Chapter 53 Fusu: I'm a pro at coaxing people...
To be honest, Fusu was already very familiar with the backdrop of the snow-covered camp in Shangzhou that he met with the First Emperor in his dreams. But when he glanced at the increasingly howling and merciless snow, he knew that his father was in a very bad mood.
That makes sense.
Anyone returning from an expedition to inspect territory, dragging their weary body, wanting to check on their long-lost son, only to be met with such a remark—wouldn't be in a good mood?
Moreover, the truth is the quickest way to cut through obstacles.
The tacit understanding between him and his father was indeed, well, rather average.
If things had been better, the "forged imperial edict and suicide" incident wouldn't have happened. No wonder the Emperor was heartbroken upon hearing those words.
But Fusu knew perfectly well that he and his father were now separated into two different timelines, and that they would only see each other less and less in the future, unlike in their first life when they could see each other whenever they wanted. Given his father's level of rationality, he would never fail to understand this.
During their last meeting, he had promised that he would never force him to abandon his blood relatives in this life and only acknowledge him as his father.
Just as Emperor Renzong was willing to let him nominally recognize the Prince of Pu as his father in order to fulfill his grand ambition of reforming the Song Dynasty.
His two fathers were remarkably similar in their love for him.
So, since he's already receiving double the care, and only occasionally complains or feels a little jealous, it's the son's duty to address it. So what if his father is upset? What's wrong with comforting him? It's only natural for a son to comfort his father.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, then open your eyes.
I can do it.
"Father, you're finally back."
Fusu gazed at Qin Shi Huang and said, “Every time I dream, I think about whether I will be able to see you tonight. Today I finally have.”
"..."
With just one sentence, he diminished most of the aura of a great emperor. Especially since Fusu had a pair of extremely clear eyes. As a three-year-old cub, his eyes were round and large, like a little deer, melting everyone's hearts.
But he now appears as a young man, the same appearance Qin Shi Huang is accustomed to seeing. The sincerity in his words, coupled with those clear and captivating eyes, makes him practically Qin Shi Huang's ultimate countermeasure.
"Don't change the subject."
Qin Shi Huang narrowed his eagle eyes, clearly understanding his son's ulterior motives: "I haven't answered your question yet. What exactly are you..."
Fusu replied, "But I have also accumulated many questions, which I have been waiting to ask you, Father, when we meet."
"Moreover, it concerns the recovery of lost territories and military campaigns. Among all the people around me, only you can answer this question."
Qin Shi Huang: "..."
Qin Shi Huang: "…………"
Even knowing that his son was saying that on purpose to coax him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache and secret delight.
Fusu was right. Forced to be born in a poor, weak, and militarily unprepared country, surrounded by those who cowered at their borders, they sought military advice but found no one to turn to. Just imagining that scene made the First Emperor unable to resist softening his heart.
Who else can help him?
It has to be the same person who once conquered six kingdoms!
But Qin Shi Huang still didn't want Fusu to get too cocky. He glanced at him with his eagle eyes and said, "Heh, you've gotten too bold. You dare to disregard your father's words?"
Fusu looked away nervously.
Well, if it were before, he would definitely be very honest and explain with a look of fear and trepidation, "Father, listen to me, that's not what I meant..." But that would only make both of them unhappy.
But now, he has changed.
And, most importantly—
"Father, Father, you weren't angry with me in the first place, were you?"
Qin Shi Huang flicked his sleeve, his face expressionless, but his voice held a hint of annoyance. He ignored Fusu's question and awkwardly looked away: "Fine, if you have any questions about military affairs, just ask!"
Fusu chuckled twice and immediately knew when to stop. Besides, he wasn't deceiving his father; he genuinely had questions to ask.
Take, for example, the Third Sister from Tianjin who was abducted to Bianjing. She even considered sailing across the sea to return home. Fusu, at that time, wondered why he didn't dare to be bolder and dream of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
"If, well, I want to reclaim the lands of Yan and Zhao, which aspect do you think I should start with?"
The land of Yan and Zhao.
Qin Shi Huang's right eyelid twitched.
The memory of circling the pillar three and a half times has resurfaced in my mind.
But he quickly dismissed this unease; the assassination attempt was merely a small episode in his turbulent life. Besides, he had long since wiped out Yan and Zhao. Apart from the assassin, he had almost no other recollection of this place.
"How are the defenses of Yan and Zhao now?"
Fusu had done his research beforehand, and he replied, "The key towns are heavily fortified, especially the two prefectures of You and Yun, which are garrisoned with elite troops. It is said that the emperor will also make inspections every year, but I don't know if that's true."
"How formidable is the natural defense?"
"The Liao Kingdom naturally occupied the strategic passes of Juyong Pass and Gubeikou. They also specially dispatched troops to reinforce the passes, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack."
How is the sergeant?
Fusu was so embarrassed by the question that he almost sighed, "Not nearly as good as you."
There's no need to elaborate; it's simply a matter of being inferior.
The advantage of cavalry over infantry phalanxes is overwhelming.
Qin Shi Huang was momentarily silent. He had to consider the method he had previously looked down upon: "Then, what is the sentiment of the people here?"
"The Sixteen Prefectures were governed by Han Chinese appointed by the Liao emperor. I cannot guarantee that they would be peaceful and prosperous, but in terms of customs, they should not be much different from those in the Central Plains."
After saying this, Fusu himself was somewhat desperate: "Father, is there really no way?"
Qin Shi Huang nodded: "It's even more difficult than expected."
He sighed in frustration, "Okay, I knew it."
The Northern Song Dynasty was not without wise rulers, but the issue of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun remained unresolved for over a hundred years, and no emperor was able to resolve it.
Surely not every emperor was born a coward? They were not without their ambitions, but only after ascending to the throne did they realize how intractable the problems were.
"But, Fusu," Qin Shi Huang suddenly said in a deep voice, "you must know one thing: winning a war is never an easy thing."
He recalled the years when he had built up the strength of six generations of his family, sweeping away the six kingdoms in one fell swoop, and eyeing them with predatory intent. It seemed sudden and glorious, astonishing the entire world. But who knew how long the Qin state had accumulated its power before this?
Even before his success, no one had ever doubted that the格局 (geju, a term referring to the state structure of the seven major states of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, Qi, and Qin) would continue in the Central Plains.
Is it because every monarch in these countries was lifeless and lacked the ambition and vision to unify the Central Plains?
No, it's because winning a battle is inherently very difficult.
"You must have exceptional abilities to be able to sweep away all obstacles and achieve unstoppable success. Otherwise, in a battle between two armies, the defender naturally has the advantage. The city is in my hands, the natural defenses are in my hands, and the supplies are in my hands. Tell me, how can they be taken down by the attacker in one fell swoop?"
"Therefore, Fusu, if you want to conquer any place, you must have something extraordinary about you. It could be your military strength, your military equipment, or the hearts of the people that you care about most. If you have one of these, you have a chance of winning this battle. If you have two, your chances of winning will be extremely high."
"Like cavalry versus infantry, is that a superior advantage?"
"That's exactly right."
Fusu was deeply enlightened: "Father, I understand."
No, it's more accurate to say that he wasn't completely oblivious before. It's just that his father's words acted like a reassuring pill, both enlightening him and dispelling any remaining illusions he might have had.
For example, black gunpowder is something a time traveler would easily think of: it can be made with one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal. Its destructive power is incredibly high, and it is a natural counter to cavalry.
But wouldn't the introduction of firearms in the era of cold weapons cause more bloodshed and endless wars? These were all things that Fusu would consider.
Perhaps he was too kind and indecisive, but there was nothing he could do; Fusu was the kind of person who would consider these things.
But the Emperor made it very clear:
You have no choice but to take it. Given the current circumstances, there's nothing you can do.
Creating an advantage and then using that advantage to crush the enemy—that is the essence of war.
Therefore, troop strength, weaponry, morale...
How should he plan this?
After Fusu woke up, he was still unable to come to his senses for a long time, his mind filled with the contents of his dream from the previous night. Su Shi even teased him, "What's wrong? Are you still confused by the scenery in your dream?"
Fusu suddenly came to his senses and angrily retorted, "What do you mean?!"
"Zhao Xiaolang, your denial is useless." Su Shi spread his hands innocently: "The facts prove that Xiaolang is currently the most prominent person in the Imperial Academy. But our Imperial Academy is too, hehe, we must be famous in Bianjing now, right?"
Su Shi was right.
The Imperial Academy (Guozijian) was the highest educational institution, in charge of national education, publishing books, and managing official schools. However, before Fan Zhongyan's reforms, in the eyes of the court, it was merely a cram school for the sons of officials preparing for the imperial examinations, with a bunch of famous teachers correcting homework and predicting exam questions. After Fan Zhongyan proposed reforms to the Imperial Academy, including dividing the academy into separate sections and introducing local students, its presence became more prominent.
After yesterday, he became famous overnight in every government office.
Why? It's all because of the government!
In feudal times, the emperor was the most powerful figure in the country. Every decree, every word, and even a minor mishap by him was taken to heart and treated with utmost trepidation.
Moreover, yesterday, the Emperor publicly stated: "I was deeply moved by the students of the Imperial Academy, especially by their personal involvement in planting vegetables in the fields. This system is excellent! Shouldn't all government offices in Bianjing strive to learn from it? I will check the results later."
The various government offices: "..."
What else could we do? The government told us to grow vegetables, so we did!
So, a temporary vegetable garden was set aside in front of and behind each government office. But then another problem arose: everyone was an official, so who was in charge of the daily affairs of the office, and who would tend those two acres of vegetable garden? Each office discussed this issue behind closed doors and finally decided that those who usually didn't care about their work and were always slacking off would go and grow vegetables!
When Fusu heard about this later, he laughed until he cried.
What was most prevalent in Song Dynasty government offices? Redundant officials, of course. Sending these redundant officials to farm and grow vegetables transformed them from freeloaders into extra productive forces. A win-win situation, not at all!
Moreover, a strange trend of comparison is quietly spreading.
Yesterday, the Censorate just sowed the seeds of Chinese cabbage.
Today, Dali Temple is attempting to tackle a challenging crop: grapes!
Tomorrow, my husband will personally pay for the transplanting of a century-old peach tree from his own courtyard to the government office!
Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous government office in Bianjing, officials of all ranks were gathered together, their faces solemn.
"Fellow colleagues, this is a critical moment for the survival of our Court of State Ceremonies."
"Yes, the Court of State Ceremonial is already overwhelmed with daily duties of receiving envoys, translating, and managing tribute. We haven't had any new staff for years, let alone enough people to grow vegetables. And you gentlemen don't have any rare delicacies at home. If you can't grow vegetables, you'll be relegated to a subordinate position, ridiculed by other departments, and might even be blamed by the emperor. What should we do then?"
No one answered; silence fell over the room.
Suddenly someone said, "I don't want to be laughed at by those people from the Street Office."
"That's right."
"Me too!"
Clearly, despite both being relatively unpopular government departments, the Court of State Ceremonies and the Street Office, responsible for public infrastructure, harbored deep-seated grudges. Neither wanted to lose to the other.
The man at the head of the table stroked his beard and sighed deeply, as if he had made a difficult decision: "It seems there is only one way."
"What?"
"Planting tribute goods from Champa, Dali, and other places into the ground and then leaving it to fate. This can earn you a reputation for seeking novelty, the unusual, and ingenuity. What do you all think?"
"What if nothing grows at all?"
"His Majesty is merciful and will surely not blame us. Besides, we have tried our best and we are not inferior to the Street Office."
"Let's do it this way!"
At that time, no one realized what they had planted.
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Author's note: Guess what it is?
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