Chương 630: Meritorious Deeds Benefit the Present and the Future

Finally, Li Ji stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said in a steady voice:

"Your Majesty, the northern desert region is vast, with the Gobi Desert stretching endlessly. It can be called the Hanhai Province. The capital is located in Yanran Prefecture, which is named after Dou Xian's inscription on Yanran Mountain in the past, to show the martial prowess of our great Han Dynasty and to inspire future generations to never forget the spirit of martial arts."

The southern and eastern grasslands are mostly pine forests and marshes, and could be called the Songmo Province. Its capital was Linhuang Prefecture, centrally located, allowing control of both the eastern and western parts. The two provinces, governing the north and south respectively, formed a mutually supportive framework, facilitating the management of nomadic tribes and enabling mutual support. With one in the south and one in the north, the region was as stable as a mountain.

"Good!" Liu Ce slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, making a loud bang.

"Let's call it Hanhai Province, Songmo Province! The inscription on Yanran Mountain is auspicious! It's settled then!"

Finally, there's the Indochina Peninsula, a region with high mountains, dense forests, crisscrossing rivers, and numerous tribes. It had been the least discussed area before, and with three provinces to be decided at once, many people were still looking at maps.

After much discussion, taking into account the terrain and location, and referring to the investigation report of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they decided on three provinces: The southernmost part, bordering the sea and the former territory of Champa, is called Rinan Province, with its capital at Xianglin Prefecture. It served as the southernmost gateway to the Han Dynasty, guarding vital sea routes...

The central plains are vast and rich in grain. This former territory of Myanmar was called Vinh Chang Region, meaning "eternal prosperity." Its capital, Bagan Region, controls the central plains and is a major grain-producing area...

The province is crisscrossed by rivers to the east, with the Lancang River running through it. Its capital is Mae Binh Province, which governs the eastern tribes and coastal ports and serves as a hub for land and water transportation.

The three provinces, arranged from south to north, perfectly encompass the Indochina Peninsula, allowing them to support each other while also managing different tribes in a well-organized manner.

Once all the names were decided, the eunuchs wrote down the names and capitals of the eight provinces on paper and posted them on the blackboard.

The names are clearly written in black and white: Anxi Province, Beiting Province, Hanhai Province, Songmo Province, Yingzhou Province, Rinan Province, Yongchang Province, and Lancang Province.

As the officials looked at the lines of text, they were filled with excitement and emotion. In just a short while, the Han Dynasty had gained eight more provinces, and its territory had multiplied several times over. Who would have dared to imagine this before? They wouldn't have even dared to dream of doing this.

Liu Ce stood up, walked to the edge of the steps, looked at the civil and military officials below, and spoke in a loud voice that echoed throughout the entire hall:

"The establishment of the provincial system today is only the first step in a long journey. There is still much to be done in terms of immigration, education, road construction, city building, agricultural development, and school establishment. It may take decades, or even several generations."

He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute: "But I believe that as long as we, the sovereign and his ministers, are of one mind and work steadily forward, within a hundred years, Anxi, Beiting, Hanhai, Songmo... will become an inseparable core territory of the Han Dynasty, just like the other provinces. The people there will be proud to be citizens of the Han Dynasty."

"My lords, this achievement will benefit our generation and future generations. I entrust this matter to you all."

"Your Majesty, we obey! We are willing to serve you with utmost loyalty! Long live the Han Dynasty! Long live Your Majesty!"

All the officials bowed in unison, their voices shaking the palace and causing the roof tiles to tremble.

No one cared about how much money it cost or how much trouble it was; everyone's face was filled with excitement—to be able to participate in such a momentous undertaking was a blessing earned through countless lifetimes.

When the court session ended, the officials were all unsteady on their feet, their faces flushed, and they had lost all interest in eating melon seeds, their minds filled with thoughts of "provinces, integration, and lasting achievements."

Liu Chong and Fang Xuanling, who had just been arguing fiercely, were now walking side by side. Liu Chong patted Fang Xuanling on the shoulder and said:

"Your Majesty has a much broader perspective! All our arguments just now were focused on the immediate issues."

Fang Xuanling smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, His Majesty's vision is beyond our reach. I'm so grateful to have lived in such an era."

Shen Wansan frowned, walking along while fiddling with his abacus and muttering to himself:

"Immigration costs money, running schools costs money, road construction costs money, setting up government offices costs money... Oh dear, we need to increase the budget again. We need to quickly find a way to collect more commercial taxes; we can't be at the bottom of the year-end performance evaluation..."

Xun Yu and Zhuge Liang walked behind, discussing in hushed tones how many households should be relocated in the first wave of immigrants and how the schools should be built. The more they talked, the more they clicked, and they unconsciously slowed down.

Dian Wei, pulling Xu Chu along, exclaimed excitedly, "I have to go to Anxi Province sometime! I've heard the grapes there are sweet, and the girls are beautiful! I want to go eat grapes!"

Xu Chu rolled his eyes at him: "All you ever do is eat and look at girls. Can't you do something productive? If you want grapes, just have someone bring them back!"

......

......

1. Jingzhao Province: Capital: Luojing Prefecture.

2. Jizhou Province: Capital: Hejian Prefecture.

3. Yuzhou Province: Capital: Kaifeng Prefecture.

4. Shannan Province: Capital: Xiangyang Prefecture.

5. Huainan Province: Capital: Shouchun Prefecture.

6. Jiangnan Province: Capital: Jinling Prefecture.

7. Qianzhong Province: Capital: Bozhou Prefecture.

8. Yizhou Province: Capital: Chengdu Prefecture.

9. Yuzhang Province: Capital: Hongzhou Prefecture.

10. Fujian Province: Capital: Jianzhou Prefecture.

11. Jingxiang Province: Capital: Jiangling Prefecture.

12. Qingxu Province: Capital: Linzi Prefecture.

13. Lingnan Province: Capital: Nanhai Prefecture.

14. Yunnan Province: Capital: Dali Prefecture.

15. Youzhou Province: Capital: Fanyang Prefecture.

16. Liaohai Province: Capital: Liaoyang Prefecture.

17. Yunzhong Province: Capital: Yunzhong Prefecture.

18. Shuofang Province: capital Lingwu Prefecture.

19. Longyou Province: Capital: Tianshui Prefecture.

20. Hexi Province: Capital: Liangzhou Prefecture.

21. Anxi Province: Capital: Kucha Prefecture.

22. Beiting Province: Capital: Tingzhou Prefecture.

23. Hanhai Province: Capital: Yanran Prefecture.

24. Songmo Province: Capital: Linhuang Prefecture.

25. Lelang Province: Capital: Pyongyang Prefecture.

26. Yingzhou Province: Capital: Ping'an Prefecture.

27. Jiaozhi Province: Capital: Longbian Prefecture.

28. Jilin Province: Capital: Xianglin Prefecture.

29. Vinh Chang Province: Capital: Bagan Province.

30. Lan Xang Province: Capital: Mae Binh Province.

31. Dongning Province: Capital: Thua Thien Prefecture.

..................

The eighth year of the Han calendar, the eighth year of Shenwu's reign, the tenth day of the first month.

Luoyang is still filled with the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year.

The red lanterns on the street were still up, and long queues formed in front of the candied hawthorn stalls. Children wearing new cotton-padded coats chased after each other, candied hawthorns in their mouths, their little faces red from the cold.

It was even warmer inside the Liangyi Hall, where the floor heating made the soles of your feet scald, and the bronze cranes at the corners of the hall were sweating from the heat.

Liu Ce slumped on the dragon throne, idly flipping through memorials. He clutched a custard bun in his left hand and held a vermilion brush in his right. After flipping through two pages, he would steal a glance at the sun outside the palace, thinking to himself: I'll leave work early at noon and go skate around on the ice in the Imperial Garden. I haven't tried the new ice sleds that were made yesterday yet.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty——!"

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, "thump thump thump," shaking the floor tiles and even making the bronze cranes at the corners of the hall sway, spilling incense ash.

Liu Ce choked on a steamed bun, his eyes rolled back in his head, and his face turned purple.

He quickly picked up the milk tea and gulped down two big mouthfuls before it went down, almost choking on crumbs of steamed bun.

Just as he was about to yell, "Who's making such a racket?", Song Yingxing burst in, his official hat askew, the hatband hanging from his ear, the hem of his robe flipped up to his waist, and his shoes covered in coal dust and rust. He looked as if he had been chased by a dog for three miles, or as if he had rolled around three times in a coal mine.

"Slow down, slow down! The sky isn't falling down!" Liu Ce quickly waved his hand and stood up from the dragon throne.

"Were you buried in a collapsed coal mine and just crawled out? Or were you chased by wolves?"

Song Yingxing rushed to the Emperor's throne, clutching his knees and panting heavily. His face was as red as a ripe persimmon, and he couldn't speak for a long time. He could only keep giving a thumbs up, his chest heaving violently.

After a full half minute, Song Yingxing suddenly raised her head, her eyes shining brightly, her voice cracking and trembling with tears:

"Your Majesty! It's a success! The improved steam engine is a success!! It's really a success! It's not an experimental product, it's a truly usable machine!"

"Holy crap!" Liu Ce sprang up from the dragon throne with a "whoosh," and the steamed bun fell onto the memorial with a "plop," leaving a large oil stain without him noticing.

He ran down the steps in two quick strides.

"Did it really work? No explosion? No leaks? How long did it run continuously? Are there any cracks in the cylinder? Is the piston stuck?"

"It's been spinning for three and a half hours! There's not a single problem!" Song Yingxing was so excited that his hands were shaking. He grabbed Liu Ce and walked out, not even caring about the etiquette between ruler and subject.