Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 544 The world is for all (Special thanks to book friend 2023…1759 for the monthly ticket!)

Since the beginning of the 44th year of Kaixi, after the imperial edict was transmitted to the Longxiang Army stationed in Kievan Rus, Yang Yanzhao, Cao Can and Lin Wenshan, who led the three legions, immediately acted in accordance with the order.

The Russian people from more than a dozen states on the Kiev Plain were extremely angry when they heard that they would be driven to other states to settle down. Many villages cursed the soldiers who came to convey the order and drove them away.

After receiving the report, General Yang Yanzhao and his two generals did not hesitate and immediately sent out several teams of 10,000 people to attack the Russians who were unwilling to move.

After hundreds of Russian villages were massacred and more than 100,000 people were killed, all the Russians were terrified and no one dared to resist. As soon as the soldiers who delivered the order arrived, they immediately began to move to other provincial capitals designated by the Zhou army.

In early May of the 44th year of Kaixi, thousands of officials sent by the imperial court and two corps of garrisons arrived in Kiev.

After more than a month of handover, Yang Yanzhao and three other generals led the three expeditionary corps back to Bianliang.

The army marched for a month and a half and encountered three million people from the interior who were migrating to Kievan Rus in the territory of Kyrgyzstan.

It was midsummer in July, the warmest time of the year in the Beiming area, with the temperature reaching around 7 degrees.

The immigrants carried a large number of production tools and rations on horses and carriages, and were led all the way by escort soldiers sent by the court.

Yang Yanzhao and his men continued their journey south for more than two months, and on October 6, the 43rd year of Kaixi, they led their troops back to Bianliang.

Chai Zongxun rewarded the three armies at the Altar of Land and Grain.

The three commanders-in-chief of the three corps, Yang Yanzhao, Cao Can and Lin Wenshan, all inherited the title from their families. They were originally marquises and this time were promoted to dukes for their merits and their fiefs were increased by 3,000 households.

Soldiers were awarded 200 taels of silver and above, and promoted three ranks. More than 10,000 soldiers were killed in battle, and pensions of 500 taels and above were granted.

Disabled soldiers are given retirement benefits of three taels of silver per month, and are supported for life.

The whole army cheered loudly, and after shouting "Long live the army", they returned to the Longxiang camp under the leadership of the officers.

After Kievan Rus was annexed by Zhou, the world was peaceful for a while. Chai Zongxun not only handled state affairs every day and devoted himself to the economic development of various parts of the country, especially the newly acquired areas, but also continued to write economics works in the afternoon.

Chai Zongxun spends about an hour every day on thinking and writing. After nearly ten years of intermittent writing, this economics monograph has now reached seven volumes and more than 600,000 words.

After going on like this for several days, it's getting a bit boring.

On the afternoon of November 16, He Yao, the chief eunuch in the palace, who was accompanying him, saw that Chai Zongxun was a little bored and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty has not selected concubines from all over the country for several years. Now that the imperial palace has been expanded and is magnificent, there are still many unused palaces. Your Majesty, why don't you select concubines again and choose the ones with Chinese beauty to add more fun to your life?"

Chai Zongxun thought that after Concubine Difa gave birth to a prince last year, he now had ninety-five princes and ninety-eight princesses, and was only one step away from his goal of "one hundred sons".

Although there were more than 4,000 concubines in the palace, he had already had the emperor's favor and had lost interest in many of them.

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Little Six, you understand my heart the best.

The days of attending court in the morning, dealing with memorials and writing books in the afternoon are indeed a bit boring, but only a beautiful woman with a stunning beauty can add freshness to my life.

Then issue an order to the whole nation to select concubines again in June next year."

After the imperial edict was sent to the whole country, the people heard that the emperor was selecting concubines again after several years, and families with daughters of appropriate age all signed up enthusiastically.

Firstly, Chai Zongxun treated the concubines in the harem very well, and their monthly salary was more than twice that of the Tang Dynasty.

If a daughter from a commoner's family could be selected into the harem, she would not only receive generous rewards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs immediately, but her monthly salary could also support her parents' family for many years.

Secondly, Chai Zongxun treated the concubines in the harem very well and never abused his power or punished them without reason, which earned him a good reputation among the people.

Third, the system of princes and princesses established by Chai Zongxun was very good for children. If a commoner's daughter could be selected into the harem and give birth to a prince or princess, it would be a matter of honor for the family.

As a result, a large number of people from all provinces across the country signed up. By the deadline in February of the 45th year of Kaixi, there were more than 3.1 million candidates for the selection.

After the local government's initial selection of beauties, it was estimated that 300,000 of them would be sent to Bianliang.

On the seventh day of the third month in the forty-fifth year of Kaixi, there was an early morning court session.

The cabinet has compiled a summary of the court's policies last year.

The Prime Minister and Minister of Personnel Kou Zhun came out of the class and said:

“Your Majesty, last year the Ministry of Personnel appointed and dismissed more than 12,000 officials from all prefectures and cities across the country, and investigated and punished 637 officials who violated the law. All of them have been dealt with according to the law.

The performance evaluation of more than 200,000 officials has been completed, of which about 20% were rated as high, 70% were rated as medium, and 10% were rated as low. All of them have been promoted, retained, or dismissed. "

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said:

“The first priority in governing is that officials should be honest.

Only a dynasty where "people are the foundation of the country and the world is for the public" can last from ancient times to the present and be remembered forever.

The power held by officials is public power and must not be degraded into private power for personal gain or corruption.

Regardless of an official’s origin or background, if he or she commits any illegal act that harms the people, he or she will be severely punished!
If my princes and princesses violate the law, they will be dealt with by the Zongzhengsi according to the law, demoted to commoners and expelled from the Jade Plate!"

All the ministers in the Chuigong Hall bowed and said:

"Your Majesty is wise! Our Great Zhou will surely prosper for generations to come!"

The management of royal family members in the dynasties of China often involved the survival of the country and the rise and fall of the dynasty, so it was necessary to be cautious. For example, the Wu-Chu Rebellion, the Eight Kings Rebellion, and the Xuanwu Gate Incident in history were all turmoil caused by royal family members.

The Great Zhou inherited the Tang system, and only blood relatives within the five degrees of mourning were considered members of the royal family, while blood relatives outside the five degrees of mourning were expelled from the royal family.

Based on the previous experience, Chai Zongxun followed the advice of his ministers and established three institutions to manage members of the royal family:
Daizongshengsi, Zongshengji and Waizongshengsi.

The Dazongzhengsi was the most important agency for the affairs of the royal family. It selected talented and virtuous people from among the royal family to serve as Zhizong. Its specific functions were:

The Department of Instruction and Correction is responsible for reporting all clan policies and orders. No matter what is reported, it must be reported in person. First, a detailed examination must be conducted to see if it is feasible.

Currently, the Grand Clan Chief of the Great Zhou Dynasty is Chai Xirang, the fifth brother of Chai Zongxun and Prince of Cao.

The role of the Da Zong Zhengsi in the affairs of the imperial clan was mainly to facilitate normal communication between the emperor and the imperial clan. For example, the emperor's edicts or judgments were usually conveyed and executed by the Da Zong Zhengsi. Many requests from the imperial clan were also conveyed to the emperor by the Da Zong Zhengsi.

The duties of the Zongzheng Temple were to provide sacrifices at the emperor's ancestral temples and tombs, as well as to compile and keep the royal family's citizenship.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Zongzheng Temple was mainly responsible for "managing the clan membership, governing the princes' kingdoms, various kingdoms, and the families of the eldest princesses."

The officials of the Zongzheng Temple are generally outsiders.

The Wai Zong Zheng Si was responsible for managing local royal family affairs. "All matters concerning royal family affairs not handled by the prefecture or county level were handled by the Wai Zong Zheng Si."

(End of this chapter)