Chapter 5162: Broad-mindedness

Chapter 5162: Broad-mindedness
In the courtyard, a sycamore tree transplanted in spring is lush and green, with a straight trunk and luxuriant branches and leaves, showing extremely strong vitality. The breeze sways, and the sunlight is cut into pieces by the leaves and poured into the imperial study, casting fine light and shadows on the smooth floor.

The cool breeze that flowed in through the open window was particularly pleasant.

But at this moment, the ministers in the imperial study did not feel any coolness at all. Instead, their faces turned red and their blood vessels were dilated.

Urgent war reports from the Western Regions, eight hundred miles away, continued to be delivered to Chang'an. Those reports seemed to outline the fierce battlefield scenes of Suiye, Hengluo, and Kesan City, making the ministers at the core of the empire laugh at their desks and their blood boil!
These ministers who hold central power are extremely aware that the empire is currently in a period of rapid development. This virtuous cycle of the continuous influx of external wealth and the greatly accelerated domestic infrastructure construction will consolidate the foundation of the empire with every passing day.

Once this momentum is curbed, the losses will be extremely huge, and it will be extremely difficult to restore the current situation of both internal and external development and the integration of military and politics.

The biggest external threat is the war in the Western Regions, in which the Arabs have put all their national strength!
If the Arab army is unstoppable and captures Suiye City and Gongyue City, and the cavalry enters the heart of the Western Regions, the previously stable and peaceful Western Regions will inevitably be filled with war, and those submissive Hu people will rise up, directly affecting the security of Guanzhong.

If one wants to pacify the situation in the Western Regions and expel the Arab army, it is necessary to dispatch more troops, conscript more civilians, and spend more money and food, thus abruptly curbing the empire's development momentum.

And now, tens of thousands of Anxi troops, led by Fang Jun, Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui and others, first lured the enemy deep into their territory, then caught them in a jar, and then bombarded them with artillery... The battle reports came in one after another, and it was a feast for the eyes.

Ma Zhou, who was sitting on the side of the imperial desk, reviewed the battle report again and said with admiration: "Duke Yue is a master of strategy and calm as a mountain. Facing a large-scale battle involving nearly 300,000 people from both sides, he was confident and handled it with ease. His military strategy and command skills are already perfect... Perhaps he is only second to Duke Wei and Duke Ying."

The transition is a bit abrupt. If Li Ji had not been present, there would probably not have been this last sentence.

At the side, Li Ji, who was drinking tea with his head down, almost choked. He put down the cup, raised his head, and said with a wry smile: "The upright and pragmatic King Ma Bin actually knows how to take care of others' face. I am really terrified."

Ma Zhou smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Duke Ying, there is no need to be modest. Duke Yue is certainly better than you, but when it comes to commanding battles and arranging battlefields, he is still slightly inferior to Duke Wei and Duke Ying."

Li Chengqian also smiled and said, "Erlang is indeed gifted and rare in the world, but Duke Wei and Duke Ying are the pillars of the empire. Don't underestimate yourself."

Li Ji laughed and didn't take it seriously.

The emperor and his ministers were all delighted by the battle reports from the Western Regions, except Liu Li, who was always frowning and sighing.

Liu Xiangdao was surprised and said, "The victory in the Western Regions was very fruitful. Now Xue Rengui is leading the light cavalry to chase the enemy all the way north with unstoppable force. From now on, the Western Regions are stable and Guanzhong is as solid as a rock. This should be a great honor for the soldiers of the Anxi Army! Why does the Minister of the Central Secretariat seem to be full of sorrow and unhappy?"

He was once in the same camp with Liu Li, but soon discovered that this man could only share wealth but not adversity. When things were going well, he would raise his arms and shout like a leader, but once he encountered setbacks, he was best at shifting the blame and passing the buck...

Even if you and Fang Jun are sworn enemies, you should still distinguish between public and private matters, right?

He led soldiers in bloody battles in the bitter cold of the Western Regions, shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending his country. Now that he has won a great victory, not only do you not congratulate him, but you even act as if you hate him for not fighting hard enough. Why is it so?
He has neither courage nor vision, let alone responsibility.

He doesn't think much of it.

Liu Li glanced at Liu Xiangdao and sighed, "People only see the invincible army and the thousands of miles of retreat of the enemy, but who has thought about how much money and food this war will cost, how many soldiers will be sacrificed, and how much pension will be allocated? The empire's treasury is now full and prosperous, but such wars only need to be fought three or two times, and the accumulated money and food will be gone. By then, I don't know how many extortions, taxes, and corvées there will be, and in the end, the people will suffer."

Liu Xiang said: "..."

Are you accusing me of lacking a sense of the overall situation?

"We are at the core of the government, assisting Your Majesty. We should be loyal to the monarch and love the people like our own children, but we should not be too soft-hearted. When the people are rich, the country is strong, but when the country is strong, the people may not be rich. The national situation changes every day. When other interests have to be chosen against national interests, the country should be given priority. After all, national interests are above all else."

If you were in charge of a county, you would be the parent of the people and bring benefits to the area; but now that you are the Minister of the Central Secretariat and in charge of a country, you should look down on the world from a global perspective.

Being constrained by the amount of money and grain and concerned about the suffering of the people, it is inevitable that one will lack courage and have a limited vision.

The others all looked at Liu Xiangdao, slightly surprised.

Fang Jun always said "national interests are above all else". Now it is well known to everyone in the government and the public. Many people regard it as Fang Jun's political proposition. Now Liu Xiangdao used Fang Jun's words to refute Liu Li. Could it be that he changed his flag and joined Fang Jun's camp?

Li Chengqian's good mood was greatly dampened. In the past, the military and political sides were constantly arguing and fighting with each other, but now it has evolved into internal discord among the civil officials and mutual attacks?

Is there no time to calm down?

He looked at the Minister of War Cui Dunli, who had been drinking water with his head down. "Minister Cui, when you go back to the government office, you should commend and reward the meritorious personnel according to the battle report submitted by the Anxi Army. While speeding up the process of compensation for the casualties, you must also carefully identify and verify them. The soldiers have traveled thousands of miles to the battlefield and are ready to die to defend their country. We must not let any of them die with regrets!"

Now that the country is prosperous and has plenty of money and grain, he should provide generous compensation to those imperial warriors who fought for the country and died on the battlefield. This will not only demonstrate his magnanimity and benevolence as an emperor, but will also make the people more cohesive.

As long as the conditions permit, who would be willing to be a tyrant who exploits the world and bullies the people?
Cui Dunli responded respectfully: "Your Majesty, I obey your command! Don't worry, Your Majesty, since the Duke of Yue took office as the Minister of War, the Ministry of War has added, subtracted, and revised the pension regulations. It is inevitable that soldiers will fight on the frontiers and sacrifice their lives for the country, but our duties as officials are not only to send soldiers to the frontiers, but also to take care of all their affairs after they are injured or killed, so as not to let the soldiers shed blood and tears."

Li Chengqian was naturally very familiar with the regulations of the Ministry of War's pensions, and nodded in praise, saying, "I am confident that the Ministry of War is doing its job well."

When Fang Jun "led troops out of Baidao" and "destroyed Xueyantuo", after returning to the capital, he personally carried the ashes of the fallen soldiers and delivered them door to door. This move shocked Chang'an for a time, and people from all walks of life praised Fang Jun for his kindness.

The pension regulations were extremely generous. The Ministry of War even built many farms and ranches all over the country to support the soldiers who were injured in the war...

So good.

"In a few days, this year's imperial examination will begin. As the chief examiner this year, the Minister of Justice must be cautious and make careful preparations. Today's imperial examination has undergone several reforms and is very different from the past. The candidates selected cover multiple disciplines, covering an unprecedentedly wide range. Naturally, difficulties are endless. The court must work together to find and solve problems and must not slack off."

"Here."

All the ministers responded in unison.

As the country prospered, its territory continued to expand and its population increased dramatically. The previous situation where one team in each prefecture, city and county governed government affairs had long been overwhelmed, and the subdivision of official positions was put on the agenda. This led to a substantial increase in the number of officials at all levels of government. It was difficult to meet the demand for imperial examinations every three years, and it became the norm to add an imperial examination from time to time.

This might cause a certain degree of "redundant officials" phenomenon, leading to a sharp increase in the court's fiscal expenditure, but it was something that had to be done.

The dense population, expanding territory and complicated government affairs have led to endless corruption. The only way to eliminate the corruption caused by the concentration of power is to subdivide government affairs, disperse power and supervise each other.

Things are always like this. There is no absolute good or bad, no absolute right or wrong, and no perfect policy. We can only adapt to local conditions.

Liu Li became more and more depressed, and his resentment towards Fang Jun increased. If Fang Jun had not made a big fuss in the Western Regions, shouting and demanding all kinds of food, fodder and supplies all day long, making it difficult for him, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, to cope with it, how could Ma Zhou be the chief examiner of this imperial examination?

*****
Outside the city of Chang'an, beside the Kunming Lake, huge chimneys rose from the ground. Thick smoke drifted in the wind, making this beautiful place full of mist and dust. When the busy craftsmen and servants touched their faces with their hands, they often got a hand full of black dust.

But furnace after furnace of molten steel and ingot after ingot of steel supported the backbone of the entire empire's dominance over the world.

When the news of the victory in the Western Regions reached the country, the government and the people were excited. The "Foundry", the government office responsible for the research, development, manufacture and improvement of firearms, became increasingly supported and valued by the government and the people.

Accompanied by Liu Shi, Liu Rengui walked in the foundry and visited all the workshops. Finally, he stood with his hands behind his back in the cannon casting workshop, watching the craftsmen use complex techniques to cast a new type of cannon, and was deeply impressed.

"I heard that Doctor Liu has been working in the Foundry for many years?"

"Minister Liu is wrong. I have not been in this position for many years. I was trusted by Duke Yue and entrusted with important tasks when the Foundry was first established. I have been in this position ever since then."

Liu Shi looked respectful, but his words were full of arrogance.

The "Foundry" may seem to be just a workshop under the Ministry of War, but the resources it controls are extremely huge. Not only is it number one in the Ministry of War, but even if the six ministries and nine temples of the imperial court are added together, it will still be number one among all the workshops under its jurisdiction.

Liu Rengui smiled and said, "So, Doctor Liu has made great contributions to the country! But he has been a doctor for so many years, which is a bit unfair. Hasn't he ever sought to be transferred to another position and make further progress?"