I studied in modern times

Chapter 728: Lu Zi's Temptation

Zhao Xu was very clear about the thought processes of the old party ministers.

These people...

how to say?

They are all patients suffering from PTSD.

At that time, Zhao Xu's father had just ascended the throne and was determined to recover Youyan and revive the country.

So he ran excitedly to ask Fu Bi what he should do.
As a result, Fu Bi was like a basin of cold water poured over his head.

"May Your Majesty not talk about military affairs for twenty years!"

No one even asked about Zhao Xu's father's thoughts and strategies.

Now, Lu Gongzhu is also following suit.

Speaking of Fu Bi, Zhao Xu thought of the good things done by this Duke Fu Zheng during the Xining Reform.

In the second year of Xining, Fu Bi was sent to Bozhou as the governor of Wuning Army and co-minister of the Secretariat.

Before his resignation, Zhao Xu's father, the emperor, treated him very well and hoped that he could stay in the court to assist in the administration.

But Fu Bi resolutely resigned and refused to stay in Beijing.

That's fine.

After all, when it comes to political differences, the literati of the Song Dynasty are accustomed to following the example of saints, riding on rafts on the sea and thinking, out of sight, out of mind.

The key point is that the things that Duke Fu Zheng did after he was appointed as the judge of Bozhou are truly despicable.

As soon as he took office, Wang Anshi took charge of the government and began to promote the Qingmiao Law.

At that time, the court had to implement new laws.

Most local governors either cooperated or remained silent.

But what did Fu Bi do?

The Qingmiao Law had just been implemented and its pros and cons had not yet been exposed.

He directly issued an order that no official under his jurisdiction was allowed to lend money for the Qingmiao project!
His reason was that he did not want the people to flee and hide, nor did he want the officials to use their own money to pay compensation to the government because the people could not pay back the money.

It is truly a righteous and compassionate person.

But actually?
This rich Duke Zheng forced the officials under his rule to continue lending money from the Changping government.

The interest is several times higher than the seedling money!
Anyone who dared not cooperate with him would be severely beaten.

If someone wanted to argue with him, he would just "shout them away immediately."

Not only that, Fu Bi also discussed the harms of the Qingmiao Law with others every day and gave various advice on the country, as if the country would perish if it did not listen to him.

However, the slap in the face soon came.

In the fifth year of Xining, Zhao Ji, who was in charge of the Changping affairs of Huainan Road, passed by his jurisdiction.

The local people heard that the minister in charge of the Qingmiao Law had arrived.

They went straight to the official road in Yongcheng County, a place that Zhao Ji had to pass through, and held his horse, refusing to let him go, and insisted on borrowing money for the green seedlings.

Zhao Ji therefore wrote a letter to the court.

How did Fu Bi and Fu Zheng Gong react to this?

He immediately claimed to be ill and requested to retire, went to Luoyang to recuperate, and from then on started his Elders Society!
so……

He did it on purpose.

He deliberately used this decisive method to announce to the world that he, Fu Bi, did not agree to change the laws of his ancestors and opposed Wang Anshi!

Now, you should know how wealthy families decline, right?
Why can’t Fu Bi’s descendants even get a proper job?

Even last year, when Fu Bi's widow, Madam Zhou Guotai, returned to the court, there was still no member of the Fu family on the list of officials to be granted by the court!
They only sent people to comfort them and gave them some gold and silver as rewards.

The source is here!

Compared with Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo likes to show off and take advantage of his seniority.

But at least, they are willing to communicate and compromise.

Just ...

It’s a pity that during the Qingli New Deal, Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Han Qi and others were determined to change the world and revive the country.

But after Fan Zhongyan's death, these one, two, or three people became the people who stood against them during the New Policies of the Qingli Period.

They are even more stubborn and pedantic than the conservatives of that time.

The dragon slayer eventually turned into the evil dragon he hated when he was young!

When Zhao Xu thought of this, he pursed his lips slightly, and suspicion towards Lu Gongzhu began to spread in his heart.

Because, when the Xining Reform took place, Li Chang, a student of Lu Gongzhu, also jumped up and down in it.

For example, when Li Chang was serving as You Zhengyan, he wrote a letter to Zhao Xu's father, discussing the harm of the Qingmiao Law.

He said: I heard that the government in some places did not lend the Qingmiao money to the people, but asked the people to pay interest.

Zhao Xu's father asked him: "Do you have any evidence? If you do, I will investigate it thoroughly!"
However, Li Chang refused to say anything and was unwilling to take it out.

Then he just patted his butt and ran away.

With students like this, how can teachers be any better?

However, after returning to the court this time, Li Chang's position tended to be neutral.

I even think the Qingmiao method is very good.

In Zhao Xu's previous life, this minister who strongly opposed the Xining Reform became a person who was out of tune in the court like Su Shi.

He not only supported the Qingmiao Law, but also believed that it should not be abolished.

I also support the exemption law, thinking it is a good law that cannot be shaken.

Today, Li Chang is one of the ministers in the court who is most actively involved in Han Jiang's review of the labor service law and the revision of the Qingmiao Law.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu's suspicion gradually disappeared.

The look he gave Lu Gongzhu became gentle again.

This is Lu Gongzhu!

Lu Yijian's son!
Can you be like Fu Bi?

During this short moment, Lu Gongzhu's mood went up and down like a roller coaster.

Because he clearly saw the suspicion in the eyes of the young official in front of him.

I also clearly felt some of the official's body language, which became distant and cold.

This made him shudder!
I thought that the government would suspect me.

And once he was suspected, he, the prime minister, might be dismissed immediately!
Fortunately, the government finally returned to normal.

The tone is still warm and intimate.

Even the way he was addressed changed to 'Lü Aiqing' again.

"Lord Lu..."

"I will never forget the saint's teachings."

"Weapons are dangerous tools. If it is not necessary, and if I am not sure of the necessity, I will never use them lightly!"

This is the truth!

After ten years of studying in modern times, Zhao Xu realized that the so-called war is actually just a continuation of politics.

And economics is the foundation of politics.

Without economy, there is no point in talking about politics, because a chaotic economy will inevitably lead to chaos in the country.

The country is in chaos, what's the point of fighting?

Vote now!
So, don’t fight a battle that will lose money!
"Just like Mr. Zhang's expedition to Jiaozhi last year..." Zhao Xu said, "The royal army could have crossed the river and destroyed Jiaozhi!"

"But I think that the area south of Fuliang River is a quagmire. Even if we conquer it, it will only be a wedding dress for others..."

"So he ordered the army to stop in front of the Fuliang River and negotiate peace with Jiaozhi."

Lu Gongzhu hurriedly flattered him: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, this is truly a blessing for the world!"

That's true!

Last year, Zhang Dun led an expedition to the south, and the Song Dynasty's official army was unstoppable, and the main force of Jiaozhi was completely wiped out.

At this time, few people could resist the urge to follow the example of General Fu Bo, to attack the thieves' den, destroy the country and capture the king. But Zhang Dun resisted the urge.

Later on, we learned that there had been an imperial decree in advance. The government had given a lucky bag to Zhang Dun and others, which contained an imperial decree, one of which was that the government troops would only take the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River.

With the publicity of the Gao family, this matter is now known to everyone in the government and the country.

At the same time, due to the popularity of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", it became a wild rumor throughout Bianliang.

Now, everyone knows:

At the very beginning, the court considered the strategy given by the emperor and the strategic goal set was the land north of the Yangtze River.

And, it was planned from the beginning.

The imperial court did not want the conquered territories, so it distributed them all to the local officials and kept them under control.

The imperial court did not even want the local officials to pay tribute.

There is only one requirement for them - to defend the land, protect the border and keep the people safe.

This young official was so calm and mature that it was terrifying.

Thus, a war that would have caused the Song Dynasty to continue to lose blood and the army to stay in the south for several years ended just like that.

The imperial court only used 5,000 soldiers and horses of the Dragon-controlling General.

The remaining troops were either from Guangxi or soldiers of the local officials.

It was also that war that made the government and the public take seriously this young official who ascended the throne.

At least in the court, no one treated him as a child anymore.

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "When Prime Minister Zhang, Minister Gao and others went south, I gave them a golden sachet..."

"In addition to the strategy, the brocade bag also ordered Prime Minister Zhang and others to plant sugarcane in the eight states of Jiaozhou after the war!"

"That's why I ordered the Ministry of Rites to include Jiaozhi's annual tribute of one million dan of rice and the purchase of another one million dan from the Song Dynasty in the terms of the peace agreement with Jiaozhi!"

"Now, the brown sugar and icing sugar sold in the sugar shops in Beijing are all made from sugarcane from Jiangbei this year!"

When Zhao Xu said this, he pursed his lips slightly and looked at Lu Gongzhu proudly.

"Do you understand what I mean now, Lord Lu?"

"If all the land in the eight states north of the Yangtze River were planted with sugarcane, we could plant millions of acres of sugarcane and produce tens of millions of kilograms of brown sugar annually!"

"The number of workers needed is over hundreds of thousands!"

"Therefore, in the future, the eight states can have hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of immigrants!"

"As a result, the country will be left with hundreds of thousands or even millions of landless refugees!"

"The other is Xihe Road..." Zhao Xu continued, "Last year, only 50,000 mu of cotton was planted in Xihe Road, but this year, the cotton planting area will reach more than six times that of last year!"

"Next year, the number of cotton fields in Xihe will be several times that of this year!"

"And Xihe has a small population and a vast territory. The population of the four states is only two million!"

"Therefore, Xihe Road can also accommodate hundreds of thousands of landless people in the future!"

"With these two things alone, the country can have more than a million immigrants!"

As Lu Gongzhu listened, it seemed as if a magnificent painting was unfolding before his eyes.

All the way from the distant southern area of ​​Jiaozhou to the cold and bitter Xihe in the northwest.

More than a million immigrants filled it.

The number of landless vagrants in the Central Plains decreased by one million.

The conflicts among main customers will be greatly alleviated.

This is a much better option than he thought, recruiting soldiers!

Zhao Xu continued, "In addition to the immigration to the border, the sugarcane from Jiaozhou and the cotton from Xihe will also provide a livelihood for the people of our Song Dynasty!"

"Sugar can be used as a drink in restaurants in Bianjing, as a condiment in restaurants, and even as a military tool!"

Not to mention anything else, when fighting, if the elite soldiers of the Song Dynasty took out a piece of candy from their pockets and put it in their mouths.

Who can compare in terms of sustained combat capability?
Not to mention, gunpowder plus sugar, ascend to bliss.

"In every city and prefecture in the country, there are only about ten drink shops and four or five food restaurants on average..."

“This can provide livelihoods for hundreds of thousands or even millions of people!”

"Not to mention cotton!"

"Its cotton ginning, spinning, and weaving...will provide livelihoods for hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in the future!"

"And these tens or even millions of people can feed an equivalent number of people."

The rise of an industry will inevitably lead to the creation of a large number of jobs.

This is common sense in modern times.

But in the Song Dynasty, there was not even the beginning of economics.

What Zhao Xu said is nothing short of heavenly book.

At least, that's what Lu Gongzhu heard.

As he listened to Zhao Xu's description, he felt his heart surging and his blood boiling, and he couldn't control himself!
The reason is simple—he is the prime minister now!
If he can implement what the emperor described during his term of office.

Even if it is only half implemented, he only needs to do the initial work and lay a solid foundation.

Then how could the historical status of Lu Gongzhu and Lu Huishu be low?
Be granted the title of Duke while alive and King after death, and be entitled to be enshrined in the temple of the late emperor?

No, no!
You can't be so unmotivated!

Lu Gongzhu was reminded of the Wuhou Temple in Shu.

Although Zhuge Wuhou has passed away for hundreds of years, his worship is still as strong as ever.

In Shu, people still worship him.

There are even countless people in the southwestern tribes who claim to be descendants of Wu Hou's former subordinates, or even directly claim to be descendants of Wu Hou and hang around there.

If he, Lu Gongzhu, could accomplish this.

His status is comparable to that of Zhuge Wuhou!
Those future sugarcane workers, vendors, those who wear cotton, grow cotton, and weave textiles will all be grateful to him.

This political legacy is enough for his descendants to benefit endlessly.

It might even be enough to make him be dubbed as "Mou Zi" in the future.

Lu Zi?

Lu Gongzhu couldn't bear it just thinking about these two words.

There are three immortalities for scholar-officials.

Make achievements, establish virtues, and make statements!

The grand plans and great undertakings mentioned by the emperor include all three immortalities.

How could he not be moved?
He finally understood why Han Jiang was so obedient and cooperated with the emperor.

If he had known this earlier, he would have done the same as Han Jiang!

Therefore, Lu Gongzhu immediately expressed his opinion: "Your Majesty's great cause will benefit all people and your virtue will spread across the world!"

"Although I am a poor horse, I am willing to drive you, Your Majesty!"

"Dedicate yourself to the end of your life and die!"

This is the truth and it is what I really think.

No scholar can resist such temptation!

Lu Gongzhu even felt that even if Sima Junshi were resurrected, if he knew about such a good thing, he would probably be willing to work hard for it!

Zhao Xu smiled, stepped forward and helped Lu Gongzhu up, saying: "I have the help of the prime minister, just like Gaozu had Liu Hou, Taizong had Fang and Du!"

"If my ruler and his subjects are of one mind, great things will surely be accomplished!"

"If you don't let me down, then I will never let you down!" Zhao Xu said seriously.

With the addition and cooperation of Lu Gongzhu, related matters can be advanced faster, and we can even consider speeding up.

As for why Lu Gongzhu believed what Zhao Xu had painted?
The answer is - what Zhao Xu described to Lu Gongzhu was not an empty pie that did not exist, but an achievement with real substance and a future that could already be seen!

Not to mention other things, the sugar cane from the sugar shop, the cotton cloth from the cloth shop, and the looms in the brocade shop all really exist and can be seen and touched.

Lu Gongzhu bowed and said, "I will swear to be loyal to your majesty until my death, and I will sacrifice my life for your great cause!"

(End of this chapter)