I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 562: Wang Anshi: My talent is not even one or two times that of Su Zhongcheng

November 23rd.

Zhao Zhen was the first to return to the court with ten thousand soldiers from the upper fourth army.

Follow up.

Yelu Hongji, a group of civil and military officials of the Liao Kingdom, and the commanders and soldiers of the Jurchen tribe will also be transported to the city of Bianjing in prison carts to await sentencing after review by the Secretariat.

In order to help Wang Anshi transform the Liao territory, Su Liang decided to return with the Longyu Army before the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Zhao Zhen originally wanted to wait for Su Liang on the way, wanting to share with Su Liang the glory of defeating Liao and returning to the court.

But Su Liang declined.

Firstly, letting the emperor of a country wait for him on the road was against the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

Secondly, after Zhao Zhen returned to the court, there were still many things to do, especially the matter of rewards, which would most likely be announced at the New Year's Day court meeting, and Su Liang could not miss such an important event.

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to give up.

Currently.

Sixty percent of the territory and main cities of Western Xia, Japan, Goryeo and Liao all belonged to the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty was gradually showing signs of prosperity similar to that of the Tang Dynasty.

The spirit and vigor of every Song Dynasty soldier were different, with each of them holding their heads high and their chests puffed out, like the rising sun.

at the same time.

The ministers of the Secretariat made arrangements in advance and sent officials in charge of political affairs to various regions such as Japan, Goryeo, and Liao.

The name of Dongying Country was changed to Dongying Island, and it was governed by one prefecture, also known as Dongying Prefecture.

The Goryeo Kingdom was changed to the Goryeo Peninsula, governed by one state, also known as: Goryeo Province.

Yanyun is still governed by the sixteen states.

The Liao territory was still divided into two levels: prefectures and counties. However, in order to maintain stability, Song soldiers were stationed in all the occupied prefectures.

If everything goes as expected, in the first half of next year, the Song Dynasty will be able to occupy the entire territory of Liao and achieve war-free transformation.

……

November 26th.

The news that the Song army had conquered the Liao Dynasty and captured alive the Liao emperor Yelu Hongji and royal nobles was passed on to the people of Bianliang City by the Secretariat and spread to various prefectures and cities.

The people of Bianjing City took to the streets, singing and dancing, celebrating wildly.

The demise of Western Xia and Liao meant that the Song Dynasty had the potential to become as powerful as the Tang Dynasty.

Next, people all over the world will usher in a prosperous era that surpasses the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and everyone will naturally be happy.

……

At this moment, inside the Su residence.

Su Zimu ran towards the front hall holding a letter, shouting as he ran: "Daddy has a letter! Daddy has a letter!"

Tang Wanmei, Tang Ze and Su Qin all trotted to the front hall.

Tang Wanmei took the letter and saw Su Liang's handwriting on the cover, and she couldn't help but get excited.

Since Su Liang participated in the Song-Liao War, he basically sent back a letter every two months.

Tang Wanmei has been suffering a lot in the past two months.

Although she had received the good news that the Song Dynasty had destroyed the Liao Dynasty, there was some false news flying around.

Such as: Su Liang was assassinated by the Jurchens, Su Liang was shot to death by the Liao emperor Yelu Hongji, Su Liang was captured by the Liao people...

Although people from the court came to refute the rumors, even Empress Cao often came to Su's house to visit Tang Wanmei and dispel the rumors.

But Tang Wanmei was skeptical.

She was worried that the court was comforting her, that Su Liang was really seriously injured, and that Su Liang might really...

She only believed Su Liang's handwritten letters.

Tang Wanmei opened the letter and read it carefully.

Soon.

Watch, laugh, and cry at the same time.

"Mother, what's wrong? What's wrong? What did father say? What did he say?"

Su Qinyi was the first to get anxious. She shook her head, and her two braids swayed back and forth.

Tang Wanmei handed the letter to Tang Ze.

"Your father said that he has no injuries and will be able to go home for the New Year before the New Year. He has also prepared New Year gifts for the two of you."

"That's great! That's great! Daddy is coming back!"

Su Zimu and Su Qinyi couldn't help but dance with joy, they were very happy.

Tang Ze looked at the letter and said, "He also mentioned me, saying that he found a few rare books in Liao territory and wanted to bring them back to me!"

"I am very proud to have such a virtuous son-in-law!" Tang Ze said, stroking his beard.

Su Zimu and Su Qinyi also puffed out their chests and said, "I'm proud too!"

The two knew very well what their father had done for the Song Dynasty and for the world. Nowadays, people on the streets never stopped praising Su Liang.

Many people believed that the Song Dynasty was able to conquer Liao and Xia entirely due to the reforms it carried out.

Among the officials other than the government, Su Liang should be credited with the greatest contribution to the reform of the Song Dynasty.

No one refuted this conclusion.

even.

The Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty, Wen Yanbo, once said something similar.

Tang Wanmei rubbed the two children's heads and looked out the window. She felt prouder than anyone else.

In this life, she really married the right person, and her choice back then was not wrong.

……

That afternoon, in Yanyun region, Youzhou City.

In a hall.

It was very crowded, with more than a hundred tables and chairs, and an official sitting in front of each table and chair.

There are rows of bookshelves on both sides of the wall, filled with books and documents.

There are rows of bamboo baskets in front of the bookshelf, which are filled with documents and marked with labels.

It seems very chaotic, but in fact it is numerous and orderly.

Here.

It was the temporary office where Wang Anshi was transforming the Liao territory and handling government affairs.

In order to facilitate communication, he sat together with more than a hundred officials to handle official business.

In the hall.

It was very noisy, just like a vegetable market.

But its efficiency is much higher than that of different government offices each operating in their own location.

The officials and clerks were all somewhat afraid of Wang Anshi.

He curses people particularly harshly.

Once, even Liang Shi was scolded by him and left in anger.

Although Pang Ji and Liang Shi held higher official positions than Wang Anshi, they were mainly responsible for military affairs in the Liao territory, while all political and civil affairs were under the overall charge of Wang Anshi.

In addition, Liang Shi was very familiar with Wang Anshi and he knew Wang Anshi's character very well.

Wang Anshi worked very hard.

Some people think that he doesn't even eat, sleep or go to the toilet.

But he always looks rosy-cheeked and full of energy.

now.

More than a dozen officials were queuing up with documents in their hands to report matters to Wang Anshi.

Wang Anshi read documents very quickly.

One eye and ten lines.

And problems can be discovered quickly.

For many things, it would take at least two or three days for the Secretariat to come up with an idea or result.

But Wang Anshi could give an answer and solve the problem in a moment.

One person is worth several government offices.

This is what officials admire most about Wang Anshi.

Many officials were amazed after seeing Wang Anshi's ability. Of course, this was due to Wang Anshi's participation in the entire Song Dynasty Reform and his experience as an official in local prefectures and counties.

Therefore, I understand everything.

Many officials were discussing privately that Wang Anshi would definitely become prime minister within ten years.

Such a talent was the perfect candidate to be the prime minister in the prosperous Song Dynasty.

Less than half an hour.

Wang Anshi dealt with the problems of several officials, and the latter all benefited greatly and gained a lot.

Just then, Su Liang walked in from outside.

Wang Anshi stood up quickly.

"Brother Jingming, you are finally here. I have a lot of problems waiting for you to solve!"

In the past two days, Wang Anshi and Su Liang discussed legal and policy issues.

Today, he was pulled over by Pang Ji and Liang Shi to discuss some problems that had arisen in the military.

The officials in the hall all stood up and bowed to Su Liang, saying, "Central Prime Minister Su!"

Su Liang smiled and waved to everyone, saying, "No need to be polite, just keep busy!"

Say it.

Su Liang came to the table next to Wang Anshi and sat down.

The officials below pricked up their ears.

Most of them were capable officials selected from various provincial capitals, and some of them had never seen Su Liang.

Of course it is in this hall.

Wang Anshi praised Su Liang as a saint who had descended to earth, knowing everything and having countless good ideas.

The sentence that impressed the officials the most was: My talent for reform is not even one or two of that of Su Zhongcheng.

In the minds of officials, Wang Anshi's ability to handle official affairs was something they would never be able to catch up with in their lifetime, and Su Liang was much better than Wang Anshi.

This made everyone want to see how Su Liang would solve some of the current stubborn problems.

Is it really as magical as people say?

After Su Liang sat down, he looked at Wang Anshi and said, "Pick out the key points."

Immediately, Wang Anshi ordered people to move two bamboo baskets full of documents from the side and place them in front of him, and then called several officials to surround him.

Lean slightly.

Wang Anshi got straight to the point when he said, "The most serious problem at present is that the laws are transmitted slowly, and the people do not trust the people, and many of them gather in government offices to inquire."

"Each prefecture government office was newly established, and there were many affairs involving the people. Every day, a large number of people gathered at the government office to ask questions. The questions were very similar. Although the laws and regulations were posted, there were too few people in the countryside who could read, and they did not believe the news passed on by the Khitan people in the village, causing the implementation of the laws to be too slow..."

Su Liang thought for a moment and said, "It's an easy solution. Let the officials go out to the government offices to do their work, and let the people ask questions about politics in the wild."

"Asking about politics among the people?" Wang Anshi was stunned at first, then he understood.

"What a good plan! What a good plan! If officials are doing their work in the countryside, the people can gather together and listen to them. If they have any questions, they can answer them on the spot. And it can also allow the people to urge the officials not to be lazy and negligent in their work. It's feasible!"

Wang Anshi was very excited. The problem he had been thinking about for several days and couldn't solve was solved by Su Liang's words.

Moreover, this policy is conducive to building good relations between officials and the people, and can also preempt conflicts and solve problems in advance.

The only trouble might be that more soldiers would be needed to protect the officials.

Wang Anshi took out a document and asked, "There is another tricky thing, which is reading."

"There are very few people in Liao territory who are eager to learn. Many of them have been uneducated for three generations and only know how to herd, fish and farm. Even if the prefectures and counties invite teachers and distribute books, they are unwilling to learn!"

Su Liang thought for a while.

"Studying should be done by force!"

"All children must go to school at the age of seven and study until the age of twelve. It is a five-year public school. Everyone must participate. If they fail the exam, they will be held back. In addition, adults are also encouraged to study, but there is a prerequisite that the government pays for it."

"The government pays for it, but we...many places in our Song Dynasty don't have this treatment yet?" An official expressed his doubts.

Su Liang said seriously, "Now, Liao territory is also the land of our Great Song, and the people of Liao territory are also the people of our Great Song. The treatment of the people here does not have to be lower than that of our local people. It can be more advanced here, and the population here is smaller, so it is easier to form customs."

"The money needed can be first deducted from the private wealth of the Khitan nobles. Education is the top priority in our governance of the Liao people," Su Liang emphasized.

"As for teachers, we will recruit them from the Song Dynasty. I believe there are many scholars who are willing to display their talents here."

Wang Anshi nodded in approval.

Su Liang sincerely regarded the people of Khitan, Jurchen and Dangxiang as the people of the Song Dynasty and believed that there should be no difference in treatment.

……

Subsequently.

Wang Anshi asked again: "There is also the issue of intermarriage between Han and Liao. At present, the situation has reversed. The Han people of Yanyun and the Bohai people both look down on the Khitans and the Jurchens. There is a serious gap between them. Not to mention intermarriage, even living together is likely to cause trouble."

Hearing this question, Su Liang frowned slightly.

This problem cannot be solved fundamentally by money or any compulsory measures.

He thought for a moment.

"We will migrate a large number of people from Yanyun to large cities with a population of over 100,000, and then reduce the commercial taxes on the Khitans and Jurchens, develop trade, and the people will all follow the profit. As long as the trade is circulated, the people will naturally circulate. At present, there are few male Khitans, and they have no right to choose. We can even encourage the Dangxiang people to participate..."

After hearing this, Wang Anshi nodded.

Su Liang has always insisted on the sinicization of multiple ethnic groups. The purpose of this is naturally for the great unification and to make the Song Dynasty more stable.

……

Next, officials kept asking Su Liang questions, and Su Liang basically gave answers to all of them.

One question and one answer.

In the blink of an eye, Su Liang sat from the afternoon to late at night and answered hundreds of questions.

All the officials immediately believed what Wang Anshi said.

When they face a problem, they often need to think for a long time, but Su Liang almost always acts without thinking, and all his plans are good ones.

The gap between people is really too big.

It was not until three o'clock in the morning that Su Liang returned to his room to rest, and he also promised Wang Anshi that he would continue tomorrow.

……

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, snowflakes began to fall again in Youzhou City.

The weather here is dry, with strong winds and sandstorms. It has traditionally had little rain and snow, but this year there have been several heavy snowfalls.

Su Liang walked out of the meeting hall, ready to change his mind.

He stood on the tower of Youzhou City, looking at the white mountains in front of him, and suddenly felt a sense of pride in his heart. He murmured, "The Jingkang Shame should be gone! That small Southern Song Dynasty court that lived in a corner should be gone! I hope this prosperous era can last for a thousand years, and my trip here will not be in vain!"

Soon, Wang Anshi came to Su Liang.

"Brother Jingming, how about you and I sleep in the same room for the next few days?"

Su Liang was stunned.

"Jiefu, I'm not used to the smell of your hair."

Wang Anshi scratched his head which had not been washed for several days, smiled awkwardly, and said, "I will go take a bath later, and then I will order someone to add another bed in your room. I still have some questions to ask you, and the fifth day is getting closer and closer."

"Okay!" Su Liang nodded.

Wang Anshi had a quick temper.

He knew very well that only by making the Liao territory completely identical in laws and rituals to those of the Song Dynasty could he create a prosperous era, and he wanted to use this achievement to establish himself as a saint.

Therefore, he worked very hard.

He planned that after Su Liang left, he would immediately lead the officials deeper into the heart of Liao to handle official business. This way of moving would be the most efficient way to deal with problems.

Over the next few days, the two discussed until three o'clock almost every night.

Because everyone's minds worked very quickly, the discussion was very efficient and almost completely finalized Liaojing's development strategy for the next three years.

……

On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, there was a strong cold wind in the early morning.

Su Liang appeared outside the city gate with five hundred Longyu Army soldiers.

Pang Ji, Liang Shi, Wang Anshi and other officials and generals all saw Su Liang off.

Su Liang bowed to everyone and said with a smile: "Everyone, there is no need for such a big fuss. I feel embarrassed that you are busy here while I have to go home to celebrate the New Year."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

As soon as these words were spoken, the slightly sad atmosphere instantly became relaxed.

After Su Liang chatted with Pang Ji, Wang Anshi and others for a few minutes, he set off on his journey home.

Pang Ji and others looked at Su Liang's receding back, and almost at the same time, they bowed to him.

Everyone admits that Su Liang was the greatest contributor in the Song-Liao war.

(End of this chapter)