There is no doubt that Feng Chan's tour was the most spectacular one among Emperor Liu's previous tours. No matter in terms of the size of the personnel, the size of the trip, or the consumption of materials, it was the highest in his imperial career.
In terms of the accompanying personnel alone, there were more than 70,000 people from the inner and outer palaces, nobles, bureaucrats, troops, and officials. Among these more than 70,000 people, most of them, except for the guards and servants, were the elite of the Han Dynasty. Including almost the entire upper ruling class.
It can be said that if something unexpected happened to this team, the Han Empire would definitely be devastated. After all, the emperor, the prince, the kings, the clan, and almost all the nobles and court ministers were accompanying them.
These people are the real cornerstone of the Han Empire. If something goes wrong, the entire empire will be in turmoil, even if it is not destroyed by landslides. Therefore, the safety level of this trip is also infinitely higher.
Among the followers, at least half of the local military and political officials also included. Except for a few military and political officials in special regions such as the southwest, northwest, and northeast, the rest of the bureaucrats at the provincial level and even the state government level took the initiative. I asked for instructions and intended to participate in the grand event.
Of course, very few are approved. However, even so, bureaucrats everywhere are trying their best to get ahead.
Take the great dynasty of Chongyuan Palace in the first year as an example. The number of local officials who chose to come to Beijing in person to report on their work and express their congratulations was more than twice as many as those who visited. And these people all received the news early. After arriving in Kaifeng, they couldn't stay and couldn't drive away. They just waited for the imperial driver to set off so that they could follow the trend.
For the Han Empire, it was also rare for the foreign and domestic ministers to gather together like this. This was a rare event in itself. It had not happened before and it would probably be difficult to repeat in the future.
In view of this situation, the Zhengshitang also issued a special order, requiring the state officials to strengthen public security control, and the local garrisons to increase martial law. It was necessary to ensure the normal operation of military and political affairs during the Fengchan period, especially not to delay agricultural work.
As for the borders of the Han Dynasty, especially the Northland, they have entered a state of war readiness. Border control has been further improved, with great fanfare and solemnity. After all, from west to east, many border guard generals have entered Beijing. It is inevitable that there will be some omissions in border affairs. Relying on this strong attitude and actions, Fuchen and Xiaoxiao were frightened.
Although the imperial court had made some foreseeable arrangements in terms of military and political affairs in various places, it was inevitable that the Feng Chan had some negative impacts on the local areas.
Even so, it cannot stop bureaucrats everywhere, especially those with qualifications, from taking an active role in this matter. Originally, this might have been just a political show by Emperor Liu, but before he knew it, it had become a carnival for ministers both inside and outside the Han Dynasty.
For many bureaucrats, especially local bureaucrats, participating in the ceremony and attending grand ceremonies has become a rare political qualification and a reflection of status.
In fact, even at the time of the conferment, the order of everyone's positions caused a lot of competition, which brought a lot of pressure and trouble to Zhao Pu, who was in charge. It was really not easy to strike a balance.
Seeing that the commotion was getting louder and louder, the matter becoming more and more complicated, and even the nature of it changing, Emperor Liu couldn't help but murmur in his heart, thinking that it was a little too ostentatious.
However, the little hesitation in his heart was only reflected in his actions. Apart from issuing a mild instructive statement, there were no more actions.
Everything was left to Zhao Pu and the others. In fact, the Fengchan ceremony had been prepared for so long, and it could no longer be affected by some twists and turns in the process.
The edict has been promulgated a long time ago. No matter what problems are encountered and what kind of impact it causes, we must grit our teeth and carry on. As for some of the problems that have been exposed, we can only learn lessons from them later and correct them when they need to be corrected.
Departing from Kaifeng on the 15th, we marched eastward along the Guangji River and arrived at Yanzhou on the 25th, traveling no more than thirty miles a day. It was not until the 28th that the camp arrived at Daiyue Town.
The troops and camps were all deployed. This time Emperor Liu named King Yong Liu Chengxun, who was fully responsible for the itinerary and the guards. He also specially found two deputies for him, Yang Ye and Pan Mei.
According to Liu Chengxun's original plan, the imperial army's eastward patrol was to take the water route. Heading eastward via the Guangji River, passing Liangshanbo and turning to the Wenshui River, he could reach Daiyue Town directly.
However, the reason why Emperor Liu refused was not because Emperor Liu didn't like taking boats, nor was it because he didn't know the convenience and comfort of walking by water.
But according to Liu Chengxun's report, if we take the water route to satisfy the 70,000 people and all their luggage, ships will be a small problem. The key is that tens of thousands of civilians will need to be recruited for each section of the road to prepare fiber. .
Although there is only less than 400 miles of waterway along the way, although it can also provide money and food, the loss of people's power cannot be avoided.
Especially during the critical spring plowing season, and more importantly, this reminded Emperor Liu of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty... Although some said one thing and did another, and some were duplicitous and just seeking fame, Emperor Liu decided to save as much people's energy as possible. , Don't disturb the normal order of the people, especially the farming work.
Even though Emperor Liu himself knew how there could be no impact, it was enough to make him feel a little better and release some of the worries in his heart.
Taking the land route instead, the journey is hard and time-consuming, and the actual consumption expenditure is much greater than that of water transportation. It is necessary to prepare more carriages, horses and livestock, and the people along the way to eat horse chews are not a small sum. However, it looks better than recruiting tens of thousands of people from along the way to haul fiber for the emperor's boat.
People are often burdened by fame, and as an emperor, it is even more so.
Of course, looking at it optimistically, the cost of a tour group of more than 70,000 people along the way can also slightly boost the local economy. Emperor Liu had always used special funds for public payments as daily expenses when he went on tours. As for local donations, it was strictly prohibited.
And the 70,000 people was not the final number of people that Feng Chan and the crowd gathered this time. As the imperial driver headed east, a large number of officials and people also spontaneously rushed to Mount Tai.
Among the officials, especially in the Central Plains Daozhou, as for the scholars and common people, they were even more moved after hearing the news. Maybe they were not directly involved, but it did not prevent them from experiencing the most important event in the more than 20 years since the founding of the Han Dynasty. .
Of course, the common people at the bottom who are busy making a living have no such leisurely intentions. The real active and enthusiastic people are the scholars, landlords, and businessmen from all over the world.
At the same time, there were also a group of people who accepted the invitation, namely envoys from various countries and representatives of various races and forces inside and outside the Han Dynasty. Obviously, Feng Chan was not just a grand event for the Han Dynasty. It was not just for Emperor Liu and his court to enjoy themselves behind closed doors. It also required the participation of neighboring countries. Even the envoys of Mobei Khitan were invited.
By the first day of March, the number of people of all kinds gathered in Yanzhou exceeded 100,000, and Mount Tai had not been so lively for more than two hundred years.
Amid the excitement and turmoil, and under the expectation of everyone, the conferment ceremony belonging to Emperor Liu also progressed in an orderly manner and reached its climax according to the original plan.
However, when things came to an end, Emperor Liu regretted it...
