Tonight's conversation is very important, because what we talk about tonight will be a guide for action for a long time in the future. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a strategic decision. This is exactly what Li Xian chose to do at Hangu Pass.
The reason for meeting with Li Xian instead of waiting for them to arrive in Luoyang before meeting again is not only to avoid being noticed, but also to unify their thoughts in advance and keep each other on the same page to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Obviously, Li Xian is the one who really shows his face among the two, and his next focus of work will naturally be the key issue discussed tonight.
In this dispute over Yaxian, Li Xian was on the right side. In terms of emotions and reasons, whether Empress Wu liked or disliked Li Xian, she had to express it. In Li Xian's opinion, this expression was very clear*
* is the right to participate in political affairs. The reason? It’s very simple. This can reward his support, but more importantly, it can weaken the power of the prince and let the brothers fight freely, so that he can take advantage of it.
Of course, no matter how bad the intentions of Empress Wu are, it is almost certain that Li Xian will be given power. In this way, the choices Li Xian makes will affect not only himself, but also Li Xian.
Will be involved because of this, unless Li Xian changes his established strategy of hiding behind, and this is obviously unrealistic. At least until Li Xian has not been able to establish a complete team, he must show up as the younger brother next to Li Xian. In this situation, etc.
Under such circumstances, Li Xian's entry point into the court situation became the key among the keys.
The choice of the Ministry of Household Affairs cannot be said to be inappropriate. If it were Li Xian who chose it, he would most likely choose it like this - the actual affairs of the court are all in the Sixth Department. If you really want to do something practical, you can only start with the Sixth Department, but the Sixth Department
Li Li, the Second Department of Bing is the foundation of the court. Naturally, it is not the turn of a prince to intervene in it. The remaining Department of Etiquette is just empty and has nothing to lead. The work of the Department of Punishment is both trivial and difficult to achieve results. As for the work department, it is not easy to achieve results.
Well, it is not easy to make achievements in this field. It is basically difficult for those who are not good at magic to achieve amazing results. Li Xian obviously cannot do this. If it were Li Xianlai, he might be able to make do, so
Based on this calculation, it is true that only the Ministry of Revenue is the most suitable for Li Xian to make contributions. The problem is that the water transportation target he chose is obviously a bit too big.
Guanzhong is known as a fertile land. It was originally the granary of the world during the Qin and Han Dynasties. However, it was precisely because of its wealth that it led to numerous wars and catastrophes. Also, since most of the dynasties since the Qin Dynasty had their capital here, the prosperity of civil engineering was no longer the same.
Inevitably, this has been the case since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. This has led to a sharp decrease in the greening rate in Guanzhong, serious water and soil erosion, and the gradual barrenness of the land. The yield per unit area has long been unmatched by the Qin and Han Dynasties. In addition, the Tang Dynasty has always implemented Guanzhong standardism, which has led to
With the rapid increase in Guanzhong's population, land resources were becoming increasingly scarce. During the Zhenguan period, they could barely cope with it. However, during the Xianqing period, the land grant system in Guanzhong was almost in name only, and the court could no longer provide new land to grant to the new population.
, the food shortage is becoming increasingly serious, and we must rely on the transfer of large quantities of food from the south to barely meet it. This is the root cause of the rise of water transportation, but the hardships and obstacles are extremely great. Even with the canal opened by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty,
It has laid a good foundation for water transportation, but the cost of transporting a pound of rice from the south of the Yangtze River to the capital has increased nearly ten times, and it is not possible to supply it in time. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is a major concern of the imperial court.
In the early years, Emperor Gaozong raised this matter several times in the court in order to gather ideas, but he did not achieve much, so he put it aside until now. In fact, Emperor Gaozong was stationed in Luoyang with the intention of "going to eat".
If Li Xian can really solve the water transportation problem, not only will he get a huge credit for nothing, but he will also be able to seize the opportunity to bring the entire Ministry of Household Affairs into his arms. Even the Ministry of Works will not be able to escape Li Xian's infiltration. The benefits are undoubtedly huge, but
, but Li Xian didn't think Li Xian could really do this, because the obstacles involved were too many and too annoying. Even a skilled official with long experience would be hard-pressed to handle such troubles, let alone
Li Xian is a newbie in the government. Li Xian remembers very clearly that in the previous life, when Li Xian first became the prince, he also ambitiously took charge of water transportation himself. As a result, a lot of financial resources were spent, but the results were not satisfactory, and his reputation was greatly damaged.
, in the end, even the power to govern was "justifiably" taken away by Empress Wu, thus laying the foundation for being deposed.
"Sixth brother is ambitious, and I admire him very much. However, water transport involves a huge amount of money, and it is not something that can be achieved overnight. In my opinion, when my brother first enters the court, he must have immediate results. Although water transport is an important task, it is not an urgent matter. It is not an urgent matter."
If we postpone it again, this little brother is very humble, so I would like to ask Sixth Brother for advice." Li Xian's foundation is not stable now, and he really doesn't want Li Xian to be frustrated because he has found the wrong breakthrough point, but in view of Li Xian's stubbornness,
Because of my temper, I couldn't say anything too harsh, so I had no choice but to think about it for a while and then persuaded him tactfully.
"Well, what the seventh brother said is indeed reasonable, but I think it will be difficult to convince the public if we don't get involved in difficult problems. Now that the water transportation is half-finished, it is the time to see the success. If we can straighten the water transportation, it will be a great achievement. Even if there are countless obstacles, I
What should I be afraid of? Seventh brother is willing to lend a helping hand to his brother." Obviously, Li Xian has been thinking about using water transportation as a breakthrough for a long time. He seems to have made a decision in his heart and does not agree with what Li Xianzhi said. He will finish his words.
, which was quite impassioned, but it made Li Xian's head even bigger.
"What is Sixth Brother planning to do?"
As soon as he heard Li Xian's tone, Li Xian was already worried that the matter was going to be serious. He gradually became anxious, but he couldn't refute him face to face. He could only listen to his plan first and then make plans.
"Seventh brother, please look!"
Li Xian had obviously done enough homework here. When he heard Li Xian's question, he immediately shook his wide sleeves, took out a piece of silk, spread it out on the table, and surprisingly it was a piece of silk.
Zhang's water system map is quite detailed. It almost lists the Yangtze River, Huanghuai River, Grand Canal and even the Weihe River and Bashui River in Guanzhong. From Li Xian's perspective, this map is not very accurate.
, but the general meaning is all out, which shows that Li Xian really spent a lot of money on water transportation.
"Brother Six, is this a water pattern atlas?"
Although Li Xian knew it, he still asked deliberately.
"Yes, it is exactly this thing. For the sake of water transportation, my brother sent many people to collect and organize it. Finally, I was lucky enough to get this map. It is even better than what is stored in the Hongwen Museum. I can have this picture as a supplement.
, Why worry that the big thing will not work out!" Li Xian took a glance and saw the surprise on Li Xian's face. He felt greatly satisfied in his heart, laughed, waved his hand and replied boldly.
The water system map is indeed important. It would be impossible to do water transportation without that thing. But to say that it can be done with this thing is too much. At least Li Xian doesn't think so, but at first glance
Seeing the man in front of him who was bursting with pride, Li Xian really couldn't throw cold water on him, so he could only smile and said: "Sixth brother is wise, and it's really hard for me to deal with the unexpected. If I can help you with this, you can get the result with half the effort."
That's right, it's just that the matter involves a huge amount of work and needs to be planned in detail. I wonder if Brother Six has any arrangements for this?"
"Well, Seventh Brother, even if you don't ask, I still have to say it as a brother. Seventh Brother, let's see, most of the grain produced in our dynasty comes from the Jianghuai River. If we take Jiangdu (now Yangzhou) as the concentration point, we can use canals to go north along the canal and pass through it all the way.
Huai, Huang, Bian, and Ji can reach Shaanzhou and be sent to the capital via the Wei River. There are four obstacles in the waterway along the way. First, the Guangtong Canal is seriously silted up and must be reopened; second, the Bian Canal is prone to siltation due to the large amount of sand in the Yellow River.
Special officers are required to protect them; thirdly, the three pillars are extremely dangerous, and it is difficult for ships to sail on them, and they often capsize, so it is necessary to open another canal; fourthly..." Li Xian said this with confidence
, paused obviously, and then continued: "Fourth, the original canal officials are rotten and cannot be used, and must be replaced. If these four things can be done, there will be no need to worry about poor canal transportation!"
Li Xian's words are all on point. Although they are not comprehensive, they are generally passable. The problem is that water transportation is easier said than done. It does not mean that you can succeed with a good idea.
, especially Li Xian’s approach of overturning everything and starting over, it is even more difficult to do. Regardless of how much manpower and material resources it will take to implement the entire plan, it will also take an astonishingly long time.
, if Li Xian is the emperor at this moment, and he is determined to do this, then there is hope of success. The problem is that he is not the emperor, not even the prince, but just a prince. If he wants to do such a big thing
Obviously, he is not responsible for the matter. If nothing else goes wrong, as long as there is a slight glitch in the management of water transportation, will Li Hong sit back and watch? It is obviously impossible, and Li Xian cannot gain the absolute trust of Empress Wu, so what should he do with it?
If you compete with Li Hong in the court, once you are attacked, you will lose everything. The best result may be to be defeated. If you are unlucky, it is not impossible even if Wang Jue is eliminated. Li Xian
If you follow him, the consequences can be imagined.
"Sixth Brother, have you ever calculated how long it will take to complete the water transportation, and how much manpower and material consumption will be required?" After listening to Li Xian's statement, although Li Xian disagreed in his heart, he did not rush to refute it, but pondered.
After a moment, he cautiously asked.
"If the manpower and material resources are safe, we will be able to complete the work in three years. Do you believe it or not, seventh brother?" Li Xian pondered whether water transport could be accomplished in a day, but generally he focused on the overall situation and focused on specific matters as a whole.
In fact, I hadn't thought much about the detailed plan at all. When I heard Li Xian asked about it, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty, but I didn't want Li Xian to take it lightly, so I asked him quibly.
Three years? That’s not how you brag. You kid, you’ve probably never calculated the expenses seriously at all, you’re just bragging! Li Xian said it with great assurance, but in Li Xian’s ears, it turned out to be nothing.
He had a feeling of helplessness that made him laugh or cry, but for a while it was really difficult to find a way to point out the shortcomings of his plan without hurting his self-esteem, so he couldn't help but frown slightly.