Chapter 19 Answers

It was not until Queen Song gently reminded that Fang Hongtian came to his senses and ordered the eunuch beside him: "Go and bring up the memorials that I had not finished last night."

The eunuch bowed and retreated. Not long after, he brought a large memorial with several eunuchs.

Fang Hongtian picked up a memorial and looked at it. Queen Song glanced at it and whispered: "Your Highness, this is very good."

Fang Hongtian nodded and said, "If you want to give you the king of fiefdoms, you must know how to govern the fiefdoms. You can answer a question from me, do you know about Chaozhou and Hengzhou?"

Fang Ling replied frankly: "The two prefectures of Chaoheng are located in the southern part of my country. The two prefectures are adjacent to each other. They are located in plain areas, with many rivers and few mountains. The largest river is called Wujiang. The river road has produced many ports. Since ancient times, the land is fertile and lush. It is a trading and distribution center for grain, cotton, aquatic products and various local specialties. At the same time, the two prefectures have produced many talents since ancient times and have a strong literary style. Since the founding of the People's Republic of my country, many civil servants and bachelors from Chaoheng every generation have come from Chaoheng, and there are many famous places and historical sites there..."

Fang Ling talked freely, and the ministers nodded secretly when they heard it. Unexpectedly, the eldest prince who had never left the cold palace knew so well about the country and the states.

Xue Zhiqiu and others also saw their eyes lit up, and their worries were less, while Queen Song's face became even colder.

Fang Hongtian did not expect Fang Ling to have some knowledge, so he continued to say: "The magistrates of Chaozhou and Hengzhou wrote a letter at the same time, saying that a large number of river thieves have appeared on the river recently. These people are familiar with the water nature and the terrain. They always steal cargo from civilian ships, but it is difficult to catch them. If this is your territory, how should you solve this problem?"

Xue Zhiqiu and others were shocked when they heard this. This question seemed ordinary, but in fact it was a very test of their ability. Because there were many river thieves in Chaoheng and Heng provinces, they had heard of them over the years and could not be wiped out all of them. Moreover, there were many river thieves occupying the lake and set them up as water camps. Although the two states had military forces, the river thieves were unaware of the retreat route and had excellent water quality. It was not easy to completely solve this problem.

The foreign envoys heard it and also saw that the test that Emperor Chu mentioned was not a formality, but was really examining the problem.

Fang Ce frowned when he heard this, obviously knowing that this question was very difficult. His ministers were also whispering, guessing the eldest prince's answer.

Concubine Su was born into a great man and was known as a talented woman in her early years. She was not only familiar with poetry and books, but also had a lot of knowledge about the customs and customs of various places. Fang Ling grew up under his guidance since she was a child. As the deputy commander of the imperial court, Dong Canghai often guarded outside the hall when he went to court. Every time he came back, he would tell him what the court heard. Therefore, Fang Ling knew everything and everything that happened in the court over the years and was also familiar with the situation in various places.

Hearing Fang Hongtian’s question, he thought for a moment, and replied loudly: “Since ancient times, there have been incidents of river thieves in Chaoheng and Heng. They have been destroyed and killed again. However, as long as you pay a little attention, you will find that every time the river thieves are in great prosperity, it is a drought season.”

As soon as he said this, the court officials couldn't help but whisper, and some even began to recall whether the treacherous riots every few years was related to drought. After thinking about it, they were surprised and found that it was indeed the same as what Fang Ling said.

Fang Ling continued, "The reason is all about taxation. There are many fishermen in the two states, and the taxes they pay every year are very small, and the final income is very small. Whenever the drought is severe, the fish and rice harvests are reduced, but the taxes are not reduced. So everyone is forced to become bandits just to make a living."

When the court heard Fang Ling say the reason, he only felt that this analysis was reasonable.

But Fang Ce suddenly said, "Then what you mean is, isn't the officials force the people? Is it wrong to the father? Is it that the father is not considerate enough to the people?"

Seeing the prince suddenly speaking, and his words led directly to Emperor Chu, the court officials were all silent and did not dare to interrupt.

Fang Ling looked at him with neither humility nor arrogantness, and said with a faint smile: "Chaoheng Prefectures have always been extremely poor. From the prefectures to the minor officials, all kinds of taxes are constantly being paid. Many of them are private taxes that the court does not know. However, the prefect either does not know or turns a blind eye, just because the more taxes these taxes, the better the political achievements. Therefore, the fault is not that the father is not considering the people's sentiments, but that the officials below conceal the reports. At the same time, the two prefectures of Chaoheng Prefectures have always been in the hometown of literati. They have been dominated by civilian governments. The local forces are thin and foreign troops do not know how to fight against water camps. They will naturally suffer losses when fighting with water camps."

Fang Hongtian couldn't help but nodded and asked, "So, what about the governance method?"

Fang Ling smiled slightly and said, "The strong country lies in the people. When the people are rich, the country will be safe. When the people are poor, the country will be in chaos. The root cause is the people's hearts. If you want to eliminate the river thieves, as long as you disrupt the people's hearts, reduce taxes, and send supervisors to regularly investigate taxes. Once you find that an official sets private taxes, you will be punished and will be exposed to the public. The river thieves will definitely be affected and abandon the darkness and turn to the light. Of course, there are also some river thieves who make a living by making money and live in the water village. For these, you can first adopt the method of recruiting and tempting them with official positions. If you do not respond, you will mobilize 100,000 troops from the surrounding area, practice the navy army diligently by the lake, and do the attack of the village. How can the river thieves in the village not be afraid? How can they not surrender?"

Before Fang Hongtian asked the question, the court officials were not optimistic, and they just thought that the eldest prince would definitely make a fool of themselves. However, he underestimated a few words, not only to the point of being sharp, but also to solve this problem by both civil and military use.

Many officials in the field were stunned when they heard this, and even Cui Yiyuan frowned slightly. In fact, Fang Hongtian always asked the court officials about the thieves in Chaoheng and Heng provinces, but no one could think of a perfect solution. However, he was solved by a eldest prince who lived in a cold palace and had never left the house. This undoubtedly slapped these ministers heavily.

Xue Zhiqiu and others were even more gloomy. No one expected Fang Ling to be so smart. Fang Ce also frowned and could not find any words to refute Fang Ling for a while.

Wei An watched the situation develop with interest, but he didn't expect that the eldest prince was really capable. However, a talented prince appeared in Chu State, which he least wanted to see.

Queen Song's expression also changed. Fang Ling's reaction was completely different from what she imagined. She also understood that the governance plan proposed by Fang Ling was very perfect. Even Fang Hongtian couldn't help but nodded, and a trace of brightness flashed in his eyes.

She hurriedly said, "Emperor, since the eldest prince is so smart, why not give him a few more questions? Only then will everyone know that the eldest prince does have the talent to govern the territory."

Fang Hongtian nodded, picked up other memorials and started reading them.

Fang Ling hummed in his heart, but he seemed very calm on the surface. Since he had already stood here, no matter how civil or martial, he had already prepared the worst mentally. However, if he wanted to use a few problems in governing the country, he would stump him, and then he would make the mistake of making the abacus.

Fang Hongtian took out a memorial and stopped, asking, "Do you know Baizhou?"

Fang Ling replied: "Baizhou is located in the western part of our country, with mountainous mountains and hills, with vast land and sparse populations, and extremely underdeveloped materials. There is no official road. Whether you enter or exit, you have to enter the mountain road. Its people are strong and the people are all soldiers. Three hundred years ago, the ancestor emperor spent a full year to capture Baizhou, and then he adopted it as a territory."

Fang Hongtian nodded slightly and said, "In recent years, I have sent seven prefects to Baizhou. Whether it is a civil servant or a senior official, I cannot handle the situation once I get there, and I often violate the customs and taboos of the people, leading to a series of troublesome things. What solutions do you have?"

When everyone heard this, they knew that the matter in Baizhou was indeed a difficult problem. If there were no military officers guarding there, they really didn't know what chaos would be like, but they didn't know what Fang Ling could do?

But Fang Ling smiled slightly and said, "Why didn't my father promote the effective local officials in Baizhou to the prefecture?"

As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned. Fang Hongtian also frowned and said, "Promote local officials?"

Fang Ling smiled and said, "The Baizhou Rebellion is nothing more than 'xenophobia'. The people are tough and naturally don't like to be controlled by outsiders. However, if local officials are promoted and rewarded with generous rewards, they will be familiar with local customs and grateful for their father's gifts, and will naturally manage Baizhou well. After this promotion, other local officials will also work together to strive for rewards. All peace will come first and from the bottom."

Everyone heard it and said that these four taels were really powerful to make a big difference. They moved the focus of the problem away from the people and put it above the officials. Local officials were familiar with the situation. If they received a generous reward, they would work hard to repay the emperor's kindness. This makes logical sense, and it is indeed surprisingly difficult to govern the local area.

Seeing Fang Ling's words and solving the problem, Queen Song's face became a little unpleasant.

Fang Hongtian became a little interested and opened the memorials one after another to ask questions. Almost every problem would make people feel troublesome. In fact, these memorials were not left at will, but problems that Fang Hongtian had never thought of a solution after reading them in the past few days.

However, once any problem is raised, Fang Ling will immediately find a solution after thinking about it. Moreover, these methods are unique and refreshing.

Everyone was secretly surprised to hear this, and they looked at the eldest prince with admiration. The foreign envoys also paid attention to the eldest prince who had only heard of it, while the expression of Queen Song was getting ugly.
Chapter completed!