RNP Chapter 1698: Establishment of the Lifanyuan
Chapter 1698: Establishment of the Lifanyuan
Chapter 1698: Establishment of the Lifanyuan
Western Regions, the frontier land——
On the pasture at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, the warriors of the Junggar tribe rode on a chestnut-maned horse and roamed happily across the pasture. In the distance, herdsmen traveled back and forth on the Tianshan pasture, exuding a sense of leisure and contentment in the orderly manner.
Inside a tent inlaid with golden beads, the Khan of the Dzungar tribe, Galdan, sat in the middle on a tiger-skin chair, with an awe-inspiring aura surrounding him.
The youngest son of the Khoshut Khan, after taking over the throne of the Khoshut tribe, was very concerned about the current situation of the entire Dzungar tribe.
Under his thick eyebrows, which looked like silkworms, Galdan's eyes were deep as he stared at the chieftains of the tent tribes who were seated below. His majestic and powerful face seemed to show a solemn expression. He whispered, "Everyone, the Khoshut tribe has been destroyed by the Han army. Given the expansionist nature of the Han people, they will soon send troops to attack us."
Below, the chieftains of the Dzungar Mongols who were sitting on the chairs all responded with a "yes" upon hearing this.
Galdan's burly, huge figure was awe-inspiring. He raised his eyebrows slightly, and his fierce, flashing tiger eyes were full of sharp, ferocious light. He said, "The Han people's firearms are extremely powerful. It is not easy for my Junggar tribe to resist them."
"Khan, the warriors of my Junggar tribe are all brave and sharp soldiers on horseback. They are not afraid of the firearms of the Han dogs!" Below, a burly chief with a dense beard on his chin stiffened his neck and spoke loudly.
Galdan frowned, glared at the big man, and asked, "How is the firearms craftsmanship developed by our craftsmen?"
At this moment, a general wearing a gray felt hat came out of the court quickly and said, "Firearms are the specialty of the Han people. The craftsmanship is complicated. If you want to imitate them, it is not easy."
Galdan's fierce eyes seemed to show a firm look, and he said firmly: "If we can't copy it, we have to copy it. Without firearms, we are definitely not the opponent of the Han Dynasty."
At this moment, Galdan's mind was very clear. Perhaps he had realized from repeated battles with the Han army that the Han army's firearms were powerful and difficult to fight against.
When the generals below heard this, a hint of worry appeared on their resolute faces.
"What does Khan think we should do?" One of the generals, who was tall and strong with a majestic look on his face, stood up from his seat and asked in a low voice.
Galdan was silent for a moment, then said in a gentle voice: "Our army will use cavalry to patrol the vast Gobi Desert, and fight with the Han army to prevent them from approaching our pasture. As time goes by, the Han army will run out of food and it will be difficult for them to advance westward, so they will naturally be defeated."
Upon hearing this, the generals below stood up and responded in unison, "Yes."
Galdan said: "The Han court and my Junggar have a deep blood feud. Once the Han court marches into the Western Regions, the Junggar tribe will have no place to stay, and you will become prisoners. I hope that all tribes will encourage each other and work together to fight against the Han army."
All the tribal chiefs present responded in unison.
……
……
Just as the Junggar tribe in the Western Regions began to prepare for war, the Han Dynasty's capital, thousands of miles away -
Godly City, Ningguo Mansion
At this moment, Jia Heng was wearing a black and red satin embroidered dragon robe and sitting on a pear blossom chair under the painting in the central hall. His face was calm and stern.
Chen Xiao and Gu Ruoqing were both wearing loose skirts, and each of them was holding a child in their arms.
The child in her arms is as delicate as a piece of jade, while the other child has delicate eyebrows and eyes, and delicate features like a painting.
At this moment, Chen Xiao's snow-white face had lost a lot of its beauty. The lines on her face were undoubtedly fuller, and she looked a little more motherly.
Chen Xiao asked: "How is the war going in Tibet?"
Jia Heng said: "There is no news yet, wait a few more days."
Chen Xiao nodded, gently pinched his son's chubby face, and said, "The Beijing camp brought so many firearms, it shouldn't be a problem to attack and capture the stronghold."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, and then said, "If the barbarians patrolled the area with their cavalry, they might be able to fight against our Han army, but they chose to defend the city, which naturally gave firearms a chance to show their power."
Chen Xiao said: "That's true."
At this moment, Jia Heng turned his head to look at the baby girl in Gu Ruoqing's arms and said, "Ruoqing, how is Ping'er these days?"
Gu Ruoqing was holding her own daughter at the moment. Her beautiful face was filled with a sweet smile. She said in a clear voice, "Ping'er has been very obedient these past few days. She doesn't seem to be crying or making a fuss."
Jia Heng smiled and said softly, "Our daughter's demeanor and temperament are exactly like you."
Gu Ruoqing's fair face was filled with a sweet smile, and she said softly, "Don't be like me in the future, cold and lonely. I'm afraid it will be hard for you to get married."
Jia Heng smiled and said in a gentle voice: "What's wrong with being cold? You will be my white moonlight in the future."
It is said that every man has a white moonlight in his heart that is lonely and cold.
At this moment, a tall and bright maid came in quickly from outside and reported: "Your Majesty, the captain of the Jinyi Palace came outside and said he has something important to report."
Jia Heng nodded, without saying anything else, he stood up and walked quickly outside.
At this time, a young captain wearing an embroidered satin flying fish suit and an embroidered spring sword hanging from his waist stood up from a pearwood chair, bowed to Jia Heng, and said, "I greet the prince."
Jia Heng put down the teacup in his hand and said, "No need to be polite."
The captain of the Jinyifu Guards looked stern, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, a pigeon has been sent from Qinghai, saying that the King of Meng has led his troops to capture Lhasa and recapture the entire Tibetan area."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, his clear and bright eyes flickered, and he whispered: "Okay, King Meng and Marquis Shanhai are brave and good at fighting, let Jinyi Mansion fully cooperate with them."
The Jinyifu guard bowed in response, then turned and left.
Jia Heng turned around and returned to the back hall. He came to the inner study room and looked at the gentle and charming Chen Xiao. He whispered, "Xiaoxiao."
Chen Xiao was silent for a moment and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jia Heng couldn't hide his smile, and said loudly: "The Mongolian king has conquered Lhasa and recovered Tibet. The flag of our Han Dynasty has been planted over Tibet again."
Chen Xiao handed the baby in his arms to the nanny beside him and whispered, "That's really a happy event."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Now that Tibet has been recovered, the next one will be the Western Regions. After recovering these two places, there will be no more wars for the time being, and the world will be at peace."
All that remains is to wait for the construction of steam locomotives and the laying of railroad tracks. Once these are opened to traffic from the north to the south, the level of transportation in the Han Dynasty will be significantly improved.
Chen Xiao said: "As the saying goes, if one's lips are gone, the other's teeth will be cold. After hearing the news, Galdan of the Junggar tribe will probably prepare his army to fight against the Han Dynasty."
Jia Heng said: "The Junggar cavalry swept back and forth in the Gobi Desert, and half of our red cannons were useless. However, the fire guns alone were enough to defeat the Junggar troops."
Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Tibet and the Western Regions are easy to conquer, but not easy to govern."
Jia Heng said: "The court will first use the policy of control in Tibet and the border areas to temporarily control the two places, and then the court will settle immigrants on the border and temporarily bring Tibet and the Western Regions under its control. When the steam locomotive is built in the future, the railway can be built to the top of the mountain. Once there is an emergency at the border, it can be reached overnight."
He has not forgotten the Indian Asan in later generations, who is now on the other side of the Tibetan Plateau. If he can pacify India for future generations, there should be no problem.
Chen Xiao whispered, "I think the steam train is indeed a great thing. In the future, transportation between the north and the south will be much more convenient."
Not far away, under Gu Ruoqing's beautiful eyebrows, her crystal clear eyes were as soft as water. The baby girl in her arms had eyes like black grapes, which were rolling around and as bright as the galaxy.
Jia Heng sighed at this moment and said in a gentle voice: "Yes, the customs are light and the roads are easy, trade is open and agriculture is relaxed, the north-south traffic is smooth, and all industries are prosperous."
Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, and said: "At that time, the court can collect commercial taxes and exempt the court's taxes on farmland as appropriate."
Jia Heng nodded and said with emotion: "Yes, it basically realizes my original idea."
At the beginning, in his debate with Emperor Chongping, he mentioned that commercial taxes should be used to supplement agricultural taxes, and this was the beginning of all this.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, and then whispered, "Let's not talk about this for now. I will go to the palace first and discuss this matter with the cabinet military council."
Chen Xiao said: "Go ahead."
Jia Heng nodded, and without saying anything else, left Ningguo Mansion.
Palace Garden, Wuying Palace——
At this moment, in the spacious hall of the palace, one can see cabinet ministers Qi Kun, Zhao Yi, Liu Zheng, as well as several military ministers, such as Shi Jie, Prince of Beijing Shui Rong and others. The seats are full at this moment, and several of them are whispering to each other, discussing the intention of King Wei to summon them to gather here.
"King Wei has arrived."
At this moment, a young eunuch with a pale face and no beard was standing on the eaves of the corridor, and his sharp voice was a little hoarse.
The university scholars who were originally sitting behind a red lacquered wooden table stood up one after another and looked at the young man in python robe who came from outside, with an inexplicable feeling welling up in their minds.
Jia Heng's tone was filled with joy, and he said loudly: "King Meng and Shanhai Hou Cao Bianjiao have conquered Lhasa in Tibet, recovered Tibet, and expanded the territory by thousands of miles, making our Han Dynasty famous outside the region. Gentlemen, please congratulate our Han Dynasty!"
No one in later generations realized the importance of Tibet and the Western Regions to China better than he did.
When the military ministers present heard this, their faces were solemn and they all talked non-stop.
Shui Rong asked: "Zi Yu, after Tibet is recovered, when do you think we should send troops to Dzungar in the Western Regions?"
Jia Heng said: "After we have digested the Tibetan territory, we will first have the seven guards of Guanxi scout out the situation in the entire Western Region, and then send troops when the time is right."
Shui Rong was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Then the imperial court can prepare military equipment and food supplies first."
Jia Heng nodded, then sat down on the pearwood chair beside the small table and asked, "Lord Zhao, how is the construction of the Yellow River embankment going?"
Minister of Works Zhao Yi nodded and said loudly: "According to the recent news sent by Henan, the river embankment in Henan has been completely repaired. Now the river embankment in the Huaihe River section is still under repair."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said in a gentle voice: "In a few years, the drought in the Han Dynasty will be alleviated, and then there may be a period of flood season."
This is calculated based on the flood disaster in the early Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in a parallel universe. At that time, the Yellow River overflowed and then there was the story of river management in the world's long river.
Minister of Works Zhao Yi's face became solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Prince Regent, I will definitely send someone to the Lianghe government office to provide engineering guidance on the construction of dikes and dams."
Jia Heng nodded, picked up a blue and white porcelain teacup, took a sip while lowering his eyes, and said: "In addition, the construction of local official roads must also ensure quality and quantity, and strictly prevent local officials from taking advantage of the situation and embezzling river funds."
Zhao Yi said: "Don't worry, Prince Regent. The Ministry of Works will send personnel to the Lianghe River Office. At the same time, the Metropolitan Censorate will also send personnel to supervise the use of relevant river funds."
Jia Heng nodded, then looked at Prince Beijing Shui Rong standing beside him and said loudly, "Prince Beijing, has the Guangdong Navy been sent to the southwest waters recently?"
A bright smile appeared on the fair and clear face of Beijing Prince Shui Rong, and he said, "Since receiving Zi Yu's order, the Military Affairs Office has ordered the Guangdong Navy to march towards the islands in the southwest sea area."
Jia Heng nodded and asked, "Has Annan recently agreed to our request to open the port for trade?"
Shui Rong was silent for a moment, and then whispered, "Annan has not agreed to our plan to station troops to defend the port."
Jia Heng said: "Let the officials of the Honglu Temple go and talk to Annan. Maritime trade is the general trend of the world. Annan must also know the current situation and not take up arms to resist the court."
After hearing this, Shui Rong nodded and said, "Zi Yu, I will assign it to the officials of the Honglu Temple right away."
Jia Heng nodded, turned to look at Qi Kun, and asked, "Lord Qi, how much of the summer grain sent from Jiangnan this year has the national treasury received?"
Qi Kun's face became serious, and he said in a loud voice: "According to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue Treasury, there are about 4 million dan of summer grain in the treasury, which is 1 million dan more than in previous years."
Jia Heng's eyes were deep under his sword-like eyebrows, and he said in a cold voice: "It seems that the new policy is still effective. In Jiangnan, the gentry used to occupy good farmland and bully men and women. Now it is time to enforce the law."
In the previous case of treason in Jiangnan, Hao Jiru and other princes including the King of Wu and the King of Lu were all imprisoned and sentenced to death, and their properties were all confiscated.
Jia Heng turned his gaze and asked, "How are the immigrants outside the Great Wall? Have they settled down?"
Qi Kun was shocked when he heard this. He looked surprised and asked, "Prince Wei, immigrants from Liaodong have already poured into the border areas and are now settling in the border areas."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Liaodong is a new territory of our dynasty. The court should pay more attention to properly handle the integration of the Manchu and Han peoples."
Qi Kun responded with a yes.
Jia Heng said softly, "Now that Tibet has been conquered, our Han Dynasty has gained another vassal tribe. The court can set up another government office to handle the integration of various tribes. It will be called the Lifanyuan, and the official in charge will still be the Shangshu, with a rank of the second grade."
As a dynasty that was relatively successful in ethnic integration in later generations, some of the Qing Dynasty's rules and regulations are still worth learning from.
"Lifanyuan?" Qi Kun asked from the side.
Jia Heng said: "It is specially used to deal with the problems of various ethnic groups. This matter must be taken seriously by the government and the public."
Liu Zheng asked, "Who can be the Shangshu? The former Honglu Temple Minister?"
Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "The Honglu Temple is for dealing with foreign officials, and now the various ethnic groups are domestic affairs. It is only right to set up the Lifanyuan."
Several cabinet ministers and military officials present all responded in unison.