This Song Dynasty is different

Chapter 321 Who Belongs to the World?

News of the great victory reached Zhenyuan City, and Wen Yanbo immediately met with the Queen Mother and Su Wei.

"The giant conquered Xingzhou, Li Deming was captured, and Li Yuanhao was captured."

Su Wei, who was holding her big belly, smiled and said: "If this is the case, it will be announced to the world." She glanced at the Queen Mother and said, "What do you think?"

The Queen Mother smiled, "It's time to announce it to the world. In addition, send people to Bianjing to report the victory."

Wen Yanbo agreed, and after going out, he asked the official next to him: "How is it over there in Bianjing?"

"The officials are becoming more and more eager to restart the New Deal. They have already had several disputes with ministers in the court."

"This is not a good sign." Wen Yanbo stopped and smiled, "However, it is good news for us."

……

Bianjing.

When Wang Zeng appeared in the court again, Lu Yijian's eyes narrowed.

Isn’t this old dog retired?

Why come back again.

Zhao Zhen said: "The current situation is getting more and more difficult. Some people say that there are fewer rebellions in various places. That is because most of the refugees are accepted by Dingyuan Marquis. But this is a drop in the bucket. There are countless new refugees every year. How many can Zhenyuan City accept?"

His eyes were bright and he said, "If things don't change, the firewood pile under my butt will be ignited."

The ministers began to dissuade him.

"In the official family, which dynasty and which generation had fewer refugees? In comparison, the Song Dynasty had relatively few refugees."

"The northwest has no borders, and there are countless fertile fields that can be cultivated, and resettlement of the refugees is not a problem."

"Yes!"

"The New Deal seems good, but many regulations are causing harm to the country and the people. We must investigate!"

Zhao Zhen just sneered in the face of these dissuasion. Wang Zeng turned around, his gray beard and hair swaying, and said: "When I come back, I want to sell my life to the officials and the Song Dynasty. Anyone who blocks the New Deal will be smashed to pieces. We must put him to death too!”

Zhao Zhen made the decision, "The new policy must be implemented, with Wang Zeng as the leader, and it will be implemented today!"

Wang Zeng immediately recruited a group of ministers, and after some discussion, he wrote a ten thousand-word letter to Zhao Zhen. Various shortcomings of the current Song Dynasty were mentioned and solutions were given.

Zhao Zhen convened them to discuss and finally reached a resolution.

"Go ahead!"

That is, the New Deal began to be implemented.

"Must be blocked!"

Lu Yijian said to Wang Lanshan: "Tell them to send a message to those people. Don't hesitate when the new policy arrives, and be sure to intercept it."

Wang Lanshan said: "Those local snakes control one area, and even if they join forces, local officials will have to bow their heads. Don't worry, sir, the new policy is to cut their flesh, and it will hurt them more than us."

"I originally wanted to ease the relationship with the officials, but unexpectedly! The officials couldn't bear it anymore."

Lu Yijian sighed.

"Shizhong Cao is here."

Cao Li walked into the check-in room, waved his hand for his followers to go out, sat down and said, "Just now, King Cai ordered people to check the list of past gatekeepers, saying that it needs to be re-approved. And starting from this year, the number of gatekeepers will be reduced by 90% every year."

Menyin is a channel for powerful and high-ranking officials to maintain their wealth, and it is also a means for them to monopolize power.

If one person is an official, his descendants will be rich and honorable.

That's why there are poems in the book that have their own beauty like jade and their own golden house.

As long as you become a high-ranking official, you will have crossed the class barrier. Don't worry about your children and grandchildren being stupid, the officials will naturally be kind to you. Even a fool can become an official.

Such wealth is tempting. What followed was that the group of powerful people became larger and larger.

Together they are a powerful force.

"He is going to destroy our foundation!" Wang Lanshan said bitterly: "Once the family shadow is gone, the official can only be as rich as one generation. How cruel!"

"The old dog is vicious!" Cao Li said anxiously, "What do you think, Prime Minister Lu?"

"Of course we can't sit back and watch." Lu Yijian whispered a few words, and Cao Li stood up, "Wonderful, wonderful, hahahaha!"

Watching him go out, Lu Yijian said contemptuously: "This idiot, if there is no replacement, how can I be willing to be with him?"

On the second day, more than a hundred dignitaries gathered outside the palace gate.

The news reached the palace.

"The official family, those dignitaries shouted that their family had served the Song Dynasty for generations, but now the official family has crossed the river and demolished the bridge. They want to go to the palace to cry for Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong."

Zhang Ze looked at Zhao Zhen with a worried expression.

Zhao Zhen sneered, "Is this despair?"

But he knew that this was more of a coercion.

Wang Zeng hurried in and looked quite embarrassed.

Just now, when he entered the palace, those powerful people had their treasures - jade pendants, various toys and luxuries smashed into his face.

"Someone in the official family is secretly connecting these powerful people." Wang Zeng said: "We must not be weak, otherwise the New Deal will inevitably make the same mistakes again."

"I will not be weak!" Zhao Zhen said loudly: "Come here!"

In a flash, Zhang Ze came out of the palace and said to the dignitaries: "The officials said that the so-called virtue of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations. After you have enjoyed wealth and honor for many years, it is time to contribute to the Song Dynasty. If your children and grandchildren are willing to be officials, they will do their best." You can go to the imperial examination. The official promised that your children and grandchildren can go directly to the examination across the prefectures and counties."

This is Zhao Zhen's compromise.

But the dignitaries sneered and dispersed.

Zhao Zhen was very happy and said to Wang Zeng: "It shows that this generation still knows how to be honest."

The next day, someone impeached Wang Zeng, saying that he had deceived the king and had evil intentions.

The king once quarreled with these people at court, but then someone accused him of immorality...

"I thought that Wang Zeng should be released!" someone said.

"My minister agrees!"

"My minister agrees!"

"My minister agrees!"

The ministers were aggressive.

Zhao Zhen was a little flustered. He wanted to be tougher, but looking at those lowered heads, he wanted to give in for no reason.

But if you give in...

The king once stood there and scolded his ministers.

Cao Li lowered his head and sneered in his heart.

He felt that the official family was a bit naive, no, naive.

This Song Dynasty never belonged to the Li family, the Li family was just the leader of their group. The scholar-bureaucrats can raise Zhao up, but they can also push him down.

This was the case for the clans of the former Tang Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, this power had changed from clan clans to the group of scholar-bureaucrats, who could still compete with the emperor.

If the officials do not bow their heads, the division between monarch and ministers is imminent.

A chamberlain came in and said, "Guan family, Marquis Dingyuan sent an envoy to report the victory."

Zhao Zhen felt the pressure relax and said, "Hurry up and call in."

Cao Li raised his head and glanced at Lu Yijian. Lu Yijian shook his head gently, indicating that there was no need to worry.

At most, it was just another place that was breached.

The messenger comes in and salutes.

"Report to the officials, in March of the sixth year of Tiansheng, Juzi led his army to attack Xingzhou, killed the bandit chief Li Deming, and captured Li Yuanhao. The Western bandits have been destroyed."

The hall suddenly became quiet.

When Cao Li saw Lu Yijian's expression change drastically, he came to his senses and said with shock, "How come it's so fast?"

The messenger said: "The giant destroyed Xiping Mansion in two days and came to Xingzhou. The people in the city were panicked and vulnerable!"

Zhao Zhen laughed, "Okay, hahahaha!"

He stood up and said loudly: "Marquis Dingyuan implemented a new policy in the northwest for only a few years, and he was able to destroy the Western traitors. I am implementing a new policy in the Song Dynasty. Who can say that it is inappropriate?"

Zhao Zhen looked at the ministers, "Are you willing to see the Song Dynasty fall and be destroyed by the Northern Liao Dynasty?"

This is too heavy a word.

"I dare not wait."

Immediately, Zhao Zhen struck while the iron was hot and launched several new policies.

The most eye-catching one is the official assessment.

With various indicators quantified, it is no longer possible for officials to use vague words to fool Bianjing.

And the most terrible thing is that it is strictly forbidden to use public funds to eat, drink, or support female prostitutes.

Scholar-officials like to take prostitutes to travel. Who will pay for it with public funds?

The news spread everywhere, and there were a lot of curses.

Then, there was increasing resistance to the implementation of the New Deal in various places.

During the great court meeting in the seventh year of Tiansheng's reign, the courtiers rarely used silence to protest against the emperor.

Wang Zeng was reporting on last year's results, in which taxes increased by 15% and expenditures decreased by 20%.

"There is a surplus." Wang Zeng breathed a sigh of relief.

All officials are silent.

Zhao Zhen said: “It can be seen that the implementation of the New Deal benefits the country and the people.”

"Officials, I have news from many states and counties here. Officials from various places are complaining about the New Deal..."

"I also received news from my hometown that the New Deal has depleted the local area and made the people miserable."

"There are already people somewhere ready to make a move."

The hall suddenly became noisy from quiet.

Zhao Zhen said angrily: "How come I don't know?"

"I impeach Wang Zeng for blocking his words!"

"Exactly, the king has deceived the officials and should be executed!"

The great dynasty will end unhappy.

Wang Zeng still held his head high and implemented the New Deal. He vowed to change the Song Dynasty this year.

Li Xian was reorganizing his territory and sent people to test the Western Regions. If he refused to surrender, he was ready to launch a Western Expedition to capture his homeland of the former Tang Dynasty in one fell swoop.

"Anxi!" Li Xian looked at the map, "We must take it back!"

Wen Yanbo said: "Bianjing has been very lively recently."

Li Xian said: "No need to worry about it."

He sent someone to meet Zhao Zhen in Bianjing and persuaded him. However, Zhao Zhen was very optimistic about the New Deal and persuaded him to go back and take a look when he had time.

What to look at?

Li Xian said sarcastically: "Those people are gluttons. As I said, if their interests are touched, they will fight to death. Some officials are lucky and always feel that the Zhao family has high prestige, so those people don't dare."

"Of course I don't dare to commit rebellion, but it's hard to talk about other things!" Wen Yanbo said, but he didn't feel worried.

He even looked forward to it.

July is the hottest time.

Civil unrest suddenly broke out in Daming Mansion.

At first, Zhao Zhen didn't take it seriously and still asked people to recruit him.

But the people who went to recruit people were killed, and the rebels actually raised the banner of Qingjun.

"They say that the Prime Minister is a traitor. As long as he is alive, the Song Dynasty will not be able to live in peace."

Zhang Ze was trembling.

This was the most shocking civil unrest in the history of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Zhen summoned the ministers, but most of them remained silent.

In August, the civil unrest had not yet subsided, and news came from everywhere. Local officials were acting in disobedience, and most of the New Deal was shelved.

Moreover, local wealthy families and officials colluded together, and memorials flew into the palace like snowflakes.

Just one thing.

——Stop the New Deal!

"He must bow his head!"

Cao Li said.

"In fact, officials are not such stubborn people." Lu Yijian said: "He was provoked by Li Xian."

"How do you say this?" Cao Li asked.

This idiot... Lu Yijian said: "Li Xian started from scratch in the northwest and destroyed the Li family in a few years. As an emperor, he watched his ministers achieve great success, but he himself was trapped in the quagmire. If he compromised, he would lose all face."

Cao Li suddenly realized, "If this is the case, it will be troublesome."

Lu Yijian smiled: "What's the trouble? When he bows his head completely, it will be the moment when we take charge of the government again. The world..."

Lu Yijian walked to the door and stretched.

"Who in the world belongs to you?"

(End of this chapter)