PFC Chapter 65 Court Debate, Troops March Out of Hanzhong
Chapter 65 Court Debate, Troops March Out of Hanzhong
As soon as the court session began, the ministers in the hall started arguing, which lasted for a full half hour.
Liu Shan leaned slightly forward, resting his chin on his hand, his eyes half-closed, lost in thought, completely ignoring the ministers below who were speaking eloquently with red faces and thick necks.
Since the agricultural science class started, Liu Shan has been imparting knowledge to everyone as quickly as possible, and then he has been immersing himself in the experimental fields, leading the students to conduct scientific experiments.
The selection of rice varieties, as well as seedling cultivation and transplanting, are key aspects that require long-term observation and recording of various data.
Once they were proficient, Liu Shan could let go and Yang Min would be responsible for following up.
In addition to these, Liu Shan also improved mulberry and hemp cultivation by grafting branches of high-quality mulberry trees onto ordinary mulberry trees, which could upgrade the entire mulberry orchard in three to five years.
The most direct impact of the improvement of mulberry and hemp was on Shu brocade.
Zhuge Liang wanted to wage an economic war by bundling Shu brocade with Zhibai coins, and the improvement of mulberry and hemp could greatly enhance the quality of Shu brocade, making it even more powerful.
"It's a good thing that Hanzhong needs to cultivate the land and build irrigation systems. But if the best students from the Imperial Academy are sent to Hanzhong, what will happen to the land in Yizhou?"
In the imperial court, Qiao Zhou's voice was the loudest.
"What the Grand Master Qiao says is absolutely right," another senior official chimed in. "The land of Yizhou is far more fertile than that of Hanzhong. The various prefectures and counties will be making great strides next year, and talented people are hard to find. How can we allow them all to be confined to one corner?"
"In the end, Hanzhong is just the northern gateway to Yizhou. Its primary task should be to defend against the enemy. Military farming is just a way to solve the problem of military food."
These local factions from Yizhou were the most vocal, while Liu Shan switched hands and continued to rest his chin on his hand.
"Your Majesty, what Minister Qiao said makes sense. Yizhou has long been a land of plenty, with thriving agriculture and well-developed water conservancy, requiring only routine maintenance."
"Yong'an and Jiangzhou have little land and low grain production, which is exactly where talent is needed to govern them, so they should be given priority."
Li Yan is now the commander-in-chief of the eastern front of Shu Han, overseeing Yong'an, Jiangzhou and other places, and his strength is constantly growing.
The focus of the argument among the various factions at today's court assembly was the future of the irrigation officials and agricultural students from the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Academy's training program has achieved remarkable results, and the court's focus next year will be on spring plowing, so these talents have become the target of competition among all parties.
The Jingzhou faction proposed prioritizing reinforcements to Hanzhong, which sparked a heated debate among the court officials.
Liu Shan knew perfectly well that the reason they wanted to recruit these talents was simply to fill their own granaries. So the so-called "for the sake of the court" was actually for their own benefit.
Regardless of which side benefits, it won't have much impact on the imperial court, since they'll have to pay taxes to the court once their pockets are full.
In fact, Liu Shan had already made up his mind, but it was inconvenient for him to say it in public, so he looked at Zhuge Liang.
"Prime Minister, what is your opinion?"
Liu Shan stretched, and the court fell silent instantly.
Liu Shan's skin is now somewhat dark red, especially on both cheeks, which is something he gets from frequently working in the fields.
For an emperor of such stature to travel to the fields to teach and conduct experiments for the sake of the nation and its people's survival, won the hearts and minds of the court and the people.
Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Hanzhong was originally a prosperous region, but its population has been relocated and the land has been abandoned. The court should first support Hanzhong in restoring its soil fertility; this would be the best course of action."
"That's not right, that's not right."
Qiao Zhou shook his head and said, "The 20,000 troops stationed in Hanzhong are already self-sufficient in terms of farming. Why go to such lengths? Does Hanzhong have enough labor to cultivate the land?"
"If everyone goes to farm, what if Cao Wei launches an attack? Should we defend against the enemy or protect our fields?"
Li Yan immediately said, "What the Grand Master Qiao said is very true, I agree."
Again!
Liu Shan wanted to centralize imperial power, so he had to implement a system of checks and balances, which is why the Yizhou faction and the Dongzhou faction were able to maintain a place in the court.
However, it's not that simple to put the art of checks and balances into practice.
We need to let them argue now, and then counter their moves one by one.
"I have listened to all the suggestions of my ministers, and they all make sense."
"Whether it's the military-agricultural settlements in Hanzhong or the expansion of planting in Yizhou and Jiangzhou, it's all for the sake of the imperial court and the people."
"But I believe that everything has its priorities. We should focus on the main issues and resolve the main contradictions first."
Although the courtiers were taken aback, they were already familiar with Liu Shan's strange way of speaking, and they all bowed and said, "Please make your wise decision, Your Majesty."
Liu Shan said, "My dear ministers, you need to consider this question: of the three places—Jiangzhou, Hanzhong, and Chengdu—which one is the most troublesome for the court?"
"Naturally, it's the impoverished Hanzhong," said Jiang Wan from the Prime Minister's residence.
"Hanzhong is sparsely populated, and Wei Yan has stationed 20,000 troops there. There is no grain available for requisition in the area, so they can only rely on Chengdu to transport grain. However, the road from Chengdu to Hanzhong is rugged, and each transport of grain is extremely costly. If the food problem in Hanzhong can be solved first, the imperial court will not only no longer need to transport grain to Hanzhong every year, but will also reduce the cost of transporting grain."
Jiang Wan's words hit the nail on the head.
Every year, the imperial court transported one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain from Chengdu to Hanzhong, but twenty shi were consumed en route, resulting in astonishing losses.
Transporting grain from Chengdu to Jiangzhou was possible by waterway, minimizing losses.
"Even so, the agricultural settlements in Hanzhong are already self-sufficient. Why prioritize sending talented individuals to Hanzhong? Wouldn't that be a waste of their abilities?"
The ultimate way to maintain balance is that if I can't get anything good, you shouldn't get anything good either.
The Yizhou and Dongzhou factions were well aware of the benefits of the Hanzhong military farms, but if Hanzhong became prosperous, they could easily raise an army of 100,000. At that time, their power in the court would once again be suppressed by the Jingzhou faction.
"My dear ministers, Hanzhong was originally a fertile land, but now it is short of people. Chengdu, Yong'an, Jiangzhou and other places have no vacant land, and only officials to maintain the irrigation canals are needed."
"Hanzhong is where they can truly shine."
"My esteemed ministers, my mind is made up. There is no need for further discussion. Court is adjourned!"
The ministers remained silent.
Liu Shan had already spoken, and any further opposition from them would be a grave offense of disrespect, so they could only leave the hall in resentment.
In the main hall, only Zhuge Liang remained.
"Prime Minister, we can discuss this further in the back hall."
The two arrived at the rear hall, where Zhuge Liang said, "Your Majesty, please forgive this old minister's sins."
Liu Shan asked in surprise, "What crime has my father committed?"
"Just now in the court, I should have helped Your Majesty overcome the objections and decide on national policy as soon as possible," Zhuge Liang said with a face full of guilt.
Liu Shan smiled and said, "I wonder what it is. Your Excellency must have some unspeakable difficulty."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Because it concerns the future of the Han Dynasty, it could not be stated in public."
"The military agricultural settlements in Hanzhong are not simply a matter of solving the problem of military provisions; I have far-reaching considerations."
Liu Shan became interested and leaned forward with great interest.
"Is the important matter that Your Excellency is concerned about the Northern Expedition?"
Upon hearing this, the usually composed Zhuge Liang froze on the spot.
The feather fan in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
"Your Majesty, how did you know...?"
Liu Shan picked up the fan and handed it to Zhuge Liang.
"The great undertaking that Your Excellency is planning is to restore the Han Dynasty. How could I not know that?"
"But Jingzhou has been lost. Now, the only place where we can send troops out of Yizhou is Hanzhong."
"If we don't cultivate land in Hanzhong, how can we even talk about sending troops?"