Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5287 All are inland seas
Liang Jianfang frowned: "From Chang'an to Huating Town, and then from Huating Town to Da Nang by sea... it's a journey of thousands of miles by both land and sea. If there's even a moment's delay, we might not make it in time. If we travel such a long distance only to arrive late, wouldn't we become a laughing stock?"

His words caused everyone to become worried.

Along the way, the journey involved mountain roads, snow roads, waterways, and sea routes... The trek of thousands of miles was filled with too many unexpected events. In particular, the winter sea monsoon was fierce and the wind direction was unpredictable. If Fang Jun did something to delay the trip and then tried to deny it, everyone would have to suffer in silence.

Cheng Yaojin, displeased, glared and said, "What you can think of, can't Lord Ying think of? Since Lord Ying has arranged for us to send our sons, he must have already received Fang Er's promise. Don't worry about things that don't concern you!"

Liang Jianfang sneered: "You, Duke Lu, don't seem to care about these things. All your family members are on good terms with Fang Er. Even without Duke Ying's intervention, you could still secure a spot to go to Da Nang. If all else fails, you still have Princess Qinghe in your family. Just send her to Fang Er... Oh dear!"

Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Yaojin slammed the teacup down on his head, then pointed his finger and cursed, "You foul-mouthed bastard, I'll pull out your tongue today, so your mother won't suffer because of you in the future!"

Then he leaped up and charged forward.

Fortunately, those around him reacted quickly, getting up to grab him around the waist and loudly admonishing him: "Zhijie, calm down! How can you be so rude in front of the Duke of Ying?"

"boom!"

Li Ji's face turned ashen. He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "If you want to fight, go outside! Don't cause trouble in my house! Men, give each of them a steel knife and send them to the gate. If not one of them dies today, they're all sons of bitches!"

Cheng Yaojin used his arms to break free from the person trying to mediate, pointed his finger at Liang Jianfang's nose, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Our friendship is over. From now on, if you see me on the street, go around me. Otherwise, I'll beat you up every time I see you!"

After saying this, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Ji: "I was rash today. I will apologize to Duke Ying another day. Farewell!"

Ignoring the advice and attempts of others to stop him, he turned and strode away in anger.

The main hall was completely silent and in a state of utter chaos.

Li Ji was exhausted. He sat back in his chair and waved his hand, saying, "This matter is decided. Whether you go or not is up to you. You may all leave."

"Here."

The others dared not say anything more, and they all got up to take their leave, disappearing in no time.

Upon arriving after hearing the news, Li Zhen looked at the messy hall and his father's ashen face, sighed inwardly, and gently comforted him, "Father, why are you angry? Things are different now. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has intentionally suppressed you, causing your prestige to decline and making it difficult to control these arrogant and unruly generals. You are no longer the man who could command a hundred followers and be the center of attention during the Zhenguan era. Actually, there's nothing wrong with that. A new emperor brings a new court. Our family has achieved unparalleled merit and enjoys the highest honor. As long as we safeguard our family business, we can ensure that our descendants will be worry-free for generations to come. On the contrary, the more deeply we get involved, the easier it is to make mistakes and go astray."

Li Ji snorted and said dismissively, "The only one who can make mistakes or go astray is that wretched child! As long as we keep an eye on him and prevent him from causing trouble, we'll be fine."

Li Zhen was embarrassed and bowed apologetically: "It is my fault for not raising my son well, which has caused Father so much worry."

He was helpless; how could he have given birth to such a bastard as Li Jingye?
He was neither as shrewd and astute as his grandfather, nor as calm, humble, and low-key as himself. Instead, he was more like his uncle Li Siwen, arrogant and ambitious, always thinking about emulating the Fang family's "two dukes in one family," without considering how he could compare to Fang Jun.
Li Ji sighed and remained silent.

He himself is not the type to fight for power and profit; he is quite content with the present and happy with what he has, and is very satisfied with his current power and status.

But when I thought about how my lack of ambition had caused my old comrades to have different ideas, to be unwilling to lie low, and even to harbor resentment towards me, I felt that I should fight for them, even if it was just for their sake.

I'm really torn...

*****
That night, the gates of more than ten mansions of meritorious officials from the Zhenguan era were opened wide. The sons and daughters, fully armored, rode out of the city through various gates and headed straight for their respective farms to gather their family soldiers. After preparing armor, weapons, and provisions, the carriages and horses rumbled across the Ba Bridge, passed through Tongguan, took the Xiaohan Road, and headed straight for the Central Plains and the East China Sea...

This caused a sensation throughout the city and sparked much discussion, with everyone speculating that the imperial court must have launched a war somewhere.

The next morning, Liu Ji went to the yamen to report for duty and then went to the imperial study to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, although the Grand Council is currently in charge of military affairs and can handle all troop movements, both the State Council and the Grand Council are ultimately under Your Majesty's leadership. It is simply outrageous that they rush to the battlefield without any orders or military duties! If this trend is not curbed, the consequences will be dire!"

Liu Ji eloquently explained the advantages and disadvantages, hoping that His Majesty would issue an imperial edict to bring back these sons of meritorious officials.

Li Chengqian had just finished breakfast and was drinking tea in the Imperial Study before he began dealing with state affairs. Upon hearing this, he shook his head: "Although these sons of noble families hold military positions, their reason for leaving the city this time is neither military affairs nor official business. I can't just confine them to Chang'an, can I? Besides, the Grand Commandant has already said that even if these people arrive in Da Nang, they will not be incorporated into the navy. They will just be there to gain experience and seniority. The Grand Chancellor should not be too harsh on them."

He certainly understood the purpose of Liu Ji's complaint so early in the morning. Accusations such as "unauthorized departure from the city" and "disobedience to orders" were merely nitpicking. What he truly feared was that Fang Jun and Li Ji would "join forces" again, turning the military into a monolithic entity, leaving the civil service group powerless to resist.

Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, the "checks and balances between civil and military officials" has been the mainstream in the imperial court. Now, the military is so powerful that it can fight any war it wants and attack whomever it wants, which naturally makes the civil officials seem constrained and useless at every turn...

Liu Ji knew that the "Battle of Central and Southern China" was imminent and had to be launched. His navy was deployed along the coast, ready to launch a thunderous attack at any time, but he was still unwilling to give up.

"While the Grand Commandant's strategy may seem necessary, it should have been advised and discussed with His Majesty beforehand to obtain His Majesty's approval, rather than making decisions on military deployments and then reporting to His Majesty... If this continues, the country will cease to exist!"

Li Chengqian chuckled to himself. For a high-ranking official like himself to utter such astonishment was enough to show how much pressure the military was putting on him.

Setting down his teacup, he smiled gently and said, "I know how difficult things are for you, but there's no need to be in such a hurry. The war will eventually end. At that time, even if we don't say that weapons will be stored away and horses will be let graze freely, the army will certainly be restrained and redundant forces will be eliminated. The national strategy will shift entirely to domestic development. The military will also face difficulties. To finish all the necessary battles in the shortest possible time, it will require enormous sacrifices..."

At this point, his smile gradually faded, and he said solemnly, "It is normal and permissible for civil and military officials to have conflicting interests and disagreements. However, when the soldiers at the front are fighting bloody battles, no one can hold them back! It is one thing for them to die on the battlefield, and I will provide them with generous compensation. But if it is because one of our own people holds them back and causes unnecessary casualties, I will show no mercy."

Any struggle should occur before the war. Once the war begins, the entire empire, both inside and outside, must work together in unison, and everyone must serve the victory of the war. No matter how kind-hearted or soft-hearted he is, or how much he tries to cultivate his image of "benevolence," he will never allow it.

Liu Ji hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, please rest assured. I have been appointed by Your Majesty as the Grand Chancellor, overseeing all affairs of state and assisting in the governance of the country. How could I not distinguish between what is important and what is not? Moreover, the current ‘War in Central and Southern China’ is quite different from the War in the Western Regions. The Western Regions are mostly grasslands, deserts, and Gobi, lacking food supplies. We can only collect and transport food from within the country, which puts great pressure on the prefectures and counties. Even the granaries are almost empty… But the situation in the Indochina Peninsula is different. The local grain production is extremely high, and we can collect food locally. In addition, in the past two years, we have carried out large-scale reclamation and rice cultivation in places such as Luzon Island, which can provide support from nearby. The pressure on the country is not great.”

Li Chengqian nodded, picked up his teacup, and drank some tea.

Liu Ji then got up to take his leave.

He knew, of course, that he couldn't change the situation by filing a complaint himself, but he could offer a reminder to His Majesty.

Not only does he dislike the military's unity and solidarity, but His Majesty would also not want to see such a situation.
The closer Fang Jun became to Li Ji, the more wary the Emperor grew…

After Liu Ji left, Li Chengqian put down his teacup, got up and went to the room on the left. He asked the eunuch to light the lamp, and then stood with his hands behind his back in front of the wall, staring at a huge map hanging on the wall.

The vast, bright red expanse of land stretches from the Greater and Lesser Jinshan Mountains in the east to the four towns of Anxi in the west, and from Beihai in the north to the South China Sea in the south. It is magnificent and expansive.

In addition, Goguryeo, Japan, Ryukyu, Luzon, Borneo, Princess Goyang Island, and the Kunlun Peninsula are all tinged with green. If the Indochina Peninsula is added, these peninsulas and islands will form a chain that surrounds tens of thousands of miles of sea from north to south, forming an enormous inland sea.

Since the beginning of Chinese civilization, has there ever been such a vast and expansive territory?

On land, all the surrounding nomadic tribes were annihilated, leaving only the Tibetan Empire on the plateau barely clinging to life. For tens of thousands of miles along the border, there were no more barbarian bandits threatening the country. The national situation was more stable than ever before, coupled with the continuous flow of wealth and resources from overseas into the homeland...

Fifty or a hundred years from now, how prosperous and powerful will the Tang Dynasty be?
Although unwilling to relinquish imperial power, at this moment, gazing upon such a vast territory, Li Chengqian truly understood the purpose behind Fang Jun's successive advocacy for the establishment of the Council of State Affairs and the Grand Council—no matter whether it was Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, or Emperor Taizong, any wise, powerful, and ambitious monarch could not possibly govern such a large country by his own strength.

Simply reviewing the urgent government affairs sent to Chang'an from all over the country every day could exhaust the emperor to death.

The decentralization of power is inevitable; it is far better to rely on institutions and government departments than on the abilities of an individual.

People make mistakes, but institutions and government departments with mature mechanisms can minimize the probability of making mistakes.

But does this mean that from now on, the emperor will only exist as a formality of "signing and stamping"?

Wang De's voice rang out from behind: "Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Han has been summoned to an audience."

(End of this chapter)