It was the end of July in 1085, and on the beach of Manila, Luzon, Lü Dongbin and He Xiangu, Cao Guoshu, Zhang Guolao, and Han Zhongli were reading the information sent by Xiao Zhixian, which was a telegram sent from Bianjing on the mainland, in Luzon, looking north at his homeland, and a strong wind blowing in the northwest, and the telegram listed some of the major events that had occurred since the death of Song Shenzong in March this year:

1. The Empress Dowager Xuanren lowered the curtain to listen to the government. As we all know, after the death of Song Shenzong, Prime Minister Wang Qi immediately read out the edict of Song Shenzong written by Yuwen Rounu in Song Shenzong's study, and the main content was that Song Zhezong succeeded to the emperor's throne. At that time, Song Zhezong was only eight years old, so he respected the Empress Dowager Yiren as the Empress Dowager, Empress Xiang as the Empress Dowager, and Concubine Zhu as the Empress Dowager. In the same month, the ministers of the government and the opposition wrote to the little emperor Song Zhezong to listen to the government, and asked the empress dowager to listen to the government. After the Empress Dowager Xuanren listened to the government, she immediately used Wang Anshi's opponents of the reform of the law and appointed Sima Guang as the prime minister, and Wen Yanbo, Lu Gongzhu and others also came to power one after another, mastered the government, and tried their best to slander and attack the ...... of the reformers.

2. Repeal the Horse Protection Law. The Baoma Law was part of the content of Wang Anshi's reform, and during the time of Shenzong, there were only more than 150,000 war horses in the Song Dynasty, and the government encouraged the people of the Northwest Frontier to raise official horses on their behalf. The government has changed the system of raising horses by the government to raise horses by the people in combination with the law of protecting the armor, so as to reduce expenditure and expand the source of horses. Han Huai, a scholar of the Senior Administration Palace, believed that the main energy of the peasants was farming, but the horse protection law made the peasants pay for the horses, and the peasants themselves were reluctant, and the peasants also had to invest a lot of energy in raising horses, once the horses died, the peasants had to be responsible for compensation, and the losses suffered by the peasants were heavy; In addition, the law of protecting armor and protecting horses is combined, and many of them go out as thieves, which seriously affects social security, so he suggested that the law of protecting horses be abolished. In April, the imperial court issued an edict that the horses raised by peasants in Kaifengfu, Jingdong, Jingxi, Hebei, Shaanxi, Hedong and other places should be bought back at the government's expense and allocated to soldiers in Shaanxi and other areas who lacked horses, thus abolishing the horse breeding laws in these areas. In August, the system of armoured horses was completely abolished. As a result, Wang Anshi's changes began to be .......

3. Lu Gong wrote a letter to the Empress Dowager. In June of the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Lu Gong wrote a book, thinking that Song Zhezong had just ascended the throne, and the empress dowager listened to the government, among which there were ten things that the emperor should pay attention to, one was afraid of the sky, the second was to love the people, the third was self-cultivation, the fourth was to give lectures, the fifth was to be virtuous, the sixth was to admonish, the seventh was thin, the eighth was to be punished, the ninth was to go to luxury, and the tenth was to be uneasy. At the same time, Lu Gongzhu also recommended some talents to the Empress Dowager, who would be a young eunuch, Sun Jue, who dared to speak out, was extremely humble and could serve as a counselor, and bureaucrats such as Fan Chunren, Li Chang, Liu Zhi, Su Zhe, and Wang Yansuo were all scholars with good virtues, and the Empress Dowager could completely trust these people and use them. Later, Sima Guang recommended Zhao Yanruo, Fu Yaoyu, Fan Zuyu, Liang Tao, Han Zongdao, Su Shi, Zhu Guangting, Wang Cun, Zhao Junxi, Tang Shuwen and others. As a result, almost all opponents of the reform were recommended to hold important positions in ......the central administration.

Fourth, Sima Guang on the law of protecting armor. In July of the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Sima Guang wrote to the Empress Dowager to state the shortcomings of the Baojia Law. He believes that Song Shenzong implemented the Baojia Law throughout the country in order to conquer the border ethnic minorities and expand the territory. However, when the first emperor was alive, he had discovered that there were many shortcomings in the Baojia Law, so he issued many decrees to correct them. After Sima Guang's recital was submitted, Prime Minister Cai Qu and others believed that Sima Guang's opinion was not compatible, so they did not implement the .......

Fifth, he was captured. He was the ...... of the Western Xia Emperor's concubine.

……

Looking at these telegrams, He Xiangu hesitated and said to Lu Dongbin: "Your Majesty, there are some things that I really don't know whether to say or not. Now, although Xiao Liu succeeded to the throne as the emperor, I am also honored as the queen mother, and Xiao Liu's biological mother is honored as the imperial concubine, but the military affairs of the entire Song State and all the affairs of the harem are handled by the empress dowager Gao Taotao alone, and we can't interfere at all. To be honest, the Empress Dowager Gao is really "domineering". Outsiders say that she is "Female Zhongyao Shun", that is because in the deep courtyard of the harem, outsiders do not know. In fact, we all know that her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Cao, her husband Song Yingzong, and her son, Your Emperor, are far higher in name and real power than her, but they all have to listen to her.

Your Majesty, in March, you ran away, and she has endured for almost 40 years. is finally about to emerge, in her heart, the benevolent and profound father-in-law Emperor Renzong is weak, the generous and humble mother-in-law Empress Dowager Cao is cowardly and ridiculous, her husband Yingzong has been entangled with the courtiers all his life, and he is tired to death and only fights for his father to get a false name, which really makes her unbearable, as for your Emperor Shenzong, she said that you are completely a little fool, she said that she will personally come out to save the Great Song Dynasty. By the way, Your Majesty, did you say to the ministers at a banquet last year that the crown prince will be appointed in the spring of next year, and Sima Guang and Lu Gong will be the crown princes. ”

Lu Dongbin was surprised and said, "What's the matter? Everyone can see very clearly that when I was bedridden in February and March this year, I couldn't speak, and in order to establish the succession of the prince, my two younger brothers and several concubines were all fighting for it. Many ministers urgently asked for instructions before the sickbed, and there were undercurrents outside the venue. If I had said this last year, why would there be such a dispute? What a contradictory fact, what a ridiculous lie, alas, why would the queen mother be so fond of Sima Guang and his gang, alas! The Great Song is going to be windy! ”

He Xiangu was also surprised: "Really? Didn't the emperor say at a banquet last year that Sima Guang and Lu Gong would leave the mountain? ”

Lu Dongbin was sure: "No! If I really said at a certain banquet, there must have been more people at the banquet, and there would be a lot of people who heard it, so why didn't anyone come out to speak? Then why would someone toss me before I die? ”

Zhang Guolao sighed: "Alas, the level of the person who created this rumor is not high! I don't want to think about it, the prime minister at this time is Wang Qi of the neutral faction and Cai Qu of the reform faction, how can it be possible to arrange a master of the opposition for the future successor emperor? Determined to dismantle his own platform? ”

He Xiangu woke up: "Oh, it turned out to be nonsense!" ”

Lu Dongbin was very helpless: "Alas, the queen mother, she is trying to find the best reason to go out of the mountain for the best helper in her mind." Although this rumor is clumsy and ridiculous, it is also her last resort, and she can't invite those legendary gentlemen without borrowing some external forces. Take Sima Guang as an example, he has lived in seclusion in Luoyang for 15 years, and seems to have completely withdrawn from officialdom, but his status is even more super, I don't know how much higher than 15 years ago. His life with the older generation of gentlemen and ministers in Luoyang City has long become a legend. Others thought that Sima Guang's life had been very hard over the years. For example, he was so tired from writing that he was sick all over his body, but he still insisted, and for the sake of efficiency, he made a wake-up pillow. It was a log that was very uncomfortable to rest, and its effect was to prevent him from sleeping for a long time, and if he moved slightly, the wood would move and wake him up. And Wen Yanbo, Wang Gongchen and other old-fashioned ministers were forced out of the capital by Wang Anshi, and it should be a miserable and miserable scene of frustrated concentration camps in Luoyang. Actually, no, wrong, just the opposite. In Luoyang City, Xijing, each of these bigwigs has a lot of money, and their hands and eyes are all over the sky, especially Sima Guang, who is writing books while paying attention to the situation in the world, and everything Wang Xiang and I do falls in his eyes. ”

Uncle Cao Guo was a little indignant: "Everyone, an unprecedented historical masterpiece "Zizhi Tongjian" has established Sima Guang's radiant image, and with this book, he is immortal. At the same time, it also attracted the attention of the whole world at the time. His prestige was unimaginably high. First, in terms of personal reputation, people in the whole world no longer call him by his name or his character, but are collectively referred to as "Sima Xianggong".

Xianggong generally refers to all the rulers who have served in the eastern and western governments. For example, people like Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi, and Wang Anshi can receive it. In fact, looking at Sima Guang's resume, before he returned to Luoyang, he was only nominated to be a privy envoy, but unfortunately he was stirred up by the reformers before he took office. In other words, he is not qualified at all, but the people approve of it;

Second, he has a good position. Luoyang, Xijing, is a treasure land, second only to Chang'an, the capital of the Han, Sui and Tang dynasties in history. Since ancient times, the gentry have lived here, and their wealth and influence on the surrounding area are not much worse than Kaifeng. Sima Guang is the sun here, and everyone revolves around him. Whenever he was tired of writing, he would leave the house in the car and go to find a friend.

His friends are Fu Bi, Wen Yanbo, Shao Yong, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, Xi Ruyan, Wang Shanggong, Zhao Bing, Liu Fan, Zhang Wen, Zhang Tao, Liu Shu, Fan Zuyu and others. Let's take a look at the identities of these people, either top executives or Confucians, these people get together, write poems and sing songs, which is a grand event in the history of Chinese culture. At this time, there are thousands of empty alleys in Luoyang City, crowded with Sima Guang's carriage, to see the legendary celebrities. This is the 'Senior Citizens Club' that has been around for generations. ”

When Han Zhong left the mainland, he was too different from Song Shenzong, Wang Anshi and other levels, and now he came to Luzon as one of the eight immortals, and at a new starting point, he spoke boldly: "Your Majesty, it should be said that Sima Guang is a very influential person, five years ago, when Wu was the prime minister, he wanted to come out and stir up trouble, to see that the limelight was wrong, and immediately shrunk his head and dived. In March of this year, I died, and he, who was only an idle and semi-retired minister outside of Bianjing, was not qualified to participate in the funeral, and the state did not invite him to attend. This is against the law. For example, Wang Anshi, this is the real former Zaizhi, a minister who is inseparable from the interests of my life, when he was naked in Bianjing, someone wanted to impeach him, and Sima Guang, Niu, he, came. ”

He Xiangu, who had just come from the mainland, knew the market: "Your Majesty, I know about this, when Sima Guang's carriage went to Beijing, his carriage was discovered by the guards as soon as it reached the city gate, and it turned out that it was spontaneous or someone was copying, and the people who welcomed him flocked to him." Onlookers, cheers, praises, and retention, he has become a hot spot and a highlight in Bianjing, but I don't know why this old man who has been working behind closed doors was frightened, and without saying a word, he turned around and ran back to Luoyang. Later, the ruling queen mother immediately sent Liang Weijian, the chief eunuch of the inner palace to Luoyang, first to Sima Guang, and then on behalf of the queen mother, on behalf of the new emperor to Sima Guang for advice on how to govern the country.

Sima Guang likes to write long stories, and 15 years of depression broke out, and Sima Guang's first recital began like this: "In recent years, the customs have been decadent, and the scholars have been wise to steal and be honest, and they are crazy about alarmist theories. It is to conceal the feelings of the lower but not to pass up, and to the upper grace but not to give the ...... The blame lies with the ministers, and the ignorance of the foolish people often blames the emperor......"

Such a piece of music that completely denies the Xifeng era and denies the emperor's life's career has been passed into the deep palace, and the queen mother will be overjoyed at first sight. The case was amazed, and said: Okay, very good, I thought of a piece with the mourning family, Sima Guang is really a talent, and immediately summoned him back to Beijing! ”

Uncle Cao Guo was very serious: "What happened later is in this telegram, saying that Sima Guang returned to Kaifeng with Lu Gongshu, and his official position was to serve as a servant. The appointment had just been handed down and his second recital was published. That is, the famous "Please Change the New Law". He scolded Wang Xiangye at the beginning.

——“…… does not reach the political system, uses private opinions, changes the old chapters, and mistakenly appoints the emperor as an envoy. As a result, many people lost their jobs, and Lu Li complained. ”

After that, he cut down the heads of the new laws at length, comparing them to social tumors, which must be eradicated as soon as possible. ”

He Xiangu threw away: "I know this passage, the queen mother reads it refreshedly, because she sees the dawn of restoring the old law from it. ”

Han Zhongli said: "This piece also made the opposition who had been suppressed in the local area for many years and could only mumble and curse, and felt that they finally saw the hope of countering the ** attack." But the reality is helpless, no matter what kind of ambition Sima Guang has, how much authority the Empress Dowager Gao has, the leadership team you left behind is still there, Cai Qu, Han Jin, Zhang Dian and even the middle-level cadres and personnel are all from the Xinfa Group, these people are standing on the side and looking at Sima Guang jumping up and down, just think it's fun. This old antique that was rushed to Luoyang code words by Wang Jinggong, Lu Huiqing and other predecessors 15 years ago, I don't know how long I can live, what do I want to jump out of. ”

Uncle Cao Guo said to the former Xiangye: "Elder Zhang Guo, don't be upset when you say it, these old subordinates of Xiangye Wang are too ignorant." I don't know that the wind full of buildings is a sign that the mountain rain is coming? Don't know that the moon is halo and the wind is moist and rainy? ”

He Xiangu interfaced: "Yes, the scheming Sima Guang was not angry at other people's fingers, he made a suggestion: Queen Mother, the eyes of the masses are bright, please order a big speech, let the people of the world speak freely."

The queen mother understood: Okay, that's fair.

As soon as this order was given, the concerts from all over the country flew towards Kaifeng City like snowflakes, and Sima Guang succeeded, all of whom agreed with him to end the new law. Why this is so, the reason is simple. Xifeng's new law is only a matter of 15 years, and the traditional scholar class has accumulated the heritage of many times, and basically those who can be officials, speak the law, and write chapters in the imperial court are all within their scope.

With the help of this kind of public opinion, Sima Guang took advantage of the situation to recall all the comrades who had been driven out of the capital before the reform to Kaifeng, and placed them in important departments one by one. Liu Zhi, Zhao Yanruo, Fu Yaoyu, Fan Chunren, Fan Zuyu, and Tang Shuwen became Taiwanese admonitions, controlling the official tongue; Lv Dafang, Wang Cun, Sun Jue, Hu Zongyu, Wang Yansuo, Su Shi, and Su Zhe entered the six departments and filled the center at any time; Wen Yanbo, Lu Gongshu, Feng Jing, Sun Gu, Han Wei and other veterans consulted the state on government affairs, and their status was as transcendent as that of the Senate. In more than a month, Sima Guang was ready to attack the new law. ”

Uncle Cao Guo said: "The above-mentioned moves, the Xinfa Group has seen it, and they finally realized that the danger is coming." This person can become the lifelong enemy of Wang Anshi, the leader of the new law sect, and it is quite difficult to deal with.

Nervous, they came up with a foolproof solution. Since there is no way to resist in terms of power, then seek strength from rituals and religions. It just so happens that the opposition always claims to be a gentleman, so should Confucius's precepts be obeyed?

- "When the father dies, the son does not change his way for three years, which can be described as filial piety." ”

This is the least respect for the deceased father. Now that the enthronement is the son of Zhezong, in any case, it should not be immediately changed the political program of the Divine Sect, at least three years, which is quite a long time for politics, enough for many variables to happen. ”

Han Zhongli nodded and said: "This statement of the New Party is very strategic and hits the point, in our Great Song Dynasty, the great Confucius of heaven and earth is the greatest, every word he says is the highest instruction, who dares to oppose it?" The word "filial piety" is the core element of Confucianism, and if you dare to be vague about it, then it will really be a country. ”

He Xiangu said: "I know this, this counterattack of the Xinfa Group is in place, and many of the opposition who have just opened their teeth and claws are silent, but, Sima Guang, really good, three years? He's been waiting for 5 or three years, and now he can't even wait for three more months! He said: When we repeal the new law, we are not "changing the father with the son," but "changing the mother with the son," and it is carried out in the name of the dear mother of the Divine Sect, the Empress Dowager Gao. And it was specifically noted that although it changed the laws and regulations of the Divine Sect, it did not mean that there was anything wrong with the Divine Sect. The fault lies in Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing, and Shenzong was deceived and deceived by them. ”

Uncle Cao Guo pointed out: "This nonsense with closed eyes is very artistic, on the surface, the emperor is right, it is all Wang Xiangye's fault, Wang Xiangye is a traitor, the emperor is blinded, and the emperor is a victim who has been deceived." Then, hehe, doesn't it mean that the emperor is a fool, a faint king, and an imbecile, and the emperor is easy to deceive? ”

Zhang Guolao smiled: "What is "changing from mother to child"? It's a joke again. Please check the Confucian classics, only "a woman follows her father at home, and her father obeys her brother." Marry and obey the husband, and the husband dies from the son. Where did Sima Guang come up with the idea of "changing from mother to child"? Besides, it was the little emperor Zhezong who ascended the throne, and the Empress Dowager Gao just listened to the government and was just a regent, so why did she "change"? To interfere with national politics? To tamper with the son's decree? Just in her role as a mother? ”

He Xiangu said: "Your Majesty, I know that no matter which one you choose, it doesn't make sense here. But Sima Guang felt that the reason was enough, and the queen mother Gao Tao felt that it was too sufficient. In her heart, if this matter is to be discussed and commented, it is a challenge to her dignity. Could it be that she, the empress dowager of the prison country, wants to do something, and she still needs your approval?! ”

Lu Dongbin said: "I read the telegram, Sima Guang got his wish, and he took action against the new law three months after my death. ”

Zhang Guolao said: "I have read all the telegrams sent by Xiao Zhixian, and Sima Guang's head was slashed at the "armor protection law". It is necessary to look at the original text of his repeal decree to know what it means to be mad and gibberish.

Please look at the original sentence - "Since Tang Kaiyuan, the militia law has been bad, the army has defended the war and attacked, and the soldiers of the Long March have been recruited, and the people have not practiced soldiers." The country has been peaceful for more than 100 years, and he is old and does not know the military revolution. Once the people of the acres are all in charge of the army, they are all running into the wilderness, and the old sigh and think it is ominous. ”

This is the central idea, first he said that the Chinese have not trained for more than 100 years, so there is no need to train again. Why, this can be explained not only by stupid habitual thinking, but also in the closing words at the end of the recital, to know what kind of waste he regarded his own people.

At this time, we will focus on the second point, from "the country is peaceful, to think it is ominous". This is the theoretical basis for his desire to repeal the armor protection law. Because there are people practicing martial arts everywhere, the old men in the countryside are very uneasy and feel that it is not auspicious, so it should be abolished.

Anyone with a little brain will be so angry that he will jump around, even if he is not a great master of history, just with his more than 40 years of official experience, he should not say such stupid things.

It is really a ridiculous thing that the Minister of State should base his thinking on a major national policy on the joy of the common people in the countryside. When did human society progress to this point, and the Northern Song Dynasty was really a paradise on earth? Will major national policies make the people at the grassroots level raise their hands to vote? I believe that everyone knew it at that time, but Sima Guang insisted on saying this, and some people, such as the Empress Dowager Gao, could actually listen to it and implement it...... You know what shamelessness is.

Compared with the following two original paragraphs, the above one is nothing.

In the next paragraph, Sima Guang talked about money - "When the imperial court sent envoys, they traveled all over the country to read, and they set up rewards and fees, and they paid hundreds of thousands. This is all whipped by the civilians, and the baht is collected for two feet, and once it is used, it is like dung. ”

This is simply talking nonsense with open eyes. As a great master of historiography, he should even know the documents of more than three generations of Chinese dynasties, so why is he selectively blind in the materials of the Song Dynasty and this dynasty?

The reason why the armor protection law was implemented was to reduce the army and reduce military spending. Although there are also expenditures in the implementation of the armor protection law, they are all accounted for by the sealing warehouse of the Shenzong in the palace and the military expenses from the surplus of reducing the source of soldiers, and not a penny of the user department has been moved. How can this be considered a waste? Check out the details. Taking Xining four years as an example, more than 160 yuan of military spending was saved, more than 130 yuan of armor protection law was spent, and there was an extra 300,000 yuan.

This is just the statistics near the capital, and if you put it in the whole country, the surplus figure will be even more amazing. Is it still worth arguing whether the armor protection law costs money or saves money?

The last paragraph, before reading it, please take a deep breath and don't get fainted. The original text is as follows - "...... The people from afar took riding and archery as their profession and attacked and fought as their customs. Since childhood and growth, there is no other work. The people of China, most of whom served Tian Lisui, although they were re-awarded weapons and taught to stab, in the teaching field, sat in advance and retreated, and seemed to be strictly organized, if they met with the enemy, they would fill in the drums, and the sound of the dizzy would begin to make friends, and their defeat in the north could be expected, and there was no doubt about it. ”

This is ethnography, the Chinese are farming, no matter how they train, they can't be compared with people of different races, because people are born with martial arts, training from an early age, no matter how we practice, as long as one looks at the face, immediately all lie down on the street, there is no other possibility.

Is there anything more vicious than that? ”

Uncle Cao Guo agreed: "Yes! Sima Guang can also be regarded as having read books and studied history, before the Northern Song Dynasty, even in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, when were the Chinese weaker than the aliens? Yan Zhao Xiwu old land, what happened to the farmers? Down to the farm, on the battlefield, the first fierce general of the Tang Dynasty Xue Rengui was born as a peasant, and the famous generals Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie and others are all fierce generals from peasant backgrounds, Xunjie Gong Zhang Liang is also from a peasant background, Huang Chao is a private salt dealer from a peasant background, as for the army, the peasants are the backbone of the force, where did the peasants disgrace China? On the contrary, the major events that hurt China were all caused by the forbidden army and the box army supported by Sima Guang. His remarks are contempt for the entire Chinese race and a great disrespect for all past history. ”

He Xiangu was very helpless: "Sima Guangzhi said, I also think it is ridiculous as a woman, but it has deeply won the resonance of the Empress Dowager Gao. Perhaps, she hopes that the people are a group of cowardly slaves, only in this way can she live easily, live freely, and feel that the world is harmonious. ”

Uncle Cao Guo regretted very much: "The armor protection law was abolished in this way, and the policy of the emperor and the prime minister who worked hard to manage the whole people without spending money and without mistaking the peasants, although it has been implemented for 15 years, let the two generations learn martial arts and grow up, has been shattered." If the country is in trouble about this, any Chinese with reason and memory should know who to hate. ”

Han Zhongli was very angry: "Sima Guang, this scum, now that the armor protection law has been abolished, the country's hope can only be pinned on those rotten forbidden troops in Kaifeng City." This bastard's Sima Guang is insidious and vicious. He first abolished the armor protection law and unarmed the peasants, and the next step was to let the peasants return to the old era of dire straits. ”

Lu Dongbin was very confused: "Alas, what do they want to do?" ”

Zhang Guolao hit the nail on the head: "In fact, they can't tell themselves what they want to do, they don't have a plan to strengthen the country and enrich the people in their hearts, they just want to use the new law as a target, attack the new law, and show themselves!" Eliminate dissidents and form parties for personal gain. ”