The prince is more stable

Chapter 840 The Emperor and His Ministers Discuss Politics
Wise people know when to advance and when to retreat.

Zhang Dun was arguably the most meritorious contributor to Zhao Xiaoqian's struggle for the throne, and the two were allies.

Zhao Xiaoqian wanted the throne, Zhang Dun wanted the new policies to continue, the new party to continue to exist, and he, as prime minister, naturally wanted to continue serving.

Everyone shares common interests, so the alliance was formed.

But while they were allies, Zhang Dun's attempt to test Zhao Xiaoqian's bottom line was another matter entirely.

It's not that just because we're allies, I have to give in to you and compromise on everything.

Since Zhao Xiaoqian had already assumed the role of emperor, he no longer viewed Zhang Dun as an ally, but as a subject of a ruler.

Do you think it's appropriate for a subject to play such tricks in front of the emperor?

So after being subtly humiliated by Zhao Xiaoqian, Zhang Dun immediately became more sensible.

In fact, he had already tested Zhao Xiaoqian's psychological bottom line.

Although Zhao Xiaoqian had not yet ascended the throne, imperial power had already become his Achilles' heel.

For example, the matter of bestowing titles upon meritorious officials was actually an overreach by Zhang Dun.

You, a prime minister, openly bestow titles and honors upon your cronies in front of the emperor. Your allegiance is so blatant, yet you still have the audacity to show this list to the emperor. Are you trying to fool the emperor like a fool?
Zhao Xiaoqian's words were neither too soft nor too hard; they clearly invalidated the list and suggested people he felt should be rewarded.

Interestingly, a large portion of those personally appointed and rewarded by Zhao Xiaoqian were generals from the Yan-Yun border army.

This is undoubtedly a clear signal from the new dynasty: the emperor intends to gradually change the Song Dynasty's policy of emphasizing civil affairs over military matters and slowly promote the status and treatment of military generals and soldiers.

Only a cowardly, insecure, and insecure emperor would be so afraid of and wary of his generals and army.

Zhao Xiaoqian was not afraid. It could be said that the army was the foundation for him to maintain his rule. In the years to come, he would rely on the army to launch a northern expedition, destroy Liaoxia, and complete the unification of China.

If you don't warm the hearts of your soldiers, will they be willing to risk their lives for you?
This was Zhao Xiaoqian's intention in deciding to bestow titles and rewards upon a large number of military generals.

Stop shouting hypocritical slogans about loyalty to the emperor and serving the country. Bosses should get straight to the point: either give money or offer official positions and status.

As for the list of conferments presented by Zhang Dun, Zhao Xiaoqian ultimately gave him face and allowed him to select ten New Party officials to be conferred titles.

This was purely a matter of personal courtesy. It didn't mean that these ten people had made any significant contribution to his success in seizing power. It was simply a polite gift from the new boss to his senior executives as he took office. That was all.

This move both saved the prime minister's face and served as a warning to him. With this combination of kindness and severity, Zhang Dun only took the initiative to apologize to Zhao Xiaoqian in private after the court session ended.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked completely bewildered, as if nothing had happened.

Both sides are aware that even though this matter is over, conflicts may still arise in the future.

The relationship between the emperor and the prime minister has been extremely complex since ancient times.

The two sides need to cooperate to safeguard their common interests, but they also engage in open and covert struggles for power, for factions, and for the balance of power in the court.

When Zhao Xu was still in office, he often argued with Zhang Dun, and the two would quarrel until they were red in the face. Zhao Xu had the idea of ​​resigning as prime minister several times, but he endured it for the sake of maintaining the balance of the court.

Zhao Xiaoqian's personality is different from Zhao Xu's. He appears gentle and refined, but is more assertive at heart. After he ascends the throne, his conflict with Zhang Dun will likely be more intense.

Given the complex relationship of both cooperation and conflict, Zhao Xiaoqian naturally had to maintain the dignity of both himself and the prime minister.

Outside the Hall of State Affairs, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and pointed to the Imperial Street ahead, saying, "Mr. Zihou, would you mind taking a stroll with me for a while?"

Zhang Dun smiled knowingly and said, "Your subject is willing to follow Your Highness."

The two walked together from the Hall of State Affairs to the Imperial Street. After being reprimanded today, Zhang Dun seemed to have a breakthrough in his understanding. He finally became sensible and, when walking alongside Zhao Xiaoqian, he consciously lagged behind Zhao Xiaoqian by half a step to show respect.

Zhao Xiaoqian was very satisfied with his performance.

Although Lao Huo is petty and vengeful, and presents himself as someone who hates evil and has no taboos, how could he have become prime minister if he really had that kind of personality?

A strong and ruthless image is fine for fooling outsiders, but don't bother pretending in front of the emperor. Everyone's a seasoned fox; they all know who's who.

After walking for a while, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly asked, "Master Zihou, how do you think I should govern the country after I ascend the throne?"

Zhang Dun's spirits lifted, and his expression immediately became cautious and solemn. He focused intently, with the same seriousness he had shown when taking the imperial examinations, and pondered for a long time. Zhao Xiaoqian's words were not idle chatter; for Zhang Dun, this was a test, a test of whether he was qualified as prime minister, whether he could serve in that position for a long time, whether he could align himself with the emperor's thoughts and interests, and whether the emperor and his minister could become long-term partners.

It was a simple question, yet it concerned Zhang Dun's future prospects, so he couldn't help but be careful.

After thinking for a long time, Zhang Dun slowly said, "I believe that Your Highness should first address the issue of revising the new policies after ascending the throne. This matter concerns the people's livelihood and the tax revenue of the imperial treasury. It should be resolved quickly and not delayed."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded without offering any comment, his expression remaining completely calm and revealing nothing.

Zhang Dun's anxiety grew even stronger. After a moment of silence, he continued, "Your Highness's ambition is to destroy Liaoxia and unify the country, but there are priorities. There are some things I urgently want to do, but reality doesn't allow it..."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Dun said, "In the past few years, Your Highness has led the army to fight against the Liao Kingdom. Although you have won every battle, boosting the morale of the Song people and expanding the territory of the Song Dynasty, I am certainly happy for Your Highness's great talent and strategy. However, as the prime minister, I must remind Your Highness..."

"In recent years, the Song Dynasty has been frequently waging war, often deploying hundreds of thousands of troops to fight against the Liao Dynasty. This does not include the local militias, village militias, laborers, and supplies that provide indirect support. It can be said that whenever Your Highness's troops move in the front, I have to provide food and drink for hundreds of thousands of people in the rear."

"It is true that the annual revenue of the Song Dynasty's national treasury exceeds one hundred million, but the expenditure of the national treasury cannot all go to the soldiers on the front line. With so many unexpected events and planned expenditures occurring every day in such a vast territory, to be honest, the national treasury of the Song Dynasty is now almost empty."

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly stopped, and his expression finally changed slightly.

The truth was indeed unpleasant to hear, but since Zhang Dun had already spoken, he could only bite the bullet and say, "If Your Highness intends to launch a war to destroy Liao and Xia immediately after ascending the throne, please forgive my bluntness, but the national treasury cannot support a major war. It is only May now, and it will take several more months for this year's autumn taxes to be collected..."

"Even after the autumn tax is deposited into the treasury, it will still be insufficient to cover the costs. Many fixed expenses have already been prepaid. A war that destroys a country will last at least one or two years, and the national treasury cannot provide enough grain for the soldiers to eat and drink."

Zhao Xiaoqian was slightly moved. After a long silence, he sighed and said, "It seems that the first thing we should do is allow the people to recuperate and let the Song Dynasty slowly recover and accumulate its strength before we can launch a national war."

Zhang Dun bowed deeply with delight and said, "It is a blessing for the Great Song Dynasty and for all the people that Your Highness thinks this way."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "Don't treat me like a warmongering tyrant. I always think about the consequences before I do anything. If my strength allows, I will go out and have some fun without any worries. If my strength doesn't allow, I will lie low and not cause myself any trouble."

Zhang Dun smiled and said, "That makes sense. Your Highness has explained it in a simple and easy-to-understand way."

Zhao Xiaoqian continued walking forward in silence, while Zhang Dun followed cautiously.

After a long silence, Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "Mr. Zihou, I prefer practical work and dislike getting involved in superficial things. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhang Dun paused for a moment, then said, "I didn't understand before, but I do now."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "Since we are allowing the people to recuperate, we, the emperor and his ministers, should work diligently to do things well. First, we should resolve the issue of revising the new policy clauses. This matter involves too many people and things, and I hope that Mr. Zihou will work together with me and put our efforts in the same direction."

"After the coronation ceremony, I will discuss the revision of the new policies with the gentlemen of the Council of State. In addition, as I said before, some officials in the court should be sent down to the countryside to go deep into the countryside, participate in labor, understand the hardships of the people, and then return to the capital to report on their work, so that what the people need can be truly reflected in the terms of the new policies."

Zhang Dun looked troubled and said, "I personally agree with Your Highness's approach, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to implement. Officials in the court are used to a life of luxury and are often aloof when facing the common people. If they were to be sent down to the countryside, most of them would be unwilling..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression grew cold as he said, "At this point, we, the emperor and his ministers, should take a stand. Officials who are unwilling to be demoted should be dismissed on the spot. No matter what powerful or meritorious figures in Bianjing are involved, no mercy will be shown. If anyone dares to cause trouble or openly disobey orders, I will not hesitate to kill one to warn a hundred."

"Holding the imperial seal in one hand and weapons in the other, this is what a monarch should look like."

"The reason for the long-standing problems in the Song Dynasty lies with these officials. The imperial examinations were all for those from humble backgrounds, so why do they forget their roots once they become officials?"

"Mr. Zihou, ask yourself, have the new policies you've implemented over the years truly been successful? Don't you think they've become a tool for various factions to pursue their own interests and for political infighting in the court? Weren't they originally intended to benefit the common people? Why have they turned out this way?"

His words were like a resounding bell, making Zhang Dun's mind buzz and cold sweat involuntarily trickle down his forehead.

"I, I am guilty..."

"Don't rush to apologize. As I've said before, I'm pragmatic. Wherever there's a problem, whether it's with officials or the new policies themselves, we'll correct it and restore everything to its original state. But this requires the full cooperation of Mr. Zihou and the gentlemen of the Council of State Affairs."

Zhao Xiaoqian stared into Zhang Dun's eyes, his tone growing more serious: "At this time, let's put aside all the so-called camps, factions, and grudges for now. Let's get things done first. If we do things well and perfectly, the old party will also voluntarily return to the new party. That's what the people want."

“Mr. Zihou, the new policies can no longer be used as a tool for factional struggles and to involve the interests of all parties. Only the people under our rule will suffer. When Mr. Jie Fu proposed the reforms, he devoted his whole life to it. Was it just to be used and fought by your various forces?”

"You have always said that you want to carry on Mr. Jie Fu's legacy. You have your own ideals and beliefs, but have you really been wholeheartedly promoting the new policies in the past few years? Ask yourself honestly, have you also used the new policies as a weapon to attack your political enemies?"

"If things continue like this, is there any point in having these so-called new policies?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's words were sharp and incisive, each one cutting to the heart, and he spoke very bluntly.

At this moment, Zhang Dun was drenched in sweat, his body was trembling slightly, and he was almost collapsing.

(End of this chapter)