Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 363: Discussion on the Capital
Therefore, Guiliang and Borjigit came together to meet Guarjia.

Want to gain the support of the Guwalja clan.

Also, the story of Yi killing his brother and stealing his sister-in-law had already spread.

But the matter was already settled, Yi had already secured the throne, and the Qing Dynasty was on the verge of collapse at that time and could not withstand the turmoil.

Therefore, everyone tacitly agreed not to mention this matter.

But now it's different.

Yi was defeated and captured, and lost control of the government.

Those who were dissatisfied with him within the Qing Dynasty would naturally take the opportunity to jump out and want to establish a new emperor.

However, this was unacceptable to Guiliang, Borjigit and others.

Whether in terms of interests, positions, or emotions, they are all die-hard imperialists.

Upon hearing this, Guarjia took a deep breath and spoke with a firm attitude.

"Mother, what do you need me to do?"

Upon hearing this, Borjigit did not beat around the bush and spoke directly.

"You and I will come together to hold an impromptu court meeting in the palace."

"Then the in-laws arranged for the executioners to ambush in the palace."

"After the cup is smashed as a signal, the executioners will rush out and, in the name of you and me, the Queen Mother and the Empress, kill a few of the leading traitors and then force the rest to promise to welcome the Emperor back."

"Only by doing this can we save the emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Guarjia nodded immediately.

"As long as the emperor can be rescued, I will obey the Queen Mother's arrangements."

Gui Liang heard this and said in a humble tone.

"Don't worry, Empress Dowager, with this old minister here, we will definitely not let those traitors get away with it."

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother spoke solemnly.

"In this case, I'll leave everything to you, my Lord."

Upon hearing this, Gui Liang nodded solemnly.

Now Borjigit was very glad that Yi had appointed Gui Liang to be in charge of opening up the land outside the Great Wall and to take control of the power outside the Great Wall.

Otherwise, without the support of Gui Liang, the powerful figure who controlled the areas outside the Great Wall, he and the Guwalgiya clan would not be able to suppress the criticism in the court no matter how righteous they were.

The Borjigit family now understands that only with soldiers can one have power.

Without soldiers, it is useless to have a righteous title.

……

Forbidden City, Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After leaving the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Li Yi walked to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, preparing to stay in the Forbidden City for the time being.

As for the Old Summer Palace?

There is no need to rush.

Now, the most important thing for Li Yi is to put the overall situation of the court first.

It would not be too late to go to the Old Summer Palace after he had stabilized the government.

Well, the Old Summer Palace is right there, and it won’t run away, so why not go there whenever you want?
Why worry about that moment?
Now that the world is still unsettled, we should focus on government affairs.

When it comes to handling government affairs, the Forbidden City is closer to the offices of various cabinet departments and is definitely more efficient than the Old Summer Palace.

In the Yangxin Palace, Li Yi summoned all the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty to discuss matters.

After everyone arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Li Yi raised his hand and arranged for them to take their seats, then began to speak.

"Today, although our Tang Dynasty has recovered the capital, this does not mean that we have firmly established our rule over the world."

"My dear ministers, you should continue to do your best to run this family for me."

Upon hearing this, everyone responded in unison.

Li Yi continued.

"Next, the following are the main things that lie ahead for our Tang Dynasty."

"First of all, military actions cannot stop."

"The Tang Dynasty must send troops to capture important border towns such as Xuanhuafu, Gubeikou, and Shanhaiguan as soon as possible, and build a wall defense line to protect the capital to prevent the Qing army from entering the border to harass."

As soon as Li Yi finished speaking, Zuo Zongtang immediately stood up and spoke.

"I understand. I will order people to prepare a battle plan."

Li Yi nodded, then stretched out his second finger.

"Second, immediately send people to Shanxi, Hubei and other places to persuade them to surrender, cooperate with military operations to exert pressure, and take over all the provinces within the Great Wall as soon as possible."

Zhang Zhidong nodded to show that he understood, and said that he would send a telegram to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guangzhou as soon as he got back.

Li Yi continued.

"Third, we should also send people to persuade Shi Dakai to surrender, and be prepared to send troops to attack him if he refuses to surrender."

"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

"If I cannot unify the interior of China, then wouldn't my actions as an emperor simply be ridiculed by others?"

Upon hearing this, everyone responded in unison again.

They all knew that Li Yi was not one of those monarchs of the two Song dynasties who were afraid that their generals would become more powerful than them and therefore did not dare to expand their territory and could only live in peace in a corner.

Li Yi is not afraid of anyone surpassing his master in achievements.

Because, since the rise of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yi has personally led almost every major battle.

Every large-scale battle of the Tang Dynasty was won under the personal command of Li Yi.

Even the two capitals of the north and the south were recovered by Li Yi.

He is like a replica of Li Shimin.

He was even younger and more confident than Li Shimin when he ascended the throne.

Therefore, he is not worried about anyone becoming too successful to be respected by his master, because no one's contribution can surpass his.

Everyone understands that following such a monarch, achieving great things is inevitable.

The unification of the world is naturally the trend of the times!
Li Yi nodded slightly, and then continued. "Then comes the fourth thing."

“Move the capital!”

"Now that the capital has been conquered, it is time to move the capital. All departments must make preparations for the move and complete the relocation as soon as possible."

"After the relocation of the capital is completed, it won't be too late to hold my coronation ceremony!"

Li Yi actually considered where the capital of the Tang Dynasty should be.

There are actually not many places in China that are suitable to be the capital.

In terms of political status, they are the two capitals of the north and the south, plus Xi'an, Luoyang, and Kaifeng.

Other places, including Guangzhou and Wuhan, are actually not qualified.

But in Li Yi's opinion, there are only two options for where to establish the capital, namely the two capitals of the north and the south.

As for Xi'an, Luoyang and Kaifeng, they are all a little worse.

Xi'an is because the Guanzhong Plain has been developed beyond recognition and, under the influence of the natural climate, soil erosion is severe.

It is no longer the Guanzhong of the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, and is no longer sufficient to support the operation of a large empire.

The reason for Kaifeng is because of the Yellow River issue.

The Yellow River is now a suspended river, and a small-scale breach occurs every now and then.

Especially in the Kaifeng section of the Yellow River, breaches are commonplace.

If the capital was set in Kaifeng, there would be floods in the capital every day, and the imperial palace would be soaked in the Yellow River water every now and then. Who could stand that?
So, Kaifeng was also passed.

As for Luoyang, it is located inland.

Today is the age of great navigation. As one of the four ancient civilizations, China must also actively move towards the ocean and the deep blue.

Only then will the country and nation have a future and hope.

Therefore, the location of the capital must not be too far from the sea.

Well, Xi'an and Kaifeng were excluded, and this is actually one of the reasons. They are really too far from the sea.

With this calculation, the only suitable choices are the two capitals in the north and the south.

These two places also have their own advantages.

Nanjing is located in the heart of Jiangnan. Establishing Nanjing as the capital will help to better control Jiangnan, the money bag and cultural center.

Beijing is located in the north, and making Beijing the capital will enable better control over the four northern provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi.

Among these places, Hebei has iron, Shanxi has coal, and Shandong and Henan have grain.

Adding them together, both heavy industry and food are complete.

Only with heavy industry and food can we hold the gun firmly.

In other words, the choice of the capital in the north or south is actually a choice between money and guns.

But Li Yi chose the gun!

Because political power comes from the barrel of a gun.

For rulers, the gun always comes first.

As long as you hold the gun, all other problems are not problems.

But if you only hold the purse, you will most likely become a fat sheep in the eyes of others.

……

After finishing the meeting, Li Yi waved his hand to dismiss everyone and prepared to rest.

He walked to the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and prepared to lie down and rest.

Suddenly, Li Yi's eyes fixed.

He noticed that there seemed to be a person lying in a rolled-up quilt on the bed.

He was slightly startled and subconsciously drew the pistol from his waist and shouted.

"Who? Who is where?"

Li Yi was on guard as he had just arrived in an unfamiliar environment, and naturally he could not leave his gun behind.

The guards outside the side hall heard the noise inside the hall and pushed the doors open and rushed in, protecting Li Yi behind them, with the black muzzles of their guns pointed towards the bed.

Soon, a head popped out from under the quilt on the bed, and said with a slightly pale face.

"Reply... Replying to the emperor, I am a maid in the palace."

"Eunuch Huang ordered me to serve the emperor and sleep with him."

This was a very beautiful woman with delicate features, but Li Yi couldn't help frowning.

"How did you get into the Yangxin Palace?"

Before Li Yi moved into the Yangxin Palace, his guards cleaned the palace inside and out.

Then, all the entrances and exits were guarded!
In this situation, no one should be able to enter the Palace of Tranquil Longevity without his knowledge.

Thinking about this, Li Yi couldn't help but feel nervous.

It was a good thing that the woman who came was the one to sleep with him, what if it was an assassin?

Is that okay?

At this moment, Zhang Tai on the side stood up and said with some trepidation.

"Your Majesty, it was I who let her in."

"Just now, when His Majesty summoned all his colleagues to discuss matters in the Yangxin Palace, Huang Hean brought a few eunuchs to bring this woman here, saying that she was sent to sleep with His Majesty."

"I thought it was arranged by Your Majesty, so I ordered several female officials to check and after confirming that it was safe, they let the person into the bedroom."

"It was my negligence this time. Your Majesty, please punish me!"

After hearing this, Li Yi's complexion improved slightly.

But he still looked at Zhang Tai coldly, and then gave instructions to another servant beside him.

"Go and bring Huang Anhe here."

"I would like to ask, who gave him the courage to let him be my master?!"

(End of this chapter)