Zhao Jiu's memories poured out like water from a floodgate, and numerous thoughts followed... But it is worth mentioning that what flowed out after the floodgates were opened could not be considered a flood, it was just a stream at most.
There is nothing we can do about this.
This year is the seventh year of Jianyan, in other words, Zhao Jiu has lived a total of twenty-seven years up to this year. And among the twenty-seven years, the experiences of the last seven years made him feel as if they occupied a larger part of his life.
As for the first twenty years… not to mention that he was relatively carefree at that time, he didn’t have any deep thinking ability before he entered high school? Even after that, he didn’t have much time to effectively acquire knowledge, let alone mature cognition and practice.
In addition to this, it was also because he was slapped in the face and it hurt.
After Zhao Jiu fell into the well, he was influenced by some low-end games and high-end online novels. He tried some so-called cheat codes, but ideas were often frustrated by the ruthless reality and harsh conditions. In the end, these things stopped at the idea stage:
First of all, there was the impact of war. Every day, every time I opened my eyes and closed my eyes, I was thinking about life and death. Until I reached Yaoshan, how could I really have the energy to deal with these things?
Secondly, personal knowledge is not systematic at all, and piecemeal efforts cannot bring about a breakthrough in promoting a systematic industry.
Finally, as a country with a population of more than 100 million, the Song Dynasty had a relatively deep urbanization process and had already achieved a certain extreme beyond productivity during its heyday in the Middle Ages.
Zhao Jiu talked about many things, and found that others already had better examples. However, they were forced to reduce their scale or suspend them only because of lack of money or war... The most representative of these is the medical system.
In a sense, this also includes the financial issues this time.
Back to a few days ago, at the beginning of this month, after the Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo submitted the heavy proposal, he actually quickly followed it with a note. In the note, Lin Jingmo had already put in front of Emperor Zhao the issuance of specific Northern Expedition bonds, appropriate anti-corruption, and even the Zi tax (stock property tax, if the family's property exceeds a certain amount, it must pay tax) that directly robs the rich to help the poor.
Given Lin Jingmo's identity, since he sent this note, it means that the so-called Zhang Deyuan's faction of the Wood Party behind him has reached an internal consensus and is ready to charge into battle for Emperor Zhao.
However, it is not known whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. Compared with these trusted ministers who were brought up and influenced by him and who dared to do anything, Emperor Zhao himself actually shrank back.
Of course, there are reasons to shrink:
The large-scale issuance of Northern Expedition bonds requires that the whole country has full confidence in the Northern Expedition. However, if the confidence of the whole country is not as strong as the court expects and too many bonds are issued, the bonds will be unsalable, causing officials, soldiers and people to lose confidence in the Northern Expedition through the bonds.
That's not all. The worst thing is that according to Zhao Jiu's experience, once something goes wrong, the government will probably deceive its superiors and subordinates and force the payment. Not only will the people be frustrated, but even the conventional treasury bond market, which has been issued at the end of the year and has been growing steadily and has a huge regulatory significance for the fiscal system, will be affected.
It might even lead to greater political turmoil.
As for anti-corruption.
This is a commonplace question... but it is a bit far-fetched, because at that time, the bulk of the national fiscal revenue was spent on military expenditures, and the imperial army still had a military system in which large generals led large troop groups. In this case, from the generals on down, officers at all levels were almost openly misappropriating military funds.
To put it bluntly, if Emperor Zhao does not eradicate corruption in the military, how can he eradicate corruption in other places?
As for eradicating corruption in the army, it is not impossible, but in that case, we must be prepared for the fact that the balance of the army will be disrupted, some capable and brave generals will be dealt with, and even some people will collude to resist, forcing the court to carry out a vicious routine of a major purge...and this will most likely lead to a large-scale rebound of the previous situation where civil officials are noble and military officials are despised, causing Emperor Zhao to completely lose faith in the army and causing the army's combat effectiveness to collapse.
In short, in the long run, anti-corruption efforts are certainly beneficial to maintaining the army's combat effectiveness, but in the short term, the result is a rapid decline in the army's combat effectiveness.
But isn’t what Zhao Jiu is pursuing to maintain combat effectiveness in the short term to ensure that he can march north at any time?
This is also the reason why Zhao Jiu could only carry out appropriate cleansing of part of the troops in the imperial camp under his nose, and most of the time he had to give instructions again and again and influence a dozen generals and dozens of commanders to control the corruption within the army.
Of course, to be honest, Emperor Zhao and the imperial court are not innocent.
After the victory at Yanling, the imperial court immediately balanced the strength of the various armies, and then took the opportunity to send a large number of Jinshi to accompany the army after the Great Enke of that year. After the victory at Yaoshan, Lu Yihao immediately wrote a letter to request the rectification of the previous chaotic situation of "envoys", and then Emperor Zhao took the opportunity to dismiss all the generals, governors, and pacification envoys from Han Shizhong to Yue Fei to Li Yanxian.
This in itself is an anti-corruption act that goes beyond anything else.
As for the tax increase that robs the rich to help the poor, it goes without saying that if you really have two cows at home, there will be any kind of backlash and resistance.
Moreover, this specific behavior against the wealthy class, coupled with the brutal ruling style of the feudal government, is likely to become an unrestrained, even expanded, or even misplaced evil policy.
You said your family's property is not within the taxable limit, but I think it is! If you don't believe me, why don't you let us search?
This has nothing to do with Mr. Wang being the relative of Zhang Yasi, the county magistrate! Mr. Wang is poor and you are rich! The pottery jar in your house is more valuable than the porcelain in Mr. Wang's house next door!
Oops, my hand slipped, but it doesn’t matter, your door is only worth three cents, I’ll compensate you!
When we went to take your cow away, it was already sick and dying. How could it be considered a living cow?
You have the final say, I have the final say? Don't you know that Emperor Zhao wants to march north? Are you a spy for the Jin people?
History has proven time and again that when auditing methods are entirely manual, this practice of fleecing the wealthy, which seems to target only the wealthy, often turns into cruel persecution of middle-class families.
On the contrary, the truly powerful and wealthy will avoid these things.
How could Zhao Jiu dare to agree so easily?
However, Zhao Jiu’s hesitation and indecision does not mean that he really rejected these suggestions. He was actually prepared to take these strong measures if necessary.
He also believed that in this state of war, after the court had experienced the purge of the Baima-Shaoxing Rebellion and the suppression of the powerful imperial army, both the truly wealthy and the middle-class families would endure it.
This official even had the sinister idea of ​​carrying out large-scale cases and targeted robberies against some of the powerful and wealthy people in Tokyo, Nanyang and Yangzhou when necessary.
However, the problem is that those are all final solutions that will only be chosen as a last resort.
As a ruler, Zhao Jiu hopes to maintain some bottom lines and use more meticulous, clever and smooth means to gather funds for the Northern Expedition... This is the reason for the contents that appeared in the latest issue of the court report.
But back to the present, this time, with Xu Jing's words, Emperor Zhao really felt like he had activated the harmless golden finger.
Because he has realized that the things he just thought of are generally derived from some institutional innovations in the period before the Industrial Revolution and after the end of the Middle Ages... These things do not require the powerful productivity after the Industrial Revolution as a basis, but they are definitely beyond the scope of the Middle Ages, and most of them are institutional innovations.
Therefore, these ideas are just the right things that can help the Song Dynasty, which is in its heyday in the Middle Ages, to thrive.
However, as Zhao Jiu is just an ordinary engineering student, even if he knows something about similar matters, it is definitely not much.
the commodification of the Royal Credentials;
sea ​​flag;
Stamp tax;
Northern Expedition Lottery;
Sea trade company system;
Northern Expedition national debt;
Excess estate tax;
The royal property was auctioned publicly.
It was still early summer in April. In the morning, in the somewhat stuffy stone pavilion in the harem, Prime Minister Zhao Ding, who had eaten so many mulberries at the urging of Emperor Zhao that the corners of his mouth were stained, put down the note in his hand, and sat there with a complicated expression, without saying a word for a long time.
It was not just him. The situations of the ministers beside him, such as Zhang Jun, the vice-chancellor of the capital province, Liu Ji, the vice-envoy of the Privy Council, Chen Gui, the chief censor, Li Guang, the minister of revenue, Lin Jingmo, and the minister of work, Hu Yin, were basically similar.
This is not to say that people like Zhao Xianggong don’t understand what these words mean - this is a national affair, and the Emperor Zhao on the opposite side is not here to show off. The latter has already written down the detailed explanations he has racked his brains to come up with.
However, it is precisely because of this that the people on the other side find it incredible.
"What do you mean?"
Maybe he was afraid that what he had come up with would be rejected due to some childish reasons, so Zhao Jiu lost his usual composure and couldn't help but urge him forward.
"Is the official a gifted talent?" Zhang Deyuan, who was sitting on a stone bench, was the first to respond with a smile. "The ingenuity of printing taxes is really amazing, and there is also lottery..."
Zhao Jiu rarely showed a hint of pride, but then he immediately became serious as usual.
The seal tax is actually the stamp tax, but the Song Dynasty has always had the tradition of signing in addition to stamping, so it was changed to this name that is more in line with the times.
The specific meaning of stamp duty is actually very simple... When private transactions reach the point where a contract is required, whether it is the sale of houses, land, bulk goods, or private lending, one can ask the court to stamp a seal and sign a pledge, but taxes must be paid.
The minimum charge is one yuan, and the amount above will be based on the value of the goods, one thousandth, and both parties pay together.
The beauty of this tax is that it is not a compulsory tax but a voluntary tax, and it cleverly avoids the poorest people at the bottom.
After all, the people who are truly qualified to make these contracts are not the lowest class of people. However, in order to ensure the legality of their property, these people, especially the purchasing party, often take the initiative to ask the seller to have the government stamp this seal and sign this pledge with them to ensure the legality of the transaction and avoid unnecessary disputes in the future.
Imagine that you spent 150 kan to buy a house in Tokyo to settle down and pass it on to your sons and grandchildren. You have spent 150 kan, but you are still reluctant to part with the remaining half kan...which is 370 wen according to the market price...would you ask for a contract with the official seal to further ensure your ownership of this house?
So what if I give you a small bribe?
Having an official seal and not having an official seal, a three-party contract and a two-party contract, the sense of security they give people is different.
Given the common people's superstition about the authority of the government these days, they should be happy to pay the tax.
It’s a clever idea indeed, and it definitely works!
On the other hand, when Zhang Deyuan was praising the seal tax, the Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo also made a conclusion about the seal tax in his heart.
However, Minister Lin is different from others. He is recognized as a talented person. Not only did he make a final decision on the stamp tax, but he also noticed the nature of the paper given by Emperor Zhao today, and guessed the mood of many people present at the right time.
It is said that Emperor Zhao did a lot of fancy things, but in essence they could be divided into only a few categories.
First of all, not only the stamp tax, but also the Northern Expedition national debt, the sea flag, and the commercialization of royal qualifications are essentially exchanging credibility for money. The only difference is that the first two are the credibility of the entire court, and the last is the royal family's own name. The sea flag is a little more complicated. It is probably more than that. It is the common credibility of the court and the royal family.
However, it must be admitted that the stamp tax was designed extremely cleverly, and the commercialization of royal qualifications and sea flags was also a clever extension with a successful example, so there should be very little resistance.
As for the Northern Expedition national debt, it was implied in the topic, and the Ministry of Revenue put this matter on the agenda from the very beginning.
It is worth mentioning that with so many credit products, the share of pure government bonds can be further reduced to ensure that it is within a safe share.
Secondly, there is the maritime trading company.
This thing is obviously the result of the institutionalization and stabilization of the large fleet created by Zhang Jun and Zhang Boying... As for the maritime trade plan, it has already alarmed the entire Tokyo city, and it seems to be a response to this.
According to Emperor Zhao's explanation, not only maritime merchants, but also cargo owners, not only Zhang Boying, but even the royal family, the provincial governors representing the imperial court, and some high-ranking officials and dignitaries can all use their own names to enter and become the boss.
Then everyone discussed it together, reduced the company's resistance, and shared the money.
Doing so is definitely groundbreaking and has great benefits... because it can reduce risks and avoid internal friction caused by internal processes. In the past, cargo owners and maritime merchants had to bear all kinds of risks independently, so they should be happy to do so.
Apart from other things, why did so many sea merchants and cargo owners respond to Zhang Boying's appearance that day? This in itself speaks for itself.
However, to put it bluntly, this thing is essentially competing with the people for profits, and forcibly snatching the profits that originally belonged to normal commodity trade among the people into the hands of the court, the royal family, and the powerful.
However, the idea of ​​profiting from one source has always been the fundamental guiding ideology of the court's finances. Coupled with the overall situation of the Northern Expedition, there is nothing to say.
Next, there is no need to say more about lottery.
The imperial court did not allow ordinary people to gamble privately, but they used the Northern Expedition as an excuse to do something like this... How should I put it? It was a way to make a profit.
There is also the excess land tax, which should have come from his own proposal back then, which is an improved variant of the tax levied on the rich... After all, agriculture is still the most important thing these days, and compared to saying who is a rich household without any reason and forcing people to pay taxes, levying additional land tax on large households with land exceeding a certain amount is of course the most feasible method.
Because the land is right there, it is difficult to hide.
Of course, even so, there are still corrupt officials and powerful people who will tamper with the land acquisition and land supply.
It can only be said that this is the most moderate of the proposed tax increases that are currently flying around after the court gazette published a request for opinions.
Finally, there is the auction of royal private property... This is more like something that Emperor Zhao would do.
In short, all in all, Emperor Zhao really did his best, but how embarrassed are his ministers?
"Your Majesty," Li Guang hesitated for a moment, but still spoke seriously. "I think the seal tax, the Northern Expedition national debt, the sea flag, the royal qualification auction... are all very clever designs, and I admire them very much. However, the sea trade company is competing with the people for profits, and lottery is gambling after all, which is against morality. There is also the auction of royal private property, which is inevitably against the royal dignity. The additional land tax levied according to the land property will be manipulated by corrupt officials... I think that since we have the first four, we can slow down the rest and see how the results are before making plans."
It would be strange if the government agreed!
Facing Li Xiantai who interrupted his thoughts, Minister Lin remained expressionless and sneered in his heart.
"It would be strange if I agreed to Li Qing!" Zhao Jiu shook his head. "The country's Northern Expedition is something we must do with all our strength. How can we make any other plans? Li Qing, please stop talking about competing with the people for profit and what kind of decorum... In front of the millions of people in Lianghe, the idea of ​​competing with the people for profit is too ridiculous; in front of the Jingkang Shame, the royal family and the court's decorum are worthless! Moreover, the company system and lottery are also progressive, not just as simple as competing with the people for profit and losing decorum. As for the additional land tax for those with more than 500 acres, Li Qing, don't forget that I came up with these things because I didn't want to forcibly impose the Zi tax (existing property tax), and I also wanted to curb mergers... Since you are interested in this, why don't you think of a way for me to prevent these big landlords from transferring the newly added land tax to the tenants."
Li Guang sighed slightly and said no more.
Although Lin Jingmo didn't say anything, he sighed slightly in his heart.
In fact, it was not only Li Guang, a professional opponent, who raised questions. Minister Lin had guessed the mentality of many people present... Zhang Jun, Zhang Shuxiang, should be a little frustrated and uneasy, because he always claimed to be the confidant of the emperor. This time, he was indeed the one who presided over the preparations for the Northern Expedition and got a lot of attention. However, when it came to the most important financial work, many excellent plans emerged that had nothing to do with him.
At this time, Mr. Zhang, who first flattered a few words and then remained silent for a while, must be wondering, who is coming up with so many good ideas for the emperor?
Was he really summoned by the imperial court newspaper? Are the imperial court newspapers really that useful?
How could so many useful solutions come out so quickly after just one question? And each one of them was more ingenious than the one designed by my party?
As for Prime Minister Zhao Ding's mentality, it should be between Li Guang and Zhang Jun.
On the one hand, he felt that some of the methods still had problems, so he had a certain resistance, but on the other hand, as the prime minister, it was a great favor given by Emperor Zhao, the kind that could never be repaid in eight lifetimes... So after Zhang Jun said the five things to him in person, Prime Minister Zhao couldn't help but feel a little uneasy that as the prime minister of a provincial capital, he could only be reduced to an executor, and he was not worthy of Emperor Zhao's kindness, and then he felt a little uneasy.
Moreover, he certainly didn't know who was giving advice to Emperor Zhao, and he was also suspicious.
Even Minister Lin himself saw through his own mentality. As the Minister of Revenue, as a core member of Zhang Jun's party, and as the executor of Jiancai work, he originally had the mentality of risking his life for the government. However, he did not expect that a Cheng Yaojin would appear halfway and not only snatch his job, but also have more and better methods than his own. Of course, he felt a little uneasy and had complicated feelings.
However, unlike the others, Minister Lin was a man of inner talent. When the others were caught up in all kinds of complicated emotions, he had already taken the lead in getting out and locked on the biggest suspect. In fact, this person was in this stone pavilion!
That’s right, that person was the Minister of Works Hu Yin Hu Mingzhong who was sitting next to him without saying a word!
Thinking back then, before Hu Mingzhong was sent out, he was already the trial Chief Censor, and after he went out, he was even the Transport Commissioner of the Five Routes of Guanxi. However, when he came back, he was ranked on the same level as himself and others, or even worse than him - the Ministry of Works was the most leisurely ministry, and the Minister of Works, apart from a rank, had too little real power compared to other ministers.
At that time, there were rumors within the court that Hu Mingzhong opposed the emperor's decision to send troops to Western Xia, and was therefore disliked by the emperor.
But Lin Jingmo scoffed at this... Liu Ziyu was against the attack on Yaoshan, but didn't Emperor Zhao let him rise step by step? Besides, no one knew the details of how Hu Yin opposed the emperor's dispatch of troops to Xixia. On the contrary, when the army swept the northwest, Hu Mingzhong worked diligently to ensure the logistical support in the early stage of the battle, and did a great job.
Such a person.
In terms of seniority, he was one of the three ministers of the Imperial College at that time. He was the first batch of ministers gathered by the emperor, and his seniority was higher than his own.
In terms of stance, before Hu Quan took control of the court gazette, he was always the most radical in his anti-Jin stance.
In terms of integrity, if I am not as good as Prime Minister Zhao, then am I not as good as Prime Minister Zhang and his party? Or am I not as good as myself?
Execution and courage, what does it mean that he took away Qu Duan's military power even though he was whipped? What does it mean that he forcibly took Wu Jie's favorite general Yang Zheng to the capital and beheaded him? And don't forget that Han Shizhong, the number one general in the world and the Prince of Yan'an, is the most convinced of Hu Mingzhong, and the second general, Yue Fei, the emperor's relative, was recommended by this person.
Such a person should have come back and entered the West Mansion directly.
Of course, in addition to his age, avoiding Zhang Jun, the emperor's most trusted minister, was probably another important reason why he failed to become the Prime Minister of the Western Palace... If Hu Yin had really entered the Privy Council and become a prime minister, with his character and strength, the drama between the three ministers of the Jingkang Imperial College that day would definitely be more exciting than "Water Margin"!
Emperor Zhao obviously hopes to maintain the stability of the court, ensure the ruling power of Prime Minister Zhao Ding and the image of Princess Zhang as a fighting flag, and then ensure the success of the Northern Expedition.
Even earlier, Hu Yin took the initiative to seek to be sent out, which enabled Emperor Zhao to choose Liu Ji and other members of the Nanyang party, who were in a weaker position and more compatible with Zhao Ding, as the third party. I'm afraid there was also a tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects.
This also led to Wanqi Xie's famous remonstration, which made Wanqi Yuanzhong rise to prominence, which is another matter.
All in all, Emperor Zhao must have great use for such a trusted and important minister when he returns this time. Putting him in the Ministry of Works, which has basically nothing to do, is probably just for the purpose of using him to do some big things... such as the specific plans for building finances now.
Just when everyone was feeling complicated.
On the other hand, Emperor Zhao, who was waiting for feedback, became more and more uneasy... As the provider of the plan, or the provider of a copied plan, he naturally lacked confidence in the face of these trusted ministers with rich experience in governing. He was afraid that he had made a huge and childish mistake and thus caused these people to react slightly strangely.
Compared with this, how could he have imagined that this method was simply too ingenious, so much so that none of these trusted ministers thought that it was something that Emperor Zhao had thought up out of thin air, and they were all suspicious?
As for Hu Yin, if Emperor Zhao knew that Lin Jingmo, who had been his secretary for several years, thought so, he would jump up and slap the mulberries in front of the other person onto his face!
First of all, this was really Zhao Jiu's idea! Although there was some suspicion of cheating, it was also his idea!
Secondly, in a sense, Lin Jingmo guessed right... Zhao Jiu really put a lot of thought into placing Hu Yin in the Ministry of Industry, a place where there was no work at all at the moment.
However, Zhao Jiu did not regard Hu Yin as a staff officer at all, but as a minister who did not care about anything. He wanted to rely on Hu Yin's integrity, stern face, stubbornness and execution ability, and regarded the Ministry of Works as a secondary execution center for his preparations for the Northern Expedition.
In the future, Emperor Zhao also plans to let Hu Quan, who holds the palace bulletin, Yu Yunwen, who controls the supervisory power of Qingmiao Loan, and Mei Li, who gradually becomes a trade adviser, connect with Hu Yin to a certain extent.
Of course, let’s not talk about these things for now. Let’s just say that as Emperor Zhao pressed on little by little, most people, from Zhao Ding on down, still expressed their agreement or reluctant approval. Their questions about the relevant policies also remained at the level of competing with the people for profit or being inappropriate.
This made Emperor Zhao gradually feel relieved.
"You don't understand. I am really worried." After the communication, Zhao Jiu, who was a little relieved, pinched a mulberry and swallowed it in one gulp, then his face was full of fatigue. "These days, I am almost driven crazy by the gap of 30 million guan. I can't sleep all day and night. If these methods don't work, I can only increase taxes on a large scale and set a quota of 10 million guan for the Northern Expedition. Maybe I will point to Nanyang, Yangzhou, Tokyo and other places, and accuse anyone who is involved with the two emperors of treason and rebellion, and then make a family rebellion and openly rob..."
This was really too much, and it really seemed like something Emperor Zhao would do. Li Guang instinctively wanted to stand up and protest, but when he thought that this was a hypothetical strategy, he could only sigh.
Zhao Jiu also continued: "But as I said before, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are, it is always worth it. As long as we can recover the two rivers and unify the country, everything is worth it... While the imperial court and I still have some reputation after conquering Xixia, it is right for us to settle things as soon as possible."
In a nutshell, it's the Northern Expedition.
Everyone looked at each other, sighed in their hearts, and then, led by Prime Minister Zhao Ding, stood up and said they would obey the order.
At this point, logically speaking, there was no need for Emperor Zhao to keep everyone here.
Because next, Zhao Ding and others will take the plan back, and they will have to find professionals to discuss and analyze it, and then come up with a truly executable detailed rule. Then there will probably be discussions in the secret cabinet, leaks in the public cabinet, announcements in the grand court, preheating and official promulgation of the official report, and so on and so forth...
There is still a lot to do.
However, Emperor Zhao waved his hand and said, "Please sit down. There are two more things that are slightly related to the Northern Expedition and are also about raising money. My lords, please don't say anything and just wait and see."
Zhao Ding and others were puzzled, but they could only sit back. After waiting for a while, as the Minister of the Honglu Temple Wang Lun and the Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple Xu Jing, who had just taken office two days ago, entered the place one after another, the important officials suddenly realized.
"Your Majesty, Jin Fushi and Taira Tadamori have been waiting for you outside the Yingyang Gate for a long time... In addition, there is also a merchant from Tokyo who has lived in Hakata Port, Japan for many years, so he is probably also indispensable." Wang Lun was an official minister after all, and he was very calm when reporting to the emperor. However, Xu Jing, who followed behind Wang Lun, for some reason, although he came from a family of officials and should not be stage-frightened, he still frequently looked at the Sangji Fish Pond where mulberries were being picked on a large scale as soon as he came in, which was quite rude.
Of course, Xu Jing certainly didn't know that these mulberries were picked to be sold to the regular shops outside Donghuamen. The regular shops would use them to make wine or mash them into juice and then sell them with ice. If he wanted to eat them, he could just go out and buy them later.
However, Zhao Jiu didn't care about these things and waved his hand to signal: "Let Jin Fushi come in first."
Wang Lun responded and turned to look at Xu Jing. Xu Jing, who had been staring at the direction of the fish pond, was stunned for a moment before . He quickly turned around with a eunuch and brought Jin Fushi a moment later.
Now that Jin Bu Shi had entered the back garden, he was stunned for a moment when he looked at the mulberry forest full of mulberries. But he was a true elite of that era after all. He was only stunned for a moment and then immediately returned to normal. Then he followed Xu Jing and the eunuchs to the stone pavilion and bowed calmly.
At this time, Zhao Ding and other ministers wanted to stand up according to etiquette, but Zhao Jiu waved his hand to stop them.
Not only that, the official did not even offer him a seat, but sat down and spoke to Jin Bu Shi who was standing there: "Jin Qing, this is the second time we meet. I know you are a rare person, and you also know my temper. Moreover, since you landed in Dengzhou, you have been reading the court newspapers and asking people about prices. I am afraid you know the situation here very well, so I will not waste time talking to you today..."
"A foreign minister asks the Emperor of Song for guidance." Upon hearing this, Jin Bu Shi straightened up, bowed and responded in a deep voice.
"First of all, I really appreciate your talent!" Zhao Jiu looked at this person and said earnestly. "And I will never discriminate against you just because you are from Goryeo... If you can come, you can first serve as a Hanlin scholar and serve as my internal affairs, ready for me to consult about northern affairs. After the Northern Expedition is successful, there will be a minister or a general waiting for you... If you are willing, come up and sit in the pavilion now, and share a bowl of mulberries with me and the ministers, and then I will talk to the Goryeo Wang family and take your family here. How do you think?"
Not to mention Jin Bu Shi who was already stunned in the middle of the meal, even the people around him, from Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun to Liu Ji and Chen Gui, from Li Guang to Hu Yin, Lin Jing Mo, as well as Fan Zongyin, Lu Benzhong, Ren Baozhong, and even Yang Yi Zhong, Liu Yan and Lan Gui were a little out of control... It took Lan Gui a while to come back to his senses, and then signaled to the eunuch to serve another bowl of mulberries.
As for Wang Lun and Xu Jing, there is no need to mention them, especially the latter who was already dumbfounded... He was just wondering how many years it would take before he could eat this bowl of mulberries, but his old friend came up and got the qualification.
In short, no one expected that this old-fashioned talent-seeking drama that only happened hundreds of years ago would appear here.
But everyone who knew Emperor Zhao's character knew that he was frivolous and that he was truly unconventional in his approach to talent. This included Kim Bu-sik, who had already believed it - this Emperor Zhao Song was not joking.
If today's event could be accomplished, the anecdote of Emperor Zhao recruiting scholars with a bowl of mulberries would probably be recorded in countless notes and even in official history.
Without further ado, back to the present, under a sun that was not scorching, but still somewhat hot, even though Jin Fushi had made full mental preparations before setting off this time, he still felt a little shaky at this moment... This temptation was indeed great for him!
A foreign minister is essentially just the leader of the Kaesong Yangban in the country, and at most a figure who divides the world into three parts with the king and the Seogyeong (Pyongyang) Yangban.
How can one compare to the minister of a great country? How can one compare to the general of a great country? Which of the great countries does not have a larger population and wealth than Goryeo?
Even from the perspective of Confucian pursuit, the internal system of the Song Dynasty was that the so-called Hanlin scholars served the emperor. Even today, Emperor Zhao is sincerely seeking talents, which has always been the inner dream of such people.
Even further, with the current situation between the Song and Jin countries, what will happen next is nothing more than the Jin Dynasty stabilizing the situation, or the Song Dynasty succeeding in the Northern Expedition... Then from a special perspective, for the sake of his homeland, becoming a close minister of the Song emperor and working hard to preserve his homeland in the latter situation, isn't this the key thing that Jin Bu Shi is pursuing now and in the future?
For a moment, Jin Bu Shi almost stepped forward - as long as he sat down, he would no longer have to worry about the party struggles in the country, no longer have to engage in intrigue with the king, no longer have to think about how to clean up the dirty monk forces in the country, and he could also better help his homeland avoid difficulties in the possible future without hindering his own success.
In fact, Kim Bu-sik actually stumbled forward.
But it was this step that made him sober up immediately, and then he bowed his hands seriously and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. I am grateful, but I have had an idea since I was studying decades ago. I want to imitate the history books of the Han Dynasty and compile a history book on the rebellion of the Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje, narrating the legal system of Goryeo and building a monument for the Goryeo clan. If I eat this bowl of mulberries, I am afraid it will be difficult to complete the book."
Upon hearing this, some people inside and outside the stone pavilion opposite felt relieved, some stood in awe, and some had no expression on their faces, but everyone followed the instructions of Emperor Zhao and said nothing.
Emperor Zhao was obviously disappointed, but he still nodded: "I will not force you, but you should know... since you want to talk about the legal system of Goryeo, you must bear the weight of Goryeo's national destiny."
"Of course, the foreign ministers are saved." Jin Bu Shi raised his voice proudly, as if he had completely recovered from his previous hesitation. "The foreign ministers are the prime ministers of Goryeo."
"Well then." Zhao Jiu also raised his voice and said sternly. "I know the purpose of your trip, and I also know your attitude towards Goryeo behind you. But Jin Qing, you must know that Song and Jin cannot coexist... Goryeo is wavering today. Although it is a small country, I will never have any sympathy for it. I only know that I have treated you with courtesy several times, but you just refuse to do so. What's more, you have betrayed the Song Dynasty and served the Jurchens before! Goryeo must provide enough things, otherwise one day, I can do whatever I want, and I will definitely do it to repay Goryeo's various acts of disloyalty so far!"
"Foreign officials thought that the emperor would have the demeanor of a superior state." Jin Bu Shi was silent for a moment before responding.
"If Zheng Zhichang said this, I would believe it. But if you said it, I would just treat it as bullshit!" Zhao Jiu responded more harshly. "Who was the one who heard about the Jingkang Incident in Mingzhou and immediately returned to the country, then suppressed the Goryeo people and made them submit to the Jurchens, and wrote a memorial praising the Jurchens for their great achievements in capturing the two saints?"
Upon hearing this, Li Guang, who was originally in awe, changed color immediately, and other civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty were also somewhat dissatisfied.
Jin Bushi, on the other hand, remained calm and said, "How can a small country with few people throw its entire nation into danger just to maintain the reputation of a big country? Besides, the Jingkang Incident was not caused by us Koreans."
"Then let's not talk nonsense... You must know exactly what I want." Zhao Jiulianqing was too lazy to even weigh it.
"I know." Jin Bu Shi sighed slightly, frowning. "But please forgive me for being helpless. Goryeo is so small. Even if we open up the market, it is still poor and small. How much profit can it give to the Song Dynasty? After all, it is useless for us Goryeo people to have so much silk and porcelain. They are not food. If Your Majesty is willing to sell some armor..."
"You can sell it to the Jurchens!" After hearing the last half of the sentence, Zhao Jiu suddenly interrupted the other party coldly.
There was complete silence inside and outside the stone pavilion.
Jin Fushi was stunned for a moment, obviously not believing his ears, but the next moment, he suddenly realized it, and Zhao Ding and others also suddenly realized it.
Zhao Jiu also repeated with a blank expression: "The Jurchens have plenty of gold and silver. They have almost robbed all the gold and silver in Tokyo and the Central Plains! There are also nobles in Liaodong who have received countless gold and silver! Of course, in addition to gold and silver, it would be even better if we could buy their war horses and food. Even their fur can be made into military uniforms to keep out the cold! We also want the best wood! But I only give you porcelain and silk! Don't you know how big the market is in the huge Jin Kingdom? And not only did I not force you to go to war with the Jurchens, I also gave you Koreans a way to make money for nothing. Don't you thank me for my grace?"
There was already a cold tone in his words at the end.
When Jin Bu Shi heard this, he knew that he could no longer bargain, but he bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I will try my best when I return!"
"Here is a private letter to Zheng Zhichang, asking him to help you, and a letter to your king, telling him that I made this concession for the sake of Zheng Xueshi... You can take them all." Zhao Jiu saw that the other party agreed, and waved his hand. "I am tired today, so you can return home early after you get the news!"
As he spoke, Liu Yan stepped forward and handed over two small wooden boxes. When Jin Fu Shi heard that disgusting name, his mood became more complicated.
But so what?
Firstly, the size of the country was there, and he was indeed afraid that Emperor Zhao, who had planted mulberry trees in his backyard for four years and had grown a large amount of mulberries, would retaliate against Goryeo after the Northern Expedition was successful in the future; secondly, he was constrained by internal party struggles. The two leaders of the Xijing Yangban opposite him, one was a crazy monk who thought all day long about fighting the Jurchens and making achievements, and the other was a stupid poet who was bewitched by Emperor Zhao and only regarded this cannibalistic official as a god... Kim Bu-sik was a self-proclaimed figure, so what could he do?
In the end, the man could only take the two wooden boxes, bow slightly, and was taken away by Xu Jing with a variety of thoughts in his mind.
On the other hand, seeing this, Minister Lin came to his senses again. He could only say that his emperor was really resourceful. He had seen clearly that Goryeo was a small country with a small population and was subject to the overall situation of a big country. As a result, he had clearly put a lot of effort into Zheng Zhichang in the past, but today he forced the really capable Jin Bushi to pay back... But everyone knows how easy it is to put effort into Zheng Zhichang, but how difficult it is to put effort into an ambitious, capable and courageous person like Jin Bushi.
While he was thinking about it, Xu Jing had already come back, with a man in strange attire beside him, and another man whose attire was not strange but who was wearing a dazzling brocade robe.
The former was undoubtedly a Japanese envoy, while the latter was probably a merchant who was wearing random clothes because he came to such a place for the first time.
Before the two men arrived, the sea merchants, shining in the sun, prostrated themselves before Emperor Zhao from afar. On the other side, the middle-aged Japanese official named Taira Tadamori also hurriedly imitated the sea merchants' salute, but he was so unfamiliar with the movements that he was at a loss for a moment. When he bowed, he actually knocked over the silk cone hat on his head, revealing a strange bald hairstyle.
At this moment, almost all the important officials in the stone pavilion frowned - because these people never expected that the Japanese, who were clearly recorded in the books as having respected the Tang culture in the past, would now follow the Jurchens and Dangxiang people and have bald heads!
This makes them instinctively have bad associations.
Even Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, staring at the man's forehead... This made Renbao Zhongren Sheren, who was standing behind him, immediately adjust his mood and glare at the newcomer.
However, Ren Baozhong had misunderstood... Of course, Emperor Zhao also had associations, but he did not associate them with the Jurchens and the Dangxiang people. Rather, this official knew from the beginning that the topknot was a representative symbol of the Japanese samurai class, but he did a special research a few days ago and knew that currently in Japan, the Emperor's family is creating various titles such as the Retired Emperor, the Retired Emperor, and the Emperor, and that there is a power struggle within the family, so he had always believed that the samurai class had not appeared at all in these days.
But the person who came this month was more convincing than any words or surveys - the person who came, that is, the Japanese provincial governor, whose name was clearly written as Taira Tadamori in Chinese characters, although he did not bring a samurai sword or wakizashi, he was undoubtedly a samurai. The fact that a samurai was the governor of a county and the governor of Chugoku, and was able to represent the Japanese royal family in dealing with this diplomatic crisis throughout, is enough to explain the problem.
Don't forget, Emperor Zhao has played many low-end games, so he knows a little about the decline of the official family and the rise of the military family.
"Everyone, stand up. No need to be so polite. I didn't become the emperor by relying on etiquette." Thinking of this, Zhao Jiu burst out laughing.
The sea merchant, whose whole body was shining, first thanked him, and after standing up, he realized his duty as Xu Jing reminded him, and then quickly called the people on the ground to wake them up in Japanese.
"I've already said it, don't be restrained, and the translator doesn't have to wait for me to finish, just whisper it to him." Zhao Jiu saw this and gave another gentle instruction, his attitude was completely different from when he was facing Jin Bu Shi before. "You all come forward and sit down."
Next, the sea merchant was naturally grateful and thanked repeatedly. After Xu Jing's repeated reminders, he realized his responsibilities, but was too cautious. It was not until the two of them sat down carefully together, Ping Zhongsheng put on his hat again, and they ate a bowl of mulberries together, that he gradually calmed down.
But he still didn't dare to look directly at Emperor Zhao and the group of purple-robed officials sitting on the other side.
It was already noon. Zhao Jiu looked up at the sky and was not prepared to delay any longer. He thought for a moment and then asked the first question: "Can you please ask Ping Qing why his hairstyle is so strange?"
And sure enough, after the merchant translated it, Ping Zhongsheng chattered for a while, and it was just as Zhao Jiu thought, this hairstyle had not been around for long, and was mainly popular among "warriors". It was because when fighting pirates, they were always in a state of combat readiness, and long hair was inconvenient to take care of, so they shaved their hair to deal with the armor.
Zhao Jiu was of course aware of the word "warrior", but he asked a few more questions.
As for Taira Tadamori, it was unclear whether he was so used to being discriminated against in his country that he appreciated Emperor Zhao's amiability, or whether he was honest and answered every question after landing in Dengzhou and following the Yellow River. He saw the might of the Imperial Navy, the Right Army, the Front Army, the Central Army, and the Navy along the way, as well as cities like Tokyo City.
According to Taira Tadamori, the so-called "military man" was originally a military officer under the Japanese imperial court system. Military officers could not cross the class to serve as high-ranking officials in the inner palace. He himself was the only military man who was qualified for the inner palace, but it was only last year. Of course, apart from not being able to become a noble in the inner palace, "military men" are actually very active. Many of them have now become local county garrisons and low-level practical officials in the central government.
After these words, the civil and military officials and close ministers beside him all had subtle expressions. With their political experience, how could they not see that this was a way for the Japanese court to bring disaster? The so-called military men would cause trouble sooner or later.
However, that was where it ended. The ministers were too lazy to care about the internal affairs of an island. Even Zhao Jiu only had a general understanding of the situation and had a rough idea of ​​it... After all, most people in Shiting only cared about what kind of help Japan could bring to the Song Dynasty?
Does Emperor Zhao have any other creative ideas similar to the one he just had against Goryeo?
"I know why Ping Qing came..."
Zhao Jiu suddenly laughed. "But before we talk, you must know one thing, that is, I am the emperor of the Song Dynasty. Although I am at war with the Jurchens and I am a little poor, I am still the emperor of China, with a territory that is ten times that of Japan and a military force that is ten times that of Japan... I am not saying this to intimidate you, but to tell you that my words are binding and cannot be questioned! Ask him if he understands?"
Following the translation of the sea merchant, Na Ping Tadamori responded directly.
With this "Hayi", Zhao Jiu understood what the other party meant without translation, and finally became serious: "I will tell you a plan, come and listen..."
At this point, Emperor Zhao paused for a moment and nodded to Lu Benzhong beside him, who immediately handed him a written document... Ping Zhongsheng could not understand Chinese, but he could definitely read Chinese characters.
Emperor Zhao did not stop at all: "Let him read the text and listen to the translation. If he does not understand, he can ask directly... I have asked about some inside information these days and know what is going on in the central political situation in Japan. The emperor abdicated and became the retired emperor. The retired emperor became a monk and became the religious emperor. The religious emperor forced the new emperor to abdicate and become the retired emperor. It's a mess... I have no intention of these things, but I know that the so-called Shirakawa Religious Emperor has been dead for four years. Now it is Toba Religious Emperor who is in power, and Hei Qing is Toba Religious Emperor's confidant... Is this right or not?"
After waiting for the translation for a while, Ping Zhongsheng immediately nodded.
"Then my original intention was this." Zhao Jiu said seriously. "I no longer demand that Japan open its doors. Normal transactions between the people will be normal transactions. The Song Dynasty will no longer use warships for protection, and will not force transactions. But I think you should have read the court reports here, and you can understand them, and then you know that the Song Dynasty does have a military expenditure problem... So I hope to open up an official trade route, so that the Song Dynasty court can use the high-quality copper coins of the Song Dynasty to exchange for Japanese gold and silver, and get some sulfur as a bonus. Of course, other goods can also be traded if they want... This is good for both sides!"
Ping Zhongsheng looked at the words on the paper in front of him, waited patiently for the translator to finish, and was about to speak.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhao became a little impatient and continued speaking before the other party: "However, after meeting Pingqing, I have a new idea. From now on, for this kind of transaction, I am determined to let the royal family of the Song Dynasty and the royal family of Japan, specifically, the Toba Emperor, trade directly in my capacity as the Emperor of the Song Dynasty... In other words, only the two of us, the Toba Emperor and you, the Ping family, will benefit! Because from today on, Pingqing is the most noble person in the world, that is, me, and the most noble person in Japan, the Toba Emperor, the only person we trust! I specially allow the Ping family to be the only executor of this kind of transaction on the Japanese side! I will not recognize anyone else! This is my personal grace to Pingqing for your courage to cross the sea!"
Several important officials had different expressions.
The merchant was obviously stunned for a moment, and after a moment, he turned around and translated.
As for Taira no Tadamori, it took him a while to come back to his senses after listening to the translation, but he left his seat and kowtowed on the ground. It seemed that he agreed without hesitation... However, there were some problems in Japan when he came here, but he was willing to work hard to solve these problems after returning, and then persuade Emperor Toba to establish this special precious metal trade route between the two noble people.
"Give him a sword!" Zhao Jiu turned around and gestured to Yang Yizhong. "Then tell him that he can send a son to study martial arts and be my eunuch after he returns, just like he said before that his father was a guard for the White River Emperor... Also tell him that in a few days, I will hold a special ceremony for the Japanese delegation to let his entourage know that I look upon him differently."
After all the trouble, Ping Zhongsheng went back directly with gratitude, while the civil and military officials around him could only sigh at the methods of Emperor Zhao... Only Li Guang frowned slightly, and wanted to speak several times, but no one knew what he was thinking.
Just like that, after a few days, unlike the Koreans who were hastily driven away, the Japanese delegation indeed enjoyed super-class treatment.
Without mentioning this matter, the court subsequently made several revisions and debates, from the Secret Chamber to the Public Chamber, from the Stone Pavilion to the Wende Hall. In the end, with the strong push of Emperor Zhao and the support of the ministers, this package plan for Jiancai was passed.
On the first day of May, the relevant news was officially published on the front page of the official newspaper:
The stamp tax and excess land tax will be officially implemented in June. The special national debt for the Northern Expedition will be issued on a trial basis for 500,000 strings of cash. As in the past, the national debt will have all the previous national debt privileges.
Ten days later, another message was revealed at the end of the front page of the official newspaper:
The court will set up a maritime trade company. Both Emperor Zhao and the court will have shares. Important ministers of the cabinet and the outer cabinet, generals, military governors, and commanders and above will all have indefinite shares. Maritime merchants and cargo owners are welcome to participate.
On the first day of late May, the second edition of the newspaper mentioned another incident:
In order to raise funds for the Northern Expedition, Emperor Zhao decided to auction part of the royal collection in July through an open sale. At the same time, in addition to reserving half of the mansion that had been built in Jingyuan, Beidongjing City as a reward for important ministers, it would participate in the open sale.
Regardless of one's background, the highest bidder wins, and the first one to arrive wins. Everyone can be neighbors with Prime Minister Lu Gong, Prime Minister Zhao, and Prince Han, and live only one wall away from the residences of the two empresses dowagers.
On the first day of June, when the court began to implement the new taxes, the court gazette published the news that the Western Mongolian King had sent more than a dozen sons to serve the emperor. At the same time, the news that the sea flag and royal qualifications would be included in the public purchase also appeared half-hidden in the court gazette.
Before that, these two pieces of news had already spread through specific channels.
As for the Northern Expedition Lottery, it had already been piloted in Kaifeng Prefecture for more than half a month, and the response was so good that Emperor Zhao had to learn from the story of the national debt and issue a special decree to strictly prohibit the Ministry of Revenue from expanding its scale.
By July, before the auction began and many new trade channels paid off, with the arrival of Dali envoys, Emperor Zhao had raised a huge sum of more than two million strings of cash. He gave all the money to the Ministry of Works and ordered the Minister of Works, Hu Yin, to select a suitable place and build the necessary storage facilities in preparation for the Northern Expedition.
Of course, according to Zhang Jun Jiancai’s previous suggestion, this matter was also publicly reported in the court bulletin.
So far, of the five strategies for the Northern Expedition that Zhang Xianggong was inspired by reading "Water Margin", four of them have actually been implemented or begun to be implemented despite opposition and attacks. Only the memoirs of the two saints are still being written.
Emperor Zhao was not in a hurry about this at all.
"What do you think, Brother Huizhi?"
While Tokyo was in full swing, the city of Yanjing, thousands of miles away, was inevitably much cooler. In the evening of that day, the light had not yet completely dimmed, but the Milky Way was already faintly visible. Under the Milky Way and amid the croaking of frogs, Hong Ya, the provincial governor of the Great Jin Dynasty, slowly put down the report in his hand, and then looked at his increasingly close friend beside him - Qin Huizhi, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council of the Great Jin Dynasty and the prime minister.
The location was under the grapevines in Qin Huizhi's spacious backyard, so there was nothing to worry about. However, Qin Huizhi, who was sitting only two feet away from Hong Ya, put down the herbal tea in his hand and asked under the light: "What do you think, Hong Chengzhi?"
"I feel that the series of measures taken by the Zhao official are somewhat opportunistic and seem to be acting in a treacherous way." Hong Ya responded seriously. "I don't know why no one has advised against it?"
"Who dares to advise against it in front of that official who has been powerful for seven years?" Qin Huizhi looked up at the sky and shook his head. "As for what you said about trickery, I personally think that the so-called trickery is not about how clever the means are... If the accumulation of great power is not enough, and you want to reach the sky in one step by means of means, you will naturally act in a tricky way and will fail sooner or later; but if the accumulation of great power is so great that it is only three feet and three inches away from the sky, then if you just use some tricks to reach the edge of the sky, people will admire that his great power is strong and can't be stopped!"
Hong Ya was slightly startled, and after a moment of thought, he asked seriously, "Brother Huizhi, do you think the situation in the south is not strong enough, or is it strong enough?"
"That depends on what you think thirty million strings of cash are compared to the seven years of hard work of this official." Qin Huizhi still looked up at the starry sky and still did not give a direct answer.
Hong Ya finally lost his patience and could not help but lower his voice and asked seriously: "Then let me be frank... Brother Huizhi, do you think this official can accomplish his goal in three years?"
Qin Huizhi turned his head to look at Hong Ya who stretched his head over, and was silent for a long time before he asked: "Hong Chengzhi, over the past six months, I have actually had an idea, that is, the current situation in the south, the many actions of that official, in fact, are quite similar to the reform of the prime minister back then..."
"So it can't be done?" Hong Ya was surprised for a moment.
"I didn't say that." Qin Hui shook his head seriously again. "In my opinion, the failure of the Prime Minister was not because of his incompetence or his bad intentions, but because of two reasons... First, Emperor Shenzong finally wavered; second, the new party rose too quickly and had mixed qualities; third, the old party had a deep foundation and worked hard... So, instead of asking me what I think, Hong Chengzhi, you should ask yourself, you came from the south, and you are an official appointed by the emperor himself. What kind of person do you think he is? Can he hold on and not change his ways because of opposition? And among the people he used, how many were loyal and how many were treacherous? How many were capable ministers and famous generals, and how many were treacherous and useless? If you know these two situations, you can easily get the answer."
As he spoke, Qin Huizhi ignored the fact that he had said two things and talked about three things. In the end, he only asked two questions, but looked at Hong Ya seriously, waiting for his answer.
Hong Ya also quickly looked up at the sky through the grape trellis, pretending to think for a long time, but he just looked up at the sky and smiled bitterly: "Brother Huizhi, you are joking. How would I know this?"
As he spoke, he slowly turned his head to look, only to find that Prime Minister Qin Huizhi, Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council of the Great Jin Kingdom, had also looked up at the sky at some point.
It seems like this guy can observe the stars and know the general situation of the world!