King of Song

Chapter 65 The Little Girl Causes Big Waves
The Song Dynasty mission passed through Youzhou, continued southward, and soon left Liao State and entered the border of Xiongzhou.This is the northern defense bridgehead of the Song Dynasty, and the place where envoys from the Song and Liao Dynasties must pass through.

After losing the Yanshan barrier, in order to prevent the Khitan cavalry from going south, the Song Dynasty paid a greater price and hardship.In desperation, they had to create barriers artificially. Along the border of Song and Liao in the area of ​​Xiongzhou, extensive excavation and construction of ponds were carried out on the basis of natural river waters.Forcibly and artificially created a defense line of hundreds of miles, using ponds and swamps to stop the cavalry of the Liao army.

This is the only way to defend the cavalry with infantry and there is no danger to defend.It was quite difficult, and the price paid was too great. Whenever there was a disturbance, the border garrison would stand ready to fight, and the effect would inevitably be compromised.

Even so, God didn't give face very much, and didn't show mercy to the hard-working Song Dynasty defenders at all.For many years, the Yellow River has breached several times and diverted its course to the north, becoming the border river between Song and Liao.The Yellow River brought a large amount of sediment, which made the ponds dug hard by the Song army increasingly silted up, making the already fragile and difficult line of defense worse.

It can be seen from this that the sixteen prefectures of Youyun had such a great influence on the Song Dynasty?The necessity and urgency of recovering Yanyun also increased accordingly.

The thoughts in Lin Zhao's mind became stronger and stronger, perhaps it was time to do something...

All the way back to the south, the flood in Heshuo has receded, but the impact of the disaster has not passed.Many people are still displaced, homeless, and living in extreme hardship.Especially after the arrival of severe winter, it is even more pitiful.Although the imperial court has dispatched supplies to relieve the disaster, how can it cover everything in a short period of time, and some negligence is inevitable.

It was even more embarrassing to see all kinds of tragedies along the way.Problems such as river management and disaster relief, and enriching the country and strengthening the army are becoming more and more serious.Fortunately, Song Shenzong seems to have been aware of these problems, and intends to support Wang Anshi's reform and reform, so as to become a great and promising king.

To be honest, Lin Zhao had some understanding of the cultural and military history of the Song Dynasty.But little is known about Wang Anshi's reform, and the only knowledge may be limited to middle school history textbooks.

The content of the reform seems to be good. If it can be implemented seriously, will it really be able to enrich the country and strengthen the army?

It's a pity that in the original history, it ended in failure. As for the reason, is it really just because it violated the interests of others and was resisted?So why did a group of people of insight such as Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi oppose it?Maybe there is something wrong with Wang Anshi...

It's a pity that I didn't know much about it in my previous life. Now my eyes are darkened, and I can only find out after the reform begins and I can explore it myself.

Lin Zhao also understood the truth that there is a limit to the strength of the traversers.

If you are not a history professional, how can you understand everything so carefully.In the big historical trend, some inventions have advantages.However, the situation in the court and the reform of the law are still a little bit worse, and sometimes they are not even as good as some far-sighted and shrewd ancient people.

It turns out that the aura of the traverser is not omnipotent. Lin Zhao's subconscious sense of superiority is slightly frustrated. It seems that he has to learn with humility... At least in the case of Wang Anshi's reform, he is not a person who is far-sighted, but more of an explorer By……

However, at this moment, Lin Zhao was somewhat looking forward to the reform. It was because of the help of the Wang family and his son that he was able to embark on an official career, and he should be rewarded.

Lin Zhao thought to himself, why not work with Wang Xianggong for a while?Let's see if we can help improve and promote the implementation of the reform.What's more, at least in the next few years, Prince Anshi will be a man of great power in the Song Dynasty.Following him temporarily will be of great benefit to my career development, hehe...

From Xiongzhou to the south, they were escorted all the way by the Great Song Army, passed through Zhending Mansion, passed through Chanzhou, and finally returned to Bianjing in mid-November.

I have been on a mission for more than three months, exhausted and stressed, and have experienced life and death dangers. I am already quite exhausted.So seeing Chenzhou Gate and returning to Bianjing, where they had been far away for a long time, they enjoyed the spontaneous familiarity and relaxation.

Although I really want to go back to Jiangnan Residence directly, enjoy good wine and food, rest and enjoy.However, due to his duties, he must first report to the imperial court.The memorial and the "Quotations" reported on the mission had already been sent back in Xiongzhou, presumably the officials and ministers knew it by heart.

Of course, under normal circumstances, the emperor will meet the envoys again, express his condolences and rewards, and ask for some details.But after Lin Zhao and others entered the city, the news was sent to the palace and the two prefectures, but the reply made them a little surprised and a little disappointed.

The officials and the ministers of the two governments are discussing matters, and they will not be interviewed for the time being, and they will be called in another day.

What's going on here?

Zeng Gong had a perplexed look on his face, while Zhang Zongyi was unhappy, as if a hero had been neglected, but Lin Zhao was the only one who was happy.It's just right, I'll go back to rest first, I haven't seen my cousin and Ms. Meng for a long time, I wonder if they are all right?Go back later and give them a surprise...

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In the Zichen Palace of the Imperial Palace, upon receiving the news that the mission had returned to Beijing, Emperor Zhao Xu really wanted to receive it immediately.He had already read the mission report, knew that this time he had encountered the Liao rebellion, and had experienced an unusual experience, so he wanted to inquire carefully to satisfy his curiosity.

But right now, there is no way to leave. The ministers of the two prefectures, Hanlin scholars, Yushitai, Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment, and many other officials are arguing fiercely, quarreling...

Zhao Xu was really bored listening, because the topic of the debate was a bit special...

What the ministers are arguing about is not the strategy of governing the country or major government orders, but a case, a very common criminal case in the locality.

Ordinary cases can be brought before the emperor, causing the ministers to quarrel, so can this case be ordinary?But the case itself is really not complicated...

In August of the first year of Xining, there was a woman named Ayun in Dengzhou. Her parents died, and she was betrothed to a man named Wei Ada by the elders of the family.Wei Ada was ugly, but the handsome Ayun was very unhappy, so he took a knife to kill him when he was sleeping alone in the farmhouse at night.

Because of Ayun's weak strength, more than ten knives failed to hack him to death, only one finger was severed.After the incident, the government couldn't catch the murderer, so they suspected that it was Ayun, and arrested her for interrogation. When he was about to use torture, Ayun confessed in full.

On the surface, it was just a wounding case, but there were elements of attempted murder.The legal provisions of the Song Dynasty are very clear, and under the ancient etiquette and law, there is a special relationship between the two parties, which makes this case even more complicated.

"Song Xingtong" clearly stipulates that murdering one's husband is a heinous and unforgivable capital crime.At the same time when the engagement and the case happened, it was Ayun's mother's filial piety period, which was considered unfilial. In the ancient times when loyalty and filial piety were emphasized, this was undoubtedly a very serious crime.

If he is convicted of these two charges, Ayun will undoubtedly die.But Xu Zun, the magistrate of Dengzhou, was a benevolent person and couldn't bear the tragic death of a weak woman like Ayun.It is believed that Ayun and Wei Ada are only engaged, not married, so there is no theory of murdering their husband.At the same time, it was determined that Ayun had voluntarily confessed the facts of the crime and had surrendered himself, so the death penalty can be exempted

After the case was reported, the Criminal Court and Dali Temple sentenced Ayun to death for the crime of illegal marriage and murder of her husband.However, Xu Zun Shangzuo believes that: when the officials interrogate the defendant, if the defendant can voluntarily confess to the crime, he should be punished as surrender and the second-class punishment should be reduced.After the case was reviewed by the Ministry of Punishment, the emperor was asked to make a ruling.In the end, Emperor Zhao Xu issued a special decree exempting Ayun from the death penalty.

It's not a big deal at this point, but the Ministry of Punishment refused to accept it and refused to execute it.Just at this time, Xu Zun, the magistrate of Dengzhou, was transferred to Dali Temple, so he insisted on his opinion that Ayun should not be sentenced severely.The supervisory censor Li Xingqian immediately wrote a letter to impeach Xu Zun and the judgment was unfair, and the case was handed over to the holy judge again.

Emperor Zhao Xu was very helpless, so he had to hand over the case to Hanlin scholars for discussion, so Sima Guang and Wang Anshi got involved, and an ordinary case turned into a long-lasting court debate.

According to the provisions of the "Song Xingtong", when murdering a person, "injury to the person is not a case of voluntary surrender."Sima Guang took this article as the legal basis, and interpreted the "cause" in the article "Song Xing Tong Ming Li": "Those who surrender themselves due to murder and wounding will be exonerated from the crime caused by it" as the difference between several crimes. If there is a causal relationship, that is, if the person commits the crime of stealing, robbing a prisoner, or selling a person and at the same time kills a person, he shall surrender himself and be exempted from the above-mentioned crimes.Obviously, the crime of "murder with wounds" is not included here.Therefore, it is determined that Ah Yun should still be sentenced to death!
Coincidentally, in July of the first year of Xining, the emperor issued an edict: "Murder has been injured. If you want to prosecute according to the question, surrender yourself. Murder will be reduced to second-class theory." This conflicted with the regulations in "Song Xingtong".Xu Zun, Wang Anshi and others believed that the case should be handled fairly only by taking what was stated in the edict as the circumstances to be considered in sentencing.The punishment according to the law is obviously too severe for Ayun's Prison, and it should be given lightly.

The two sides disagree with each other, and have been arguing for several months, and it has continued to ferment, and the involvement has become more and more extensive.No one would have thought that a little girl would cause an uproar in the Song Dynasty...

(End of this chapter)