Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 1086 Discussion in the Imperial Garden

Thus, these restless creatures, far removed from human affairs, would naturally not be able to stand the emperor.

Even if the emperor still harbored resentment, the person was far away in the Southern Continent, and the emperor could not reach them.

Even if those restless individuals harbor inappropriate thoughts, they are far away in the Southern Continent and cannot significantly influence the situation in the Central Region.

Thinking about it this way... the more Fang Xuanling thought about it, the more he felt that expanding into the Southern Continent was a brilliant move!
Even after the existence of Jambudvipa, some of the demoted ministers found new places to go!
As for the Southern Continent being too far away, separated by a vast ocean, the central government is unable to reach it...

So what?
In the matter of developing Jambudvipa, did the imperial court really make any sacrifices?

No!

The one who went to oversee things was Emperor Wenchang.

Accompanying Emperor Wenchang were his proud and fierce generals, who were already on the verge of becoming liabilities and had almost no more titles to bestow.

Is this a price to pay for the imperial court?

of course not!

This allowed them to shed some of the costs!
"Your Majesty." As he pondered, Fang Xuanling's voice rang out again.

"The ultimate reward for both civil and military achievements is nothing more than granting land and establishing a kingdom."

"But among the people of the Central Region, since the First Emperor destroyed the six kingdoms and unified the prefectures and counties, and after the reforms of the Han Dynasty, the division of territory has become a taboo."

"Your subject dares not think of it, and the emperor dares not mention it."

"Those civil and military officials, once they have made too many merits, will try to find a way to tarnish their reputation, so that their merits are too great and there is nothing left to reward them."

"Thus, the greater the merit, the more suspicious the ruler and his ministers become of each other."

"The greater the power one holds, the more reserved one becomes, and one dares not exert one's full strength in any matter."

"In this way, the nation's destiny is being wasted."

"But it would be different if we opened up the Southern Continent."

“Southern Jambudvipa is far away, separated by a vast ocean, making it difficult to deploy the central government’s power.”

"In this way, if a minister truly makes outstanding contributions, he can be granted land in the Southern Continent. In this way, neither the ruler nor the minister need to worry about having no land to grant, and the relationship between the ruler and the minister will naturally be harmonious."

Fang Xuanling said.

It was a small gathering in the Imperial Garden, not in the imperial court.

Otherwise, the matter of granting land and bestowing titles would remain a tacit understanding—he would never bring it up in public.

"To be granted land and made king!"

Upon hearing these four words, both Li Jing and Changsun Wuji's hearts pounded violently.

Under heaven, which category of officials is most likely to gain the merit of being granted land and be granted titles beyond measure?
Of course, they are military generals!

That is the pinnacle of achieving great things with small resources—a sufficiently outstanding general can rise from an ordinary soldier or junior officer to a great general in just one battle.

Similarly, this is precisely why the merits of military generals can easily become so great that there is no room for further recognition, which in turn can lead to rifts.

But if there were such a backup plan as granting land and titles of kings... then military generals would never have to worry about such things again.

The phrase "granting a fiefdom and the title of king" encompasses all your achievements, no matter how great they may be!
It is no exaggeration to say that this was the foundation upon which the military generals of later generations made their living.

Compared to Li Jing's delight, Changsun Wuji was not so happy about it.

Some time ago, his stance had already begun to shift in favor of the aristocratic families.

So what do powerful families rely on to control the situation in the human world?

It was a calculated move, made step by step.

What is the ultimate trump card, or the ultimate logic, behind this meticulously planned scheme?

There is no way out!
Only when everyone has no way out can the grand schemes of the powerful families be pushed forward step by step, and only then can the pawns of the powerful families move forward according to their ideas.

But if they had that distant enclave in the Southern Continent... then both civil officials and military generals would have a way out.

If they are pushed too far by then... then they can just head to Jambudvipa!

So what if they had offended the emperor to death before?
They've already 'exiled' themselves overseas, so why should you, as the emperor, relentlessly pursue them?
As for the aristocratic families... you have managed this chessboard of the Central Region for countless millennia, making it deeply entrenched and difficult for anyone to deal with you.

But outside the Central Region... that's no longer your family's chessboard.

Therefore, for the aristocratic families, the existence of the Southern Continent is tantamount to carving out a piece of land on their chessboard that they have no control over.

This blow to the established chessboard is tantamount to a war.

Therefore, Changsun Wuji, who had unknowingly sided with the aristocratic families, instinctively felt a sense of rejection towards the enclave of Nanzhanbuzhou.

If everyone has a way out, how can they work together with one heart and one mind?

Therefore, before Li Jing could respond after Fang Xuanling spoke, Changsun Wuji spoke first.

“No, no!” Changsun Wuji shook his head repeatedly.

He naturally wouldn't bring up the aristocratic families.

Instead, they chose a different perspective.

"Today, Fang Xiang spoke frankly and without reservation, even mentioning the phrase 'granting fiefdoms and granting land to the people.'"

"Then I'll be more straightforward and say some taboo things that I shouldn't usually talk about," Changsun Wuji said, putting on an extremely frank appearance.

"Humanity also has its share of killing," Changsun Wuji said.

Hearing his words, the people in the Imperial Garden immediately believed Changsun Wuji's 'frank' attitude.

After all, neither humanity nor calamity is a perspective that these 'ministers' should have; rather, it is something that Emperor Li Shimin should consider.

Logically speaking, the ups and downs of human nature are not something that these subjects can sense.

"This calamity is played out on the chessboard of the Southern Continent, and our Great Tang, along with the entire human race, is spared from the calamity because of the division of that vast ocean."

"Therefore, outside the Tang Dynasty, there was a great upheaval, but within the Tang Dynasty, there was no great turmoil."

"Prime Minister Fang, from our perspectives, we can see that the reason why the calamity did not involve the Tang Dynasty was not because the powerful immortals and gods in the calamity were unwilling to involve the Tang Dynasty, nor because they dared not involve the Tang Dynasty—otherwise, there would have been no Liangzhou incident."

"The reason why the Tang Dynasty was not involved in the calamity was because the boundless ocean served as a barrier, making it difficult for the game of killing to spread to the Tang Dynasty."

"But if humanity expands in the Southern Continent and the banner of the Great Tang waved in the Southern Continent, then with the Fengqi Kingdom as the anchor, the calamity would directly sweep over the Great Tang."

Changsun Wuji's expression turned solemn.

"Prime Minister Fang, the Tang Dynasty is a newly established nation, and it is at the height of its vigor."

"At this time, what we cannot afford most is to suffer defeat and lose territory." "Therefore, the expansion of the Southern Continent and the order of the Fengqi Kingdom are definitely not as simple as Fang Xiang said, that they have no impact on the overall situation of the Tang Dynasty."

"Once the Kingdom of Fengqi returns to humanity, the Tang Dynasty will absolutely not give up on it."

"At that time, no matter what moves the immortals, demons, gods, and Buddhas of the Southern Continent make in the Phoenix Kingdom, our Great Tang will have to respond!"

"Prime Minister Fang, Your Majesty, and Duke Wei, the Fengqi Kingdom is no ordinary frontier."

"That's an enclave that spans an entire ocean!"

"But we are all mortals—it is impossible for us to see the situation in Fengqi Kingdom clearly across the vast ocean like immortals and gods."

"Prime Minister Fang, think about it. If we are in Fengqi Kingdom and we are fighting with others, what if someone uses the existence of Fengqi Kingdom to harass our Great Tang?"

"Then how much effort would our Great Tang Dynasty have to expend to ensure the authenticity of the news from Fengqi Kingdom?"

"How much manpower and resources will it take to stabilize the situation in Fengqi Kingdom?"

"Your Majesty, is this Fengqi Kingdom, this Southern Continent, a land to be granted as a fiefdom, or a hidden danger that will bleed the Tang Dynasty dry?"

Listening to Changsun Wuji's analysis, the emperor and his ministers in the imperial garden all fell into deep thought.

Admittedly, Changsun Wuji's words contained almost no sense of self-assurance, but rather a lot of concerns—though these concerns were indeed those of a seasoned and prudent ruler.

Especially now, the Tang Dynasty has not yet fully stabilized its position in the Central Plains—the Turks have been constantly entangled with the Tang Dynasty in the Central Plains and have been causing trouble.

At this point, if we were to distract ourselves and focus our attention on the distant Southern Continent, or on a place where even a fraction of the Tang Dynasty's power might not be effective, it might not be a good thing for the Tang Dynasty.

It's possible that, due to the involvement of the Southern Continent and the Fengqi Kingdom, the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks might experience some setbacks.

Just then, another young and sharp voice rang out in the Imperial Garden.

"Has His Majesty the Emperor misunderstood something?"

The voice spoke these words, and to Changsun Wuji, they sounded exceptionally grating!
"Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to eavesdrop on state affairs and spout nonsense in this Imperial Garden?" Changsun Wuji rebuked him without any politeness, his voice gloomy and his words filled with murderous intent.

The emperor and his ministers looked in the direction of the sound and suddenly discovered that Wenchang Dijun and the Three Altars Sea Gathering God were sitting on the other side of the Imperial Garden.

—The one who spoke was none other than the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas.

Nezha completely ignored Changsun Wuji, not even bothering to glance at him.

"Your Majesty, have you perhaps misunderstood something?"

"The reason why Emperor Wenchang and I have come here is not to ask His Majesty whether we should go to the Southern Continent."

"It's because the Phoenix Kingdom in the Southern Continent has already undergone reform!"

"The order of humanity has been stirred up and is heading towards Jambudvipa."

"Even if His Majesty does not act today, Emperor Wenchang will still go to Fengqi Kingdom to oversee and manage human affairs."

"In the Phoenix Kingdom, humanity will also fall, turning that place into a kingdom of humanity."

"However, if the Tang Dynasty does not act, it is hard to say whether the Fengqi Kingdom, which has grown up in the Southern Continent, will recognize the Tang Dynasty as its suzerain and His Majesty as the Human Emperor."

Nezha said in a deep voice.

Emperor Wenchang nodded silently.

This is the fundamental reason why he insisted on meeting the Emperor and informing him about the affairs of the Fengqi Kingdom.

The issues involved in the Fengqi Kingdom are not merely matters of human morality that have been stirred up.

Rather, it is another profound mystery within humanity—the orthodoxy of humanity!
Without a doubt, the true orthodoxy of humanity lies with the Human Emperor.

But if someone were to establish a place outside of human customs, and then awaken human customs...

How did he manage to carve out a land of humanity without any support from the Human Emperor or by notifying him?

Is this newly established humane nation a vassal state of the Human Emperor, or an independent nation?
If they are vassals of the Emperor... then what gives them the right?
If it is an independent country, wouldn't that also mean that the ruler of that place holds a position in humanity equal to that of the human emperor?

Was that small Fengqi Kingdom on par with the Tang Dynasty?
This is the biggest problem in the Fengqi Kingdom.

Upon hearing this, the emperor and his ministers present broke out in a cold sweat.

This is a problem they all overlooked.

After all, in their understanding, whether it is the human emperor or those human monarchs who are not yet human emperors, their existence is naturally equivalent to humanity and naturally governs everything in the human realm.

—The changes in humanity all began because of them, and all were sealed because of them.

Humanity has been this order since their birth.

Such a unified order!
They did not experience the era of enfeoffment, nor did they experience an era when the emperor was not so 'sacred'.

Therefore, they did not anticipate this potential danger.

But none of them are fools.

Although they hadn't thought of it, the moment Nezha mentioned it, they immediately thought of it.

Throughout history, monarchs have all had one very important duty: to punish those who disobey!

The so-called disobedient are those who, despite being below the bounds of humanity, do not respect the commands of the emperor or the king.

This is also the foundation of human unity, ensuring that under human rights there is only one 'king'.

Since the time of Emperor Yu the Great, the human world has remained in this state.

Even in the era of Emperor Yu the Great, Emperor Yu the Great was also 'punishing the disobedient'!
Yu convened the feudal lords at Mount Tu, and ten thousand states presented jade and silk, thus transforming hostility into friendship.

But what are the prerequisites for punishing those who disobey?
The other party is considered 'disloyal'.

But what if the other party wasn't a 'subject' in the first place?

Then how can there be any talk of attacking a disobedient subject?
You can imagine what this means.

At that time, humanity will once again experience a war concerning 'orthodoxy'.

Once this war begins, it will be a war that spans an infinitely vast distance between the people of the Central Region and the Southern Continent.

Once this war begins, the cost and casualties will be enormous, absolutely incalculable, and unbearable for humankind!

Therefore, after the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas said this, the emperor and his ministers present made their decisions in an instant.

We must go to Jambudvipa!
When humanity declines, the power of the Great Tang must be involved, and it must be ensured that the new kingdom of Fengqi, which will inherit humanity, is a "subject" of the Great Tang.

"Fengqi Kingdom is located far away in the Southern Continent, surrounded by demons, so it is inevitable that there will be wars and conflicts."

"Duke of Wei, which general do you think our Great Tang should send?" Li Shimin asked.

(End of this chapter)