In the Song Dynasty, there was no law. Chapter 275 of the main text: Troubled Times for the Generals. The next day, the news of the fleet returning from overseas spread throughout Bianliang.
Kaifeng Prefecture was shocked by this.
After learning that there was such a rich place thousands of miles away, many people began to inquire about its whereabouts.
The biggest news on the streets and alleys, and after dinner, is this matter.
A few days later, Zhao Jun brought his wife and children and went to Cao's mansion in person.
"uncle!"
At the gate of Cao's mansion, Zhao Jun and Cao Miaoxin both bowed to Cao Cong who came to greet them.
"We are all family, don't be so estranged."
Cao Cong had already received Cao Xiu's notification and was already waiting at the door to greet them, warmly inviting them in.
Now, one of his two nieces married the emperor, and the other married the chancellor. The number one and two figures in the Song Dynasty are both sons-in-law of the Cao family. The Cao family can be said to be full of glory.
As the current head of the Cao family, Cao Cong naturally took great care to maintain the dignity of the Cao family and did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.
Zhao Jun smiled and followed Cao Cong in.
After marrying Cao Miaoxin, he came to Cao's house quite often. He would visit her during every festival to avoid making his wife sad.
The Cao Mansion was very large, mainly because Cao Cong's brothers died early and his more than 20 nephews and nieces were young, so he was responsible for taking care of their descendants.
They will not move out until their nephews and nieces come of age. After all, the Cao family is wealthy and can afford to support them.
After entering Cao's mansion, he did not go to the main hall.
The main hall is where things are discussed, so in order to show the closeness of the family, it is natural to go to the backyard.
Now, apart from Cao Cong's second wife, only the youngest son Cao Chu still lives in the Cao Mansion, and the rest of the Cao family's descendants have basically become independent.
Although the Cao Mansion is huge and has many servants, it seems a bit empty. It is not lively on weekdays except during festivals.
They had a meal first, and after drinking a few sips of tea, Mrs. Cao saw that Zhao Jun was going to discuss business with Cao Cong, so she took Cao Miaoxin, Cao Chu and one-year-old Zhao Tan to the next room to chat.
At this time, only Zhao Jun and Cao Cong were in the room.
Cao Cong took a sip of tea at this time, looked at Zhao Jun and said with a smile: "Hanlong, do you have something to tell me?"
"Um."
Zhao Jun nodded: "This matter is very important, so I must communicate with my uncle first."
"you say."
Cao Cong gestured.
"You all know the three redundancies, and the biggest problem is the redundant army."
Zhao Jun paid attention to Cao Cong's expression, and sure enough, when he heard these words, Cao Cong's face stiffened slightly.
But he didn't say anything, just waited for what came next.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun continued, "The problem of redundant troops must be resolved. This is a national policy that cannot be compromised. Now that the war with the Western Xia and Liao Kingdoms has completely ceased, the Song Dynasty must conduct a large-scale military reduction, eliminating the old and weak, and retaining only the elite."
"This is for the sake of the court, so it's the right thing to do, but..."
Cao Cong hesitated and said, "Shouldn't we slow down a bit? Although the war between Xixia and Liao has stalled, if we choose to eliminate our soldiers, they might attack again."
"I know what my uncle is worried about."
Zhao Jun smiled and said, "We are a family and there is no need to talk nonsense. The Cao family is actually relying on this little business to support itself. Am I right?"
Cao Cong stopped talking.
The Cao family's eating habits were relatively average, but even so, they still earned hundreds of thousands of strings of cash every year by supplying weapons and equipment, collecting empty salaries, and then having their troops farm and do business for them.
Otherwise, how can we support this whole family?
Once you get used to this luxurious life, it is naturally difficult to come down from it.
Zhao Jun continued, "Of course, the imperial court won't sit idly by regarding this matter. These days, we're in an era of rapid change. We need to be forward-looking, not just clinging to our own little piece of land. Let me explain this to my uncle."
"Well, I'm all ears."
Cao Cong responded.
"First, we need to lay off the elderly, weak, and soldiers who are unable to fight. The imperial court estimates that there will be hundreds of thousands of them. It would be best to reduce these 1.2 million soldiers to around 800,000. Although I think 600,000 will be enough, a certain number of soldiers must still be left behind in the local areas."
Zhao Jun said, "Uncle, you know that the country is not peaceful right now. There are many ethnic minorities who refuse to submit to the king. Well, we call them barbarians. The court needs to rely on the vassal states to maintain rule, but these people often rebel. Therefore, it is necessary to keep a certain number of garrison troops."
Cao Cong frowned, a trace of worry in his eyes. What should he do after laying off so many people?
"The imperial court cannot accommodate all of these laid-off people."
Zhao Jun explained, "But letting them go would be a waste of manpower, so I've been thinking of supporting them under another pretext. I'll have the military nobles set up a few private trading companies, and the imperial court will invest in them. The court will relocate the laid-off elderly and weak to their hometowns, giving them land, and then recruit the young and strong merchants who have been laid off."
"What's the use of this business?"
Cao Cong asked.
"It's simple. Building steel mills, roads, post stations, canals, and rivers all require people."
Zhao Jun said, "The imperial court will fund this massive construction project, and the money will be given to you to distribute. This will save the soldiers from sitting idle in the camp every day. Besides that, have you heard about Chen Haizhong and the others?"
"Yes, it's spreading all over Bianliang."
Cao Cong nodded.
"The imperial court invested over one million strings of cash on this trip, but they brought back over five million strings of cash worth of gold and silver, and over two million strings of cash worth of copper and iron. Their profit was more than seven times their original value."
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