The most important thing is that Japan is different from Korea. After the fall of Daliao, Goryeo and Daqi were actually connected by mountains and rivers, and there were no major obstacles between the two countries. Japan, on the other hand, is located in a corner overseas, surrounded by the sea. Apart from sea routes, there is no connection with the mainland at all. Even Lelang Road, which is the closest to the mainland, is also separated by the vast sea. Taking Japan may not be too difficult, but how to hold it there is the key. This doesn't even include the relatively tough folk customs there.
If these two problems are not solved, it will be basically impossible to capture Japan and truly bring Japan back into Daqi's territory. These two key points are the reason why Huang Qiong has not taken action against Japan. The third is the transformation of the southwest region. It can be regarded as the hometown of Dali that is now merged into Daqi. Liangchuan, Qianzhong, Huguang North and South Road, and Guangnan West Road have a large number of clan leaders and chiefs of various ethnic groups. These people, centered on their own villages and connected by their own clans and bloodlines, actually formed small separatist forces.
Taking advantage of the official positions conferred by the imperial court, they levied violent taxes in the areas where their own tribe was distributed, and rebelled and surrendered at every turn. The most critical thing is that these people are connected to each other through marriage and blood, and are extremely repulsive to Han people entering their territory, especially Han immigrants. And if you want to hold on to the territory, especially the surrounding Yunnan Road, which is adjacent to Annan and Nanzhang. It would be impossible to hold on without a large number of Han people immigrating. However, if there is forced immigration, these tribes will not accept it in the first place because they believe that their interests will be violated.
By then, killing immigrants will probably be a piece of cake. These roads should have been the hinterland of Daqi, but now they have become cancerous tumors in Daqi. Moreover, the places controlled by these tribes are mostly resource-rich areas. For example, Yunnan Road is now the main copper producing area in Daqi. If there is chaos there, not to mention the copper used to make money, even the copper used to make cannons will be cut off. Even after capturing the Northeast, Daqi does not lack places for immigrants. Even the population of some areas is due to large numbers of immigrants.
As a result, local areas such as Shandong Road, Hebei Road, Shanxi Road, and local Dingkou are already somewhat underused. However, the matter of returning to rural areas is still among the three major issues that Huang Qiong needs to solve, the first one being the most important. Huang Qiong also knew that he could not do everything. Therefore, after much consideration, I decided to solve the first thing while I was still in charge. As for other matters, let them be left to their descendants to resolve. However, Huang Qiong decided not to take action until the chaos in the Western Region was resolved and Huang Ruifeng returned to the court.
When Huang Ruifeng returned to court, Huang Qiong did not hold a prisoner dedication ceremony. After letting Huang Ruifeng rest for three days, Huang Qiong called people into the palace. Huang Qiong smiled happily when he saw his son, who was dark and thin due to fatigue after two years of expedition in the Western Regions, but was becoming more and more mature. He said to Huang Ruifeng: "After all, you are the one who was taught by me personally. You did a good job in the Western Region this time, and I am very satisfied with it. The veterans in the army also spoke highly of them. They say that you are Huo Qubing of this dynasty. Although it is a bit nonsense. , but it can be considered a reliable evaluation.”
"I am very pleased that you insisted on not holding a prisoner dedication ceremony in the memorial. You are right, they are all relatives of my own family, and it can be regarded as a civil strife in the royal family. The sacrifice of prisoners is not to honor the ancestors, but to slap oneself in the face. But there is one thing you are wrong about. Although this expedition to the Western Regions is apparently about fighting between our own families, in fact it is to safeguard the unification of the Qi Dynasty. You are not fighting the King of Anxi, but those in the Western Regions. In my dreams, I think about the strength of the separatist regime fighting. King Anxi is just a generational sufferer."
"So, this campaign in the Western Region is also a battle of glory. Judging from your handling in the Western Region, it can be said that you have completely grown up. Even if I pass the throne to you now, you can rest assured. However, I also want to Let me ask you, do you know why I went against all opinions this time and insisted on using you, Prince Bingzheng, as the ambassador while leaving the more experienced heroes and generals in the court? I want to ask you now. Tell me the truth. Don't have any taboos. Let me see how much you have learned from me."
Regarding Huang Qiong's last stern question, Huang Ruifeng was not ambiguous and said directly: "Back to my father, the counterinsurgency in the Western Regions may seem like a military matter, but in fact it is a government matter. Military merit alone can indeed suppress the situation for a while, but It cannot be suppressed for a lifetime. If the massacre is too brutal, judging from the nature of the tribes in the Western Regions, it may be difficult to stabilize for several generations. Therefore, this time the rebellion in the Western Regions cannot be suppressed by military attachés alone. And if other civilian officials are sent as ambassadors, Without military merit, it may be difficult to restrain the arrogant and powerful generals."
"Since my father inherited the throne, it has changed the situation where the emperor emphasized civil servants over military affairs during his reign, and became more and more wary of military attaches. Coupled with the suppression of the rebellion, the destruction of Liao and the destruction of Goryeo, a considerable number of military attachés were arrogant and arrogant. Civil officials are extremely difficult to control. At that time, if the civil and military forces each do their own thing and restrain each other, not only will they suffer losses on the battlefield, but they will also delay the important affairs of the court. If other princes and princes are selected as ambassadors, the emperor will worry about Anxi The king's old story happened again. Therefore, he selected his son to be the ambassador."
Huang Ruifeng's answer made Huang Qiong nod, but then shake his head. Looking at his son's confused look, Huang Qiongcai said in a cautious tone: "Since ancient times, every dynasty has walked on the two legs of civil and military affairs. No dynasty can truly stabilize the world by relying solely on civil and military forces. . Emphasizing military force over literature, it is easy to cultivate a group of military leaders who hold military power. Since ancient times, those who seek to usurp the throne or rebel are basically military attachés. Even people like Cao Amo and Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty who came from literary backgrounds, also They are all children of powerful families."
"Only those who have the ability to control civil and military affairs can compete in the world. Therefore, since ancient times, emperors of all dynasties have been most wary of military generals. Civil servants, especially those in this dynasty, have different origins from the children of previous generations. They all come from ordinary scholar families. . Even if he is able to do things smoothly under Zhongshu's sect, he cannot control those military attachés even if he is in the position of prime minister. Especially after my grandfather's incident, your emperor became more and more dissatisfied with military generals, especially those who came from aristocratic families. Trust. Therefore, there is a tendency to emphasize civility over military affairs."
"However, although it is undesirable to emphasize military affairs over literature, it is even more undesirable to emphasize literature over military affairs. There are even more disadvantages in using literature to control military affairs. I have just said that few civil servants in this dynasty come from a family with deep roots. Most of them are They come from ordinary families. They have studied the books of sages since they were young, and they only want to cross the Dragon Gate once. Most of them are not familiar with military affairs. They are Yu Mingyuan and Yang Jiyuan. Although they are born as Jinshi, they can go into battle and kill the enemy. I learned it slowly later. Most of the civil servants in this dynasty have no knowledge of military affairs, except for those who are very talented."
"Not only will he give random commands on the battlefield, delaying the opportunity to fight, or even defeat the country, but the long-term suppression and suppression of military generals will also make the military attaches lose confidence in the court, and then slowly become unwilling to serve the court. Although it is avoided There is a danger of military attaches rebelling, or separatist rule. But if things go on like this, it will be difficult to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army. Once the people rebel, or foreigners invade, the building may overturn in a matter of days. Therefore, it is not only necessary to control civil and military affairs smoothly Means, it is even more necessary to maintain peace."
"This time I ask you to lead the army to go on an expedition. In addition to testing your ability to govern and respond to changes without me, the most fundamental thing is to let you establish military merit. To be precise, you can gain military morale. Only in this way can you gain the true support of the generals. You also said that with the victory of three major conquests, a group of arrogant generals have emerged in the army. If the emperor has no military exploits, he can only rely on means to suppress those arrogant generals. But if these means are If not done well, it will be extremely easy to cause the generals to become disloyal."
"The means must be there, but it is definitely not to support the civil service over the military. At the beginning, I also relied on my two military exploits first to suppress the rebellion of Zhengzhou and then to suppress the rebellion of Ningxia, and then I gradually got the military attachés to support me. It does not matter whoever becomes the emperor. Everyone is just messing around. Without those two military exploits, it would not have been so easy for me to secretly replace some of the generals of the Jiangnan armies before the puppet emperor rebelled. The most important thing is that through two counter-insurgency campaigns, I discovered a group of Military general. I have established part of my own team in the army. This is my true purpose."
"Compared to civil servants, a large proportion of military generals are passed down from aristocratic families. After all, marching and fighting also require people to do it. It would be too long to just explore a little by yourself. And most of these aristocratic families come from extremely wealthy families. Superiority has been passed down for several generations and became the sons of dandies, but most of them. In fact, what the military really relies on are military attachés from civilian backgrounds. If we rely solely on those generals inherited from aristocratic families, I am afraid that not only will it not take many years, but the imperial court will All may face the danger of having no generals available.”
"It is more dangerous for these military generals from aristocratic families to hold military power in one place for a long time than for children from civilian backgrounds. This is also the reason why I established the two major military governors, in order to break the original class restrictions, cultivate and discover More talents. Reduce the accidents they encounter and the time they spend growing up. But military generals born in this way often have strong self-esteem and unrestricted actions. As an emperor, you can know nothing about soldiers, but if you don’t understand the true mentality of these people, then That’s really the most dangerous thing.”
"Military generals cannot serve as prime ministers. It is necessary to govern the military with civility. But this absolutely does not mean that civil servants will have to climb over the heads of military commanders. Both the civil and military paths are the support of the country and are indispensable. If a military general holds military power for a long time , there is indeed a danger of rebellion. But I think you are also aware of the problems of civil servants. They are aloof and think that after reading a few books, they always think that the boss in heaven and the second boss in earth are the third boss. Even if the emperor wants to If you want the world to be well governed, you must listen to them in everything. This is the so-called Holy Emperor who rules from the top down."
"If civilian officials are allowed to dominate military officials, I am afraid that within a few years, these people will be able to suppress the military commanders until they can't even breathe. And the court cannot be supported by civilian officials alone. Those who are willing to fight will perish, and those who forget to fight will be destroyed. There is bound to be danger. If the dignity of those military generals is really ruined and they encounter real danger, who will be willing to defend the country? Just rely on those civil servants who can only talk? Starting a business cannot be separated from military generals, and although maintaining a business cannot be separated from civil servants, It is even more inseparable from generals. It is indeed necessary to guard against generals, but it is even more important to use them, and the key depends on how to use them."
"I am asking you to go to the Western Region this time so that you can learn how to guess the mentality of these people through personal experience. In this way, you can better combine kindness and power, and better control these people. Remember, Treat civil servants harshly, but not harshly. Treat military attachés with both kindness and authority. Although the country is big, it will be in danger if it forgets to fight. Never put swords and guns in the treasury or let the horses go to the south. Cultivate and discover military attachés and understand their abilities. Mentality, in order to better control them and let them serve the country, is the true way to be a king."
Speaking of this, Huang Qiong's tone showed a trace of ferocity: "Don't think that everyone is perfect, let alone a loyal minister and a filial son. As a superior, you must know how to employ people, and Avoid people's shortcomings. Don't be afraid of people who are ambitious, but the ambition must be allowed by the king. Otherwise, no matter how close you are, you won't be able to do it."
