Chapter 948
Wind, Fire, Forest and Mountain
Chapter 948 Wind, Fire, Forest and Mountain
People gradually realized that the State of Qi was just an imagined community.
On this land, meaning is being redefined. Apart from the buildings on the ground and the articles that have been passed down through the ages, all imaginations of greatness and glory are now nothingness, and many people no longer acknowledge their existence.
In reality, the collapse of the empire had already begun.
Ten years ago, the Supreme Council decided to close itself off from the world, become an enemy of Europe, and refuse independent oversight bodies access to key sectors such as the Imperial Bank, energy, and transportation. When the Council proclaimed that the people of Qi were following their own path, collapse was inevitable.
The economy plummeted, the various vassal states disintegrated, parliamentary decision-making became increasingly fragmented, prices soared, unemployment skyrocketed, and the wealthy of Tianxin City and the various vassal states rushed to flee overseas.
Everything is irreversibly heading towards collapse.
In the end, even the glory that was once a source of pride was swept away by the winds and rains along with the empire. The empire's early military exploits were deconstructed by busybodies into various low-brow comedic stories, serving as jokes to amuse idle people.
In short, the empire's glory and humiliation, its rise and fall, all became meaningless. The State of Qi, like all the dynasties before it, was destined to perish.
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On April 27th, three hundred councilors gathered in Tianxin City held a final vote in the parliament building regarding the suppression of the rebellion in Liaodong. If more than half of the voters voted in favor, the plan for the Liaodong war would be approved according to the relevant provisions of the Imperial Constitution.
The proposed plan for the Liaodong war, simply put, involved the council leading the way, with each feudal lord contributing their share of troops, funds, supplies, weapons, ammunition, and energy resources—essentially each lord paying for the war out of their own pocket. Clearly, this was virtually impossible.
Apart from a few warlords who had direct conflicts with Liaodong, most warlords had no motivation to go to war with Liaodong.
Take Qiongzhou, which is thousands of miles away, as an example. Qiongzhou has no connection with Liaodong. If there is any connection, it is that every year some tourists from Liaodong cause trouble in Qiongzhou.
In short, if Parliament wants to gain the support of the various domains, it must persuade the representatives from across the country, who represent the will of the domains. Once they are won over, the passage of the war bill will be half successful.
Unfortunately, the authority of the parliament has long since plummeted. If the situation is favorable to their domain, the lords may invoke the parliament to endorse them; otherwise, they will ignore the parliament.
Anyone with eyes to see can see that pacifying Liaodong was like playing with fire, costing real money and countless lives, only to end up as a dowry for someone else.
Everyone would much rather witness the complete annihilation of those arrogant guys from Tianxin City!
The rebellion in Liaodong tore a rift in the already loose alliance, and the rift began to widen and could no longer be healed.
Most of the regional military governors were eager to make a move, and some even harbored ambitions to break away from the Great Qi and establish their own independent states.
It's simply a matter of who's the first to stick their neck out.
The challenges facing Parliament go far beyond this.
Besides the lack of support from various vassal states, there were also a considerable number of opponents within Tianxin City. They were known as the peace faction and opposed war with Liaodong, or more accurately, all wars.
Despite strong opposition from representatives of various vassal states, the councilors were determined to pass the plan for war against Liaodong. Councilor Ma Tianxing shouted sternly:
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen! We can no longer hesitate! The Great Qi is on the verge of collapse. If we sit idly by and watch the rebellion in Liaodong grow stronger, not only will Shanhaiguan be in danger, but Yanyun will also be in grave peril! If Yanyun is lost, can you still talk so eloquently as you do today? Can you still enjoy peace and tranquility?"
That's a bit of an exaggeration.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this uprising in Liaodong was merely a means to protect themselves. Of course, they also had another demand: to purge the emperor of corrupt officials they considered treacherous ministers. As for the talk of entering the pass and annexing the various vassal states, that was nothing but Ma Tianxing's wild fabrication. Even if Liaodong had the audacity, they lacked the ability to conquer the entire country. It should be understood that Liaodong's strength was only one percent of that of the interior. Could a mere Liaodong possibly conquer the whole country?
Before the councilor could finish speaking, a representative from the Chu region stood up and vehemently retorted:
"What do you mean by 'enjoying peace'? That's utter nonsense! Since its founding, the Great Qi Dynasty has lasted for over a century. Which year hasn't there been war? Which year hasn't people died? You traitors! How dare you wreak havoc on the world! The world has finally achieved peace, yet you want to stir up war again! If war breaks out, the death toll will be far more than a million!" Ma Tianxing retorted, "The elite forces of Feng Huo Lin Shan are all in the hands of the council. What is there to fear about the rabble in Liaodong? Traitors and rebels can be killed by everyone. The laws of the country, the hearts of the people, are all in our hands. What is there to fear?"
These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.
"You members of parliament sit in the parliament building, without ever going to the battlefield, just by opening and closing your mouths, you expect the various vassal states to raise three million in military funds? To conscript 30,000 men? To send tens of thousands of men to their deaths thousands of miles away? This is utterly disregard for human life! Let whoever wants to sign such war terms sign them! My Guangdong vassal state will never sign them!"
Ma Tianxing's eyes widened in anger, wishing he could immediately order the bailiffs to drive this troublemaker away. Only after being reminded by his companion did he calm down and forcefully suppress his anger, saying:
"The Guangdong lord is a reasonable man. The Guangdong vassal state contributed greatly to suppressing the Annam rebellion back then. How could he stand idly by during this Liaodong rebellion? He has most likely been deceived by you, you villain. I will send a telegram to Guangzhou to inquire right away!"
"Hahahaha!" The envoy from Guangdong laughed loudly, as if he had heard a very funny joke.
"His lord is unable to come to Tianxin City due to his mobility issues, which is why he entrusted me with full responsibility for suppressing the rebellion. Councilor Ma's claim that I misled the lord is utter slander. Since the council is so unreasonable, the Guangdong vassal state will not participate in the Liaodong affair. You may do as you see fit!"
He walked towards the entrance of the venue while talking.
"Ye Nanshan! Don't be so stubborn! This is Tianxin City, not Lingnan! Do you think you can act as you please?!"
“If you dare to step out of this gate, the council will not be responsible for your personal safety!” Ma Tianxing said threateningly, “The swords of the traitors in Tianxin City have no eyes.”
Upon hearing this, the hundreds of representatives of the regional military governors present all turned their heads and looked at Ma Tianxing with displeasure.
Ye Nanshan stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with anger, and retorted sharply, "Then let's try it! My Yue Fan's sword is no less effective!"
It's unclear when exactly, but the various vassal states began to disregard the authority of the council—if Tianxin City still held any authority at all.
Seeing this, the representatives of the various vassal states gathered around and began to hurl insults at Ma Tianxing.
In Ma Tianxing's view, the actions of the envoys from various vassal states were tantamount to a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and were simply overestimating their own strength.
"The parliament has supreme decision-making power. You are trampling on imperial law, do you realize that?!"
"Enough! At a time like this, anyone who still wants to maintain authoritarian rule is a complete fool!"
"Do you mean that the Great Qi should split again and return to that chaotic era of bloodshed?"
Regardless, the resolution to quell the Liaodong rebellion has been passed by the parliament, and the next step, according to the Great Qi system, is to fully implement it.
Whether it can be truly implemented remains to be seen.
Seeing the unyielding attitude of the envoys from various vassal states, it seemed unlikely that this plan could be implemented. Ma Tianxing said in exasperation:
"A bunch of fools clinging to power, the empire will be destroyed in your hands sooner or later!"
The representative of the Zhejiang vassal state jumped out and shouted, "This is a chaotic order! We, the Zhejiang vassal state, cannot comply! Although the Zhejiang vassal state is wealthy, we will never waste a single coin!"
Seeing that someone had started, the Fujian governor also jumped out and shouted, "That's right, you won't get a single penny from the Fujian governor!"
The representative suddenly remembered something, and after a moment he brought up old debts: "Tianxin City owes this vassal state a total of 320,000 Qi coins for timber. When will it be repaid?"