Zhao Zhen asked a lot about the situation in the northwest, and the war was fought to this point, in fact, it was a competition of national strength. In the past, although the Great Song Dynasty was vast and densely populated and rich in products, there was a drawback, that is, the transportation was lagging behind, the mountains were overlapping, and it was impossible to concentrate manpower and material resources. The mobilization capacity is not even as good as that of the steppe tribes.

In the past few years, especially after the relocation of the capital to Luoyang, the infrastructure in the northwest has been greatly improved.

Nowadays, it is mainly the government, the people, and the military doing it.

Uncle Guo Cao Tong, Su Zhe, as well as the kind family and the folded family, are all investing heavily.

With cement, many bridges could be reinforced, rivers could be widened, and when they encountered hillsides and ravines, they were blown up with gunpowder.

After several years of hard work, the road network in the northwest has been improved a lot, and the loss of materials from Luoyang has been pressed to about 30%.

In fact, this is still a very terrifying number, after all, from the southeast movement of Luoyang, there is also a loss of 20%, plus this 30%, it is half.

But fortunately, Da Song has a strong foundation and can still hold on.

Even if it is a war of attrition, it will consume Western Xia to death!

"Jingping, how is the emperor doing in the northwest? Can it be edified? Zhao Zhen asked with a smile.

Wang Ning'an hurriedly said: "Your Highness is kind and generous, and the soldiers and civilians in the northwest, including the barbarians who belong to him, are all grateful for His Highness's goodness. However, the minister felt that His Highness should be more decisive and decisive, but fortunately, His Highness was still young and did not need to worry. ”

Zhao Zhen chuckled, Wang Ningan did not pour ecstasy soup, but truthfully reported it, he was still very happy.

"I'm getting older, and there's not much time left for the emperor, and I've already made him the crown prince, so it stands to reason that he should change his name."

The emperor of Zhao and Song Dynasty had rules, and before succeeding to the throne, he had to change the name of two characters into one word, which was much easier for the common people to avoid, and it could also highlight the uniqueness of imperial power.

Zhao Zongyuan has been the prince for two years, and it is reasonable to change it to a single-character name.

It's just that changing the name often means that the old emperor is decaying, and the replacement of the old and the new is about to take place...... Thinking of this, Wang Ningan's heart felt like a big stone was blocked.

It's been more than ten years, Uncle Zhao has become Uncle Zhao, and it is rare for the monarch and the minister to do their job...... Wang Ningan's heart was sour.

"Your Majesty, if you don't have to wait for two years, it's best to defeat the Western Xia, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will return to Beijing with great achievements, open up the territory and change its name, and celebrate with the whole world, which is logical."

Zhao Zhen pondered for a while and did not refute.

He wanted to get up, perhaps because after sitting for a long time, his body was numb, and he didn't even stand up.

"Jingping."

Wang Ningan hurriedly came over, stretched out his hand to help Zhao Zhen up, but his eyes were red, and he quickly turned his head over.

Zhao Zhen smiled instead, but didn't care.

"Who can not be old, Fan Xianggong went last month!"

At the mention of this, Wang Ning'an suddenly had a pimple in his heart.

A few years ago, Fan Zhongyan lingered on the bed and couldn't afford to be sick for a long time. finally dragged on through the winter, and when the spring flowers bloomed, everyone felt that the old man could last another year.

How did you know that Fan Zhongyan actually went in his sleep.

Fan Chunren and Fan Chunli are both filial piety at home.

As a disciple, he didn't even see the last side of the master, Wang Ningan was very ashamed and blamed himself. Speaking of which, he worshiped Fan Zhongyan, the purpose was not pure, but more to use the prestige of the old minister to ease the contradiction between the old ministers of the Qingli calendar, for so many years, Wang Ningan did not listen to the advice in front of the old minister, an old man, said that it was gone, I really don't know how to describe it.

Fan Zhongdrown's death made Wang Ningan feel very disappointed.

Zhao Zhen patted the back of his hand.

"Jingping, birth, old age, sickness and death, human nature. At my age, I can see everything. Fan Xianggong went, and yesterday Bao Aiqing also wrote a letter to Shi, saying that he was old and frail, his eyes were dizzy, and he couldn't hold on. Besides, Uncle Yong is also old, and when it comes to counting on his fingers, our group of people, either withered or decrepit, will not last long. ”

Zhao Zhen said as he paced.

Perhaps thinking the topic was too heavy, he smiled again.

"In the first half of my life, I did nothing, and I just kept it. Over the years, Jing Ping has worked hard for me and made drastic moves, so that I have today's achievements, as long as I destroy the Western Xia and open up the Western Regions, even if I die, I can still smile at Jiuquan, which is enough to face the ancestors of the past dynasties. ”

When Zhao Zhen said this, the conversation changed.

"Jingping, last time I told you that I was going to investigate the case of the prince's poisoning, and now I have an eyebrow."

I have to say that there is still a big difference in ability between people, if Wang Ningan presides over it, it may have been able to come to light a long time ago, but once this kind of case is lifted, countless people will lose their heads, and it will be bloody.

Zhao Zhen felt that the killing was too heavy, the situation was turbulent, and he was also worried that the dog would jump off the wall in a hurry, so he pressed it down and slowly drew it.

The last time I caught a fake old way, the whole case made a breakthrough.

The Imperial City Division has been busy for so long, and finally came up with the result.

"Jingping, that guy who is not a monk or a monk, is a person from the Great Xiangguo Temple."

Wang Ningan's face changed, "Please forgive the sage, the minister was soft-hearted." ”

Zhao Zhen shook his head, "Back then, the case of Daxiangguo Temple turned the world upside down, how many children of the clan, dignitaries and dignitaries, came to me to intercede, and it was already the limit to be able to distribute them, but I didn't expect that Yelu Hongji was much more powerful than at the beginning!" ”

At that time, Wang Ningan sent people from the Great Xiangguo Temple to let them enter the Liao State, overhaul the pagodas and monasteries, and consume the financial resources of the Liao State.

Frankly, this strategy was a success.

At least when it came to recovering Youzhou, it played a role.

However, after Yelu Hongji retreated beyond the Great Wall, he completely changed his personality, first expelling Han officials, and then exterminating Buddha and ordering monks to return to the laity.

Many of the monks sent by Wang Ning'an to the Liao Kingdom returned to the Great Song Dynasty.

Among them is the Bichen monk who sang against Wang Ningan in the copper price war!

After he came back, he was unwilling to be lonely, and he also got involved in the battle of Jiaozi in Yizhou.

After the defeat, he provided poison to Concubine Miao and poisoned Zhao Zhen and Empress Cao.

Later, he betrayed the news and killed Wang Deyong, and him!

It's a heinous snake!

"The benevolence of a thought, indulges in such a tumor, and it is difficult for the minister to escape the involvement."

Wang Ningan pleaded guilty again.

Zhao Zhen raised his head and looked at the outside of the main hall, a side of the sky, only the size of a palm, he smiled slightly: "The world is vast, but this hall blocks my vision, what I know and see, like a blind man touching an elephant, I can only see it!" ”

Wang Ningan was so smart that he instantly understood what Zhao Zhen meant.

"Your Majesty, do you mean that after this Bichen, there is a greater force?"

"How capable can a lost dog be, and how much can it stir up the wind and rain? It's not that someone is making waves behind the scenes, lest the world be chaotic. Zhao Zhen snorted angrily: "Behind Bichen is Lingyin Temple, and behind Lingyin Temple, there are officials and gentry in the southeast, the strength of this group of people is not small!" ”

Uncle Zhao is investigating, Wang Ningan is not a vegetarian, in fact, he knows many things better than Zhao Zhen, but at this moment, he can only pretend to be stupid.

At that time, the Qian family proposed to change cotton planting in the southeast.

This is Su Banniang is very concerned, she and Xiao Guanyin sent people together to promote, but after a few years of tossing, the southeast was ironclad, and she lost hundreds of thousands of yuan, and she didn't take advantage of anything, so she could only return it.

However, spending money to buy lessons, Su Banniang saw the forces in the southeast thoroughly.

Comparing Lingyin Temple and Daxiangguo Temple, there are indeed many similarities between the two, they are both temples, and they are both engaged in financial business, they are both the largest usurers, and there are many gentry and bureaucrats behind them.

If there is a difference between the two, it is that Lingyin Temple is located in the southeast, guarding the city, and the emperor is far away.

Their business is bigger, they are more courageous, they collude inside and outside, they are united, and they even raise bandits and smuggle goods at sea, in short, they do whatever they make money, and they are unscrupulous.

In today's Great Song Dynasty, the various forces can be divided into four parts, two in the north and two in the south.

First of all, the two in the north have been fighting for a long time, one is the law-changing faction represented by Wang Ning'an's Six Arts School, and the other is the conservative faction led by Han Qi, Fu Bi and others.

However, their mouthpiece, Luo Xue, represented by Ercheng, is actively lecturing and expanding the population, and is not willing to fail.

In the south, there were also two factions, one was the Xinxue led by Wang Anshi, and the other was the conservative faction formed by the southeast maritime merchants, gentry, and officials.

It is said that they are conservatives, but in fact it is not accurate, they are different from Fu Bi and others, their conservatism is the banner, mainly to block the imperial court's intervention in the southeast, and then let them let go and make money.

These four major factions are all deeply powerful, and what is exposed to the outside is only the tip of the iceberg and a drop in the ocean.

Each faction has people in the officialdom, in the shopping malls, local gentry, academies, and even newspapers, fighting against each other every day.

At present, among the four parties, the strongest is the Six Arts School, and the new school represented by Wang Anshi has formed an alliance with the Six Arts, constituting the main force of the change.

"I want to leave a peaceful and prosperous world for the emperor, not only to get rid of Western Xia, but also to solve internal troubles! These people in the southeast actually dared to use poison to murder me and Zitong. It shows that they are crazy and don't take the court seriously at all! In recent years, the southeast has been rich, and every family is willing to send their children to school, and the imperial court has taken the imperial examination. ”

Zhao Zhen was furious, "Jingping, I can't help but beat them, if I don't teach these people a painful lesson, the emperor won't want to sit on the dragon chair!" ”

When Wang Ning'an heard this, he immediately stood up, "Sage, the minister is willing to go to the southeast and severely punish the villains for His Majesty!" ”

Let Wang Ningan go, of course, it's best.

But Zhao Zhen hesitated, "Jingping, from the northwest, to the Western Xia, and then to the Western Regions, such a big game of chess, without your assistance, I can't rest assured!" The southeast will be handed over to Han Jiang, I asked him to represent the audit department to check the officials in the southeast, just right, Wang Anshi also asked to clear the acres of land in the southeast, let them do it, whoever dares to go against the imperial court, will have two crimes to one! ”

Uncle Zhao, he's domineering again!

This is a river of blood, ruthless enough!

Wang Ningan was full of anticipation, but he also knew that the focus of the court was still Western Xia, so he could only tell Han Jiang that he must not be merciful, and he must be ruthless!