On the eighth day of the sixth lunar month, in Xijing, at Zhanghan Hall.
A summer breeze swept through the hall, stirring the curtains hanging inside.
The main hall was unbearably hot, and several plump old ministers kept wiping away sweat.
The morning court session has been going on for an hour, and there is only one topic:
In the urgent report delivered by Zhao Muyun, there was a groundbreaking suggestion—to move the capital to Youzhou.
Zhou Hong, the Minister of Rites, had his hair and beard bristling, held a ceremonial tablet in his hand, and spoke in a shrill voice, trembling with excitement:
"Your Majesty! The matter of moving the capital concerns the very foundation of the nation; how can it be treated lightly? Youzhou is a harsh and desolate border region, with the Northern Barbarians eyeing us covetously, their beacon towers visible in the distance! If we place the capital in such a perilous location and it is lost, where will our newly reclaimed foundation and empire be placed?"
He was a veteran official from the Jin Dynasty, with extensive experience. His words were powerful and resounding, drawing frequent nods of agreement from many other officials who had also migrated from Longxi.
“Minister Zhou is mistaken.” Minister of War Pei Lun stepped forward, his voice steady and powerful. “Although Youzhou is close to the border, its mountains and rivers are strategically important. It is backed by the Yanshan Mountains to the north, controls the Central Plains to the south, borders the Bohai Sea to the east, and connects to Jinyang to the west. It is truly a place where the dragon rose and a vital strategic pass.”
"Emperor Taizu once said, 'The strategic strongholds of Youyan are the bulwark of the nation.' Now that the Northern Barbarians have not yet been defeated, the emperor is needed to oversee the situation, inspire the soldiers, and deter the villains!"
"To inspire the soldiers? Has Minister Pei forgotten the upheaval in the southern desert?"
Gu Cheng, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward. He was a veteran of three reigns and, although he now held only a nominal position, his prestige remained.
"Emperor Wuzong of the previous dynasty listened to such magnanimous words as 'the emperor guards the nation's gate' and personally led an expedition against the Tartars. And what was the result?"
"Half an army of 500,000 was wiped out, the emperor was captured, and the country was almost lost! The bloody lesson is still fresh in our minds!"
"Your Majesty's health is of paramount importance; how can you lightly tread such dangerous ground? It is only right that you remain at the center of power and strategize effectively!"
“Lord Gu,” Fan Nan, Minister of Revenue, stepped forward slowly, his tone calm yet authoritative, “Times have changed, how can we generalize?”
"Emperor Wuzong back then trusted the eunuchs too much, underestimated the enemy, and acted rashly, rather than sitting in a fortified city."
"Now our Great Yin has a pillar of strength like our Grand General, and a hundred battle-hardened elite troops. The city of Youzhou is high and the moat is deep. How can it be compared to what it was back then?"
"Furthermore, the General presented seven advantages, each of which is reasonable. If the capital is moved north, the canal transport system will need to be reorganized, river works will need to be greatly developed, and all industries in the prefectures and counties along the route can flourish; with the Emperor's personal presence, the morale of the border troops will surely be high; and the northern barbarians, seeing our determination, will surely be deterred from their desire to invade."
"This is a long-term strategy to turn border troubles into opportunities, strengthen the core and weaken the branches, and consolidate the northern frontier."
"Long-term?" Zhou Hong sneered. "Minister Fan makes it sound so easy! Moving the capital would cost far more than ten million. Building palaces, relocating officials and ancestral temples, dredging canals—which of these wasn't a waste of resources and manpower?"
"The country has just been pacified, and the people are suffering. We should be giving them a rest and recuperation. How can we undertake such a massive project? You are trying to shake the foundation of the nation!"
“Youzhou already has the site of the old palace of the previous dynasty, which can be expanded; it is not something that can be built out of thin air,” said Huang Changlang, Minister of Works.
He was originally Pei Lun's advisor, but after getting close to Zhao Muyun, his career skyrocketed.
In particular, the tobacco planting project he presided over and promoted generated fiscal revenue that not only became the economic backbone of the heavy cavalry but also the economic support for the firearms of the Shenji Battalion.
Thanks to this achievement, he has now become one of the six ministers.
"The smooth flow of the Grand Canal is a matter of benefiting the country and the people. The people along the route can also benefit from being hired as laborers. Using work as relief is a good strategy to appease the displaced people."
"As for the expenses, the Ministry of Revenue can make detailed plans and carry them out in stages. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
"If we only seek stability, retreat to the western capital, and watch the northern barbarians grow stronger, the border troubles will never be peaceful, and that will truly shake the foundation of the country!"
The two factions of ministers clashed fiercely, citing classical texts and arguing heatedly until their faces turned red.
The Zhanghan Hall was like boiling water, noisy and stuffy.
Yinji sat high on the dragon throne, his young face revealing little emotion.
Only his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, his gaze lowered, as if listening intently, or perhaps lost in thought.
When the good news arrived from the capital, a great weight was lifted from his heart, but Zhao Muyun's memorial about moving the capital stirred up even greater waves in his heart.
He recalled three years ago when Li Jingang captured the capital, his father hanged himself, and his uncle Yinxi fled west in panic.
Thinking back to those three years in Xijing, although he was nominally the emperor, in reality, all military and political power relied on Zhao Muyun, and he felt that hidden pressure.
I recall the powerful line from Zhao Muyun's memorial: "The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."
These words struck him like a heavy hammer.
Will he be a peaceful emperor who maintains the status quo and enjoys a secluded life in the west, or a revitalizing ruler who confronts powerful enemies and restores the nation's prestige?
The commotion gradually subsided, and everyone's attention focused on the emperor.
Yinji slowly raised his eyes and scanned the assembled officials in the hall.
His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly in the suddenly silent hall:
“What you all say makes sense. Minister Zhou and Minister Gu are concerned about the foundation of the country and care about the people’s strength. Their words are those of a wise and experienced ruler.”
"Minister Pei, Minister Fan, and Minister Huang are determined to make progress and set their sights on the northern frontier. This is a vigorous and promising strategy."
He paused, his fingers stopped tapping, and he placed them firmly on the armrest.
"However, I often think about how the Great Emperor Taizu overcame all obstacles, expanded the territory, and established the capital in the north. What kind of spirit did he have?"
"After the middle period, the Northern Barbarians rose up, the northern border gradually weakened, and the border troubles deepened day by day. Finally, the disaster of last year occurred, the capital fell, and the late emperor suffered a tragic death."
His voice rose slightly, with a barely perceptible tremor, a suppressed emotion: "This shame, this pain, I will never forget for a single day!"
The courtiers held their breath.
"The General's memorial, which states that 'the Emperor guards the nation's gates,' is not merely a display of reckless courage, but a declaration of our Great Yin's determination to defend our territory without fear of hardship!"
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