I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 164: Hundreds of officials quarrel, the Daqing Palace is as noisy as a wet market

In the Daqing Hall, there was complete silence.

All the ministers were thinking seriously.

Dismissal?Disarmament?Or find another way to make money for the country?

Chen Zhizhong lowered his head.

This time, he did not intend to be the first to speak back when no one in the court was talking to the official.

at this time.

Ouyang Xiu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and a member of the Imperial Academy, stood up.

"In the official family, I believe that there is no new way to find other good strategies to generate wealth for the country. Now we can only reduce expenditures. It is a fact that the officials in our dynasty are bloated, and it is also a fact that the soldiers are old and redundant. I suggest that the main thing is to lay off officials. Reduce troops as a supplement!”

Hearing this, several senior officials not far away rolled their eyes and almost fainted.

It's hard enough to choose one of the three, but it's really irritating that he chooses more than one.

Su Liang was happy.

Uncle Ouyang Yong's mind is indeed different from others.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Fangping stood up.

"I believe that the reduction of troops should be the main task, and the reduction of officials should be supplemented. The reduction of troops can be implemented quickly, and they can be eliminated and resettled based on hard conditions such as age, physique, and military type. As for the reduction of officials, it really needs to be done slowly and steadily to avoid injury. Kunimoto!”

"I second the proposal!" Wen Yanbo said immediately.

At this time, a veteran official finally couldn't help but stand up.

"In the official family, the reduction of officials and the reduction of troops must not be carried out at the same time, even if one is the leader and the other is auxiliary. Both of them will shake the country's foundation. Once civil strife occurs, it will be difficult to deal with. I believe that among the army, the old, weak and sick There are many disabled people. There are 30 soldiers in Hebei and Hedong. Half of them are old, weak and cowardly. They should be cut back and the number of soldiers recruited should be reduced to supplement the national needs."

This veteran minister has more than ten nephews, all of whom are favored officials. Naturally, they are unwilling to lay off their officials.

At this time, Privy Councilor Xia Song finally couldn't stand anymore.

If the ministers talk to the end and end with the reduction of troops, then the busiest person in the whole court from now on will definitely be him, the Privy Councilor.

Moreover, in the military, human relationships are particularly complicated, and one move can affect the whole body.

Once the troops are reduced, various problems will arise, and by then, he, the Privy Councilor, may be the one to take the blame.

Xia Song strode out.

"The officials, I believe, must never reduce their troops. Xixia and Liao are eyeing them, and there is still the danger of going south. In addition, the eliminated soldiers are not good at farming, and they will definitely gather together to become thieves. Soldiers will rebel, which is far better than evil people. Is it possible? Do you want to see soldiers and thieves like "Wang Ze" rebel in several places?"

"Xia Shuxiang, this is alarmist talk. We advocate the reduction of troops, and those who are reduced are inferior soldiers. In the past, soldiers could retire at the age of 61. Now if they are released to serve the people at fifty, wouldn't it be possible to save a lot of military expenses! In addition, in the past, refugees and thieves were often recruited as soldiers, but now it can be completely abandoned. Just let the refugees and thieves work for the court and pay for their work..." Wen Yanbo said unhurriedly.

It has to be said that Wen Yanbo's understanding of the military is far better than anyone else's.

Xia Song did not argue with Wen Yanbo, but continued: "Compared with reducing troops, I prefer to reduce officials. After all, reduced officials cannot rebel!"

Hearing this, Chen Zhizhong suddenly became unhappy.

"Xia Shuxiang, this is wrong. In our dynasty, whether the officials are more important or the inferior soldiers are more important, everyone knows. There are so many officials in our dynasty because there are so many official positions in the court. If we rashly reduce them, , many things in local and state capitals are bound to go wrong, and in the long run, the people's hearts will be in chaos, and I think it is better to cut troops than to cut officials!"

"My minister agrees!"

"My minister agrees!"

……

Several veterans of the court and pavilion quickly stood up to respond to Chen Zhizhong.

At this time, several officials from the Privy Council behind also stood up.

"Redundant officials harm the government and harm the people. How can we say that cutting down the number of officials will lead to civil unrest? It will be too late for the people to rejoice!"

"The harm of redundant officials is far greater than the harm of redundant soldiers. Only by removing the redundant officials from the world can we, the Song Dynasty, be able to clean up the seas and rivers, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment!"

"Reducing the number of soldiers? How can we prevent the Liao cavalry from going south? Having more soldiers is a guarantee for the peace of mind of the people of the Song Dynasty. If there is a sudden reduction, the border generals will definitely be dissatisfied!"

……

Immediately, the officials of the Privy Council and the officials in the cabinet started to quarrel.

Soon, Chen Zhizhong muttered something, and was caught by Ouyang Xiu, who also started arguing.

Ouyang Xiu still adhered to his strategy of reducing officials as a priority and reducing troops as a supplement.

He will argue with anyone who opposes him.

at the same time.

The Taiwanese remonstrators also debated with some Privy Council officials.

Su Liang was still five meters away from Fan Zhen, the imperial censor in the palace, when his rough voice made his ears numb.

"The land today is vast, the people are sparse, the taxes and servitude are heavy, and the country's supplies are insufficient. The reason for this is that there are many soldiers!"

"You... you... nonsense!"

……

When it comes to debate, who can be better than the admonishing officer on stage.

Some officials were criticized for being unreasonable, and in the end, in order not to lose all their aura, they just said: "How can I believe your nonsense!"

Su Liang and Tang Jie also stood together and whispered.

a time.

The entire Daqing Hall became like a vegetable market.

The crowd was shouting and saliva was flying.

From time to time, you can hear the loud voices of Ouyang Xiu and Bao Zheng that can drive away ghosts and gods.

Zhao Zhen sat on the throne with a faint smile on his face.

Now, when the ministers were quarreling, he was no longer angry.

Because Su Liang told him.

When officials quarrel, it is actually a process of sharing their opinions with each other. Most people will absorb each other's opinions after the quarrel.

Everyone's views may be biased, but after the quarrel, they may become impartial.

Zhao Zhen leaned on the cushions and listened to the quarrels of the ministers.

It's easiest to tell the truth when you're emotional.

……

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.

The quarrels continued.

The main force in the quarrel was the ministers and officials of the Privy Council.

Officials from other yamen stood on their own sides.

As for Taiwan's advice, it's more interesting.

Ouyang Xiu insisted on his opinion and was unwilling to compromise. He pulled Wu Yu to talk about the huge benefits of "cutting officials first and cutting troops secondly".

Zuo Si admonished He Tan and the imperial censor Fan Zhen, who opposed the opinions of the officials in the Privy Council, but did not bother to associate with the officials in the palace.

They quarreled with both groups at the same time.

Su Liang, Zhou Yuan, Zhao Peng, and Lu Jie originally wanted to break up the fight, but they were afraid that the officials would start a fight.

But when they heard that some officials were wrong, they corrected themselves and joined in the quarrel.

Fortunately, Gao Ruonei was still on sick leave, otherwise this thorn would definitely show off on this occasion.

……

The time of quarreling always passes quickly.

Unconsciously, it was noon, and all the ministers were tired from the noise.

When Zhao Zhen saw that the crowd had become less crowded, he immediately said loudly: "I have prepared lunch and tea for you all in the side hall. After lunch, we will continue the discussion."

All the ministers were still unfinished.

This matter concerns the interests of many people, so no one is willing to compromise.

After a while.

The ministers ate their meals in the side hall.

The chamberlains on the side almost all hid when they saw several ministers in the palace.On weekdays.

These veterans of the court had kind faces and smiled when they saw everyone. They never thought that the quarrel today would be so serious, they looked like village women scolding each other on the street.

This is due to interests.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, all the ministers had finished eating and going to the toilet.

Then they went back to Daqing Hall and started arguing.

Maybe he has completely recovered his physical strength, or maybe he came up with a new argument while eating.

In the afternoon debate, the ministers became even more vigorous.

One by one, they quoted scriptures, salivated, and said what they said was reasonable and well-founded.

Zhao Zhen sat on it and listened, while several servants not far away were recording quickly.

Both the speaker and the listener were immersed in it.

They did not realize that something unprecedented and even impossible to happen in the future was happening in the Daqing Hall: a quarrel.

At this time, what is being compared is the understanding of the political affairs, military affairs, civil affairs, and finance of the Song Dynasty.

What is compared is the accumulation of knowledge, cognitive ability, and the ideological level of debate.

Although some officials gradually became less expressive and even blushed when they were refuted, this was the Daqing Palace after all, and no one dared to launch a personal attack.

Ouyang Xiu was eloquent in front of a group of officials, but no one mentioned the song "Looking to the South of the Yangtze River" again.

……

at dusk.

This quarrel involving hundreds of officials finally came to an end.

It’s not that we don’t want to debate anymore, or that we don’t have the words to say.

But nearly [-]% of the officials have hoarse voices.

"Okay, okay!" Zhao Zhen on the throne finally stopped everyone.

After all the ministers had stood up, Zhao Zhen slowly stood up.

"My lords, I have heard all your thoughts. Each has its own reasons and each has its own interests. I am all aware of them. Now you can listen to my thoughts."

All the officials immediately looked at Zhao Zhen.

Su Liang also looked at Zhao Zhen.

At present, he actually doesn't understand whether Zhao Zhen wants to lay off officials or troops.

"If I want to prosper the Song Dynasty, it is necessary to eliminate redundant officials, because officials are more harmful than soldiers. Bad soldiers only waste the country's wealth, but bad officials can ruin the lives of the people and damage the foundation of the court."

"Of course, I have always treated the scholar-officials favorably. If I remove the redundant officials, civil strife will easily arise. And I believe that if I remove the redundant soldiers first, the scholar-officials in the world will definitely know that I want to revive the Song Dynasty. Whether I need to remove the redundant officials then depends on the officials. Their performance was outstanding!”

Hearing this, Su Liang laughed, Tang Jie laughed, Bao Zheng laughed, and Ouyang Xiu also laughed.

This statement may seem light and breezy, but in fact it has a profound meaning.

The officials chose to reduce their troops, and then beat the scholar-bureaucrats some.

The implication is that the implementation of the troop reduction policy requires the strong cooperation of local officials.If local officials cooperate properly and demonstrate their abilities, they will naturally not be dismissed.

"The officials are wise!" Chen Zhizhong took the lead and said.

"The officials are wise!" Many courtiers behind shouted.

Chen Zhizhong took the lead in calling out, which had a significant effect and immediately silenced the opponents.

Seeing that so many officials supported it, Xia Song knew that the troop reduction had become a reality and that no amount of debate could bring it back.

Xia Song rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Listening to the official's words, I felt as if I was enlightened. I instantly understood the official's deep meaning. In order to prosper our country in the Song Dynasty, I am willing to do my best to help the court eliminate redundant troops!"

Su Liang and others looked at Xia Song, and two words popped into their minds: treacherous.

Zhao Zhen nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Xia Shuxiang, let me ask you, our Song Dynasty currently has more than 120 million soldiers, how much reduction is more appropriate?"

This question is not easy to answer.

If there are too many answers and the Privy Council is unable to complete them, it is Xia Song's fault; if there are too few answers and the officials are dissatisfied, it is also Xia Song's fault.

Not far away, Chen Zhizhong was smiling.

Originally, he felt that his performance was the worst today, but if Xia Song didn't answer well, it would be a breach of duty and would be more embarrassing than him.

Just when many officials were waiting to see Xia Song make a fool of himself.

Xia Song smiled slightly.

"Officials, our army in the Song Dynasty is divided into two types. One is to return them to farmers, and the other is to reduce them to small units."

The so-called small points are the remaining members who receive half of the food and clothing.

"The number of troops to be reduced should not be determined entirely according to the rules of those who must return to farming at the age of 50, and those who are short in stature will be reduced to smaller grades. The key to how much troops can be reduced depends on how much the court can accommodate, such as how much land can be produced, and how much land can be produced in the north. How many military camps can be combined, how much food will be consumed by newly recruited soldiers, etc. It is best to reduce the number of soldiers based on these factors. I am afraid that these matters require the cooperation of the two governments and the three departments to jointly calculate before the reduction can be predicted. The number of soldiers is over!"

"Well said!" Zhao Zhen couldn't help but praise.

Although Xia Song was cunning and lazy, he was capable after all, having been in officialdom for many years.

And his words drew both Zhongshu and Sansi into it.

Next.

Everyone then had to think about how to arrange the disbanded soldiers.

At this moment.

Wen Yanbo stood up again and said in a hoarse voice: "Official family, I would like to be the main writer and write the strategy of disarmament."

Wen Yanbo's pursuit of progress was known to the whole court.

Moreover, his understanding of the military is far better than that of most officials, so he is the best candidate to write the book.

Even Ouyang Xiu nodded in approval. When discussing the strategy of reducing troops, he believed that he was no match for Wen Yanbo.

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but be overjoyed and said: "Master Kuan, you are indeed a good minister of mine."

Hearing this, Chen Zhizhong suddenly felt like he had fallen out of favor, and his heart was extremely cold.

At this moment, the sky is dark.

Zhao Zhen said with a smile: "I didn't expect that we actually debated for a whole day. This matter will definitely become a good story. Thank you for your hard work, please have a good rest after you go back!"

After a while, all the officials walked out of the Daqing Hall.

Some legs were weak, some throats were speechless, and some had to cover their buttocks to go to the toilet...

Ouyang Xiu, Bao Zheng, Tang Jie, and Su Liang walked slowly.

Today's debate has been fruitful.

This is the path chosen by the officials, and they will definitely go on unswervingly.

At this time.

A figure quickly passed Su Liang and the other four.

It was none other than Wen Yanbo.

Ouyang Xiu asked in a hoarse voice: "Kuan Fu, why are you walking so fast?"

Wen Yanbo stopped and said: "After a day of debate, we have just decided on the direction of troop reduction. There is a long road ahead. I want to go back to the political hall to think about the strategy of troop reduction."

After saying that, Wen Yanbo walked forward quickly.

Not to mention the two less diligent officials Ouyang Xiu and Su Liang, even Bao Zheng and Tang Jie, who had always been diligent in political affairs, were dumbfounded.

This is too hard!
Su Liang shook his head slightly. He wanted to say that the body is capital, and working too hard could lead to a short life.

But he suddenly remembered that the newly promoted political advisor Wen Yanbo had lived through four dynasties in history and lived to be more than 90 years old.

At this time, Tang Jie and Bao Zheng also quickened their pace.

Ouyang Xiu pulled Su Liang and said, "Jingming, the night is just right. How about we find a place to watch the moon and drink?"

"That's exactly what I meant." Su Liang said with a smile.

　More than [-] words make up for yesterday’s shortcomings. Thank you for reading!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)