The largest, richest, most civilized and prosperous city in this era... Bianliang City, which has almost all the beautiful words and can be crowned as the "most", is one of the greatest cities. At this moment, it is under the attack of violent storms.
Three consecutive days of heavy rain filled all the canals in Bianliang City; the towering palaces and balconies in the palace, the embroidered flags and beaded curtains hung high in the posthouses, restaurants, and brothels outside the Zhuque Gate were all looming in the heavy rain.
He lost his usual liveliness and became dejected.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and the sky and the earth were as bright as day, illuminating the Dauchi Palace shrouded in water curtains, and also illuminating the pale face of Mr. Han.
In the Imperial City of Bianliang, the envoy of the Privy Council was detained in the room.
Ever since he received the "Fan Wenzheng Shinto Inscription" from Ouyang Xiu, Mr. Han has been sitting in a sitting posture. The staff in the security room did not dare to breathe or even move.
After the lightning, there was a sound of thunder, which shocked Xianggong Han. He looked away from the roof beams, calmed down, and looked at the letter again by candlelight.
It was not a Shinto inscription at all, but a shocking report letter. In the letter, Ouyang Xiu wrote about a shocking corruption case with his overwhelming writing style, which has the power to capture people's hearts and change the color of mountains and rivers.
To be honest, when Han Qi was still serving as the deputy privy envoy, he had long known that the military in Lingnan was unclean and had proposed to the court that the Xiang army in the south should be reduced and reorganized to save costs. However, he submitted several letters to the court.
It's all in vain, nothing can be done.
Soon after, he was kicked out of the Privy Council and transferred to a local magistrate. Later he realized that his career was ruining his career... It was said that civil servants in the Song Dynasty were well paid and generously rewarded, but that meant
They are high-ranking officials. The lower the official rank, the lower the income. When you reach the seventh rank or below, the Beijing officials are not much different from the cooks and tailors in Bianjing.
Not to mention the large number of officials, whose income can only be described as meager. In Bianliang, a big and expensive city, they can barely make ends meet.
The Song Dynasty was very effective in preventing official corruption. Before an official takes office, he needs to be recommended by at least two officials. If there is a corruption problem in the future, the sponsor and his immediate superior will also be punished; and officials who have been punished before, even if they are not
If you are expelled from the officialdom, you will have to stand aside for future promotions and promotions. Not to mention there are so many 'redundant officials' waiting to take up their posts, so there were very few corruption cases in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty.
However, as long as society is governed by people, you can’t expect to eliminate corruption. If there is no light in the east, there will be light in the west. If there is no corruption in the political world, there will also be military circles...
Although the Song Dynasty was famous for its "emphasis on literature over military affairs", this meant suppression of political status. In terms of finance, more than 70% of the income was invested in the army. The army has always been self-contained, even the emperor
If there is no way to intervene, it will naturally become an area prone to corruption.
The Western Army and the elite Forbidden Army that defended Xia State were better. The generals only swallowed up 20% of the quota and did not dare to take too much advantage. To the south...the northern court always regarded it as a weak and wealthy big fat sheep that could be exploited at will.
With big granaries and large banks, they never believed that the Southerners would rebel. Their logic was very simple. Even the weak Southern Tang and the brutal Northern Han were able to rule stably. Under the sunshine of civilization in the Song Dynasty, it was too late to be grateful.
, how could they rebel?
Therefore, the armies south of the Yangtze River become more and more unscrupulously corrupt as they go south. Moreover, southerners are very economically savvy. They use the military's superior status to monopolize trade and earn much more gold and silver than they can through corruption. , although the generals have low political status, they are all richer than princes and live a luxurious life that is unimaginable to ordinary people.
However, Emperor Taizu's strategy of collecting the best soldiers from all over the world in the capital made the southern generals dare not have any ideas no matter how rich they were, and could only obey the control of the court. Naturally, they should be filial to the civil servants who hold the power of life and death. Every New Year On festival days, heavy gifts must be sent to various government offices... Of course, they are in the name of a certain businessman.
The Song Dynasty did not allow individual officials to commit corruption, but it did not stipulate that yamen could not accept gifts. Therefore, civil servants could take the money with ease and without mercy.
In exchange, they acted as a protective umbrella for the military generals. Even officials known for their integrity did not take this kind of filial piety, but felt that they should be tolerant of the military's abuse... because in the eyes of the officials of the Song Dynasty, Warriors are of low quality, so it would be strange if they are not corrupt. As long as they are honest and obedient, be greedy.
I just didn't expect that there was no chaos in Lingnan, but Nong Zhigao appeared in the south of Lingnan.
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After the failure of the Qingli New Deal, all Gentlemen members were reflecting on why it failed so quickly? Han Qi was no exception...
Looking back at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, how powerful was the New Deal? There were officials at the top who were resolute, a number of famous ministers at the bottom were united, and there was overwhelming support from the government and the public. However, it only lasted less than a year, and ended hastily... The reason is, It was just that the New Deal hurt the interests of the bureaucracy. Therefore, countless bureaucrats stood on the opposite side of the New Deal, making the old party stronger quickly. They seized on Ouyang Xiu's stupid tricks and dragged the New Deal leaders into the quagmire of party struggle, making the officials feel Fear made me retreat.
After summing up the lessons, Han Qi finally realized that throughout the ages, an individual or a few people could never go against the huge officialdom. Even the emperor did not have that ability.
After reflection, many people made changes. The first one to change was the extremely talented Han Xianggong. After that, he began to follow the trend. As expected, he was the first to escape from failure and returned to the capital. Became the Privy Councilor.
Soon, all the officials in the capital discovered that Mr. Han had indeed changed. Although he was tall, handsome and rich, and disdained to accept any gifts, he had learned to turn a blind eye to the benefits of his subordinates.
After taking his seat, Han Qi began to support his old comrades... In addition to Yu Jing, he also wanted to revive Ouyang Xiu's love. In the Song Dynasty, winning love was nothing. When Ouyang Xiu's reputation in the literary world was at its peak, this was also the trend. .
Yu Jing's reaction made him very happy. He thought that even this sweaty man had changed. You, old Ouyang, wouldn't still be the same shit-stirring stick, right?
Now the answer is here, still.
What comforts Mr. Han is that after all, Ouyang Xiu still misses the feelings of his comrades in arms, or is grateful for his recent support. In short, he did not go to the official family first, let alone directly announce it to the world... With Ouyang Xiu's status as the leader of the literary circle, he Once his article was published, it spread throughout the country within ten days and was known to all women and children. In the Song Dynasty, no one could compare with Ouyang Xiu in terms of speaking power.
This made Han Qi not be too passive and calm down. He immediately realized that since Ouyang Xiu in Jiangxi knew about it, things in Lingnan obviously could not be hidden.
And Han Qi really didn't expect that the plot of the attack was so shocking. He thought that at most it would be more serious than the Western Army, and they would have to pay 30% of their salary... In that case, the combat effectiveness should be restored.
But now, Lingnan's army is obviously rotten to the core. How can he tolerate it if his feet are broken by his worn-out shoes?
It was Xianggong Han's temperament to either not do it or to do it. The color gradually returned to his face, and the cold and mature face revealed a strong murderous aura. In this case, let's cut the knot with a quick knife. Don’t even stay!
This is also in line with the trend...
"Change into court clothes," Han Qi glanced at his personal entourage and said in a deep voice, "I want to meet the Holy Spirit!"
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After just one stick of incense, the official received his privy envoy in Chui Gong Hall.
Zhao Zhen, the emperor of the Song Dynasty who was famous for his benevolence, was born with a compassionate face with narrow eyes and long eyebrows. Although he looked very young due to proper maintenance, he was already forty-three years old this year, only two years younger than Han Qi. Years old. He is experiencing the best years of a man and the most authoritative period of an emperor.
This year is also the 30th year since he ascended the throne and has been in charge for 20 years. He has experienced too much and has long since learned how to control this huge and faltering empire and make it move forward slowly without falling. People are all aware of this. I'm used to it, seeing the officials of the Song Dynasty settling all their troubles in the spring breeze.
The palace people rarely see an official as angry as he is now. After listening to Han Qi's report, Zhao Zhen's brows jumped slightly, and his hands in his sleeves were tightly clenched, suppressing his anger. After a long while, He said slowly: "Based on only one letter from Ouyang Gong, the Qing family dares to draw such a conclusion?"
"Reporting to the official, Uncle Ouyang Yong is a very serious person. He will never spread rumors and cause trouble." Han Qi's resolute expression was completely different from when he signed the mortgage contract. He only heard his deep voice. Said: "I believe that even if you miss, you are not far away!"
"Privy Council, how does the Yushitai supervise?" Zhao Zhen's voice was filled with anger. For him, this was the maximum expression of anger: "This level of corruption can't be overturned in a day, right?"
"What the officials said is true," Han Qi said with a deep salute: "After this matter is properly handled, I will take the blame myself."
"It won't interfere with the Qing family's affairs," Zhao Zhen said while suppressing his anger: "How many days have you been the Privy Councilor?" Thinking that the former Privy Councilor was his teacher, he couldn't help but said irritably: "The matter of accountability will not be solved in the future. Besides, let’s deal with the affairs in Lingnan first.” He let out a long breath and confirmed again: “Are the officers and soldiers in Lingnan useless at all?”
"There is no problem in transporting grain and grass." Han Qi said: "But if there is a war..." He said with a sad expression: "I'm afraid Yang Tian will be harmed."
"Tell him to stand still immediately!" the official said in a deep voice.
"Before I meet the Holy Spirit, I have already given the order to stay on standby." Han Qi said softly.