Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 705

Fan Ning sighed slightly, "Your Majesty has actually found a countermeasure, but he just didn't realize it."

Zhao Xu was refreshed, and immediately turned around and saluted with fists in his hands, "Please teach me, Mr. Xianggong!"

Fan Ning smiled and waved his hands, "I don't dare to accept His Majesty's gift. In fact, the court meeting is a good way to check and balance!"

Zhao Xu said thoughtfully: "Xiangguo means to use the court meeting to check and balance the power of the prime minister?"

Fan Ning nodded, "Your Majesty just needs to change his mind. It's like a jar of strong shochu. If the owner keeps pouring water into the jar, will the shochu still be strong?"

Zhao Xu couldn't help laughing, this analogy is good, let officials debate military and state affairs at the court meeting, isn't it diluting the power of the prime minister?
"Your Majesty, let the power of the prime minister be made public and transparent, so that every minister has the opportunity to participate in the formulation of military and political affairs. Although the power is diluted, I think it is a good thing."

After a pause, Fan Ning continued: "Taking a step back, the right to make proposals for the court meeting is in the hands of His Majesty. This is the key. What is discussed at the court meeting every day is decided by His Majesty. Isn't this the embodiment of monarchy? Once Zhizhengtang When the debate with the officials reaches a stalemate, your Majesty needs to make a final decision, so what if the Zhizheng Hall passed the resolution?"

Zhao Xu was so enlightened, he patted his forehead and said: "It's because I think about the problem easily, thanks to Mr. Xianggong for clarifying the confusion!"

Fan Ning saw that it was almost finished, so he smiled and said: "I will go to Yangzhou tomorrow, and the Han people of the Liao Kingdom will go to the southern continent. I will go and have a look, and I may come back in ten days."

Zhao Xu suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly said: "In a few days, the draft of the reform of the official system will be officially released. Can you give me your opinion?"

Fan Ning said lightly, "Does Your Majesty want to hear the truth?"

"Of course I'm telling the truth!"

Fan Ning said unceremoniously: "The truth is only four words, it must fail!"

Zhao Xu was stunned, "Why did Xianggong say that?"

Fan Ning shook his head, "Your Majesty has forgotten, why is the exchange of titles successful? Can get everyone's unanimous support, where is the key to success?"

"You mean benefits?"

Fan Ning nodded, "It's the interests. I believe that the draft Wang Xianggong made is not called the reform of the official system, but should be called the draft of criminal responsibility. How many people's personal interests will be involved in it. If His Majesty finally finds that all the ministers are guilty, they should all be punished." Severe punishment, what should we do then?"

"But. If you don't clean it up, I'll be furious!"

Fan Ning sighed, and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, when the water is clear, there will be no fish. Your Majesty wants to clean up the fish tanks. Yes, but you can't kill all the fish in the end. Your Majesty, back then we carried out the Xiang Army Reform in Yingtian Mansion to clean up the generals who embezzled their salaries. How did it succeed in the end, didn’t it just kill a few big fish and release the other small fish? What His Majesty personally did back then is forgotten now?”

"Then what should I do according to Xianggong's intention?"

"It's very simple, but all the contracts signed by the imperial court will be recognized. If there are really unfair contracts, we will investigate them. If necessary, arrest one or two officials who are too greedy and punish them severely. Make a gesture, so that the resistance to reform will be small. Well, after the reform of the official system is successful, it will take another ten years to track down one by one, and let them spit out the stolen goods one by one."

Zhao Xu quickly took notes with a pen, finally nodded and said, "I know what to do now?"

Fan Ning laughed again: "As for the disposal of redundant officials, I can also make a suggestion, or put forward an idea."

Zhao Xu quickly raised his pen and said, "Sir, please tell me!"

"Last time, I said that it would take time to slowly eliminate the bloated bureaucracy, but later I considered that it would be unrealistic to take too long. Maybe we can change our thinking and make a fuss about the structure of the bureaucracy. The number of posts for certain posts should be increased, while the number of posts for some posts should be reduced.

Specifically, it is necessary to increase the number of officials in the Nine Temples and Five Prisons. They are doing specific things, and the increase in the number can be done in a more detailed manner, while reducing the number of secretarial officials, Guange bachelors, etc.

This is like a person exercising. The fat on the stomach and buttocks must be reduced, but the muscles and bones on the arms and legs must be increased. In the end, the weight of the person does not decrease, but the body becomes stronger. What does your majesty think? "

Fan Ning's metaphor is very vivid and easy to understand. Zhao Xu put down his pen, nodded and said with a smile: "It seems that the reform of official positions needs to be postponed for a few months."

Before dawn the next day, Fan Ning bid farewell to his wife and children, and took a boat to Yangzhou for business. He was on a steam passenger ship of [-] stone, and his brother-in-law Zhu Qi was also on the same boat. Headed to the North Island.

The boat sailed out of Bianliang and headed south along the Bian River. The steam engine made a chug sound on the river. goods.

There are many boats in the Bian River, but there are not many steam boats. The steam passenger boat that Fan Ning rides is only used by official ships, and private people are more luxurious. There is a situation with private steam boats, that is, the tugboats on the opposite side. The first boat is towed by it a long string of flat sand boats. Although the cost of fiber pulling and fuel consumption is almost the same, the speed is fast, which is beneficial to merchants.

"Brother, there are basically steam boats on the North Island, and you can't see ordinary human-powered boats, but it's the other way around in Da Song. When I came, I didn't see a single steam boat."

Fan Ning stood on the deck and looked at the fleet passing in front of him, smiled and said: "Of course there is a reason for this. There are only four factories in the Song Dynasty that can make steam engines, one has been moved to the North Island, and the other three All of them are government-run factories, and they must do their best to meet the needs of the army, and they do not accept orders from the private sector, such as the old-fashioned steam engine ship opposite just now, which was manufactured in the early days of our factory, you can tell by the size of the steam engine."

Zhu Qi scratched his head and smiled, "I thought it was because coke was very expensive, so I refused to use the steam engine because I was reluctant to use it."

Fan Ning laughed and said, "Using coke is only so luxurious for long-distance shipping. Inland river shipping uses coal directly, and it can be replenished at any time along the coast. Like the big ship just now, didn't you notice the smoke from it? It doesn't even have coal It's useless, just use chopping wood."

"When I came to Dasong this time, I basically lost my sense of belonging. I felt that this place was no longer my home. Now I want to return home, and I just want to go back to Beidao as soon as possible."

Fan Ning nodded, he could understand Zhu Qi's mood, his wife and child were pregnant, of course he was in a hurry to go back.

"Is everything done with the imperial court this time?" Fan Ning asked again with a smile.

"It went very well. The Military Weapons Supervisor received 50 jin of refined steel from us, and gave us 160 million jin of ordinary pig iron as payment for the goods. I can pick up the goods directly at the Yangzhou official warehouse when I go to Yangzhou this time."

"In addition to replacing pig iron, what else have you done?"

Zhu Qi said with a smile: "We have also recruited a group of entertainers, probably more than a hundred of them, including puppet show performers, zaju performers, singer performers, movie performers, dancers, acrobatics, storytellers, etc. There is a shortage of these in Beidao. Several counties in the North Island usually organize Cuju competitions, archery competitions, and horse riding competitions, but there is still a lack of entertainment, and this time recruiting these artists should be very popular."

Fan Ning said happily: "This is the truth. Children like puppet shows and shadow shows very much. Try to rehearse as many wonderful and interesting stories as possible, and perform regularly in special greenhouses. Artists can earn a good income and enrich children. There are more bookstores in Yangzhou, so you might as well buy more fairy tales and go back home, leisure and entertainment are very important to ordinary people, that’s how to live and work in peace and contentment.”

"I remember that when I go back this time, I plan to run a newspaper. My aunt provided us with a movable type printing machine and two skilled typesetters."

"I want to run a newspaper, do you have that paper?" Fanning asked with a smile.

"Yes! There is a small private paper workshop in Yuecheng County. The paper produced is of high quality. Although the quantity is not large, it is enough for us."

At this time, Fan Ning suddenly remembered something, and quickly asked: "What happened to the four crops I left on the North Island last year? You didn't tell me."

Zhu Qi slapped himself hard on the forehead and scolded: "I really deserve to die. I forgot the important things my third uncle gave me. I planted all four things. I brought sunflowers, peanuts, tobacco leaves, and potato eggs. It’s in the ice storage on the ship in Yangzhou, but I forgot to bring it when I went to Beijing.”

"It's okay, don't blame yourself, I want to know, how is the planting going?"

(End of this chapter)