"What do you think?" Bai Yutian looked at the crowd and asked.
Everyone was whispering, thinking about the pros and cons and benefits.
It was obvious that if Bai Yutian wanted to merge the prefectures and cities, many people would be dissatisfied, and the new provinces still didn't know how to divide the power and how to consolidate their position.
"Your Majesty, I wonder how this province is divided?" Soon, Zhang Cunxian asked.
Bai Yutian signaled Yun Cheng with his eyes, and Yun Cheng understood immediately. He opened the map and held it high up in the hands of two eunuchs.
"The two prefectures in Jiangbei were merged into Jiangbei Province, and Qizhou and Yongzhou were merged into Central Province. Then everything south of the Huai River was divided into Huainan Province, and the Guanzhong Basin was divided into Guanzhong Province to the north. As for Mingzhou, it was merged with the rest into
Mingshan Province."
Thirteen prefectures and cities were directly transformed into five provinces under Bai Yutian's division.
Originally, in Bai Yutian's idea, the ten southeastern states could be divided into three provinces, but now the passage to the southeast was occupied by the Dashun and Dachuan Kingdoms, making it impossible for the imperial court to communicate with these places, making it very troublesome to convey orders.
Therefore, Bai Yutian could only divide these areas in the hinterland of the Great Zhou Dynasty first.
As soon as this statement came out, the hall immediately exploded and people started talking.
At this time, all civil and military officials were present. Although they had heard that Bai Yutian wanted to merge the prefectures and cities, they did not know how to do it specifically.
Among them, only Yuncheng and a few Bai Yutian's confidants knew the inside story.
However, a few people were very loyal to Bai Yutian, and they would not leak the news until Bai Yutian said it.
"Your Majesty, there is something wrong with this." Soon, someone stood up and expressed their opinions.
Bai Yutian looked at the man and asked slowly: "What's wrong?"
"When countries in the past dynasties divided regions, they were divided according to cultural customs and natural boundaries. Nowadays, the five major provinces have completely confused the topography. Not only are the natural environments very different, but also the people's cultures are mixed, and they do not understand each other.
, triggering new riots." The man explained.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I also think this division is unreasonable!"
"I think so too!"
…
Almost half of the ministers in the imperial court stood up to oppose it, including many officials promoted by Bai Yutian.
After they looked at Bai Yutian, they all lowered their heads with a guilty conscience.
Bai Yutian didn't blame them in his heart. The provincial system has never appeared in this world. Let alone the Shanu Kingdom and the three northern kingdoms. Even the Nanyuan Kingdom in the south, which is closest to the culture and customs of the Great Zhou Dynasty, has never had a provincial system.
Provincial system.
Like the Great Zhou Dynasty, Nanyuan Kingdom has always adhered to the state-city system and divided its administrative planning according to the natural environment.
For example, it is possible to use mountains as boundaries or rivers as boundaries.
The five states of the Western Wilderness of the Great Zhou Dynasty were divided exactly according to their terrain.
Among them, Xisheng Prefecture has the highest terrain and Xining Prefecture has the lowest terrain, but in general, the difference is not very big.
The most violent opposition came from the major eunuchs. Since the decline of the Zhou Dynasty's national power and the weakening of its ruling power, they were all the emperors in their respective territories.
And because most of these states and cities are divided according to topography and topography, they all have their own natural dangers. If they are united, they will be a powerful force.
If they are divided according to the provincial system, their advantages will of course disappear, and people's cultures are different, and many problems will arise in their governance.
It will be difficult to unify the thoughts of the people in the province in the short term. If the court wants to impose sanctions, it can do so at any time.
And this is exactly what Bai Yutian wants. He has been worried about these states and cities for a long time. He surrenders directly without any resistance at all. He even ignores the policies of the imperial court and still squeezes the people.
Separating them can greatly strengthen the court's control, achieve central military control, and prevent the emergence of separatist regimes, such as the former Nanchuan Prefecture.
Bai Yutian's idea is good, but it is more difficult to implement.
However, no matter how difficult it is, Bai Yutian must do it.
Zhang Cunxian and others looked as uncomfortable as eating shit. They thought Bai Yutian had let them go, but they didn't know that Bai Yutian actually showed up.
In this way, they will be restricted, and the family's century-old heritage will be greatly damaged.
"Your Majesty, I believe that this matter needs long-term consideration. The Nanchuan Army from the south will move north at any time, and the two Jiangbei states will be needed as a barrier to resist. At this time, it is really a bad idea to go to war."
Zhang Cunxian was the most articulate among the others. Even though he was guilty, he still stood up and spoke.
Moreover, everything mentioned is Da Zhou, making it impossible to find fault.
"Master Zhang, what you said is wrong." Finally, Yuncheng stood up.
During Bai Yutian's division of provinces, Yuncheng firmly stood with Bai Yutian.
In fact, Yuncheng's and Bai Yutian's views were very similar, and they could reach a unified view on many political opinions. They were rare in the history of the Zhou Dynasty when the true monarch and his ministers were of one mind.
Yuncheng's progressive and open thinking coincided with that of Bai Yutian.
"The division of the provincial system allows the Zhou Dynasty to avoid local separatist power, strengthen central control, and facilitate the implementation of various systems and policies in the future. Moreover, in this way, the major states and cities will not be independent of each other and can support each other.
Even use natural advantages to counterattack enemy forces within the territory..."
Yun Cheng talks with great eloquence, making it impossible to refute.
"Master Zhang, Master Zheng, Master Bai, you have openly violated His Majesty's orders before, and you have violated His Majesty's orders. Your Majesty has forgiven you, which is already magnanimous. You have blocked the provincial system, are you planning to continue to oppress the people in the country and satisfy your selfish desires?"
Yuncheng slapped such a big label on Zhang Cunxian and others, which made several people immediately furious and anxious to retort.
Among the officials in the imperial court, there were many confidants and relatives of local governors. At this time, they also spoke out one after another, interceding on their behalf and opposing the provincial system.
At this time, two major factions formed in the court, namely the progressives who advocated dividing the provinces according to the provincial system and the conservatives who wanted to continue the original division of states and cities.
The former is headed by Yuncheng and Yan Chong. They are not many in number, but they are Bai Yutian's confidants and hold great power.
The latter group, headed by several of the former emperor's ministers, were stubborn and stubborn, unwilling to change. Moreover, they basically had an old relationship with these prefects. They also had the support of these prefects behind them, so their strength was not weak.
Of course, some of these governors supported the provincial system, such as He Kang and Bai Yuzhan. They were on the same front as Bai Yutian and knew that Bai Yutian would not treat them badly.
Bai Yutian frowned, these conservatives were numerous in number, and they were mainly the former emperor's ministers, so they were not easy to deal with.
When Gu Taizhong was still there, although these former emperor's ministers could not fight against Gu Taizhong, they were still able to protect themselves wisely. Now, it was Bai Yutian's turn to face these former emperor's ministers, and he knew how helpless he felt.