Zhao Zhen continued: "I might as well tell you a secret. The leader of the barbarians in Guangnan, Nong Zhigao, has rebelled against the Song Dynasty and established himself as the Dali Kingdom, claiming to be the emperor. The states in Guangnan sent troops to encircle and suppress them, but they were all defeated by the rebels.
I have never made this matter public because I am afraid of another disaster in the northwest. Only when the northwest is stable and the defense is strong, can I dispatch troops to destroy Nong Zhigao. Therefore, I can only hand over this important task to you.
, the imperial court’s money and taxes are tight, and you have a lot of means to amass wealth. I may give you the privilege. There are mines on the Northwest Fourth Road, and you can have people dig them to prepare for the needs of the northwest. But I am supplying money and food to you.
Already."
Su Jin was both happy and worried. He was happy that Zhao Zhencheng told the truth, which showed that Zhao Zhen was quite sincere and did not hide anything. What was worried was that minerals were not something that could be found just by looking for them. Although
According to my own memory, there are definitely a lot of minerals in the northwest in later generations, but how to identify them and how to mine them is a big problem.
But this matter was extremely tempting to Su Jin. There was no shortage of copper, iron, stone, charcoal, and kerosene in the Song Dynasty. Once there was a chance to exploit it, the benefits would be huge. Su Jin had already had an ambitious bottom-up reform plan in his mind.
, this huge plan requires huge amounts of money and materials as backing. The mineral deposits buried deep in the ground are not only the source of materials, but also the source of supplies.
What's even better is that mining of mineral deposits will not involve the interests of others or cause disputes of interest. As long as the court allows it and discusses a good sharing strategy, it will benefit both the court and individuals. In this era when mineral resources are not taken seriously.
, your own advantage is that you can see the value of minerals better than others.
"Your Majesty, you are just chasing a duck. Where are there so many minerals in the northwest? Minerals are buried deep underground, how can I mine them? The Baoshan Carbon Mine was my accident and just luck. If you use
I dare not accept this bet."[
Zhao Zhen said: "I also know that this matter is a bit difficult, but there are indeed minerals in the northwest. Liang Shi, the head of the Salt and Iron Department of the Third Division, once reported that according to the method of prospecting, it is certain that there are minerals, but it is difficult to mine them legally. I can assign him to you.
He is an expert in prospecting. As for how to mine it, you need to figure it out. After all, you can figure out how to refine kerosene, so you should have a way on this matter."
Su Jin scratched his head and said: "Since I am so willing, I will give it a try, but I have a question. If there are minerals in the northwest, who will the mine belong to once it is mined successfully? The emperor has no money, so he can't be a wolf with nothing."
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "Relax, how about a 50-50 split between the imperial court and you, except for the military and political expenses in the northwest? This can be regarded as a joint venture between me and you. I have just made it very clear. If the imperial court benefits, so will the ministers."
Li, since you have been promoted and can benefit from it, why not do it?"
Su Jin sighed: "I haven't even written the eight characters yet, but the emperor seems to have given me a lot of benefits."
Zhao Zhen pointed at Su Jin's nose and said: "Be content, all four northwest roads are under your jurisdiction. What an important responsibility this is. You are already the king of the northwest, what else do you want?"
Su Jin said: "That's nice to say. Your Majesty wants to strip me, Su Jin, and make me go begging on the streets."
Zhao Zhen spat: "You are the one who said that. By the way, in order to reduce your burden, I sent you a deputy. Hedong Road Transfer Envoy Gao Ruona once knew the Yongxing Army and was a military officer.
I am familiar with the northwest. I sent him to be your deputy, um... just ask him to take charge of the troops. But if there is a military operation, you two will decide it together. He does not need to interfere in other matters. You have to live in harmony with him.
Together, I will hand over the northwest to you two."
Su Jin knew very well that Zhao Zhen had planted a nail in his side. Gao Ruona was in charge of military affairs, which actually deprived Su Jin of his arbitrary power of military mobilization.
The army cannot be mobilized without consent. In the final analysis, Zhao Zhen still retained a hand, but this cannot simply be attributed to Zhao Zhen having doubts about himself. There was a position of military supervisor in the military system of the Song Dynasty. This was the position assigned by the emperor to the generals.
The eyes and ears around us are also a normal means of surveillance.
This conversation with Zhao Zhen somewhat eased the slightly awkward relationship between the two, but once the rift had occurred, it would be extremely difficult to make it up. Su Jin knew in his heart that it was inevitable that today, Zhao Zhen's character would determine
From his actions, it can be seen from the New Deal that Zhao Zhen is a person who likes good things, but at the same time he is a person who likes evil. In other words, he has a soft ear; this kind of person has a symptom of foresight and suspicion in his character.
, the longer they get along with each other, the deeper Su Jin understands this, which gradually becomes farther and farther away from the evaluation of Zhao Zhen by later generations.
Later historians and researchers gave Zhao Zhen the title of "Benevolent King", saying that he was forgiving, benevolent and governed, allowing Renzong to present a free atmosphere. Su Jin did not deny the actual results, but he gradually realized that it was not Zhao Zhen who
Zhen did this deliberately, but his weakness and suspicion made him unsure of many things, so he was unable to make a decision. However, Renzong had many capable people and ministers, and the excellence of his ministers made up for Zhao Zhen's shortcomings.
, as the saying goes, a willow in the willow will make a shadow, this can be regarded as Zhao Zhen’s good luck. (Personal opinion, don’t criticize if you don’t like it.)
Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi and others were relegated out of Beijing. How could it be that when they left Beijing, it was a deserted place. In the past, the New Deal party was scattered, and the ministers were afraid to avoid it, so they were sent to see each other off when they left.
Everyone knows that after Fan Zhongyan and others were demoted, Su Jin was promoted. There have been rumors that Su Jin was hypocritical and hypocritical, but Su Jin couldn't control this. The moment Zhao Zhen announced that he would take charge of Huanqing Fuyan
Since then, there will inevitably be discussions of one kind or another, and Su Jin can't stop the rumors from happening.
Not only that, when Fan Zhongyan left Beijing for Bin County to take up his post, Su Jin and others set up a banquet in a pavilion ten miles outside the west gate to see him off.
Fan Zhongyan didn't show too much excitement about Su Jin's friendship to see him off without avoiding any suspicion. It seemed that he had known for a long time that Su Jin was coming to see him off. The two of them sat and had a drink together like old friends, and Fan Zhongyan was talking and laughing while giving instructions to the official.
The half-foot-tall wheat seedlings in the wheat field near Taozuo said with a smile that this year will be another good harvest year.
Su Jin finally couldn't help but asked: "Mr. Fan, after this incident, we know how difficult the New Deal is. If we could turn back time, would you still be willing to deal with the New Deal?"
Fan Zhongyan smiled and said: "Mr. Su, I admire your dexterity and your ability to assess the situation, but if you come to see me off, will you regret it if someone says that you and me are in the same party in the future?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "I am most afraid of gossip. Maybe I will regret it. But although I may regret it, I will regret it even more if I don't come to see Mr. Fan off."
Fan Zhongyan chuckled and said, "I didn't appreciate you very much at first. I always felt that you were too utilitarian and you seemed to be more cautious at a young age. However, the fact that you can admit your regrets frankly shows your sincerity, which makes me admire you even more.
"
Su Jin smiled and said: "Fan Gong praised me, but you haven't answered me yet." [
Fan Zhongyan thought for a moment while drinking wine and said: "It would be a lie to say that I regret all this, but there is always someone first in everything. I, Fan, come from a poor family. When I was young, I studied at Yingtian Academy and made a wish.
He was loyal to the imperial court and regretted honor and disgrace. After becoming an official, he took it as his own duty to strengthen the Song Dynasty and enrich the people, and he did not care about his personal honor and disgrace. What I think about in my spare time is that as a minister of the Song Dynasty, this is what I should do
The only way to achieve a state of mind that is worthy of being worthy of heaven and earth is to 'worry about the worries of the world first, and rejoice in the joys of the world later.' Only in this way can you calm your mind and not regret this life."
This may be the first publication of Fan Zhongyan’s eternal famous saying. A few years later, Fan Zhongyan wrote an eternal famous article.
Su Jin sincerely admires Fan Zhongyan. There is no doubt that people who can say these two sentences must have a broad mind and lofty ideals. They take the revitalization of the country and the nation as their own responsibility and do not care about personal gains and losses. Fan Zhongyan is indeed such a person.
, although in Su Jin's view, he lacked the resourcefulness to make clever turns and chose the wrong time to realize his ideals, this did not prevent Fan Zhongyan's image from becoming taller and taller in his mind; after being in this era for so long,
Finally, there was a person who matched the impression in my later memory, but with too much tragedy.
Su Jin bowed to the ground to bid farewell to Fan Zhongyan. Fan Zhongyan refused the money, goods, carriages and horses presented by Su Jin. He only took a few family members and boarded a donkey cart and left. The donkey cart was so small that Fan Zhongyan had to squeeze in the shaft with the old coachman.
On the way to the car park, his gray hair was dancing in the spring breeze, becoming a permanent memory in Su Jin's heart.