Seeing that everyone was thoughtful, Zhao Shi nodded with satisfaction and continued.
"Since I came to the throne, I have known that the biggest contradiction between the government and the opposition is the increasing number of landless people. According to the old method, all of them will be included in the Xiang army, which will only lead to more and more redundant soldiers and embarrassment to the national treasury. However, this contradiction must be resolved.
.With no land, no food and clothing, these people will soon become refugees, then become bandits, and finally become like Korea today."
"I have no choice but to think of another way..."
Zhao Si sighed.
He had no choice. He was the largest landowner in the Song Dynasty. Could it be that he would take the lead in his own rebellion? Attack his own rich people and divide his own land? So he had to think of another way.
"I first split and reorganized the Xiang Army into patrol police, security police and other internal affairs police forces, into engineering corps, caoding, and post soldiers, and into agricultural reclamation troops to develop farms and pastures... But these are still far from enough, and I
We vigorously promoted industry and trade, and through industry and commerce, we absorbed a large part of the population and labor force. But I did not stop, and continued to develop industry and trade, and continued to expand territory. I ask you, why?"
The cabinet ministers know the answer to this question very well - through many studies, they have long understood the truth.
But the four people in Zhao Ting don't know. Zhao Si's question is completely asking them and also reminding them.
Changsun Moli replied: "Your Majesty has done all these things to make people more valuable than the land. Previously, fields or pastures were the lifeblood. Only by relying on them can the people survive. There is no choice.
So the landlords and chiefs can oppress them as they please."
"It's different now. There are no fields or pastures. People can be craftsmen, join the agricultural reclamation army, join factories, or be sailors. The last thing they can do is go to the city to work as handymen, sweep streets, dig cesspits... After the establishment of industry and trade,
, not only were there many factories, and trade spread all over the country, but many prefectures, towns, and counties also became prosperous, giving them many more opportunities to survive."
"With just a little more choice, people can no longer be exploited unconditionally. Fields, pastures, factories, trading companies, ships, carriages...are in urgent need of a large amount of labor to manage them. They can't rob or kidnap, just
Being able to attract people to work with generous rewards makes people become valuable."
Zhao Si closed his eyes slightly. He and Changsun Moli had been working together for twenty years, and they had quite a tacit understanding with each other.
What Changsun Moli said is right.
The first is to improve the status of workers, enable them to give full play to their subjective initiative, improve production efficiency, and at the same time allocate social resources through market means.
This is only one of the means to improve productivity. Another more important means is the development of science and technology. However, this matter has little to do with the topic, and Changsun Moli tacitly did not mention it.
After he finished speaking, Zhao Si opened his eyes and continued: "I keep opening up the territory and expanding the territory, making the land of the Song Dynasty extremely abundant and more than enough, and then it will become cheap. When it is cheap, people will be rich in gold."
There was silence in the venue, and Zhao Ting suddenly asked: "Father, the Song Dynasty destroyed dozens of countries, for the sake of the people of the Song Dynasty. What should we do if it's just the people of the countries that were destroyed?"
Everyone looked at the emperor's legitimate son in unison.
The question he asked was very childish, but thinking about it again, he was only eight years old, so it was already very good for him to ask such a question.
"The people of the destroyed countries who are willing to speak Song dialect, learn Song literature, read Song books, regard me as their king, and be loyal to Song Dynasty as their country can be accepted as subjects of the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, they can only leave the place that has become the land of the Song Dynasty.
If you don’t obey, you will persist in your intention, or you may wait for an opportunity to cause trouble, and you will be beheaded without mercy!”
Speaking of this, Zhao Si stared at Zhao Ting, his eldest son, and said without any doubt: "My kindness and virtue are only for the loyal people of the Song Dynasty. I have no control over the rest. I am the Song Dynasty.
The emperor is only responsible for the country and the people of the Song Dynasty!"
Zhao Ting lowered his head thoughtfully, and soon became a little excited. He suppressed his mood and replied: "My son, I understand!"
"Just understand." Zhao Si's face showed kindness, and he turned to Zhang Shuye and others.
"I know your worries and are resorting to military force regardless of national conditions. Don't worry, I know what I know. There will be a plan for the Western Expedition and it will be carried out step by step. The west will be the largest market in the Song Dynasty. Although the sea route leads directly there, according to the current exploration situation,
It requires a long detour, and it is relatively more convenient to take the overland route.”
"So the Western Expedition is not only to eliminate the security threat in the west, but also to open a road to the largest market for the Song Dynasty. The advantages are clearly stated, and the disadvantages are also clearly visible to us. We weigh the pros and cons, make careful decisions, and implement them step by step!
Please rest assured on this point, I am not a person who is eager for quick success, and I will not act rashly when the time is not right or the conditions are not mature."
Zhang Shuye stood up, cupped his hands and said, "I'd like to thank Your Majesty for clarifying my doubts!"
"There's no way to solve the puzzle." Zhao Si waved his hand and suddenly thought of something, "During the Western Expedition, I saw an ancient Persian document brought back by the advance army. One of the documents recorded one thousand seven hundred
Years ago, Cyrus, the first emperor of the ancient Persian Empire, said to the Babylonian envoys - I conquered you for your own good and to bring you blessings."
Speaking of this, Zhao Si said with emotion: "One thousand seven hundred years ago, a great king said this. Now, our country, the Song Dynasty, is the richest, most powerful and prosperous country in the world, and the leader of human civilization.
The highest and brightest lighthouse, why can’t you say such a thing?”
"Do you dare not, or do you have disdain? The sage Mencius once said, 'If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are rich, you can help the world.' Times have changed. The world we look at is no longer limited to what is under our noses, but the whole world. Whenever we are in the Song Dynasty,
Any place that can be reached by cavalry and sea ships is the world, and it is a place where we can help each other!"
"We want to tell everyone in the world openly that we are not here to enslave you, but to bring you civilization and well-being!"
Liu Fa almost jumped up in excitement, but finally restrained himself, but his face was red and his body was shaking slightly.
As excited as him were the four princes Zhao Ting, Zhao Kuo, Zhao Lian and Zhao Geng. They clenched their fists and everyone's faces turned red.
Zhang Shuye and others were dumbfounded and looked at each other.
The officials found an excellent reason for the Song Dynasty to conquer all directions. Once this slogan was made public, countless passionate youths of the Song Dynasty would cheer and respond enthusiastically.
Although Confucianism was reduced by seven to eight and no longer became the main body of education in the Song Dynasty, it was instilled in the students of the Song Dynasty in a new form in the form of Chinese studies, ethics and other subjects.
"Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, and create peace for all generations!"
"Be worried when the world is worried first, then be happy when the world is happy!"
These ideals of aspiration, serving the country and the people, and equality in the world are still deep in the bones of every Song Dynasty student.
Making the Song Dynasty strong and its people prosperous is one of the ideals, and everyone is working hard now. Spreading the Song Dynasty civilization to all directions is also one of the ideals, and everyone needs to work hard!
It must be brewing for a few more years. When another Western Expedition is launched, the officials will raise their arms and countless young people from the Song Dynasty who have their own mission to save the world will happily comply. The momentum will not be worse than the Holy War in Moslin.
