Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 185 Rebellion Against One's Own Father!
"Father, do you think the imperial court will give me the position of prefectural magistrate?"

At this moment, in Sun Situ's study, Sun Qian asked.

“Yes,” Sun Situ replied. “To be an emperor, one must be able to coordinate between different sides. Even if one side dislikes the other from the bottom of his heart.”

Doing politics is not about isolating all opposition groups.

It is possible for the opposition to turn into one's own side.

When Comrade Ruijin arrived in Handong, he never thought of defeating the Handong University clique; on the contrary, he tried to win over Secretary Yu Liang in the end.

There are right and wrong sides to taking sides, but in any case, it is impossible to forcibly choose to ignore them.

Not to mention, because the Sun family was so prestigious, taxes could be collected simply by virtue of their influence, and on that basis, their entire clan was to be exterminated.

Politics is not child's play.

Even though the Wo Luen Shing Society was fighting tooth and nail, there was one bottom line—it couldn't create a new Wo Luen Shing Society.

If you don't include me, I'll just leave in the south in my official robes.

“But His Majesty personally put pressure on the scholars of Jiangnan. The Prince of Wu also said those things on that occasion,” Sun Qian said.

“The knock will only be once, and once the effect is achieved, it will not be knocked again.” Sun Situ was very open-minded. “However, His Majesty has defeated Shuofeng, and his current prestige and power are indeed unmatched.”

Sun Qian nodded in agreement.

"The position of Prefectural Assistant is definitely secure. If you are capable enough, and with the prestige of the Sun family, you should be able to become a Prefect of the third rank within four or five years without much trouble," said Minister Sun.

A rank of 3rd grader at 25 or 26 is truly terrifying.

But this is entirely within the rules.

Because on the other hand, Sun Heng's future was also cut off.

He will probably only have a sinecure of the second rank until he dies.

The reason for choosing the prefectural magistrate was precisely because of the lingering influence of a top-tier aristocratic family.

Even the position of the second-in-command of a prefecture-level city government can be used to enhance one's prestige.

“When you take office, send a gift to the prefect, and I will write him a letter,” said Sun Situ.

"Yes, father."

“Remember this.” Sun Situ raised his finger and warned his son in a very serious tone, “Don’t get involved in anything like colluding with the corrupt. Even if we are a powerful family, you must govern the counties well, just as a capable minister would.”

Aristocratic families may be bad, but they are not stupid.

He would scheme against others, hoping his political enemies would lose the national war, but he would never let himself fall into ruin.

Which powerful minister only knows how to flatter, embezzle, and break the law?
Even Heshen had the ability to be a good official.

"My son will be a good official and earn the emperor's trust in the Sun family. He will be willing to relinquish power to the Sun family." Sun Qian's current thinking is quite normal. In any case, he can no longer compare to Song Shi'an in literature, but he cannot afford to lose in officialdom.

Now both of them are at the fifth rank, starting from the same point.

To rise faster and attain a higher official position than him is also a kind of win.

Winning strategy: Even winning in only one aspect can be considered a stepping stone.

"Yes, that's the right idea."

Sun Situ felt that his son was still teachable.

At least he has a deep understanding of himself and a clear plan.

However, not every scion of a prominent family holds this view.

It could even be said that the vast majority of people do not have a clear plan.

This kind of planning doesn't mean I want to reach a certain official position or accomplish certain things within a few years; rather, it's about 'different paths leading to the same goal'.

Therefore, all tactics have become meaningless.

Everything we do has a definite meaning.

Don't do things that are meaningless.

“I’ve discussed your marriage,” Sun Yan said.

"Yes, Father can arrange it." Sun Qian didn't ask at all who he was going to marry.

Now you can better understand the saying "different paths lead to the same destination".

Political marriages are all about maximizing benefits; whatever maximizes those benefits will do.

love?

Laughing rat.

“Father, I have another question,” Sun Qian said. “Song Shi’an’s plan to establish military farms will definitely go through with it. Given his style of doing things in Shuonan County, it would be absolutely impossible to implement such a plan in a place where military farms are to be established, wouldn’t it?”

"Of course, during wartime, order can be restored, and the 'righteous cause' can be used as an opportunity to carry out a purge. But for military settlements, it must be in a relatively stable place."

“The more stable the place, the less likely there will be war. Then, the local forces will become more entrenched, and the mutual protection among officials who band together for their own interests will be impossible to eliminate,” Sun Situ asserted confidently. “If he dares to do what he did in the military settlements, even his own men will rebel against him.”

"Where will he choose to establish military farms?" Sun Qian asked. "My son believes that for a national policy that needs to be implemented throughout the country, the first place chosen should not be too difficult."

“That’s right.” Sun Situ was satisfied with his son’s understanding. “What Song Shi’an needs to do now is to produce results as soon as possible and give the world a satisfactory answer, rather than suppressing us on behalf of the emperor. If we really want to establish military farms, Yangzhou is definitely the target. But it is definitely not the target at present.”

"Qinzhou is even less likely."

"Yes, Song Shi'an is not the kind of person who holds a grudge."

“That means…” Sun Qian thought, “He wants to pick the weakest link, the county with the weakest clan power, and produce grain as quickly as possible.”

"Yes."

Sun Situ smiled and said to his son with considerable pride, "We have at least five more years of peaceful life ahead of us."

.........

"Huai County?"

Yu Xiu asked to confirm.

“Yes, Huai County in Sizhou is about seven or eight hundred li away from Sheng’an,” Song Shi’an explained.

"How could I not know where Huai County is?"

Yu Xiu was speechless at his behavior of treating him like a fool.

"Then my explanation was inappropriate," Song Shi'an apologized.

"Huai County, is that your hometown?" Yu Xiu asked. "Yes." Looking into the other's eyes, Song Shi'an said, "It is the place where all the fields, ancestral property, servants, and the vast majority of the properties of the Song family, large and small, are located."

This statement was made with extreme force.

The emperor, behind the screen, also recovered from his earlier astonishment. He felt that his surprise at such a thing was truly unnecessary.

When he proposed relocating all the population, the emperor should have realized that there was only one place in the world capable of doing so—Huai County.

Instead of thinking that Song Shi'an, who had already accomplished great things in Shuojun, was naive to the point of being foolish.

Wartime control is indeed very strong, but without using your brain to negotiate, nothing can be accomplished.

Yes, the policy of military colonization was a national policy that, if successful in one place, could be followed by the rest of the country.

Therefore, the first thing to ensure is the success of the first case.

Yizhou already had existing refugees, so that's not an issue.

The fact that Nanshuo County was seized by force during the war does not count.

As the person in charge of the land reclamation, the first place to strike was his own hometown. If he wanted to rebel against his own father, what reason could the other places use to resist?
Even in Qinzhou.

only……

How should the Song family's losses be compensated?

"So you're saying this..." Yu Xiu, who had just been amused, now sat up straight with a rather subtle expression. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "That's feasible."

Brother, you even tried to kill yourself with a knife. With that kind of ruthlessness, what can't you accomplish?
"Moreover, it must succeed," Song Shi'an said. "This is to show the whole world that this land reclamation project needs strong support."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiu was momentarily at a loss for words.

He has no right to make empty promises to Song Shi'an.

With both big shots absent, how could he, a mere fourth-rank official, dare to take responsibility?
At this moment, Eunuch Lian said, "Young Master Song, you may speak freely."

With that statement in mind, he said directly, "Since the goal is to relocate the powerful clans, there must be corresponding compensation. Of course, I'm not trying to gain benefits for my family."

"Young Master Song, do not worry. This is only natural. The fact that you proposed to establish military farms in Huai County is already a testament to your loyalty," said Eunuch Lian. "It will not discourage a loyal minister. Moreover, I understand this principle—the whole world is watching what Huai County does."

If the compensation is inadequate, forced relocation will definitely cause resistance.

"The land reclamation will begin next year. This year's harvest in Huai County still belongs to the local powerful families and commoners. As for taxes, they will be calculated based on last year's figures," said Song Shi'an.

"Hmm." Yu Xiu felt that this method was quite politically savvy, so he nodded. "We'll stockpile next year, but inform them this year, and it won't affect this year's harvest."

"And then," Song Shi'an continued, "after the relocation, the compensation for the land should also include the hidden land."

It's like they've investigated how much property you have but won't take a single penny.

"This move is gentle and reasonable," Yu Xiu nodded.

“After the land reclamation, due to the distribution of grain, the hidden households and tenants will not be willing to move out, and the population sheltered by the aristocratic families will definitely decrease. With the increase in the amount of land but the decrease in the population, there will inevitably be a lack of surplus capacity to cultivate the land, resulting in a lot of land being abandoned.” Song Shi’an said seriously, “The government can promise the aristocratic families that all of these lands will be purchased at the market price on a one-to-one basis.”

Although the powerful families acquired more land, they lost their people and could no longer cultivate the land, resulting in even less usable farmland.

This is definitely a loss.

Therefore, the compensation must be sufficient.

Even so, the aristocratic family still lost the most important 'person'.

This is bleeding.

“That is indeed easier to accept, but whether the national treasury can afford it still needs to be discussed. Then, His Majesty will make the decision,” Yu Xiu informed him.

It could be said that, given Song Shi'an's approach, this would require the combined efforts of the entire nation.

"I understand," Song Shi'an said.

"How will the compensation land be redeemed?" The eunuch was quite professional and grasped this point.

"The imperial farmland will not be expanded for the time being, but will be used to cultivate new land for the aristocratic families."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiu immediately glared at Song Shi'an and gave him a meaningful look—don't talk nonsense.

The eunuch's face darkened, and he said in a somewhat unpleasant tone, "That's for His Majesty to decide; it's not something you need to consider."

Jitian was the property of the Wei family.

"Yes." Song Shi'an showed no unease or fear, remaining quite calm.

I've already killed myself. If this matter isn't handled well, my father might be removed from the family genealogy, and his grave might be dug up by the younger generation of the family. And you're telling me that we can't discuss the Wei family's land?
Love Tuntun, not Tungun.

"Yes, I understand." Yu Xiu stopped with the small talk and asked directly, "So, what official position do you want?"

"I am willing to accept all appointments from the imperial court."

After Song Shi'an finished his armor, he said, "But to carry out this action, we need to be able to mobilize the troops stationed in the fields, the waterways of Sizhou, all the counties of Huaijun, and all the field officials, river officials, yamen runners, and household registers within the counties at will."

Well, then he must be at least a Duke.

Yu Xiu and Eunuch Lian exchanged glances and nodded. Then, Yu Xiu said, "Understood. Everything today will be reported to His Majesty for his decision."

"Yes."

"Then you can go down."

"I am resigning."

Song Shi'an left without saying a word.

After he left, Yu Xiuhe hurriedly went behind the screen and prostrated himself before the emperor.

"Rise," the emperor said.

Then, Yu Xiu stood up and lowered his head.

Eunuch Lian stood to the side of the emperor.

"Song Jing is a very good son."

The emperor's first words were full of praise.

Yu Xiu cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, to meet his demands, the lowest rank required is Prefect of Huai County, a third-rank official. But a rank from ninth to third is unprecedented."

"Simple."

Without hesitation, the emperor replied, "Find him a meritorious service."

(End of this chapter)