In the political hall, the ministers discussed the upcoming winter wheat cultivation in the Kanto region. The distribution of seeds, the mobilization of manpower, and the cultivation of the land all needed to be resolved one by one.
This is a top priority and must be planned in advance.
However, this has nothing to do with Fang Jun. Although he is an expert in farming, he "does not seek political power if he is not in his position." If he, the right servant of Shangshu, is in charge of the military reform, if he rashly intervenes in farming, it will definitely cause trouble for others to take the throne.
The prime minister's crowd rose up in opposition.
He already firmly controls the military power in Guanzhong. If he wants to extend his hand to farming, how can others tolerate him?
At any time and in any place, power is relatively independent. Anyone who wants to monopolize power and dominate the sky with one hand will either become a powerful official who is feared by the world, or will be attacked by a group and resigned.
Fang Jun was not keen on power. As long as he held on to military power, he would let a few prime ministers do the rest.
Mentioning the winter wheat cultivation in Guandong and Shandong, Ma Zhou reminded: "After the spring, land measurement will begin in various parts of the world. Is it necessary to write to the state capitals now to remind them that it is best to clarify the ownership of the land under their jurisdiction in advance?
In order to avoid too many disputes over land measurement?"
A group of prime ministers did not care too much about the possibility that the land measurement might encounter opposition from noble families in various places. As long as the army was firmly in the hands of the court, no one could afford to make trouble. However, if this resulted in confusion over land ownership, it would lead to turmoil in various places.
, is very likely to severely reduce winter wheat production.
We can’t all rely on rice shipped from overseas, right?
Even if overseas can provide a steady stream of food, if the winter wheat production in various places is reduced, it will affect the cultivation of millet and wheat, and the annual grain output will drop sharply, directly leading to the collapse of local finances.
Li Ji, who has rarely spoken in the political hall, also cautiously agreed: "Nowadays, even Guanzhong, which has never grown winter wheat, has planted a large amount of it. Once disputes over ownership arise due to land measurement in Guandong and other places, which affects farming, Guanzhong will also be affected.
, must not be handled with caution.”
Fang Jun was sitting next to Ma Zhou. After hearing this, he asked in a low voice: "Didn't winter wheat grow in Guanzhong before?"
Ma Zhou glanced at him and said: "Of course there is no planting. Otherwise, why do you think the Northern Qi Dynasty died at the hands of the Northern Zhou Dynasty?"
Fang Jun: "..."
The Northern Zhou Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Qi Dynasty was actually related to winter wheat?
Ask for details immediately.
Ma Zhou glanced at Li Chengqian and all the prime ministers and senior officials who were sitting in the upper seats. He thought that since he had raised a problem, he could just let them solve it. It would be better for him to interfere less, so he sat back and whispered to Fang Jun.
Whisper.
…
The "Fubing System" was once the most advanced military and political system. With this system, the Western Wei Dynasty suddenly became a powerful country and laid the foundation for the Sui and Tang dynasties to unify the world.
However, in the beginning, the "Fubing System" was actually a last resort resorted to in desperation.
In the last years of the Southeast, the warlords fought, and then the Three Kingdoms stood up, three parts returned to the Jin, the two Jins overlapped, the Central Plains fell, until the demise of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the replacement of the Southern Dynasties, China was in chaos, and the political power was chaotic. Because of its complicated historical background, the entire world was in turmoil and the people were in dire straits.
In the north, the once mighty Northern Wei Empire collapsed, fell apart, and split into two regimes, the Eastern Wei and the Western Wei. They regarded each other as enemies and continued to conquer each other. However, regardless of economy, population, or military combat effectiveness, the Western Wei was at a disadvantage and was always passive.
Get beaten.
At that time, a long section of the border between the two countries relied on the Yellow River. Every winter when the Yellow River froze, the Western Wei army had to organize large-scale ice-breaking operations to prevent the Eastern Wei cavalry from directly riding on the Yellow River to attack Guanzhong, which brought great consequences to the army.
It's a huge burden.
Yu Wentai, a great hero of the generation, introduced the "Fu Army System". "The talented people who were originally from the people were the Fu soldiers. They were rented by mediocre officials and were responsible for everything. They used the farm time to talk about the war, prepare horses and livestock, and provide food for the six families.
For the 24th Army"...
This move allowed the Western Wei Dynasty to gradually gain an advantage in the war with the Eastern Wei Dynasty.
After Yuwentai's death, his son Yuwenjue ascended the throne with the support of his cousin Yuwenhu and established the Beiju. In the east, after the death of Gao Huan, the powerful official of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, the eldest son Gao Cheng took over the Wei government and usurped the Wei Dynasty.
, was assassinated by a domestic slave. His brother Gao Yang attacked and deposed the puppet emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, who became the emperor. He established the Northern Qi Dynasty and made Yecheng the capital.
By this time, the military strength of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was far superior to that of the Northern Qi Dynasty. The offensive and defensive momentum of the two sides was reversed. Instead, the Northern Zhou Dynasty crossed the Yellow River every winter when the Yellow River was frozen to attack the Northern Qi Dynasty, eventually destroying its country.
At that time, the world was divided into three parts. In addition to the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty, which were facing each other across the Yellow River, there was also the Chen Kingdom to the south of the Yangtze River. Among the three kingdoms, the Northern Qi Dynasty was very developed in agriculture, salt and iron industry, and porcelain manufacturing. It was the most prosperous, but it was the first country to perish.
It's Northern Qi.
Why is this so?
There are many reasons, but winter wheat cultivation is definitely one of them.
Guanlong does not grow winter wheat. After the implementation of the "Fu Army System", rural soldiers and militiamen all conducted strict military training after the autumn harvest, which caused the Northern Zhou army's combat effectiveness to soar. However, the Northern Qi Dynasty had to grow winter wheat, which resulted in the army not being able to carry out military training in autumn, winter and spring.
Three seasons of training.
"In the first and second months, we work and plow. In March and April, we plow and hoe. In May and June, we plow the ground. If we plant without plowing the land, our harvest will be twice as small." Half a year has passed for a season of winter wheat.
How could the army defeat the Northern Zhou Dynasty if the army neglected to train?
The large population of the Northern Qi Dynasty is an advantage at first glance, but it also requires a lot of grain and rice, which consumes too much. "If a man does not plow, there will be people in the world who will suffer from hunger; if a woman does not weave, there will be people in the world who will suffer from cold."
, If you don’t plant winter wheat, there won’t be enough food to eat. If you plant winter wheat, the army will have no time to train...
From this we can see how amazing and brilliant the "mansion army system" implemented by Yu Wentai was in line with the national destiny.
…
The discussion among the prime ministers continued, but the topic had shifted from the cultivation of winter wheat to the production of salt.
Liu Jie was worried: "Due to the previous rebellion of the Jin Dynasty, many Dongmen clans were implicated. Now the whole Kanto generation is in chaos and government affairs are sluggish. These things may be sorted out after the New Year when King Wei goes to Luoyang, but the salt of Jiechichi
As a result, the output has dropped significantly, but we can’t wait for a moment.”
The country's finances depend on salt and iron as a supplement to agricultural taxes. Among them, the salt tax from Jiechi adds 1.5 million yuan to the court every year, accounting for a quarter of the national salt tax. Although the Tang Dynasty has now begun to collect commercial taxes.
, but it is still far from being able to offset the salt tax.
The current output of Jiechi is less than half of the past. If the salt production cannot be restored to the original level, it will greatly affect the national finance, and a series of new policies planned by Li Chengqian after his rank may be aborted.
Li Chengqian knew the urgency of the matter and asked, "What is Liu Zhongshu's solution?"
Liu Jie said: "The reason why the salt production in Jiechi dropped sharply is because the Hedong family that used to control the salt pool was now severely damaged and its power was greatly reduced. Only less than half of the officials managing the salt pool were left, and affairs were stagnant and the organization was stagnant.
There is chaos and overstaffing, and the officials in the salt pond must be rectified in order to increase the salt production."
Everyone here understands what this means.
Prior to this, Jiechi had been controlled by the Hedong family. Even if the court appointed officials to manage it, they would still be under the control of officials appointed by the children of these families. As a result, many of the Hedong family helped the King of Jin raise the army and were implicated after the defeat. Several people were involved.
Hundreds of descendants of aristocratic families lost their jobs, were dismissed, imprisoned, and exiled, resulting in a serious shortage of officials to manage Jiechi.
Even so, the Hedong family was not willing to hand over the salt pond that they had controlled for hundreds of years to the imperial court easily. They acted in a shady and obstructive manner, and the Jiechi Salt Field was in chaos, and the salt production naturally declined day by day.
In the end, it's still a human problem.
Li Xiaogong, the king of Hejian County and the Minister of Civil Affairs, said: "If we appoint a cadre to take charge of the salt administration, we may be able to end the chaos and get back on track."
Liu Jie nodded in agreement: "Wei Chen also has this intention."
Li Chengqian looked around and asked, "According to your wishes, who is suitable?"
Liu Jie did not recommend officials immediately, but explained: "As we all know, Jiechi has always been controlled by the Hedong family. Although most of the officials who are descendants of the Hedong family have been dismissed, they have a profound influence after all. They collude with each other and wait for officials to come forward.
If we go there, they will easily ignore us and be unable to do anything. We still need to send an official with senior qualifications, sufficient ability, and decisive and aggressive killing to be effective."
Some people agreed: "Liu Zhongshu's words are reasonable. I think Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, can be worthy of a big job."
Liu Jie shook his head and said: "The Duke of Yun is an honorable minister of Zhenguan and has made great achievements, so he can naturally take on a great responsibility. However, the two mutinies are very involved. The Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and the Yushitai have to interrogate the traitors, screen out the loyal and traitors, and more importantly, eliminate them.
I'm afraid I won't be able to do anything in the court."
Xu Jingzong, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said: "The Prince of Hejian County and Li Xiaogong, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, may be able to go."
Liu Jie once again objected: "The prince of Hejian County is indeed senior and the pillar of the clan, but the court also faces the same situation as Hedong Jiechi. Many officials were dismissed and demoted due to the mutiny, and there is an urgent need to fill the gap."
More officials have entered the court, the affairs of the Ministry of Civil Affairs are heavy, and the prince cannot leave Chang'an."
Li Chengqian frowned and said, "Who does Liu Zhongshu think is suitable?"
This is what he dislikes the most about Liu Ji. If you have any opinions, just speak out from the bottom of your heart. We can discuss it together whether it works or not. Do you have to be so pretentious to show your ability?
What a hassle.
Liu Ji seemed to be aware of Li Chengqian's impatience, and hurriedly said: "Wei Chen believes that such a big task cannot be fulfilled except by the Duke of Yue."
Fang Jun raised his head and glanced at Liu Ji, but said nothing.
Li Chengqian said: "The reorganization of the Jinwu Guards is crucial to the safety of the capital. This matter has not yet been completed. How can the Duke of Yue leave Chang'an?"
Liu Jie said: "As far as Wei Chen knows, the reorganization of the left and right Jinwu Guards is on the right track and can be completely handed over to the supervision of the British Duke. The Duke of Yue personally went to Hedong to rectify the salt affairs, which will definitely scare Chi Xiao and succeed immediately.
"
The atmosphere in the political hall was tense instantly, and you could hear a needle drop.
Is this an attempt to seize Fang Jun’s military power?