Wang Zeng had a headache after hearing what Kou Ji said. He stared at Kou Ji and complained: "Can you please stop thinking about using soldiers and horses? Soldiers and horses cannot solve all problems."

Kou Ji smiled and said, "Do you agree with what you said?"

Wang Zeng nodded almost without hesitation.

He felt that he needed to correct Kou Ji's wrong idea of ​​always wanting to be violent.

Seeing Wang Zeng nod, Kou Ji continued to ask with a smile: "Can you read history?"

Wang Zeng rolled his eyes.

Who do you look down on?

I, Wang Zeng, am one of the three leaders who can be counted on one hand since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

When it comes to statecraft, I may not be as good as others.

But in terms of familiarity with the classics of various scholars and the unique historical records, no one in the Song Dynasty could master it.

Your grandfather is no match for me either.

In the past, only Ding said he could compete with me in this aspect, because that guy has a photographic memory, which is different from ordinary people.

Now, my king once dared to claim to be second, and no one dared to say that he was first.

Kou Ji knew the answer in Wang Zeng's heart through Wang Zeng's reaction. He smiled and said: "Since you read history, you should know.

Almost all innovations are based on dynasty changes.

It is almost impossible to succeed if you want to maintain the stability of the dynasty while also trying to innovate.

Even if you succeed, you are just making wedding clothes for others.

Just like the imperial examination system established in the Sui Dynasty, it broke the monopoly of aristocratic families on high positions in the court.

But because of this, he was targeted by the aristocratic family.

That’s why the Eighteenth Route Anti-King came to Beijing.

If the imperial examination system had not been established in the Sui Dynasty, how many ways do you think the rebels who came to Beijing could have done?"

Wang Zeng frowned and fell into silence.

When Kou Ji saw that Wang Zeng was silent, he smiled and said: "The Third and Fifth Routes are overwhelming... There can be no Eighteenth Route... What really caused the Eighteenth Route to rebel against the king was the imperial examination system.

The emergence of the imperial examination system broke the control of the dynasty by aristocratic families.

The aristocratic families saw the crisis, so they gathered together to attack.

In the end, Li Tang won the throne.

Li Tang followed the ruins of the former Sui Dynasty and implemented the imperial examination system again.

In order to implement the imperial examination system, several emperors of Li and Tang also made great efforts.

They fought with the aristocratic families for decades, and it was not until the power of the aristocratic families was weakened that they officially promoted the imperial examination system.

Before they completely promoted the imperial examination system.

Those students who want to take part in the imperial examinations need the nod of approval from prominent families and some officials in the central government.

After the defeat of Li Tang.

I founded the Song Dynasty.

After the founding of the Song Dynasty, we also implemented the imperial examination system.

As for my students in the Song Dynasty, they don't need the nod from famous families or the recommendation of officials in the court to participate in the imperial examination.

As long as he is talented, as long as he has not committed any crime.

He can enter the examination room."

Speaking of this, Kou Ji looked at Wang Zeng and said with a smile: "So, it is impossible to innovate without bloodshed. The system we want to innovate is larger and more numerous than the imperial examination system, and its impact will definitely exceed that of the imperial examination system."

system.

Therefore, the difficulties we have to face may be more than promoting the imperial examination system.

So we have to prepare for the worst."

Wang Zeng gritted his teeth and said, "Do you want the officials to start their own rebellion?"

Kou Ji spread his hands and asked: "Then what should I do? Do nothing and watch those moths lying on the Song Dynasty, knocking the bones and sucking the marrow, until the Song Dynasty is defeated?"

It is better to let the officials create their own rebellion than to let others create their own rebellion."

Wang Zeng stared at Kou Ji and said, "The matter is not as serious as you said."

Kou Ji said calmly: "Whether the matter is serious or not, you, Wang Zeng, know clearly. The rebellion rate among the people in the Song Dynasty is the highest in all dynasties.

If there were no problems in the Song Dynasty, why did the people rebel?

Do you think life is too comfortable?

Or do you think living is a waste of food?”

Wang Zeng was so shocked that he was speechless.

Kou Ji continued: "The problem is already very serious. It is like a spark, flickering in every corner of the Song Dynasty.

Now, we can suppress it, so we can pretend it doesn't exist, or we can say it's not serious.

But when it was completely connected, it formed a prairie fire.

Tell me, what will be done to extinguish it then?

Who can extinguish it?"

Wang Zeng gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Kou Ji stared and said: "When the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty encountered a problem, the first thing they thought of was not how to solve it. Instead, they thought of avoiding it.

If too many people's interests are involved, not only will it be avoided, but it will also be concealed.

It is like a disease, it needs to be treated when discovered.

If left untreated, it will one day become a fatal disease.

There is a saying that has always been passed down among local officials, that is, serving as an official will benefit the country.

This sentence does not apply to us.

But we should understand another sentence from this.

That means serving as prime minister for one term and ensuring peace and prosperity for hundreds of years."

Speaking of this, Kou Ji paused, stared at Wang Zeng and said solemnly: "So... once I take up the post of Tong Zhongshu's disciple, I will not be polite to anyone.

I will kill anyone who stops me from serving the country and the people."

Wang Zeng clenched his fist and said in a trembling voice: "Have you finished killing me?"

Kou Ji said unceremoniously: "There are a total of ten million households in the Liao Kingdom. Except for those who died in battle and those who died from their own torture, the rest are all prisoners of our Song Dynasty.

When I was in the Liao region, as long as I nodded, all of them would have their heads removed.

Do you think the number of wealthy families in the Song Dynasty can bring together 10 million households?"

Wang Zeng stared at Kou Ji and said, "I told you when we were in Liao that if you do this, many people will die in vain."

Kou Ji sneered, "If killing a million people can allow tens of millions, or even more than tens of millions, of people to live in peace, I will not be polite."

Wang Zeng sat up suddenly and shouted: "They are all from the Song Dynasty, not foreigners."

Kou Ji glanced at Wang Zeng and asked coldly: "We think they are Song people, but do they think they are Song people? For their own selfish interests, they don't even care about the safety of our country, the Song Dynasty, and the safety of future generations."

No regard for happiness.

What do we keep them for?

They kept their brains full of fat and devoured the Song Dynasty.

And then wait for others to slaughter them?

Are you harming the people again by the way?"

Wang Zeng said angrily: "My Song Dynasty is now invincible in the world."

Kou Ji sarcastically said: "The Han Dynasty is about the same. But at the end of the Han Dynasty, the families of the aristocratic families were all powerful, and they fought fiercely with each other for the throne.

But they ignored that outsiders were secretly taking control.

The final result was that the Han people were reduced to two-legged sheep and became meat in the mouths of others.

If we don't set rules for those wealthy families now, they will become the new aristocratic families in the future.

And the final fate of the Song Dynasty is not much different from that of the Han Dynasty."

"Now there is no opponent in the four fields, and our army of the Song Dynasty is invincible..."

"Can you guarantee that the Song Dynasty will remain invincible? Or can you guarantee that the forces around the Song Dynasty will not become powerful? When the Song Dynasty was first established, what was Xixia? It was just a vassal town with two states."

"..."
To be continued...