Chương 571: Why should I? To hell with it!

To hell with it!

The military has undergone a complete transformation.

After recruiting soldiers from all over the years, the total strength of the military regions is now 800, 000. Half of the 800, 000 troops have been equipped with muskets, and each army is equipped with hundreds of cannons. Ammunition and food supplies are plentiful, and morale is high.

In the past, wars relied on swords and arrows, and the key to victory was physical strength, courage, and luck.

Modern warfare relies on muskets and cannons; the competition is about industry, technology, and logistics.

When the cannons fired, the ground shook violently, and even the city walls couldn't withstand it.

Their combat power is more than ten times stronger than it was back then.

In the past, defeating the Xiongnu and Xianbei required luring them deep into enemy territory, setting ambushes, and employing various strategies, yet victory was not guaranteed.

Now, we're just bombarding the ground with artillery and charging into battle with cavalry. No strategy will work; the only solution is to "boom."

Li Jing privately told Liu Ce, "Your Majesty, the army now is stronger than I imagined back then. I wouldn't say every soldier can take on ten men, but one can definitely take on five."

...

The national treasury is so full it's almost overflowing.

The corrupt officials seized countless amounts of gold and silver from the wealthy families, opened salt and iron mines, established banks, and collected commercial taxes, bringing in billions of dollars every year.

When Liu Hong was in power, he couldn't even afford to pay the salaries of his officials. They would often be several months behind, and he had to resort to selling official positions to raise money.

Now, every year they spend money like water on road repairs, canal digging, and school construction, but they don't feel the pinch at all.

A few months ago, Shen Wansan, the Minister of Revenue, went to the palace to report that the national treasury had too much money, so much that the warehouses could hardly hold it all, and requested that several new national treasuries be built.

Liu Ce almost burst out laughing when he heard this, saying that his boasting was too obvious.

"The First Five-Year Plan has successfully concluded. Next, it's time to work on the Second Five-Year Plan." Liu Ce took a sip of tea, his fingers lightly tapping the table, a quick, rhythmic tap.

"The core of the Second Five-Year Plan was to invest heavily in building an industrial base. First, we would build various factories, develop the steam engine, and ignite the spark of the Industrial Revolution. With the steam engine, we could build trains, ironclad warships, and rifles. At that point, we wouldn't have a problem not only fighting the Xianbei and Xiongnu, but we could even conquer the whole world!"

Thinking of this, Liu Ce's eyes suddenly sharpened, like a drawn sword, as he looked at the huge map of the Han Dynasty's territory hanging on the wall.

That map was huge, taking up most of the wall, clearly marking mountains, rivers, and cities from east to west and from south to north.

The territories of the Xianbei and Xiongnu are drawn with dotted lines and marked with the four large characters "not included in the territory".

"However, before we start manufacturing, we have to kill all the flies and mosquitoes in the backyard first."

"The Xianbei and Xiongnu in the north have been causing trouble for so many years, it's time to deal with them completely."

And then there are the Japanese to the east, a bunch of short, clownish bums who look like underdeveloped radishes. They come to the coast to rob and kill our people all the time. They should have been wiped out long ago.

The kingdoms of the Western Regions were quite obedient when Zhang Qian was sent there, but later they became disobedient and should be reintegrated into the territory of the Han Dynasty.

And then there are the southern barbarians, constantly rebelling in the mountains. One tribe rebels today, another tomorrow; it's impossible to kill them all. They need to be thoroughly dealt with, and they should be reintegrated into the Han Dynasty's territory.

Liu Ce got more and more excited as he spoke, drawing lines on the map of the territory with his finger.

A big circle was drawn to the north, an arrow to the east, a square to the west, and an X to the south.

He drew a messy map, like a child's scribbles.

In fact, the matter of launching foreign campaigns had been a topic of discussion among his trusted civil and military officials for several years.

There have been countless private discussions about this, and everyone feels that His Majesty was too merciful. He should have pressed his advantage back then and wiped out the Xianbei in one fell swoop.

Back when Liu Ce was the King of Yan in Youzhou, he commanded over 100, 000 elite troops from Youzhou. In the battle on the grasslands, he annihilated the main force of over 100, 000 Xianbei cavalry.

At that time, the Xianbei were severely weakened and had no capable leader. The tribes were torn apart and fled for their lives.

If Liu Ce wanted to completely wipe them out, it would be as easy as turning his hand. He could also cross the sea and pacify the Japanese pirates, which would only take a few more months.

But he didn't actually attack them; he just crippled them and then withdrew his troops back to Youzhou, letting them flee north to the harsh, cold lands of the northern deserts.

Not to mention outsiders who don't understand, even his old brothers who went through thick and thin with him back then, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Cheng Yaojin, have complained many times in private, saying that he let the tiger return to the mountain, which will cause endless trouble in the future.

Cheng Yaojin once slammed his fist on the table and shouted at him, his face turning bright red:

"My lord! We should press our advantage and wipe out the Xianbei and Xiongnu in one fell swoop, turning the grasslands into our horse ranch! Why retreat? Are we just leaving them to breed?"

Liu Ce simply smiled and offered no explanation.

He thought to himself: Even if I explain it to you, you won't understand.

Thinking about it now, Liu Ce couldn't help but laugh out loud, mentally ranting and raving, his mind finally at peace:

"You know nothing! If I had actually wiped them all out back then, I would have been at a huge disadvantage! A complete innocent victim! More wronged than Dou E! I would have been a pawn in someone else's game!"

"Who was the emperor back then? It was my brother Liu Hong! He knew nothing but selling official positions, playing around with women, and building palaces! He couldn't govern the country or manage finances, he couldn't employ people or fight battles, and he couldn't even manage his own son."

The historical records originally gave him the posthumous title "Ling," which means "chaotic but not destructive"—a thoroughly infamous title, destined to leave a lasting stain on his reputation! It's clearly written in the historical records.

"And the result? I helped him quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, pacify the Wuhuan, destroy Goguryeo, and defeat the main force of the Xianbei, which allowed the borders of the Han Dynasty to remain stable for decades."

Because of these achievements, the court officials forcibly changed his posthumous title to "Wei," turning "Meng" into "Wei," a title that combines fierceness and strength, into a neutral posthumous title! Even now, some people still praise him as "Emperor Wei of Han," saying he was a restorer of the dynasty!

I'm ashamed for him! Some people even wrote poems praising him, saying things like "The mighty emperor received the mandate of heaven, and the four seas were restored to peace." Peace my ass! It's all thanks to me!

"I've already been wronged enough. I worked so hard to conquer the world, and all the credit goes to him. If I had also casually wiped out the Xiongnu and Xianbei, pacified the Japanese, and expanded the territory by thousands of miles, wouldn't all these great achievements have been attributed to Liu Hong?"

Wouldn't he be praised to the skies then? He wouldn't be Emperor Wei of Han, he'd be a second Emperor Wu of Han!

"When the time comes, the history books will record: 'During the reign of Emperor Wei of Han, he attacked the Xiongnu in the north, destroyed the Japanese in the east, opened up the Western Regions in the west, and pacified the southern barbarians. The whole world submitted to him, and the world was at peace, thus creating the prosperous era of Emperor Wei.'"

Wouldn't Liu Hong then be on par with Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Guangwu of Han, becoming one of the greatest emperors of all time? His tomb would need to be expanded, and the incense offerings would need to be ten times more abundant! But why would he do that?

"And what about me? I fought hard all my life, and in the end I became his top henchman."

The historical record only states: "Liu Ce, the King of Yan, was the younger brother of Emperor Wei. He was brave and skilled in battle, and was enfeoffed as the King of Yan for his accumulated merits." And that's it?

After I become emperor, what achievements can I boast about? I can't exactly say I did nothing and just stumbled upon a golden age, can I? What would history say about me then? That Emperor Shenwu inherited Emperor Wei's legacy and continued to develop it? Forget about that!