"Your Majesty, I dare not!"
thump--
Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, knelt down abruptly in the Golden Palace and immediately defended himself, saying, "Your Majesty, I had absolutely no intention of pleading poverty to Your Majesty;"
"Your Majesty is well aware that Your Majesty is a wise ruler who cares deeply for the people. Whether it is the decree that all citizens of the Tang Dynasty can enjoy a five-year tax reduction, the construction of the Grand Canal connecting the north and south, or the vigorous development of the Shenji Battalion's firearms, these are all magnificent achievements that benefit the present and future generations."
"Even for the sake of national development and the prosperity of the Tang people, the imperial treasury's silver was allocated to the Ministry of Revenue for unified distribution."
"I am aware of all these things, and I would never dare to plead poverty before Your Majesty again!"
Minister of Revenue Jiang Xiao continued earnestly, "Your Majesty, I simply wish to inform all the officials and generals of the court that the Tang Dynasty is newly established, and with everything in need of rebuilding, we simply cannot spare any more financial and material resources to support the millions of people on the Goguryeo Peninsula."
"Your Majesty, I also hope that you gentlemen and generals can understand His Majesty's love for the people and his benevolent rule over the world!"
Wow!
These words caused a stir of astonishment in the imperial court.
Apart from a few ministers, no one else in the court knew that Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, had allocated all the silver from his private treasury to the Ministry of Revenue for unified distribution.
For a time, the civil and military officials in the court looked at Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an with eyes full of respect.
Ha ha!
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an laughed heartily. He did not blame Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, for making the news public in court. Instead, he looked at Jiang Xiao with approval and said, "Minister Jiang, rise!"
He waved his hand and continued, "Actually, even if you, Minister Jiang, were to plead poverty to me, it wouldn't matter!"
"If a problem arises, wouldn't it be better for me and my beloved ministers to brainstorm and solve it together?"
After Minister of Revenue Jiang Xiao rose, Chen Huai'an asked again, "My esteemed ministers, do you advocate that the Tang Dynasty maintain its suzerain-vassal relationship with the Goguryeo Dynasty?"
"Besides the concern raised by Minister Jiang that it would increase the economic burden on the Tang Dynasty, are there any other concerns?"
"If there are any, let's say them all and discuss them together at the court meeting!"
brush!
The imperial court was silent.
Finally, it was Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, who stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the biggest difficulty in incorporating the Goguryeo Peninsula into the territory of our Great Tang Dynasty will be increasing the economic burden on the court."
"Secondly, there's the issue of the obedience of the people of the Goguryeo Dynasty to our orthodox Central Plains dynasty. If uprisings break out every now and then after the Goguryeo Peninsula is incorporated into our Great Tang Dynasty, then our Great Tang Dynasty will be taking over a hot potato!"
"If these two problems can be solved, I would not object to expanding the territory of the Tang Dynasty!"
At this moment, Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, also stepped forward and said, "Lord Zhang, you are overthinking it!"
"For hundreds of years, from the Han Dynasty onwards, the people of the Goguryeo Dynasty considered themselves subjects of a vassal state of the Central Plains dynasty and had a natural sense of identity with Central Plains culture."
"If we were to bring them under the rule of our orthodox Central Plains dynasty, it would be a glorious thing for the ordinary people of Goguryeo."
With that, Chen Qingzhi cupped his hands toward Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to volunteer to lead the Great Tang Xuanjia Army to garrison the Goguryeo Peninsula, so as to do my part in promoting the education of the Central Plains dynasty!"
Um!
On the dragon throne, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an smiled with satisfaction after hearing that Chen Qingzhi had volunteered to guard Goguryeo.
He thought to himself, "The generals summoned by the [Born to be an Emperor] are truly to my liking!"
Yesterday, after receiving a report from Duke Qi Jiguang about what Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin had done in Goguryeo, he had been thinking about how to handle the matter.
To be fair, aside from the messy affair between his younger brother Chen Longxiang and the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, what Chen Longxiang did in Goguryeo was actually in line with Chen Huai'an's wishes.
Regarding the treatment of the Goguryeo Peninsula, Chen Huai'an was more inclined to incorporate it into the territory of the Tang Dynasty rather than maintain the past relationship between the suzerain state and the vassal state.
Although, in the eyes of the ministers in the court, Goguryeo was nothing more than a barren land lacking resources;
However, Chen Huai'an, who was a time traveler and aspired to become an emperor for all ages, was well aware of the important strategic position of the Goguryeo Peninsula.
Now that there is an opportunity to incorporate it into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, how could we possibly miss this golden opportunity?
In Chen Huai'an's plan, the iron hooves of the Tang Dynasty should gallop across the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, and the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet should go to the distant North and South America to expand its territory.
Qin conquered the six states, unified the world, and helped the First Emperor ascend to the throne of the First Emperor of all time.
Now, his Tang Dynasty must sweep across six continents and unify the world; only then will Chen Huai'an truly become a great emperor for all time.
Therefore, he was determined to obtain the Goguryeo Peninsula.
However, Chen Huai'an still needs a highly respected person to replace him in guarding Goguryeo.
This Korean official, Chen Qingzhi, is undoubtedly the best candidate.
Back then, when Chen Huai'an personally led troops into battle, it was Chen Qingzhi, the then deputy marshal of the army, who guarded Longcheng. Together with the black-clad monk Dongfang Xiao, one was a civil official and the other a military officer, assisting his younger brother Chen Longxiang in governing his fiefdom.
Clearly, Duke Qi Jiguang could not control his unruly younger brother Chen Longxiang in the army.
However, Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, who was the head of the six dukes, had the temperament of a Confucian general that was able to suppress Chen Longxiang's unruly nature.
This is also why Chen Huai'an bestowed the title of Duke of Han upon Chen Qingzhi at the founding ceremony of the Tang Dynasty.
Taking the single character "Han" (韩), being granted the title of Duke, and guarding the Goguryeo Peninsula—all of this was something Chen Huai'an had been planning for a long time!
Let's get back to the main topic.
Chen Huai'an, seated on the dragon throne, waved his hand and said, "So it seems that, my dear ministers, you have no other concerns about how to deal with the Goguryeo Dynasty, other than increasing the economic burden on the Tang Dynasty and worrying about the obedience of the Goguryeo subjects, right?"
"Then, I've made the decision—"
brush!
Upon hearing this, all the court officials in the Golden Palace craned their necks and stared intently at the Emperor, awaiting his final decision.
Chen Huai'an said, "Prince Jin, Chen Longxiang, is leading the expedition against Goguryeo as the vanguard general of the navy, which to some extent represents my own expedition."
"After the Prince of Jin led his troops to conquer the Goguryeo capital, he enthroned my adopted son Chen Lingwu as the new King of Goguryeo. Perhaps there were shortcomings in the proper procedures and rituals, which could easily give others cause for criticism."
"but--"
Chen Huai'an changed the subject, continuing, "Regardless of the circumstances, Prince Jin, Chen Longxiang's actions represent the attitude of me and the Tang Dynasty."
"Therefore, my intention is that after today's court assembly, the Ministry of Rites should draft an imperial edict to formalize the enthronement of Chen Lingwu as King of Goryeo."
"From then on, the Goguryeo Peninsula was also incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty!"
"Duke Chen Qingzhi of Korea, after the court assembly, prepare yourself and await my imperial decree to lead your troops to the Goguryeo Peninsula to garrison!"
"As for the concern raised by Minister Jiang and the Ministry of Revenue regarding the increased tax burden on the Tang Dynasty, I have already made plans accordingly."
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "After today's court assembly, the ministers of the six ministries should meet to discuss matters concerning the Tang Dynasty's agricultural development reforms, commercial development, and overseas trade, and then submit a complete memorial to me for approval."
"Regarding how to develop agriculture and commerce, as well as overseas trade, I hereby make the following requests—"
"Firstly, implement new agricultural policies, strengthen agricultural support, and reform the existing land system;"
Secondly, we should encourage private commercial activities, promote overseas trade by opening up the Maritime Silk Road, and optimize and reform existing tax policies;
After thinking for a moment, Chen Huai'an added, "By the way, whether it's agricultural reform or commercial tax reform, you absolutely cannot target the farmers."
"The policy I previously implemented, which halved the taxes of all subjects of the Tang Dynasty for the next five years, must not be shaken."
"Alright, that's all I wanted to say. All of you departments, get on with it!"
"My beloved ministers, is there anything else you wish to report?"
"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
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