The first thousand one hundred and sixty-two chapters of the tripartite confrontation (seeking a mon
After the title of Prime Minister, the Privy Councilor must be the next one. The Prime Minister has been decided, so there is no suspense about the Privy Councilor. It must be none other than Li Qi, and this is exactly the result.
Later, dozens of officials were banned one after another. These officials were all promoted by exception. Most of them were from poor families. Because they had no backing, so although they were full of knowledge and passed the Jinshi, they were never reused. Their advantages were cheap, pragmatic, and diligent.
The shortcomings are lack of experience and insufficient status. The key is that Zhao Kai does not want to continue to use those old dough sticks. What he needs is fresh troops to cultivate his own political system.
After the canonization of officials, Zhao Kai successively promulgated decrees to reduce salaries and reduce officials. The salaries were basically targeted at those of fourth rank or above.
As for reducing officials, despite the fact that so many officials have been eliminated before, this is far from enough. During the period of Song Renzong, the number of officials had reached 17,000. During the period of Song Huizong, due to the traitorous officials who controlled the government, officials were bought and sold.
The phenomenon of officials is very serious. The number of officials has reached a record high, reaching more than 23,000. There are about 5,000 officials in the central government alone. You must know that during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the number of officials in the central government peaked at only 2,000.
The remaining people were later reduced to more than 600 by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
In the Tang Dynasty, there were only thirty or forty Jinshi in each term, while in the Song Dynasty, there were often four to five hundred, which seemed like a joke. However, the territory of the Song Dynasty was only one-half of that of the Tang Dynasty. You can imagine how dense the officials were.
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Zhao Kai knew very well that his sudden accession to the throne was an excellent opportunity. If he did not take advantage of this turmoil and rely on the military power in his hands to intimidate and quickly rectify the government and the opposition, it would be even more difficult in the future. So he made up his mind to do it.
Strike hard and cut off officials on a large scale. Especially if the central government wants to set an example, it must control the number of people to less than 500, which is one-tenth of the previous number. But this time he does not target people, but officials.
change.
There were many official positions in the Song Dynasty. One official led several deputy envoys, and there were also many, many ministerial and salary officials. Basically, these officials had nothing to do. They spent all day eating, drinking, reading newspapers, and working part-time.
, for example, the official title "Mr. Zhong of the Ministry of Personnel, Bachelor of Longtuge, Zhi Kaifeng Prefecture". Doctor of the Ministry of Personnel is an official, Bachelor of Longtuge is the position, Zhi Kaifeng Prefecture is the actual position, the first two are empty titles, and
Such high-ranking officials fill central and local government agencies, causing the official agencies to be very bloated.
So Zhao Kai announced in the decree a large-scale reduction of official positions and abolished all the useless ones. Those officials were naturally laid off. He even used the royal family as an example. The former royal relatives were seven or eight years old.
You can be appointed an official, but that is not possible now. It is strictly stipulated that you must be over 16 years old before you can become an official in the court, and you must first go to a remote place to take up the post for training, and then be transferred back to Beijing after a few years. This is a hard target
.
The royal family is like this, so the sons of prime ministers and privy councilors, not to mention the sons of prime ministers and privy councilors, can no longer be rewarded as officials at birth thanks to my blessing and the policy of "favor" as before.
The most critical of these is the reform of the three divisions.
In fact, the reform of the three divisions was not uncommon in the Song Dynasty. Usually, it was divided and combined. Sometimes the three divisions were established, and sometimes they were dismissed. Three divisions were established, namely, Yantie, Duzhi, and Hudu.
Now Zhao Kai has once again merged the three into one, appointed Zheng Yi as the third envoy to take charge of the three divisions, and then set up three deputy envoys for salt and iron, Duzhi, and Hudu. The reason why he did this is simply to quickly recover the finances.
power.
Many people had already expected it.
The happiest among them is none other than the Zheng family. This prodigal son not only returned to shore, but also became the third envoy of the Qin Dynasty. Because Li Qi and Qin Hui fought alone, Li Qi originally had the Bai family as his backing, but now
He was also deposed and there was no family power. Then with Zheng Yi taking office, the Zheng family became the top family in Tokyo.
With this series of personnel arrangements, a new pattern has emerged. It is still a three-legged situation. Although Li Qi and Qin Hui have great personal power, the Zheng family is supported by the family. In total, it is still very balanced.
The biggest beneficiary of equilibrium is definitely the emperor.
This made the officials have to admire Zhao Kai's methods.
After the announcement, Li Qi suddenly stood up and said: "To express my gratitude to the Emperor, I have many ministers to take care of, and I'm afraid I won't be able to serve as the Economic Envoy anymore. I hope the Emperor can arrange someone else to serve as the Economic Envoy."
As soon as this statement came out, the officials were shocked.
The position of economic envoy is now very popular, but no one dares to take the idea of this economic envoy because they know that they do not have this ability. Looking at the government and the public, only Li Qi is suitable. In other words, although Li Qi has many roles
There are several positions, but only the economic envoy is the most stable. However, he has to hand over the position of economic envoy, which makes people look like flowers in the smoke.
"Ai Qing's words make sense." Zhao Kai nodded and said, "Then you guys have better candidates."
Anyone with some experience saw Zhao Kai agreeing so easily and knew that this must be an internal decision, so he chose to remain silent. However, those who had just been promoted did not understand these skills, and many people stood up and unanimously agreed.
This position belongs to none other than Li Qi, and no one else is qualified for it.
At this time, Qin Hui suddenly stood up and said: "Although the Jin soldiers have retreated and signed an alliance with the Song Dynasty, the situation between our country and the surrounding countries has not yet stabilized. All this still needs to be coordinated by the Privy Council. The task is important, and the business
The current tasks of the bureau are particularly important. If the Privy Councilor is asked to take care of these two aspects alone, it will be difficult to take care of both ends. Weichen suggested setting up an economic supervisory officer in the Commerce Bureau, with the Privy Councilor serving concurrently, and then re-electing one person to take charge of economic affairs.
Bureau."
The implication is that Li Qi should still be a consultant to take care of the overall situation and formulate strategic guidelines, because the new law still needs to be promoted by him.
The newly appointed ministers, seeing that Qin Hui also stood up to express his position, understood that this matter was not that simple, and raised their heads one after another to watch the performance of these big shots.
Zhao Kai hummed and agreed, then asked Li Qi: "Li Qi, do you have any opinions?"
Li Qi hurriedly said: "Wei Chen has no objection."
Zhao Kai asked again: "But who should be the economic envoy?"
The ministers look up to me and I look up to him. But no one dares to come forward. After all, this position is too important. If they are not fully sure, they will never dare to take the lead.
Zheng Yi secretly glanced at the others and murmured to himself, if I tell that person, will he become the target of public criticism? He couldn't help but feel worried again. After hesitating for a while, he still stood up. As a gentleman, how could he break his promise?
Yu Ren cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have a good candidate for you."
Unexpectedly, he also convinced the Zheng family. Zhao Kai said calmly, "Oh? Tell me quickly." Little did he know that Li Qi only persuaded Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yidao: "This person is the wife of the Privy Councilor, Bai Qiannuo."
An uproar arose in response.
All the officials looked at Zheng Yi with wide eyes, as if they were looking at a madman. Even members of the Zheng family were greatly surprised.
Zhao Kai frowned and said, "Bai Qiannuo? Is she a woman?"
Zheng Yidao: "Wei Chen knows, but the emperor just asked about the best candidate, and did not specify the male or female. In terms of talents in this area, Wei Chen thought that Bai Qiannuo, the Privy Councilor, was the best candidate. As for the suitability,
If it is inappropriate, then I will not dare to speak nonsense."
As expected of Zheng Erlang, he was able to take advantage of loopholes better than me, and he also put the responsibility on Zhao Kai. Li Qi laughed secretly. He was clearly playing a literal game with Zhao Kai. Anyway, his mission was to throw out
When it comes to this topic, he doesn’t need to worry about the other issues.
Chen Dong suddenly stood up and said: "Although what Commander Zheng said is reasonable, Bai Qiannuo does know the new law very well and has a good understanding of the economic philosophy of the Privy Councilor. I am ashamed to say that I am the best candidate.
It's not an exaggeration at all, but the problem is that Bai Qiannuo is a woman after all, and there is no precedent for a woman to be an official in the Song Dynasty. Please think again, Your Majesty."
As soon as he opened his mouth, many people stood up to object. Among these people, a small number objected because of their old-fashioned ideas, but most of them did it for their own interests. To be more specific, it was for the interests of men.
This is a male-dominated society. How can we let women sit on top of us? This precedent cannot be set.
Zhao Kai nodded, but didn't say much. He had already said it, and I can approve it, but only if you, Li Qi, convince the officials.
Qin Hui suddenly stood up again and said: "Your Majesty, strictly speaking, it is not unusual for women to be officials in our court."
Zhao Kai said: "Ai Qing's words have confused me. I don't remember any case of a woman serving as an official in the Song Dynasty."
Qin Hui nodded and said: "During the process of repelling the Jin Army, the Zhejia Army and the Jin Army fought a big battle at Yunjiabao."
Zhao Kai said: "I have also heard about this battle. At that time, the Zhejia army was in danger. Fortunately, General Zhong arrived with his troops and was able to repel the Jin soldiers."
"It is indeed the main reason that General Zhong was able to arrive in time, but there is one person among them who also played a crucial role. Without her advice, the Zhe family army may not have been able to wait for the reinforcements to arrive."
"Who is this person?"
"It is Zhe Meiyue, the third daughter of the late old general Zhe Keshi who made the Xixia soldiers frightened at first."
When Zhao Kai heard Zhe Keshi's name, he said with reverence: "I've been hearing the reputation of General Zhe since I was a child, and I've also heard of Zhe Meiyue's contribution to the fight against the Jin Dynasty.
Oh, it’s true that the general has no dogs.”
Qin Hui said: "What the emperor said is that in fact, in the Zhe family army, women have been used as generals for a long time, and there have been many famous female generals. This is no longer news in our Song Dynasty. Since women can command the army,
If you go into battle to kill the enemy, why can't you go to the palace and become an official?"
As soon as he said these words, the officials were silent for a while, because this is a fact. Many emperors of the Song Dynasty praised the female generals of the Zhe family very much, and even met with many female generals of the Zhe family. Although they were not given formal official positions, they were
All the benefits of official official positions were given, and within the Zhejia army, the female generals of the Zhejia had real military power, and the soldiers had to respectfully call them generals. Moreover, any conscientious Song Dynasty person would treat the women of the Zhejia.
It is a feeling of admiration.
You must know that military attaches are more bloody and masculine than civil servants. Women can be generals, but they can't be civil servants. This makes no sense.
In fact, before Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty, the status of women in the Song Dynasty was still very good, probably lower than that of Wu Zetian. Women in the Song Dynasty could not help but travel around, go outing, compete with talented men in literary talent, study in private schools, and kill enemies in battle.
It can be said that he is capable of both literary and military skills.
There is no bullshit saying that "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue".
Historical celebrities like Sima Guang once said: "No one can live without learning. Are there any differences between men and women?"
This makes sense, why can’t women learn?
It is precisely because of this that a number of outstanding female representatives emerged in the Song Dynasty, such as Li Qingzhao, Zhu Shuzhen, Wu Shuji, Liang Hongyu, Zhe Taijun, etc. Even Li Shishi is worthy of talking about.
It was only later that with the deterioration of Confucianism and the introduction of the Three Cardinal Principles and the Five Constant Principles, women's thoughts began to be imprisoned. In the Qing Dynasty, there would never be a talented woman like Li Qingzhao who cared about the country and the people.
"What you said makes sense."
As Zhao Kai spoke, he suddenly looked at Li Qi and said, "Li Qi, this Bai Qiannuo is your wife, shouldn't you say a few words?"
Li Qi was slightly startled and said: "Reporting to the emperor, I was just thinking about a problem."
Zhao Kai said somewhat depressedly: "Let's talk about it." He knew that Li Qi had already controlled the rhythm, and the matter was already more than half done.
Li Qidao: "Wei Chen is thinking that when the Jin soldiers went south, many ministers fled south, but Zhang Bangchang, Wu Min and others chose to humiliate themselves and seek peace, betraying the country. As for Nie Hao and others, they even talked about it.
It's shameful. These people are not only men, but also the pillars of our government. But what is the first choice they make when facing the national disaster? On the other hand, women such as Li Qingzhao and Liang Hongyu are willing to live or die with Tokyo.
How many impassioned articles have been published to inspire the people and have made great contributions to the defense of the capital. One of them fought on the Yellow River and defeated the golden soldiers. We feel that we men should be ashamed of this. What I want to say is that if there are only two candidates
When running for prime minister, one is Li Qingzhao and the other is Li Bangyan, who will you choose?"
This is a typical Li Qi style question. No one dares to follow this question, because no matter how you answer, it will be wrong!
You guys know what's interesting. Li Qi secretly smiled in his heart and said: "Although I don't avoid relatives when recommending talents, Bai Qiannuo is my wife. I am really ashamed to recommend it. If you can find a better candidate, then I will
Raise your hands in favor, but if not, it depends on whether you think the interests and development of the country are more important, or whether a man's dignity is more important, but I think dignity is something you can get with your own hands, not because of your butt---oh
No, it’s determined by gender.”
Having said this, are you still ashamed? Zhao Kai expressed strong contempt for Li Qi.
Qin Hui immediately responded: "Wei Chen thinks that what the Privy Councilor said is very reasonable. Let Bai Qiannuo be the economic envoy. It can reflect the emperor's thirst for talents. If a woman is talented, she can be reused by the emperor.
What's more, men call. As long as you have the ability, no matter where you come from, you can be reused. This will definitely win the favor of the poor people in the world. Secondly, it can also inspire the world's scholars. Why is it that only a woman is suitable for such an official position in the whole country?
Taking responsibility, this has to make us men feel embarrassed, we should reflect on it, this can also promote the economics of Privy Council, let more people invest in it, and cultivate a group of novel talents for our Song Dynasty. Now
The Song Dynasty lacks such talents; thirdly, the court is currently short of talents. In extraordinary times, extraordinary means should be used and should not be limited to one style. It should be drastic and drastic. Appointing a woman as an official is also necessary for the situation, not for other reasons.