Chapter 258 Master Lu has responded
The recovery of Xingqing Prefecture gave a shot in the arm to the imperial court and even to the entire Northern Song people.
Many times, the sense of pride that comes from cultural advantages cannot offset the psychological gap caused by military "disadvantage".
On the contrary, the more this happened, the more anxious the people of the Northern Song Dynasty became. They looked down on the barbarians, but were forced to retreat when they were beaten by them.
Most people in the Northern Song Dynasty had poor information channels, information collection and information analysis capabilities. They didn't understand why they were always humiliated by the barbarians even though they were rich and civilized.
The imperial court would not give them an explanation, that is to say... the northern barbarians love war, which is a common trait of uncivilized people.
In fact, this is just a stereotype. Although it sounds like everyone in the Beidi is a soldier, that is just a deification of the individual combat power of the Beidi.
Nomadic peoples cannot compare with internally stable agricultural powers in terms of war organization and military specialization.
At least back then, the powerful Han Dynasty beat up all the northern nomadic peoples.
It fully reflects the consequences of the "generation gap" of the times.
The Northern Song Dynasty should have been like this. However, despite having sufficient money and food, and military equipment and war preparations that were one level higher than those of its two northern neighbors, it often failed to win. The problem must have been with itself, not the other side.
Lu Sen sat in front of Su Shi, drinking hot wine, and continued: "The civil officials pretended to be knowledgeable and tried their best to suppress the warriors. It would be strange if they could win. The battles that could be won instinctively were lost by the literati."
Su Shi was a little embarrassed.
My family members always say that I am a big mouth, but when Master Lu gets drunk, his words seem to be even more outrageous.
Besides, he is a scholar after all. Master Lu is scolding himself.
He held the wine, looking worried, and wanted to retort but didn't dare to.
What if I make Master Lu unhappy and he stops giving me honey to season my dishes? What should I do?
Honey is certainly good for strengthening the body and curing diseases, but in Su Shi's eyes, it is far less effective as a seasoning.
Many dishes that require some sweetness can be seasoned with this honey, and the resulting dishes are truly unforgettable.
He held the wine in his hand, thought for a while and then said, "So Master Lu means that as long as we don't restrict the generals, then we can almost certainly conquer the north?"
"When General Di was fighting the Yue people in the south, he had a military supervisor, but he was just a young eunuch with little reputation, so he didn't dare to make decisions. Therefore, even if General Di led the wing troops, he was able to frighten those so-called tiger-like people in the mountains and forests of the South Yue."
Su Shi smiled even more bitterly.
When Di Qing went south to suppress the rebellion, everyone was afraid of the harsh environment of the southern barbarians, poisonous clouds and poisonous insects, and was afraid that they would not be able to return. Who would be willing to go if they had a little fame or a bright future?
Therefore, when Di Qing went to quell the rebellion of the Southern Barbarians and rescue Guangzhou, he did not have a real military supervisor.
They just sent a young eunuch to accompany them symbolically.
Seeing the bitter smile on Su Shi's face, Lu Sen continued, "This time, General Di lifted the siege of Xi'an City and recaptured Xingqing Prefecture without a military supervisor. What a great fight!"
If someone else said this, Su Shi would think that he was just bragging.
But when Lu Sen said this, the meaning was different.
First of all, Lu Sen is now extremely famous. He is the only half-immortal in the world, a direct scholar of Longtu Pavilion, and has also served as a military supervisor. What he says would make even the officials and officials in the court think deeply, not to mention Su Shi, a young man who is only a seventh-rank civil servant!
Su Shi thought for a moment and said, "But the officials and officials in the court have some reason to suppress the military men."
Of course there is a 'reason', Lu Sen sneered: "It is possible to suppress the warriors, but the literati and officials are not using the right method at all."
Su Shi was very curious and asked anxiously, "Master Lu, do you have any good ideas?"
Lu Sen smiled and said, "It's not that difficult actually. There were also scholars who tried to usurp the throne, such as Wang Mang. But why didn't they suppress the scholars?"
"Because the literati are hiding something from each other?" Su Shi's expression became awkward. He felt that Master Lu seemed to have a lot of opinions about the literati.
"That's the reason, but it's only a superficial one." Lu Sen tapped the table and said seriously, "The real reason is that Confucianism emphasizes the relationship between ruler and minister, father and son, and emphasizes order! Warriors generally don't learn Confucianism, so they rarely have such a concept. The officials of the court and the emperors of the past dynasties may not understand it on the surface, but they actually understand it in their hearts."
These words were a bit blunt, but for Su Shi, who was not yet an "old man" in officialdom, they were a wake-up call.
He was so shocked that he almost dropped the wine glass in his hand.
Su Shi leaned forward subconsciously, his eyes sparkling as he asked, "Master Lu, do you mean... to let warriors read the books of sages? That's unlikely."
If one could read the books of sages, who would want to be a warrior?
Didn’t you see that the Cao family, who was also a family of generals, had already prepared to become a family of farmers and scholars?
Lu Sen shook his head and said, "So you haven't let go of your brains completely. Since there are Imperial Colleges for scholars, why can't there be military schools for warriors?"
Um?
This idea was really beyond Su Shi's expectations.
This was a path he had never imagined.
He immediately poured a glass of wine respectfully for Lu Sen. Su Shi had always been arrogant and proud, relying on his talent for poetry and never taking the people of the world into consideration. However, every time he chatted with Master Lu, the ideas expressed in his words always amazed and moved him.
"Please tell me in detail, Master Lu, so that I can open my eyes."
"The highest institution of learning for scholars is the Imperial Academy, where the words of the sages are explained." Lu Sen clapped his hands and said, "So no matter how capable the students from the Imperial Academy are, they will have no major problems in being loyal to the emperor and patriotic."
Su Shi nodded subconsciously.
Although he was a private student with great talent, the public schools were also good at cultivating talents, although the students who studied in the Imperial Academy were generally descendants of noble families!
"Then the military academy is like this. From now on, all the generals, or young people promoted from the bottom, will be sent to the military academy to study, regardless of whether they can read or not. On the one hand, they will learn some basic and simple words of the saints, and on the other hand, they will be taught the art of military formation. I have always believed that soldiers who are illiterate and do not understand military strategies are not good soldiers." Lu Sen smiled and said, "Let the emperor be the principal. When these soldiers come out of the military academy, they will all be awarded by the emperor and regarded as the emperor's disciples. Do you think they will be loyal to the emperor and love the country?"
Su Shi suddenly felt that although this statement sounded far-fetched, when he thought about it carefully, it seemed to be controllable.
"But in this way, the generals will become more powerful."
"From now on, military men will no longer participate in politics, and scholars will not be able to interfere in military affairs. All appointments and dismissals of generals will be in the hands of the government. What do you think?"
Su Shi was stunned. His mind was so absorbed in calculating the possibilities that he appeared to have no reaction at all.
Seeing this, Lu Sen did not disturb him. He stood up and slowly walked out of the Hangzhou government office and went home.
Su Shi thought about this problem until late at night. Finally, he felt that this was not something he could understand or solve at the moment, so he wrote a letter overnight, containing his conversation with Lu Sen, without changing a single word, and sent it to the capital, where it was handed to Ouyang Xiu.
The city of Bianjing was bustling with joy. The excitement from Xingqing Prefecture was still there.
Ouyang Xiu was happy in his heart, but he couldn't be happy.
Sima Guang's body was transported back to the capital, and he and his colleagues saw it. Everyone was filled with grief and sorrow.
Not long ago, your Excellency posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Wen on Sima Guang, which will benefit future generations and is a great gift.
But it still makes all the literati sigh.
It's really tragic. The corpses don't look like human beings anymore.
When he was thinking about writing a eulogy for Sima Guang, the housekeeper came to report: "Sir, there is a private letter from Hangzhou, signed by the governor of Su County, Hangzhou."
Su Shi?
Ouyang Xiu smiled. He had a good impression of this young man. Although he was arrogant, his talent was unprecedented and he was very spiritual.
If I had such talent when I was young, I would probably be even more arrogant than him.
After taking the letter, Ouyang Xiu was a little surprised when he touched it because it was quite thick. How many sheets of paper were in it?
He cut open the envelope with a paper cutter and took out the letter paper inside. Without looking at the contents, he counted the number first. There were exactly eight sheets, with the handwriting very small and densely packed.
"This Su Lengzi, knowing that I am blurry-eyed, still writes so small, is he trying to embarrass me?" Ouyang Xiu muttered, and then said to the housekeeper next to him: "Light up some brighter oil lamps for me."
When the new oil lamp came over, the two lamps were lit at the same time, and the study was much brighter. He was then able to see the small words beautifully.
At first he didn't take it too seriously, thinking that Su Shi's disciple had encountered some troubles in the political affairs of Hangzhou and came to ask for advice.
Because Su Shi's imperial examination was presided over by him, the students who were on the list at that time would call Ouyang Xiu "Sir" or "Teacher".
It can be considered a kind of affection.
He glanced at it casually, but was stunned because the title read "Drinking Wine and Chatting with Master Lu at Night".
In the eyes of all literati, Lu Sen is an outlier, but an outlier that must be faced.
Anyone who has come into contact with Lu Sen believes that he is a man of profound knowledge and profound wisdom.
It is not just a way of practice.
How could Su Shi have such a nighttime conversation with Master Lu and be valued by Master Lu?
Ouyang Xiu couldn't help but continue reading.
The kind that you study word by word.
After reading it, he slammed the table hard, ignoring the pain in his hand, and shouted: "It is indeed a practical statement, not an empty plan."
Then he turned around and shouted, "Butler, prepare the carriage, I want..."
Having said this, he suddenly remembered that it was already late at night and he could not go into the palace for official business.
He could only sigh, suppress his excitement, and then looked at the papers over and over again, staying awake all night.
On the second day, before the young emperor and his companions could speak, Ouyang Xiu stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have something important to report. Can I speak first?"
The handsome young official looked at the curtain behind him. Seeing that the people inside did not object, he turned around and said, "Approved."
Others also looked at Ouyang Xiu curiously.
Judging from Ouyang Xiu's expression, it seemed that something big had happened, but they had not heard of anything special happening recently.
Ouyang Xiu stood up straight and said, "Yesterday, Su Shi, the seventh-rank civil servant who is currently in charge of Hangzhou, sent me a letter. After reading it, I found that it was Master Lu who entrusted him with the political views."
Now everyone was moved.
The reason why the imperial court wanted to attack Xixia recently is very simple. Lu Sen found the peach tree, and Empress Dowager Cao was anxious because she wanted to eat it.
Others want to eat it, too.
At this time, all the officials had understood that in this world, only when Lu Sen was by their side could their lives and health be guaranteed.
Otherwise, a small cold could take away a pillar of the court.
Queen Mother Cao wanted Master Lu to come back, and they wanted him too.
After taking down Xingqing Prefecture, Di Qing led the troops to fight without a military supervisor, which was their way of showing goodwill.
Of course, they couldn't say openly: Master Lu, we know we were wrong, please come back, we are relying on your fruit to survive.
After all, they are all literati and they have to maintain their dignity.
They had originally thought that Master Lu had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, so it would take a year or two for him to react. However, the response came within less than three months.
Queen Mother Cao also knew these inside stories. She suppressed her excitement, bypassed the young official, and asked, "Can we let Eunuch Liu read the contents of Master Lu's letter in public?"
"sure."
Ouyang Xiu took the letter out of his arms and handed it to Eunuch Liu in public.
Eunuch Liu coughed lightly, then slowly read out the words in the letter.
It was read very slowly. At the beginning, all the officials in the court wanted to know what Master Lu thought about their capture of Xingqing Prefecture.
But when they read half of the letter, they were stunned and began to think deeply.
Especially Wang Anshi, Bao Zheng and others, they seemed to have gained something.
After the letter was read, there was a lot of discussion .
Empress Dowager Cao was confused. She thought that this letter was from Lu Sen proposing "conditions", but she didn't expect that it was actually a political opinion!
The young official is still young and doesn’t understand what this letter means, but others do.
Both civil and military officials felt that the content of this letter was very groundbreaking.
After being suppressed by civil officials for so long, the military officers were extremely worried about their future. If the rope around their necks was put in the hands of the government, they would be real watchdogs. Although the name was not nice, at least they could eat some meat and drink some porridge.
If it is a hunting dog, it will be provided with delicious food and drink .
No more literati will be standing next to you sharpening their knives, which is so scary.
The civil officials also thought it was a good idea, because in this way, the threat from the generals would be greatly reduced, especially the idea that military men should not interfere in politics, which was quite to their liking.
As for ignoring military affairs, it would be best if they themselves did not have to go to the battlefield. After all, whether to fight or not is ultimately up to them.
There is not much difference in essence.
It can be said that Lu Sen’s suggestion seems quite feasible.
Master Pang and Bao Zheng stood next to each other and said with a smile, "I have a good idea. I have already said that if you dare to take down Xingqing Prefecture, my grandson-in-law will be happy and will definitely reveal something."
Bao Zheng sighed: "He could have made this suggestion when he was still in the capital."
Master Pang snorted, "You didn't take him seriously at that time. Now who would want to listen if you tell him? Are you Bao Zheng?"
Looking at Master Pang with a proud look on his face, Bao Zheng was quite helpless, but he had to admit that the old man was right.
