The midsummer of Kaibao's 21st year has quietly arrived. However, this year's summer seems mild and calm, making people less likely to feel the heat. Everyone in Tokyo, whether it is high-ranking officials, nobles or ordinary people, enjoys it. Comfortable.
Of course, the price of this enjoyment is serious, including Qin Tianjian, Hubu Agricultural Science and some insightful people in the DPRK, all of whom expressed warnings that the climate was different.
Government and agricultural officials from all over the country also expressed their opinions, saying that this year's grain harvest may be poor. This has to be taken seriously by the court, because from the statistics of the production and storage of various grains in the past few years, it can be clearly found that the overall level is declining year by year.
The population of the Han Dynasty continued to increase, and the imperial court, which had not felt the pressure of food for many years, was once again shrouded in that shadow.
In this regard, we have to pay attention, and the Political Affairs Hall has also issued strict orders. Once there is a large-scale food failure, disaster relief preparations must be made to avoid famine.
The wealth accumulated by the Han Dynasty over the past decades is still very rich, especially in the past ten years, which has been a golden period of development. Warehouses across the country are basically full. The Ministry of Household Affairs has even begun to clean up old grains and rotten rice. The replacement, of course, caused some corruption cases and also eliminated a number of silverfish.
Even if they have enough confidence, it will inevitably make the people in power at the center worry and worry. After all, in the first half of the 21st year of Kaibao, which is not yet over, the big man is not very peaceful.
Of course, internal conflicts, especially corruption in the officialdom, have been alleviated to a certain extent after last year's purge. The meat-eaters at the top have become more calm, restrained, and low-key.
Some administrative shortcomings in various places have also begun to be solved and gradually eased. However, war is like a ghost, hovering over the Han Dynasty, with strong uncertainty and unpredictable fortunes.
Not only was Yulin suppressing the rebellion, but there was also a war in the Western Regions. There was another revolt in Yunnan Road. Annan and the natives of Champa who had been destroyed also started to fight. In Anton, the people of Beishiwei, mainly the Mongolian and Wushiwei, began to move south and westward. , invaded the territory of Andong, Liu Xu also sent troops to conquer and expel them. Of course, the Khitans in Mobei also felt the threat, and also sent troops to march eastward, showing signs of expansion again.
In Nanyang, after a long time of preparation, the crusade against the Srivijaya Kingdom was finally launched. The Annandu commander led more than 20,000 navy and army troops to go south.
Due to his outstanding performance in the past, Guo Liangping not only still commanded the Annan fleet, Emperor Liu also asked him to concurrently serve as the commander of the Annan capital, so that he could command the navy and army to attack Srivijaya.
Regarding this situation of being surrounded by fire from all sides, there was a lot of controversy within the imperial court. Even Zhao Pu also clearly opposed it. Although except for the Western Regions, it was just a small fight, conservative forces were everywhere and a relatively loud voice was formed, but In the end, I could only hold my nose and admit it.
Some things have to be done. There is no need to mention Li Jiqian's rebellion. It was an internal rebellion and must be suppressed with thunderous means to deter those rebellious elements. This was politically correct. Anyone who dared to dissuade him would be secluded from Emperor Liu and the Han Dynasty.
As for beating Heihan, in Emperor Liu's opinion, if you don't hit him, he will hit you. Instead of being passively insulted, it is better to take the initiative. What's more, capturing Black Khan is not completely without benefits for the big man. At least there will be one less dangerous and greedy bloodsucker on the east-west trade channel.
The only thing worth debating is probably the war against Srivijaya. From beginning to end, this matter was initiated by the Han Dynasty. It reflected the expansion of the Han Dynasty's maritime trade and was to maintain the Nanyang waterways and trade. The safety of the passage also reflects the offensive will of some naval officers.
Even on this point, Emperor Liu would support the requests of some naval generals headed by Guo Liangping. What's more, Emperor Liu didn't find it difficult to defeat Srivijaya, who looked powerful but was actually an indigenous force. It would be easier for him to send a side attack than to teach Goryeo a lesson. Srivijaya repeatedly rejected the court's "goodwill", which was a sign of disobedience and should be taught a lesson.
As for the migration and invasion of the Shiwei people in Anton, it is even more insignificant. It can be regarded as a riot by the indigenous barbarians. The Anton Governor's Office can solve it by itself, but it has nothing to do with the overall situation.
However, when these situations are combined and presented on the desk of the central minister, it is inevitable to feel worried and embarrassed.
It has been thirty-five years since the founding of the Han Dynasty. During these thirty-five years, the achievements in civil affairs and martial arts are worthy of praise. After surviving these thirty-five years, the recognition of the country has been formed, and political stability has been achieved. , the economic prosperity also seems to prove that the Han Dynasty will not be a short-lived dynasty, which is enough to make people feel at ease.
But it was accompanied by the rise of conservative forces, mainly aristocrats and bureaucrats, and the strengthening of conservative consciousness. The inertia of history allowed them to do whatever it takes in matters within the team, for the stability of the empire, and for the interests of the class. means to maintain.
When it comes to foreign affairs, it is inevitable to make some choices that seem more prudent and safer. The rise of overseas trade has indeed led to the rise of some emerging classes, but they are still a minority.
The basic base of Dahan is large enough, and the internal resources are enough to feed and drink the vast majority of the upper class. Therefore, they habitually prefer to manage their internal operations well rather than expand rashly. After all, not everyone Everyone can benefit from it.
Whether it was the western expedition or the southward expedition, Emperor Liu's will was reflected. In this regard, Emperor Liu was a minority.
Of course, the considerations of conservative forces are also well-founded. For recent lessons, just focus on Li Longji. Of course, no one dares to compare Emperor Liu to Li Longji, but looking at the changes in the situation inside and outside the court in recent years, there are many people who regard Zhao Pu as Li Linfu.
Just fight, since the knife has been shown, there is no blood, and there is not enough harvest, how can we give up easily. In the thinking of many courtiers, as long as the war progresses to a certain extent and some acceptable goals are achieved, they can call off the war and restore peace and stability.
However, it is difficult to grasp the arrow from the string. In just two months, the Han Dynasty court clearly realized that their ideas were a bit naive.
Especially in the war in the Western Region, as the battle reports from the front line continued to come in, the huge casualties and bloody figures made many people feel worried. Of course, they would not admit their inner timidity and conservatism.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, millions of casualties have been suffered in previous wars. Compared with this, the casualties under Kucha City are nothing. But this does not prevent some people who are familiar with history from taking history as a lesson and determining that if the desire for expansion is not suppressed, the war in the Western Regions will inevitably become a bleeding point for the imperial court's loss of national power.
Even if some realistic things are put in place, in order to support the tens of thousands of troops in the Western Regions, Hexi alone is not enough. Human resources must be mobilized from the northwest to be satisfied, which itself means a huge cost.
After all, the Han army in the Western Regions did not form an army just by issuing a weapon. This can almost be regarded as the pinnacle of the army in the cold weapon era. The supporting military supplies are extremely huge. After all, the Han army has a tradition of extravagant warfare.
Furthermore, due to Li Jiqian's rebellion, the northwest region, which was full of contradictions, was inherently unstable. Before fighting against foreign forces, one must first settle the internal affairs. How could one suppress the rebellion while simultaneously launching large-scale conquests? From a military perspective, this was a taboo.
Although the voices of dissent were loud, they were all suppressed, because there were many people who supported it, and their hard power was stronger. Not to mention Emperor Liu, the emperor who had the largest say, the northwest military and those with children involved The nobles of the Western Expedition also supported it. After all, they could not hold back their descendants.
If the war in the Western Regions was forced to admit it with pinched noses due to the pressure of the powerful imperial court, the war against Srivijaya was completely beyond the expectations of most courtiers.
The battle plan submitted by Guo Liangping was to send troops to occupy Puluo Zhong Island, establish a naval base, promote peace through war, and achieve the goal.
But once the land and sea troops were launched, they couldn't hold it back. After successfully capturing Puluo Zhong Island, Guo Liangping used the reason that Srivijaya refused to surrender, and sent troops deep into the area to attack the city and seize the land. At the same time, he also proposed A whimsical strategic plan to advance from the north to the south, intending to move south from the Champa area through the land and completely destroy the Srivijaya area.
You know, if Guo Liangping's ideas are followed, the Chenla Kingdom (Angkor Dynasty) that separates Annan from the Three Buddhas Kingdom will be an unavoidable topic.
We can no longer stalemate the relationship with the Zhenla Kingdom and expand the war. As for Guo Liangping's suggestion of "borrowing a way", the courtiers even sneered. This guy just wanted to expand the war and ask for troops and food from the imperial court.
The Chenla Kingdom is now a large country on the Indochina Peninsula. Although it is not looked down upon by the imperial court, it is still a century-old regime with its own glory and prosperity. At the beginning, the Han army swept Pingnan and subsequently suppressed the bandits. After destroying Champa in the process, it has caused Zhenla's worry and fear.
Now, the war with Srivijaya is not over yet. If the war spreads across the Indo-China Peninsula again, even a big man will be unable to bear the consequences.
The principle of overdoing is not enough is relatively easy to understand. Therefore, both the civil service group and the Privy Council rejected Guo Liangping's suggestion. The Privy Council even issued a sternly worded document asking Guo Liangping to prepare for Sri Lanka. End the war as soon as possible and force Srivijaya to sue for peace and recognize the Han occupation of Puluo Zhong Island.
In this way, Guo Liangping's ambition to expand thousands of miles of land and be promoted to a noble title was dispelled. However, even so, the hand that extended help to the court was still unrelenting, asking for soldiers, food and even people.
When this matter reached the ears of Emperor Liu, Emperor Liu also chose to support the decisions of the Political Affairs Hall and the Privy Council. Guo Liangping's pioneering and enterprising spirit is worthy of recognition, but after a long voyage, this guy's horizons have broadened, and his desire for expansion has completely burned. He must be poured with cold water to calm him down.
Excessive expansion is not a good thing. There is still some consensus within the imperial court on this point. The imperial court also suffered from it in the past. Even if it is a war against the Black Khanate, if there are not those "unexpected" factors, it may not necessarily resort to war in the end.
As for the expansion of Nanyang, Emperor Liu was certainly supportive, but what he wanted more was economic expansion, mainly resource plunder. As for destroying the country and expanding the territory, there was no need for disobedient little powers like Srivijaya. , just conquer them, or even support a new regime. It’s really not necessary to be greedy and take control.
