I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 330 Zhang Chun's infatuation with Zhao Yu
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Although the decision had been made to move the capital of the Song Dynasty from Tokyo to Beijing, the war in Liaodong was still ongoing, and there were many trivial matters in Beijing that required Zhao Yu's decision. However, after seeing that the war at the front had slowed down and that the Jin Dynasty could not be destroyed in a short time, Zhao Yu decided to return to Tokyo Bianliang City as soon as possible to end this personal expedition.

Zhao Yu was well aware that, at least up to now, Bianliang (Kaifeng) was still the central city of the Song Dynasty, and as the emperor of the Song Dynasty, he should not be away from the palace for an extended period of time.

The central government is the core of a nation's power, and the emperor's very presence is a symbol of stability. If the emperor is absent for an extended period, the bureaucratic system that revolves around imperial power may experience problems such as poor coordination and delayed decision-making. Without the constraint of supreme authority, officials in various departments are prone to shirking responsibility and passing the buck, and some may even take advantage of the situation to abuse their power for personal gain.

When the emperor personally led an expedition or left the capital, information transmission between the front lines and the central government often involved multiple layers of intermediaries, making delays or distortions highly likely. Central government officials, unaware of the specific situation at the front, might issue unrealistic instructions; while the emperor, being in exile, would find it difficult to keep abreast of subtle changes in the capital and even across the country, such as local disasters and social unrest.

When the emperor is away from the capital for an extended period, it is most likely to cause unease throughout the court and among the people. Officials will speculate about the emperor's intentions, the common people will worry about the stability of the situation, and it may even give those with ulterior motives the opportunity to spread rumors and incite unrest.

Therefore, even if a personal expedition is launched, if it takes too long, rebellions may arise in the rear due to the "young ruler and suspicious state" (even if the crown prince comes of age, he is unlikely to have the same authority as the emperor). Many emperors who personally led expeditions in history failed because of instability in the rear, which is clear evidence of this.

Therefore, the stability of the central government is the cornerstone of a country's operation. As the core, even if the emperor has to leave the capital for necessary actions such as a personal expedition, he must strictly control the time. Through a sound system of regency and efficient information transmission, the risk of a power vacuum can be minimized. Otherwise, even the most brilliant emperor will find it difficult to withstand the chain reaction caused by being away from the central government for a long time.

Upon learning that Zhao Yu was returning to Tokyo, Zhang Chun looked at Zhao Yu and nodded vigorously.

Seeing this, Li Lin asked, "You seem to strongly agree with the Emperor's return to the capital?"

Zhang Chun bluntly stated, "Your Majesty, this is the behavior of a wise ruler."

Li Lin asked, "Why do you say that?"

Zhang Chun said: "When the Emperor ascended the throne, there was the Qing Tang rebellion outside, and the Western Xia and Liao armies jointly pressed on the border; inside, there was the struggle between the old and new factions, the national treasury was empty, the gentry and powerful families occupied countless fields, the common people had no land at all, the gap between the rich and the poor was huge, and there were too many soldiers and officials. In order to support them, the court had to spend huge sums of money, which led to serious overspending, making the Song Dynasty poor and weak. The situation was so bad."

"In the first year of his reign, the Emperor paid all the soldiers' back pay, and in the second year, he paid all the officials' back salaries. In the fifteen years since his ascension, he has completely resolved the deep-seated problems of the Song Dynasty, including the 'three redundancies and two accumulations,' and he has also exempted the people from taxes more than thirty times, averaging twice a year."

"Politically, after the emperor ascended the throne, he used both the new and old parties, and then he didn't use either of them. He relied entirely on ability. In the end, he tamed both the new and old parties. Officials who only knew how to engage in factional struggles and had no ability were all driven out of the court. The politics of our Great Song Dynasty were very clear."

"This is very clever. Take Emperor Chongzhen of the late Ming Dynasty as an example. He acted rashly and dealt with Wei Zhongxian. Unexpectedly, the factional strife was gone, but the Donglin Party became dominant. With no one to check it, Chongzhen eventually lost control. He oversimplified things. In the end, all I can say is that if Wei Zhongxian were still alive, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"

"The standard for a restorer of the dynasty should be reform. The purpose of reform is to make money. The means is to take back the land from the local gentry and redistribute it to the people. In this way, the court can collect taxes again, just like the government's implementation of the 'Gentlemen Paying Grain Together' and 'Equalizing Land Tax and Labor Tax'."

"As we all know, at the beginning of the implementation of the 'Equal Grain Payment for Gentry' and the 'Equalization of Land Tax and Poll Tax', the reforms encountered numerous obstacles. Countless gentry and powerful figures secretly colluded, attempting to sabotage the new policies through various means. However, the government remained steadfast and did not back down. It fundamentally solved the problems of land annexation and tax inequality, and abolished the poll tax that had been weighing on the people for over a thousand years. This finally gave the people a much-anticipated respite, and they were no longer forced to become homeless or sell their children due to the heavy taxes. The Song Dynasty was also able to gradually break free from the quagmire of poverty and weakness and radiate new vitality."

"But Emperor Chongzhen simply didn't have that kind of courage. The most powerful local gentry in the Ming Dynasty were Zhu Yuanzhang's sons and grandsons, such as Zhu Zhishu, the Prince of Shu, who controlled 70 percent of the land in Sichuan at the time; Zhu Changluo, the Prince of Fu in Henan, was even more formidable, as the tax revenue of the entire province of Henan was not enough to cover his personal expenses. Emperor Chongzhen dared not touch any of them, and was obsequious to them, while he cracked down hard on the people. In addition to the normal taxes, he often imposed various exorbitant taxes, such as the three taxes alone, which alone amounted to an extra six million taels of silver extorted from Jiangnan every year."

“A ruler’s ability to fight wars abroad is even more evident.”

"Emperor Chongzhen was notorious for his lack of military talent and his poor command. The Ming army could not defeat the Qing army in open battle, and the best option was to defend the city. However, Chongzhen insisted on sending Lu Xiang-sheng to fight the Qing army in the open, which resulted in the annihilation of the entire army. Lu Xiang-sheng died in battle, and he was frightened. He quickly transferred Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou from Shaanxi. As a result, Li Zicheng, who was left with only eighteen horsemen, escaped."

"In order to fight against the Later Jin, why not learn from Emperor Huizong of Song in history? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I cooperated with Ligdan Khan of the Mongols, forming the second alliance between the Mongols and the Jin in history. But what happened? Ligdan Khan was indecisive and did not put in any effort. He even allowed the Mongol cavalry to plunder the border, and I could only pretend not to see it."

"They even reinstated the Qin Dynasty's military merit system to boost morale, but what happened? Not a single Qing soldier was lost, and all the refugees and beggars within the Ming Dynasty's borders disappeared." "If you're incompetent, why don't you delegate authority and let your subordinates do the work? But Chongzhen refused to relinquish power until his death, keeping a eunuch to supervise the army. Frontline generals had to report even to the toilet. How could they win the war?"

"They didn't have the money to fight a war, yet they insisted on fighting on two fronts, fighting the Manchus on one side and the rebels on the other. They simply didn't know how to befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones."

“Our emperor, ever since the recapture of Qinghai, has always chosen the most suitable generals for every military campaign, and has fully trusted them. No matter how bad the situation is, he has never changed generals on the spot, and has fully delegated authority to the front-line generals. He never commands beyond his rank, and he only wants results.”

"Moreover, no matter how good the situation is, he never gets carried away. Just like when the Emperor personally led the expedition, the situation was so good, but in order to prevent the Song Dynasty from being caught in a two-front war and to completely recover the Western Xia, he resolutely let the Liao Kingdom go."

"And this time, the situation was so good. The national treasury was full, the army was strong and well-equipped, and there were powerful firearms. According to what you and many others thought, the Jin Kingdom should have been wiped out. But the Emperor chose the blockhouse tactic, not giving the Jin Kingdom any chance."

"Such a calm and strategic mindset is what an emperor of all ages should have."

Hearing this, Li Lin was filled with emotion.

As a soldier, especially one who had great confidence in modern weaponry, Li Lin disagreed with the Song Dynasty's decision to fight such a stale war, because it was too slow and did not demonstrate the skill of these experienced warriors.

On the other hand, Li Lin had to admit that Zhao Yu's final decision was indeed the most secure option for the Song Dynasty, and from the perspective of the country, it was the safest course of action.

Once the Song Dynasty has completely conquered the Northeast, it will have no rivals in the world, and it won't be too late to learn from the Han and Tang dynasties.

Zhang Chun continued, "Let's take Emperor Chongzhen as an example. During his seventeen-year reign, he replaced fifty ministers in the cabinet, a practice known in history as 'Chongzhen's Fifty Ministers.' He didn't trust any of them. He even issued five edicts of self-reproach, slapping himself in the face, but afterwards he forgot all about it and went back to doing what he was doing. Killing Yuan Chonghuan chilled the hearts of the soldiers. Although Yuan Chonghuan had his own problems, you still went too far by having him skinned alive. What were Wu Sangui and his ilk supposed to think?"

"Furthermore, our Emperor has only employed two prime ministers since ascending the throne. Zhang Dun died in office while still alive, and the other prime ministers also retired due to old age. Which prime minister did not feel grateful for the Emperor's patronage when he left the court? The generals are the same; they all follow the Emperor with heartfelt admiration. This magnanimity and breadth of mind are far beyond what the likes of Chongzhen could achieve."

Li Lin interjected, "You're right, but in my memory, Emperor Chongzhen wasn't that bad, was he? Isn't it said that he was virtuous but unlucky, and that during his eighteen years on the throne, there were nine years of drought and nine years of floods, which led to widespread suffering and misery? It seems that Emperor Chongzhen was also diligent in his duties, did not indulge in drinking or women, and had high moral character?"

Zhang Chun shook his head with a smile: "That's useless. If we judge emperors according to your standards, then Wang Mang would be number one. He was a perfect man, a moral exemplar, but can you say that Wang Mang was a good emperor?"

After a pause, Zhang Chun continued, "Yes, in the last few years of Chongzhen's reign, the world experienced a Little Ice Age with poor harvests, coupled with a major plague in the north. But this was just the last straw that broke the camel's back, not the main reason for the Ming Dynasty's demise. If it weren't for the fact that Chongzhen ultimately chose to commit suicide on Coal Hill, sacrificing his life for his country and saving face for himself and the Ming Dynasty, his historical reputation would not be as good as Zhao Ji's; he should be equated with Zhao Huan."

At this point, Zhang Chun concluded: "A good emperor should be like our Emperor. It doesn't matter if he has some shortcomings or even flaws. The key is to know what to do and when. Just like now, Your Majesty should return to the capital in triumph, sit in the central government, and not give anyone or anything the opportunity to shake your throne or the Song Dynasty."

“By comparing Chongzhen’s actions with the Emperor’s performance over the past fifteen years, it is clear who is a foolish ruler and who is a wise ruler, and the standard for a wise ruler is thus established.”

Looking at Zhao Yu's retreating figure, Zhang Chun said with adoration in her eyes, "Truly worthy of being the emperor I chose and trained myself, he is so perfect..."

……

(End of this chapter)