Chapter 342: Move the Capital to Chang'an, Lead the Army in Person

Just as Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian had expected, the proposal to move the capital northward would certainly be strongly opposed by the civil and military officials of the court.

It was undoubtedly a huge challenge for these officials who had lived in the prosperous and economically developed Jinling City since they entered the officialdom to move their families north to live in the relatively backward northern cities in terms of economy and culture;

They had long been accustomed to the warmth of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, so how could they endure the bitter cold and hardship in the north?

As expected, under the lead of the Minister of Rites Zhang Fu, a group of civil officials left over from the previous dynasty in the court knelt down to persuade the emperor to withdraw his order;

And the reasons for their persuasion were surprisingly consistent - that is, the Tang Dynasty was now plagued by internal and external troubles and continuous wars. The consumption of the war alone had already made the people miserable. If they built large-scale projects again, they might arouse public resentment and shake the ruling foundation of the Tang Dynasty!

"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to what this duke has to say!"

There were civil officials from the previous dynasty who opposed moving the capital northward. Naturally, the iron-clad military generals who followed Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian in the Longcheng uprising stood up and expressed their support for moving the capital northward.

This person was the Duke of Jin Pang Xianchu of the Tang Dynasty.

Pang Xianchu took a step across and stood in the main hall of the Jinluan Palace. He first bowed to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian on the dragon throne, and then said slowly: "My lords-"

"Regarding the emperor's proposal to move the capital northward, this duke has a different opinion. My lords, please listen to me carefully:"

"Now that the Tang Dynasty has just been established, in addition to the north and west, that is, north of Mobei and west of the Western Regions, there are also threats that often violate our borders and plunder our people at the border of the Tang Dynasty;"

"In the entire south There are no strong enemies in the north and Goguryeo in the east. In addition, there is a huge navy fleet of the Tang Dynasty. There are no enemies in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. "

"It is good to set the capital in Jinling City. Whether it is economically, politically, or culturally, it is highly developed, which can show the majesty of the Tang Dynasty;"

"But--"

Speaking of this, Pang Xianchu changed the subject and continued: "Jinling City is located south of the Yangtze River. From a geographical point of view, it has virtually increased the emperor and the court's control over the northern region. The timeliness of dealing with possible wars;"

"Take the Arab Empire outside the Western Regions raising troops to invade the Tang Dynasty. If the capital of the Tang Dynasty was in Chang'an Prefecture, or Longcheng, the fief of the King of Jin, the distance of correspondence between the Western Regions and the court could be greatly shortened, allowing the court to respond in the first place;"

"Furthermore, the emperor's proposal to move the capital to the north also means "the emperor guards the country's gates". Moving the capital of the Tang Dynasty to the north can not only allow the court's orders to reach the northern border every day, It can also strengthen the influence and control of the Central Plains Dynasty over Mobei and the Western Regions;"

Speaking of this, Pang Xianchu began to face Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian on the dragon throne and said word by word: "Your Majesty, I think that the relocation of the capital of the Tang Dynasty to the north will indeed involve some large-scale construction and waste of money and labor in a short period of time;"

"But, from the perspective of the long-term stability and eternal reputation of the Tang Dynasty, relocation of the capital to the north is a great feat that will benefit the present and the future;"

"Your Majesty, Pang Xianchu, strongly advocates relocation of the capital to the north!"

Hmm!

On the dragon throne, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian nodded and gave Jin Guogong Pang Xianchu an approving look.

The emperor's attitude has already made everything clear.

With Jin Guogong Pang Xianchu taking the lead, the other Longcheng generals and Tang generals produced by the system have come forward to express their support for relocating the capital to the north.

For a time, the court was divided into two factions;

The faction represented by the former civil officials advised Chen Huaian to withdraw his order and not move the capital northward;

The faction represented by the military generals of Longcheng strongly advocated moving the capital northward and supported the idea that the emperor should guard the national gate.

There were also old officials like Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Zhao, and Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, who were highly respected in the court, who remained silent on the matter of moving the capital.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian naturally could not let Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Zhao, and Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, stay out of the matter, and immediately said to the two: "Prince of Zhao, Lord Li, what do you two think about moving the capital?"

In the Golden Palace, the two people who were named looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

In the end, Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, made a gesture of invitation, indicating that Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Zhao, who had a higher status than himself in the court, should speak first.

Ahem!

In desperation, Liu Xinwu had to bite the bullet and stand up. After bowing to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian on the dragon throne, he slowly said: "Your Majesty, all the adults-"

"Regarding the relocation of the capital, I agree with both Mr. Zhang's opinion and Duke Jin's suggestion!"

Wow!

As soon as this was said, all the civil and military officials in the court were in an uproar.

I thought, isn't the King of Zhao trying to smooth things over? He doesn't want to offend either side!

In fact, Liu Xinwu's inner thoughts were really like this. He was worried that the relocation of the capital would arouse public resentment and shake the foundation of the dynasty's rule in this troubled time of the Tang Dynasty;

He also felt that what Duke Jin Pang Xianchu said was reasonable. This relocation of the capital to the north and the emperor guarding the national gate would inevitably greatly strengthen the ruling power and influence of the Central Plains Dynasty in the north of Mobei and the west of the Western Regions, laying the foundation for creating the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, King Zhao Liu Xinwu made the ambiguous statement just now in the court.

Of course, this is also because Liu Xinwu didn't know that his son-in-law Chen Huaian was a person with the [Born Emperor] system, which could open unlimited military power.

Otherwise, Liu Xinwu would definitely be the first to stand up and support his son-in-law to move the capital northward, so that the Tang Dynasty would truly become a prosperous empire that all nations would come to pay tribute to.

Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, who was standing aside, heard the ambiguous attempt of Liu Xinwu, the King of Zhao, to smooth things over, and had to bite the bullet and stand up to help, saying: "Your Majesty, I strongly advocate moving the capital northward!"