I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 163 Zhao Zhen, who controls the overall situation, leaves three propositions to the ministers

Swish!Swish!Swish!
The ministers bowed their heads and held the wind and cloud in their hands.

Zhao Zhen looked at the portraits of Taizu, Taizong and Zhenzong and couldn't help but puff out his chest.

this moment.

He suddenly felt that Taizu Taizong would be very pleased if he knew that he had done this.

After thinking for a long time, Chen Zhizhong also began to write.

About a quarter of an hour later.

As the last person to start writing, Chen Zhizhong was the first to complete the memorial article.

A small half page, about [-] words.

He raised his head and found that other officials were still writing hard. Zhang Fangping beside him had already written three pages of paper.

He quickly dipped his hands in ink again and started writing again.

Even if he talks empty words, he still has to fill the page.

In his eyes, attitude is more likely to impress Zhao Zhen than ability.

Not far away, Su Liang had already prepared a draft.

According to what I had in mind, I completed a memorial article in less than half an hour.

After more than half an hour, the officials finished the manuscript.

Ouyang Xiu writes most happily.

What he loves most is being able to write whatever is on his mind.

All the officials in Tianzhang Pavilion can write down the strategy from their own minds. No matter what they write, Zhao Zhen will not pursue it.

……

In the afternoon, inside the Chui Gong Hall.

The two chamberlains compiled the memorials from the ministers and placed them on the imperial desk.

Zhao Zhen felt slightly uneasy.

Written on these thick papers are the problems that the ministers believed existed in the Song Dynasty.

As an official of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen was actually quite stressed after seeing this.

He knows some issues better than anyone else.

But the cost of solving it was too high, and it had to be shelved again and again.

this time.

Maybe it’s an opportunity to pick it up again.

He took a long breath and then looked at it seriously.

Whoa!Whoa!Whoa!

Pages flip.

Zhao Zhen sometimes frowned, sometimes thought deeply, sometimes sketched on the paper, and sometimes showed a happy smile.

……

into the night.

Zhao Zhen finally read all the memorials and articles on his desk.

"call!"

He took a long breath and looked up at the night outside the palace door.

The ministers' request covers a wide range of directions.

There are political gains and losses, military and peasant affairs, border defense, wealth and law, treachery, thieves and customs, etc.

Some officials said that the efficiency of the two governments' mutual relations was low, and many issues were not made clear, causing local officials to guess and waste money.

Some officials said that the three departments were too slow to pay out money, and even looked at the actions of the chief officials of the Yamen. Kaifeng Mansion never defaulted on money and materials, and public money for the government offices could be delayed from early spring to late autumn.

Some officials said that the imperial court had a serious situation of redundant officials and redundant soldiers, as well as heavy taxes and servitude. It was suggested to reduce redundant soldiers and eliminate redundant officials.

Some officials said that the Censor's Office was so powerful that the governors of the two prefectures did not dare to speak too much, so the number of admonishing officers should be reduced and placed elsewhere.

……

Most of these opinions were expected by Zhao Zhen.

present.

All decisions are in his hands.

Whether he makes a small fuss or takes a drastic step depends entirely on his next decision.

Su Liang and other Taiwanese admonishers insisted that Zhao Zhen open Tianzhang Pavilion because Zhao Zhen must be the initiator of the changes in the Song Dynasty.

Only if Zhao Zhen is the leader, it is possible that it will not start but end.

At the same time, the officials were also waiting to see Zhao Zhen's feedback.

The problems of the Song Dynasty have been listed on paper.

Whether the solution is to make the ground wet under light rain, or to scrape the bones and heal the wounds with the force of thunder, it all depends on the government.

Zhao Zhen sat in front of the throne and thought seriously.

The waiter on the side quietly placed two plates of snacks next to the table, not daring to disturb them at all.

Zhao Zhen thought about it for almost half an hour, and then turned out Su Liang's essay.

Su Liang's memorial article did not raise difficult questions like many courtiers did, and then suggested that the officials vigorously rectify it.

Su Liang only analyzed the current situation of the Song Dynasty and the overall existing problems.

Zhao Zhen looked at the last sentence written by Su Liang and read slowly: "If the redundant soldiers are not eliminated, the people of the world will suffer; if the redundant officials are not eliminated, the government will become more and more chaotic. If the country has no surplus, it will be difficult for the Song Dynasty to prosper. .”

Zhao Zhen picked up the Langhao pen and wrote three words on a clean piece of paper: officer, soldier, and wealth.

In fact, there are only three main problems in the Song Dynasty.

There are too many officials, too many soldiers, and the treasury has no money.

The main reason why the treasury is out of money is because there are too many officers and soldiers.

Zhao Zhen first looked at the word "官". After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly crossed out the word "官".

Fan Fu's new policy is to rectify the administration of officials first,

As a result, scholar-bureaucrats all over the world complained, and impeachment memorials flew everywhere.

If the Song Dynasty is compared to a big tree.

Scholar-bureaucrats and officials are the branches above.

If you cut off two or three roots, it will be fine. If you cut off half of them, the tree will be seriously damaged.

Currently, it is not possible.

Then, Zhao Zhen looked at the word "bing" again.

The Song Dynasty adopted a recruitment system. After the war between Song Dynasty and Xixia, the number of soldiers increased greatly.

The current imperial army and Xiang army combined totaled over one million people, which was the largest number of soldiers in the history of the Song Dynasty.

In the fourth year of Qingli, when Han Qi was appointed Deputy Privy Envoy, he eliminated more than [-] soldiers.

Many border generals expressed their dissatisfaction and believed that the imperial court was inconsiderate.

Zhao Zhen looked hesitant and turned to look at the word "wealth".

The finances of the Song Dynasty court mainly came from the internal treasury and the treasury under the jurisdiction of the three departments.

The Neizangtreasury is the sealed pile treasury during the Song Taizu period, and it is also the real small treasury of the current Song Dynasty court.

The original meaning is "As soon as 500 million yuan is reached, ask Khitan to redeem Yan Ji, otherwise he will use the wealth to recruit warriors and buy the enemy's head."

But gradually, everyone chose to automatically forget this original intention.

Zhao Zhen picked up the bank accounts on the side and looked at them.

In the second year of Qingli, 100 million taels of silver and 100 million pieces of silk and silk were produced from the inner treasury for side expenses.

In the third year of Qingli, 100 million pieces of silk were produced to fund the three divisions.

……

In the sixth year of Qingli, 20 yuan was spent to repair the forbidden palace.

In the seventh year of Qingli, he paid 100 million yuan to buy military reserves in Hebei City.

……

Although the internal library has a lot of income, it cannot help spending like this.

You can’t save money by saving money, you can only increase your income.

However, the current taxes and servitude are very heavy, and adding more taxes is tantamount to sucking the blood of the living people.

Neither can be done.

Zhao Zhen thought for a while, his expression getting darker and darker.

"Redundant officials cannot be moved, redundant soldiers cannot be moved, and the court has no way to make extra money, what else can I change?"

Either hurt the scholar-bureaucrats, the soldiers, or the people of the world.

Zhao Zhen threw the brush aside angrily.

He felt that no matter how he changed it, it would harm the country.

After he calmed down for a moment, he looked at the three-character piece of paper again and murmured: "What if I have to start from one?" Zhao Zhen focused his eyes on the word "soldier".

Compared with the strength of the scholar-bureaucrats and officials in the world, the soldiers at the bottom seemed to be easier to deal with because the people at the bottom were hungry.

"If you want to disarm, the key is not how to disarm, but how to deploy them. If they are not deployed properly, the rebels will be in numbers!"

Zhao Zhen was talking to himself and flipping through the articles again.

This night, he definitely couldn't sleep.

……

Late at night, the sky is full of stars.

Zhao Zhen was not the only one who couldn't sleep in Bianjing City.

Inside Chen Zhizhong’s residence.

Chen Zhizhong paced back and forth in the study.

There is a stack of papers on the desk beside him, all of which he wrote tonight.

When it comes to governing the country, he doesn't know much, but when it comes to finding reasons and excuses, he writes six pages.

he guessed.

Tomorrow someone will challenge Zhongshu, and someone will create loopholes in Zhongshu's political affairs.

Therefore, he wrote down all the reasons he could explain.

And this moment.

He was still thinking about whether there was anything he hadn't thought of, and there was always an ominous omen in his mind.

……

Xia Song also never fell asleep.

His lack of sleep was entirely due to his age.

feel less.

him at the moment.

I was watching the dance of two girls from a foreign land in the back hall.

Today, Xia Song's mentality has been completely relaxed.

He felt that this time when Tianzhang Pavilion was opened, the officials would definitely target Zhongshu.

Maybe they will also reform the administration of officials.

But he doesn't care about this now. As long as he can firmly sit in the position of Privy Councilor, he will be happy to watch Tai Jian and Chen Zhizhong fight. Maybe he can reap the benefits!
……

at the same time.

Zhang Fangping, Wen Yanbo, Wu Yu, Bao Zheng, Tang Jie and others didn't sleep either.

They all know that tomorrow's court meeting is very important.

It is very likely to be a turning point in the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, they are all drafting.

Thinking about how to express my views tomorrow and how to refute those stubborn conservative officials.

……

For many officials, this is bound to be a sleepless night.

of course there are exceptions.

At this moment, Su Liang was sleeping soundly in Tang Wanmei's arms.

He knew that there would definitely be another quarrel tomorrow, so he recuperated his energy. Not long after dinner, he first coaxed Su Zimu to sleep, and then fell asleep after making out with Tang Wanmei.

Su Liang’s life creed is——

Even if a big thing happens before you, you still have to eat and sleep when you need to, and you can't live with your body under any circumstances.

……

The next day, the sky was slightly brighter.

There are hundreds of officials from the two government offices, three departments, Guange, Taijian, Xueshiyuan, Dali Temple, Zongzheng Temple, Taichang Liyuan, Senxing Yuan and other yamen.

Gather in Daqing Hall.

After all the officials stood up, Zhao Zhen strode to the throne.

"Yesterday, I opened the Tianzhang Pavilion and summoned all the ministers to write a report. I have read all the articles of the ministers, and I am very pleased. Since ancient times, there has been no perfect court or national policy in the past dynasties, and we have to change it if we know its faults. , is the best response."

Zhao Zhen continued to raise his voice.

"This time, I don't want to make small fuss, and I don't want to make big noises and small rains like usual. I want to solve the fundamental problems of our country."

"Su Jingming wrote in his memorial article: If the redundant soldiers are not eliminated, the people of the world will suffer; if the redundant officials are not eliminated, the government will become more and more abusive. If the country has no surplus, the Song Dynasty will never prosper!"

"I deeply agree! Redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and insufficient national treasury are the three biggest problems existing in our country at the moment, and they should be corrected!"

At this moment, there was silence in Daqing Hall.

All the ministers were dumbfounded.

This... how to change this?
Officials were the brains of the Song Dynasty, and soldiers were the hands and feet of the Song Dynasty.

As for money, the Song Dynasty only had so much money, so how should we replenish the state treasury? Should we increase people's taxes or reduce official salaries?

Officials originally thought that the reform direction proposed by the government this time would be a big step in a certain direction.

But as soon as these words were spoken, this was not a big step. It was simply asking a baby who could not yet walk to participate in martial arts.

The steps were really too big.

How could the current Song Dynasty withstand such a torment?

When Su Liang heard this, he couldn't help but be a little confused, but after thinking about it, he understood.

a few days ago.

He once said something to Zhao Zhen in the Jingyan class.

"The house is dark, and no one is allowed to open the windows. You can say that you want to tear down the door and remove the roof, but then everyone is allowed to open the windows."

Su Liang couldn't help but smile and said in his heart: "It's really hard to learn well, but it's easy to learn bad things!"

Chen Zhizhong took the lead to stand up.

"Officials in all dynasties have common problems of redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and insufficient treasury. Our dynasty attaches great importance to culture and education, and having more scholar-bureaucrats is not a disease. In addition, because Liao and Xia have been eyeing the enemy, in the past two years, we have indeed recruited soldiers. There are a lot of them, but they are just to prepare for unexpected needs, so they are not considered redundant. As for the lack of money in the national treasury, it is normal, but now that business and trade are booming, it will definitely look different in a few years, and this is not a disadvantage. "

Any one of these three major items would keep Zhongshu busy, let alone all three at the same time.

Chen Zhizhong just finished speaking.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Vice Prime Ministers Wu Yu, Zhang Fangping, Wen Yanbo and Third Secretary Wang Yaochen stood up almost at the same time.

The four of them gave in.

Wu Yu was the first to speak: "Officials, I think there is something wrong with what Prime Minister Chen said. Our dynasty's scholar-bureaucrats are becoming increasingly bloated, our soldiers are spending a lot of money, and the national treasury is short of money. This is a matter that everyone knows and has not been solved. It's because we haven't found the best strategy, so in the eyes of Mr. Chen, how can it be turned into a disadvantage?"

Zhang Fangping continued: "Currently, our dynasty has raised more than one million troops, which has made the people poor and the country destitute. The troops are supposed to protect the people, but now they are against the people. How can we not change it!"

Wen Yanbo added: "Because of the redundant officials, the government has become increasingly chaotic; because of the excessive recruitment of soldiers, the country has insufficient supplies. If this can be corrected, it will be a blessing to the world."

Wang Yaochen, the envoy of the Third Division, looked at Chen Zhizhong and glared: "Mr. Chen, you don't know that the Third Division has no money. At the end of last year, Zhongshu issued three edicts to allocate money, but it was you who gave me the idea and asked me to pretend to be sick and delay it for a month. , you now claim that it is not a disadvantage, how about you serve as the third envoy!"

Wang Yaochen was once an authentic scholar. After serving as the Third Secretary-General for two years, his character became even more irritable.

After all, being constantly chased by other yamen chief officials for money will make anyone feel depressed and their temper will get worse and worse.

After Chen Zhizhong was scolded by the four people, he opened his mouth and stopped talking.

Xia Song, who was on the side, narrowed his eyes slightly. He liked Chen Zhizhong's frustrated look.

At this time, Bao Zheng walked out.

"The official family, redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and insufficient treasury are indeed the stubborn problems of our dynasty. However, it is impossible to solve them all. I believe that we should choose the most feasible direction for reform!"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but his eyes lit up.

This is what he was waiting for.

If at the same time officials and soldiers were laid off, and taxes on the people were increased, the Song Dynasty would be in chaos.

Su Liang looked at Zhao Zhen's proud smile and couldn't help but murmured: "The officials are beginning to control the overall situation."

"Cough cough!"

Zhao Zhen coughed dryly and said, "Do you think we need to lay off officials and troops now, or do we need to think of good strategies to make money for the country?"

Daqing Hall became quiet again.

The officials couldn't help but frown. The three options were all for submission.

Reducing officials may shake the country's foundation and cause panic among many scholar-bureaucrats.

Reduce troops. If Liao and Xia come to attack, they still have to defend themselves against the enemy. Everyone knows the combat effectiveness of the soldiers of the Song Dynasty. Naturally, they hope that the number of soldiers is as large as possible, otherwise there will be no sense of security at all.

As for thinking of good strategies to make money for the country, it is even more difficult.

Reducing official salaries has a negative impact, and even a half reduction may not be enough, because raising soldiers and officials is a bottomless pit.

As for increasing taxes on the people, it is even more unfeasible. The people at the bottom are already severely oppressed.

Maybe we can take the overland Silk Road again and open source.

However, the overland Silk Road has been cut off by Xixia. If you want to open it, you must first destroy Xixia, which is even more difficult.

"You have to choose one!" Zhao Zhen said loudly.

(End of this chapter)