Judge of the Song Dynasty Chapter 802: War Mobilization Law

Whether Zhao Xu wants to go to heaven or not is hard to say for now, but the Queen Mother of Xixia definitely wants to go to heaven.

Not long after the first year of Feilong, the Queen Mother of Xixia staged a palace drama.

She directly ordered the Xixia leader Li Bingchang to be placed under house arrest.

The news also reached Bianliang, Tokyo, as soon as possible, but Zhang Fei was not surprised at all.

Because for Empress Dowager Liang, she has no way out now. Because she banned trade with the Song Dynasty, more and more people turned to the Song Dynasty. You must know that it was the Song Dynasty that threatened Xixia with trade. , it can be seen that Xixia needs more trade with the Song Dynasty, so the people, merchants, and some village owners along the border of Xixia are very opposed to the order of the Empress Dowager Liang.

In fact, the Empress Dowager Liang knew very well that this was wrong, but she had no choice, because after Li Bingchang took office, she had been using close officials to create public opinion in the court, restore Han rituals, and make good friends with the Song Dynasty, but she As a Han woman, she could only take more drastic measures.

But it seems that more and more people are supporting their country's leader for their own interests, and the border is becoming more and more chaotic.

If this continues, Li Bingchang is likely to use this matter to regain power.

The only option is to break up the relationship first and put the emperor under house arrest to ensure his own power. In this way, he can negotiate with the Song Dynasty more independently diplomatically without being involved in internal affairs.

In other words, I just need to stabilize the internal affairs first, and then we can open up the discussion, and that makes sense.

But now I have to bite it no matter what.

However, her move shocked the whole country, and also made the chiefs and merchants who had secretly traded with the Song Dynasty know that they had no way out. If they did not rebel, they would definitely be liquidated by the Empress Dowager Liang, so they sent people to contact them directly Wang Shao, Zhong E and others expressed their willingness to surrender to the Song Dynasty.

After Zhao Xu learned the news, he immediately convened a key meeting.

Cui Gong Hall.

"According to what Wang Shao and Zhong E said, many chiefs in the border states have decided to rebel against the Empress Dowager Liang and surrender to the Song Dynasty. This is an excellent opportunity to eliminate Xixia!"

Wang Anshi was very moved by this.

This is really an excellent opportunity. Nowadays, the national power of the Song Dynasty is not what it used to be, and there is such a big civil strife in Xixia. It really takes advantage of the right time, place and people.

Wen Yanbo said: "But our spies in Xixia and Liao have also confirmed that in the second half of last year, the Queen Mother of Xixia secretly sent envoys to Liao twice.

Without the support of the Liao Kingdom, the Queen Mother of Xixia would not dare to do this. They must have reached some kind of agreement. Once we send troops to Xixia, the Liao Kingdom will most likely take advantage of it. ”

Lu Huiqing said: "Since Xixia has surrendered to the Liao Kingdom, if we wait until the Queen Mother of Xixia has reorganized her internal affairs, it will definitely pose a greater threat to our country."

Wen Yanbo said: "Of course we can't let go of the opportunity, but we have already planned to use merchants to secretly send troops, build forts, and assist them in their defense. In this way, we can have enough soldiers and horses to defend the Liao Kingdom. As long as we are not too big Even if they march on a large scale, the Liao Kingdom may not dare to go south."

Wang Anshi said: "Although this strategy is feasible, it may not be able to be defended. The Queen Mother of Xixia will definitely send a large army to suppress the rebellious generals and village leaders. If she does not send the main force in, how can she stop them? ?"

Wen Yanbo stroked his beard and asked Zhao Xu: "Your Majesty, this battle is related to the fate of the country. A commander should be appointed to take charge of the overall situation."

Zhao Xu nodded and said: "I want to appoint Wang Shao as the commander-in-chief of the three armies. After all, he once used the same tactics to capture the Hehuang area, and he is very familiar with the local situation."

Wang Anshi immediately said: "I also think Wang Shao is the best candidate."

Wen Yanbo hesitated slightly, but after thinking again and again, he said: "Your Majesty, you don't trust the people you employ, and you don't trust the people you doubt. If you appoint Wang Shao as commander-in-chief, you must trust him, but you can't make the same mistakes as before."

He said it very tactfully, but in fact he was implying that the emperor should not give random orders, and do not follow the example of his predecessors and control the battle situation.

He also knows that this opportunity is rare, but the Liao Kingdom is watching eagerly. If he is too aggressive, the Liao Kingdom may take advantage of it, but if he is too conservative, he may miss the opportunity.

We can only appoint a commander and let him make a decision based on the situation on the front line.

This kind of battle situation is difficult to control remotely.

Zhao Xu nodded and said: "Now that the reform has been successful, there is no need to do this. If you have no objections, I plan to appoint Wang Shao as the general manager of the three marches in Guanxi, Longyou and Hedong."

Sima Guang was a little panicked when he heard the words. He wanted to say that this is not the system of our dynasty, but then he thought about it. The previous reform of the official system followed the Tang system. Although it was finally changed to "Four Dissimilarities", the slogan was this The shouting of the Marching Superintendent was reasonable.

Wen Yanbo did not object and said: "Your Majesty can order Wang Shao to act according to the opportunity and decide how many main forces to send in. However, it is not appropriate to declare war, let alone advance rashly. We should proceed step by step, build camps and defend first, and encroach on Xixia's territory. We only need to use this battle to weaken Xixia and win the final victory. There is no need to launch a large-scale attack."

Zhao Xu nodded and looked at Wang Anshi and the others.

Of course Wang Anshi and others agree.

In fact, they were worried that the conservatives were too weak to attack and missed the opportunity, but they believed in Wang Shao very much, and Wang Shao would definitely not let Xixia go.

After the meeting, Zhao Xu immediately went to a small attic nearby, where Zhang Fei was already waiting.

"Your Majesty, they didn't quarrel, did they?"

Zhang Fei asked.

Zhao Xu shook his head and said: "Gong Wen's idea is the same as ours, but he thinks this policy is too conservative and is worried about delaying the war. But when I decided to appoint Wang Shao as the general manager of the march, he no longer objected."

Zhang Fei breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

Zhao Xu frowned and said: "What I am most worried about now is the Northern Dynasty. According to the news, the Northern Dynasty must have reached an agreement with the Queen Mother of Xixia, but I don't know what they are planning. Will they send troops directly, or will they wait until the Queen Mother of Xixia calms down the internal affairs? , and then send troops together with them, or just put pressure on our country to let the Queen Mother of Xixia equalize the civil strife."

Although the country's strength is growing day by day, he is still very worried if it is to fight on two fronts at the same time.

Zhang Fei comforted: "Your Majesty, we have tried our best to avoid fighting on two fronts, and even businessmen have taken advantage of it, but this plan depends on people and the success depends on God. In the end, the final initiative is held by In the hands of the Liao Kingdom.

However, with our current national strength, I am confident that we can stop the Liao Kingdom before launching a full-scale attack on Xixia. ”

Zhao Xu nodded.

Zhang Fei didn't say anything more. Not only Zhao Xu, but also most of the ministers in the court had a fear of the Liao Kingdom, which could not be eliminated without fighting.

The next day, Zhao Xu sent fast horses to convey his appointment to Xizhou. To be on the safe side, he even sent fast horses to Yanzhou, Suizhou and other northwest border states to let them accept Wang Shao's command.

Although Zhang Fei had already said hello when he went there, after all, these three marching generals appeared for the first time in the Song Dynasty. Zhao Xu was still worried that the generals would not understand.

At the same time, Hebei troops were ordered to enter a state of combat readiness, including most of the royal police.

The highest royal court.

"Xueshi Wang, Third Secretary, do you still have time to come to my place for tea?"

Zhang Fei looked at Wang Anshi and Xue Xiang and said with a smile.

Wang Anshi smiled and said: "Of course we are not here to drink tea."

"That is.?"

"That's right."

Xue Xiang immediately said: "Now we must be fully prepared, and the same is true for finances, but things are not what they used to be. In addition, our country has not yet declared war, and it is not appropriate to recruit slaves. We can only spend money." We need money to hire people to transport food and grass, but we still don’t know how long this war will last and how big the scale will be.”

Zhang Fei said: "Increase taxes?"

Xue Xiang hesitated slightly.

Wang Anshi said: "We haven't raised taxes yet. We want to issue debt similar to salt bonds to ensure that the national treasury is always full, so that we can deal with the crisis in the north."

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "This is feasible. I actually don't agree with increasing taxes. The more times like this, the more important it is to take care of internal affairs. If taxes are increased, it will cause dissatisfaction among the people. I just don't know that you How much debt do you plan to issue?"

Wang Anshi said: "Ten million strings."

Zhang Fei said: "That's a little too much."

Wang Anshi said: "Hezhong Mansion can issue one million guan, so how can the imperial court issue 10 million guan as too much?"

Zhang Fei said: "The Hezhong Mansion issued one million guan, which was entirely supported by the salt pond, and when the debt matures, it must be paid off with interest. The key is to issue so much, and the businessman also I don’t dare to buy it.”

Wang Anshi said: "That's why we came to you to find a solution."

Xue Xiang added: "Issuing this kind of debt is also to protect tax coins. Once news of the war comes, people may sell off tax coins and try to keep copper coins, because they will worry about the imperial court issuing banknotes indiscriminately to supplement Military spending."

Zhang Fei frowned, "This is really a problem. Debt alone may not be enough to reassure the people. It will also make the people think that the court has no money, triggering even more panic selling."

Xue Xiangdao: "Then how do you think we should keep the tax coins?"

Zhang Fei said: "The third envoy must prepare enough reserves of copper coins and silk cloth, and at the same time recover some tax coins."

Wang Anshi said: "At present, the court is using money. How to recover tax coins?"

Although they are all first-class geniuses, they are still a little unsure about how to operate this kind of legal paper currency in a war.

Zhang Fei pondered for a while and said: "This can only rely on the three major Jiekupu."

Wang Anshi asked: "How?"

Zhang Fei said: "First of all, it is definitely not possible to issue so much money at once. It must be paid for at least three years. This is still time. They only need to pay back three to four million yuan every year. With the current financial situation, they are more Don’t worry.”

Wang Anshi nodded and said: "This is no problem. The current situation is still uncertain."

Zhang Fei asked again: "Don't they all have storage businesses now?"

The two nodded.

Zhang Fei said: "We can use their storage business to recycle tax coins on the market. As long as the number of tax coins on the market is maintained at a low level, there will be no panic about tax coins.

Let the three major Jiekupu first increase the storage interest to 5% per year, and after maturity, you can choose to settle in copper coins or tax coins, so as to attract people to save money, and then we will increase the interest rate to 5% per year. Sell ​​the debt to them for 10% of the interest, and they will make half of the net profit in the middle, and the pressure will be shared. I think they can be persuaded to agree. ”

Xue Xiang's eyes lit up when he heard this, "In other words, we will directly sell all the debts to the three major Jiekupu, and the three major Jiekupu will use our debt interest to attract people to save money?"

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "That's right. Of course, the three major Jiekupu can also directly sell the debt."

Xue Xiangdao: "This is a wonderful strategy."

Wang Anshi laughed and said: "I knew you had an idea. Ahem, President, I'm sorry."

Zhang Fei rolled his eyes and said: "But Bachelor Wang, I have to remind you of one thing. As you just said, things are not what they used to be. Everything must follow the law, but there is no need to rush to follow the right. Say.

In the past, times like this were the best time to fish in troubled waters, but now the Public Security Bureau, the Imperial Commission, and the Taxation Department are all watching. If someone in the Public Service Department wants to make a fortune, it will definitely affect Wang Xueshi and Lu Shangshu. The imperial court will definitely impose a heavy sentence. ”

Wang Anshi said: "But how can we keep an eye on this?"

Zhang Fei said: "But everyone was recommended by you. If something happens, you must be responsible."

Wang Anshi nodded and said, "I will tell Jifu."

After that, he added: "But since the law is to be enforced, you must also improve the relevant laws. When the country's survival is at stake, the court must use coercive means."

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "I will go to the Legislative Council to discuss and draft a war mobilization law so that the government can recruit people in accordance with this law in times of crisis."

Wang Anshi nodded and said: "You have to watch this method, it cannot be decided by Sima Junshi and others."

Zhang Fei said: "I'm not watching. I don't have any experience in this area. The Political Affairs Hall must also participate."

Wang Anshi felt even more relieved after hearing this.

Zhang Fei added: "In addition, we can now slowly build momentum through newspapers and periodicals to arouse everyone's memory of being oppressed by the Liao Kingdom. If we want to fight on two fronts, we must be united."

Wang Anshi said worriedly: "But the attitude of the Liao Kingdom is still unclear."

Zhang Fei said: "We can slowly build momentum, which will test Bachelor Wang's literary skills."

Wang Anshi said angrily: "What does this have to do with literary skills? If it really does, why would I come to you again and again to beg you? I will write a few articles and you can help me take a look."

Zhang Fei nodded.

Although times have changed, the tacit understanding between Wang Anshi and Sima Guang has never been absent. As soon as Wang Anshi and the others left, Sima Guang came to the imperial court.

"Alas!"

After sitting down, Sima Guang said nothing but a long sigh.

"Why did Bachelor Sima sigh?"

Zhang Fei personally handed him a cup of tea.

Sima Guang glanced at him and said, "You are asking knowingly."

Zhang Fei smiled and said: "This tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop, so it needs to be beaten."

Sima Guang said: "But after finally living a good life for a few years, I really don't want to..."

He really doesn’t want to fight. The current society is really better than what he dreamed of and has exceeded Confucian standards. But fighting is a waste of people and money. In his heart, it is like a perfect picture that will be destroyed. .

Zhang Fei smiled and said: "I think it is better to fight late than to fight early."

"How?" Sima Guang asked.

Zhang Fei said: "We will only get richer and richer, and they will only get poorer and poorer. At that time, we will be a fat sheep in their eyes, and they will be a hungry wolf in our eyes. At that time, I am afraid that most of them will Like Bachelor Sima, everyone does not want to fight, but the other party must fight. The difference in mood makes us even more passive."

"That's true." Sima Guang nodded and said, "Then what can the public prosecutor and the procuratorate do at this time?"

This was also the first time that the public prosecutor and the procuratorate faced this situation, and he was quite confused.

Zhang Fei said: "Calm down, take it easy, and be a little more diligent than usual."

Sima Guang looked at him doubtfully.

Zhang Fei smiled and said: "We are the key force to stabilize the country. If we all panic, there will definitely be chaos in the rear. By defending the public security and law, we have actually done a great favor to the court."

Sima Guangdao: "But whenever a war breaks out, the court's policies will gradually become extreme. Increases in taxes and corvee may not be the same. How should the public security, procuratorate, and law face this situation?"

Zhang Fei said: "Legislation."

Sima Guang said: "Will legislation prevent it?"

"No."

Zhang Fei said: "Legislative support."

".?"

"Scholar Sima, this is related to the survival of the country, and it is everyone's responsibility."

Zhang Fei said: "Actually, our dynasty has always had relevant laws to ensure how to recruit slave laborers during wars and the minimum wages they receive. However, in the past, corruption in government led to many generals and officials seeking public benefits for personal gain. War wealth, and now we are amending the law to determine the obligations that each citizen should bear in times of crisis, and to ensure that the people can get the rewards they deserve. Although it may be lower than usual, it must at least protect the lives of the people and their families. Required.

How to make all of this work in accordance with the law is the test of our public security organs. ”

Sima Guang asked again: "When it comes to this general, many generals do nothing during the war. How should we respond?"

Zhang Fei said: "What is the scoring situation? If it does not affect the war situation, we can settle the accounts later. But if it affects the war situation due to selfish interests, we must punish it immediately. But this requires the officials of the public security, procuratorate, and law to be smart enough to act appropriately. This is also a major test for judicial officials, but it must be experienced."

"Yes! This is something that must be experienced."

Sima Guang nodded and suddenly looked at Zhang Fei again, "Why are you not panicking at all?"

Zhang Fei said: "Because I think we will win."

"Why?"

"Those who have attained the truth will receive many help, but those who have lost the path will receive little help."

Zhang Fei said: "I am standing on morality. Why are the people of Xixia willing to surrender to our Song Dynasty? It is not because they hate the Queen Mother Liang, but because they yearn for a better life. The issues mentioned by Bachelor Sima just now are Their countries will appear one by one, and this is the advantage of the public security, prosecution and law, so we will only get stronger as we fight, and they will get weaker as we fight."

After hearing this, Sima Guang was stunned for a long time, and suddenly smiled bitterly and said: "I often use these principles to persuade officials, but in fact I haven't fully understood them yet!"

Zhang Fei said: "Maybe it's not that Scholar Sima didn't understand it thoroughly, but that in the eyes of Scholar Sima, there are only Han and barbarians."

Sima Guang was suddenly startled, and after a while, he slowly said: "I am far inferior to you."

From the concerns of Sima Guang and Wang Anshi, it is not difficult to see that they are worried about the new system's response to war.

Because they were afraid that war would overwhelm the entire new system.

This is indeed very possible, because in a war, who would care so much, whether everyone can still abide by the law, and whether the public security organs and the procuratorate will become a stumbling block to the government's decrees, these are all unpredictable.

This is also a severe test for the public security organs.

If the advantages of the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate can be demonstrated in this environment, then the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate will be completely rooted in this land.

Most of these pressures are concentrated on Zhang Fei.

We can only rely more on him to find a solution.

Today, he came to the headquarters of the charity foundation and held a meeting with Fan Yong and Chen Maoqian to discuss the national debt.

"Is there going to be a war?"

Chen Maoqian asked softly.

Of course he got wind of his many transactions in the northwest. After hearing Zhang Fei's proposal, he knew that there might be a war.

Zhang Fei said: "As far as I know, the imperial court has no intention of starting a war with anyone, but you also know that the west is in chaos now. The tree wants to be quiet but the wind is not stopping. The imperial court must be prepared to deal with emergencies. ”

Fan Yong said: "The Chief Justice has spoken, and it sounds like he is sure to make a profit without losing any money. Of course we will not refuse this, but that is not necessarily the case at Xiangguo Temple. After all, after every battle, the imperial court does not occupy If you get an advantage and the treasury is empty, you may not be able to repay the debt.

I think Xiangguo Temple is also worried about this, which will make all the business we have worked hard for many years go to waste. ”

Borrowing money is not a problem, but he really has no confidence in the country's war.

Winning is also a loss, and losing is also a loss.

How can you ensure that after the war, the country can pay back the money?

Zhang Fei said: "Why don't you think so, if the enemy comes in, it doesn't mean that everyone's business will be in vain, but only their lives will be lost.

You should think this way. The court is willing to lend money because it actually does not want to increase taxes and is also afraid of interrupting the country's upward momentum. Moreover, as long as the war occurs on the territory of other countries, it will not affect your business, and the country's tax policy will still be very serious. With stable operation, there will naturally be money to pay back in due course.

In addition, the money is not given to corrupt officials, but to you businessmen. Now the court hires people and buys goods directly from businessmen. This will set off a wave of chaos, and you Businessmen will make a lot of money.

Your worries are nothing compared to these three points. ”

Everyone looked at each other in shock.

It seems to make sense.

They also know that it is Xixia who is provoking trouble. If someone wants to beat you, if you don't, you will be dead.

Chen Maoqian suddenly said: "Sanlang said so sincerely, does he want us to learn to persuade Xiangguo Temple?"

Zhang Fei smiled and said: "No one knows me well, but I think as long as the Ma family and us agree, the Xiangguo Temple will also agree, and the three envoys will show up to talk to them."

As the president of the court, he can only talk to these friends and cannot talk to the other party on behalf of the court. He does not have this power, and what he says has no legal effect.

After communicating with these businessmen, he went to the Legislative Council to discuss with Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, Wang Anshi, and Sima Guang how to draft a war mobilization law.

If it is not written clearly, it will be difficult for the public security organs to intervene.

In ancient times, there was no concept of mobilization, but there were only some regulations, and these regulations were in the same vein as the previous laws, which were mainly based on punishment, mainly stipulating that tasks must be completed on time, otherwise, what punishment would be received.

But this is definitely not in line with the philosophy of the public security organs.

All need to be re-drafted.

Zhang Fei actually doesn’t know much about this. You may be able to understand what fighting was like in ancient times by reading history books, but if you want to talk about what mobilization was like in ancient times, books may only be the tip of the iceberg. It is unimaginable for those who have not experienced it. He only put forward some ideas and suggestions, mainly to ensure everyone's obligations and rights, but it was up to Fu Bi and the others to discuss how to formulate the specifics.