New Shun 1730

Fortunately, today is not a debate about Taoist weapons, nor a dispute over Qi Yi, so there is not too much noise in Tianyou Hall.

Li Gan showed the memorial of Duke Qi to everyone. After entering the Tianyou Palace, he was not a pedantic person. Zuo Pingzhangjun praised him: "This Liu Shouchang is a person who is good at adapting to situations. The Rakshasa civil strife is about to break out. In this way, our government will not have to waste money and food anymore, but You have to travel thousands of miles north.”

Li Gan also smiled and said: "That's right. If he hadn't known about Western affairs, this matter wouldn't have been so easy. In the eyes of the ministers, should these three hundred thousand taels be spent? Since it's money from the family, don't publicize it. Thirty thousand taels per year is a lot, but it’s worth it if it can be exchanged for a million miles of land.”

No one had any objections to this. real value.

Zuo Pingzhang's State Affairs Bureau said again: "I think it is right for the Duke of Qi to say something else. We should use this matter as an example to expand the Siyi Pavilion, recruit translators and station them in various countries."

"Firstly, if something happens to the foreign barbarians, the country can know about it. For example, during the Wanli period of the previous dynasty, Japan invaded the country. If there were envoys in Japan, they could also know about it in advance. If Japan invades Ryukyu again, if there is The messenger can also know and warn."

"Secondly, Liu Shouchang was lucky in this matter, but in the future we cannot rely solely on luck. We are stationed in various countries, and we can know the dynamics of each country."

The heretic Catholic on the side also said: "I second my opinion. This is very true. Xu Guangqi of the previous dynasty said: If you want to achieve victory, you must first understand. If you want to understand, you must first translate. Now that the world is so big, ninety-nine and eighty-one State, and Chi County is only ninety-one. It is difficult to deal with the exchanges between countries without knowing the truth."

"Although I believe in God, I do not follow the orders of the Holy See. If it is still not allowed to worship ancestors and worship heaven, then since there are Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant religions in the West, why can't the country have it? If you have the Lord in your heart, you will be justified by faith. That’s it. Once religion is banned, contact with the West will be cut off, which may be detrimental to the country.”

Li Gan also had this intention.

If Qi Guogong and Liu Yu's judgment is correct, then this matter is indeed an opportunity.

If it were someone else to negotiate, hundreds of thousands of miles of land might be handed over to others. The huge contrast brought about by this incident will make anyone's heart beat. It's a land millions of miles away. According to the map presented by the Westerners, how many million miles are there in total?

This opportunity can be said to be a blessing, or it can be said to be an opportunity reserved for those who are prepared.

For example, during the Wu Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty, Li Guang lost his way, or his fate was odd. But why didn't Huo Qubing get lost along the way? Isn't it because he has recruited some Huns a long time ago and has some knowledge of the Huns?

Thanks to Liu Yu's knowledge of the situation in Western countries, he could always get to the key points when asking prisoners questions.

In the future, it is impossible to rely on one person for everything. It is indeed beneficial to expand the Seiyi Pavilion, add more translators, and even send some envoys abroad.

Li Gan thought to himself that Liu Yu's desire for change has not changed.

I don't know if it's a lucky general or something else, but he always seizes such opportunities in unexpected places and forces the court to make some changes.

If it could really be done, the difference between the court's bottom line and what he could get with just one mouth would be so big that it would make his jaw drop.

With millions of miles of land in front of us, we just hope that our country will recruit translators and station them in foreign countries.

If you said this before, you would probably be opposed, but if you say it now, it's completely different.

Or is he afraid that there is no history to rely on as an excuse, and now he is too lazy to look for chapters and sentences based on history and just create history?

Li Gan was not only interested in drinking, he also wanted to talk about North Korea. Regarding Liu Yu's idea of ​​making a big hole in the roof, he had already communicated with these people in advance, but there were those who supported it and those who opposed it.

I wanted to mention this matter, but before Li Gan could take the initiative to mention it, someone mentioned it first.

"Your Majesty, although this is gratifying, I still have the same idea as that day. In order to stabilize Junggar and Northern Xinjiang and communicate with Rakshasa, we still should not call each other emperor. As for the Korean affairs, it is also closely related to what I said."

"If he succeeds to the throne of Rakshasa, how will France, England, the Netherlands and other countries be called? If Rakshasa does not rule, then France, England and other countries will strive to follow the example of Rakshasa."

"If this is the case, how will Korea, Ryukyu, Annan and other foreign-subordinated countries view this matter? France is a kingdom; Korea is also a kingdom. If France is the same as Rakshasa, why will Korea surrender? How long will it take for Korea to surrender? , for fear of betrayal.”

"Furthermore, what if he becomes rebellious in the future and plots to form alliances with Western countries in order to seek self-reliance?"

"If the Rakshasa emperor is recognized as the emperor, and if he and the Western countries discuss diplomatic relations as equals, it will be equivalent to the Zhou emperor conferring the three Jin lords as marquises and destroying rituals and music. If the Chinese dynasty and the Western countries discuss diplomatic relations as equals, Korea, Annan, etc. will also do so. Seek equal relations with China. What will happen when China comes?"

"If there are no vassals, how can we call it a celestial dynasty? It's nothing more than China."

Li Gan frowned, this matter was indeed a trouble.

Zuo Pingzhangjun's state affairs support increasing control over North Korea and opening up sea trade. Hearing this, he said disdainfully: "If you don't want to go to North Korea, the Sixth Division will move to it. North Korea and Annan are not thousands of miles overseas, so how can you dare to disobey?"

Those who objected shook their heads and said: "This pure hegemony will not last long. Don't you hear what Mencius said: If he dominates with force and pretends to be benevolent, he will have a great country; if he dominates with virtue and benevolence, the king will not be great." Tang Yi was seventy miles away, and King Wen used Baili. If you convince others with your strength, you won’t be convinced by your heart, or if you don’t support yourself with strength. If you convince others with virtue, your heart will be filled with joy and sincerity, just like the seventy-year-old disciples convinced Confucius."

"Although tyranny is fierce, it cannot last long. Only by cultivating benevolence can we achieve long-term results."

"Like North Korea, despite the persecution of the Jin Dynasty, they still respected the name even though they were convinced but not convinced; like Ryukyu, when Chongzhen collapsed, they still sent envoys to offer condolences even though they were thousands of miles away. This was the kindness of the previous dynasty. Otherwise, it was purely hegemonic. , once there is a change in the Central Plains, North Korea and Annan may not only fail to save it, but will take the opportunity to cut off the territory. "

Zuo Pingzhang's state officer snorted coldly and asked: "If China is in trouble, what is the use of Korea and Ryukyu? When the Ming Dynasty was defeated, Korea never sent troops to save the Ming Dynasty. As for Ryukyu, I heard that it paid tribute to both the Ming Dynasty and Japan. Are the Japanese vassals more benevolent than the Celestial Empire?"

The man shook his head and said: "This is exactly what Mencius said: If you are not convinced, you will not be able to support it. Japan is bullying and bullying, and Ryukyu will not be convinced. If it becomes rich and powerful in the future, it will seek to be independent."

"King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius, is there any way to interact with neighboring countries? Mencius said: Only a benevolent person can think of big things as small things, so Tang is responsible for Ge, and King Wen is responsible for Kunyi. But a wise person can think of small things as big, so Tai The king is responsible for Mao Huan, and Gou Jian is responsible for Wu. Those who care about big things are those who are happy with heaven;

"If the destiny is there, then it is okay for a big country to serve a small country. This is the way of kingship."

"Nowadays, the Western countries are purely domineering. Now that the Western countries are strong, those small countries naturally dare not resist. But once they are no longer strong, those small countries will definitely resist."

"Because the Western countries did not use the kingly way. If they used the kingly way, even if those small countries became strong in the future, they would not resist. This is the difference between the kingly way and the hegemony."

"Therefore, when dealing with Korea, Annan, and Ryukyu, we must use the king's way, not the hegemony. If we use the king's way, even if the country becomes rich and powerful in the future, it will still submit to the heaven; if we use the hegemony, once the country becomes rich and powerful, it will rebel against it. ”

"From what I have seen, the Western countries act purely by domination. Even if they are strong for a while, they will be in chaos in the long run. If Luzon, Batavia, Manchuria and other places, I think it will not last long."

"The emperor must follow the king's way, and the princes must act tyrannically. Now that the dynasty has been determined, if I act tyrannically, I will degrade myself. Since I act tyrannically, the vassals can also enrich the country and strengthen the army, and do not respect the destiny. If you are strong, you will obey; if you are weak, you will obey. , then rebel."

Li Gan laughed loudly and said, "What you said is absolutely true. However, Taizong said: Ten thousand years is too long, just seize the day. According to what you see, those who are subdued by the Western countries will rebel after a long time. The truth is like this, but this After a long time, for how long?”

"Moreover, people in the Tang Dynasty said: Since ancient times, Ming kings have transformed China with trust and controlled the Yi and Di with power; Ming people said: The king controls the Yi and Di with autonomy as the best policy. So, should we control with power? Or should we allow the Yi and Di to govern themselves without using power? What?"

But the man dared to violate the advice and said directly: "The Tang Dynasty was controlled by power, so the emperor moved nine times and the country's capital fell six times. This is purely hegemony to suppress. Once it declines, the four barbarians will divide their flesh. The lessons of past dynasties must not be ignored."

"Some people in the wild say: The country was defeated by its weakness, but the Han Dynasty was destroyed by its strength. However, the Han Dynasty emphasized military merit, so much so that the scholar-bureaucrats, who wanted to make a difference, only supported soldiers to fight on the border. After long battles, they resorted to violence, and even five Hu suffered a hundred years of calamity; Tang Zhuang had An Beiting, and after An Shi, it led to chaos in the Ten Kingdoms."

"Nowadays, public opinion in the market thinks that this dynasty is more ambitious than the Han and Tang dynasties, and they are often 'drunk and burning a lamp to read the sword', 'expanding the land thousands of miles and singing the strong wind', and 'Anbei Ting is my dream'. If we continue to be tyrannical, I am afraid that the Han Dynasty will "Old disasters of the Tang Dynasty."

When it comes to this, it can be regarded as a complete picture.

Over the years, Dashun has been trying to use his nobles to suppress civil servants, and has repeatedly revealed that he wants to be exempted from preferential treatment in Jiangnan.

In the hands of the imperial court, there was another group of old soldiers from the fifth battalion who had little contact with the Jiangnan scholar-bureaucrats. They were blood tax soldiers at the border and founders of the country.

Even though he was an official, he followed the path of Wude Palace and had no contact or network with scholars at all.

Now that the imperial court has just finished fighting the Rakshasa, it intends to use the knife against Junggar again.

But war costs money, and many people have noticed that something is not right with the atmosphere.

Since money is needed, where does the money come from?

If it sets a precedent for interfering with neighboring vassals, according to the rumors previously revealed by the emperor, he will take advantage of the civil strife in Korea to interfere in North Korea's internal affairs, and even send commissioners there.

North Korea can do this and pacify Junggar in the future, but what about Annan? What about Myanmar? What about Siam?

If we continue like this, even if we are not worried about raising taxes, we will still be worried about the disasters caused by the Han and Tang Dynasties.

Where is the border of China?

This matter is uncertain, and everyone is thinking of provoking and making military exploits. Once the trend is formed, when will it end?

Moreover, in the eyes of some scholar-bureaucrats, the public opinion among the people was no longer right.

In their opinion, the imperial dynasty’s use of Yongjia and Yongkang’s learning, as well as the poems of Chen Liang, Ye Shi, and the closely related Xin Qiji, are some ghost trends?

When I was drunk, I read the sword by burning the lamp, and I dreamed of blowing the trumpet company. Eight hundred miles away, the troops under his command are burning, the sound of fifty-stringed strings turning outside the Great Wall, and the troops on the battlefield being ordered in autumn.

The horse moves very fast, and the bow is as frightening as a thunderbolt. Finish the affairs of the king and the world, and win the reputation during and after death. Misfortune happens in vain!

In his opinion, this kind of atmosphere was fine for use during the troubled times of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

We are still not cultivating literary virtues, and are still thinking about expanding borders and starting wars. The folk customs will only become more and more domineering.

There are already many people who do not take the proper path of imperial examinations, but study archery, shotgun, geometry, and calculation. They all think that since others can be granted titles based on their merits, why can’t I? He was born in the Butoku Palace, and he kept adding sand to the officialdom. His level has become higher and higher in recent years, and he is no longer the rough guy who didn't understand civil affairs.

If things continue like this...the gentry may no longer have any exemptions.

Money is needed to fight a war, and money comes from the southeast. This is a truth that even a fool understands.

The public opinion is so belligerent. If the imperial court really says "there are alarms at the border, the finances and taxes are insufficient, and the preferential exemptions are cancelled", and the public opinion continues like this, I am afraid that even if you resist, you will be criticized as "a thief who misleads the country".

Once the righteousness of expanding the territory overwhelms the righteousness of the literati, it will be over.

If you can't even stand up to the righteousness, what is the basis for fighting?

Many people have already started to take action. It is necessary to reverse the current belligerence of Dashun, and even more so to reverse the bravery formed in the chaos at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

If you wait until the butcher's knife is raised to resist, it will be too late. The nerves of the gentry are not so dull, but because there were too many surrendered to the barbarians at the end of the Ming Dynasty, after all, under the scars before, they dare not raise objections to the trend of expanding the territory.

Now, the scars have basically healed, and it is time to change the trend and regain the right to speak.

Li Gan was not completely ignorant of the matter. He understood it after hearing it, but he did not refute it directly. Instead, he smiled and said, "Today we are talking about the Rakshasa. Why did you mention the disasters of the Han and Tang dynasties? I am just asking you about the Rakshasa. There is no difference between the kingly way and the hegemonic way in expanding the Four Barbarians Hall to seek translations, right?"

The emperor narrowed the issue down to a very small level. Even if he was opposed, he had no choice but to agree.

"The fact that Luosha sent people to Beijing is needless to mention. As the saying goes, a king does not rule over barbarians, and does not refuse those who come and does not chase those who leave. Since the barbarians have come, we cannot refuse them. This is also the king's way, right? If Luosha sends an envoy, our dynasty should also return the gift, and there is no problem with that."

"As for stationing in foreign countries to convey information, I think it is also a good thing. Liu Shouchang exchanged a million miles of land with his mouth, and the cost of training an interpreter, plus the cost of stationing abroad, is only a few hundred taels a year. If the household government does not pay, I can still afford it with the treasury."

It's already talked about the treasury, and there is no point in arguing. No matter how great the power and responsibility of the Pingzhangjun state affairs are, he can't intervene in the emperor's private affairs. This is not a state affair like establishing a crown prince. The emperor is willing to spend money to support a few interpreters, what else can I say?

Li Gan smiled and said, "Okay, in that case, this matter is settled."

Zuo Pingzhang Military Affairs said, "I think that not only that, but we should also send an order to the Khalkha tribe to order them to send hundreds of soldiers and horses to strengthen the prestige of Duke Qi and the deterrence of Liu Shouchang, so that the Russians will think that the country is increasing its troops and will not hesitate to fight. A good cook cannot cook without rice. Since Liu Shouchang is good at deception, the country must help him to succeed."

"Good!"

He nodded to the Tianyou Palace attendant who was listening to the training nearby, indicating that he should draft a document and send it to several nobles of the Khalkha tribe close to the border in the name of Tianyou Palace. Before there is an official office specializing in dealing with Khalkha Mongolia, only Tianyou Palace or the emperor's edict is qualified to issue such an order.