Water Margin people

Chapter 1656 The Great Court Meeting

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there will be a great meeting.

All the civil and military officials went out before dawn and headed from the various mansions in Liangshan City to the Yougui Hotel by the water.

The boats had already been prepared by the waterside pavilion behind the hotel. After registering, the officials boarded the boats one by one and headed for Liangshan.

"Master Chai, there are quite a lot of people here today!"

Qin Ming said with a smile.

"General Qin, please stop calling me great official! Chai Jin doesn't deserve it! Today is a grand court meeting, all officials in Liangshan City have to go, so there will naturally be a lot of people!"

Chai Jin smiled and bowed to Qin Ming.

"Hey, isn't it inconvenient to call him Lord Chai?"

Qin Ming grabbed the back of his head and laughed. He still felt that calling him Mr. Chai was more appropriate.

"Then it's up to you. Get on board first and don't miss the time!"

Chai Jin smiled and said, since everyone is so familiar with each other, it doesn't matter what we call each other.

One ship after another sailed towards Liangshan. When the sky brightened, the bells on Liangshan rang, and the grand court meeting officially began.

After a simple ceremony, Xiao Jiasui and Wen Huanzhang began to report on the domestic situation that year. The country had been prosperous this year, with good weather and good harvests. The people lived and worked in peace and contentment, with enough food and clothing, and the world seemed to be in a prosperous era.

"Well, it's all thanks to all of you, my dear ministers. We must continue to work hard in the new year!"

Sun Lei nodded with satisfaction, saying that the officials played a big role in the country's great development during his absence.

The officials shouted "Long live the emperor!" This was not only their credit, but also the emperor's credit.

Lu Zhishen walked forward helplessly and talked about the situation and gains of the battles this year. He, the Privy Councilor, was the only one left in Liangshan City among the military generals.

Jiao Ting immediately ordered the soldiers to hang up the drawn maps. These were the territories conquered by Qi State.

Those civil servants' eyes were wide open. The map of Qi was drawn at a one-to-one ratio. The extent of the territory conquered outside the country could be known by comparing it with that in the Central Plains.

There was a murmur in the hall. The officials had not expected that the outside world was so vast.

Plateaus, mountains, grasslands, rivers, Gobi, deserts, seas, islands...

Everything is mapped in detail.

"My dear ministers, this is the current territory of our Qi State!"

Sun Lei stood up and walked to the huge map. Now the territory of Qi State crossed the ocean to the east and included the American continent. To the west, it had reached the Mediterranean Sea. To the north, it was directly connected to the North Pole. To the south, it had also controlled Oceania. The territory was vast and boundless.

"Do you think the place is too big and unnecessary?"

Sun Lei looked at the officials who were whispering and asked, what the people in the Central Plains lack most is the desire for expansion. All dynasties have been defending their own small piece of land and dominating the world. Even the few enterprising emperors only tried their hand at it and never really expanded.

"Your Majesty, it will cost us too much to control such a large area of ​​land!"

A young official said that they were already exhausted physically and mentally from governing the Central Plains, and if they wanted to expand outside the territory, they would be overwhelmed.

"Are you talking about money or people?"

Sun Lei was not angry, he just looked at the official and said that his court was different from previous dynasties.

When any dynasty is first established, in addition to those who fought together to conquer the world, there are also many recruited scholars and demoted officials. The characteristic of these people is that they are all very old.

But Qi State is an exception. The officials in Sun Lei's court are generally young people, and most of them are from the earliest schools. Although their official positions are still very low, each of them is very ambitious and capable.

"Both. The country has just started to prosper. If we have to manage such a large foreign land, the country's human and material resources will be drained."

The official saluted and said, "Your idea is good, but your understanding is wrong. You think that governing the outer regions requires the use of human and material resources from the Central Plains. You think those places are worthless deserts."

"But have you ever thought that those places also have people living there and countries? Since there are people living there and countries exist, then these places have their own value!"

"For example, outside the Pamir Mountains, there are plateaus and mountains, but there are also vast grasslands where people can graze. They can be connected to the Mobei grasslands. In the future, the price of meat can be as cheap as the price of vegetables! What do you think?"

Sun Lei looked at the officials and smiled.

“The price of meat is as cheap as the price of vegetables?”

The officials began to whisper again. Since ancient times, meat has been a symbol of status. Those who eat meat are either rich or noble. Ordinary people can hardly eat meat several times a year. Productivity restricts everything.

"This is just the simplest. There are countless forests and mineral deposits outside the region. In the South China Sea, there are countless kinds of precious woods. There are all kinds of woods that can no longer be found in the Central Plains. They are everywhere here. Don't they have value?"

"In addition, there are gold mines, silver mines, copper mines, iron mines, coal, and black oil in these places. You should know the value of these things."

"You are only worried about the transportation problems. However, you have all seen steam engines and ironclad ships. You have also seen with your own eyes during this voyage. Their transportation capacity is extraordinary. Whether it is wood, ore, or black oil, it is not a problem."

Sun Lei looked at the officials and spoke.

The officials didn't say anything else. If the transportation problem could be solved, it would be profitable overseas. Apart from anything else, if the mahogany, rosewood and ebony could be transported back, it would be huge profits.

Sun Lei looked at those officials with a smile. These people might not know that the most precious things were not wood, but minerals and black oil, which were the foundation of the Industrial Revolution.

The officials did not speak anymore, but began to report their work one by one. It was not until noon that Sun Lei's back and waist ached from sitting, and the officials who were standing also had wooden expressions. It was obvious that they could not bear it any longer. They stood on an empty stomach from dawn to noon. Military training was just like this.

After the last official finished his report, the grand court meeting finally ended. After the court was adjourned, the officials retreated to the side hall to rest and wait for the afternoon banquet.

"Your Majesty, something is happening!"

Lu Fang reported to Sun Lei in a low voice.

"It's the first day of the new year, everyone is celebrating the new year, what could be going on?"

Sun Lei frowned and asked, today is New Year's Day, even a scoundrel would not go out and wander around today.

"Your Majesty, those people are dishonest and are trying to colluded with each other today. I'm afraid there will be a big commotion!"

Lu Fang spoke.

"Big commotion? Rebellion?"

Sun Lei became interested.

"No, no, no, they are powerless, how can they rebel? They are just scholars with many clever ideas, I am afraid they will come up with some ideas."

Lu Fang quickly shook his head.

"It seems that I still overestimated them. It takes ten years for a scholar to rebel but it will not succeed."

Sun Lei lay on the chair and shook his head. If you really dare to rebel, he will look down on you.

"Zhang San and Li Si are watching them!"

Lu Fang said,

"Have you completed the personnel count?"

Sun Lei asked.

"Only half of the data has been collected so far..."

Lu Fang said in embarrassment.