Chapter 442 The Tide of History

Chapter 442 The Tide of History

Chapter 442 The Tide of History
This year, only about one-third of the households carried out spring sowing.

For various reasons, they did not plant winter wheat after the autumn harvest last year and are planning to continue planting millet this spring.

The speed of promoting something is very slow. Even if the top management pays attention to it, execution is still a problem.

Therefore, in early February this year, Shao Xun mainly planted fruits and vegetables, and the location was still in Xuchang Palace.

"Melons can be planted from February to June." Shao Xun said as he dug a hole in the ground.

Wang Xuan stood aside, watching with his hands in his sleeves.

He doesn't understand. You're just pretending to till the land. Are you really going to do it?
Yes, Shao Xun was a real farmer, and he specially designated the Ju Shi area of ​​Xuchang Palace as his vegetable plot.

The Jushi was very large, so it was basically cultivated by him and his four hundred personal soldiers.

Cai Cheng was tidying up the vegetable patches in another field, preparing to plant okra.

Liu Ling is planting leeks.

Yuan Xi is planting chives.

Yang Qin, the son of Yang Bao, is planting coriander.

Everyone is very busy.

Wang Xuan was watching from the side and was somewhat touched, so he smiled and said, "Mingsir, please leave a piece of land for me."

"Okay." Shao Xun agreed immediately, then pointed to a small forest not far away and said, "That piece of land is for you. Plant lotus. It will be useful when cooking meat. This plant can only be planted under the shade of trees, and that piece of land is just right."

“It doesn’t need to be that big, right?” Wang Xuan said. He just wanted to do it for fun and didn’t want to really put in the effort to grow vegetables.

"Plant some more orchids in the open space outside the shade of the trees. Do you see those jujube trees? You can come and plant them in mid-March when the jujube trees grow leaves." Shao Xun said.

“This…” Wang Xuan felt a little bitter in his mouth.

Shao Xun laughed and said, "Since you came to me so eagerly, how can I let you go? Without the fragrance of the lotus and orchid, the meat will taste a little worse when cooked. Don't worry, we can harvest it in September. When the autumn harvest is over, I will take my men into the mountains to hunt and treat you to meat. I will also give you a portion of pickled cabbage made from the lotus root."

The guards beside him laughed secretly.

Having been with Mr. Chen for a long time, they now particularly like to see big shots get humiliated.

Chen Gongzhen carried manure water to irrigate the garden, thinking he was setting an example. Could Wang Xuan do that? They really wanted to see.

Wang Xuan ignored the soldiers' malicious looks, took two steps closer, and while helping Shao Xun throw melon seeds into the pit, he asked, "My father asked me to ask you, what is your intention in asking for the general Zhechong?"

The position of Zhechong General is a fifth-rank official, and there is currently someone in the position, so there is no vacancy. Wang Yan might be a little confused, why would he want such a general title that is already occupied? And it is an empty general without any soldiers.

Furthermore, Shao Xun was the third-rank General Pingdong, so what did it mean that he also held the title of fifth-rank general?

Theoretically it's possible, but it's a bit weird.

Moreover, he also held the post of "Northern General Guarding Heyang", which was a position held by a general of the third, fourth, and fifth ranks.

"Does Meizi know the government soldiers?" Shao Xun asked.

"Of course I know." Wang Xuan replied.

Not only did he know, he had also studied it carefully. He also knew that the former soldiers were considered elite, while the current soldiers were mostly just fillers. For example, among the thousands of new soldiers in Gaoping, only a quarter had horses and one sixth had armor. Their combat effectiveness was far different from that of the previous ones.

"Then do you know why they are called 'Fubing'?"

"Could it be the meaning of 'military government'?"

Shao Xun gave him an admiring look and said, "It means military government. A general has a government with the same rank as the three divisions, called 'military government'."

"But General Zhechou cannot open a government office."

Shao Xun paused and said, "Yes, I am obsessed with it."

"What is the meaning of being attached to appearances?"

Shao Xun laughed and said, "This is a Buddhist term, which means being obsessed with external appearances."

After that, he continued, "General Zhechong really cannot open a government office. What general position is vacant now?"

"General Longxiang," Wang Xuan said, "I wanted to give it to General Li Yun of the Right Guard, but I didn't give it to him after the defeat at Xin'an."

"What virtue and ability does Li Yun have to be able to establish a government?" Shao Xun sneered.

"Li Yun cannot open a government office." Wang Xuan said, "If you want General Longxiang, then you can do it."

"The imperial court is becoming more generous every year. Two or three years ago, this would have been unimaginable," Shao Xun teased.

Wang Xuan smiled bitterly and said, "Let's talk business. If you want to open an additional government office, the number of assistant officials must be different, right?"

"The commander really knows me through and through." Shao Xun said with emotion.

Wang Xuan waited quietly for him to continue.

"Indeed, the assistant officials are a little different. Maybe I need the court to create some officials for me." Shao Xun said, no longer concealing it.

Wang Xuan was speechless for a moment.

This is a reform of the official system, which is no small matter.

At present, all official positions are theoretically "official positions", that is, positions with specific job content. But in reality, since the Han Dynasty, some official positions have gradually become "dispersed officials" without specific duties, and are considered additional positions or good positions.

Shao Xun wants to set up an official position, which is a big deal.

To put it more seriously, creating one's own official position is a rebellion.

"Why? It's difficult?" Shao Xun continued to dig holes and plant melons, and asked casually. "If you want it, it's not difficult." Wang Xuan's face changed for a while, and he said, "But for your reputation, it's better to pick from the existing officials. My father will find a way to free up some positions for you. In this way, you can meet your requirements without being conspicuous."

"The commander is really thoughtful." Shao Xun said with a smile: "It's not impossible, but how many positions can be vacated for me?"

"How much does your Excellency want?" Wang Xuan looked a little solemn.

He had a hunch that this time it might not be as simple as asking for a few official positions.

"There are 300 soldiers in one defense of the prefecture. I think there will be one prefecture for four defenses." Shao Xun said, "That's a lot of official positions."

Wang Xuan was shocked.

The word "fu" was still relatively precious at that time and was not too common, because it was often associated with the establishment of a government.

The conditions for establishing a government are extremely harsh, and the honor of establishing a government is extremely noble, so how can it be granted lightly?
"There are only a thousand people. Why not call it a battalion? No, let's call it a governor." Wang Xuan suggested.

"Ying" is actually more noble.

The main body of the Luoyang Central Army was the Seven Guard Armies, also known as the Seven Guard Battalions.

The battalion can have several thousand soldiers at the least and nearly 20,000 at the most. It is not a small organization.

"Supervision" is much more flexible. Some supervise hundreds of people, while others supervise tens of thousands of people.

Shao Xun thought for a while and thought it would be better to cover it up a little, so he nodded and said, "Then let's call him the commander of the corps, and under him there will be the commander of the corps, the deputy commander of the corps, the chief historian of the corps, and the Sima of the other corps."

These are official positions of the seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks. Although they are not high, they are real officials.

Wang Xuan broke out in a sweat after hearing this.

This time was probably the time when Mr. Chen asked for the most official positions.

There are so many officials to lead 1,200 people. Wouldn't it take dozens of officials to lead tens of thousands of soldiers? Maybe even more.

Although the court will certainly not pay salaries to these officials, it is just a nominal salary, but the nominal salary cannot be given easily. You have to consider the reaction of the aristocratic families.

What's more, Wang Xuan is also a scholar, and he instinctively rejects such things.

It is easy to imagine that officials such as the governor of a troop, the general of a troop, the chief secretary of a troop, and the Sima of a separate troop were promoted from within the existing troop. This way, at least dozens of military strategists were promoted and suddenly left their status as "common people" and became "officials."

The benefits of being an official are enormous. Even if you don't have specific duties and are just a small official, you are still an official.

The scholars and powerful people could not be humiliated easily, and they had official seats and a transcendent status. For the vast majority of the people, this was simply a change of fate, and it completely opened up their path to upward mobility.

"Why do you have to do this, sir?" Wang Xuan said with a wry smile.

"Nothing special, just to win the hearts of the soldiers." Shao Xun said without any hesitation.

"Can't we wait a few years?"

"It's rare to have free time this year." Shao Xun said, "If we wait any longer, he might have to go to war, and he won't have the energy for it."

Hearing the word "going to war", Wang Xuan sobered up a little.

If the Huns come, it is indeed only Lord Chen who can lead the expedition, alas.

"This matter will definitely be criticized and even attacked." Wang Xuan reminded.

"It's not a big deal." Shao Xun said with a smile: "Even if there are criticisms, the general is a famous scholar in the world and will definitely be able to suppress it."

"Isn't this a big deal?" Wang Xuan asked in surprise.

Think about it, if local counties and prefectures mass-produce various types of seventh, eighth and ninth-rank officials who are military strategists, how will the nobles and powerful people view it? They are already used to abusing their power.

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures should be taken." Shao Xun said, "We only need a few dozen officials now. If the court does not give them, the morale of the army will be lost."

I haven't even asked for the establishment of a system of honors and you guys can't stand it. What are you going to do in the future?

Historically, a large number of military officers and nobles rose to power in the middle and late Northern and Southern Dynasties, and gradually uprooted the aristocratic families, causing them to degenerate into the "monkey version of aristocratic families" during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Shao Xun called the aristocratic families in the middle and early Northern and Southern Dynasties "genuine aristocratic families", and the aristocratic families during the Sui and Tang Dynasties the "monkey version of aristocratic families" that had been severely weakened. The power of the two was not at the same level.

The troubled times have arrived, and the new class has begun to emerge. This is an unstoppable trend.

The best thing to do is to go with the flow. History has already given an answer that is in line with the current level of productivity, social customs and values. If you go against the will of heaven, you don’t know what price you will pay, and it will be a regression of civilization.

Wang Xuan was worried.

Reform is always painful because it affects people's interests.

If there is really no other solution, who would agree to reform?
With what Mr. Chen did, the military group is bound to take away more benefits.

The world is so small. If you eat more, I will eat less. This is something everyone knows.

Fortunately, he still had some sense and only asked for such a small amount, which was barely acceptable.

But he was worried that this was just the beginning. Even with his toes, he knew that Lord Chen would set up more soldiers in the future and further demand more official positions to please his soldiers.

Although the overall rise of warriors makes many people unhappy, it seems unstoppable.

"Meizi, go back and have a good discussion with the Grand Commandant before submitting it to the court." Shao Xun said, "I'll be waiting at home. It's better to be quick."

Wang Xuan was just thinking that he could use the tactic of "delay" to deal with the situation passively, but he didn't expect that Mr. Chen would immediately block his way.

This person is well aware of the tricks in officialdom, but he never uses any conspiracy or tricks, and only uses the power of the situation to suppress others.

This kind of people are often the most difficult to deal with.

Wang Xuan cupped his hands. Although the sun was rising, he felt an indescribable chill.

(End of this chapter)