Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2653 The Southeast Discourse, the Struggle for Feudalism

"All of you have read Yang Su's report."

Li Xiang's gaze swept over the assembled officials standing solemnly below. "The Southeast Asian regions are vast, far beyond the heartland of the Central Plains. Forcibly establishing prefectures and counties would only lead to officials being unaccustomed to the local conditions, making it difficult to implement policies, and wasting money, grain, and lives. However, since they have already been incorporated into the map, there is no reason to abandon them. How should we govern them?"

"Yang Su suggested that we follow the example of the early Han Dynasty and enfeoff members of the imperial family as princes to guard these areas. What do you think, my dear ministers? Today, I want to hear a practical plan."

The issue of governance in Southeast Asia must be addressed by reaching a consensus as soon as possible.

In the past two years, the Great Jin court only sent some officials there, maintaining overall military control primarily under the Crown Prince and Yang Su, with the central court dispatching officials to assist and promoting some local Southeast Asian officials to govern the barbarians. Thus, a three-pronged approach to governance was adopted.

However, this was only a temporary measure during the war and could not be maintained indefinitely.

With 80% of Southeast Asia already occupied and the war expected to end by the end of this year, these preparations must begin.

After all, to put it bluntly!
Given the distance to Southeast Asia, even if they send officials there and go through the entire process, it would take at least six months to a year for those officials to arrive.

Before the words had even finished, Fang Xuanling, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and said in a booming voice, “Your Majesty! The prefecture-county system is the foundation of our Great Jin Dynasty and the cornerstone of the unification of the world! How can it be abandoned because of these barbaric lands?”

"Yang Su is incompetent, hence this predicament! We should send capable officials and reinforce the army to open up roads through the mountains and build numerous cities, using overwhelming force to intimidate the disobedient! With ten years of recuperation and another ten years of training, we can eventually educate the barbarians and bring them under our rule!"

Fang Xuanling's suggestion clearly showed strong opposition to the idea of ​​abandoning the prefecture-county system.

Granting fiefdoms to princes is a path to disaster!

If the power of the vassal kings grows, they will inevitably threaten the position of the central court in the future.

After all, no one can guarantee that the central government will remain powerful for generations to come.

Perhaps one day the central government will fall into a state of weakness, and those powerful regional princes could very well be the knife that takes the life of the central court.

"His Majesty!"

Zhuge Liang, the Minister of Works who had been silent until now, finally spoke up: “According to historical records, the Zhou dynasty implemented the enfeoffment system, which protected the royal family and laid the foundation for eight hundred years of rule. The Qin dynasty abolished the enfeoffment system and implemented the prefecture-county system alone, but it perished after only two generations. Emperor Gaozu of the Han dynasty learned from the mistakes of the Qin dynasty and implemented the system of prefectures and kingdoms, which led to the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing.”

"The southeastern region is now in a similar situation to the Guandong region in the early Han Dynasty. The emperor is far away and the strong branches are weak. Rather than forcibly driving fish into dry land, why not follow the example of our ancestors and, as Yang Su suggested, divide the land and enfeoff people?"

Southeast Asia is too far from the ruling center, and the emperor is far away. If the county system is forcibly adopted, even if the current generation can control it and the next generation can also rule it, what about the generation after that?

Compared to the feudal system, the prefecture-county system was indeed more conducive to maintaining centralized power and the rule of the imperial court.

However, this is based on effective governance!

If effective governance cannot be established, the prefecture-county system is nothing but a joke.

In Zhuge Liang's view, the choice of which system to adopt depends on the actual situation! Only by adapting to the times can long-term stability be achieved, rather than simply deciding which system is better or worse!
"Enfeoffment?" Du Ruhui suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with sharp light. "Minister Zhuge! The Zhou dynasty is declining, and the feudal lords are rising up; the Rebellion of the Seven States is a lesson from the past! Enfeoffing princes, who will hold their own armies and territories, will only make them too powerful to control! Are we going to sow countless seeds of disaster beyond this vast sea border? This is like drinking poison to quench thirst!"

He practically roared it out, his voice echoing throughout the palace.

In politics, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui always stood together through thick and thin.

Zhuge Liang remained expressionless, meeting Fang Xuanling's gaze: "Brother Keming, how could I not know of your profound worries? However, the current situation of our Great Jin is not comparable to that of the Seven Kingdoms of Han!" "The Southeast Asian regions are not the fertile Central Plains, but rather desolate lands ravaged by miasma! Their people are uncivilized, their lands are undeveloped, and their roads are impassable! Their prefectures and counties are merely nominal, and the imperial court's reach is too far to extend."

"To enfeoff princes of the imperial clan and send them to their respective fiefdoms is like throwing a stone into the sea. Although it may stir up waves, the effect will be immediate. They will be able to guard this land beyond the reach of His Majesty and the court!"

"Your subject agrees with what Minister Zhuge said!"

Not long ago, Li Si, who had been transferred from the local area to the central government again, spoke up: "When the princes go to their fiefdoms, they should bring their clans, troops, artisans, and good seeds, like transplanted trees that take root in their new places, clear away the thorns and brambles, build their own cities and towns, raise their own provisions and pay off their own barbarians!"

"In my opinion, there are three advantages to enfeoffing princes of the imperial clan: First, it will save the court the trouble of transporting supplies to distant garrisons, saving millions of dollars and grain, thus consolidating the foundation of the Central Plains."

"Secondly, the princes, for the sake of their descendants' legacy, will certainly devote themselves to its management, putting in a hundred times more effort than the officials dispatched by the court."

"Thirdly, the imperial family members are connected by blood and can jointly protect the Jin dynasty, ensuring that this territory will forever belong to China! This is a practical and expedient measure that uses the ancient concept of a vassal state to protect the Zhou dynasty!"

When the imperial clan is granted fiefdoms, the imperial clan members are naturally the biggest beneficiaries. It's even possible that one of his lineages might receive a share.

Therefore, even without considering the pros and cons of this policy, Li Si's own self-interest alone destined him to stand on the side of Yang Su and Zhuge Liang.

Or rather, the vast majority of the royal family members would stand on this side.

The only ones who objected were probably the Crown Prince and a few other princes who wanted to argue about it.

Those members of the royal family who had status and power, as well as those princes who had no interest in the throne, longed for a fiefdom so that they could become their own local emperors on their own small plot of land.

"As for Xuanling and Keming's concern that the regional princes are becoming too powerful to control..."

Zhuge Liang then spoke again, a sharp glint in his eyes, "The princes' fiefdoms are far in the southeast, in remote and barren lands, naturally protected by miasma! How can the power of these princes compare to that of the Central Plains?"

"Furthermore, in order to prevent the princes from causing trouble, the court can strictly establish laws and regulations. The princes can take charge of local military and political affairs, but their important positions such as chief secretary, prime minister, and captain are all appointed by the court to share their power."

"The size of its army, the type of weaponry, and the collection of taxes are all subject to the limits set by the imperial court! This is not about carving out a territory to establish a hegemony, but about governing the people on behalf of the emperor! When the land is developed, the people are assimilated, the roads are open, and the foundations of the prefectures and counties are solidified,"

As he continued, Zhuge Liang emphasized, "Further granting favors to the vassal states and reducing their power, turning the kingdoms into prefectures, will be a natural outcome! This is a strategy of 'trading space for time,' leaving a solution for future generations to address the potential threat posed by the vassal kings!"

In Zhuge Liang's view, since the central government could not effectively govern Southeast Asia, which was far from the capital, enfeoffing princes would indeed be an effective way to strengthen control over these regions.

It's important to understand that, not to mention Southeast Asia, for the first time in this era, the economic center did not shift south, and the south did not receive truly effective development.

Furthermore, these are merely expedient measures.

When the foundation for ruling Southeast Asia is mature, the state system can be abolished and replaced with prefectures and counties. Emperor Wu of Han has already provided a template for this. Do future generations not even know how to copy this homework?

The enfeoffment system implemented by the Zhou emperor and the Rebellion of the Seven States at the beginning of the Han dynasty were indeed lessons learned from the enfeoffment system.

However, this does not mean that it has no merits at all.

It's okay to use it for a short period of time, as long as it's not used as a long-term solution.

By leveraging the power of regional kings to strengthen rule and develop local production, the central government could then reap the benefits – this was Zhuge Liang's strategy.