Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 151 Ranking of Strategies

Chapter 151 Ranking of Strategies
Five Strategies for Land Reclamation and Population Re-examination

What a ruthless policy essay.

This is what Zhang Zhao saw.

As he watched, his face gradually turned red.

Because this is a revolution against oneself.

As the only scholar to rise from humble beginnings and the top scholar in the imperial examination, one of the things that scholars across the country criticized him for was that he was more aggressive than anyone else in acquiring land.

This article almost always points to one key point: the population census.

Last year's land reclamation policy was relatively mild, with Song Shi'an thinking of competing with aristocratic families for population rather than publicly revealing their assets.

Essentially, it is a change that is moderate and retains some aspects.

However, this article, once published, was quite revealing.

Of course, this kind of article is not innovative at all.

Throughout history, which emperor didn't want to know exactly how many people were under his rule?
Knowing these things is of great significance. Household registration was the foundation of ancient dynasties, and "preserving people even when land is lost" was a common method to minimize losses after a defeat in war.

However, most emperors, especially those of separatist regimes, could not know the true population size.

Similarly, even if this article were published and recommended as the top scholar, it would still not change the situation of aristocratic families concealing their population.

Anyone can point out a problem.

Even an illiterate farmer can tell you how many problems exist in Dayu.

But does pointing out the problem necessarily solve it?

Moreover, if your problem is caused by someone else, then from their perspective, it's not a problem, but an interest.

Of course, other scholars might turn a blind eye to this kind of writing and give it a first-class grade fairly and justly. But when it falls into the hands of Zhang Zhao, who is more ruthless than anyone else, and hits his weak spot, it can't possibly get a high score - second-class grade.

Let it settle down and reflect.

Grade A is being assessed in succession.

The Grand Secretaries will submit the copied examination papers and select the best candidates as soon as possible.

Finally, The Wealth of Nations appeared.

It still ended up in Zhang Zhao's hands.

This name is quite imposing.

After reading only three paragraphs, he realized that it belonged to Song Shi'an.

The reason why it's not immediately apparent in "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" is largely due to the fact that the creation of fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poetry) typically involves very few conventional words; it requires adherence to rhythm and rhyme to achieve aesthetic appeal. This often leads to surprises such as, "Is this poem his? Is this poem really his?"

The reason why Sun Qian's poems and prose could be recognized at a glance was because he had created a large number of poems and prose pieces, which provided a lot of references. In addition, the quality of his works was extremely high. The Grand Secretaries had done their homework in private, which is why they were able to make such a judgment.

However, policy discussions cannot be hidden; they are too lengthy. The main content is political commentary, writing habits, wording, punctuation, style, quality, etc., which makes it easy to identify the author.

It remains sharp and to the point.

Furthermore, compared to the rather cautious political maneuvering in last year's "Tuntian Policy," this "The Wealth of Nations" seems to be written from the perspective of a prime minister, guiding the nation's economic development, with a very clear sense of top-down coordination.

It points out the root of everything: population, land, and wealth.

The population check was mentioned only briefly, and it was delivered in the tone of an order, demanding a thorough investigation.

The land was reclaimed and a system of military-civilian joint farming was implemented, similar to the imperial farmland (the emperor's land), but the income did not go into the imperial treasury, thus completely separating it from the imperial farmland.

Pointing this out is truly outrageous.

Even the most astute and capable emperors of ancient times, and those who were devoted to their country, could not avoid squandering their wealth.

Just like Wei Ye, who has done enough and led by example in frugality, there is still a huge expense—the imperial mausoleum.

But this is truly undeniable.

As an emperor, one must always have something that can be called a 'spiritual pillar' to encourage him to do better.

Why was the Yongle Encyclopedia compiled into the greatest book of all time?

Judy also had anxieties and fears; he was terrified of his posthumous fame.

For Wei Ye, his psychological trauma stemmed from killing his brothers after ascending the throne and killing his son when choosing an heir.

He waged wars in the south and north, expanded the territory, established the imperial examination system, and attempted to improve people's livelihoods. In addition to strengthening imperial power and providing a good foundation for the next emperor, he also wanted some positive reviews.

If he were to die now, his reputation wouldn't be bad, because Shuofeng hadn't been lost, the country was still relatively stable, and he would at least be considered above average. If he could also manage his later years well, he might even be able to rise to the top three or even the second-highest rank.

The core argument behind Song Shi'an's actions is that national wealth is not the Wei family's personal wealth.

The royal family cannot arbitrarily misappropriate the nation's funds.

Zhang Zhao certainly thought it was a good idea.

Throughout history, the inner and outer treasuries have been confused, making it difficult to establish rules.

Sometimes, the imperial court's financial difficulties were due to the misappropriation of funds for the construction of imperial tombs and the support of members of the imperial clan.

But if these were the only two points, then Song Shi'an would be a saint.

But he wants to get involved in politics.

Finally, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau was established in Yangzhou.

It was managed personally by people from the palace who contracted it out to merchants.

Undoubtedly, this will foster corruption.

But wealth inevitably leads to corruption.

To view corruption as a tiger is naive.

Ultimately, it's about making money without harming the people.

Judging solely from the TV series "The Ming Dynasty," the essence of the "converting rice paddies to mulberry fields" policy being a "bad move" is that it encroaches on the red line of arable land.

During the Jiajing reign, the population was 1.2 million, and the amount of arable land was limited, so there was a conflict between rice and mulberry cultivation.

Even considering the possibility of people hiding, the population of Dayu today is only between 20 million and 22 million.

At most, no more than 25 million.

The encouragement of textiles here is more similar to the development of Shu brocade in the story of Zhuge Liang governing Shu.

It concentrates the productivity of women, children, and the elderly, forming a cohesive force, reducing losses, and achieving a small-scale monopoly in the high-end textile industry.

There will always be demand from powerful families, the State of Qi, as well as from the Southern Yue and Northern Yan.

Official brocade, with its larger production volume and higher quality, became the mainstream in upper-class society.

There's no need to worry too much about so-called aiding the enemy or losing assets.

Zhuge Liang's initiative to propose trade with Sun Wu was aimed at generating funds through Shu brocade.

It can be said that the majority of the funds for the Northern Expedition came from the export of Shu brocade.

Even though the Northern Expedition was against Cao Wei, Cao Wei was still Zhuge Liang's biggest client.

When looking at ancient maps, we must not mistake the so-called territory for a 'surface'.

If it's strictly defined as a plane, then enclaves become a joke. It should be a combination of blocks and points.

Beyond the points and blocks, it can be seen as a strongly claimed 'no man's land'.

The manor owners' trade activities were cut off.

Unless, as in modern times, the land-based era transitions into the maritime era, strong governments emerge, and isolationism becomes substantially effective, effective economic sanctions will not be possible.

Therefore, if the Jiangnan Textile Bureau is successfully established, it is absolutely possible to make money.

Once you get the money, you can exchange it for grain, timber, and ore.

After saying all this, the point is simply that "The Wealth of Nations" is indeed feasible.

This Song Shi'an is a genius.

Without hesitation, Zhang Zhao awarded it the highest grade.

On the morning of the day before the results were announced, all the exam papers were preliminarily graded.

Then, after the Prince of Jin arrived, the ranking began—

Yesterday's "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" had already made the Prince of Jin feel a little uncomfortable.

He really didn't expect that with the questions set so favorable to Sun Qian, he could still lose!

However, he also knew that Song Shi'an was simply too strong.

“Policy essays are different from prose poems; they are much longer. Therefore, we Grand Secretaries decide on the rankings ourselves when determining the first rank. Now, we will determine the rankings together,” Gu Yixin explained to the Prince of Jin.

“All of you Grand Secretaries are senior officials of the Imperial Academy, and you are naturally trustworthy,” said the Prince of Jin.

Poems and essays are something that everyone reads together, discusses, and then recommends.

However, the policy proposals are too long to be decided one by one.

Therefore, the academicians who graded the papers had greater autonomy.

Of course, the final decision on the specifics will have to be made by voting.

"There are eight essays in total, all of which are of the highest rank, the policy essays," Zhang Zhao introduced. "They are all here."

Zhang Zhao read out the titles one by one, and then the Prince of Jin decided which one to discuss first.

Sure enough, he picked out the one that interested him the most: "This 'The Wealth of Nations' has a very concise main idea."

Zhang Zhao was somewhat convinced.

Song Shi'an is truly remarkable.

Putting everything else aside, he really knows what people want to see.

The name is really spicy.

A book, the title comes first.

I remember someone holding up a copy of "Big Breasts and Wide Hips" and complaining: "The title is misleading!"

The other scholars were also quite curious: what kind of content could live up to this name?

And then the accompanying scholar began to read aloud.

Everyone can understand.

Oh, it's Song Shi'an. Then it's alright.

After hearing about the rather innovative measures, they all nodded in approval.

After reading.

There's so much everyone wants to say.

"Jiangnan Textile Bureau, has anyone proposed this idea?" someone asked.

“There shouldn’t be any, that’s too specific,” Zhang Zhao said. “Moreover, there has never been a similar suggestion to focus on the development of Yangzhou in the Jiangnan region.”

“Then this Song…” Sun Kang hadn’t finished speaking when he quickly changed his words, “This is sending money to the imperial court.”

awkward.

Most people could tell that this was Song Shi'an's doing.

But yesterday's Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River had already put an end to the suspense surrounding the scientific expedition.

Therefore, there is absolutely no point in trying to uncover any shady dealings.

We have no choice but to handle this officially.

The King of Jin also thought that "The Wealth of Nations" was truly excellent.

I completely convinced him.

This article, without taking a strong stance, can be said to have offended everyone equally, including the royal family.

But he didn't think there was a problem.

The Prince of Jin was mediocre, but not foolish. He even disapproved of his father's construction of the imperial mausoleum.

It should be similar to previous dynasties, or even slightly inferior; there's really no need to spend too much.

He only saw the way to make money in this article.

That Jiangnan Textile Bureau is an even better thing!
If the emperor were to oversee the construction of this office, he would definitely want to share his father's burden in this regard...

In any case, it cannot fall into the hands of the King of Wu.

Once it's in his hands, he'll have fame, power, and troops, even if he's a traitor, plus this money.

Then we've lost completely.

"What does Master Gu think?" Zhang Zhao asked.

Everyone looked at him, wondering what insights this chief scholar had.

"The writing style I see is very similar to Song Shi'an's."

After a brief moment of surprise, the crowd nodded in agreement, feigning deep thought.

Since being reprimanded, everyone has been very nervous, afraid of failing in some way.

So even a fool can see it, yet they still pretend to hide it.

But there was one person who had just realized it.

The King of Jin was completely dumbfounded.

This is also Song Shi'an's?!