To The Land of Nevernight

In summer, showers come quickly and go quickly.

After officially entering June, the weather is getting hotter and hotter every day.Maybe it rained too much last summer, which used up all the coolness this year, and this year's summer is extremely hot.In the Palace of Qinzheng, the officials of the fourth rank were sweating profusely, but they were in the imperial palace, and they were officials in the Zhengshi Hall of the Palace of Qinzheng, so they had to pay attention to their appearance.So even if they were sweating all over in the heat, they couldn't take off their clothes and could only bear it silently.

Tang Shen read a booklet, thought twice, and wrote two lines of small characters with a green pen at the end of the booklet.

After putting this notebook into the pile of memorials that he had read, Tang Shen picked up another notebook.He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked seriously.

"Adults, let's drink mung bean soup."

After noon, more than a dozen officials carried jars of mung bean soup into the house.

All the officials breathed a sigh of relief and began to drink mung bean soup.There is no soup in this mung bean soup, it actually tastes slightly bitter, but at this time, a bowl of mung bean soup is already extremely delicious.

After finishing the mung bean soup, Tang Shen was about to continue his errands when he saw an official holding a tray and putting a stack of memorials on his desk.

The official said: "Master Tang, follow the order of Mr. Xu. From today onwards, you will mainly read military newspapers from the northwest."

Tang Shen paused, raised his head and said, "Listen to Mr. Xu's orders."

When it was time to leave the Yamen at night, Xu Wei called Tang Shen over and said, "How's the military newspaper in the Northwest today?"

Tang Shen lowered his head slightly, and said respectfully: "In the past, I used to read mostly the papers submitted by officials from various places to the capital. Today, I read the military newspapers from the northwest, and I haven't gotten used to it for a while. Please don't worry, my minister will be able to do better tomorrow. "

Xu Wei smiled and said: "Master Tang has been to Cizhou and seen the official road in Cizhou. You must also know that the purpose of building these three official roads is not only for business exchanges, but also for military reserves. Many people are concerned about this matter. There are guesses, don’t be surprised, I know of course. However, the officials in the court can guess some clues, and the Liao people are not incapable. At the beginning of the year, the Liao people broke the law, and a group of Liao people who called themselves bandits sneaked in under the cover of night. In the city of Youzhou, a murder case was committed. The northwest is not easy, and the military situation in the northwest is even more important. You have to watch carefully."

Tang Shen looked at the ground calmly and said, "Yes."

After leaving Qinzheng Hall, Tang Shen recalled the Northwest Army newspapers he saw today.

Xu Wei is right, the situation in the Northwest this year is more severe than previous years.Not only in Youzhou, but from Youzhou to the east, all the way to Cizhou, there is a tendency for Liao people to commit crimes.

Most of the notes submitted by local officials were to tell the emperor about major events that happened in the region. In order to please the emperor, the officials even specially wrote a memorial and sent it over thousands of miles to flatter them.

"But if I read the Northwest Army Daily, I will no longer know about local affairs."

Tang Shen had his own thoughts in his heart.

It doesn't mean that the memorials written by officials from all over the country will be sent to Tang Shen for him to read.But now he can't see a book at all.

Xu Wu's behavior made Tang Shen suspicious, but he couldn't think of any clue at the moment.

Within a few days, the paper presented by Right Prime Minister Wang Quan at the morning court in early June showed results.

On June [-]th, in the early dynasty, in the Zichen Palace.

Wang Quan took another step forward and said: "Since the first emperor, due to the continuous war between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom, the army has a lot of food and pay, so the national treasury has been empty for a long time. But in the tenth year of Kaiping, our Song Dynasty signed a peace treaty with the Liao Kingdom , Since then, for 19 years, the two countries have governed by themselves and never invaded each other. The people are heavily taxed, and because of the chaos caused by the war. Now the world is peaceful, and there should be a change."

As soon as these words fell to the ground, one person said: "Master Wang, this is not appropriate. Although my Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom have lived in peace for [-] years, every year, the Liao people are staring at them. The wolf ambition of the Liao people, the people of the world Everyone knows! If the army’s rations are reduced casually, once there is a change, who will be able to bear it?”

It was a third-rank general among the military attaches who spoke.

Most of the military officers in the Song Dynasty guarded the frontiers and managed the armies in various places.Many of the military officers staying in Shengjing are elderly.But it was these people who were never afraid of the power of powerful ministers, even a third-rank general would dare to challenge Wang Quan.

Wang Quan was not angry either, he snorted and said, "General Zhao, why did I ever say that the army's rations would be withheld?"

General Zhao: "Hey, what do you mean?"

Wang Quan ignored him, but bowed to Zhao Fu and said: "I beg your Majesty, Xuanchen's Fu has changed 23 items!"

Zhao Fu looked at Wang Quan quietly, and looked around among the officials.Finally, he waved his hand and said, "Xuan."

The chief eunuch Ji Fu immediately stepped forward, took out a notebook, and read it aloud.

Assign and change 23 articles!

More than ten years ago, Right Prime Minister Wang Quan said these six words in the early court, but until now, the officials didn't know what it was!

Wang Quan's tax reform started from the local land tax, and deprived it layer by layer from bottom to top, and finally raised the tax reform to the clan landlord class.He tried his best to reduce the cumbersome intermediate links in tax collection, and even proposed the rule of directly collecting local taxes to the central government and finally dispatching them uniformly.

After Ji Fu read out this provision, the ruling and opposition parties were shocked.

In the past, local taxes were basically handed over to the central government first, and then distributed from the central government.But no one has ever done it so thoroughly, so meticulously!

If this plan is really followed, the country's tax revenue will indeed be reduced, but the people will be richer.If things go on like this, because the people are rich, the treasury will be filled again.The problem is that this tax reform requires extremely high tax collection efficiency, and it doesn't matter if it is close to the provincial capital of Shengjing, what about places far away from Shengjing?

At this time, Zuo Xiang Ji Wengji took a step forward and said: "There are 23 Fu reforms, there are advantages and disadvantages, so it's okay. Your minister, please re-open Du Zhisi to guide the 23 Fu reform rules!"

When the voice fell to the ground, there was an uproar in Zichen Palace.

Everyone raised their heads one after another, looking at Ji Wengji standing in front of the Baiguan.

Zuoxiang Ji Wengji is a very legendary figure.

Ji Wengji, character Yuanxiu, was a Jinshi in the period of the first emperor.When Zuo Xiang was young, he was not well-known, and was sent by the late emperor to serve as the county magistrate of a certain county in Xingzhou, and he served as the county magistrate for six years.Later, because the Ministry of Industry made great contributions in controlling the Yellow River that year, the county governed by Zuo Xiang happened to collide with the project planning route of the Ministry of Industry. Became the governor of a government.

After he became governor, Ji Wengji's legendary life began.

The Yellow River flows through Xingzhou and passes through Xingzhou.Ji Wengji had a lot of experience in managing the Yellow River. Under his rule, the Yellow River never flooded once. In Xingzhou, the people were happy and happy, and it seemed like a paradise.Xingzhou became more and more prosperous. After five years, the first emperor also found out that Ji Wengji seemed to have some skills, so he summoned him to Shengjing.

When he entered Shengjing, Ji Wengji was already 40 years old.The next year, when the Liao army invaded, he followed the army to fight in the northwest.

Neither the first emperor nor Marshal Xu, who was in command of the three armies at that time, never expected that a scholar in his 40s could defeat the Liao army!Zuo Xiang didn't have magic tricks, nor did he have a legendary battle of winning more with less, but he just fought steadily step by step, facing the enemy separately, forcibly dismantling the Liao army, and defeated the so-called 30 Liao army with 50 Song troops.

Since then, Zuo Xiang, who was born in a poor family, became the late emperor's confidant.

When it was Zhao Fu's turn to be emperor, Ji Wengji also made meritorious deeds many times.In the 21st year of Kaiping, Zhao Fu personally appointed him as the left minister to lead all the officials.

When Ji Wengji said that Du Zhisi would be reopened, everyone had to be shocked by this incident, and some people even quietly cast their eyes on Wang Quan, and the Hubu Shangshu Wang Qin who stood not far behind Wang Quan.

Duzhisi is a financial institution that was abolished by Taizu himself.

In the previous dynasty, there were six ministries and a household department, but the financial power of the country was not in the household department, but in three departments: the household department department, the salt and iron department and the Duzhi department.The Household Department is in charge of the Household Department Division, while the Three Divisions are in charge of the Prime Minister.The prime minister controls most of the political power!

Taizu abolished the three divisions and promoted the status of the six divisions in order to weaken the prime minister's power.

Now that Ji Wengji suddenly said that he would reopen the Du Branch, how could the officials not be shocked?

However, Zhao Fu's reaction was somewhat intriguing.The expression on his face didn't change much, he looked at Ji Wengji and said, "Why did Ji Xiang say that?"

Ji Wengji: "If the 23 tax reforms are really implemented, the most difficult part is this unique bottom-up reform system. Throughout the ages, any political reform has been from top to bottom, from small to many , Only in this way can it be beneficial to control. But the 23 tax reforms, starting with the most populous civilians, how to confirm the financial allocation and the results of the tax reform have become the top priority!"

At this moment, a voice sounded: "Does Prime Minister Zuo want to reopen the Du Zhi Division or the Third Division?"

It was none other than Ji Wengji's Zuo Cheng Chen Linghai who also came from a poor family!

Ji Wengji glanced at him, and opened his mouth slowly.

In the court hall, a vigorous debate began.

As a fourth-rank petty official, Tang Shen had no chance to intervene at such a time.He stood silently at the back of the hundred officials, from a distance he could only see the backs of the four Xianggong's and Wang Qin's heads, even Zhao Fu's face could not be seen clearly.

Ji Wengji wanted to reopen the Duzhi Division, but Chen Linghai disagreed, and of course Wang Quan also did not agree.

Today's Minister of the Household Department is Wang Qin, Wang Quan's nephew.After opening the Duzhi Division, Ji Wengji divided power from Wang Qin, can Wang Quan agree?

In the early morning, all the officials argued endlessly.

Tang Shen listened for a long time, and suddenly realized that he hadn't heard his senior brother speak.He raised his head subconsciously, and secretly looked at Wang Qin.I saw Wang Qin holding the jade wat aloft, standing upright among the officials.When the Left Prime Minister's faction was arguing with the other officials, Zhao Fu snorted softly, and all the officials fell silent.

Zhao Fu's eyes circled around the officials, and finally stopped on Wang Qin. He smiled and said, "What does Zifeng think?"

Wang Qin took a step forward: "I think that what Prime Minister Zuo said is true."

As soon as the words came out, Xu Linghou, the left servant of the household department, and Qin Si, the right servant, showed expressions of disbelief.

However, Zhao Fu smiled: "I also thought, it's okay. Xuan, from today onwards, the Duzhi Division will be restarted!"

On June 29th of the [-]th year of Kaiping, Zuo Xiang Ji Wengji re-opened Du Zhisi.

On the first day of July, Right Prime Minister Wang Quan began to implement 23 tax reforms.Take Beizhili and Nanzhili as the first, and take the lead in carrying out reforms in these two provincial capitals.

The Duzhi Division has just restarted and is in desperate need of new officials.

Many faces that Tang Shen was familiar with were called into the Duzhi Division one by one, such as the No. [-] scholar in the same class as Tang Shen, Yao Ji, and Tang Shen's classmate and friend Mei Shengze.