In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

In the Guanjia Hall, according to the past, after the morning court, both the emperor and the prime minister would go back to have a short rest before starting today's government affairs.

The prime minister went to the Political Affairs Hall to manage the affairs, and the emperor had more freedom. Those who were diligent went to the Yanhe Hall to review memorials. However, during the Zhao Zhen period, it was changed to the Chongde Hall.

Therefore, it is impossible for the prime ministers such as Sanxiang Sancan and others to be in the Guanjia Hall in the Houyuan at this time. This was also not a place where they could come before.

But at this moment, the officials of the Song Dynasty held a meeting that could change the future of the Song Dynasty in Guanjia Palace, a palace that was originally inconspicuous and only used to show off the annual mulberry farming.

Zhao Zhen sat on the Grand Master's chair above the Guanjia Hall. Since this was not a serious court meeting, he asked Wang Shouzhong to move a few chairs and place them below, and many ministers sat on the left and right.

Just at this time, Fan Zhongyan also walked in, saluted Zhao Zhen and said: "Official family."

Zhao Zhen asked: "Where is Zhao Jun?"

"I'm probably tired. Now I need to take a nap."

Fan Zhongyan replied.

"Um."

Zhao Zhen nodded: "Fan Qing came just in time, let's sit down and chat together."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Fan Zhongyan sat on the bottom chair.

Although he dared to call him prime minister, he was just a secretary and a young eunuch, with the lowest official position, so he could only sit at the bottom.

After he sat down, Zhao Zhen looked around at the crowd and said, "It has been more than a month since Zhao Jun came to the Song Dynasty. The imperial doctor said that his condition will probably be cured in ten days and a half, or in another month. When he opens his eyes, he probably won’t be able to hide it anymore.”

"At least we can be sure that everything he said during the period when he was invisible was the truth."

Lu Yijian hesitated slightly.

Because he suddenly remembered that during this period, Zhao Jun often caught Zhao Zhen's family and scolded him. After scolding Zhao Zhen himself, he scolded his grandfather again, and the swear words he said became more unpleasant each time.

If everything is true, wouldn't it mean that Zhao Zhen is a fool, a stupid donkey, and an old pervert?

So Lu Yijian suddenly regretted why he took on this problem.

Fortunately, Zhao Zhen didn't think so much at the time and nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's right. Now we know a lot about the future. What do you think, if we want to make the Song Dynasty strong and strong and change the shame of Jingkang?" ?”

When Fan Zhongyan heard this, he immediately became energetic and said immediately: "The officials naturally reform the country and reform customs, eliminate diseases and eliminate disadvantages. In the past, the Qin State was in trouble, and it was only with the reform of Lord Shang that the Qin State became strong and prosperous, and finally unified the world. The momentum of the moment , It can only be a temporary method. If you don’t think about changes and stick to the methods of your ancestors, how can you last long?”

"Um."

Everyone nodded after hearing this. This is something everyone knows.

Zhao Zhen looked at his future reform general and asked hopefully: "Fan Qing, where do you think we should start?"

Fan Zhongyan thought for a while and said: "The Song Dynasty has been sick for too long. As Zhao Jun said, almost all the surplus from the state treasury was used for military expenses. The soldiers and horses that could be raised had no fighting power. Later, they were defeated by Xixia in succession. This shows that Disadvantages.”

"Well."

Zhao Zhen pondered slightly.

Lu Yijian frowned and asked in a serious tone: "Do you still want to reform the military system?"

As soon as these words came out, Fan Zhongyan's expression changed drastically.

The military system of the Song Dynasty was left behind by brothers Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi. Except for the border troops and the local Xiang troops who stayed in various states, the main troops were concentrated in Bianliang, which was the Forbidden Army.

At the beginning, the number of the Forbidden Army was not large, but by the time of Song Renzong, the number of the Forbidden Army had grown to more than 800,000.

Because there were too many uprisings in the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial court called for peace, and all the people who called for peace were packed into the Forbidden Army. As a result, the personnel became more and more bloated, and the number of soldiers and horses increased sharply.

The Song Dynasty itself was rich, so it would be a good thing if they could train these 800,000 forbidden troops into elite troops.

After all, in addition to being responsible for the security of Bianliang, the Forbidden Army also has to go to the border to fight. If so many people are used well, it will not be a problem to violently attack Xixia and Liao.

However, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty did not feel comfortable handing over the army to the generals, so the training of the Forbidden Army was usually handled by the instructors, that is, Lin Chong's group, and would not give the generals military power.

When there was a war, the emperor would ask the Privy Council to mobilize troops, and then send generals to lead these soldiers to the border. As a result, "the soldiers did not know the generals, and the generals did not know the soldiers", which seriously jeopardized the combat effectiveness of the Forbidden Army.

But the advantage of doing so is also obvious, that is, the military power is completely in the hands of the emperor, completely eliminating the possibility of generals like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms overthrowing the regime.

Therefore, if the military system is reformed, it will touch the bottom line of imperial power.

No matter how stupid Fan Zhongyan is, he knows that there are some things that can be said and some things that cannot be said. He quickly denied it and said: "Of course not. I think you all know the harm of three redundancies better than anyone. Zhao Jun also said that if they are forcibly removed, it will be tantamount to ruining the country." , Therefore, there is an urgent need to slow down the situation, and the first priority is to redundant officials. "

"hehe."

Lu Yijian immediately said tit for tat: "Didn't you listen to what Zhao Jun said? If we want to reform the government, we must first let the officials reform themselves. Who will agree? Didn't Zhao Jun tell you how many people will oppose Qingli's new policy in the future? ? How many people attacked you?"

Fan Zhongyan got angry and immediately pushed back and said: "So what? I'm never afraid. Zhao Jun said that it is imperative to reform the government. Since this direction is right, I will go on even if I die."

Lü Yijian sneered, "How many lives do you have to fight against all the officials in the world? Do you know how many government affairs will be delayed if the officials of various states and roads are dismissed because of you? If more than 3,000 officials and more than 20,000 clerks in Bianliang stop doing government affairs, Bianliang will be in chaos within a day."

Fan Zhongyan ignored him and bowed to Zhao Zhen and said, "I believe the emperor has already understood what Zhao Jun said. If there is no reform, the Song Dynasty will be in danger. Lü Yijian opposes the reform because he is a conservative interest group in Zhao Jun's mouth. Does the emperor want to watch the Song Dynasty wither away by the three redundancies?"

"You!"

Lü Yijian was furious, and Fan Zhongyan used the trick of standing on the moral high ground again.

Zhao Zhen frowned.

Fan Zhongyan was a minister he valued and a reformist minister appointed by Zhao Jun, but he seemed to be too rash in doing things.

Didn't Zhao Jun say before that this matter needed to be slowed down?

"Your Majesty, we still need to think long-term about the issue of redundant officials. There are too many officials in the Song Dynasty, and the number is increasing year by year. If such a big change is made all at once and so many officials are removed, the country may not be able to bear it."

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is a good thing that Fan Xiwen wants to eliminate the malpractices, but we can't act too hastily. Let's wait until Zhao Jun recovers his eyesight."

"I also think it is necessary to think about it again."

The three ministers and three counselors, including Wang Zeng and Cai Qi who were at odds with Lu Yijian, actually stood on the same side as him and opposed the immediate reform of redundant officials.

It's not that they rebelled, but they did have considerations of their positions and interests, as well as concerns about the consequences of the issue of redundant officials.

During the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the number of officials had reached more than 40,000, twice that of the Tang Dynasty. You should know that the peak area of ​​the Tang Dynasty was more than 12 million square kilometers, while the Song Dynasty was only 2.8 million square kilometers, which shows how serious the redundant officials in the Song Dynasty were.

And these are just officials, not clerks. A county has only four officials, the county magistrate, the county magistrate, the chief clerk and the county lieutenant, and the number of clerks required is at least ten times that of officials.

Although these officials are hired by the officials, most of them are subsidized by the Song Dynasty court. Otherwise, how can they afford it with the officials' salaries?

If the reform is really carried out according to Fan Zhongyan's Qingli New Deal, it will not only affect the cake of the 40,000 officials, but also the cake of more than 400,000 or 500,000 clerks in the world. The sum of these interest groups is no worse than the problem of reforming redundant soldiers.

So even if it is really necessary to reform, it cannot be done immediately, but it is hoped that Zhao Jun's eyes will recover and then discuss it with him to see if he has any solution.

Seeing that everyone opposed it, Zhao Zhen looked at Fan Zhongyan helplessly and said, "Mr. Fan, let's wait until Zhao Jun's eyes recover."

"Your Majesty."

Fan Zhongyan wanted to say something, but seeing Zhao Zhen's helpless face, he could only sigh and sit back in his seat.

This world is always full of helplessness. Although they know that the problem is serious, they have no solution.

In fact, Fan Zhongyan wanted to reform the civil service, but it was a helpless move.

Because among the three redundancies, redundant soldiers were the bottom line of the imperial power, and no one dared to risk their lives to touch this mine.

What are redundant expenses?

In fact, it is the extra expenses generated by redundant officials and redundant soldiers.

For example, the money that the court took away by tea merchants in the Jiaoyin Law was a kind of redundant expenses.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to tea merchants, there are redundant expenses for the Xiang army, the imperial army, and the border army, the empty salaries of the army, the money spent on recruiting, and the expenses of generals' corruption.

There are also officials' subsidies, official fields, silk cloth, food, rewards, ice and charcoal, spices, ambassadors' money, coupons, etc., which are also redundant expenses in addition to basic salaries and wages.

It can be said that redundant expenses are actually the result of merchants, officials, and the army sucking blood from the Song Dynasty court together.

If you want to solve the redundant expenses, you have to solve the redundant officials and redundant soldiers, but Fan Zhongyan can't touch the mine of redundant soldiers, so can't he only cut the redundant officials?

But now Zhao Zhen obviously has no way to deal with the redundant officials for the time being, and it seems that he can only wait for Zhao Jun's eyes to recover.

But what if Zhao Jun can't do anything after his eyes recover?

After all, he is just a man who talks big but does nothing. Does the future of the entire Song Dynasty depend on a young man with no experience?

"The three redundant matters are too complicated. If we are not careful, the country may be in great danger."

Seeing that Fan Zhongyan had stopped, Lu Yijian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This matter should be put aside for the time being, and we can talk about it after Zhao Jun's eyes recover. If we put the three redundant matters aside, the next plan should be to strengthen the country?"

"Develop industry?"

Zhao Zhen asked hurriedly: "But we only heard Zhao Jun say what is needed to develop industry, but we don't know how to develop it specifically."

"Uh"

Lu Yijian was embarrassed.

Wang Zeng also said helplessly: "Then let's wait for Zhao Jun."

Zhao Zhen said dissatisfiedly: "Why do we have to wait for him for everything? Without him, the Song Dynasty will not survive?"

"Your Majesty, there is no way. Didn't Zhao Jun say it? If we want to have an industrial revolution, we need a large number of engineering talents, as well as oil and rubber. We all need Zhao Jun's help."

Wang Sui smiled bitterly and said: "And let's not talk about whether oil and rubber can be found. Even if we can find them, what about the talents? So we can only wait for Zhao Jun. We need Zhao Jun to help us build a scientific system."

"Okay, what's the next step?"

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to say: "Zhao Jun said that Zhao Yuanhao will rebel and establish a country soon. We should be able to make up our own minds this time, and we don't need Zhao Jun."

"Let Fan Xiwen go according to our previous plan."

Lu Yijian glanced at Fan Zhongyan and said that if this man could not be in the court, he would live a few more years.

"But Zhao Jun said that even if Fan Qing goes, at most there won't be a big defeat. Can I just watch helplessly as Zhao Yuanhao builds the Xixia Kingdom?"

Zhao Zhen was very dissatisfied.

Li Yuanhao was actually semi-established. He had previously established himself as the Duke of Xia, and in front of the envoys of the Song Dynasty, he threatened to establish a country and become the emperor, on an equal footing with the Song Dynasty and Liao Dynasty.

This kind of face-riding behavior made Zhao Zhen very unhappy.

In the past, he felt that he did not have the ability to kill Li Yuanhao, so he could only hold it in and did not dare to fall out with Li Yuanhao.

But now that Zhao Jun is here, why should he still be humiliated by Li Yuanhao?

Mainly because Zhao Zhen was holding his breath during this period.

Being scolded by Zhao Jun every day, no matter how good-tempered he is, he can't stand it. If he hadn't often smashed things to vent his anger, he would have blown up his lungs.

Now Li Yuanhao is sitting on his head again, shitting and peeing, which is unbearable.

If I can’t cure Zhao Jun, I can’t cure you?

So Zhao Zhen was very angry and wanted to teach Li Yuanhao a lesson.

However, the official family of the Song Dynasty was angry, but the prime ministers knew that things were not that simple.

Historically, Li Yuanhao won three out of three battles and defeated the Song Dynasty. How could this be solved by Zhao Jun telling them history?

Fighting relies on hard power. With the combat power of the soldiers and horses on the border of the Song Dynasty, there is nothing that can be done.

Therefore, Lu Yijian had no choice but to say in the end: "Zhao Jun said that even if Fan Xiwen goes, he can only remain undefeated at most. It is still too difficult to win the battle and eliminate Zhao Yuanhao, otherwise"

"What else?"

Zhao Zhen asked.

"or."

Lu Yijian hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about we wait until Zhao Jun's eyesight recovers?"

Me!

Lu Yijian's words almost made Zhao Zhen pee on the spot.

Even if Zhao Jun's eyes are not healed, Da Song still can't do anything?

Originally, he hoped that before Zhao Jun's eyesight could heal, he would make some political achievements for future generations to see and tell him that he was not as bad as he thought.

As a result, the ministers under his command were at a loss to deal with the dilemma.

Then you guys need a hammer!

Might as well raise a few pigs.

At least the pigs can still eat it.

At this moment, Zhao Zhen felt unprecedented malice.

It seems that this group of people cannot be counted on in the future!