My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Liu Chan was stunned.

Judging from his expression, Xiao He could roughly tell that this Crown Prince probably hadn't calculated the enormous cost of building this Grand Canal.

“Building such a Grand Canal that runs through the north and south, even if we make use of the existing waterways, would require at least one to two million laborers and take several years, or even ten years.”

"Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the population of the country has decreased sharply. Even though the emperor has issued several edicts to investigate the population, the number of registered households currently under the control of our Great Han Dynasty is no more than eight million."

"Even if we eventually wipe out the puppet state of Wei, eliminate the two traitors Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu, and take over Yizhou, Yongzhou, and Liangzhou, the total population will not exceed ten million."

“To draw nearly two million people from ten million people to build this canal is tantamount to taking away all the able-bodied young laborers of our great Han Dynasty to perform forced labor.”

"Then who will farm this land? If only women, children, the elderly and weak can farm it, then the autumn harvest will definitely be greatly reduced."

"Moreover, this production reduction is not for one or two years, but could potentially last for ten years."

"Has Your Highness considered the consequences of this?"

Xiao He pointed out the drawbacks of building the Grand Canal, and finally looked at Liu Shan with a cold and solemn gaze.

The consequence, of course, was the fall of the nation.

With all the nation's labor force engaged in digging canals, the harvest is bound to fail, the people will go hungry, the imperial court will be unable to collect taxes, and it's no wonder the country is in chaos.

That's how the Sui Dynasty came to an end.

Although Yang Guang was ambitious and loved to squander the wealth left to him by Yang Jian, he was ultimately helpless because the wealth left by Yang Jian was simply too great.

Even though Yang Guang launched three campaigns against Goguryeo, even though he built the Eastern Capital, and even though they made several southern tours to Jiangdu, they didn't actually cause the country to suffer such severe damage.

The real problem was the construction of the Grand Canal.

Millions of people abandoned farming to build the canal, which took nearly four years to complete. Nearly a million people died on the construction site, and the amount of money and food spent was incalculable.

In any dynasty, such a terrifying number of non-war deaths would have caused the people to rise up in rebellion.

If the whole world rebels, how can you avoid the downfall of your country?

Of course, Xiao He couldn't openly tell Liu Shan about this bloody lesson; he could only guide him to think about it.

Liu Shan indeed fell into deep thought, and the passion on his face gradually faded.

After pondering for a long time, Liu Shan asked in return:
"What the Grand Marshal said makes sense, but should we give up on building the Grand Canal just because of this small difficulty?"

Xiao He felt a chill run down his spine.

Good heavens, you make it sound so easy, A Dou.

The lives of millions of people are reduced to a "minor difficulty" when it comes to you, with just a light touch of your upper and lower lips?
This child has grown up in a pampered environment and hasn't experienced much hardship.

"Ahem, it's not that we won't fix it."

"Your Highness's idea of ​​building the North-South Canal is a great undertaking that will benefit future generations, and it is certainly necessary to build it. However, I believe that it should be built in a moderate manner and its scale should be controlled."

"For example, we can divide this canal into three sections: north, central and south, and build it section by section, with each section taking about ten years."

"If we divide it up like this, the number of laborers conscripted each year to repair the river should not exceed 20,000 to 30,000. In this way, the money and grain spent by the court and the agricultural and sericultural activities that are delayed by the people will be within an acceptable range."

"In this way, we can repair the Grand Canal without harming the foundation of the nation. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation for both the country and its people?"

Xiao He patiently guided Liu Shan, pointing him towards a bright future.

Liu Shan frowned slightly and his lips twitched:

"The Grand Marshal's plan is sound, but it will take more than thirty years. Would I have to spend my entire life to finish this canal?"

"I might not even live to see the Grand Canal completed?"

Xiao He sneered inwardly.

This is building a canal, do you think this is child's play? Such a huge project, even with the technology of the future, digging with an excavator, it would take you seven or eight years.

With current technology, relying entirely on the people to dig it out with shovels and picks, it would be good if it could be repaired in thirty years without harming the foundation of the country.

As the saying goes, each generation does its own thing.

"If we want to repair this Grand Canal without harming the foundation of the nation, this is the most rational choice."

"Moreover, the Grand Canal is a project that will benefit future generations. Even if Your Highness spends your entire life repairing it, this achievement will be enough to make you famous throughout history!"

Xiao He then offered some earnest words of comfort.

To be honest, Xiao He was not the kind of person who liked to teach others, and he had no desire to lecture the Crown Prince as a subject.

This kind of thing should have been done by Zhuge Liang.

After all, Liu Shan had undergone a complete transformation, and on the surface, he was indeed more intelligent and capable than the original Liu Shan.

But being smart doesn't mean he's like his father, willing to listen to advice.

The clever Liu Shan was not necessarily as obedient as the foolish Liu Shan.

In this situation, if you, as a subject, try to lecture him with grand principles or offer loyal advice, you'll only be asking for trouble.

But the situation in front of us is different.

The construction of the Grand Canal was a matter of life and death concerning the survival of the Han Dynasty.

This reborn Han Dynasty was built by him and Liu Bei through hundreds of battles, large and small. It was their shared cause, and he had poured countless efforts into it.

As long as the survival of this cause was at stake, he could not remain indifferent and had to speak out to dissuade Liu Shan from forcibly building the Grand Canal, nipping it in the bud.

Liu Shan stared at the map, falling into a long silence once again.

After a while.

Liu Shan forced a smile and nodded, saying:
"The Grand Marshal is right. The construction of the canal cannot be rushed and must be done slowly. I was short-sighted."

"Very well, if I spend my whole life repairing this canal and it can benefit future generations of my Han Dynasty, then it will be worth it."

Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but flatter him, praising his brilliant decisions and far-sightedness...

This debate over the Grand Canal has now come to an end.

At this time, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and other important ministers also arrived at the East Palace one after another.

Liu Shan then shifted his attention away from his grand plans and onto the current topic of conquering Wei and destroying Cao.

The two then moved to the main hall and discussed the specific details of the campaign against Wei with the ministers.

From daytime discussions to evening, when the lanterns were lit, the specific strategy for attacking Wei was finally finalized.

After serving everyone a simple meal, the Crown Prince, who lived a frugal life, personally escorted these pillars of the Han Dynasty out of the mansion and onto their carriages.

As the carriage started moving, Xiao He peered through the curtain at Liu Shan as he gradually disappeared into the distance, his doubts becoming increasingly difficult to suppress.

"This Liu Shan's ideas are far too advanced. Just because his brain was stimulated, his thoughts can undergo such a drastic change?"

"But if it wasn't due to shock and stimulation, what else could have caused so many advanced ideas to pop into his head?"

Xiao He muttered to himself, his thoughts racing.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Could it be that he is also..." (End of Chapter)