Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5230 Maintaining Stability
Fang Xuanling nodded. How to struggle, compromise, and coexist between imperial power, ministerial power, and military power is a problem that every regime has faced since ancient times, and the Tang Dynasty was no exception.

The establishment of the Council of State Affairs and the Grand Council did indeed allow more professional personnel to manage military and political affairs, minimizing the possibility of errors and ensuring the smooth operation of the state apparatus. However, at the same time, it also correspondingly weakened imperial power, making the emperor more constrained and restricted.

How could the emperor be content with this situation if it continued?
Struggle is everywhere.

Fang Jun was able to maintain restraint while enjoying great prestige, immense power, and control of a powerful army. He also knew how to yield and compromise to compensate for the drawbacks caused by the weakening of imperial power, which made him an extremely mature politician.

No matter how capable you are, if you don't know how to compromise and yield, you will find it difficult to achieve great things.

Therefore, Fang Xuanling was extremely pleased.

"So what's the story with the Kingdom of Linyi?"

Fang Xuanling had great confidence in his son's abilities. Since the Eastern and Southern Ocean countries could be completely controlled and implemented "democratic elections," how could he leave out the Kingdom of Lin-yi? Logically speaking, when the Kingdom of Lin-yi showed even the slightest sign of rebellion, the navy should have already rushed in to crush and annihilate it. How could he allow that Zhuge Liang to jump around and provoke the might of the Tang Dynasty?
There must be more to this than meets the eye.

Sure enough, Fang Jun smiled and said, "It's true that Zhuge Di harbors ulterior motives, but it's also true that the navy has been too lenient. The Lin Yi Kingdom is internally unstable. Even if it is temporarily suppressed by force, it will eventually erupt. Rather than having a headache in the future, it's better to gather them together and wipe them out in one fell swoop. In addition, the navy has been invincible at sea for many years, and some people in the country have forgotten the strength of the navy. The war in the Persian Sea is too far away to have experienced much of it, so they are full of resentment and contempt. Therefore, the navy needs a thunderous battle to let those people see what the fighting power of the royal navy is. Not only is it invincible at sea, but it is also still the best among all armies on land."

For the new policy to be implemented smoothly and achieve success, maritime interests are of paramount importance. Without overseas wealth and cheap resources and labor, the inland areas, which are based solely on an agricultural society, would find it impossible to complete the first round of infrastructure construction.

"To get rich, build roads first" is a truth that holds true throughout history. The Tang Dynasty was vast, and even just building roads in Guanzhong, Hedong, the Central Plains, and Hebei to connect the major cities would have been an unprecedented project. It would have taken thirty to fifty years of persistent investment to complete.

Although the Grand Canal, which connects the north and south, was excavated during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, the supporting projects were not yet fully completed. In addition, the construction of dikes and dredging year after year required a huge investment.

Such a monumental project on the land of China requires an astronomical amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources.

Should we, like Emperor Yang of Sui, mobilize the entire nation to perform corvée labor?
Are all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies imposed on the people of the whole country?
Fang Jun might not care much about the survival of the Tang Dynasty, but he could not accept that the people of the world would suffer even a little more.

The influx of wealth, people, and resources from overseas forms the foundation for these mega-projects.

Relying on a stable influx of overseas wealth, population, and resources requires a complete and long-term order.

This order cannot be protected by the emperor, nor by powerful clans; it can only be protected by the navy.

Anyone who dares to covet the navy or this order, Fang Jun will cut off their hand.

What needs to be done now is to deter the world, both externally and internally.

It intimidated powerful clans, meritorious officials of the Zhenguan era, and even the imperial power.

"Balance" is the key, but "balance" is not something to beg for, but something to be achieved through struggle.

Fang Xuanling nodded: "Unity sought through struggle will lead to the demise of unity, while unity sought through conflict will ensure its survival... Is that right? It makes a lot of sense."

This is a phrase my son often says. After hearing it so many times, he has taken it to heart and the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes how wise and insightful it is.

Just thinking that his son could understand such a principle makes him smile like a father.

It is already gratifying to have successors, but for them to surpass their teachers is even more gratifying.

At his age, his life's achievements were almost settled, and he had little ambition left. When he privately gathered with his comrades and old friends, he no longer compared merits, titles, or official positions, but rather his posthumous reputation and legacy.

Needless to say, given Fang Xuanling's life achievements, at the very least he should be given the posthumous title "Wen Zhao".

As for what happens after death, that naturally refers to one's own descendants.

The older generation worked tirelessly to pacify the land and build a vast empire. Even if they didn't die and their clans were wiped out, shouldn't there be a proper succession? That depends on the abilities of their descendants.

Throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, there was not a single son who could compare to Fang Xuanling!

During my lifetime, I assisted Emperor Taizong in conquering the world and creating the prosperous Zhenguan era. I also compiled the dictionary to benefit future generations. After my death, my son will inherit the family business and carry it forward. What more could I ask for in life?

Now, his greatest hobby is studying the political and economic theories proposed by his son...

Fang Jun felt ashamed, but he couldn't very well say that these words didn't come from him. He couldn't just accuse someone of it, could he?
"Father is absolutely right. The Tang Dynasty may seem to be flourishing and prosperous, but it is actually in a very important period of transformation. If it can successfully overcome this, it will be able to lay the foundation for a thousand-year hegemony and be invincible in the world. If it is hindered by this, it will inevitably fall into the trap of dynastic cycles, sinking and rising, repeating itself endlessly."

"Oh? You're making it sound so serious. What kind of transition period is it?"

"Transformation of means of production".

Fang Xuanling immediately perked up, put down his teacup, and said with bright eyes, "I'd like to hear the details!"

She showed no embarrassment whatsoever in asking her son for advice.

Fang Jun thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and tried to describe it in the simplest terms possible: "The transformation of means of production is divided into technological transformation and economic transformation... Technological transformation means upgrading and iterating the means of production in the past to obtain more efficient production methods. Economic transformation means how to transform the surplus means of production such as silk, porcelain, glass, and paper into the population and minerals that the country needs more for its development."

Of course, there is much more to it than this, but for Fang Xuanling, who had almost no knowledge of "political economy," only such simple language could describe it in order to make it understandable.

Fang Xuanling did not ask any questions, but slowly pondered each word and phrase, as if deep in thought.

He was intimately familiar with the evolution of agricultural practices, from the earliest slash-and-burn agriculture to the iron plows and ox-drawn plows of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the alternating field system of the Western Han dynasty, the plowing and harrowing techniques of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties, and the Zhenguan plow and waterwheel of the Tang dynasty. Yet, he never used the simple phrase "transformation of means of production" to explain it clearly.

From ancient times to the present, "bartering" has been the most basic and common practice. Later, seashells, iron coins, copper coins, and cloth were used as currency, and now paper money has emerged... all of these have been unconscious "transformations of means of production".

Those past behaviors were "known but not understood," but now, having grasped their fundamental principles, they can be categorized, classified, and infinitely extended...

Fang Jun poured tea into their cups: "At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and warlords vied for power. In history books, it was a time of heroes and brilliance, but it also caused great damage to the country, leading to the people's suffering. The Tang Dynasty was established, and Emperor Taizong was wise and powerful, creating the 'Prosperous Era of Zhenguan.' However, less than twenty years was not enough to repair the damage caused by the war. Therefore, the most important part of the new policies implemented after Your Majesty ascended the throne was to promote infrastructure construction throughout the country."

"Without a network of smooth and wide roads, how can we talk about prosperity?"

"How can we talk about peace and tranquility if we can't build water conservancy projects and dredge waterways?"

"How can we talk about a glorious and prosperous era when the widowed and orphaned cannot be raised and the sick cannot receive medical treatment?"

"All of this would require almost inexhaustible resources. No matter how vast and abundant the Tang Dynasty was, it would never be able to supply enough. Moreover, exhausting resources would result in depleting the country's resources and causing immeasurable harm."

"So my son formed a navy and extended his reach beyond the country's borders, using glass, porcelain, and paper—things that could neither be eaten, clothed, nor used for construction—to exchange for useful materials overseas. The prerequisite was a stable environment; not only overseas, but also domestically."

"Anyone who dares to disrupt the current stable environment will be attacked!"

This last sentence is spirited and resolute.

Fang Xuanling was certain that if the meritorious officials of the Zhenguan era went too far, his son would definitely draw his sword and fight to the end to wipe out those meritorious officials of the country.

Instead of rebuking his son for his arrogance and ruthlessness, Fang Xuanling nodded slightly and said, "Although I am old, I will not shirk my duty if there is any need for me to contribute to the country's health."

Fang Jun let out a soft breath: "Thank you for your support, Father!"

Fang Xuanling took a sip of tea, his expression resolute: "I am not supporting you, I am supporting this country, and I am supporting the people who live on this land but suffer so much."

……

When he returned to the inner quarters, the lanterns were already lit. His wives, concubines, and children had been eagerly awaiting his return, and their faces lit up with joy. Several children gathered around him, calling out and jumping affectionately. Fang Jun, holding his daughter in his arms, sat on a chair and answered his sons' various questions.

Princess Gaoyang, along with Xiao Shuer and Jin Shengman, set out a feast, and the whole family sat together happily.

After dinner, the children went to sleep. Fang Jun changed his clothes and sat in the flower hall with his wives and concubines, drinking tea and chatting. In addition to being concerned about Wu Meiniang, who was far away in Luoyang, the women were also very interested in Wei King Li Tai's trip to "Fusang Kingdom" to establish a country.

Couples always need these seemingly unimportant chats during their leisure time to communicate. Unlike most men of this era, Fang Jun preferred to talk about these useless idle words with his wives and concubines, cracking jokes from time to time, which made the relationship between the couple more gentle and refined.

After finishing the pot of tea, I saw my mother, Madam Lu, storming in...

From a distance, Madam Lu shouted, "Second Brother, you scoundrel, what did you say to your father again? That old man is staying in the study, not eating, not drinking, and not sleeping. He's gone mad!"

Fang Jun: "..."

Oh no, I talked to my dad too much today. Is he going to start studying again?