Ten days later, all parts of the Song Dynasty were caught in a storm of rumors. People gradually learned that Prime Minister Su Jin had left the Song Dynasty and went overseas. Under the constant fermentation, various versions of speculation were rampant. Throughout the Song Dynasty,
There were waves of panic.
Zhao Zhen was extremely worried. He was afraid that he would fall into the same chaotic situation when Su Jin temporarily left a year ago, but he was helpless. Zhao Zhen rejected Bao Zheng and others' request to resign and invited everyone into the palace.
After a long and heart-to-heart talk, he finally had to lower his noble head and agreed to issue a self-incriminating edict, admitting that he had made a big mistake in dealing with Su Jin's affairs. At the same time, he promised to continue Su Jin's series of policies and send people overseas to find Su.
Jin traces, and strive to recall Su Jin and others.
Early the next morning, the Pearl Newspaper, which had been suspended for ten days, suddenly reprinted a special issue. There was only one article in it, which was "A Letter to the Common People of the Song Dynasty" written by Su Jin before leaving.
"...I am the son of a merchant, born in the wilderness, and like all the other gentlemen, I am an ordinary subject of the Song Dynasty. However, I have been given a great responsibility from heaven, favored by Xiang Yan, and the emperor's wise eyes have allowed me to rise from a humble background.
Bu Yi grew up to be an important minister of the country who could serve the Song Dynasty. This is God's will, and I cannot refuse it."
"During the more than 100 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the country that was supposed to be prosperous has been repeatedly harassed by foreign enemies, and internal troubles have also occurred frequently. People with insight have long seen the various shortcomings. Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country. Since I am
The ministers of the Song Dynasty are eager to do their best to resist foreign humiliation and revitalize the Song Dynasty. Therefore, they have taken various measures in the past ten years. It is needless to talk about the results. You can only comment. If you say that you have achieved something, it is far from what I hope in my heart.
Thousands of miles apart.”
"The ideal country I have in mind is a country that is prosperous, civilized, and the people are increasingly wise. I have not been able to achieve this. This is my personal failure, but I believe that my subjects in the Song Dynasty are all wise people in the country.
, Inheriting the style of the sages of Confucius and Mencius, capable people with lofty ideals will emerge in endlessly, and generations of people will work together, and the Song Dynasty will dominate the world. What I have done is just a beginning. As the saying goes, 'Winter has passed and spring is not far away.' Everything will be
It will happen.”
"As for my departure, please do not speculate too much. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a feast that lasts forever. I have put all the plans I knew in my heart into practice. I have no regrets about leaving. I am a humble person and will bear the brunt of my departure."
However, there are too many restrictions. This departure is my personal choice and has nothing to do with others. All policies of the Development and Reform Department will remain unchanged for ten years. All national bonds and commercial financing will also be left by me. The six mines will be left behind.
Thirteen banks, Pearl City tax revenue, and more than a hundred Suji shops have guaranteed their income, which will never be written off, and the promised interest rates and profits will remain unchanged. Please do not panic, the country will be prosperous and the people will be strong from their own actions.
Get up and do all the things at hand, that is, love the Song Dynasty and love the country, and do not act irrationally because of my departure. That will be a stain on my life that I don’t want to see."
"The current Holy Emperor is a benevolent and righteous monarch. All rumors about the discord between the Emperor and me are false. As for some conflicts between monarchs and ministers, they are inevitable between people, such as between fathers, sons, brothers, and compatriots.
It is inevitable that there will be grudges, which are harmless. Please do not spread rumors and allow foreign enemies and people with ulterior motives to take the opportunity to stir up trouble and harm the country."
"I set sail to the sea today to fulfill my long-cherished wish. There are thousands of worlds in the sky and earth, and I want to experience all the world. Maybe one day, when the wanderer returns from tiredness, I will return to the Song Dynasty. By then I will
What I hope to see is that the Song Dynasty is prosperous and powerful, all the monarchs live and work in peace and contentment, the ministers are honest and loyal, and the emperor is in good health. When the time comes, it will be great to have a drink with all the monarchs!"
"..."
This eloquent, thousand-word novel may look back on the past, or look forward to the future, or may be vaguely looking forward to it, or may be reluctant to part with it. It is full of deep feelings, and every word is heartfelt. It is unbearable to read and makes people feel sad. The people of the Song Dynasty were silent. Su Xiang may have expected that.
A chaotic situation would result, so this delayed farewell text was his final effort for the Song Dynasty.
After the "A Letter to the Common People of the Song Dynasty" was released, tens of millions of copies were printed within three days, and almost every household had one. People framed and treasured it as a promise to Prime Minister Su, looking forward to the day of his return. In conjunction with Zhao Zhen's "Sinner"
With the issuance of imperial edicts such as the Imperial Edict and the Imperial Edict, the chaotic situation in the Song Dynasty gradually reversed, and production and life tended to normalize.
According to Su Jin's suggestion before leaving, Zhao Zhen invited back the demoted Fu Bi and granted him the position of prime minister. He also deposed Zhang Yaozuo and other remaining members of the party, and recruited Bao Zheng, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi and other well-educated people into important positions in the court.
, within ten years, following the various policies set by Su Jin as prime minister and continuing to develop, the Xia Kingdom, Dali Kingdom, Tubo, Uighurs, etc. all surrendered, creating the hegemony of the most powerful country in the world.
…
One month after leaving Mingzhou Port, on the vast sea, more than thirty large ships rode the wind and waves and headed straight to the east. The offshore islands gradually disappeared, the water turned dark blue, and they had entered the deep sea area of the Pacific Ocean.
The weather was fine, and there were a lot of people on the deck of a large ship in the middle. Several large tables were lined up, with drinks, dried fruit snacks and other items on them. Yan Shu, Xia Song, Li Chong, Pan Jiang, Jingtai and others brought
The family members were seated, and Su Jin, Yan Biyun, Xia Siling, Yeli Duanyun, Li Ahli, Sister Rou Niang and Xiao Suier Xiao Xianer were also sitting under the sun umbrella. Seven or eight children were chasing and playing on the deck. Everyone
All the faces were full of smiles and leisurely contentment.
"Su Jin, it's been a month, and you still refuse to tell us where we are going? Do we have to wander on the sea for the rest of our lives?" Yan Shu asked, chewing preserved fruit and his gray beard trembling.
"Yes, I've told everyone a long time ago that I've been keeping it secret. Husband, if you tell me where you are going, how about I give you an unexpected surprise?" Xia Siling said coquettishly, holding Su Jin's arm.
Su Jin crossed her legs and smiled in her ear: "What surprise can you give me? I have learned all your tricks..."
Xia Siling blushed and raised her hand to strike. Su Jin waved his hand and said: "That's all, I'm almost ready. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was afraid that you would feel awkward, so I made a secret thing. It's time to let you know
It's an eye-opener. Come on, take it out."
The servants quickly entered the ship building. After a while, several of them worked together to carry out a tall object covered with black cloth and placed it in the sunshine on the deck. Su Jin stood up and walked over, reaching out and grabbing a corner of the black cloth.
He shouted: "Everyone, please open your eyes!" After saying that, he shook his hands and pulled down the black cloth. What appeared in front of everyone was a huge round ball with strange graphics painted on it, painted with various colors of paint, and written
Densely packed with small characters.
"What is that?" Everyone was confused.
"This is the globe!" Su Jin was very satisfied with everyone's expressions.
"What is the earth?" Everyone gathered around and asked in a hurry.
Su Jin pointed to his feet and said with a smile: "The earth is this vast and boundless land under our feet, a magical land filled with oceans, forests, mountains and lakes. Yes, we all live on this sphere."
"Nonsense, this ball is round, we can stand on it and not fall to death." Yan Shu, Xia Song and others scolded with a smile.
Su Jin scratched his head and said: "How to say it? I couldn't explain it for a while. In short, the sky is round and the place is wrong. The sky has no size and shape, the earth is round. If we keep walking in one direction, we will return to
Our starting point; these will be explained to you later. Now let me answer your questions. This globe has all the oceans and land terrains. You see, this is the Song Dynasty, and our current location is in
On the sea thousands of miles east of the Song Dynasty, there is a name here, called 'Pacific Ocean', and we are on the Pacific Ocean."
"Pacific Ocean?" Everyone stretched out their necks to move the ball and carefully looked at the graphics and writing on it.
"Looking further east, that's where we are going. There is a wild land there. No one has developed a country there so far. Well, maybe a few hundred years later, a guy named Columbus will discover it...
That's a long way off. In short, we will occupy it. It has an area that is not smaller than that of the Song Dynasty. It has a large area of forest and mineral-rich land. Of course, there are also groups of wild beasts and local natives. We will occupy that large area of land.
To build a country for myself, this is my goal for the rest of my life." Su Jin puffed out his chest, spoke excitedly, and looked at the east with bright eyes.