We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, there was inevitably some greetings between the emperor and his subjects.

Li Che briefly recounted how he conquered the Qin and Jin territories after entering the Pass, and how he captured the imperial capital without bloodshed.

Yang Zhongsi, Huo Duanxiao and others reported that Feng State's government affairs had been running smoothly recently, which made Li Che feel at ease.

Afterwards, Li Che specially summoned Du Fuchen to meet with all the ministers.

Although everyone met Du Fuchen for the first time, after hearing about his identity and deeds, they naturally did not dare to underestimate the former prime minister.

After the initial conversation ended, Huo Duanxiao stroked his beard and got to the point: "Your Majesty urgently summoned me and others to come here at all hours of the day. Has your Majesty decided to establish the capital in the imperial capital?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes were focused on Li Che.

According to common sense, the imperial capital is the capital of Daqing, which is the political and cultural center.

Now that it has been recovered, it should naturally continue to be the capital of the new dynasty.

However, almost all the important officials present were from Feng State. They participated in the planning and construction of Fengtian City and poured countless efforts into it.

Moreover, Fengtian is as large as the imperial capital, and its infrastructure is even more advanced than the imperial capital, but its geographical location is a little worse.

If they really want to abandon Fengtian and establish the capital here, although people will not object verbally, they will inevitably feel reluctant in their hearts, worried that the foundation of the north will be shaken.

Li Che took in everyone's expressions and smiled faintly: "That's not the case."

Wen Zaiyin's gray eyebrows knitted slightly when he heard this: "So, Your Majesty still wants to make Fengtian the capital?"

"Although Fengtian is good, it is ultimately located in the northern border. It is inevitable that it is out of reach for governing the entire Daqing region."

Li Che shook his head again: "Not really."

Now, everyone showed a look of surprise.

Since the capital is neither Fengtian nor the imperial capital, does Your Majesty prefer Luoyang or Chang'an?

Li Che no longer kept the mystery going and revealed the answer: "My idea is that Daqing will implement a multi-capital system in the future."

"Multi-capital system?" Zhuge Zhe was slightly startled and pondered, "Your Majesty, what you are talking about is similar to the five-capital system established by the former Liao Dynasty?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Li Che nodded and glanced at everyone.

"According to my initial conception, I propose to establish four capitals: Fengtian as Beijing, guarding the northern border; Chang'an as Xijing, controlling Longyou and Hexi, and overlooking the Western Regions; the imperial capital as Dongjing, pacifying the world; and in the southern Guangdong region, a coastal location will be chosen as Nanjing."

Zhuge Zhe was surprised and said, "Eastern Guangdong is a remote place with a hot and humid climate and many miasma. It is a wild and dangerous place. How can it be called the capital?"

Li Che smiled and said, "Ziyuan, you don't know. The so-called miasma mostly refers to malaria, which is mainly caused by the hot and humid climate in the south and the breeding of mosquitoes. As long as you strengthen your hygiene awareness and don't drink raw water, it won't be a big deal."

"We chose eastern Guangdong because it has been the most important maritime trade hub since ancient times, making it closer and more convenient to travel overseas."

"As for the so-called wild and dangerous places, so what? Wasn't our Feng Kingdom also known as a bitter and cold place before, and no one dared to go there? Now, how many people would still look down on Feng Kingdom?"

The so-called eastern Guangdong is Guangdong in later generations. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a world-class port group, and it also has Victoria Harbour, one of the three largest natural ports in the world.

Such a precious land will be developed sooner or later.

The reason why Li Che chose this place to establish Nanjing was that he wanted to rely on the advantages of sea transportation to control the Southeast Asian region.

Thinking of this, he continued, "Today's Daqing has a much larger territory than before, and it will surely be even more vast in the future. The old system of sticking to one capital and ruling the world is no longer appropriate."

"Having four capitals side by side will allow us to radiate our power in all directions, strengthen our control over each region, and respond to challenges from different directions."

Huo Duanxiao frowned slightly and asked, "Your Majesty has thought it through carefully, but one of the four capitals must be the leader. Where should it be placed?"

"If we move people everywhere, it may not be a solution for long-term stability."

Li Che had clearly given this much thought, and he calmly replied, "I believe the location of the capital should change as the focus of national policy shifts."

"What does Your Majesty mean?" Yang Zhongsi couldn't help but ask.

Li Che elaborated on his conception: "For example, right now, our dynasty's top priority is to march south to pacify the false emperor and unify Jiangnan, so the military and political focus will naturally be in the south."

"Then, the imperial capital, Tokyo, will be the chief of the four capitals. I and the court will reside here to oversee the overall situation."

"Once Jiangnan is pacified, if Russia in the northern border raises a thorny issue, the strategic center of gravity will shift northward. Fengtian, as Beijing, will become the most important city, and the imperial court can also move north in due course to provide closer command."

"Similarly, if we were to use our forces against Tibet, the imperial court could temporarily reside in Chang'an, the Western Capital. If the world remains at peace, and we wish to rest and recuperate, and develop domestic affairs, then either Chang'an or Luoyang could serve as the capital, and there would be no harm in establishing an additional Central Capital."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.

The advantages of this strategy are obvious. The multi-capital system can indeed respond more flexibly to the governance needs of the empire and strengthen the central government's control over the peripheral areas.

But the disadvantages were also prominent: the migration of the imperial court cost a huge amount of money and grain.

Moreover, frequent changes in the political center can easily lead to political instability, officials being exhausted, and poor coordination in government affairs.

Hearing these concerns raised by everyone, Li Che smiled, but his expression became more serious: "This is exactly what I need to discuss carefully with you."

"Conquering the world is not easy, ruling the world is even harder."

"Now that we've taken down Daqing's facade, how can we fill it with flesh and blood and revitalize it? We need to establish a clear program for governing the country."

Wen Zaiyin spoke first: "Your Majesty, Fengguo is now enjoying a harmonious political environment and a thriving economy. This proves that the policies implemented by Fengguo have been very effective."

"In my opinion, as long as the policy of serving the country is extended to the whole country, Daqing will prosper."

Li Che slowly shook his head: "What Mr. Wen said may be inappropriate."

"Apart from Prime Minister Du, who has previously held the helm of the government, who among you here has experience governing such a vast country?"

Du Fuchen hurriedly bowed and said "I dare not".

Li Chexu pressed his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so modest, and continued: "Although Fengguo's territory is vast, its population and historical problems are far from comparable to the entire Daqing."

"In Fengguo, I started from scratch, and I command the army at my fingertips. The people benefit from the new policies and support me."

"Even so, the implementation of reforms is still facing numerous obstacles and is difficult at every step."

"In Daqing today, the old forces are deeply entrenched, and the people are still taking a wait-and-see approach to the new dynasty."

"If we suddenly and completely copy Fengguo's policies, the slightest mistake could trigger violent unrest, and all our years of hard work would be wasted."

Huo Duanxiao seemed to be thinking deeply, and asked, "Then according to your Majesty, what should we do?"

Li Che's face was calm. "I believe that the most suitable national policy for Daqing right now is 'stability'. It would be best if all previous national policies remained unchanged."

He looked around at the crowd and emphasized, "The more things change, the more mistakes you can make. As the saying goes, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. You can't rush for quick results, and you certainly can't force things to grow."

"After we have complete control over the overall situation, stabilize our political power, and win the support of the people, then we can spend another ten, twenty, or even longer years gradually incorporating Fengguo's effective policies into our country. This would be the best strategy."

Hearing this, all the ministers fell into deep thought.

Du Fuchen also showed surprise in his eyes when he looked at Li Che.

He originally thought that Li Che, the young monarch who had conquered the world with his military strategy, would also be decisive and efficient in governing the country.

After all, Your Majesty is young and energetic, and he is making great progress along the way, so it is inevitable that he feels anxious.

Just like Emperor Qing was prosperous in military affairs, but he also inherited his military strategy in governing the country, but seemed a little unstable.

Some policies were hastily proposed, and when problems arose, they were hastily rectified. Over time, the court's credibility was damaged.

But he never expected that Li Che would be so patient and knew the truth that 'you can conquer the world but you cannot rule it immediately'.

Li Che changed the subject and continued, "However, the other policies can be put on hold. There are two things that are fundamental to the national economy and people's livelihood that we must change immediately!"

"Which two?" Zhuge Zhe asked at the right time.

Li Che held up a finger and said, "One of them is taxes."

Hearing the word "tax", Du Fuchen's heart began to lift again and his expression became solemn again.

It seems that I have praised you too early. Your Majesty is not changing other policies, but is changing taxes?

It should be noted that taxes are the lifeblood of a country. A single move can affect the entire body and is extremely sensitive.

Moreover, it is easy to increase taxes, but it is difficult to lower them.

Even if the imperial court reduced taxes, the officials below would just pretend that they had not received the order and continue to collect the previous high taxes for their own interests.

But Li Che said, "Actually, considering the imperial tax alone, Daqing's tax rate is not high and is quite reasonable."

The ministers nodded, they also understood this.

"However," Li Che's tone turned cold, "the problem is, in addition to the regular taxes, there are countless exorbitant levies and taxes!"

"The imperial court only saw that the regular taxes were low, and assumed that people's livelihoods were worry-free. Little did they know that local officials and powerful families were manipulating the people, imposing various taxes and levies under various pretexts, exploiting them at every level and making the people suffer unspeakably!"

"I will thoroughly investigate and eradicate these corrupt policies. I will show no mercy!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers nodded in approval.

This is indeed a move that benefits the country and the people, and does not affect the fundamentals of national taxation, so the resistance is relatively small.

Du Fuchen also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If it was just about clearing up the excessive taxes and levies, it would indeed be a good policy.

But it is also very difficult, as it is equivalent to touching the cake of all local officials and aristocratic families.

On second thought, wherever Your Majesty goes, the noble families are either destroyed or crippled, and only families like the Du family can survive.

From this perspective, the difficulty is not that great. After all, it is difficult for aristocratic families to even survive nowadays.

Li Che continued, "There is also commercial tax. Daqing's previous management of commercial tax was too rough, almost non-existent."

"Not only does it lead to a loss of national revenue, it also lowers the status of merchants, restricts industry development, and allows for rampant smuggling across the border."

"Commercial taxes must be regulated to establish a fair and transparent tax system so that they can become an important source of revenue for the national treasury and promote business prosperity."

He paused and added, "Of course, commercial tax reform involves a wide range of issues and cannot be accomplished overnight."

"We can first conduct pilot projects in several commercial centers such as the imperial capital and Yangzhou to accumulate experience and then gradually promote it."

Naturally, the important officials from Fengguo had no objection to this.

They witnessed with their own eyes how Feng State quickly became prosperous and strong by encouraging commerce, and they knew well the importance of commercial circulation to the country.

Zhuge Zhe couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty claims that he's not good at government affairs. In my opinion, Your Majesty's talent in government affairs far exceeds ours."

Li Che smiled and said, "No matter how much Ziyuan praises me, I must handle all the government affairs that I need to handle!"

When the ministers heard this, they all smiled.

Li Che restrained his smile and extended his second finger: "As for the second thing that must be done, it is..."