Chapter 256: I Will Request My Father to Raise an Army and Attack Wu!
Crown Prince Xia Tianqiong of the Great Xia Empire sighed, “Do you think that these things are so easy to learn?”
“Why do you say that, Your Highness?” the crowd was puzzled.
Xia Tianqiong sighed again, “Today’s trip has indeed left a profound impact on me. I also thought that if we copied these experiences and took them back to the Great Xia, it would bring about significant positive changes! But upon closer examination, I found many problems, making it impossible to replicate.”
“Your Highness…”
“First, let’s talk about judicial reform.”
“Since Lin Beifan took charge of the Dedian Mansion, the first thing he reformed was the judicial environment. He favored the common people in legal judgments, punished the powerful, regardless of how much power they held or their backgrounds. But do you know how he did it?”
Many shook their heads, indicating their lack of understanding.
Xia Tianqiong’s tone was complex, “I received information from a spy that the reason Lin Beifan did this was to openly arrest the influential individuals and exploit them.”
“Wish to avoid punishment? Pay up!”
“Wish to have good food and accommodation? Pay up!”
“Wish to reduce your sentence? Pay up!”
“In other words, he, single-handedly, challenged the powerful figures across the realm! By exploiting the wealth of these elites, he not only protected the interests of the common people but also enriched himself.”
“Astonishing!” The crowd was greatly surprised.
“Such courage is truly admirable.”
“However, if we were to do this in the Great Xia, who would dare? Even the current Prime Minister might not have the courage!”
“This…” Everyone shook their heads.
Not only the Prime Minister, even the current Emperor wouldn’t dare! Because doing so would anger too many people! It wouldn’t be conducive to governance! Even a ruler of a nation sometimes has to compromise when faced with various problems.
“Why does Lin Beifan dare to do this?”
Xia Tianqiong shook his head, “I can’t fathom it either, but he did it, and it’s effective! Without a fair and just judicial environment, the court cannot gain the trust of the people, and many matters can’t even begin.”
Everyone nodded in deep agreement.
“Next, let’s talk about public order.”
Xia Tianqiong cleared his throat, took a sip of tea, and continued, “In this aspect, Lin Beifan unexpectedly appointed the former thief, Night Fragrance, to combat crime and maintain local order. You’ve all witnessed the results; it has reached the point where no valuables are lost, and doors are left unlocked at night. However, this is something we can’t imitate.”
“Because individuals like Night Fragrance are extremely rare throughout the world! Even if they exist, would you dare employ them? Even if you dare, can you control them?”
“Night Fragrance has formidable martial skills and remarkable strength, and he’s inherently unruly! How could you make him work obediently and follow orders? Even a grandmaster couldn’t achieve that!”
“Only Lin Beifan, I don’t know what method he used, managed to make Night Fragrance obey orders!”
“Thus, with a good judicial environment and improved public order, people and merchants gain a sense of security, which leads to the possibility of commercial development and economic improvement!” Xia Tianqiong’s eyes gleamed.
Everyone nodded once again.
“After achieving these two favorable environments, Lin Beifan promoted the street economy and simultaneously introduced night market economy. This made the city lively and vibrant, significantly boosting the business economy, ensuring that people had money!”
“We can emulate the street economy, but the night market economy would be challenging, as public safety remains an unsolved problem before us!”
Everyone nodded vigorously.
They all knew that a thriving night market economy was great, but they really couldn’t figure out how to make it work!
Because many people practice martial arts and are full of energy, they are prone to getting into trouble at night, especially when there are more people around. The cost of management is extremely high, and it’s difficult to control.
That’s why many cities impose curfews, prohibiting people from going out at night. Only Lin Beifan doesn’t have such concerns because he has the great thief Night Fragrance, who is highly skilled in martial arts and exceptional in lightness techniques. He manages the city’s security, and as long as the opponents aren’t grandmasters, he can handle them all. This naturally solves the public order problem.
Of course, they could also find a fourth-ranked warrior to manage the city’s security, but who would want to do such mundane tasks? That would be a waste of their exceptional abilities, and no one would be willing.
“Your Highness, we also have cement; we can develop a cement economy!” an old courtier suggested.
“Yes, we can develop a cement economy!”
“We can produce cement and sell it, driving commercial development!”
“This way, our court can earn money while also stimulating the market economy, killing two birds with one stone!”
…
“Your suggestion is good; in fact, our court has been working on this! However, cement production requires a large workforce! As you all saw, to produce cement, they employed a total of four to five hundred thousand people in Minxin City, just to support this industry!” Xia Tianqiong’s face was bitter. “Where can we find so many people?”
Everyone joined in with bitter smiles.
Four to five hundred thousand people already equated to the total population of a large city. To mobilize so many people is an extremely difficult task. Even if they had the capability, others might not be willing to do it; cement production is very demanding! It’s worth noting that most of the common people in Minxin City were originally disaster victims who traveled great distances to arrive here and had no other means of livelihood, so they could only engage in cement production.
“Furthermore, there’s another problem!”
“This cement is primarily used for building houses, and the demand is enormous. The Great Wu Court achieves this through advanced waterways and hydro-craft called air cushion boats. The air cushion boats have a massive carrying capacity; one boat can transport tens of thousands of catties of cement!”
“We haven’t yet developed our air cushion boats; we can only use regular wooden boats for transportation. This increases costs, making cement more expensive, and fewer people buy it. So, the market won’t develop, and what’s the point of producing so much cement?”
Xia Tianqiong sighed repeatedly.
“Yeah, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Your Highness is truly wise!”
…
“Furthermore, in terms of commerce, Lin Beifan has provided various tax incentives to prominent merchants, encouraging everyone to engage in business and trade! This action has indeed greatly promoted the commercial activities in the capital city and Minxin City, leading to a thriving market!”
“But, he can do this, and we cannot!”
“Because, when Lin Beifan did this initially, it was to address the issues of livelihood, clothing, housing, and transportation for a million people. Without enough food and resources, he had to attract merchant families through these conditions. It was the optimal solution given the current constraints!”
“However, if we were to do the same, it’s certain that tax revenue would decrease, that’s beyond doubt! Moreover, if everyone engages in trade, who would grow crops?”
“Our land is not as fertile as Great Wu’s, and the yield is limited. If everyone shifts to commerce, the grain output will inevitably decrease. The consequences, I need not emphasize; you all know!”
Everyone nodded in agreement…
An elderly courtier spoke up, “Without grain, the nation will fall into chaos!”
“Exactly!” Xia Tianqiong nodded, “So, we must restrain the growth of commerce and ensure our grain reserves! However, if commerce can’t flourish, the cement economy will face severe limitations!”
Xia Tianqiong sighed again, “Therefore, we simply cannot adopt Minxin City’s development model! They created such an unreplicable miracle due to specific circumstances. If we learn from them, it might just be a case of imitating without understanding, inviting ridicule. If a major problem occurs, it will be too late to rectify!”
“Your Highness, your wisdom shines through. We have learned from you!” the various officials praised.
Xia Tianqiong modestly replied, “Gentlemen, you’re too kind. I have limited experience and abilities. There must be shortcomings in my problem analysis. I request that you all point them out; I will surely improve!”
“Your Highness, you’re being too humble!” The elderly officials looked at the prince’s modest demeanor, feeling deeply gratified.
As long as they followed such a capable ruler, there was hope for the future!
“Besides this, I have also identified a tremendous crisis!”
“What crisis, Your Highness, please enlighten us!”
Xia Tianqiong’s eyes were burning with intensity as he spoke, “Our primary objective in coming here was to observe the current state of Great Wu, gather intelligence, and understand the situation in detail. This way, we can formulate strategic measures and annex Great Wu in one sweep, expanding the territory for our Great Xia!”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They had gathered around the prince because they all shared the same goal. For any courtier, the greatest achievement was undoubtedly expanding the nation’s territory.
“However, the situation has surprised us!”
“The Great Wu court hasn’t declined; instead, it’s thriving, full of vitality, and showing signs of resurgence! If given another two or three years, they will undoubtedly rise to power. By then, annexing Great Wu will become difficult!”
Everyone exchanged worried glances, their eyes revealing concern.
“Your Highness, do you have any insightful ideas?” an elderly courtier asked.
“Originally, we intended to launch our campaign when internal turmoil arose within Great Wu!”
“However, the Northern Hebei region is facing troubles with bandits, the economy is in a slump, the population is declining, and the Northern Hebei Prince’s recent actions are unknown, maintaining an extremely low profile!”
“The Southern Jiang region is struck by flooding, causing a lack of food, economic collapse, and severe population loss. The Southern Jiang Prince’s development efforts have been hindered, and even whether the people can have a meal is a problem!”
“The Wuxi Duke has suffered military losses and is now encountering a group of elusive righteous warriors. There’s no hope there!”
“As for the other Great Wu vassal kings, they’re weak and can’t make much of an impact!”
“Hence, we can only rely on ourselves now! We absolutely cannot afford to give them a chance to rise! The longer we delay, the more unfavorable it becomes for us! After this trip, I will certainly request an audience with my father, the emperor, and propose a military campaign against Great Wu!”
The officials exchanged glances and then stood up, speaking in unison, “Your Highness, your wisdom shines through. We wholeheartedly support you and are willing to give our all, even if it means risking our lives!”
