Chapter 1093 Return

Wang Yan's reform is all-round, whether it is officials, civilians, or the big families who hold local power in the middle, all must be changed.

The only way to suppress unrest and prevent brainless people from taking risks is to impose severe punishments and kill one to warn a hundred.

Then by the same token, killing a hundred will warn ten thousand, and killing ten thousand will warn a million. As long as the murderers who dare to jump out are killed, as long as a group of people are severely killed in various places, the rest will not have the courage to cause more trouble and work and live honestly.

Moreover, the opposite of severe punishments and severe laws is a greatly favorable condition, which is a situation where as long as you work and live well, you can get better and better. It is not the end of the dynasty's collapse, the more and more fierce the killing, the more intense the resistance.

Wang Yan first ruled the central court by law, and cleaned up all the civil and military officials at all levels in Bianjing, and unified opinions at the highest central level. Then, with the northwest, Hangzhou, and Kaifeng as the center, it radiated to the surrounding areas.

The Western Army and the Northern Army have withdrawn a total of 300,000 troops, leaving only 100,000 troops to suppress the various ethnic groups.

Now that Xixia and Khitan have been defeated, the foreign ethnic groups have become insignificant, and some troops are enough. In addition, in order to avoid unexpected situations, Wang Yan once again rectified the officials who governed the foreign ethnic groups and cleared up the atmosphere to prevent these officials from excessively oppressing and exploiting the foreign ethnic groups, causing disunity and eventually armed resistance.

In addition to these 300,000 troops, Wang Yan also transferred 100,000 troops from the imperial guards stationed in the capital, and together with the wing troops that will be trained in various places, a total of 500,000 troops.

They are scattered in various node cities and key positions within the territory of the Song Dynasty, supporting each other. The military posture does not need special logistics supplies, because they were scattered, at most a thousand people, and the fewest places are only a hundred or so people. Logistics are easy to solve, just go to the place where they eat. After all, this time it is to open up the old case and be a landlord.

Wang Yan is not prepared to forgive this time, and there is no way out. If it was before he took office, when Fan Zhongyan was in power, he would have smoothly added commercial taxes, and there would not be much difference in clearing the land and checking the people, and he would not have made a big fuss again. As long as they pay taxes according to the rules and treat the people according to his decrees, there will be no problem.

But unfortunately, they are not so sensible, and they are not so lucky.

This time, Wang Yan is no longer going to clear the land. He is more ruthless. He wants all the land to be nationalized. Although it is said that the land under heaven belongs to the king, it is obvious that it is just talk. The king is not so awesome, because his will cannot be implemented on the most basic land. But now what Wang Yan is doing is really the land under the king, and he is still a relatively good king.

All the problems facing the Song Dynasty now can be solved as long as the land problem is solved.

For example, the problem of hidden households, solving the landlords, and checking the population are all follow-up work. They will not hide even if they are given money, because the land is really divided, and the land tax is further reduced. The current policy is to only pay one-fifteenth tax, and the head tax is abolished at the same time. There is no labor service, and working is paid for employment.

For example, when it comes to paying commercial taxes, those who dare to collude with the upper and lower levels are the industries run by people with foundations. Those who run small shops to make a living basically have no ability to resist. Whatever the government says is what they have to pay, and they even have to pay more. Their lives are quite difficult. They are not much better than the people who farm. Now that these people with foundations have been dealt with, their commercial taxes are naturally not a problem.

For example, the problem of corruption and collusion among local officials, and the problem of local gangsters being hired to commit crimes, the same is true. If the powerful families in the local area are exposed, what problems can't be found out? If they can't be found out, can't they fabricate them? At this time, there is no chance to distinguish who is a good person and who is a bad person. Regardless of good or bad, right or wrong, only standpoints. As long as they stand on the opposite side of Wang Xiang's reform, they will be dealt with.

For example, the problem of monopoly materials such as salt, iron, tea and wine, all the qualified families are big families, and now they are uprooted, and there is no way to deal with any conspiracy.

With the army in hand and the people's hearts, the Song Dynasty is really like calligraphy and painting, allowing Wang Yan to paint at will. He can do whatever he wants, which is a true reflection of his power.

Although such fierce anti-landlord movement will cause major impacts on the commercial trade of the Song Dynasty, it is only a problem in terms of operation. It will not affect the output and sales.

Maybe all the powerful people have been killed, and the remaining ones are not enough, but it doesn't matter. Wang Yan opened a government-run business and directly transferred them. At the same time, he provided loans to merchants who were not affected, allowing them to expand their industries and solve the commercial heritage of the original big families. Although there are inevitably some window periods, there are no big problems. It is a very smooth transition.

Of course, this is also problematic. During the implementation process, grassroots officials will still be corrupt and collude. And the newly cultivated ones, even if they are not landlords, are all kinds of commercial capital, and they all want to eat people.

But it is impossible to run them all by the government. After all, the current means of production are far from the level of "extreme abundance", and the government is not enough to take care of it.

Wang Yan completely wiped out everything in the Song Dynasty, from the organizational structure of the government to all kinds of social production and life, and reformed everything. It took six years.

And during these six years, he defeated Dali, subdued the barbarians in Lingnan, and entered Jiaozhi. At the same time, he also defeated Tubo and made the Uighurs submit.

This is Wang Yan's powerful personal ability. The world is a game of chess, and all aspects are under his control. The external war did not affect internal reforms, and internal reforms did not hinder the war.

On the contrary, the two were promoted. After all, without internal reforms and family love, the Song Dynasty could not sustain the consumption of war on all sides.

In the past six years, sweet potatoes, potatoes and other crops have spread to most of the world, and grain output has doubled. And he also thoroughly promoted banknotes.

In fact, banknotes are no longer limited to the northwest and foreigners. With the prosperity of business and the banks he opened all over the country, they have already been circulated. Some people even have banknotes in their hands, and they have comprehensive basis for implementation.

There is another very important thing, that is, in the imperial examination in the year when Wang Yan came to power, his "new learning" became a test question. In the following years, Xinxue became mainstream. Six years later, the new learning has become the highest thought guiding the development of the country and guiding individuals to pursue their careers. The views of being pragmatic and truth-seeking have also been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

All in all, under his hands, the Song Dynasty was no longer the familiar Song Dynasty, making everyone feel strange. Six years seemed like six hundred years had passed. That kind of vigorous vitality, needless to say, is so powerful that it makes people both happy and worried.

It's just that Wang Yan doesn't think it's enough, but others think it's enough, and enough can't be enough anymore.

At the beginning, Zhao Shu was very supportive of Wang Yan's reforms. However, as the reforms gradually deepened and the national power became stronger than originally imagined, Zhao Shu became somewhat satisfied.

The most important thing is that at that time, Wang Yan's reputation was already at its peak. Wang Yan placed many people in various positions on both the military and political sides. Zhao Shu resisted, but he couldn't resist. Those people were all because of various reasons. The illegal behavior was carried out by Wang Yan.

How is illegality determined? It was Wang Yan who led a group of people and rescheduled the rules one by one.

Of course, it can't be an excessive law, but if you want to cause trouble for someone, you can do anything at home, not to mention that the person who was wrong is still caught and has solid evidence to deal with it.

At that time, Zhao Shu wanted to stop, but he found that Wang Yan had unknowingly influenced the situation of the court. Veteran ministers were squeezed out, and close ministers did not dare to approach. Everyone kept silent and objected, and in fact became Wang Yan's voice. Among the people, Wang Yan's reputation is even more terrifying.

If you go out and take a walk, you will see that ten of the ten households offer Wang Yan’s longevity sign.

Zhao Shu didn't understand what kidnapping was. He didn't understand that when everyone worshiped Wang Yan, even if some people didn't want to worship, it wouldn't work. Anyone who didn't worship was a heretic. Neighbors wanted to exclude them, and even some low-level officials who admired Wang Yan extremely had to deal with them.

Wang Yan has actually driven the consciousness of the entire Song Dynasty to some extremes. But this extreme is good for Wang Yan's needs. If he works hard in one place, everyone will farm, produce, and live, increasing output value step by step, pushing the Song Dynasty to a new peak.

But Zhao Shu was afraid, and his headache became more severe. He began to make some small moves overtly and covertly. He wanted the organization to be able to dissipate Wang Yan's power at once.

In this way, until the first snow fell in the ninth year of Zhiping (1074), the imperial court compiled various data from the beginning to the autumn harvest of the year, including grain output, tax revenue, and the production growth of various materials, etc. Everyone was stronger than last year, and they were all in a state of joy.

The elders Ouyang Xiu and Bao Zheng asked Wang Yan to have a drink and enjoy the snow at noon.

The place is nothing special, just on the outer city wall of Bianjing. Snowflakes have fallen all over Bianjing City, and it is quite a feeling to watch the scene inside and outside the city from the city wall.

There is a pavilion on the city wall, and charcoal fires are lit in all directions in the pavilion. On this snowy day when there is no strong wind, the temperature of the pavilion is raised a lot. Seventy-five-year-old Bao Zheng and sixty-seven-year-old Ouyang Xiu were wrapped in thick fur coats.

Bao Zheng's physical fitness has plummeted in the past two years. His heart is not good, but Lao Bao is also a perseverant person. He has cultivated his character over the years, mainly because after Wang Yan came to power, Lao Bao has no rivals and is the one who complains the most. It's Wang Yan, and Wang Yan has always accepted criticism. So now I can still move around, eat and drink, and am in good spirits.

Ouyang Xiu was much stronger. Although he was the prime minister, all the power was in the hands of Wang Yan, and he was not required to do any work at all. He mainly studied literature, studied history, and other things, and was involved in education. Ouyang Xiu presided over the imperial examination every year. In addition, his age is much different, so he should be in better condition than Lao Bao.

Wang Yan, who is forty-four years old, is still handsome and handsome, because he does not look older and still looks in his twenties. For this reason, he deliberately grew his short beard and a goatee to make him look older.

Wang Yan was wearing a coat and playing with the pots of tea on the stove between the three of them. This tea has higher calories and is more flavorful, so the two old men can feel more comfortable.

"Bao Gong, teacher, why do you have to come here today? Wouldn't it be better to burn the earth dragon at home?" Wang Yan poured tea for the two of them, took a sip himself, and asked them with a smile.

Bao Zheng put down the tea cup, let out a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "I am already an old man, why don't I walk around outside more while I can move? How many times can it be cold again?"

Ouyang Xiu nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense, there is not much good time left. Calculating carefully, it has been twelve years since Xiwen passed away. The older I get, the more I feel like the deceased..."

"The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and a new generation replaces the old. This is the law of nature. Teachers don't have to worry, the students are now old people, and now it is the world of young people." Wang Yan poured tea for the two of them and served them.

After hearing Wang Yan's words, Ouyang Xiu and Lao Bao looked at each other and said: "Now our Song Dynasty is at its peak, even if it is as powerful as the Han and Tang Dynasties, it is far behind. The new law has been successful, the country is rich and the people are strong, and all industries are prosperous. Looking around, we can Invincible Hands, the ambitions you and I made in Yangzhou have now been realized. Since Ziyan understands the principle of replacing old people with new people, why not retire after success? It’s enough.”

"I haven't seen the official family for a few days..."

After listening to Wang Yan's words, Lao Bao understood the meaning. He is a real person and speaks truthfully: "You are right, Ziyan. It was the officials who asked me and I to convince you. Retiring after success is in fact. You know the fate of reformers since ancient times. . The benevolence and righteousness of officials will definitely not make things difficult for you. Besides, now that you are unworthy and at the top of the list, what else can you do if you have the intention to rebel?"

"The students are not people who want to exercise power, they just want to preserve the results of the reform. Today the students resign, and tomorrow everything in the past will come back. In less than five years, what it was like during the Qingli period will be what it was then. Everyone thinks it is enough, but in fact it is far from enough. The Song Dynasty today was created with the hard work of students, so how can we bear to let it go to waste. "

"Can you still control it for hundreds of years? Now that the new law has extended the life of the Song Dynasty for two hundred years, it is an immortal achievement." Ouyang Xiu answered. Both he and Bao Zheng tried to relieve Wang Yan and let Wang Yan take the initiative to delegate power.

"Students cannot control it for hundreds of years, but students can use decades to infiltrate the rules into the hearts of the people of our Song Dynasty. I dare not say more, but at least it can be guaranteed that at any time, foreigners cannot mess up our land in the Central Plains. Civil strife is inevitable, but the barbarians do not dare to have different intentions, and the people can also eat better.

Teacher, Mr. Bao, students, tell the truth. When students implement the new method, it is never for the Zhao family, but for the millions of Chinese people. Now that students are in power, no one dares to treat the people as human beings and bully and trample them at will. The people have dignity in order to make them live a better life. Nowadays, the common people cannot eat meat. The next step is to increase investment in animal husbandry. One day, everyone in the Song Dynasty can eat meat.

Bao Gong said that officials are benevolent and righteous, and the students tentatively agreed. However, no matter how benevolent and righteous, there is no reason for students to live. It was just a temporary appeasement, and the students were put under house arrest for two years before being killed. At that time, no matter what the reason is, the student will die of illness and will remain in history..."

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, and continued to pour tea for the two of them without stopping.

Many things can't be done just how you want them to be. Once Wang Yan became prime minister and implemented the new law, there was no turning back. Because he is not an ordinary minister, limited by his vision, the innovations he made still did not exceed the shackles.

He was different. His reforms were many years ahead of the times. Some systems are even the same as in modern times. What restricts development is productivity and the traffic of information. Except for the failure to capture the imperial power, his reforms were almost complete. His degree of centralization of power was also thorough, and he was destined not to be tolerated by the imperial power.

But the imperial power cannot be taken away, because after all, someone has to be in charge of everything. It is just a matter of restrictions. Even if he starts a parliamentary system, it will still be the same. In the end, he will still create a ruthless person. If not, it would be even worse. All we have is constant party strife and internal strife, weakening our own strength.

As for establishing a constitution, that is even more impossible. The Qing Dynasty was destroyed, but Puyi still had loyal ministers and people kowtow to him. What's more, at this time, it has been a hundred years since the Song Dynasty was founded, and there are more loyal ministers.

Even if a constitution is established, how will the prime minister be chosen? If they were not his descendants, Wang Yan, their family would definitely be in bad shape, and the results of the reform would be destroyed. Even if there is only a trace of willfulness and corruption in the upper-level power, it will be a huge chasm at the lowest level. The most terrifying thing is that, limited by position, selfishness, and vision, those in power are not corrupt and act from a better perspective, but the results are fatal.

This is not to mention the counterattack by the constitutional imperial power, or the ambitious prime minister who wants to be the emperor.

After weighing the pros and cons of all these outcomes, the best solution is for his old Wang family to become the emperor. After all, it is a fool to give up the imperial power, voluntarily give up the power to protect one's own safety, and be willing to be trapped and tortured to death without knowing when.

When the old Wang family is the emperor, the fruits of reform may not last long and will collapse, but what can be guaranteed is that for a long time, the descendants of his family will not be killed as pigs or regarded as political achievements. brush. If they want to make some major changes, the opposition can still argue that the ancestral system cannot be violated, so that they will not casually turn back the clock on history.

After hearing Wang Yan's words, Ouyang Xiu and Bao Zheng fell silent.

They know the truth Wang Yan said, and they also know that Wang Yan would be better off as emperor, but they have struggled for the Song Dynasty all their lives...

"Drink tea." Wang Yan was still smiling, gentle and generous, giving people peace of mind.

"It won't reach this point." Bao Zheng sighed.

"No, no, no..." Ouyang Xiu also sighed.

"Bao Gong, teacher, I said that I would establish my mind for the world, establish my life for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past saints, and bring peace to the world. But I never said that I would work hard for the Zhao family. If he can tolerate me, then I will be a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty. If he wants to kill me, then I will not sit and wait for death. The initiative is in the hands of the emperor. Let's see what he does. I am still the prime minister of the Song Dynasty!

But you can rest assured that I will not commit murder. After all, I have been an official in the Song Dynasty for 25 years, so I will not be so ruthless and ungrateful. In fact, I have a friendship with the emperor. But he didn't listen to me and became the emperor."

Wang Yan shook his head, looking a little sad, and smiled, "When I was in the northwest, the Song Dynasty could still tolerate me. Now there is no way to retreat, and I can't help myself. I can't Waiting to die. Bao Gong, stop staring at me, save your strength. If the government makes trouble, Bao Gong will live a few more years to see how I become the emperor. Teacher, you too, don't be upset, the Song Dynasty is not dead, it's only the Zhao family that is dead.

Blind loyalty is the most unacceptable. If it is a foreign race, I will never surrender. In my case, it's not that bad. At this age, what else can I be upset about? It's really not worth it to get angry with me. It's not too late to scold me later. There's plenty of time.

You should rest well at home in the next few days. If the government can send you to persuade me, I'm afraid they have already made preparations. Life or death will be decided in these two days. "

After that, without listening to the other words of the two, Wang Yan waved his hand and asked someone to help them leave and sent them back to their respective houses.

He drank tea alone on the city wall and roasted some beef jerky.

He didn't think about anything else, he was just enjoying the snow scenery.

He had long been indifferent to the day and night, and had long been unmoved by the wind. Time makes him strong and calm...

Wang Yan overestimated Zhao Shu's patience. Less than an hour after Lao Bao and Ouyang Xiu returned, when it was getting dark, someone came to the top of the city to convey the order, saying that Zhao Shu wanted to discuss with him how to deal with the snow disaster.

This is a good reason, because today's snow is really heavy.

Although there are precedents for this kind of disaster, the specific arrangements must be set by the upper level first and make plans. When receiving disaster reports from various places, solve the problem as soon as possible. Emperor Zhao Shu cares about the people and has no problems at all.

Wang Yan drank up the tea in one gulp, stood up, untied the fur coat he was wearing, put on his purple official robe, picked up the winged hat on the side, and put it on his head.

"Swoosh... Woo..."

The signal arrow rose to the sky on the city wall, and the sharp sound went far away. Then more signal arrows sounded, which was a response.

Wang Yan didn't care. He got off the tower and didn't take a carriage. He walked slowly in the snow with his hands behind his back. He stepped on the soft snow and made a creaking sound. Someone walking on the street recognized him, grinned and greeted him, wishing him a long life.

He walked towards the palace step by step.

I don't know when, there were fewer and fewer people on the street, and teams of armored soldiers appeared on the street. They were silent.

Bianjing City was very big. Wang Yan walked for a long time before he arrived at the gate of the palace. At this time, the palace gate was wide open, and outside the palace gate, there were all silent soldiers.

Wang Yan walked into the palace gate. The situation inside was not much better than outside. At least more than a thousand soldiers gathered. In the distance, clusters of torches could be seen, moving quickly, and occasionally a few shouts could be heard.

He kept walking inside. He smiled and nodded at the soldiers beside him, giving people a sense of security. From time to time, he would call out some people's names and give them a casual word of encouragement.

Just like that, he walked step by step to the Chongzheng Hall with the door wide open.

He stamped his feet, shook off the snow on his body, and then walked in.

This is a familiar place. Wang Yan took the palace examination here, entered the official career here, and participated in many grand court meetings here.

But today, there is only one person here.

Zhao Shu held the sword in one hand and rubbed his head with the other hand. He sat on the dragon chair in a daze, watching Wang Yan walk step by step to the imperial steps.

Wang Yan still had a smile on his face, stood still, bowed his hands, and saluted.

"Your Majesty, why did your Majesty rebel?"

Looking at Wang Yan's smiling face, Zhao Shu rubbed his head. He knew that Wang Yan was teasing him.

He asked in confusion: "When did it start?"

Wang Yan understood that Zhao Shu was asking why those generals who were won over by promising various benefits did not kill him, and when did they start to arrange it.

"From the day your majesty ascends the throne, let them accompany your majesty to relieve your boredom."

This is a bit of a murderous heart attack...

"Heh..." Zhao Shu smiled bitterly, and then threw the sword in his hand fiercely, "Traitor! Traitor! Wang Yan, you have long had the intention of rebellion, and my Song Dynasty..."

Wang Yan did not move, watching the sword fall not far in front of him. Zhao Shu on the dragon throne did not finish his words of condemnation, because he was so angry that he fainted because of his headache.

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "I have said that your majesty is not suitable to be an emperor, it will shorten your life. Come on, send your majesty back to rest."

Several soldiers came in from outside the hall, walked forward, and drove the unconscious Zhao Shu away.

Wang Yan turned and walked to the door of Chongzheng Hall again. He took a step out, and the wind and snow hit him, and the corners of his official robes flew up and down.

He put his hands behind his back and walked forward step by step, looking at the dark crowd below.

Finally, a soldier shouted.

"Long live the emperor!"

"Long live the emperor!"

"Long live the emperor!"

Wang Yan chuckled...

Under the light of the swaying torch, snowflakes flashed by at a very fast speed. If you enter the microscopic world, I'm afraid that the prismatic snowflakes are all reflecting ambitions...

The snow is getting heavier...

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