"Yes, it's time to retake Luoyang."
"Indeed, that makes sense. We should have taken action a long time ago."
Simply recapturing Luoyang was something no one could oppose at this point. After all, it was politically correct. Anyone who dared to utter a word of dissent would have their reputation ruined.
"Well, since everyone agrees, let's discuss the expenses," Lin Yang said casually. However, as the president, his words carried weight. Immediately, everyone began to calculate.
"To conquer Luoyang, we must consider the overall war situation in the Central Plains. There, there are millions of Immortal Qin troops. They are all elite soldiers with formidable fighting power. Within Luoyang alone, there are a million mighty soldiers, one hundred thousand elite troops, ten thousand Dao soldiers, and one thousand elite warriors..."
Even with his eyes closed, Cao Cao could clearly explain Xian Qin's arrangements. At the same time, his eyes darted around, as if he had already figured out some of Lin Yang's thoughts.
"This battle is the first since the establishment of our Council of State, therefore, we must win and not lose. So, to be on the safe side, we need to mobilize tens of millions of troops, hundreds of millions of provisions, and billions of taels of silver..."
"Oh, so much is needed. Fengxiao, how much silver is in the national treasury right now?" Lin Yang looked at Guo Jia and asked directly.
"My lord," Guo Jia said with difficulty, "the national treasury is completely empty. It has all been embezzled by the former general. The autumn taxes haven't been collected yet, so we can't launch any military campaigns. Even if we do collect them, we can barely break even. As for recovering lost territory, we don't have a single penny left." It seemed they truly had no money.
"Then let's collect taxes. Even if it means increasing taxes, the people should be willing to do so in order to subdue Luoyang. We can give them some compensation afterward, and that will be fine," Liu Biao said calmly.
Logically, this method should be feasible. After all, the prestige of the Han Dynasty still exists. As long as there is a promise that for every penny donated now, a tenfold return will be made later, many people would be willing to do it. In that case, the military expenses needed for a war can always be raised.
"No, the people's lives are already incredibly difficult; how can we further trouble them? A simple word from those in power—raising taxes—would cause countless innocent people to starve. This is inappropriate, this idea is very wrong," Lin Yang said with compassion, as if he truly cared about the lives of the people.
Regardless of the truth, Lin Yang's reasoning seemed plausible on the surface. Therefore, Liu Biao remained silent, quietly awaiting Lin Yang's performance. What was that saying again—"Let the show begin!"
“Ahem, Luoyang is the capital of the Han Dynasty, and its traps are numerous and varied. The losses in this battle will surely be enormous. Moreover, the imperial court alone cannot muster many troops. Therefore, I think it would be better to reward merit with fiefdoms,” Pang Tong suddenly stood up and said.
Using fiefdoms—that's a promising strategy. The vast majority of the feudal lords all raised their heads, looking curiously at Pang Tong and Lin Yang.
"Oh, then how should the reward be bestowed?"
"Whoever conquers a territory should be granted that territory. After all, striking at Xian Qin is the most important thing right now!"
"What? This is impossible!"
"If that happens, what will be left of the imperial court?"
"Traitor! Traitor!"
"Traitor to the nation! This is a traitor to the nation!"
"So you've finally shown your true colors? You want to swallow up the Han Dynasty? You have quite the teeth!"
"Traitors and rebels deserve to be punished by everyone!"
The crowd below erupted in uproar. After all, the Han Dynasty had bestowed many favors upon the people, and there were quite a few loyal to it!
If it weren't for Lin Yang's strength, they would have already rushed forward and killed him. As for Pang Tong, he will most likely face frequent assassination attempts in the future.
------------
Chapter 59: Prince of Chang'an, Military Governor of Guanzhong
Get the fastest updates for the latest chapters of "Three Kingdoms: Myriad Realms"!
Everyone was very excited, their loyalty to the Han Dynasty was very strong. They felt that Lin Yang, this traitor, was finally no longer satisfied with Huo Guang's power, and he wanted to become Wang Mang!
To be fair, given Lin Yang's abilities and achievements—and it's mainly a matter of ability—they could accept him becoming a powerful minister like Huo Guang.
Even things like deposing and installing emperors, sleeping in the emperor's bed, and engaging in illicit affairs in the harem, as long as they didn't directly usurp the Han throne and the Han dynasty still existed, they would pretend not to know.
They might even help persuade princes and princesses to accept reality, to be cautious and patient, and to accumulate strength for the future.
However, once Lin Yang crosses the line, like now, and decides whoever conquers the land gets the title, wouldn't that be disrespecting the Han Dynasty?
What will be left of the vast imperial court then? Just an empty shell? In any case, their remaining conscience will not allow them to continue to sit idly by.
In truth, their demands were quite simple: as long as Lin Yang didn't usurp the Han throne, they would just let things slide. After all, who would willingly choose death if they could live?
In fact, most of the guys who are filled with righteous indignation at this moment, and who look like they're about to rush up and fight to the death, are like that. There aren't many truly loyal people who disregard all costs.
As for the rest, those who were not very loyal to the Han Dynasty, or those who had many ulterior motives, were also very excited at this time.
If we actually did that, wouldn't we be rich?
Whoever conquers it gets the fiefdom! But if you conquer a prefecture, you get the fiefdom; if you conquer a province, do you get the province fiefdom too?
"Cough cough"
After a cough, the once bustling venue, which resembled a bustling market, fell silent once more.
"Fengxiao, it doesn't seem quite right to just let whoever conquers it own it. After all, those territories used to belong to the Han Dynasty. What do you think we should do?"
"Well, rewards for merit are definitely necessary. How about this: for each prefecture conquered, a county will be granted as a fief. For each prefecture conquered, a prefecture will be granted as a fief. As for the remaining lands, military governors will be established, and the position will be passed down for three generations. After three generations, the court can take it back." Guo Jia thought for a while and then said seriously.
"Oh? You mean to establish military governorships that will last for three generations? For example, if Mengde conquers Yanzhou, we can grant him Dongjun as his fief, which will be passed down permanently. As for the remaining territory of Yanzhou, we can establish the Yanzhou Military Governorship, which will last for three generations. Then, when Mengde's great-grandson arrives, it will return to the imperial court, is that what you mean?" Lin Yang pointed at Cao Cao and said directly.
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao, unusually embarrassed, chuckled. Clearly, if that were truly the case, he would be willing to sell everything he owned!
"Indeed, in this way, we can both reward merit and maintain the dignity of the court," Guo Jia said calmly.
Taking one-tenth of the land, permanently granting it out, and exchanging it for a complete Han dynasty is entirely acceptable.
But how many years would it take for three generations of military governors to hold that position? However, from another perspective, at least the sovereignty remains intact, right? Moreover, only by exploiting the land and passing the position down through three generations can these feudal lords be fully committed.
Otherwise, we can't expect Lin Yang to personally kill all the people of Xian Qin in one go, can we? If that's the case, why should it be returned to the Han Dynasty instead of being incorporated into the territory of Wu?
Moreover, nine-tenths of the Han dynasty's territory would still belong to the Han dynasty three generations later. By then, the world would have evolved, and after Emperor Gaozu's return, surely no one would try to renege on their promise?
Therefore, after careful consideration, most of the councilors who had been ready to cause trouble, who had just been rolling up their sleeves and preparing to fight, fell silent. At least, they stopped making a scene.