Chapter 289 Dialogue
This winter.

After learning that they had offended Zhao Xin and would have a hard time, the Goryeo ministers suggested to Wang Hui that they should strike first.

To be honest, Wang Hui was also hesitant.

Because since ancient times, places like theirs have been able to protect themselves.

You said you wanted to attack the Central Plains. Compared with the prosperous and wealthy Central Plains, there is simply a world of difference. There is no comparison at all.

Even in later generations, people in this land could only eat spicy cabbage, which shows that its national strength was still relatively weak.

of course!

Since Wang Hui simplified the administration during his time in China, the political situation was relatively clear. In addition, the weather and temperature have been generally warmer in recent times.

This has led to the fact that the people of Goryeo have generally lived a good life in recent years.

But if you say that you want to use this to beat someone up, that’s a bit too much.

The minister said, “We can first take over the land on the other side of the river.”

But soon…

His proposal was rejected by some Confucian scholars and officials, who said, “On the other side of the river, there are at least hundreds of fortresses of all sizes and dozens of cities. Can you defeat them in a short time?”

The minister said, “There are hundreds of fortresses, and each fortress has only twenty people.”

“Hundreds of them combined don’t even add up to 10,000 people. It won’t take any effort to take them down.”

The Confucian official asked, “How about a big city?”

“Then what is your opinion?”

The Confucian official also said: “I suggest that we should set up a lot of defense on the south bank of the river, as long as we can keep the enemy out of the country. In addition… the Jurchens have a good relationship with us, we can also try to form an alliance. Also, the Song Dynasty may come from the sea, so we’d better prepare some warships and train the navy first.”

Wang Hui also felt that taking the initiative to attack was a bit unreliable.

and……

Even if they were lucky enough to capture one or two cities, it would not be a big deal for the Song Dynasty.

The Confucian official added: “I also suggest that we should appropriately contact the chieftains and officials of the former Bohai Kingdom of Liao to see if they have any thoughts of rebellion.”

After all, those mature female real people do not have that deep a relationship with the Song Dynasty.

As for those who had a better relationship with them, they were the Jurchens living on Mount Paektu.

of course!

At this time, the Jurchens were also considered as dependencies of the Song Dynasty.

only……

It is just a nominal submission. It is very easy to rebel.

soon……

Wang Hui then had all these matters implemented.

Zhao Xin was also wondering about the loyalty of the officials of the former Bohai Kingdom in the Liaodong area.

If they are loyal enough.

So……

Once there is any disturbance on the front line, they will definitely send someone to report to me.

really!

Wang Hui moved.

Then someone reported the situation to Zhao Xin.

It was said that Goryeo had sent people to persuade them to separate from the Song Dynasty.

But they are not stupid, so of course they would not agree to such a thing.

Think about it, Zhao Xin is not stupid, and he has not conscripted them to work on a large scale. They are enjoying a good life and are rebelling. They must be crazy.

The key point is that the construction of the capital over the years has always been inseparable from the wood provided by them.

Tian Khan has always given you money and food as long as you are willing to work.

Instead of being like those who are in a hurry, don’t provide food, and will beat you to death if you don’t pay or work.

Now, even if he wanted to rebel, his subordinates would not agree.

Because the Khan paid after all.

In addition, other wild delicacies such as ginseng and sable fur have also been selling well in recent years.

Your rashness will make people rebel. Why don’t you pick a time when life is already unbearable?

Regarding the rebellion, the Tokyo governor could only express that he did not agree with it.

Of course, there is no problem with Tokyo Liaoyang Prefecture.

However, it is difficult to guarantee whether anyone under his command will rebel if he stays in Tokyo.

Mainly outside the Tokyo Liaoyang Prefecture, there are some places where people are still living in poverty. If the other side can persuade one or two people to rebel, there is still a chance.

only……

If it’s just a few people, it doesn’t matter.

after all……

There are too few people, so it can’t make any waves.

After receiving the report, Zhao Xin verbally praised the other party and asked him to be on guard.

The other party simply said: “If the Khan of Heaven allows, please let me lead the troops to flatten Goryeo.”

Zhao Xin replied, “Let’s talk about it later.”

This winter…

It was a bit difficult for both sides in the Song Dynasty.

Wang Hui was afraid that Zhao Xin would suddenly send troops to attack them.

As for Zhao Xin, his son has not returned from Jiaozhi yet.

Fastest…

I guess it will be next summer.

Zhao Xin wanted to help them recruit soldiers first.

But after thinking about it, I decided to forget it!
Letting them do it themselves can also give them more opportunities to exercise.

This year end.

The railway construction work in the Song Dynasty has been completed by almost half.

Although the progress of railway construction is still relatively slow.

but……

The technology of this steam locomotive has ushered in great development.

In the past, the horsepower was small and the speed was relatively slow. Now, as various technologies have become more mature, the speed has naturally increased.

This year……

They also held a steam locomotive race.

There is a steam locomotive that can run at a speed of nearly 50 kilometers per hour when it is empty and not loaded with anything.

There is also a steam locomotive, which has a speed of only eight kilometers per hour, but can pull one hundred tons of cargo.

And these were just the steam locomotives that were temporarily built for use in the competition, which took seven or eight months.

If we use the most standard method currently used in the Song Dynasty, there will be no problem in pulling five or six hundred tons and running at fifteen kilometers per hour.

The improvement in the quality of sleepers and rails can make steam locomotives heavier.

to be frank!
Today’s steam locomotives already look a bit like those of later generations.

In the past, it was impossible to make it look like what it does in later times because it would be too heavy.

It is easy to break the rails.

But now the sleepers and rails can withstand this force well.

but……

To be honest, it would be better if standard steel rails could be made.

Maybe it can pull thousands of tons and run twenty or thirty kilometers.

After such competitions, it has been proved from actual cases that only by following Zhao Xin’s ideas can we achieve the best results.

During this race, you can even see a steam locomotive driven by gears.

Its race results, even when it was empty and not pulling anything, were only less than five kilometers per hour.

Although it was a failed entry, it did inspire the enthusiasm of the craftsmen.

in……

There are also many apprentices who are only sixteen or seventeen years old.

What they came up with was naturally wild and imaginative, and was equivalent to making all the mistakes that the West had made before.

But Zhao Xin knew what the most perfect state of a steam locomotive was, so he naturally didn’t need to go through the same detour as they did.

When the Song Dynasty’s newest and most standard steam engine was brought out, it immediately blew away all the other competitors. Finally…

Excluding the newest and most standard steam locomotive, the first-place duo was rewarded with one thousand strings of cash each.

After that, Zhao Xin even let it be published in the newspaper.

to be frank!
Zhao Xin originally didn’t want to make such a big fuss.

after all……

If you publish the results of the competition like this, it would be tantamount to leaking state secrets.

but……

Well, they will be able to see it in two or three years anyway.

Zhao Xin felt that it didn’t matter if the secret was kept for another two or three years.

to be frank!
Nowadays, he has actually been kidnapped by this new technology.

I always feel that one day, someone might kill me.

But what can be done?

Even so, we have to keep moving forward.

Is it possible…

Do you still want to learn from the Qing Dynasty?

The only thing he can do now is that even if others want to overthrow him, the steam locomotive you make must be faster than mine.

He is still the largest grain and silk merchant in the Song Dynasty. Although he is called an official, he is actually a capitalist.

It’s just that as a capitalist, he is more conscientious than those feudal landlords.

If others want to overthrow him, they have to defeat him from these two directions.

In the eyes of scholars and common people, he is an official, the head of craftsmen, and the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.

It can be said that all power is concentrated in one person, and that’s all.

The only thing that worries Zhao Xin now is…

Although he can sit at such a height, his son and grandson may not have the same ability as him.

Because Ouyang Xiu complained that the prince did not study hard.

That winter, Zhao Xin also told the prince the story of Li Chengqian and Emperor Taizong Wen.

of course!

Zhao Xin would not treat the crown prince the same way Emperor Taizong Wen did.

and……

Really!

To be honest, Zhao Xin only studied for less than a year. In fact, he doesn’t read much.

but……

Just because he doesn’t study doesn’t mean Zhao Zhe doesn’t need to study either.

only……

Some books you can read or not.

Especially some principles such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, which are actually useless to read.

Take Sun Tzu, who wrote the Art of War, for example. If we really follow benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, then where would the Art of War exist?
For example, if Emperor Taizong Wen was truly filial, he would not have held his father Li Yuan hostage.

and so……

If someone teaches you these things, just listen to them. But don’t act so impatient that it will be obvious to others that you despise these things.

Zhao Xin said to Zhao Zhe:

“How can I put it? These things are actually used to calm the people. They are a tool to restrain the people.”

“As the crown prince, the future emperor.”

“You can’t be so stupid as to listen to everything.”

“It’s like Qin Shi Huang’s son Fusu.”

“Zhao Gao sent someone to tell him to commit suicide, and he did it himself.”

“But he had 300,000 soldiers at the time, and you asked me to commit suicide?”

“Meng Tian even advised him to send someone to reconfirm the matter.”

“But the other party said that his father told him to die, so how could he not obey?”

“If it were me, I would have cleared the court of officials the day I received the imperial edict. It must be that my father was deceived by that bastard Zhao Gao.”

“This is what a great leader should do.”

“And why is Fusu like this?”

“First, the historical records show that he was a very kind person. What was the source of his kindness?”

“Because he was surrounded by Confucianists who taught him benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness.”

“Of course, it’s not hard to understand why Fusu developed such a character. When you are Fusu, you were born in Qin State. Since you were born, you have seen the hardships of the people of Qin State. You also happened to meet some Confucianists and made them your teachers.”

“In your communication with them, you unknowingly agreed with their views. Moreover, they all showed that they loved the people, and you also felt that you should love the people of Qin like them. You were like a blank sheet of paper, and you did what they said.”

“So, when Zhao Gao sent someone to tell him to commit suicide, he immediately followed the example of the Confucianists.”

“I couldn’t disobey my father’s words. I even felt that I was very brave and loyal.”

“However… as mentioned before, these rules are made for the people so that they will not rebel against their superiors.”

“Zhe’er, you and I are the ones who are going to stand at the top of the pyramid. We must have our own judgment on everything.”

“Instead of being like Fusu, who believed whatever others said.”

“Of course! It doesn’t mean that we should stop listening to our fathers and stop believing in Confucianism.”

“But…if we want to listen, we must listen to those words that are beneficial to us.”

“Confucianism is actually a set of moral standards. Its function is to make people live in harmony, just like the law, which is to prevent people from breaking the law.”

“But as the master of this world, you cannot be restricted by such rules. You still have to do things when it’s time to do them.”

“In fact…if you look at history, you will find that those who do not follow the rules are more likely to succeed.”

“Those who only follow the rules and do things according to the rules can only become vassals of others.”

“But everything has its pros and cons. Your father disdains Confucian rules, so why do you still say that we should abide by them?”

“Because although this thing can easily make one’s son stupid, it can also teach the people to be obedient.”

“Why did Jiaozhi promote the Confucian imperial examinations? Even during the Liao Dynasty, Yelu Hongji also respected Confucianism and even encouraged Buddhism?”

“That’s because this thing can bring less fighting and killing to the world.”

“In this world, rules are too restrictive, and without them, people tend to act recklessly.”

“Many things are actually neither black nor white, but can be transformed into black and white at any time.”

“And a qualified crown prince should learn how to strike the right balance.”

“If you don’t like what the Grand Secretary said.”

“Then you don’t have to understand, but you can show respect. You can even study what they think in their hearts.”

“In fact… they also want you to rule the country without any hesitation, and then hand over the court to them.”

“There is struggle everywhere in this world.”

“And you and I, stay awake.”

“Always remember that our goal is always to be at the top.”

“Okay, that’s all for today. In the future, I will ask them to stop talking about big principles and just let them tell you what happened in each dynasty in ancient times to broaden your horizons. That’s enough.”

“Just like this Fusu, why did he behave like that?”

“When you read about why a historical figure did something like that, you have to stop and think about it yourself, put yourself in his shoes, and think about why he did that.”

“What on earth has affected him?”

“Is it Qin Shi Huang’s severity or his pursuit of certain truths?”

“When Fusu committed suicide, he might have really thought that he was extremely great.”

“He practiced Confucian morality, and he might even have hoped that his death would impress his father and encourage him to promote Confucian scholarship.”

“My evaluation of him is that he’s not a bad person. He’s just a little too idealistic.”

“In fact, your father is the same as me.”

“Originally, your father and I should have been living a life of eating, drinking and having fun, and then becoming a spendthrift and extravagant official. But I care about the people, and hope that with my own strength, I can govern this country well and change the fate of the entire country and even all Han people.”

“In fact, your father knows very well in my heart that this country will perish sooner or later.”

“Look at the number of officials, it increases a lot every year, and look at the average land of the people, it decreases a lot every year, and life is getting harder and harder.”

“How can we support the ever-increasing number of officials by using the ever-decreasing land of the people and their increasingly difficult lives?”

(End of this chapter)