Frost for a Thousand Years

"Wei Ye is dead?"

Ji Yuan of Wuwei City was slightly stunned after hearing the news.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

At this moment, several military officers stepped forward and congratulated him with great excitement.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan was speechless and poured cold water on the joy of these generals: "What good would it do me if he died?"

"Not only will there be no benefit," Chen Xing commented sharply. "I'm afraid that the false Yu will be completely controlled by Song Shi'an, and the whole country will implement the policy of invading the north."

At this point, the others realized that the death of the emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty could not be explained in the usual way.

In a typical divided dynasty, when several states coexist, there will be certain points in time when it is appropriate to launch a war.

Just like in Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Plan", there is a very important sentence: "If there is a change in the world, then appoint a top general to lead the Jingzhou army towards Wanluo".

This change in the world actually refers to the change of regime.

For example, if Emperor Xian abdicated, Shu Han would have the moral high ground to raise an army to punish the rebels and restore the Han Dynasty.

For example, if Cao Cao were to die, Shu Han could take advantage of the political turmoil caused by the power struggle among Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhang.

This is 'change'.

“There used to be a close power struggle between the Wu and Jin factions, but now that Wei Ye’s King of Wu is dead, the King of Jin has become a puppet,” General Mi Heng said. “Song Shi’an and Wei Wusheng will probably be able to easily seize power.”

“But there’s also the King of Jiangling in Nanyue,” Chen Xing reminded him. “Moreover, he has the Duke of Zhangping, whose strategies are no less than those of the Duke of Li, with him. Song Shi’an may not be able to appease him easily. Perhaps we can start from there.”

“We don’t need to do anything,” Ji Yuan said confidently. “Song Shi’an’s intention to kill nobles is obvious, and Wei Ye is being held hostage. The Duke of Zhangping has a young prince in his hands. If he is not tested and easily submits, his death is not far away.”

"Your Majesty means..." Chen Xing said with a hint of realization, "The Duke of Zhangping doesn't want to rebel, but he will spread the news that he wants to rebel to test Song Shi'an's reaction?"

After all, in Song Shi'an's territory, the King of Wu died after resisting, and the King of Zhongping died even without resisting.

There has to be some way, some way out, right?

“Given Chen Huo’s (Duke of Zhangping) character, he would never be stripped of his power,” Ji Yuan said quite clearly. “And he has grasped Song Shi’an’s idea: as long as he guards the south and does not invade the north, he can remain the Duke of Zhennan in peace.”

Almost everyone has read Song Shi'an's "The Wealth of Nations".

This is the Dayu version of the Longzhong Plan.

By forming an alliance with Northern Yan and using economic means to cut off its lifeline, we can keep it neutral, prevent it from actively participating in the war, and force it to remain on the sidelines.

While stationing troops in the south, they also engaged in internal division, supporting tribes hostile to Sun Tuo to stabilize the south and prevent them from harassing the region during the autumn harvest.

Ultimately, they concentrated all their forces to attack the State of Qi.

Therefore, at this critical juncture, Song Shi'an would absolutely not go to war with the Duke of Zhangping in order to forcibly unify the Yu region.

First of all, he couldn't score.

Secondly, once conquered, the nation's overall strength would be damaged, and it would no longer have the ability to launch a northern expedition.

Ultimately, governance is always superior to divination.

It can be said that the enemy was subdued without a fight.

“And if we push the Duke of Zhangping too far…” Mi Heng’s expression hardened, and she said, “If he takes the little prince to establish the Southern Yue Kingdom, then Song Shi’an will never have a peaceful life.”

Although Nanyue had an emperor named Sun Tuo.

But no one acknowledges the legitimacy of this emperor's title.

The tribal alliance is something that cannot be brought to the table.

But if Sun Tuo and the Duke of Zhangping joined forces, they could have anything.

"What will Song Shi'an do then? Will he compromise?" a military officer asked. "That's not like him."

Everyone fell into thought.

Until Ji Yuan spoke up: "Chen Huo is most likely going to exchange hostages with Song Shi'an."

They all suddenly realized what was going on.

The Duke of Zhangping had no intention of rebelling, but he lacked a stance, making him like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. He had to demonstrate his value in the united front.

Song Shi'an did not want to suppress the south, but if he allowed the opinions of those 'separatists' to ferment without quelling them, his ability to govern would be questioned.

The best approach is to provide both sides with a sense of security.

"Where would Song Shi'an get hostages to send? Wei Wusheng doesn't have any either."

Someone has discovered the key point.

These two bachelors basically have no weaknesses.

What they do is their business.

However, Emperor Ji paid no attention to the flirtatious glances of these people, and said with a smile, "I only want to see rivers of blood flowing."

.........

"Father, good news! Wu Jing has been killed by his men, and Qinzhou has been completely pacified."

Song Shi'an went to the study to report the military intelligence to his father.

"It's finally resolved." Song Jing was genuinely happy to hear this. "The lineage of the Duke of Li in Qinzhou has been completely eradicated, with heads rolling everywhere."

Hua Zheng was granted a pardon, and several noble families in Sheng'an surrendered. Xiao Qun, in Liangzhou, chose to remain steadfast in his commitment to the Great Yu. Although Wu Jing was the governor of Qinzhou, he had no authority over anyone and could only occupy the city and defend it.

Then came the familiar and much-anticipated event—being beheaded by his subordinates.

“With Wu Jing dead, we’ll have complete control over the entire North,” Song Shi’an said.

"What about the south?" Song Jing asked.

“I have already written to the Duke of Zhangping and sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to ask him what he really thinks,” Song Shi’an said. “The South is unlikely to cause any trouble for the time being, but that’s only temporary.”

"Is there any way to get the Prince of Jiangling to travel from Zhangping?" Song Jing asked.

"He only has the Prince of Jiangling left, how could he easily hand it over to us? He can give up the Prince of Jiangling, what can we exchange for him?" Song Shi'an joked, "Even if we gave him the Empress Dowager, he would think she was too old."

“Scholars should not speak such vulgar words,” Song Jing reminded them. “They should show some respect to the people in the imperial palace.”

“I have great respect for the emperor and have given him a lot of work to do, so that he can immerse himself in the fulfillment of handling state affairs every day.”

Song Shi'an managed to appease the emperor quite well, entrusting him with many seemingly insignificant but actually quite important tasks, much like giving the King of England a minor title of Commander-in-Chief, and having him sign decrees from time to time, making him look like a politician.

He did a very good job in this regard.

"Anyway, try not to bother with the Duke of Zhangping. That old man is more difficult to deal with than the emperor," Song Jing said. "If you get entangled with him, it could take at least ten years."

"Of course, I won't waste my precious time in this remote mountain valley."

To fight for a place that no one else is willing to contend for means to incur costs that are several times higher than the potential gains.

Just like the wars in the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan, they were only to fulfill Emperor Qianlong's personal "Ten Great Military Achievements".

As for its positive impact on later generations, it was a lucky accident; bad intentions turned into good.

"The candidates for the Six Ministries have been almost finalized, and Ouyang Ke has also approved them." Putting aside the matter of the Duke of Zhangping, Song Jing discussed this important matter with Song Shi'an. "However, there are still many objections to the matter of dismissing officials and granting them the titles of Doctors of various ranks. Quite a few have come to me about it."

“Of course, they’d be stripped of their official positions. Who would be willing to do that?” Song Shi’an said.

“However, I heard that Minister Sun has no objections,” Song Jing said.

"That's good. The old man is being cooperative."

Sun Situ's original official position was the head of the Three Dukes, which was a super rank, with an incredibly high rank and benefits. However, now that the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are to be abolished, it means that the highest official position he can hold is only a first-rank Grand Doctor, who is the head of the seventy-two doctors of the Great Yu Dynasty.

These seventy-two doctors were all the redundant officials that Song Shi'an had dismissed, totaling seventy-two people.

With almost a single click, one could save 70,000 to 80,000 shi of salary, plus over 100,000 taels of government expenditure per year.

"How about we increase their salaries a little?" Song Jing asked.

Song Shi'an fell into thought.

Just then, Song Gan rushed over and reported, "My lords, all the officials who were to be dismissed have gone to the palace gate to demand an explanation from His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Song Jing's face darkened: "They actually went directly to His Majesty."

“Because we show no mercy here,” Song Shi’an said.

"But these people are going a bit too far by overstepping their authority like this."

They set aside the Song family and went to a puppet emperor to solve the problem.

If we were to meet with this emperor, wouldn't that be condoning the emperor's formation of cliques and pursuit of personal gain?

Your Majesty, why are you plotting a rebellion?
“Father, I know what to do.”

Song Shi'an thought of some of his former superiors and suddenly had an idea.

"Alright, then go quickly." And so, Song Shi'an rode in the carriage all the way to the palace gate.

Then, I saw these fifty-odd elderly men, all over sixty years old.

In ancient times, people who were sixty or seventy were considered to be half-dead.

It's amazing that they still have the energy to fight for their rights.

That means they are still very strong despite their age.

"Gentlemen doctors, what is the reason for this?"

Song Shi'an got out of the car and hurriedly went to these people to ask.

The moment they saw him, these old scholars flew into a rage.

One of them immediately spoke up, saying, "Lord Song, you are a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor. The late emperor said that you should assist the new emperor, and we all know this and fully support it. But the late emperor also said that we old folks cannot continue to enjoy the emperor's bounty."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone beside him immediately added, “It is true that officials in the Great Yu Dynasty have a term limit and must retire. However, according to the laws of the Great Yu Dynasty and the regulations of the Ministry of Personnel, most of us are still within our term. Some of us have only entered the court in the last two years. Lord Song’s career has been soaring, and we old ministers… should not have done anything wrong, right?”

“Of course you all haven’t passed, but how can you say that the emperor’s salary is not edible?” Song Shi’an said quite seriously. “Although the salary has been reduced, you no longer need to go to the yamen to work. Compared to the heavy public duties before, you are now more carefree and comfortable. Isn’t that better?”

His words once again aroused great dissatisfaction among these veteran officials.

And from the bottom of his heart, he believed that this guy was good at local reforms and fighting wars, but he didn't understand the essence of power in Sheng'an City at all.

However, directly refuting it would make one appear to be clinging to power.

Then a respected elder stepped forward and said to Song Shi'an, "Lord Song, you may think that Ying Ji Yuan only needs more grain and more soldiers. But do you not know that a great nation must be full of martial virtue? This time you have abolished the various government offices, disregarded astronomy, disregarded surnames, ignored etiquette, neglected the barbarians, neglected the classics, and disrespected gods and ghosts... Even if my Great Yu has a strong army, how can we show the nobility of China and attract congratulations from all directions?"

What he said was indeed quite important.

The reason for cultural export is to use soft power to win international reputation.

Moreover, if cultural penetration is not done well, then it will naturally not work.

Of course, no matter how grand their words are, or how important they describe this abundant martial virtue, it cannot change the fact that the martial virtue of the Great Yu Dynasty was not created by these officials.

This is like saying that without associations at all levels, there would be no diverse cultures.

What they are pursuing is not the spread of culture.

Rather, it is about controlling the right to define culture.

Why do they value these nominal positions so much?
It can be easily summarized in two words—official addiction.

Song Shi'an was used to being arrogant, so he disregarded their demands.

However, when he thought of some of his former superiors, he understood everything.

Few officials want to retire.

This is why some retired officials still pay a few people to play a simulation game of officialdom with them.

Power, that's fascinating.

“What we care about is not the salary, but the continuation of the literary tradition of the Great Yu,” someone said. “Lord Song has disbanded these government offices, wanting us to retire in our own homes. But who will do the writing and compiling of books? The court doesn’t allocate funds or send officials, so how can we do it?”

These nominal positions are actually neither simple nor cheap.

Just like the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), which cost millions of taels of silver.

Of course, it makes no sense.

Because the number of books destroyed in order to compile the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) was no less than the number of books in the collection itself.

The Yongle Encyclopedia is stronger, but it doesn't sell as many copies.

However, these are all utilitarian political spectacles created by emperors during periods of unification to gain a reputation for 'civil administration'.

In Song Shi'an's view, there is no need to do it now.

The brilliant folk culture is already growing wildly.

The official role, however, only requires the historian to record everything.

“You have all misunderstood me. Shi’an has no such thoughts at all, much less any intention to abolish the culture of Dayu.” Song Shi’an smiled and then said to the officials, “On the contrary, I want you all to promote the culture.”

These words puzzled these people.

Then he added, “Our plan is to transform the Grand Diviner’s Office into the Academy of Doctors, holding four quarterly meetings each year. After discussing national affairs, the meetings will be submitted to the court for a unified resolution. You will not be stepping down; you will remain in the court.”

CPPCC.

Participating in political affairs and deliberating on state affairs.

After these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

They hold four meetings each year to discuss matters and then let the imperial court make decisions.

It seems... it's not entirely useless.

"But this doctor..."

Before the man could finish speaking, Song Shi'an continued, "The duties of you doctors are further subdivided. Grand Doctor Sun is in charge of the entire Doctoral Academy. Below you are Doctors of the Five Classics, Doctors of Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematics, as well as Doctors of Music Theory, Tea Ceremony, Calligraphy, Astronomy, Divination, and so on. A Doctor is the leader of their respective field of study. Compared to the original, more detailed work, you all bear the heavy responsibility of creating cultural prosperity and guiding students throughout the land."

After this explanation, everyone was even more convinced.

That's right.

Keeping these old guys satisfied doesn't mean raising their salaries back to their original levels.

For ordinary officials, this amount of money might be very important.

What they care about is reputation, stinky feet, and respect.

Calligraphy Association, Painting Association, Tea Association, and so on.

As long as everyone is the first person under the premise of sufficient modifiers, they can be satisfied.

"But we don't have those government offices..."

Before anyone could finish speaking, Song Shi'an, as a powerful minister, interrupted again with great politeness, saying, "You may conduct your business in your residences. You may also welcome students from all over the country to come to the capital to study under you, so that your talents may spread throughout the world and the classics may be passed down for thousands of years."

In short, all support beyond government funding was provided.

Let's not talk about money; I'll give you all the face you want.

And this was exactly what the old folks wanted...

They all started discussing it, and it was clear that they were beginning to accept it.

"Gentlemen, I now wish to meet with His Majesty to discuss the specific arrangements for these scholars," Song Shi'an said with great seriousness. "I am the newly appointed top scholar; how could I truly be indifferent to the literary tradition of the Great Yu?"

The words of literary leaders made them more receptive to the discussion.

Moreover, if they had this doctoral title, they would have the right to define it.

The Sage of Calligraphy, the Sage of Regular Script, the Sage of Running Script, the Sage of Tea, and

"Lord Song, I am skilled in music and hope to contribute my humble efforts to the music of the Great Yu."

"Lord Song, I would be honored to become a tea master..."

Soon, they started arguing over the title.

Song Shi'an also readily accepted the suggestion.

After finishing dealing with almost everyone, Song Shi'an, exhausted, entered the palace.

Upon seeing Song Shi'an arrive in the Taiyuan Hall, the emperor smiled and said, "These senior officials are quite difficult to deal with, aren't they?"

Song Shi'an smiled and then said apologetically, "Your Majesty will have to handle and respond to the many trivial proposals from the Doctoral Academy."

"It's alright. If we can appease these old ministers, we can save hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Why not?" the emperor said. "If this matter is successful, we may be able to make up for a lot of the losses in Huai County's grain supply."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Song Shi'an also showed a relieved smile.

Then, the emperor said with a serious expression, "Shi'an, have the cabinet members been finalized?"

“Your Majesty, it’s almost time,” Song Shi’an said. “Please appoint my father as the chief minister and Lord Ouyang as the second chief minister.”

"Will you only serve as a cabinet minister?" the emperor asked.

"My merits are barely enough, but my efforts are far from sufficient," Song Shi'an said.

But more importantly, he can no longer completely monopolize the cabinet.

"Shi An, please rest assured, you can continue to serve as the young Grand Secretary for now."

The emperor looked into his eyes and promised, "Once you've reached the required seniority, you will always be the Grand Secretary of the Great Yu." (End of Chapter)