Chapter 280 Winter

Although the streets of Youzhou City are full of people.

But it’s really hard to say who is the talented one.

Zhao Xin also asked them to come up with their own plans and ideas.

And they are not stupid, actually…

You will find it if you walk around the city carefully.

Talents basically gathered in the School of Scholars, Farmers, Merchants and Artisans.

even……

In the Scholars, Farmers, Merchants and Industrialists Hall, you can see everything that this person is good at.

And various information about his identity.

Such as nationality and so on.

Except for the small one-inch photos, everything else is basically included.

Even the way to contact you.

For example, where the other party is staying now.

But even in the Academy of Scholars, Farmers, Merchants and Artisans, there are many different types of talents.

Which ones are useful?

Or willing to suffer with you.

This requires them to go further and screen again.

Then…

Several people then screened the information of talents in the Academy of Scholars, Farmers, Merchants and Industrialists.

Zhao Xin also suggested that they could have an interview.

in fact……

Sometimes, it is not necessarily the case that those who pass the imperial examination are the best.

It would be even better if you could take part in the imperial examination and also learn a little bit about leading troops in battle.

In fact…

Over the years, you can’t say that Zhao Xin has not made any changes to the entire atmosphere of the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, it may be relatively easy to find such a person now.

Once upon a time…

The literati of the Song Dynasty were very averse to becoming military officers. Asking them to become a military officer would be like smearing shit on them, making them feel uncomfortable.

But now, anyone with a discerning eye can see that it might be better to serve as a military officer for a while and then return to being a civil servant.

Because there are plenty of opportunities to fight, but you want to be a civilian.

The government has only actually promoted a few civil servants in recent years.

and……

In fact, most civil servants had to start out as county magistrates, county lieutenants, and censors.

You have to work for at least four years, and it is hard to say whether you can be promoted by then.

Civil servants are also the least likely to achieve political achievements.

therefore……

Except for those who consider themselves academic masters and therefore have no need to learn martial arts, the average students in the Song Dynasty basically need to be proficient in both civil and military affairs.

Even Di Qing could be the deputy privy councilor, although he was not the official one yet. However, if I could reach that position in the future, I would be much better than others.

Several people designed some recruitment questions, and Zhao Xin revised them for them before letting them go for the interview.

Even though Zhao Xin did it calmly.

however……

No one knew who spread the news that the prince was recruiting staff.

It feels like it was leaked from the Scholars, Farmers, Merchants and Industrialists Association.

As for whether there is such a possibility in the palace…

Nowadays, the rules for entering and leaving the palace are much stricter than those in Kaifeng Prefecture.

In addition…

The palace maids in today’s palace are basically newly recruited, different from those in his father’s time.

His father’s harem is as leaky as a sieve.

Today, this lady’s family enters the palace, and tomorrow, that lady’s family will enter the palace.

Zhao Xin’s biggest advantage is that he has almost no family members in his harem.

After several days of interviews, talents are screened.

Soon, some people were selected.

The first question in the interview is, can you endure hardship?
The second question is whether you are willing to move away from your hometown and settle in a new place.

to be frank!
These first two questions alone are enough to keep quite a number of people out.

of course!

Even so, despite the harsh questions, some people are still able to stay.

Zhao Xin also said to the prince: “Can you tell anything from this?”

Zhao Zhe was stunned for a moment, and said, “I don’t see anything.”

Zhao Xin said, “You don’t have to compete with others for the job, so you naturally can’t see that even with these first two questions, which are so harsh, there are people willing to stay, and there are quite a few of them. This proves the great pressure on the people of our Song Dynasty to survive.”

“Huang Chao thought that since the imperial court would not allow him to be an official, he might as well rebel against it. In the end, he massacred all the noble families in the Tang Dynasty.”

“But it’s not unfair for these noble families to be slaughtered. After all, while the rich are feasting and drinking, there are people freezing to death on the streets. Huang Chao must have seen this all the time.”

“Once the people have nothing to eat and cannot survive, as long as there is one person who calls out, no matter who he is, whether it is Chen Sheng or Wu Guang, or Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao, or Zhang Liang, as long as there is someone to lead them, the people will definitely rebel!”

“When we govern a country, we must observe the details and be able to predict the future from a single leaf. Otherwise, you may be living well today, but tomorrow, your country may be destroyed.”

“When you see a phenomenon, you must carefully analyze the logic behind it and see if it is helpful to your governance and whether there is anything worth reflecting on.”

“If you can all do this, then I don’t need to worry about whether you can really govern a country well after you go abroad.”

Zhao Zhe then said, “Then Dad, should we do something?”

Zhao Xin then asked, “What do you want to do? Increase the number of admissions and allow more people to become officials?”

Zhao Zhe: “Uh…”

Zhao Xin: “After analyzing the problem, you must also consider the overall situation. If the number of admissions is increased, the court’s expenditure will increase greatly in the future. Without financial resources, the country will perish faster.”

“But the problem is here. Tell me, how can we solve it?”

Everyone: “…, I don’t know!”

Zhao Xin said, “I don’t know either. But when you reach the top of the world, you will have to start thinking about how to distribute everything in the world in a reasonable way.”

“For example, wealth. The more wealth you get, the better.”

“Many kings who lost their countries lost their countries because they only knew how to endlessly grab wealth from the people.”

“Even animals know that when you are full, you should stop killing other animals in your territory.”

“Otherwise…if you kill too many, you will starve next year.”

“But many kings who lost their country did not realize this. Of course, it’s not their fault.”

“After all… they live in the deep palace, where they indulge in wine and women every day. Everything they know is given to them by the prime minister and his people. The prime minister said that the weather outside is good, so how could they know?”

“However, you’d better have this awareness. Otherwise, if you are in Jiaozhi and you take too much from the people, fail to control your officials, and oppress the local people, then maybe in just ten or twenty years, your head will be hung on the city wall.”

“You all need to have a sense of the big picture. When you reach the top of this world, you will be the chess player of the world.”

“At that time, the amount of wealth should not be what you care about. What you should care about is who the wealth is given to, including how much wealth is allocated to you. Only in this way will it not have much impact on this country.”

“You must understand one thing. Only when the country is stable can you sit on the throne for a longer period of time.”

Several people also said yes.

This autumn…

In order to take over Jiaozhi faster and better in the future.

Zhao Xin also sent Wang Shao, who was guarding the Datong Prefecture area, as an envoy of the Song Dynasty to sail south to collect relevant information about Jiaozhi.

In addition…

The eldest son of a concubine, Zhao Hong, also disguised himself as an accompanying official and went along.

to be frank!
Going out to sea by boat is more or less dangerous.

but……

It all depends on Zhao Hong’s luck.

Risks are proportional to rewards. As long as you get through this difficult time, there will naturally be a bright future ahead.

As for getting married…

Let’s not marry her for now.

Of course! We have to hurry up and find the remaining people.

This winter.

Crown Prince Zhao Zhe was also very confused about his future.

you say……

The other brothers can all pursue their own goals and do something.

But what about him?
There seems to be nothing to do.

Fortunately, he told Zhao Xin this directly.

Zhao Xin asked him to imagine what he would do next if he died suddenly, and to write a plan for the future.

and also……

If you become an official, how do you plan to lead the country to a higher level? Let him answer.

of course!

For questions like this, you won’t be able to get the answer just by sitting in the East Palace.

and so……

Zhao Xin asked him to go out for a walk first, and visit every state and county in the Song Dynasty.

You can not only see the scenery, but also understand the people’s sentiments.

And it would be best not to reveal your identity as the Crown Prince, and just travel around as an ordinary scholar.

If you reveal your identity as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, then everything you see may not be true.

As everyone went out.

Suddenly…

The palace suddenly became much quieter.

winter.

Through the transparent glass, he looked at the snow falling outside the house, while he was holding Chen Yuanyuan and a group of concubines, warming themselves around the fire. This was probably the best day in a person’s life.

at the same time……

Wang Shao and Zhao Hong also arrived in Jiaozhi smoothly.

On the way…

Wang Shao vomited for several days.

Zhao Hong is fine.

But in fact, after spitting out for a while, you will get used to it.

along the way…

The temperatures in various places were also recorded.

In fact, there is winter in Jiaozhi.

And at its lowest, it can indeed reach more than ten degrees.

Do you think the temperature of more than 10 degrees will affect marching and fighting? As long as there are enough clothes, the impact will not be that big.

Through understanding with the locals, we can also learn that there are actually four seasons in the area.

even……

Some special counties will even have snow.

Of course!
That has to be a place with relatively high altitude, mainly concentrated in mountain villages.

Like plains, there are only a few.

When the temperature is high, it can be slightly higher than the human body temperature.

Wang Shao also brought a lot of goods on this trip. Except for a part that was given to the royal family, the rest could be used for free trade.

Wang Shao is actually also a good intelligence agent.

When he was in Datong Prefecture, he often wrote reports to Zhao Xin on the movements of the Xixia army in the northwest.

But it just makes people feel a little surprised.

But no matter what, since the other party likes to do this, Zhao Xin will let him do it.

Wang Shao also tried his best to meet and get to know all the wealthy businessmen in the city.

Since the purpose is to trade goods, it is normal to communicate and contact with the wealthy businessmen in the city.

at the same time……

You can also talk to local wealthy businessmen to find out what products they have.

On the other hand, the people of Jiaozhi were naturally wary of the arrival of Wang Shao and his party.

The key is……

They also received news that Champa seemed to be sending envoys to the Song Dynasty, and was planning to unite with the Song Dynasty to attack them.

Li Rizun also asked Wang Shao this question, asking the Song government what they thought of Jiaozhi.

Wang Shao also replied, “Our government likes peace the most. We don’t like fighting and killing. What we like the most is making money. As long as you don’t affect our government’s money-making, everything else is fine.”

Li Rizun saw that Wang Shao did not bring any troops with him.

He was somewhat less wary of Wang Shao and the others.

but……

Li Rizun recently received intelligence that Champa had begun to send reinforcements to their border.

It is expected that an attack will be launched against them within one or two months.

therefore……

Li Changjie, a minister of Jiaozhi, also stated that from now on, these envoys from the Song Dynasty would not be allowed to move around freely.

At least……

At least we have to send someone to monitor it.

at the same time……

We must pay close attention to the northwest direction of Jiaozhi and the east direction of the sea to see if there are any traces of the Song army.

As Li Changjie was a veteran figure in the dynasty of Li Rizun’s father, Li Rizun naturally obeyed everything he said.

But there is one thing to say…

It cannot be said that Li Changjie lost the war with Di Qing, but he was suppressed by Di Qing. This made Li Rizun a little dissatisfied with this senior official left by his father.

I feel that his ability may not be that strong.

however……

There is really no one available in the court now.

The only option is to use the other party.

Wang Shao measured the temperature every morning, noon and evening. Whenever he had the chance, he would visit some temples.

In name, it means that he also likes Buddhism.

In fact…

The purpose is to go and see where there are Buddhist temples, pagodas, etc., so that I can find an opportunity to climb up and have a good look.

After a winter, I had a pretty good chat with some local wealthy businessmen.

Li Rizun also sent people to infiltrate the ranks of wealthy businessmen.

Also pretend to be a businessman.

Want to test Wang Shao.

See what Wang Shao wants to do.

But Wang Shao didn’t reveal anything in the end.

Before he left, the official told him that it was basically impossible to make friends with local officials on this trip.

They must be kept a close eye on by others.

But making friends with businessmen shouldn’t be a problem.

from now on……

Once a war breaks out, if you want to persuade officials or people in a certain place to surrender, someone has to pass the message.

Or once all the local officials are killed, there will be a lack of people to maintain order, and someone will have to step forward to help maintain order.

Then their alternative options could be these businessmen.

of course!

You don’t necessarily have to use them.

only……

better than nothing.

(End of this chapter)