Chapter 698 of the Main Text of the Chief Justice of the Northern Song Dynasty: Soft Landing In fact, Lu Huiqing did not see through the tacit understanding between Zhang Fei and Zhao Xu. The real reason why he thought the emperor might want to change was because of Han Qi.
Han Qi is so old, and he rushed all the way from Daming Prefecture to attend a hearing held by the Procuratorate. This is a signal that is very worth pondering.
No one will believe that this is the authority of the procuratorate.
That's impossible.
Given Han Qi's status, he would just ignore the procuratorate, and the procuratorate really had no way to deal with him.
Only one person can get Han Qi back to attend the hearing.
This person is the emperor.
Han Qi hinted at the hearing that flowing eastward would not work and that they had to flow northward. If it was really the emperor who asked Han Qi to come back, then it is not difficult to guess that the emperor did have the idea of changing his plan.
Once Han Qi's forces returned to the court, together with the supporters of the Northern School, he would be able to completely replace Wang Anshi.
This has to be done with caution.
...
...
Let's take a step back and see what happens.
Of course, Wang Anshi could not be shaken by the confessions of a few river patrolmen, but he also had to consider the emperor's thoughts. Although he had always judged that Han Qi was unlikely to return to the court, if you asked him whether this was a hint from the emperor, Wang Anshi was actually not sure.
Because Wang Anshi knew that Han Qi had been begging to retire because he was indeed old, but Zhao Xu refused to approve it and let Han Qi be responsible for the extremely important task of guarding the northern border. In addition, there were also veterans of the three dynasties such as Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, and Ouyang Xiu.
Why keep a bunch of old guys around?
It is more or less meant to check and balance him.
From this perspective, Zhang Fei's plan is more suitable for the current situation. After all, developing technology is in line with his political philosophy. Moreover, developing technology does not mean giving up the Dongliu plan, but giving up going all out on this matter and protecting Cheng Fang to the death.
Lu Huiqing went to find Zhang Fei that night, and the two discussed the matter. Zhang Fei also wrote a draft for the article himself. Lu Huiqing then took it back, and Wang Anshi wrote another article based on the draft.
After writing it, Wang Anshi himself believed it.
good!
This seems to be the core concept of my new law.
Soon, the article appeared in the newspaper.
The article still begins with the business law, emphasizing that the way to control water should be based on facts, with technology and experience as the priority, and citing the inventions and experiences of the ancestors as examples, thus leading to the core concept of "the people are not taxed more and the country has more resources", indicating that improving technology and improving tools are the driving force for the people to have more resources.
To this end, the Bureau will also establish a water conservancy school in Daming Prefecture, with the primary mission of innovating technology and improving tools, and will also express its intention to strengthen the use of technical officials. In fact, technical officials are also Wang Anshi's base, and they have few opportunities to display their talents under Sima Guang.
Not only that, he also said that he would consider inviting Dongsheng to draw the river map in the textbook, and consider incorporating the set of flood prevention methods mentioned by Luo Jian in court into the textbook, and may also name it the Luo Jian scale.
Of course, these gimmicks were Zhang Fei's idea. Wang Anshi didn't understand them at all, but he also agreed to do so, as it could win over the lowest-level officials.
In addition, although this was a draft written by Zhang Fei, it was signed by Wang Anshi anyway. This was also the first time that Wang Anshi clearly stated that the idea of not increasing taxes on the people and allowing the country to have more resources would be tied to technological innovation, which was previously tied to financial management.
As soon as this newspaper was published, it immediately caused an uproar.
Cheng Fang found Lu Huiqing as soon as possible.
“What does this article mean?”
Cheng Fang shook the newspaper and questioned Lu Huiqing.
He thought he was betrayed because Dongsheng and Luo Jian's confessions were not favorable to his water control plan. Praising them would be damaging to himself!
Lu Huiqing consoled him, "Cheng Dujian, please be patient. We are just leaving a way out for everyone."
Cheng Fang sneered: "Aren't you scared by Han Xianggong?"
Lu Huiqing explained: "Of course not, on the contrary, we are preventing Han Xianggong from destroying our plan. Everyone agrees that the reason why the old road is constantly flooded is mainly due to siltation in the lower reaches, and we currently do not have the technology to remove the siltation. This is a technical problem, not a policy problem.
We need to use this to regain control of the entire plan, and then we can discuss what to do."
Cheng Fang said with a smile: "Lu Xiaojian, we are not three-year-old kids anymore. You have left a way out for yourselves, but who will take the responsibility?"
After saying this, a hint of despair flashed in his eyes, and without waiting for Lu Huiqing to speak, he waved his sleeves and left.
It was not Wang Anshi who asked him to control the flood, but he proposed the plan first, and then Wang Anshi gave his support. Cheng Fang had previously leaned towards the conservative faction, because Sima Guang and Wen Yanbo were also members of the Eastern School. However, Sima Guang thought his plan was too radical, but Wang Anshi appreciated it very much, so Cheng Fang turned to the reformists.
Although he was a eunuch, he also had his own political ambitions.
But politics is very cruel.
Lu Huiqing came to the door, looked at Cheng Fang's lonely back, and hummed softly: "If you had done a good enough job, you wouldn't have given others a reason to blame you, and you almost dragged us all down."
In addition, Wang Anshi's statement also caught the reformists off guard. What do you mean? Do you want to continue to support Cheng Fang, or betray your teammates and take the Beiliu route?
"What did Proofreader Lu say?"
Meng Gansheng asked Deng Wan.
Deng Wan said: "Lu Xiaokan said that this is just a backup plan for us so that we can continue to promote the farmland irrigation law."
Pei Wen snorted coldly, "I don't think so. He's bragging about the two river patrolmen. This is clearly an admission of defeat!"
Deng Wan said: "It's not necessary to admit defeat. Wang Xueshi only emphasized the technology of water control and will not change the East Flow Plan. After all, facing Han Xianggong, we have to be more careful!"
Meng Gansheng frowned and asked, "Does this mean that Han Xianggong will return to the court?"
Deng Wan said, "It's not impossible. I heard that Han Xianggong will stay in the capital for some time and will not rush back to Daming Mansion. If Han Xianggong's illness is not real, then he will most likely return to the court."
Xie Yun was deeply worried and said, "If Han Xianggong returns to the court, we must be more cautious. Moreover, if Wang Xueshi and Han Xianggong fight, Sima Junshi will get a great advantage for nothing!"
Several people looked at each other, somewhat unsure.
For them, whether it was Han Qi or Master Wang, they could actually accept both. The only thing they could not accept was judicial reform.
But for Wang Anshi's diehard fans, they would rather cooperate with Sima Guang than let Han Qi come back, because many reformists had impeached Han Qi in order to support Wang Anshi's ascension to power, which was also an important reason that forced Han Qi to leave the court.
Sima Guang could coexist with Wang Anshi, but if Han Qi came back, he would definitely be above Wang Anshi.
From this point of view, Wang Anshi's choice to make concessions is actually more in line with everyone's interests. Let's calm down and see how the situation develops.
Court of trial.
"This stubborn man is really just a show-off!"
Liu Shu sneered, "The court hasn't even started yet, it's just a hearing, and this stubborn man has changed his mind and chosen to stand with the Northern School. He is really seeking power and has no principles."
Lu Gong said, "But this article doesn't look like one written by Wang Jiefu. He can't write such a humble article."
Sima Guang nodded and said, "This is obviously Zhang San's work."
Liu Shu said: "Even if it was Zhang San's idea, at least it was signed by Wang Jiefu, which means he supported it."
Sima Guang said: "Agreeing with the article does not mean that he is giving up. The article clearly states that the reason why the old channel is constantly flooded is that the current dredging technology is not enough to remove the silt downstream of the old channel. I think he intends to continue to promote the farmland irrigation law on this ground."
Wen Yanbo nodded. "This is actually not a bad thing. If Wang Jiefu is willing to make some compromises, then we should not be aggressive."
Liu Shu looked at Wen Yanbo in shock. Aren’t we sworn enemies with that thief Wang?
But Lu Gongzhe and Sima Guang remained silent.
They are all from the Dongliu faction, because they are all very afraid of the Liao Kingdom. With an extra line of defense, they will feel more at ease. As long as the threat of the Liao Kingdom exists, the Dongliu plan will always have a market, regardless of whether it succeeds or not.
But this is also why the Dongliu Plan failed, because they first considered national defense. In fact, this is correct, but they can't control the Yellow River at all. Thinking so much is just courting death.
If Wang Anshi was willing to compromise, it would be the slow-forward policy of the Eastern School, which was in line with their original intention. It was better than both sides suffering losses and letting Han Qi reap the benefits.
Although Wen Yanbo also knew that Han Qi would not return to the court, Han Qi absolutely supported the Beiliu Plan. He also had this plan when he came back this time. The key was that Han Qi really had the ability to change the emperor's mind and reverse the entire policy.
Obviously, they do not support the Nord Stream plan.
So on this issue, continuing to fight with Wang Anshi will not be worth the loss!
Rich mansion.
"Hahaha!"
Han Qi stroked his beard and laughed loudly, "I never thought that I, Han, could still scare them half to death at this time when I am running out of energy. Hahaha!"
I knew this guy was here to show off, he really has never changed. Fu Bi said calmly: "It sounds really tragic."
Han Qi's smile faded, and he lost interest instantly. He said unhappily, "Yan Guo, when did you become more disappointing than that Ouyang Yongshu?"
Fu Bi said: "It's not that simple. The court spent so much manpower and resources to open the Ergu River, it is impossible to change the plan easily. Moreover, Wang Jiefu only said that we should pay attention to the technology and experience of river management, and did not mention changing the plan of East Flow."
Han Qi said confidently: "If the government still firmly supports the Dongliu Plan, there will be no such hearing. You, Yanguo, know this better than anyone else, but you just don't want to admit it."
Fu Bi said: "The northward flow may not succeed, and the new river course is built on the houses and fields of the people, which will definitely cause resentment among the people. Why don't we unite as one and manage the old course well?"
Han Qi said: "The problem of the old river course was formed over thousands of years. The cost of managing the old river course is definitely much greater than building a new river course. The key is that the management is not good. You are not in Hebei and do not know the people's sentiments in Hebei. If it were not for me to clean up the mess, there would have been a commotion a long time ago."
In fact, the person who really muddied the waters was Han Qi. His appearance and ideas made both factions in the court somewhat fearful.
No one dares to judge what this old fox is thinking.
Han Qi's views were similar to those of the conservatives only in his opposition to Wang Anshi's new policies, but that did not mean that Han Qi was in line with the conservatives' ideas. After all, neither faction wanted Han Qi to return to the court.
Qi Ji also returned from Daming Prefecture and submitted a complete report. After reviewing the report, the procuratorate issued another notice, maintaining the original judgment and refusing to prosecute the matter. Regardless of whether it was Cheng Yi or Cheng Fang, unless there was new evidence, this would be the final decision of the procuratorate.
Both the reformists and conservatives were somewhat dissatisfied with this, but they were also somewhat hesitant. However, the two courts of censorship did not hesitate to impeach the procuratorate for favoritism and abuse of power.
After all, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Both the Censorate and the Court of Remonstrance have already regarded the Procuratorate as a competitor.
This time, Zhao Xu was very proactive. After receiving the memorial impeaching the Procuratorate, he immediately convened a meeting in the Chuigong Hall to discuss the matter, and specially summoned Zhang Fei into the hall to explain this decision.
Regarding this aspect, Zhang Fei has to explain it personally. Xu Zun may go astray under the other party's questioning. In fact, their judicial concepts cannot be changed in a short period of time.
Of course, Han Qi and Fu Bi were also present, each with a chair, sitting on the left and right sides.
As soon as he came up, the censor Jiang Zhiqi started to attack Zhang Fei and accused the procuratorate of ignoring the facts. So many people became homeless and some even died of exhaustion in the river. So many lives were lost, but the procuratorate said there was no evidence. This was simply lying with open eyes.
"Your Majesty, what Censor Jiang said is absolutely correct."
Zhang Fei stood up and said, "According to the final investigation results of our procuratorate, first of all, there is no problem with what Deputy Envoy Cheng did, because Deputy Envoy Cheng only gave the sailors three days to rest and replenish food and clothing in the barracks, and finally let them continue to serve on the river. At the same time, Cheng Dujian himself also praised this."
Zhao Xu nodded slightly.
Cheng Yi was absolutely not wrong.
Zhang Fei continued, "Comparatively, the issue regarding Cheng Dujian is more complicated. Just in the dredging of the Ergu River and the construction of the river defense works of the Zhang River, at least 3,000 households of the people suffered great losses. At the same time, the conscription of soldiers and labor reached 300,000. According to the accounts of the River Transportation Bureau, it is preliminarily estimated that this directly led to a 40% reduction in the tax revenue of Daming Prefecture."
Zhao Xu asked: "If that's the case, why did your procuratorate still decide not to prosecute anyone?"
Zhang Fei said: "The reason is that whether it is dredging the Ergu River or building the Zhang River, they are all decisions made by the court, and Cheng Dujian is just an official who provides advice and executes government orders.
According to the testimonies of many water conservancy officials, whether it was the construction of the Zhang River or the dredging of the Ergu River, it was inevitable to conscript labor and destroy some of the people's fertile fields. The decrees issued by the court also gave them power, but there was no restriction on how much labor Cheng Dujian could conscript, nor was there any restriction on how much fertile land Cheng Dujian could requisition.
At the same time, the Song Dynasty Criminal Code does not give a specific judgment for important river defense works.”
Jiang Zhiqi asked: "I heard that Prosecutor Zhang is very good at using precedents to improve the law. Why didn't the procuratorate consider improving the system through precedents this time?"
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, saying, "What Censor Jiang said makes sense, and our procuratorate has fully considered this point. But we ultimately believe that this precedent will seriously harm the interests of the country, the monarch, and the people.
Because according to our research, Cheng Dujian worked tirelessly in these few short years to manage the rivers in Hebei, including dredging, expanding dams and other works that were very beneficial to river construction.
Of course, in many aspects, his orders were indeed questionable and brought suffering to many people, but he was just fulfilling his duties.
If the judiciary integrates this matter into a precedent and finds Cheng Dujian guilty, it will lead to a very bad phenomenon.
That is, officials will not seek credit, but only avoid mistakes. Because such a large project is bound to have various problems, just like war will inevitably lead to casualties. If the judiciary finds that this is a crime, in other words, every minister in charge of water control can be judged guilty in advance. "
Jiang Zhiqi asked, "You are just trying to cover up something, is it hard to tell whether it was intentional or unintentional?"
Zhang Fei asked, "Does Censor Jiang think that Cheng Dujian dug up the graves of the common people intentionally or unintentionally? What can he gain by digging up the graves of the common people?"
Jiang Zhiqi said: "But you can't turn a blind eye. You should compensate the people."
Zhang Fei said: "Speaking of compensation, we have also carefully examined it. First of all, the local government is responsible for expropriation and compensation. Secondly, the local government has not said that it will not compensate the people. At the same time, the law does not stipulate how much compensation should be paid or whether there is a time limit."
Imperial Censor Peng Siyan laughed and said, "This all sounds like a sophistry."
“This is not a sophistry.”
Zhang Fei shook his head. "The judiciary cannot afford to quibble. The fact is that the court's regulations in this regard are very vague, and the judiciary cannot be judged solely by right or wrong, but should be judged by written norms."
Zhao Xu asked, "Then according to Prosecutor Zhang's intention, how should the court respond?"
Zhang Fei said: "I think the relevant laws should be improved. For example, we can promote the law of the rule of law and use the law to defend the rights and interests of the people.
And when the personal interests of the people conflict with national policies, the court should also clearly state the rules. For example, during war, the court can requisition people's houses. During natural disasters, the government can destroy good farmland and houses to preserve the rights and interests of the country and the majority of the people. But at the same time, it must be clearly stipulated that compensation will be paid to the people, how much, and for how long.
Of course, the court may not be able to consider all of these, but these can be gradually repaired, mainly to determine whether it can be expropriated, whether compensation should be paid, the amount of compensation, the compensation period, etc. In this way, the judicial office will have a law to follow. "
Zhao Xu nodded, "That makes sense."
Sima Guang suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is difficult to make up for these loopholes by simply improving the judiciary, because the real reason for the complexity of this matter stems from the lack of system.
If Supervisor Cheng had first submitted all expenditures on labor, land, etc. to the court, these problems might not have arisen.
I suggest that the system in this regard be improved. For any construction project, everything must be counted first, and the final decision will be made by the court, rather than just providing a suggestion and then rashly starting the construction."
Zhao Xu nodded slightly.
Wang Anshi suddenly stood up and asked, "Sima Xueshi, do you know how much manpower and material resources are needed to dredge the Ergu River?"
Sima Guang said: "Things like this can be discussed by everyone."
Wang Anshi said, "We will never be able to come to an agreement. I think we need 200 people, and you think we need 100. We will never be able to come to an answer. It will be the same as before, and nothing will be accomplished."
Zhao Xu immediately asked, "What suggestions does Wang Xueshi have for this?"
Wang Anshi bowed and said, "Before answering your majesty's question, I would like to ask Prosecutor Zhang a question."
Zhao Xu nodded.
Wang Anshi then asked Zhang Fei, "Prosecutor Zhang, at that hearing, why did you choose a few river patrol officers to testify instead of water conservancy officials? As far as I know, many water conservancy officials are also very experienced."
Zhang Fei said: "This is mainly because water conservancy officials have political inclinations and have to consider many people and things. River patrol soldiers don't have these. They can only tell the truth, and we in the procuratorate hope to get the purest technical analysis."
"Just as I thought."
Wang Anshi nodded and said to Zhao Xu: "Your Majesty, to control floods, you need technology and experience, so determining manpower, material resources, and the deadline for construction should also be based on technology and experience.
It just so happened that the Bureau of Water Resources was planning to establish a water conservancy school in Daming Prefecture to gather talents from all over the world in order to improve the technology of river management.
I suggest that the Minister of River Defense come up with a plan, and then the Water Conservancy Institute will provide a budget based on the plan. The court will take the budget provided by the Water Conservancy Institute as the basis. "
Liu Shu immediately questioned: "Isn't this water conservancy school a government office?"
Wang Anshi said: "At the hearing, Han Xianggong said something very right, that the government and the opposition must work together, but I find it difficult to reach a unified opinion with some colleagues. To borrow the words of Prosecutor Zhang, the Water Conservancy University will not have any political inclinations. If everyone focuses on the Water Conservancy University, then we can work together."
Han Qi smiled and nodded, saying, "What Wang Xueshi said makes a lot of sense. I fully agree with it."
As he said this, he turned his head and looked at Fu Bi again, "What do you think, Mr. Fu?"
Fu Bi glared at him, then nodded: "This is indeed worth considering."
Sima Guang was very depressed.
The Water Conservancy University belongs to the business law, which was established by Wang Anshi. So you still have the final say. You have just changed the shell.
You guys really know how to have fun.
But when this is said, it seems a little petty, because the career law is not Wang Anshi's personal law, and any idle official can sign up.
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "It is said that listening to both sides will lead to enlightenment, while only listening to one side will lead to ignorance. I also want to hear the opinions of some non-officials."
Han Qi shouted again: "Your Majesty is so broad-minded, it is a blessing for the people of our Song Dynasty!"
Lu Huiqing, Chen Shengzhi, Zeng Gongliang and others also came out to express their support.
Wen Yanbo and others also stepped forward one after another.
Wang Anshi continued, "Your Majesty, the most controversial issue in this case is the abuse of civilian power. This was also demonstrated at the hearing. There are no clear regulations on civilian service, and it is difficult to stipulate this because the circumstances of each household are different. It is almost impossible for the government to investigate clearly, especially in terms of emergency situations. It is difficult to take care of everything.
The best way is to expand the exemption law and directly pay people to work. According to our system, the main labor service is still undertaken by the soldiers, and large-scale conscription of the people is generally only in times of natural disasters.
At this time, choosing to spend money to hire laborers can not only recruit many civilians, but also provide relief to the people through work-for-relief, which is killing two birds with one stone. "
"That makes a lot of sense!"
Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly after listening, but his eyes were looking towards Sima Guang.
Zhang Fei also glanced at Sima Guang.
Sima Guang was struggling there.
Wen Yanbo was anxious and immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to promote the concept of the rule of law, it must be the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs. I suggest that the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs can be implemented in Hebei."
"Allowed!"
Zhao Xu nodded without hesitation.
Lu Gong whispered, "Jun Shi, what are you hesitating about?"
Sima Guang said: "The Jingdong East Road has not been dealt with clearly yet, and they are in a hurry to try it out in Hebei Road. If the wrong people are hired, the reputation of the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs will be ruined in an instant!"
Lu Gong said angrily: "Someone has to do this job. If others can do it well, why should we count on you?"
Sima Guang said: "If we rely on the public security, procuratorate and courts, we should not be anxious. We should do things well and not rush for success."
".!"
Lu Gong was so angry that he turned his back.
Zhao Xu coughed, "I also went to the hearing. In any case, many people in Hebei did suffer losses due to the imperial court's river defense works, but the Hebei government is unable to compensate, so I decided to take out 300,000 strings of cash from the treasury to pay compensation and relief to the people of Hebei."
Sima Guang's eyes lit up, and he turned from worry to joy. He immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
The conservatives also shouted excitedly: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Although Wang Anshi also shouted, "Your Majesty is wise," he knew in his heart that the emperor must have believed that this project was indeed a waste of money and labor, but the emperor could not admit this mistake, so he could only give compensation.
Fortunately, we will be hiring people in the future, so it won’t be too costly and labor-intensive.
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