The total amount may be more than 3 million strings of cash, which is close to one-tenth of the current annual fiscal revenue of the Song Dynasty. It is a huge sum of money.
"nature."
Zhao Jun said, "I only need a little over one million strings of cash to invest in the development of the Imperial City Division."
"Great! He's worthy of being the great grandson of the Zhao family!"
Zhao Zhen became happy.
Now the national treasury is empty, the annual fiscal deficit is as high as two to three million, and the war in the northwest is approaching. This money can be said to have solved the urgent problem.
Zhao Jun smiled and said, "Brother, do you remember what I said about how the Ming Dynasty fell? Although the Song Dynasty was able to collect taxes, countless corrupt officials were enriched. They were clearly receiving high salaries, but they were still not satisfied and wanted to extend their profits to the people. The reason is that you were too indulgent towards these people."
"Forehead"
Zhao Zhen smiled awkwardly. It was an indisputable fact that he was shielding those people.
Zhao Jun said, "I have something to say to my brother."
Zhao Zhen was looking at a large pearl on the table. He played with it for a while. When he heard Zhao Jun's words, he stood up and said, "Let's talk while we walk."
"good."
Zhao Jun nodded.
The two men walked out of the Guanjia Hall.
It is already September, and the few acres of fields outside the Guanjia Hall have long been harvested, and now late rice is being planted.
Rice seedlings sway in the autumn wind, and frogs jump from time to time among the ridges of the fields.
Outside the field there is a towering tree with dense branches and leaves that tremble slightly, making rustling sounds.
The two walked along the edge of the field toward the garden in the east. Stepping on the green grass, Zhao Jun looked at the field and said, "Brother, do you know what a corrupt official is?"
Zhao Zhen asked, "What is it?"
Zhao Jun pointed to the weeds growing on the edge of a field and said, "Corrupt officials are like weeds in a field. If we don't take care of them, they will harm the crops. Only by cleaning them up regularly can we maintain political integrity."
"Well, this is the truth, don't I understand it?"
Zhao Zhen sighed.
Zhao Jun said, "Corrupt officials are very harmful. This doesn't mean anyone who embezzles state funds is corrupt. Rather, it's those who are insatiable in their greed and make unbridled demands on the people."
"Officials need ability, not greed. The Song Dynasty was plagued by rebellions, poor governance, and widespread corruption. This was a major reason."
"My dear grandson, I'm not saying that we can't tolerate these corrupt officials. If the Song Dynasty were prosperous and strong, with annual fiscal revenue of 4 billion or even 2 billion guan, these corrupt officials might not end up with their families being exterminated or beheaded. At most, they would be sentenced to a heavy punishment or even dismissed from their post."
"Because the pie of the Song Dynasty is big enough, corrupt officials will not shake the foundation of the country. Every year, we eliminate those who oppress the people, arrest those who should be arrested, and sentence those who should be sentenced. This will make the people trust the government, improve the credibility of the court, and prevent any injustice."
"But at this stage, the pie of the Song Dynasty is only so big. If we allow these corrupt officials to run rampant and suck the blood of the people and the court, the only ones who will suffer are the people and the court, and ultimately the country will be destroyed."
"Maybe you think, brother, all we need to do is improve productivity."
"Don't forget the production relations I've always emphasized. At this stage, production relations don't involve a strong central government coordinating everything. Instead, everything must go through the civil service."
"Civil officials control everything, so any policy will be passed down through layers of exploitation. You might allocate funds to build a building, but in the end they'll just build you a shabby wooden house."
"The simplest example is that the First Industrial Revolution had nothing to do with oil or electricity, but was simply about coal and iron. China may be vast, but its coal and iron are unevenly distributed. If we want to develop the Industrial Revolution in the future, we must build canals to connect the coal and iron mines."
"Places like Pingdingshan in Henan are rich in coal mines, but there are few iron mines nearby. You have to dig rivers to transport mineral resources and concentrate them in a certain city for industrial upgrading, thereby driving the industrial development of the entire Song Dynasty."
"What if the lower-level officials can't be properly governed?"
"Repairing rivers costs money, opening mines costs money, and transporting mineral resources costs money. Such large sums of money must pass through the hands of local officials. Even if they don't covet central government money, you still have to attract merchants from all over the country to operate capital to promote industrial development."
"Those officials' corruption and extortion will have serious consequences for the local economy and national affairs. Perhaps a national policy, like Wang Anshi's reforms, will eventually become a policy that harms the people."
"Therefore, officials must be supervised and the administration of officials must be rectified."
"Lü Yijian and his people have become a conservative interest group. Even if they knew what the Song Dynasty would become in the future, what would it have to do with them? They are not the emperor, and the Song Dynasty is not theirs. They will cause trouble and continue to serve as officials in the next dynasty."
"But the Song Dynasty belongs to you, brother. If you don't support me, this will continue. Land annexation will continue to be serious, uprisings will continue, and various policies will be unable to be implemented. The Song Dynasty will continue to face internal and external troubles, and the Jingkang Shame will not be far away."
At the end of his speech, Zhao Jun's tone was already quite harsh, and he did not forget to flatter people like Lu Yijian in front of Zhao Zhen, which was very touching.
Isn’t the Jingkang Shame what Zhao Zhen was most worried about?
They kept using this matter to provoke him and alienate his relationship with the civil service group.
As long as Zhao Zhen continues to trust him instead of those civil service groups, the road ahead will be much smoother.
It's not like now, where everything is blocked and I have to worry about Lu Yijian and others persuading Zhao Zhen to cause trouble for me.
After listening to this, Zhao Zhen seemed to be thinking deeply. His face was as gloomy as water. He nodded seriously and said, "I understand. Grandson has done a great job these days. I fully support you behind the scenes."
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