Prime Minister

Chapter 1047: Familiarity

Looking at the detailed regulations on the exemption law that Sinong Temple produced overnight, Zhang Yue also lamented that this law was hard-won.

Su Che, who was studying business in the household, frowned after reading the regulations. Zhang Yue looked at Su Che's expression and said, "Ziyou, is there anything wrong?"

Su Zhe said: "Da Shen, Zhe and my brother all think about the method of servitude, but the method of collecting servitude for the fields is the best."

Zhang Yue laughed dumbly when he heard this and said: "Ziyou, you are out of your mind. This method was advocated by Lu Jifu!"

As we all know, Lu Huiqing and Su Che are mortal enemies.

Su Zhe said: "Ziyou knows one thing. You should not negate your words because of others, let alone negate your laws because of others."

Zhang Yue nodded secretly when he heard this. Brothers Su Shi and Su Che are really "the faction with no independent opinions." They often went beyond their positions and told the facts, so they were criticized badly by both the new and old parties.

No wonder Wang Anshi said that they had no "needs" in their studies, but only the way of strategists during the Warring States Period.

In the history of another time and space, Su Che was better off, but Su Shi's attitude towards the exemption law can only be said to be wavering. In December of the eighth year of Yuanfeng, he wrote "On the Recruitment of Land for Recruitment", expressing his support for the Recruitment of Land for Recruitment.

In May of the first year of Yuanyou's reign, he wrote the "Zhaozi on Detailed Conscription Laws for Begging". At that time, he was unwilling to formulate the Conscription Law and did not agree with the Recruitment Law and the Conscription Law.

Later, when Su Shi wrote to scold Lu Huiqing, he listed the other party's implementation of the recruitment law as a crime, expressing his opposition to the recruitment law.

However, after Sima Guang died in December of the first year of Yuanyou, Su Shi began to demand the restoration of the immunity from military service, and even roped in his younger brother Su Che.

Su Shi's series of mysterious operations simply confused people. In just one year, your attitude towards military service has changed many times. Today I will compile all of Su Shi's memorials in detail and make a bound volume. Let's see how today's Su Shi overthrows yesterday's Su Shi.

Zhang Yue said to Su Che: "I have received the letter from Zizhan about the implementation of the land recruitment law in the local area."

"Zizhan said that there are five benefits to the method of collecting labor for the fields."

"If you use the labor exemption method, every time you recruit one person, you can save one person's salary, and the labor money can be greatly reduced. If you implement the labor service method, every time you recruit one person, you can save one person as a sex worker. The farmers will be lenient, and they will benefit one person."

"The people who are recruited are just like archers. Their families are clothed and fed in official fields. They usually break the law and dare not flee. This has two advantages."

"Nowadays, the low price of grain hurts farmers. Farmers sell their fields, but they are often miserable and do not sell. If officials buy them, the fields and grains will be heavy, and farmers will be able to make a small living, which has three benefits."

"Money accumulated in officials is often heavy. If it is scattered to buy land, the money will be slightly balanced, which will benefit four things."

"Now that this method is implemented, the people will enjoy its benefits. This is the meaning of the officials taking the leftover money. It has five benefits."

Su Che was overjoyed when he saw Zhang Yue speaking out the main points in Su Shi's memorial.

In fact, Su Shi made it very clear at the beginning that the land collection law can be used as a supplement to the recruitment law and the labor service law, and can be used in conjunction with any grade of service law.

The land recruitment method means that the government buys land from the private sector and then uses the government land to hire people to serve. When Zhang Yue opened up Xihe Road, he also asked the local Tibetan people to buy land, and then gave it to Han people or Tibetan people to cultivate it, and they had to serve in the army as archers.

The imperial court used the money raised to buy land from the private sector, which not only prevented farmers from selling their land at low prices, but also used the money accumulated by the imperial court in the treasury to solve the problem of money shortage.

Su Shi's analysis is very thorough, but is it feasible?

In some cases, during the Southern Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi's Green Miao Law was abolished and local governments adopted the Shecang Law.

What about the law of service? In the Southern Song Dynasty, there were both hired and errand service in various places, but the voluntary service law was vigorously promoted.

The so-called volunteer service law means that all the people in a village or township who want to serve in the army jointly buy the land for service, and then use the land rent as service money to hire people to serve.

This is similar to the Shecang method in that it was formed spontaneously by the people instead of being assigned by the court.

This is closely related to the land collection method advocated by Lu Huiqing and Su Shi. It can be seen that these two people are very talented.

Therefore, Su Shi and Su Che's proposals are absolutely reasonable and can be described as a heart for the people. In fact, the Su Shi brothers both discussed matters based on facts, and their political ability was stronger than that of Sima Guang, who was single-minded.

Su Che continued: "When my brother first learned about Mizhou, the imperial court issued a law to raise land for military service. My brother used the leftover money from his exemption from military service to buy fields and hire people to serve in the state. The people found it very convenient, but later the officials stopped raising land for military service. My brother is very sorry about the military service law, and now I ask Da Shen to adopt it. If I add one more sentence to the regulations, the people of the world will be grateful to Da Shen."

Zhang Yue listened to Su Che's words and said: "What your brother said is indeed correct, but the imperial court is waiting to use the service exemption law to fund the northwest military expenditure. If the service money is used to buy land, the military expenditure will be less."

"What's more, the official government only abolished the exemption law in the eighth year of Xining, and now it is promoted again, which makes His Majesty look bad."

Su Zhe immediately showed disappointment when he heard this and asked: "Isn't the original intention of Da Shen Mingzhe to cultivate [Mencius' justice] just to [benefit the people]?"

"Why did Da Shen do something contrary to his original intention? May I ask how Da Shen can rectify his heart and name?"

Zhang Yue said: "Ziyou, if a man wants to conquer the world, between [think of] and [get], there is another word called [achieve]!"

"No one is completely right at the beginning, so I have only one way to deal with things. I do it first and then talk about it. I never seek perfection."

Su Zhe heard this and said, "But for ginseng, it doesn't cost much to buy land with labor money. You can buy it step by step and buy some every year. The benefits will be endless."

"I have spent so much effort on the big ginseng, but I can't get all the results. I am really unwilling." Su Zhe repeatedly asked Zhang Yue to add an article to the regulations to try out the land recruitment law in prefectures and counties as a supplement to the labor exemption law. But Zhang Yue still didn't agree.

Su Che was extremely disappointed and left.

Zhang Yue looked at Su Che's leaving figure and said to himself in silence for a moment, "Su Che still blames me for not persisting."

Finally, Zhang Yue showed Han Jiang the regulations revised by Sinong Temple, and then asked: "Prime Minister, are you planning to make a formal declaration?"

The regulations of Sinong Temple were drafted into a mature form, and then the ministers and ministers signed their monograms in turn, and finally they were presented to the officials for preview. However, once the officials are dissatisfied and return the familiar form to be re-drafted, it will be a blow to the prestige of the two parties.

One is to take the message in person, and the other is to make a familiar statement. It is an awkward choice.

Han Jiang said: "Your Majesty is not very firm about the exemption from military service. If you plan to make it familiar, I'm afraid the officials will be unhappy."

Zhang Yue said: "That's why we need to prepare a familiar form to show that the regulations and rules cannot be changed!"

"Save it, there is no room for it. It is impossible for the officials to have no objections to such a big thing as changing the military service law," Han Jiang hesitated again and again, but still could not insist, "This is the last level. Those who are here are half-ninety, so don’t fall short at this step.”

Zhang Yue said: "Prime Minister, I have read it carefully and there is nothing in it that would offend His Majesty."

"What's more, these details have been carefully weighed and weighed. It would be inconvenient for the officials to change any of them."

Han Jiang looked at the details of the regulations and found that it was true that this place had gone through several internal games, and there was no room left for the emperor to operate.

Han Jiang said: "Since that's the case, let's polish the words a little and then show it to Wang Xiang and Yuan Can."

After Zhang Yue polished the text of the regulations, he asked Cai Jing to show it to Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang.

Of course Wang Gui had no objection as always. Yuan Jiang did not object, after all, it had been discussed before. But he said: "The details of the regulations are like this, but changing the mobilization of Fazi is a big deal, why don't we get the decree in person and draft it again?"

Cai Jing smiled and said: "This is all planned according to His Majesty's instructions. It has been discussed in the palace before."

Yuan Jiang said: "For major matters, we will take orders in person, and for small matters, we will act as if we are familiar with them. Chief Yuan is also a familiar official. Don't you even know this?"

Seeing Yuan Jiang derogating him as a subordinate official, Cai Jing couldn't help but hate him. Cai Jing was the official of Zhongshu Jianzheng. Although he served the princes, he was also an upright official, but he was demoted to an official by Yuan Jiang.

Cai Jing lowered his head and said, "Xiang Yuan has seen it and found nothing wrong, so he submitted it to the Prime Minister for signature."

Yuan Jiang said: "Are you instructing Yuan to do something?"

After becoming Zhongshu Jianzheng, only Cai Jing was looked down upon, how could anyone else look at him?

"I don't dare to be humble!"

Cai Jing lowered his head, and Yuan Jiang finally signed and threw the cooked form back to Cai Jing.

Cai Jing returned the familiar certificates signed by various prime ministers to Zhang Yue, and reported to Zhang Yue more details about what Yuan Jiang had just said, which showed that he had a grudge against Yuan Jiang.

Zhang Yue thought to himself that Yuan Jiang was always harboring alien intentions and would definitely be in trouble in the future.

However, Zhang Yue had no intention of touching Yuan Jiang at the moment. He had more important things to do at the moment and said, "Let him alone."

After the two parts of the book were monogrammed, Zhang Yue did not directly submit them to the official, but waited for five days.

Until one day after the affairs of the government were discussed, an official asked Zhang Yue: "I heard that the details of the regulations on military service have been drafted by Sinong Temple. Why haven't I heard from you?"

Zhang Yue immediately said: "I have indeed prepared a proposal to submit to Your Majesty, but these days I have been discussing the Xia Kingdom's invasion of the country. I would like to submit it to Your Majesty in a few days."

Hearing this, Han Jiang looked at Zhang Yue and thought to herself, the good boy is playing tricks again.

The official laughed and said: "It's not bad for these skills! I ordered people to take it from the book."

Soon after the summons was obtained, the officials reviewed the regulations on the draft law. Zhang Yue said aside: "The exemption law after the reform of the draft law means that those who have money can contribute money and have the strength to contribute. It is not only convenient for the people, but also beneficial to the court." Come in. It will be implemented in Shaanxi and Zhejiang first. If there are no obstacles, it will be implemented throughout the world!"

The officials had no reaction after hearing this.

But if he thinks about it carefully, he will know what it means to change from the law of recruitment to the law of exemption from service. Isn't it the same as Shen Kuo's method of parallel employment of servants? Shen Kuo was dismissed from his position as the third envoy due to the concurrent employment. Now that this matter is brought up again, it will easily remind the officials of unhappy memories.

Therefore, Zhang Yue referred to it as the exemption from service law from beginning to end, without mentioning the parallel hiring process, and carefully avoided the points that officials were unhappy with.

However, what officials are most concerned about at the moment is of course how much money will be lost after the recruitment law is changed to the exemption law.

After seeing that the income dropped from 18 million guan to 9 million guan, the official was unhappy in his heart, but when he saw that the surplus was still more than 3 million guan, he felt better.

However, the official family still feels pain, but the free service money is actually my money!

Thinking of this, the officials felt remorseful, but as soon as they read the letter, they were ready to refute it because they were afraid of hurting the face of their husbands.