***
When the news of Niu Wanchuan's capture of Yanjing came, Qin Mu was in Kaifeng meeting with a group of local scholars;
The messenger who brought the victory message rushed into the city, covered in dust, and kept shouting loudly: "Great victory in Yanjing! Great victory in Yanjing! General Niu Wanchuan captured Yanjing and captured the fake emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the fake empress dowager, and various fake kings... Great victory in Yanjing! Great victory in Yanjing!"
The messenger announcing the victory had a loud voice, which echoed throughout the city. The people, who had just been freed from the barbarian tyranny, cheered when they heard it.
In the government school, nearly three hundred scholars stood up in unison and paid homage to Qin Mu: "Congratulations, King Qin! Congratulations, King Qin! Long live the King Qin, long live the King Qin, long, long live the King Qin!"
"Congratulations, congratulations, hahaha..." Qin Mu slowly spread out his black sleeves and laughed loudly, "Today, I can't help but think of a poem by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang: The wind rises and the clouds fly. My power spreads across the country and I return to my hometown. How can I find brave warriors to guard the four directions? The Central Plains is the ancestral land of our Chinese nation. Today I can be considered to have returned to my hometown! But I don't agree with the thoughts expressed in the poem!"
Qin Mu stood on a high platform, with his sleeves spread out like a roc spreading its wings, giving people a feeling of soaring into the wind and covering the sun. His majestic aura made people dare not look directly at him.
But his words are surprising. If we say that the King of Qin was inspired and recited this poem by Liu Bang, it was just the right time.
Yanjing was captured, the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, and the unification of the world by Qin was a foregone conclusion. Now was the time for the King of Qin to seek talented people to guard the four directions and govern the world. However, he said that he did not agree with the meaning of the poem. Why
The scholars present were full of questions and waited with bated breath for Qin Mu's next words.
Qin Mu said loudly: "This poem by Emperor Gaozu of Han, as a whole, reveals a thought of turning from offense to defense, a thought of turning from aggressiveness to conservatism;
Everyone, I just said that we are standing on the ancestral land of our Chinese people, but at that time, the area ruled by our Chinese ancestors was actually only the province of Henan.
Now, with the vast sea in the east, Kunlun in the west, the desert in the north, and the end of the world in the south, the territory of China has expanded dozens of times. What is the reason for this? It is because our ancestors of all generations have not been afraid of difficulties, have continued to forge ahead, and have never given up.
Today, I want to tell all my people that I do not want to engage in militarism; however, I will never be content with just defending.
We cannot rest on our laurels and stop making progress. I hope everyone in my Great Qin will remember that no matter what time it is, we should not forget to explore and innovate. Only in this way can the Great Qin maintain its vitality and prosperity! "
At almost the same time, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was thinking about how to defend the four directions; while Emperor Qin Mu was thinking about how to maintain the vigor of the Qin Dynasty.
There is nothing new about the words "exploration" and "innovation", but Qin Mu gave them a deeper meaning at this moment. Perhaps this will become the national policy throughout the Qin Dynasty.
None of the scholars present would spoil Qin Mu's fun at this time, so they naturally sang praises to him.
One of the scholars, Lu Wang, took three steps forward, bowed to the ground, and said loudly: "Your Highness, the King of Qin, as the saying goes, the world cannot be without a ruler for a day. The country cannot be without a monarch for a day. I, Lu Wang, have seen the King of Qin. Since he ascended the throne, his virtue has spread to all directions and his benevolence has extended to all things, surpassing the ancients and the present. Now that the royal army has broken through Beijing and captured the false emperor of the Qing Dynasty alive, it has been further proved that the King of Qin is destined by heaven. The one who rules the world must be the King of Qin. I hope that the King of Qin will follow the will of heaven and the people, ascend the throne as soon as possible, and rule the world."
When the other scholars heard this, they were shocked. How could they be left behind in such a matter? They all bowed down and shouted:
"I hope the King of Qin will follow the will of heaven and the people, ascend to the throne soon and rule the world!"
Qin Mu had not expected that hundreds of scholars would suddenly do this. No matter what, he should have said something: "Everyone, please stand up. I appreciate your sincere intentions, but I am a person of little virtue and talent. I am afraid that I will disappoint the people. It is better not to mention the matter of ascending the throne!"
Lu Wang and others sang praises again, but only stopped after Qin Mu repeatedly showed humility.
Since ancient times, emperors needed their ministers to persuade them to ascend the throne again and again. Lu Wang just hoped to be the one who took the lead in persuading them to ascend the throne. He knew very well that he was far from important enough. It was already very rare for him to be the first one to persuade them to ascend the throne and have his name heard by the emperor.
Qin Mu asked someone to pour more wine, and everyone drank three cups in a row before celebrating. At this moment, a guard from the government office came hurriedly to report that Lady Hong was pregnant.
This was truly a double blessing. Qin Mu hurried back and saw Hongniang lying on the moon-shaped bed with a happy look on her face.
"Ying'er, Ying'er, how are you? What did the doctor say?" Qin Mu supported her shoulders. Hong Niangzi buried her head in his arms and replied, "The doctor said that the pulse is stable and everything is fine..."
Hongniang had been serving Qin Mu for almost two months. Although he was very busy during the day, he was still in his early twenties and full of vigor. He had to water her frequently at night, and finally he got her pregnant.
"Hahaha... Ying'er, I told you that those positions are helpful for conception, but you still didn't believe me. Look, now you're pregnant, aren't you?" Qin Mu was extremely proud. Lady Hong snorted and bit his shoulder, "Hiss... Ying'er, okay, okay, from now on I'll just do it without telling you, is that okay?"
"You wish. I'm pregnant, how can I sleep with you..." Hong Niangzi suddenly realized that there was something wrong with what she said and quickly stopped talking.
"I mean after Ying'er gave birth, what were you thinking about?" Qin Mu laughed and whispered in Hong Niang's ear, "In fact, Ying'er must have felt very excited in that situation."
"You still said, you still said..." The usually heroic matchmaker finally couldn't help but reveal her girlish side, with a slightly red face and a unique charm.
"Ying'er, let's get back to the topic. You've just become pregnant, so it's not advisable for you to travel around to avoid disturbing the fetus. You should stay in Kaifeng to recuperate." Qin Mu hugged her and said in a gentle voice.
"I heard that Yanjing has been taken. Are you going north to Yanjing?"
"Well, now that Mongolia is in chaos, it's time to resolve the situation in the south of the desert. In addition, there are a large number of Han officials in Beijing. The Qing Dynasty entered the country too suddenly, and many people didn't have time to escape. Some of them were forced to serve the Qing Dynasty for the sake of their wives and children.
There is a huge shortage of officials in the North now, and good officials are urgently needed to govern. If they are really those who were forced to follow the thieves, and they used to have good reputations and talents, they should be screened out and treated differently. It is wrong to kill them all with one stick. In short, there are many things to do and we can’t delay.”
"I got it. I'll be waiting for you in Kaifeng. You must take care of yourself, remember to eat on time, and put on more clothes when the weather is cold..." Hongniang suddenly became very gentle and gave repeated reminders.
Qin Mu agreed to all of them. After a brief moment of tenderness with her, he came to the front hall of the government office. Sima An, Li Yuan, Yang Shen, and the six ministers who accompanied him came up to congratulate him, their expressions of joy overflowing with words.
After everyone sat down, Qin Mu slowly told his long-planned idea: "My dear ministers, since ancient times, the threat from the Central Plains has always come from our northern border. Nanjing is located in the southeast. It is not conducive to controlling the northern border.
Therefore, this king intends to change Yanjing to Beijing, and then set up Xijing in Chang'an, so that the three capitals stand side by side to form a tripartite situation. Select capable and good generals to take turns to sit in the two capitals..."
Speaking of this, Qin Mu suddenly remembered the Mulan Paddock in Rehe during the Qing Dynasty. That place was known as the "Summer Resort" of the Qing emperors. The emperors of the early Qing Dynasty went to Mulan Paddock almost every year to escape the summer heat.
If you really think that it was just a summer retreat, then you are totally wrong. Every time the Qing emperor came to the Mountain Resort, he would summon all the Mongolian tribes to hold a grand hunting event, which had a profound political significance.
Just like the grand hunting event held by Emperor Yongle mentioned by Han Zanzhou, every hunting event held by the Qing emperors in Mulan Paddock was a display of force to intimidate the Mongolian tribes. It was also a way to hold various "social activities" to enhance the sense of identity among the tribes.
Qin Mu felt that this was worth learning from. However, Beijing and Chang'an were too far apart, so going hunting every year was not realistic. He thought for a moment and said, "After settling Beijing and Xijing, the ruler must go hunting in the two capitals once every three to five years to deter the villains in the northern border."
Since the Sui Dynasty, all dynasties have established two or more capitals. The Northern Song Dynasty established four capitals, the Liao and Jin dynasties established five capitals, and the Yuan Dynasty also had three capitals: Shang, Zhong, and Da.
The establishment of the Northern and Southern Capitals of the Qin Dynasty was something that everyone had expected. Even if Qin Mu hadn't mentioned it, everyone would have submitted a petition to set up one. Now that Qin Mu intends to set up an additional Western Capital, everyone is not too surprised, as this will help strengthen control over the northwest.
It was only stipulated that the king must tour the two capitals once every three to five years, which made Ai Nanying and others suspicious: "King Qin, I have no objection to setting up the Western and Northern Capitals, but the Western and Northern Capitals are far away, and a tour every three to five years will inevitably be too laborious and costly. I think a tour every ten years is enough!"
Qin Mu said decisively: "If we conduct a tour of inspection every ten years, then the establishment of two additional capitals will lose its meaning. Although it is a waste to conduct a tour of inspection every three to five years, it is worth it if it can achieve the goal of stabilizing the northern border. Otherwise, once a war breaks out, how much more will be spent?"
The recovery of Yanjing further enhanced Qin Mu's prestige. His words were powerful and unquestionable. Although the ministers present still had some doubts, they did not dwell on the matter too much.
Cen Lingnan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said, "King of Qin, once you go to Beijing, Zhending and Taiyuan will surely fall without a fight, and the world will be at peace! I suggest that King Qin move to Beijing as soon as possible. The palace in Beijing is still in good condition. I think it is a good opportunity for King Qin to ascend the throne in Beijing to bring peace to the world."
Ai Nanying, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, said, "The King of Qin once swore that he would not ascend the throne until the Tartars were driven out. Now that the Tartars have been destroyed, the King of Qin has fulfilled his promise to his subordinates. Ascending the throne and becoming the emperor is exactly what is in line with the will of heaven and what is expected of the people."
Yang Chao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also said: "The enthronement of the King of Qin in Beijing will not only conform to the will of heaven and the people, but will also help to subdue the various Mongolian tribes. I also think that the King of Qin should be enthroned in Beijing as soon as possible!"
What Yang Chao said makes sense. Although the Great Qin is now nominally a country, Qin Mu has not yet become an emperor. It would be a bit unreasonable for him to subdue the Mongolian tribes.
Everyone was very eager to urge Qin Mujiji. After all, they had worked so hard for so long, and everyone hoped to be promoted to dukes and marquises as soon as possible to establish a legitimate status. At the same time, various rewards would certainly be inevitable.
After weighing the pros and cons, the cabinet chief Sima An shook his head and said, "I dare to ask, in the future, will the King of Qin follow the old example of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty and enfeoff the princes in various places? If so, the King of Qin must not ascend the throne in Beijing."
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ps: I just fell from the top of the mountain. I have been in poor condition these two days. Plus it is the typhoon season, it is windy and rainy all day long, and there are frequent power outages, which makes people very depressed. I didn’t type a single word today. I used the draft of a chapter that I saved with great difficulty a few days ago. Alas, I urgently need everyone’s good luck!
.(To be continued..)
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