People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 426: This is gone, Xixia is gone

Chapter 426 Once this is gone, Xixia will no longer exist
During the eighth year of Qingli in the Song Dynasty, the country's strength steadily improved.

At this time, the Song Dynasty had already built its first railway, the Beijing-Xiangxiang Railway, which had not yet been officially put into operation and was in the trial operation stage.

The steam engine power plant was completed on September 23, and power generation was completed on the 24th.

Steel plants, cement plants, and brick factories were built all over the country.

The output of various grains has grown rapidly, and the price of grains on the market has been suppressed very low. After the number of grains is divided into acres, the population has entered a period of rapid growth.

Various glass shops, optical shops, and grocery stores abound in the streets and alleys.

There is an endless stream of merchants coming and going from Bianliang.

Although in vast rural areas, many people still live a life of poverty and hardship.

Even with extremely low taxes, he still works hard to support his family without starving to death.

A huge gap between rich and poor still exists.

Everyone in the streets and alleys put on cotton-padded clothes and bundled up tightly. They were not affected by the cold air at all. They continued to do whatever they had to do. People came and went, full of vitality.

"Look at the Great Wall, which stretches thousands of miles, winding through the mountains; the Yellow River, which has nine bends, and the mighty East. The five mountains are towering, the three rivers are magnificent, and the blue sea and sky reflect the bright sun. The land of China is prosperous and all industries are prosperous."

Time soon came to late October in the eighth year of the Qingli calendar. Although it did not snow after the onset of winter, the weather became increasingly cold.

"How to care?"

Zhao Jun turned his head and looked at the street outside the window. Crowds were bustling and people wearing patches and struggling to survive were everywhere.

Therefore, even though Bao Zheng was under great pressure in the court and many powerful people had objections to him, Zhao Jun still stood behind him like an Optimus Prime.

"Doesn't the government care about these people?"

"It's also because the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture is Lao Bao now."

"Today's newspaper headlines are interesting. They have been condemning the Western bandits for repeatedly attacking the border for so many years. Is there any movement in the court?"

After the morning session on the 26th, Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan did not go to work at the Constitutional Yuan. Instead, they got into a carriage and headed towards the west gate.

"It's not that there are no beggars, but they were all eliminated by Lao Bao."

In the eyes of many officials in later generations, such a subordinate was at best a hard-working subordinate who did all the dirty work and no promotion.

In addition to Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan, there were also Privy Councilor Zhang Kang and Minister of War Fu Bi on the carriage.

Bao Zheng was promoted from Kaifeng Prefecture to General Magistrate, then Tongzhi, and now Kaifeng Magistrate, it has been nearly ten years, and his reputation in Kaifeng Prefecture is very high, which can be said to be expected by everyone.

What he needs is officials who can do practical things and benefit the people.

But in Zhao Jun's eyes, he is the best subordinate.

Zhao Jun said: "I think there will be more official documents in this regard, and more letters from Kaifeng Prefecture and local officials will be sent to me. People with family difficulties like you mentioned are often the focus of attention from Kaifeng Prefecture and local officials. Object, I have established a five-guarantee household system. Every month’s rice, oil, and subsidies will be paid out on time. We must ensure the livelihood of these poor people. Although the annual fiscal budget requires a lot more expenditures, this is also the country’s response to the people. It is also the meaning of the country’s existence.”

He said softly: "But unless you really can't survive, are orphaned, widowed, or have a disease, disability or other defects, who would want to be a beggar?"

He looked at the crowds of people on the street and couldn't help but sigh: "What a peaceful and prosperous time. There is not even a beggar on the side of the road."

"Of course there are, and there are a lot of them."

Zhao Jun said with a smile: "There are lazy people everywhere. Even though they have sound limbs, they still go to the streets to beg for food. They are all taken to the factory to make screws by their old boss."

"Cooking cakes, freshly baked cooking cakes!"

Fan Zhongyan was also quite pleased.

This time we went out to mobilize the imperial army.

"Well, Bao Zheng is indeed qualified for this job. I hope he can continue to work well in his tenure in Kaifeng Mansion."

Fan Zhongyan was stunned for a moment, then said: "Are there really no people with family difficulties?"

The tea stalls on the street were still crowded, and many people, even those who were not scholars, would read newspapers to see what new news the court had recently.

No matter how powerful a person is in the royal family or a high-ranking official, he will definitely not end well if he falls into his hands. Even Zhao Jun was scolded by him in the street.

"That's good."

"Of course we have to take care of it."

"Have a bowl of delicious wontons, have a bowl."

With the continuous deepening of construction, labor wages have been rising steadily, and many people have lived a well-off life.

This was the era of the Song Dynasty, and it was also the best era of all previous feudal dynasties. Even in the prosperous Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, it could not compare to the spectacular scene today.

Fan Zhongyan nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and said with emotion: "Han Long is still thoughtful."

"Good lyrics, this song "Qin Yuan Chun" should have the style of my powerful Song Dynasty."

There was still busy traffic outside the car window, and their team slowly passed through the inner city streets.

"The imperial court is responsible for allocating funds. What you usually deal with are official documents about military or reform achievements from the Ministry of War, Privy Council, Yushitai and various roads, but you pay less attention to people's livelihood."

Zhao Jun said with a smile: "I am still very satisfied with his ability. He cares very much about these needy households. There have been cases of people bullying these weak people before, and even pretending to receive subsidies for five-guarantee households, but he has severely punished them."

"What's going on? Ever since Yanyun was recaptured, the imperial court has been silent. I'm almost mad."

Fan Zhongyan lifted the curtain of the carriage, and a sudden burst of cold air blew in, making people shiver.

But the thousand-mile fields of the wealthy have been shattered. The imperial court has continuously attacked the landlords and collected their fields, so that the poor have their own land.

Some people were talking loudly in the nearby restaurant, either poetry or current affairs. Even the workers on the street could sing two songs of "Lang Tao Sha".

All kinds of messy sounds came in, composing a song about the various aspects of life in Kaifeng City.

In fact, the literacy rate in Bianliang is not bad. Due to the strong commercial atmosphere and the printing technology that has lowered the threshold for literacy since the Tang Dynasty, many traffickers and lackeys are literate.

In addition, factories opened by the imperial court would set up literacy classes to popularize literacy among workers.

Under such influence, various poems were sung everywhere. Zhao Jun copied the poems under the pseudonym of Lu Xun, but he could not even keep up with the new poetry writing speed.

Not only did some later generations of literati emerge, but even poets who had never been heard of in history appeared and wrote very wonderful poems.

Last month, a famous cement factory worker wrote a poem called "The Bodhisattva Man" and published it in Bianliang Daily, which shocked everyone.

It can be seen that perhaps some people in history had the talent to write poetry, but because their families were poor and could not afford to read, they eventually disappeared from the public.

In today's prosperous age, with no worries about food and clothing, and free opportunities to study, it is natural that some people will take advantage of the trend.

It is foreseeable that various talents will appear in the future.

Not only scientific research talents in mathematics, physics and chemistry, but also writers, novelists, dramatists, singers and so on.

Times create heroes.

The same era will also create those ordinary people who were once ordinary.

Just like many operas, novels, singing and other art forms, they originally came from the folk.

The horse-drawn carriage convoy left Liangmen, and there were countless pavilions and pavilions on West Street, which was still crowded with people.

Occasionally there are noisy sounds, and quarrels and even fights are inevitable in the market.

However, he was soon stopped and arrested by the Kaifeng Prefecture's yamen who were working in the street.

Nowadays, the population of Bianliang City is increasing, and the urban area is getting larger and larger. The inflow of foreign population has greatly increased the pressure on public security.

In recent years, evil forces have emerged, but they have been quickly suppressed.

Zhao Jun has always shown no mercy to corrupt officials and evil gangs.

Weeding is done every year, and the moisturizing work usually seems silent, but in fact the Imperial City Division never slacks off.

After leaving the outer city, it was a different scene outside the city.

Since the inner city and the outer city have not yet undergone large-scale demolition, bungalows and wooden buildings are everywhere, but in the outer city, buildings have been built one after another.

Five or six-storey high-rise buildings made of reinforced concrete can be seen everywhere, with people coming and going, mostly ordinary people at the bottom of the building.

Who would have thought that the inner city and the outer city look like feudal urban areas with a very small amount of cement buildings. Compared with the houses in the outer city that are closer to the 1970s and 1980s, the land in the inner city and the outer city is more valuable, and the rich are more How much?
However, I believe this situation will not last long.

Because the imperial court has already launched the inner city and outer city renovation plan, even though the land in the inner city and outer city is expensive, the land prices have soared before real estate development has begun.

The only good news is that as out-of-city expansion occurs, land price appreciation in both inner and outer cities has slowed.

Therefore, once the expansion continues outside the city and land prices stabilize or fall, the court can acquire large areas of land for transformation. After leaving the city gate, there are no factories outside the city, only some handicraft workshops. The large factories and workshops have been moved outside the east city. The city is now extremely commercialized.

Goods were transported from outside the city to the city for circulation. Not to mention merchants from various places, there were even Arab merchants from Central Asia in the city. Just like Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty, foreign faces were not uncommon.

"Now the outside of the city is full of vitality. The high-rise buildings remind me of Du Gongbu's saying that there are tens of millions of vast buildings, which can shelter the poor people all over the world. These buildings have truly achieved weatherproofing. The movement is as safe as a mountain, and Du Gongbu can rest in peace."

Fan Zhongyan looked at the changes in Bianliang and sighed.

Zhao Jun heard him mention Du Fu and said, "Actually, I quite like Du Fu. It's a pity. If only I had been born hundreds of years earlier, in the Tang Dynasty."

Fan Zhongyan understood what he meant and sneered: "It would be good to be born a few hundred years later. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was a coward in his later years. Even if you are a great talent, Hanlong, how can you compare with today's ignorant couple?"

"hehe."

Zhao Jun smiled and said nothing.

Fu Bi smiled and said, "Yes, the current great world is also the result of many years of hard work by the magistrate and my husband."

“It would not be possible without everyone’s efforts.”

Zhao Jun smiled.

After the convoy left the west of the city, it walked along the official road for several kilometers, and could already see a vast military camp in the distance.

There are about 100,000 Bianliang Forbidden Army, and these 100,000 people can certainly not be stationed in the city. In the past, the Song Dynasty army was organized into one battalion of 500 people, five battalions to one army, and ten armies to one wing, that is, two wings each in the east and west. Twenty-five thousand people.

The rest of the army was stationed outside the city. When it was most crowded, there were more than 600 grain camps in Bianliang and its surrounding areas, with about people. You can know how chaotic the Song army was in the past.

However, after the restructuring of the Forbidden Army at this time, not only were the personnel streamlined and well-trained, but they were also moved outside the city, and the military and civilians no longer lived together like before.

Although some Imperial Guards are still stationed in the city, only the Royal Palace Guards, the Royal City Division Guards, and the City Gate and Patrol Guards remain. In total, there are only more than 10,000 people, half of whom are still controlled by In Zhao Jun's hands.

At this moment, outside the Xicheng military camp, a dense army of 20,000 troops was ready. They had already come out of their military camp when the sun rose, had breakfast, and brought their camping tents, carriages and horses with them.

Almost as soon as Zhao Jun and the others arrived, rows of soldiers wearing Song Dynasty military uniforms, wearing big hats and carrying long guns came out of the camp.

The soldiers had not distributed ammunition, and the guns in their hands could not be fired.

But they were all majestic, standing upright, and slowly walked to a high platform outside the camp to form a neat queue.

Zhao Jun's motorcade was also guarded by hundreds of people at the front and rear.

The leading general, Ge Huaimin, came on horseback with Zhe Jimin, Wang Xin, Zhou Mei and other military commanders. He stepped forward and raised his hands and said, "I have seen the magistrate, Fan Xiang, Zhang Xiang, and Fu Shangshu."

"Ah."

Zhao Jun nodded and said: "Originally, the deployment of troops only required an edict from His Majesty and an order from the Privy Council, but this time I am here in person just to say a few words to you."

"Yes."

Many generals quickly stood in awe and listened to Zhao Jun's instructions.

"Let's take the order first."

Zhao Jun took out the edict.

The Song Dynasty's method of mobilizing troops remained unchanged, requiring orders from the emperor and the Privy Council.

So today they came here to convey this military order.

But Zhao Jun had some instructions that he wanted to give personally, and he also wanted to stand up for Di Qing.

People like Ge Huaimin and those currently in the northwest such as Zhao Zhen, Xu Huaide, Gao Jixuan, and Liu Ping.

All of them are veteran generals in the army. They come from noble families. Their qualifications are only slightly lower than Wang Deyong's and older than Zhang Kang's.

On the other hand, Di Qing was one of the younger generations. The Song-Xia War had just emerged ten years ago, and his background was still very humble. As the supreme commander, there was a high possibility that the generals would be dissatisfied.

Therefore, in order to prevent such things from happening, Zhao Jun must of course take precautions in advance.

He read out the decree.

Then Zhang Kang took out the Privy Council's warrant, so that the entire procedure for troop deployment was completed.

Ge Huaimin received the edict and order and said respectfully: "I will obey the order."

"All right."

Zhao Jun said: "I have given you the edict and warrant. This time you lead the army to the northwest. I only give you one task."

Ge Huaimin looked happy, thinking that he would hold some important position this time.

However, I heard Zhao Jun say: "The imperial court has decided to appoint Di Qing as the Shaanxi Road Manager to take charge of military affairs. You must remember to obey his command and do not neglect it!"

Ge Huaimin's face froze, showing shock and surprise.

According to convention, the northwest military commander must be a civilian. This time, even if it is not Wang Yan or Fan Xiang, it should be Jingtai. How can it be Di Qing's turn?

Even if Di Qing was promoted to deputy privy envoy due to his repeated military exploits, it couldn't be him.

"Knowing the academy, follow the rules"

"All right."

Zhao Jun interrupted him and said: "I know what you are going to say, but the duty of a general is to obey orders. The court has already ordered what Di Qing should do. All you have to do is obey the military orders."

Fan Zhongyan also said seriously: "The selection of Di Qing is something that I, the Imperial Academy, Prime Minister Zhang, and Minister Fu all agree on. Do you think you know the military better than Prime Minister Zhang and I?"

"Don't dare."

Ge Huaimin was shocked. He didn't expect Fan Zhongyan and Zhang Kang to come to the platform in person. Now he could only obey and said: "The general will definitely follow Prime Minister Di's lead."

"Well, we must not disobey orders this time. Di Qing made a mistake and I will punish him. But if the Shaanxi generals fail to obey his orders and the court's strategy fails, then I can only blame you. "

Zhao Jun said seriously.

"Yes."

Ge Huaimin responded solemnly.

"Alright, let's set off. I hope you will be victorious in this battle!"

Zhao Jun waved his hand and said.

"Yes."

Ge Huaimin took a few steps back, and then he and the generals bowed their hands in their direction.

Then he waved his hand and said: "Let's go to the northwest!"

"go!"

The generals shouted.

Immediately everyone got on their horses and trumpets filled the air.

Wuyangyang's army walked onto the official road in an orderly manner and headed northwest.