Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 658 Getting ready to go to sea
Fan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to know how much the problem of redundant officials has been solved after using titles to divert false officials?"

"About forty percent!"

"That's quite a lot. If the financial pressure is not too great, I suggest that this matter should be considered in the long term."

"how do I say this?"

Fan Ning said with a slight smile: "The reduction of officials cannot be solved in a day or two. It will take at least 20 years to solve it slowly, but as long as the system is established, the balance of officials will gradually be balanced as time goes by."

Zhao Xu's eyes lit up. He understood Fan Ning's meaning. First, instead of reducing officials, he established a system and then used the system to adjust it. This is not to harm the interests of some people, but to have a relationship with everyone.

"Fan Xianggong, tell me in detail."

"Weichen suggested to implement a strict age retirement system. From the third rank and above, retire at the age of 65, and from the third rank and below, retire at the age of 60. This is to use the system to naturally eliminate. This is the first, and the second is the probationary officer's regularization system. Weichen knows that some officials have waited 20 years and have no chance to become a full-time official. This is not acceptable and unfair. A certain time must be set, such as five years, and all new officials must become full-time after five years."

Zhao Xu nodded, "These two systems have already been proposed, but the problem now is that the problem is increasing rather than retreating. As time goes by, there will only be more and more officials."

"This is the third system, the official balance system. Regardless of whether it is the imperial examination, the Taixue, or the shady officials, there must be restraint. This is the duty-bound responsibility of the Ministry of Officials. The number of quotas shall be set, and officials shall not be added arbitrarily, as long as the Ministry of Officials strictly controls, the officials will basically not lose control."

"I see, does Mr. Xiang have a more practical solution?"

Fan Ning said with a smile: "There are two ways to solve the problem in the short term."

"Sir, please tell me."

"One is to increase immigration and expand counties overseas. For example, Baozhou now has only one county, but there are more than ten counties there, and there are at least ten prefectures and hundreds of counties in the Southern Continent.

Another way is to promote the post, elevating the prefects and Xuezhengs in the county to Cong Jiupin. Each county has at least three prefects. They are official officials in name, but they have high powers and are called by the people. Hidden official, Ya Si was promoted to the ninth rank, and the imperial examination scholar took up the post before he became a regular, which is conducive to allowing him to deeply understand the sufferings of the people. Leisure officials can be placed. "

After a pause, Fan Ning continued: "Since everyone is opposed to the establishment of government offices at the township level, we can also make a change. The deputy county magistrate is also from Jiupin, and each township sends one person, who is neither the township chief nor the town chief, and To manage townships on behalf of the county, of course there must be some black apples, the key is how to inspect and supervise."

Zhao Xu sighed and said, "I have been devastated by this incident. As soon as Fan Xianggong came, he opened my mind. It is estimated that the deputy county magistrate will be very controversial, but promoting the secretary and Xuezheng to the ninth rank, Especially Xuezheng, I think it is completely possible, and Zeng County overseas is also a feasible strategy.”

Fan Ning continued: "I came here today to ask Your Majesty for a [-]-day vacation. I want to go to sea to see the North Island in my own name. I also want to rent a fleet from the imperial court. I hope Your Majesty will approve."

"Has the Queen Mother agreed?"

Fan Ning nodded, "The queen mother has approved it."

Zhao Xu looked at Fan Ning silently for a while, and finally nodded, "I'm sure!"

Although Zhao Xu is still the original Zhao Xu, Fan Ning still feels a little strange. This kind of strangeness does not come from Zhao Xu's indifference, but from his enthusiasm and tolerance. Xianggong to decide' This kind of words, it is a bit funny to say this kind of words from the mouth of an emperor, does it mean that his authority exceeds him, and even he Zhao Xu can't make a decision?

Of course, Zhao Xu's enthusiasm is not necessarily hypocrisy, but just a kind of compensation, but no matter whether it is hypocrisy or compensation, it exceeds common sense and makes people feel a little awkward.

Maybe Zhao Xu concealed it better, but Empress Dowager Cao is a mirror. From Empress Dowager Cao, Fan Ning gradually saw Zhao Xu's growing strength and Queen Mother Cao's retreat. Empress Dowager Cao decided to dismiss Wang Anshi a long time ago, but Now Wang Anshi is still doing well, and his power is increasing day by day, ranking third in Zhizhengtang.

It's not that Empress Dowager Cao changed her mind, but Zhao Xu resisted Empress Dowager Cao's right to appoint and dismiss.

It can be seen from the reforms that Empress Dowager Cao hated the reforms the most. In the past few years, she only passed one farmland water conservancy law and the militia law. The three major reforms of changing officials to nobility.

Everything resented Empress Dowager Cao, but she was powerless and unable to stop it. This is the weakening of Empress Dowager Cao's power, and this is also the root cause of Empress Dowager Cao's willingness to let her brother Cao Yi go. Her plan to establish the power of foreign relatives has gradually failed. , she had to face reality.

In the final analysis, the queen mother's power is a side branch of the monarchy, which is attached to the main body of the monarchy. When the main body is weak, the side branches will of course flourish. When the main body becomes strong, the side branches will gradually fade away. If she If you still insist on being strong, the consequences will inevitably be pruning.

Song Shenzong in history was a very ambitious person who wanted to make a career. He reused Wang Anshi and tried to use the power of the monarch to forcibly change the various ills of this society. As a result, the entire Song Dynasty became his enemy. The ways of change hurt everyone and gave too many weapons to political opponents.

It's just that Song Shenzong didn't understand dialectics, and sometimes the disadvantages exist because it is reasonable. This is the truth that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish.

Now Zhao Xu is still the same as Song Shenzong in history, young, passionate, and deeply attracted by Wang Anshi's radical reform.
But because of his own existence, Zhao Xu was constantly awakened by himself, and he was instilled with a lot of thoughts of moderate reform. He hesitated for a moment, then gradually calmed down.

But it is not enough. Fan Ning will never allow the moderate reforms he has gradually implemented for more than ten years to be interrupted by Wang Anshi's radical reforms.

After Fan Ning came out of the palace, he took a carriage to Shuyuan Street. He wanted to find his second uncle Fan Tiege, but unexpectedly, the gate of the Kistler Museum was closed and locked, and a notice posted on it said that there was something at home and it was closed for half a year. Fan Ning was a little strange, what happened to the second uncle?
As soon as he looked up, there was a sign of Beidao Recruitment Office on the side of a shop with a large area. It should be a shop separated from the Qishi Pavilion. Fan Ning asked a few followers to wait outside, and he walked in.

There were many people in the shop, seven or eight people who came to apply for the sea, and there seemed to be a family among them. A young woman in a sarong was sitting on a chair next to her with her child in her arms. Next to her was a seven or eight-year-old boy. Half body was lying on the table, asking something anxiously, and the men next to him were also chattering, with dissatisfaction on their faces.

Sitting at the table was a middle-aged man in his forties. Fan Ning recognized him at a glance. He was Ming Ren's brother-in-law, that is, the brother of his mother-in-law. His name was Zhang Cheng. As a construction foreman, he is very responsible, but his ability is average. It is estimated that the second uncle borrowed him to help, and he is helpless to explain to everyone?
"What happened?" Fan Ning asked with a smile from behind.

Zhang Cheng saw Fan Ning at a glance, stood up in fright, and stammered, "Mr. Fan Fan, why are you here?"

Everyone was startled, and they stepped out of the way, and Mr. Fan actually came.

Fan Ning smiled and waved his hands, "If everyone wants to go to Beidao, we will be a family in the future, so you don't need to be so polite, everyone please sit down."

There are quite a lot of chairs in the room, everyone sat down separately, the family just now also sat together.

"What difficulties are you encountering now?" Fan Ning asked Zhang Cheng with a smile.

"Fan Xianggong, it's like this. The last fleet of this year has left last month, and the next one will be in March next year. Everyone is very anxious."

"It's only the end of August, and the shipping is over so early?"

Zhang Cheng scratched his head helplessly, "I don't know either, Lao Fan told me so before leaving."

Fan Ning asked again: "My second uncle also went to Beidao?"

"Well! The old couple went, and the guys followed, bringing hundreds of people with them."

Fan Ning understood, he thought for a while and asked, "How many people have signed up now?"

"There are about 120 people, and there are more than [-] families. In fact, most of them are families. The few who are applying now want to move the whole family."

"Can everyone be contacted?"

"It's all right. The farthest one can reach the capital within ten days. It seems that there is also a group in Quanzhou, about three to four hundred people."

Fan Ning said to everyone: "Now there are two ways to go to the North Island. One is to take a boat to the South Continent. There are regular ships to the North Island. There is a trip every few days. Another way is to go with me. , I plan to set off for the North Island in ten days, if everyone has time, you can go with my fleet,"

Everyone was overjoyed and expressed their willingness to go with Fan Ning.

"Okay! Then everyone will continue to sign up."

Fan Ning said to Zhang Cheng again: "You rush to everyone's house today. If they can reach the capital within ten days, then go together. If it's too late, it's okay to go again in March next year. During this period, they will be given money every month. A few pennies of firewood and rice compensation."

"I understand!"

Fan Ning gave him a few more words, and then he got up and went to the newspaper office of "Letter".

(End of this chapter)