Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 444 Should we persuade His Majesty to lead the army in person?

Under Lu Huiqing's sudden attack and with the help of the quick response of the disciples of the Su Society, Su Yun staged a "yellow robe" drama on the street and officially ascended the throne to become emperor.

Of course, coronation on the street was just a temporary one, and there were still many things to do for the formal coronation, such as determining the capital, the country's name, the reign title, preparing for the coronation ceremony, etc. None of these things could be rushed.

However, the Su Society had already prepared for this. Except for the dragon robe, everything else had already been discussed. Not long after Su Yun returned to the Chang'an Prefecture Government, Han Youan had already submitted a draft of the plan.

Of course, it is just a first draft. How it should be finalized still needs to be decided by Su Yun, and then further improved by the Su Society and the Six Houses, and finally confirmed by Su Yun before being announced to the world.

The Su Society prepared many country names and reign titles for Su Yun to choose from, such as Chang, Zhao, Jing, Yong, Xi, Shuo, etc. There were also many reign titles, such as Yongjia, Guangshuo, Zhaoning, Chengyun, etc.

After reading it, Su Yun was not very satisfied and added a few things to the plan. He added Ming to the country's name and Hongwu to the reign title.

In this matter, the Su Xuehui and the six departments that had been promoted to six ministries would naturally not go against Su Yun's wishes and decided on the country's name and the year name.

The new regime was named Ming and the reign title was Hongwu. This year is also called the first year of Hongwu.

As for why Su Yun named the country Ming and the reign title Hongwu, the Su Society was somewhat confused.

Generally speaking, the name of a country is usually related to the previous dynasty, based on the principle of the five virtues of the dynasties. Either choosing a name that promotes or a name that restrains each other makes sense. This is the theory of the five virtues.

For example, the Tang Dynasty replaced the Sui Dynasty, which was mutual generation. The Sui Dynasty was the virtue of fire, so the Tang Dynasty took the virtue of earth, and the fire gave birth to earth, which meant inheriting the Sui Dynasty.

When Cao Wei replaced the Han Dynasty, they chose the opposite. The Western Han Dynasty defined itself as the "Fire Virtue" (the name "Yan Han" originated from this), and the Eastern Han Dynasty continued the Fire Virtue and regarded itself as the "Fire Virtue Restoration".

Therefore, after Cao Pi succeeded the Han Dynasty by abdication, he declared that Cao Wei belonged to the virtue of earth and explained the change of dynasties by saying "earth overcomes fire", implying that Cao Wei would inherit the mandate of heaven and end the Han Dynasty.

Most country names basically have such considerations, either to choose between mutual promotion or mutual restraint, but people are not quite sure about the word "Ming".

The word "Ming" is composed of "sun" and "moon". The sun is yang fire and the moon is yin fire, which together form "fire virtue".

But the Song Dynasty also has the virtue of fire. Generally speaking, it is better for the previous dynasty and the new dynasty to counteract each other in order to show their legitimacy. Now you want to overthrow the Song Dynasty, but still take the same five virtues. This is a bit confusing. It can only be said that the Ming Dynasty inherited the Song Dynasty as the orthodox.

However, many people really believe this and think that Su Yun is still relatively nostalgic. Being born in the Song Dynasty, he is willing to regard the Song Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty and inherit the fire virtue of the Song Dynasty.

But they didn’t know that Su Yun’s considerations were beyond their comprehension.

In fact, Su Yun’s idea was very simple. In history, the Yuan Dynasty came after the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty came after the Yuan Dynasty. The reason why he got up for breakfast was to stop the Mongols from interrupting the progress of Chinese civilization.

Therefore, it is understandable that the country was named Ming, which meant to bypass the Yuan Dynasty.

Su Yun was also a fan of the Ming Dynasty and had great respect for Zhu Yuanzhang, so it was natural for him to name the country Ming and the reign title Hongwu.

Su Yun had the final say on the country's name and reign title, but he did not give any opinion on the capital. Instead, he left it to the six ministries and the Su Society for discussion.

The issue of choosing the capital city caused a great discussion.

The capital of a country is extremely important. As a major strategic decision for a dynasty or a country, choosing the capital requires comprehensive consideration of multiple factors such as politics, economy, military, geography, and culture, and even involves in-depth considerations such as feng shui and historical traditions.

The controversy arose over whether to make Chang'an the capital.

Those who support making Chang'an the capital believe that most dynasties tend to build their capitals in the place where they rise or become prosperous in order to strengthen the legitimacy of "the Mandate of Heaven."

For example, Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty with Hanzhong as its foundation, initially establishing his capital in Luoyang and later moving the capital to Chang'an (the old capital of Qin, symbolizing the inheritance of the Qin system).

However, this proposal has been denied by some people, and those who deny it are based on actual conditions.

They believe that although Chang'an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty, it is no longer suitable as a capital today.

Because the Guanzhong Plain is limited in area, only about 3.4 square kilometers, its population carrying capacity is insufficient.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, in order to maintain a population of one million, the population of Chang'an in Tang Dynasty reached over 1.5 million during its heyday. However, the output in Guanzhong was insufficient, and grain had to be transported from Henan, Shandong and Jiangnan in Guandong.

Emperor Wen of Sui once led his subjects to "go to Luoyang for food" because of famine in Guanzhong.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang made several tours to Luoyang in order to ease the food pressure in Chang'an.

From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, long-term reclamation led to a sharp decrease in the forests in Guanzhong, increased soil erosion, and a serious decline in agricultural productivity.

In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, Guanzhong was no longer the "fertile land of thousands of miles" it once was, and the grain self-sufficiency rate was less than half.

In this case, if Chang'an was the capital, it would have to rely on water transport to supply food, but the surge in water transport costs would make the dynasty overwhelmed!
If Chang'an was the capital, it would have to rely on the Grand Canal to transport grain. However, from Jiangnan to Chang'an, one must pass through the Yangtze River → Han Canal → Huai River → Tongji Canal → Yellow River → Wei River. The waterway is circuitous and full of dangerous rapids (such as Sanmenxia), and the transportation loss is as high as more than 40%!
After the An-Shi Rebellion, Jiangnan had long been the "granary of the world", so to speak, "of all the taxes collected in the world, Jiangnan accounted for 19 percent."

From this perspective, Luoyang and Kaifeng, two cities located at the hub of water transportation, are actually more convenient for connecting to the financial resources of the southeast than Chang'an. However, Chang'an is far away from the economic center and the logistical pressure is unbearable.

Considering these practical issues, it is definitely not possible to make Chang'an the capital.

As for where to establish the capital, it is a bit difficult to decide.

Some people thought it would be better to make Bian Jing the capital, some proposed Luoyang, and some were more radical and thought it would be best to make Xijin Prefecture, which is Beijing in later generations.

Those who put forward this opinion also had their reasons. They believed that if the capital was set in Xijin Prefecture, the problem of grain transportation could be solved. Chang'an in the Sui and Tang dynasties relied on the Grand Canal to transport grain from the south of the Yangtze River, and Kaifeng relied on the Bian Canal as its lifeline. "If grain transportation is blocked, the capital will be in danger." Since grain transportation is dangerous, then they can rely on sea transportation.

Xijin Prefecture is very close to the coastline. If the capital is set in Xijin Prefecture, the problem of water transport will be easily solved.

Of course, this is just one of their arguments. In fact, their more important basis is that they believe that Western Xia is not a concern and can be taken back soon. After unifying the country, the threat to the Ming Dynasty will only come from the grasslands and the northeast. Therefore, by establishing the capital in Xijin Prefecture, they can control it nearby.

Many people scoffed at this statement, but Su Yun looked up to the person who put forward this idea.

The person who first proposed this idea was Zhou Xingji. If there are readers with good memory, they will know that this man is the founder of the Luoyang Su Society.

Su Yun knew who the biggest enemy of the Ming Dynasty would be, but Zhou Xingji didn't know. However, some people's vision transcends the times, and Zhou Xingji is such a person.

The Ming Dynasty has just been established, and the Song Dynasty, Liao Dynasty, and Western Xia Dynasty are still there, but Zhou Xingji has realized that the future enemies are in the grasslands and the northeast! Su Yun actually also wants Xijin Prefecture, but at the moment, the time is not ripe, because the Song Dynasty and Western Xia Dynasty are still there. Among the four forces of the Song Dynasty, Western Xia, Liao Dynasty, and Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty is still relatively weak.

The main opponent now is the Song Dynasty. While the Song Dynasty is still around, the Ming Dynasty publicly declares that its capital is Xijin Prefecture of the Liao Dynasty. This directly establishes the Liao Dynasty as an enemy and is likely to be besieged by three parties.

This is also the reason why Su Yun has not expressed his thoughts on this matter for the time being.

However, the Su Society quickly decided on this matter and designated Chang'an as the capital. Everyone's idea was simple: they needed a capital now, and as for the future, they would move the capital after unifying the country, and Chang'an would serve as the secondary capital.

The Su Society was extremely efficient and quickly implemented these matters. Of course, the current situation was still quite serious, so everything was kept simple. They just held a simple coronation ceremony, which was then announced to the world, and then they began their military operations again.

This time, the Ming Dynasty’s plan is to take over Qinfeng Road and completely incorporate the entire Northwest into its territory!
……

Bianjing.

"Rebellious ministers and traitors! Rebellious ministers and traitors!"

"Snapped!"

Cheng Yi had just hurried to the outside of Chongzheng Hall when he heard the sounds of cups being smashed and angry roars coming from inside.

Cheng Yi took a deep breath and then entered the hall, only to see that the hall was in a mess, and the Song Dynasty official Zhao Xu had an expression of extreme anger with a hint of fear in his expression.

Zhao Xu seemed not to have noticed Cheng Yi coming in, and was still venting his rage.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!" Zhao Xu suddenly grabbed the inkstone on the desk and threw it towards the step below. The inkstone rubbed against Cheng Yi's hair crown, and the scent of ink mixed with ambergris exploded in the hall.

"How dare the six prefectures of Shaanxi claim to be the only ones in the world? Do you think it's a joke to treat my million-strong army as a joke?"

There was a tremor in his voice, which was more like a panic as if he was torn apart than anger.

Cheng Yi frowned immediately and was about to speak when he saw that when the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty Zeng Bu broke open the palace door, the goldfish bag on his waist was tilted to one side, and his official uniform with python pattern was wrinkled, looking very embarrassed.

The military newspaper in his hand was crumpled like waste paper, and the cinnabar annotation on it, "The Ming Dynasty established its capital in Chang'an", was soaked into a blood clot: "Your Majesty, urgent news from Qinfeng Road! The rebel army has occupied Dasan Pass, and the Longyou military supervisor reported that the rebels have even promoted the implementation of the 'military farming system' in the army, so that all soldiers can have enough food."

"Shut up!" Zhao Xu grabbed the paperweight on the table and smashed it over, but his arm was shaking and his aim was off. The paperweight hit the bronze crane incense burner with a "bang", filling the hall with green smoke.

The clanging sound seemed to wake up the young official Zhao Xu. He took a deep breath, looked at Cheng Yi, and said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Cheng, you are a man of great talent. When Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, how did Emperor Guangwu restore the Han Dynasty? Tell me now!"

Cheng Yi cleared his throat and brushed the memorials on the ground with his wide sleeves: "Your Majesty, the restoration of Emperor Guangwu depends on conquering the world through judo. Now Su Yun is in the northwest."

"Enough!" Zhao Xu suddenly shouted again, shaking the dust off the beams, "I don't want to hear about judo! I want to hear how to put down the rebellion!
How can we let those traitors know that anyone who dares to covet the sacred artifact will die without a burial place!"

He stood up suddenly, the jade belt buckle on his waist hurt his ribs, and he was shocked to realize that he had lost weight compared to last year.

Zeng Bu suddenly took a half step forward, his boots crushing a piece of porcelain. "Your Majesty, I would like to lead an army of 200,000. 200,000."

His voice suddenly became weak as he recalled the amount of silver in the treasury reported by the Ministry of Revenue the day before - after deducting the annual tribute to the Liao people, there was less than one million strings of silver available for military expenses.

"Two hundred thousand?" Zhao Xu suddenly sneered, and his laughter was so sharp that it made people's teeth ache.

"Zeng Qing, do you know that during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, Wang Shao opened the Xihe River and spent millions of strings of cash just on buying horses!
Moreover, where can we withdraw 200,000 troops from now? Should we transfer the Northern Army from the Liao border? Can the Liao army still defend itself?

What can you use to suppress the rebellion now? Your mouth?

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He even kicked over the gilded spittoon at his feet, and the thick black medicine splashed onto the uppers of Cheng Yi's blue satin shoes, leaving a stain.

Cheng Yi looked down at the medicine stains on his shoes, and suddenly remembered that when he passed by Donghua Gate this morning, he saw people gathered in a teahouse and scrambled to copy the "Ming Guo Fengtian Punishment against Song Dynasty", which contained ridiculous words such as "abolishing corvée and dividing land equally".

He took a deep breath and was about to speak when Zhao Xu suddenly grabbed the yellow silk imperial brush on the desk and wrote the word "搶" in cursive on the blank space. The ink splashed like tears: "Pass the order! Order Ke Shi to be the General of the Western Expedition. No, the General of the Cavalry! Grant him the Imperial Sword. You must, you must."

"Your Majesty," Zeng Bu finally couldn't help himself and reached out to hold down Zhao Xu's hand holding the pen, "Zhe Keshi is too young, and some of the Zhe family have joined that Su thief. I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public at this moment."

"Then who do you think can do it!" Zhao Xu turned his head suddenly, and the pearl tassel on his hair crown swept across his cheek, leaving a red mark. "Is it you, Master Cheng, or Mr. Zeng?"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and suddenly he started coughing violently. The eunuch in the palace hurried in with medicine and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please don't get excited, and drink some medicine first to calm down!"

Zhao Xu threw the medicine in his eldest companion's hand away, and the medicine bowl fell, and the medicine immediately stained a large area of ​​the hall.

Zhao Xu started coughing even more violently, his face turned blue and purple, and he couldn't even speak.

Cheng Yi said anxiously: "Quickly call the imperial physician, quickly call the imperial physician!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Xu suddenly fell to the ground, and then lay on his back, which frightened everyone present and made them scream.

The imperial physician came hurriedly and performed first aid, and Zhao Xu finally woke up. However, he was still not conscious, so he was sent to the palace for recuperation.

However, Cheng Yi and Zeng Bu, two opponents who had fought fiercely recently, looked at each other.

They became worried and their faces looked very frightened.

Their mood now is very similar, which is: what to do!
They were once ministers of reform and great scholars with students all over the world, but in the current situation, the knowledge and experience they relied on seemed to become insignificant.

How to do!
"Why don't we follow the example of Lord Kou and persuade His Majesty to lead the army in person?"

Cheng Yi said.

"what?"

Zeng Bu looked up in surprise.

(End of this chapter)