I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 76: Zhang Da Counselor (First + chapters!)

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After ascending the throne, Zhao Ya took over the mess of the Zhao Song Dynasty, which needed to be rebuilt.

But Zhao Ya knew that he still had time, so he was not impatient, but focused on securing his throne first.

Moreover, although Zhao Ya had already begun to rule the country, out of respect for Empress Dowager Xiang and consideration of a smooth transition, Zhao Ya would discuss major issues with Empress Dowager Xiang and even ask her to make decisions.

In terms of personnel, Zhao Ya did not make any major changes.

As for Zhao Ya, many people expected him to lead them in reforms before he came to power. Now Zhao Ya does not even mention it. Even when someone mentions it, he does not give a clear response.

Of course, not responding is actually also an attitude, which means that Zhao Ya is still on the path of supporting reform.

However, at the same time, Zhao Ya pardoned the old party members who were defeated by Zhao Xu, Zhang Dun and others, and even recalled them to the court for appointment, which also gave the old party hope.

Therefore, now whether it is the new party that feels threatened or the old party that wants to turn the tide, they are all trying to curry favor with Zhao Ya, expecting Zhao Ya to stand on their side and help them get rid of the other side.

Zhao Ya also used this opportunity to slowly secure his throne...

However, this would allow Zhao Ya to secure his throne, but it could not solve the problems of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Although Zhao Ya already had some plans on how to solve the problems of the Zhao Song Dynasty, he still wanted to hear the opinions of the five women who were far more successful than himself in his previous life.

Zhang Chunzheng wanted to show off in front of Zhao Ya so that she could use Zhao Ya's hand to interfere in politics. How could she not cherish the opportunity Zhao Ya gave her?
So, as soon as Zhao Ya shook his hand, Zhang Chun took the bait:
"Internally, the government has handled the situation appropriately, and I dare not speak rashly."

"Externally, I believe we should publicly adopt the advice of Minister Zhang and other ministers, responding to the provocations of Liao and Xia with a firm stance and refusing to give in."

"Western Xia was already desperate and forced to seek peace, but because the previous emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the political situation of our Song Dynasty was unstable, and with the support of the Liao Kingdom, they turned to hard-line methods to force peace, hoping to turn the crisis into safety and extort annual tribute. This is really not a cause for concern."

"As for the Liao Kingdom, its ruler is nearly seventy years old and faces a major change of monarch. Its crown prince is ambitious but incompetent, not a ruler capable of accomplishing anything. Furthermore, the country is plagued by numerous internal problems, and the accumulated problems are difficult to reverse. It is impossible for them to launch a military operation against the Song Dynasty. Their current display of military might in Xincheng is undoubtedly a bluff, intended to increase annual tribute."

"This is a godsend opportunity for the Song Dynasty to destroy the two invaders, but the Song Dynasty is currently plagued by problems. If we rashly mobilize our forces, there's no guarantee that the Liao and Xia countries won't become desperate and join forces to attack the Song Dynasty."

"In that case, our Song Dynasty may find it difficult to cope."

"So it is advisable to fight against Yinhe..."

What Zhang Chun meant (including what she didn't say out loud):
Western Xia was in the process of liquidating its foreign relatives, and its political situation was unstable. Moreover, due to years of military campaigns against the Zhao Song Dynasty during the reign of Empress Dowager Xiao Liang, the treasury was already empty and the troops were exhausted. It was a complete paper tiger and there was no need to care about it at all.

The Liao Dynasty was also at the end of its reign. Not to mention a lot of problems, Yelu Hongji only had one year left to live. How could he really go to war with Zhao Ya?
After Yelu Hongji passed away, the last emperor of the Liao Dynasty, Emperor Tianzuo of Liao, Yelu Yanshi, ascended the throne. He led an army of 700,000 but was still defeated by Wanyan Aguda's army of 20,000. He was beaten from north to south and from east to west by Wanyan Aguda. In the end, not only was most of his country swallowed up by Wanyan Aguda, his wife and children were divided up by the Jin people, but he himself was also captured and kept as a captive by the Jin people along with Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan.

Therefore, let alone a fake fight, even if it was a real fight, Zhao Ya would not have to be afraid of Yelu Hongji and Li Qianshun.

But the Zhao Song Dynasty also had many problems. It had no money and no strong soldiers. Zhao Ya had just ascended the throne and had not yet secured the throne. Let alone fighting one against two, even if it was one against one, it was unclear whether he could win.

In this case, the best way to deal with it is to appear tough and then negotiate peace when the attitudes of Liao and Xixia soften.

Frankly speaking, the Song, Liao, and Xixia kingdoms are now each weaker than the last, none of them equipped to wage a national war. Given this situation, Zhao Ya can make all sorts of harsh statements, as long as he doesn't get carried away and actually go to war with both Liao and Xixia simultaneously. Well... it would be best if he didn't fight either one right now, just engage in verbal battles to maintain the status quo, and then strive for development.

After Zhao Ya solved the problems of the Zhao Song Dynasty, he launched the Western Expedition and the Northern Expedition.

Zhao Ya had to admit that Zhang Da's insights based on the general trend of history were still somewhat desirable.

Of course, Zhao Ya still needs to talk with Zhang Dun and other ministers before making a final conclusion on whether Zhang Chun's approach will be suitable for the local environment.

Next, Zhang Chun suggested that Zhao Ya could set up a discussion office in the capital province to select talents from all over the world, assign officials and duties, have them participate in discussions on the matter, promote benefits and eliminate drawbacks, and appoint Cai Jing to be the supervisor.

If the Lecture Hall was set up, it would show that Zhao Ya was determined to take the path of reform.

Zhao Ya felt that Zhang Chun was being too hasty, so he said to Zhang Chun: "I have already agreed with the Queen Mother to change the reign title to 'Jianzhong'. I must not break my promise to the Queen Mother."

Zhang Chun thought that Empress Dowager Xiang only had a year or so to live. After her death, there would be no one to hinder her and Zhao Ya. Then, they could carry out reforms with greater freedom. So he said, "Since that's the case, there's no need to rush this matter."

At this time, Zhao Ya looked at Ye Shiyun and said, "The court's finances are empty now. The soldiers' salaries and officials' wages have been in arrears for a long time. I wonder if Shiyun can teach me?"

The biggest problem facing the Zhao Song Dynasty now is the three redundancies.

The so-called three redundancies are redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses.

Redundancy: The bureaucracy was bloated, with numerous redundant positions. Many officials sat idle, wasting imperial salaries and achieving extremely low administrative efficiency. A decree passed from the imperial court to the localities was fraught with numerous checkpoints and cumbersome procedures, and by the time it was actually implemented, the best opportunity had already passed.

Redundancy: The quality of the soldiers recruited in large numbers varied, military training became superficial, and frequent transfers led to a lack of coordination between soldiers and commanders. In times of war, inconsistent orders and chaotic command often led to collapse in the face of foreign invasion, making it difficult to form an effective defense. Maintaining such a large army required a constant drain on the treasury, including food, equipment, and military pay.

As for the excessive expenditures: in addition to the huge expenditures on official salaries and military expenses, there was also the huge amount of annual tribute paid in humiliating foreign peace talks, which made the court's financial expenditure a bottomless pit. With the fiscal revenue not enough to cover the expenditure, the poverty situation became more serious, the people suffered from heavy taxes, and the vitality of the private economy was severely suppressed.

The three redundancies were intertwined with each other, like a heavy shackle, tightly wrapped around the neck of the Zhao Song Dynasty, making it impoverished and weak.

This is the fundamental reason why the Zhao Song Dynasty always wanted to reform.

Now, Zhao Ya wanted to stabilize his rule first and did not want to rashly carry out reforms before his foundation was stable.

In other words, Zhao Ya can't save money now.

Since there is no way to cut costs, Zhao Ya can only find a way to increase revenue first.

In this case, we naturally have to use Ye Shiyun, who has a PhD in economics, is a top financial anchor, is proficient in monetary principles, is familiar with all economic policies of ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, and invests on her own. In just three years, she has earned hundreds of millions of assets.

Seeing Zhao Ya called her name, Ye Shiyun said while chewing a swimming crab, "This is easy..."

……

(End of this chapter)