sjar Chapter 1182 Standing on the southern cliffs of Jieshi, to view the vast sea
Chapter 1182 Standing on the southern cliffs of Jieshi, to view the vast sea
Over the next few months, Li Che traveled south.
As before, they investigated local customs and traditions, and prosecuted corrupt families to solidify the foundation of Daqing's grassroots.
As expected, when the people saw the emperor arrive in person, they all shouted "Long live the emperor!"
When the powerful families saw the emperor arrive, they were so frightened that they lost their composure and expressed their loyalty.
Li Che was also aware that such pressure could only bring stability for a period of time, but that was enough.
The purpose of this move is to ensure that Daqing can smoothly get through this period, and once the new policies take effect everywhere, the people who have benefited from the new policies will become its strongest support.
By then, even if powerful families have any ideas, without the people they can command, they won't be able to cause any trouble.
When the autumn winds rose, Li Che and his party had already reached the southernmost tip of the Leizhou Peninsula.
This place is called Talei, a small fishing village.
Dozens of households are scattered on the hillside by the sea. The houses are low and the roofs are weighed down with stones of all sizes, for fear that the roofs will be blown off when a typhoon passes by.
Fishing nets were drying at the village entrance, and the air was filled with the salty, fishy smell of the sea, mixed with the aroma of dried fish and shrimp drying in every household.
Li Che did not alert the local authorities. He only brought a few dozen personal guards and a group of civil and military officials, and set up camp next to an abandoned tower outside the village.
At night, the sound of the waves filled my ears, booming and rumbling, like someone beating war drums in the distance.
Everyone was puzzled as to why Li Che had come to this godforsaken place.
The next morning, Li Che ordered Yue Yun, Xu Jiezi, Lu Dongzan, and others to accompany him to climb a stone mountain in the east of the village.
The mountain is neither high nor dangerous, but it is full of reefs that have been eroded into strange shapes by the sea wind.
Wild grasses grow prostrate on the ground, clinging to the cracks in the rocks, a grayish-green expanse.
After climbing for about 15 minutes, the view suddenly opened up, and we had reached the summit.
The sea is right in front of us.
The South China Sea in autumn is a deep, somber blue, stretching endlessly to the horizon and meeting the leaden-gray clouds.
Wave after wave surged in, crashing against the rocks and shattering into white foam.
The sound of rushing water echoed continuously, as if it had been there since time immemorial.
In the distance, where the sea meets the sky, a faint bluish-black outline can be seen.
Qiu Bai pointed in that direction: "Your Majesty, that's Qiongzhou over there. On a clear day, you can see it more clearly."
Li Che nodded, gazing at the sea, the sea breeze causing his robes to flutter.
He suddenly spoke, his voice full of emotion: "The land of Daqing is truly vast."
Xu Jiezi stood half a step to his side, smiled slightly upon hearing this, stroked his long, gray beard, and slowly spoke:
"Your Majesty, the territory of Daqing now extends west to the Western Regions, east to the islands of Japan, north to the snowy plains of the far north, and south to the Qiongzhou Strait."
"The extent of its four borders is unparalleled by any monarch throughout history."
"Such unparalleled achievements are worthy of being recorded in history, and Your Majesty will surely be remembered for eternity."
Behind them, Yue Yun, Qiu Bai, and their personal guards all bowed in unison.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Lu Dongzan stood a little distance away and also bowed slightly.
His movements were a beat slower than others, not out of disrespect, but because he was silently calculating in his mind.
Daqing's current territory extends west to the Western Regions, east to Japan, south to Qiongzhou, and north to the snowy plains.
He had studied the territories of the Central Plains dynasties in the Tibetan court, and even at the height of their power, the Central Plains dynasties had never been so vast.
From his own perspective, the acquisition of these lands in Daqing came at the cost of the destruction of countless nations.
Japan, Korea, and various tribes from the steppes...
This also includes the Tibetan Empire, which was forced to submit to him.
Yes, although the Tubo Kingdom had not yet been destroyed, Gar Tongtsen was an extremely intelligent man, and after seeing the internal situation in Daqing, he had already come to this conclusion.
The gap is too big. Daqing and Tubo are like adults and children. There is no way they can compete.
But from the perspective of major powers, what are these costs?
History books will only record that in a certain year, a certain country was at peace.
Or, in a certain year, in a certain place, it was incorporated into the territory.
As for the countless white bones and the widespread lamentation, these are merely brief mentions of the suffering caused by conquest.
Those destroyed nations can only be proven to exist in history books; their people will be integrated into the Qing people, and their territories will become the future inherent territory of Daqing.
Lu Dongzan was once a great minister who commanded an army of 100,000 to fight against the Qing army. He once turned white-haired overnight.
But now, he is merely a surrendered official following behind the emperor, silently calculating the gains and losses of these territories.
He raised his head and looked at the figure standing with his hands behind his back.
Perhaps, my choice was wise.
The integration of Tibet into Daqing was an irreversible trend.
If he could establish himself in the Qing Dynasty early on, he would suffer less hardship and gain more benefits when the Tibetans were assimilated in the future.
This was the last thing he, as a Tibetan, could do.
Li Che did not turn around, nor did he respond to the congratulations; he continued to gaze at the sea.
The sea breeze was refreshing, carrying a slightly salty, damp feel.
The sound of the waves crashed down, one after another, as if striking my heart.
He heard Xu Jiezi's words, and he also heard the congratulations from the people behind him.
The achievements of expanding territory and the fame of being a great emperor throughout history... these are things he did not not want.
But standing here now, gazing at this boundless sea, he was thinking about something else entirely.
It's true that he conquered these lands, but what happened after he conquered them?
When later generations evaluate an emperor, they often value his military achievements in expanding the territory.
What they saw was the passion for territorial expansion, the glory of all nations paying tribute, and the few words in history books: "The emperor destroyed a certain country and expanded the territory by thousands of miles."
But they didn't live in this era after all.
They did not see the laborers who were transporting grain and fodder, but instead saw them freeze to death in the freezing cold.
They didn't see the conscripted farmers put down their hoes, pick up their knives, and never return home.
They did not see the desolation of fields after years of war, orphans and widows kneeling by the roadside, begging for a bowl of porridge to survive.
Emperor Wu of Han's campaign against the Xiongnu was a monumental achievement, and his decision was flawless.
But what price did the people of the Han Dynasty pay for this?
The country was devastated, and the population was halved, as recorded in historical books.
Behind the halving of household registrations, how many families' sons, husbands, and fathers never returned?
If such a necessary battle had to be fought at such a cost, one can only imagine the wars started for the emperor's own selfish desires.
Li Che opened his eyes, his gaze passing over the sea, as if he could see something much farther away.
He thought of his predecessor who had traveled through time, and of Emperor Qing... He couldn't be like them, falling into some kind of obsession and losing his true self.
What should we do next?
We will build water conservancy projects to increase the yield of crops in the fields.
We should value education and ensure that more children can afford to go to school.
Sending ships to the Western Ocean ensured smooth trade routes and facilitated the flow of goods.
Light taxes and levies will allow the people to breathe a sigh of relief.
Territory is only truly considered a territory when it is held in one's own hands.
To truly hold the territory in one's own hands, one must rely not on swords and spears, but on plowshares and writing brushes.
It is the daily farming and the yearly life.
Thinking of this, Li Che felt a surge of heroic spirit in his chest.
It's not the kind of grand gesture of leading a million troops.
It's another kind.
It is heavy, like a burden on one's shoulders, or like the land beneath one's feet.
He gazed at Qiongzhou on the other side of the sea, and suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat scattered by the sea breeze:
"Looking eastward to Jieshi, one can gaze upon the vast sea."
Silence fell instantly behind me.
Xu Jiezi's eyes widened slightly, and his hand, which was stroking his beard, froze in mid-air.
Lu Dongzan silently raised his head, his pupils slightly contracting.
They had long heard of His Majesty's outstanding literary talent, but he had not left behind many poems and writings.
Some even said privately that His Majesty's poetic talent was no less than that of the great poets of the past.
But that was just hearsay; now they were about to witness it with their own eyes.
The sea breeze seemed to hold its breath as well.
In the distance, a cloud was torn apart by the wind, and sunlight shone through, spreading a path of light like shattered gold on the sea, stretching all the way to the foot of the mountain.
The waves crashed against the rocks, one after another.
Everyone could tell that this seemed to be a poem describing scenery.
Your Majesty is moved by the scenery; could it be that a masterpiece of landscape painting will be created today?
As for why I knew it was a masterpiece even before I finished listening...
Isn't that obvious?
This is a poem written by the emperor, with the lines "one piece after another, two pieces, three pieces, four or five pieces," which is a masterpiece!
Li Che smiled, his gaze sweeping over the scattered islands on the sea, and continued reciting: "The water is so calm, the mountains and islands stand tall."
Then, Li Che spoke again: "Trees grow in abundance, and grasses flourish."
His voice gradually softened, yet became increasingly steady.
The rhythm of the waves crashing against the rocks seemed to echo his recitation.
Lu Dongzan tilted his ear slightly and subconsciously shook his head gently in sync with the rhythm.
Xu Jiezi closed his eyes and concentrated, his fingers tapping lightly in his sleeve, indicating the positions of the poem's rhythm.
The beauty of Chinese poetry and prose lies not only in its diction and imagery, but also in its irreplaceable sense of rhythm.
When recited aloud, it is poetry; when sung, it is a song.
Although the first few lines are seemingly ordinary descriptions of scenery, learned scholars like Xu Jiezi and Lu Dongzan immediately understood their significance.
This is the work of a master; only a great ruler with a broad vision could command such an opening, and it perfectly complements the musical rhythm.
I didn't realize that His Majesty was not only a great poet and writer, but also had a talent for music.
Everyone's anticipation immediately grew.
Immediately afterward, Li Che raised his voice: "The autumn wind is bleak, and the waves are surging!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
At that moment, a strong sea breeze was blowing, causing everyone's robes to flutter.
The young emperor stood before him with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the vast expanse of waves, his figure as imposing as a mountain.
Xu Jiezi vaguely sensed that the poem was not yet finished, and that the climax was about to arrive.
Sure enough, Li Che's lips curled into a smile, a hint of domineering arrogance in his expression.
"The movement of the sun and moon seems to originate from within it."
"The starry sky is so brilliant, it seems to emerge from within it!"
boom--
Xu Jiezi felt a jolt in his head.
He stared blankly at the young emperor standing with his hands behind his back in the sea breeze, and for a moment it seemed as if he was not seeing a person, but a god looking down on all living beings.
The movement of the sun and moon seems to originate from this vast ocean.
The Milky Way shines brilliantly, as if it were emerging from this vast ocean.
This is a descriptive technique that uses imagery to vividly portray the grandeur of the sea.
What's even more astonishing is the breadth of vision revealed behind these verses: a heart that can embrace the sun and moon and encompass the Milky Way, the kind of spirit only an emperor could possess.
Lu Dongzan stood frozen in place, his lips slightly parted, forgetting to close them.
He was well-versed in the poetry and literature of the Central Plains and considered himself to be accustomed to famous works and beautiful verses.
But at this moment, he couldn't utter a single comment; he only felt an indescribable emotion surging within him.
Although Yue Yun and the other military officers only half understood what they were hearing, they still felt a surge of hot blood in their chests, as if something was about to burst out.
Li Che's last sentence was delivered in a calm tone:
"How fortunate I am! I sing to express my aspirations."