Everyone sat quietly with their hands clasped, not saying a word.

"Secondly, a blank sheet of paper is good for painting. This dynasty has many chronic diseases, which led to the Jingkang Incident. I want to succeed the old Song Dynasty and establish a new Song Dynasty, so I must find a way to get rid of the chaos of the old dynasty... The north was cleaned up especially well this time. Most of the people in Hebei are good families and self-cultivating farmers. There are no longer many generations of aristocratic families or landlords in the whole state... After I go to Yanjing, the surrounding area will be cleaner."

Some people wanted to say something but stopped themselves from speaking.

"The last reason is that Yanjing is the capital of Hebei. Just as the southeast is the source of the country's revenue, Hebei is also the focus of the country's military. If we don't firmly control Hebei, how can we ensure peace in the northern border?" Zhao Jiu looked around at everyone. "In the final analysis, have you ever thought about this, we spent ten years to win this war, and then what? Will the world be peaceful after that? What if the Mongols rise up? What if the Bohai people make trouble? What if the Jurchens are born?"

The atmosphere was completely frozen. No matter whether they were civil or military officials, whether it was Lu Haowen or Han Shizhong, they all sat upright and listened attentively.

Emperor Zhao seemed to be drunk, and his words gradually became emotional:

"What are you all thinking about? At this time ten years ago, right here, we were a bunch of stray dogs, wandering around in despair, on the verge of losing our country. If I wanted to change my mind and turn back to fight the war, I had to kill the chief guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and exile the prime minister... And today, we are showing off our achievements and celebrating, but we are just celebrating that we survived this national war. Will everything be at peace if we win the Song-Jin national war?

"Before, on Chrysanthemum Island, I issued an imperial decree... At that time, I could sense the thoughts of those northern border tribes. It's just that you are strong for a while, and I am cautious for a while. In the long run, who would take those things to heart? Even if it is me, do I expect to use a few imperial decrees to lay the foundation for eternity? It's just that I took advantage of this great victory to set a framework first, stabilize it first, and then withdraw from internal affairs... Once we become strong, everything will be in place!

"And how do we handle internal affairs? It still depends on you, the ministers and important officials, that is, the prime ministers, to lead the secret cabinet and the public cabinet to shoulder the responsibility of the country, and then I will take the lead to do the most important things that require my support, just like the past ten years...

"First, we need to repair the river, but it is not just about repairing the river. We need to use the river repair to gradually and imperceptibly accomplish the tasks of disarmament and relocation of the capital...

"We don't have to move all at once. There's no need. Prime Minister Lu is not in good health. When the time comes, the position of the Prime Minister can be given to a good minister. Hu Yin can be given the title of Deputy Prime Minister in the name of assisting in repairing the river, and we can all be in charge in Yanjing. We can take it slowly. If it takes three to five years, or ten to eight years, we can slowly move the secret cabinet to Yanjing or to my side. We can also publish a copy of the official reports in Hebei, and the new scholars can follow me in Hebei for inspection... When the river is repaired and everyone is used to it, we can officially move the capital...

"Three hundred thousand soldiers in the imperial camp are too many. Without the 200,000 households of the Jurchens, what's the point of keeping so many soldiers? Change some of the garrison troops, reduce the imperial camp to 200,000 first, 20,000 to 30,000 will be enough in Liaoyang outside the Great Wall, 50,000 in Yanjing, 10,000 to 20,000 in the Central Plains, 20,000 to 30,000 in Hedong, 20,000 to 30,000 in Guanxi, and 10,000 to 20,000 scattered in the southeast. The inland waters can be maintained at the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and the navy can be added...

"If we reduce the number of soldiers, we can gradually reduce the taxes and levies in the south. Otherwise, I will never feel at ease...

"Repair the river, reduce the army, move the capital, and strengthen the control over the surrounding states. This is also to allow the country to recuperate. Then, we will see how strong our internal foundation will be in the future, and then tentatively think about how to turn the three imperial edicts from three empty documents into real officials... We should control them if we can, control them if we can, and make officials permanent if we can. We should spread Buddhism if we should, and promote Confucianism if we should, but we must do what we can. If we take too big a step, we will easily go astray!"

At this point, everyone was certain that the emperor was indeed drunk, but no one dared to take these words as drunken talk. On the contrary, whether it was Lü Haowen, who had long faded out of the limelight, or Han Shizhong, who had just been appointed as a formal vice-state-level leader and completed his transition from general to prime minister, all pricked up their ears and took them as seriously as they could.

Zhao Jiu poured himself another cup of wine, but found that the wine pot was empty. The eunuch Feng Yi, who had just returned to the emperor's side, hurriedly offered another pot, but was dismissed by Emperor Zhao with a hint of impatience:

“Compared with the Northern Frontier, it is the Western Liao that, once the country is a little more stable, can confidently demand the six states of Hexi and push the territory to Yumen Pass. Yelu Dashi will not refuse to give it, and dare not refuse to give it... Moreover, if my prediction is correct, in my lifetime, I will not only see Yelu Dashi roaming the Western Regions for thousands of miles, but also see the country gradually decline after his death... In the past, Emperor Wu of Han took the Western Regions and destroyed the Xiongnu. If there really comes a day, it is not impossible to take the Western Regions and sandwich the Northern Frontier and settle Qingtang... But this is far away.

"After we get Hexi, we can manage the Western Regions and gradually nourish the broken Qingtang. That place is too poor and the geography is too bad, but it can be used as a barrier and as an external line. After supporting them, if we can extend our reach to Jinchuan and Dali in the southwest, we may have a chance to do something real...

"Vietnam in the southeast depends on the development of maritime trade and a strong navy. There is really no need to think about annexation or exile. In my opinion, the most important thing for Vietnam is the business of rice. Regardless of whether to maintain the status quo or annex by force, we must first ensure that Vietnam's rice can be transported to the southeast through maritime trade...

“So, again, there are always opportunities, but all of this must be done in a step-by-step manner, in terms of geography, in terms of benefits, and within one’s means…If you can avoid resorting to heavy weapons, do so.

"There is only one place where I have made up my mind and will not hesitate to start a war, but it is not outside, but inside... In the south, annexation must be suppressed! We must emulate Hebei and the Central Plains. I dare not say that the rise and fall of the dynasty depends on this, but at least it is an important lesson from the Jingkang Incident, right? Fang La and Zhong Xiang have only been gone for a few days? Therefore, whoever dares to annex, whoever dares to dream of 100,000 acres of land, I will "annihilate" him just like I did with the Jurchen Wanyan clan!

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!