I studied in modern times

Chapter 339 Wang Anshi: Does the young master have a big plan?

Wang Anshi withdrew his gaze, and then immediately looked at the stove: "Ah, I almost forgot the stove... If the heat is bad, this dish will not taste good!"

He hurriedly started to pack it up.

Zhang Dun smiled dumbly when he saw it.

That night, Zhang Dun and his son had a meal at Wang Anshi's house.

They are all made by Wang Anshi himself and are very rich.

There is fish, meat, and several vegetables.

The taste is very rich, with various flavors available.

This was unimaginable in the past - Zhang Dun had naturally eaten at Wang Anshi's family banquet in the past.

At that time, Wang Anshi was still the Prime Minister.

But when I was a guest at his home, the table was filled with the same fixed dishes, which were simple and plain and almost never changed.

Wang Anshi himself will only eat the dish closest to him and will not even look at other dishes.

Nowadays, Wang Anshi is smiling at the dinner table. He wants to taste every dish. When he encounters something delicious, he will give his wife Wu a few more chopsticks.

Zhang Dun naturally knew that Wang Anshi's personality had changed so drastically not just because he fell in love with cooking.

It's definitely not because he was influenced by Su Shi.

Su Zizhan is not so charming!

Moreover, if Wang Anshi could be influenced by others so easily.

Then he won't be abusing his husband.

So, what happened?
Zhang Dun was very curious about this.

So, taking advantage of Wang Anshi's temporary absence from the table after the meal, he quietly approached Wang Anli and asked in a low voice: "Hefu, Mr. Jiefu seems to be different from the past?"

Wang Anli replied in a low voice: "My brother was ill the year before last and was bedridden for a time..."

"After recovering from the illness, I concentrated on Buddhism... I also asked the late emperor to grant the temple on the mountainside garden as Baoning Chanyuan. From then on, I concentrated on practicing Zen and only read Buddhist scriptures..."

"This is all despair..." Wang Anli sighed.

Zhang Dun nodded and heard what Wang Anli meant.

Wang Anshi fell ill in the seventh year of Yuanfeng. After recovering from the illness, he wrote a letter requesting that his family house in Banshan Garden be granted as a Buddhist temple.

Before he did that, the late emperor had already publicly announced the candidates for the young master's guardian.

Written by Sima Guang and Lu Gong!

Two old party veterans!
Especially Sima Guang, known as the Red Flag of the Old Party!
The announcement of this list actually means that the late emperor allowed and authorized Sima Guang and Lu Gongzhu to abandon the new law after taking power.

There is nothing more sad than heart death!

Zhang Dun felt that if he and Wang Anshi were to get along in different places, he would probably lose all hope and have the idea of ​​​​escaping into Buddhism.

Wang Anli looked at Zhang Dun with a smile: "Zihou should know what happened next..."

"Since the young master came to the throne, he has respected the virtues of his ancestors, inherited the government of the late emperor, extended his grace to the world, and blessed all people... and everything has been renewed!"

Wang Anli is a bystander, so he can naturally see clearly.

His brother had already begun to resurrect after receiving the first letter from Bianjing.

The old monk who sat in Baoning Zen Monastery all day, meditating and chanting sutras, became active.

Like an old tree sprouting new buds.

When Lu Xizhe's letter arrived, new shoots sprouted.

Han Jiang's actions after taking charge of the government made him even more excited.

Although the Horse Protection Law and the Market Change Law were abolished, the Young Crops Law and the Recruitment Law were revised, and the Armor Protection Law was abolished in the south.

However, the skeleton of the new law was preserved.

In some aspects, it has been optimized.

The most important thing is that the foundation of the new law has been protected - in Taixue, the new meanings and words of the Three Classics are still taught.

Last year's imperial examination still adopted the new meaning of the Three Classics as justice.

The old party literati and officials began to change their attitudes one by one.

Even from far away in Jiangning Mansion, Wang Anli could see the changes that gradually occurred in his brother.

This is - the spring breeze turns green to the south bank of the river!

Wang Anli said and looked at Zhang Dun: "Zihou should be able to feel the atmosphere more in the capital than we are in Jiangning, right?"

Zhang Dun nodded.

He remembered clearly that at this time last year, the late emperor fell seriously ill.

Countless rumors were spreading in the palace.

The government and the public were in turmoil.

Cai Chizheng's mother and wife kept entering the palace.

Soon the legend spread in the palace that "the queen sent people to pray for her father, the emperor, in the name of the Prince of Yan'an."

Then it came out that the two kings wanted to stay in jail, and there were ministers in the palace who wanted to follow Wang Jien's example.

Zhang Dun's heart was in his throat at that time.

Cai Que even discussed with him privately that if there were any changes, he would contact the palace commander Yanda to initiate military remonstrance.

However, everything came to an abrupt end after the young master was born.

Soon, news came from the palace.

The emperor's sixth son, the Prince of Yan'an County, is the Queen's legitimate son and the Queen Mother's legitimate grandson!

Then, there were few twists and turns.

The once eager voices in the palace disappeared completely.

After that, it is time to make a decision and establish a reserve, and ascend the throne in front of the emperor.

Although there are many things, they are still blocked by the fog in the palace.

However, the courtiers all knew that in those days, the young master successively defeated the queen and the queen mother, and made both the queen and queen mother recognize him.

Therefore, as the eldest son, he was sent to the late emperor's bedside, and then, with the support of hundreds of officials, he became the crown prince.

Simply incredible!For a time, people thought it was the Queen's handiwork, which made many people think that the Song Dynasty was going to produce another Zhang Xian Mingsu!

It was only a long time later that people discovered it.

In fact, before that, the three sons of the palace commander Yanda were already guarding His Majesty.

In other words, without everyone's knowledge, he had already taken control of the Dianqian Division and gained Yanda's allegiance.

What happened after that shocked both the government and the public.

It is said in the palace that the ten-year-old young master already has the ability to handle state affairs when he comes to court!
He even has the power to employ people!

At first, everyone thought it was the palace bragging.

But soon the truth told everyone - it was true.

Whether it is old and cunning ministers like Wen Yanbo and Lu Gongzhu, or scholars like Zhang Fangping and Sun Gu who are famous all over the world for their knowledge, even they are stubborn like Sima Guang.

He could comfort them one by one very well, and he could be said to be 'a solemn presence before the court, with all the laws and regulations in place, just like a holy master'.

Zhang Dun couldn't help but smile as he recalled the past year.

Because he remembered that before leaving Beijing, he was teased by the emperor once.

So, Zhang Dun sighed: "Mr. Jiefu is a blessed man!"

Wang Anli smiled and nodded: "I think so too!"

Although in the court, both he and Wang Anguo would deliberately keep a distance from Wang Anshi, even tit for tat, and hold different political opinions.

But privately, how could their brothers not know that the rise and fall of the entire Wang family was actually tied to the honor and disgrace of Wang Anshi.

Therefore, even when Wang Anguo was still alive, he was actually just pretending to disagree with Wang Anshi's political views.

Nowadays, all the actions of the young master show that he is protecting the core and foundation of the new law intentionally or unintentionally, and retaining the vitality of the new law.

"By the way..." Wang Anli whispered: "Zihou, can you bring someone with you when you go south this time?"

"kindness?"

Wang Anli pouted at the other end of the dining table: "Xuyi is already eighteen this year..."

Zhang Dun followed Wang Anli's gaze and saw the young man sitting with his son Zhang Yuan.

That was Wang Anshi's eldest grandson and Wang Yu's stepson Wang Di.

Looking at Wang Di's young face, Zhang Dun remembered Wang Anshi's life.

The eldest son, Wang Yu, is talented, intelligent and straightforward. He is his carefully cultivated heir.

However, he died young and did not even leave any heirs. He could only adopt a son from his cousin to inherit the family legacy.

The second son, Wang Pang, suffered from heart disease. Although he was alive, he was like a walking corpse.

One of the two beloved daughters was married to Wu Anzhi, the son of Wu Chong, and the marriage was unfortunate. It is said that she shed tears every day.

That is to say, the youngest daughter married well - she married Cai Bian, Cai Jing's younger brother.

A harmonious relationship between husband and wife can be somewhat of a comfort.

But after all, she is someone else's woman, and she is far away from her. She may not be able to return to Jiangning to visit her parents even once in ten years.

As a result, Wang Anshi and his wife were left with their adopted son Wang Di and their youngest son Wang Pang who would go crazy from time to time.

"This..." Zhang Dun naturally hesitated: "We are going to Guangxi. The mountains are high and the roads are long. Moreover, Guangxi is plagued by miasma..."

"It's okay!" Wang Anli said: "Besides, Yuanze (Wang Yu's cousin) died early because he was weak and sick since he was a child..."

"This is what my sister-in-law means too!"

"Scholar-officials should travel to study, increase their knowledge, understand the vastness of the world, and know the affairs of the four directions..."

Zhang Dun nodded: "In that case, let Xuyi go south with me, and I will try my best to take care of him!" He felt that the burden on his shoulders began to become heavier.

That is the last bloodline of the Enxiang family!

Wang Anli quickly thanked him.

At this time, Wang Anshi returned to the banquet.

He looked at Zhang Dun who was talking to Wang Anli and asked, "Zi Hou, what are you talking to He Fu?"

Zhang Dun quickly replied: "Going back to Mr. Jiefu, I and Hefu are talking about promoting the ceremony and achieving peace..."

"Seeing their appearance makes me realize that I am already old!"

Wang Anshi chuckled, looked at Wang Di and Zhang Yuan, and said, "Yes, you and I are already old!"

Wang Di and Zhang Yuan naturally stood up immediately and even said they did not dare.

When Wang Anshi saw it, he waved his hand and said: "You young men, since you have gone to the land of young men, don't stay here with the old people like us!"

Wang Di and Zhang Yuan naturally bowed their hands and said goodbye.

Watching the two seventeen or eighteen-year-old children walking out of the wing side by side.

Wang Anshi also laughed.

Then he said to Zhang Dun: "Zihou, we haven't seen you for nearly ten years, right?"

Zhang Dun nodded.

Wang Anshi smiled and said: "Tonight, you and I will talk by candlelight!"

He looked at Wang Anli: "Hefu is also staying, and together we can emulate the ancients' way of conversing by candlelight!"

Wang Anli accepted the order.

So, that night, three important ministers from the Xining era held candles and talked under the mountain garden of Jiangning Mansion, and finally slept together on the same couch.

They talked about many things.

The past of Xining and the current appearance of Bianjing.

Of course, there are also things in the palace and court.

At midnight, Wang Anshi sat up from the collapse.

Then, he held a candle, lit the candlelight, and looked at Zhang Dun and Wang Anli, who were sleeping undressed on the couch.

Then he opened the door, put on his fur coat, and walked on the corridor in early spring.

The figure of his wife Wu appeared from the other side.

"I know Badger Lang will definitely not be able to sleep..." Wu walked to him, put on his clothes for him, and said considerately.

"Xu Yi will go south with Zhang Zihou..." Wu said.

"Yes!" Wang Anshi nodded.

"Shu Niang came back from writing a letter to her family yesterday..." Mrs. Wu added, "She said she would bring her and her husband to Jiangning to see if they care for me!"

Wang Anshi finally smiled: "Shu Niang just gave birth to a little girl the year before last, right?"

Wu Shi nodded.

"Then I can hug my great-granddaughter!"

"She must be very beautiful, and she must be as well-behaved as her mother!"

only……

"Lu Anzhong, shouldn't he be in the capital, serving his father?" Wang Anshi asked.

"I heard that Lu Wangzhi was impeached this time due to changes in market laws, etc... and has been dismissed from office..."

"It may disparage southern states and counties..."

Wang Anshi snorted.

He had actually expected Lu Jiawen to be demoted.

On the day when Shi Yifa was dismissed, Lu Jiawen should have been demoted.

Lu Jiawen was able to hold on until now before he was dismissed from office...

Wang Anshi knew in his heart that it was probably because of the young master's deliberate protection.

So, he asked: "Do you know where Lu Wangzhi will be demoted?"

"It seems to be Guangxi..."

"Shu Niang said in the letter that it seems that any promotion will be greatly affected by Youjiang's appeasement..."

Wang Anshi's pupils suddenly dilated.

Then, he laughed.

Like a child!
The things Zhang Dun told him today...

Things mentioned in the letters written to him by Lu Xizhe, Lu Dian, Cai Bian and others...

Especially the instructions conveyed by Lu Xizhe to Lu Gongzhu.

Lu Jiawen was demoted to Guangxi at this time, which was still a new invention.

Zhang Dun, Di Yong, Gao Zunhui, Lu Jiawen...

The governor, military ministers, relatives, and cruel officials almost formed a perfect team.

No matter doing things, giving favors, or leading troops in battle, there are people.

Even the good guys and bad guys are all here.

As long as these people don't fight among themselves and don't get along with the generals like Xining did during the Southern Expedition.

Wang Anshi knew that by this time next year, the area north of the Fuliang River should no longer be owned by Jiaozhi.

reason?

Not only because the national power and combat power of the Song Dynasty were far superior to the Jiaozhi people.

What's more, the Xi and Dong tribes in northern Jiaozhi, especially in the Youjiang area, were originally more inclined to follow the Song Dynasty.

But in the past, the Song Dynasty felt that those places were too remote and desolate to be of any use.

Moreover, because of Nong Zhigao's lesson, both the government and the public felt that it was better to spend their energy in those long mountains.

It is better to leave it to the Cochin people.

After all, even if the Song Dynasty got it, it would only be a restraint, and it would not be able to implement local counties.

Therefore, although the Xi and Dong families in Youjiang repeatedly submitted requests for inclusion, the Song Dynasty refused.

This is a realistic objective condition, which makes the Song Dynasty incapable of ruling the local area.

It is also because those places are barren and desolate, and the output can only barely feed the local natives.

Wang Anshi, as the prime minister during the Southern Expedition, naturally knew these things very clearly.

Therefore, Wang Anshi became curious.

"Young Master, do you have any ideas?"

"Does he have a way to allow the Song Dynasty to at least maintain a balance of payments locally?"

If the income and expenditure cannot be balanced, blood loss will continue.

Just like Xihe Road now.

As for Xihe, its strategic location is important, so it can withstand blood loss.

Even so, there have always been voices in the DPRK that want to abandon Xihe - it’s too expensive!

In places like Lian Xihe, ministers are proposing to give up altogether every year.

Once the places like those in the north of Jiaozhi are unable to balance the balance of payments, even if they are occupied now, in the end, even if the emperor insists, he can only give up like Xining.

Wang Anshi knows that even restraining a belt requires costs!
Those Xi and Dong leaders who surrendered were granted official titles and titles.

Once they are appointed officials and canonized, they must be allowed to pay tribute and trade.

Tributes require rewards, and trade may allow them to make profits - this is why the chieftains in Jiaozhi are closer to the Song Dynasty.

The King of Cochin of Shenglong Mansion will not give any reward in return!
They will only try their best to squeeze these people!
Besides, even if you can eventually break even.

In fact, it was also a burden to Song Dynasty.

Because of the need to protect the local area, the Cochins needed to be turned away.

This requires dispersion of efforts and the maintenance of local garrisons.

At least one large city must be built as a political, cultural and military center.

This brings up another issue to consider.

Logistics supply and transshipment.

Guangnan West Road cannot afford such a long-term blood transfusion.

Therefore, the local area not only needs to balance its revenue and expenditure, but also needs to have enough output to supply a large city with at least thousands of troops stationed and tens of thousands or even more than [-] people.

These are questions.

They all need to be solved. Only by solving these problems can the Song Dynasty truly take root in the local area and establish a stable rule.

"Young master, can you think of it?" Wang Anshi raised his head and looked at the moon.

Then he knew there was someone who could help him get the answer.

His granddaughter’s father-in-law, Lu Jia asked!
When Lu Jia asks Jiang Ning, he will definitely know the answer!
　Note: According to the "Chronology of Wang Anshi", Wang Anshi should have three sons.

　　The eldest son Wang Yu, the second son Wang Pang, and the youngest son died in infancy.

　　Among them, Wang Yu had no children, so he adopted Wang Di, the son of Wang Anguo's son Wang Fu.

　　But Wang Yu had a daughter who was married to Lu Anzhong, the son of Lu Jiawen. Lu Anzhong died early, around the age of 30. Later, this daughter raised Lu Anzhong’s daughter until she grew old. Judging from this, the relationship between the couple should be particularly good - the widow remarried in the Northern Song Dynasty Very normal!

　　Wang Anshi's second son, Wang Pang, was recorded as having mental illness and had no descendants.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)