Chapter 441: The Heart of a Warrior
This was the first time Liu Dan received an envoy from the Western Regions Protectorate, and he took it very seriously.
After suppressing the rebellion of the Southwestern Yi and temporarily restoring order in the southwest, Liu Dan lost his goal, and the emergence of the Western Regions attracted his attention.
The Han Dynasty's territory was unprecedentedly large, and its sphere of influence was unprecedentedly large among the other states.
The border is tens of thousands of miles long, and rebellions and riots occur almost all the time along the long border, but most of them can be handled by relying solely on county magistrates and garrisoning princes.
After basically defeating the Huns, the only region that could still compete with the Han army was the Western Regions. This was not because their fighting power was that strong, but because they were simply too far away for the Han army's logistics to support them.
This is the value of the Wushuang Marquisate and the Wusun Kingdom.
The envoy sent by Luo Shi was naturally a clansman from Zhaocheng. After entering the hall, Liu Dan and several important officials of the court were all there. After all, the petition for war from the Protector-General of the Western Regions was no trivial matter and even required the cooperation of the entire Han court.
If Emperor Wen of Han was in power, Luo Shi's memorial would most likely not be approved, but who could blame the current emperor, Liu Dan?
"Have all of you read the memorial presented by the Grand Protector?"
Liu Dan looked at the people in the hall and said loudly: "The King of Dayuan is disrespectful to the Han Dynasty and even wants to cut off the trade route. The Grand Protector has written a letter hoping to conquer him. I agree with him."
The business culture in the Han court was much stronger than in history, especially in Chang'an as the intersection of the Western Regions and Guandong, with complex interests. The Western Regions trade route was very important to many people, especially the royal nobles, who made profits from it and took advantage of the powerful and noble people in Guandong. Even in this palace, there were many nobles who benefited from the trade route.
As soon as Emperor Liu Dan said this, these people responded in unison.
Amid the clamor, a dissenting voice was heard, "Your Majesty, the war in the southwest has just ended, and now we should rest and recuperate. I think we should not start a war thousands of miles away for the time being."
The voice was quite loud, and everyone looked and found that it was a military hero!
The reason why the military nobles opposed it was very simple. The Han Dynasty had no habit of fighting on two fronts. If the war in the Western Regions was launched, the right to conquer would definitely fall into the hands of the Protectorate of the Western Regions and the Hexi Marquisates, and at most the hands of the Guanzhong generals.
There are no marquises in Guanzhong, and most of them come from Guandong!
The Guandong nobles were naturally opposed to starting a war in a place where they could not gain any benefits. Moreover, they had legitimate reasons. In addition to the fact that the imperial court really needed to recuperate, some nobles said with emotion: "Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Dayuan is far away in the Western Regions. There are high mountains and long rivers along the way, and the desert and Gobi run through it. There is also the Hexi Corridor as a barrier. Even if there is another hundred years, the chaos will not come to Chang'an.
However, the Shanyue people in Jiangdong and the Hu people in Liaodong can invade the territory of our Han Dynasty at any time.
I have never heard of anyone who can stay healthy for a long time without dealing with major internal and external diseases. Isn't it the same for the country?
Your Majesty, I am worried about the future of the Han Dynasty."
Directly rejecting Luo Shi's proposal would make us seem jealous, but with these two killer moves, what we want is to convince people with reason. Even if Luo Shi stood here, he would be speechless.
Because this is a matter that makes sense for both sides, it all depends on the emperor's choice.
Although Liu Dan was ordinary in other aspects, he had a good understanding of war, especially the Liaodong Protectorate, which was full of ruthless people. He deeply understood that it would be almost impossible for the Hu people to develop with the power of the Liaodong Protectorate alone before these people passed away.
As for the Shanyue in the Jiangdong area, Liu Dan did not take it seriously. The Shanyue were just like the Southwestern Yi. At most, they could take advantage in the mountains, but the gap would be immediately apparent when they reached the plains.
These barbarians had no cavalry, no sharp arrows and weapons, and no adequate armor. They could not pose any threat to the rule of the Central Plains dynasty. Even if the Shanyue united to counterattack, the most they would lose was the original Yue land, now Kuaiji County, and they would have no problem holding on to the Wu land, that is, the Jiangdong Plain.
Thinking of this, Liu Dan waved his hand and said, "My dear ministers, I have made a decision. I will agree to all the war demands of the Protector General of the Western Regions. No country or person can challenge the majesty of the Han Dynasty."
Seeing that the marquises wanted to speak, Liu Dan stopped them directly and said, "But what you said just now also makes sense.
As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands.
But can a strong man's two fists be defeated by a baby's four hands?
The Huns have perished. Is there any other country under heaven that can be compared with the Han Dynasty?
I think there isn’t!
Given the strength of the Han Dynasty, what could happen even if war broke out on two fronts, or even on three fronts?
The Liaodong Protectorate suppressed the northeast, the Western Regions Protectorate suppressed the northwest, and the Han imperial army swept across the world. This is the most powerful and invincible Han Dynasty. "
Liu Dan's words shocked everyone in the hall. Fighting on two fronts at the same time?
Does what the emperor said make sense?
have!
Can it be done?
able!
The Han army is invincible, even half of it would be enough to sweep the world, but the prerequisite is that the world's money and grain must be restored to the level of the Emperor Xiaowu period.
What constrained the military strength of the Han Dynasty was never the number of soldiers or the quality of the soldiers, but the money and food required to support these soldiers. In this era of low productivity, it took one hundred people to support one full-time soldier.
If Luo Sheng and Luo Shi knew that the emperor would start a war on two fronts, they would definitely regret asking the emperor for war. If they only fought the war in the Western Regions, the Han court's years of cultivation in the Yishui River Valley, plus the years of farming and reserves in the Hexi Corridor, would be enough as long as the war did not drag on too long, such as one or two years.
After all, the blow suffered by the Huns in this time and space was too severe, and they had completely lost the role of restraining the Han army.
Today's grassland can be said to be a showplace for the Han people. Coupled with the emergence of horseshoes, a large number of horses can be used to transport supplies, without having to transport logistics as difficult as the stupid general Li Guangli in history.
Everyone was so shocked that before they could react, Liu Dan shouted, "Grand Minister of Agriculture!"
Sang Hongyang walked out of the queue with his head held high. After his great contribution last time, the emperor gave him some of the power and responsibilities of the Grand Minister of Commerce. "Your Majesty, I am here!"
Liu Dan asked with a smile: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, I want to start a war, and I have to ask you, the Grand Steward, for money and food again."
His tone was full of intimacy. Liu Dan was very fond of Sang Hongyang, a man who could make money for him. Sang Hongyang bowed and said confidently, "Your Majesty, it's just a war on two fronts. I will definitely raise enough money and food for you and the court."
"oh?"
Although Liu Dan knew that Sang Hongyang was a capable man, his confidence still made him curious and asked, "What is the Grand Minister of Agriculture's plan?"
Sang Hongyang replied, "Your Majesty, last time we only raided some merchants in Qi to make up for the deficit in the southwest war. Based on the experience from last time, I think it is time to expand to all counties and states across the country."
When Liu Dan heard that they were still collecting business taxes and asset taxes, he asked in confusion: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, I know that it was you and the Grand Minister of Commerce who went to collect the taxes in person last time, so it was effective. But the world is so big, can you still go to each county one by one?
If Sang Qing hadn't been in charge, I'm afraid those cunning merchants would not pay the commercial taxes so easily.
I’m afraid your method won’t work.”
Sang Hongyang was not worried at all when he heard this. Instead, he smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, the world is bustling with people who are all seeking profit. If you give an order, half of the seized tax will be given to anyone who can report others for tax evasion.
As long as you do this, the whole world will be your eyes and ears, and even those treacherous merchants and servants will be at your disposal!
Are you still worried about not being able to collect taxes?"
boom!
As soon as Sang Hongyang said this, the temperature in the entire palace seemed to drop several degrees in an instant, and almost everyone looked at Sang Hongyang with completely uncontrollable murderous intent.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to kill this traitor!"
Someone immediately became restless and shouted, "Your Majesty, loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of the world. Sang Hongyang instigated slaves to betray their masters. Isn't this challenging the principles of heaven and earth?
The King of Su is above.
In the past, King Su assisted King Kang of Zhou, and there were so many slanders against him in the world. King Su said: On the day of my death, the world will know my loyalty.
When King Su passed away, King Kang of Zhou treated him like a father and said with tears: "My uncle treated me with loyalty, and I served him with filial piety."
This is the foundation of the people of China.
If one loses loyalty and filial piety, can he still be called a human being?"
He did not criticize Sang Hongyang's methods, but directly pointed out the flaws in Sang Hongyang's words. In fact, after hearing Sang Hongyang's words, Liu Dan also had a cold light flashing in his eyes and felt a chill.
He couldn't help but feel deeply fortunate that he was no longer a prince, but the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Otherwise, Sang Hongyang's weapon would be aimed at him. He knew his own affairs. When he was a prince, he committed many crimes. It would have been fine if the court did not pursue the matter. But if it did, it would have to deal with a minister like Sang Hongyang.
The only result is that he commits suicide and his family is exiled.
But now he is the emperor, and Sang Hongyang is the sharpest blade in his hand.
Liu Dan said in a deep voice: "What the Minister of Agriculture said is a policy for the country, and I should implement it.
But loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of being a human being, and I should not ignore it. Reporting your master is not allowed, so just do it this way."
The hall was completely silent, with only Sang Hongyang's loud voice remaining, "Your Majesty is wise!"
————
Liu Dan is a difficult emperor to evaluate, because he was not a foolish and incompetent emperor in the traditional sense. In the first few years after he became emperor, the wars he launched were very necessary, and he used his only advantage, his keen sense of war, to win many victories and in fact maintained the unity of the empire. However, the military is a continuation of politics, and starting wars everywhere during the weak period of the empire was an inappropriate behavior that exposed his political shortcomings. Facts have proved that a military emperor would not be an excellent ruler of the empire. - "History of the Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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