Song Gongwen's words stunned everyone present.
They were all a little confused and just looked at each other with puzzled eyes.
They knew that although this matter was related to His Majesty, from what the father-in-law said, there seemed to be other purposes involved.
No one quite understood, but fortunately, these people did not make any noise, but sat quietly where they were.
These ministers all knew that His Majesty was a wise and benevolent monarch, and every decision he made would not be simple.
But as for the Baiyue, they were a little puzzled. But it seemed that the father-in-law of the emperor seemed to know more about it, so they all wanted to know why.
Song Gongwen naturally saw the expectation in everyone's eyes, so he didn't keep them in suspense and said.
"After all, Baiyue has never belonged to the Central Plains dynasty. Even if Meng Jue unified it, it ultimately has nothing to do with our Great Wei."
"Although Meng Jue has surrendered and may obey the imperial court's orders, what about the other people in Baiyue? They may not necessarily follow the imperial court's orders. So, in this case, even if Baiyue is incorporated into the territory of Wei, it will not mean much. Outward obedience is different from inner obedience."
At this point, he continued, "To put it another way, it's just like when Emperor Gao conquered Yan. It seemed to belong to the Wei Dynasty, but many times, the court had no influence at all, and this would sow the seeds of all kinds of trouble."
"But what about Your Majesty? You agreed to Meng Jue's surrender, but didn't incorporate Baiyue into your territory. You handed Baiyue over to Meng Jue and his people to govern. This way, the court wouldn't have to worry about what happened within Baiyue. All they had to do was maintain the relationship between the two sides."
"Of course, the more important thing is that the connection between Great Wei and Baiyue has been established. Whether in culture or trade, Great Wei will have a significant impact on Baiyue. Over time, they will become more and more dependent on us, until one day, they will completely belong to Great Wei."
"Everyone, now you understand why I say that Your Majesty's move is far-sighted and courageous, right?"
At this moment, everyone looked at each other in surprise after hearing these words.
Most of them were silent.
Rather, it is about digesting the various meanings contained therein.
As for the military generals, although they could understand it, it was difficult for them to figure out its specific meaning.
However, Lin Yuansong stepped forward at this moment, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I understand what Lord Song means. Ultimately, Your Majesty wants the Baiyue to submit. However, directly incorporating such a place into the Great Wei territory is not necessarily a good thing. It will also bring many troubles. Who knows, it may become another Yan territory."
"But if we let them govern themselves, it will save us from many troubles. Your Majesty believes that compared to military force, cultural conquest is the best and can avoid all future troubles."
His words were equivalent to explaining everything Song Gongwen had said in detail.
It also allowed the civil and military officials around him to fully understand His Majesty's thoughts.
Yes, force can certainly conquer a region, a country, or even all places, but if you want to govern and control well, you must have strong force. Without it, it is easy to cause disasters.
For example, Yan was incorporated into the territory of Wei for more than a hundred years, but many places refused to obey the rules, causing great headaches for the imperial court.
So we can't let this happen a second time, hence this decision.
Just accept surrender and maintain vassal relationship.
As for the rest, we'll talk about it when the time is right.
Zhennan Pass still plays its previous role as the first stop for contact with the Baiyue people, and at the same time, it is also the first line of defense for defending against the Baiyue people.
"I see. Your Majesty truly has a far-sighted vision. You understand that to conquer a place, you must not only conquer its people, but also conquer all aspects of it. Only in this way can you eliminate all worries. In other words, Your Majesty is making plans for future generations."
The problem of Yan has not been completely resolved since Emperor Gaozu.
Although successive emperors wanted to deal with it, they did not know where to start, and in the end, nothing was done.
It was not until the late emperor married the only daughter of the head of the Sun family that the relationship between the imperial court and Yan land was further improved, but it was still far from being completely resolved.
These matters were well known to Grand Secretaries like Lin Yuansong. Song Gongwen believed that His Majesty had released the Prince of Yan to his fiefdom in order to completely resolve the matter. Although it had only been a short time, such matters were meant to be dealt with slowly.
He also believed that in this generation, His Majesty would be able to solve the problems that his predecessors had failed to accomplish.
The same is true for the Baiyue people today. If we handle it this way, it will not be so difficult for future generations.
Therefore, Song Gongwen felt that Your Majesty had a long-term vision that no one could match.
As for why we say courage.
The reason is very simple. Although the Baiyue people surrendered, His Majesty did not fully accept it. This is because Meng Jue is confident that there will be no possibility of rebelling against the Wei Dynasty in the future. How can this not be considered courage?
After careful consideration, Song Gongwen also believed that with His Majesty around, Meng Jue would not be able to cause any trouble, and as time went on, the other party would have even less chance.
"I understand what you two adults mean." At this time, Lu An stood up and his expression became serious.
"Zhennan Pass will still exist after this, no different from before. We still need to take precautions."
"I think Your Majesty also believes that the Baiyue are not that reliable, but he also knows that if the war continues, our Great Wei will certainly win, but it will also come at a cost. But now it is different."
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