Chapter 685 Deep Water

Chapter 685 Deep Water

Chapter 685 Deep Water

Shao Xun stayed in Luoyang for ten days.

On the last day, opinions regarding the military honor system were sent from Bianliang.

As expected, there was widespread opposition.

Of course, they did not oppose it openly, but they raised many questions about the details.

No rules, no standards.

If you want to establish a system and people raise objections within the scope permitted by the system, you must take them seriously and not take the initiative to destroy the order that has been hard-won.

The main problem with Liang State and the General's Mansion is that it is too easy for military personnel to obtain official positions. It is recommended to increase the difficulty of obtaining official positions.

Although this is selfish, it is not entirely selfish.

The current official rank has only been introduced for a few years and is linked to the Nine-Rank System, that is, official rank and personal character.

At first, the rank of an official was equal to one’s character. One would be appointed to an official rank according to one’s family rank. Later, the system was adjusted, and officials were generally appointed a few ranks lower than one’s family rank.

This is still too rough. There is no distinction between official ranks and subordinate ranks, no distinction between superiors and subordinates, and there are too few levels.

The second question raised is that the current government soldiers have the privilege of being exempt from taxes and military service. Should this be abolished? This is also a practical question.

The third question concerns entering officialdom through family connections.

It is not a big deal that the honorary officers do not manage affairs and only have a rank. However, there are certainly military men who are not satisfied with being honorary officers and want to be officials with specific responsibilities.

The detailed rules for the transfer of honors mention that the transfer of honorary officials to other positions, as well as the system of meritorious officials granting their descendants access to official positions, should be subject to restrictions, that is, the ability, background, appearance and other conditions should be examined and the candidates should be recruited at their discretion.

The fourth is that honorary officials do not receive any salary, which is not mentioned in the detailed rules and should be made clear.

Fifth, people also pointed out that this move would easily lead to generals "provoking border conflicts without authorization" and artificially creating wars to gain opportunities to gain merit.

As for other things like conferring honorary titles on ancestors, wives and mothers, atonement for sins, etc., they are all trivial matters.

After reading it, Shao Xun had only one feeling: the officials of the aristocratic families were very resistant to military men serving as officials, and were not even satisfied with the fact that it was easy for them to become honorary officials. He suggested making it more difficult to obtain an official position.

"This is certainly selfish, but not entirely selfish. A lot of it is meaningful." Shao Xun handed the reply letter to Wang Yan and said.

Wang Yan had an expression that said, "I knew this a long time ago."

"This is a strong medicine, but it also has a strong aftereffect. Do you really want to do it, Taibai?" Wang Yan asked seriously.

Shao Xun remained silent.

This discussion between him and Lao Wang was actually very insightful.

It was rare that Wang Yan did not speak to him from the perspective of the gentry. In fact, his family was one of the most prominent gentry in the world.

"I need a channel to get an official position other than the Nine-Rank System, and it has to be a long-term one," Shao Xun said.

In short, there needs to be an institutionalized channel that is independent of the Nine-Rank Official System, and it cannot be a one-off thing. His previous efforts to get military men official positions were not institutionalized, but forced through the use of influence, which was not what he was pursuing.

Wang Yan thought about it and sighed. There was indeed no other way.

Besides, warriors also need opportunities to stand out. Scholars despise the profession of military strategists, which leads to very few scholars becoming warriors. These people are confined by their family background and are restricted by the Nine-Rank Official System, so they cannot stand out. Do you want to sympathize with them?
We did not sympathize with them and saw the consequences: Luoyang was besieged several times.

In order to sympathize with them, the number of officials of military origin - who most likely had no family background - gradually increased, and thus squeezed out the interests of the gentry.

The manors of the gentry will become smaller, the number of farmhands will decrease, their local influence will decrease, and they will show an overall decline until a new balance is reached with the military.

To put it bluntly, someone is here to steal the food.

"I am very busy." Wang Yan said, "You and Huifeng should discuss this matter. There are still some issues to be resolved in Bianliang. Take your time. There is no rush."

Shao Xun couldn't help but glance at Lao Wang. Was it possible that Lao Deng was pretending to help me while actually stalling?
Wang Yan remained calm, bowed to Shao Xun, then stood up and left.

Shao Xun looked at Wang Huifeng again.

Wang Huifeng was actually a little nervous and said anxiously, "Don't touch me."

Shao Xun's face straightened, and he said, "Let's talk business. What do you think about the matter of the honorary officer?"

"It's nothing more than a compromise." Wang Huifeng said, "There are so many fierce and powerful teachers. If you don't give them benefits, there might be a backlash? Even if the backlash doesn't happen to you, your descendants won't be able to escape it."

When a group has mastered violence, achieved merit, and has shown a hint of awakening under someone's careful care, do you think they will fight for their own interests?
This situation was caused by the combined effect of the war-torn environment and Shao Xun's promotion.

The warriors still have patience and can wait, because their circumstances have indeed improved significantly compared to before, but patience will eventually run out.

At that time, they would most likely not rebel, but they would crowd around Shao Xun and enter the Taiji Hall, and things would become ugly.

Simply put, the root cause is that military personnel need an institutionalized upward path.

"The word backlash is used very well." Shao Xun praised: "How far can scholars compromise?"

Wang Huifeng shook his head and said, "This matter is too big. If you force it, there may be a rebellion. It's hard to say about Henan, but Hebei is mostly controlled by the gentry, what will happen? The Huns are still here." Shao Xun seemed to understand.

Without experiencing brutal wars that lasted for hundreds of years, without enduring the torment of living in uncertainty, and without having their power drastically weakened, the gentry might not be so realistic.

This system was only introduced during the Northern Wei Dynasty in history. Do we have the social environment and customs of the Northern Wei Dynasty now?

Are the scholars at the end of the Jin Dynasty and the scholars in the Northern Wei Dynasty the same?
Some of the previous forecasts were too optimistic.

Going against the will of heaven, there are indeed thunders everywhere.

He thought that even Yu Chen and Lu Zhi were against it, which meant that this matter had touched the bottom line.

What to do? Overturn the table and start a civil war? The reform has reached a deep water point.

"Actually, why are you so anxious?" Wang Huifeng advised, "My father agreed to select a unit to try it out first, and this will be feasible. But you have to be careful about the degree. My lord, you have always been very good at knowing the degree. You are anxious this time. Could it be that you are unwilling to wait any longer because you see the Xiongnu's decline?"

Shao Xun pondered for a while.

In the final analysis, it is still insufficient to popularize on a large scale. Then let's do a pilot project first, a few years of pilot project, let everyone adapt to it, get used to its existence, and then the resistance will be less. By then, our own strength will be enhanced, maybe the Huns will be gone, and some things will come naturally.

"Okay, then wait." Shao Xun nodded and said, "Without you, I would have made a big mistake and ruined the good situation. I might have been defeated and killed, and the people of the world would have to suffer a second and third time."

"Your Excellency, you are too kind." Wang Huifeng said.

Shao Xun seemed tired and lay down on the couch.

Wang Huifeng was fine at first, but gradually, her ears began to turn red. Perhaps, she knew that Shao Xun had been looking at her waist and hips since he lay down.

Just when she was feeling a little uncomfortable, Shao Xun's voice rang out: "I heard that you are assisting the Grand Marshal, have you gained anything?"

As expected, Wang Huifeng's attention was diverted, and he only heard her say, "Luonan is a place that Ming Gong has been managing for a long time. The rural settlements are gradually recovering, and I heard that many villages have oil pressing and wine brewing workshops."

Oil pressing and wine making are signs of the recovery of the rural economy.

"The wine flags fluttering in the water villages and mountain towns" refers to this kind of thing.

When common people can drink and share meat with friends and family during festivals big and small, the society will have recovered and there will not be refugees everywhere.

It’s actually just the allocation of resources.

When an ordinary family can cultivate dozens or hundreds of acres of land, even if the harvest is small, as long as they are not particularly unlucky and do not suffer from successive disasters, their life will not be too bad.

When a family only has a few acres or a dozen acres of land, life will be difficult even if the weather is good.

The population of the counties in Luonan and the seven counties in Xiangcheng is much smaller than during the prosperous times. There are no powerful aristocrats and nobles at the top, land rights are evenly distributed, and the people have more arable land per capita. Order has been restored and the country is free from war, so the economy will certainly recover.

This is a natural correction. Shao Xun only provides order - but what this world lacks most is order.

"When I went to war, I heard that many people had eaten bread with sesame oil at home." Shao Xun lay there and said, "Even the children grew strong."

"Really?" Wang Huifeng asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Really." Shao Xun said affirmatively: "The biggest worry of the people in Luonan now is that there will not be enough land for their children and grandchildren when they grow up. So without the government urging them, they are all willing to open up wasteland to prepare for the needs of their children and grandchildren."

"Some families have enough food to eat, so they plant a few more mulberry trees in the fields, using the method you gave me, Huifeng, in the "Essential Techniques of Planting Mulberry Trees". In this way, after weaving silk cloth, they go to the grass market or the market to sell it and exchange it for some daily utensils."

"On a midsummer evening, a family sat under a dense elm tree, eating dinner. From time to time, neighbors came over with bowls of rice, eating and chatting. Recalling the unbearable past ten years ago, everyone sighed. Thinking of the present day, everyone smiled happily."

"In autumn, it is said that the number of people climbing the Guangcheng Lake is several times higher. Some people also bring chrysanthemum wine. It is not just the scholars. The common people may not be rich, but they can still buy some wine on the Double Ninth Festival to reward themselves."

"When winter comes, the government conscripts the people to repair the ditches. This is what everyone is willing to do for themselves and their children. The snow falls heavily, and the wheat seedlings in the fields are green, which is pleasing to the eye. Farmers cook salted radishes at home and wait for the New Year. No one comes to rob them, and no one forces them to become refugees."

Wang Huifeng's eyes sparkled when he heard this. It took him a long time to come back to his senses and he rolled his eyes at Shao Xun.

"Do you want to go and have a look?" Shao Xun asked.

Wang Huifeng was a little hesitant.

"Maybe you can give me some ideas to make people's lives better." Shao Xun said again.

Wang Huifeng rolled his eyes at Shao Xun again, as if he had seen through his tricks.

"In fact, the general will also go to Bianliang to celebrate the New Year." Shao Xun said, "You just went a few days earlier."

Wang Huifeng remained silent, as if he agreed.

Shao Xun smiled and said, "Luoyang is lifeless. We will return to Bianliang tomorrow."

Wang Huifeng didn't want to go again, but she didn't really want to refuse, and she felt a little conflicted.

On November 18th, Shao Xun was too lazy to even meet the emperor and set off directly back to Bianliang.

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(End of this chapter)