Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4788 Lingnan Troubles
Princess Gaoyang frowned, looking suspicious: "Really?"

Fang Jun nodded: "Really! If this kind of thing is just empty talk, Your Highness can go to His Majesty to verify it, wouldn't it be exposed immediately? With the wisdom of this humble minister, I will never be so stupid."

This was indeed the idea of ​​Li Chengqian, who was happy to see the imperial clan and the Wei family fighting each other, so as to achieve the goal of splitting the imperial clan and dragging down the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion, making it too busy with the fight. However, the Chai family did not have the strength and foundation of the Wei family, and once they became the target of the imperial clan, they would be swallowed up, which was something Li Chengqian did not want to see.

The ultimate goal of various strategies is "balance", but the Chai family does not have the ability to maintain balance...so Fang Jun must step in to suppress the royal family so that they cannot take revenge on the Chai family like thunder and rain.

He didn't care about the life or death of the Chai family's children, but the glory of Princess Pingyang Zhao must be preserved and her bloodline must not be cut off.

Of course, Fang Jun received instructions from Li Chengqian and also ate the benefits offered by the Chai family. This "killing two birds with one stone" approach is not something that outsiders should know about...

"Haha, I'm afraid you've used up all your wisdom on how to harm the princess?"

Princess Gaoyang was very confident and firmly believed that there was something fishy going on between her husband and the Chai family, and that the root of the problem was Princess Baling...

"You hooked up with Changle, and I not only condoned it but even encouraged it. You had an ambiguous relationship with Jinyang, and I turned a blind eye to it. These are fine, but Baling is different after all. You must be careful."

Fang Jun felt very aggrieved. He was not a saint nor was he Liu Xiahui. How could he resist such active and passionate attitude?
This time it's not your husband who is causing trouble for a princess, but a princess who is causing trouble for your husband...

However, this issue obviously cannot be taken further, otherwise there is a danger of being exposed at any time.

Fang Jun stepped forward and grabbed the princess' waist, dragged her back to the bed while she was struggling and slapping him, then pressed her under him and subdued her.

"After all this talk, aren't you just suspecting that I went out to eat? Then I will show your strength to Your Highness and let Your Highness see if I have enough strength to survive."

"You're doing this again. Every time you feel guilty you try to get away from me. Get out of here and let's have a good talk!"

"Of course we need to have theories, but we can also have theories while communicating..."

"No! Ouch..."

……

Princess Gaoyang felt as if she was floating on the river or the sea, drifting with the waves. The ebb and flow of the tides made her dizzy and her legs weak. After a short while, she surrendered. She was so groggy that she had no energy to argue.
Fang Jun's evil plan succeeded. He smiled and waited for the maid to clean and make the bed. Then he hugged the soft body and fell asleep soundly.

*****
The turmoil ended with Li Jingshu's sudden death and Chai Mingzhang's exile 3,000 miles away, but the turmoil beneath the surface did not stop. The "attack on Jingzhao Prefecture" resulted in dozens of royal family members and noble sons being severely punished, with some being demoted, dismissed, or fined. The impact was widespread, causing a heavy blow to the small group centered on Li Shenfu. In particular, Li Shenfu's silent attitude after the incident caused many people to become alienated, and the small group gradually became fragmented and its strength was much weaker than before.

The turbulent undercurrents within the royal family seemed to have calmed down a bit, and many people with ulterior motives also settled down.

An inexplicable "attack on Jingzhao Prefecture" incident directly or indirectly weakened a long-brewing storm and made the throne more stable. It is inevitable that some "hindsight experts" will conclude that this must be a conspiracy of Your Majesty. Even the death of Li Jingshu was part of this conspiracy. It was Your Majesty's open warning to disloyal people not to attempt to steal the sacred artifact. Otherwise, why did the Prince of Dongping's Mansion not retaliate against the culprit Chai Mingzhang who was exiled three thousand miles away after the death of the Crown Prince?

All these things are linked together, slowly revealing the image of a powerful person who is behind the scenes and strategizing. His Majesty's prestige swells and becomes stronger in an instant...

Why was there an undercurrent of unrest in the court and even in the royal family after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, and why was the throne unstable? It was because Li Chengqian lacked prestige. When he was the crown prince, he did not have many outstanding political achievements. In addition, Emperor Taizong repeatedly questioned his ability and wanted to change the crown prince several times. Although he finally ascended the throne, he was unable to convince the people.

They are all heroes who have come through the war years, and they restored the dilapidated territory of the Sui Dynasty to the prosperous country today. If there was no emperor with all the means, courage and prestige, how could these people be controlled?

For example, why did Li Ji just stand by and watch the fire from the other side of the river?
It was because he didn't think Li Chengqian was that outstanding. He didn't care whether Li Chengqian came to the throne or not. Anyway, it couldn't shake his status and power. So why bother taking the risk and getting involved in the fight for the throne?
Be it Li Chengqian, Li Zhi, or even Li You or Li Zhen... as long as they are the sons of Emperor Taizong, it makes no difference who comes to the throne.

This is the idea of ​​almost all civil officials, military generals, and royal family nobles.

It is not enough for an emperor to be benevolent and generous. If he does not have the corresponding talent and courage, he cannot sit firmly on the throne. When the situation becomes turbulent and the imperial power is overthrown, everyone will be dragged into it, which is something most people do not want to see.

But now Li Chengqian gradually showed his tough measures, and the situation suddenly changed...

The fact that Li Shenfu's small group, which had been jumping up and down all the time, had suffered a great loss of strength and had ceased its activities seemed to be the best proof that Li Chengqian was firmly sitting on the throne.

……

In the Wude Hall, several important officials were present. Tang Jian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, handed a thick document to Li Chengqian and said respectfully, "The Lingnan area is mountainous and water-rich with few fertile fields. It has been a wild and smoky land since ancient times. Although there have been many migrations from the north since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and several large cities are densely populated, it has never been able to develop better due to the disadvantages of the terrain. I, an old minister, request the establishment of a Guangzhou Maritime Customs Office to prosper the trade in Lingnan. This is about the water, soil, public opinion, and trade in Guangzhou. Your Majesty, please consider it and grant your approval."

The eunuch took the document and presented it on the imperial desk with both hands.

Li Chengqian flipped through it casually. The document was dozens of pages thick and contained basic public opinion in Lingnan, especially in Guangzhou. It was obviously not something that could be read through in a short time. It was also impossible to make a decision in one day on whether to set up a Guangzhou Maritime Customs.

After all, Lingnan is actually Feng Ang's territory, and the central government cannot directly set up an institution without Feng Ang...

What's more, although the establishment of the Maritime Customs Office seemed to increase the commercial tax revenue in Guangzhou alone, it actually directly shook the foundation of Feng Ang's rule in the entire Lingnan area.

Liu Li supported this: "As the Duke of Ju said, Lingnan has been a wild and barren land since ancient times. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many northerners have migrated south and settled there. Over the years, these people have formed a political situation based on clans and tribes. If the power structure in Lingnan cannot be changed, it will sooner or later become a disaster."

The indigenous tribes with deep roots were the foundation of Feng Ang's rule, which made him known as the "Southern Sky King". The imperial court's decrees were not allowed to be implemented in his area, and everyone from top to bottom obeyed Feng Ang's orders. Although the administrative area belonged to the Lingnan Province of the Tang Empire, in fact Feng Ang ruled the area and it was a country within a country. Officials serving in the court were confined to Nanhai County, and the government's decrees were not allowed to leave the city.

Although Feng Ang had shown sufficient loyalty since the founding of the Tang Dynasty and had no ambition to seize territory for himself, he had an army of tens of thousands and ruled over hundreds of miles of land, which was indeed a major concern for the central government.

How to undermine the Feng family's rule in Lingnan without forcing Feng Ang to rebel?

Business practices are an excellent approach.

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment and looked at Fang Jun: "What do you think, Duke Yue?"

Fang Jun immediately said: "It is a feasible strategy to use prosperous commerce to enhance the wealth, strength and status of the local Han people, and then to shake the Feng family's rule based on agriculture. I fully agree with it."

Liu Li and Tang Jian nodded happily. Although they often conflicted with each other over their own interests, Fang Jun was able to put the overall situation aside for the sake of national strategy, which made him an example of a famous minister.

However, Fang Jun paused, and then continued: "The establishment of Guangzhou Maritime Customs will have an immediate effect on promoting Lingnan's trade. Feng Ang has been entrenched in Lingnan for a long time, how can he not see the pros and cons? With his style of dominating Lingnan, he will definitely not sit idly by. I am afraid that after the establishment of the Maritime Customs, it will be obstructed and threatened by him. Therefore, I propose to set up a Navy Commander's Office at the mouth of the Pearl River and dispatch a navy to maintain trade exchanges. In this way, there will be no worries."

Liu Li and Tang Jian wiped their faces at the same time. All right, take back what you said just now. This is a model of a famous minister. In the final analysis, this guy is still trying to take advantage of every opportunity for the benefit of the military.

The reason why Lingnan has been isolated from the center of the dynasty most of the time throughout history is that it is located "south of the Five Ridges" and is cut off from the Central Plains by terrain. It is difficult for the Central Plains to send a large army to conquer it. As long as Lingnan nominally submits to the center, the Central Plains will let it go and allow the natives of Lingnan to divide the land and govern it.

Therefore, water routes are the only way to develop Lingnan's commerce. Once the Guangzhou Maritime Customs is established, it will immediately monopolize the entire Lingnan's trade.

If the navy sets up a governor's office at the mouth of the Pearl River, it can control the entire Lingnan trade and transportation, and the Maritime Customs will also be dependent on it...

Liu Li retorted, "The establishment of the Maritime Customs Office is to develop Lingnan's commerce, which is justified. Even if Feng Ang is dissatisfied, he can only endure it. But if the establishment of the Admiralty Office involves military affairs, as the saying goes, how can you allow others to sleep beside your bed? Feng Ang will probably strongly oppose it, which will lead to unrest in the entire Lingnan region."

Fang Jun disagreed: "As the name suggests, the Admiralty of the Navy is responsible for maintaining the safety of water routes. The entire Tang territorial waters are under the full responsibility of the Navy. Why does Feng Ang oppose it? Moreover, he is the king on land, but he has no power on the sea. Even if he opposes it, it will not affect the overall situation. On the contrary, if there is no navy fleet stationed in Guangzhou to escort, the pirates throughout the South China Sea will be able to destroy all maritime trade. The so-called Maritime Customs will fall in less than two years. The Minister of the Central Secretariat must not lose the big picture for the small."