Chapter 4549: Desire to Seize Military Power
Chang'an.
In the political hall, the ministers discussed the upcoming winter wheat cultivation in the Kanto region. The distribution of seeds, the mobilization of manpower, and the cultivation of the land all needed to be resolved one by one.
This is a top priority and must be planned in advance.
However, this has nothing to do with Fang Jun. Although he is an expert in farming, he "does not seek political power if he is not in his position." If he, the right servant of Shangshu, is in charge of the military reform, if he rashly intervenes in farming, it will definitely cause trouble for others to take the throne. The Prime Minister's crowd rose up in opposition.
He already firmly controls the military power in Guanzhong. If he wants to extend his hand to farming, how can others tolerate him?
At any time and in any place, power is relatively independent. Anyone who wants to monopolize power and cover the sky with one hand will either become a powerful official who is feared by the world, or be attacked by a group of people and resigned.
Fang Jun was not keen on power. As long as he held on to military power, he would let a few prime ministers do the rest.
When it comes to winter wheat cultivation in Guandong and Shandong, Ma Zhou reminded: "After the spring, land measurement will begin in various parts of the world. Is it necessary to write to the state capitals now to remind them that it is best to clarify the ownership of the land under their jurisdiction in advance? To avoid too many disputes over land measurement? ”
A group of prime ministers did not care too much about the possibility of encountering opposition from noble families in various places when measuring the land. As long as the army was firmly in the hands of the court, no one could afford to make trouble. However, if this leads to confusion over land ownership, it will lead to turmoil in various places. , which is very likely to severely reduce winter wheat production.
We can’t rely entirely on rice shipped from overseas, right?
Even if overseas can provide a steady stream of food, if the winter wheat production in various places is reduced, it will affect the cultivation of millet and wheat, and the annual grain output will drop sharply, directly leading to the collapse of local finances.
Li Ji, who has never spoken much in the political hall, also cautiously agreed: "Nowadays, even Guanzhong, which has never grown winter wheat, has planted a large amount of it. Once disputes over ownership arise due to land measurement in Guandong and other places, which affects farming, Guanzhong will also be affected. , must be handled with caution.”
Fang Jun was sitting next to Ma Zhou. After hearing this, he asked in a low voice: "Didn't winter wheat grow in Guanzhong before?"
Ma Zhou glanced at him and said: "Of course there is no planting, otherwise why do you think the Northern Qi Dynasty died at the hands of the Northern Zhou Dynasty?"
Fang Jun: "..."
The Northern Zhou Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Qi Dynasty was actually related to winter wheat?
Quickly asked for details.
Ma Zhou glanced at Li Chengqian, who was sitting in the upper seat, and all the prime ministers and senior officials in the hall. He thought that since he had raised a problem, he could just let them solve it. It would be better for him to interfere less, so he sat back and whispered to Fang Jun. Whisper.
……
The "Fubing System" was once the most advanced military and political system. With this system, the Western Wei Dynasty suddenly became a powerful country and laid the foundation for the Sui and Tang dynasties to unify the world.
However, in the beginning, the "mansion army system" was actually a last resort.
In the last years of the Southeast, the warlords fought, and then the three kingdoms stood up, three parts returned to the Jin, the two Jins overlapped, and the Central Plains fell. Until the demise of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the replacement of the Southern Dynasties, China was in chaos and political chaos. Due to its complex historical background, the entire world was in turmoil and the people were in dire straits.
In the north, the once mighty Northern Wei Empire collapsed, fell apart, and split into two regimes, the Eastern Wei and the Western Wei. They regarded each other as enemies and continued to conquer each other. However, regardless of economy, population, or military combat effectiveness, the Western Wei was at a disadvantage and was always passive. Get beaten.
At that time, a long section of the border between the two countries relied on the Yellow River. Every winter when the Yellow River froze, the Western Wei army had to organize large-scale ice-breaking operations to prevent the Eastern Wei cavalry from directly riding on the Yellow River to attack Guanzhong, which brought great consequences to the army. It's a huge burden.
Yu Wentai, a great hero of the generation, introduced the "Fu Army System". "The talented people who were originally from the people were the Fu soldiers, and they were rented mediocrely. They were responsible for everything. They used the farm time to talk about the war, prepare horses and livestock, and provide food for the six families. For the 24th Army"...
This move allowed the Western Wei Dynasty to gradually gain an advantage in the war with the Eastern Wei Dynasty.
After Yuwentai's death, his son Yuwenjue ascended the throne and became the king of heaven with the support of his cousin Yuwenhu, and established the sad curse. In the east, after the death of Gao Huan, the powerful official of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, his eldest son Gao Cheng succeeded to the throne of Wei. When he was about to usurp the throne, he was assassinated by a domestic slave. His younger brother Gao Yang attacked and deposed the puppet emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and established the Northern Qi Dynasty as the emperor. Yecheng.
By this time, the military strength of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was far superior to that of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the offensive and defensive momentum of the two sides reversed. Instead, the Northern Zhou Dynasty crossed the Yellow River every winter when it froze to attack the Northern Qi Dynasty, eventually destroying its country.
At that time, the world was divided into three parts. In addition to the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty, which were facing each other across the Yellow River, there was also the Chen Kingdom to the south of the Yangtze River. Among the three kingdoms, the Northern Qi Dynasty was very developed in agriculture, salt and iron industry, and porcelain manufacturing. It was the most prosperous, but it was the first country to perish. It's Northern Qi.
Why is this so?
There are many reasons, but growing winter wheat is certainly one of them.
Guanlong does not grow winter wheat. After the implementation of the "Mansion Army System", rural soldiers and militiamen conducted strict military training after the autumn harvest, which caused the Northern Zhou army's combat effectiveness to soar. However, Northern Qi had to plant winter wheat, which prevented the army from training in autumn, winter and spring.
"In the first and second months of the year, we work and plow. In March and April, we plow and hoe. In May and June, the land is plowed, but those who plant without plowing the land will have twice as much harvest." Half a year has passed for a season of winter wheat. The army neglected to train, and how could it defeat the Northern Zhou Dynasty?
The large population of the Northern Qi Dynasty is an advantage at first glance, but it also requires a lot of grain and rice, which consumes too much. "If a man does not plow, there will be people in the world who will suffer from hunger; if a woman does not weave, there will be people in the world who will suffer from cold." , If you don’t plant winter wheat, there won’t be enough food to eat. If you plant winter wheat, the army will have no time to train...
It can be seen from this that the "mansion army system" implemented by Yuwentai is so amazing and in line with the national destiny.
……
The discussion among the prime ministers continued, but the topic had shifted from the cultivation of winter wheat to the production of salt.
Liu Jie was worried: "Because of the previous rebellion of the Jin Dynasty, many Dongmen clans were implicated. Now the entire Kanto generation is in chaos and government affairs are sluggish. These may be sorted out after the Chinese New Year when the King of Wei goes to Luoyang, but the salt of the pool will not be sorted out. As a result, the output has dropped significantly, but we can’t wait for a moment.”
The country's finances depend on salt and iron as a supplement to agricultural taxes. Among them, the salt tax from Jiechi adds 1.5 million yuan to the court every year, accounting for a quarter of the national salt tax. Although the Tang Dynasty has now begun to collect commercial taxes , but it is still far from being able to offset the salt tax.
The current output of Jiechi is less than half of the past. If the salt production cannot be restored to the original level, it will greatly affect the national finance. A series of new policies planned by Li Chengqian after his rank may be stillborn.
Li Chengqian knew the urgency of the matter and asked: "What is Liu Zhongshu's solution?"
Liu Jie said: "The reason why the salt production in Jiechi dropped sharply is because the Hedong family that used to control the salt pond has suffered heavy losses and its power has been greatly reduced. There are only less than half of the officials managing the salt pond, and affairs are stagnant and organized. There is chaos and overstaffing, and the officials in the salt pond must be rectified in order to increase the salt production. ”
Everyone here understands what this means.
Prior to this, Jiechi had been controlled by the Hedong aristocratic family. Even if the court appointed officials to manage it, they would still be under the control of officials appointed by the children of these aristocratic families. As a result, many of the Hedong aristocratic families helped the King of Jin raise the army and were implicated after the defeat. Hundreds of descendants of the aristocratic families lost their offices, were dismissed from their titles, were imprisoned, and were exiled, resulting in a serious shortage of officials to manage Jiechi.
Even so, the Hedong family was not willing to give up all the salt ponds that they had controlled for hundreds of years to the imperial court. They acted in a shady and obstructive manner, and the Jiechi Salt Farm was in chaos, and the salt production was naturally declining.
In the end, it’s still a human problem.
Li Xiaogong, Prince of Hejian County and Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said: "If we appoint a cadre to take charge of the salt administration, we may be able to end the chaos and get back on track."
Liu Jie nodded in agreement: "Wei Chen also has this intention."
Li Chengqian looked around and asked: "According to your wishes, who is suitable?"
Liu Jie did not recommend officials immediately, but explained: "As we all know, Jiechi has always been controlled by the Hedong family. Although most of the officials who are descendants of the Hedong family have been dismissed, they have a profound influence after all. They collude with each other and If you act cowardly, you will be easily ignored by them if you wait for them to do so, and you will be unable to do anything. You need to send a senior, capable, decisive and aggressive official to be effective."
Some people agreed: "Liu Zhongshu's words are reasonable. I think Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, is worthy of a big job."
Liu Jie shook his head and said: "The Duke of Yunguo is a great minister of Zhenguan and has made great achievements, so he can naturally take on a big responsibility. However, the two mutinies are very involved. The Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and Yushitai have to interrogate traitors, screen out loyalists and traitors, and more importantly, eliminate them. In the court, I am afraid that I will not be able to do anything else.”
Xu Jingzong, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said: "The Prince of Hejian County and Li Xiaogong, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, may be able to go."
Liu Jie once again objected: "The prince of Hejian County is indeed senior and the pillar of the clan, but the court also faces the same situation as Hedong Jiechi. Many officials were dismissed and demoted due to the mutiny, and there is an urgent need to fill the gap." More officials have entered the court, and the official affairs are heavy, so the prince cannot leave Chang'an."
Li Chengqian frowned and said: "Who does Liu Zhongshu think is suitable?"
This is what he dislikes the most about Liu Ji. If you have any opinions, just speak out from the bottom of your heart. We can discuss it together whether it works or not. Do you have to be so pretentious to show your ability?
What a hassle.
Liu Ji seemed to be aware of Li Chengqian's impatience, and hurriedly said: "Wei Chen believes that such a big task cannot be accomplished without the help of the Duke of Yue."
Fang Jun raised his head and glanced at Liu Ji, but said nothing.
Li Chengqian said: "The reorganization of the Jinwu Guards is crucial to the safety of the capital. This matter is not over yet. How can the Duke of Yue leave Chang'an?"
Liu Jie said: "As far as Wei Chen knows, the reorganization of the left and right Jinwu Guards is on the right track and can be completely handed over to the supervision of the British Duke. The Yue Duke personally went to Hedong to rectify the salt affairs, which will definitely scare the little ones and make them successful. ”
The atmosphere in the Political Hall was tense instantly, and you could hear a needle drop.
Is this an attempt to seize Fang Jun's military power? (End of chapter)