Xizhou.
The new year has begun, but the border of Xizhou has become even more chaotic.
Based on the judgment of the chief judge and Wang Shao's encouragement, merchants in Xihe can basically go there as they please and come back as they please. Merchants are more confident and can make more money by smuggling.
However, the decree of the Political Affairs Hall raised another problem.
According to the decree of the Political Affairs Hall, the people in the Xihe area, who originally had temporary household registration, automatically obtained the household registration of the Song Dynasty. The people were of course very happy, and foreign merchants were also very satisfied, because as long as they lived here for a few years and paid residence taxes for a few years, they could obtain the household registration of the Song Dynasty.
Although this residence tax was the first time that the Xihe government levied taxes on local people, they were all very happy to do so because Wang Shao issued an administrative order that all the money collected would be used to protect the trade of merchants.
However, the Xihe Imperial Court ruled that the small tribes of Tubo, Qiang, and Dangxiang that later submitted to the Song Dynasty were not included.
Those chiefs and village leaders came to find Wang Shao.
Didn’t we surrender?
Our territory is now under the control of the Royal Police, so why can't we obtain household registration?
...
...
Who are we?
orphan?
They were very nervous because they were now completely dependent on the protection of the Song Dynasty.
Wang Shao was also very annoyed about this, so he ran to find Lu Dajun and Fan Zhen.
"They have already surrendered, and they have brought territory and people with them, so why can't they be counted?"
What Wang Shao hated most in his life was seeing the two of them because he couldn't communicate with them.
Lu Dajun said: "This is the responsibility of Envoy Wang. Your memorial did not mention them. The imperial edict only included the six states that Envoy Wang had previously recovered.
Regarding household registration and territory, the law must be followed, and it is not something that the king can give to anyone he wants."
Wang Shao said: "They have come to the throne one after another. It is difficult for me to write this down. I will immediately submit a memorial to explain this issue, but you can give it to them first to prevent them from harboring any resentment. We must always put the overall situation first."
Lu Dajun and Fan Zhen looked at Wang Shao in silence.
The meaning is very clear, no discussion.
“Okay, okay, okay!”
Wang Shao said angrily: "I don't ask you for anything."
After saying that, he left angrily.
However, this little matter was not difficult for Wang Shao. He immediately explained to the chiefs that it was all his negligence and he forgot to include you. He would write it right away. Before that, he could use his administrative power to sign a submission agreement with you first.
As long as you are attacked, no matter who the enemy is, we will send troops to protect you. We are a family, and your business is my business.
The contract has an unparalleled status in the Xihe area, and everyone obeys it very much. Because the merchants here, if they don't abide by it, it means whoever has the stronger power has the final say. Now the strongest here is the Song Dynasty. They are a foreign race, and they support the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs more than the Han people.
This is how to appease these people.
Just after seeing off these village chiefs and chiefs, Ma Tianhao and Lu Bin suddenly arrived.
"What do you two want to do?"
Wang Shao asked very enthusiastically.
Although he was also a civil servant, he would rather talk with Ma Tianhao and Lu Bin till dawn than spend a second with Fan Zhen and Lu Dajun.
Ma Tianhao and Lu Bin looked at each other. Ma Tianhao laughed and said, "Envoy Wang, we just got some news."
Wang Shao asked, "What news?"
Ma Tianhao said: "Didn't Xixia close the trade? This caused great dissatisfaction among some merchants and nobles in Liangzhou, Ganzhou, Suzhou and other places in their territory. After all, most of the Western Region merchants who went there still wanted to trade with our Song Dynasty, so now those Western Region merchants take a more southern route, which also affects the finances of those places."
Wang Shao asked: "Are you trying to use this opportunity to sow discord between them?"
Ma Tianhao laughed and said, "It's not that simple. Can we use our spies in Xixia to offer advice to Liangzhou, Ganzhou and other places, and ask them to send troops from Liangzhou and other places to disrupt the trade between the Western Regions and us? Don't think about it, we can even force merchants to continue to follow their path."
Wang Shao was shocked, "What do you want to do?"
Lu Bin hurriedly said, "Envoy Wang, please don't misunderstand. In fact, this strategy is not difficult to think of, but why haven't Liangzhou, Ganzhou and other places done so yet?"
Wang Shao said: "Because the tribes over there are dependent on them."
Lu Bin nodded and said, "But after the negotiations between Wang Xuanfu and those tribes, those tribes in the northwest are cooperating with us in trade. After all, they are getting the advantage. In the past, many merchants did not go there. If Xixia sends troops, those tribes will inevitably turn to us. At that time, Wang Xuanfu will unite the western tribes in the name of protecting trade. This will not only weaken Xixia, but also force Xixia to deploy heavy troops in the west, thereby reducing the pressure on our side."
Ma Tianhao said: "We can also use this to alienate the relationship between Ganzhou and Suzhou and their imperial court. The merchants over there are also seeking wealth!"
Wang Shao's eyes flashed quickly, and after a while, he laughed and said, "You have a good idea. Haha. Okay, okay, let's do it."
As he said this, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Wait a moment."
He turned around and went to the inner room, and quickly took out a few articles. "Take them to print, and then have the merchants send them to Xixia."
When Ma Tianhao heard this, he knew that it was propaganda for the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs. They were already using smuggling and secretly promoting it with some Xixia merchants.
After all, businessmen like this system.
After all, Wang Shao was a scholar, so he preferred this strategy. When he had nothing to do, he would write a few articles himself.
Daming Mansion.
Su Shi and Fan Chunren, who had just arrived here, first met with Song Shouyue, the commander of the Palace Front Division, who was reorganizing the troops here.
"The commander-in-chief should know that the Ministry of Revenue has just issued a decree to change the new household registration." Fan Chunren said.
Song Shouyue nodded, but there was confusion in his eyes. What did this have to do with him?
Fan Chunren added: "Our procuratorate will use this as an excuse to conduct a census of the various imperial guards in Hebei."
Song Shouyue frowned slightly and said, "This is your duty, why do you need to tell me?"
Su Shi smiled and said, “This is to avoid misunderstandings. Since Zhang Keke, the current chief judge has established an unwritten principle when he was the chief judge in Hezhong Prefecture, that is, new laws do not deal with old matters.
We are very clear about the situation in the military camp, so we hope that the Palace Marshal will explain to those generals in advance that we are only conducting a re-census, and we will not pursue the previous matters. "
This refers to the empty salary.
Fan Chunren said: "But if you do it again in the future, we will definitely pursue it to the end."
Song Shouyue nodded, but thought in his heart, these two prosecutors are really as rumored, they are not easy to deal with. They plan to use the imperial guards to establish their authority as soon as they come here.
But in fact, he contributed to this. Fan Chunren and Su Shi were not stupid. If Song Shouyue had not converted many imperial guards into royal police, they would not have dared to investigate!
There's a problem this time.
Although the imperial court issued several consecutive military arrangements, especially requiring the strengthening of armaments in Hebei Province, it could not be said that it had changed the country's overall strategic policy.
Because this is all about defense, not preparation for sending troops.
However, in the eyes of the prime ministers, starting from this year, we must pay equal attention to both internal and external factors. After all, even if the tree wants to be still, the wind will not stop.
As the saying goes, the first time is new, the second time is familiar. After a year of working with the Grand Chamberlain, Wen Yanbo and his colleagues quickly adapted to the new system, which meant taking the initiative. Moreover, the power of the Council of State was actually greater than they had imagined.
Today, Wen Yanbo suddenly came to Han Mansion to visit Han Qi.
"Is Mr. Han in good health?"
“It’s still the same!”
Han Qi looked at Wen Yanbo, who was about the same age as him but was in high spirits, and his heart was full of envy. He asked, "I wonder why Mr. Kuan came here today?"
"Liao."
Wen Yanbo just said it directly.
Han Qi was not surprised. Although he lived in seclusion, he was still aware of the affairs of the court. He said, "My strategy for defending against Liao is still the same. We must reorganize our military and strengthen our defense, but at the same time we must try our best to maintain friendly relations with Liao."
Wen Yanbo asked, "Is it still the same now?"
Han Qi nodded and said, "Although the national strength is growing, and I also know that the emperor has arranged for the palace commander to rectify the military discipline in Hebei in the name of the Royal Police. But I think that we still do not have the ability to destroy the Liao Kingdom or recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
To organize such a large-scale war, we need a capable commander, but we don't have such a commander at present. In addition, we don't have war horses. If we want to attack, the risk is very high. If we are not careful, we may repeat the same mistakes. Our Song Dynasty can no longer afford such losses.
Although the offensive force is insufficient, if the soldiers' training is strengthened and military discipline is rectified, it will be more than enough to defend against the Liao Kingdom's southward advance. Therefore, the final result of going to war with the Liao Kingdom is that both sides will suffer losses, so why bother? "
Wen Yanbo asked, "Do you remember, Lord Han, that when Lord Fan was fighting against Xixia, he proposed a strategy that achieved remarkable results?"
Han Qi hesitated for a moment and said, "Build a fortress, actively defend, and destroy the enemy with defense?"
Wen Yanbo nodded, "Yes, the Liao Kingdom is in turmoil right now, while our country is growing stronger and our administration is clean. If both sides suffer, as long as we can bear it in the end and they can't, then they will perish."
Han Qi said: "But this strategy of Mr. Fan only weakened the Western Xia, but did not destroy it. In addition, in the northwest, we can build fortifications by relying on the terrain, but in Hebei, it is flat and it is impossible to stop the Liao cavalry from entering. Even if we can defend the key fortresses, it will cause great harm to the people of Hebei."
Wen Yanbo said: "We failed to destroy Xixia because Fan Gong's strategy was not fully implemented. As for the people of Hebei, if we don't recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the people of Hebei will never have peace. Moreover, now we can use the financial resources of the whole country to support Hebei."
Han Qi said: "I don't think it's the right time yet."
Wen Yanbo said: "But we have to be prepared for this. The Liao Kingdom has repeatedly made further advances, increasing the annual tribute and encroaching on our territory. I don't think this kind of relationship can last long. We have to make other plans."
Han Qi stroked his beard and said, "But this is only a medium-term strategy."
Wen Yanbo said: "If we can bring down the Liao Kingdom, this will be the best strategy."
After leaving Han's house, Wen Yanbo went to the Political Affairs Hall.
Wen Yanbo read it and thought for a while, "Go and invite the Minister of Revenue and the three officials."
"yes."
The Supreme Court.
"I didn't expect this chief judge to be so relaxed. He finished the day's work in less than an hour."
Xu Zhiqian put down her pen and stretched lazily.
Judge Zhang, who was grinding ink at the side, asked, "Wouldn't it be better to relax a little?"
Xu Zhiqian said: "Then it's better to stay at home."
"OK!"
Zhang Fei put down the tools at hand and said, "I'm going home to see my son after get off work."
Xu Zhiqian glared at him and said, "How can you do this?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "No matter how good I am, I am just one person and cannot make any waves. If a country wants to be strong, it still has to rely on the system. Now that the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems are becoming more and more perfect, it is time for them to play their roles. They cannot rely on me alone for everything. I don't have that ability."
Xu Zhiqian said: "I can't argue with you. You always find some twisted reasons to argue."
Just at this moment, a clerk stood at the door and announced that Prime Minister Zhao wanted to see him.
Xu Zhiqian suddenly jumped up and ran to stand aside.
Zhang Fei chuckled and asked the clerk to invite Zhao Yan over.
After a while, Zhao Yan entered the room. They exchanged greetings. Zhang Fei asked Zhao Yan to sit down and asked, "What is the matter with you, Mr. Zhao?"
Zhao Yan said: "Dengzhou has submitted a complaint, and they are basing it on the judgment made by the chief judge on the merchants of Xizhou not long ago. I am powerless and the chief judge has to make the judgment."
After saying that, he handed in a complaint.
Xu Zhiqian immediately stepped forward and handed the complaint to Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei opened it and found out that it was about a weapons case.
The Security Department of the Song Dynasty in Dengzhou recently uncovered a powerful crossbow transaction, and the buyer was a maritime merchant. The agent they hired, Erbi, cited the Grand Court President's ruling on the protection of Xizhou merchants as an example, and believed that sea transportation was extremely risky, and that the purpose of equipping themselves with powerful crossbows was to protect themselves.
Zhang Fei said: "If I remember correctly, the control of weapons in our dynasty is relatively loose."
Xu Zhiqian rolled her eyes quietly, how embarrassing!
Zhao Yan said: "It was more relaxed before. Sticks, swords, bows, and short spears could all be traded, but the families of scholars and commoners in Kyoto were not allowed to privately store weapons.
However, with the popularity of police stations, the temporary law has stricter control over this aspect. Although transactions are still allowed, both merchants and buyers must register. But whether it was before or now, crossbows and armor are strictly prohibited. "
Zhang Fei hesitated for a moment and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Zhao?"
Zhao Yan said: "What the sea merchants said makes sense. It is true that strong crossbows are very beneficial for ship battles, but they can also threaten national security."
Zhang Fei thought for a while and said, "I will send someone to consult those naval commanders later. If they can prove the necessity of powerful crossbows for sea transportation and confirm that these powerful crossbows are only used to protect sea transportation, I am inclined to find them not guilty, because outside, they can only protect themselves."
Zhao Yan asked, "What about national security?"
Zhang Fei said: "That is a question that the Political Affairs Hall should consider. Nowadays, maritime trade has increased a lot of tax revenue for our country, and the court must also provide protection for those maritime merchants, so this policy must of course be changed."
Just at this moment, Li Si suddenly came to the door and winked at Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei just nodded slightly, he knew it must be someone coming from the palace.
Zhao Yan understood what he meant, "Since the chief judge is very busy, I will not disturb him."
Zhang Fei said: "Once this matter is clarified, we will go to the Legislative Council to discuss it with Mr. Fu."
Zhao Yan nodded.
After Zhao Yan left, Zhang Fei assigned the task to Xu Zhiqian, and then hurried to the palace.
When I came to the attic, I saw Zhao Xu pacing back and forth, seeming very angry.
"Zhang San greets His Majesty."
"No need to be so polite."
Zhao Xu waved his hand and continued pacing.
After seeing this, Zhang Fei asked curiously, "What happened that made His Majesty so angry?"
Zhao Xu threw the memorial in front of the door in front of Zhang Fei and said, "Look for yourself."
"yes."
Zhang Fei picked up the memorial and saw that it was submitted by Wen Yanbo, which contained three suggestions.
The strategy to destroy Liao.
Territorial law.
Military Pay Act.
Zhang Fei asked: "Although some of this is debatable, it shouldn't make Your Majesty so angry, right?"
"Can you look at things more carefully?"
Zhao Xu was so angry that his face turned red.
"yes."
Zhang Fei looked at it carefully again and discovered the trick.
The reason lies in the final military pay bill. The military pay bill is to increase the pensions and relief for soldiers in border states. The money comes from the Nei Cangku, but Zhang Fei believes that this will not make Zhao Xu angry, because the Nei Cangku has this function. However, one of the clauses requires the emperor to disclose the accounts of the Nei Cangku so that the national finances can be planned in a unified manner at critical moments.
"Your Majesty is angry because of the inner storehouse, right?"
"Although the country's strength has been growing rapidly in recent years, there are still many things that have not been completed. The public security and judicial systems have not yet been popularized in Shu, Huguang and other regions, and they have set their sights on my treasury. This is really unreasonable."
Zhao Xu felt both aggrieved and angry.
Zhang Fei immediately said, "Your Majesty, just ignore them. The money in the inner treasury has nothing to do with them in the outer court."
Zhao Xu sat down. "None of these old ministers are good people. They are now asking for treatment for soldiers in border states. This is to deal with Khitan. Of course, it is reasonable. Now is the time to use troops. If I don't agree, who will resist Khitan then?"
Zhang Fei said: "Then agree to increase the military pay, but do not make the treasury accounts public."
Zhao Xu waved his hand, sat down, and said excitedly: "It's not that simple, don't you understand?"
Zhang Fei was confused, "I... I..."
He really can't understand.
"You have to look at this in conjunction with the first two suggestions."
Zhao Xu said: "The strategy of destroying Liao, the territorial law, and the disclosure of the treasury accounts actually mean that we must be tougher on Khitan and not back down. At the same time, we are also on guard against me!"
Zhang Fei looked at Zhao Xu in confusion.
Zhao Xu said: "Do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to understand?"
Zhang Fei said aggrievedly: "I really don't understand."
"you."
Zhao Xu said: "The territorial law is to prevent me from secretly ceding land to the Liao Kingdom, and the public treasury is to prevent me from secretly giving money."
"ah?"
Zhang Fei was shocked and angrily asked, "Who are they looking down on?"
Zhao Xu said: "That's right, they are simply insulting me."
Zhang Fei said: "This is a false accusation, Your Majesty does not need to pay attention to them." But he thought to himself, why are they so wary of the emperor? It seems that the Zhao family has done this kind of thing many times before.
After hearing this, Zhao Xu felt guilty again, "This is just the reason why I am angry, but there is another point that I find difficult to refute. In the end, this is all your fault."
Zhang Fei said with a wronged look on his face: "Your Majesty, what does this have to do with me?"
Zhao Xu said: "You were the one who planned it for me in the beginning. We tried to collect commercial taxes from various places into the internal treasury, and agricultural taxes went to the national treasury. Now that the finances of various places are increasing, it seems that there is a little more."
Zhang Fei asked curiously: "How much more is that?"
Zhao Xu fiddled with three fingers timidly.
Zhang Fei asked: "Three million strings of cash?"
Zhao Xu said: "If it's three million strings of cash, would they be interested in it?"
"Thirty million strings of cash?" Zhang Fei asked in surprise.
Zhao Xu nodded.
"Why are there so many?" Zhang Fei asked:
Zhao Xu said embarrassedly, "When the two government regulations were abolished, Wang Xueshi transferred all the profits from the new policy from the Sinong Temple and the Taifu Temple to the Inner Treasury. In the past three years, tax revenues from various places have increased sharply. Although the new tax law is calculated based on total income, they will state the source of income when filing taxes. Therefore, the three departments and the tax department still counted all the taxes that used to belong to the Inner Treasury to the Inner Treasury. Those tax items were not much before, so no one cared about them, but now they are almost becoming the main tax revenue."
Zhang Fei said depressedly: "Your Majesty, you are so rich now, but you still asked me to pay to build the Military Equipment Bureau in the northwest."
Zhao Xu immediately said, "Isn't this what you asked for?"
"I." Zhang Fei thought about it and realized it was true. He said, "Forget it. I have so much money and it's useless. I might as well give it to His Majesty and use it to expand the territory."
Zhao Xu snorted, "I saved this money for the purpose of expanding the territory, not for my own enjoyment. You know, many ministers in the court are conservative and unwilling to fight."
Zhang Fei nodded, "Of course I understand your majesty's difficulties, but I can't help much in this matter, and the Supreme Imperial Court cannot interfere with the finances of the Inner Treasury."
Zhao Xu sighed, "It would be nice if everyone thought like you. Tell me fairly, should I make public the accounts of the inner treasury?"
Zhang Fei immediately said: "To be fair, whether this should be done or not should depend entirely on your own opinion, Your Majesty."
Zhao Xu was silent for a while, then suddenly asked: "What do you think of this strategy to destroy Liao?"
Zhang Fei said: "I think this is completely consistent with our plan and is the best strategy, because our country has always been short of war horses, and the Liao Kingdom occupies a favorable terrain, and its financial resources cannot make up for this. The risk of attacking is too high.
War is extremely depleting of national strength. Once the power of the Liao Lord is weakened, he will not be able to suppress the domestic instability. Coupled with our infiltration, this may be our only choice."
The Han and Tang dynasties had their own advantages, and the Song Dynasty also had its own advantages. If the Song Dynasty wanted to fight like the Han and Tang dynasties, Zhang Fei would have no confidence at all.
Judging from previous battle examples, their retreat was often cut off and then they were directly surrounded and annihilated.
War horses are still very important.
Zhao Xu hesitated for a while and said, "But once the accounts of the inner treasury are made public, our actions in Xixia will be known to them."
Zhang Fei said: "It's not a big deal. Opening the accounts doesn't mean that Your Majesty loses the right to use them. Your Majesty can allocate all of this tax revenue to the expenditure of the Song Dynasty Security Bureau. As for the details, they can be kept top secret, and they won't be able to find out.
In addition, Your Majesty can also stipulate that only the tax revenue accounts shall be published, and the income from Your Majesty's gold and silver mines and farms in various places shall not be made public."
Zhao Xu nodded slightly.
Although he was extremely reluctant, but Wen Yanbo, this old fox, was using the excuse of defending against foreign enemies to demand the disclosure of the accounts of the Inner Treasury. "Didn't you say that saving money is for war? Fine, then let's do it. You publish the accounts and we make a unified plan. You put all the money into the Inner Treasury and then the country will formulate a unified strategy."
The key point is that this is indeed a bit too much.
Zhang Fei suddenly thought of something, "Your Majesty, I just happen to have a way to make money. It would be best if you do it."
Zhao Xu hurriedly asked: "What is the way to make money?"
Zhang Fei said: "Selling weapons."
"????"
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