1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 730 Chang'an
On January 1657, 1, Daxing Mansion (now Brisbane, Australia), Shuntian Fort (now Gatton, Australia, 10 kilometers west of Brisbane).

Shuntian Fort is an immigration point located in a river valley. It was established three years ago and is the westernmost inland stronghold of Daxing Prefecture.Surrounded by mountains, this place has abundant rainfall and relatively fertile soil. In just a few years, it has achieved food self-sufficiency.

The population of the entire fort is nearly 500, and they are basically farmers who mainly cultivate land.Because the distance to the nearest county town is more than 60 kilometers, and there is no national road, there is only one rammed earth road, and various materials do not seem to be abundant.

However, in the afternoon, this small fortress welcomed a group of high-ranking officials and accompanying guards from Fucheng, which surprised several civil affairs officials in Shuntian Fort.

"You are the commander of this place, Bi Shaotang?" Pan Qifeng, former prime minister of the cabinet and now chief executive of the Southeast Administrative Office, sat on a crude wooden chair, looking at the young man in front of him with a smile.

"Back to the general manager, the humble position is Bi Shaotang, the commander of Shuntian Castle." Bi Shaotang bowed his hands and said respectfully.

"I heard from the county officials that you were self-sufficient in local food in two years in Shuntianbao, and in the third year, you were able to pay a small amount of food tax for the county. This achievement is really outstanding! So, it's not surprising. In vain the ardent hopes of your father and grandfather."

"A lowly position should not be praised by adults."

Bi Shaotang's father was Bi Zhengxing, the former magistrate of Guizhou Prefecture in Southwest China (now Perth, Australia), and the current Minister of Culture and Education, Bi Zhengxing, and his grandfather was Bi Maokang, the former deputy prime minister of the cabinet and minister of Dali Temple.

After exchanging greetings with many high-ranking officials present, Bi Shaotang tactfully withdrew from the Commander's Mansion, and took a few civil affairs officials to arrange the logistics support here.

Pan Qifeng and a group of officials from the prefecture and county rode tirelessly all the way to Shuntian Fort, not for the purpose of inspecting the development and construction of this place.Shuntian Fort was only a base for a short stay of their officials and scholars. The final destination was to go to a plain area on the west side of Dadong Mountain (now the Great Dividing Range in Australia) to conduct a field investigation for the future location of the capital of Qi. .

After more than [-] years of development, although Jianye Mansion is still the most important economic, political and cultural center of Qi State so far, the location is too remote and the hot and humid environment is destined not to become the capital of Qi State in the future.Moreover, with the faster and faster immigration, the proportion of the population in the southeastern region of Hanzhou is also increasing year by year.

As of December last year, the population of Qi is expected to reach about 78, and this does not include the increase in this year's immigration season.What is even more rare is that last year, the birth population in Hanzhou and several nearby overseas territories exceeded 4 for the first time, accounting for more than [-]% of the new population.Based on this calculation, perhaps within a few years, the main way of Qi's population growth will soon be a situation where native birth is the main route and immigration is the supplementary, realizing a true self-growth model of the country's population.

However, several prefectures and counties in the southeast of Hanzhou, because of their superior geographical and climatic conditions, have been favored by immigration policies, including Daxing Prefecture, Zibo Prefecture (now Sydney, Australia), and Nandu Prefecture (now Melbourne, Australia) have exceeded 10 people, making the total population of the entire southeastern region reach 40, making it the most densely populated area in Qi.

In view of this, in order to better control the fertile land in the southeast, and to promote and enhance the development effect of industrial clusters in the southeast region, three years ago, Qi State began to select a site in the southeast region to establish the future capital of the country.

According to the will of the king, the capital city should be located in the middle of the eastern part of Hanzhou, [-] to [-] kilometers away from the inland, and the terrain is flat, surrounded by mountains, as a safety barrier.The overall environment must have mountains and rivers. In addition, the location should not be too far from the industrial and agricultural production areas, so as to facilitate the supply of the capital's needs.

With such simple conditions, we can only choose two places in Daxing Mansion and Zibo Mansion, and we can only conduct field inspections along the two sides of Dadong Mountain.

As the general manager of the Handongnan Administrative Office, Pan Qifeng didn't really care whether the capital of Qi State was built in the territory of Daxing Mansion or Zibo Mansion under his jurisdiction. In any case, it would play a huge role in stimulating the population and economic concentration of the two places. Then prosper the entire southeast Han area.

However, as the first prime minister of the Qi State, he has the right to speak on the location of the capital.And he also hopes that before his political life is over, he can rely on his great contribution to building the capital to leave a legacy to future generations.

Therefore, Pan Qifeng sent several expedition teams two years ago to go deep into both sides of Dadong Mountain in the inland area, conduct detailed geological surveys, and select a suitable location for the capital.At the end of last year, the officials in charge of site selection initially selected several locations, and immediately reported them to him, waiting for a decision.

In order to have a more practical understanding of the location of the capital, Pan Qifeng, regardless of his age of [-], led a group of officials, geological experts, and more than a hundred accompanying guards, and rode all the way from Daxing City just after Zhengdan Come inland.

The first site to be investigated was Chengde County (now Ipswich City, Australia), which is more than 40 kilometers west of Daxing City. Meihe) small town.

Just after a cursory look, Pan Qifeng directly rejected this place.Not to mention that this place is only [-] kilometers away from the coastline, even the flat terrain here is not suitable for the conditions of the capital.In case, a strong enemy invades in the future, as long as Daxing City is broken, the enemy army can easily drive straight in and reach here.As far as the defense and evacuation of the capital is concerned, there is not much room for maneuver.

After inspecting Shuntian Fort for three days, Pan Qifeng and others continued westward towards a pasture on the west side of Dadong Mountain.According to the personnel of the exploration team, at the foot of the mountain more than 30 kilometers away from Suncheon Fort, there is a flat valley with several streams running through it and lush vegetation.There is a government-run ranch in the area, which raises nearly a thousand horses, cattle and sheep.

On January 1, when the expedition team arrived at the pasture, they were immediately attracted by the scenery here. The lush slopes, rolling low mountains, various wild flowers everywhere, and numerous cattle and sheep dotted it, making the whole valley a It is full of vitality, and it also makes all the investigators who have been here all the way feel relieved instantly, and their slightly tired bodies seem to be completely released in this empty and beautiful natural environment.

"Although there are many slopes here, there is no difficulty in building various houses. Perhaps, a city built on the mountain will have more wonderful and interesting things." A master builder who accompanied him pointed said with a nod.

"Well, the land is backed by Dadong Mountain, covered by mountains on the north and south sides, and a vast plain land on the west side. As long as the pass on the east side of Dadong is guarded, it will be difficult for any overseas enemies to shake the defense of this place." said the gendarmerie officer.

"This place is about 130 kilometers away from Daxing. As long as a national road is built to lead here, the materials produced in Daxing Mansion will be able to be quickly transferred here in less than two days. If a horse-drawn track can be built, I am afraid that it will be able to be transported here. You can reach this place in one day and night." A shopkeeper of a trading company in Daxing Mansion looked at Pan Qifeng and expressed his preference for this place.

After hearing this, Pan Qifeng smiled slightly.It seems that many members of the expedition team have the same thoughts as themselves, and have already fallen in love with this place.Then, next, we need to conduct a detailed investigation of this place to finally confirm whether this place can be used as the future capital.

The initial determination of the site selection is only the first step in the construction of the capital.With a current population of less than one million in Qi State, it is bound to be impossible to easily mobilize tens of thousands of people, regardless of manpower and material resources, to build a majestic and magnificent capital in a short period of time like those dynasties in the mainland of China.

The entire planning and construction cycle of the new capital city may take as long as 20 years, and it will be constructed in several stages.In the initial stage, it is planned to complete the construction of public facilities such as the palace, government offices, municipal administration, schools, roads, water sources, warehouses, barracks, squares, and some residential buildings within ten years.At that time, the royal family and the government will settle in first, supplemented by all kinds of business personnel and service personnel needed by the capital, so as to play the central function of the capital.

After that, after more than ten years of construction, a number of industrial and agricultural satellite towns were successively established near the capital, and roads, railway tracks and other auxiliary transportation facilities leading to various places were improved, and a new type of capital that fit the Daqi Kingdom's temperament as a regional hegemon was finally built.

The name of the future capital city has not yet been determined, but many officials and scholars are more inclined to the name "Chang'an". First, because Chang'an represents several great and powerful dynasties, a prosperous and powerful country that conquers all barbarians and conquers all nations. This is very meaningful to Qi State, which is thriving and growing. Second, Chang'an, as the literal meaning implies, will enjoy long-term stability and peace in the world forever.Chang'an, the ancient capital of the land of China, was the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties. It is the capital city with the most dynasties, the longest period of establishment, and the greatest influence in Chinese history.

Today, the old capital Chang'an was renamed Xi'an during the Hongwu period, making this long-standing place name disappear in the long river of history.And if the Qi State wants to inherit the Chinese civilization, promote the culture of the Han family, and establish a two-ocean empire, there is no better way to name the capital Chang'an, so that it will once again become famous in the world and conquer the four barbarians.

Pan Qifeng and other site selection investigators initially determined the location in Toowoomba City, 120 kilometers west of Brisbane, Australia. It is the second largest inland city in Australia except the capital Canberra, and is famous for its gardens all over the world. capital.
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On February 2, Jianye.
Qi Tian gently placed the capital site selection report submitted by the Handongnan Administrative District on the table, closed his eyes, and carefully recalled some vague memories.Although he didn't go to see it on the spot, he was very sure that this place must be different from the original location of Canberra, the capital of Australia.But since the officials in the southeast of the Han Dynasty have been carefully selected and carefully investigated, the place must not be bad.In addition, after the report was deliberated by the cabinet, it was directly forwarded, so it is natural that this place is collectively preferred.

Then, choose this place as the capital of Qi.

"Your Majesty, the construction of the capital will take 20 years. The preliminary plan is that the Ministry of Industry first entrusts Hanzhou Road Construction General Trading Company to build a national road of more than 80 kilometers, extending the road from Daxing to Chengde to Dadongshan. At the same time, Entrust Daxing Construction Co., Ltd. to build several brick kilns and cement factories at the location of the capital city to meet the needs of later construction. In view of this, 1 immigrants will be sent to Daxing Prefecture this year, ordering the region to increase immigration points to the western inland Construction will lay a certain human and material foundation for the later construction of the capital." Wang Zhenliang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, said with a bow.

"The people needed for the construction of the capital should not be expropriated. Especially in the early stage of construction, the conditions are relatively harsh and the project is relatively heavy." Qi Tian said: "You need to know that there is not enough manpower in the country, and immigration is not easy, so it cannot afford any consumption. .”

"The king is sympathetic to the power of the people, which is the blessing of all the people in our country. I will follow the king's will and send powerful officials to supervise the handling, so that the power of the people will not be abused." Wang Zhenliang said: "The minister and the immigration department have a plan to prevent the construction of the capital city. However, the transfer of labor labor will delay the industrial and agricultural industries. It is proposed that the labor force for the construction of the capital city should be borne by new immigrants every year. The number of people is tentatively set at [-], and the service period is one year. Colonize."

"Yes!" Qi Tian nodded and said, "The immigration department can also recruit overseas natives as appropriate to undertake heavy and dangerous work in the construction process."

"Follow the king's order." Wang Zhenliang clapped his hands in promise.

"The name of the capital should be Chang'an." Qi Tian looked at the cabinet ministers in the hall, and said loudly, "I hope that I, Da Qi, can have such a name, and the country will enjoy long-term peace and stability."

"Your Majesty, since the founding of our Great Qi in Hanzhou, we have grown from nothing, and the country has grown from weak to strong. We have defeated the barbarians, conquered the barbarians, and conquered Nanyang. Now, the people in the country have enough food and clothing, live and work in peace and contentment, and the population size It is just around the corner to reach a million. With this, long-term stability and peace are also a matter of course." Cabinet Prime Minister Zhang Wenqi said proudly.

"As the Prime Minister said, in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and even in the Nanyang region, there is no country like ours. The people are happy, the country is rich and the army is strong, and it shows a vigorous trend." Hu Pingjiang, Minister of the Ministry of War, said: "Wang Shang was prosperous in the Spring and Autumn Period With great talent and general strategy, under the rule of the king, Daqi will surely enjoy long-term peace and stability, and dominate the two oceans."

"Hehe..." Qi Tian chuckled a few times, "The ministers are much more optimistic than I am. But looking at the thousands of years of Chinese history, there has never been a long-standing dynasty. The number of hundred years. Why is it that we, Da Qi, can achieve long-term peace and stability?"

All the ministers couldn't help but look at each other when they heard the words, and for a while, they didn't know how to respond to what the king said.

"China has thousands of years of history. At the beginning of entrepreneurship, there is always a hard way, perseverance, and a life after death. However, when the achievements are prosperous, the natural inertia occurs, and then paralysis and slack, corruption gradually arises, or the government is slack and the official is successful, or the people are dead. , or seeking glory and disgrace. Although there is great effort, it cannot be reversed, nor can it be remedied. It can be said that its prosperity is also vigorous, and its death is also sudden. This is a historical cycle, and it goes back and forth. Few people, one family, one group, one A locality, or even a country, can jump out of the dominating power of this cycle."

"In the "Deep Concern" written by Fang Xiaoru of the Ming Dynasty in the past, he pointed out that the rise and fall, governance and chaos, and the cycle of reciprocation have almost become the main line of history and politics for thousands of years. Those who think about the world often plan their difficulties and ignore their easy ones. What is to be feared but what is not to be doubted is left behind. Therefore, there is this question left in the world: worry about one thing and cause disasters for another, and end in chaos and death, what is it?"

"It may be possible to make a difference with virtue and touch the sky with virtue, is that true?" Qi Tian saw that all the officials in the palace showed thoughtful expressions and smiled slightly, "Looking at the development path and philosophy of our country, although we can't expect it too much Jumping out of this historical cycle, I hope to have some long-term thinking and exploration with you here. The relationship between the cabinet center and local counties (overseas territories), the design of the power system, the relationship between the regime and the people, and the relationship between benevolent and moral governance Arguments can be made. In this regard, it is indeed beneficial to discard the rough and select the essence, discard the false and keep the true, and seek a "Chang'an". What do you think?"
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"Father, may our country of Qi jump out of the law of this cycle in the next few hundred years?" After the big discussion in the Chongzheng Palace, the crown prince Qi Zixing followed behind Qi Tian. if.

"Maybe, maybe not." Qi Tian turned to look at his eldest son, "Of course, in the future, if our descendants can have great wisdom or courage, follow the historical trend and domestic public opinion, and launch a top-down Revolutions may be able to jump out of this historical cycle that has lasted for thousands of years."

"Revolution?" Qi Zixing was a little stunned when he heard this word suddenly.

"Yes, revolution!" Qi Tian said with a smile: "If you dare to risk your own life, maybe you will jump out, it's unknown."

(End of this chapter)