The illiterate life in the Northern Song Dynasty

When he got the news, Wei Shiyi was seeing a doctor in the medical center. A hunter went up the mountain to cut firewood, but accidentally fell down and broke his leg. Carefully holding the tool to help the Orion clean the wound.

The person who sent the news was none other than Wei Shiyi's acquaintance, Lin Chen, a brother of the Imperial Medical Bureau, and the reason why Lin Chen knew the news was because of Wu Fei.

As mentioned in the preface, Wu Fei's family conditions are not good. Their family is in a small village in a county under Dengzhou, named Wujia Village.

Dengzhou belongs to Jingdong Road, and the young crop method was first tried on Hebei Road, Jingdong Road, and Huainan Road.Wujia Village is in Dengzhou, so the young crop law was naturally implemented there.

The villagers of Wujia Village have been farming for generations. If the weather is good, they will have a good harvest that year, but if the weather is bad, they will have nothing to eat and will go hungry.

In the Song Dynasty, everyone had to pay taxes, even the peasants. Therefore, if the taxed grains were gone, their families would have no surplus grain, so that year would be very sad, and this year was like this.

Wu Fei passed the examination last year and entered the Criminal Prosecution Division as a petty official. He thought of the help the villagers gave him in the past, so he used his salary to help them, but his salary was not high enough to support a village. People, can only improve a little.

Wu Fei went back to Wujia Village before the Green Crop Law came out.He doesn't ask for leave on weekdays, and saves up all the vacations he has for taking a rest. Even during the Chinese New Year, he is also on duty.

Wu Fei went back this time not for other reasons, but to participate in his aunt's 50th birthday. In ancient times, due to many reasons, people's lifespan was generally not long, and people who lived to 50 years old could already be called longevity.

Therefore, a year ago, he began to prepare.He went back this time with the intention of celebrating, but not long after he went back, the imperial court promulgated a new reform law - the Green Crop Law.

The Young Crop Method was born out of the Changping warehouse system, which was a granary set up by the ancient Chinese government to adjust grain prices, store grain in preparation for shortages, and supply food for the government and the people.It is mainly to use the law of value to adjust the grain supply and give full play to the role of stabilizing the market value of grain.

When the market price of grain is low, appropriately raising the price of grain and conducting large-scale purchases will not only fill the large grain storage warehouses of the imperial court, the Taicang and Ganquan warehouses, but also fill the warehouses in the border counties.When the market price of grain is high, the price is appropriately lowered for sale.

This measure not only avoided "cheap grain hurting farmers", but also prevented "high grain hurting the people", played a positive role in stabilizing the grain market and consolidating the feudal regime, and reflected the interests and wishes of the people to a certain extent.

The Green Crop Law itself does not contradict the previous Changping system, but is largely an amendment to the latter.The functional design of the Young Crops Law still retains the way and function of the Changping system to save and adjust market prices.

During the relief of the Changping warehouse system before, there was a situation where there was no money and grain relief during a famine. Therefore, the Young Crop Law stipulates that during the normal relief, half of the Changping money and grain should be loaned out, and the other half should be kept as before. System management and use, still carry out related buying and selling activities, so that the previous situation can be avoided.

Not only that, but it also adjusted the relevant management system, "Each road in the imperial edict set up two officials for promotion, with court officials as one, and Beijing officials as one, or a total of two officials, and Kaifeng's prefectural circle as one. , all 41 people", which improved the disadvantages of Changping's money and food being borrowed and misappropriated by the Transit Department.

After the Green Crops Law came out, it is reasonable to say that this is a good policy that benefits the country and farmers. Farmers can borrow grain from the government and wait for a good harvest in the coming year before returning it to survive the famine.At the same time, the interest collected by the state can also fill the treasury.

This should be a policy that benefits both parties, so how can there be a situation where farmers don't want to live?

Wei Shiyi was shocked when he first heard the news, and then he found out why after listening to it.

The Green Crop Law does look good, but to determine whether a policy is good or bad, in addition to the good policy written in black and white, it also depends on how well it is implemented. Since ancient times, many good policies have failed because of inadequate implementation. Such is the law.

The county where Wujia Village is located is just a small county. Dengzhou is more than a few hundred kilometers away from Kaifeng, and it takes nearly ten hours to drive there on a modern high-speed car. It's a long way, and it can be said that it is the real version of the mountain high and the emperor is far away.

Where the emperor is far away from the mountain, the emperor is most likely to appear. In those small places, a county magistrate is the biggest official, and the common people dare not resist at all.Even the officials from central Beijing sometimes dare not touch the bad luck of those local emperors.

No matter in which era, even in a peaceful modern age, under the governance of the state, some officials enriched their own pockets, and this was naturally the case in the Song Dynasty.

The county where Wujia Village is located is using the Young Crop Law to seek personal gain for itself. He forces people with surplus food to take out loans, and then raises the interest rate for those who need loans. people are poorer.

During the Changping warehouse system, the county towns also exploited the people in the same way, but in order not to be discovered, they did it more secretly.But the new policy comes down, because a policy will have two outcomes, they just think that even if their implementation here is not good, it is because of the policy and laws, and has nothing to do with them.

As a result, the county magistrate's actions became much bigger.

Imagine that the people in Wujia Village couldn't even support themselves, and they borrowed money and food from the county. Even after this time, they couldn't see the future. Li, turned over and over again, the money and food they owed has reached a terrible level, and they can't see the future, so how can they have any hope of living.

So, someone committed suicide.

The pesticide that the man drank didn't die because Wu Fei was a doctor and rescued him in time.

Wu Fei did not return to Bianliang, and maybe he will not return to Bianliang in the future. Lin Chen and Wu Fei are friends. They are in the same state capital. Originally, he was looking for Wu Fei to go back to Beijing together, but something like that happened in Wujia Village , Wu Fei did not follow him back.

Dengzhou is far away from Bianliang, and almost no news from that side can get through. Therefore, when Wei Shiyi finally got to know the news, the Young Crop Law had been promulgated for almost a month.

"Hey! Do evil, do evil!" Lin Chen, who was sitting opposite Wei Shiyi, sighed.

Wei Shiyi pursed his lips, feeling extremely angry in his heart. It is true that Wang Anshi's reform may have many shortcomings, so the reform failed, but isn't what happened today one of the reasons for the failure?

The higher-ups planned well, but the lower-level people took advantage of the loopholes in laws and regulations to do all kinds of bad things. Even if Wang Anshi's reform was perfect, the reform would not be successful. How could the Song Dynasty not perish!

"Brother Lin, how many people know about this?" Wei Shiyi asked.

Lin Chen shook his head and said, "You are the only one who knows about this. You helped us when Wu Fei and I failed the exam. Now we have learned it with great difficulty, but he can't go back to Bianliang again." Serving Da Song, he felt very sorry for you, so he asked me to tell you about it."

Hearing this, Wei Shiyi was stunned for a moment, and then asked again, "I heard you say so much, it is clear that the county seat did this a long time ago, why didn't you report it to the officials? There is a state capital above the county seat, and the county magistrate is full of money , how can the state government ignore it?"

Lin Chen smiled wryly, and said, "Brother Shi, do you know how many counties there are under the state capital? There are too many to count, and besides, those farmers have no money, how long will it take to go from the village to the state capital? It is very likely that they have not yet When you reach the state capital, you will die on the way.”

It's not that they don't want to, but that conditions don't allow it.

What's more, some state capitals also colluded with the county magistrates. In this way, not to mention reporting to the officials, they could not even save their lives. This is the pain of the bottom people.

That's right, Wei Shiyi woke up from his anger and pondered.

No matter in which era, many people are oppressed, and those who hold power are always on top, while those below, if they do not have the ability to reach the sky, basically can only be bullied and cannot be changed.

You may still be able to petition in modern times, but what about ancient times?The transportation is underdeveloped, and there is no so-called Internet exposure, those dirty things can only be buried, and those people are still dignified as the emperor of the country, free and easy.

A country is ruined by that kind of person.The embankment of a thousand miles was destroyed by ant nests, as expected!

But so what?Did he just watch this happen and do nothing?If this is the case, how can he change the result of the failure of the reform, and how dare he say that he is doing his best to stop the process of the demise of the Song Dynasty?

Slowly exhaling, Wei Shiyi's mood has calmed down, but he has more thoughts in his heart than before. If he didn't know how to persuade that stubborn Mr. Wang to perfect the law at the beginning, he didn't rush for success , so now he has a solution.

Not only that, but if this matter is done well, it may even reach the level of redundant officials.Even if it is not possible to make redundant officials, it is still possible to pull out some moths in some countries.

Fortunately, he has a good relationship with Mr. Wang. Fortunately, he knows the confidants of the current emperor. Fortunately, the current emperor wants to make a career, and he will never allow this kind of person who hinders him to do his best Well, the confidant and the favored minister blowing the wind at the same time can always play a little role on the emperor's side.

Of course, the luckier thing was that Wang Anshi definitely hated those who disturbed his reform, while Zhou Yun only wanted Song to become stronger.

So, maybe his plan can be realized one or two.

Wei Shiyi had no other idea, but to tell them about it and see how they deal with it.

"Senior brother Lin, I understand, you go back first. It's just that I need your help with something, I hope you don't refuse when the time comes."

Lin Chen was a little curious and asked, "What's the matter?"

"It's today's matter. I hope that when I need it, you can tell me the truth again. At the same time, if possible, you may also be required to provide a list of those officials who have pocketed their pockets." After a pause, Wei Shiyi was serious. Said: "I will protect your personal information from being known by those people, so can you promise me this matter?"

Provide a list of officials. If some officials are caught and missed, then Lin Chen is likely to end up with a bad result. Therefore, Wei Shiyi said that he will protect his personal information on the premise.

Having said that, Lin Chen knew what Wei Shiyi was planning.He thought about it, nodded fiercely, "Okay!"

Those officials are domineering, if they are arrested, it will be their retribution!

After sending Lin Chen away, Wei Shiyi went out to heal the Orion's injury, handed over the follow-up to Lin Jinyuan, and then left the medical hall to the Yuquan gymnasium.

Because Zhou Yun introduced Wei Shiyi to the Yuquan Gym, Wei Shiyi often went to the Yuquan Gym to learn marksmanship after the exam. Ordinary people's health is even worse, so Wei Shiyi didn't study very well, but he persisted, and he also felt that his body seemed to be getting better.

Zhou Yun and Zhou Tong have a good relationship. He introduced Wei Shiyi here. He usually goes to the Yuquan Gym when he is resting, and sometimes teaches Wei Shiyi how to use a gun.

It can be said that the later Yuquan Gym became the place where Wei Shiyi and Zhou Yun met. There, Wei Shiyi could learn marksmanship from Zhou Yun, and Zhou Yun would also teach them with all his heart. The relationship between the two was closer than before. .

Today is the time for Zhou Yun to rest, and he should be in the Yuquan Gym at this time.Having been with Zhou Yun for so long, Wei Shiyi already knew when Zhou Yun would take a rest.

Sure enough, when Wei Shiyi went to the Yuquan Gym, he learned that Zhou Yun had already arrived.

It's just that he went by accident, Zhou Yun was discussing with Zhou Tong when he went.Both of them are masters of martial arts, one uses fists, the other uses legs, using internal strength, the fight is inseparable, and the surrounding wind is strong, making people afraid to approach.

It is taboo to disturb during the fight, so Wei Shiyi could only reluctantly wait in a hurry, but after waiting for a while, he was not so anxious and calmed down a lot.

There is no rush for this matter, it should be done slowly.

"Brother Shi, are you here?"

Wei Shiyi was thinking there, when he suddenly heard Zhou Tong's voice, he looked up and saw Zhou Tong smiling at him.Immediately Wei Shiyi also smiled at Zhou Tong and said, "Master, I'm here."

Zhou Tong heard this, and suddenly said to Wei Shiyi: "Then you come over and fight me, and it happens that Yuhou is also here, let him see the results of my teaching you these days."

Wei Shiyi is not in good health, but he is very serious about studying, so Zhou Tong has a good impression of Wei Shiyi.Although he is not his apprentice, it is almost the same.

Wei Shiyi nodded immediately after listening, "Okay!"

It happened that he was angry, and this fight was just for venting.

So in the next moment, the people in the venue became Wei Shiyi and Zhou Tong, and Zhou Yun became a person watching from the side.

Holding a long spear, Wei Shiyi shot towards Zhou Tong. Although he didn't learn very well because of his poor health, and he couldn't learn inner strength, the skills of the long spear he learned were not lost at all. , very precisely.

Poking, picking, twisting flowers, and turning are all relatively skillful. Although the craftsmanship is still there, after a few more years of playing, the gun will become a part of his own body.

Zhou Tong didn't have a gun in his hand, he was good at using fists, and he took off Wei Shiyi's attack with just a pair of fists.

When Wei Shiyi picked it up, he sideways avoided it, then clenched his fists, crossed his arms, and firmly tucked the tip of the gun between his arms.Wei Shiyi poked him, and he quickly backed away, then turned around with a kite, and landed behind him, pushed the gun barrel with his palm, and the long gun in Wei Shiyi's hand fell out of his hand.

Wei Shiyi was defeated, so he came again.The second time was better than the first time, and he persisted for a longer time, which shows that he has made great progress.

After playing for a few rounds, Wei Shiyi lost his strength. Zhou Tong smiled with satisfaction. He didn't mock Wei Shiyi for his failure, but he was very satisfied with Wei Shiyi's progress, showing everyone's demeanor.

Then, he said to Zhou Yun: "Zhou Yuhou, do you think I can teach well?"

"Teacher Zhou is naturally very good at teaching." Zhou Yun said, although his face was expressionless, he affirmed Zhou Tong's ability.

"Okay, I think brother Shi came to see you today for something, so I won't delay here, you guys talk first, and come to me later if you need it."

Then Zhou Tong left.

Wei Shiyi took a deep breath and walked to Zhou Yun's side.

Zhou Yun asked Wei Shiyi to sit down, then stood behind him, put his hands on his arms, and kneaded them gently.Wei Shiyi's arms were so sore, he couldn't help moaning after being pinched by Zhou Yun.

Immediately, Zhou Yun's eyes darkened for a moment.Then, he thought more.

Changing their meeting place to the Yuquan Gym, firstly, they can get along with Wei Shiyi for a long time, and secondly, this is it.

He can use the opportunity to teach Wei Shiyi marksmanship to contact him, and he can also help him loosen his muscles and bones. Even if he has those thoughts in his heart, he will not let people know easily.

Next time, why don't you teach Wei Shiyi boxing, the long spear is too long, and the distance between him and Wei Shiyi is too far, so it's not easy to get close.

Zhou Yun was thinking of other ways to get close to Wei Shiyi, but he suddenly heard Wei Shiyi talking.He was absent-minded and didn't hear it just now, so he asked again in a tactful way.

Sure enough, Wei Shiyi didn't notice that he was distracted, but Wei Shiyi didn't say anything more, but took his hand, found a secluded place in the Yuquan Gym, saw that there was no one around, and then spoke again.

"The Green Crop Law has been promulgated, do you know the effect?" Wei Shiyi said.

Zhou Yun frowned, and then said: "The effect of the young crop method is not as good as that of the uniform loss method, but after inquiring and the news from other state capitals, it seems to be not bad. Many villagers who have no food have borrowed money and food. In the coming year, not only will the villagers survive the famine, but the granaries of Song Dynasty will also be filled."

This is the purpose of the Green Sprouts Law, and it will be the same if it is implemented correctly. Therefore, according to the 'effect' given by those people on the surface, this is the result Zhou Yun inferred.

However, all of this is false, even if it is true, how much is true and how much is false?

Wei Shiyi decided to tell the story, so he didn't hesitate.Therefore, he immediately said to Zhou Yun: "If the officials below implement the policy, the result will naturally be like this in the coming year, but if those officials fill their pockets, then in the coming year, it will not be such a result." The state of prosperity, but the people are living in dire straits and complaints abound.”

Sure enough, just as Wei Shiyi had imagined before, Zhou Yun's expression changed immediately.

With a sullen face, Zhou Yun asked, "What do you mean by that?" At this moment, he couldn't care less about beating Wei Shiyi.

Then, Wei Shiyi told Zhou Yun exactly what Lin Chen had told him, knowing that there was something like Wujia Village in Dengzhou, so would other states also have that kind of thing?

"Yu Hou, I'm just an ordinary person, and I can't do anything to those officials, but even an ordinary person, I can't just watch that kind of thing happen." Wei Shiyi said, "Now is the critical moment when the law is released. This kind of thing happens frequently, and the reform will definitely...cannot be successful!"

It is said that those who win the hearts of the people win the world, so the reform is naturally the same. If the people do not support it, and there are opposition groups making moves, how could Wang Anshi's reform be successful.

If the previous words were Wei Shiyi’s small matter of officials enriching their own pockets, then the latter words were about the future of the Song Dynasty. Immediately, Zhou Yun’s face changed drastically and became extremely gloomy.

As the emperor's confidant, he sat in the position of Yuhou, the capital of the palace. He came to defend the palace, and secondly, he also took on the duty of inquiring about news for the emperor.

The emperor cannot leave the palace easily, and the situation of the people can only be known by people who bring them in.Although there was an Imperial City Secretary to inquire about the news, Zhou Yun, who grew up with the emperor, also assumed this responsibility.

At the beginning of the reform, the emperor gave Zhou Yun this task, asking him to inform him of the outside situation.

The effect of the uniform loss method was good before, so Zhou Yun said it truthfully, but now the young seedling method can’t come out so quickly because the effect is not so fast, and the officials passed it to the emperor because there are many people borrowing money, which seems to be okay, so Zhou Yun thought That was true, and now he learned something completely different.

Those people dare to deceive the officials like this, they really deserve to die!

Zhou Yun's muscles tensed up, and the corners of his mouth were drawn into a straight line. He said to Wei Shiyi in a gentle tone, "I may not be able to practice martial arts with you today, but now I have to go to the palace. You can practice here by yourself." on."

Of course Wei Shiyi knew where Zhou Yun was going, so he nodded immediately and said, "It's okay, you can go about your business."

Then, Zhou Yun left.But Wei Shiyi didn't stay here, he also left the Yuquan Gym, and then headed towards the Wang's residence.

There are many reasons why Wang Anshi's reform failed, but one of the reasons must be the eagerness for success.If he is slowed down, the hidden dangers are resolved, and the shocking law is issued, then the chances of success of the reform will be greatly increased.

The current incident in Wujia Village is an opportunity to slow down Wang Anshi.