Hearing this, Kou Ji felt mixed emotions in his heart.
If Kou Ji hadn't known that Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Han Qi and others were all great talents, he would have shouted the word "arrogant" without hesitation.
After all, through Fan Zhongyan's narration, Kou Ji could clearly feel that Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Han Qi and others felt that the senior officials in the court were inferior to them.
The decisions made by a group of ministers in charge of a superpower were judged as naive, and it would be an understatement to call them arrogant.
However, Kou Ji knew that Fan Zhongyan and others were telling the truth.
Because times have changed.
Kou Zhun couldn't even understand the current situation in the court and the future direction of the Song Dynasty.
Lu Yijian, Wang Zeng, Chen Yaozuo, Li Zhaoliang, Wang Shu and others may not be able to understand it.
Most of them just rely on their previous knowledge of the local area to handle official duties.
But the place now is very different from before.
The reform of the military system has enriched local military strength.
Local officials can do many things with the help of soldiers and horses.
The reform of the government system combined the former government and many agencies into one, and many functions have undergone tremendous changes.
What local officials have to do has also changed.
The functions of local officials have changed even more.
Many previous government orders are no longer suitable for use.
In addition, the imperial court continued to relocate people, which took away the extremely poor people in the local areas and the poor people in many places.
There is one less layer in the local food chain. To maintain local stability and maintain local production, changes will follow.
When these changes, big and small, are put together, it becomes a huge change.
This huge change is not obvious yet, only local organs can clearly feel it.
As time goes by, the impact of changes becomes greater and greater.
Only then can the Dukes in the court feel it.
The Song Dynasty's method of governing the world by adhering to the ancestral system has long been no longer applicable to the current Song Dynasty.
Many people may question how the powerful princes in the court could not notice the changes that have taken place in the local area.
That's because the changes in the Song Dynasty were too fast, and there was no time for the powerful princes in the court to react.
More importantly, these changes are subtle.
Until the change does not cause huge harm, it will not attract the attention of the princes in the court.
Even if it attracts the attention of one or two people, until they have no way to solve these problems, they will silently pretend that they do not exist.
For example, the original Ma Zheng in the Song Dynasty.
After it was signed, corruption occurred. Many people saw it, but no one spoke up.
When the horse could no longer be hidden, Xiang Minzhong reported to the court and asked the court to sell a large number of old and inferior horses raised by the court to the people.
It alleviated the corruption of Ma Zheng.
However, the problems with Ma Zheng in the Song Dynasty have never been eradicated.
It was not until Kou Ji opened up a huge horse farm in Hexi for the Song Dynasty that the horse politics of the Song Dynasty was relieved to a certain extent.
Subsequently, the Song Dynasty conquered and destroyed various countries, and after acquiring many horse herding lands, the flaws in the Song Dynasty's horse administration were completely resolved.
Kou Ji stared at Fan Zhongyan and said, "Since you know the local problems, why don't you report them to the imperial court?"
Fan Zhongyan coughed dryly and said loudly: "Is it useful if you play it? They don't understand!"
Kou Ji looked at Fan Zhongyan in astonishment.
Fan Zhongyan hurriedly explained: "These are Su Xun's original words. The students are just imitating Su Xun's tone of voice."
Kou Ji glanced at Fan Zhongyan and said, dumbfounded: "It is indeed Su Xun's style..."
After a pause, Kou Ji said again: "But even so, you should report to the court. It is precisely because the princes in the court do not understand and do not understand, so you should tell them about the local changes and let them understand.
recognize the place.
Only in this way can they formulate reasonable government orders."
Hearing this, Fan Zhongyan's face darkened, and he sighed slightly: "The student was the first to report, and the response he received was that he was looking for trouble for nothing.
Others also played it, but it didn’t attract any attention at all.”
Kou Ji pondered and asked, "Where are the others besides you?"
Fan Zhongyan sighed again and said: "Except for those who came from your sect, only those who came from Wenchang Academy and officials who have been to Hexi have reported this matter.
Most of the remaining officials are pretending to be deaf and dumb.
And the problems happening in each of our places are different.
After reporting to the court, almost all of them were beaten back.
Only two or three were adopted.
But they are all things that are neither painful nor painful, or have very intuitive political achievements."
Kou Ji did not blindly believe Fan Zhongyan's words, but stared at Fan Zhongyan and asked: "What things have you reported to me? Please tell me carefully."
Fan Zhongyan nodded and said: "Su Xun once petitioned the imperial court to set up a tax office on the coast of Bohai Prefecture to collect taxes from passing ships.
The imperial court did not agree, but asked Su Xun to sell off the commercial tax rights of passing merchant ships in accordance with the usual practice."
When Kou Ji heard this, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "Bohai Mansion has now been managed by Su Xun into a hub leading to all parts of Liao Dynasty. There are countless ships and merchants passing by every day.
The commercial tax collected every day is a huge number."
Fan Zhongyan nodded heavily and said: "Su Xun said that when the autumn grain was put into the warehouse, there were hundreds of large merchant ships going to and from Bohai House every day.
The commercial tax that can be collected amounts to tens of thousands of dollars.
If the imperial court sets up a tax office at Bohai Port, it can collect at least more than three million guan in commercial taxes every year."
The people in Liao are now small landowners. With the help of the criminals in Liao, they are able to cultivate a huge amount of land every year.
They don't use much of what their land produces.
Most of them were exchanged for money and goods.
Therefore, whether it is selling grain or buying goods, the quantity is huge.
The port of Bohai Prefecture is so far the only place in Liao that can reduce taxes. It is also the only port in Liao, which naturally attracts merchants.
After all, although traveling by water is slow, the cost is extremely low.
If the same batch of grain is taken by land, it will require a lot of mules, horses, wooden carts, manpower, and the cost of people eating and chewing horses. It will also cost money to pass the checkpoints along the way.
If you go by water, a boat and a group of rowing people are enough. All you need to spend is some food for people to eat, and there is no other cost.
You know, when you are on the road, mules and horses eat more than people, and sometimes the food is more expensive than people.
When encountering difficult roads, it is easy to cause great damage.
Damage is also possible when traveling by boat, but the probability is far less than by traveling on the road.
Therefore, the port established by Su Xun in Bohai Prefecture is definitely the favorite place for businessmen, and it is also the place where businessmen are most willing to go.
For a port hub involving the business of tens of millions of people, the annual commercial tax revenue is naturally a huge number.
Su Xun estimated three million yuan, which was a conservative estimate.
After all, there are many coveted luxury goods in Liao. Luxury goods are often light in weight and high in value, so they can naturally receive more taxes.
For example, ginseng, Dongzhu, furs of exotic animals, precious wood, etc. from Liao.
Some people may question that the only people with property in Liao are the people of the Song Dynasty. They have no property in their criminal records, so they do not participate in buying and selling and cannot stimulate consumption.
That can only mean that you have underestimated the importance that the people of the Song Dynasty attached to the labor force.
In the Song Dynasty, especially when farming was busy, cattle, horses, mules, etc. all had better food than people.
If the main labor force in the family eats too much during the busy farming season, other people will most likely go hungry.
If the people of the Song Dynasty used those sins to farm, they would be fed and clothed.
Some common people may even provide them with the opportunity to have children, allowing them to add labor to their families.
Even people with good intentions will regard those who have sacrificed their lives for their own families as their own.
So there must be many among them who will spend money to buy a lot of daily necessities for those guilty.
Before they completely become landlords and rich people, they will maintain considerable goodwill towards the first batch of heroes under them.
Only after they become landlords and rich people and enjoy the benefits of exploitation will they enter the level of exploitation.
Therefore, Su Xun's estimated tax revenue of more than 3 million yuan will only be more, not less.
Is it such a huge amount of wealth that the court turned a blind eye?
Is the imperial court in trouble?
Or is it that someone from the household department has drifted away?
Kou Ji took a long breath and said: "This matter is indeed the fault of the court..."
Fan Zhongyan saw that Kou Ji recognized that the court was wrong, so he continued: "In order to make the people of Shaanxi Prefecture rich, the students set up many workshops in Shaanxi Prefecture.
In order to prevent the wealthy families in Shaanxi Prefecture from using their commercial taxation rights to suppress the workshops that the common people depended on for their survival, the students petitioned to set up a tax office in Shaanxi Prefecture to take back the commercial taxation rights from the wealthy families.
But the imperial court actually rejected the student because there was no such precedent.
They even issued documents to their subordinates, asking them not to take the people to engage in lowly business, and to let the people go back and work on farming in peace.
If they have fields to cultivate, and get everything from the fields, and can be fed and clothed with the food produced in the fields, why should the students bother to let them engage in lowly occupations?
Don’t students know that in the Song Dynasty, business registration was far lower than agricultural registration?
They don't have enough to eat. They want to occupy the mountain and become the king. They want to gather people to rebel?
Does it make sense to mention merchants and farmers?
Could it be that they have become bandits and the court will realize that they don’t have enough to eat?”
Kou Ji sighed and said quietly: "This matter is also the fault of the court..."
Fan Zhongyan added: "Over in Gumeng Mansion, Zhang Fangping asked the imperial court to allocate a group of tree species from Hexi Mansion. He wanted to imitate Li Gong and lead the people of Gumeng Mansion to plant trees and cultivate at the same time.
But the court actually asked Zhang Fangping to negotiate with Li Gong himself.
Li Gong told Zhang Fangping that Hexi had experienced a war before and many trees were destroyed.
If Zhang Fangping is provided with tree seeds for free, the people may not be happy.
So I asked Zhang Fangping to give him some things so that he could give an explanation to the people.
But the Gumeng Mansion where Zhang Fangping lives is very poor, and his background is not good, so he can't even advance money by himself.
Zhang Fangping was doing things for the court, not for himself.
The court was unwilling to pay such a small amount of money, leaving Zhang Fangping to figure out a solution on his own.
If Wen Yanbo hadn't come forward to lend Zhang Fangping some money, Zhang Fangping might have led the people of Gumeng Mansion out to rob it.
If he really did this, the court would benefit and the people of Gumeng Mansion would also benefit, but he himself would be beheaded in public.
Because he led the people out to become bandits without the permission of the court, he should be beheaded."
Kou Ji slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes again, and said: "The imperial court needs loyal ministers and good generals, and also hopes that all the people under its rule will be loyal ministers and good generals. However, if everything happens, they will push it downwards. I'm afraid the loyal ministers and good generals will
They were all forced to become rebels.
This matter is the fault of the imperial court."
After Kou Ji said this, he looked at Fan Zhongyan and said, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Fan Zhongyan let out a long sigh and said: "There is too much to say, and there are countless examples that can be cited. I am afraid that students will not be able to finish it in a day and a night.
The students and others are now waiting for you to raise your arms, sir, so that they can follow you and do something grand and grand."
Kou Ji opened his mouth, and just as he was about to speak, Fan Zhongyan said again: "If you don't raise your arms, several of the students will resign... and some will come on their own!"
Kou Ji swallowed back the words that came to his lips in an instant, then glared at Fan Zhongyan and said angrily: "You, sir, and I are only 30 years old, and there are still decades before I enter the grave.
I'm not dead yet, but you want to replace me as a chess player. Are you thinking too much?"
Fan Zhongyan smiled softly, "If you don't speak up, the students will be offended. When you were teaching students and others in Hexi, you did.
Sir, what you adhere to most is the creed of putting down the mediocre and putting down the capable.
Students are not as good as sir, but they are much better than others."
Kou Ji raised his eyebrows and said, "So confident?"
Fan Zhongyan slowly straightened his back and said unceremoniously: "Students and others dare not say that they are more powerful than Dukes Gonggun in the court, but students and others dare to assert that students and others are more powerful than Dukes Gonggun in the court now.
Understand the Song Dynasty."
Kou Ji smiled and said, "You know better than me?"
Fan Zhongyan hesitated for a moment, then laughed in a low voice: "Students and others are better at running the place than sir."
Kou Ji didn't know whether to laugh or cry and said: "You are just bullying me because I have no experience in foreign affairs. But when it comes to governing a place, it is not certain who will win or lose."
Fan Zhongyan smiled and said nothing.
Kou Ji lamented: "Although the Dukes in the court don't know the place as well as you, the Dukes in the court still have advantages.
When encountering major events, the Gong Gong guilds in the court are as stable as Mount Tai, but you may not be.
Just like Su Xun, when I promoted him to the post of governor of Bohai Prefecture, he actually didn't dare to accept it.
Finally, he asked me for a Bao Zheng, and then he reluctantly rushed to take up the post.
Wen Yanbo, Zhang Fangping, Han Qi and others all have too little qualifications.
Even now that he has entered Bianjing City as an official, it is difficult to control his subordinates.
Of all of you, you are the most qualified.
Being an official in the court is not only based on ability, but also on seniority and merit.
If each of you has not made any achievements and has not much qualifications, but only enters the court based on your ability, the people above may not say anything.
But the people below are definitely not convinced.
You think you are of high ability, and the people below also think that they are of high ability.
Does the imperial court want to set up an arena for you to fight when the people below are dissatisfied with you?"
Fan Zhongyan was speechless when he heard this.
In the past, he would have said without hesitation, "Why not", but now he would not say that.
Because everything done in the court is related to the livelihood of thousands of people.
The imperial court set up an arena and let two officials fight each other, and one of them competed against each other. It seemed that they could select talents for the imperial court.
But what about the people down there?
Are they child's play?
They are lives, not chips on someone's gambling table.
Nor can it be used for competition.
But most people who can put the common people on the gambling table have no common people in their hearts.
Why should a person who has no common people in his heart be the parent and official of the common people?
When Kou Ji saw that Fan Zhongyan was silent, he knew that Fan Zhongyan had understood what he said. He said with emotion: "People must have awe in their hearts, and officials should have it in their hearts.
The reverence in the hearts of officials is not for the officials, but for the people.
So I appreciate you being more confident, but you must not treat people's lives as child's play.
You can join the court as an official, but they still lack some skills.
Still need to practice.
Like Su Xun, if you don't say much, you have to serve me as magistrate for two terms."
Fan Zhongyan already recognized Kou Ji's words in his heart, but thinking of Su Xun's arrogant words when he wrote to him, he still couldn't help but said: "I'm afraid Su Xun won't be happy..."
Kou Ji glanced at Fan Zhongyan and said in a nonchalant manner: "What is he unhappy about? A Bohai Prefecture magistrate made him get carried away?
I am now helping him find a position as Minister of Household Affairs. Will he be able to hold the position firmly? Can he hold on to it?
Tens of millions of dollars flow through his eyes every day, can he reasonably spend every penny where it should be spent?"
Su Xun does not need to answer these words, Fan Zhongyan can answer them for him.
Fan Zhongyan smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying: "I'm afraid he can't..."
Let alone Su Xun, even if it is Fan Zhongyan, it is not an easy task for him to arrange tens of millions of dollars in a reasonable manner.
Kou Ji snorted coldly and said: "Since you can't, just settle down in your place and don't be too ambitious. You should correspond with them frequently and tell them what I say.
If they can manage more places than Jiangning Mansion.
Whatever they want, I give them.
If you can't, then just lie down obediently.
When I use them and when they are qualified, I will naturally send them to Beijing."
"More than Jiangning Mansion? It's impossible!"
Fan Zhongyan said with a look of astonishment.
Kou Ji glanced at Fan Zhongyan and said: "Gumeng Mansion and Langye Mansion may not have a chance, but Bohai Mansion definitely has a chance. The specifics will depend on what Su Xun does."
A commercial hub that connects thousands of miles of territory, a commercial transit station that connects more than half of the Song Dynasty, the potential is endless.
Jiangning Mansion is certainly prosperous.
But Jiangning Mansion has developed to a bottleneck.
The development of Bohai Mansion has just begun.
Fan Zhongyan didn't quite believe what Kou Ji said, and shook his head and said: "Although there are many merchants staying in Bohai Prefecture now, there are very few merchants who have moved to Bohai Prefecture.
What Bohai Mansion can see is only floating wealth, not money that takes root."
Kou Ji stared at Fan Zhongyan and said, "Then what if I allow Su Xun to open a tax office in Bohai Prefecture, and also let Yizijiaozi Shop establish a branch in Bohai Prefecture?"
Fan Zhongyan was stunned, silently calculated, and said hurriedly: "Then Bohai Prefecture is expected to surpass Jiangning Prefecture in terms of commercial tax. But basically it is still worse than Jiangning Prefecture."
Kou Ji said calmly: "What's missing is nothing more than education and foundation. Foundation can only be accumulated slowly, but I can help him with education.
As long as your education and annual income increase, your foundation will be accumulated quickly."
Fan Zhongyan said in a deep voice: "Most of the people in Bohai Mansion are guilty of crimes. It will take more than ten years to achieve results in a large-scale education. It is impossible to compare with Jiangning Mansion's hundreds of years of accumulation."
Kou Ji said with a smile: "It depends on human factors. It all depends on what Su Xun does."
Fan Zhongyan looked at Kou Ji suspiciously.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Many of the books you translated have not yet been published. If Su Xun wants, I can make them published in advance."
Fan Zhongyan said in horror: "There are many things in those books that are contrary to the saint's words. If it were spread, it would be terrible.
Su Xun will probably become the target of public criticism."
Kou Ji laughed and said: "Can a living person be choked to death by urinating? Find a way to connect them with the saint's words, find some great scholars to endorse them, say that they are studied from the saint's words, and spread them in the name of the saint.
Isn’t that possible too?
If it doesn't work, just say it was written by my little Kou Gong.
After all, I am one of the few capable people in the Song Dynasty. Is it not too much to write one or two relatively powerful books?"
Fan Zhongyan's mouth twitched and he said, "Are those one or two books?"
Kou Ji laughed and said: "Those enlightenment books can be assigned to my name. The remaining derivatives can be assigned to your names.
You are my students, and you have studied something different from my books, isn’t that too much?”
Fan Zhongyan said with a face of shame: "But that is a book written by Western great Confucianists. If we pretend to be someone else, wouldn't it be too..."
As a scholar, I have serious resistance to plagiarizing other people's works.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "You are worrying too much. We also want to spread knowledge better. We also want to let the people know how extensive the knowledge in the world is.
When future generations know about this, they will only praise us for our good intentions.
As for outsiders accusing us of plagiarism, who cares?
Do you still want those outsiders to worship you as a saint?"
Fan Zhongyan shook his head decisively.
joke.
In Fan Zhongyan's eyes, those people were all barbarians.
Who wants to be a sage to the barbarians?
Then you have to fail in the Song Dynasty and then go to the barbarians to become the king and hegemony.
"Then it's over?"
"But pretending to be someone else is really hard for students to accept."
"Then if you don't admit it or deny it, it's over. I'm really worried about being asked, so you can say it was written by me."
"Sir, it's really..."
"Shameless, right?"
Koji asked with a smile.
Fan Zhongyan smiled dryly, "The student didn't say anything."
Kou Ji said disdainfully: "But that's what you think."