The Misunderstanding Among the Court Ministers

In the Tang dynasty, the southern regions were feared by everyone as a place of exile simply because they were sparsely populated and plagued by miasma.

However, Li Zhi knew very well that those regions were the true source of momentum for the Great Tang's strength.

The climate in the south was warm and humid, making it exceptionally suitable for agricultural development.

It was only a pity that very few Han Chinese had migrated there up to this point.

Consequently, these areas had remained under the administration of various backward barbarian tribes with low productivity.

Li Zhi decided to seize this opportunity to change the situation once and for all.

Therefore, he first wrote a memorial to Li Shimin, elaborating in detail on the importance of developing the southern regions.

Taking the impending maritime trade as a starting point, he proposed developing agriculture, fisheries, and foreign trade in the coastal areas.

In this way, these regions could be closely linked with the interior of the Great Tang.

Before long, this would attract a massive population and complete the development of these places.

Li Shimin carefully studied Li Zhi's proposal.

He then summoned the ministers of the court to hold an imperial assembly.

As soon as Li Shimin brought up Li Zhi's plan, a murmur of discussion instantly erupted in the court.

In the eyes of these officials, Lingnan Circuit was by no means a good place.

Why on earth was His Highness the Prince of Jin proposing to develop it now?

Could it be that His Majesty was displeased with some minister and wanted to use the Prince of Jin's mouth to banish him from the court?

While everyone was indulging in wild guesses, Wen Yanbo, the Minister of Personnel, spoke up first, saying, "Your Majesty, the various prefectures of Lingnan are plagued by miasma that easily causes death and injury. To rush into development rashly might result in losses outweighing the gains!"

Li Zhi replied, "The origin of miasma mostly stems from decaying vegetation; once it is cleared away, it will naturally cease to occur."

Tang Jian, the Palace Aide-in-Ordinary, asked, "The talk of miasma has existed for a long time, yet no one has ever explained it clearly. What basis does Your Highness have for saying this?"

Li Zhi said, "Our Great Tang's medical science has now developed greatly and has long since researched this matter."

Chen Shuda, the Minister of Rites, spoke up, "Even so, the south is mostly populated by barbarians and is sparsely populated. Even if it is developed, where are we to find the labor force?"

Li Zhi said, "There are quite a few defeated armies and surrendered generals among the Tuyuhun people; banishing them to Lingnan would be just right."

Since those Tuyuhun captives had to be settled somewhere regardless, it would be better to simply relocate them to Lingnan and let them serve as the reclamation army.

Everyone had not expected that Li Zhi would have even considered the issue of labor.

This made them all the more suspicious that the father and son were merely putting on a play.

Therefore, Duan Lun, the Minister of Works, spoke up again, saying, "The Lingnan region is hot and humid, and people from the north will likely find it difficult to adapt for a time."

Li Zhi said, "If we are to develop the economy, there must naturally be sacrifices. If we only speak of the drawbacks and ignore the benefits, when are we going to wait?"

***

After hearing Li Zhi's words, everyone remained silent for a moment.

Shortly afterward, Li Chengqian spoke up, "Developing a barren land will certainly cost a great deal of wealth, and the current court treasury can hardly afford it!"

Li Zhi said, "Your Imperial Highness's concerns are entirely correct. This younger brother believes we can adopt a method of steady progress, developing and producing at the same time."

Wang Gui said, "If Your Highness has any brilliant strategies, you might as well share them for us to hear."

Li Zhi said, "The land of Lingnan is extremely suitable for agriculture. We can reclaim and cultivate at the same time, and within two years, we can achieve self-sufficiency."

Wang Gui asked, "Does Your Highness have any basis for this statement?"

Li Zhi said, "For this matter, we can ask Lord Zhang, Minister of the Court of Agricultural Affairs, to answer."

Upon hearing Li Zhi mention his name, Zhang Ru was momentarily stunned.

He had never expected that he, someone who had always been a mere background figure, would one day get to speak on such a major issue.

However, since his name had already been called, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

He first bowed respectfully to Li Shimin and then spoke, "Your Majesty, according to the evaluation of the Court of Agricultural Affairs, there should be multiple places in Lingnan where crops can be harvested twice a year."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately asked with excitement, "Is this true?"

Zhang Ru replied, "Although it has not yet been tested through experiment, this official is already certain."

Hearing Zhang Ru's confirmation, Li Shimin immediately burst into a hearty laugh of joy.

Everyone else was startled by Zhang Ru's answer.

If grain in Lingnan could be harvested twice a year, wouldn't that simply mean acquiring an additional major grain-producing stronghold out of nowhere?

After laughing for a long time, Li Shimin finally said, "It seems the development of the Lingnan region brooks no delay. Which of you ministers do you think can shoulder this great responsibility?"

Here it comes...

As soon as they heard Li Shimin's words, these two words immediately popped into the minds of all the ministers.

From beginning to end, they had believed this was a well-staged play directed by Li Shimin and Li Zhi.

Next, they wanted to see who was unlucky enough to have inadvertently offended the emperor.

At this moment, no one spoke. With tacit understanding, they all waited for Li Shimin to announce the answer himself.

Seeing this situation, Li Shimin could not help but frown.

He had no idea what the group of people below was thinking.

He actually thought that none of them had a suitable candidate in mind.

Therefore, he asked again, "My ministers, do none of you have a suitable candidate?"

Everyone still remained silent, all lowering their heads and putting on an expression of deep thought.

Since the emperor wanted to play along, everyone would just accompany him in the act a little longer.

***

Anyway, no matter who the emperor designated later, everyone would surely agree immediately.

The silence of the crowd put Li Shimin in a difficult position.

For he could not think of anyone who was capable of both handling government affairs and reclaiming farmland.

Therefore, he hurriedly cast his gaze toward Fang Xuanling and the others to see if they had any good candidates.

When Fang Xuanling and the others caught Li Shimin's gaze, a bitter smile flashed through their hearts.

His Majesty was not playing fair with this matter!

You didn't discuss it with everyone before the meeting, and now you suddenly expect us to pick someone—isn't this forcing a duck onto a perch?

How could anyone dare to speak up in such a situation?

Guessing the right candidate might fulfill your wish, but once you guessed wrong, wouldn't you offend that person to death?

While everyone was silent, Li Zhi was also feeling puzzled in his heart.

With such a great opportunity to perform a meritorious service, no one actually wanted it?

This was a job that could be done well with just a little earnest effort!

With a roll of his eyes, he immediately spoke up, "Imperial Father, this son is willing to go and give it a try."

As soon as Li Zhi's words fell, the gazes of everyone present locked onto him with intense scrutiny.

Your Highness the Prince of Jin, we don't need to play it this way, do we?

If you wanted to chase someone away, you actually wanted them to volunteer their own mouths?

Thinking of this, everyone's gaze shifted back to Li Shimin.

Only to find that an expression of utter astonishment was plastered across his face as well.

"What a wonderful act!" everyone sighed inwardly.

Hou Junji, who had remained silent all along, saw his eyes light up the moment he heard Li Zhi's words, though he immediately lowered his head again shortly after.

He had been suspecting all along that the person these father and son wanted to kick out was none of other than himself.

For he felt that the opinions he had recently put forward did not quite align with the emperor's wishes.

Li Shimin took a long while of being startled before snapping back to his senses.

He immediately refused, "How can this be feasible? You are so young, how can you go alone to such a remote place?"