In late September, the fierce autumn wind blew across the Hebei Plain and blew under the city of Bianliang.

The city is still prosperous, and even more prosperous.

The war between the Great Song Dynasty and the Western Xia did not seem to have affected this at all, except that the price of grain had risen slightly by more than a dozen wen per stone.

However, this is all normal fluctuations, because there was an accident in the canal, which caused the grain ship to arrive in Kaifeng more than half a month later than the original date, not to mention being affected by the war.

This morning, the topic of the Song and Xia War at the court meeting did not even take up much time for discussion, except for the report of the Ministry of War and the Privy Council, the sending of a batch of supplies to Shaanxi yesterday, and the report to the imperial court on the situation on the front line.

Because the Song army has already won the hemp, not long ago the battle report came, since the main force of the Song army broke through the estuary, began to divide the troops, led by Jingtai, and went north to attack Zhuo Luocheng. Go all the way west and continue to attack Huangzhou.

The news that was just sent yesterday was that Jingtai cooperated with the Song army on Jingyuan Road and had taken the form of encirclement of Zhuo Luo and the southern region of Western Xia, and Zhuo Luo City was already in a crumbling situation.

And the western front is also going very smoothly, the main force of the Song army arrived outside the city of Miaochuan, and now it is pulling out the nails arranged by Li Yuanhao outside the city, once the Western Xia army outside the city is dealt with, then it is only a matter of time before the siege of Miaochuan City and the entire Qingtang in his hands.

So on the whole, it has been less than two months since the start of the war, and less than a month after the official departure of the Song army, the Western Xia army has been defeated in successive battles, losing thousands of men and horses, and losing strategic locations and defensive areas one after another, which can be said to be a complete defeat.

This led to the fact that the Song Dynasty and the opposition were very optimistic about the outcome of this battle, and even many people felt that this was just an ordinary battle on the border, and it was not as important as domestic affairs.

Therefore, in addition to the daily report of the Ministry of War and the Privy Council, other departments are also most likely to mention occasionally, and they will do whatever they should do, and it is really not worth talking about every day for a battle that must be won.

"I said, the dogs in the northwest can win, the gap in national strength between us and the Western Xia is already very large, even if they are all soldiers, they are all bet, that is, they are just here to send people's heads."

After returning to the Constitutional Yuan, many prime ministers opened regular meetings, Zhao Jun looked at the official document on the table about the war in the northwest, smiled and said to everyone: "I think the Bianliang Forbidden Army in the northwest should not be a big problem when I come back for the New Year." ”

"Well, the war in the northwest is indeed going well, but let's not talk about this for now, let's talk about today's topic first."

Yan Shu's face was more serious at this time.

Because today's topic is still relatively important, in addition to some other trivial matters in China, the biggest topic is the issue of the reorganization of the Constitutional Yuan in October.

Since Wang Zeng died of illness in July, Lu Yijian's side has basically been in a state of relegation to illness.

For a person like Lu Yijian, who has a great control over the desire for power, he only comes to the Constitutional Yuan for one or two days a week, and sometimes he can't hold on to it after sitting for a while, and he goes home to rest, which shows that his condition is serious.

Therefore, the October reshuffle is already a sure thing, and all the ministries and scholars are staring at this position, and the attention paid to the October reshuffle inside and outside the government and the opposition is much greater than that in the northwest.

Hearing Yan Shu's words, Zhao Jun nodded and said, "Then let's talk about it first." ”

"The Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Railways have done a good job of inspecting along the Changcheng Railway, and the report was brought up this morning, and I took a brief look at it, as far as the current situation is concerned, I am afraid that it is difficult, and the biggest problem is that the road situation is complicated, and there are too many mountains to be so smooth."

Yan Shu said: "Is this railway put on hold first and talked about later?" ”

Changcheng Railway is the second railway planned by Zhao Jun, the first railway is the Biannan Railway, Bianliang to Nanyang, has been repaired to Xuchang, and the progress is not fast or slow.

In order to complete the economic cycle proposed by Zhao Jun, the second railway must connect Chang'an in Shaanxi Province and Chengdu in Sichuan.

But apparently the road between Sichuan and Shaanxi.

"Shelving cannot be shelved, in fact, you should also understand that I planned this railway not only to complete the economic internal circulation, but also to strengthen the control of the Sichuan-Shu region, and pave the way for taking back Yunnan in the future."

Zhao Jun crossed his hands under his nose and said in a deep voice: "Its strategic significance is very important for the country, and even if you don't think about the future, you have to consider the present, now the Badong and Bazhong regions are full of heroes, and the local society is almost no different from slavery, and if the imperial court wants to improve the situation, it is imperative to build a railway." ”

"What about the road?"

"King Qin Hui in order to open the Shu Road, spent a lot of manpower and material resources, and finally built a plank road to the south to annex the Shu State, strengthened the national strength, now our productivity is stronger than the Qin State period, I don't know how much, are you afraid that you can't open the Shu Road? When the time comes, just blow it up with gunpowder. ”

"Okay, then I'll inform the government along the line at that time, and ask them to estimate the cost and input cost of the railway when it passes through their area."

Yan Shu wrote down this matter.

It is not a matter of starting construction of a second railway directly, but is in the planning and research phase.

There are some things that need to be acted upon immediately when it comes to national development, because if you delay it, you will miss the opportunity.

But for other things, you can't be too anxious, and you can't make a decision with a pat on the head and have to ask for money to do it immediately, and you have to go through all kinds of research and planning.

Otherwise, like a railway, if it is said that it will be built, it will be built immediately, and if it is not repaired, it will involve the investment in the water, the difficulties encountered in the actual construction, and various safety problems.

Therefore, in order to successfully complete the task, it is necessary to be cautious.

"The next thing is that the School of Physics also handed in the design drawings of the steamship this morning, and they formed a team of experts with the ship case to use a steam engine for the ship's experiments."

Yan Shu changed the state road: "After many trials and research modifications, they thought that they could build a steel steamship of more than ten zhang and give it a try." ”

"Ten zhang, almost 30 meters, I remember that the first steamship in history" Claremont " was 45 meters, on the Hudson River in the United States, at a speed of 6.4 kilometers per hour, sailing 91.4 kilometers, marking the birth of the steamship. ”

Zhao Jun pondered for a moment, and then said: "I don't think the steamship needs to be so conservative, the Great Song Dynasty will open up the world in the future, the navigation industry must be supported, and the ship is the top priority." I told the School of Physics that I appreciate their pioneering spirit, and I can do it boldly, don't have any worries, and the country will support them. ”

"yes, okay."

Yan Shu nodded.

Then Li Di also pushed his glasses.

Since the advent of transparent glass, it has gradually begun to be used in daily life.

Products such as glasses, telescopes, and microscopes have naturally been used for research by the School of Physics.

As a result, an optical store appeared in Bianliang last year, which brought great blessing to patients with eye diseases such as myopia, presbyopia, and farsightedness.

"This year, the Ministry of Criminal Justice intends to promote a judicial reform that is a matter of principle for international crimes," Li said. ”

"Is it already legislated?"

"Yes, according to your opinion, Hanlong, the four principles of territoriality, personality, protection, and universality are currently determined."

"Well, with the deepening of our international trade and frequent transactions with neighboring countries, those who flee abroad after committing crimes like this, or commit crimes abroad, still have to be strictly legislated."

Zhao Jun said.

In recent years, the trend of going abroad has risen.

In particular, there are many people who go to Japan and Goryeo, and with the discovery of many gold and silver mines in Japan, many people go to Japan to pan for gold.

But crime has skyrocketed as a result.

Many people absconded from committing crimes in the country, so they smuggled to Goryeo, Japan, and committed crimes there, forming a huge underworld and evil forces.

The Japanese side was annoyed, but they were afraid of the Great Song Dynasty's garrison on Tsushima Island, so they wrote to the Great Song Dynasty, hoping that the Great Song Dynasty could give a solution.

Zhao Jun then remembered that with the advent of steamships in the future, international trade would inevitably become more prosperous, and such crimes would continue to occur, so he began to work on legislation in this area, and now the Criminal Department has made a bill.

"Then I will approve it, and it will be officially promulgated next year."

Li Di said.

"Hmm."

Zhao Jun nodded in agreement.

Then Jia Changchao, Zhang Shixun, Jiang Tang and others also talked about some major issues in the departments in charge.

The Ministry of Education will organize the imperial examination again this year, and according to the requirements of the Constitutional Yuan, the content of mathematics, physics and chemistry will be increased to 20% this year, which makes the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Rites a little difficult.

After all, mathematics was one of the contents of the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty, and due to the developed commodity economy in the Song Dynasty, it was obvious that the style of learning mathematics was more popular, so no one objected to this.

However, since last year, physics and chemistry have been included, which has caused a lot of controversy, many Xiucai protested against this reform, and many courtiers with interests inside and outside the government and the opposition have written letters requesting that the imperial court can suspend it.

It's just that this decree was forcibly pushed down by Zhao Jun, but at the beginning, the content of mathematics, physics and chemistry was not much, accounting for about 10% of the entire exam content.

This year, the proportion will be increased again, and the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Rites have expressed opposition.

Unfortunately, the objection is invalid.

No way.

This period of time must be a period of pain.

It has harmed the interests of a large number of talents who previously only focused on Confucian classics.

But these things must be done after all, otherwise it will not be possible to improve people's enthusiasm for learning mathematics, physics and chemistry.

The idea of becoming an official in the imperial examination has been deeply rooted, and if mathematics, physics and chemistry are not included in the imperial examination, it is not so easy to quickly promote it.

After everyone talked about the main matters of each department one by one, the atmosphere finally reached the final critical point.

"Alright, that's the last thing."

Zhao Jun gently raised the official document in his hand and said: "This is the resignation submitted by Lu Xugong to the official family this morning, he said that he is old and sick, and he wants to live for a long time, although the official family can't bear it, but first, Lu Gong is indeed seriously ill, and secondly, the ten-year term of office is up, and it can only be like this." Next month, the Constitutional Yuan will be re-elected. ”

When he said this, Song Zhi and Cai Qi became nervous.

Lu Yijian is a person with a strong desire for power, and since a few years ago, his condition has been unstable, sometimes good and sometimes bad.

But even so, he is still unwilling to retire from illness, and even Zhao Zhen gave him sick leave, he insisted on working with illness, as long as his health improves, he must go to the Constitutional Academy to brush up on his sense of existence.

Is it because he loves his work and is willing to dedicate himself to the country and the people?

Of course not.

It is because the power of the Constitutional Yuan comes from Zhao Zhen on the surface, but in fact it comes from the fact that they sit in the Constitutional Yuan and have the power to approve and review and influence personnel transfers.

In addition to major state affairs, personnel changes in various departments, promotions and demotion of officials are all controlled by many prime ministers.

This means that as long as Lu Yijian is still in the Constitutional Yuan for one day, he can still hold on to power and provide "political resources" for his disciples and grandchildren who can move upward.

In particular, he needs to sit there and escort his sons.

Once he is gone, the man will go away, and his faction, whether it is suppressed by political opponents or something else, may bring the faction to its end.

So he had to hold on.

But now it is obviously no longer able to hold on, especially after Wang Zeng's death, Lu Yijian's physical condition is also getting worse, it is said that he has been lying in bed for several days, and it is difficult to say whether he can survive this year.

Therefore, at this time, he can only choose to let go of the power in his hands.

He is gone, Song Zhi and Cai Qi are in trouble, in history, the two of them belong to the type of early death, and they hung up at the age of fifty.

But now it is relatively safe and sound, and it should not be a problem to work for another ten years depending on the situation.

If Zhao Jun uses the ten-year term as an excuse, the two of them must step back and let those who are accustomed to power let go of their authority, I am afraid it will be more uncomfortable than killing them.

"I have some proposals for a 10-year term."

Jia Changchao suddenly spoke.

Zhao Jun knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't stop it, just looked at him and said, "What a proposal." ”

"Cai Xiang and Song Xiang have worked hard and are not very old, and it is a loss for the country to retire early, I think it is better to stay in office if there are no other factors."

Jia Changchao said.

"Do you think so, too?"

Zhao Jun looked at everyone.

"I agree with this suggestion, after all, they have worked hard for the country for half their lives, and they still have rich governance experience, and it is really a waste to retire early."

"I agree."

"I agree with that."

Everyone agreed, and even Fan Zhongyan did not object, and raised his hand in agreement.

"Then report to the official family then."

Zhao Jun said.

"Whew."

Cai Qi and Song Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, they knew that the approval of the crowd was not for the sake of the two of them, but for their own interests.

After all, they are all people at the top of power, and who wants to retire early?

So in the end, it's for yourself.

As long as this is the beginning, then they will have a reason to stay in the future.

And for Zhao Jun, it doesn't matter, first, these people are quite obedient and smooth, unlike Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng, who are always troublesome.

Second, although he set a term of office of up to ten years, if the emperor retained him, it would be another matter not to allow Zhishi.

This is called the old cadres to exert their residual heat, and it is not considered to break the rules set by Zhao Jun.

If you encounter that kind of disobedient person in the future, as soon as the term of office is up, if Zhao Jun is not satisfied, then directly let Zhao Zhen not keep him, won't he retire normally?

So politics is a lot of the time it's a means to achieve one's own ends.

"That's it, you make a list of the people you want to recommend next week, and you can officially submit the list when the court meeting next month comes."

Zhao Jun knocked on the table and said: "I hope everyone is cautious about the list, the prime minister is not only a high-ranking position, but also a position for the country and the people. ”

The problem here is not only a question of processing ability, but also a question of personal morality. If it is found out that the prime minister is a corrupt official in the future, then the face of the political system will be lost, so it is very reasonable for the prime minister to demand a little higher.

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Alright, let's dismiss."

Zhao Jun stood up and packed up his papers, and prepared to go out to work.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door several times.

"Come in."

Zhao Jun had already stood up and turned his head to look at the door.

Someone outside the door pushed the door in, it was the official on duty today in the Constitutional Yuan, and he bowed his hand first when he came in.

"What's the matter?"

Zhao Jun asked.

The official hurriedly walked to Zhao Jun's side, bent down and said in a low voice: "Zhiyuan, the Liao State is attacking Goryeo, and 100,000 are in a hurry!" ”

Liao attacking Goryeo?

Zhao Jun was stunned for a moment, and then involuntarily asked, "What's the situation now?" ”

"The Liao State has broken through the northern defense line of Goryeo, and the king of Goryeo retreated to Goryeo Xijing, for fear that the Liao army will continue to attack and Kaijing will not be able to hold it."

The official said: "The king of Goryeo sent an envoy to ask us for help, and arrived in Dengju a few days ago, and the Taishou of Dengju knew that the situation was critical, so he immediately sent six hundred li to the imperial court urgently, and he had just arrived. ”

"How fast are they attacking?"

Zhao Jun frowned.

Although there is a direct boat from Goryeo to the Great Song Dynasty, the ship comes over, and then transmits the message from the sea to Bianliang, and it is estimated that it will take more than half a month at the earliest.

For such a long time, Goryeo has been beaten to Xijing, and I am afraid that it is already in danger.

Could it be that Gao Li, a good second son, is about to cool off?

(End of chapter)