The next day.
Inside the Golden Palace, in the imperial court.
The news that the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet had launched an expedition against Goguryeo, captured its capital Pyongyang, and, under the leadership of Prince Chen Longxiang, enthroned Chen Lingwu, the adopted son of Emperor Zhaowu, as the King of Goguryeo, naturally became the focus of discussion among the civil and military officials at today's court assembly.
Of course, the fact that Chen Lingwu was the deposed emperor of the previous dynasty, as well as the scandalous affair between Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin and Empress Dowager Su Wan'er of the previous dynasty, was not known to the court officials.
In the eyes of the world, the deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu and his mother Su Wan'er had already died on the day the Longcheng naval fleet broke through the Daxin Dynasty's naval camp, drowning themselves in the river.
The secret memorial from Qi Jiguang, the Admiral of the Tang Dynasty Navy and Duke of Dingguo, was not forwarded to the Emperor by the Ministry of War, but was directly delivered to Chen Huai'an through Luo Yucheng, the Deputy Commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard and Marquis of Wuping.
Therefore, the topic of discussion and debate among the civil and military officials at today's court assembly is whether to continue the system since the Han Dynasty, classifying it as a vassal state that submits to the Tang Dynasty and pays tribute.
Alternatively, based on the fact that Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin had already enthroned a new king, the Goguryeo Dynasty was incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty and thus placed under the control of the orthodox central dynasty.
Regarding this issue, the Tang Dynasty court was divided into three factions:
One school of thought believes that the Goguryeo Peninsula is barren and lacks resources, with only a few coastal cities suitable for agricultural development, and it also faces natural disasters from the sea such as typhoons and tsunamis.
There was really no need to incorporate the Goguryeo Dynasty into the territory of the Tang Dynasty. It would be better to restore the system since the Han Dynasty, make it submit to the Tang Dynasty, pay tribute and taxes every year, and be a suzerain state that did not have to lift a finger.
Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty would have to allocate funds to Goguryeo every year, increasing the Tang Dynasty's tax burden.
The main representatives of this school of thought were Zhang Fu, Minister of Rites, and Jiang Xiao, Minister of Revenue. Their argument was based on the ancestral systems of previous dynasties and the actual economic development of the Tang Dynasty at that time.
Another faction believes that the Tang Dynasty should take advantage of this golden opportunity to bring the Goguryeo Peninsula under its territory, thereby expanding the Tang Dynasty's borders and providing it with another port for access to the sea.
After incorporating the Goguryeo Peninsula into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet could directly depart from the Goguryeo Peninsula and reach the four islands of Japan, providing strategic support for the Tang Dynasty to further expand its influence.
Furthermore, the Goguryeo Peninsula was separated from the Liaodong region of the Tang Dynasty by only a river, making it very convenient for the Central Plains dynasty to manage and preventing border conflicts.
Since the Han Dynasty, the reason why the Central Plains dynasties maintained a suzerain-vassal relationship with the Goguryeo Dynasty was that the Central Plains dynasties were unable to occupy the Goguryeo Peninsula for various reasons.
Now, the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet has descended like a divine force, bypassing the natural barriers of the Afeihu Ridge area of the Goguryeo Dynasty, and has even captured the Goguryeo capital in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, the bridgehead established by the naval fleet after capturing Nampo Port would allow the Tang Dynasty's army to be continuously transported from the sea to Goguryeo's mainland. With the support of the Tang army in Liaodong's eastward expedition, the complete occupation of the Goguryeo peninsula would only be a matter of time.
Why not take this opportunity to incorporate the Goguryeo Peninsula into the territory of the Tang Dynasty?
Which founding emperor would complain that the territory of the dynasty he established was too large?
The representatives of this faction were mainly the three founding dukes of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Qingzhi, Chang Yuchun, and Pang Xianchu, as well as the group of founding military generals behind them.
For these military generals who conquered the country on horseback, conquering enemy countries and expanding the territory of the dynasty they served seemed to be something ingrained in their bones.
It is no exaggeration to say that as long as Zhaowu Chen Huai'an gave the order, these dukes, marquises, earls and the like of others in the Tang Dynasty could immediately put on their armor again and continue to conquer the world for the Tang Dynasty.
Another faction in the court maintained a neutral stance, continuing the suzerain-vassal relationship between Goguryeo and the Central Plains dynasty, which had lasted for hundreds of years, or even incorporating the Goguryeo peninsula into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
In any case, they neither manage the money nor command the troops, so how to handle relations with Goguryeo is entirely up to the emperor's personal preferences;
The representative figures of this faction were those in the Hanlin Academy or similar positions in the imperial court.
In contrast, they were more concerned about whether the first imperial examination of the Tang Dynasty could select capable officials to govern the country. Judging from the feedback from the provincial examinations currently underway in various counties, it seemed unlikely!
Let's get back to the main topic.
In the imperial court, Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, was complaining to several dukes with a wronged expression, saying, "My lords, you don't know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until you're in charge of the household!"
"Your humble servant also knows that if we could bring the Goguryeo Peninsula into the territory of our Great Tang Dynasty, our Great Tang naval fleet would be able to roam the four seas, and the Great Tang Dynasty's influence at sea would be further expanded."
"but--"
Jiang Xiao changed the subject, saying, "The taxes collected by the Ministry of Revenue every year are simply not enough to support so many people!"
As he spoke, Jiang Xiao counted on his fingers: "My lords, generals, let me do some calculations for you all. Since His Majesty ascended the throne and established the nation, all subjects of the Tang Dynasty have enjoyed a five-year tax reduction policy;"
"This alone means that the imperial court's annual tax revenue shortfall is 15 million taels of silver!"
"Furthermore, those powerful clans in the south who controlled seven or eight tenths of the local land economy voluntarily declared their loyalty to the emperor before the establishment of the dynasty, and received the emperor's promise that these powerful clans would enjoy the same preferential policies as those of the previous dynasty for five years."
"Little did they know, these powerful families in the south did not pay a single penny of tax to the court during the previous dynasty."
Eh—
Jiang Xiao sighed deeply and continued, "After reviewing the tax records from various regions over the years from the previous dynasty's Ministry of Revenue, I was shocked to find that the tax exemptions granted annually by the powerful families in the southern regions have created a tax shortfall of ten million taels of silver for the court."
"During the reign of the second tyrant Zhao Gan in the previous dynasty, the annual tax revenue was only a little over 15 million taels of silver. According to the current situation, the Ministry of Revenue will not only fail to generate any tax revenue of one tael of silver in the next five years, but will also have to subsidize at least 10 million taels of silver annually just to maintain basic expenses."
"Not to mention the expenses of allocating special funds to open the Grand Canal between the North and South, develop the Shenji Battalion, and build the imperial mausoleum!"
After a pause, Jiang Xiao continued, "If we follow the wishes of the dukes and incorporate the barren Goguryeo peninsula into the territory of the Tang Dynasty;"
"This means that the tens of millions of people in Goguryeo can also enjoy the same five-year tax reduction policy as the people of our Great Tang Dynasty;"
"In this way, considering the population and resource output ratio of the Goguryeo Peninsula, the imperial court will have to allocate at least five million taels of silver annually to support the development of the Goguryeo Peninsula!"
In the end, Jiang Xiao, the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of the Tang Dynasty, had a look of wanting to cry but having no tears on his face. He looked at Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne with an innocent and helpless expression.
Actually, there was something else that Jiang Xiao kept on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't dare to say it in front of the entire court and the emperor.
That is, during years of famine, the imperial court allocated disaster relief funds to various regions, which was a huge sum of money!
The reason they dared not reveal this cruel truth in front of the emperor and the court officials was that they were afraid of being accused by those with ulterior motives of cursing the Tang Dynasty to suffer many calamities.
But in fact, these natural and man-made disasters have always existed.
For example, during the Jian'an period of Emperor Daxin II, droughts in the north and floods in the south caused millions of people in the dynasty to suffer, resulting in a sharp decline in population in many areas, with nine out of ten houses empty, and the dynasty has not yet recovered.
Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, delivered a speech that sounded like he was crying poverty, which indeed silenced the voices of Chen Qingzhi, Chang Yuchun, and other dukes who advocated annexing Goguryeo.
At the same time, the question was also posed to Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, who was sitting on the dragon throne.
Despite the unanimous gazes of the court officials, Chen Huai'an remained as steady as a mountain on the dragon throne, even having the leisure to joke with Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue.
Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Jiang Aiqing, from what I hear, you've come here to plead poverty?"
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