Chapter 5382 Times have changed

Chapter 5382 Times have changed
Liu Xiangdao's residence.

Snowflakes fluttered outside the window, and a cold wind blew. Inside the study, a brazier burned, keeping the temperature comfortable.

Liu Xiangdao took a sip of tea, looked at his younger brother Liu Yingdao with a furrowed brow and his son Liu Qixian with a solemn expression, chuckled, and said, "What's wrong? Can't figure it out?"

Liu Yingdao hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

On the contrary, Liu Qixian, who was only sixteen years old, stuck out his neck and said excitedly, "How could Father do this? Our Liu family of Weizhou has been blessed by the Emperor for three generations, serving three dynasties and three emperors. Father is especially favored by the Emperor and is relied upon by the monarch as a confidant. Now he has betrayed His Majesty and colluded with those treacherous ministers who manipulate power. He will be infamous for ten thousand years!"

Liu Yingdao also spoke up: "Elder brother's strategies far surpass mine. From childhood to adulthood, I have always followed his lead and obeyed his orders without ever objecting. But this matter... is indeed worth discussing."

Liu Xiangdao nodded slowly; his brother's and son's reactions were exactly what he had expected.

In fact, even though he had heard of Fang Jun's memorial on "reforming the Censorate" before today, he never thought of completely betraying His Majesty and standing with the Crown Prince.

But now that things have come to this, it is imperative to first reach a consensus within the family.

He ignored his less talented younger brother and instead looked at his son, on whom he had always placed high hopes, and said gently, "What you mean by your father 'betraying' His Majesty is that I did not assist His Majesty in controlling the imperial power, so that His Majesty could have the power of life and death over the people and that his words were law?"

Liu Qixian's delicate face flushed red as she angrily retorted, "How can Father confuse right and wrong? Imperial power has always been supreme, and His Majesty is benevolent. How could he possibly commit such a tyrannical act as the power of life and death?"

In his view, although the supreme power of the emperor could breed tyranny, a benevolent emperor would never do such a thing.

Faced with his son's rebuttal, Liu Xiangdao was not angry, but instead asked with a smile: "I also don't believe that His Majesty will be a tyrant, but if His Majesty won't, will the current Crown Prince? Will the future Emperor?"

Before Liu Qixian could answer, he gave his own answer: "There will always be an emperor who will."

Liu Qixian remained unconvinced: "Isn't this a fabricated charge? You can't equate 'possible' with such a crime!"

How can one condemn someone for something that has not yet happened?
That doesn't make sense!

Liu Xiangdao was very patient today. He asked his son to pour him a cup of tea, took a sip, and did not continue the topic. Instead, he changed the subject: "From Emperor Yang of Sui to Emperor Taizong, the reason why the whole country devoted its strength to the eastern expedition against Goguryeo was to prevent it from becoming too powerful and threatening the northern border of the empire, or was it for the pursuit of personal achievements?"

Liu Qixian thought for a moment, but instead of arguing directly, he honestly said, "I'm afraid it's a combination of both."

Liu Xiangdao shook his head and said, "It is true that both are important, but more important is personal achievement... You don't need to rush to refute this. Whether it was the former Sui Dynasty or the current dynasty, there are countless people in the court with outstanding abilities and foresight. Many people know that Goguryeo must be destroyed. This is a consensus. But as for when to destroy Goguryeo, most people's opinion is to proceed slowly."

Both Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Taizong of Sui received countless pieces of advice before deciding to launch an eastern expedition against Goguryeo.

The reason is simple: must Goguryeo be destroyed at this moment?
From the first to the sixth year of the Daye era, Emperor Yang of Sui mobilized millions of people and spent countless manpower and resources to dredge and connect the waterways left by previous dynasties, thus building the Grand Canal. The national treasury was in jeopardy, and the people suffered greatly.

However, the following year, Emperor Yang of Sui issued an edict to conquer Goguryeo, ordering Yuan Hongsi, the governor of Youzhou, to build three hundred ships at the Donglai port. Officials supervised the labor and labor with great urgency, and troops from all over the country, regardless of north or south, were to be gathered in Zhuojun.

Is such a hasty move really necessary?

There are many opponents from both the government and the public.

However, Emperor Yang of Sui insisted on his own way. After assembling the army from all over the country, he conscripted another 10,000 sailors from south of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, 30,000 crossbowmen, and 30,000 halberd throwers from Lingnan. He also ordered 50,000 war chariots to be built in Henan, Huainan, and Jiangnan and sent to Gaoyang to carry armor and curtains. He also conscripted laborers to supply the army.

In July, Emperor Yang of Sui conscripted laborers and ships from south of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers to transport grain from granaries in Liyang and Luokou to Zhuojun. The ships stretched for over a thousand li, carrying weapons, armor, and siege equipment. Hundreds of thousands of people traveled the roads day and night, crowding them with corpses piled up one after another, and the stench filled the roads, causing unrest throughout the land…

The result was a crushing defeat.

When Yuwen Shu and his nine armies crossed the Liao River, they numbered 300,000. However, when they returned to Liaodong City, only 2,700 men remained, and tens of thousands of supplies, weapons, and military equipment were lost.

This battle wiped out all the wealth accumulated by Emperor Wen since his reign.

However, Emperor Yang of Sui did not learn his lesson and immediately launched a second and third eastern expedition, until the land was engulfed in flames of war and the country perished...

How can this be considered as eliminating potential threats to the country's borders?

It was clearly for the sake of imperial achievements and the emperor's face!
Emperor Taizong's eastern expedition was also rushed shortly after the country had recovered its strength. Did such a wise and powerful emperor not learn from the lessons of Emperor Yang of Sui?
He knew all along, but he didn't care!

He was confident that he was better than Emperor Yang of Sui, and that even if he took great risks, he would be able to complete the unfinished work of Emperor Yang of Sui and achieve the eternal feat of destroying Goguryeo!
If Su Dingfang hadn't unleashed a barrage of cannon fire that shattered the walls of Pingrang City, ultimately storming the city and destroying the kingdom, Emperor Taizong might have followed in the footsteps of Emperor Yang of Sui...

"The supreme power of the emperor is not always a good thing."

Liu Xiangdao spoke gently and persuasively: "What we are doing is to limit the emperor's power, not because we are disloyal or unjust. We are not only His Majesty's subjects, but also subjects of the Tang Dynasty. We must not only obey His Majesty's commands, but also be responsible for the people of the world!"

Finally, he said to his son and brother, "The king is still high above, but that's all."

Making decisions on a whim and imposing absolute law on one's words is the greatest irresponsibility towards the country.

The monarch is the master of the world, but the world should not become the emperor's private property, or even his plaything.

Liu Yingdao sighed repeatedly, "How could it have come to this! How could it have come to this!"

Liu Xiangdao ignored his mediocre and law-abiding younger brother, keeping his eyes fixed only on his son.

He firmly believed that after him, only his son, who had been upright and just since childhood and was also exceptionally talented, could shoulder the heavy responsibility of the family's prosperity and inherit his political ideals.

Liu Qixian frowned, his eyes blank.

Liu Xiangdao sighed and said, "I will ask the Grand Commandant for a place at Zhenguan Academy later. Let's go to the academy to study in the spring, so that we can be exposed to advanced ideas, open our eyes to the world, and feel the surging tide of the times, so as not to close ourselves off and become complacent."

Since the Han Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasties have never severed their exchanges with the outside world, absorbing foreign cultures while also exporting Chinese culture.

However, since the current dynasty vigorously developed maritime trade and expanded its maritime territory, it has suffered unprecedented cultural and institutional shocks.

After all, compared to the land-based Silk Road, maritime trade had a much wider reach, and the wealth flowing in was hundreds or even thousands of times greater than that of the Silk Road...

The flourishing maritime trade amassed immeasurable wealth, and the influx of such vast riches into the Tang Dynasty had an immeasurable impact on the entire nation. In the past millennia, had any dynasty ever experienced such an upheaval?
All the systems that had proven effective in the past now seemed inadequate and riddled with flaws. Almost all the insightful people in the court realized that reforms were necessary to accept, manage, and utilize this wealth to lay the foundation for a prosperous era.

As Fang Jun often said to his fathers who held power, "Men, times have changed..."

*****
Fang Jun collected evidence of Xu Jingzong's crimes and reported it to the Censorate. After reviewing the case, the Censorate launched an impeachment... Such news naturally spread very quickly, and within a few days it had spread throughout the capital, causing an uproar throughout the court and the public.

Who doesn't know that Xu Jingzong is Fang Jun's henchman and lackey?
The reactions varied.

Some people celebrated, believing that Xu Jingzong was greedy and morally corrupt. They thought that if he continued to act as Fang Jun's lackey, it would greatly tarnish Fang Jun's reputation. How could Fang Jun, a dignified Grand Commandant with countless merits, who could almost be called "the number one military man" alongside Li Ji, be allowed to suffer such tarnishment?
It is certainly a great thing to completely sever ties with Xu Jingzong now.

Some people were "outraged and disgusted," advocating that Fang Jun was "discarding his workmanship after he had served his purpose" and "utterly lacking in morality." They argued that even a loyal and obedient lackey like Xu Jingzong could be betrayed and discarded like trash, which was enough to show how "cruel" and "tyrannical" Fang Jun was. Who would dare to rely on him and be at his beck and call in the future?

For a time, public opinion in both the government and the public was in an uproar.

However, those at the higher levels have a clear understanding of this.

Xu Jingzong defected to His Majesty and betrayed Fang Jun, orchestrating the impeachment of Liu Ji by the Chu brothers. This caused Liu Ji's reputation to plummet and he was subjected to widespread condemnation, rendering him unfit to hold the position of Grand Chancellor and oversee all affairs of state. It was highly likely that Xu Jingzong, who had the support of His Majesty, would take his place.

Fang Jun did not sit idly by and wait for his doom. He used the same tactics against Liu Ji as Xu Jingzong had used against him. As a result, Liu Ji could no longer remain in the position of Grand Chancellor, and Xu Jingzong's hopes of taking the throne were also dashed.

The struggle for power is undeniably brutal.

The position of Grand Secretary is now effectively the head of the prime minister, and the turmoil within it naturally affects the entire court. The "Imperial Power Faction" and the "Crown Prince Faction" are taking sides, while the "Central Faction" is swaying back and forth. A storm that will almost sweep across the entire power structure of the Tang Dynasty is brewing and seems ready to erupt at any moment.

……

Royal study room.

Li Ji was summoned inside. After bowing, he asked, "Your Majesty has summoned me. What are your instructions?"

Li Chengqian: "..."

The entire court is in turmoil and undercurrents are surging, and you still ask me why I summoned you?
I have been forced into this predicament by my subjects. When will you change your attitude of "standing by and watching" and "molding clay figures"?
Feeling indignant, he said frankly, "If Liu Ji resigns, then let Duke Ying concurrently hold the position of Grand Secretary."