On the first day of the first lunar month in the second year of the Jing Kang period, the sun was already three feet high in the sky.
“It’s so annoying!”
Zhao Huan came out of Renming Hall, rubbing his lower back. He felt his vision go dark and his feet went weak.
"I'm scared, I'm scared... Your Majesty, please go and take care of your official business!"
…………………………………………
On the imperial carriage going to Funing Palace, Zhao Huan was dozing lazily, feeling so comfortable in the sun.
"Wang Huaiji, this is the first [Emperor's Lunch] this year. I want the imperial chef to give his all. Don't mess it up. This is a good opportunity for me to have a heart-to-heart talk with my subordinates."
"Your Majesty, I was just about to report that Niu Gao is ill and cannot attend the Emperor's lunch."
"Are you sick? Did you get hurt during the fight? Have you asked the imperial physician to see you?"
"Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Sun has examined him and said..."
"What is it? Why are you hesitating so much?"
"Imperial Physician Sun said that Niu Gao is in a very poor health."
"Nonsense! The other day, Wang Zongchu reported to me that Niu Gao was incredibly powerful, wielding a tiger-headed sword and battling Wanyan Zongfu to a standstill. He was a formidable general. How could he suddenly become so weak?"
"The summoned guards said that Niu Gao had three beautiful wives in Bianliang City, and they were still fighting fiercely in the house when midnight passed..."
"A fierce battle?"
"Well, according to the guards, Niu Gao went out laughing, and as soon as he got on his horse, he had a stroke..."
"Three? You really don't know how to live or die."
Zhao Huan couldn't help but touch his waist and said, "Then let him recuperate well and invite the Grand Secretary Yuwen Xuzhong to the palace."
In the blink of an eye, the imperial carriage arrived at Funing Palace.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I will help you down."
“…”
Zhao Huan looked at the broad-shouldered and broad-waisted Wang Huaiji with curiosity. What was it that eunuchs lacked? He surely didn't have these worries.
In the Funing Palace, in the living room, it was still the same dining table. Zhao Huan sat in the main seat, and Yuwen Xuzhong sat beside him at the lower left. The table was filled with delicious wine and food.
Zhao Huan ate a chicken leg in three or five bites and drank a bowl of ginseng porridge. He felt much more at ease in his stomach. Then he took the towel handed to him by Wang Huaiji, wiped his hands, and looked at the Grand Secretary with satisfaction.
"Why isn't the Grand Secretary moving his chopsticks?"
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask, are we also going to carry out Operation Clean Drive today?"
Zhao Huan looked at the table full of food and wine, then looked at his own figure and Yuwen Xuzhong's figure, two weaklings.
"Let's forget about it today. This amount of food and wine was originally prepared for Niu Gao. The Secret Service's investigation report said that Niu Gao was the reincarnation of Zhao Gongming's black panther, and he could eat an entire cow in one meal."
"Your Majesty, eating beef is against the law..."
"Don't interrupt me, don't I know? This is just a metaphor."
"Alas, Niu Gao doesn't know his own limitations..."
"How arrogant! He's actually with three beautiful ladies..."
"Great minds think alike. Come, cheers!"
Zhao Huan and Yuwen Xuzhong drank a glass of wine, and felt that the distance between them was shortened a lot.
"Shutong, you know that among all the civil and military officials in the court, you are the one I value the most. Come, try this crispy lamb, which is made by Li Qi, the chef of Zuixianju."
"I thank Your Majesty for your appreciation. Master Li of Zuixianju is the only one who can be invited to perform in the Bianjing Palace. I must taste him today. Niu Gao, you are so unlucky..."
"Who says it's not..."
With Niu Gao as the seasoning, the atmosphere of the conversation between the king and his minister was very harmonious.
"Grand Secretary!"
Zhao Huan straightened his posture and asked Yuwen Xuzhong sincerely for advice.
"It's well known that the Emperor Retired dislikes me. Before I ascended the throne, I had never been exposed to the political governance system of the Song Dynasty. I don't understand how the Emperor governs the vast 24 routes and 240 states of the Song Dynasty. Please, Grand Secretary, explain my confusion."
On the side, the attendant had already prepared pen and ink.
Yuwen Xu knew that this was a formal dialogue between the emperor and his ministers. He stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked solemn.
"The core of the Song Dynasty's political governance system, like any previous dynasty, was a centralized monarchy."
"This system was established during the Qin Dynasty and lasted until the Song Dynasty. As the name suggests, centralization means that the central government has greater power than local governments. To achieve this goal, some restrictions must be placed on local governments. This is the local official system."
"Correspondingly, in an absolute monarchy, the emperor's power is greater than that of his ministers. These ministers refer to the prime ministers. The prime ministers work alongside the emperor, and if the emperor wants to weaken the prime minister's power, he always starts from the central government. This is the central government system."
"I will now discuss the political governance system of the Song Dynasty from the perspectives of both the local and central official systems."
"The system of two ministries and three departments established by Emperor Taizu of Song was largely based on his life experience."
"From the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907 to the founding of the Song Dynasty in 960, Emperor Taizu of Song watched from a young age as the five dynasties of Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou came and went."
Yuwen Xuzhong smiled awkwardly and continued, "Our Emperor Taizu of Song couldn't bear to see the people suffer, so he helped the orphans and widows of the Chai family live a carefree life."
"In order to prevent the Song Dynasty from becoming a sixth dynasty, decentralization became the core of the Song Dynasty's political governance system. Military officers and civil officials needed to share power. After decentralization, no one had a say and only the emperor had his say."
"The military, administration, and finance of the Song Dynasty must all be decentralized."
"First, the army. Collect the best soldiers from all over the country and transfer them to the capital. Civil officials will be in charge of the local areas, and only the elderly, weak, sick and disabled will be left to maintain order."
"As the Imperial Guards became more powerful, their power was divided. Emperor Taizu of Song divided the commander of the Imperial Guards, the Palace Guard Commander, into three groups: the Palace Guard Commander, the Imperial Guard Cavalry Commander, and the Imperial Guard Infantry Commander. These three were directly responsible to the emperor. These were the Three Yamen."
"The Three Yamen have no decision-making power and are only responsible for routine tasks like recruitment and training. Military decision-making power rests with another institution, the Privy Council. If war breaks out, the emperor appoints a trusted commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief will receive troops from the Three Yamen and go out to fight according to the strategy formulated by the Privy Council."
"Grand Secretary!" Zhao Huan interrupted Yuwen Xuzhong's introduction and said, "Has this always been the way our Great Song Dynasty fought wars? Soldiers don't know their generals, and generals don't know their soldiers. How can we win?"
"this……"
Yuwen Xuzhong said awkwardly: "Occasionally, I can still win."
[Unofficial knowledge: The average combat load for a Song Dynasty soldier was 32 kg, and their training load was even higher. Currently, the most elite US special forces train with less than 15 kg.]
[Unofficial Fact: During the Yuanfeng reign, annual steel production in North China reached 150,000 tons; post-Industrial Revolution Britain's steel production only reached 76,000 tons in 1788. The Song Dynasty's military equipment was second to none at the time.]
All of the above proves that the system seriously affects the chances of winning a war.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
