Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong

Chapter 156: Selection of Prime Minister

Who should be chosen as prime minister?

The Prince of Yu's Palace without the plaque of Prince of Yu's Palace.

Zhao Xin was looking at his concubine while thinking about the issue of selection.

Do you think people like Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi are not capable?

Being able to withstand the attack from Western Xia, it actually shows that they are quite capable.

only……

If they were allowed to come back, the court would no longer be ruled by Zhao Xin, but by the ministers.

Why did ancient emperors like to cultivate treacherous ministers?

Because treacherous ministers will cater to the emperor's wishes, they will never oppose whatever the emperor wants to do, and will even strongly support him.

Emperor, you want money. Okay, I will get you money.

Emperor, if you want beauties, well, I will help you collect beauties from all over the world.

What a wonderful feeling!
of course!

Zhao Xin didn't say that he wanted to be that kind of emperor.

But...

Many of the things he did were against etiquette and ancestral regulations. If he allowed people like Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi to come back, wouldn't that just be causing trouble for himself?

What Zhao Xin needs now is not loyal ministers like you, but 'treacherous ministers' who can cooperate with my actions.

Ultimately, it comes down to whether Zhao Xin is willing to take them out to play.

And can they listen to themselves?

If he is not sure that the other party will obey him, Zhao Xin would rather leave the position of prime minister vacant than let them come back.

and……

Once they enter the ranks of prime ministers, the next step will inevitably involve reform.

Being a prime minister is such an important and powerful position. It would be such a pity if he did not carry out reforms and eliminate the long-standing problems of the Song Dynasty.

At this time...

If I say, don't get excited, will they say I am a conservative?

According to the nature of the Song Dynasty, people are either gentlemen or villains, which is very likely.

and so……

These people cannot be allowed to hold power, nor can they be allowed to have their own political opinions. They just need to obey their orders.

Otherwise, by that time the other party has become a prime minister and is at the same level as you, why would they still listen to you?
You also have to spend a lot of time and effort explaining to the other party why this or that approach is not allowed.

At least you have to be able to suppress these people.

You have to have the ability to shut them up at the critical moment.

But the literati of the Song Dynasty were notoriously stubborn, because the Song Dynasty did not kill scholars and officials. Even if you demoted them once, they would still be proud of it and feel that their reputation in the country had increased.

This isn't even a punishment, it's actually a reward.

It’s all his father’s fault!
Speaking of which...

I have to write a letter and ask Wang Gongchen if he knows he is wrong.

If you know you are wrong, come back.

If you don't know what's wrong, just stay here.

As for the selection of the Prime Minister...

The concubines looked at Zhao Xin as if he was thinking about something important and did not dare to disturb him.

but……

They always felt that Zhao Xin must be an extraordinary person.

of course!

This is nonsense. Do most people have so many things to do every day?
Moreover, they will be taught history and told how to strengthen a family?
They also tried to find out Zhao Xin's identity.

It's just a shame.

The gatekeepers are all tight-lipped.

and……

The people in this mansion are not allowed to go out at all.

It’s not that I haven’t thought about climbing over the wall, but there’s really no need to do so.

I guess when the young man wants to say something, he will say it naturally.

Between the eyebrows...

It exudes a sense of heroism and nobility.

But probably all noble families are similar.

of course!

The young man is still more handsome and good-looking than all the others.

Thinking about it this way, seeing the other person looking like he was thinking seriously, I couldn't help but feel happy.

Although the young man is still a little young at the moment, it is at least much better than serving an old man who is several dozen years old.

……

the next day.

Zhao Xin also figured it out.

Since conservatives are an obstacle to reform, the leaders of the conservatives should step forward and carry out reforms.

Nowadays, the Song Dynasty is still short of money.

We need another major military reduction.

So who has such prestige and courage?

Zhao Xin then told his father that whoever dared to cut down the army would be made prime minister.

of course!

The prerequisite is that it cannot be Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu and others.

Zhao Zhen also thought about the veteran generals in the army. Pang Ji had a good prestige in the army.

The people are also relatively convinced of it.

If Pang Ji were to preside over the disarmament, it would be twice as effective with half the effort.

Zhao Xin also asked his father about the relationship between Pang Ji and Fan Zhongyan.

How could his father know so much about the relationship between these ministers?

Maybe they have only written letters and poems to each other and interacted a few times. Can you say that they have a good relationship?

Generally speaking, Fan Zhongyan and Pang Ji must have had some friendship.

After all, they had fought together against the attack of Western Xia in the northwest.

But if something happens, it shouldn't cause them all to get together.

The only thing that left a bad impression on Zhao Xin was that his handling of the Zhong family's affairs was not very appropriate.

But... there's nothing we can do.

If we want to disarm, we need such a person.

of course!

Before doing this, you have to ask whether Pang Ji is willing to do so.

after that……

Following his suggestion, his father wrote a letter to Pang Ji.

They want the other party to preside over further disarmament.

In addition...

His father also recommended Wen Yanbo to him.

Well……

Recommend him?

But it’s almost the same.

Because Wen Yanbo seems to be a responsible person.

But...why did Zhao Xin feel that his father's eyes were a little flickering?
Could it be that there is something hidden from him?

It feels like his father is a little guilty.

Of course! It doesn’t matter! As long as it’s not Fan Zhongyan or Han Qi.

Then let Pang Ji and Wen Yanbo be in charge of the military reduction. If they succeed, they will be made prime ministers. If they fail, they will be sent back to where they came from.

only……

We have to wait until his Li Yuan Army returns from training.

If there are any problems arising from disarmament, it will be difficult to deal with.

We have to let the Li Yuan army guard the Xuanwu Gate.

And compared to this...

What Zhao Xin wanted to tell his father more was that he wanted to further increase the number of troops.

Next…

He planned to add at least 5,000 soldiers to the southeast.

His father looked at him and said quietly, "You have cut and increased, isn't that the same as not cutting at all?"

Zhao Xin said, "How can they be the same? First, their strength has definitely become stronger. The imperial guards nowadays are all rotten fish and shrimp. Second, the soldiers in the southeast are cheaper. They are not like the imperial guards, who not only have to pay monthly salaries, but also have to pay subsidies during festivals. Third, the number must be different. Cutting 50,000 and increasing 5,000 means a difference of at least ten times. Besides, when my silk, cotton and maritime trade industries grow, I can support myself slowly and won't spend a single copper coin from the court in the future."

Zhao Zhen could only say that disarmament should be considered carefully.

Although he also wanted to lay off the people, he was afraid that the people below would rebel.

Especially since there is a cut and an increase at the same time. If people find out, wouldn't that be an insult to them?
Don’t let the time come to create a regional conflict between soldiers from the north and the south.

Then Zhao Xin said, "Then I will increase the number of employees first and then reduce them. I will reduce them next year, half a year later. Now they will have nothing to complain about, right?"

(End of this chapter)