Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 25 Sun Situ's Invitation

The "Tuntian Strategy" was a public opinion released by the emperor.

However, this does not mean that anything can be done just because public opinion has been released.

There will definitely be some resistance.

Or rather, releasing public opinion is a way to counter certain obstacles.

The Sun family of Yangzhou was the most prominent family in Jiangnan during the previous dynasty. They were also one of the original shareholders when the Great Yu Dynasty was founded.

Without a doubt, they were a force that could not be ignored within the imperial ruling class.

If there are policies they don't want to implement, they will naturally unite with the old aristocracy to resist them.

After careful consideration, Sun Situ made his decision.

It's not that he's incapable of making any sacrifices for the country.

There is a difference in the amount of loss of benefits.

At the beginning of the founding of the Great Yu Kingdom, its main military force originated in Liangzhou.

The generals from Qinzhou, known as the Qinzhou Noble Group, followed Emperor Gaozu of Yu in conquering the world, and all of them were meritorious for their service to the emperor.

It can be said that the emperors of the Dayu Dynasty were basically descendants of the noble families of Qinzhou and the Wei family.

Currently, the main military power is still in the hands of the nobility.

At that time, the territory that the nobles of Qinzhou had fought and fought to carve out was basically only north of the Yangtze River.

Jiangnan is a franchise.

Therefore, the control over Jiangnan has always been very delicate.

This is similar to our Wu Emperor Sun Keji, who relied on the Jiangbei Group to conquer the world, but his foundation was mostly in Jiangdong.

Among the states of Wei, Shu (Han), and Wu, Eastern Wu suffered the most from the constraints imposed by powerful clans.

Zhang Zhao basically represents the stance of the Jiangdong gentry—if you can't beat them, then fight them.

If the Qi state in the north were to conquer the region, and the nobles of Qinzhou were to lose half of the territory, the Qi army would not even need to cross the river.

Jiangnan gentry: Then let's order.

If the "Tuntian Policy" is implemented this time, it will affect the interests of the nobles, but not too deeply, since they are their own people.

But it was a different story for the gentry of Jiangnan.

This is politics.

There is only one factor that determines an opinion—position.

Of course, Sun Situ wouldn't discuss such matters with the younger generation.

“My birthday is the day after tomorrow, so I’ve invited all the top ten Asian champions,” Sun Situ suddenly decided.

"Where is Song Shi'an?" Sun Heng asked.

“Of course I will invite you; you should personally visit and invite me,” said Sun Situ.

“A mere illegitimate son…” Sun Heng couldn’t understand.

For any student in the world, it is a great honor to be able to study under the Sun family of Yangzhou.

Let alone the son of the third-rank magistrate of Sheng'an, even a high-ranking official of the first rank would have to be treated with utmost respect if he came in person.

Why is this kid being given such special attention?

At this, a smile appeared on one corner of Sun Yan's mouth.

The other half is gloomy and harsh.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, he spoke slowly, a smile that seemed to hold both anger and smirk:
"Let's wait until he gets here before we talk about it."

Offending the emperor is a great disrespect.

But it was different for the emperor's top scholar in the provincial examination.

.........

The student inn, located inside a house built during the Song Dynasty.

Looking at the model essays of the top scholar, after carefully reading both of them, Wang Shuishan looked at Song Shi'an with some surprise: "Brother Jingxiu, with such a level of talent, why did you only pass the imperial examination this year?"

In response, Song Shi'an said, "I consulted a fortune teller, and he said that passing the imperial examination this year will bring me good fortune."

"I knew it!"

You know it again.

"Whether it's 'Exhortation to Learning' or 'Strategy for Land Reclamation,' these two articles truly deserve to have earned first place in both subjects."

Wang Shuishan didn't know how to express his admiration; he simply held the two sample papers, his heart filled with sighs.

Is this the difference between myself and the top scholar?

A chasm has formed!
"Oh, you flatter me, you flatter me." Song Shi'an raised his hand, looking embarrassed. Wang Shuishan continued his analysis: "Although the language of 'Exhortation to Learning' is simple, it is also quite elegant. It is clear that 'The Strategy of Military Farming' deliberately suppresses its writing style and focuses on reasoning."

Song Shi'an: "..."

Okay, okay, Xunzi will live forever!

Indeed, no matter how smart you are, can you be as smart as our ancestors?
"But I don't understand..."

After saying this, Wang Shuishan looked at Song Shi'an and asked, "Both my essays and those of Brother Jingxiu offended the aristocratic families. Why was it that you were able to pass the provincial examination with top honors, while I almost failed?"

This was something he couldn't understand.

After all, in his view, if land reclamation were to be carried out, it would be inevitable to plunder some of the people belonging to aristocratic families.

But what problems can be solved by relying solely on refugees?

"That's right, they all offend the aristocratic families. In fact, they all compete with the aristocratic families for population."

Song Shi'an smiled, looking at his still relatively sober friend. Then, he explained, "However, your measure of investigating the population of aristocratic families was too radical."

In ancient times, population statistics could be conducted, but they couldn't be done haphazardly.

The population figures obtained from a general census are either excluding those without household registration or are rough estimates using the 'mark-and-recapture' method.

The imperial court could never possibly know the specific person in which county, township, or village.

"Please explain in detail," Wang Shuishan said earnestly.

"Population census is to find out all the people hidden by aristocratic families. Land reclamation is to take a portion of the population from those whose total number is unknown to aristocratic families."

After saying this, Song Shi'an did not offer any further explanation.

Wang Shuishan paused for a moment, still puzzled: "Is that all the difference?"

"Yes."

"Just this one difference, and you became the top scholar while I almost failed?"

"Yes."

Wang Shuishan was still deep in thought.

He didn't think that articles of similar type should have such a large difference in scores.

Seeing his confusion, Song Shi'an asked, "Shuishan, how many acres of land does your family own?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Four hundred and twenty-five mu."

After saying that, Wang Shuishan saw that Song Shi'an didn't speak, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

"My family owns 15,000 mu (approximately 1,667 hectares) of land."

"..."

Wang Shuishan was stunned for a moment.

He knew that the Song family of Huai County was prominent, but he did not expect them to be so wealthy!

But he also understood that Song Shi'an wasn't there to flaunt his wealth.

So after some deep reflection, he suddenly realized the truth!

It's really not a small difference.

His proposal can be said to be ten times more radical than Song Shi'an's!
"That's it."

With a smile, Song Shi'an, who had thoroughly understood the situation of this era when he transmigrated, already knew the limits: "When the empire is in trouble, the emperor can ask the aristocratic families to contribute as much as they want. But you can't ask them how much they actually contribute."

Even established families need a sense of security.

Wang Shuishan dared to openly admit how much land his family owned because the imperial court wouldn't even glance at such a paltry sum.

So the fact that this guy was able to pass the imperial examination shows that this year's group of scholars was actually quite enlightened.

"I understand everything."

Wang Shuishan understood everything, and looking at the man in front of him, he was completely convinced.

After a while, Wang Shuishan stood up, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and bowed to Song Shi'an.

"Hey, Shuishan, what's wrong?" Song Shi'an asked, puzzled, and quickly helped him up.

What are you guys doing?

"Shuishan is only a Juren now, and he may not become a high-ranking official in the future. Unlike Shi'an, who is handsome and talented, he is sure to become a capable minister of the country."

These words made Song Shi'an unable to help but show a smile of enjoyment.

You are the first man who, besides your talent, hasn't overlooked my appearance. Thank you.

Looking into his eyes, Wang Shuishan said firmly, "If I enter the court in the future, I am willing to serve Shi An's faction."

(End of this chapter)