Chapter 1175: Traveling Thousands of Miles
Chapter 1175: Traveling Thousands of Miles (Part )
Before the emperor set out, an army had already quietly set out.
Song Xian, the teacher of the King of Qin, saw him off to the gate of Daxia. When they parted, he, who was always taciturn, said: "Does your Highness have any resentment in his heart?"
Shao Jin was startled by these words. He looked around and found that the nearest person was more than ten steps away. He was relieved and bowed, saying, "What do you mean by this?"
Song Xian sighed slightly, looking at the towering Mangshan Mountain, and said, "In the past, I lived in seclusion in the Nanshan Mountain of Jiuquan, studying the meaning of books and teaching students, and I never thought of wearing purple and red. After Zhang returned to the court, Your Majesty invited her many times and treated her with great favor. Song was also taken care of, and the clan was spared a disaster."
"Since entering the palace, I have hardly offered any advice, but Your Highness has always been very polite to me. How can I feel guiltless now that things have come to this?"
Shao Jin was a little surprised.
After Song Xian entered the palace, he became the teacher of King Qin, a position of great respect, but he was unwilling to manage things and spent most of his time studying. Shao Jin was a little disappointed at first, but later he got used to it and didn't care. However, he never failed to show due courtesy, and even funded Song Xian when he planned to open a school to teach students.
Song Xian suddenly spoke today, obviously with some advice, which was very rare.
"Your Highness's trip to Jinyang is the most crucial step." Song Xian said, "The emperor rose from the grass roots and rose from the ranks. He rode a horse and drew a bow, and fought hundreds of battles. He is an emperor on horseback. His power and determination are incomparable to the emperor of peace. However, he is also affectionate and caring for all the princes."
Shao Jin's expression gradually straightened up.
Looking through the history books, we can know that the warmth between the father and son in the royal family is really rare. It's not that they don't want to, but they don't dare to. Only the founding emperors with great prestige can be so "luxurious". Of course, this may be related to the fact that most of them came from the people.
What kind of person is his father? Shao Jin has his own understanding, but he knows that this understanding may not be correct and may be rather one-sided. The opinions of others are also very important and can verify each other.
"Your Highness, what if we establish a crown prince now?" Song Xian asked directly.
When Shao Jin was asked this, his expression changed slightly.
Seeing that he did not answer, Song Xian continued, "Of course, he will live in the Eastern Palace, appoint civil and military officials, and recruit guards for the Eastern Palace. When the emperor summons all the ministers to answer questions, he may let the prince sit in. As time goes by, someone may suggest sending a copy of the memorial to the Eastern Palace, so that the prince can help handle government affairs. Over time, the prince will make friends with more and more officials, and even those neutral officials will tacitly allow their children to interact with the prince. If the emperor is ill or has a weak temperament, this is not a big deal, but who is the current emperor?"
"They started out as soldiers, killing people everywhere. In the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period, they were the most powerful people. They were the ones who did what the emperor said was difficult to do, without any scruples. The prince had his own civil and military officials, almost like a small court, and 5,000 guards stationed in Luoyang. It was easy for him to make friends with officials, and it can be said that a big tree attracts the wind."
"If it lasts for more than ten years, the power will grow stronger. By then, the emperor will be in his twilight years and full of suspicion. What will happen if someone with ulterior motives stirs things up? The first mover may not always succeed first. It is not easy to be the crown prince of a founding emperor."
Shao Jin gradually calmed down, but he still didn't say anything. He just looked at Song Xian quietly.
Song Xian changed the subject and said, "However, I am not saying that I will not allow Your Highness to fight for the position of crown prince. Your Highness is the eldest son, how could he possibly give it up? I said this just to let Your Highness know the dangers. You can take what the emperor gives you, but you must be humble and yield after you get it. Don't take the initiative to ask for what the emperor doesn't give, as this will only make him alert."
"Some say that the prince's mother's family is powerful and the emperor is afraid to act rashly. This is pedantic. The Emperor of Taiping may give in and compromise under pressure, but it is impossible for him to be the founding monarch who immediately gains the world. This kind of person who has fought on the battlefield is brave, ruthless and arrogant. He laughs and scolds, and his emotions are revealed on his face. When he encounters something he doesn't like, scolding is a small matter. He will take action without hesitation. Maybe he can't make enemies with the whole world, but it is easy to punish one or two powerful families who jump out first, and others may secretly add fuel to the fire and applaud."
Shao Jin took a deep breath.
Yes, that's what my father is like.
There is a huge difference between the founding emperor and the ruler of peace. They are almost two completely different types of people.
In his spare time, he discussed the restoration of the dynasty with his colleagues in the palace, and in the end, they all said it was too difficult.
When a country is at its peak and is in decline, if the emperor wants to reform politics, he needs to negotiate with others, and then let these people who negotiate with you do the work. The effect is self-evident.
Even if we replace a group of people, there will not be much difference, and it may even be worse, because there are many lucky people among them who often make things worse and ruin the reputation of the new policy.
But the founding emperor did not have this worry. He could even get people to do things without giving them benefits, because he was likely to have a very close relationship with some important ministers and generals, and he had gratitude and prestige.
Gratitude, affection, and prestige, these three things become increasingly scarce as time goes by.
"In fact, the emperor still thinks highly of your Highness." Song Xian added, "He has been honing your skills and abilities. Your Highness is only sixteen years old. At this age, you need to understand the people's sentiments and gain more knowledge. After becoming the crown prince, you can only live in the East Palace all day, talking with your subordinates. What you see and hear is limited to one corner, which is not good for your future."
"Let me give you an example. The imperial court's taxes and labor service are mainly rent and labor service. If the people do not perform labor service, they must pay five and a half bolts of silk a year. However, there are various Hu tribes in Taiyuan, and they have never engaged in sericulture. The imperial court allows them to 'pay what the land produces'. This 'pay what the land produces' is very complicated, and it all depends on how the local governors act. If they act inappropriately, it may lead to chaos. With the current emperor in power, they may not dare to rebel, and can only accumulate dissatisfaction in their hearts. If the current emperor -"
At this point, Song Xian shook his head and said, "I have said everything I want to say. Your Highness should think about it carefully."
Shao Jin was silent for a long time, then bowed and said, "Thank you, Mr. Song, for your guidance."
Song Xian returned the greeting and said, "I still have students to teach, and Your Highness should also set off."
The two bowed again and said goodbye.
Large groups of troops left Daxia Gate one after another and headed towards Hanoi and Shangdang.
******
May 20, Gaodu County, Shangdang. The hail has stopped, and the rainstorm has also stopped, but it has been replaced by a drizzle that makes people feel upset.
Liu Xiaoshen walked along the muddy road, one step at a time, and finally arrived outside a manor.
"Your Highness." Seeing a young man in a purple robe holding an oilcloth umbrella from afar, Liu Xiao immediately ran over, then stopped five or six steps away and bowed.
The young man nodded, then pointed to the tents scattered all over the ground outside the manor and asked, "Are these the people you have summoned?"
"That's right." Liu Xiao said, "A total of one thousand people, all aged between fifteen and sixty."
"A thousand men a day..." When Shao Jin said this, he calculated carefully and said, "We need sixty hu of grain. It has been raining for several days now, and the road is muddy and difficult to walk on. It takes a lot of effort to transport the grain. Sixty hu may not be enough. We need ninety hu."
Liu Xiao was stunned when he heard this.
Shao Jin didn't look at him again, and entered the manor surrounded by officials and soldiers.
Some truths can be understood by anyone who is not stupid. But understanding and being able to think are two different things. Without the experience of logistics and transportation, he might have set the ration standard at 60 hu directly. It is hard to say how many people would die of exhaustion or flee on the road.
My father always said that it is important to go out and experience things. Even if you will never do such things again, you must understand the whole process, otherwise you will be fooled.
"Your Highness." Liu Xiao took two steps closer and said, "Shangdang has no grain, so we are only using cheese as a substitute."
Shao Jin paused and asked, "Can you eat enough?"
"Yes." Liu Xiao said, "This cheese is mainly made of goat milk, followed by cow milk, and then horse milk. The milk is squeezed out of the livestock in the morning before eating, and then a little old cheese is added and left to stand until it becomes a block. Then the milk block is placed in a fine linen cloth to drain..."
When it comes to business, Liu Xiao is very knowledgeable because he is one of the people in charge of the Shangdang Liu family who specializes in cheese trading.
Liu Runzhong had too many sons, so he assigned one son to each county to manage this business, and then sent the goods to the three famous cities of Luoyang, Bianliang and Yecheng for sale. You know what, Shangdang's location advantage is still very obvious, as there are three big cities around it.
Liu Xiao has been in charge of Gaodu County for several years. His main job is to take a group of servants to various tribes and villages to collect cheese, then transport it away and sell it, making money from the difference.
Shao Jin nodded slightly after hearing this.
It was the first time for him to understand the production process of salt cheese in such detail, and at the same time he developed a liking for Liu Xiao.
Liu Xiaoda could have just sat in the manor and assigned things to his subordinates to do, saving time and effort. But he didn't. He really ran around and knew a lot about cheese making.
"We still need some food. We can't just eat cheese." The Magistrate of Gaodu County who was accompanying him reminded him, "After the rain stops, many wild vegetables will grow in the mountains and fields. Your Highness can send people to pick them and cook them with salt, cheese, and millet to make porridge. It will fill the stomach and give us strength to pass stool, but it won't make us feel too uncomfortable and have difficulty going to the toilet."
"Oh?" Shao Jin exclaimed in surprise, but said nothing and just took note of it silently.
You really won’t know these little details and tips unless you go down to the bottom yourself.
"This is better." Liu Xiao also praised: "In the past, the young men in the clan followed the Prince of Julu to conquer Dai, deep into the grassland, and fought behind enemy lines. I heard that there was a period of time when they were out of food, and they could only eat black beans with horses. When they went to the toilet, they used a branch to scrape it out, and used their fingers to dig it out-"
Qin Wang You Xinzuo coughed and scolded: "Don't speak dirty words in front of Qin Wang."
Liu Xiao smiled awkwardly.
"No problem." Shao Jin laughed.
Although he also found it disgusting, because no one had ever been so "vulgar" in front of him since he was a child, but since he was here, he should stop putting on airs.
I might have to stay in Bingzhou for several years in the future. I heard that the big families in various counties have declined, and the Hu and Han people are mixed together. The place may be full of these "vulgar people".
How can you have a heart-to-heart talk with others if you can't stand dirty talk?
How to——form a bond of gratitude!
Shao Jin stayed in the manor for several days, waiting for a batch of food to arrive from Yewang.
During this period, young and strong men from various counties gathered one after another, and there were no less than ten thousand people.
On the 25th, the third battalion of the Huangtou Army crossed the Wuling Road from Hedong and arrived at Changzi County.
Shao Jin set out to meet him.
(End of this chapter)