White-robed Minister

Chapter 186 0184 [Promotion and Salary Increase]

Er Ying Pavilion.

The lecture had ended, and the emperor kept Wang Anshi behind alone.

The chief ministers and privy councilors all sat in the side hall, not daring to leave.

When the emperor kept a minister behind for a private conversation, this was called "keeping him behind." Other officials had to stay away and were not allowed to eavesdrop on the conversation.

However, the topics Zhao Xu and Wang Anshi discussed regarding reforms were far too sensitive.

The chief ministers and privy councilors were terrified that the emperor might suddenly summon someone to seek their opinion as soon as they left. If they happened to be absent and another minister took advantage of the situation, it would be too late for regrets!

A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour—Zhao Xu and Wang Anshi were still talking.

Officials from the Secretariat or the Privy Council would frequently rush to the side hall of Erying Pavilion with official documents, requesting the prime minister and the Privy Councilor to handle them quickly.

No one was willing to leave; they preferred to work in Erying Pavilion.

Wen Yanbo grew impatient and stood up to stretch his legs. As he walked past Zeng Gongliang, Wen Yanbo couldn't help but glare at him.

Because Wang Anshi was recommended by Zeng Gongliang!

The relationship between Emperor Zhao Xu and his minister Wang Anshi is outrageous. They were slightly better a while ago, but in the last two weeks, they seem to be inseparable.

Whenever Zhao Xu had any questions, he would first consult Wang Anshi. As long as Wang Anshi gave a definite opinion, Zhao Xu would definitely listen to it.

What's the point of having a prime minister then?

What's the point of having a Privy Councilor?

The ministers even began to miss Xu Lai. Although Xu Lai was highly regarded by the emperor and was often kept behind for private talks, he was very disciplined and generally wouldn't speak carelessly about matters unrelated to his duties.

Moreover, when Xu Lai was talking to the emperor, there was a minister writing the daily records next to him.

What about Wang Anshi?

The minister in charge of recording the emperor's daily activities has been expelled!

So much so that historical records could only state: On such and such a day, after Er Ying finished his lecture, the Emperor kept Wang Anshi behind for a private conversation—On such and such a day, after Er Ying finished his lecture, the Emperor again kept Wang Anshi behind for a private conversation—

Wang Anshi's current official position is Hanlin Academician and Lecturer. However, he likes to interrupt too much, which has even made Zeng Gongliang, who recommended him, extremely dissatisfied.

At this very moment, inside the west hall of Erying Pavilion, what are the Emperor and Wang Anshi talking about?

Contrary to what the ministers had expected, they didn't actually discuss any specific people or events.

Wang Anshi was simply recounting history, explaining the gains and losses of emperors throughout the ages, and summarizing the lessons learned from the fall of dynasties since the Qin and Han. Zhao Xu listened with great interest, completely forgetting the passage of time.

By late afternoon, the emperor and his minister were still not finished, and the prime ministers and privy councilors outside finally couldn't wait any longer. They left one after another, filled with resentment towards Wang Anshi.

Before Wang Anshi even began his reforms, he had already offended all the key officials in both the central government and the provincial government. Moreover, he was completely unaware of this problem.

After listening to Wang Anshi recount the gains and losses of past dynasties, Zhao Xu suddenly asked, "Why did all the officials oppose my promotion and appointment of Xu Lai?"

"Isn't his achievement worthy of such a reward?"

Wang Anshi said, "Xu Lai only needs to be promoted one rank to go from a Beijing official to a court official, which is already a great reward. Your Majesty has promoted him three ranks, which will naturally cause the officials to object, not to mention that you have also given him an honorary title."

Zhao Xu said unhappily, "Whoever can persuade 120,000 Qiang people to submit will be promoted three ranks by me!"

Wang Anshi cautioned, "Your Majesty, Xu Lai has just made progress. If he is suddenly promoted three ranks, how will he be rewarded for future great achievements?"

In fact, given Xu Lai's achievements, a promotion of three ranks would have been entirely achievable. The problem is that Xu Lai is simply too young, and he already received a promotion to the fourth rank last year.

It's outrageous that he advanced seven levels in just a year and a half.

At this very moment, muskets, cannons, and Yu Longke arrived in Beijing one after another, just one day apart.

At the same time, the Divine Arm Bow was also invented!

The friction between the Song and Xia dynasties at the end of last year and the beginning of this year has left the border tribes in a state of utter misery.

A tribal chief named Li Hong in the Hengshan region chose to submit to the Song Dynasty amidst this friction and presented the Divine Arm Bow.

The divine crossbow presented by Li Hong was a beggar's version. The emperor ordered Zhang Ruoshui (a eunuch) to oversee its production, and a military officer named Li Ping was responsible for its improvement.

The improved version of the Divine Arm Bow by Zhang Ruoshui and Li Ping was still the first generation. It had many drawbacks: high cost, extremely long production time, and low yield rate.

Only after Shen Kuo made further improvements could large-scale, stable production be achieved.

Yanhe Hall.

Zhao Xu stood inside the palace, watching the guards place armored vehicles in the square in front of the palace, and couldn't help but ask, "Can they shoot that far?"

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The eunuch Zhang Ruoshui said confidently, "Your Majesty, seventy paces is only enough. You can shoot even farther. I request to try shooting."

Zhao Xu nodded: "Shoot."

So the guards drew their crossbows and fired, but all three arrows missed.

Enraged by this, Zhang Ruoshui stepped forward and personally operated the weapon, piercing the lamellar armor with two consecutive arrows.

Zhao Xu, like a child seeing a new toy, rushed to the armor that had been pierced by arrows and ordered his guards to take it down and examine it closely.

"With this powerful weapon, the border will be safe!"

Zhao Xu was extremely satisfied with the Divine Arm Bow and ordered that Zhang Ruoshui, Li Hong, and Li Ping be richly rewarded.

Zhao Xu then said to Zhang Ruoshui, "It just so happens that the Weizhou Military Workshop has also presented some powerful weapons. You will come with me out of the city to inspect them."

Zhang Ruoshui asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, what powerful weapon requires inspection outside the city?"

"Haha, I don't know either," Zhao Xu laughed.

Han Qi dispatched his subordinate Liu Hang to personally transport the firearms to the capital and present a secret memorial to the emperor. In the memorial, Han Qi praised the cannons to an almost supernatural degree, which greatly intrigued Zhao Xu.

The next day, while Yu Longke was still studying etiquette, the emperor led his prime ministers and privy councilors out of the city.

The parade will be held at Higashibuhara.

The three prime ministers and four privy councilors were all somewhat displeased, believing the emperor was acting recklessly. Normally, they should be in court at this moment, discussing important state affairs together.

To inspect firearms outside the city?

It's not like they've never seen firearms before.

Prime Minister Zeng Gongliang was the chief editor of the "Wujing Zongyao" (Complete Essentials of Military Classics) and was very knowledgeable about various firearms.

With a deafening roar, the Song emperor and his officials were all dumbfounded, staring blankly as the smoke from the cannons dissipated.

Zeng Gongliang, who was knowledgeable about various firearms, circled the cannon several times, and then carefully inspected the gunpowder.

Wen Yanbo immediately suggested, "Your Majesty, this cannon should be mounted on the border city walls and fortresses. If the enemy comes to attack the city, they will surely be terrified by our army."

Han Jiang replied, "The cities of our Great Song Dynasty do not need cannons to defend against bandits. Such weapons are probably extremely expensive to manufacture and should be prioritized for attacking cities and capturing fortified strongholds!"

Well, the two Privy Councilors disagreed on the very first appearance of the cannons.

One approach is for defense, the other for offense.

However, they all believed that it should be adopted as soon as possible, and the Song Dynasty officials were quite receptive to new weapons.

After demonstrating the cannon's upward, horizontal, and shrapnel firing, the artillery officer, accompanied by his craftsmen, then showcased the matchlock musket.

After firing more than ten shots from the matchlock musket, Zhang Ruoshui, who had just improved the Divine Arm Bow, mocked, "Your Majesty, this thing is of little use. It shoots closer than the Divine Arm Bow, but it's not as accurate."

Zhao Xu nodded: "Indeed."

Immediately afterwards, the emperor and his ministers inquired about the manufacturing details.

Artillery: Cost 100 strings of cash, construction period 3 to 5 months. Maximum range over one mile, effective range 200-300 meters. Capable of close-range shotgun firing.

Musket: Cost 25 strings of cash, construction period within 3 months. Maximum range 200 meters, effective range 40 to 80 meters.

In comparison, the emperor and his ministers decided to focus on manufacturing cannons and had little interest in firearms.

The main problem was insufficient metal smelting technology, and the fact that they started with matchlock guns made production both expensive and slow. Given the manpower, resources, and capital, it would have been better to build more cannons.

The matchlock gun is ruined.

At this very moment, Shen Kuo was communicating with Xu Lai. Shen Kuo had already anticipated that, given the cost and time required for the manufacture of matchlock guns, the imperial court would certainly not allocate funds for their production.

Xu Lai replied that the muskets could be made large, bulky, and crude, with extremely short and thick barrels cast directly from pig iron and bound with wrought iron hoops. Then, long wooden handles could be added. This would reduce costs and shorten the construction period.

What does that mean?

The infantry, clad in armor, advanced in formation. Upon approaching, they opened fire en masse, blasting the enemy's front ranks to shreds. Then, they used their muskets like maces, grabbing them and charging into the enemy lines.

This special type of soldier does not need to be numerous.

Select strong, burly men, dress them in full armor, and deploy them to the battlefield at crucial moments; this can quickly tear a gap in the enemy's formation.

Zhao Xu said to his ministers, "Xu Lai was the first to come up with the idea of ​​cannons, and Shen Kuo was also recommended by him."

The ministers were unwilling to respond.

Because everyone objected to promoting Xu Lai too quickly.

Historically, Wang Shao, under the protection of Wang Anshi, rose 28 ranks in six years, a total of only 37 ranks for any civil official in the Song Dynasty.

This was truly not a good thing. Almost everyone in the court found fault with him, and even Wang Anshi had a falling out with Wang Shao. Wang Shao later found himself unable to move an inch, unable to accomplish anything, and ultimately resigned and returned home.

Seeing that the ministers remained silent, Zhao Xu said again, "Yu Longke will be entering the palace at tomorrow's court assembly."

The ministers looked at each other.

When Yu Longke first arrived in Qinzhou City, he was shocked by the wealth and power of the Song Dynasty.

He had traveled through many cities and gradually become numb. But when he saw Bianliang for the first time, his numb senses were shaken once again.

too big!

So wealthy!

The population of this one city is probably greater than the total population of his entire tribe.

He was originally an indecisive person, but now he was completely loyal to the Song Dynasty and no longer harbored any thoughts of rebellion. When practicing etiquette, he was also very obedient and did whatever he was told.

While waiting inside the Donghua Gate, many Song Dynasty officials curiously observed him. Yu Longke smiled and bowed to them using the etiquette he had just learned, a gesture that won the favor of many officials.

In the jokes of the Song Dynasty, it was normal for foreigners to be ignorant of etiquette. When waiting outside the palace to see the emperor, they were lined up in disarray, just like camels and scholars.

An hour later, after all the procedures were completed, Yu Longke, who was hot and tired, was led into the main hall by the master of ceremonies.

He followed court etiquette, yet also disregarded it. Following the method secretly taught by Xu Lai, he knelt on the ground with a thud, prostrated himself, and shouted, "Yu Longke pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The official in charge of etiquette was dumbfounded; this wasn't how he had taught them just a couple of days ago.

"Hahaha!"

The courtiers inside the hall couldn't help but burst into laughter.

An official immediately stepped forward to stop them, not to stop Yu Longke, but to stop the courtiers from laughing.

Zhao Xu laughed as well: "Why are you prostrating yourself?"

Following the script written by Xu Lai, Yu Longke said, "When we Qiang people sincerely worship Buddha, this is how we worship. I heard that the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty is the son of God on earth, even more noble than Buddha. So I forgot the etiquette and couldn't help but bow so deeply. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Xu was overjoyed and immediately said, "Although you did not follow etiquette, your loyalty is commendable, and you even offered land and people. You have done nothing wrong."

Yu Longke said, "Xu Zhijun said that the Han and Qiang people share the same origin, and that the Han and Qiang people have the same ancestor. Therefore, the emperor of the Han people is also the emperor of our Qiang people. I didn't know this before, but fortunately Xu Zhijun told me. So I quickly submitted to the Song Dynasty."

This statement displeased many officials.

If they were to insist on observing court assembly etiquette, they would all want to reprimand them sternly.

How can the Han nobles share the same ancestor as the Qiang barbarians?

Zhao Xu asked, "Did Xu Lai, the military commander of Tongyuan, tell you this?"

Yu Longke pulled out a few books: "At first I didn't believe it either, but Xu Zhijun showed me these books. He said they were ancient books by the Han people, and the details were written very clearly inside."

Zhao Xu said to the officials around him, "Bring it here."

The eunuch presented the book to the emperor.

These books all had fold-out pages, and relevant content was highlighted in red. Zhao Xu casually flipped through them and nodded, saying, "According to ancient records, the Han and Qiang peoples do indeed share a common origin."

After saying this, Zhao Xu had the officials in charge of rites read the contents aloud.

Now the ministers could no longer object, because it was all recorded in ancient books.

Wang Anshi seized the opportunity to step forward: "Your Majesty, you may send envoys to inform the leaders of the various Qiang tribes, especially those on the Song-Xia border. Tell them that the Han and Qiang share the same origin, so that all the Qiang people know that the Han emperor is also the Qiang emperor."

"I second that!" Zeng Gongliang said.

The ministers unanimously agreed to the proposal, since all that was needed was to send a few envoys.

If they could persuade one or two Qiang tribes to submit, they would have made a fortune—at this point, no one was talking about provoking the Western Xia anymore, because the two countries were at war.

Moreover, the civil and military officials suddenly realized that Xu Lai had managed to persuade 120,000 Qiang people to submit by tricking a fool with an ancient book.

Whether they believed it or not, all the officials believed it.

This kind of thing is more conducive to propaganda, showcasing the majesty of the Han emperor and attracting the Qiang chieftains to submit. Otherwise, would they want to portray Xu Lai as exceptionally powerful?

Using ancient books to deceive the Qiang chieftains was a more effective way to spread stories, and it was also more readily accepted by civil officials and scholars.

Yu Longke then said, "I heard from Han people in Qinzhou that there was a high-ranking official in the Song Dynasty named Bao Zheng, who was very benevolent to the people and incorruptible in his official duties. If I were to become an official in the Song Dynasty, I would also emulate Bao Zheng's benevolence to the people and incorruptibility. Your Majesty, may I change my surname to Bao?"

These words made the Song emperor and his officials feel extremely proud.

A Qiang chieftain who knew nothing actually admired the virtues of the Song Dynasty's civil officials and even said he was willing to emulate them. This is the power of education! This is the manifestation of the Celestial Empire's virtue subduing the barbarians!

This Qiang chieftain before us must be highly commended!

Zhao Xu was overjoyed. He felt he hadn't been as happy since ascending the throne, and immediately said, "Then I bestow upon you the surname Bao and the given name Shun. Shun as in loyalty and obedience."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing upon me this name. From now on, I will be called Bao Shun." Yu Longke knelt down and kowtowed again.

Immediately following this, Yu Longke was granted an official position.

The official document had already been written, but Yu Longke, through Xu Lai's script, had so pleased the Song emperor and his officials that Zhao Xu temporarily bestowed upon him an even higher official position.

Yu Longke's official titles were: Left Attendant (a post with a salary) and Foreign Inspector (on assignment).

This is a rank of third-class military officer, which is still relatively low-ranking, but one can be promoted very quickly by making meritorious contributions.

In addition, there were generous rewards of money and valuables.

Zhao Xu then announced a promotion for Xu Lai. Xu Lai did not insist on a direct promotion of three ranks, but compromised and was promoted only two ranks.

In fact, Xu Lai only needed to advance one rank to become a court official.

Xu Lai's new official positions are: Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices (a post with official salary), Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat (a post with official salary), and Military Governor of Tongyuan and concurrently Pacification Commissioner of the Qin-Feng Road Border Area (on assignment).

The official ranks of the Song Dynasty cannot be judged by the standards of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Xu Lai has now been promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but he is only a civil official of the eighth rank.

It should be judged from the perspective of official rank.

The civil service in the Song Dynasty had a total of 37 ranks, and Xu Lai had now risen to the 24th rank.

Moreover, Xu Lai also received a special post in the "Direct Secretarial Office".

This is considered a literary honor, and it comes with a certain amount of compensation in the salary.

But what is its real function?

Having secured a prestigious position, he became a celebrity, which would allow him to be promoted much faster in the future!

Xu Lai's new official positions quickly spread throughout the officialdom of Tokyo, and then to various local government offices.

Many officials were shocked.

Xu Lai is only 22 years old this year! Such a young Taichang Temple Vice Minister, Zhimige? And he is also a powerful local official like the Border Pacification Commissioner!

Those who passed the imperial examination in the same year as Xu Lai were extremely excited upon hearing the news. Xu Lai would definitely be their right-hand man from now on.

Xu Lai himself rode back to Qinzhou City.

Pianpian is about to give birth.

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