armyinform Chapter 1065 I Don't Believe It (2 Updates Combined into 1)
Chapter 1065 I Don't Believe It (2 Updates Combined into 1)
Chapter 1065 I Don’t Believe It (Two Updates Combined into One)
The essence of a feudal state is that the person with the most power makes the meta-rules.
The core of this is Han Feizi's words: "When a ruler treats his people, he should use their lives in times of trouble and use their strength in times of peace."
The emperor and the people are a whole. If the emperor insists on doing this, and the people cannot resist, then the people have another choice, which is to lie down.
Buddhism and Taoism are the study of lying down.
Don't doubt it, the weaker party must have more options than the stronger party.
Those who fear the demise of the country are the vested interests, not the common people. Therefore, the vested interests will eventually choose to give in and hand over more benefits to the common people.
This is the essence of 'Farirubiao'.
So some people say that Confucianism is hypocritical, that’s because they don’t know that the world has two sets of rules running in parallel.
One set is obvious and the other is hidden.
The idea of calling officials "parents" comes from the story of Zhao Fu and Du Mu, which refers to Zhao Xinchen of the Western Han Dynasty and Du Shi of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Both of them had served as prefects of Nanyang and had made great political achievements in the local area, so there was Zhaofu in the first and Dumu in the second, and from then on they were called "Parents of the Officials".
This name continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Zhang Yue praised Cao Yi's theory of serving the people, saying, "For the sake of my parents, I dare not do that."
I am just a commoner hired to do my job, how dare I call myself a parent? Not to mention the officials, the emperor is the same.
Mencius' student Wan Zhang once asked, was it Yao who gave the world to Shun?
Mencius said no, it was Heaven that gave the world to Shun, not Yao. It was just that Heaven could not speak, but Yao knew what Heaven meant, so he gave the world to Shun.
Mencius also emphasized that "the emperor cannot give the world to others."
Mencius also emphasized what the Son of Heaven is: that is, it is given by Heaven and the people.
At the same time, the emperor is the parent of the people and the parent of all people. Mencius believed that this was not the case. The emperor was only the leader of all people. Although you are the greatest, you are just one of the people and have no right to be above all people.
So what is "people-oriented"? Mencius's thought is people-oriented.
Gu Yong once said, "I have heard that God created the people and they are unable to govern each other, so a king is established to rule them."
Therefore, the emperor is also employed by the people.
The sixth prince is the eldest son of the emperor's family, so the emperor naturally expects him to be the crown prince. The word "yong" in his name means that he is paid for his labor, or that he is employed by the people.
Is it useful to promote civilian servants?
it works.
Let the people be disenchanted with power.
For example, the Filipino maids in later generations were favored for their obedience to their employers, so why can't the local nannies do the same? That is because they are unwilling to obey. Even if I am hired by your family, it is because I am unlucky, not because I am born inferior to you.
So what if he is an official? He should fight when he needs to.
The Legalists advocated that officials should be regarded as teachers and that officials should be regarded as parents of the people. We ordinary people will not accept your tricks. Starting from Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, if you make my life difficult, I will make your life difficult too.
Zhang Yue once again lamented about the government.
Zhang Yue believed that the word "servant" came from the official's true heart.
Cao Yi came up and explained this principle to himself, and of course he was also speaking well of the emperor.
Zhang Yue said to Cao Yi: "Your Majesty's heart is really like Yao and Shun!"
Cao Yi said: "Mr. Zhang, please do not let down the Empress Dowager and His Majesty who hold you in high esteem."
At this point Zhang Yue ended the conversation. Seeing that Zhang Yue had no intention of changing his mind, Cao Yi had no choice but to say goodbye and leave.
Cao Yi returned to his palace and wrote a letter to report to Queen Dowager Cao.
Empress Dowager Cao had been unable to get out of bed and walk since the beginning of autumn. The Emperor's filial piety to Empress Dowager Cao was almost even better than that to Empress Dowager Gao. Whenever he was busy with state affairs, he would visit Empress Dowager Cao, sit with her for a while, and then return to his bedroom.
That day, the emperor personally served medicine to Empress Dowager Cao. Empress Dowager Cao said, "I don't have much time left. These medicines are very bitter. It doesn't matter whether I take them or not."
The official was very filial and tried to persuade him again and again.
Empress Dowager Cao had just finished half of her drink when the Emperor took the box of candied fruit from the palace maid and presented it to her.
Empress Dowager Cao tasted one and said, "Han Jiang and Zhang Yue did a good job in the Secretariat. They changed the conscription law to a parallel system of corvée labor. The people's praises reached the ears of a woman like me in the deep palace."
"Now that Han Jiangling is dead, how come Zhang Yue is also claiming to be ill? Zhang Yue is a minister entrusted by the two previous emperors. Your Majesty should treat him with courtesy."
The emperor's expression was solemn when he heard this. He handed the candied fruit box to the maid and said, "Grandmother, how can you take what people outside the palace say seriously? I have heard a lot about the drawbacks of the labor service law."
"Every word in the world has two sides."
Empress Dowager Cao said, "Now that Han Jiang has passed away, it is not time to look down upon the carved eaves. Zhang Yue is also claiming to be ill. The Secretariat only has one chancellor and one assistant minister. Why not add a few chancellors to the Secretariat? What do you think?"
The emperor said, "I have not yet decided on the candidates for the government. Now one prime minister and one councillor are very appropriate. Wang Gui is capable and mature, Yuan Jiang is loyal and reliable, and he is an honest official who never seeks personal gain. I plan to let these two take charge first."
The emperor implied that it would be a good idea for Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang to set up the Secretariat.
Empress Dowager Cao said, "Your Majesty, Wang Gui is a swindler who has no foundation in the court. Yuan Jiang has never set up a different banner, so he is a reliable person. However, if you entrust them with presiding over the court, who can Your Majesty consult when something important happens?"
Empress Dowager Cao made it very clear that the emperor used Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang because they had weak foundations in the court and therefore just obeyed the emperor in everything.
However, these two people have mediocre abilities and are not capable of handling major or urgent matters. They can cope with daily affairs, but they will be terrible when encountering major events.
The emperor knew it very well, and said with a smile: "I still have my grandmother to discuss it with!"
Empress Dowager Cao said, "I am only a woman. Besides, I have only a few days left. If you listen to me, you should invite Zhang Yue, Sima Guang and other ministers back."
The emperor said, "Wang Anshi also reported illness in those days, and he believed that I could not manage the government. But I am no longer the emperor I was ten years ago, and I am now very capable in handling politics."
Empress Dowager Cao said, "I know your majesty is hardworking. Since you ascended the throne, you have worked hard to govern the country. You are afraid that you are not doing a good enough job. No matter whether it is a big thing or a small thing, you will do it yourself."
"You don't rest even during the New Year holidays. Sometimes the sun has already set and you haven't had lunch yet. The Queen Mother and I have no choice but to send people to urge Your Majesty repeatedly."
"But your majesty, governing the country is not about doing everything yourself, but about appointing people based on their merits. One wise man is not enough, you need a group of wise men to assist you. Officials should not do everything by themselves, but only have ministers who can respond to your orders."
The emperor said, "It's not that I don't want to use Zhang Yue, I just want to use him to do some things in the Secretariat when he's not here!"
Zhang Yue did have a great influence in the court. In addition to people like Cai Jing, Cai Bian, Xu Xi, Lu Shengqing, and Shen Kuo who all came from Zhang Yue's staff, there were also relatives such as Zhang Yu, Zhang Zhi, Zhang Heng, and in-laws such as Huang Lu, Wen Jifu, and Lu Gongzhu, as well as allies such as Xu Jiang, Zeng Bu, and Han Zhongyan.
That's why he has the confidence to disobey himself.
Seeing that the emperor finally spoke his true feelings, Empress Dowager Cao said, "It's good that the emperor understands."
When he arrived at the palace, the eunuch handed him the document.
This document was sent by two people, one was Lu Huiqing and the other was Zhong Yan.
It turned out that the government asked the two of them about the construction of the city in Jingyuan Road, and both Lu Huiqing and Zhong Yan opposed it at the same time.
Lu Huiqing believed that Jingyuan Road was the heartland of Western Xia and that they would surely be defeated in this city. He again advocated that troops should be prepared in Fuyan Road so that they could attack Western Xia if there was any trouble.
However, Zhong Yan advocated the capture of Hengshan. He believed that although there was a dry sea blocking the way, as long as they occupied several states of silver and salt, they would have an advantageous advantage by sending troops from Hengshan.
At that time, it would be the Western Xia who would cross the dry sea to attack the Song Dynasty, rather than the Song Dynasty crossing the dry sea to attack the Western Xia.
The emperor consulted Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang.
Wang Gui had been an official for forty years, and was not very good at military affairs. However, the emperor was unwilling to discuss it with the Privy Council. Feng Jing and others' attitude was that the emperor should not ask, and if he asked, it would not work. So the emperor had to talk to Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang.
Wang Gui said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Xu is a wise minister. Your Majesty thinks he is not wise because you listened to slanderous words. I am afraid that the wise men in the court and the public will not be promoted."
"As the prime minister, I recommended Zhang Xu three times to be a Hanlin scholar, but Your Majesty did not use him three times. I failed to supervise the people I recommended, which is a dereliction of duty. I beg you to dismiss me."
The emperor was surprised; he didn't expect Wang Gui to have outwitted him first.
I don't even know why Wang Gui recommended Zhang Xu three times but I didn't use him. How much gold, silver and treasures did Zhang Xu give to Wang Gui? Do you think I don't know?
The government has recently appointed Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang as prime ministers. Without the constraints of Han Jiang and Zhang Yue, the government has made all decisions on its own and is very happy with its work.
But I didn't expect Wang Gui to do the same thing.
Yuan Jiang followed Wang Gui and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Xu is indeed a wise and capable man, and I also think he can be used."
The emperor was so angry when he heard this that he said to Wang Gui, "The prime minister is like this. I will test you for now. Since you are such a virtuous person, I have no such worries."
Wang Gui was overjoyed.
After seeing what Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang did, the emperor was no longer in the mood to discuss things with them.
The emperor looked at the map of Shaanxi and thought to himself, I can still fight this battle even without Zhang Yue and the Privy Council to advise me.
I don't believe it.
……
It's the end of the year.
Zhang Yue has been in the government office for more than a month due to illness.
There were indeed many important events in the court. The fact that Zhang Xu was appointed as a Hanlin scholar did make Zhang Yue feel the chill of early spring.
It was he who dismissed Zhang Xu and expelled him from the capital. Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang recommended Zhang Xu as the leader of the four, which was also to add a potential rival to themselves.
Of course, I could have opposed it when I was in Zhongshu, but who asked me to leave?
It is indeed the same old saying, if you don't want to be the knife or the fish, you will be the meat.
Claiming to be sick and unable to participate in decision-making is a necessary price to pay.
Also, Cai Jing's expression has been a little strange recently, and he seems a little absent-minded.
Now Zhang Yue roasts the fish in a small copper stove at home over charcoal fire, then cuts it into thin slices, picks it up with chopsticks and puts it into the copper stove for dipping.
This mutton came from Khitan. In comparison, the mutton from the Song Dynasty was just dregs. However, after the Khitan sheep traveled thousands of miles to the Song Dynasty, there were not many left. Except for those that were first supplied to the royal family, the rest were incredibly expensive.
As for shabu-shabu mutton, it was not invented by Zhang Yue.
In Shan Jia Qing Gong, shabu-shabu mutton is mentioned. It is just to cut the mutton into thin slices, soak it in wine, sauce and peppercorns, and then boil it in water without any seasoning.
There were charcoal basins lit in all four corners of the hall, making it as warm as spring. It was really comfortable to have a hotpot meal in this cold winter.
When he had no official business, Zhang Yue really lived a comfortable life.
Zhang Yue picked up a handful of mutton with chopsticks, dipped it in garlic and onions, put it in his mouth and chewed it with big mouthfuls. It was so comfortable to eat meat like this.
The current situation is also what Zhang Yue intended. People can't always have it smooth. They have to stop and go.
Now it is not necessary to do so in the past. In the past, Zhang Yue was of low rank and too far away from the government, so the relationship between the monarch and his subjects had always been good. Now that he has become a prime minister, it is impossible to do so as before.
The contradiction between the emperor and his ministers cannot be changed by human will.
After Prussia unified Germany, Bismarck once said that a war between Germany and France would break out in the near future.
Moltke also said that the man who set fire to Europe and the man who threw the match into the gunpowder barrel deserved to be put to death.
Bismarck and Moltke were scolding those who blindly advocated nationalism and used the patriotic enthusiasm of the German people to launch wars.
But these people always stand on the politically correct side and are not afraid of being criticized whether they win or lose.
Now the government is obsessed with "restoring the prosperity of Han and Tang dynasties and reviving the Song Dynasty", and the officials below can only cater to it passively, and use it more as a stepping stone for advancement.
Regardless of whether Zhang Yue opposed the attack on Xia or not, he had to pour cold water on the emperor at this time to wake him up.
As the old saying goes, 'If a ruler has loyal ministers, his country will not perish; if a father has loyal sons, his family will not perish.'
Thinking of this, Zhang Yue added a few more pieces of charcoal and picked up a folding fan to fan the fire under the copper stove.
It was a long cold night, and Zhang Yue picked up the book at hand and started reading. The time of leisure also allowed him to see many things clearly.
He had no major contradictions or conflicts with the government.
There is a principle when people get along with each other, and that is 'be strict with those who are close to you, and be lenient with those who are not close to you'.
Why do big leaders always look kind and amiable, while small leaders always look fierce and ferocious?
Because the big boss has no direct conflict of interest with you, you can be lenient with him. But the big boss will be fierce and vicious to the small boss he has a direct relationship with in private.
Zhang Yue is now dealing directly with the government, so there are bound to be many conflicts.
But if people want to maintain a long-term relationship, small quarrels are better than big quarrels. That's why we should express anger, rather than the expression of anger.
Whenever William I disagreed with Bismarck, Bismarck would threaten to resign.
William I immediately obeyed his orders. Bismarck even said to others with a smug look: "When I threatened to resign, the old man (William I) would cry and say, 'Now even you ignore me, what should I do?'"
Later, William II stopped pampering Bismarck, and Bismarck resigned once and nothing happened afterwards.
So when Zhang Yue chose to "report illness", we didn't turn the table over, otherwise he would have directly clicked "resigned". A quarrel can either turn against each other or maintain the relationship, it all depends on what your purpose is.
As a politician, you must always know what your intentions are and avoid being emotional.
And it would be very easy for Zhang Yue to return to the court. As long as he was flexible, he could become the prime minister of the Song Dynasty again.
He was not someone who couldn't let go of his pride. At this point, his pride was nothing! When his relationship with Wang Anshi was so bad, he took the initiative to write letters to show his goodwill.
However, sometimes he would deliberately reveal a flaw to see some people and things more clearly, which was also intentional.
This time, although Zhang Yue and the emperor seemed to be at odds, there were actually many people who came to persuade them, worried that this would happen again. Zhang Yue must remember this.
And there are also people who gloat over others' misfortunes and add insult to injury, so...
But Zhang Yue is not like Lu Huiqing, who kills all his political enemies at once.
We will solve some of them at a time, and then solve some more at a time, and we will kill them without bloodshed, until you have nothing to say. We don't seek big wins, but small ones.
His governing style is exactly the same.
At this moment, someone suddenly reported that Han Zhongyan had arrived.
Zhang Yue was overjoyed that Han Zhongyan finally returned to Beijing after serving his sentence.
Han Zhongyan was one of the few friends Zhang Yue recognized, except Huang Lu. However, after Xining, Han Zhongyan had a hard time because of Han Qi.
He was fined two or three times just for the copper fine.
The emperor also used imperial power tactics to warn Han Zhongyan from time to time, and also used this to tell Han Qi in Xiangzhou.
Although Han Qi had no "rebellious intentions", as the emperor, his perspective was always different from that of his ministers. Zhang Yue remembered the anxious expressions of the whole family when he was ordered to visit Han Qi's illness.
Now that Han Zhongyan has surrendered, he no longer needs to be as cautious as he was before.
Han Zhongyan laughed when he saw himself and said, "You really are not sick!"
Zhang Yue said to Han Zhongyan, "Keep your voice down. If people know that I'm eating hot pot mutton here, my application to report my illness will be in vain."
Han Zhongyan smiled, moved a cushion and sat in front of Zhang Yue. He picked up the dishes and put them into the copper hot pot without any hesitation, eating with gusto.
Zhang Yue was not polite and ate with him heartily, and even opened a bottle of fine wine from the side.
Han Zhongyan took a sip of wine.
Zhang Yue also drank one.
Han Zhongyan said: "This time when I came to Beijing, I heard many scholars in the restaurant talking passionately about our dynasty's plan to attack Xia."
Zhang Yue asked, "Is it known to everyone?"
Han Zhongyan laughed and said, "Of course, the emperor still thinks that he is very thorough and even kept it a secret from the ministers of the Privy Council."
"Sanlang, what do you think? What are our chances of success if we attack Xia?"
Zhang Yue said, "Wait a minute, is the word Sanlang something you, Han Da, can call me now?"
Han Zhongyan laughed.
Zhang Yue paused and said, "How can Xia Kingdom, a country that has existed for hundreds of years, be conquered overnight?"
"How long will you be sick now?"
Zhang Yue said: "I am not sick, I am just looking for a way to keep healthy. As for the matter of attacking Xia, I have thought that the emperor and the ministers are so eager to fight that I can't persuade them to stop."
"When the campaign against Xia begins, they will know that this thief cannot be taken lightly. It's ridiculous that even capable ministers and famous generals like Lu Huiqing and Zhong Yan think that Xixia can be conquered in one battle. As for other people who strongly advocate this, there are countless people."
"The government is also blind. To be honest, if we go all out to attack Xia, our chances of winning are only 60%. If we follow my advice and advance slowly, our chances of winning will be 100%!"
Han Zhongyan said: "If this is the case, you must assist His Majesty, otherwise once you fail, you will have no chance to make progress in the future."
Zhang Yue smiled.
Han Zhongyan said: "You won't wait until the disaster happens before you come out to clean up the mess, will you?"
Zhang Yue did not answer, but said in his heart, no matter how many times people say something, it is not as good as hitting the wall once!
The emperor is deeply resentful this time, and will certainly take the initiative to attack Xia. Although he will not launch a large-scale attack, it will certainly be a waste of manpower and people.
We can only let the officials try it themselves.
(End of this chapter)