Chương 550: Shen Wan's Suggestion, Luoyang Planning Map

"As for the money," Shen Wansan smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits, like a fox that had just stolen a chicken, " The imperial court won't need to spend much money. We'll proceed in stages. First, we'll build the core government offices, roads, and drainage systems. The imperial court will cover this; it should only cost around 500 million coins. The remaining residences and shops can be built with funds from the private sector.

"As long as the imperial court allocates land and sets forth the rules, whoever builds a house will own the land for sixty or seventy years. Once built, they can live in it, sell it, or rent it out. The imperial court will then introduce preferential policies: people who move to the new city for the first three years will be exempt from taxes for three years; merchants who open shops in the new city will be exempt from commercial taxes for five years. What is this called?

This is called 'building a nest to attract the phoenix'!"

He paused, then raised his voice: "Your Majesty, think about it. With housing prices in Luoyang so high now, wealthy merchants from Jiangnan and gentry from all over the country have plenty of money and have long wanted to buy land and build big houses in the capital, but the court didn't allow it before."

Now that we've given them this opportunity, they'll definitely be scrambling to pay! Prime location land—just selling the land alone could earn billions! Not only will the government not have to spend any money, but we'll also make a fortune to use for water conservancy projects and school construction. This is a sure-fire way to make money!

As soon as Shen Wansan finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Everyone stared at him, their eyes filled with shock, as if they were looking at a monster.

Someone had their mouth open and forgot to close it...

Someone nearly dropped their official tablet...

This isn't building a city, it's doing business!

Du Ruhui was the first to react, slapping his thigh and shouting:

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! This is killing five birds with one stone! It solves the housing shortage without costing the court a fortune, generates revenue, boosts the economy, and alleviates the pressure on Luoyang! Old Shen, you're a genius! I'm convinced! Utterly convinced!"

"I believe this is feasible!"

"I second that proposal!"

The officials who had just objected all nodded in agreement.

Those wealthy aristocratic officials, in particular, were all excited; this was a golden opportunity to make a fortune!

Buy a piece of land, build a building, rent it out, and you can recoup your investment in a year; after that, it's all pure profit.

Some people have already started secretly planning to buy the best piece of land in the new city.

Only Kong Rong and Yang Biao remained unconvinced; the two old men's faces turned bright red, as if someone had stepped on their tails.

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!" Kong Rong was so anxious that his face turned red, and his beard almost bristled.

"Moving the capital is a matter of great importance to the country! The ancestral temples and mausoleums are all in Luoyang. If we move them to the new capital, how will we worship our ancestors? This is unfilial! The people of the world will condemn Your Majesty! What will the history books say about you!"

Yang Biao nodded in agreement: "Yes, Your Majesty! How can you just leave like that? I would rather die than agree to move the capital! My ancestral tablets are all in Luoyang; I cannot leave!"

Liu Ce looked at them, smiled, and waved his hand: "Minister Kong, Minister Yang, you've misunderstood. I never said I wanted to move the capital."

"Huh?" Kong Rong and Yang Biao were both stunned.

"Not moving the capital? Then why build a new city? And who would live there?"

"My meaning is to adopt a two-pronged approach," Liu Ce said slowly, walking to the map and pointing to the location of Luoyang.

"On one hand, Fang Xuanling is in charge of expanding the southern city of Luoyang by one li and building ten wards to settle the homeless refugees, soldiers, and low-ranking officials, relieving their immediate needs. Those people living in thatched huts can't wait any longer."

"On the other hand, Song Yingxing was appointed as the construction commissioner of the new capital, and Shen Wansan was appointed as the deputy commissioner. The New Capital Construction Bureau was established to be responsible for building the new city. The new city was named 'Luojing,' which means the capital city on the banks of the Luo River."

"Luoyang will remain the western capital of the Han Dynasty. The ancestral temples and mausoleums will remain here, and I will still lead my officials to worship during festivals. Various schools will also remain in Luoyang. From now on, Luoyang will be the cultural and sacrificial center of our Han Dynasty."

"Once Luoyang is completed, I and all the civil and military officials will move there to conduct our business. Luoyang will serve as the capital, the political and economic center. Two capitals coexisting, supporting each other—isn't that wonderful? We preserve our roots while simultaneously fostering new growth—a win-win situation."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

No one expected that Liu Ce would come up with such a perfect compromise.

It not only solved the immediate housing shortage but also planned for long-term development; it not only appeased the sentiments of conservatives and preserved Luoyang's status as the capital but also adopted Shen Wansan's suggestion to build a new city for development.

Kong Rong and Yang Biao exchanged a glance, and neither of them said anything.

Liu Ce has already put it this way, and he has even preserved Luoyang's status. If they still object, it would be ungrateful of him.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Fang Xuanling, Xun Yu, Shen Wansan, Kong Rong, and others bowed almost simultaneously.

Both sides, who had been arguing heatedly just moments before, were now completely convinced of each other's sincerity.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction and said, "This matter is settled then. All of you must work together to accomplish this well. I assure you, within five years, every citizen of our Han Dynasty will have a place to live and everyone will be able to live and work in peace and contentment!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

The civil and military officials responded in unison, their voices resounding throughout the entire Deyang Palace.

...

After the court session ended, Liu Ce went straight into the Greenhouse Palace.

He locked himself in his room and spent several days and nights drawing a complete floor plan of Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

After all, he's a time traveler; copying homework is something he excels at.

Liu Ce became more and more excited as he drew.

As he drew, he made comparisons: "Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was indeed better than Beijing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It had a chessboard-like layout, was spacious and grand, with separate wards and markets, and a well-developed drainage system. Zhuque Avenue was over 120 meters wide, so imposing that you couldn't see the other end from one end of the street."

"Just copy Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, make some minor modifications, add public toilets and a hospital to make it more humane. Oh, and we also need to add a fire station; ancient houses were all made of wood, and a fire there would be no laughing matter."

As he was drawing, he suddenly remembered something and added a few more strokes to the drawing:

"The drainage system must separate rainwater and sewage; this is very important. In the past, Luoyang would flood whenever it rained, filled with sewage that was smelly, dirty, and prone to causing illness. This must be done well; the pipes must be thick enough, and the slope must be steep enough."

Three days later, Liu Ce looked at the thick stack of blueprints on the table, stretched contentedly, and his bones cracked.

"Done! With these blueprints, Song Yingxing and Shen Wansan will definitely be dumbfounded."

That afternoon, Liu Ce summoned Song Yingxing and Shen Wansan to the Greenhouse Palace.

"You two are here, have a seat." Liu Ce gestured to the chairs beside him, then picked up a thick roll of blueprints from the table and handed it to them.

"This is the planning map of Luoyang that I drew. Take a look and build according to this style. You can adjust the details according to the actual situation, but the core layout cannot be changed."

Song Yingxing and Shen Wansan quickly took the blueprints and carefully unfolded them, as if they were receiving some rare treasure.

The two of them were stunned when the blueprints were fully unfolded, and they almost dropped them.