The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 204: Rest and Recuperation, Launch of Jiaozi

Nanchang Prefecture of the Song Dynasty.

In the government hall, the Privy Councilor of the Song Dynasty, the Prime Minister, the three departments, the senior officials of the six ministries and others gathered together. The Privy Council Director Qiao Xingjian sat at the desk and said coldly, "Absurd, absurd! Why did the Chai family go to the north?"

Vice Minister Zhen Dexiu was calm and composed, and glanced at the back hall casually. "Two hundred years have passed, who still cares about the Chai family? However, Han Hou Guo Jing believes that he is a descendant of the Guo family of the previous dynasty. This move is quite meaningful. How should we respond?"

They really couldn't explain this matter. Returning to one's ancestral roots was a natural thing, and even the imperial court could not strictly stop it. This was the consensus of the clan society.

But the question is, do they acknowledge that Guo Jing is the descendant of Guo Rong or not? If they acknowledge it, it is natural for the descendant of the previous dynasty to beat you. If they deny it, it seems that the Song Dynasty can do nothing about it.

Qiao Xingjian snorted coldly, his tone was very impatient, "Response? What response? Do you want to send an envoy to question the Marquis of Han, or do you want to attack from the Jinghu area?"

"It's better for us to pretend we don't know about this. That happened a hundred years ago. Our top priority now is to reconcile with the Kingdom of Jin, so they don't attack us again."

This person was a member of the peace-loving faction of the Song Dynasty. His proposal in the court was to ally with Mongolia to fight against the Jin Dynasty. However, the Song Dynasty was beaten so badly by the Jin Dynasty, and this theme was quite popular in the court.

Zhen Dexiu took a sip of tea and glanced at him calmly, "Reconcile? That's easy to say. The annual tax we gave them before was already high enough. If we reconcile with them again this time, the annual tax figure may be higher than you and I imagined!"

"To serve Qin with land is like trying to put out a fire with firewood. If the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not be extinguished. Lord Qiao, I want to give you a piece of advice. The Jin people are greedy and will never stop fighting!"

Zhen Dexiu slammed the table heavily, his eyes seemed to be burning, "Do you think I am willing? If our Song Dynasty could defend the Yangtze River, why would we lose the south of the Yangtze River and force the emperor to hunt in the south?"

"The imperial court spends so much money and food every year to support the army, but what is the result?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into deathly silence. There was no way around it. These words touched upon a difficult problem that the Song Dynasty had faced since its founding, the Imperial Guards. Originally, the Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty were very capable, but they were defeated by Zhao Guangyi. His son signed the Treaty of Chanyuan and used money to buy peace.

The result was that the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty were at odds with each other, and there was no major war for decades. The weapons were put into storage, and the horses were put to rest in the mountains, where they were taken away by a wave of Jurchens who came out of the deep mountains and forests. They could be described as two brothers in distress.

In the Song Dynasty, there was a Zhao Gou who established the Southern Song Dynasty, and in the Liao Dynasty, there was a Yelu Dashi who rebuilt the Western Liao Dynasty.

Qiao Xingjian sighed, his crimson official robe becoming more vivid under the light. "But if the annual tax is increased again, the local area will be in turmoil. I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the government and the officials."

Zhen Dexiu's eyes were blazing and his expression was firm. "It's OK. Just add some more commercial taxes and print more Jiaozi. We should also collect more taxes from sea merchants. Let the people suffer first. After this period of time is over, we can reduce the taxes."

"Now is a time of crisis. You and I must not quarrel again. Giving the annual tribute to the Kingdom of Jin can still ensure peace, but if we give it to those soldiers, there will be no sound at all."

Qiao Xingjian wanted to refute, but he had no choice because what he said was the fact. The combat effectiveness of the Song Dynasty's imperial guards was known to the world, but this was not a problem of the imperial guards, but a problem of the Song Dynasty's system. The results of the reform were originally intended to enrich the country and strengthen the military, but unfortunately the effect was not satisfactory.

When the country has money, the lower classes become poor, forcing the people to rebel. The country is exploited to the extreme, resulting in constant uprisings in the country. Then those rebellious people are recruited and incorporated into the imperial guards.

The result is self-evident. During the reign of Emperor Huizong, the number of imperial guards was as many as 800,000, while the number of troops in the Jin Dynasty was only 60,000. The water in this number is probably greater than that in the Yellow River.

The Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty were two completely extremes. In the Song Dynasty, the imperial court was rich, the lower classes were poor, and the soldiers they supported were not good enough. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court was too poor. The soldiers still had combat effectiveness, but the logistics were not guaranteed and they could not afford to support them, which led to successive defeats on the battlefield. The merchants in the south were all eating fat. If the taxation system of the Song Dynasty was replaced by that of the Ming Dynasty, perhaps the outcome would be different.

Finally, Qiao Xingjian sighed again, "Well, let's just do it. We will submit it together and let the government make the decision."

……

Beidi, Songling, Qingling.

Guo Jing brought the officials of his shogunate to pay homage to the two emperors of the Later Zhou Dynasty. Compared with the imperial tombs of the Northern Song Dynasty which were excavated and robbed, the two imperial tombs of the Later Zhou Dynasty are still well preserved. Because they were in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, they focused on practicality and frugality, and there were not many burial objects. The specifications of the imperial tombs are there, and it is not impossible for ordinary people to dig them. It would be a waste of time and effort, but not worth it.

After paying homage to them, Guo Jing officially became a descendant of the Guo family of the Later Zhou Dynasty. He left a team of a hundred people to guard the tomb, ordered people to repair the buildings on top of the tomb, and then returned to Luoyang.

There were not many things to do and the process was simple, but the results were very significant. After returning to Luoyang, Guo Jing clearly felt that the officials of the shogunate were working more diligently and the generals under him were more motivated.

Since ancient times, as a ruler, in addition to leadership skills, the most important thing is to be able to make big plans. This is true in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.

Guo Jing paid homage to the emperor's mausoleum, seemingly saying nothing, but in fact the officials below knew it very well. At the very least, Guo Jing's future would never be that of a mere marquis. Only when the bosses above are promoted can the people below them make progress.

There is no way. In this era, everyone wants to make progress and stand out. If an interest group does not have long-term goals, who will follow you?

"Yes, after negotiating so many orders, it seems that the profit of this porcelain kiln is not small."

Wang Shan stood up straight and replied respectfully, "If it weren't for the Marquis's foresight to recruit craftsmen and reopen the official kiln, even if we wanted to sell it, it would be a waste of time."

Guo Jing nodded in satisfaction and continued, "By the way, I have sent someone to talk to Mu Huali about the salt fields in Hebei. You can go and negotiate with him in person later. I have given you full authority. As long as the conditions are not too excessive, I will agree to them."

Hearing this, Wang Shan was shocked and said in disbelief, "My Lord, the Changlu Salt Field is of great importance. Is the King willing to share it with us?"

Since ancient times, salt has been a necessity in human life, and it was a common practice for feudal dynasties to monopolize salt profits.

"Yes, my uncle is short of manpower and unwilling to manage the salt field. He wants to subcontract it out. This is our opportunity. The profit from salt is an endless source of income. It cannot be taken away by the big families in Hebei. This trip is tantamount to confronting those local tyrants, but I have confidence in you."

"When you come back, I will personally commend you for your achievements!"

Wang Shan was so excited that he immediately bowed down and said, "Thank you, Lord!"

Guo Jing stepped forward and patted his shoulder, his eyes full of solemnity, "Well, salt is of utmost importance. It is related to future plans, so we must be cautious!"

The two chatted for a while, and Wang Shan left. A figure walked out from behind the screen and said, "Guo Jing, the salt field is in the hands of Mu Huali. I'm afraid he won't subcontract it to us so easily."

Guo Jing walked up to Huang Yaoshi, raised his hand, and sat down to drink tea. "Father-in-law, Changlu Salt Field is just one of the links. It doesn't matter whether we have it or not. With Yuncheng in hand, we can go to Liangzhou and gather the blue salt producing areas in our hands. I just want to make more preparations."

Huang Yaoshi stroked his beard and looked at Guo Jing with some amazement in his eyes. "Using salt as the basis, issuing Jiaozi is a good move. The north lacks copper, and copper coins are scarce. People have always had the habit of hiding money. If copper coins are not circulated, business will not be active. The shogunate has no money and can't do anything." "That's right. The shogunate has no money and can only use salt as the basis to promote Jiaozi. I have thought about it carefully. Only this method can revitalize the business in the north."

The credit of copper coins was very stable among the people, but the government was always short of money. It was well known that there was a shortage of copper in the Central Plains and the north and south of the country. This led to the stable value of copper coins. As copper mining became increasingly scarce, Jiaozi naturally emerged in the Song Dynasty.

The imperial courts of all dynasties have minted countless coins, but most of them were inferior coins. In addition, the people would also mint coins privately. The technical content of this thing was not high. The people recycled a large number of exquisite copper coins and minted them into inferior coins, which created a vicious cycle of inferior coins driving out good coins in the market.

There is no shortage of copper coins in the North, but there is a lack of well-made coins, especially good coins like Kaiyuan Tongbao. Good copper coins can be circulated for hundreds of years and their value will not fall.

In order to solve the problem, rulers of all dynasties have come up with some crooked ideas, such as using copper coins as five copper coins or ten copper coins. Even Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms period minted copper coins worth a hundred copper coins in Shu. His purpose was to reap the wealth of Shu.

It’s a pity that the quality of the copper coin is hard to describe. The dog shook his head after taking a look at it.

For Guo Jing, this is more important than fighting a war.

……

Daming Prefecture, Hebei Province.

Wang Shan met Mu Huali.

In the palace of Grand Tutor Wang, Mu Huali sat on the tiger-skin throne and looked down at the hall quietly. In the main hall, Wang Shan remained calm and talked freely.

After hearing this, he smiled on his bronze face, "Guo Jing is a very sharp-eyed guy, and he's quite good at business. He actually set his eyes on the salt field." Then, he shook his head, "It's a pity that you're late."

"The salt field has been contracted out."

Wang Shan was struck by lightning, but after coming to his senses, he still did not give up. "May I ask the Grand Tutor and King, to whom did you lease the salt field, and under what conditions?"

Mu Huali stepped on the ferocious tiger head on the carpet and said nonchalantly, "The Kong family and the Li family want to send 8 million kilograms of salt every year. What? Can you offer better conditions?"

When Wang Shan heard this number, his heart was shocked. "With such a huge amount, he won't get any profit even if he gets the salt field." What's more, Luoyang is too far away from here, and it is someone else's territory. It is not an easy task to seize the business of the local tyrant.

"Thank you, Grand Master, for your advice. Let's just forget about this matter."

Mu Huali suddenly sat up straight and looked at him straight, "It's not impossible for you to take the salt. I plan to open Kaifeng again next year. As long as Guo Jing is willing to join me, I will give you half of the profits from the salt field. How about it?"

After saying this, a hint of amusement appeared on the corner of his mouth, as if he wanted to see what expression Wang Shan would have.

When Wang Shan heard the news, he showed a slight shock on his face, and then regained his composure, "This matter is of great importance, and it is beyond the power of this humble minister to decide. I beg the Grand Tutor and King to forgive me."

He waved his hand, his expression calm again, "It's okay, just go back and tell Guo Jing directly, and remember to thank him on my behalf."

The discussion ends here.

Wang Shan returned to Luoyang and told Guo Jing everything. Guo Jing was not disappointed when he heard the news, as he had been mentally prepared for this matter.

"My Lord, I have failed to do my job well. Please punish me."

"It's not your fault. I know Mu Huali wants to open Kaifeng, but I can't agree to his condition. Do you know why?"

Wang Shan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then replied solemnly, "The army went out to fight, which cost a lot of money and food, and Kaifeng is already empty. Even if we take it, we can't get it. The loss is not worth the gain."

Guo Jing nodded slightly, "This is just one of the reasons."

"Since I started the rebellion, I have fought wars almost every year, conquered cities and territories, and had no rivals. However, over the years, the people's livelihood in the north has declined, countless people have died and been injured, and coupled with the plague, the treasury has been emptied. If the fighting continues, there will probably be chaos."

"In the next three years, I have decided to rest and recuperate, and restore people's livelihood. Wang Shan, you are one of the few talents in internal affairs under my command, so I will need you to take care of this matter."

Wang Shan was shocked, even more surprised than when he heard Mu Huali's words, and he immediately bowed down and said, "I am willing to serve you, my Lord."

……

In the next two years, the world regained its rare peace, and all forces were busy licking their wounds and restoring their strength.

In the autumn of 1219, the Song Dynasty sent envoys to the Jin Dynasty. The two sides continued to treat each other as uncle and nephew countries, and increased the annual tribute to taels of silver and pieces of silk. The Southern Song Dynasty also gave the Jin army million taels of silver as rewards (compensation).

The contract was reached and the Song Dynasty court was filled with joy, but the people were crying and cursing the officials in the court. In fact, the Jin Kingdom had proposed to turn the relationship into a father-son relationship, but the envoys of the Song Dynasty firmly disagreed.

Just kidding, having only one puppet emperor is enough. If they really agree to this, the officials of this dynasty will be nailed to the pillar of shame forever. Therefore, they would rather pay more annual tribute than agree to this.

In the summer of 1220, Grand Tutor Wang Muhuali dispatched infantry and cavalry to attack Kaifeng. At that time, Kaifeng had experienced a plague and was severely damaged, and the Jin Kingdom also intended to abandon this place.

In the end, Mu Huali lost 70,000 soldiers and it took him three months to finally capture Kaifeng. After this battle, the war potential of Hebei and other places was exhausted, the people's strength reached its limit, and they could no longer move south in a short period of time.

At this time, Guo Jing suddenly dispatched 2,000 cavalrymen to attack Liangzhou Prefecture of Western Xia. Western Xia was afraid and sent envoys to contact them, but to no avail.

In the spring of 1221, Luoyang launched a new Jiaozi with salt as its capital. Once launched, merchants and travelers from the north flocked to it, and the atmosphere was renewed.

After revitalizing the economy, Guo Jing expanded his army by another 30,000, while laying off the old and weak in the army. More importantly, the number of cavalry under his command was set at 30,000, while the number of war horses reached an astonishing 100,000. However, their combat effectiveness was insufficient and they could not compete with the Mongolian cavalry for the time being, but it was still more than enough to defeat the Western Xia.

(End of this chapter)