***
When Emperor Qin Mu issued an edict to establish the Three Capitals System, which was divided into Nanjing, Beijing, and Xijing, there were few voices of opposition from the government and the public, because this was a precedent of past dynasties.
Apart from the nomadic states of Liao, Jin, and Yuan, even the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties had two or four capitals. In order to strengthen its rule, it was not an exaggeration for the Qin Dynasty to have three capitals.
But when the Emperor Qin Mu issued an edict to locate the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain, and the Imperial Mausoleum in Xijing, it was immediately opposed by many officials, especially those in Jiangnan, because this threatened their vital interests.
At first, the imperial decree was issued to establish Xijing, but it was in name only, so no one paid much attention to it. But if the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain, and the Imperial Mausoleum were all located in Xijing, then in fact, Xijing would be the capital.
The emperor lived in Nanjing, while the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the State Council were located in Xijing. This move was unprecedented in all dynasties and also caused many officials to worry that Qin Mu's claim of living in Nanjing was just a cover and that he would move to Xijing after the palace in Xijing was built. After all, the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the State Council were both in Xijing. They were symbols of the country and had always been located within the imperial city.
Officials in Jiangnan are certainly unwilling to move to the ruined Guanzhong, as this would harm their vital interests. To put it bluntly, they are at home in Jiangnan, but away in Guanzhong. Not to mention other interests, it would be difficult for them to go back to their hometown when they are officials in the court.
But in this matter, Qin Mu rejected all the opinions and was determined to place the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain, and the Imperial Mausoleum in Guanzhong. This was not simply because of Xuanjizi's Feng Shui theory. Qin Mu had deeper political considerations for this.
In the Yangxin Palace, Sima An, the chief of the cabinet, personally asked to see Qin Mu about this matter. Sima An did not strongly oppose this matter, but as the prime minister, he had to get it clear.
Qin Mu did not hide his thoughts from him and said slowly: "Nanjing is indeed too far south. It is not conducive to the control of the northwest. If the establishment of Xijing is just in name only, it will not be of much significance to the control of the northwest. The northwest has been known as the Hyogo during the Ming Dynasty. The fall of the Ming Dynasty was also the biggest cause of the civil unrest in Shaanxi. Mr. Sima should be familiar with this."
After Qin Mu said this, Sima An roughly understood what he meant, but he still asked: "Does the King of Qin really have no intention of moving the capital to Xijing?"
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "No. Guanzhong has been in ruins since the Tang Dynasty, and it has not been able to support the capital's expenses. It is even worse now. If the king really wants to move the capital, it will be moved to Beijing, not Guanzhong."
"That's great, but it's unprecedented to set up a separate ancestral temple and altars. How does the King of Qin plan to convince the court officials?"
Qin Mu answered the question irrelevantly: "Nanjing has been a prosperous place since ancient times. The people's customs are weak, and the rulers of later generations are raised by women in the palace, so they are inevitably lacking in strength. Throughout the dynasties, the rulers who maintained the status quo were all like this. This is what I am most worried about. Even if I stipulate that the rulers of later generations must tour the two capitals in the northwest once every three to five years, I am afraid that after a hundred years, the rulers of later generations may not take it seriously anymore."
At the beginning, Qin Mu stipulated that he must tour the two capitals in the northwest once every three to five years. One reason was to stabilize the northwest. Just like the emperors of the Qing Dynasty went to Mulan Paddock to escape the summer heat and hunt. Through this move, a series of religious, cultural, political and economic exchanges were strengthened. Control over the northwest was enhanced.
Secondly, it is also to let the monarchs of the future generations who have been in the deep palace go out more often, feel the majestic wind of the northwest, and make themselves more healthy. Don't stay in the deep palace for a long time and drown in the belly of a woman. Such a monarch will not be able to achieve anything great.
However, no matter how powerful an emperor is, he can only manage matters during his lifetime. Even if such rules are set by the ancestors, the monarchs of later generations will certainly pretend to obey them but secretly disobey them, and hollow out the so-called ancestral system with various reasons.
Didn't Zhu Yuanzhang set enough ancestral rules? But how many of them were actually implemented by later monarchs? For example, eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in government affairs, and iron plates were placed at the palace gates. What was the result? In the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs not only interfered in government affairs, but also had enough power to compete with the outer court. This was extremely rare in all dynasties.
Therefore, Qin Mu knew very well that the so-called ancestral system was not reliable. But after placing the Taimiao, Sheji, and Imperial Mausoleum in Guanzhong, things were different.
As a result, it would be difficult for future monarchs not to inspect the tombs, unless they did not care about their ancestors and the country. For example, Emperor Jiajing did not attend court for 30 years, but he had to worship his ancestors. For example, Zhu Di could rebel, but he had to visit the tombs.
In short, placing the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Sheji, and Imperial Mausoleum in Guanzhong was to force the rulers of later generations to go out. As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Along the way, as long as the ruler is not extremely incompetent, he will always have some feelings about people's livelihood after seeing a lot on the road.
In the 21st century, when information is so developed, the upper echelons still need to visit the grassroots from time to time to understand the real situation at the grassroots level. At this time, it is even more necessary. In short, forcing the monarch to go out for inspection is definitely more beneficial than harmful.
In addition, the Taimiao, Sheji, and Imperial Mausoleum are all in Guanzhong. The imperial court must strengthen the defense of Guanzhong in normal times. Otherwise, if Guanzhong is in chaos, the Taimiao, Sheji, and Imperial Mausoleum will be destroyed. Who can take on such responsibility
If the defense of Guanzhong is strengthened, the deterrence and control over the northwest will also be stronger, which can largely make up for the disadvantage that the emperor's residence in Nanjing will inevitably weaken the control over the northwest.
Sima An could think of these underlying reasons, so Qin Mu didn't need to explain them one by one. After understanding Qin Mu's thoughts, he was more certain that he would not start a war and insist on moving the capital to Xijing. Sima An was relieved.
"I'll have to trouble Mr. Sima for this matter." Qin Mu said lightly.
Qin Mu meant to let Sima An reveal his intention roughly in order to dispel the ministers' doubts about moving the capital to Xijing and reduce resistance.
Sima An bowed and replied: "Since my king has made up his mind, I will naturally support him with all my strength."
Qin Mu smiled faintly and stopped discussing the matter. As for Sima An's words that he would fully support it as long as he made up his mind, it was just for fun and not to be taken seriously. As far as this matter was concerned, Sima An would only support it if he thought it was feasible. If he thought it was not feasible, he would not agree against his will.
"King Qin, the list of meritorious officers and soldiers in the Northern Expedition has been basically reviewed. However, I suggest that you first reward the middle and lower-level generals and soldiers. As for the civil and military officials, it is better to wait until my king officially ascends the throne before rewarding them together. I think this is a more appropriate way to deal with this matter. What do you think?"
Qin Mu nodded. This was indeed better. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate to confer titles on his subordinates before he ascended the throne. If the titles were too low, everyone would be unhappy. If the titles were too high, his status as a king would be awkward.
It would be better to bestow the awards upon his ascension to the throne. This will save a lot of trouble. I believe the senior generals and ministers of the six ministries will understand.
"Let's do this according to Mr. Sima's wishes."
Regarding the title, Qin Mu planned to follow the example of the Ming Dynasty, where the highest title for people of different surnames was duke. The title of king could only be conferred posthumously to those who had made great contributions to the court.
It is better not to be crowned a king during one's lifetime, because once you achieve the title of "king", in the subconscious of the people it means that you can dominate a certain area, which will create many unstable factors for the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
"Oh, King Qin, the report from Shanxi has been submitted. A total of 1.88 million taels of gold and 5.9 million taels of silver were seized from eight families in the right part of Shanxi..."
"So little?" Qin Mu interrupted and asked. The Eight Shanyou Families started their business with huge profits, and each of them was as wealthy as a country. It was said that Fan Yongdou alone had a fortune of several million taels. How could the combined wealth of these eight families be so little
Sima An smiled and said, "In addition, there are many rare treasures and jewels, 7,000 hectares of land, more than 300 shops and houses, 40,000 catties of tea, 230,000 dan of salt, and other commodities that have not been counted in detail."
Qin Mu then nodded in agreement. The eight families were big merchants, so they must have a lot of cash, but they also had a lot of money tied up in the goods. When the cash and the goods were added together, the number added up.
He said happily, "That's great. The eight families have liaised with foreign countries and aided the enemy. They must be severely punished. The men should be executed on the spot in Shanxi, so that other Shanxi merchants can learn a lesson and avoid such things from happening again in the future. The women should be brought to the capital and given to meritorious soldiers as maids and concubines in the future."
"Yes, King Qin."
Qin Mu would not be lenient towards such unscrupulous businessmen. Not killing all the nine clans was already a mercy outside the law.
All in all, after raiding the eight families in Shanyou, they obtained several million taels, which was almost enough to reward meritorious scholars. Qin Mu was very happy!
Of course, the greater expectation is how much we can gain by confiscating the entire city of Beijing!
**********************************
ps: The weather is new in October and the whole country is celebrating together. Hyway wishes everyone a happy National Day!
Also, the beginning of each month is very important, so I kowtow to you again, and ask for the guaranteed monthly ticket! Recommendation ticket. If you don't move forward, you will fall behind. I hope that with your support, I can report a better result in October!
Thank you everyone, happy National Day!
.(To be continued..)
...