent Emperor."

Wang Mang was "elected with a high vote" under such circumstances of universal support. In December of the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Mang forced Wang Zhengjun to hand over the imperial seal, accepted the abdication of Ru Ziying, and then proclaimed himself emperor. He went to the temple of Emperor Gaozu to worship, took the crown and ascended the throne, and changed the country's name to "Xin"...

With the broad support of the court and the public, Wang Mang ascended to the highest position of power, setting a precedent in Chinese history of becoming emperor through "abdication".

Looking at Wu Meiniang who was looking up with eyes full of admiration, Fang Jun couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Tracing the historical trajectory of this "Emperor Zetian", she was very similar to Wang Mang in that both of them ascended the throne with the "support of the people" after controlling the imperial power. Her extremely high "support rate" inside and outside the court and across the country was the key to her great achievements.

In a sense, this is also the original version of "popular election"...

……

The rain was a little lighter, and Fang Jun, wearing a round-necked long gown and a futou, led a few personal soldiers to stroll along the long street along the Luo River. Standing at the Tianjin Bridge and looking north, the northern bank of the imperial palace area has now become a huge construction site. Whether inside or outside the palace, on or below the palace walls, all kinds of building materials are piled up everywhere. If it weren't for the heavy rain that washed away the dust, one can imagine how dusty and busy it would be when tens of thousands of craftsmen were working on sunny days.

It rained continuously, and the Luo River was crowded with boats and ships. Chinese and foreign cargo ships brought goods from all over the world to the city, and then distributed them to all parts of the world from the city. The city became a distribution center for rare goods, and countless businesses and merchants made their livings here.

Luoyang and Chang'an are two major imperial capitals throughout history, but they are completely different.

Chang'an is strategically located in Guanzhong, with fertile lands stretching for thousands of miles, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It can best protect the central imperial power with its geographical advantages. Its unique conditions are enough to make it difficult for foreign enemies to invade during troubled times. Luoyang is located in the "center of the world", a key road for east-west, north-south communication, and the birthplace of Chinese culture. During the heyday, it became more and more prosperous due to its special geographical location.

Hence, there is a saying that “Chang'an in troubled times and Luoyang in prosperous times”.

Outside Shangshanfang stands a restaurant, located on the bank of Tongjin Canal. The water of the canal is clear and mighty, and the flying eaves of the brackets are misty and hazy. In the canal, a pleasure boat pushes away the waves and moves slowly, and the sound of stringed instruments and singing can be heard in the distance...

Fang Jun walked with his hands behind his back, with his personal soldiers holding umbrellas behind him, and strolled leisurely on the street. When he reached the entrance of the restaurant, he saw countless soldiers in helmets and armor standing solemnly on the street with swords drawn. Then he turned and entered the restaurant.

The soldiers guarding the street and the gate were stunned at first, and were about to step forward to intercept this tall and wealthy young man. But when they saw Fang Jun's face clearly, they were shocked and knelt on one knee in unison. Although they did not dare to reveal Fang Jun's identity and remained silent, their coordinated movements caused the armor plates to collide with each other, making a dull "clatter" sound, which attracted passers-by on the street to stop and watch, and marvel at him.

Seeing Fang Jun walk into the restaurant, someone couldn't help but ask, "Those are the guards around His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei, right? They are all bowing to that person, but I don't know who he is."

"Brother, being too curious is not a good thing!"

"how do I say this?"

"Didn't you see that when the guards performed the military salute, they kept silent and didn't call out the name? It's obvious that they did it for the sake of safety and didn't attract the attention of the thieves. That person must be an important person! If an assassin is attracted later, you will be suspected after the investigation!"

"How could such a thing happen in broad daylight?"

"You are a fool, aren't you? I reminded you kindly, but you didn't believe it!"

The guards at the door had already stood up. When they heard people whispering and talking to each other, they put their hands on the hilts of the swords at their waists and stared at the passers-by.

"Leave quickly, don't linger here, it will be troublesome if something happens!"

……

Fang Jun walked upstairs and into the elegant room on the third floor. Except for Prince Li Tai of Wei who was still sitting still with his horse and sword, Henan Yin Zhang Xingcheng and Shao Yin Ashina Zhong all stood up and saluted Fang Jun.

"Your subordinate greets the commander!"

Fang Jun returned the greeting: "No need to be so polite, both of you!"

After they all stood up, Fang Jun took two steps forward and bowed to Li Tai, saying, "Your Highness, I greet you!"

Li Tai waved his hand and said, "We are meeting in private, why are there so many formalities? Come on, Erlang, please take a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

When Fang Jun took his seat, the maid beside him came forward briskly to arrange the bowls, chopsticks, cups and plates. While pouring wine, her eyes would occasionally flicker over Fang Jun's face. She behaved in a dignified manner with a slightly blushing cheek.

Li Tai laughed and said, "These are the maids in my house. Seeing a hero like Erlang today, they are bound to be attracted to him and their emotions are agitated. If Erlang is kind-hearted, you can let them offer themselves to you and have some fun with you."

The maids all smiled and had moving eyes. As long as Fang Jun had any needs, they would be willing to fulfill them.

Fang Jun was speechless. He smiled and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness is in Luoyang and refuses to be controlled by the royal family. It seems that he has let himself go. When my brother-in-law asks me about it someday, I will tell him how His Highness the Prince of Wei pursues women and indulges himself in luxury, so that my poor and ignorant brother-in-law can have a good experience of what a luxurious life is."

Zhang Xingcheng and Ashina Zhong both laughed.

The "poor ignorant brother-in-law" that Fang Jun mentioned was naturally the Minister of Zong Zhengqing and King of Han Li Yuanjia. Because his wife Fang was quite like her mother, she ruled the King of Han very strictly, so the King of Wei could never enjoy a life of drunkenness and dreams.

Li Yuanjia naturally would not control and could not control Wei Wang Li Tai, but he only needed to slander him in front of His Majesty, and His Majesty would surely issue an edict to reprimand and teach Wei Wang a lesson...

Li Tai's face suddenly changed, and he stared at Fang Jun unkindly: "Erlang, are you kidding?"

Fang Jun raised his eyebrows: "Your Highness, do you think I'm joking?"

Li Tai stared at him without saying anything.

Fang Jun looked back without flinching.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhang Xingcheng and Ashina Zhong were both confused. Why did they turn against each other for no reason?

Several maids even retreated to the side, trembling.

After a while, Li Tai suddenly burst into laughter, stood up, raised his glass, and said loudly: "Come on, let's raise our glasses together to congratulate the general for his victorious return from the expedition to the Western Regions. He has enhanced our national prestige and defended our territory. He is the pillar of the Tang Dynasty that supports the sky and the beam that bridges the sea!"

Zhang Xingcheng and Ashina Zhong also quickly stood up and raised their glasses together.

"The details of the battle have already spread all over the world, and they are amazing!"

"Among us, the meritorious officials of the Zhenguan period, there are also famous generals who are able to deploy troops and win every battle, but there is no one like the Taiwei who can plan and strategize, defeat the enemy with a small force, and strike the enemy with a thunderbolt, shocking the enemy's courage!"

Fang Jun also stood up, raised his glass and said solemnly: "A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers. When we are successful and famous, those soldiers who followed us to fight have already been buried in foreign lands and wrapped in their horse hides. How can we be happy? Compared with the fallen soldiers, our honor is not worth mentioning. They are the pillars of the country and the pillars of the country! Look at this prosperous era, the country is peaceful and the people are safe. Let us toast them together, and toast their souls to return and support the prosperous Tang Dynasty!"

Li Tai restrained his smile and said in a deep voice: "Respect them for fighting for the country and defending the country!"

"Drinking Saint!"

The three of them shouted loudly, raised their glasses high, and then poured the wine in the glasses onto the ground.

They sat down one by one, and the atmosphere became somewhat solemn.

Li Tai sighed and said, "People only see the glorious military exploits, but they don't see the bloodshed and bones of our Tang soldiers in foreign lands. Erlang always keeps the soldiers in his heart. It is their honor and the honor of the Tang Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)