Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Eighty million strings of cash!

When these words came out of Li Chengqian's mouth, they reached everyone's ears.

All the officials of Guangzhou Prefecture in Lingnan Circuit, including Duke Feng Ang of Yue, were dumbfounded, looking astonished and doubting their ears.

Feng Ang swallowed hard: "Your Highness, you just said eighty million strings of cash?!"

Li Chengqian nodded.

However, he emphasized, "To be precise, it is 80 million strings of cash over three years. I am willing to invest more, since nowadays, apart from the fleet of my Great Tang, no other country can truly conduct ocean voyages on the vast ocean."

"In this era, no other country has such a good foundation for development as my glorious Tang Dynasty. The more we invest, the greater the return will be. But alas... 80 million strings of cash is the highest budget that I and my ministers can give after calculation and discussion."

At this point, Li Chengqian still looked very regretful.

Seeing this, before Feng Ang could speak, Song Jinglun, the prefect of Guangzhou, who was sitting to the side, hurriedly stood up and waved his hand.

"That's quite a lot, Your Highness! Eighty million strings of cash! I can hardly imagine what Guangzhou Prefecture could become if it were used to develop it!"

The crowd, having regained their senses, echoed the sentiment.

"Yes, yes, even if the Lingnan Circuit's finances were combined for ten years, they still couldn't raise that much money. Your Highness, on behalf of the people of Guangzhou Prefecture and Lingnan Circuit, I thank you for your divine grace!"

"Your subject kowtows in gratitude for Your Highness's divine grace. Your Highness's arrival in Guangzhou is truly a blessing for the people of Guangzhou and the people of Lingnan!"

Looking at the large group of officials who suddenly knelt on the ground.

Li Chengqian, however, did not react much. He simply nodded slightly with a calm expression, signaling them to stand up.

He then pointed to the geomantic map behind him again.

He began to speak eloquently.

"In fact, I already had a draft of reforms for Lingnan Circuit when the new policies and reforms were just launched with Taiyuan Prefecture, and the Duke of Yue has made a lot of preliminary preparations for this over the years."

"The dredging of some waterways and the repair of ports have prepared the ground for the new policies of Lingnan Road."

Li Chengqian glanced around.

His sharp gaze, seemingly able to see through the hearts of everyone present, caused the officials, most of whom were meeting him for the first time, to display expressions ranging from respectful flattery to nervous bowing.

"Prefect Song..."

Song Jinglun hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject is here!"

Li Chengqian pointed to the location of Guangzhou Prefecture on the geomantic map.

"Guangzhou Prefecture possesses excellent port conditions and abundant flat land resources, making it suitable for the construction and development of large-scale shipyards. In my plan, Guangzhou Prefecture will become another major state-owned shipyard base for our Great Tang Dynasty, following the Dengzhou Shipyard."

"I have brought all the relevant personnel with me this time. In addition, the orders from the naval fleet will also be put into operation here after the shipyard is integrated and renovated."

"Prefect Song, the scale and construction efficiency of the Guangzhou Shipyard will be an important indicator for the Ministry of Personnel's performance evaluation in your future tenure as Prefect of Guangzhou."

Song Jinglun nodded hastily. Having been able to take up the position of governor, Song Jinglun was certainly not the kind of mediocre person who was content with the status quo.

For people like him, what they fear more than the heavy workload is the darkness of being unseen by others.

Now that His Highness the Holy Crown Prince Li Chengqian has personally given him the order, Song Jinglun is now considered an "official directly under the Emperor."

"Your Highness, rest assured, even if I die from exhaustion, I will never let Your Highness's benevolent heart be tarnished by your new policies!"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "The shipyard is indeed an important matter, but you cannot neglect other matters because of it. Guangzhou Prefecture is the capital of the province, and the implementation of new policies in a number of counties and prefectures along the Yuejiang River requires the unified coordination of Guangzhou Prefecture. This is not just a matter for one county or prefecture, but an important matter for the entire province and the country."

He took a deep breath, noticed the hesitation and confusion on Song Jinglun's face, and stepped forward to stand in front of him.

Under everyone's gaze, a hand gently rests on the other person's shoulder.

“Prefect Song, I know this matter will be extremely difficult, but I have read your past performance reports and compared them with your past achievements. I believe you are capable of handling this task.”

He looked around and said, "Today, in front of all my ministers, I promise you that if the new policies of Lingnan Province can be implemented smoothly and each procedure is completed step by step, I will bestow upon you the title of Duke on the day I ascend the throne!"

Song Jinglun: "!!!"

Everyone gasped in shock.

They looked at Song Jinglun with envy and horror. The latter stared wide-eyed at Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was staring straight at him.

Suddenly, his body shuddered.

He snapped out of his daze, but now, with his hands clasped and his back bent, he stammered for a long time, unsure of how to respond.

Is it a polite way of declining or refusing?

Or perhaps they fervently swear an oath on the spot to accept the order?

Having been immersed in officialdom for many years, he now seems as if he had just entered officialdom and was still a minor local official being praised by his superior, his mind completely blank.

It was nothing but surprises...

Even Feng Ang, who was standing to the side, was taken aback for a moment, but then immediately understood the key point.

As Li Chengqian said, Song Jinglun was quite capable, and he was an official in the capital region at the time, serving as the governor of Guangzhou Prefecture. One reason was that the Feng family of Lingnan petitioned Emperor Wude Li Yuan to transfer officials from the capital to govern Lingnan.

Secondly, he received support from the Feng family of Lingnan.

It can be said that Song Jinglun was a good balance point between stabilizing the local tyrant Feng family in Lingnan and the Tang Dynasty court.

For the Feng family of Lingnan, who were worried that his great achievements would overshadow their ruler and that his good fortune would turn into disaster, promoting him was also a good thing.

"My lord, my lord..."

Song Jinglun stammered, his face turning red at a visible speed, and his breathing becoming heavy.

Li Chengqian smiled and patted his shoulder, then looked at the officials.

Is He Wanli, the Prefect of Chaozhou, here?

Among the crowd, He Wanli, who had just been envious of Song Jinglun for receiving the Crown Prince's favor, was momentarily stunned, and then hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Your subject, He Wanli, Prefect of Chaozhou, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Chengqian nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

"Indeed, Governor He has only been serving as the governor of Chaozhou for three years, yet Chaozhou is already a place of good governance and harmonious people."

He Wanli said excitedly, "I dare not take credit! This is all thanks to the concerted efforts of my colleagues in Chaozhou!"

Li Chengqian became increasingly satisfied.

The Tang Dynasty's status as a shining pearl in Chinese history is undoubtedly due to the many great figures who left their mark on history. However, in Li Chengqian's view, it was the people who truly enabled the Tang Dynasty to achieve its golden age.

We still need to rely on local officials like Song Jinglun and He Wanli, who did not leave their names in history but had outstanding political achievements.

"I also have something to tell you."

As Li Chengqian spoke, he walked to the geomantic map again and pointed to a location called Haiyang County under the jurisdiction of Chaozhou.

This place also has a very famous name in later generations: Shantou!

"Haiyang County has good natural conditions. The alluvial plain provides enough flat land to build shipyards, and the coastline is long, making it suitable for building large seaports. Although the water depth is slightly insufficient, it is an excellent place to build small and medium-sized seagoing vessels."

"My requirements are very simple. The Guangzhou shipyard will mainly undertake the construction of large seagoing vessels and warships, while Chaozhou will focus on building small and medium-sized seagoing vessels. For merchant fleets, the cost of sea voyages will be much lower, and the future will definitely be a magnificent scene of hundreds of ships competing."

Upon hearing this, He Wanli's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

"Your subject, He Wanli, obeys the decree!"

Subsequently, Li Chengqian personally issued orders to the officials of several counties in the Yuejiang River basin regarding their respective development plans.

For example, Shaozhou (later Shaoguan City) focused on developing rice and tea cultivation.

Xunzhou (later Heyuan City) was a place where sugarcane, peanuts, soybeans and other crops were planted on a large scale to develop sugar production and oil extraction.

Kangzhou (later Yangjiang City) provided timber resources and water transportation for the development of shipbuilding in Guangzhou Prefecture and Chaozhou...

This meeting lasted for two days straight.

Seemingly having gradually adapted to the Crown Prince's decisive and efficient personality, Feng Ang and the others gradually entered the meeting mode of later generations, with less of the flattery that Li Chengqian disliked the most.

Propose solutions, identify problems, solve problems, and make preliminary plans...

"Fishing is a good industry that can increase people's income in the early stages. In the early stages, Dengzhou will temporarily rent a batch of fishing boats from Guangzhou Prefecture to develop the fishing industry."

"This time, I have also brought many key craftsmen from glass factories and canneries. If I want the people to truly be enthusiastic about the new policies, then the court must set an example and first let the people enjoy some benefits."

"Fishing fleets and canneries—all counties should participate, encouraging farmers to work in these workshops during their off-season and receive wages..."

Li Chengqian spoke eloquently, and the officials below the stage nodded solemnly, taking notes incessantly.

The situation is about right today.

Li Chengqian tossed the chalk aside and patted the chalk dust off his hands.

He placed his hands on the table in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present.

Feng Ang, who was sitting closest to him, was the first to notice something was wrong.

really.

The next moment, everyone saw the smile on Li Chengqian's face slowly fade away.

He uttered a sentence that sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

"Gentlemen, now that we've finished discussing the literary aspects, I'd like to move on to the martial ones..."

Feng Ang thought to himself, "Just as I thought!"

His gaze swept over the officials present. Fortunately, those who were able to attend the meetings over the next two days were all capable local officials who had been vetted by the Crown Prince and the Ministry of Personnel in Chang'an.

While they may not all be clean, His Highness the Crown Prince has likely already appointed many people, so there's no need to waste time on some dead people.

Everyone watched nervously as Crown Prince Li Chengqian's expression suddenly changed.

"Before I implemented the new policies in Taiyuan Prefecture, I said that the benefits of my new policies must not fall into the hands of corrupt officials. Otherwise, the benefits of the new policies will be seen as oppressive and tyrannical policies when they reach the people!"

Cui Xiaoguo, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who accompanied Li Chengqian to Lingnan Road, entered at some unknown time.

Behind him were several Imperial Guards carrying large boxes.

"Your Highness, I have brought everything you requested!" Cui Xiaoguo bowed respectfully.

Li Chengqian waved his hand.

"Then let's distribute them to you gentlemen."

After he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards immediately opened the large boxes in front of everyone.

What comes into view is a collection of books, filled to the brim.

The books were bundled together, varying in thickness and size, but on the cover of the topmost book, a series of names were prominently displayed.

A member of the Imperial Guard took out a bundle of books and placed it in front of He Wanli, the Prefect of Chaozhou, and then Song Jinglun, the Prefect of Guangzhou, also placed a book in front of him.

Then he served as the prefect of Xunzhou, the prefect of Shaozhou, and the prefect of Kangzhou...

In addition, some important officials in Guangzhou Prefecture also received booklets with their names on them.

Seeing that no one dared to make a move, Li Chengqian said, "What? Why don't I read it for you gentlemen myself?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately said they dared not, and nervously untied the string on the book in front of them before turning to the top page.

He Wanli, the prefect of Chaozhou, suddenly narrowed his eyes and instinctively stood up, causing a loud noise from his chair.

"Wow!"

The contents of just the first page were enough to turn his face deathly pale.

"In the first year of the Zhenguan era, the former Prefect of Chaozhou retired. At that time, He Wanli, the Assistant Director of the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an, was ordered to be transferred to take over the post of Prefect of Chaozhou. He took office in the third month of the first year."

"His wife's younger brother accompanied him to Chaozhou, where they hosted a banquet. He received one hundred taels of gold, one hundred pearls, and three beautiful women from wealthy and powerful merchants..."

He Wanli's face trembled, and his pupils dilated as if in an earthquake.

Trembling, I turned to the next page.

"In the first year of the Zhenguan era, in July, Chaozhou raised funds for dredging the river. Qi, the wife of He Wanli, was invited by the ladies of a prominent Chaozhou family to a poetry gathering, where she received three pairs of jadeite and white jade plates and a bird feather gold hairpin... The Sun and Qian families of Chaozhou, citing their own poverty, donated two hundred strings of cash for the river dredging project..."