Chapter 1815 – Setting the Capital
Before Jiang Pengji led her troops into battle, there was one crucial matter to address.
It was Wei Ci who reminded her of the uselessness of Beiyuan and Xichang, as the overall situation in the world had already been established.
Whether Jiang Pengji ascended the throne now or after dealing with two nations seemed to make no difference.
Thus, the pressing question arose: where would the capital be set?
“Isn’t it a bit too early to think about establishing the capital?”
Jiang Pengji wasn’t familiar with these procedures and didn’t fully grasp their implications.
To her, ascending the throne simply meant paying respects to the heavens and the earth, proclaiming to the world that she was now the ruler, and making it a rule for everyone to call her ‘Your Majesty’ from then on.
She thought it was that simple, but in reality, there was much preparation to be made ahead of time, such as deciding the location of the imperial capital.
Wei Ci replied, “It’s not too early. If the Lord ascends, preparations for the construction of the imperial mausoleum should start almost right after the New Year.”
Jiang Pengji: “???”
What kind of wild concept was it to have people building her mausoleum just after she ascended?
Wei Ci chuckled and asked back, “Does the Lord really think emperors have their mausoleums built in a rush when they ascend?”
Jiang Pengji pondered the scaled specifications of mausoleums as described in historical texts and fell silent.
Considering the level of construction in this era, even hundreds of years later, it would be impossible to build a mausoleum that met the standards in just a few months. Typically, emperors would have their mausoleums constructed shortly after ascending the throne, with the design, materials, and labor all requiring immense resources and finances. If the project was fast-tracked and the emperor’s reign was normal, the mausoleum could generally be completed a couple of years before passing. Rushing at the last minute wasn’t an option; if it was like this for mausoleums, then the capital couldn’t just develop slowly after ascending, right?
Jiang Pengji was at a loss for words and finally decided to cut corners.
“This question… where did Jiang Zhao’s capital settle in your past life? Then why not just set it there in this life?”
Wei Ci sighed, he knew the Lord would respond this way.
“Choosing the capital based on your past life is somewhat frivolous; until the world is stable and the people’s livelihood is secure, ministers still suggest moving the capital.”
There was no helping it; the emperor was too capricious, choosing the location of the capital with eyes closed.
In the tenth year of Jiang Zhao’s establishment, due to corruption among upstream officials, the capital located in the middle and lower reaches was flooded for three days.
Although flood prevention was timely and there weren’t too many casualties, farmlands near the capital were submerged, leading to a complete wipeout of that year’s harvest. The emperor’s palace was also flooded for two days, and during those days, the ministers trembled as they went to court, wading through water.
It’s quite embarrassing to let it be known that a nation’s capital was flooded for three days due to upstream official corruption.
Fortunately, the emperor’s throne was as stable as a mountain, and the various crises were handled adequately, preventing turmoil in the court and among the people.
During this disaster relief effort, Princess Yan performed excellently, which gained her the admiration of the court officials.
In the end, the emperor finally agreed to relocate the capital, conveniently holding all upstream officials accountable for their actions.
The common folk joked that the blood of those corrupt officials and their families stained the upstream red!
This shows just how many lives that incident cost.
Wei Ci felt that relocating the capital twice was tedious; it would be better to choose a location everyone was satisfied with from the beginning and slowly develop it into a more prosperous place than Wanzhou. They already had experience building Wanzhou, making it less challenging to create a capital.
Even if they couldn’t complete it before the Lord ascended, surely they could move to the new royal palace within two to three years after the ascension, right?
Jiang Pengji: “…”
While it was about selecting the location for the capital, Jiang Pengji, being a reserved person, couldn’t say it outright and disguised her words to be gentler.
Everyone around her was her old comrades; how could they not understand their lord’s character?
However, deciding on the capital’s location was indeed crucial, affecting the continuity of the entire dynasty and the local economy.
The address couldn’t be arbitrary; it needed to be defensible yet accessible to promote economic development, while also considering its control over military strength at the borders. In short, this was when they needed a soothsayer skilled in surveying dragon veins.
This person proposed establishing the capital on the old site of Zhong Zhao’s capital.
That location was a historical capital of six dynasties, matching everyone’s expectations with the conditions they aspired to.
But there were also strong objections.
What did the six dynasties’ ancient capital imply?
It meant that the nations that built capitals here had perished six times; was this an attempt to gather souls, collecting seven Dragon Balls to summon the dragon?
Too inauspicious, very inauspicious!
Thus, that person recommended a location near his family’s ancestral land: Zz
Needless to say, if the capital was successfully established, prices of land, housing, and commodities would skyrocket.
Jiang Pengji sat at the head, listening to their debates, deeply suspicious that these people had bought numerous houses in those areas.
Of course, this was merely Jiang Pengji’s jest; apart from Wanzhou, no other place’s housing prices could truly skyrocket.
Establishing a national capital isn’t accomplished in a day. Even though Wanzhou was as prosperous as any historical capital, it took countless people over a decade of effort to mold it into what it is today. If the capital was to be built in a barren area, it would require immense resources and manpower that Jiang Pengji couldn’t afford. From the perspectives of national defense and finance, her options for a location were rather limited.
It was best to choose an ancient capital with natural fortifications and an existing foundation for development, with nearby locations to station tens of thousands of troops.
After several rounds of heated discussion and voting, they finally chose Pingfengdu in the northern direction of Zhong Zhao.
Zhong Zhao’s ten states and thirty-three counties were mostly rich, with the state capitals once flourishing with resources. Pingfengdu had also been a capital of a small nation during the Sixteen Kingdoms chaotic period, so it had the necessary infrastructure. If Jiang Pengji established the capital here, after two or three years of construction, it could take on the appearance of a capital.
True economic growth would need to come gradually once they moved in, but it would eventually surpass Wanzhou.
If Wanzhou wasn’t unsuitable as the capital, Jiang Pengji really wouldn’t want to move.
After tentatively selecting Pingfengdu, everyone said the name needed to be changed.
Jiang Pengji: “???”
Aren’t your demands a bit too high?
“I think it sounds pretty good.”
A few in the know muttered under their breaths that their lord’s naming skills might be lacking, but their aesthetic sense was also questionable.
Pingfengdu wasn’t much of a problem, but ‘Fengdu’ was huge trouble.
What was Fengdu?
Fengdu, also known as Fengdu, is said in myth and legend to be the entrance to the underworld, the destination for souls after death.
How can there be a human emperor living in a place with the same name as the underworld king?
We can’t just ask the King of Fengdu to rename it for us, can we?
“So…”
The suggestion from the crowd was to change the name to something auspicious!
Oh, and the lord’s suggestion didn’t need to be adopted.
The name of the capital would be recorded in history; they didn’t want to create a black mark that would lead to ridicule from future generations.
Jiang Pengji: “…”
The world hasn’t been conquered yet, and you’re already thinking of renaming a place a thousand miles away without asking the local residents if they’re willing?
