Chương 628: Court Quarrel

Fang Xuanling spoke clearly and logically, becoming more and more excited as he spoke, even rolling up his sleeves.

Many young officials below nodded in agreement, and Du Ruhui and Xun You showed their approval, feeling that this method was much more reliable than the old one, more effective in controlling the situation, and more in line with the current national strength.

Just as Liu Chong was about to retort, he heard the rapid, urgent clanging of an abacus.

Everyone turned to look and saw that Shen Wansan, the Minister of Revenue, who had been daydreaming, immediately perked up when he heard the words "stationing troops, building post stations, establishing prefectures, and developing military farms"—all of which involved spending money. He grabbed his abacus and stepped forward in a few strides.

"Gentlemen, let's not argue about whose method is old-fashioned and whose is new! Let's settle the score first, shall we?!"

Let me do the math for you: The garrison in the Western Regions must number at least 30, 000, right? Previously, if ten shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain were transported from Guanzhong to the Western Regions, the laborers along the way would consume at least three shi. Even though there are now imperial roads that increase speed, losses still amount to 10-20%!

"We consume hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain just for military provisions every year! We have plenty of food, but we can't waste it like this! The Second Five-Year Plan is using money and grain right now—road construction, factories, schools... everything requires funding!"

As he spoke, he fiddled with the abacus, the beads clattering and clicking like a battle:

"And then there's the military-agricultural colonies in the Western Regions. That requires clearing land, building irrigation canals, buying oxen, and relocating farmers. The initial investment would be at least tens of millions of coins! And the northern grasslands are even worse. Nomadic tribes move with the water and pasture. No matter how many prefectures you establish, they can just move whenever they want, herding their cattle and sheep away. Where are you going to collect taxes?

You can't exactly send soldiers to chase after them, can you?"

He hugged the abacus to his chest, his eyes wide with surprise:

"In my opinion, regardless of the system, the key is to send fewer troops and spend less money! Let them govern themselves, and just let them pay tribute with cattle, sheep, horses, jade, and spices each year. Let's not have the imperial court spending money to defend our territory! We can't do a losing business like that!"

As Shen Wansan spoke, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Despite it being the dead of winter, he was sweating profusely, his face clearly displaying the words "I can't spend money," making him look like a miser.

Fang Xuanling was displeased upon hearing this, took a step forward, and raised his voice several octaves:

"Old Shen, you're just picking up pennies and losing dollars! Spend more money now to straighten out the system, and you'll be set for life! If it stays as loose as before, it'll rebel again in ten or eight years, and we'll have to send troops to fight again, costing ten times as much! Don't you know how to do the big picture?"

"Don't you know how to manage a household?!" Shen Wansan glared, his abacus beads nearly crushed in his grip.

"Spending money is easy, making money is hard! Every penny must be spent wisely! The national treasury's money doesn't come from thin air!"

"Don't you even know what it means to stabilize the country!" Fang Xuanling rolled up his sleeves, veins bulging on his neck.

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub! If you can't even part with this little bit of money, how will you maintain control of your territory in the future!"

The two argued more and more fiercely, their faces turning red to their ears. It looked like they were about to come to blows on the spot, so the surrounding officials quickly moved to the sides, afraid of being accidentally injured.

Tian Chou, the Left Vice Minister of Agriculture, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, standing between the two with a forced smile, rubbing his hands together as he said:

"Calm down, calm down. Harmony brings wealth. It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, don't ruin the harmony, or His Majesty will be unhappy."

Your Majesty, I think it would be better to combine the two methods. For the Western Regions that are close by, have large city-states, and have a large Han population, we should establish tributary prefectures under the direct jurisdiction of the Protectorate General; for the distant, small, and remote ones, we should retain the kings according to the Han system, who can be summoned at will.

The same applies to the grasslands. In the south of the Gobi Desert, which is closer, a protectorate is established to oversee it. In the north, which is farther away, a chieftain is appointed, and a lieutenant general is sent to supervise him. Wouldn't that be perfect for both?

"No!"

No sooner had Tian Chou finished speaking than Liu Chong and Fang Xuanling retorted in unison. Despite their argument, they were surprisingly in agreement on the point that "compromise is just muddling through."

Startled, Tian Chou shrank back and took two steps back, accidentally knocking over a teacup being held by a nearby eunuch. Hot tea spilled all over his sleeve, scalding him so much that he kept shaking his hand.

He hurriedly wiped it, muttering "It's okay, it's okay," while secretly thinking: My good intentions have been taken for granted. What am I doing this for? Coming out on the first day of the Lunar New Year to get scolded.

He quickly scurried back into the crowd, never to say another word.

After Tian Chou finished his persuasion, more officials joined the debate, and the hall instantly erupted into chaos.

The conservatives sided with Liu Chong, believing that the old methods had been used for hundreds of years, were reliable, and didn't require any unnecessary changes, saving money and worry. They argued that if a new system caused chaos, the losses would outweigh the gains.

The reformist station chief Xuanling felt that the old system was too lax and would inevitably lead to major trouble sooner or later. He thought it would be better to put some effort into it now and solve the problem once and for all.

The civil officials were making a fuss, and the military officers joined in the fun.

Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice drowning out half the people in the hall:

"In my opinion, why bother with all that trouble? Just cut down all the dissenters and relocate all the Han people there. That would be the easiest way!"

Guan Yu glared at him, stroked his beard, and said slowly:

"No, indiscriminate killing will alienate the people. However, Prince Chen's methods are indeed too lenient and won't be effective."

Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "The Protectorate General's Office is great! They've always done it this way, and I think it works!"

Yuchi Gong retorted, "What do you know! The past is the past. Now we have firearms and cannons, of course we can regulate things more strictly! Your old almanac is outdated!"

Among the civil officials, several elderly scholars shook their heads, their voices soft but firm:

"It doesn't conform to ancient customs! It doesn't conform to ancient customs. The laws of our ancestors cannot be changed; if they are, chaos will ensue."

The young official immediately retorted, "Our ancestors didn't have the strength we have now! Even ancestral laws must change with the times! Blindly adhering to old ways is the greatest calamity!"

The entire hall was noisy, like haggling at a market, with spittle flying everywhere and no one giving an inch.

Li Dequan shouted "Silence!" several times, but he couldn't quiet down and his voice became hoarse.

Liu Ce, seated on the dragon throne, watched with great interest, taking a sip of his milk tea and secretly pulling out some melon seeds from under the table to crack open, while whispering to Li Dequan:

"Look at Liu Chong, his face is all red, like a fighting rooster, his mustache is almost sticking up to the sky."

"Shen Wansan's abacus was practically flying off its end, the beads were about to pop out. He's so stingy with money, he's quite the character."

"Look at Tian Chou, he's huddled there wiping his sleeves. He got a real tongue-lashing just now, he looks so pitiful, haha."

Li Dequan stood to the side, trying not to laugh, his shoulders twitching from holding it in. He thought to himself: "His Majesty is really something. He loves watching his ministers argue on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It's more entertaining than watching a play."

They argued for a full half hour, until everyone's voices were almost hoarse, but they still couldn't reach a conclusion.

Several of the senior officials had shouted themselves hoarse, their voices sounding like broken gongs.

Finally, everyone quieted down and looked at Liu Ce, waiting for him to make a decision: whether to use the old Protectorate or the new tributary prefecture. He needed to give them a definite answer.

The hall fell silent instantly, with hundreds of eyes fixed on the dragon throne, and even breathing became soft.

Liu Ce slowly put down his milk tea cup, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and cleared his throat.