Chapter 5227 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron

Chapter 5227 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron
With the situation in Japan stabilizing and the entire country merging into the Tang Dynasty, even the Japanese king obediently abdicated and welcomed the new "King of Fusang." The navy began a full-scale offensive, sending troops to conduct military operations to coerce countries in the southeastern oceans such as Linyi, Luzon, Brunei, Srivijaya, and Gulu. At the same time, it organized local indigenous forces to plan for "democratic elections."

Thanks to the Tang Dynasty's strong military and economic capabilities, progress in all aspects is extremely smooth. By the spring of next year, many countries or regions will surely hold "democratic elections" to submit to the Tang Dynasty and be incorporated into its territory in the form of "following the will of the people," becoming places for "establishing fiefdoms and states."

There were naturally obstacles along the way, after all, not everyone was willing to give up the power they held, relinquish their throne, and become slaves to the Tang people, such as King Zhuge Di of Lin-yi...

Zhuge Di, who successfully ascended the throne by betraying the Fan royal family, was feared and hated by the people. He had no choice but to implement a brutal rule in Linyi to maintain his throne. Now that the Tang Dynasty intends to hold a "popular election" to decide the future of Linyi and make Linyi a fiefdom of the Tang Dynasty, how could Zhuge Di agree to this?

Once he abdicates and loses the protection of the army, the people will surely tear him to pieces and grind his bones to ashes...

Zhuge Di could not stop the Tang people from planning and launching the "popular election".

Although he was the king of Lin-yi, the only place he could control was the capital city of Indrapura.

However, he could refuse to acknowledge the results of the "democratic election" and would rather fight to the death with the Tang Dynasty for his throne and his tribe.

Even if we fail, it doesn't matter. At worst, we can retreat to the western mountains and carry out guerrilla warfare. No matter how strong the Tang army is, can it really send hundreds of thousands of troops into the Linyi Mountains?
As long as the Tang people cannot obtain the legitimate succession to the throne of Lin-yi, any sacrifice is enough.

The situation around Indrapura City suddenly became tense.

Royal Navy Grand Admiral Su Dingfang had no choice but to leave Huating Town and lead his mighty fleet across the South China Sea to Da Nang. There, he joined forces with the garrison stationed in Da Nang and set his sights on Indrapura, the new capital of the nearby Kingdom of Lin Yi.

After the old capital of Linyi, Sengqipuluo, was razed to the ground by the Tang army, the new king Zhuge Di moved the capital here and spent a huge amount of money and mobilized countless laborers to build it. He also moved 20,000 wealthy households from all over the country into the city. The scale and prosperity of the city surpassed that of the old capital, Sengqipuluo.

At the same time, Zhuge Liang ordered tens of thousands of the kingdom's troops to defend the capital, ready for battle at any moment, making a show of being determined to fight to the death and never compromise.

The war is about to start.

However, Lin-yi is different from the Persian Sea. In the Persian Sea, excuses such as "too far away," "unable to get permission in time," and "a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders" can be used, and the bigwigs in the court don't really care. But if you want to go to war with Lin-yi, you must have the court's approval and the emperor's decree.

Otherwise, if the supply of Linyi rice to Luoyang and Chang'an is affected, no one can bear such a responsibility...

……

In the imperial court, this issue naturally sparked heated debate, with supporters and opponents vying for the same view, resulting in a deadlock.

Li Chengqian convened meetings of the State Affairs Hall and the Grand Council for several consecutive days on this issue, but failed to reach a decision on policy for a long time.

On the day Fang Jun returned to Beijing, the first snow fell, and the Guanzhong Plain was covered in a blanket of white, a vast expanse of white as far as the eye could see.

Upon entering Chunming Gate, he was summoned into the palace by a waiting eunuch bearing His Majesty's decree...

Inside the Hall of State Affairs, the floor was already heated, making it warm as spring, and in the corner, two bronze beast-shaped incense burners emitted wisps of sandalwood smoke.

Li Chengqian sat in the center, with Liu Ji on his left and an empty seat on his right. Li Ji followed, and the others, including Li Xiaogong, Ma Zhou, Tang Jian, Liu Xiangdao, and Cui Dunli, were arranged in rows.

When Fang Jun arrived at the Hall of State Affairs, travel-worn, he was greeted by this grand scene of powerful figures gathered together. A "wicked" thought suddenly popped into his head: if a squad of soldiers stood at the entrance with firearms and fired a volley, the entire central core of the Tang Dynasty would be destroyed and wiped out...

Quickly suppress this rebellious thought and step forward to greet Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian said gently, "Grand Commandant, there's no need for such formalities. The reason I summoned you to the Council of State so urgently is because the affairs of the Kingdom of Linyi urgently need to be resolved. After the meeting, please go home and rest well."

"Here."

Fang Jun didn't say much, but sat down to the right of Li Chengqian and nodded to Li Ji next to him.

This position was clearly vacated temporarily, and Li Ji would inevitably be the one to step down...

Li Chengqian cut to the chase, asking Fang Jun, "You, Grand Commandant, are well-versed in naval affairs and have an excellent grasp of the situations of various overseas nations. The Kingdom of Lin-yi intends to follow the example of other foreign states by implementing 'democratic elections' and merging into the Tang Dynasty. However, King Zhuge Di of Lin-yi has gathered troops and stockpiled them around the capital, attempting to obstruct the 'democratic elections' and sabotage the grand plan of establishing a vassal state. Su Dingfang has personally gone to Da Nang to oversee the situation and has submitted a memorial proposing war against Lin-yi. What is your opinion, Grand Commandant?"

Even today, the emperor himself has to acknowledge Fang Jun's influence in the navy and his control over foreign lands.

The Tang Dynasty was vast, and on land, the emperor's word was law, ruling the world. But on the coast, his words carried less weight than Fang Jun's...

Therefore, the decision of whether to fight or not rests with Fang Jun.

Before Fang Jun could reply, Liu Ji reminded him, "The navy is powerful and invincible, so we are not worried that Zhuge Di can stop Su Dingfang's army. However, once the war starts, Zhuge Di's army will rampage through Linyi, which will greatly hinder the Tang Dynasty's rice procurement. If there is a shortage of grain entering Guanzhong, the consequences will be extremely bad."

During the Zhenguan era, due to centuries of over-exploitation, the land in Guanzhong became barren, resulting in a sharp decline in grain production and making it difficult to supply enough food. As a result, grain had to be sourced from Hedong and Hebei and transported to Guanzhong.

Later, Fang Jun established the Royal Navy, and the first thing he did was to send troops to Linyi to purchase rice from the local area and transport it to Guanzhong along the coastal road. After that, he organized people to go to Linyi to rent land and grow rice, which completely alleviated the food shortage crisis in Guanzhong.

However, with the relief of the food crisis and the prosperity of commerce in Guanzhong, more and more merchants, farmers who had lost their land, as well as scholars and officials flocked to Guanzhong, causing a sharp increase in the population of Guanzhong. The demand for food increased, leading to a food shortage again and an increasing need for grain to be imported into Guanzhong. The demand for rice from Linyi, which has three harvests a year, was particularly high.

If this grain route is affected, Chang'an will face a food shortage, which will shake the world and have unpredictable consequences...

Fang Jun frowned, speaking bluntly: "What the Grand Chancellor says makes no sense. There is no perfect solution in the world. Since the King of Lin-yi dares to provoke the might of the Tang Dynasty, then we must use our army to annihilate his forces and dismantle his regime, so that his head can be used to demonstrate to the world and deter others. This is the responsibility that the navy should bear. As for whether this will lead to a food shortage in Guanzhong, that is within your purview, Grand Chancellor. It would be best if you could solve it, but if you cannot, then please resign and replace him with someone who can, so that His Majesty can share the burden and solve the problem. Instead, because of your incompetence, so many important officials have been summoned to help you shoulder the responsibilities, while you neglect other national affairs."

Liu Ji was furious: "Su Dingfang has threatened to destroy the Lin-yi Kingdom and kill Zhuge Di, which will inevitably cause turmoil in Lin-yi and affect the purchase of rice. I have tried to persuade him but he won't listen, and my warnings have been ineffective. What can I do? These arrogant and fierce soldiers are all under your orders, yet they are making things difficult for me. What kind of logic is that?"

Fang Jun nodded and said calmly, "Then I will have Su Dingfang lead the army back to the Tang Dynasty... However, the damage to the prestige of the Tang Dynasty caused by this, and even the imitation by other foreign countries and natives, is the responsibility of the Grand Chancellor."

"It's so shameless!"

Liu Ji's face flushed red with rage.

He looked at Li Chengqian and pleaded, "Whether I fight or not, I cannot escape responsibility and bear the blame. But how could I have had any involvement in this matter? The Grand Commandant is making trouble and framing me. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

The anger he displayed was actually more for Li Chengqian's benefit. Having lost several arguments and struggles with Fang Jun, he had long since calmed down and would not be easily provoked.

Although Fang Jun was unreasonable, he was right about one thing: no matter what situation arose, he, as the Grand Secretary, had to come up with a solution, otherwise he would be incompetent.

I only hope that His Majesty can uncover this unjustly placed blame...

Li Chengqian also felt that Liu Ji was somewhat wronged. He was sitting in Chang'an when trouble came out of nowhere, and he couldn't escape it even if he wanted to.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Grand Commandant, do you think it would be feasible to continue with the old policy of dividing, isolating, and inciting internal strife in the Kingdom of Lin-yi to resolve this crisis?"

Fang Jun shook his head and said, "It's easy to instigate a civil war in Lin Yi. It's nothing more than supporting local forces, providing them with aid, and promising them a place in Zhuge Di's territory. It's not difficult. But the problem is still the same: once war breaks out in Lin Yi, the mutinous soldiers will cause chaos everywhere, which will still affect the purchase of rice. No matter how many troops the Tang Dynasty has stationed in Da Nang, it's impossible to wipe out those local armed forces everywhere, not even with 100,000 troops."

The Lin-yi Kingdom has a complex terrain. Plains are few and mostly located in the Songping County area of ​​the Red River Delta. The rest of the region is characterized by crisscrossing mountains and rivers, which is extremely unfavorable for large-scale military operations. Once Lin-yi Kingdom is in the midst of internal strife, armed forces from various regions will flee into the mountains and forests, making it extremely difficult to annihilate them.

At that time, the entire Kingdom of Lin-yi will be plunged into chaos, which will greatly damage the interests of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Chengqian remained silent in thought.

Li Xiaogong, feeling drowsy, shifted his body and forced himself to stay awake. He advised, "The solution to the crisis in Linyi Kingdom is to act swiftly. We should order Su Dingfang to assemble a large army and, in one fell swoop, capture the capital of Linyi Kingdom and wipe out Zhuge Di's forces, thus eliminating any future troubles."

Li Ji, who rarely expressed his opinions before the emperor, also said: "The stability of the Kingdom of Linyi is of vital importance to the empire. I suggest that Your Majesty appoint a prince to be enfeoffed in Linyi to go there and lead the navy in the name of commander to suppress the rebellion and intimidate the people. In this way, the prince will gain great prestige in the future and quickly stabilize Linyi."