People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 401 Zhao Zhen has light in his eyes

When Zhao Jun and others arrived at Houyuan, Zhao Zhen was already waiting for them in Linhua Hall.

Linhua Palace is a palace built in recent years.

Since learning that the buildings in the palace were poisonous, Zhao Zhen moved to Houyuan to live permanently and built some reinforced concrete buildings in Houyuan.

It includes several science palaces, laboratories, dormitories, lounges, studies, several experimental fields, etc.

Among them, Linhua Hall is where Zhao Zhen usually rests temporarily when he is tired from work.

The house is not big, just over 100 square meters, a three-story building with cement brick walls.

Except that the roof above is made of glazed tiles, golden nanmu beams and many other features such as brackets and cornices, four dragons and four phoenixes, it is no different from the three-story small buildings in rural areas of later generations.

However, Zhao Zhen likes this kind of building very much. Although the previous wooden buildings were gorgeous and decorated with carved buildings and paintings, they were far less safe than the reinforced concrete buildings that gave him.

Just like an accident happened some time ago when doing chemical experiments, a little eunuch accidentally touched "sodium" into the water.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded with emotion.

In contrast, the casualty statistics of the Song Army have been released, and there are only about 20,000 people, and the vast majority of them were not killed or injured on the battlefield, but because of illness.

"I know that there will be certain casualties in recovering Yanyun this time, but compared with the casualties of the Liao people, our casualties can be considered negligible. This is all the credit of Fan Qing."

After this time, Zhao Zhen fell in love with this sturdy way of building.

But now.

Zhao Zhen let go of Fan Zhongyan and then said: "Don't worry, the imperial court will certainly provide generous compensation to the soldiers who were killed or injured in this battle, including those who were killed or injured due to illness."

As the Song army first defeated the invading Xixia and Liao kingdoms, it now actively counterattacked, captured cities and territories, and even recovered Yanyun.

"How can we say that the first month of the king's reign means great unification? The king is ordered to control the first month to unify the world, so that all things can be worshiped in accordance with it. Therefore, it is said that great unification has been the goal of all dynasties since ancient times."

However, these are all soldiers who fought for the country, and giving them more pensions is exactly what they should do.

That's why the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty were so powerful that the surrounding countries were submissive from then on. Anyone who offended the powerful Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty would be punished no matter how far away they were.

However, due to the epidemic of plague in the army, Cao Cao had to withdraw his troops. This made the world think that the burning of Chibi established this great victory. However, they do not know if there had been no plague and Cao Cao later attacked south, whether the Sun and Liu coalition could still withstand it. .

Although the number of Yi Ling's troops was the largest in all dynasties, its military strength was very weak. He was forced to pay annual tribute many times, so that he earned the same reputation as Dai Qing, "Anyone who offends us in the Song Dynasty will be compensated no matter how far away he is."

"I would like to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the soldiers."

Zhao Zhen couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He went up and hugged Fan Zhongyan, and then patted him on the shoulder.

"Hahahahahaha."

Cai Qi also said: "This battle is not just as simple as recapturing Yanyun, but it also eliminates the trend of our Song Dynasty army being afraid of foreign enemies, only daring to form formations to protect itself, and not daring to take the initiative. From then on, our Song Dynasty army was afraid of foreign enemies. Finally, we have a powerful force."

"The Han people have lost the land of Yanyun for too long, and the old land of China will always be the pain of the Song Dynasty. To this day, after the Battle of Gaoliang River, some people lamented that the Liao was as fearful as the tiger, and Yanyun was unattainable."

The impact of this battle goes far beyond the fact that the Song Dynasty officially entered the ranks of a unified dynasty. It can also be said to be the battle for the founding of the country.

Looking back at the Song Dynasty, since the Battle of Gaoliang River, the army of the Song Dynasty seemed to have been castrated overnight. It was helpless when fighting foreign enemies and lost one battle after another.

Fan Zhongyan's battle to regain Yanyun lasted for a whole winter and half of a spring. Winter and spring alternated so much that there were many sick people in the army. Even with cotton-padded clothes to keep him warm, various infections still occurred, causing Song Jun to suffer from diseases.

Zhao Zhen turned around and walked towards Linhua Hall first. As he walked, he said with emotion: "Whether it is in later generations or in the present, no one knows that the Song Dynasty has never been a unified dynasty. Now that I can regain Yanyun, I am worthy of the list. My ancestors are worthy of the common people."

At that time, there was smoke in the water, and Zhao Zhen was so frightened that he quickly hid behind the marble cement table next to him.

For the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, mere unification was obviously not the ultimate goal, but just the beginning.

The problem of disease has always been one of the important obstacles to marching and fighting in ancient times. In the Battle of Chibi, the world only knew that the coalition forces of Sun and Liu defeated Cao Cao, but they did not know that even after burning Chibi, Cao Cao still had the strength to attack.

"I have been longing for this day for too long. Yan Yun has always been the heartache of our ancestors. Since Taizu Taizong, everyone has wanted to regain this lost land. Now we finally have the result."

"Fan Qing, I'm so happy."

The Song Dynasty's army also became more confident in one battle after another, and its morale has reached its peak now.

"Yes, no matter how successful we were in the past, the impact caused after the Battle of Gaoliang River was already deeply ingrained. Even ten years ago, we were still afraid of Liao and Xia, and our combat power was worrying."

Yan Shu said softly: "Since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the world has been in constant war and chaos. Throughout his life, Taizu Taizong wanted to take back his homeland of China, unify the world, and end these disputes. It is a pity that time and fate have passed. Now I finally got what I wanted."

Zhao Zhen came to everyone and laughed heartily.

As a result, there was a "bang", and after the explosion, the surrounding wooden tables were shattered, but his cement table remained motionless without any damage.

In this battle, the Liao people suffered a massive rout, with more than 200,000 casualties, prisoners, and surrenders. The Liao country could be said to have been severely damaged and suffered heavy casualties.

Fan Zhongyan quickly raised his hands and said: "Guan family, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my destiny and regained Yanyun."

Even more civilians and auxiliary soldiers fell ill during the rain and snow last winter, totaling at least 40,000 to 50,000 people.

Zhao Zhen stood outside Linhua Hall, with Li Di, Zhang Shixun and other prime ministers already there behind him. When he saw Zhao Jun, Fan Zhongyan and others approaching, he walked down the steps to greet them.

Therefore, if those sick soldiers are excluded, the actual casualty rate of the Song Army is very low, less than six to seven thousand people. This battle loss ratio can be said to be extremely exaggerated.

Song Shou also said: "But now that we have won every battle, we have finally established the prestige of the heroic soldiers of the Song Dynasty, so that the army dares to fight without fear of war. It is a pity that Lu Gong and Wang Gong did not see them. To this day, how happy would they be otherwise?”

After unifying the world, the soldiers and horses in their hands are the most elite soldiers and horses. They are extremely proud and confident, and have the confidence to dare to fight the enemy to the death.

Fan Zhongyan quickly raised his hands and saluted. Although not many soldiers were killed this time, the Song army's pension was already generous, and any more gifts would be a burden on the government.

This move made Fan Zhongyan stagnate slightly, but then he relaxed and said with a smile: "This is all the officials' wisdom and the soldiers' lives."

For example, when Di Qing attacked Yuguan, it rained heavily and snowed again, and as many as 30 to 40 percent of the navy's patients were infected. Fan Zhongyan's main force also has nearly ten thousand soldiers who are sick and cannot go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

When a country's national strength and military morale reach their peak, it almost means that the country's military force is already very strong.

Just like the strong Han Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, it can be said that Zhao Kuangyin only established a country a hundred years ago, but did not make the country truly stand.

It is not until today that the country of the Song Dynasty has officially risen and can proudly declare their power to the world and all surrounding countries.

Just like some people die at the age of 20 and are buried at the age of 80.

And some people were buried when they were 20 years old, but they seemed to be alive when they were 80 years old.

"All right."

Zhao Zhen led everyone into the palace.

There was a marble round table in the room. He walked up to the table and said, "Sit down and talk. Today is to take care of Fan Qing."

With that said, Zhao Zhen summoned Wang Shouzhong and asked him to go to the imperial kitchen and give instructions for the dishes to be served.

The dishes are all ready-made, always warm, and can be served now.

Everyone sat down one after another.

Zhao Zhen sat on the main seat, with Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan on his left and right.

In the past, in terms of seniority, after the death of Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng, Yan Shu should be sitting in the third position.

Fan Zhongyan could only be ranked sixth, below Cai Qi and Song Shou.

But today he is the protagonist, so his current position is actually only sitting below Zhao Zhen and Zhao Jun, giving him quite a lot of power.

"Come on, come on, Xiwen has been working hard all the way. Let's drink a cup of tea first to moisten his throat."

Yan Shu personally poured tea for Fan Zhongyan, which flattered him.

Zhao Zhen said: "I know that Fan Qing likes books and is very knowledgeable about calligraphy. I really don't have this "Preface to the Lanting Collection", but Su Shunqin wanted to sell "Autobiography" some time ago, and I bought it and gave it to him. You.”

Fan Zhongyan said happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I can't be stingy with such a big gift from an official. Xiwen, I have a pair of Bian Luan's "Flying Eagle Picture", just think of it as a congratulatory gift for your triumphant return."

"I don't have anything good, so I'll give you three taels of dragon and phoenix tea."

"Hey, isn't this a good thing? Looking at you like this, I'm afraid I might draw some blood."

Several old men smiled and promised Fan Zhongyan gifts.

In fact, they used to give gifts to colleagues, but it was not a big deal.

And this is something they have discussed.

Mainly because Fan Zhongyan made a great contribution this time and brought Yan Yun back, there really is nothing to reward him for. You can't be crowned king.

Although Tong Guan later briefly regained about half of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, Song Huizong made him a king.

But that was a promise in advance, and secondly, Tong Guan had to be an eunuch to gain Song Huizong's trust.

Otherwise, there were many famous generals like You Zhongshi Dao and Zong Ze in the late Northern Song Dynasty. Why did Song Huizong have to let Tong Guan lead the army?
Therefore, it is no longer possible to grant Fan Zhongyan the title of king. His official position has reached its peak in this life.

The title of Prime Minister of Tongzhi of the Constitutional Yuan is added to the title of Duke of the Kingdom, and the rest of the titles such as Shangzhuguo, Kaifuyitongsansi, etc., and casual officials are filled in. This is basically it.

Unless Zhao Jun steps down and gives up his position in the magistrate's court, he will not be able to be sealed.

But if Zhao Jun dares to retreat, does Fan Zhongyan dare to go up?
So you can't just give things as rewards.

Fan Zhongyan naturally understood this, and said with a smile: "It's usually not easy to get something good from you guys, but today it's your turn to bleed, so I won't be polite."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone laughed.

While he was talking, the dishes were placed one after another.

Platefuls of sumptuous dishes were served.

Yan Shu exclaimed: "Today is thanks to Xiwen's blessing and his big elbow."

“There are also golden chicken, braised pork, stir-fried pork with chili, golden jade soup, crispy bone fish, crystal dumplings, and preserved venison.”

"These are all dishes that were not common in the past. Now the people of Bianliang have a rich diet."

"Well, who doesn't know that Hanlong meat is delicious? I heard that he even stole Su Dongpo's Dongpo meat and changed it to Hanlong meat."

Everyone said with a smile.

Zhao Jun rolled his eyes and said, "Don't be embarrassed. Su Shi is so young. If I don't invent it first, you will be waiting for it for many years."

"Alas."

Yan Shu said contemptuously: "You boy, even if what you say is reasonable, what about you stealing other people's poems? Last time Su Xun came to Bianliang to report on his work, I heard him say that his ten-year-old son Su Shi went to the east of the Yangtze River to hunt for everything. I was very impressed and said that I would learn from Mr. Lu Xun.”

"Eat, eat."

Zhao Jun picked up the chopsticks feeling a little guilty.

I hope that Su Shi will not feel like he has been living in Lu Xun’s shadow in the future.

Everyone exchanged glasses and cups, and the atmosphere was lively.

Halfway through the meal, there was suddenly a chirping noise outside, which seemed to be a female voice.

Zhao Zhen looked over and said, "Wang Shouzhong, what's going on?"

Wang Shouzhong came in sweating profusely, bent down and said: "The official family is Concubine Yu and Concubine Miao."

"Step aside."

Concubine Yu, Concubine Miao and seven or eight other concubines pushed aside the palace maids blocking the way and walked in aggressively.

Wang Shouzhong went over and knelt down again, almost crying with anxiety and said: "My queens, my queens, your Majesty is hosting a banquet for many of your husbands today. You really can't disturb them. Please take a detour. Please take a detour."

"What detour?"

Concubine Miao put her hands on her hips and raised her eyes, saying, "This palace is small to begin with. We have to walk such a long way from the bedroom to the small garden in the east. Now there are so many houses built on the road. There are palaces and farmland in front. We have to take a long detour and cross the ridges, which will make our skirts and shoes dirty. Why can't we go through here when the emperor entertains the gentlemen? The gentlemen eat their own food, and we just go our own way."

"Yes, why?"

"The palace is such a big place. We used to be able to walk around in the back garden, but now we can only stroll around in the small garden on the east side? But now, we are not allowed to go to the small garden."

"The officials know what they are doing here every day. They come here to sleep at night when they think of us. They have us sisters in their hearts."

"Isn't that right? Guan, please say something."

Many concubines put their hands on their hips and asked loudly. Although they were not overbearing, they were squeezing forward one by one, and the aroma hit them, filling them with a sense of oppression.

Everyone looked at each other, all at a loss. Zhao Zhen had a wry smile on his face and held his forehead in pain.

This is actually still an issue left over from history.

Or because the palace buildings were poisonous, Zhao Zhen had to move to the back garden and built many palaces in the back garden.

But this move caused dissatisfaction among many concubines in the harem.

Even Queen Cao was not happy, but she was more reserved and not so aggressive as to quarrel with Zhao Zhen.

The main reason is that the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was originally narrow, only 1.14 square kilometers, which was six times smaller than the 6.87 square kilometers of the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty.

Moreover, in the Song Dynasty palace, only the North Palace was where Zhao Zhen lived, and the South Palace was where the court, officials worked, and the imperial guards were stationed.

Even if the area of ​​the South Palace is smaller than that of the North Palace, the 1.14 square kilometers will have to be cut down by less than half, leaving only less than 0.7 square kilometers for the living area of ​​the palace and royal personnel.

In addition, there was still the problem of poisonous buildings. Zhao Zhen took all the harem concubines and moved them to the Houyuan, but the area of ​​the Houyuan was only one-fifth of the Beigong.

As a result, there was only less than 0.2 square kilometers of land left for the entire harem and concubines to live and play, or almost 300 acres.

Zhao Zhen also needs to build various buildings and conduct experimental fields on this 300 acres of land, which takes up the environmental space of the back garden.

As members of the royal family, the concubines could not leave the palace for the rest of their lives. They were like canaries imprisoned. The only places where they could have some entertainment were Yanfu Palace and Houyuan.

However, Yanfu Palace was not expanded until the Huizong period of Song Dynasty, and now there is nothing interesting about it. At least you can enjoy recreational activities such as outing, shuttlecock playing, dancing, and swinging in the back garden.

Now if this continues, their space for movement will become increasingly narrow, wouldn’t that make them unhappy?
Zhao Jun glanced at Zhao Zhen.

Although Zhao Zhen put his hand on his forehead as a sign of helplessness, he did not say anything to stop him.

I want to come here, maybe there is something to say.

However, Zhao Jun did not expose it. Instead, he smiled, turned his head and asked Xia Song, "Xia Xianggong."

"Zhiyuan."

Xia Song hurriedly looked at Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun continued: "How much surplus does our treasury have now?"

"Last year's annual income reached 1.2 million yuan, an increase of more than million yuan from the year before. The Imperial Court said that the court should not have the habit of saving money. It must be spent when it needs to be spent. It is even better to have a certain fiscal deficit."

Xia Song understood what he meant and said, "So this year we plan to continue to increase spending on education and infrastructure, build more schools, and build more railway tracks."

“Education and roads must be repaired, but urban construction cannot be neglected.”

Zhao Jun looked around and said with a smile: "Bianliang is getting bigger and bigger now, and it will definitely be bigger in the future. The palace is indeed too narrow. I suggest that the palace be expanded?"

"How can this be done?"

Zhao Zhen said hurriedly: "There are residential buildings outside the palace, how can the people be willing?"

"Demolish it."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "Now the inner and outer cities of Bianliang are still made of wooden buildings, which are too dangerous. Once a fire breaks out, it will cause great damage."

"It's time to switch to a modern city of steel and concrete."

He continued: "Originally, I wanted to tear down the city wall, but thinking that this is our country's cultural heritage and historical relics, I will keep it first. Our urban development must be put on the agenda, and we cannot keep these dangers. Building it.”

"Well, it's really time to develop the city."

"The construction outside Bianliang City is better than the construction inside the city, which is indeed a bit outrageous."

“Development cannot be static.”

Everyone said one after another.

"And now that Yanyun has taken it back, it's better to set Youzhou as Beijing and cancel Daming Mansion."

Zhao Jun finally said: "In the future, palaces will be built in Chengdu, Chang'an, Youzhou, Jiangning and other places as temporary palaces for officials."

He looked at Zhao Zhen and said with a smile: "As the emperor, an official is rich all over the world. How can he stay in the palace every day? He should take his wife and children to travel around the world and take a look, right?"

In an instant, Zhao Zhen raised his head and looked at Zhao Jun, as if there was light in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)