On the 3rd day of November 328 in the Great Song Dynasty, Zhao Jiaren left Xiong Shang to talk about the Red Sea after the morning meeting. Xiong Sheng looked at Zhao Jiaren's expression and said playfully: "The official family looks in a good mood. ”

"Can you see that?" Zhao Jiaren replied briskly. The good news keeps coming, and he is in a good mood.

Seeing that Zhao Jiaren was in a good mood, Xiong Sheng immediately started his work, "Official, has Boyan really completed the excavation of the Tamsui Canal?" ”

"You can do the math." Zhao Jiaren couldn't help but pick up the pen.

"I've done the math." Xiong Sheng hurriedly expressed his attitude and asked Zhao Jiaren to do it himself, which could only show that Xiong Sheng was not prepared at all, "Boyan bought hundreds of thousands of steel shovels and shovels. Our technicians are not going to lie, they say that it seems that there is a canal, but it is silted. But it is admirable that Boyan was able to levy 300,000 people in such a short period of time and dig the canal again. ”

This freshwater canal is said to have taken advantage of part of the old channel after the silting of the ancient Suez Canal, and straightened the subsequent channel. The length is about 180 km. 180 kilometers is 180,000 meters. If the width is 30 meters and the depth is 5 meters, each of the 100,000 people needs to dig 270 cubic meters. According to 5 cubic meters of earthwork per day, it can be completed in 54 days. After completing the calculation in a short period of time, Zhao Jiaren felt that according to the current time, Boyan's project time was just right.

After calculating casually, Zhao Jiaren said with a smile: "If Boyan is really so capable, I am afraid that even the section of the river at the mouth of the Red Sea has been dug up now." ”

"Official, if this canal is navigable, our ship will be navigable with Europa." Xiong Sheng was quite excited, this significance is very great, so big that even Xiong Sheng can simply feel happy. The Great Song Dynasty already had the opportunity to directly contact the countries of Europa, and the influence of the Ministry of Rites in the future would naturally increase a lot.

"Besides." Zhao Jiaren did not diverge from the discussion because of this.

"What other difficulties are there in stumbling?"

"I'm afraid that freshwater canal won't last long. The Nile is rich in sediments, and the canals will slowly silt up, and if the canals from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea are not dug up, it will only be a matter of time before they become unusable. ”

Xiong Shang was a little confused. He had never considered the silting up of the river, but when he thought about it, he realized that it was actually very important. At this time, Xiong Sheng sighed and said, "...... Is there such a thing? The official family is really a pedantic man. ”

"What a pedantic celestial. As long as you have dug irrigation canals, you will naturally know these problems. Zhao Jiaren said with a smile.

Xiong Sheng thought carefully about Zhao Jiaren's life, and soon remembered that when Zhao Jiaren was thirteen or fourteen years old, he opened up the Mulan Pi North Canal. Many officials have been to Mulanpi, and Xiong Sheng has also been there. Tens of thousands of acres of rice fields with drought and flood protection left a deep impression on Xiong Xiang.

"Official, if that's the case, you really can't be happy too early."

"So let's see if Boyan will actually dig a canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea."

"Yes." Xiong Shang also lost his previous joy, and taking the new conditions into account, there was indeed no room for additional joy.

Leave Zhao Jiaren and return to the Ministry of Rites for a meeting. The waiter of the Ministry of Rites opened his mouth and said: "Shangshu, the states of Tianzhu have never come to the Great Song Dynasty to pay tribute, so we should send troops to fight." ”

"Huh?" Xiong Sheng was stunned.

The squire did not hesitate at all because of Xiong Xiang's surprise, he continued: "In the past, the Great Food Merchants deceived the Great Song Dynasty, making the Great Song Dynasty think that the sea route was far away, the wind and waves were unpredictable, and the ships would not return to one after going to sea. So much so that the big cannibals monopolized the waterway and raised prices, but the Great Song Dynasty was helpless. Since the official family exterminated the evil criminals, the Great Song Dynasty has sailed the South China Sea since then, and the income has always been returned to the Great Song Dynasty, and the income has always been returned to the Great Song Dynasty. The profits are millions, and the profits of the treasury are in the billions of trillions, but they are still innumerable. At present, the west bank of Siam County to Tianzhu, if the lord of the state cannot be ordered to bow his head and entrust the subordinates, he will not know that there is an emperor in the Great Song Dynasty. The crusade against Tianzhu is urgent......"

Listening to this impassioned speech, Xiong Sheng felt very stunned. However, he did not disagree with Shilang's opinion at all, it is said that the land suitable for growing tea and spices in the Sinhalese Lion Kingdom has been divided up by the local forces of the Great Song Dynasty, and if they cannot continue to seize the southern part of Tianzhu in the north, these people are afraid that they will have to fight themselves.

"At the beginning of the Great Song Dynasty, tea was issued, and hundreds of millions of dollars were issued. The number of tea produced was less than eleven, so the price of tea collapsed, shaking the world. At present, the Great Song Dynasty pays hundreds of millions of new banknotes every year, and if there are no many materials to correspond, the imperial court is afraid that it will suffer......"

When he got home at night, Xiong Shang couldn't help but think about the things of the day. The Great Song Dynasty ate more and more sea rice, the total sales of tea and spices in the Great Song Dynasty became larger and larger, and the voices of hope for overseas expansion were also getting louder and louder. The Great Song Dynasty has already sent troops to eliminate the Three Buddhas, and actually controlled Sinhala, and then used troops against Tianzhu, which is a water away from Sinhala, it seems that it is not a big deal. It's just that Xiong Sheng is going to be a member next year, and in the past few months, he really doesn't want to cause any more twists and turns.

As soon as she sat down with the idea of gaining and losing, Mrs. Xiong came over and said, "Do you know that the officials have recently fined the wasteland in various places?" ”

"Yes." Xiong Shang replied casually.

"My family was also fined, and at the end of the year, the government urged the fine."

“…… Oh. Xiong Shang answered.

"Is it difficult for the officials to ignore this matter?"

"This matter is the new system of the imperial court, how can I take care of it?"

"Officials are important ministers of the court, and we don't care about other people's affairs. If the officials are stumped, they will not be able to accommodate the Ministry of Agriculture, and my family will never abandon the famine next year. ”

"Alas, ma'am. The official said that he would never be accommodating. As long as the local report has been made, a fine will be imposed. ”

"How can the imperial court be so unsympathetic!" Mrs. Xiong said anxiously.

"Admit it." Xiong Sheng sighed. He knew Zhao Jiaren's determination, so there was no other way but to comfort him.

Seeing that Xiong Sheng didn't mean to help at all, Mrs. Xiong's tears were about to flow out, she clasped her hands together, tears in her eyes, "My family abandoned more than 2,000 acres of land, and the penalty is more than 6,000 yuan." It's going to be bankrupt. ”

"More than six thousand?" Xiong Shang was really taken aback. A wealthy person is a real rich man, and after paying a fine of more than 6,000 yuan, even the rich family will have to break their bones.

"yes. What can I do? Mrs. Bear said in a choked voice.

"This ...... It's not impossible. In this way, as far as I know, you can avoid fines by selling more than 2,000 acres of your family's rotten land to the government. Some people's method is very effective, first sell some of the rotten land in the countryside, or exchange it for Ueda and Nakata. Sell these rotten land to the government, and the government doesn't care. ”

"If it's difficult for the official, can't you tell the local government something?"

"The official said that if the fine is not received. Officials from the local government were dismissed. Moreover, the official family used the means of the first empire of the Qin and Han dynasties, which is different from our Great Song Dynasty. If it is the Great Song Dynasty, you can also find the officials below to top the cylinder. The current court disposes of people from above, and those direct leaders who handle affairs are disposed of first, and only after the disposal is completed will it be the turn of the officials at the next level. Who do you think would dare to pass the buck? ”

After listening to Xiong Xiang's words, Mrs. Xiong just covered her mouth and choked.

Xiong Sheng was a little surprised, he didn't expect his wife to be moved. With an idea, Xiong Sheng asked, "Have you already asked Empress Qin to talk to Xiang?" ”

"Hmm." Mrs. Xiong nodded with tears in her eyes, looking even more aggrieved, "Empress Qin said that this is the imperial court system, and she can only support it, and she will never dare to say anything about it." ”

Xiong Shang finally put his mind at ease. The Zhao Guanjia was very ruthless when dealing with people, if Mrs. Xiong really said that Empress Qin was moved, the Zhao Guanjia was afraid that they would punish Mrs. Xiong severely after knowing it. At that time, Xiong Sheng is afraid that he will also be affected. Thinking of this, Xiong Sheng hurriedly said: "I'm going to do it now, let's not get into trouble." The official family has always favored Lu Xiufu, and after Lu Xiufu resigned, the official family personally granted Lu Xiufu a scholar-level house. I'm not as favored as Lu Xiufu, if I am involved, our house will be finished. When the time comes, we'll probably have to live on the street. ”

Maybe the woman was so frightened, Xiong Sheng said this, and Mrs. Xiong also said that she would not take too much care of her mother's affairs, but she gave Xiong Sheng a back that night.

After the bear got up, he sat on the cold chair, looked at the empty seat opposite, and helplessly nibbled on the fritters for breakfast. When it was time for the morning meeting, when Xiong Sheng was supposed to give a briefing, Xiong Sheng didn't know what to think, so he couldn't help but say: "Official, let's send troops to conquer the south of Tianzhu." ”

Everyone raised their heads and stared at the Ministry of Rites Shangshu Xiong Xiang, and they were all shocked by this sentence. Xiong Sheng was a little irritable, so he said bluntly: "The current domestic situation is a bit treacherous, if you conquer the southern part of Tianzhu and surrender a few states, the minister feels that there will be less disputes in the country." ”

As important ministers, they are all smart people, and after listening to Xiong Shang's words, some people began to nod slightly. Seeing Zhao Jiaren's calm expression, Mei Youqian, the waiter of the Ministry of Works, said: "The officials and ministers do not sympathize with the landlords. It's just that the minister heard that some people are saying that the landlord will be fined for abandoning the wasteland, and what should the government do if he abandons the wasteland? When the minister says this now, he is only worried that he will not be able to deal with this statement by next year. ”

As soon as Mei Youqian's voice fell, he heard Zhao Jiaren say: "It's not just this statement, there are already many people who have submitted letters to Lantai, saying that the land is abandoned. You don't have to have any scruples, just say what you have to worry about. ”

These words were very hearty and open-minded, but after Zhao Jiaren finished speaking, the venue immediately fell silent. Within six months, officials who dared to speak out against the new taxes and the new agricultural management were either dismissed or resigned. In the past, when I resigned, I would be pretended to be comforted, but now as long as I resign for this reason, the court will be happy and ready to do so.

Except for those who are so strong that they simply cannot accept the new system, no one will dare to defy the law. It's not easy for everyone to work hard to be an official until now.

"When Shang Ying changed the law, the Qin State went from a small border country to finally the world. The car is on the same track, the book is the same, the weights and measures are unified, the sub-seal is abolished, and the county is built. Although the Qin state soon fell, this system has continued to this day and has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Any reform will touch some interests, but if it is not changed, sooner or later the Great Song Dynasty will repeat the situation of Lin'an's surrender more than ten years ago. You don't need to say anything about my wisdom and martial arts, and I can defeat Mongolia and the like, just because I am wise and martial, I know what the problem is. Let me ask you, which one of the pillars of the Great Song Dynasty relied on to defeat the Mongols before the surrender of Lin'an? ”

After Zhao Jiaren said that he knew that he was wise and powerful, many important ministers were stunned in surprise, but as they continued to listen, some people couldn't help but ponder.

"Well, what else does anyone have to say?" Zhao Jiaren asked.

Ministers, you look at me, I look at you, and they are all silent.

"Adjournment." Zhao Jiaren stood up and left his seat.

There is a small courtyard behind the main venue for the morning meeting, which is very comfortable. Zhao Jiaren stopped at a place with an ashtray, took out a cigarette and lit it. The performance of these important ministers made him feel a lot of pressure, because these important ministers also felt a lot of pressure. Slowly smoking a cigarette, Zhao Jiaren recalled the past, probably only when he was planning to eliminate the Pu family, did he have such a strong feeling in his heart.

The uneasiness, the nervousness, the feeling of not knowing where the enemy would come from began to emerge at this time. This feeling made Zhao Jiaren feel that if he failed this time, he probably wouldn't have a feeling in the future.

"Official. Can we smoke a cigarette together? Wen Tianxiang's voice came from behind him.

Zhao Jiaren didn't speak, and directly took out a cigarette case and shook one out.

Wen Tianxiang took out a cigarette and lit it, and after taking a puff, he said to Zhao Jiaren: "The official family, the ministers think that the ministers of the court and the central government all support the official family. ”

"Huh. Don't talk about it like that, if you continue to talk about it, there will be a taste of Tang Zhuangzong's vow to break his hair and cry. Zhao Jiaren said with a smile.

Wen Tianxiang was stunned for a moment, and Zhao Jiaren casually said the desperate situation of Tang Zhuangzong in Ouyang Xiu's "Preface to the Biography of Lingguan", which shows that Zhao Jiaren was very nervous in his heart. After adjusting his thinking, Wen Tianxiang said: "Official, although the minister knew that the landlord would be dissatisfied this time, he didn't expect it to be so shaken now. ”

"Now it's just the beginning." Zhao Jiaren replied: "And I suddenly figured out one thing, and I didn't panic." ”

"Huh?" Wen Tianxiang didn't expect Zhao Jiaren to change so quickly.

"In fact, I look down on the landlords, thinking that they are actually very weak in terms of land ranging from 100 acres to hundreds of thousands of acres of land like bandits. When they started to make noise together, I was a little horrified. But Song Rui, what do you think makes them so noisy? ”

"What is it?" Wen Tianxiang asked.

"Of course, there were many local officials and cadres who worked hard to implement the policies of the imperial court, which made the landlords react so excitedly. This shows that not only these important ministers of the imperial court are still supporting me for the time being, but also thousands of officials and cadres are supporting the imperial court. Thinking of so many people, I realize that I am not alone. ”

Wen Tianxiang could hear that Zhao Jiaren's voice had regained his confidence at this time, although he had some regret in his heart about what Zhao Jiaren said about thousands of officials, Wen Tianxiang came over at this time to show his loyalty to Zhao Jiaren alone. But as the lord of the world, Zhao Jiaren regained his confidence, and thought that the officials were also willing to do things, Wen Tianxiang also felt active.

"How long do you think it will take for the official to complete this matter?"

"I thought I could succeed in three or two years, but now I don't dare to say that. But as long as we don't retreat, we will definitely be able to see the results before we die. Okay, I've got to go beforehand. After Zhao Jiaren finished speaking, he patted Wen Tianxiang on the shoulder and strode away.

In another conference room, the Ministry of Industry Shangshu and the waiter Mei Youqian were already waiting inside, and when they saw Zhao Jiaren coming in, both of them quickly stood up. Zhao Jiaren asked them to sit down, and he sat down himself, "The new furnace lining you talked about has been made, and there is already steel in the open-hearth steelmaking products. So what's needed next? ”

"We need money." Mei Youqian replied decisively, "Official, judging from the current situation, there are too many details that are deficient in this furnace, and it still needs a lot of money to reach the mature stage." ”

"Is a million guan enough?" Zhao Jiaren asked.

“…… Not enough. ”

"Then I'll give you 1.2 million guan first. In addition, it is best to consider continuous production when designing this kind of furnace, the furnace temperature is so high, and the steel is completely molten steel in it. Zhao Jiaren said the little bit of the key he knew.

Mei Youqian and the others were very happy when they left, and the engineering men were always happy at such times. Zhao Jiaren returned to his residence and asked the staff of the Great Song General Money Village and the Household Department to transfer the money into the account of the Ministry of Industry. This money was not used from the treasury, but Zhao Jiaren took it out of his own inner treasury, which happened to spend all the money that Zhao Jiaren earned in the pearl trade.

The list shows that Zhao Jiaren now has more than 47 million yuan in his hand, of which thirty percent is gold and silver coins. Zhao Jiaren didn't know whether to say that the money was enough. Compared to the money he had ever spent, it was a small amount. Now the gold and silver that the Great Song Dynasty gets back from the Wa Kingdom every year are nominally owned by Zhao Jiaren. Sado Island, the largest source of gold and silver, is Cho Jiaren's private land. Of course, the output on it should belong to Zhao Jiaren.

However, all of this money was actually sent to the state treasury as a reserve for the Great Song Dynasty. If there was no money, the Great Song Dynasty would have exchanged the real money, silver and copper coins of the Qian Zhuang with the pieces of paper such as the payment of banknotes, and the Qian Zhuang probably had no other way than to rebel.

Recently, there is probably no place to use a lot of money other than the train. Zhao Jiaren prayed in his heart.

At this time, Wen Tianxiang had already written a letter to his younger brother Wen Zhang, and in addition to ordinary greetings, the letter only asked Wen Zhang if he had made arrangements for the land he bought from the landlord. Today's news made Wen Tianxiang also vigilant in his heart. If these people attack the shield of the son with the spear of the son and grasp the problem that the government has not managed the land well, Wen Zhang, who is the target of the public, is afraid that he will be recruited.

Wen Tianxiang didn't dare to use a telegram, so he ordered his family to buy a ticket to Jiangning immediately. Before leaving, Wen Tianxiang repeatedly told Wen Zhang to be careful.

The family took a boat to the prefect's office in Jiangning, but Wenzhang was not found. I just told the family that Wenzhang had gone to the newly built state-owned farm. Someone happened to go to Wenzhang's side, and the family set off with a convoy of people carrying a large number of farm tools.