manynovel Chapter 1232 Useful Methods
Chapter 1232 Useful Methods
Chapter 1232 Useful Methods
The snow fell heavily, and the imperial city was covered in a vast expanse of darkness.
Su Shi originally wanted to thank Zhang Yue for his protection on several occasions, but he did not expect Zhang Yue to say something in advance: The world can do without Zhang Yue, but it cannot do without Su Shizhan.
Zhang Yue blocked Su Shi's words of thanks.
I saved you not only because we are friends and classmates, but also for the sake of the world and to preserve a great talent for the country.
Wang Anshi said that talented people should not be killed in prosperous times, which was the literal meaning, but the same words were said by Zhang Yue with a different meaning.
Although it was snowing heavily, Su Shi's heart was as warm as spring.
Su Shi recalled the words of the fortune teller when he went to Beijing that year. Zhang Yue was truly a benefactor of their Su family. This was absolutely true.
"Su cherishes his life and wanted to do something more for the country, but he hesitated again and again before leaving. He couldn't help but feel scared in his heart."
Zhang Yue said: "Zizhan, how can you easily change your mind?"
Su Shi shook his head and said, "I remember a joke. Two people expressed their ambitions. One said, 'The only things I lack in my life are eating and sleeping. If I succeed in the future, I will eat and sleep, and sleep and eat.'"
"Another person said that I am a little different. I eat and eat, so why do I need to sleep?"
"That's all the ambition in life is."
Zhang Yue smiled and shook his head. Su Shi did not forget to complain even at this time.
However, Zhang Yue thought that in history, Su Shi had been serving his sentence in Huangzhou until the seventh year of Yuanfeng, when the emperor transferred him to Ruzhou.
Zhang Yue reinstated Su Shi to his original post in the fifth year of Yuanfeng. Doesn't it mean that famous works such as Red Cliff Fu and Chengtian Temple Travel Notes will probably have to be written by me for him?
Zhang Yue thought so.
Zhang Yue said to Su Shi: "Let's talk about business first."
……
After the two men sat down in the Zhongshu Hall, Su Shi sat at the lower table and Zhang Yue sat at the desk.
Officials who entered the Secretariat to report on matters sat facing north, while the prime minister sat facing south at the desk. Only when the two officials entered the Secretariat would the desks be removed, and the prime minister and the host would sit opposite each other on the east and west sides, which was called "Diao'an".
When Su Shi arrived at the Secretariat, he must have abided by this rule.
Looking at Zhang Yue's present state, Su Shi knew that he could no longer talk to Zhang Yue in the same casual tone as before.
Zhang Yue said, "You are the one who should be sent to Goryeo to contact the Jurchens. The King of Goryeo admires our culture. Your literary reputation has spread far and wide in Goryeo, so it is the best place for you to go. I heard that the Goryeo official Jin Jin accompanied Liu Hong and Park In-ryong on a diplomatic mission to the Song Dynasty. After returning home, he named his two sons "Fu Shi" and "Fu Zhe" respectively. It's interesting."
Zhang Yue was joking, and Su Shi said solemnly: "There is one thing I don't understand. Goryeo will obey the Khitan and will eventually be used by the northern barbarians. The Khitan army is enough to kill them, but our dynasty cannot. Why does Goryeo obey me and not the Khitan?"
"If we really establish friendly relations with Goryeo, and the Khitans are enraged, won't war break out again?"
Su Shi's words made sense. The Yalu River separated the Khitan and Goryeo territories, and the Liao Kingdom stationed troops in Baozhou and Dingzhou east of the Yalu River, ready to attack Goryeo's Xijing (Pyongyang) at any time. The Song Dynasty was so far away from Goryeo that it had almost no means to control Goryeo, and Goryeo just listened to you.
Zhang Yue said: "That's a good question. This matter started in the seventh year of Xining. At that time, our dynasty and the Liao Kingdom were arguing about the demarcation of the border. As the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, I led the army to confront the Liao Kingdom on the front line."
"In order to break the deadlock, the court sent An Tao and Chen Mu to Korea as envoys to establish contact."
"Previously, our dynasty's sea route to Goryeo was from Deungju to Ongjin on the west coast of Goryeo, but this time, our dynasty will land from Myeongju (Ningbo, Zhejiang) to Bilanjeong on the Yeseong River in Goryeo."
“Why change the post road?”
"Because of the maritime ban in Dengzhou, our dynasty prohibited merchants from trading privately with the Liao Kingdom, so this route was cut off. Moreover, we went through Mingzhou instead of Dengzhou in order not to anger the Khitans."
"This road is not far. With the help of the monsoon, it can be reached in five or six days, but the risk is not small. Lin Xi was originally supposed to go on the mission, but he heard that the risk was high, so he decided not to go, and ended up getting killed."
"However, although Mingzhou is far away, it cannot resist the desire of merchants to make huge profits. In recent years, Fujian merchants who seek wealth and fame at the risk of their lives can still go to Goryeo by sailing from Quanzhou Port."
"So I plan to crack down on private trade and allow imperial merchants with the imperial court's name to go out to sea directly from Dengzhou to trade with Goryeo. This time I plan to load beji cloth on the envoy's ship and ship it to Goryeo. With the huge profits from trade in the future, there is no need to worry about Goryeo's refusal."
Historically, the maritime trade from Mingzhou and Quanzhou to Goryeo was very developed and profitable, especially during the Southern Song Dynasty, when Goryeo built many houses to entertain Southern Song merchants. Shen Wansan also became rich through this route.
Doing business with Goryeo can be a source of income, and it is also a way to tie the other party together. In fact, Zhang Yue has an idea that whether it is to capture Liangzhou and open up the Western Silk Road or the Maritime Silk Road, it is the most important thing. For Liao and Dangxiang, it is just a side issue, only trade and commerce are the top priority.
Zhang Yue paused and said, "Of course, the most important thing is that according to the Zhifangsi, the relationship between Goryeo and Liao is not harmonious now."
"The Liao Kingdom has been trying to set up a trading post on the Yalu River for Liao and Goryeo to trade with each other, but the King of Goryeo said that as long as the Liao Dynasty did not withdraw from Baozhou and other cities, he would not agree to open a trading post. There are some frictions on the border between the two countries, otherwise Goryeo would not have taken the initiative to show goodwill."
"In addition, Goryeo has always wanted to annex some of the Jurchens, but due to the obstruction of the Liao Kingdom, it dared not act rashly. Of course, the most important thing is to contact the Jurchens through Goryeo."
After Su Shi heard this, he said, "I understand."
Zhang Yue told Su Shi some more details before he understood.
After that, Su Shi stood up to say goodbye. Zhang Yue stood up to see him off. Su Shi said, "Prime Minister, this time I went to Jiangning to pay a visit to Wang Jinggong, and he talked to me."
Su Shi then told Zhang Yue what Wang Anshi had said, and expressed his hope that Zhang Yue could resolve future party troubles.
"This is what Wang Jinggong said at the time. He had high expectations for the prime minister!" Su Shi said and looked at Zhang Yue's expression.
Zhang Yue was staring at the heavy snow outside the window in a trance. Su Shi and Wang Anshi both saw that the Northern Song Dynasty was in danger of being destroyed by party tragedies.
The history of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty is somewhat similar. Both of them went through the process of small clans becoming large clans, and then there were the Great Ceremony and the Pu Debate, where the court officials took sides. In the end, serious party disputes broke out in the last years, and the party disasters eventually became the cause of the country's demise.
After a while, Zhang Yue said, "Mr. Jing is too serious. I am afraid I cannot stop this party strife and party disaster."
Su Shi said, "Prime Minister, I think that except for the exemption from military service, all other new laws can be abolished. Besides, villains like Lu Huiqing should never be employed again."
Zhang Yue said: "If all other new laws are abolished, the government will be short of revenue."
Su Shi said: "We should spend according to our income, cut redundant officials and soldiers, and reduce the number of appointments. At the same time, we should manage the Yellow River well and relieve the suffering of the people."
Zhang Yue said: "I am in power. If I can take care of Liangzhou and Lingzhou, I will be good enough to achieve half of the success. How can I talk about the complete success of taking back Xingzhou and curbing the party's misfortune?"
Su Shi was stunned, and then he asked with a wry smile: "Prime Minister, is it more important to recover Xingzhou and Lingzhou than to destroy the country due to the party disaster? When Su said that he would put a cap on his head, this was not what he meant! To capture Liangzhou, give Your Majesty a title, and finally to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, these are just ways to quench thirst with poison, and they cannot eliminate the party disaster in the end!"
Zhang Yue looked at Su Shi and smiled bitterly, "Brother Zizhan, let me ask you, among the current New Party and the Old Party, how many people are like you and Duke Jing who can talk about right and wrong without asking about their positions first?"
"How many people hope that everyone can sit down calmly, put an end to the debate, and finally seek common ground while reserving differences?"
"Who can see the danger of the party's destruction of the country? Even if there are people with insight, they only know how to use party disputes to fight for power and profit for their own selfish purposes!"
Su Shi was stunned by Zhang Yue's words.
Zhang Yue glanced at Su Shi and said, "Brother Zizhan, to reach the right goal, you don't necessarily need the right means. Han Feizi once said that governing is like washing your hair. Even if you have to let your hair down, you have to do it."
"He who loves the expense of discarding hair but forgets the benefit of growing it longer is one who does not know the right thing to do."
Han Feizi said that governing a country is like washing your hair. Even if you lose some hair, you have to wash it clean. If you cherish your hair but forget that it will grow again, you are a person who does not know how to make compromises.
Zhang Yue said this, thinking of the TV series, Sun proposed that the party leader should be obeyed by everyone, but Huang Xing opposed it and thought it was wrong. Sun was helpless, as everyone was a mess at the time, and this method had to be used to strengthen cohesion.
Su Shi was of course firmly opposed to Zhang Yue's method of eliminating the party's troubles in the future by giving the emperor the title of emperor, offering sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, etc.
But Su Shi did not think carefully about why Wang Anshi had changed his mind about Zhang Yue this time.
It was because the imperial court captured Liangzhou and opened up the Hexi Corridor this time.
The facts are before our eyes, and they are a hundred times more powerful than arguments. Now, except for some who are still stubborn, most people in the New Party are convinced.
This is the way to make everyone obey you. You want me to "conquer people with virtue" and use other methods to convince the old and new parties. Sorry, I really don't know how to do this.
Su Shi said: "During the fight for Liangzhou, the price of rice in Sichuan and Shu has soared. Although the Prime Minister has repeatedly exempted the people from taxes, there are still scholars who petition. If we take back Xingling, the cost will be twice that of Xingzhou and Lingzhou!"
"Over the years, I have read in letters about the people in my hometown, and I am heartbroken. This official cannot help the country and save the people. This official is really meaningless."
Zhang Yue said: "Brother Zizhan, you are really sorry for all the hard work we have put in."
"You don't want to dominate others, nor do you want to be dominated by others. You see all beings as equals, and this is the character of a scholar. It is similar to 'facing thousands of people's criticism with a cold brow, and willing to be a cow for children'. This is why I protect you."
"I face the criticism of thousands of people with a cold brow and am willing to be a cow for the children with my head bowed!" Su Shi savored Zhang Yue's words. He could be humble in front of people who were not as good as himself, but he would not show any courtesy to people who were better than himself.
Su Shi said: "Prime Minister, this is very good, but I am ashamed to accept it."
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "What's the matter with accepting or not accepting? Wait until you come back from Goryeo, and we can talk about the rest slowly!"