In the Long Live Hall, Emperor Liu stood with a relaxed posture, holding a small bowl of steaming eight-treasure porridge in his hand. The spoon was scooping it up slowly, but his eyes still fell on the map of Luoyang City presented by Murong Yanchao. .
After this period of research, this blueprint alone, no matter how grand and majestic it was, could not arouse his interest. In the twenty years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, Luoyang City has naturally experienced great recovery and development thanks to order and security.
The heritage of the imperial capital of the Sui and Tang Dynasties for hundreds of years is there. Although it is far inferior to Kaifeng in terms of politics and economy, its status is unquestionable and it is the only other capital of the Han Dynasty today. Except for the one or two years at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, all those who stayed in Xijing were important ministers and capable officials.
Although Luoyang has experienced several wars since the mid-Tang Dynasty, it has been basically preserved intact. The depression and depression are also due to the current situation. When Yan, Duke of Teng County, was in office, he carried out a considerable renovation of Luoyang. However, it was only a few repairs. Without the support of the court, the finances and taxes left in Xijing alone could not support the entire city of Luoyang. of refresh.
Murong Yanchao not only presented a planning map, but also a set of construction plans, and made a preliminary budget based on the expansion and overhaul of Kaifeng that year.
Uncle Murong was obviously a man who loved wonders and was very generous. Originally, he was going to suggest that Emperor Liu demolish the old city and build a brand new Han Dynasty Luoyang City.
However, it was later discovered that the cost was too high. The construction cost was not only the construction cost, but also involved the interests of everyone who had taken root in Luoyang. At the same time, it was also because of the architectural talents under him that it was difficult to surpass the old city in terms of the grand scale of the palace city. Luoyang City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties can be called a pinnacle in the history of Chinese architecture.
Regardless of the cost, it would make it more gorgeous and magnificent as described in historical records, but Emperor Liu was the first to fail. Therefore, Murong Yanchao's final suggestion was to renovate and renovate the old city of Luoyang on the original basis to restore it to its former glory and at the same time inject the elegance of the Han Dynasty into it.
Even so, the amount of work is still not small. Of course, the focus is not on the construction of Luoyang, but on the purpose of the construction, moving the capital.
Just a few days ago, Emperor Liu issued an official edict for the first time, asking the courtiers to discuss the matter of moving the capital. As a result, it naturally caused a shock in the court, setting off a turmoil and a lot of discussion.
Except for a few people who expressed their approval, most people clearly expressed their opposition, citing the following reasons. First, Tokyo has been the capital for a long time, and the city cannot be moved lightly; second, Kaifeng is prosperous, and Luoyang is abandoned, so we must not abandon the new in favor of the old; third, Luoyang's products are far inferior to those in China, and are not enough to support the capital; fourth, its location is remote, and the generals of the capital Increase the pressure on water transportation from the imperial court...
There are a lot of reasons for opposing the move of the capital, and they are well-founded, but the feeling given to Emperor Liu is that his ministers are reluctant to bear the prosperity of Kaifeng, including a large number of meritorious officials. In Emperor Liu's view, many ministers had deep roots in Tokyo and the Central Plains, and relocation would affect their own interests. This was the real reason for their opposition.
Among the few people who supported moving the capital, there were even fewer who truly had the overall interests of the country in mind and understood Emperor Liu's intentions. Most of them had little interest involved, and expressed their approval in order to cater to Emperor Liu's ideas.
Important ministers such as Wei Renpu did not express their opinions, and it was not easy for them to express their opinions. Especially Wei Renpu, in this case, as prime minister, ended up having different ideas from Emperor Liu, which not only affected the relationship between the monarch and his ministers, but also may affect the situation of the court.
The most important reason why Emperor Liu wanted to move the capital was just that one key thing: there was no danger to defend. Kaifeng is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains. Although it has its unique advantages, it is also flat and flat, and the Yellow River cannot be used as a solid defensive natural barrier, even if the military pressure from the north is now very small.
The strength of a country lies not in danger but in virtue. Some people have already put forward a similar point of view. The words made sense, but what Emperor Liu considered was that the Han Empire could not always be as strong as it is now. There would always be ups and downs, and if the country encountered a crisis, a capital city that was strong and strong would be in an embarrassing situation.
At the same time, over the years, in order to defend Tokyo, the imperial court deployed too many troops in Kinki and north and south of Dahe. This was unreasonable and increased the burden on the imperial court. And this has to be done, because the safety of the capital must be guaranteed, no matter in troubled times or in peaceful times.
If you want to move the capital, there is basically no other choice but Luoyang. Today, the only place that meets the "three elements" is the Yiluo area.
In the Liang, Tang and Jin dynasties, the choice of city was also between Kaifeng and Luoyang. Kaifeng was the base where Zhu Wen started his career, and he thought it was a natural thing; Li Cunxu established the Later Tang Dynasty in order to inherit the Tang Dynasty. Chang'an was ruined, and the dragon spirit had dissipated, so it is more understandable that the capital was the old capital Luoyang; Shi Jingtang succeeded the Later Tang Dynasty and later moved the capital to Kaifeng , the reason is also obvious, to provide money and food to the court, and to control the Central Plains and Hebei areas nearby.
There is a saying that during the Three Dynasties period, the southern countries were isolated, the northern vassal towns were numerous, and the Khitan was in trouble. Regardless of political or economic considerations, Kaifeng is a more suitable capital, and the shortcomings in military defense are made up for by the large number and powerful Central Forbidden Army, and they have extremely powerful mobilization of troops and expeditions. Great convenience.
In extraordinary times, do extraordinary things and establish an extraordinary capital. However, now that the country has been unified and the empire has become stronger, with the exception of the Khitans, all the barbarians have surrendered. On the surface, the shortcomings of Kaifeng being the capital have been narrowed again. Under this situation, Emperor Liu felt more and more awkward. .
Needless to say, the impression coming from the depths of his memory was that Kaifeng was not suitable for the capital, and the fate of the Northern Song Dynasty reminded him even more.
However, after so many years, when he considered this matter again and started to implement it, Emperor Liu's mind had some subtle changes.
After careful comparison, Luoyang is indeed among the best in the world. It has a sound situation and everything is in place, and is fully qualified to be the imperial capital of the Han Dynasty. However, this place in the middle, Guanyou, has completely declined compared to the past, and this has affected Luoyang. It is an objective fact that the country's political and economic center of gravity moved eastward and southward, and it was accelerated after the troubled times in the late Tang Dynasty. Emperor Liu's construction of Kaifeng was even more symbolic, and Luoyang could also be said to be going against the current to a certain extent.
As for the geographical advantages that Luoyang has, sometimes it is not very convincing if you think about it from another angle. Emperor Liu was a student of history, and he could clearly see through historical experience and lessons that when an empire declines, no matter how solid the terrain is, it is difficult to protect it. Over the past thousands of years, Luoyang has been ravaged by wars not once or twice.
Emperor Liu had stayed in Kaifeng for so many years, and he had deep feelings for it. He spent so much time, money and food on development. Considering the high and low interests involved in moving the capital, he was even more hesitant. .
At the same time, if the capital is moved to Luoyang, all classes in Tokyo will naturally be greatly affected, and the same will be true for Luoyang. After all, moving the capital is not just about simply moving the imperial court to the past.
As for Luoyang, over the past twenty years, it has also formed its own inherent interest class. Capitalizing in Luoyang is certainly a good thing for it. After all, it represents an improvement in political status. At the same time, it will also suffer a serious impact.
The imperial court established Kaifeng as the capital, and the capital felt pressure from all aspects. When Luoyang was reached, the water transportation distance was lengthened again. To maintain Luoyang's supply, the increase in pressure was bound to be significant.
At the same time, we have to consider, once the Guandong water transportation is blocked, will Luoyang be safe?
After much thought, it was difficult for outsiders to explain Emperor Liu's inner conflicts. Obviously, this is difficult to change, not because of the resistance from above and below, but because of Emperor Liu's psychology.
In the end, whether to move the capital or not depends on Emperor Liu's personal wishes. Others' suggestions can be listened to, but they are not important and do not play a decisive role.
