I studied in modern times

Chapter 1008 The Crying Child Gets the Milk (2)

Zhao Xu looked at Han Wei with a smile.

This was a key minister in his father's former residence and one of the most important driving forces behind the Xining Reform.

In his previous life, during the Yuan You era, he was pushed to the forefront by Sima Guang and Lü Gongzhu as a signboard to prove that the Yuan You reforms did not violate the late emperor's will—just like Zhao Xu in this life, who praised Sima Guang highly as a weapon against the conservatives.

Han Wei returned to the capital and was appointed as a Gentleman Attendant at the Chancellery, entering both the Chancellery and the Imperial Household Department.

Unfortunately, with the death of Sima Guang, Lü Gongzhu fell seriously ill.

Han Wei, the old man, was quickly abandoned by the young radicals.

Then he became a target and began to be criticized, and was quickly dismissed from his post.

Looking back, Zhao Xu's previous life and Han Wei's life were all about wavering between two sides and being disliked by both.

He began advocating for reform very early on and was the biggest driving force behind Wang Anshi's entry into the court.

However, after Wang Anshi's reforms began to harm his own interests, he started to oppose the reforms.

When the old party of the Yuanyou era came to power, they invited him back as a mascot.

But after helping the old party dismiss and expel the new party's leaders, he suddenly began to feel that the radical faction of the old party after Sima Guang was perhaps a bit too radical, and he began to reconcile them.

Some argue that Wang Anshi also had merits, and that the new laws weren't entirely bad.

Thus, besieged by the radicals of the old party, he could only leave Dengzhou in disgrace!
As the saying goes, if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal.

Therefore, as soon as Zhao Xu took power, he labeled Han Wei (Han Chiguo), one of the biggest promoters of the Xining Reform and a conciliator during the Yuanyou Reform, as a member of the Yuanyou Party.

That is to say, he was already dead at the time, and since death is a serious matter, and because of Han Zhen's influence, he was not pursued.

Therefore, in the beginning of this life, when Zhao Xu was selecting a prime minister, he first excluded Han Wei.

Therefore, for the past three years, Han Wei has been serving as an official outside the capital.

He first judged Ruzhou, then Henan Prefecture, and then Daming Prefecture.

They simply wouldn't let him enter the capital, and even pretended not to see the various flirtatious glances he received.

Because Zhao Xu knew that Han Wei was politically unreliable!

Now, hasn't it come true?

"Why do you say that, my lord?" Zhao Xu chuckled, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a small sip.

He was not some emperor born and raised in the palace, raised by women, unaware of the hardships of the common people, or the actual state of society.

His modern study abroad experience allowed him to come into extensive contact with all aspects of society.

Therefore, Zhao Xu easily discerned the sophistry in Han Wei's argument.

Zhao Xu lightly flicked his fingers, then said to Han Wei, "What you say, Prime Minister Han, is wrong!"

Han Wei raised his head and looked at the still smiling young emperor.

"These days, things are not like they were during the Tang Dynasty!"

"Even the Song Dynasty today is completely different from the Song Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Jiayou!"

"Thanks to the supreme virtue of my late father, since the Xining era, prefectural and county schools have been widely established throughout the country..."

"Furthermore, the imperial court had already decreed that all candidates from various regions must enroll in the local prefectural schools before they could participate in the preliminary examinations!"

This system existed during the Qingli Education Movement.

According to this system, in order to obtain the qualification for the provincial examination in the Song Dynasty, one must study in the prefectural school/administrative school of the prefecture for more than 300 days.

Where are the state schools located?
Clearly, it's the capital city!

And who are the people living in the state capital?

City walls and walled villages!
At this point, Zhao Xu stopped and simply smiled at Han Wei.

Han Wei swallowed hard and lowered his head, clearly understanding Zhao Xu's meaning.

When a person enters the city, they begin to live.

Unless he stays at home in the state school every day, ignoring everything else and focusing solely on studying the classics.

Otherwise, he would inevitably come into contact with all aspects of the city.

Moreover, the poorer the student, the more things and people they come into contact with, and the richer their experiences become.

Because, in order to survive and to continue their studies, they have no choice but to work part-time while studying.

This is what Zhao Xu realized three years after the Kaifeng Prefecture's open system for official positions was implemented—in fact, what is quite counterintuitive is that the truly poor scholars are actually the most practical and capable of getting things done.

Over the past three years, the number of officials recruited by Kaifeng Prefecture has reached more than three thousand.

According to feedback, over 70% of those who passed the civil service exam for administrative positions were qualified.

Whether it's the Buddhist Registry, the Street Administration, the Registrar's Office, the Commercial Tax Bureau, the Capital Administration Bureau, or even the various offices and wards in the capital...

These scholars adapted to their work very quickly after being recruited.

Whether it's using an abacus, collecting commercial taxes, managing streets, or collecting rent from shops and mansions.

These officials only need two or three months of training, followed by a month or two of internship, to become a cog in the machine of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Last year, a corruption scandal involving local officials and clerks broke out.

After Zhao Xu conducted a major purge of the assistant officials in the counties within the prefecture's borders, he transferred hundreds of capable officials from the Kaifeng Prefecture's departments to fill the vacancies with titles such as acting county clerk and acting town official.

The officials who were transferred there rarely became incompetent.

The more outstanding ones even received repeated commendations from the Kaifeng Prefecture.

The arrival of these skilled officials, trained in Kaifeng Prefecture, was a devastating blow to the local bureaucratic system.

According to the report from the Investigation Bureau, officials returned to the capital one after another to take the imperial examinations this year.

People in all the counties within the prefecture were praying that a certain official would not pass the imperial examination.

why?
They feared that after these virtuous officials left, the wicked officials who had harmed them in the past would return.

Therefore, Han Wei's advice was essentially empty rhetoric and a form of moral blackmail. Of course, Zhao Xu was well aware that Han Wei and the interest group he represented also needed to be appeased.

After all, the Song Dynasty was a stitched-together monster.

Zhao Xu's reforms made this monster even more deformed and bloated.

This also makes it more vulnerable and dangerous.

One wrong move and this stitched-together monster could shatter into pieces.

Therefore, we should try to win them over and engage in united front work where necessary.

Zhao Xu was very open-minded about this.

Even in modern England, now that we've entered the new century, there's still a House of Lords that's called a botanical garden!
The King of Thailand in Asia can even openly maintain a harem, creating various real-life melodramatic palace intrigues and even a struggle for the throne!

It is still medieval today.

Let alone feudal dregs, the whole society is still a feudal society.

The local worthies who are ridiculed a thousand times by modern people are actually a force for progress in the Song Dynasty today. This is because most of the local worthies only wanted to exploit their clients, occasionally take advantage of the widows and orphans, but at least they were still maintaining the most basic order and stability in the countryside.

Among them, the conscientious local gentry even acted as a protector for the local poor and customers.

In contrast, government officials' errand boys, when sent to the countryside, generally caused devastating damage to rural society.

Therefore, in this era, if there was a powerful gentry family in a certain place...

For the vast majority of locals, this is a stroke of luck.

Therefore, after observing Han Wei's expression for a moment, Zhao Xu said softly, "Of course, your words of advice are also reasonable!"

"I am the ruler of the world, and all the people under heaven are my subjects!"

"My late father taught me this when he was alive..."

"The Yangtze River is clear, the Yellow River is muddy, yet both irrigate the land along its banks!"

"A ruler should not favor one side because the Yangtze River is clear, nor should he neglect the other because the Yellow River is muddy!"

"Therefore, Your Excellency need not worry that the state will be biased in selecting people!"

Han Wei understood, and immediately cupped his hands in praise: "Impartial and unbiased, the kingly way is boundless... The virtue of the late emperor is as vast as the sky and as deep as the sea..."

He naturally understood the unspoken message from the young official in front of him—don't worry!
I know my limits. I won't use you or the people behind you just because I like practical matters and arithmetic.

At least not in the short term!

This is enough!

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Yes, the late Emperor's virtue was worthy of Heaven!"

"I shall abide by it and make it the law for the world!"

Then, he looked at Han Wei and extended an olive branch: "By the way..."

He said seemingly casually, "Lord Han, since returning to the capital, have you visited the fourteen wards outside Bianjing, including Anjie?"

Han Wei cupped his hands and said, "On my way back to the capital, I only passed through the nine wards outside the city and caught a glimpse of them from afar..."

Zhao Xu rubbed his hands together and then said, "Chirp, chirp, chirp, Mulan weaves at her door..."

"Since the Qin and Han dynasties, men have farmed and women have woven, husbands and wives have worked together in harmony—this is the joy of rural life!"

"However, my Great Song Dynasty is different!"

"Since our ancestors, we have not established a land system, nor have we suppressed land annexation. Instead, we have relaxed the prohibition on commerce and industry, allowing the people to benefit from business!" Zhao Xu lied through his teeth: "As a result, the people in cities and towns gradually prospered. By the time of the Xi and Feng reigns, the urban households in the prefectures and counties of the country accounted for more than 20% of the total population, and their annual commercial taxes amounted to nearly ten million strings of cash!"

"Now, the number of households in urban areas accounts for nearly 30% of the total population, and their annual commercial tax revenue exceeds 15 million strings of cash!"

"The city of Bianjing alone now has a population of 1.5 million!"

“Outside Bianjing city, there are nine wards and fourteen neighborhoods, with a population of nearly 600,000!”

"Of these 600,000 people, at least 200,000 are people who have poured in in recent years!"

"The Kaifeng Prefecture petitioned to establish six more wards outside the city for the government to manage... I have granted it!"

Zhao Xu spoke with pride.

Because he played a key role in it.

During the Xining and Yuanfeng periods, urban households accounted for only slightly more than 20% of the total population.

Now, in the third year of the Yuan You era, it has reached nearly 30%.

Last year, the total commercial tax revenue of the nation almost exceeded 15 million strings of cash.

Bianjing City alone contributed over two million strings of cash in commercial taxes.

This does not include income from items such as exemption fees, tooth fees, and wine yeast fees.

The fact that 30% of households are located in urban areas is a crucial indicator.

Thirty percent of the population lived in cities, which, based on the current population of the Song Dynasty, would amount to thirty million people engaged in industry and commerce.

Excluding the elderly, children, and women, there are at least several million industrial workers.

Although most of them are untrained and lack skills, they are engaged in manual labor or simple handicrafts.

However, as long as the productivity of these people can be fully unleashed.

Even if it's just releasing the productivity of a portion of them.

The whole world will be changed!
In fact, changes have already begun.

Bianjing City is the best proof!

Thinking about all this, Zhao Xu looked at Han Wei with great interest: "Prime Minister Han is extremely learned, knowledgeable about both ancient and modern affairs..."

"May I ask you, sir, since the time of the Three Kings, has there ever been any policy like that of my Great Song Dynasty?"

"In the annals of history, has there ever been such a dramatic change in the population ratio as our dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)