The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 333 So that’s it
The Manichaeans in the crowd felt their resolve wavering.

They didn't have much knowledge, so they were easily fooled at first by the idea of ​​"equalizing social status and wealth." But after Yue Wenxuan said that, they realized something. Equalizing upwards is certainly comfortable, but equalizing downwards is the most likely outcome.

After all, where would they get the chance to move up in rank?

Upon further reflection, the idea that "more work, more pay; the capable rise to the top" seems to be a more reliable one.

This is much more reliable.

Yue Wenxuan turned his head and said to the Fiery Dragon King, "You should leave. Don't preach in the Northern Song territory. You won't get away with this place."

Fiery Dragon King: "You really won't kill me?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Why would I kill you? True gold fears no fire! Truth fears no sophistry! If you are unreasonable, you will naturally find it difficult to move an inch; if you are reasonable, killing you will not stop the spread of reason."

The Fiery Dragon King bowed and took his leave.

Even after he left, the people hadn't dispersed yet.

Yue Wenxuan seized the opportunity and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, we just talked about Master Zhang San, who can teach you better farming methods... Although it was just an example, such people really exist in our Northern Song Dynasty... Our newly appointed Prefect of Chuzhou, Yan Chengping, has arrived! He brought a large number of capable officials, including an 'Agricultural Scholar,' who is none other than Master Zhang San... Come, let's invite Prefect Yan and the new Agricultural Scholar to the stage."

"what?"

Yan Chengping was caught off guard by being called upon, but since Young Master Yue had spoken, he had no choice but to go. He braced himself and walked up to the stage, accompanied by the newly arrived agricultural and industrial officials...

Several officials stood on the stage, all somewhat unaccustomed to such a scene.

In ancient times, officials would never speak to ordinary people in such a setting. It was simply impossible!

Officials would never go among the people like that.

But Yue Wenxuan didn't care about all that and just brought them up.

Since we're already here, we should at least say something, right?

Yan Chengping had no choice but to abandon his airs and raise his voice: "Fellow villagers, in front of Young Master Yue, I assure you that under my rule, Chuzhou City will uphold the principle of 'more work, more pay; the capable rise to the top.' Whoever is diligent will become rich. Whoever is talented will rise to the top..."

Yue Wenxuan added, "If anything isn't done well, everyone can help supervise."

Yan Chengping thought to himself: Supervision? What the hell?

Yue Wenxuan said, “If anyone encounters any unfair treatment that violates the principle of ‘more work, more pay, and the capable rise to the top,’ they can go to the front of the yamen and beat the drum to complain to Lord Yan. Lord Yan will surely uphold justice for everyone.”

Yan Chengping thought to himself: What kind of script is this?
But since Young Master Yue has already announced it in public, what can he do? Does he dare to object?
He had no choice but to agree with Yue Wenxuan, saying, "If there is any injustice, please beat the drum to appeal for justice, and I will certainly uphold justice."

Thus, this elaborate political charade came to an end.

The people of Chuzhou were at peace, and the newly arrived officials were successfully introduced.

After the crowd dispersed, Yan Chengping walked up to Yue Wenxuan with a bewildered look on his face and bowed, saying, "This humble official, Yan Chengping, greets Young Master Yue."

Yue Wenxuan chuckled: "No need for formalities, Brother Yan, your writing is truly remarkable, I admire you very much. Even a simple question about water pipes can lead to a discussion about national finances, and you've written a long and eloquent policy essay, which is truly outstanding."

Yan Chengping was startled: The essay I wrote for the palace examination should only have been read by the Emperor. After reading it, the Emperor tossed it aside and said it was irrelevant and deserved zero points. Therefore, the other officials lost interest in reading it. How did this Young Master Yue, who is far away in Chuzhou, know about the content of the palace examination in Jiaoshui? Yue Wenxuan said: "National finance is a very serious topic. I saw that you also wrote about it in your exam paper. You seem to have many ideas about increasing fiscal revenue. You also mentioned Prince Shu (Wang Anshi). You seem to support Prince Shu's approach."

Yan Chengping's spirits lifted: "Increased fiscal revenue comes from nothing more than agriculture and commerce. When Prince Shu implemented his reforms, his Green Sprouts Act, the Square Field Equal Tax Act, the Farmland Irrigation Act, the Market Exchange Act, and the Equal Transportation Act were all aimed at agriculture and commerce. I think many of Prince Shu's measures were good."

Yue Wenxuan nodded: "Then tell me, why did the Prince of Shu's reforms fail?"

Yan Chengping's spirits lifted. This was the second test?

The person before us is said to wield even more power than the emperor! This is the real imperial examination.

Yan Chengping quickly said, "The main problem with the reforms of Prince Shu is that there are too many corrupt officials who outwardly comply but inwardly defy them, turning good laws into bad ones... If I were to do it, I would definitely rectify the officialdom first to ensure that the good laws can be implemented normally..." He then went on to talk for a long time about some details of the implementation of the policies, which was actually quite good.

Yue Wenxuan shook his head: "None of you have hit the nail on the head! Sigh."

Yan Chengping: "..."

Yue Wenxuan: "The real reason for the failure of Wang Anshi's reforms was that they infringed upon the interests of bureaucratic landlords!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Chengping was startled, because his family were landlords.

Yue Wenxuan: "The idea of ​​'land to the tiller' is wonderful, but who owns the land?"

Yan Chengping wiped his brow: "In the hands of bureaucratic landlords?"

"Exactly!"

Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "If you want farmers to have land, you have to release the farmland from the hands of bureaucrats and landlords. Wang Anshi's reforms were against the entire bureaucratic and landlord group, so they were bound to fail."

Yan Chengping felt a chill in his heart. What did Young Master Yue mean by saying this to me? Are we going to make an example of the Yan family?

Yue Wenxuan: "Don't worry! Don't be afraid, I didn't mean it that way. I'm not talking to you about this because I want to target your Yan family. It's just that I can't talk to anyone else! After reading your palace examination paper, I felt that you, as a young man, seemed to have a bit of the feel of Wang Anshi in his youth, so I wanted to talk to you."

Yan Chengping: "?"

Yue Wenxuan: "I will not repeat Wang Anshi's failure, and you should not try to do it again. If you forcibly oppose the entire bureaucratic landlord group, you will inevitably be abandoned by everyone and the reform will not be able to move forward. You won't even be able to get past your father; he will break your legs."

Yan Chengping: "Huh? Then...does that mean it won't change?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Change is inevitable, but if we want to minimize the impact and turmoil on society, the best way is not to be at odds with the entire old class, but to first transform a portion of the old class into a new class, and then let the new class confront the old class... In this way, we will have more friends and fewer enemies, and the resistance we encounter will be greatly reduced."

Yan Chengping looked completely bewildered: "How do we do this? How do we create a new class?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Four words! Mercantilism!"

Yan Chengping pondered for a while, and after thinking about what Yue Wenxuan had just said, he suddenly understood: by promoting mercantilism, turning a part of the landlord class into a merchant class, and then uniting the merchant class to fight against the landlord class, the old system could be overthrown.

Young Master Yue's plans are truly grand!
Yan Chengping bowed deeply and declared, "I am willing to follow Young Master Yue and revitalize the Song Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)