Chapter 9: Stimulation



There was no way. Although clan property and lineage were synonymous with backwardness in later times, at the moment, facing the imperial power above, the temples, landlords, usurers within the village, and the pervasive cult associations at the lowest level, this was already a relatively progressive form of village collective economic organization.

Back to the present, for Zhao Jiu, the problem of lack of organization at the grassroots level is also a personal issue.

In fact, Emperor Zhao was faced with many problems. He wanted to march north, which required strong troops, money and food, but also internal stability and peace in the rear. But as he directly participated in the administration, he gradually had some ideas of his own.

For example, after coming out from Zhang Rong, thinking back to Zhang Rong's interrogation, he felt uneasy and had always wanted to do something against certain groups. It seemed that if he didn't do something, even the Northern Expedition would lose its meaning... In fact, this was also one of his original intentions for joining forces with Zhao Ding to launch this matter.

One of his attempts was to promote mixed agriculture of mulberry-fish ponds and then specialize in grassroots collective economy.

As a time traveler, Zhao Jiu certainly knew the backwardness represented by the feudal clans, but after serving as an official for six years, he also realized that the fact that the feudal clans could become the dominant force in rural China for the next 800 years was reasonable and progressive, because at least they were more gentle than the yamen runners of the feudal era and more stable than the self-help of cults.

Moreover, what he promoted at this time was a non-clan collective economy based on civilian and military settlements, which imitated clan property. It seemed to be a little more progressive with some idealism compared to clan property. This thing might fall apart in the future and be replaced by clans. It might become a synonym for conservatism and backwardness like feudal clans, but at least for now, in China in the 12th century, it still seemed to be advanced.

In fact, even people like Li Guang were keenly aware of the meaning behind this matter. In the face of the goal of directly expelling the cult and improving the survival stability of the grassroots people... even if it was just a possible benefit... it was still enough to convince this group of scholars to unconditionally support this move.

The only thing that caught people off guard was that many people originally thought that this official would first make trouble regarding matters related to the Northern Expedition, but he ended up bringing this matter to the forefront.

Li Guang immediately changed his position, so that this matter was immediately passed in the form of the highest resolution... It was indeed the highest resolution. The ministers discussed it in front of the emperor, and then even the Chief Censor raised both hands to support it. There was no political resolution that was smoother and more grand than this.

This matter has been discussed.

Then, seeing Zhao Ding, Liu Ji, Yan Xiaozhong and others all looking relaxed and contented, Emperor Zhao also seemed to smile for the first time in several months. After hesitating for a moment, Prime Minister Zhang Jun suddenly strode out and bowed in front of the pavilion:

"Your Majesty! I read Water Margin a few days ago and was moved, so I came up with five proposals! Today, since your Majesty is here, and the ministers are all here, including the Chief Censor, I would like to put forward these five proposals. Please judge them and your colleagues should review them."

Zhao Jiu, who was relaxed for a rare moment, was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang is a nobleman of the Western Palace, if you have anything to say, just say it... What did you learn from "Water Margin"?"

"Just five things."

Zhang Jun bowed his head in agreement, then raised his head and spoke proudly in front of the ministers, scholars, servants, and even the chief escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the two commanders of the Imperial Guard in front of the palace, in the style of official reports that were popular in official documents today:

"First, we need to expand the army! The Imperial Camp should be limited by the current financial resources of the court and slightly expand the army to 230,000 or 240,000. We should also set up reserve military stations in Lanzhou, Xingqing Prefecture, and Yinshan. In case of emergency, we can easily recruit the scattered Tubo, Dangxiang, Khitan, and Mongolian troops to form an army!"

"The second is alliance! Since the emperor has convened the various states of the world at Jinhe Lake to discuss the attack on Jin, he should have more contacts and discussions. He should summon the envoys of Dali, Nanyue, and Goryeo to the capital to consult and discuss. He should take hostages from the two Mongolian tribes, the Western Regions, and the Tibetan tribes to the court. The young ones should be sent to the military school and the Imperial College, and the adults should be sent to the imperial guards."

"The third is to stabilize the queen! In the Jiangnan area, Fang La and Zhong Xiang swept through the southeast Jingxiang before. Since Yue Fei suppressed the rebellion, the Qianzhou Qian bandits rose again, and Jiangxi Road was in turmoil again. The famous ministers Quan Bangyan and Guo Zhongxun were the pillars of the anti-Jin army. Now Quan Bangyan has returned to the court after mourning, and he is the governor of Jiangxi Road. Guo Zhongxun can be sent as the reserve general manager of the imperial camp and go to Jiangxi Road to train 10,000 reserve soldiers, and the treatment of the imperial camp will be reduced by half... In addition to stabilizing the queen, when necessary, we can also form an army to go north to assist in the Northern Expedition!"

"Fourth, it is to correct the name! The shame of Jingkang is the source of shame and indignation for scholars and common people all over the world. The six thieves were executed in the past, but there is still the chaos of Jingkang. We should ask the Emperor Taishang Daojun and the Emperor Taishang Yuansheng to write in person, describing the various defeats of Xuanhe and Jingkang, to set the record straight! The loss of the two rivers is not about money and interests. The recovery of the two rivers in the country is related to the foundation of the country. It concerns the government and all the ministers, including Li Gang and Lu Haowen, and countless other people in power. Whether they are upright or not, we should ask the government to issue an order in the palace newspaper to reiterate that Song and Jin cannot coexist! It is difficult to sleep peacefully with hatred!"

"The fifth is to build up wealth! Since the Northern Expedition cannot be delayed, and the national strength is still in a difficult situation, we should ask the Ministry of Revenue to formulate a plan, whether it is three years or five years, how to obtain wealth, how to provide relief to the people, how to accumulate, whether it is national debt, or exchanging titles, or paying taxes. Although it may be a little embarrassing for a big country, it may not hurt to show it openly, so that the sincerity of the emperor and the determination of the country can be known to everyone in the world. The country takes it from the people, and it is really united, and the whole country is only used for the Northern Expedition!"

When Zhang Jun mentioned the first two, the emperor, the prime minister, and the civil and military officials inside and outside the stone pavilion did not react much. They just thought that Zhang Shuxiang saw that the Zhao emperor cooperated so closely with the capital and was jealous, and could not help showing it.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!

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