Chapter 431 The road ahead is in sight
When hearing Qiao Yan's words, even though Gan Ning had been eager to do something big after the Luoyang discussion, he did not expect that this opportunity would come so soon.
The words about the rippling water and the countless ships make one's blood boil.
When he first left Yizhou and followed Jia Xu and others to Xuzhou, he just wanted to prove that Yizhou's Jinfan thieves were definitely not bad at water skills.
He even felt a headache because Lu Lingju and others' destination was Liaodong and they needed to travel a long distance across the sea.
Who would have thought——
Not only did he gain military merit and become a loyal minister of the Emperor of Dayong, but he was also able to obtain such power at this time!
This was a huge piece of good news that fell right in front of him.
If someone else faced such a situation, they might feel terrified, but who is Gan Ning!
When he was still Liu Yan's follower, he could whistle at the troops arriving at Hanzhong including Chu Yan, praising the excellent quality of the opponent's cavalry. In terms of psychological ability, he was truly the best among the generals under Qiao Yan.
He immediately replied: "Your Majesty, there is no need to ask me what I think. Since there is a need to build a navy, I will take the lead!"
If there had not been the voyage from Xuzhou to Liaodong, people like Gan Ning who were more experienced in Yizhou would have been more or less afraid of the rough waves. But when he saw with his own eyes the pointing ability of the sea compass produced by the Leping Academy of Sciences, saw the sea ships built by the Xuzhou Shipyard and the later Funan warships, this fear was at most reduced to a little caution in naval travel.
Qiao Yan noticed Gan Ning's smug expression and asked, "What if I want this navy to sail to a place farther than Yizhou?"
Hearing what Qiao Yan said, Gan Ning was stunned for a moment, "Wait... wait a minute, Your Majesty, are you going to follow the story of Qin Shi Huang?"
This...is not a good thing to do!
The world has just been unified. If Qiao Yan has already come up with the idea of looking for the fairy mountain on the sea, even if Gan Ning has not read many books, he would think that this is a way to bring disaster.
Qiao Yan's face darkened. "Take back your messy thoughts. Why don't you think about why Funan's shipbuilding technology is more advanced than that of Xuzhou and Yangzhou?"
Gan Ning quickly coughed lightly to show that he had no intention of making any unwarranted speculations.
Yes, why is Funan’s shipbuilding technology so advanced that it far exceeds its national conditions?
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Western Roman Empire, also known as "Da Qin" by the Han people, opened up this sea route to reach the border between Funan and Jiaozhou. Therefore, the development of the Funan warships was driven by the world situation.
Qiao Yan continued, "Following the sea route that the Qin people took to reach their territory, we can reach the west. Of course, this place can also be reached via the Silk Road, where BMW, spices, and Hu people all came from. So, what if the ship's trajectory goes south or east? Perhaps there are other unknown territories that we can explore and gain something that will benefit people's livelihood."
"The Han people's knowledge of the land territory is increasing day by day. Why can't the people of Dayong cross the ocean and see the vast world?"
Gan Ning's expression had become completely serious after Qiao Yan said this.
No matter how eccentric he was, or how he acted like a bandit, he would definitely be able to hear that Qiao Yan's purpose in the voyage was very similar to reopening the Silk Road.
But at HNA, she clearly has stronger ambitions.
She looked Gan Ning in the eye and said, "Xingba, compared to recovering the Western Regions Protectorate, marching south to Baiyue, marching north to the outer reaches of the Great Wall, and conquering Goguryeo and Buyeo, establishing diplomatic relations on the sea and exploring the lands across the ocean may be a better way to achieve rapid development under the rule of Dayong."
"Unfortunately, this may not be accomplished within three to five years. Traveling on the sea is even more dangerous. If you are not careful, the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die. Even if the ship capsizes in the vast ocean, there will be no one to collect your bodies. If you really understand the situation, it will not be too late to agree to me."
Gan Ning did not hesitate for long before giving a reply to Qiao Yan: "Your Majesty, please allow me to select suitable naval personnel from Yangzhou, Xuzhou, and Qingzhou, and conduct naval exercises near the coast first. Within two years, I will definitely provide Your Majesty with a navy that can roam freely between the north and the south, and then we can sail far away to ensure that what Your Majesty is planning will not fail!"
"Okay!" Qiao Yan clapped his hands and smiled.
It’s good to have Gan Ning’s words.
If he lost himself in this heavy responsibility and just regarded it as a chance to leave his name in Xuanyuan Pavilion, Qiao Yan would probably immediately send him to a place to polish his character.
But what he proposed at this moment was to train the navy first and then set out on a long-distance voyage, which made Qiao Yan feel much more at ease.
She handed Gan Ning the recruitment certificate he wanted and said, "Then I will wait and see."
However, whether it is Lu Yuan starting to recover the Western Regions Protectorate with the confidence that the Central Plains has been unified by Dayong, or Gan Ning starting to expand the number of large ships and recruit naval teams until the expeditionary naval mission is launched, they still have to wait a while.
The first priority is to stabilize the four states of Ji, Qing, Yan and Yu that were recently acquired, and make these thirteen states under the rule of Dayong safely pass through the second year of Yuanzhao!
Since the winter of the first year of Yuan Zhao, signs of the recurrence of drought have become increasingly obvious.
But neither Qiao Yan nor her subordinates regretted why they did not choose to attack Yuan Shao and Liu Bian's Yecheng court next year.
In theory, if they chose this time, on the one hand, Jizhou and Qingzhou, which were suffering from drought, would be able to be recovered more easily; on the other hand, the impact of the drought could be blamed on the incompetence of Yuan Shao and others in governing.
But she does not regret the decision.
Even though she knew that a disaster would follow, she did not regret it!
"Fortunately, Your Majesty had already treated the principles of heaven and human affairs differently when he dispelled the rumor about the red aura penetrating the Purple Palace," Cheng Yu said. "Since the recovery of Ji and Qing states in August, Yuan Zhi and Wen He have both started to handle local government affairs. Regardless of whether the preparations have reached every household in the county, they can at least reduce the losses of the people here."
Qiao Yan flipped through the grain reserves of various states on the table and continued, "Besides, the situation we are facing now is much better than that of the Yongchu period."
In the first year of Yongchu, which was when Deng Sui came to power as the empress dowager, earthquakes struck eighteen counties and kingdoms, floods hit forty-one counties and kingdoms, mountain torrents broke out frequently, and there were even strong winds and hailstorms.
All parties said that this was due to Empress Dowager Deng "taking over the position of Yin and monopolizing the power of Yang."
In comparison, what Qiao Yan was facing was nothing!
The clan forces she could mobilize were few in number, but there was absolutely no one who could hold her back.
The capable ministers under her command have already had two years of experience in dealing with drought disasters, and in places such as Sili, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou, the exploitation of groundwater systems can provide reserve resources at any time to deal with next year's disasters.
No one would ever attribute such changes in the celestial phenomena to her usurping the power of the Han Dynasty and completely taking control of the world.
Even if some people have complaints about her because of the newly proposed reform of the marriage system, in the trend where more latecomers are trying to get ahead, if they choose to stand against Qiao Yan in the face of this reform that has not yet touched the bottom line, someone will inevitably take advantage of this God-given opportunity to squeeze them out.
So instead of wasting time on fighting against Qiao Yan, it would be better to see if he can do his part to stabilize the situation to avoid being a thankless task and becoming a victim of this natural disaster.
After all, Qiao Yan's earlier arrangements had mentioned that after the country was unified, the imperial examination would be restarted in the new year.
She will use this method to screen out a group of available people and eliminate those who were unqualified among those who were transferred last year.
Among the children of aristocratic families, there are quite a few who are among these people.
She said firmly: "Empress Dowager Hexi was able to stabilize the regime in this dangerous situation. If my Great Yong cannot survive this challenge in the second year of Yuan Zhao, then both the ruler and his subjects are incompetent."
However, although the people in various states may have become numb in the face of natural disasters, Qiao Yan still issued three decrees.
This was also what she had planned when she successfully captured Yecheng.
First, the four states of Ji, Qing, Yan and Yu have fewer years of accumulation than the other states, and when disaster strikes, it is inevitable that they will not be able to cope with the situation. Therefore, 50% of taxes should be reduced for one year. For the remaining states, 30% of taxes should be reduced for one year.
This is a temporary measure for the initial establishment of the world.
Those taxes that were not excessive but sufficient were almost all used for various construction projects in Dayong. If we continue to cut taxes, it would be like asking officials to promote integrity blindly, which is not a long-term strategy.
Secondly, the people of each state were originally supposed to perform labor service after they reached the required age. It was strictly forbidden to ask for someone to replace them by "overdue labor service", and they were not allowed to evade labor service by paying labor service taxes. However, in the past two years, the military service and the labor service in January each year were changed to water conservancy construction and farmland reclamation in various places to ensure that there would be no water or food shortages in the event of a disaster.
Thirdly, the military settlements in various places were originally set up to quickly accumulate military rations in preparation for war. Now that there is no longer any antagonistic relationship between the courts in Chang'an and Yecheng, they should be abolished.
However, before the recruitment of soldiers in various places is completed and the number of troops is adjusted, the population movement returning home due to war ends, and the division of fields and wastelands is completed, the unified deployment and efficient production of military settlements are still necessary.
In addition, there is the impending drought in the second year of Yuanzhao, so we will postpone the disbanding of the military settlements for two years.
She concluded: "Reduce taxes, change labor service, protect military settlements, and send the collection of drought response and emergency prescriptions from the Leping Monthly Report to the four states one after another."
The territories of Yanzhou and Yuzhou were previously presided over by Zao Zhi, the captain of the military farm. Although he is now serving under the Grand Minister of Agriculture, he can still be dispatched to the two states to supervise affairs. Qiao Yan is not too worried.
On the contrary, Jizhou and Qingzhou were originally under the jurisdiction of Yuan Shao. It can be said that they were not prosperous as they were directly under the emperor, but it was not uncommon for various aristocratic families to intervene and take away their territories.
Fortunately, Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang, Jia Xu and Lu Yi, who were later transferred back from Liaodong, who were in these two states, were all very capable. If they really encountered difficulties in handling the situation, they would always report to Chang'an.
"I think that Your Majesty should do one more thing." Cheng Yu thought for a moment and spoke.
Seeing Qiao Yan nod, he continued, "Although Jizhou and Qingzhou lost cities and territories very quickly under our overwhelming attack, the casualties were still heavy. There must be quite a few elders who lost their children and no one to take care of them, and wives and children who lost their husbands and fathers..."
These people were undoubtedly a vulnerable group in the following disaster years.
"I understand what Zhongde means," Qiao Yan knocked on the table, thinking, "However, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Besides, there are always some personal grudges during the attack, so it is no good to just give alms."
"Add salt officials and shipyards in Donglai, Qingzhou, and Bohai County, Jizhou. Give priority to recruiting people whose families have died in the militia in the two states. The wages are slightly higher than the income from land. Elders over 60 years old can receive one dan of rice from the county treasury, and those who are sick, disabled, poor and unable to take care of themselves can receive five hu of rice from the county."
"Besides..." Qiao Yan frowned and interrupted himself, "Forget it, let's talk about it later."
She originally wanted to say that the labor shortage in Jizhou and Qingzhou should be compensated by the development of handicraft industry, but the textile, iron smelting and other industries in Guanzhong, Bingzhou and Liangzhou are still in a state of overcapacity. Either the people in the thirteen states should have enough surplus wealth, or the high-end products should be dumped through the Silk Road.
And none of this will be completed next year.
Eat your food one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.
She did not make any rash moves in the marriage laws, and she was also not impulsive in the construction of the states.
Anyway, just like she said at the celebration ceremony in Luoyang that day, her future is still long.
First, we must get through this test and let Dayong prove to the world—
This is by no means a fleeting dynasty!
The spring of the second year of Yuan Zhao arrived in the midst of a drought with no rain at all.
However, in the face of preparations that began in the autumn and winter of last year, people from all sides quickly took charge of water storage and drainage based on their past experience without even waiting for orders from county officials.
The surplus grain in the Guanzhong granary after the military action in July and August last year, together with the accumulation in the Yizhou treasury, were sent to Luoyang as quickly as possible to prepare for any emergency.
For a while, whether it was the adjustment of crop varieties between acres, the implementation of meticulous measures to prevent locust plagues in advance, or the protection of river tributaries, all were carried out in an orderly manner.
Only Jizhou and Qingzhou seemed a little uncomfortable with this pace. However, due to the people's desire to survive, they followed the orders of the two governors.
Even the sons of the noble families in Hebei who were still serving as prisoners in the military could easily see a signal coming towards them:
No matter how bad the environment is this year, the land and population controlled by the Dayong Dynasty seem to be concentrated on a well-equipped chariot, rushing forward with a momentum to crush all the thorns on the road ahead!
The wheels rolled and swept them forward, not giving them any chance to look back.
Perhaps due to the influence of the drought, there will still be fields where no crops are harvested.
However, with actions such as stabilizing food prices, creating new jobs, aiding the poor, reducing taxes, and curbing locust plagues, the most objective and fair historians would never record "there is a great famine this year, and people are eating each other", but rather "although people's livelihood is difficult, there is still a way to survive."
Of course, no one would look back and think about what the situation would be like if the Han Dynasty still ruled the country at this time while they were busy.
They are all members of Dayong.
By the time I realized this fact, it had already turned from spring to summer, and from summer to autumn.
The second year of Yuanzhao, which should have felt long and torturous, seemed to have passed in a flash.
When a carriage set out from the Hanyang Prefecture of Liangzhou and headed straight north, snow had already fallen in this coldest place among the thirteen provinces.
In the howling north wind, the wheels left two marks on the ground covered with a thin layer of snow.
There was still some warmth in the carriage. Lu Yuan sat in it holding a hand warmer, looking at the letter brought by Xu Rong and Zhang He. There was a hint of sharpness in the calm expression on his face.
Jiang Tang, who was traveling with her, learned the Chinese language of the Central Plains while posing as a Qiang people in his early years. He assisted the Qiang people in their surrender in Liangzhou. Because of his excellent ability in learning languages, he was chosen by Lu Yuan to be her deputy.
She couldn't help but ask Lu Yuan, "Winter is coming, why is the Lord so eager to leave for the four counties in Hexi at this time?"
When they were still in Hanyang County, the weather outside was already so bad. When they went north and passed Wushaoling, it would definitely become even more unbearable.
This is really not good weather for traveling.
Lu Yuan shook his head. "I originally thought that due to the drought this year, it would be okay for us to postpone our entry into the old site of the Western Region Protectorate for a year, but General Junyi went deep into the hinterland and learned some news."
"Two years ago, Kushan Xihou Potiao seized power and established himself, regaining control of Khwarazm, which had escaped from Kushan control. If he is allowed to further annex and gain power, it will not be easy for us to regain control of the Western Regions."
"This Kushan Xihou, who is only 28 years old this year, is definitely not an ordinary person. He even set his sights on the Central Plains and watched the dispute in China. If Your Majesty had not already taken control of the four counties in Hexi and unified the world last year, there is no guarantee that the other party would do something to affect our plan."
"Rather than waiting for the other side to see the situation clearly and take action first, it is better to keep the initiative in our hands, so as not to disappoint your Majesty's enterprising spirit!"
She set off on the day when the snow fell because it was inevitable due to the circumstances.
Jiang Tang blinked.
What Lu Yuan said was still a little difficult for her to understand, but she knew that this Governor of Liangzhou, who was highly regarded by the current emperor, would never make any wrong choice at such a critical juncture.
Then, she must live up to the piece of ginger candy that His Majesty once handed her and try to play a role in this extraterritorial dispute.
However, having said that, thinking about how she was once just one of the barbarians who barely survived the winter on the Zangyuan, and also thinking about the purpose of their trip north, Jiang Tang still felt a little uneasy.
But when she met Lu Yuan's calm gaze, the fluctuation in her heart calmed down again.
He just subconsciously asked the other party: "Aren't you afraid of failure in this fight on this strange land?"
Lu Yuan did not answer her question directly, but suddenly opened the rear window of the carriage.
In the moment when the cold wind blew into the carriage, she pointed at the track behind the carriage and asked, "Look, we are leaving traces, and that's enough."
"What's more, I am carrying His Majesty's instructions."
Jiang Tang nodded, not quite understanding.
But speaking of it, there seems to be something wrong with His Majesty's instructions.
If she remembered correctly, after receiving the letter, Lu Yuan actually laughed for a long time, which was a rare moment of incompetence.
But perhaps this is the mutual encouragement between Your Majesty and your subjects?
Unfortunately, this kind of matter involves confidential information and she has no right to interfere.
And this snow that left footprints on one's feet fell not only in Liangzhou.
Half a month later, it was brought into Guanzhong by the wind from the Wei River Valley.
When the winter wind lightly mixed with snow particles blew in from between the open windows and doors of the Chang'an Palace, Qiao Yan unconsciously paused with the pen in his hand and turned his gaze to the window.
It’s snowing?
After a moment of distraction, she realized that, yes, it was really snowing!
This is not ordinary snow at all.
The sudden fall of snow after the rare rain this year is enough to draw everyone's attention to it.
It is said that auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, but compared to a good harvest, as long as the weather next year is normal and there is no drought, it will be the best result for this land that has suffered so much in the past decade.
This is truly a snowfall that can be called "rain in time of need".
She walked to the window and looked outside. She saw that between the sky, which was slightly dim due to the approaching snow and wind, a ray of sunlight shone obliquely on the spreading clouds, showing a still brilliant color.
That also seemed to be a sign of good things to come.
Seeing this, she murmured, "Next year will probably be a good time."
Just as she finished speaking, a piece of waste manuscript on the table was blown up by the evening breeze that came in through the window, and fell to the ground, attracting her attention.
Qiao Yan turned around and took a look, then chose to close the window, shutting out the increasingly cold wind outside the hall, then went back and picked up the paper.
The folded manuscript had been unfolded again due to the wind, and when she picked it up again, the words on it were clearly visible.
If someone were here with her, they would have seen that at the end of the unfolded paper was written:
[People always say that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts, but I don’t think so. I have nothing to do and I want to ask you, if we judge the superiority of counselors by their reputation, who can be regarded as the best in the world? 】
In theory, this is not a difficult question to answer. After all, everyone has their own criteria for judgment.
However, there is a line of small words at the end: [Answer seriously, or you won’t get the lucky money next year. 】
And this is exactly the sentence she included in the letters she wrote to every civil official under her command in October.
[You are threatening!] Threat, you know? 】Seeing this sentence again, the system still found it difficult to recover and commented speechlessly.
Who would use this method to prove that he is the best strategist in the world!
Is there anyone among her subordinates who dares to write a name other than hers?
But facing the system's outburst, Qiao Yan simply threw the manuscript into the wastebasket beside him and replied: "Planning to seize the world and rule the country, how can this not be the best plan in the world. This is to seek happiness for all people, to seek peace in the world, to seek..."
"By the way," she paused and asked, "Just tell me, have we completed our mission in this way?"
that--
If you don’t become the best strategist in the world, you will not survive for more than 20 years.
The system's complaints suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, it whispered back:
You will live a long life. 】
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