The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 42: The Dawn of the Restoration of the Great Zhou

Shen Yuan paused and continued:
"The people are the foundation of the country. The state's salaries and military needs are all taken from the people. If the people are prosperous, the country will be prosperous.

The military is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. A strong army leads to a strong country.

It was because the Tang and Han dynasties achieved these two things at the same time that they were able to create a prosperous era that will last forever.”

Shen Yuan's words went a step further than before, and also implied the fact that the people of the Great Zhou were poor and the army was weak.

Of course, for Emperor Yuanzhen, this was his biggest concern. The number of refugees from all over the country increased year by year, and the nine border areas were repeatedly looted. The court was helpless in doing anything about it, but it could not ignore it.

The emperor raised his eyes and stared at the cautious young man in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "Don't beat around the bush for me, just tell me the specific problems that our dynasty is facing."

Noticing that Emperor Yuanzhen seemed a little impatient and Shen Yuan was still hesitant and hesitant, Gao Yue, who had been silent for a long time, flashed his eyes, moved his lips slightly, and interrupted, "Father is magnanimous and has the generosity of a Saint Emperor. He will definitely not blame me for what I said, Brother Shen, don't worry."

On the one hand, he said this to Emperor Yuanzhen as a precaution so that if Shen Yuan really said something sharp later, the emperor would not be able to blame him.

On the other hand, he was also saying this to Shen Yuan. He hoped that Shen Yuan could display his talents in front of Emperor Yuan Zhen and be appreciated by him.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Emperor Yuan Zhen on the throne. He could feel a burning sensation in the other's eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, he said in a clear voice, "The current problem can be summed up by the word 'vanity'."

After hearing this, Emperor Yuanzhen became interested and cast a questioning look at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan said:
"First, the generals and soldiers are not worthy of the title, and the training and exercises are only formalities to deal with the inspections. In addition, there are many cases of people eating empty salaries, which leads to the shortage of soldiers. This is the reason why border troubles never end.

Second, local officials are frivolous, officials are promoted only to fame, but not to actual achievements, water conservancy is not developed, civil cases are not investigated, and natural and man-made disasters have led to refugees everywhere;
Third, the officials in the court are frivolous, only care about their own interests and not the country. They cannot share the worries of the emperor, nor can they care about the people. They only fight for power and status. This is the problem of official governance. "

Different from his previous discussions, every word Shen Yuan said this time was to the point, directly hitting the reasons for the decline of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and there was no lack of criticism.

Perhaps this was what Emperor Yuanzhen wanted to hear. These words shocked his heart and his expression slightly changed, but he did not feel irritated at all.

From this we can see that the Emperor of the Great Zhou was indeed eager to find out the root cause and solve the problem.

But how can a young man come up with such insights?
Could it be that the information was obtained from Jiang Zhongnian and Shi Ding?

Emperor Yuanzhen put away his doubts, and a solemn expression appeared on his vigorous face. He said thoughtfully: "There are billions of people in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and there are countless internal and external affairs. Where do you think we should start?"

The emperor has been sitting on the throne for more than a decade, so he naturally has strategies for governing the country in mind. Such questions are mostly meant to test and teach.

Shen Yuan pondered for a moment, facing a pair of burning eyes, and said: "The world's momentum is vast and powerful, but the iron must be hard to forge, and the key lies in the Great Zhou."

"It seems that you have a plan in mind?"

Shen Yuan slowly uttered eight words: "Focus on culture, strengthen the military, and promote agriculture, industry and commerce."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanzhen's eyes narrowed slightly and he began to chew on these words carefully.

Gao Yue, who was standing by, said with emotion, "The Great Zhou has always attached great importance to the imperial examinations, and my father has also increasingly focused on the training of border troops. Isn't this the case of emphasizing culture while strengthening the military?"

Shen Yuan pondered and said, "The emphasis on literature is not only about the imperial examinations, but also about the efficiency of administration. We should clarify the specific indicators for enriching the people and strengthening the country, such as how much the annual surplus of the people will increase, how much the government's tax revenue will increase, and so on. Officials should take this as their goal, and those who are capable will be promoted, and those who are mediocre will be demoted. There will be competition and elimination, and the direction of the imperial examinations should also change from empty theories to specific administrative policies for enriching the people and strengthening the country. As the saying goes, empty talk will ruin a country, but hard work will make it prosperous."

Gao Yue listened, his face gradually showing shock, and he silently said: "Empty talk ruins the country, hard work makes it prosperous!"

Suddenly he felt his heart trembling and he could not control himself for a moment. The doubts that had been bothering him seemed to be resolved at once.

There was no shortage of century-old policy essays and brilliant articles in previous imperial examinations, but these did not have any positive effect on the national situation. Although they did not harm the country, most of them were empty talk.

"How wonderful! Hearing Brother Shen's words today is better than reading a hundred years of books!" Gao Yue said suddenly, "The emphasis on literature is not only for the imperial examination, but also for enriching the people and strengthening the country. Brother Shen's words are really sharp."

Gao Yue looked at Shen Yuan and asked, "Brother Shen, what do you think of Qiang Wu?"

Shen Yuan said: "The key to a soldier's combat effectiveness lies in tactics and morale.

The art of tactics cannot be acquired in a day, and the talent of a general cannot be recognized at a glance, but military lectures can be set up in county schools, prefectural schools, and imperial colleges at each level. Students can not only learn martial arts and tactics, but also cultivate a martial spirit from an early age.

The key to morale in battle lies in the general who leads the army. If the general is not afraid of death, how can the soldiers not obey their orders? In addition, there must be a fair and reasonable pension system so that the soldiers have no worries. "

There is also a most important point, which Shen Yuan did not make clear. Now, 80% of the army of the Great Zhou is controlled by military meritorious officials and old friends. The four kings, eight dukes and twelve marquises have been in peace for several generations and have long lost the blood and vigor of their ancestors. If the army is to be strengthened, these people must be governed.

Emperor Yuanzhen was deeply shocked when he heard this, but he remained calm and said thoughtfully, "Your opinion is quite good."

"What do you mean by emphasizing culture and strengthening the military, and then promoting agriculture, industry and commerce?"

"Agriculture and industry and commerce are not only the source of food and clothing, but also the foundation of a rich country. Whether it is cultivating talents for governing the country or strengthening the army, food, clothing and daily necessities are indispensable. If we want to make the country strong, it is imperative to develop agriculture and industry and commerce. As for how to develop them, I am still thinking about the detailed strategy."

Shen Yuan actually had some ideas in his mind, but they were a little sensitive, so it was not convenient for him to tell them about them right now.

In terms of agriculture, it is nothing more than carrying out land reform, measuring the fields, and allocating land taxes. The state can even gradually purchase land and nationalize it, and then rent it out regularly according to the population.

In terms of industry and commerce, business subjects can be set up in the county college to teach the basic knowledge of handicraft workshops and traveling merchants in order to train craftsmen and merchants in the long term, while encouraging commercial transactions. We can even emulate the Song system and abolish the curfew across the country, allowing the commercial system to operate freely around the clock. In the long run, maritime trade can also be expanded.

These should be done step by step, and you must not rush into anything.

Things have different priorities, and the most urgent task is still to deal with border problems.

Emperor Yuanzhen nodded when he heard this. He had prospects in both civil and military affairs, but he had no in-depth thoughts on agriculture, industry and commerce.

However, Shen Yuan's remarks so far are enough to prove that he has talent for governing the country. If he enters the officialdom in the future, he may be able to bring hope for the revival of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Emperor Yuanzhen's expression was not as serious as before, and his tone was much softer. He said, "It seems that what Lord Jiang said is true. Today, you talked about the general situation, which shows that you are indeed a rare talent."

Talents are hard to come by? When Shen Yuan heard this, he suddenly felt familiar, and his heart was a little strange. Wasn't this sentence the evaluation of Deng Zong by Mao Zu in later generations? How could Shen Yuan dare to accept this word!

Emperor Yuanzhen was calm at this moment. He no longer underestimated the young man in front of him. He sat upright, his tone full of expectation, and encouraged him in a deep voice: "I hope you can guard against arrogance and impatience, win the championship in the next martial arts examination, and contribute to the revival of the Great Zhou in the future."

Shen Yuan bowed in response. Today he had established initial trust with the Emperor of the Great Zhou.

(End of this chapter)