Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

There is a sentence that Li Ji feels can be said to have fully revealed certain essences.

Power is only responsible for the source of power, and must be responsible for the source of power.

For example, Emperor Guangwu relied heavily on the support of aristocratic families to rise up and unify the country, which in turn allowed the aristocratic families to rise rapidly and become truly qualified to eat at the table.

So much so that the Han emperors after Emperor Guangwu had to make heavy use of relatives by marriage and eunuchs. In essence, they were relying on relatives by marriage and eunuchs to check and balance the growing power of local aristocratic families.

And what is the source of Liu Bei's power?
He was not from a noble family, nor was he a relative of the Han royal family. Instead, the territory was conquered bit by bit by Liu Bei himself.

This kind of heroic ruler in troubled times can be free from any checks and balances, just like Zhu Yuanzhang in later generations. Even though he slaughtered officials and generals over and over again, his rule was still extremely stable. This was something his successors could not even imagine.

Today, the same is true for Liu Bei.

No matter how loud the voices of support and opposition are, once Liu Bei makes up his mind, all voices will turn to Liu Bei's voice. This is why there is an endless stream of lobbyists coming to see Liu Bei.

Li Ji carefully analyzed the reasons behind the two voices to Liu Bei, so that Liu Bei could make a decision without any scruples.

However, Liu Bei looked at the map of the Han territory hanging in front of him, thought for a while, then turned to look at Li Ji and said with a smile.

"I already understand Zikun's intention, but what makes me hesitate is not the voice of opposition, but the worry of not thinking it through, so I want to use Zikun's eyes to see a choice that is more suitable for Dahan."

"That depends on which direction the lord will focus on in his revival of the Han Dynasty."

Li Ji responded, and then spoke towards Chang'an and Luoyang respectively.

"If you want to focus on Guanzhong and the Silk Road, you should choose Chang'an as the capital; if you want to focus on stabilizing the Central Plains, you can follow the example of Emperor Taizu and choose Luoyang as the capital..."

After a pause, Li Ji raised his finger upwards, pointed towards Youzhou, and said.

"If the lord wants the Han Dynasty to forcefully suppress the foreign tribes on the grasslands and prevent them from raiding the south, you can also build a capital in Youzhou to show the emperor's determination to guard the country;"

"But if we want to develop the area south of the Yangtze River and expand maritime transport, and open up the Maritime Silk Road, then we should set up the capital south of the Yangtze River."

The capital is not only a political center, it will undoubtedly become a center of culture, economy, etc., and it will also indicate the direction of national policy emphasized by the entire dynasty.

When Liu Bei heard the last part, he was slightly stunned, then pointed at Li Ji and smiled helplessly.

"You are so good, Zikun. It turns out that you have been fooling me for a long time. Just say that you support building the capital south of the Yangtze River. Why do you have to go through so much trouble?"

Liu Bei might not be clear about other things, but he undoubtedly understood Li Ji's political direction after unifying the country.

Develop the area south of the Yangtze River and vigorously promote the development of the Maritime Silk Road...

Li Ji heard this and said seriously.

"You may have some inclinations in your heart, but you must let your lord know not only the fact, but also the reason. The important matter of whether to move the capital or not is still up to your lord to decide."

"Good good."

Liu Bei also knew that he could not win the argument with Li Ji, so after responding, he really considered the matter of establishing a capital south of the Yangtze River in more depth.

Since he started his career in Wujun, Liu Bei was well aware of how amazing the changes in Wujun were in the past decade, and he also understood the huge potential contained in Yangzhou and Jiaozhou.

When asked by Liu Bei, Li Ji said that even if the whole country tried its best, it would be difficult to fully develop the huge potential of the area south of the Yangtze River within a hundred years. It was not that the land south of the Yangtze River was more fertile than that in the Central Plains, but that the climate south of the Yangtze River was too suitable for growing crops.

For example, in Jiaozhou and parts of Yizhou, some areas can even achieve three harvests a year, which is an advantage that the Central Plains cannot match.

Liu Bei undoubtedly deeply recognized the necessity of developing the area south of the Yangtze River.

Once the capital is established south of the Yangtze River for the first time, it will undoubtedly continue to promote and accelerate the development of the south of the Yangtze River.

In addition, there is the overseas area which has initially shown great potential, which Liu Bei is unwilling to give up.

Yizhou has already stepped on the right track and continuously transported various resources back to Yangzhou, and Yingzhou has been mining for so many years and there seems to be no end to the gold and silver...

Overseas land and resources will be able to greatly make up for the deficiencies in the Central Plains. The capital can only be firmly controlled if it is established south of the Yangtze River.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Bei asked.

"In that case, how about establishing Shouchun as the new capital? Shouchun was once the old capital of the Chu State, and it has undergone preliminary renovation and expansion not long ago. Its area may not be as large as Luoyang and Chang'an, but it is also a strong city."

"Not appropriate."

Li Ji shook his head and said.

“Even though Shouchun was once the old capital of Chu, it was not so small that it was not dignified to be the capital of a dynasty. Moreover, it was not connected to the Yangtze River and there was no waterway that could directly reach the sea.”

"More importantly, Shouchun is located north of the Yangtze River. Although it seems to be just across the river, the significance is very different."

Liu Bei said with some distress after hearing this.

"Except for Shouchun, there is no other city south of the Yangtze River that can be used as a capital."

"My lord, you must know that Luoyang and Chang'an were never given by God," Li Ji replied.

"Zikun means... building a city?" Liu Bei was a little surprised.

"Indeed." Li Ji nodded.

Liu Bei hesitated, thought for a few breaths, and then retorted, "But this is a bit of a waste of money and manpower. The lesson of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty building the Afang Palace is still fresh in our minds."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji asked, "My lord, are you short of money?"

"With gold and silver being transported from overseas to Yingzhou, Zikun is not allowed to abuse them to prevent the depreciation of gold and silver, which has resulted in them piling up year after year." Liu Bei showed a happy wry smile.

If it is said that Cao Cao was so poor that he had to go to the cemetery to earn some money from the dead, and he had to tighten his belt every day, fearing that one day he would not be able to pay the salaries and military pay.

Then Liu Bei, who owned countless mountains of gold and silver, had really seen so many mountains of gold and silver that he really had no interest in money at all.

After all, even if other families have gold and silver mines to dig under their rule, they still have to spend time and effort to organize people to dig.

But for Liu Bei, it meant transporting some old grain, porcelain, tea and the like to Yingzhou every year, and those ships would then fill their cabins with gold and silver and transport them back.

Of course, those gold and silver may have been sprinkled with the blood of the Japanese in Yingzhou, but those were dug out voluntarily by the Japanese under the urging of the Japanese king in exchange for food. What does this have to do with Liu Bei?
Han people are human beings, can other ethnic groups be considered complete human beings?
Even if we take a step back, the Han law does not govern the internal affairs of Japan. In this regard, Liu Bei, influenced by Li Ji, still respects Japan's sovereignty. (End of this chapter)