“Madam, I’m just worried that they’ll become too pampered.” Xie Guang immediately said with a pained expression, “Going to the North is different from staying in the South. In the South, they have adults like us to protect them, but in the North, they will have to take good care of themselves.”
“Being stricter with them is actually a good thing.”
Madam Wang had no desire to argue with him. Thinking of Gou Ying, she couldn't help but worry: "Those two children... I really hope they can reconcile. But..."
Xie Guang fell silent. He walked on in silence, only occasionally sighing.
Why is his dog Ying's life so miserable? Whether she can get through this ordeal depends on herself. All he can do is take good care of the child's mother and the tasks assigned to him by the marshal.
Xie Guang recalled that His Majesty's order to divide the 300,000 Xie clan members into five groups and distribute them in a northern prefecture and the capital prefecture.
The people placed in the middle were indeed the surrendered members of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu royal family and their ministers. It seemed that the Xie clan had surrounded the Northern Hu and Xiongnu remnants, but in reality, they were also using the remnants to separate the Xie clan.
Over time, they influence each other, and it's hard to say who will control whom; they are indeed intertwined.
After that, not only the Xie family, but Si Xitong quickly relocated another five million people from the Northern Region to the north. He also relocated another ten million people from the Central Plains of the north to the Northern Region to cultivate wasteland, citing the lack of arable land.
Then they drove the common people and nobles of the Central Alliance to the Northern Regions. The Central Alliance was originally mainly composed of people from the Central Plains.
The three migrations aimed to prevent the northern regions from becoming under the control of the central government. Si Xitong did not intend to adopt a policy of indirect rule, but rather to utilize the majority of the Central Plains population while balancing the populations of various ethnic groups.
Of course, it took five years to implement these policies.
In addition to the vegetable basket project and the north-south road project, Si Xitong has also launched a population relocation project.
The northern region, being the only area with a population exceeding ten million, was completely assimilated into one ethnic group.
Only one group still retains the bloodline and culture of the Northern Region.
Out of respect for Li Li, Si Xitong specially designated this area as an autonomous region and entrusted it to Si Caifeng and Subage for management. Once Si Caifeng's twins grow up, they will take over management.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:57:05 on March 3, 2022 and 18:02:35 on March 4, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 for "slacking off";
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Dew from Tonight White (10 bottles); 37990089 (6 bottles); Jiu Yan (5 bottles); and Shallow Summer's Faint Sorrow (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 233 Conferring of the Title of King of England
Wu Yuejun, representing the Khan of the new tribe in the Northern Region, accepted the investiture from Si Xitong.
The Northern Region was renamed a prefecture, with Wu Yuejun as its prefect. Unlike other prefectures, the Northern Region was semi-autonomous, managing its own civil and administrative affairs, while its military affairs were under the jurisdiction of the Western Jin court.
Furthermore, the Northern Army would henceforth obey the imperial court's orders and would not be reorganized for the time being. However, five years later, due to their large-scale deployment to conquer North Asia on behalf of Si Xitong, the Northern Army joined the Imperial Guard, becoming a powerful force that deterred North Asia.
The second day of the second lunar month is the day the dragon raises its head, marking the start of spring plowing.
Xie Lanzhi ate several green rice dumplings, and only then did the emperor, who had just finished court, return looking exhausted.
Recently, Si Xitong has been preparing for the Emperor's Altar, which, according to tradition, requires seven days of bathing and fasting.
The three leaders, headed by Li Lingwang and Lü Qing, have urged Si Xitong to ascend the throne on the auspicious day of the third day of the third month ten times.
Furthermore, Wu Qiu and other members of the Xie clan requested Si Xitong to resolve the issue of Marshal Xie's status and affiliation as soon as possible.
Si Xitong did her best in everything, and she also wanted to clear her wife's name so that she would not become the target of everyone's attacks in history.
However, her relationship with the emperor was more complex than that of the emperor himself, with opinions ranging from praise to criticism.
She initially thought their identities would cause prejudice and opposition from the public or ministers, but everyone supported them instead.
Perhaps no one will question the legitimacy of their marriage anymore.
The bestowal of a title naturally became a problem. The Xie family and their ministers argued over Xie Lanzhi's title. Even the usually mild-mannered ministers got into a fight with the Xie family's officials.
Even though Xie was a civil official, he was incredibly strong, and the ministers naturally couldn't defeat him. However, Xie couldn't overcome the ministers' numerical superiority; he fought three against one, and was finally pulled apart by the imperial guards outside the Golden Palace. Only then did the matter end.
Si Xitong glanced at the other person again, who was engrossed in her meal, oblivious to everything else. It seemed that after the war, politics were no longer her concern.
This woman was enjoying herself in the palace, while the civil and military officials of the court were fighting over her.
"Lanzhi, come here." Si Xitong beckoned to her from the chaise lounge.
Xie Lanzhi picked up a plate of qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling) and brought one to her lips with her chopsticks, exclaiming, "Ah~"
Si Xitong ate it in one bite, and after swallowing, she got down to business: "Have you heard about what happened in court this morning?"
Xie Lanzhi heard everything, but it was not her place to interfere. The ministers had only shaken hands and united to head north for less than two months, and now they were arguing again over a trivial matter.
It's as if he has energy but nowhere to use it.
Instead, she said, "Little Phoenix, didn't you make a three-year plan and a five-year grand plan? Now it's the fourth year of the Jin Dynasty. It's almost five years."
Si Xitong noticed that she had abruptly changed the subject. She raised an eyebrow and said, "This morning, the country's name was officially changed to the first year of the Western Jin Dynasty."
"The first year of my reign."
Next month, the reign title will be changed to Jin Zhao. Si Xitong will officially ascend the throne as Empress Wu, the first female emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty.
Xie Lanzhi was happy for her: "Didn't we say that I don't care whether it's the Empress or any other status?"
"How can I not care? How could a mere empress be worthy of you?" Si Xitong was clearly very concerned about the investiture. Because once the investiture was made, it would affect Xie Lanzhi's future status and even her place in history.
It wasn't just the imperial court and the inner palace that were arguing about it; even the common people were discussing the emperor's family affairs.
This is an unprecedented level of interest. In the past, there were many restrictions, and ordinary people dared not discuss the emperor, let alone family matters.
However, the Western Jin Dynasty was different. The emperor loved his people like his own children and did not mind public opinion. In fact, if the court did something wrong, as long as the people dared to write a letter pointing out the fault, the court would make changes once the facts were verified.
After the last Grand Duke's judgment, Si Xitong's public opinion boxes were set up nationwide, which to some extent encouraged the public to get closer to the imperial court.
This led the people to understand the imperial court better and follow its lead. They were no longer afraid of it, but instead began to eagerly follow the development of the Western Jin Dynasty.
This was an unprecedented advancement. In just four short years, the Western Jin Dynasty had already fostered various new and progressive ideas among the people. However, everyone shared the same attitude towards overseas regions: exploration and expansion.
Previously, in order to promote the imperial examination system in the border town and have the examinations stationed there, Si Xitong used her private treasury to open a large number of schools specifically to accommodate children and impoverished students.
Many children from impoverished families were sent to school. Initially, the people went there for the two meals, but unexpectedly, four years later, those children who had been freeloading became intellectuals in the first year of the Western Jin Dynasty.
Most of the new disciples of the Five Great Families were recruited from these schools. These disciples were of much higher quality than the illiterate carpenters. The imperial court also vigorously encouraged children from these schools to join the Five Great Families after graduation.
Here, men and women were not discriminated against and could be employed equally. There was division of labor and cooperation. Therefore, the Ministry of Works was the most gender-equal institution in the Western Jin Dynasty. The benefits brought by the nascent industry improved the treatment and status of the lower classes.
Now, even ordinary people who can enter the five major gates of the capital have a brighter future than the son of a merchant. Even if you are exceptionally intelligent and invent something practical, you can receive the Lu Ban Prize, a reward set up by the Emperor in the Ministry of Works. The Lu Ban Prize is divided into five levels: the first level is one million, the second level is one hundred thousand, the third level is fifty thousand, and the fourth and fifth levels are fifty thousand. All others are five thousand, and even the consolation prize is ten taels.
Many merchants, seeing that their children could not pass the imperial examinations, encouraged them to join the Five Great Schools, not seeking any awards, but only hoping that their children could keep up with the times.
This is the current social situation in the Western Jin Dynasty.
On the contrary, the imperial examination system has been very popular among young people since its inception, and many still study hard in order to enter the imperial court. Since there are still many vacancies in the six major government departments, the recruitment process is relatively lenient.
The newly established Customs Department of the imperial court was open to all. Anyone who passed the navigation exam, read about the naval battles that led to the founding of the Western Jin Dynasty, and demonstrated competent analytical skills could enter the Customs Department as a sailor and then rise through the ranks.
Si Xitong attaches great importance to the Customs Department. She also has plans to make the Customs Department independent and has set up multiple departments within the Customs Department to prepare for the establishment of ports.
However, you have to do everything step by step.
The Customs Department has drafted twenty official positions and assigned them to Wu Qiu and Li Ling.
Li Ling privately hoped that his son Li Jin could go to the Customs Department, and Si Xitong agreed.
Li Jin then joined the Ministry of Customs, becoming its first Minister. He was a third-rank official, responsible for overseas trade customs clearance, inspecting goods, and collecting import duties.
For the next two years, Li Jin became almost the most idle third-rank official in the court, leading many officials to jokingly call him a rice official who lived off the emperor's salary.
Li Jin was initially quite concerned, but two years later, Anluo, Dixi, and even small island nations whose names he couldn't recall all began sending ships to trade with him. In particular, Anluo and Dixi discovered that the Western Jin possessed a hundred super warships. All of their previous thoughts of aggression were thus abandoned.
They began to obediently do business with the Western Jin Dynasty, regarding it as the master of the East. Furthermore, in the international alliance that they later formed, the Western Jin Dynasty lost at least half of its global influence if it did not participate.
Because the small states in the east all followed the attitude of the Western Jin Dynasty, they could only benefit from the Western Jin's alliance. Otherwise, joining it would be like offering themselves up to the wolves.
The Western Jin Dynasty joined the League of Nations under its second emperor. And in the very first year of membership, World War I broke out.
It was a war between the Western countries triggered by Anluo and Dixi.
Although the Western Jin Dynasty did not join the war, it absorbed a great deal of advanced technology and brought it back to its homeland while the Western countries were constantly at war, causing many scientists there to flee and spontaneously come to the Western Jin Dynasty.
The second emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty accepted these scientists and granted them the status of foreign envoys, thus establishing their presence in the Western Jin Dynasty.
Two hundred years after the Western Jin Dynasty, this superpower began to experience internal strife and declined without any reduction in national strength or military power. It became the second nation since the Han Dynasty to perish due to its strength.
By this time, the Parthian Empire had already fallen, and the Parthian Empire had rapidly risen to power. Because its ancestors frequently praised the strength of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Parthian Empire never dared to invade it.
Even during the internal strife of the Western Jin Dynasty, Parthian warships dared not cross the first island chain. Even without a navy guarding it, the surrounding small states dared not seize the islands and claim them for themselves. Even with lax defenses along the Western Jin coast, no country dared to come uninvited.
This led later dynasties to bestow the highest praise upon the Western Jin Dynasty: "The glorious nation of Han and Tang."
Then came the two-hundred-year era of liberation. The subsequent liberation took only ten years to reunify the country, and then another ten years to once again establish it as the world's leading superpower in the East.
These are all things to be discussed later.
Now, in the first year of the Western Jin Dynasty, the founding empress is worrying about what title to bestow upon her wife.
Xie Lanzhi's contributions were so great that they had reached the point of overshadowing the emperor. If this had happened ten years earlier, a commander like Xie Lanzhi, whose achievements threatened the emperor's position, would have been eliminated.
But times have changed, and Xie Lanzhi withdrew from military and political affairs early on. She would only step forward to command at crucial moments.
The matter was being discussed both in the imperial court and among the common people.
The common people believed that since Xie Lanzhi married His Majesty, she was now part of His Majesty's family and should rightfully be the Empress. This view was shared by the ministers.
However, the Xie family believed that their patriarch had entered Tianjing to support the Jin dynasty and had made outstanding military achievements, especially since the emperor had initially married the Xie patriarch. Furthermore, the emperor's name was still recorded in the Xie family genealogy.
Because the Xie family genealogy contained the name Si Xitong, the family members later multiplied and their numbers became the largest among the Hundred Surnames of the Western Jin Dynasty.
Everyone was divided into two factions, with one faction believing that there was another way.
The two factions were divided. One side believed that once someone entered the emperor's household, they should be treated as part of the emperor's court. The other side argued that the emperor should first enter the Xie family, and since Xie Zhu was a military general with significant achievements, she shouldn't be merely honored as the mother of the nation. Moreover, who would personally lead troops into battle as the mother of the nation? This inconsistency with her military achievements would diminish Xie Zhu's contributions to the establishment of the Western Jin Dynasty.
The middle ground, however, believes that the traditional system of bestowing rewards is no longer suitable.
Finally, after much debate, on the third day of the third lunar month, the emperor officially bestowed a title upon Xie Lanzhi.
He bestowed upon Xie Lanzhi the title of "Queen of England".
The following day, Xie Lanzhi was further honored as "Empress Wu of Jin".
Xie Lanzhi was the first person in history to simultaneously hold the positions of king and queen. Initially, her subordinates worried about her wielding too much power, but Xie Lanzhi later retreated to the background to serve as an advisor to Si Xitong's official academy. Furthermore, she refused any rewards for her good deeds and merits.
Si Xitong then switched to rewarding officials with silver. No other actions were taken besides rewarding them, since Xie Lanzhi had already reached the top rank.