The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 69 This...this is definitely not Li Chengqian!
This is no longer a simple matter of money and supplies; it involves balancing the interests of various departments and allocating the national budget as a whole.

He replied carefully, “Your Highness’s concerns are very valid. The national treasury’s annual revenue is fixed; if more is spent in one area, less will be available in another. The 150,000 strings of cash account for about 15% of the total funds planned for water conservancy projects across the country this year. The 200,000 shi of grain also needs to be coordinated from the granaries in various regions. If all of it is allocated to Xizhou, it will indeed be necessary to postpone some water conservancy projects in non-critical areas or reduce the extra grain and salary subsidies for other border towns. Specifically in Guanzhong… it may be necessary to postpone the repair of two small canals and weirs in Weibei, involving about a thousand hectares of fertile land. However, this is a preliminary estimate and needs to be discussed in detail with the Ministry of Works and the governors of various regions before it can be accurate.”

Li Chengqian did not delve into the specific figures, but instead looked at the Vice Minister of Works.

"The Ministry of Works says that water conservancy projects are extremely costly and require the transfer of craftsmen and materials from the Central Plains. I would like to ask further, if materials are to be transferred from the Central Plains, what are the main materials needed? Are there any other urgent projects in their places of origin that require these materials? If they are transferred to Xizhou, how much will it affect the progress of these projects? Are there any alternative materials, or materials that can be sourced locally from Longyou and the Western Regions, to reduce transportation losses and the impact on projects elsewhere?"

The Vice Minister of Works was also taken aback, somewhat surprised by the Crown Prince's detailed questioning.

He quickly composed himself and replied, “Your Highness is wise. The main materials needed are high-quality timber, stone, and ironware, especially refined iron for making waterwheels and sluice gates. If we prioritize the supply to Xizhou, the Luoyang Palace project may have to be suspended for some non-core buildings, and the river works will need to be expedited by sourcing materials from other production areas, which may increase costs and risks. As for sourcing materials locally… Xizhou is short of timber, the quality of stone is inferior to that of the Central Plains, and refined iron is entirely dependent on imports from the interior. Only rammed earth and reeds may be partially substitutes, but they may not be durable for long-term water conservancy facilities.”

Li Chengqian's gaze was calm as he turned to the Ministry of War officials.

"The Ministry of War has proposed establishing additional military commands, which requires funds and equipment. If we recruit soldiers for a new command, which is more cost-effective: the annual salary and maintenance costs, or drawing troops from the existing garrison of the Anxi Protectorate to strengthen the defenses of Xizhou? If we recruit new soldiers, it will take time to train them, leaving Xizhou vulnerable during that period. How will we mitigate the risks? If we draw troops from the existing garrison, will it lead to insufficient manpower in other key border areas? Has the Ministry of War considered these advantages and disadvantages?"

The Ministry of War officials looked troubled, clearly because the Crown Prince's question touched on the sensitive issues of military expenditure allocation and border defense deployment.

"Your Highness, the initial equipment and annual maintenance costs of recruiting a new garrison are indeed higher than those of temporarily reinforcing the existing garrison. However, drawing troops from other parts of Anxi may weaken the defenses of places like Tingzhou and Yizhou, making it difficult to respond to any unrest from the various tribes in the Western Regions. Furthermore, the troops to be drawn from here will need time to familiarize themselves with the local situation in Xizhou. This matter concerns the overall defense deployment and requires detailed discussion with General Li Jing and the Anxi Protectorate. It is not something I can decide in a short time."

Finally, Li Chengqian looked at the officials from the Ministry of Justice.

"The Ministry of Justice has stated that it is necessary to dispatch capable criminal officers and establish an office to manage the transferred prisoners. I ask, if this standard is followed, how many additional criminal officers would be needed? Where would these officers be drawn from? From the Ministry of Justice itself, or from various prefectures and counties? If they are drawn from prefectures and counties, would it affect the criminal affairs of their original jurisdictions? If this leads to an increase in backlog cases or even wrongful convictions in a certain area, which is more important, the cost or the benefits of strictly managing the transferred prisoners from the Western Prefectures? Is there a simpler and more effective management method that can reduce dependence on the inland criminal system?"

The Ministry of Justice officials were sweating profusely, not expecting the Crown Prince to ask such detailed questions.

"Your Highness... This... I need to return and thoroughly investigate the allocation of judicial officials in each region before I can estimate the number of personnel that can be drawn upon. It is indeed... it may affect the local areas... As for a simpler method, perhaps we could authorize the local officials of Xizhou to act expediently, or utilize the self-governance of exiled prisoners, using prisoners to manage prisoners, but this also carries great risks..."

Li Chengqian stopped asking questions, leaned back slightly, and scanned the entire room.

He didn't show his smugness on his face.

He did not make any decisions, but instead connected the problems and demands that were originally raised in isolation by various departments with a line called "trade-offs and costs," presenting them nakedly to everyone.

An eerie silence fell over the Xiande Hall.

The only sounds were the slightly heavy breathing of the officials who had just been questioned by the Crown Prince, and the rustling of the scribe's pen as it flew across the paper.

Changsun Wuji's eyes flickered intensely beneath his lowered eyelids.

His initial sneer had long been replaced by astonishment.

This...this is definitely not Li Chengqian!
That hot-tempered, easily angered, and simple-minded crown prince could never have asked such a series of interconnected questions that directly addressed the core of the problem!

These problems, seemingly ordinary, actually pinpoint the crucial points in the interconnectedness of the issues, leading to more contradictions and choices. This goes beyond simple "progress"!
He was weighing, no, he was measuring the unseen but real cost behind every decision!
This art of weighing things is so systematic and profound that it seems to have been ingrained in its very bones!
Where did he learn that?
Who is that person behind them?
How could the crown prince be sculpted to such an extent?
Fang Xuanling's surprise was no less than that of Changsun Wuji, and even more so, it was accompanied by a sense of solemnity and scrutiny.

He had initially thought that the Crown Prince had only learned to be patient and leverage power, but now it seemed that was far from the truth.

What the Crown Prince demonstrated was an analytical ability that transcended personal emotions and went straight to the essence of the matter.

His question wasn't "should we do it?" but rather "what costs will other places pay if we do it?" and "how can we make up for or minimize these costs?"

This is no longer just about power struggles; it's a higher level of "accounting" and "management" based on overall interests!
Even after decades of navigating the treacherous waters of the imperial court, he could not always maintain such a clear and thorough way of thinking.

The Crown Prince's actions were as if he were holding an invisible abacus, calculating how every bit of effort exerted on the vast body of the empire would affect and damage other parts of it.

The wise rulers and virtuous ministers recorded in history books, whether they were great talents and had a love for the people, rarely achieved such a meticulous and conscious level of weighing and balancing!
If this was not a sudden flash of inspiration, but rather a way of thinking that the Crown Prince had truly mastered...

Chu Suiliang stood in the ranks, his brows furrowed, his gaze toward the Crown Prince filled with unprecedented astonishment and suspicion.

He prided himself on being outspoken, outspoken, and insightful, but the Crown Prince's question today caught him off guard.

The crown prince did not refute anyone's opinions, nor did he propose his own solutions; he simply kept asking about the "costs" and "impacts."

This way of asking questions strips away all the high-sounding reasons, exposing the cruel and real underbelly of political decision-making.

This made him uncomfortable, yet he couldn't bring himself to criticize it.

Because what the crown prince asked was precisely the fundamental principle that rulers should always keep in mind, yet often overlook in the midst of conflicts of interest!
The other officials in the hall looked at each other in dismay, many of them with cold sweat soaking their backs.

They were prepared to face the Crown Prince's questioning, rebuttals, and even arguments, but they never expected that the Crown Prince would use a series of calm yet sharp questions to force them into a corner where they had to confront their own decision-making limitations and resource constraints.

This approach of not taking a stance but only asking questions is more frightening than direct rebuke.

Because every problem requires them to step outside the limitations of their own department and think about the broader implications.

And this is precisely what they try to avoid on a daily basis.

"What you have all said is true. However..."

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(End of this chapter)