How is the palace of Xixia different from the palace of Song Dynasty?
Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji had never been to the Xixia Palace before, so they didn't know about it.
But when they stepped at the door of the Xixia Palace, they understood the difference between the Xixia Palace and the Song Dynasty Palace.
Judging from the city walls alone, the walls of the Xixia Palace are more than a little lower than the walls of the Song Dynasty Palace.
As for the others, Zhao Zhen didn’t want to comment.
The same goes for Kou Ji.
It’s not that the rest of the Xixia Palace is inferior to the Song Palace.
But except for the city wall, the Song Dynasty Palace is not as good as the Xixia Palace in other places.
In terms of scale, the Xixia Palace is nearly twice the size of the Song Palace.
In terms of palaces, the Xixia Palaces are far more numerous than the Song Dynasty Palaces.
There is no distinction between high and low in terms of luxury.
Although Xixia is located in the north, the construction of the Xixia palace is not as rough as the north, but has some garden scenery that can only be found in the south.
"Who helped Li Deming build the palace?"
Zhao Zhen stared at the Xixia Palace and asked.
Kou Ji thought for a while and said: "It is said that he is a descendant of an official from the Ministry of Industry of the previous dynasty..."
"He is indeed a talented person. He has built a good palace, but it is a pity that he cannot be used by me."
Zhao Zhen sighed and stepped through the gate of Xixia Palace.
Kou Ji followed Zhao Zhen, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
The reason why Zhao Zhen lamented was not because the person who helped Li Deming build a palace was unwilling to help Zhao Zhen build a palace, but because the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was not easy to build too many palaces or expand.
Whether it is building too many palaces or expanding them, some people will object.
When Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin was in power, he felt that the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was sufficient, so he did not expand the palace or build too many palaces.
After Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he wanted to expand the palace, but gave up this move because he could not afford to demolish the residences where people lived outside the imperial city.
He was able to use force and forcefully drive away those people.
But he didn't do that.
Because if he did this, he would definitely be scolded.
Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi cherished feathers and did not want to hear the criticism from the people, so he did not forcibly drive away the people.
Emperor Zhenzong, Zhao Heng, once had the idea of expanding the palace, but after discussing with the Manchu civil and military officials, the Manchu civil and military officials stopped him.
Therefore, the Imperial Palace of the Song Dynasty is still small to this day.
Although it was enough for Zhao Zhen to live there and to house Zhao Zhen's concubines, compared to other dynasties, the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty did seem a bit small.
Now that he was being compared to the Xixia Palace, Zhao Zhen naturally felt uncomfortable.
Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji stepped into the Xixia Palace under the watchful eyes of the guards. There were many potholes near the gate of the palace.
Previously, Liu Heng and Zhong Shiheng attacked the Xixia Palace many times, causing considerable damage to the Xixia Palace.
Although Liu Heng and Zhong Shiheng sent people to clean it up, there were still some broken parts that were difficult to repair for a while.
Zhao Zhen stood in the dilapidated place, turned around and said to Kou Ji: "Fourth brother, I think we should find someone to repair it. What do you think?"
Kou Ji was stunned for a moment, then he heard Zhao Zhen's voice-over and pondered: "The official intends to designate this place as a palace?"
Zhao Zhen did not hide anything, he nodded slowly and said: "Every summer, the heat in Bianjing City is unbearable. It is a good choice for me to take the civil and military personnel of the dynasty here to escape the summer heat."
Kou Ji nodded slowly, "Since the officials have this intention, I will send someone to repair it later."
The Xixia Palace was far larger than the Song Palace.
If such a large palace is not used, it will inevitably be a waste.
If it were given, it would be somewhat unlikely.
Ordinary ministers cannot afford it.
Regardless of the size of the Xixia Palace, there are many things in the palace that only the king is qualified to use, which are not affordable for ordinary ministers.
There are many things about the monarchy in the Xixia palace.
If all were cleared, the Xixia Palace would probably have to be demolished and rebuilt.
When Li Deming built the Xixia Palace, he probably spent a lot of money.
It would be a huge waste to tear it down and rebuild it.
It is just right to designate this place as a palace.
Zhao Zhen heard that Kou Ji agreed with his idea, nodded with a smile, and walked to the main hall of the Xixia Palace.
When he arrived at the entrance of the main hall of the Xixia Palace, Zhao Zhen stopped again. Through the door, he looked at the tables and chairs placed in the main hall. Zhao Zhen said lightly: "I am not used to using other people's things. Find someone to take mine."
Bring your things in."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lin agreed and quickly took the eunuch to replace the things in the main hall.
It's not that Zhao Zhen is being particular about things, but the things Li Deming used have a strong exotic style. Zhao Zhen will soon summon all the meritorious soldiers in the main hall, so he needs to be more solemn.
After Chen Lin and others finished changing the things in the main hall, Zhao Zhen took Kou Ji and entered the main hall.
Zhao Zhen sat down, and after Kou Ji sat down under Zhao Zhen, the generals who commanded the army slowly entered the palace.
The leaders, Zhong Shiheng and Liu Heng, were holding a box together.
The two entered the hall, and after saluting, the box was delivered to Chen Lin, who took it and presented it to Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen did not take another look at the box, but said to the generals: "Now that Xixia has been leveled, the territory of our Song Dynasty is unprecedentedly vast. The reason why our Song Dynasty is what it is today is all because of the desperate fighting of our soldiers.
Before the war, I promised that after the war, I would reward the meritorious soldiers.
I have already sent an order to Bianjing City to summon the civil and military officials of the court to come to Xingqing Mansion for an audience.
When the time comes, I will reward you and praise you in front of the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty.
Before that, I hope you can be more respectful, fulfill your duties, guard the territory I have entrusted to you, and control the people below."
When the generals heard this, they all bowed and said: "Here..."
Zhao Zhen continued: "Most of the rewards I will give you are officials and titles, so it doesn't matter if you do it later or earlier. But the rewards for the soldiers cannot be delayed."
Zhao Zhen looked at Zhong Shiheng and Liu Heng and asked: "You two are responsible for accepting the surrender, and you two also counted the money in the Xixia Palace. Now, tell me, you counted the money from the Xixia Palace
How much money have you made?"
Zhong Shiheng and Liu Heng looked at each other with bitter expressions on their faces.
Liu Heng bowed and said: "Going back to the palace, the wealth in the Xixia Palace is less than 3 million yuan..."
Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment and said in astonishment: "So few?"
Zhong Shiheng bowed and said: "Before the war, Li Deming rewarded most of the riches in Xixia to the warriors of various parties, so there was not much riches left in the Xixia palace."
Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "After conquering Xingqing Mansion, have you ever searched the residences of those Xixia nobles?"
Liu Heng hurriedly said: "When I returned to the official's house, I had already searched everything. The amount of money I found exceeded 10 million yuan."
Zhao Zhen frowned.
I thought to myself that it was okay.
Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Ji and asked: "How much wealth did we seize when our soldiers and horses of the Song Dynasty conquered various places in Xixia?"
Kou Ji cupped his hands and said, "When I get back to the official house, there are about eight million strings."
Zhao Zhen smiled bitterly, "Xixia is really poor."
Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "What the officials said is wrong. In terms of money, Xixia is indeed poor. But if horses, cattle and sheep are included, then Xixia is not poor at all."
In this war, although the money seized from Xixia was small, the number of cattle, sheep, and horses seized was very large.
If all the cattle, sheep, and horses were converted into money, the loot captured by the Song Dynasty from Xixia was indeed very rich.
Not to mention the cattle and sheep that have not yet been clearly counted, the number of horses alone is 800,000.
Among them, there are 150,000 to 60,000 high-grade horses.
There are more than 400,000 medium and good horses.
The rest are just inferior horses.
The value of the horses exceeded the money captured by the Song Dynasty.
Although such a large number of horses poured into the Song Dynasty, the number of horses would plummet.
But with the demand in the Song Dynasty, even if the price of horses fell sharply, it would not fall much.
A group of soldiers will be transferred from the army to turn the Song Dynasty's horse army into a real horse army.
A group of them must be left in the northwest and given to the herdsmen for grazing.
Those who have flowed into the private sector are probably inferior horses.
But even inferior horses can be exchanged for the court for a large amount of money if they flow into the private sector.
Zhao Zhen heard Kou Ji's words and thought about it: "Cattle, sheep and horses are given to the soldiers as rewards. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the soldiers to feel my kindness."
The soldiers and horses of the Song Dynasty were mostly professional soldiers.
Professional soldiers naturally spend their entire lives fighting on the battlefield.
They can't herd horses and sheep.
Send it back to your family, and by the time it gets to the place, it will probably starve to death.
Therefore, if Zhao Zhen gave cattle, sheep and horses to the soldiers, the greatest possibility would be that those profiteers would be benefited, and the soldiers would not get the benefits they deserve.
When Kou Ji heard what Zhao Zhen said, he knew what Zhao Zhen was going to say, so he was speechless.
Zhao Zhen stared at the generals and said: "Therefore, I plan to distribute the land occupied this time to the soldiers so that they can settle down here."
When the generals heard this, they were a little commotion, but Zhao Zhen paid no attention to their commotion and continued: "Now that the Song Dynasty has conquered Xixia, there is no need for the soldiers and horses of the Song Dynasty to be stationed along the Great Wall.
I will dispatch them outside the Great Wall and station them in our newly recovered territory.
Therefore, their families are not suitable to stay in their original place.
Their families should move with them to our newly recovered territory.
Previously, Kou Jinglue was in Xiazhou and distributed land to the soldiers. The soldiers immediately summoned their families to Xiazhou and other places.
This shows that my idea is feasible.”
After Zhao Zhen's words came to light, Zhong Shiheng hesitated and said: "The families of officials and soldiers have already settled in their original places, and I'm afraid they won't adapt if they move to other places.
Moreover, the land of Xixia is mostly desert and grassland, and there is not much land that can be cultivated.
They moved here and found it difficult to work.
It’s impossible to let them imitate the Xixia people and graze here, right?”
As soon as Zhong Shiheng said this, many generals nodded in agreement.
Zhao Zhen stared at Zhong Shiheng and said: "The reason why I distributed the land to the soldiers and asked them to move their families here was not a temporary move, but a deliberate decision.
I distribute the land to the soldiers for three purposes.
One is to give generous gifts to the soldiers.
Secondly, it is to allow them to secure their land with peace of mind.
The third reason is to let their family members help me manage this land."
Zhao Zhen looked around at the generals and continued: "You all know that the people here are fierce and fierce. It may be difficult for the officials and petty officials in the yamen to control the people here, so it is necessary to move some people here to help the officials and petty officials in the yamen.
Petty officials and herdsmen.
Although there is little fertile land here, it is enough to supply the families of the soldiers.
The set of government decrees used by Kou Jinglue in Hexi can also be used here.
With the example of Hexi before us, this place will inevitably become another Hexi in a very short period of time."
When Zhong Shiheng heard this, he cupped his hands and said: "Since the official family has given important tasks to the families of the soldiers, I naturally have no objection."
Zhao Zhen nodded with satisfaction and said: "Very good, then use the land here to reward the soldiers. Except for a few troops stationed in Beijing and the Zhenxi Army in Hexi, all other soldiers can use their merits.
Exchange for land here.
Although I can't let them squander the land, I can still reward them with a hundred acres of land for each enemy's head."
When the generals heard what Zhao Zhen said, they looked at me and I looked at you, but no one spoke.
Zhao Zhen's move not only rewarded the soldiers, but also probably had plans to reorganize the soldiers in each army.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him not to impose restrictions on the land selected by the officers and soldiers of each army.
For example, the officers and soldiers of the Zhenguo Army can choose land in Xingqing Prefecture, and the officers and soldiers of the Xingguo Army can also choose land in Xingqing Prefecture.
Then after the land distribution is completed, their families will move here.
Once the Zhenguo Army and Xingguo Army are transferred away from Xingqing Mansion, the soldiers will naturally be unable to follow them.
The most likely possibility is that the soldiers who stayed in Xingqing Mansion were grouped together and put under the command of the garrison in Xingqing Mansion.
Whether Zhao Zhen's move was to weaken their military power or for another purpose, the soldiers could not guess, so no one spoke.
After Kou Ji heard what Zhao Zhen said, his face was a little surprised, but he didn't speak.
Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Zhen continued: "Of course, the treatment of soldiers who choose to stay in fertile lands such as Xingqing Mansion and Dingzhou will be different from those who choose to go to barren places.
The soldiers who choose to stay in fertile lands such as Xingqing Mansion and Dingzhou must wait until the heads of departments and departments at all levels have selected the land before they can choose.
As for the soldiers who choose to go to barren places, I can give them some extra land."
The land in Xixia is rich and poor, so naturally it cannot be generalized.
What is lacking in quality will naturally be made up for in quantity.
After hearing what Zhao Zhen said, the generals remained silent.
Zhao Zhen waved his hands to them, "You go down and tell the soldiers this good news, and by the way, order the Huotou Army to kill pigs and sheep for three days of celebration, and congratulate me on the Song Dynasty's conquest of Xixia!"
"Here!"
The generals bowed to Zhao Zhen and left the main hall of the palace with their own thoughts.
After the generals left, Kou Ji couldn't help but asked: "Guan, do you plan to reorganize the troops and horses in the northwest?"
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "You have already arranged the troops and horses in the northwest once, why do I need to arrange them again?"
Kou Ji wondered: "Then you..."
Before Kou Ji could finish what he said, Zhao Zhen said frankly: "The reason why I did not designate a place for the soldiers is to verify something that the fourth brother said before."
Kou Ji was slightly stunned.
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "Fourth brother said before that our military system in the Song Dynasty has flaws."
Kou Ji combined Zhao Zhen's words, thought about it for a moment, and said: "What the officials are talking about is a military system where the generals are stationary and soldiers and horses are frequently deployed?"
Zhao Zhen nodded slowly, "I am traveling with the army this time, and I have personally experienced the pain of frequent mobilization of troops and horses. In order to guard against warriors, our Song Dynasty has always advocated that the generals stay in one place, and the troops and horses come from the south.
North's dispatch.
The march of soldiers and horses can take as short as a few days or as long as a year and a half.
The troops and horses of the Song Dynasty were mobilized almost every three years. The troops and horses in many places spent most of their time on the road.
In this case, what time is left to practice?
Is there any time left to get familiar with the place and the battlefield?
How can soldiers and horses not be weak?
Generals who are in charge of local affairs cannot take responsibility for the frequently mobilized troops and horses under their command.
He spent a lot of effort to train his troops, but in the end they were transferred to someone else's command, giving them an advantage.
How could they spend so much effort training their troops?
In this way, what is the difference between the millions of soldiers and horses raised by the Song Dynasty and the millions of idle people?
I am determined to revive the Song Dynasty and reform, so naturally it is impossible for me to see such bad policies continue to be implemented.
Fourth Brother has said before that if we want to change this bad government, we must change our approach: send generals without mobilizing troops, and generals without mobilizing troops.
In the hinterland of the Central Plains, this has its drawbacks.
If soldiers and horses stay in one place for a long time, they will inevitably be corrupted by the local tyrants and become weapons in their hands that bring harm to the countryside.
But it's different here.
There are no powerful people in the place anymore.
I have dealt with all the local powerful people.
There is nothing to collude with,
Therefore, I think we can try the method of moving troops without moving troops here."
Kou Ji analyzed Zhao Zhen's words carefully, and after a long time he said: "The officials did not stipulate the division of land for the soldiers, and they also wanted to see whether the combat effectiveness would be affected after the troops and horses were divided and resettled.
If there is no impact, then all the officials' worries can be solved.
At that time, the officials can implement this method in the hinterland of the Central Plains?"
Zhao Zhen nodded and said with a smile: "The one who knows me is Fourth Brother. If the troops and horses can maintain their original combat effectiveness after being divided and relocated, then I don't need to worry when I implement the method of keeping the troops stationary.
The soldiers and horses colluded with the local powerful to bring disaster to the countryside.
I can let them stay in one place for a long time, but every three to five years, I can gather all the soldiers and horses in a place and disperse them.
In this case, I will dispatch generals to join the army to intimidate all the soldiers and horses. This will not only solve the problem of the soldiers and horses relying on their own self-respect, but also solve the problem of the soldiers and horses staying in the place for a long time and causing harm to the countryside."
Kou Jixiao asked: "For soldiers and horses, generals are always new. Before they understand the general's temperament, they will never dare to do anything extraordinary. For generals, soldiers and horses are always new.
In three to five years, it will be difficult to win over the hearts and minds of the entire army?"
Zhao Zhen smiled and nodded, that's what he thought.
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "In this way, the combat effectiveness of the soldiers and horses will not be greatly affected, and there will be enough time to practice. I don't need to worry about the self-respect of the soldiers."
Kou Ji took over Zhao Zhen's words and said: "What's more important is that where the generals are dispatched depends entirely on the officials. The distribution of military equipment and pay is also out of the control of the generals.
I’m afraid it will be difficult for a general to drink his soldiers’ blood.”
When Zhao Zhen heard this, his smile became even brighter.
That's exactly what he thought.
Kou Ji finally understood all Zhao Zhen's intentions.
Zhao Zhen wanted to use this place as a test field to implement the new policy and see the effect.
If the effect is good, it will be implemented nationwide to eliminate many bad policies in the military system.
This place is a newly conquered place, and the situation is completely different from other places in the Song Dynasty. There are many foreigners, so it requires some different political restrictions.
In order to stabilize his rule here, Zhao Zhen implemented some ingenious military systems, but the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty would not for a while substitute them into the military system of the entire Song Dynasty.
Even if the Manchu civil and military forces incorporated it into the military system of the Song Dynasty, as long as Zhao Zhen did not move the military system in the hinterland of the Central Plains, the Manchu civil and military forces would not be able to form a wave of opposition.
The monarch and his ministers got together, discussed some details, and then ate some simple meals together, and then asked Chen Lin to arrange two palaces for them to live in, and moved in.
I didn't sleep all night last night, and I have been busy for most of the day today, so I naturally need to take a rest.
Just when the monarch and his ministers were sleeping soundly.
The generals had already told all the soldiers that Zhao Zhen was going to reward them with land from Xixia.
When the soldiers learned about this, they were very happy.
Kou Ji divided lands outside Linzhou City, as well as in Xiazhou and other places, which made the soldiers in other places envious.
Now that they learned that Zhao Zhen was going to allocate land to them, and the amount was quite large, they were naturally very happy.
As for the possibility that the family might live here in the future, the soldiers didn't care at all.
Thanks to the imperial court's military care, they have long become a group of people without a place to settle.
They don't care where they live.
What they care about is land.
As long as the court gives them land, they are more than willing to live with jackals, tigers and leopards.
In their hearts, land is more valuable than life.
Now that the imperial court not only gave them land, but also a huge amount of land, it seemed that they also wanted to designate their residence, so they were naturally very happy.
If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Zhen's residence was prohibited from trespassing, they might have gone to the place where Zhao Zhen was and saluted him together to thank him for his kindness.
In short, the soldiers celebrated happily for three days.
Three days later.
Wang Kai led his troops back to Xingqing Mansion.
Dingzhou was captured by Wang Kai, and there was no more Xixia in the world.
The only regret is that when Liu Qi attacked Dingzhou, he was hit by three arrows and died.