People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 439 Ideological Education for Wang Anshi
When Wang Anshi arrived in Bianliang by train, he was also shocked by the prosperity of Bianliang.

He saw that the expanded area outside the city was at least twice larger than the previous city area.

What was once a suburb has now become high-rise buildings.

If you want to get to the Ministry of Personnel from the train station, you have to hire a carriage or sedan chair, and it takes nearly an hour and a half to get there.

According to the driver, the east, west, south and north urban areas have each extended more than ten miles, which means that the area of ​​Kaifeng City has not only doubled, but may have expanded several times.

Because the area of ​​Kaifeng city was about 53.2 square kilometers before.

If the original average length of the city walls from east to west and from south to north was about 7.3 kilometers, even if the extension from north to south or from east to west was only 10 miles each, adding up to 10 kilometers, the area would increase six times.

Just like a square with a length and width of 1 meter, the area should be 1 square meter.

But if the length and width are increased to 2 meters, the area will become 4 square meters, which is 1 times the area of ​​a 4-meter square.

So you can imagine that the current Bianliang city is much larger than before.

But even so, what Wang Anshi saw along the way was an extremely densely populated city, with streets and alleys and roads extremely crowded. Many streets were so packed that traffic had to be directed by the Kaifeng government.

This is also normal.

Kaifeng Prefecture cooperates with the Statistics Department to conduct statistics and planning every year.

Data at the end of last year showed that the urban area of ​​Kaifeng Prefecture was 382 square kilometers, a seven-fold increase, but what about the population?

It is 317 million.

This means that there are more than 8200 people per square kilometer, and the population density is comparable to Shenzhen, the most densely populated city in my country in later generations.

But in later generations, Shenzhen was full of high-rise buildings, while in the Song Dynasty, most of the houses were bungalows, which shows that the density of the Song Dynasty was far greater than that of Shenzhen.

But in comparison, today's Bianliang is already considered good.

You should know that in the past, Bianliang had an area of ​​53.2 square kilometers and was crowded with 150 million people. During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, the population even exceeded 260 million. The population was so dense that it was almost like people were crowded together.

Amidst all the surprise, Wang Anshi arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, and was then taken all the way into the palace and entered the Yuan of Political System.

The Constitutional Court was ablaze with flowers at the end of February.

The small garden outside is covered with green grass, and the warm sunshine shines down, making people feel relaxed and happy.

There were many officials coming and going outside the court. In addition to officials from the Constitutional Court, there were also officials from other departments who came to deliver official documents or report matters. Among them were many senior officials wearing scarlet robes.

Wang Anshi was not allowed to enter the courtyard, but entered the back yard of the Political System Institute through a side door and was in a reception room.

The official leading the way pointed to a chair and said, "Sit here for a while."

"Ok."

Wang Anshi sat on the chair and waited. The servant brought him a cup of tea and then closed the door.

After about a quarter of an hour, Zhao Jun, who was wearing a purple robe, pushed the door open and walked into the room, saying, "Is Jiefu here?"

"Zhiyuan!"

Wang Anshi quickly put down his half-empty cup of tea, stood up and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant Wang Anshi greets the governor."

Zhao Jun looked him up and down and said with a smile, "It's been almost five years since we last met. You've become a lot darker."

"Laozhiyuan cares."

Wang Anshi bowed again.

"Hahaha, sit down."

Zhao Jun said with a smile.

"Xie Zhiyuan."

Wang Anshi sat down.

"It's hard to invite you now."

Zhao Jun sat down on the chair and joked, "At first, we wanted to put you in Bianliang, but you refused because your grandmother was old. Later, your grandmother passed away and we wanted to promote you, but you didn't want to stir up a trend of skipping promotions. Now you've been demoted, are you satisfied?"

"As long as he can do things for the people and relieve the worries of the court and the government, Wang Anshi is willing to be demoted."

Wang Anshi said without changing his expression.

Zhao Jun laughed.

The current Wang Anshi is no longer the same Wang Anshi in history.

Because of the Song-Xia War in history, the imperial examination originally scheduled for the first year of Kangding was cancelled, and the new examination was not started until the second year of Qingli.

At that time, Wang Anshi, who was 21 years old, passed the imperial examination and should have ranked first. However, there was a sentence in his article that Zhao Zhen did not like, so he was ranked fourth.

But although the Song-Xia War was fought, it did not have much impact and did not lead to the cancellation of the imperial examination.

So Wang Anshi took the exam two years in advance and was admitted at the age of nineteen, beating Su Song, Huang Tingjian's father Huang Shu, and Su Xun to become the top scorer in the imperial examination.

He served as the Chief of Staff for half a year and was then appointed magistrate of Yin County for a term of three years.

In the fourth year of the Qingli period, which was 1044 AD, his term of office ended and he went to the Ministry of Personnel for inspection.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jun had just about to solve the last of the three redundancies - the problem of soldiers. Since the generals and nobles refused to accept his toast, Zhao Jun ordered a thorough investigation.

The Minister of War Fu Bi needed to organize a group of imperial envoys to go to military camps in various places to investigate the army.

Among them were Wang Anshi, Huang Shu, Su Xun and a large number of other Jinshi who were at the end of their term and waiting for examination, and they were all selected as investigation envoys.

Although he encountered an assassination attempt during the mission, Wang Anshi commanded calmly and destroyed the conspiracy of the generals and nobles, and his contribution was not small.

At that time, Zhao Jun personally met with him, gave him encouragement, and announced in front of him that he would be appointed as the sixth-rank Censor.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, local areas were divided into county magistrates and county magistrates according to their region and population size.

After Jingyou’s restructuring, the grades were redefined.

Among them, the county magistrate is generally between the ninth and seventh ranks, while the county magistrate is at least the seventh rank, and the county magistrate in the four capitals is even the fifth rank.

Since Wang Anshi was a top scholar, he was directly appointed as the magistrate of Yin County, a seventh rank, after observing government affairs for half a year. He was promoted to the censor as a sixth rank censor, which was considered a normal promotion.

However, the difference in power between a local magistrate and the censor of the imperial censorate is like the difference between a local county chief and the director of an inspection and investigation department of a central supervisory office in later generations. Both are at the director level, but their powers are worlds apart.

And since he has made contributions and received normal promotion, it doesn't count as a promotion beyond his level.

Unexpectedly, Wang Anshi refused the promotion offered to him by Zhao Jun on the grounds that his grandmother was too old and he did not want to leave the Jiangnan West Road area too far.

In desperation, Zhao Jun could only arrange for him to be the magistrate of Shuzhou.

Shuzhou is Qianshan City in Anhui Province in later generations. It is relatively close to Wang Anshi’s hometown, and it is also a sixth-grade city, which meets the requirements for promotion.

The only pity is that compared to the censor who has the power to impeach and supervise officials, the power of a state magistrate is obviously much smaller. There is no comparison between the two.

But Wang Anshi enjoyed it.

After the three-year term ended, his grandmother passed away. Due to Wang Anshi's outstanding political achievements and the fact that he was indeed a talent, Zhao Jun still wanted to transfer him to the central government.

Unexpectedly, he still refused, saying that he did not want to stir up the trend of promotion beyond one's level. So he had to follow the usual practice and be promoted from Tongpan to Zhizhou, and was transferred to Shezhou, which is She County, Anhui in later generations.

This year marks the first and a half year that Wang Anshi has been the magistrate of Shezhou. He has done a good job and is deeply loved by the local people, but he is eventually transferred to Bianliang with a transfer order.

But this time he accepted it.

Because the court demoted him from the position of prefect and promoted him to a seventh-rank inspector, a five-level reduction, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

Hearing his words, Zhao Jun smiled and said, "Very good, young comrade, you have a very high level of awareness. You won the first place in the imperial examination at the age of 19, and you are only 28 years old this year. At this age, you are not complacent, but guard against arrogance and calm yourself. This state of mind is very remarkable. In my opinion, many scholars who are older than you, and who are in the same period or even in the previous periods, are not as good as you."

Wang Anshi said in a deep voice: "I don't think that passing the imperial examination at a young age is something to be proud of. I only know that it is the elders of the world who support us, and we should repay them."

"good."

Zhao Jun nodded with satisfaction and said, "Do you know why I transferred you to Kaifeng?"

"Please let the chancellor know."

"Because I think you are a very idealistic person who is willing to fight for your ideals all your life, and this is exactly what I value about you."

"I am terrified." Wang Anshi said hurriedly.

"No need to be modest."

Zhao Jun waved his hand and said, "Do you know what you should do at your age?"

Wang Anshi thought for a moment and said, "We should plead for the people."

"No."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said, "This is not what you should do at this stage."

"That is?"

Wang Anshi was puzzled.

In his opinion, isn't being an official about speaking for the people?

However, Zhao Jun said: "If I tell you and tell you what you should do at this stage, will you listen?"

"If what you said makes sense to me, I am willing to do so."

Wang Anshi said.

"very good."

Zhao Jun was even more satisfied.

Don't follow others blindly, and don't be submissive just because the other party is the highest-ranking superior.

Having the ability to think independently is the best quality.

Because although a timid person is easy to use, he may never become the talent he needs.

If one has no opinions of his own and is used to following orders, how can he analyze the country's ills and find solutions?

Therefore, Zhao Jun was training Wang Anshi to be the prime minister.

Even though he is only seven years younger than himself, he may not necessarily become his successor.

But at least after Fan Zhongyan, Yan Shu and others retire, the Constitutional Council will have a suitable helper.

Otherwise, Zhao Jun would have to do everything himself. He had to pay attention to scientific and technological development, financial conditions, education, and national plans. It was really too tiring.

"I think you have to learn knowledge first at your age."

Zhao Jun said.

"Learn?"

"Yes, it is not traditional Confucian knowledge, but new ideas and concepts."

"Please inform the court to make it clear."

Wang Anshi was confused.

"It's very simple. Learn some new ideas, arm yourself with knowledge, don't be blind, think, look at the essence of things instead of the surface, and look at the long term."

"We must seek truth from facts when doing things, insist that practice is the only criterion for testing truth, persist in criticism and self-criticism, and correct mistakes when they are made."

“Don’t be proud, learn with an open mind, a good seedling will eventually grow into a towering tree. Our goal is to provide shade for the people and ensure that they have enough food and clothing. We must firmly believe that our cause is great.”

"Don't pay attention to the attacks and criticisms against you, and don't be discouraged. If you have faith in your heart, just do it, even if you are criticized by thousands of people. As long as it is for the people of the world and for the cause of the country, don't be afraid."

"Analyze things, understand things. Go to the grassroots more often, communicate more with the people, find out where the problems are, and then solve them. Don't have any psychological burden."

"If some corrupt officials, evil spirits and demons obstruct us, we must be firm in our convictions, and not retreat or be afraid. The more the enemy opposes us, the more it proves that we are right, and we must fight them bravely."

“But if you find that something is not right, that you haven’t done it well enough, or that what you thought and what you did turned out to be two different things, then you have to think about what went wrong.”

"Don't be stubborn, and don't stick to one path. Thoughts and politics are flexible. Stick to your bottom line, but also have the courage to admit your mistakes."

"When a county magistrate governs a place, there may be opportunities for trial and error."

"But if you are in charge of a country and issue wrong laws and failed policies, the development of the entire country and the lives of the people will be ruined."

“So we must implement the principle of seeing the essence through phenomena, and implement the principle of learning and accumulating knowledge.”

“In the future, when you issue policies, even if you think the direction is right, but there is a problem in a certain link in the middle, causing the country to deviate from the original path and putting the people in dire straits, you have to think about it.”

"Think about whether you are wrong or there is something wrong in the process."

“Then after you find the problem, you can change it and look for a solution, instead of just seeing that it’s wrong and continuing on this path.”

"Do you understand it?"

Zhao Jun stared at him straight in the eyes.

Zhao Jun had previously analyzed to Zhao Zhen and others that Wang Anshi's reforms were not bad in nature, nor were they tyranny.

Then why did it end up causing ordinary people to be separated from their wives and children, and even have their families destroyed?
There was a huge mistake in the middle link of governance, the administration of officials was not well managed, and the officials below turned a good policy into a bad one.

Regardless of whether Wang Anshi knew the problem or not, the fact is that he did not solve it, but continued to implement the reform policy, causing the people to live even worse.

Therefore, if Zhao Jun really wanted to train him, he must first change Wang Anshi's thinking, influence him subtly, ask him to learn from himself, learn "Zhao Jun's thinking", and make him his own person.

Otherwise, if he really was still the Wang Anshi in history, who did not change his policies even when there were problems, he would obviously be unsuitable to take over from Zhao Jun or to join the Political System Council to become a prime minister.

At this moment, Wang Anshi was a little dizzy after hearing these words.

But after digesting it a little, he gradually came to his senses, and then slowly said: "What the dean said is like wise words, I will think about it carefully."

"Well, study hard and watch carefully."

Zhao Jun added: "If you don't understand, then let me ask you one last question. What do you feel after coming from the countryside to Bianliang?"

"Although the local area has improved slightly in recent years, it is still poor and far less prosperous than Bianliang."

Wang Anshi thought for a moment, then said with emotion: "It has only been four or five years since I last came to Beijing. The changes in Bianliang are amazing to me."

"Do you know why?"

Zhao Jun asked.

Wang Anshi thought for a moment and said, "Because Bianliang is the center of the world."

“That’s just one aspect of it.”

Zhao Jun laughed and said, "I just asked you to see the essence through the phenomenon, how come you forgot it so quickly?"

Wang Anshi bowed and said, "I am a stupid person, please explain clearly."

"Because of Bianliang's geographical location, political factors and the court's planning, this is a multifaceted factor."

Zhao Jun said: "Bianliang is located in the middle of the east, west, south and north, with developed water and land transportation. It is not too far from all parts of the country, so it is easy to become a transportation and economic hub. In addition, the court made this place the capital, and merchants gathered here. Goods and new things from all over the world are also the easiest to concentrate here, so cement and steel are quickly circulated here, together building this prosperous city."

"I see."

Wang Anshi suddenly realized, but he was thinking in his heart, isn’t that almost the same as what he said?

But thinking about it carefully, it seemed that what he said was indeed not as detailed as Zhao Jun's, and his analysis was not as thorough as the other party's, and he felt a little ashamed for a moment.

Zhao Jun continued, "The reason I'm telling you this is to tell you why you should look at things not just on the surface, but at the essence. As a county magistrate, you have to think about how to make this county develop better, so that the people have enough food and clothing, and agriculture and commerce flourish, and the people of this county are poor. If you only look at the surface and don't care about the essence, then you will accomplish nothing."

"Similarly, if you want to be a governor of a state, a transport commissioner, or even a prime minister of a country, you must find the key to the problem, so that you can achieve your ideal step by step."

He tapped the table gently and said, "Just like this table makes a sound when you knock on it, do you understand why it makes a sound? Perhaps it is easy to understand this principle, but how a country should develop and become prosperous is not a simple matter. You need to learn more, listen more, think more, and ask more questions. Only in this way can you make progress and understand how to govern a country."

"This is why practice is the only criterion for testing truth."

Wang Anshi was already convinced. He stood up and said respectfully, "What the dean said has enlightened me. I am willing to follow the dean's arrangements. I only hope to study hard and arm myself with knowledge!"

Zhao Jun said with relief: "This boy is teachable."

Wang Anshi.

Finally, I will get on my own ship!

(End of this chapter)