Chapter Thirty-Three: Like a God of War

The entire court fell silent.

The Minister of Rites turned beet-red, unable to utter a single word. Eunuch Hai took the memorial and presented it to Emperor Xuande.

"Excellent." Emperor Xuande glanced at the document and asked, "My loyal subjects, is there anyone else who wishes to object?"

Everyone stared at Zhao Rufeng in disbelief. Could such a plan, so beneficial to the country and the people, really have been conceived by him? But it was detrimental to the interests of the powerful aristocratic families. Just as a member of the nobility was about to voice an objection, Duke Yi excitedly stepped forward first: "Your Majesty, this old servant supports this plan! I support it entirely!"

"If we can develop the North, our northern border will become an impregnable fortress—a stronghold that can advance to strike and retreat to defend."

"In five years—no, three years—if we develop it for three years, I am willing to don my armor once more to lead the charge, to completely eradicate the Huihui for our Great Jing, and to expand our territory!"

Duke Zheng was the second to speak: "Your Majesty, this old servant is willing to set an example. My entire family will move to the North; I only ask for Your Majesty's consent to the migration of Southerners to the North."

"My entire family is willing to guard the North for generations to come. We will not return until the Huihui are utterly defeated."

The remaining military officials all shouted in excitement: "We humbly beseech Your Majesty to unify the plan for Southern migration. We shall not return until the Huihui are defeated!"

The expressions of the many civil officials shifted. Since the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, this was the first time the military had shown such unity.

Zhao Rufeng swept his gaze over the civil officials, a cold sneer in his heart. Let’s see how panicked you are now. To the nation, your obstruction is a refusal to let Great Jing destroy the Huihui and expand its borders. To the military, this is a new opportunity to achieve merit and improve their status—how could they not be excited? If you oppose this, you are setting yourselves against the entire Great Jing Dynasty and every military official.

Zhao Rufeng could not help but admire the person who devised this plan once again. They first highlighted the advantages of the migration to the North, using the righteous cause of the nation and the people as a lure. Then, they brought the military into the fray, creating a counterbalance against the aristocratic families, thereby providing more room for the migration plan to be executed. What a tremendous talent; he truly wished to meet this person.

However, he still had to face the opposition of the courtiers. Zhao Rufeng knew clearly that such a national policy could not be completed in one go. A project of such massive scale, involving the relocation of so many people, would be fortunate to be completed even in a year, let alone five. There were too many complexities to manage. That was why the Emperor had tasked him with stepping forward instead of the Princess. As for the Princess, she was too young and a woman, making her unsuitable to serve as the vanguard.

The Minister of Revenue, Earl Kaiyang, spoke up: "Your Majesty, I object. The national treasury currently does not have the funds to support the migration of Southerners to the North. Furthermore, the disaster victims still need to rebuild their homes. If the population of the South is severely depleted, it will be detrimental to the region’s development. If post-disaster reconstruction cannot be carried out, then the idea of 'relief through work' will become a laughingstock. May I ask Minister Zhao, if the South is emptied of its people, who will rebuild it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many civil officials chimed in with their agreement. "Earl Kaiyang is right; the South also needs development." "Exactly, this migration is wrong; disaster relief should be the priority."

The civil officials began to flex their influence. The military officers grew impatient. "What is this talk of 'relief through work'? How is that more important than expanding our territory?" "You sour, pedantic scholars, you only know how to oppose for the sake of opposing. What else are you good for?"

"Crude, unrefined brutes with simple minds!" "Unreasonable, uncouth soldiers!"

Thus, the civil and military officials began to bicker. The court was as noisy as a vegetable market. Only eight people remained as steady as mountains: Emperor Xuande, the Crown Prince, the Princess, Zhao Rufeng, Yan Shifan, Duke Yang, Duke Zheng, and Duke Yi. Even though Dukes Zheng and Yi were military men, both were seasoned veterans. Even if they had been excited enough to don their armor just moments ago, they knew deep down that the migration would not be easy. Yet, no matter how long it took, it would likely succeed.

It was for no other reason than the fact that Zhao Rufeng had entered the game.

Yan Shifan asked in a calm, low voice, "Minister Zhao, are you still not planning to speak?"

Zhao Rufeng glanced at Yan Shifan, remaining silent. Yan Shifan’s expression did not change, though he inwardly grumbled. Zhao Rufeng didn't need his help today; he seemed very confident. Moreover, was that speech really something Zhao Rufeng had thought of himself? The Princess’s proposal, with Zhao Rufeng as the vanguard, needing no help and daring to face the ministers alone—it was unfathomable.

"Have you finished arguing?" Seeing the civil and military officials in a heated dispute, Emperor Xuande spoke coldly. Eunuch Hai immediately shouted, "Silence!"

Everyone stopped talking. Once it was completely quiet, Emperor Xuande asked calmly, "Minister Zhao, I find Earl Kaiyang’s point to be valid. The South is also important. After the people are moved, how will it develop?"

Zhao Rufeng smiled. These points were all addressed with counter-solutions in the memorial provided by the Princess. For the first time, Zhao Rufeng felt the thrill of being able to rebuke the court officials without having to strain his own brain.

Zhao Rufeng replied immediately: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I have another memorial." As he spoke, he drew a second scroll from his sleeve. "Your Majesty, this is a map of the current situation in the South. To rebuild after such a disaster, we need to divert grain and building materials from other regions, and even then, there may not be enough grain. If we force the cities that were not affected to accept victims, it will only spread the disaster. According to my findings, the people have already eaten all the trees within a radius of several hundred miles, which shows that the resources in the South are no longer sufficient to sustain the victims. To put it simply: if a bowl can only feed ten people, it is impossible to feed twenty or thirty. Under such conditions, the cost of reconstruction will consume even more silver and labor. Even if we rebuild, as I said, a bowl for ten cannot feed twenty or thirty. By then, even if we sow seeds in the spring, who can guarantee the harvest will be enough for them to be self-sufficient? The state would still need to provide years of relief—a staggering, incalculable sum. Even if the treasury had the money, grain is a problem. Currently, the grain output in unaffected areas is fixed; they are barely feeding themselves. If they can sell a small portion to the court for relief, it means they have had a bumper harvest. But what if they face a disaster themselves? The situation in the South will truly spiral out of control. It will only repeat the same tragedy!"

"Unless..." Zhao Rufeng shifted his tone, "Unless the great aristocratic families and clans are willing to supply the victims unconditionally for three years. Only then could the victims fully recover. But if they face another disaster, the cycle will repeat. If that happens, then as they say, the disaster can be effectively controlled, and there would be no need for the migration of Southerners to the North. I presume the officials present are all loyal servants of the country who are willing to contribute their surplus grain to save the people."

*Damn.* All the civil officials were stunned. Another "king bomb." The Minister was absolutely ruthless. Earl Kaiyang used the current situation to refute him, so the Minister used the current reality to shut them down. And the Minister’s logic was sounder: a bowl for ten truly couldn't feed thirty. But asking the aristocratic families to pay to support the victims was impossible. This was what Qin Hao called "trapping the nobility." *So, you want to object? Come on then, let’s look at the facts. If you have the ability to handle the relief, then we don't need the migration.*

Immediately, a group of noble-affiliated officials began to argue that disaster relief was the state's responsibility and that they had no surplus grain. Zhao Rufeng didn't even bother to acknowledge them. Such words couldn't even break through his defenses.

The military officials looked at Zhao Rufeng with such affection, silently cheering him on. *Go on, don't stop! Destroy them!*

Earl Kaiyang took a deep breath and said, "Minister Zhao, in fact, transporting materials from other regions for reconstruction does not require much silver; the treasury can bear it. Besides, there will be tax revenue next year, which will be sufficient for the court's relief efforts."

Zhao Rufeng asked coolly, "Earl Kaiyang, setting that aside for a moment, let me ask you: when faced with difficulties, is it better to provide relief year after year, or to solve the problem once and for all?"

Earl Kaiyang answered, "Once and for all."

Zhao Rufeng nodded: "Good. Let me ask you again: how long does it take for a tree to grow?"

Earl Kaiyang answered, "Several years to several decades."

"Exactly. Even if the disaster area replants trees, there will be no wood available for at least years or a decade. If you make them use wood from unaffected areas, what happens to those places? Must we wait until the unaffected areas also find themselves without wood to heat their homes in winter before you wake up? This approach is no different from killing the hen to get the eggs."

Earl Kaiyang continued, "Then we can cut trees in the North and transport them to the South."

Zhao Rufeng smiled: "Doesn't that mean we still have to send people to the North? Instead of repeatedly transporting resources and exhausting manpower, why not take advantage of this disaster to move Southerners to the North and develop the region?"

Having said this, Zhao Rufeng turned to Emperor Xuande: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, 'The old man lost his horse, but who is to say it isn't a blessing?' This disaster is an opportunity—a chance for the people to voluntarily move to the North. The Great Jing Dynasty is not facing a disaster, but a lack of production capacity. The arable land is limited; the grain output is insufficient to feed all our people, let alone resist unknown calamities. Only by developing the North and South together can the people grow more grain and increase our capacity. If there is a disaster in the future, mutual aid between North and South is the long-term solution. As for the lost population in the South, I am sure that in five or ten years, more children will be born. By the time the trees in the disaster areas have grown, these children will have grown up, and they can rebuild their former homes—wouldn't that be better? Furthermore, developing the North will better allow us to guard the northern border for Your Majesty. Only when the monarch, his ministers, and the people are of one heart can we completely eradicate the Huihui and build a peaceful, prosperous era!"

After finishing, Zhao Rufeng didn't forget to add, "Earl Kaiyang, what do you think?"

Earl Kaiyang’s resolve was shattered. You've said everything. What does it matter what I think? What has happened to Minister Zhao today? He’s like a god of war, shutting him down until he has nothing left to say.

Finally, Duke Yang stepped forward: "Your Majesty, while what Minister Zhao says has merit, the migration of Southerners to the North is a matter of such vast scope that it requires careful consideration."

Many civil officials echoed him, all hoping that Emperor Xuande would "carefully consider" it. This was the ultimate trump card of the civil officials: stalling for time. It was a way to give themselves time to figure out how to respond.

Emperor Xuande nodded to Zhao Rufeng: "I am very gratified that Minister Zhao can be so dedicated to the country and the people. Regarding the migration, write up a detailed plan and present it."

Zhao Rufeng replied firmly: "This subject obeys." He knew he had done enough for today. This speech was enough to awaken the aristocratic families. It was time to quit while ahead. The new policy would require more rounds of back-and-forth to identify its flaws through the opposition, and only when it was comprehensive would it be smooth to implement. Moreover, there was still the mountain of the aristocratic clans ahead, and he had to proceed with caution.

After court, in the Imperial Study, Zhao Rufeng grabbed Emperor Xuande’s leg, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, if you don't take me with you today, I will dash my brains out in this study."

Emperor Xuande was utterly disgusted. He tried to shake his leg free and ordered Eunuch Hai to pull Zhao Rufeng away, but he couldn't shake him off. The Emperor had finally learned his lesson: when a scholar decides to act like a rogue, it is terrifying!

"Fine, fine! I’ll take you! I’ll take you, will that do?" The Emperor compromised.

Zhao Rufeng stood up immediately, his expression calm: "After you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor sighed. What a scoundrel. Just as they were about to head to the Princess's residence, a voice came from outside: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, Duke Yi, Duke Zheng, and Chief Councilor Yan Shifan request an audience."