The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 33: Are there capable people around the Crown Prince?

He almost revealed his weakness in front of a shrewd person like Lai Ji!
He forced down his wildly beating heart, took a deep breath, and toned down his overly obvious smile, trying to regain a solemn and focused expression. He simply nodded slightly, signaling Lai Ji to continue.

This subtle shift in emotion and control of his body made his already somewhat unnatural sitting posture, caused by his foot ailment, appear even stiffer, but it also conveniently concealed his earlier loss of composure.

Lai Ji had such keen eyesight that he noticed the Crown Prince's momentary excitement, his almost indistinct glance at a certain spot, and his subsequent forced composure.

A question flashed through my mind: Is there a capable person by the Crown Prince's side?
Moreover, the Crown Prince seems to be extremely dependent on this person?

Otherwise, how can such subtle, instantaneous changes be explained?

But he remained expressionless, as if he were completely unaware.

His purpose was not to uncover the secrets of the Crown Prince's palace, but to achieve the practical effect of his advice.

Without further hesitation, he took out a slightly worn sheepskin map from his sleeve and respectfully presented it with both hands.

"Your Highness, this matter concerns the policy of relocating people to the western regions to strengthen the border. I have taken the liberty of bringing a rough map that my father drew when he traveled with me to Longyou and the Western Regions. Although it is simple, it gives a glimpse into the general geography and waterways of the western regions. Please take a look."

A young eunuch stepped forward, took the map, and carefully spread it out on Li Chengqian's desk.

Li Chengqian stared intently at the map, which depicted mountains and rivers and marked several major oases and towns. Although it was not as detailed as the maps in the palace, it exuded a sense of realism that only a person who had personally experienced it could feel.

Lai Ji was given permission, stepped forward, pointed to the map, and began to give a detailed account.

"Your Highness, the land of Xizhou appears vast, but seven or eight out of ten parts are desert and Gobi. The people's survival depends entirely on the water sources of these few oases." The court's intention to relocate people to the border is good, but if death row inmates are mixed with innocent people, there will be great hidden dangers. Among the prisoners are many vicious and unruly individuals, making border management difficult. If they plunder the grain and livestock of innocent people, or even harass the local area, it will not only fail to stabilize the border, but may also cause border troubles. This is the first point.

He paused, observed the Crown Prince's reaction, and seeing that Li Chengqian was listening attentively, continued: "Secondly, and this is of utmost importance, lies in water conservancy. The Western Regions are arid and receive little rain, and agriculture relies entirely on irrigation. Emperor Yang of Sui also relocated a large number of people to the border regions, but he only cared about relocating people and neglected water conservancy. As a result, the relocated people worked hard to cultivate the land, but due to the lack of water, they had no harvest. In the end, the officials forced the people to rebel, which led to great chaos. The lessons of the past are still vivid in our minds! If our dynasty relocates people and only gives them land without building water conservancy projects, I am afraid we will repeat the same mistakes, wasting the country's resources and causing suffering to the people."

As Li Chengqian listened to Lai Ji's account, his gaze shifted between the deserts and oases on the map, and his previously feverish excitement gradually subsided.

When he discussed the "Xizhou Crown Prince Project" with Li Yichen, he focused more on the macro-level strategic layout and power struggle, and how to cultivate influence and accumulate capital through it.

Li Yichen did not tell him about these specific and minute details of the execution that concerned the lives and deaths of tens of thousands of migrants.

He subconsciously wanted to look at Li Yichen again, hoping to get confirmation or clarification from him, but he forcibly restrained himself.

He then turned his gaze entirely to Lai Ji, his face showing genuine seriousness and a look of seeking advice: "Scholar Lai's words are all true and thought-provoking. I had indeed thought too simply about this matter before. I only considered the benefits of relocating the people and did not delve into the difficulties of resettlement, especially the vital water conservancy. In your opinion, how should we avoid these hidden dangers so that the relocation policy can be implemented smoothly and truly benefit the border people and the court?"

When Lai Ji saw that the Crown Prince was not displeased at being told about the policy oversights, but instead humbly sought his advice, he felt reassured and even more invigorated. After a moment's thought, he clearly stated, "Your Highness is wise. In my humble opinion, we might try to start from the following aspects, which may be of some benefit."

"Firstly, the prisoners should be housed separately and managed strictly. They can be concentrated in the more difficult northern areas, where they need to be heavily garrisoned, to focus on land reclamation and defense. Meanwhile, the sons of good families and those who volunteered should be settled in the relatively fertile oasis areas in the south, to focus on farming. The newly established garrison troops, appointed by His Majesty, will be stationed and patrol between the two areas to maintain a clear boundary. In this way, we can avoid the mixing of prisoners and good people and prevent incidents from arising, while also forming a tiered defense system where each group performs its own duties."

"Secondly, water conservancy must come first, and infrastructure is of utmost importance. Construction must begin before the migrants arrive. I humbly request Your Highness to instruct His Majesty to allocate a special fund from the migrant resettlement expenses, ordering local officials in Xizhou to take advantage of the early spring season to organize local soldiers and civilians, as well as some of the advance prisoners, to prioritize the repair or excavation of water diversion channels, reservoirs, and other water conservancy facilities. It is imperative to ensure that when the large-scale migrants arrive, there will be water available and fields to cultivate, so that they can settle down and live in peace. This is the key to the success or failure of the migrant resettlement and must not be neglected."

"Thirdly, we must dispatch specialists to provide technical guidance. This relocation of people not only requires officials who are well-versed in law and skilled in managing criminals, but also scholars from the Imperial Academy, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and even the common people who are knowledgeable in agriculture, water conservancy, and construction. These scholars should be appointed as 'Agricultural Encouragement Commissioners' or 'Water Conservancy Assistants' and sent to the Western Regions. Their responsibility is to guide the relocated people to adapt to local conditions, select suitable crops, teach irrigation methods, and even assist in planning villages and building houses. With their guidance, the relocated people can achieve twice the result with half the effort and take root in the frontier. This cannot be achieved by simply binding them with laws."

Li Chengqian listened intently, and every strategy he came up with was put into practice, filling in many gaps in the grand strategy he and Li Yichen had not yet addressed.

The idea of ​​"water conservancy first" particularly caught his eye.

This is not just about avoiding risks, but also a sound strategy for proactive development.

His opinion of Lai Ji suddenly rose.

This person not only has a heart that cares about the country and its people, but also has practical and capable talents. His suggestions are not unrealistic, but based on a deep understanding of the actual situation.

His meticulousness and thoroughness in planning are truly extraordinary.

Meanwhile, Li Yichen, who had been listening silently, also felt a surge of emotions.

He came from a later era and naturally knew what kind of person Lai Ji was, but seeing with his own eyes and hearing with his own ears that Lai Ji could come up with such a to-the-point and highly practical strategy in his youth, he still secretly admired him.

This person's talent was not limited to the legendary tales of later generations; he truly possessed the ability to apply his knowledge to practical matters such as economic development, people's livelihood, and local governance.

What's even more remarkable is that Lai Ji possesses a down-to-earth quality based on on-site investigations and practical experience, something that most people in this era cannot replace.

If the prince could gain the sincere assistance of this person, it would undoubtedly be like adding wings to a tiger.

However, Li Yichen also knew that capable ministers like Lai Ji had their own principles and could not be easily won over. Their primary loyalty was probably to the emperor and the country itself.

In any case, there is absolutely no harm in befriending them.

Li Chengqian was increasingly impressed as he listened, and he could no longer hide the admiration on his face.

　感谢读者大大的月票！！！感谢尾号8665的11张月票。感谢腾哥爱吃葡萄、一会聊聊天了的5张月票。感谢尾号7136的3张月票。还有感谢为小说投月票的读者大大们！真心感谢！为表示感谢，多更一章！还有感谢读者大大们的推荐票！！！真心感谢！！！在这里小子为你们行礼了，请受纳！
　　
　
(End of this chapter)