Chapter 1530 (1529): The Grand Finale (Thirty-Two) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
There are also specific considerations when choosing a new location to establish a capital.
Now that the question was posed to Shen Tang, it meant that everyone had their own goals. Shen Tang didn't waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Tell me, what good recommendations do you have?"
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; nobody dares to be the first to do so.
The first location will most likely be targeted by the ministers.
After a long while, an unfamiliar, white-bearded old minister stepped forward and said, "In my opinion, the ancient kings chose the center of the world to establish their kingdoms. Your Majesty has accomplished what no one before you could, so you should also choose the center as the location for your capital."
Shen Tang frowned: "You mean it's set in the central continent?"
Who in Kangguo doesn't know that she has the worst impression of the central continent?
The tradition of valuing lineage and social standing—"the upper class has no poor families, the lower class has no noble families"—still prevails here. However, the region has been severely weakened by the defeat at the hands of the Kang Kingdom in the past two years and can no longer afford to be arrogant. From now on, Shen Tang must be extremely cautious in appointing talents here, for fear that a single bad apple will spoil the whole bunch.
Is this where Kangguo established its capital?
Shen Tang bluntly stated, "I'm actually not too keen on it."
The old minister who made the suggestion lowered his head, sweating profusely.
He wasn't unaware of Shen Tang's preferences; it's just that there weren't many civil and military officials from the central continent in the Kang Kingdom's court. One reason was that Kang Kingdom disliked the atmosphere of the central region, and another was that the various families in the central region inherently looked down on Kang Kingdom's rough-and-tumble origins. They also didn't believe that central officials would be excluded from the power center for long—regardless of what the situation would be like in the future, there were really not many allies at the moment.
Everyone will have their own ancestral home.
They all hope to settle down in their hometown.
At this point, isn't it all about who has more weight in their words?
Aside from the veteran officials of Kang State, the other new officials hadn't spent much time with Shen Tang and didn't know much about her temperament. When they heard Shen Tang bluntly say, "I'm actually not too willing," they were all dumbfounded—regional discrimination, was she not even going to pretend anymore?
If this gets out, won't the scholars of the central region rebel and overturn the table?
Shen Tang tapped the table with her finger and said coldly, "If what we talk about today gets out of this wall, you all know what will happen."
She didn't care what she said.
But if these words get out, she'll be considered a gossip.
The ministers all clasped their hands in a gesture of assurance.
Even in their sleep, they wouldn't dare to talk in their sleep and reveal the contents. They all talk a good game, but what they really think is known only to heaven, earth, themselves, and Gu Chi.
The next sentence by Shen Tang is a patch after making sweeping generalizations.
She tried to salvage the reputation of the central continent: "Choosing the center is not without its merits, but the situation in the central region is chaotic, with bandits rising up everywhere and wars raging frequently. If we were to establish the capital here, it would be tantamount to raising a flag to invite the rebels. How could the capital be stable? In the past, the allied rebels fortified their positions and cleared the fields in various places, causing the fields to become barren, the people to become impoverished, and the roads to be filled with starving corpses. If we were to establish the capital here now, it would probably backfire and would not be a wise move."
Simply put, the area has terrible security, its economy has been ruined by the Central Allied Forces, and the exodus of refugees has led to a massive population loss. Building a capital here would be too costly, and Shen Tang, considering the national treasury's deficit, decided it wasn't feasible.
Her decision not to choose the central mainland was not simply because she disliked it.
These words of saving face are just a fig leaf.
Anyone with eyes to see could tell what was behind the fig leaf.
Then, the second person stepped forward and said, "If we are to establish a capital, we should choose a place that relies on steep mountains as a barrier and controls the vital points."
There aren't many places with such a natural advantage.
If his lord asked just one more question, he could easily promote his ancestral home. Little did he expect that these colleagues, whose teamwork wasn't exactly harmonious, were masters of sabotage. Qian Yong said, "Hilarious! I've heard of closing the main gate to defend against external enemies, but I've never heard of installing gates everywhere while staying in your own home. You're using the mountains as a barrier, who are you trying to defend against? People from the flower hall attacking the backyard bedrooms?"
The area inside the mountain range belongs to us.
Everything outside the mountains belongs to us.
What's the point of considering the terrain when choosing a capital?
Even if we take a step back—
Qian Yong chuckled and said, "If you gentlemen really want to take precautions, a mere mountain range can be easily created on the spot. Why bother searching for such a place in a vast ocean and then moving the capital there? Wouldn't that be a waste of money?"
Everyone: "..."
Indeed, mountains can be sculpted on the spot.
Kangguo now has many outstanding military generals, so it would not be difficult for them to move mountains and seas and build a terrain barrier.
Qian Yong's words also silenced the third person who wanted to say something.
The third person suggested that the location of the capital should prioritize water supply.
That is, a place with a well-developed water system.
Based on the estimated permanent population of Fengluo City, the future new capital city will only be larger, and it will not be difficult for the permanent population to exceed one million. The water pressure of a million people is unimaginable, so the capital city must be located in a place with abundant water resources and a well-connected water system.
Hmm, we could consider his hometown in the southwest of mainland China.
Several colleagues from the Southwest region are preparing to support each other.
Qian Yong's words left him speechless.
He secretly gave Cui Zhi a meaningful look, but Cui Zhi remained lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with some random thing.
The southwest is not the only region with abundant water resources.
The southeast region isn't out of the question either.
While Qu Kingdom's development in recent years has lagged behind that of Kang Kingdom in the northwest, its homeland has been free from war for many years, and the people's livelihood has recovered reasonably well under the rule of its former ruler, Zhai Le. If a capital is to be established, the former territory of Qu Kingdom would suffice. Construction costs are low, the population is large, water resources are abundant, and transportation is relatively convenient. It lacks the dregs of the hereditary system prevalent in the central continent, as well as the remnants of cults that have not yet been eradicated in the southwest, making it a very suitable location.
Why is no one mentioning Northeast China?
Naturally, this was because none of those present were from Northeast China, and they couldn't very well establish their capital in someone else's territory that they hadn't yet conquered.
_(:з」∠)_
Cui Zhi, who had been silent all along, quietly dropped a data point.
In the past two years, the southeastern mainland has been hit by hurricanes frequently during May, June, and July. Each time a hurricane strikes, the pressure on flood discharge is immense, and even slightly lower-lying areas become vast expanses of water. Zhai Le has also diligently worked to control the floods, but unfortunately, the results have been minimal; Heaven is not on his side.
If the capital were to be established within the territory of Qu Kingdom—
Haha, the capital city will be flooded seven or eight times in ten years.
If a capital were to be established, a location with higher elevations should be considered, one that wouldn't be flooded or hit by hurricanes. Cui Zhi didn't recommend his hometown, naturally because the southwestern continent not only has hurricanes, but is also sweltering in the summer and infested with cockroaches the size of a palm.
Speaking of cockroaches, it seems that the Lord was once frightened by a cockroach in person.
She said that the ministers were free to make suggestions, but in reality, she had not considered the southwest and southeast regions, which were geographically disadvantageous.
Before long, another minister suggested considering population distribution.
The capital should be established wherever there are many people.
If the capital is located in a sparsely populated area, people will need to be relocated from other places, which will be laborious and costly, and may cause a large number of casualties among the people during the migration.
“In terms of population, Fengluo should be number one.”
The courtiers: "..."
Fengluo is not only the most populous city, but also the most economically developed in the world. Its transportation network is excellent, its public security is good, and the nearby waterways have been carefully managed by the Lord, preventing floods for many years. This is the Lord's hometown, where he built and developed his empire from scratch.
Is it absolutely necessary to relocate this capital?
Shen Tang also wanted to ask, was it absolutely necessary to move from this house?
The discussion concluded that the matter still needs to be moved.
Fengluo's influence was limited, especially to the southeast and northeast, and separated by the treacherous central region that hadn't fully submitted. After much deliberation, the court officials finally settled on a location roughly equidistant from the other three regions. The middle and lower reaches of this area comprised a vast plain, ideally suited for agriculture, but precisely because of this advantage, the region experienced frequent changes in power.
Sometimes, the regime changes three to five times in ten years.
Vast tracts of land lay abandoned, and the rivers that once irrigated the plains were now being diverted by various states, leaving the land in a chaotic state. Shen Tang planned to rebuild and restore the waterways, dredging and clearing them to restore normal water transport. Shen Tang said, "I don't like the original name; it needs to be changed."
Qin Li thought the job would be given to the Ministry of Rites.
After all, the Lord wasn't very good at choosing names.
However, Shen Tang did not play by the rules: "Since the old capital is called Fengluo, then let's name the new capital Huangting, how about that?"
The courtiers: "..."
Honestly, it's not that great.
The newcomer could also see that the master's choice of name was indeed not very good.
From the reign title Yuanhuang to Yanhuang, and then to the capital city Fengluo and Huangting, this naming method is far too lazy. They spent an entire morning just finding a new location for the capital, and the temporary food stall set up by the Guanglu Temple even included celery wontons—who decided on today's menu?
The happiest people this time were the officials from outside the Northwest.
The king did not settle within the original territory of Kang, but instead chose to locate outside, which inadvertently reduced the advantage of the northwest's civil and military officials and narrowed the distance between them, which was a good thing. Not only did they think so, but the officials in the northwest also guessed that this was the king's strategy of balancing things out.
"Sigh, although... we do need to find a balance."
They also want to monopolize all the benefits.
But they understand even better that only a win-win situation can maintain unity.
They can have meat, but others can't just have soup. In the early days of the People's Republic, these people might have kept quiet because of insufficient merit or seniority, but if things didn't improve over time, resentment would arise. Let the new capital be this far away.
Under the eaves, the civil and military officials gathered in twos and threes to eat.
"Surely no fool would secretly try to claim land, right?"
A voice with a strong Northwestern accent could be heard speaking from within the small group.
Others: "..."
They fell into a long silence.
A hapless guy accidentally bought a blind box of wontons, and damn it, it was even coriander filling: "There shouldn't be... any?"
The capital city, with its enclosed land, is a place where rare commodities can be hoarded.
Even a fool knows how expensive the land in the future capital will be.
Now, before the news goes public, secretly sending servants or distant relatives to buy up farmland is a sure way to make a fortune. Land grabbing is a specialty of powerful and wealthy families.
The question is—
The land in the capital of Kang Kingdom theoretically belonged to the royal family.
The royal court ordered the Ministry of Works to plan each area, first establishing the basic waterways and street layout, defining where to locate commercial districts and residential areas, and then leasing out the land at low prices. The use of each plot of land could not be changed without authorization. The Ministry of Works already had experience building Fengluo City, so planning a new city would be much easier. While adapting to local conditions, they would also refer to Fengluo's layout for scale; the new capital's land area would certainly be substantial. Heh, who would dare to go there and claim land?
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Cough cough cough... The wontons taste pretty good today."
He took a bite right after he finished speaking.
With a frown, he cursed, "Is the Court of Imperial Sacrifices insane?"
What about fillings like celery, coriander, and water spinach...?
Why can't you make some fillings he likes?
Looking around, the seemingly exquisite and meticulously prepared dishes were actually all culinary disasters. Was the imperial chef so engrossed in his own innovative art that he couldn't extricate himself? And yet, they had no choice but to eat them.
Food waste is not allowed in the corridor.
"Damn it—"
But everyone else was enjoying their food.
"...we can't even eat anything from the same pot..."
Shen Tang had naturally thought of the land grabbing issue as well.
She ate the special food Chu Yao had prepared for her, while Shen De sat obediently beside her, waiting to be fed. The little chubby girl wasn't particularly outstanding in other aspects, but she was surprisingly not picky about food, giving the chef plenty of emotional value. Shen Tang ate a shrimp dumpling, swallowed it, and then said, "Whoever wants to be circled can circle it. Those who know what's good for them will pay to avoid trouble, while those who don't will lose their heads. Those who lack tact won't live long anyway."
Chu Yao felt relieved upon hearing this.
"How is your cultivation recovery, my lord?"
As long as Shen Tang is in poor health, he will never be at ease.
"In another three to five months, we should be able to recover to our previous level. It will still be a bit difficult to beat Gong Xichou, but we will be able to handle the others."
Shen De shook his head: "Mom, you can't hit the snake."
Snakes are so nice, how can you hit them?
Shen Tang: "Eat your food."
Chu Yao quickly scooped a spoonful into her mouth.
Shen De's attention was quickly drawn to the delicious special shrimp dumplings. Not to mention the filling, even the dumpling wrappers were filled with shrimp.
It was just the right size for Shen De to open his mouth and eat.
Shen Tang ate a simple meal and prepared to go to work.
Shen De's tastes have changed drastically these past two days. Yesterday he enjoyed playing with Shen Tang's memorials, but today he's switched to something else. She not only finished all the shrimp dumplings in her bowl, but also didn't waste a drop of soup. Full and satisfied, she was about to run outside, grabbing the hand of the maid waiting to her side: "Let's go."
It's okay if Mom doesn't play with her.
She's going to find her little friend.
Shen Tang had just sat down and opened the memorial at hand.
"Pfft—cough cough cough—is this something a human could come up with?" Because Shen Tang read too fast, by the time she realized what had happened, it was too late. She almost coughed up her breath and quickly flipped to the last page to see who had submitted the memorial.
That's an absolutely brilliant idea!
"Could it be Yuanliang?"
Upon seeing the signature, it was surprisingly—
"Justice???"
Very unexpected.
Shen Tang looked at it three times before he was sure he wasn't mistaken; this memorial really was Luan Xin's. After a three-second moment of existential doubt, Shen Tang ordered the original memorial to be brought over. The original bore the familiar, steady handwriting, unmistakably Luan Xin's.
Shen Tang had someone summon Luan Xin.
Has justice been stimulated recently?
As a leader, one has an obligation to care about the mental health of one's subordinates.
She thought that a normal person like Luan Xin wouldn't come up with such an outrageous suggestion—hoping that Shen Tang would persuade Wei Lou, Wei Cheng, and others to have a child. Yes, you read that right, it was to make old men like Wei Lou and Luo San contribute to the population of Kang Kingdom.
Have a child.
Listen to this, is this even human language?
Luan Xin was prepared: "My lord, please listen and tell me everything."
"Okay, go ahead and I'm listening."
This story begins with the establishment of the Crown Princess's residence.
The officials of the Crown Princess's Palace also needed to be appointed, and Luan Xin, as the Minister of Personnel, naturally had to be involved. Since the Crown Princess's Palace was being established from scratch, having a model to learn from would save a lot of trouble. Luan Xin then turned his attention to the Crown Princess's Palace of the former Qu Kingdom, drawing considerable experience from it.
They also realized the rather embarrassing situation.
Shen Tang: "You mean there are only a few suitable candidates? That's too few?"
Over the years, official schools have trained quite a few female officials.
Why can't we choose a candidate?
Luan Xin said softly, "There are quite a few candidates, but not enough."
"not enough?"
"Not enough."
Those from humble backgrounds have too little education, let alone those born into commoner families.
If the Crown Princess's position is to remain secure—not only for Prince Yuan, but also for future successors—it is necessary to cultivate some influential "allies." This is not only for the protection of Prince Yuan, but also to sow the seeds for future balance in the court, preventing it from tilting too sharply.
"So, the solution you came up with is..."
Although she had complained about Lao Deng before, she had no interest in abusing him; Uncle Wei Lou and his nephew were both almost two hundred years old.
Luan Xin said, "It works well."
It doesn't matter if the method is unethical or not, as long as it works.
Shen Tang: "..."
|ω`)
Gong Xichou's deputy general: I have a feeling this nightmare is about to come true _(:з」∠)_
(End of this chapter)
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