Lord Moyu was forced to open

At the following court meeting, these high-ranking officials recommended some people they thought were worthy to serve as county governors in the three provinces.

Zhao Jun did not refute this and unanimously approved it.

Just when the officials wanted to take advantage of the victory and capture all the remaining middle and low-level officials, Zhao Jun suddenly brought out a list of names in the court.

After only two ears, the officials immediately understood why the Holy Sage had not rejected any of the candidates they had previously recommended.

The list Zhao Jun took out was clearly all officials from the Political Affairs Hall.

Since Zhao Jun gave up his position as a senior official just now, under Zhao Jun's insistence, Baiguan could no longer continue to argue with Zhao Jun about matters involving middle and low-level officials.

In the end, I had no choice but to pass.

After the court meeting, the officials dispersed, but Zhao Jun kept Zhang He, Jiang He and even Zhang Zheng behind, and took them to the imperial study together.

Up to now, Jiang He has become the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a dignified official of the Six Ministry of Heaven.

After Zhang Zheng was transferred to Bianjing, he was now the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Zhao Jun originally planned to let him be the left minister directly, but Zhang Zheng refused.

He said that he had just arrived, and it was a blessing to be the right minister of the Sixth Department of Civil Affairs. If he was promoted to the left minister again, he would eventually become popular.

Seeing that he persisted, Zhao Jun let him go.

After arriving at the Imperial Study Room, Zhao Jun did not let the three of them stand. As soon as they entered, he asked Wang Huai'en to bring chairs for them.

After everyone sat down, Jiang He took the lead and said: "Your Majesty, why do you want to let out all the senior officials of the New Third County.

Your Majesty, you know the character of those people. "

As for who the people in Jiang He's words were, everyone present knew that they were officials with imperial examination background.

Zhang He's mouth twitched when he heard this. He also came from the imperial examination. Didn't even you, Jiang He, also come from the imperial examination?
As a result, now he just said those people and classified all those who came from the imperial examination together.

Zhang Zheng, who was listening to Jiang He's words, couldn't help but snicker secretly when he saw Zhang Xiang's appearance.

Hearing this, Zhao Jun waved his hands and said with a smile: "As the saying goes, a slap in the face will give you a jujube. If you don't want to let go of your child, you won't be able to trap the wolf.

If I had not let out the senior officials, do you think they would be willing to use officials from the political hall as middle and lower-level officials?

It's just a compromise. "

Zhang He also continued after Zhao Jun finished his words: "Besides, your Majesty has taken over three new counties by taking down the middle and lower-level officials.

Although senior officials hold high positions, it is the middle- and lower-level officials who truly control the place.

If middle and lower-level officials unite, the senior officials above will just end up being sidelined.

Those people thought they got the biggest cake, but they also gave up the actual control of the three counties. "

Jiang He couldn't help but murmured when he heard this: "But this is too much, and no one is left.

What if they use their power to replace all middle- and lower-level officials? "

Zhang Zheng smiled on the side and said: "No matter who they want to replace, they have to be sent by the imperial court. If they remove the middle and lower-level officials appointed by the imperial court, but the imperial court does not send them new officials.

There is trouble again in the local area because of the lack of officials. Who do you think will be punished in the end? "

Jiang He opened his mouth and finally figured it out.

Your Majesty, this is a conspiracy.

With him and Zhang Zheng here, all appointments and removals of officials in the court would have to go through their hands.

If those people want to tamper with middle- and lower-level officials, then they don't have to recruit new people for them. In this way, problems will arise in the end. How can these high-ranking officials get away with it?
Then he also thought that if they made a mistake...

Jiang He raised his head and said with a surprised look on his face: "If those people made a mistake, we would take them down for this reason, and they would have no reason to refute. It just so happens that the middle and lower levels are all people from the political hall, and we will be the ones to replace them when the time comes. .

In this way, those people only have a false name, and all the actual rights are in the hands of His Majesty! "

Zhao Jun smiled and nodded: "That's right."

Jiang He quickly handed over his hands: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhao Jun waved his hand, and then said seriously: "This matter is a foregone conclusion. This is not why I kept the three of you.

The reason why I want to keep you here after the court meeting is because I have something I want to discuss with you. "

"Your Majesty, please speak!"

The three of them raised their hands together. Zhao Jun then said directly: "Next year will be the new year's Beijing inspection. The last time was in the second year of Xingwu. At that time, the first Beijing inspection was not perfect in all aspects and had many loopholes.

This is the second inspection of the capital. I hope to thoroughly screen all the officials in the capital and screen out all the people who have nothing to do with their bodies.

So that I won’t encounter any constraints in what I want to do next. "

Constraints?

A question mark appeared in the heads of the three of them.

After all, you are also the master of the Song Dynasty. Who dares to restrain you?

But the three of them did not speak, but continued to listen to Zhao Jun's story.

Just listen to Zhao Jun continue:
"Just like poison in the body, Zhang Xiang may not be clear about it, but Jiang Aiqing and Zhang Aiqing are both from Yunzhou County, so you should know it very well.

Although the county of Shendu is big, it is not much bigger than the county of Song Dynasty.

But how much are their annual taxes?

What is the annual tax for the same county in the Song Dynasty?

Take Nanri County and the Gyeonggi area around Bianjing as an example. The two are about the same size.

All in 300,000 hectares of land.

The arable area of ​​Nanli County is 270,000 hectares, and that of Bianjing is 140,000 hectares.

Nanli County can collect about 54 million dan from grain through two taxes a year.

Bianjing harvests once a year, and the cultivated land is reduced by half. If I consider it as a quarter of Nanli County, it will be a tax revenue of 13.5 million shi.

But what about reality?
Last year, Bianjing's tax revenue was 4 million dan, and the reported cultivated land area was less than half of the 140,000 hectares at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, to only 70,000 hectares!

The gap between the two can be described as the difference between clouds and mud!

Where did Bianjing's nearly 10 million shi of food go?
Where did the missing 70,000 hectares of land go?
Can you give me an answer? "

Zhao Jun glanced at the three of them, but everyone knew that his eyes mainly fell on Zhang He.

Zhang He frowned, sighed and then cupped his hands and said:

“All the land was hidden, and many dignitaries took advantage of their privileges to evade taxes.

As a result, land decreased and tax revenue decreased.

But your majesty, the situation in Bianjing is complicated. There are royal relatives everywhere, and there are so many nobles and nobles from various families. There is no difference here.

If you want to find out, it will be as difficult as climbing to the sky! "

Zhao Jun sneered:

"Is it as difficult as ascending to heaven?
What are they?
What a thing!
Now even the Huangzhuang Trading Company under my name has to pay a lot of taxes. Why don't they pay?
Are they more noble than me? "

Zhang He sighed helplessly: "I can't compare to Your Majesty."

"That being the case, nothing is as difficult as climbing to the sky!
I have already made up my mind. Previously there was instability in the country.

When the time comes, I will turn a blind eye to them.

But now that the country is stable, I no longer have to tolerate them.

I will use this Beijing inspection to select a group of qualified and capable officials and kick out those bad apples!

Then give me a thorough inspection of the entire world!
Zhang Zheng! "

"Chen is here!"

"You will be in charge of the Beijing inspection this time! Can you accomplish what I ask for?!"

Zhang Zheng thought for a moment and then said with firm eyes: "I will do my best!"

……

(End of this chapter)