I studied in modern times

Chapter 617 Imperial Meeting (2)

Zhao Xu waited until Han Jiang sat down, looked at the other ministers sitting there, and then slowly began to say: "My husband doesn't know something, and we fought all the way to the east of Hedong. Although we didn't gain anything, it was not nothing." Credit.”

"At least, the Hedong Economic and Strategy Department has reported that it has recovered a hundred miles of land from Kuye River to Tuwei River!"

This area is the land that Sima Guang once raised an army without permission, but was defeated by Xixia and then lost.

After this war, Sima Guang remained silent throughout his life and became an anti-war appeasement pacifist.

In fact, Sima Guang's defeat was not unjust.

Because in this battle, his opponent was Xixia's prime minister and powerful minister Wu Zangyingpang.

Because Wuzang family wants to use this land for their own use and manage it as the foundation of Wuzang family.

Therefore, Mei Zang Epang even called in Xixia's most powerful Iron Harriers to help.

When Han Jiang heard this, his expression suddenly changed. He quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, no!"

"The area from Kuye River to Tuwei River is Outuo Land."

"According to the agreement, neither the Song Dynasty nor the Western bandits are allowed to reclaim land, cultivate land, or set up fortresses."

"For decades, both countries have abided by this agreement. If our dynasty is destroyed without authorization, I may not be able to win the trust of the barbarians from now on!"

Zhao Xu smiled and said: "Don't worry, Sir, I have already issued an order to the Hedong Economic and Strategy Department not to break the contract due to war, so I ordered Hedong to withdraw its troops!"

The border lines between Song and Xia in the direction of Hedong and Fuyan Road have undergone many changes in the past few decades.

During the Zhenmiao and Xianping years, the two countries still used Ningxifeng (now Ephedra Liang in Shenmu County, Shaanxi Province) as their boundary.

To the east of Ningxifeng is the Song Dynasty and to the west is the Xia Dynasty.

But in the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu, Xixia pushed the national border to the Tuwei River Basin through continuous erosion, harassment and attacks.

By the time of Tiansheng, the Xixia people had already invaded the Kuye River Basin.

Historical records: At the beginning of the Tiansheng Dynasty, the state officials sued the Hexi farmland for a long time, but the decision was not made for a long time. The transportation department reported that the wild Hexi area was a forbidden land. Officials and private parties were not allowed to farm. Since there were people who stole the land, the captives often took away their cattle, saying : Your state officials dare not plow, why are you here?
In other words, these lands were actually given up by the Song Dynasty on their own initiative.

The reason why I gave up was also very clear.

The superiors were annoyed by the familiar lawsuits (probably an internal fight between the surrender/appeasement faction and the main war faction in Hedong), so they simply imposed a ban on the situation - no one was allowed to farm the land in the wild river.

The Song Dynasty gave up on its own initiative, and Xixia naturally accepted it.

Even facing those people who risked their lives to go to the local farmland, they said: “Ruzhou officials don’t dare to farm, why are you doing this?”
All you officials have given up, why are you here?

Stealing cattle and dominating fields openly and openly!
As for Hedong, they buried their heads in the sand and pretended not to know about this.

This state of affairs lasted for more than twenty years until Yuan Hao rebelled and founded the country.

Bianjing was shocked to find that Yuan Hao's army could actually attack Fuzhou and Linzhou directly!
It was like waking up from a dream and quickly strengthening border defenses, but that was all.

This situation was not changed until the Qingli peace talks were reached, and the court transferred Zhang Jixun, a veteran general from Huanqing Road, to serve as the magistrate of Linzhou.

Zhang Jixun was extremely familiar with the methods of the Xixia people, so he began to investigate the problem as soon as he took office. After repeated investigations, he found out that the Song Dynasty had inexplicably lost strategic places like Kuye River.

So he immediately reported it to the court. After the court reported it, everyone was numb, but it was obviously impossible to hold him accountable.

No one even dared to check!

They had no choice but to send people to negotiate with Xixia. At that time, Xixia had to compromise with the Song Dynasty due to military pressure from the Liao Kingdom.

Therefore, after obtaining the conditions from the Song Dynasty and promising to open Ningxing Que City, they made an agreement with the Song Dynasty. Xixia gave up the eroded Kuye River land, and the border between the two countries returned to the border in the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu. , that is, taking Tuwei River as the boundary.

They are just party members... they have never had any faith.

Before the ink was dry on the treaty between the two countries, they secretly came back.

What's even more terrible is that because Zhang Jixun opened this hole, he was ostracized and attacked by the civil and military forces in Hedong. At the same time, some people in the court complained that he was making trouble for nothing, so he was soon transferred from Linzhou and thrown away. Leaving Neijun is equivalent to leaving idleness.

And this is undoubtedly a very bad start.

It is recorded in the history of the country: Those who know the affairs of the state later will punish them for being too busy and failing, and everyone will keep their own affairs in order to correct the mistakes of the past...

Zhang Jixun was demoted for being meddlesome, so why should we be meddlesome?
As a result, the Xixia people once again took this land as their own.

This area changed again, and it was time for Pang Ji to bring his good student Sima Guang to Hedong.

That year was the second year of Jiayou.

Sima Guang was young and energetic at the time and was a typical angry youth. When he saw this situation, he couldn't hold himself back, so he proposed to build a fort west of the Kuye River to control this fertile land.

And coincidentally, the Xixia ruler at that time also took a fancy to this place.

Sima Guang was completely defeated in front of Wu Zang Yipang.

However, although the Song Dynasty lost militarily, it won diplomatically and politically.

Because Wu Zang's attempt to obtain his family's private territory on the Song-Xia border triggered internal strife in Xixia.

In the infighting, no Tibetans were forced to give in.

As a result, the Song Dynasty negotiated and concluded a new peace treaty with Xixia.

According to the provisions of the peace treaty, the land west of the Kuye River to the Tuwei River was not allowed to be cultivated or fortified in either Song or Xia, and could only be used for woodcutting and grazing.

At the same time, the number of patrolling soldiers dispatched by the two countries in the local area cannot exceed 30 people.

The peace treaty also stipulated that if the officials and people of the Song Dynasty violated the regulations, the Xixia side could arrest them and send them to the Song Dynasty for punishment. If the officials and people of the Xixia Dynasty violated the regulations, the Song Dynasty could stop Ningxing City.

Ningxing City is the largest border city between Song and Xia.

Once it stops, Xixia's economy may come to a halt.

Therefore, since the peace treaty was signed, no one has violated it during peacetime between Song and Xia.

The land west of the Kuye River became the so-called Outuo land, which means buffer zone.

This is also the most trustworthy time since the founding of Xixia.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Sima Guang felt that peace could be exchanged for diplomacy and land.

Only then will he firmly believe that the Xixia people can be fed.

Just like the Liao people.

In modern times, Zhao Xu followed his teacher and read countless records of the Song, Xia, and Liao Dynasties about these things, and he had a clear understanding of their origin, course, development, and full story.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Han Jiang felt a big stone fall to the ground.

The Kuye River Basin is of vital strategic significance to both Song and Xia.

If Song gets it, he can push the national border to the Kuye River Basin and then take a peek at Ningxi Peak.

If Xixia gets it, it can push the front to the Yellow River Basin where Fuzhou and Linzhou are located.

Therefore, if any party takes possession of this place, a fierce war will inevitably break out.

What's even worse is that this is actually not an ideal battlefield.

Because there is a third party who is condescending over Datong and watching the war.

They can step in at any time.

Therefore, the maintenance of the status quo in the Kuye River Basin is due to the reality of the current international situation.

Unless the Song Dynasty can confirm that the Liao people at least remain neutral, they will fight Xixia here without authorization. If the Song Dynasty wins, the Liao people will intervene. The defeat of the Song Dynasty will be even more dangerous. The Liao cavalry may join forces with the Xixia army to attack the Song Dynasty. Hedong.

Xixia actually has the same worries.

They will not forget that when Yuan Hao died suddenly, the Liao Kingdom marched straight in from the Helan Mountains and captured Xingqing Mansion.

Once, the main force in the left wing was contained in the Kuye River area.

What if the Liao people sneak around and attack the Heishan Weifu Supervisory Army Division and stab him in the chrysanthemum?
This is also the reason why there have been fewer wars in the east of the river since Xining than in other places.

Both sides of Song and Xia were trying to avoid the enemy.

In comparison, last year Lu Huiqing led his troops across Ningxifeng and fought all the way to the Mingtang River. This was the largest military operation in Hedong and the farthest into Xia in the past 20 years.

Therefore, when Han Jiang heard that Zhao Xu was not dazzled by the prospect of expanding territory and regaining lost territory, but ordered Lu Huiqing to abide by the peace treaty, she immediately felt relieved.

This is what he fears most!
Now is far from the time to seize the Kuye River.

As early as the Jiayou period, the court had already reached a consensus - although the Kuye River and Tuwei River were both fertile soil and could be cultivated and grazed, they were not dangerous and could not be defended. Only by capturing Hengshan could the Song Dynasty protect these lands.

If the Hengshan Mountain cannot be protected, then the Kuye River and the Tuwei River cannot be protected.

Zhao Xu looked at Han Jiang with a smile and continued: "Since I came to the throne, I have admired the way of the saints and used the teachings of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and forgiveness to implement national policies internally and maintain peace with foreign countries externally."

As a feudal autocratic emperor, Zhao Xu is very clear about his role.

And his further studies in modern times made him realize that even if he wanted to learn from the war criminals of the Paradox Society, he had to dress himself up as bright, pure and kind on the surface.

Only in this way can we fool the people and ministers inside and outside.

Yes!

I lied, I cheated, I started wars, exploited the people, and squeezed billions.

But I know that I am a benevolent emperor.

In contemporary times, there is nothing better to put on than the disguise of Confucianism.

The banner of benevolence, justice, loyalty and forgiveness has been carried by Zhao Xu since the day he woke up in Qingning Palace!

He has determined to work tirelessly to spread the saint’s teachings of mercy and forgiveness throughout the world!
Zhao Xu stood up slowly, walked to the hall, faced Han Jiang and the ministers sitting there, his face was slightly red, his hands were clenched, and he said emotionally: "To be honest with you, the emperor took me on a trip when he was taking the imperial examination in Japan. I looked at the sacred books in the pavilions of the Martyrs' Hall, and then asked me: Do you know why our ancestors in the Song Dynasty have been able to defend the country and win the support of all people?"

When all the ministers heard the word "Huang Kao" pop out of Zhao Xu's mouth, they all stood up, bowed to the ground, and put their heads firmly on the ground.

This is the Holy Instructions of the late Emperor!
Moreover, the ministers already know that these sacred instructions of the late emperor must be extremely correct and sacred instructions.

Every sentence stands on the moral high ground of the Song Dynasty and on the moral high ground of Confucianism.

Therefore, regardless of the new party or the old party, as long as they hear "Huang Kao Yun Yun" popping up from this official's mouth, they will immediately know that this official is about to become a big official, and they must immediately kneel down and listen to the holy teachings of the late emperor.

Sure enough, I heard the young but resonant voice of Xiao Guanjia, saying in a slightly excited tone: "I was confused at the time, so I knelt down in front of the imperial examination, bowed my head and asked: Dare you beg for your father's teachings."

"Huang Kao then took me to the Cheonjang Pavilion and Bomun Pavilion left behind by Inmyo, Yeongmyo, and paid homage to the royal pens of the two ancestors. Then he taught me: Injo enacted the law, used generosity in administration, and cared for the people as his top priority; Yeongjo came first. When he is in power, his administration is based on the principle of being a scholar-official. Therefore, the ancestors respect their virtues and love their descendants, and the world of the Song Dynasty will be peaceful!"

"This is also what Wu Qi said to Marquis Wu of Wei in the past: The country is governed by virtue, not by danger!"

After hearing this, all the ministers immediately turned their faces towards the Yongyu Mausoleum and bowed again: "I, the Great Song Dynasty Yingying Martyr Wu Shengxiao Emperor, the Holy Wisdom and Wisdom, teach His Majesty the Emperor to inherit our country and carry forward the holy cause. I bow my head and worship again to express my thanks. Your Majesty’s grace!”

no way!
The teachings of the late emperor are so correct!

It is so correct that even the two sages Confucius and Mencius could not fault it even after they were resurrected.

Zhao Xu waited for the ministers to finish their congratulations, and then continued: "At that time, I remember that I knelt in front of Huang Kao, bowed to the head of the imperial examination, and listened to Huang Kao's holy teachings."

"Huang Kao then sat in front of me and said to me: I am very sick now, and the country will be entrusted to you in the future..." "After you ascend the throne, you should remember what I taught you today."

"I will bow my head and pledge my word again!"

"When the imperial examination begins, I am ordered to swear an oath in front of the emperor..."

"There are three oaths!"

"I still remember it clearly!"

The ministers immediately raised their ears, but everyone lay tightly on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

The entire hall was extremely quiet at this time, with only Zhao Xu's voice echoing in the hall.

"One: Don't kill those who write a letter to speak out. If the ministers advise you, even if it violates the national law, the crime will be stopped in the border counties far away!"

This is a direct copy of one of the rumors that was widely circulated among the people and the government after Jingkang in history that there was a stele of oaths sworn by Taizu in the Taimiao of the Song Dynasty, namely: Do not kill scholar-bureaucrats or those who write letters to express their opinions.

Of course, there have been slight changes and additions.

The subject has changed from scholar-bureaucrats to 'those who write letters and speak out' covering everyone.

This is an unbanning of science and speech.

It is tantamount to letting go of the government’s control over speech.

From then on, not only Confucians were free, but those who used the banner of Confucianism were also free.

But do the ministers know this?

In their eardrums, there is only one sentence: Don't kill those who write a letter to speak out. Whenever the ministers advise, even if it violates the national law, the crime will be stopped in the border counties far away!
what is this?
There has never been such a policy in ancient times!

Moreover, this is the "Sacred Instructions of the Late Emperor" uttered by the official himself.

Any idea what this means?

This is equivalent to self-constitution!
And it is a very binding constitution!
why?
Filial piety!
In the entire known world, whether it is the Northern Barbarians or the Song Dynasty, whether it is Goryeo or Jiaozhi, or even Xixia.

As long as it is a country in the Confucian civilization circle, it will naturally be restricted by filial piety.

The emperor is no exception.

Even the emperor was subject to more restrictions than ordinary people!

The reason is very simple. Except for the founding king, the legitimacy of other kings comes from inheriting the throne of their fathers and ancestors.

In other words, without his father and ancestors, what is the emperor? Who recognizes it!

In the Western Han Dynasty, Huo Guang deposed King Liu He of Changyi. The biggest crime he used was unfilial piety, and the most convincing reason was that Liu He did not worship or sacrifice in the ancestral temple, nor did he go to mourn in front of Emperor Zhao's soul.

Therefore, he is not Jun!
Therefore it can be deposed!
Therefore, no emperor dares to have a charge of unfilial piety on his head.

Even the Tang Dynasty, which followed the Xuanwu Sect inheritance law, was like this.

Therefore, the kings of all dynasties have always said: "What is the imperial examination?"

Basically, as soon as the words are spoken, they become law.

and, will override all other laws.

For Wenchen, this is really great!
No matter Han Jiang, Li Qingchen, An Tao, Lu Dafang, or Zhang Heng, they were all trembling at this moment.

Everyone faced the direction of Yongyu Mausoleum and bowed again: "Fu Wei, the heroic and martial emperor of Song Dynasty, Shengxiao Emperor, will be remembered forever!"

Han Jiang had no more doubts in her heart!
With this alone, everyone in the old party should feel relieved.

Today's officials, in the name of the late emperor, repeat the oath in front of the ministers.

Nature is sacred, inviolable and cannot be changed!
This is a promise similar to the one made by Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and his ministers who killed the white horse and formed an alliance.

The gold content far exceeds the oath made by Han Guangwu on Luoshui.

But Zhao Xu still raised his head emotionally, as if he was missing something or recalling something, with tears rolling in his eyes: "I remember very clearly. On the day of the imperial examination, when talking about this matter, he was moved to tears and said to me: Wutai The poem case is too far-fetched. In fact, there are officials who are trying to catch the wind. Those who are interested in inciting public opinion and incriminating the scholar-bureaucrats. I have already regretted it. It is just because of my face... After you ascend the throne, you should be Fu Shi and rectify all the cases... I will continue the Song Dynasty. , Except for treason through writing, no one can be punished for writing or speech!"

This was to loosen the bonds of his father. As a modern international student, Zhao Xu was very aware of Su Bearded's historical status.

Among the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, he was the most charismatic and legendary.

And his articles and poems are still read repeatedly by countless students on campuses in all over the world, thousands of years later.

For the sake of his father, Zhao Xu could only make up a lie: "I regretted the imperial exam a long time ago... and asked me to vindicate myself" - anyway, in his previous life, Yuanyou's old party ministers used In the name of "the late emperor had regrets long ago", he came to overthrow everything in the Xixian and Feng eras.

If a monk can touch it, he can touch it himself!

At the same time, this can also further strengthen the trend of relaxing speech control.

Of course Zhao Xu knew that doing so was actually harmful to the imperial power.

Because the emperor is actually a god in a certain sense.

God cannot be discussed, evaluated, or made wrong.

Once God is discussed, evaluated, or even found to be wrong.

Then God falls from his supreme position.

In modern terms, it means showing the health bar.

The imperial power was thus loosened.

However, Zhao Xu could see clearly that the imperial power would eventually come to an end.

Instead of someone taking a knife and killing the entire family.

It's better to be decent and have a way out in advance.

In this way, if one day comes, the descendants can also rely on this, save their lives, and maybe still be able to live as rice bugs and enjoy wealth and wealth.

There is even hope for a comeback.

After the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, why was Liu Xiu able to recover?

Isn’t it relying on Wen Jing’s benevolent government and Wu Xuan’s achievements?

Without these, no matter how strong the Grand Mage is, he will probably be crushed by the heroes.

Of course, this is because Zhao Xu knows that everything has its own inertia.

So, no matter how promiscuous he is, at least as long as he is alive.

As long as he does not force the entire world to rebel, the power he possesses is still supreme and unshakable.

He will play his role well and strive for the support and recognition of the people.

Then, he is still the sacred and inviolable king.

It may even be deified by the people because of these policies.

It is precisely because of this that Zhao Xu is so unscrupulous.

As for his death?
Who can control what happens after they die?
Eternal heroes like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty were powerless.

Having lived for three generations, Zhao Xu has long been relieved.

The ministers were all moved when they heard this.

Zhao Xu continued: "Later, Huang Kao ordered me to make a second oath!"

"The second is: The ministers in charge, the generals of the three yamen, the arms of the country, and the ministers, even if they commit the most heinous crimes, they will only be punished with death. Beyond the ten evils, they will only be punished by the supervision!"

This is to turn the unspoken rules that were clearly stated into an open policy so that everyone can know about it.

At the same time, it is also to further win over the governors and generals and strengthen their sense of ownership of the country.

He went from being a loner to a co-owner of an interest group with firm support and support.

In this way, no matter how serious the internal conflicts within the ruling group are, they can still be compromised through negotiation and transfer of interests.

So the imperial power was wrapped in it and became a real Leviathan.

When Zhao Xu said this, he looked at the ministers and said, "Third, any of my descendants who take this oath will be punished by heaven!"

Han Jiang immediately paused: "Fu Wei, Great Song Dynasty, Ying Ying, Wu Sheng, Filial Piety Emperor, and his virtues will last forever!"

Others followed and bowed their heads: "Fu Wei, Great Song Dynasty, Ying Ying, Wu Shengxiao, Emperor Wu, and his virtues will last forever!"

The answer given by Zhao Xu was extremely satisfactory to both the new party and the old party.

Especially for those restless people in the old party, this is a reassurance.

Nothing can make them feel more at ease than this.

Zhao Xu looked at the ministers kneeling in front of him. He walked back to the throne and sat down slowly.

What he knows is that from today on, at least within the top ruling group.

Contradictions and differences can be minimized.

After that, as long as guidance is done well, the ruling group can become monolithic.

……

Things in the palace cannot be hidden from anyone.

What's more, "the late emperor once ordered the current officials to make three oaths before their ancestors took the pen", which was both popular and sensational, and was incomparably in line with the voices and needs of the Song Dynasty society? (After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, rumors spread about the oath stele in the Bianjing Taimiao Temple, and they were stated so carefully and clearly. You can know that the content on the oath stele was in line with the voices and needs of the people in Song Dynasty society)

In less than half an hour, all the governors in the capital hall knew.

"The true Holy Lord!" After hearing this, Mr. Lu bowed in the direction of Yongyu Mausoleum and worshiped again.

With these three oaths, the world will be at peace from now on!
The other rulers in the capital all cheered.

Li Chang, in particular, almost couldn't bear to sing and dance in the court hall.

An hour later, Taixue and Wuxue fell one after another.

The Tai students cheered for joy.

A young scholar named Zongze burst into tears. He kowtowed to Yongyu Mausoleum and shouted three times, "Long live the Holy Lord."

By night, all the Goulan and Washili in Bianjing were already discussing this matter.

Many people said: "The late Emperor was really a sage... Why didn't you see it back then?"

Then these guys were immediately gagged by the people around them - you drunkard? Why are you talking nonsense here?

Is it okay for the late emperor to always be a saint? !
The history books of the years have begun to quietly start. It is very likely that in a few years, the late emperor will become an omniscient, omnipotent, perfect, wise and wise saint under the influence of indescribable magic, but he has bad luck.

(End of this chapter)