The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 247: Reform Proposal, Ascension to the Throne
"Father, I have grown up."

Hearing this, Guo Jing laughed out loud, "It's still too early for you to grow up. When you can support the world, you will be considered to have truly grown up."

Guo Chengping smiled bitterly, "Father, the burden of this world is too heavy. Even with the assistance of the Prime Minister, I have worked hard and still cannot do it. I am afraid that I will disappoint your expectations."

After hearing this, Guo Jing showed a look of relief on his face, "It's enough that you can realize this. Human power is limited. How can one person carry the people of this world? Even your father can't do it."

"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. I have restored the old mountains and rivers and unified the Han Dynasty, but this does not mean that everything is fine. Since ancient times, it is easy to conquer the world, but it is difficult to rule the country. Do you understand what your father means?"

Thinking of the complicated government affairs he had seen in the memorials, Guo Chengping showed a hint of enlightenment on his face, "I understand."

Guo Jing continued, "You are my legitimate son, and my eldest son. Sooner or later, the world will be handed over to you. You have a heavy burden on your shoulders. If you don't understand something, just come and ask me. You and I are father and son, and we are also the monarchs of this country."

"Throughout the ages, the rise and fall of a country has been caused by internal troubles, and the most important juncture is the succession of power. We, father and son, must keep this in mind."

The succession of imperial power is a big event. Fusu of Qin, Liu Ying of Han, Li Jiancheng of Tang, and the two brothers Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty are like a curse. Guo Jing does not want the Great Zhou to follow the old path of previous dynasties.

"Okay, you can leave first."

"My son, please retire!"

……

"Teacher, I want to see you."

There was a knock on the door in the backyard of the palace.

"Come in."

Su Ming was lying under a tree basking in the sun, looking lazy. "Why are you here if you don't want to prepare to ascend the throne and become emperor?"

"Teacher, I have some doubts, I hope you can answer them."

Su Ming opened his eyes and sat up from the recliner. "Oh? What's the matter? Tell me."

Guo Jing came to Su Ming, picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea, then said, "This time I went south, everything I saw was shocking. The government was corrupt and colluded with the local government. The people were living in poverty and had no way to survive. Guangnan Road was in rebellion. Even if I hadn't attacked Song last year, they still wouldn't have been able to survive."

"I sometimes wonder if the saying 'people are water, the king is a boat, water can carry a boat but can also overturn it' is true or not."

Su Ming raised his lips slightly, staring into Guo Jing's eyes and said, "That depends on what kind of people you are talking about, common people, common people, or powerful scholars and officials?"

"Of course it's the common people."

“Wildfires cannot burn them all; spring breezes bring new growth. When a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer. Dynasties change, and the people at the bottom of society always suffer. They are like weeds, dying one after another, and then growing again after a hundred years.”

Guo Jing sighed deeply, "Yes, for these common people, as long as they have something to eat, they can survive. However, the heavy taxes imposed by the government often force them to lose their livelihood."

"Without soldiers, there is no strength; without farmers, there is no stability; without merchants, there is no wealth. It all comes down to a problem of food. As long as there is enough food to keep the people alive, the court will be as stable as Mount Tai. Isn't that right?" Su Ming took a sip of tea.

"Yes, as long as there is enough food for them to survive, they will not cause trouble." Guo Jing nodded, and at the same time felt that he was getting closer to the answer he wanted.

"But the problem is that arable land is limited, but the people give birth to children from generation to generation, and the population grows. How can limited land satisfy an unlimited population? This is one of the biggest reasons for the collapse of dynasties throughout history."

“Teacher, you have great insights.”

"The size of the territories of successive dynasties was almost the same. This was the limitation of the Central Plains dynasties. The grasslands to the north were not enough to feed the huge number of people. Therefore, the production areas of grain gradually moved south. Hundreds of years later, Jiangnan became a land of fish and rice."

"But once natural disasters or man-made disasters occur, the food supply in these producing areas will be in trouble, which will be the beginning of civil unrest. The people need a way out, and the court cannot ignore it. What are your countermeasures?"

Guo Jing thought for a moment and gave the answer, "Work-for-relief, the Changping Warehouse System, and water conservancy projects."

These three answers are what almost every dynasty has done, and they cannot be said to be wrong, but they do have certain limitations.

"These methods are correct, but they are not enough. We must not only increase the existing stock, but also increase the land. If there is not enough land, we must fight to the north and the south, settle in the border areas, and open up land. This is the way to solve the problem."

In fact, there is another way, which is to liberate productivity. The root of productivity still comes from agriculture. Just like in later generations, how to develop industry without sufficient agricultural support?

For Da Zhou, the current priority is to integrate agriculture and commerce, establish a stable order, and expand agricultural production as much as possible.

Guo Jing frowned slightly, "Teacher, even though a country is big, it will perish if it loves war. The risk of war is too great."

Su Ming put down the teacup, "That's your business. Although the country is big, forgetting war will lead to danger. I don't need to say much about the fate of putting weapons into storage and horses in the mountains. Mountains, forests and waters have their own way out. Live by the mountains and live by the water. Believe in the wisdom of future generations."

Thinking of the end of the Song Dynasty, Guo Jing's heart trembled, and he realized something, "Disciple understands."

Then, he said, "In addition, the government affairs of the court are all under the control of the emperor and the prime minister. The emperor sits in court and the prime minister governs the country. This method has too many disadvantages, but I don't know how to change it. I hope the teacher can teach me."

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a way to check and balance power in this matter, which was to add more prime ministers.

"The former Tang Dynasty already had a solution to this problem. If you think the prime minister is an eyesore, just depose him." Su Ming glanced at him, meaning, why are you asking me about such a trivial matter?

"Since we are talking about governing a country, I will teach you some methods of reform."

Next, Su Ming talked about the Single Whip System, the land-based tax system, the unified tax payment system for officials and gentry, and the Performance Evaluation System.

The more he listened, the brighter Guo Jing's eyes became. Why didn't he think of these methods?

After listening to this, he immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Su Ming, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher." At the same time, he was even more amazed and admired Su Ming in his heart. He was about to become the emperor, but he didn't expect that he could still teach me.

These were the ways that later feudal dynasties prolong their lives. The Great Zhou was almost established under Su Ming's watch. Its foundation was much stronger than the Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang. At the very least, the north is still stronger than the south now.

The Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang was severely damaged by the Yuan Dynasty in the north, and it took a long time to recover. However, it ended up providing a wedding dress for the Qing Dynasty, allowing them to have enough energy to conquer Tibet and the Western Regions.

The current order of the Great Zhou has not yet been fully established, but there is soil for institutional reform.

"These methods have their pros and cons. You can decide for yourself."

"The disciple understands."

There is no perfect system in this world. As long as there are people, there will be loopholes. The so-called legal system is actually the rule of man. Guo Jing knows very well that what the teacher said is simply impossible to achieve under the current situation of the Great Zhou.

Let's not talk about anything else, just the distribution of land tax requires a large number of officials to measure the land and check the population. Obviously, the Great Zhou does not have so many officials at present.

"Okay, having said that, ask your father-in-law to come over. I have something to discuss with him." "I'll take my leave, disciple."

……

After Guo Jing left, Su Ming put down the book and looked up at the sky. The regrets brought by the Song Dynasty were finally made up for. The Han people re-established the dynasty and no longer had to wait for a hundred years of decline before rising again.

The next day, Huang Yaoshi came to visit.

When he saw Su Ming in the garden, he couldn't help but smile, "Mr. Su is a carefree and carefree person. I really envy him."

"Those who are capable should work harder. Brother Yao is a man of great talent, so he naturally has a great generosity." Su Ming waved his sleeves, and the teacup on the table was pushed up into the air by a strong force, spinning in front of him.

Huang Yaoshi stretched out his hand and used the power of the Jade Wave Palm to dissolve the force contained in the teacup. The tea was stable without any leakage. He walked in front of Su Ming, sat on the chair next to him, sipped the tea, and couldn't help but praise, "Good tea."

"Take a look at this." Su Ming handed him the Sunflower Manual again.

Huang Yaoshi took it and opened it. The densely packed tiny handwriting on the silk spread out before his eyes, and soon he was immersed in it.

After an unknown amount of time, Huang Yaoshi woke up with a start and let out a long breath, "This sword skill is unconventional, but its purpose is high. It is rare, rare."

"You should have heard from Jing'er about the origin of this skill, the Nine Yin Manual. Give me your map of Peach Blossom Island. I want to get the first half of the Nine Yin Manual."

"Your martial arts are already invincible, why do you need to look for the Nine Yin Manual?"

Su Ming glanced at him calmly and said, "There has never been anyone invincible in the martial arts world. In the past few years, your martial arts skills have not improved but deteriorated. It seems that you have really let it go."

"I want to cultivate myself, govern the country, manage my family and bring peace to the world. When I was young, I also took part in the imperial examinations. After I passed the exam, I was not accepted by the court. I deeply regret it. Although martial arts are important, they are not as important as the people of the world." Huang Yaoshi was very frank and told the secrets of his past.

Su Ming nodded. No wonder he was so familiar with Yue Fei's affairs and even came to help in person when Xiangyang City was broken. It turned out that he had great ambitions long ago and it was not entirely influenced by Guo Jing.

Huang Yaoshi took out a pen and paper, wrote down the route map of Peach Blossom Island and the method of entering the island on the paper and handed it to Su Ming. Then he said in an inexplicable tone, "When you see the Old Boy after you get to the island, please apologize to him on my behalf and tell him that Huang Yaoshi is sorry for him." There was a hint of regret in his voice.

Su Ming knew that the old naughty boy was imprisoned on the island, so he didn't ask any more questions and just nodded, "Yes."

With Huang Yaoshi's proud character, he would never admit his fault even if he was wrong. He asked me to apologize on his behalf, which seemed to indicate that he had really let it go.

……

August 1231, , a very auspicious year.

On this day, Guo Jing held a ceremony to worship heaven in Luoyang and ascended the throne to be emperor.

All the major khanates on the grassland sent envoys to congratulate, and Tolui even came in person from afar.

The city of Luoyang was filled with happy smiles, and the common people were celebrating together. The streets were crowded with people and the sound of gongs and drums was deafening.

Huang Yaoshi stood on the wall of the imperial city and let out a long sigh. He looked at the sunlight coming from the horizon and the flags coming towards him in the sunlight in the distance. A look of pride appeared on his face. The emperor who established the new dynasty was his son-in-law.

At this moment, he had completely forgotten the scene when he first met Guo Jing. He gave the order, and soon the guards on the city wall shouted loudly, "Open the city gate!"

The morning light pushed aside the outline of darkness and moved forward. Guo Jing sat on the dragon sedan with his eyes closed. There was no change on his face towards the countless gazes from both sides of the street, but he had complicated thoughts in his mind about what was about to happen.

From now on, he is the emperor, the Son of Heaven, and the lord of all people.

The long and narrow palace road fell to the rear, and the long team moved forward all the way. The view unfolded in front, and soon they left Luoyang City and came to the suburbs.

There was a huge parade ground, a towering platform, and countless flags standing all around, fluttering in the wind.

On the bank of Luo River, a platform three feet three feet three inches high was built, with a total of 365 steps. A huge cauldron was set up on the platform, with flames swaying and bursts of black smoke rising into the sky.

With the arrival of the dragon chariot, the sacrifice began.

The sound of ceremonial music rang out, and hundreds of officials stood on the stage. Five thousand soldiers of the Shengjie Army were guarding everywhere. When a captain saw the team coming, he ran and waved the command flag. At this moment, countless long weapons fell to the ground.

In front of the field of vision, the clouds are rolling and the flags are fluttering.

In the sunlight, the huge parade ground and the kneeling civil and military officials all raised their heads. Guo Jing, wearing a crown, slowly stood up and walked past the ministers.

Guo Jing walked up the steps one step at a time and came to the altar. When the wind blew the white jade curtain in front of his sight, his powerful voice rang out.

"Your Highness Guo Jing bows to the heavens, the sun, the moon, the mountains and the rivers. I, your humble servant, follow the will of Heaven and obey the will of the people. I will drive out the threat of foreign races and eliminate the traitors who usurp the throne. I will offer sacrifices by the Luo River and announce to the Emperors of Heaven and Earth that I will inherit the Great Zhou and establish the Shenwu Era!"

After saying that, he took the golden cup from the tray and poured the wine into the ground.

Behind him, Guo Chengping looked at his father's tall figure, his eyes full of admiration. This was his father, the Emperor of the Great Zhou.

After the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, Guo Jing sat on the dragon chariot and returned to the Luoyang Palace, where he accepted the worship of all officials and rewarded his ministers.

The civil and military officials who followed Guo Jing to conquer the world were all awarded titles and official positions, and they were all very happy. The eldest son Guo Chengping was officially made the crown prince. Among all his sons, he was the only one who received the reward, not even the second son.

His first wife Hua Zheng became the queen, and Huang Rong was promoted to imperial concubine and took charge of the harem together with the queen.

……

The founding ceremony lasted for half a month before and after the event.

The imperial garden in the palace.

Tuolei and Guo Jing were drinking in the pavilion. They talked about the past with smiles on their faces. Suddenly, Tuolei said, "Anda, my father is preparing to march west. Let me tell you."

"The Khan is going to march west so soon?" Guo Jing was startled and frowned slightly.

"My father Khan is old. He said that men on the grassland should not die in bed, but on horseback."

"What does the Khan need me to do?" Guo Jing asked.

Tuolei looked at him and shook his head, "The Khan just said, don't forget the agreement you made with him." Then he asked, "Anda, what did you and Father Khan agree on?"

"The Khan wants me to go with him on the Western Expedition!"

(End of this chapter)