Chapter 815 - 54: An Era of Leap, Cutting Off One’s Own Wings?

Compared to other trivial matters, this matter of relocating the capital naturally could not be decided so easily.

Even with Gu Lin mediating in between.

All sides were still unwilling to give up their interests.

This was in fact the downside of such brilliance: when each minister on the court possessed sufficient capability, then once the external enemies were eliminated, these people would naturally act for their own benefit.

Human nature is inherently contentious; even within the Gu Clan there were those who wished to move the capital to Hebei.

Let alone everyone else.

This matter was destined to require a prolonged tug-of-war.

....

Time slipped by in a rush.

As the suppression of rebellions in various regions came to an end one after another, the entire world finally ushered in a rare period of stability once more.

The Great Song’s economic model spread outward in all directions.

The Gu Clan had indeed prepared far, far too much.

Their heritage accumulated over a thousand years, and generations of infiltration from bottom to top, meant that the Gu Clan had the situation in every corner of the world at their fingertips; this also made them far better adapted to the arrival of the new era.

Relying on the deep-rooted strength of the Imperial Censorate and the prestige of the Gu Clan.

Gu Lin could completely implement all kinds of institutions across the world at great speed.

"Workshops districts" and "local specialties" were integrated into the commercial routes.

All of this could be said to come about as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

In this time of turmoil, their predecessors had already left behind far too much experience.

And with the official school system once again confirmed.

The entire world entered the proper track at the fastest possible pace.

Of course, there were quite a few troubles in the midst of this.

Within each school of thought, there were inevitably some decayed figures unwilling to adapt to the tide of the new era; under the banner of "great righteousness," they chose to retreat into the mountains and forests. Many clans of the Confucian tradition likewise refused to accept the arrangements.

This matter dealt an enormous blow to them.

Among them, the Kong family naturally stood at the top.

The status of the Kong family was in fact closely bound to the status of Confucianism in Kyushu.

Now that Gu’s School was to completely abolish Confucianism, the impact on them was naturally far beyond what outsiders could imagine.

But unfortunately, they could not stir up any real storm.

In every respect, they were now incapable of withstanding this rolling tide of history.

The foundations of the Gu Academy had already been deeply rooted throughout Kyushu, and were even now continuously spreading overseas; moreover, what the Kong family had done over these years was no secret.

As the greatest beneficiary.

Countless people wanted a share of the cake left behind by the Kong family.

How could they possibly resist this overwhelming trend?

As time went by, after a series of struggles, the matter of fixing the capital was finally hammered out.

It was not the single-capital arrangement Gu Yi had originally envisioned.

Instead, after consideration from all sides, a four-capital system was adopted.

Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture was designated as the primary capital.

Tokyo Kaifeng Prefecture, Western Capital Henan Prefecture, and Northern Capital Daming Prefecture were redefined as three auxiliary capitals.

This was not a compromise, but the most appropriate decision Gu Lin made after seeing through all the overt and covert struggles and interests.

Retaining Tokyo Kaifeng Prefecture was a necessary move to placate the old meritorious nobles and the southeastern interest groups.

This move clearly proclaimed that they were not abandoning a century of foundations, but expanding the empire’s central hub network.

Kaifeng would still retain its prosperity and part of its political function, allowing forces dependent on the canal transport and old industries to catch their breath, so they would not be driven to desperation—greatly reducing resistance to reform.

Establishing Northern Capital Daming Prefecture, meanwhile, was to serve as the actual military and administrative hub for the Northern Border.

The Northern Desert Grassland, and even the entire Liaodong Peninsula.

All these territories required governance.

The current age was not a modern one with convenient information transmission; if they wished to properly control these lands, they had to ensure the flow of information. The court could not possibly rely on sea transport for everything.

This was likewise the best solution.

As for restoring the status of Western Capital Henan Prefecture and Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture, this balanced historical tradition with geographical equilibrium.

Luoyang lay at the heart of the realm, fortified by mountains and rivers, and could serve as a base for managing the west and Guanzhong; Shangqiu was the Longxing land of the Zhao Song, and honoring its status carried the meaning of winning over former ministers and emphasizing legal continuity.

Yingtian Prefecture was naturally chosen because of its overall suitability.

This was an issue even Gu Yi could see clearly, and these figures in the current court who could have their names recorded in history naturally saw it as well.

And this was also the path most suitable for the Great Song at present.

Gu Yi naturally would not interfere in all of this; the person he truly cared about was still Wanyan Aguda.

It is worth mentioning that—

Wanyan Aguda was still in the Northern Border.

Gu Yi had indeed considered directly keeping Wanyan Aguda in the Central Plains, cutting off all possibilities for the future.

But after some hesitation, he abandoned this plan.

Killing him was, of course, out of the question.

In this war of unification, Wanyan Aguda had gained great renown; behind him stood not only all the Jurchen tribes, but also many other minority tribes.

And the man was without guilt.

If he were simply killed off like this, it would surely cause those people to lose heart and turn away from the Central Plains.

Moreover, doing so would also make the Gu Clan appear ignorant of reward and punishment.

It would even diminish the Gu Clan’s prestige.

As for why he was not kept in the Central Plains, the reason was likewise simple: Gu Yi did not wish to be a man who worried needlessly.

This was in fact a decision Gu Yi reached after deep deliberation.

If he truly restricted, one by one, all those who had made a name for themselves in the original history, merely because of what that history recorded, then what need was there for the Gu Clan to have developed for a thousand years?

In other words—