Han Shizu

It can be said with certainty that Liu Yang is not that afraid of the kings. Nowadays, those brothers and nephews are all juniors. No matter they are those with outstanding achievements, those who are mature and steady, or those who are domineering, they do not have the ability to challenge him. Qualifications and capabilities.

Even the secret meeting at Taihe Tower is not important. Even if the kings make trouble, it will not cause chaos in the capital.At the same time, although the kings currently "share the same hatred and hatred", their interests and demands are actually not the same, and it can even be said that there are fundamental differences.

For example, Anton, Raole, and Linyi, which have already been enfeoffed for a long time, and Anxi, Kangju, and Beiting, which have recently been enfeoffed and have a certain military and political foundation, and Nanyang are still in the initial stage, and even the basic conquest work is not even done in name. The unfinished Linhai Kingdom needs completely different things.

Anxi, Andong and even Linyi are all wealthy men. No matter how the court adjusts the feudal policy, as long as they do not directly cut off their flesh, it will not have a great impact on them. Based on the policy and preferential treatment, they have many ways to obtain benefits from the country, they just need to change their appearance.Unless the imperial court ignores the influence, breaks away from each other, and completely severs relations, it will never be able to fundamentally change the blood-sucking situation of the nearby vassal states parasitic empire.

For example, the three kingdoms of Raole, Kangju, and Beiting were in a state of half-starvation. They all had more than ten years of business accumulation by the imperial court, and they had the foundation for a feudal state.

Although they instinctively hope to continue to receive blood transfusion support from the imperial court and seek benefits from the empire, they can still survive if the imperial court really cuts off the supply. If there is a real crisis of life and death, the imperial court will not sit idly by and ignore it.

What's more, as early as the end of Emperor Shizu's reign, he was already making adjustments similar to reducing the imperial court's consumption. This is not difficult to understand.For example, Anxi and Anton had already made self-adjustments. The reform of the extermination of religions and the camp system initiated by Wei King Liu Min in Anxi was in response to changes in imperial policies.

In contrast, the newly-confessed Nanyang countries were even less able to accept Lu Duan's initiative to travel across the oceans and be separated by natural moat. If they wanted to reduce the loss of national power from the confederation, the first step would be to fight in Nanyang.

By the first year of Yongxi's reign, the Nanyang War had completely become a burden for the Han Dynasty in its external expansion. Tens of thousands of land and sea troops were engaged in a war of annihilation on barbarian islands thousands of miles away.

Such a feat that was the first of its kind in history also meant an unimaginable and unbearable price, which was another bleeding point on the empire's huge body after Anxi.

Speaking of which, the Kaibao Era was an era of great expansion for the Han Empire. Driven by the imperial court with Emperor Shizu at its core, countless powerful Han warriors carried out conquests in all directions.

Judging from the results, most of them suffered losses, especially in the Anxi area, where hundreds of thousands of families lost their lives!In Tubo and the southwest region, due to the promotion and implementation of the chieftain system, the court's financial expenditure has been greatly reduced under practical conditions. Basically, half of the expenses of the central government and Jiannan Dao family are enough to maintain the situation;

In the direction of Shanyang and Mobei, the Central Plains Empire's fixed investment in northern border defense cannot be omitted. At the same time, with the continuous development of Monan's animal husbandry, its influence on Mobei Khitan has deepened, and the imperial court has also been able to see in the north. Come money.

After all, livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses and camels from the grassland are very popular in the Han Dynasty, especially mutton, which is particularly loved by dignitaries and traders. However, wool is not provided by the booming wool textile industry of the Han Dynasty. With abundant and stable raw materials...

In the northeastern region, there was a large sum of money from the Kaibao Northern Expedition. In order to destroy the Liao Kingdom, the imperial court prepared a huge amount of military resources, which almost exhausted the national power. It was still enjoying the legacy even after the founding of Anton.What's more important is that Anton has a tough character and a man of Qin who has been working hard in that bitter cold land for [-] years. With his efforts, Anton's dependence on the court has been greatly reduced in these years. , of course, if you can get benefits from the court, you still have to fight hard.

In contrast, despite the fact that overseas trade has been around for 30 years, and the slogan "Go to Nanyang" has been shouted for more than ten years, the imperial court has always been reserved and cautious in the management of Nanyang.

It is true that the navy sailed far and captured Liangping Island...the imperial court also did some real things, but one thing that cannot be ignored is that the Central Plains Empire was really a novice in overseas colonization. It was not until Emperor Shizu decided to enfeoff the country in Nanyang a few years ago. , only then began to invest regardless of the cost.

Although the Nanyang War went smoothly overall, up to now, the Han Dynasty was only in a state of barely controlling and basically ruling the three Nanyang islands.Compared with the Three Kingdoms of Anxi, it is really difficult to talk about the background of the Nanyang feudal kingdom. The enfeoffment edict before the death of Emperor Shizu basically stayed at the imperial edict.

Under such circumstances, the imperial court wants to withdraw, stop playing, and call back the Nanyang army. How can the princes and kings of Nanyang accept it!Although the attitude and form will still ensure the implementation of Emperor Shizu's edict, there is a huge gap between compromised implementation and true implementation. The key point is, without sufficient military strength, how to ensure the normal establishment of the feudal state and operation.

The saddest thing is of course Linhai King Liu Wenhai. His Linhai Kingdom is really only in words. After all, Myanmar also has its own owners, and the Bagan Kingdom is still in a period of rise.As for Liu Wenhai, he had nothing but the imperial edict from Emperor Shizu and the [-] soldiers trained in Yunnan. Even though Liu Wenhai was conceited about his talent, he was not so arrogant that he could sweep through Burma such as Bagan and Zhitong with just those [-] soldiers. The situation of countries big and small.

Of course, after inheriting the legacy of King Jin, Liu Wenhai's strength increased exponentially. The three thousand guards who accompanied Liu Xi in Tubo were also given to Liu Wenhai, as well as the human resources accumulated by Liu Xi for decades. , with these, Liu Wenhai is enough to make waves in Myanmar.

However, if we want to improve the success rate, we still need the court's firm and sufficient support. Therefore, compared to other kings, Linhai King Liu Wenhai is the most dissatisfied with Lu Duan's proposal, and of course, is more likely to be satisfied.It is precisely because the kings are different and easy to divide that Emperor Liu Yang can be as stable as Mount Tai and deal with it calmly.However, Murong Defeng's advice tonight still brought him some new thoughts. When he first entered the imperial career and had great power, he was inevitably complacent, which made him less vigilant in the decision-making of certain affairs, and even ignored the contradiction between primary and secondary.

Of course, the kings cannot challenge his throne, but when they unite, they can shake his authority. Not long after he ascended the throne, the court is of course putting stability first. Once this transition period is completely over, no matter what problems there are, they will be resolved. Can face it more calmly.

No matter what he thinks of Lu Duan, an old minister of Kaibao, after all, this is the Prime Minister and Minister of the Han Dynasty who he personally promoted. He must maintain and support it in a short period of time, otherwise the "new imperial edict system" will have no authority. In other words, he had a strong impact on the upper-level power structure of the Han Dynasty before it was stable, which was detrimental to both public and private affairs.

When analyzed from this perspective, Liu Yang even felt a little annoyed. Although he had been reminding himself to be restrained, cautious, and remain calm and calm since he succeeded to the throne, the infinite scenery in the supreme position still made him There was some psychological relaxation.

Fortunately, tonight he has woken up in time. Whether it is for the country or for himself, stability is the first priority. How to digest the inherited imperial power is what he should implement in action, rather than rashly reforming the previous emperor's government. , even if it is not so reasonable, it is conducive to the authority of the Central Empire.

Once his mentality was corrected, Liu Yang's thinking became calmer and clearer. After pondering for about a quarter of an hour, he spoke again: "It is reported that King Zhao has entered the palace!"

"Yes!"

Although he didn't know why King Zhao Liu Fang did not attend the meeting at Taihe Tower, and even had doubts, judging from the results, Liu Yang was still very pleased. Liu Silang, who had been lively since he was young, is now more calm, capable and law-abiding.

To resolve the turmoil of the kings more easily, apart from his personal fate as the emperor, only King Liu Fang of Zhao has this ability and prestige within the court. Moreover, he is also one of the princes and kings.

The layout of the Chui Gong Hall has not changed much from that of Emperor Shizu. The most eye-catching thing is always the map of the Han Dynasty hanging in the hall. After Liu Yang ascended the throne, it went a step further. In addition to the "Complete Map of the Imperial Map" In addition, dozens of detailed pictures of Daozhou with important officials in government, pastoral care, and security were added. Almost half of the side hall on the right side is used for hanging pictures.

When looking at the pictures, Liu Yang seemed to be more interested than Emperor Shizu. He habitually entered the side hall and held the lamp himself. Liu Yang found the "Comprehensive Map of Nanyang" and studied it silently, concentrating on it, with thoughts flying in his mind. .

Murong Defeng's words seemed to echo in his ears: At least, the imperial edict of Emperor Shizu must be completed as much as possible and cannot be implemented according to the actual situation. As a traditional heir to the throne, Liu Yang also has close legitimacy in terms of legitimacy. Paranoid persistence must not be criticized by others.
In fact, from the moment Lu Duan proposed it, Liu Yang knew that it would inevitably lead to a dispute.It's not just the kings, but just looking at the chain of interests, it also includes a large number of feudal lords, military and political officials, and business people who have benefited from the policy of expansion.

Within the court, there are some people who have been promoted and gained official positions based on the "theory of expansion"; outside the court, there are countless bureaucrats and military personnel who have personally participated in the expansion; and whether it is Anton, Anxi or Nanyang, in the past 30 to [-] years, There are a large number of children of powerful people involved;
Even the lower-class merchants and common people who were caught up in the wave of colonization may not really support the feudal state, but they would instinctively oppose the imperial court's contraction and abandonment, because it would infringe on their vital interests.

As for the frequent protests within the imperial court, fundamentally speaking, it was still the central empire's consciousness of centralization that caused the trouble. At the same time, whether it was to take everything, or to cut off one's arms and enfeoff the country, it was too costly and costly.

There is a saying that it was precisely because of the formation of such "colonial interest groups" that Emperor Shizu's decades of hard work were not in vain. Otherwise, it would only be shaken and destroyed with an edict.

After decades of accumulation of colonial experience, Emperor Shizu actually realized at the end of his reign that expansion that relied entirely on state input of resources would not be long-term or stable, so he thought of enfeoffing and cultivating a new generation of people. A group of powerful expansionists were formed, and at the same time they decided to distribute the benefits of expansion layer by layer.

It can even be said that Emperor Shizu's decades of efforts were just cultivating a consciousness and achieved certain results.

When Liu Yang came to power, he also had a certain awareness and understanding, but he still felt more doubts. He also saw more of the "disadvantages" of the pros and cons.

It can be said that Liu Yang is already at a crossroads as to where the Han Dynasty's feudal state and foreign colonization will go in the future.

However, judging from the current situation, Liu Yang is inclined to "compromise". The fundamental reason is the profound influence of Emperor Shizu. However, as Liu Yang's position is stabilized, that influence will eventually dissipate. By then, Emperor Liu Yang What decision should he make? Maybe he doesn't have a clear idea in his mind either.