Three Kingdoms: I, Ma Su, just want to die

Chapter 663: Shocking Guandong
Ma Su always got to the point in any major event, and was unwilling to exaggerate things that could be explained in one sentence.

After Fei Yi showed the account books and settled the accounts in the court, explaining from an economic perspective the irrationality of keeping the capital in Chang'an for a long time, Ma Su knew that moving the capital to Luoyang was a foregone conclusion.

After all, this loss was a bit outrageous even to Ma Su, who seldom did the accounting.

However, Ma Su still had some concerns about when to move the capital. When Zhuge Liang and Fei Yi were discussing the issue of settling accounts, Ma Su stood up and directly raised the more important issue.

That is, after moving the capital, can we still control the political situation as stably as we do now?

After all, the reason why the imperial court could stabilize Guandong at the moment was actually because of the deterrent effect of Guanzhong. Because there were mountain roads blocking the way, the Guandong nobles were not sure about Ji Han's strength, so they had always accepted Ji Han's rule in an orderly manner.

However, if the imperial court was moved to Luoyang, it would be under the eyes of the Guandong nobles. Then the truth and strength of the imperial court would be exposed, and the Guandong nobles would lose their previous respect for it.

At any time, the great unity and centralization of power needs to rely on awe to radiate influence. If awe is lost, the control of the court over the local areas will be greatly reduced.

For example, the reason why Han laws and land measurement could be implemented so smoothly in Guandong was because the Guandong nobles respected Ji Han.

The question raised by Ma Su made Zhuge Liang's face darken slightly. He and Ma Su were both in charge of Guandong and also discovered this problem.

At present, the Han Dynasty's rule in Guandong seems to be very stable. Whether it is collecting taxes, clearing accounts, promoting Chinese law, or unifying Confucian classics, the Guandong tyrants all accept it unconditionally.

The basis of all this stems from Ma Su’s horrific military record in recent years and his awe of the imperial court’s power.

If this respect is lost, it will not be so easy for the imperial court to project its power to Kanto.

Even as time goes by, the court is likely to be gradually controlled by the Guandong nobles. When the series of policies set by Ma Su and Zhuge Liang become ineffective, the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China will probably reappear in a different form.

This is something that no one can accept, and because of this, moving the capital becomes a dilemma.

If the capital is not moved, the imperial court will have to stay in Chang'an every year, bearing huge losses. But if the capital is moved, given the current situation, it is likely that the Guandong nobles will no longer have awe for the Han central government after a short period of time.

Once Ma Su, Zhuge Liang and other old ministers are gone, who can guarantee that the Guandong nobles will not confront the court?
"This is indeed a difficult decision..." Fei Yi shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly.

"We have also considered the issues raised by the general, and we can confirm that it is not realistic to move the capital in a short period of time."

"We must wait until the court is strong enough to intimidate Guandong and stabilize the political situation in the Central Plains before we can start moving the capital. The timing of this move depends entirely on when the Han army grows strong."

"I'm afraid it's more than that..." Ma Su shook his head and added calmly.

"The wealth of Kanto is beyond our expectations. If we want to have enough power to deter them, in addition to reorganizing the army, we also need to find a way to divide and consume their power."

"Otherwise, relying solely on Chang'an's power, it may take two generations to stabilize the situation."

The current situation is that Ji Han is weaker than expected, and Guandong is stronger than expected.

If it weren't for Ma Su's cheating trick, I'm afraid that even with the national strength of Ji Han, it would never be able to defeat Guandong in this lifetime. They have already conquered most of the country, but the total force is only 300,000, and the mobile force across the country is still only more than 100,000.

It is obviously difficult to intimidate Guandong with this amount of troops. In fact, it is difficult to develop the strength to intimidate Guandong in a short period of time.

So in this case, Ma Su proposed a solution. Don't just think about improving yourself, but also think about how to destroy others.

"According to the current situation, Your Majesty can continue to let the Crown Prince supervise the country in Luoyang. While stabilizing Guandong, try to increase the royal family's influence in the Central Plains as much as possible."

Ma Su pondered for a while, then bowed to Liu Chan above and put forward his suggestions.

"During this period, let the crown prince rely on Chang'an to deter others and prepare as much strength as possible in Guandong, and work together with Guandong to strengthen the power of the court."

"In addition to this, we need to organize one or more large-scale expeditions. While not destroying the ecology of Kanto, we need to deplete the power of the Kanto nobles as much as possible."

Ma Su's proposal became the final decision. After a long discussion, the court finally approved Ma Su's decision.

At this time, the entire court, Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Guanlong all became one family. When dealing with the Guandong nobles, they all had the same stance.

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The court discussed the issue of moving the capital for a whole month. During this month, the court discussed the matter during the day, and Zhuge Liang, Ma Su, Fei Yi and others had to hold small meetings in the small room at night.

For such a major event that determines the fate of the country, everyone must be extremely cautious.

After some discussion, everyone reached a consensus.

The capital must be moved, but definitely not now, and probably not even during Liu Chan's reign. This small regime that started in the southwest has grown too fast in recent years, and it needs enough time to accumulate strength and absorb all the territories bit by bit.

As for the matter of moving the capital to Luoyang, it could only be done after the succession of Crown Prince Liu Xuan. During the reign of Liu Shan, the court was unlikely to move to Luoyang.

Fortunately, although the loss is huge, the court is still on the rise. Even in the face of such a huge loss on the road, the court can still afford it.

As for how to deplete the strength of the local gentry in Kanto, Ma Su already had some plans.

After all...Liaodong is not so peaceful these days.

All matters, big and small, were decided and the matter was basically over, and Ma Su finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then Ma Su was dragged by Zhuge Liang to the outside of Chang'an City to mourn Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan was buried in the south of Chang'an according to his will, and the direction of his tomb was facing Jingzhou. This old minister who worked diligently and risked his life for the Han Dynasty was unable to return to his hometown in Lingling to take a look until his death...

Ma Su pushed Zhuge Liang's four-wheeled cart to Jiang Wan's grave. After paying respects to Jiang Wan according to the procedure, Ma Su stepped back and left the place for Zhuge Liang.

Standing in front of Jiang Wan's tomb, Zhuge Liang's eyes were extremely complicated.

"Gong Yan, I didn't expect that you would be the first to see the late emperor..."

(End of this chapter)