Zhao Yu said that the three of them were silent, although they looked down on profit-seeking businessmen from their hearts, but they also knew that without merchants to communicate material exchanges, trading goods and exchanges, the whole society would be paralyzed. And most of the wealth of the Xing Dynasty for so many years has relied on commercial tax income, even if it is clear that they colluded with Meng Yuan to make profits and gave up morality in front of interests, but they cannot be erased from society. It is even more impossible to make those small traders who support their families give up their lives for the sake of righteousness.

"Your Majesty's heartfelt words are already clear in the hearts of the ministers, but if they are not punished, they will not benefit the country in the end." Wen Tianxiang spoke for a while, but his expression was no longer as angry as he was at the beginning.

"Hehe, I have never said that I will not pursue those profiteers who mislead the country, but I must have a degree, and I must severely crack down on those illegal businessmen who collude with the Yuan Court to be willing to be minions to help the enemy loot people's wealth, and hoard Juqi and affect people's livelihood. And those who forget their righteousness for the sake of profit, and although there are minor evils, but there are no major faults, they can be punished slightly, and those who have to fight with the enemy in order to make a living do not need to be investigated. Zhao Hao smiled.

"Your Majesty's lesson is that what the minister has done is indeed over, please ask Your Majesty to condemn it." Wen Tianxiang saluted.

"Wen Xiang's actions are widely implicated, and there have indeed been, but there is nothing wrong with doing extraordinary things at extraordinary times, but we must take them as a warning." Zhao Yu raised his hand to let him get up and said, "At this time, the situation is no longer as good as when we were in Qiongzhou, we not only have to recover Jiangnan, but also govern Jiangnan, so the past policies must be adjusted in a timely and appropriate manner, and the current focus is to stabilize people's hearts and consolidate political power." ”

"The minister has written it down." Wen Tianxiang saluted again, "Your Majesty, now that Jiangnan has fallen for ten years, the situation has changed a lot, and the class differentiation is not clear, please ask Your Majesty to make it clear how to deal with it!" ”

"Order the ships to bombard the enemy in the city with their starboard guns!" At this time, the warship had successfully entered the Yangtze River through the mouth of the lake and was heading along the west of the city, and Zhao Yu did not rush to answer Wen Tianxiang's question, but ordered the cannon to be fired.

"Yes!" Wang Meng immediately ordered all ships to immediately open their gun doors, load them with shells, and aim at the city to open fire.

"Your Majesty, why is that?" Just now, the little emperor was forbidden to fire in the face of the siege of the enemy army and the people, but he was out of range at the moment, but he ordered the cannon to be fired, which made him very puzzled. With the fire of the ballistas, the flowering shells exploded one after another at the head of the city, and the unprepared enemy soldiers suffered heavy casualties in an instant, and the castle tower was also hit one after another and ignited a fire. The Yuan soldiers stationed on the embankment were hit by arrows fired from the ballistas, and the screams were endless, and the people who were watching were scattered in an instant, hiding everywhere, and no one dared to come forward to challenge.

"Wen Xiang, Your Majesty's intention here is to inform the people that the forbearance just now was not because I was afraid of them, but because my Wang Shi is a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, and I don't want to hurt innocent people, I have repeatedly backed down. The other is to warn those foolish people not to help the abuse, lest the jade be burned. At this time, Xie Fangde interjected and explained.

"Your Majesty's actions are all meaningful, and the minister is really stupid!" Wen Tianxiang understood after a little thought, and said with a dry laugh.

"No, the authorities are just confused." Zhao Yu picked up the kettle and drank the water and said, "I, the Zhao family, founded the country, reused scholars, and was willing to rule the world with scholars, but it backfired, and some of them were really sad and disappointed......"

As soon as Zhao Hao's words fell, Wen Tianxiang and the other two showed embarrassment on their faces, but Zhao Hao was not polite, but bluntly stated his opinion.

It is precisely because since Zhao Kuangyin set the family law of co-governance with scholars in the early Song Dynasty, the emperors of all dynasties have treated scholars well, and they have long been the most glorious period of scholars in history, and their movements are in a sense the vane of Chinese politics. At the beginning of the fall of Jiangnan, because the panic was not eliminated and the order was not determined, the court officials, scholars, and Confucian scholars were scattered everywhere, mixed with the people, and adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards the current situation.

In terms of the overall situation, the war of the Yuan Dynasty to defeat the Southern Song Dynasty at this moment was different in nature from the foreign conquest of the Mongol period, and the color of primitive plunder was greatly reduced, and it basically became a war of annexation and unification between the Han regimes. Therefore, before Kublai Khan sent his troops, he put forward the goal of not killing Jiangnan.

During the war, the Yuan court recruited a large number of Song generals and officials, using them to continue the campaign and calm the chaos in the region. After the surrender of the Song court, the Yuan court issued another edict: the dead Song Dynasty returned to the meritorious officials and those who were able to use their talents and virtues, and applied for the province to be hired. A large number of subordinate officials were assigned to the ministry, and the method of re-awarding was adopted to retain the original position.

Kublai Khan's rule over Jiangnan was quite strategic, and a few years after the Ping Song Dynasty, with the defeat of the anti-Yuan forces, the local situation in Jiangnan gradually stabilized, and the selection of local officials in Jiangnan gradually changed, and they were replaced by the expiration of their terms of office or by saying goodbye to the elderly. In addition, in addition to selecting officials from among the southern scholars who came to the north, Kublai Khan also directly selected talents from Jiangnan through the method of seeking talents, and for a long time after that, he carried out many large-scale recruitment activities.

However, after the abolition of the emperor's northern hunting, a group of Song ministers who moved and recruited entered the Yuan court, and the situation changed. Liu Mengyan, Wang Jiweng and others were all high-ranking officials of the Song court, and they worshiped Shangshu and entered the cabinet. Zhao Youpiao, Cheng Jufu, Zhao Mengfu, Xie Changyuan, Ye Li and other celebrities also entered the Hanlin Academy, especially the call of Zhao Mengfu, a descendant of the royal family, made the hearts of those wait-and-see scholars change, and a group of speculative scholars took the initiative to move closer to it. As a result, the "political tide" spread rapidly, and even some celebrities and Confucians and young talents with strong blood and strength were not exempt from vulgarity.

However, Zhao Hao thinks that changes in the environment cannot be used as an excuse to surrender to the enemy, which is a major issue of right and wrong related to "integrity", that is, the ancients often said that "wealth and nobility cannot be lewd, and power cannot be bent". Especially at the crossroads of life and death in the nation-state, whether or not they can stick to this bottom line is undoubtedly the most severe test for scholars. In fact, civil society in the occupied areas, including intellectuals who have always been regarded as social role models, is by no means monolithic, and the 'reuse' of Liu Mengyan and others has accelerated the process of differentiation.

Of course, these enemies also knew that it was morally wrong to do so, and it was even more contrary to the words of the sages, so they hoped for sympathetic understanding with the doctrine of self-preservation. This statement should be said to be very marketable, and it is often used by those who have been demoted, because it is a very common mentality to seek self-preservation in troubled times, let alone in the fallen areas where the ruling system is tight. Many said that although they were loyal to the old dynasty, they were forced to take false positions in order to make ends meet or to keep their fortunes.

Of course, there is no shortage of scholars who stick to the bottom line and maintain integrity, such as Xiang Xie Fangde, Ma Tingluan, Wang Yinglin and many other scholars, when they are displaced, poor and sick, they have to sell their treasured calligraphy and painting classics, open a museum to teach apprentices to make a living, and even forced to wander around, they are still not tempted by high salaries and categorically refuse to 'enter the office'. This kind of bloody Confucian who is not confused by profit and does not succumb to obscenity is certainly worthy of praise and reuse.

Between the two poles of disobedience and observance, more scholars chose the middle route: neither took the initiative to seek refuge in Mengyuan, nor stayed out of the world; He did not resist the arrangement of the Yuan court, but also tried his best to safeguard the interests of the country and the nation within the scope of his duties. After the pacification of Jiangnan, the official schools were gradually restored in the state capitals, and these people were called to serve as teachers and libraries, and still spread the learning of the saints. Although these people do not actively join the enemy, their personality and integrity should still be questioned, and of course, it is also biased to conclude that this group is a gray area that has lost its national position and national concept.

All of this blurs the line between loyalty and right and wrong. In short, when the country was lost, the remnants of the Song Dynasty were divided on the basis of whether they could stick to integrity and adhere to the general interests of the nation, but most of them still chose the middle line of compromising on the surface but actually safeguarding the interests of the nation as much as possible. This multipolar pattern shows that during this period, the southern scholars did not form a united anti-Mongolian front, nor did they have a gray area where the overall position was warm......

"Your Majesty's words, let the ministers pause!" Wen Tianxiang listened to the words and said, "What the ministers did was indeed too reckless, generalizing about them and failing to make good use of them, so that the local people were in a loud voice, and they missed the opportunity to choose materials for the country." ”

"Don't blame yourself too much, it's been ten years since the fall of Jiangnan, and the inherent people can still stick to the discipline, but there are also a lot of people at both ends of the snake and rat. When the war is tense, it is difficult to identify them one by one, and it is not all up to you. Zhao Yu saw that he realized his mistake, so he couldn't help but blame himself too much, and comforted him.

"Your Majesty treats him so leniently, which makes the minister embarrassed." Wen Tianxiang was even more ashamed when he heard it, and said with a salute.

"My words are by no means to protect Wenxiang, but there are also a lot of problems on the other side, although what you are doing here is not perfect, there will be no big chaos, but there is no way to say for sure!" Zhao Yu waved his hand and sighed.

"Your Majesty, has there been a change in the line?" Wen Tianxiang glanced at the other two, turned to the little emperor and asked.

"No, there is Prime Minister Lu presiding over the government over there, and Zhang Shijie is sitting in Lin'an City, which can still be handled." Zhao Yu looked at Wen Tianxiang's anxious appearance and hurriedly spoke.

"Then why is Your Majesty worried?" Wen Tianxiang asked again with a sigh of relief.

"After the recovery of Lin'an, the minds of some people in the Xing Dynasty changed." Zhao Hao said with a wry smile.

"Do they still want to rebel?" Xie Ao asked excitedly.

"It's not that serious, it's just that the ministers have differences in the concept of governing the country!" Zhao Yu shook his head and said.

"Your Majesty, what are the differences between the DPRK and China?" Wen Tianxiang frowned and asked.

"In fact, Jiangdong is facing the same problem as Jiangxi at the moment, because the situation is developing too fast, and there are not enough local officials. Some people advocated the selection from the old officials, and I agreed. But they didn't screen it, and in the name of seeking talent, they recruited a large number of old people, many of whom abandoned the army and fled without a fight. I was very disappointed and rejected them one by one, but they still frequently recommended them, and I don't know what they want to do? Zhao Yu said leisurely.

"Your Majesty, they want to use this to sell their reputation and install private individuals, they have ulterior motives, or they should wake up." Wen Tianxiang thought about it.

"This is also what I am worried about, now that Jiangnan is not stable, I am in a hurry to let such goods into the court, not only to those martyrs who died in the country, but also to make the hearts of the warriors of a hundred battles cold. It also makes me worry that there are such figures in the court who control the government, and if I don't get it right, I will repeat the mistake of destroying the country. Zhao Yu said worriedly.

"Don't you know?" Wen Tianxiang frowned and said.

"I just entered the city, and things are complicated. The two governors Ying and Liu are still in Qiongzhou, and the minister of Wen is fighting outside, and everything needs to be taken care of by Lu Xiang, and he has to go to the court outside the city every day, and it is difficult to take care of everything every day. Even if they find something, they can explain it as it was in the past, and what does it say. Zhao Hao sighed and said.

"Your Majesty has not yet entered the city?" Wen Tianxiang said in amazement.

"Exactly, since Your Majesty recovered Lin'an, he has been living in Xingzai in Qiantang County outside the city." Chen Dun interjected on the side.

"How can it be true that a courtier lives in the city, but His Majesty lives outside the city?" Wen Tianxiang said angrily when he heard this.

"They said that the old palace had been burned down, and that it was necessary to rebuild it. His Majesty once said that he temporarily lived in the North Palace, and they said that it was the retirement place of the Emperor Taishang, and His Majesty's residence here would damage his prestige and be unreasonable. Anyway, it is a push, so that Lin'an City has been recovered for nearly a month, and he can only live outside the city. Chen Dun said in a long voice, obviously not angry about this arrangement.

"How can this be true, they are obviously negligent, even if there are thousands of reasons, they can't prevent His Majesty from entering the city, do they have other plans?" Wen Tianxiang said angrily.

"It is indeed abnormal for them to do this, and it seems that they are suspected of suppressing His Majesty's prestige, so that the people of the world do not know that there is a king, and they show their merits alone." Xie Fangde also felt that there was something wrong with it, and said with a dark face.

"Exactly, the minister is also worried that there are ghosts in it, Your Majesty must not be guarded against!" Xie Ao also said.

"Don't worry, Aiqing, it doesn't matter where I live." Zhao Hao smiled and said, "The most important thing at the moment, in addition to screening officials, there is one more thing that cannot be ignored. ”

"Your Majesty, please speak!" Wen Tianxiang saluted.

"Taizong once said: Water can carry a boat and also capsize a boat. Therefore, the people's support is the foundation of whether we can stabilize Jiangnan and win the hearts and minds of the people. Zhao Yu said.

"Your Majesty's words are reasonable, but although the people in the countryside have no resistance to Wang Shi, their attitude is not clear, and few rebels have responded to our sphere of influence, and the food and fundraising are almost all supported by the captured state capital, Cangxiao, and it seems that Wang Shi is not happy to return north." Xie Ao said.

"It is not surprising that the people at the bottom are more likely to be divided than the merchants and scholars, with a large number of members and different mentalities; In addition, their low social status, conservative mentality, and wise way of life determine that their reactions to various political wrestling are usually not too radical, and I am afraid that we can really occupy Jiangnan! Zhao Yu said that he knew that only by understanding the mentality of the people at the bottom of the occupied areas could he better win the hearts and minds of the people......