Song Yi

Chapter 413

Master Shen said: "That's not true. The chief executive discusses military and political affairs. Regular meetings are held according to the time, usually every tenth day. That is, the regular meeting of the chief executive officer is held on the tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth days of every month. There are special needs When it was dealt with in time, an impromptu meeting was called. At that time, the prime minister called and issued such a meeting notice. It is estimated that he was busy with the funeral and the succession of the throne some time ago, and there was a backlog of things to deal with, so he started to study temporarily."

Du Wenhao said: "Oh, what about the morning court? When will it open?"

"It opens every five days in the early morning, that is, the fifth, fifteenth, and 25th of the first day, three times a month. If there are important matters that need to be discussed, it can be held at any time. Official certificates must be issued in advance."

"Then what issues are discussed by the governor? I know it must be a military and political issue. You have rich experience. Help me predict what may be discussed in the political discussion tomorrow. I will be mentally prepared."

"Well, it's hard to say, because usually the magistrate deliberates on some important matters that the yamen ask the magistrate to decide, discuss and decide. Listen to the handling of some special orders and so on. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the empress dowager Listening to the government, it is estimated that the next step will be to fully listen to reports from all aspects, to fully understand the basic situation of all aspects, and may make arrangements for these matters. Will the Empress Dowager participate in the deliberation of the prime minister?"

"Shouldn't participate. This is a matter for Zaizhi. After they have discussed it, they have to report to the emperor. Well, it is now appointed by the empress dowager. If the empress dowager is unclear about anything, or has other clear intentions, I will recruit the chief ministers and ask them in Wende Hall."

"Understood." Du Wenhao pondered for a moment, lowered his voice, and said, "Mr. Shen, you are my most capable assistant. This time, you can successfully capture the military power of Prince Yong and Wei An, and avoid a bloody palace coup. , You helped me come up with a lot of important ideas, and you deserve a lot of credit."

Master Shen bowed and bowed: "The general is too modest, the general is young and talented, the future is limitless, it is an honor to be able to assist the general."

"Hehe, to be honest, the Empress Dowager gave me a very difficult task, asking me to rectify the Great Song Army, and make sure that the Great Song Army becomes a powerful and invincible army." Immediately, the voice was lowered: "The empress dowager is very angry at the fact that my Great Song Dynasty offered the old coins to Xixia and Daliao. In the future, I will definitely use troops to solve this problem."

Master Shen smiled slightly: "The Empress Dowager is really a great ambition."

Du Wenhao was stunned for a moment: "Listening to what you said, sir, what do you think of the empress dowager's plan?"

"Don't dare! However, the new emperor is full of ambition when he ascends the throne. The Empress Dowager listens to the government behind the curtain and intends to rectify the army. This kind of mood is very understandable. However, the chronic illness of our Song army is not so easy to solve."

"Exactly. That's why I asked my husband for advice. The empress dowager asked me to come up with a rectification plan and submit it to her for review. After agreeing, I will carry out drastic reforms."

Master Shen stroked his snow-white beard and bowed slightly, expressing humility, pondered for a moment, and then said: "What is the general's plan?"

"On the way back, I kept thinking about where to start. The basic idea is to first understand the situation. Only when we first grasp the actual situation can we come up with targeted solutions and achieve targeted solutions. The previous paragraph At that time, I was mainly looking up the battles between the Great Song Dynasty and the Daliao Dynasty and Xixia in the Sanya database. I wanted to use the tragic historical facts to wake up the Empress Dowager, so that she could truly understand that the Great Song Dynasty was not invincible. The "year-old coin" given to Daliao and Xixia is not a reward, but a tribute, and spend money to buy peace. Let her really understand how unbearable our Song army has become. ——It’s just, my big I don't have a specific impression of how weak the Song army is, and what problems exist in it. So, I want to go down and take a walk, and really understand whether the army I lead has combat effectiveness. What problems exist, can we still defend our home and country!"

Master Shen was a little moved, and bowed: "The general's pragmatic attitude is what is needed to truly govern the army. The first emperor also walked the road of strengthening the army. The general can reflect on the various measures of the late emperor's appointment of Wang Anshi to strengthen the army. Gains and losses, so as not to repeat the same mistakes and avoid detours.”

"Well, what you said is very good. In your opinion, what are the gains and losses?"

Master Shen smiled: "This old man is good at brushing his pen. Running an army is not his strong suit. However, since the general asks, I will share some of my humble opinions for the general's reference. Wang Anshi's strategies for strengthening the army are as follows: Reducing redundant soldiers, reorganizing the number of banned soldiers and box soldiers, this is the first; improving the production of weapons, the second; abolishing the law of more garrisons, promoting the law of generals and formation, and strengthening military training, the third; the law of protecting horses, the other Fourth, Baojia method, this is the fifth. Forgive me for my blunt words, Wang Anshi is not good at governing the army and strengthening the army. The idea of ​​​​the reform he proposed is simply: "Shiwu people, train soldiers, accumulate wealth, control generals and obey the court. 'His ideas, except for the slightly new surprises of the Baojia Law, are all old tunes. And the Baojia Law has proved to be a failure, and the Empress Dowager will definitely abolish it soon."

Du Wenhao said: "Yes, the last time I followed the late emperor's private visit, I was also deeply touched by the Baojia Law. The system of consecutive sittings stipulated in this law is much more powerful than that of the previous dynasty. It made everyone feel insecure and the people were not safe. The most important thing is to train the militia. Once a war starts, turn civilians into soldiers and establish a strategic reserve team. This idea is very good, but the military is a special profession that requires long-term training to be competent. After long-term formal training Only the army has combat effectiveness, and it is not enough to be able to shoot arrows and wield knives to be a good soldier. And the training of armored soldiers is really not flattering, it is not much better than ordinary people."

"In fact, the Baojia soldiers in most parts of the country did not undergo military training, but were used by the local government as free errands. It violated the original intention. In fact, the first four items of Wang Anshi's reform all captured the chronic diseases of the army,——Bing The quality is weak. All measures are aimed at this, but the effect is not satisfactory. This can be known from the results of the two battles against Xixia."

Du Wenhao said: "In my opinion, since the former emperor's strategy of strengthening the army has grasped the key point, why is it not effective?"

Master Shen said apologetically: "General, to be honest, this old man really doesn't have much insight into the management of the army. Exaggerating and talking behind closed doors can only mislead the general. Please ask the general to go down for a walk, so that the answers you find will be credible and convincing. Only then can we find a real solution to the problem.”

"Okay! Let's not talk about emotions, first investigate and understand. ***..., ahem, a great man said it well, without investigation, you have no right to speak. The investigation will start tomorrow, starting with the imperial guards in the capital! Military reform is a systematic project that involves all aspects. It is necessary to have a comprehensive grasp of all aspects of the country and consider it as a whole. I have obtained the imperial decree from the Empress Dowager, and all yamen will cooperate with me in my investigation. Master Shen, you and I I am very familiar with all the yamen of the imperial court, and you will help me to collect all kinds of information, and I will investigate the internal situation of the army. We will carry out one internally and one externally separately. What do you want, sir?"

Dealing with various yamen is master Shen's forte, so naturally there is no problem, not to mention the empress dowager's letter, he agreed immediately, accepted the letter, said goodbye and left.

"Master! No," Lian'er smiled and grabbed his hand. Among all the wives and aunts, only Lian'er called Du Wenhao the master, and she couldn't change her words. "Master, you are such a noble person who forgets things too much. You said yesterday that you asked Sister Qingdai to teach you how to practice swords. Yingzi called you outside the door, saying that Sister Qingdai must have been waiting outside the door. Hurry up! "

Du Wenhao didn't hear it when he fell asleep just now, so he hurriedly called out to the window: "Yingzi, is your grandma up yet?"

Yingzi was a little angry: "Wake up early! Master, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Du Wenhao scrambled to his feet, "Come in and help me get dressed!"

Yingzi said: "I am Madam's servant girl, not from this room. According to the rules, I can't come in."

"Troubleshooting! Lian'er doesn't have a maid, what rules, come in quickly, I'm in a hurry! —By the way, the last time I asked Yuqin to buy a maid, she hasn't bought it yet?"

"Ma'am, I'm afraid that the new wife in the future will be dissatisfied with the maid she bought. After all, she is the prime minister's daughter, so when we discussed the marriage last time, I asked the prime minister's wife casually. The old lady was very polite and told our wife that the servant girl in the family People who do odd jobs can buy whatever they want, as long as they are diligent, but the personal maids can't just let it go, let alone buy from Ren Yazi, lest you can't buy what you like. The prime minister's wife said that when her daughter comes to the house, she will marry her as a dowry A few sympathetic maids came to meet the madam and several aunts. So the madam only bought some handymen and servants. The maids in the house haven’t bought any. ——Open the door. How can I get in after the door is closed. "

Yingzi pushed the door outside, and the door was locked from the inside. Lianer hurriedly got out of bed and ran to unbolt the door naked. Yingzi came in with a lantern, put the lantern on the table, and helped Lianer give Du Wenhao dressing.

The first night, Lian'er had already prepared a set of arrow sleeve bunts for Du Wenhao. After wearing them, she looked very energetic. Lian'er was going to fetch water to help Du Wenhao wash up. Du Wenhao said: "It's too late, let's practice sword first Come back and wash it!" After saying that, the disheveled hair was about to go out.

Yingzi said: "My lord, if you go out with your hair disheveled like this, the dark hair will scare people to death. Besides, it will delay things and make it inconvenient to practice martial arts. I'd better put your hair in a bun before going, it won't be delayed."

Yingzi pulled him to sit down in a daze, combed his hair together with Lian'er, and hurriedly tied his hair into a bun under Du Wenhao's repeated urging: "Forget it, let's do this first, and I'll help you comb it again when you come back from practice."

Du Wenhao hurried out of Lian'er's small courtyard, Lin Qingdai saw her at the door, and burst out laughing: "Look at you so sloppy! Is this how Yingzi serves you?"

"No, no, I don't blame Yingzi. I got up late, and I was afraid that you would be in a hurry, so I pulled it carelessly. Hehe." By the light of the lantern hanging at the door, Du Wenhao saw the slight sweat on Lin Qingdai's forehead, and said in surprise : "Could it be that you have finished training?"

"Well, I've been practicing for a while. I usually get up at four o'clock to practice."

"Huh? You've been practicing for an hour? I can't get up so early."

"What are you doing up so early? I'm used to it. I've been like this since I was a child. Anyway, you only practice swords, so you don't have to wake up so early. It's almost half an hour after you practice. After washing up, you can go to work. gone."

Du Wenhao nodded and said: "Wu Gengxing, you don't need to call me from now on, you can practice in the bamboo forest in the back garden, and I will come over when I get up."

"Okay. Let's go!"

The two came to the bamboo forest in the back garden, and Du Wenhao began to teach her sword skills.

Du Wenhao has the foundation of the previous credits, his physical fitness is also good, and he comprehends it quickly. In half an hour, he has learned the general idea of ​​a set of swordsmanship, and will practice slowly later.

When Du Wenhao returned to the house, Yingzi helped him to wash again, changed his official robes, and had breakfast. Yingzi sent Du Wenhao out of the yard to the main gate of Tianshui Lane, where the guards were already waiting.

Du Wenhao glanced at the sedan chair parked at the door, frowned and said to the captain Xu Huaqiang: "I'm a general now, not a civil servant, so I won't sit in a sedan chair. To cultivate the thinking of a military commander, you have to start with small things. In the future, when I go out, If there is no special explanation, all horses will be prepared——for horses!"

"Yes!" Xu Huaqiang agreed with a bow, and hurriedly ordered the horses to be prepared.

Soon Du Wenhao's war horse saddle came.Du Wenhao looked at the official robe on his body, and felt awkward again. The official robe is still a civilian gown, and he can't ride a horse well, but it's too late to change now, so he turned to Yingzi and said, "Remember, young master, I will be a general in the future, so I have to wear it. Military uniforms, not civilian robes."

Yingzi quickly agreed.

Du Wenhao flew on his horse, shook the reins, rode his horse on the bluestone road, and came straight to the Prime Minister's Yamen in the imperial palace, which is the Zhongshu Provincial Yamen.

Although the Song Dynasty also had three provinces, they were no longer the three provinces of the Tang Dynasty. The Zhongshu Province stood out and was located in the imperial palace. The Menxia and Shangshu provinces had left the scope of the decision-making center and were moved to work outside the imperial palace.

Du Wenhao stopped at the gate of the prime minister's office with his personal guards, kicked off the saddle and got off his horse. The soldiers on duty at the gate saluted the army.

Du Wenhao looked up, this prime minister's yamen is really not that good, although the gate is still mighty, but it is too old, the paint on the door is peeling off, not much better than the Town God's Temple.

The leading officer led him in respectfully, bypassed the screen wall, and passed the vertical flower gate. There was a large courtyard in the form of a courtyard with three bright buildings in the middle. On one of the halls, there was a plaque with large gold characters on a black background. ——"Government Hall"

The yard is surrounded by chaoshou verandas, and there are two long rows of office rooms on the left and right.Although the houses inside are decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, they are very old.Compared with the magnificent decoration of high-rise buildings in modern society, it is a world of difference.

In a sense, ancient officials had a stronger sense of "public servant" than modern ones, at least it can be reflected in the office space. Officials with running water in the yamen, the ancient officials rotated very frequently, especially the middle and high-level officials. According to the system, they were usually transferred once every three years. In fact, most of them were lower than this number. They changed their posts in one or two years. It's more beautiful, and before it's repaired, it lifts its ass and leaves, so no one wants to spend money to injure the name and plant trees for future generations to enjoy the shade.

Walking up the steps in the lobby to the political affairs hall, two soldiers on duty saluted the army, raised the curtain, and Du Wenhao stepped into the hall.

In the middle of the lobby, there is a painting of cranes and auspicious clouds in the middle hall, and couplets are hung on the two sides.In the middle of the hall, there are two ebony chairs.Among them was a square table, also made of ebony.

On both sides of the lobby, there are three ebony chairs, and between the chairs, there is a rectangular ebony coffee table.

On the left and right sides of the entrance, there is a long table and two chairs on each side.On the right sits two people, with pens, ink, paper and inkstones spread out, they seem to be meeting recorders.The other side is left blank, it should be for the reporter.

Under the windows on both sides of the main hall, there were also two rows of high-ranking chairs, presumably for the audience.Empty at the moment.The window lattices on three sides are tightly closed, and there are many windows, so the room is brightly lit.

On the left of the two chairs in the middle of the lobby, Prime Minister Wang Gui sat, and the chair on the right was empty. The owner hadn't come yet, so it should belong to the right prime minister, Cai Que.

On the top chairs on both sides, the row on the left, the head seat is vacant, in the middle is Shangshu Zuocheng Cai Bian, and the last one is Shangshu Youcheng Huanglu.

On the right in front is the Privy Council Envoy Han Zhen, the middle one is empty, and the last chair is the Privy Council Deputy Envoy Lin Xi.

When Wang Gui saw Du Wenhao coming in, Wang Gui stood up and arched his waist slightly, bowed and said, "General Du is here!"

Du Wenhao rushed forward and bowed deeply: "Good morning, Prime Minister."

"Hehe, please sit down, General." Wang Gui signaled Du Wenhao to sit in the middle of the right row.

The first person in the right row is Han Zhen, he is a privy envoy, from the first rank, Du Wenhao is checked as a second rank, one level lower, although the Privy Council and the Sanya are both military leading organs, but the ranks are different.The Privy Council is one level higher than the Sanya, and this is why Du Wenhao became a general inspection. The Empress Dowager gave him a level for the sake of a lover, otherwise he would be two levels worse.Lin Xi is the deputy envoy of the Privy Council. Although Du Wenhao is the second rank, like Du Wenhao, Du Wenhao is the chief officer, and he is the assistant officer, so he is naturally at the back.

Du Wenhao gave Cai Bian, Zuo Cheng of Shangshu, and Huang Lu, the right Cheng of Shangshu, the ceremony, and then sat down.

No one in the hall spoke, so Du Wenhao was naturally dumb.After waiting for a while, Zhang Dun, the servant under the door, came, and then Cai Que, the right prime minister, also arrived.

(End of this chapter)