As soon as Cai Qi said these words, the three people in Zishi Hall were stunned.
Kou Ji opened his mouth, intending to stop him, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
Kou Ji prevented Cai Qi from going to Jiaozhi, mainly to prevent Cai Qi from knowing the secret of his stay in Jiaozhi.
But after thinking about it carefully, Kou Ji felt that his worries were a bit unnecessary.
All the horse guards in Jiaozhi have withdrawn from Jiaozhi, and the soldiers and horses they spent more than ten years training have also withdrawn from Jiaozhi with them, leaving no trace.
Nowadays, the only people left in Jiaozhi are Jiaozhi and the Song people who migrated there, as well as the Cao family who are in charge of Jiaozhi.
Cao Li is not a fool.
He would never give up everything to expose Kou Ji and drag himself into the quagmire after tasting the sweetness of being the king.
So after Cai Qi went to Jiaozhi, he couldn't see Cao Lili, or even anyone he knew.
All Cai Qi could see was the puppet Cao Li pushed out.
So Kou Ji's worry that Cai Qi will see through his secret is absolutely unnecessary.
After removing selfishness, Cai Qizhuo's invitation to go to Jiaozhi seems to be somewhat majestic and upright.
There were not many selfless ministers like Cai Qi in the Song Dynasty.
In the past few decades, there wouldn't be one, but now, one pops up every now and then.
Wang Zeng looked at Cai Qi with very complicated eyes.
When a noble person appears in front of others, others tend to feel ashamed.
Although Cai Qi was not the only important minister who went to the border to take charge, Cai Qi was truly selfless.
Lu Yijian was forced to sit in Qingtang out of helplessness.
Li Di was based in Hexi, but was driven out of Bianjing by the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty.
When Wang Sui took charge of Xingqing, he was trying to catch a duck.
Zhang Zhibai was in command of Linheng, but he was forced to do so by Hou Lang.
Only Cai Qi willingly asked to go to the border.
No one forced him, and no one rushed him.
Although Cai Qi simply said, "Please go to Jiaozhi" and did not say that he was going to be in charge of Jiaozhi, the three people in Zishitang all understood his meaning.
Zhao Zhen stood up in disbelief and stared at Cai Qi, "What does this mean, Aiqing?"
Cai Qi smiled calmly and said: "Lu Yijian is in Qingtang, Li Di is in Hexi, Wang Sui is in Xingqing, and Zhang Zhibai is in Linheng. There is no reason why I, Cai Qi, can't control Jiaozhi.
In the Song Dynasty, three of the four directions in the southeast, northwest and northwest were filled with talented officials and ministers. Only the south was vacant.
Jiaozhi is the granary that I, the Song Dynasty, managed to obtain with great difficulty, and it was left to others to manage. I was afraid of delaying important events, so I made my own decision and petitioned the officials to allow me to take charge of Jiaozhi."
Zhao Zhen said in a deep voice: "Lü Yijian, Li Di, Wang Sui, and Zhang Zhibai are guarding the three sides because they have no choice. I am not a foolish king, so how can I drive good ministers out of Bianjing City?"
Cai Qi said with a bright smile: "I am very grateful to be praised by the officials as a good minister. But our Song Dynasty is full of talents now, and there is no shortage of such a good minister in the court.
But our Song Dynasty lacks a large granary.
When I first entered my official career, when I saw the suffering of the people, I wanted to take out my heart and lungs and let the people eat them.
But after being an official for a long time, I realized that even if I smashed the bones and dregs all over my body and fed them to the people, it would be difficult for them to satisfy their hunger.
Now, I, the Song Dynasty, have finally found a large granary, and I see that the people all over the world are about to be freed from the trouble of starving to death.
I was so excited that I couldn't sleep at night.
In the process of taking back Jiaozhi from Song Dynasty, I did not make much effort.
The only thing I can do now is to help the officials guard Jiaozhi and guard the granary of the people of the Song Dynasty."
Speaking of this, Cai Qi bowed deeply to Zhao Zhen and solemnly said: "I also ask the officials to help me..."
Zhao Zhen raised his hands and opened his mouth, but could not say a word.
His eyes fell on Wang Zeng anxiously.
Wang Zeng hesitated again and again, and finally bowed deeply to Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen quickly looked at Kou Ji.
Kou Ji sighed in his heart, and while bowing his hands in salute, he said: "Confucius said to become benevolent, Mencius said to seek righteousness, Prime Minister Cai has made up his mind, and the only thing the officials can do is to fulfill it.
With Prime Minister Cai guarding Jiaozhi, I believe that the corrupt officials in the court and the profiteers outside the court will never dare to easily reach out to Jiaozhi's grain.
Prime Minister Cai gave up the high-ranking official Houjue in the court and went to help the officials guard the granary. This was a blessing for the officials and the people of the world.
This continuous blessing is enough to protect tens of millions of people in the Song Dynasty from worries about food and clothing."
Ten Wan Wan was a function word in the Song Dynasty before, meaning many things.
Since Yizijiaozipu's savings exceeded 10 million yuan, tens of millions has become a real word.
But at this moment, Kou Ji's mouth was filled with empty words.
But it represents a beautiful blessing.
Only when the world is at peace will the people show a spurt of growth.
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, there were only two million households in the Tang Dynasty and a population of about 10 million.
After several prosperity periods, the population has skyrocketed to nearly 60 million.
The wars of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms lasted for decades, causing more than 40 million people to evaporate.
It took decades of development in the Song Dynasty for the population to rise again.
But there is still a long way to go before reaching tens of thousands.
Seeing that the three prime ministers and ministers had the same idea, Zhao Zhen could only sigh and said: "I agree..."
Zhao Zhen has behaved sufficiently domineeringly both inside and outside the court.
But when facing these loyal ministers and virtuous people, I still feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
Not to mention Zhao Zhen, even Li Shimin, who was known as the Khan of Heaven, would feel powerless when facing such a minister who was not afraid of life and death and dedicated to the public good.
The way of king and tyrant does not work on them at all.
If you dare to kill, they will dare to die.
They don't care at all whether they die or not, they only care whether the emperor will listen to their words after death.
"Thank you so much for your love..."
Cai Qi bowed deeply again.
Zhao Zhen waved his sleeves feebly, "Let's break up... Cai Aiqing has a good rest after returning home. My reward will be sent to the house later... Wang Aiqing went to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works to ask them to step up preparations for the Jiaozhi Fortress.
The things...fourth brother left behind..."
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi bowed and exited Zishi Hall.
Only Kou Ji remained in the hall.
Zhao Zhen stood in front of the chair with his hands behind his back, and asked quietly: "Fourth brother, am I a fool?"
Kou Ji asked: "Why did the officials say this?"
Zhao Zhen sighed: "In such a huge court, I can't even keep a loyal minister and a virtuous man. Am I not a foolish king?"
Kou Jizheng said seriously: "There are two reasons why there are no loyal ministers and virtuous people in the court."
Zhao Zhen made a listening gesture.
Kou Ji continued: "The first is that the court is full of traitors and there is no room for the virtuous. The second is that the country is prosperous, and the virtuous people are willing to travel to any corner of the country to contribute to the court, but are not willing to stay in the court.
The former is the court under the rule of the faint king, and the latter is the dynasty under the rule of the wise king.
Prime Minister Cai is willing to contribute to the court and does not hesitate to sacrifice his life for the country.
It can be seen that the official is a wise king."
Zhao Zhen asked: "Am I a wise king?"
Kou Ji smiled and said: "The officials might as well send people to inquire among the people to see if the people are praising the officials."
Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "I won't do anything shameless."
Kou Ji laughed and said: "Nowadays, the common people praise Guan Jia as the Holy Son of Heaven, but anyone who dares to say a bad word about Guan Jia will be scolded by other people immediately.
It can be seen that the sage wisdom of the official family has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
In particular, the official made a promise to the people on the top of Bianjing City, and then killed Dali for the people. This has become a good story and has been widely spread among the people.
In the past, when people in the Song Dynasty saw people coming from the west, north, or east, they always lacked the confidence to speak.
Now when I see people from those places, they don’t stand straight.”
Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "I have also heard about this. Years ago, the Black Khanate sent people to pay homage and they had a conflict with the people on the Zhouqiao.
The three envoys were almost beaten to death by the people.
If the arresters from the patrol station next to Zhouqiao had not appeared, they would have been torn to pieces by the people.
After the matter reached the Kaifeng Mansion, the Kaifeng Mansion judge said a few words to the three envoys, but he was almost drowned by the people's spittle.
One by one, they scolded the Kaifeng Prefecture judge for accepting black money and talking to outsiders.
When the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture came to tell me about this matter, he had runny noses and tears."
Speaking of this, Zhao Zhen said with emotion: "This was impossible to happen in the past. When foreign envoys came to our Song Dynasty, they only wanted to bully the people of our Song Dynasty.
The people of Song Dynasty dare to be angry but dare not speak out.
Before that old woman Xiao Yanyan died, she sent an envoy to the Great Song Dynasty. In Bianjing City, she was called a domineering person.
They did a lot of harmful things, but their father still protected them.
Now, I am the master of this country, and whoever dares to bully my people will not only not be able to protect him, but I will also have his whole family killed."
Kou Ji said without hesitation: "The official family is mighty..."
Zhao Zhen let himself go a little bit. After hearing what Kou Ji said, he shook his head and smiled, "I don't like hearing this kind of words. My imperial grandfather has listened to it all his life, but he has never seen him become more powerful."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "I just want to tell Guan Jia that the Song Dynasty under Guan Jia's rule is now making great strides towards a prosperous age. Guan Jia is indeed a wise king."
Zhao Zhen said with emotion: "Whether it is a wise king or a foolish king, I am always unhappy when I see the virtuous people leaving me."
Speaking of this, he confessed to Kou Ji: "From the time I ascended the throne to the present, the important ministers I have used are either those left by my father or my eldest empress.
The only important officials I have promoted are you and Cai Qi.
So I am reluctant to leave Cai Qi.
Although he is a bit old-fashioned, he really suits my temper in doing things."
Kou Ji sighed: "Everyone has his own ambitions. Prime Minister Cai saw that I couldn't live without Jiaozhi after the Song Dynasty, so he was willing to give up his position and go to Jiaozhi."
Officials should be grateful to have such good ministers.
Besides, ministers can do things not only in Bianjing City, but also outside Bianjing City.
Li Di spent more than ten years transforming a barren Hexi into a pearl of the Western Regions, which is a clear proof."
Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment and nodded: "You were busy with matters related to Jiaozhi a few days ago and did not pay attention to Li Di's memorial. After Li Di received the officials assigned to him by the imperial court, he wanted to acquire land from the imperial court again.
It is said that the population of Hexi has exceeded one million.
The first children born to women from the Western Regions had already begun to do things.
Li Di asked me to divide the land occupied by your family in Hexi.
Give those kids who can already do things a foothold.
I originally thought about this. After all, the land taken from your family is to be distributed to the people.
But then Lu Yijian wrote a memorial, saying that now there is nothing in Qingtang except cattle, sheep, horses, wild animals and pasture.
He told me that Yuanshan from the Yuanshan tribe was like a bandit and had evacuated almost all the people in Qingtang.
The few remaining people were taken away by the Li family who went to seal them off.
Nowadays, Qingtang has everything but no one.
I thought about it and decided to give the territory of Qingtang to those children."
When Kou Ji heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry and said, "It's better for the officials not to do this. If Li Di knows your thoughts, he will hang himself at the door of the house without hesitation.
He worked hard for more than ten years and finally cultivated the seedlings, but in the end he got the advantage of Lu Yijian.
If he doesn't make a scene, then he's not Li Di.
When the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty drove him out of Bianjing City, they did not give him any face.
Now he will not give face to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty."
Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "But there is no one in Qingtang now... I would like to move some people out from the hinterland. But since I started my campaign in the Song Dynasty, up to now, the people who have moved out one after another,
has reached a terrifying number.
Nowadays, beggars, lazy people, and extremely poor people everywhere have been hollowed out.
In the past, officials from all over the country would send people off to Bianjing in droves.
Nowadays, we may not be able to send one every year.
Scarceer than prisoners.
If I continue to relocate people under the guise of recruiting troops, I'm afraid someone will expose me.
At that time, not only will there be no way to move people to Qingtang, but people moving to Liaodi will probably also encounter many obstacles."
Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Then send the guilty prisoners there."
Zhao Zhen was still frowning. Just as he was about to speak, Kou Ji said again: "Their family members are allowed to move there together. As long as they are not treacherous and evil, as long as they are willing to settle in Qingtang, their sentences can be reduced as appropriate.
"
After hearing this, Zhao Zhen let out a long sigh, "I don't have many prisoners in the Song Dynasty now. I'm afraid Wang Sui and Zhang Zhibai won't be happy if they are given to Lu Yijian."
It is hard to imagine that the Song Dynasty, which had been unable to provide relief because there were too many poor people, was now worried about not being able to allocate manpower.
After the Song Dynasty's troops were laid off, their numbers dropped sharply.
But as the Song Dynasty continued to conquer all directions.
Continuously expand territory.
The number of soldiers and horses required by the Song Dynasty increased again.
Today, the number of soldiers and horses in the Song Dynasty has far exceeded that before the abolition.
The number of the Forbidden Army is almost over 900,000, so there is no need to say more about the local troops.
The imperial court successfully relocated some people from the hinterland of the Song Dynasty through decrees such as soldiers and horses settling in the border areas and dividing houses and land.
It has been migrated intermittently many times, and the number each time is not very large, it doesn't look like much.
But if you take a closer look, you will find it.
The imperial court has moved out millions of people intermittently in recent years.
There are still millions of people waiting to migrate.
As long as the children of their family have established a foothold in Liao, the largest and most numerous migration in the Song Dynasty will appear in front of everyone.
After completing this large-scale migration, the population in the hinterland of the Song Dynasty will decrease sharply.
The consequences of various population declines will come one after another.
The first thing that can be expected is the labor shortage.
Rich families everywhere will definitely stop many businesses due to lack of labor.
The cultivation of some grain and other crops will also be drastically reduced.
The knock-on effects are huge.
Zhao Zhen knew the influence behind it, so when Qingtang was short of manpower, he did not dare to use the method of recruiting soldiers to move the population to Qingtang again.
Kou Ji also knows the impact, and he also knows that this impact is difficult to avoid.
Therefore, there was no mention of allowing Zhao Zhen to move people to Qingtang.
"Why……"
Zhao Zhen let out a long sigh, stared at Kou Ji and said, "What I'm most worried about now is who will plant the Jiaozhi after I get it back."
Zhao Zhen now wished that the Song Dynasty could have a population of tens of millions overnight so that he could utilize all the territory of the Song Dynasty.
Kou Ji said with a smile: "There is no need to worry about officials. This is how to govern a country. Once one problem is solved, another one will appear.
All we can do is try our best to solve these problems."
Zhao Zhen asked: "Then tell me how I can solve the population problem in Jiaozhi."
Kou Ji said with a smile: "I have thought about this problem a long time ago. Since the Song Dynasty has occupied Jiaozhi, the Jiaozhi people will definitely leave Jiaozhi soon, and the same will be true for Jiaozhi's soldiers and horses.
We can recruit 500 people from local soldiers from various places and send them there in the name of stabilizing the border areas.
The jurisdiction of the Yongning Army can also be changed from Yongzhou to Jiaozhi.
After the Yongning army arrived at the border, they attacked the border.
Local soldiers can transform into common people, cultivate fertile fields and plant crops in Jiaozhi."
When Zhao Zhen heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry and said: "Now, 50% of our local soldiers in the Song Dynasty have become farmers."
The local soldiers in Hexi are farming, the local soldiers in Xingqing Prefecture are also farming, and the same is true for the local soldiers in the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun.
The most exaggerated one belongs to Liaodi.
In their free time, the Imperial Guards had to look after those criminal records and farm.
Kou Ji followed Zhao Zhen and laughed and said: "Our Song Dynasty now has a larger territory, so it needs more soldiers and horses. It takes money to raise so many soldiers and horses.
When those soldiers and horses are not in battle, except for training, they spend most of their time idle.
If it is not used effectively, it is a waste.
For example, most of the Xiang troops before the Great Song Dynasty did nothing and could not do anything except eat and wait to die.
It is precisely because of this that a large amount of the Song Dynasty's money will be spent on military expenditures.
Nowadays, the imperial court only needs to provide the military equipment needed by the soldiers. The soldiers can grow the money and food they need by themselves.
The imperial court not only supported a large number of soldiers and horses, but also made a lot of money for the imperial court through them.
Let’s not talk about the far distance, let’s just talk about the Liao land that we just acquired.
The grain harvested last year not only satisfied their own food and clothing, but also made the imperial court a huge profit.
After distributing their salaries, there was still a lot of money left.
And with this money, the imperial court could just use it to promote Mongolian education in Liao.
Although it's still a little bit worse.
But it's a good start.
If they do nothing and just wait for the imperial court to send money to them, then the imperial court will not be able to fill it up no matter how much money it has."
Zhao Zhen nodded.
Today's imperial army of the Song Dynasty are absolutely professional soldiers.
The local soldiers of the Song Dynasty were more like the imperial soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.
He is a soldier in wartime, and a common man in his spare time.
The only difference is that the local soldiers in the Song Dynasty did not cultivate their own fields, but instead cultivated official fields and newly reclaimed wasteland.
The soldiers of the Song Dynasty were not like the soldiers of the Black Khanate.
The officers and men of the Black Khanate knew nothing but mounting horses, burning, killing, and looting.
The officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty, when mounted, were warriors who were good at fighting, and when dismounted, they were all good at tending crops.
It is precisely because of this that when the court asked them to farm, they could farm and farm well.
Encouraged by the decree that if one acre of real estate yielded enough grain to the court, the rest could be sold as goods to the court, the soldiers were very excited about farming.
This matter was decided by Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen after many investigations.
The standards they set not only ensured that the court would make money, but also ensured that the soldiers could make some money.
Just this little oil and water is enough to make all the soldiers in the army scream.
They have their own military pay, and with this little extra money, their income is still very generous.
At the end of each quarter, when I go home to visit my relatives, I cut a pound of meat or pull a foot of cloth for my family, and see the bright smiles on the faces of the elderly, wives, and children at home. No matter how hard and tired they are, it is still worth it.
The men of the Song Dynasty, and even the men of China for five thousand years, were all like this.
No matter how hard and tired you are outside, as long as you can exchange your hard work and tiredness for the bright smiles of your family members, they will feel warm in their hearts.
Kou Ji's suggestion of dispatching local soldiers from various places was only a temporary measure.
But it is enough to cope with the shortage of manpower in Cochin.
After Zhao Zhen discussed the matter with Kou Ji, he took Kou Ji to have a meal with him.
After eating, they discussed with Kou Ji the reward for Cai Qi.
Today's Song Dynasty is fair, you get what you pay for.
Although it is somewhat utilitarian, it is still better than just eating and not working.
No one will be unhappy about this.
No one will stand up and accuse.
Because people who are qualified to accuse Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen of being too utilitarian with morality are now either studying in Tiansheng Hall or teaching in major academies.
Famous great scholars all have their own aspirations.
So they contributed to the Song Dynasty in different ways.
Those famous scholars who are indifferent to fame and wealth and don't even like to study knowledge together with others.
After learning that the Song Dynasty was promoting elementary education, he quietly stood up and helped the Song Dynasty.
They quietly entered elementary schools everywhere and became insignificant teachers in elementary schools.
Seeing those young faces learning to talk along with me makes me feel very happy.
It is precisely because of this that few people can criticize Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen from the moral high ground.
The Song Dynasty wanted sages and sages, and education and enlightenment.
In particular, education has been done better than in previous dynasties.
This single achievement is enough to silence those who like to talk about morality.