The second year of the Ming Dynasty is coming soon, and the Jianghuai disaster has come to an end. This disaster from early summer lasted for half a year, and the waves in the court were calmed down after the strong return of Lu Yijian.
The New Year is approaching, and no one wants to live without a living during the New Year. The Song Dynasty is currently doing well. Miscellaneous taxes on Jianghuai and summer and autumn taxes have been exempted. This has allowed the vast majority of disaster victims to survive, but that's all.
As for livelihood issues, that is not something that courtiers should worry about. Local and state officials have plenty of solutions.
This is related to the investigation of state officials. The governors, governors, magistrates, and chief clerks of Jianghuai Prefecture are working hard to solve the people's livelihood problems under their jurisdiction. For this reason, they do not hesitate to ask Ye An to send a minister.
The Forbidden Army went to suppress the bandits...
Suppressing bandits is a very lucrative extra income. Don't underestimate the local officials of the Song Dynasty. None of them are stupid if they can sit at the top of the state capital.
The vast majority of local officials are still willing to make suggestions for the people, just like Wu Zunlu. For Tongzhou, he was willing to go out of his way to ask for Ye An. This is what the state magistrate should do.
Of course, he got it. Ye An and Fan Zhongyan's memorial to the imperial court to build a navy in Tongzhou was successfully passed. It was natural that the imperial officials would be dispatched to be responsible for the army and shipbuilding. It was impossible to hand over all the military power to Ye An, a temporary
The manager who leads the class will be responsible.
Before the New Year, some courtiers were already talking about Ye An's heavy troops in Jianghuai, but the thousands of imperial troops in the Xiang Dynasty had already made the civil servants of the Song Dynasty panic.
This is Jianghuai, not Bianzhou. The Song Dynasty, which was strong on the outside and capable on the inside, was afraid of anyone who had heavy troops inside.
However, Zhao Zhen withstood the pressure and did not agree to dispatch Ye An back to the court. He hoped that Ye An could build a new army loyal to him in Jianghuai. If this method was feasible, it could be promoted in other areas of the Song Dynasty.
In this way, the Song Dynasty not only had an army that could maintain stability in the territory inside the Song Dynasty, but also had a large number of Xiang troops to save money for the court. The latter was even more important!
At the end of the year, it was also the time when the three divisions reported the annual expenditures of the country. Looking at the military pay and food allocated to the local Xiang army every year, as well as the huge expenses of the border army, Zhao Zhen felt uncomfortable, and what made him even more upset was that every time he arrived,
Before the end of the year, it was also the time for the Song Dynasty to pay annual coins to the Liao Dynasty!
The total value of 100,000 guan of silver and 200,000 pieces of silk is only 300,000 guan of money, which is a drop in the bucket for the Song Dynasty. This kind of expense is just a gift to the Empress Dowager of the Liao Dynasty every year, but in Zhao Zhen's opinion, it is just a drop in the bucket.
A sum of money that brought shame to Zhao Song.
The psychological impact of 300,000 yuan in annual coins was far greater than anything else. According to the official records of the Song Dynasty, they were the victors in the Battle of Chanyuan. But why did the victorious country pay the enemy country in annual coins?!
The courtiers tried their best to whitewash it, saying that the 300,000 yuan saved the dispute between the Song and Liao countries, and made the people on the border between the two countries "fertile and prosperous, their cattle and sheep were left wild, and the people wearing white clothes did not know how to fight."
Kuang Sui's expenditure of 300,000 guan was less than 1% of the cost of using troops. It eliminated a large number of corvees that required heavy troops to guard the border for many years. Of course, it also eliminated the court's expenditure on taxes. Isn't this a huge gain?
Zhao Zhen felt that he was deceiving himself and others, so he left Lu Yijian to report after the court meeting. He wanted to ask this question clearly with this veteran of three dynasties.
After entering the inner hall and changing clothes, Zhao Zhen adjusted his rhythm. After taking the tea handed over by Chen Tong to moisten his mouth, he slowly said to Lu Yijian who was sitting on the brocade stool below: "Mr. Lu, the country has been rejuvenated.
The situation is strong, the troops and horses are sufficient, and the weapons are ready, but the Liao Dynasty's clan is uneasy, the court is unstable, and the people are uneasy, and it feels like the river is going downhill!"
Zhao Zhen's words startled Lu Yijian, who was sitting on the brocade stool. He was afraid that Zhao Zhen would have the idea of another northern expedition and immediately said: "In the official family, the Khitan people came from Huangshui and lived in dangerous places for a long time. They are fierce and possessive."
The danger of Yanyun is that the two countries are currently on good terms and not on bad terms, so we should not start a war lightly!"
This is a misunderstanding. Zhao Zhengang was about to explain to Lu Yijian but then said: "Now the Liao Dynasty occupies a strategic position with Yanyun as a barrier. If the country wants to attack, it must first capture Yanyun. But once the war starts, the Khitans will station troops in Yanyun."
The troops used by the dynasty were like a knife in the throat, and during the Warring States period, the dynasty had no basis for its rear. Zhendingfu, Dingzhou, Baozhou, Xiongzhou and even Cangzhou were all flat. If the Khitans took the opportunity to go south..."
The more Lu Yijian "explained" like this, the angrier Zhao Zhen became. Even if he knew that the Song Dynasty might not be able to conquer the Liao Dynasty, there was no need to be as cautious as Lu Yijian, even to the point of timidity.
This proves what Ye An said to himself before: "The timidity of the courtiers is deeply rooted in their bones!"
"I have no plans to make the Northern Expedition!"
Zhao Zhen put down the tea cup angrily and knocked it heavily on the imperial desk. Chen Tong beside him shook slightly, which startled Lu Yijian. He had been so anxious just now that he had forgotten that the official was young and energetic.
He slowly stood up and knelt on the cold floor and said, "I am guilty of disturbing the Holy Word."
Zhao Zhen felt helpless, but he still restrained his dissatisfaction and said: "Mr. Lu, please get married! I have no other intention, but I feel that 300,000 yuan a year is really useless."
When it comes to the Sui coins, Lu Yijian felt relieved and said with a confident smile: "The government does not need to worry too much about the Sui coins. Although the country delivers 300,000 coins to Liao every year, it is not the Song Dynasty that suffers.
Liao Dynasty."
Zhao Zhen was slightly surprised, giving money and taking advantage?! What kind of statement is this...
In the main hall, young officials were sitting, while the old man with gray hair was pacing and talking: "Three hundred thousand Guansui coins sounds like money to buy peace, but in fact, I, the Song Dynasty, deliberately showed weakness.
The sale of these 300,000 guan brought peace of mind to the Liao people and the stability of the border state. On the surface, it saved public funds, but in fact, it recharged our energy! The 300,000 guan has been used up, and more can be saved.
In terms of armaments, how else could Ye An carry out the reform of the Xiang army? I heard that he and Fan Zhongyan went to the court to urge Tongzhou to build a navy, which cost a lot!"
Zhao Zhen nodded slightly. What Lu Yijian said made sense. Now that Ye An was mentioned, Zhao Zhen became interested: "Fan Zhongyan and Ye An are capable ministers of the Neng Dynasty. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to stay in Jianghuai for a long time. The Imperial Guard has already
Chengjun, he even sent the lost tax money to the court a few months ago, which made Cai Qi happy for a few days."
Lu Yijian sighed slightly: "Ye An's military methods are quite good, and he is considered a man with both civil and military skills in the country, but for some reason he did not resolve the Jianghuai Bailian incident quickly. This is inappropriate!"
This was an attempt to suppress before advancing, so he almost said that Ye An was trying to support the bandits. Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "I received Ye An's report and mentioned the incident of Bailian Society in Jianghuai in order to eliminate any remaining troubles."
, not to mention that the Lord of Yangcheng County is still in Tokyo, why should Mr. Lu worry too much?"
"I have no speculations. I am only worried that Ye An's move will be criticized by others. Although Ye An has an unconventional personality, he is loyal to the country and confident. The world can learn from this! Since the officials have such thoughts, I feel relieved."
Who is Lu Yijian? With his Tai Chi skills, Zhao Zhen was able to master it perfectly. In an instant, the young official of the Song Dynasty felt comforted: "Xiangong Lu is really experienced in planning for the country! I am also tired, please step back.
!”
"Old minister, please retire!"
Lu Yijian left from the gate of Zizheng Palace after Zhao Zhen's imperial chariot left. He glanced at the high palace wall, then looked in the direction of the back garden, smiled slightly, and left.