The prince is more stable

Chapter 851 War Dividends
Does an emperor possess supreme power and can do whatever he wants?
In fact, the emperor couldn't do whatever he wanted, because there were always a group of people watching him.

Throughout history, emperors who gained power were often vain and built extravagant palaces, or indulged in sensual pleasures and filled their harems. Those who were particularly tyrannical and prone to waging wars were the most expensive to conquer.

Building grand palaces and expanding the harem doesn't cost much, but waging wars can be fatal.

The money and resources spent were far greater than those spent on building palaces and filling harems.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian sent an imperial edict to the Council of State Affairs, saying that an additional 5,000 troops would be sent to Japan.

Zhang Dun was furious when he saw the imperial edict.

Sending an additional 5,000 troops may not seem like much, and it won't consume much resources, but... this is war, and it could escalate at any moment!

Why did the government suddenly decide to use force against Japan without any reason? It doesn't make sense without a legitimate reason.

The Song Dynasty has always stood on the moral high ground and has never had a precedent of acting without a legitimate reason.

Why are you suddenly deciding to attack Japan? What's your reason?
If a vassal fails to perform the proper rites of a subject, or if someone is punished for wrongdoing, they must at least make up one story, right?

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Zhang Dun immediately went to the palace.

Upon arriving at the Funing Palace, without any unnecessary pleasantries or small talk, Zhang Dun immediately produced the imperial edict, his tone tinged with anger.

"Your Majesty, this imperial edict is probably inappropriate," Zhang Dun said in a deep voice.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't explain, but instead turned to look at the sky outside the hall and said, "Master Zihou, you've come at mealtime. I suspect you're here to freeload. By the way, let's get down to business..."

"I promise I won't freeload, I'll only talk about business." Zhang Dun said helplessly, "Your Majesty, war between the two countries is no small matter. Japan is far away across the ocean, and declaring war on Japan would be of no benefit to us. I don't know why Your Majesty has suddenly increased the number of troops sent to Japan."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, then quickly drew a map, which roughly depicted the shape of Japan.

“Mr. Zihou, I have my reasons for starting this war. If I didn’t have the incentive of a hundredfold return, how could I be so unwise as to start a war so easily?”

Zhang Dun asked in confusion, "Where is the benefit?"

Zhao Xiaoqian counted on his fingers: "Population, mineral resources, land, and natural naval ports."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request your guidance."

"In terms of population, Japan's current total population is around five million, of which young adults make up about one-fifth. That is to say, Japan has one million young adults. If these one million were sold to... well, brought into the Song Dynasty as laborers, whether for mining or farming, they would be very useful labor."

"Besides, Japan also has women. Young women sent to the Song Dynasty can fetch a better price... well, it can also significantly improve the service quality of wealthy families in the Song Dynasty."

Zhang Dun narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my offense, but from what I hear, Your Majesty intends to engage in the human trafficking business?"

"Don't put it so harshly. I just want to give ambitious young Japanese people a way to get rich. Believe it or not, as long as the Japanese hear that they can work in the Song Dynasty, they will bow and kowtow to Bianjing and be grateful to me."

Zhang Dun was not easily fooled and immediately followed up with, "What happened to these people after they left Japan?"

"Whether they can be defined as 'human beings' after leaving Japan depends entirely on the conscience of their employers..." Zhao Xiaoqian told the truth.

"Of course, most people will be sent to the north. Don't forget that after the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were recovered, there is a lot of wasteland in the north that needs to be reclaimed. This kind of hard and heavy work is best suited for young and strong Japanese men."

Zhang Dun took a deep breath. This official exuded a sinister aura, seemingly unable to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, and only caring about the result.

However, his suggestions were very suitable for the national conditions of the Song Dynasty, especially since the large amount of abandoned land in the north would be of great benefit to the country and the people if it were reclaimed.

"What happens after these young Japanese men cultivate the land? Are they left to farm the land in the north?" Zhang Dun asked anxiously.

Zhao Xiaoqian scoffed, "What a pipe dream! Of course, only the people of the Song Dynasty can cultivate the land of the Song Dynasty. The young and strong men of Japan are just helping us clear land and build houses. What happens after the land is cleared is none of their business."

"After we've used up all these able-bodied men, we can sell them off to wealthy families in the Song Dynasty to serve as servants and laborers. They must learn the Mandarin of the Central Plains so that we can completely sever Japan's cultural roots."

Zhang Dun's eyelids twitched, and he said, "The way Your Majesty is doing this is tantamount to the destruction and extermination of Japan."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't explain, but simply pointed to the map and said, "Let's talk about Japan's mineral resources. Mr. Zihou, do you like gold? Do you like silver? Do you like copper coins? Japan has them all."

Zhang Dun's eyes widened immediately, and he exclaimed, "You have them all?"

“Yes, we have them all!” Zhao Xiaoqian nodded seriously and said, “The reserves of gold and silver mines are particularly abundant, and there are also many copper mines. This is enough for the Song Dynasty to mint currency for circulation. With these mineral resources, the Song Dynasty will no longer lack silver or copper.”

Zhang Dun's heart raced. Although he knew this was an unjust war, wars are always started for profit. How could he, as the prime minister, not be tempted by such enormous benefits?

The Song Dynasty is currently in a somewhat awkward financial situation. The annual tribute paid to the Liao Dynasty has resulted in a severe shortage of copper coins, with most of them flowing to the Liao. The Song Dynasty's current copper coins are made of cast iron mixed with nickel and a small amount of copper; these alloy coins are brittle and easily broken, making them very fragile.

In many places, people have had to use silver for transactions, but the denominations of silver are relatively large, and it is used to pay for large transactions.

Even a simple meal required the shopkeeper to carefully cut off a small amount with scissors and weigh it repeatedly on the scale, which often led to disputes. All of this was due to a shortage of copper for coin minting.

If we could truly seize Japan's gold, silver, and copper mines, it would indeed solve a major problem facing the Song Dynasty.

As the prime minister, Zhang Dun naturally couldn't side with outsiders, and he had to admit that he was now somewhat tempted.

"This... to start a war without cause, my Great Song has ultimately lost its moral compass. As the saying goes, those who follow the Way receive much help, while those who stray from the Way..." Zhang Dun began reciting the Tao Te Ching.

"Okay, okay! Hold on for a moment and listen to my third reason."

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed to the eastern part of the Japanese islands on the map and said, "This stretch of coastline faces a vast, undiscovered new continent. Starting from here and heading east, there will be more fertile land, richer mineral resources, and a larger population..."

"If we were to occupy the entire territory of Japan and establish several shipping companies along the eastern coast, build large ships to explore new continents, the profits would be unprecedented. Perhaps the money earned from one or two voyages could equal the annual revenue of the Song Dynasty's national treasury."

Zhang Dun asked in surprise, "How did Your Majesty know?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said casually, "I found these in the Classic of Mountains and Seas; they are all knowledge points."

Zhang Dun said decisively, "Impossible! There is absolutely no such description in the Classic of Mountains and Seas!"

"A rare, ancient copy of the Classic of Mountains and Seas."

"Um...Your Majesty, may I have the honor of taking a look?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't lend out books or my wife. Besides, I burned that book after I finished reading it, leaving no trace of it."

Zhang Dun: “…………”

Seeing his stunned expression, Zhao Xiaoqian could only sigh and say, "Mr. Zihou, trust me. I never fight a battle I am not confident of winning. If we decide to fight, then this war will definitely represent substantial benefits and will absolutely not result in a loss."

"Once we win, the Song Dynasty will occupy the entire territory of Japan. At that time, we will have a sufficient population and labor force, abundant mineral resources, and military and commercial ports facing the east coast, which will lay a bridgehead for the Song Dynasty to explore the world in advance. This matter will be of great benefit to future generations."

Zhang Dun smiled wryly, "Japan has always revered our Great Song Dynasty and has been extremely subservient to us. Both the feudal lords and the common people have a great fondness for our Great Song Dynasty. If Your Majesty wishes to start a war, I really cannot find a suitable reason, and I fear it will arouse unease and suspicion from other neighboring vassal states..."

"Ha! What 'respect' and 'obedience'? That's just because Japan is currently in an era of civil war among feudal lords. Their fists are not strong enough, and they are no match for the Song Dynasty in terms of strength. They can only choose to lie low. Mr. Zihou, don't be fooled by their appearance."

"As for the reasons, they are easy to find. After my general Zhang Rong landed on the island, he was treated very unfriendly by the Japanese. They launched the first attack on our Great Song army. 'The vassal state has failed to show proper respect to its subjects.' Isn't this reason sufficient?"

Zhang Dun hesitated for a long time, as he was being impacted by a completely new set of values.

The principles of sagehood and righteousness, and the choice between them and the interests of the nation, were constantly entangled and conflicted in his mind.

Thinking of the attractive labor force, the abundant mineral resources, and the future strategic military and commercial ports, Zhang Dun finally sighed after a long silence and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, this matter is not up to you or me to decide. I'm afraid we will have to initiate a court discussion."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded without surprise: "The advantages of this war outweigh the disadvantages. I believe that Mr. Zihou will be able to get the court to approve it."

Zhang Dun gave a helpless, bitter smile: "I will do my best."

After the meeting between the emperor and his ministers, before leaving, Zhang Dun suddenly took out a stack of memorials and handed them over.

"After the Emperor ascended the throne, officials in Bianjing and local officials all submitted memorials to express their loyalty to the Emperor. Many officials also requested in their memorials that the Emperor, for the sake of the imperial heirs of the Song Dynasty, issue an edict to select candidates to fill the imperial harem."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "With auspicious omens from all over the country and the harem being expanded, these court officials are really... determined to make me a decadent and unambitious emperor. If I am a foolish ruler, there will be many loopholes for the officials below to exploit, right?"

Zhang Dun shook his head: "Since ancient times, there have been many sycophants and flatterers in the imperial court and officialdom. However, this time, the ministers submitted a memorial requesting the selection of concubines to enrich the harem. To be honest, I also quite agree with it."

"Your Majesty, it has always been customary for emperors to select princes to enrich their harem after ascending the throne. If Your Majesty could have more princes, it would be a good thing for the country."

"At the same time, most of the women selected for the imperial concubine selection are daughters of officials from various regions. This move can also win the hearts of many court officials for Your Majesty. It is entirely beneficial and without any harm. Please consider this carefully, Your Majesty."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. The reasoning was correct. The officials were probably terrified by the fact that Zhao Xu had no heir, so they were determined not to let the imperial family repeat the mistakes of the previous emperor. That was why they were so eager to ask Zhao Xiaoqian to select candidates to have more princes.

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, "My Empress is still on her way back to Bianjing. After she returns to the palace and I officially confer her title, we can ask her about the selection of concubines."

(End of this chapter)