Song Xiu

Chapter 133 Prince Jin and Prefect of the Capital Turn Their Blades Against the Powerful

New Year's Day of the second year of the Jianlong reign of the Song Dynasty.

New Year's Day is the most important festival for the Chinese nation.

According to the ritual system of past dynasties, on New Year's Day, the emperor would hold a grand banquet for his officials in the main hall of the palace to reward them for their hard work in the past year.

Because the New Year's Day banquet held by the court was both a celebration of the new year and carried political significance, many important events would take place on this day.

For example, the specific rewards and honors bestowed upon the army that led the southern expedition.

Inside the imperial city, as soon as the bells, symbolizing noon, envoys from various countries and civil and military officials set off together, heading from Xuande Gate toward Chongyuan Hall.

The grand royal procession stretched from Xuande Gate all the way to the palace gate. The gleaming halberds of the tall, armored soldiers and the dragon and phoenix patterns on the colorful flags complemented each other, giving every corner outside the palace a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The imperial majesty was nothing new to the civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty.

However, many envoys from small countries have never seen the majesty of the Celestial Empire.

The closer they got to Chongyuan Hall, the more astonished the envoys from the small country became.

Last year, the Song army won many victories, and its military might shone throughout the world.

Faced with the overwhelming military might, aside from foreign countries like the Southern Tang and Wuyue, even the rulers of some remote small countries couldn't help but send envoys to pay homage to the Song Dynasty.

For example, Goryeo, Champa, and the distant Western Regions such as Khotan.

Some of these countries already had tributary relationships with the Central Plains, while others wanted to use this New Year's Day court assembly to re-establish ties with the Central Plains.

Regardless of their purpose, many envoys from small countries were impressed by what they witnessed today.

They had never seen such a magnificent and splendid building in China before.
What many envoys did not know was that the architecture of the Kaifeng imperial city was quite "simple" compared to previous dynasties.

The Chang Le Wei Yang Palace of the Han Dynasty and the Daming Han Yuan Palace of the Tang Dynasty—which of these palace complexes did not fully display the majesty of the Chinese nation?

As envoys from various countries and civil and military officials entered the hall in order under the arrangement of the master of ceremonies, Zhao Kuangyin, dressed in imperial robes, was already sitting on the golden throne with nine dragons.

As the twelve strings of imperial tassels swayed, Zhao Kuangyin stared intently at Zhao Dexiu, who walked at the head of the assembled officials, with a look of affection.

After shifting his gaze from Zhao Dexiu, Zhao Kuangyin's look towards the others in the hall turned authoritative.

The purple-robed prime minister, the scarlet-robed nine ministers, the green-robed officials, and the miscellaneous envoys—Zhao Kuangyin took in the sight of each and every one of them.

After the envoys and ministers entered the hall, the master of ceremonies announced, "All officials pay their respects," followed by three shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" that resounded throughout the Chongyuan Hall.

After the ceremony was completed, the envoys and ministers dared to take their seats one by one.

As soon as everyone took their seats, Zhao Kuangyin's deep voice rang out from the throne.

"The relevant authorities promulgated the decree."

As soon as Zhao Kuangyin finished speaking, Liu Wensou, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, came out holding an imperial edict:
The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty decreed:
I have received the mandate of Heaven, inherited the great foundation of the world, govern all nations, and reign supreme over the four seas.

However, Nanping usurped the title of emperor and claimed the throne, while Wuping stubbornly refused to submit, harming the people. Every time I read his memorials, I cannot help but grit my teeth and wring my hands, vowing to quell the rebellion and secure the nation.

Prince Dexiu of Taiyuan is my eldest son.

He harbored lofty ambitions from a young age and honed his strategic skills as he grew older. He was proficient in archery and horsemanship and personally led the three armies; he possessed great courage and foresight, and was adept at anticipating the changes in the six armies.

Previously, due to the rebellion in Huainan and the disobedience of the two states, I appointed him as Grand Commandant and Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army, leading 50,000 Imperial Guards to the south to quell the rebellion.

On the day he received the order, the Prince of Taiyuan solemnly swore an oath to his troops, saying, "I will not return to the capital until the rebel army is defeated!"

The army advanced to Huainan, defeated and captured the rebels, then fought in Nanping, and pacified Jiangling without shedding a drop of blood.

They launched another campaign against Yuezhou, burning enemy warships and boiling Dongting Lake. The enemy forces collapsed like a breached dam, and tens of thousands surrendered.

Afterwards, they stormed Wuping's lair, captured its young master, wiped out the remaining rebels, expanded their territory by thousands of miles, and cleared away the troubles on the border of Hunan and Hubei in one day!
When the good news arrived, the capital region rejoiced and the three armies were excited. Who else but the King of Taiyuan could achieve this?
In the past, Emperor Taizong personally led an expedition, wielding his battle-axe eastward, raising military might to defend the country, and pacifying the realm. With the kinship of his clan, he established unparalleled achievements.

Now, Dexiu, as a prince, forgets himself for the sake of the country. He can quell rebellions and restore peace as easily as picking up a mustard seed, and destroy countries and temples as easily as shaking dry leaves. His achievements benefit the nation and his power shakes the four barbarian tribes.

I admire his bravery and am even more pleased with his loyalty. I shall reward him with exceptional honors for his outstanding achievements.

He is hereby specially enfeoffed as the Prince of Jin, and bestowed with a gold seal with an animal-shaped knob, a purple ribbon and a jade belt, and a fief of ten thousand households.

He was appointed Governor of Henan, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and concurrently Chancellor.

The world is not yet at peace, and the fighting has not yet ended.

Emperor Taizong once had the Tiance Army, and Prince Jin, He Xun, was no match for it.

He then ordered the Prince of Jin to select elite troops from the Imperial Guards to establish the Shenwu Army, and promoted him to the position of Military Governor of the Shenwu Army. All officers and soldiers in the army were appointed by the Prince of Jin himself!
He also bestowed upon the Prince of Jin a million strings of cash, a hundred fine horses, and three thousand bolts of brocade, and permitted the Prince of Jin to appoint officials such as Chief Secretary and Military Advisor.

The soldiers who led the southern expedition will be rewarded according to their merits. The king shall submit a memorial on their behalf, and I will certainly comply!
This reward from me is not due to personal favoritism, but truly because of your hard work and dedication.

When you conquer the world in the future, you should guard against arrogance and impetuosity, cherish the people and protect them, and improve your military preparedness in order to pacify the four corners of the world.

If someone becomes arrogant and disregards my instructions, even if they are a close relative, they will be punished; if someone strives to be loyal and continues to achieve merit, they will be generously rewarded.

Announce it to the world, and the envoys will hear about it.

Admire this! "

After Liu Wensou finished reading the contents of the imperial edict, the officials in the hall were already stunned.

The ministers had all considered that Zhao Kuangyin would bestow lavish rewards upon Zhao Dexiu at the New Year's Day banquet today.

But none of the ministers ever imagined that Zhao Kuangyin would turn today's award ceremony into a stage exclusively for Zhao Dexiu.

More importantly, Zhao Kuangyin's rewards to Zhao Dexiu were incredibly generous.

"Prince of Jin!"
Since the Tang Dynasty, among the titles of princes, "Qin and Jin" was originally the most prestigious.

Because of Emperor Taizong of Tang, later emperors rarely bestowed the title of Prince of Qin upon their sons in order to express their admiration for him.

Under this custom, the title of "King of Jin" was the most prestigious among all the kings.

Not to mention that the Song dynasty inherited the Zhou dynasty's rule, and among the Five Dynasties, there was no precedent for the Ming dynasty to establish a crown prince. Before Chai Rong ascended the throne, he already held the title of "Prince of Jin".

By bestowing upon Zhao Dexiu the title of Prince of Jin, and repeatedly referring to him as "Taizong" in the imperial edict of bestowal, Zhao Kuangyin expressed his high expectations for Zhao Dexiu.

All these actions were tantamount to Zhao Kuangyin declaring to the world—without a doubt, Zhao Dexiu was the second emperor of the Song Dynasty!

In addition to explicitly stating that Zhao Dexiu was the crown prince of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin also allowed Zhao Dexiu to form the Shenwu Army.

This is tantamount to giving Zhao Dexiu direct control of a military force!
Military governors already had the power to establish their own offices, and Zhao Kuangyin even allowed Zhao Dexiu to establish his own office with the title of prince. Anyone with a bit of political acumen could realize that Zhao Kuangyin wanted Zhao Dexiu to establish two sets of staff, one for civil affairs and one for military affairs.

The subjects of the King of Jin were called Wen (civil). The subjects of Shenwu were called Wu (military).

In this way, when Zhao Dexiu succeeds to the throne, he can use his mature civil and military staff to build a central government that is completely loyal to him.

Furthermore, the authority to reward the generals who had contributed to the southern expedition was entrusted to Zhao Dexiu.

This allows Zhao Dexiu to further cultivate his power within the army and win over the hearts and minds of the soldiers!
Under these arrangements, prestigious official positions such as Governor of Henan, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Chancellor seemed somewhat overshadowed.

The rewards were so numerous and their implications so profound that the officials in the hall were momentarily overwhelmed.

As the officials gradually came to their senses, even though Zhao Guangyi, Chu Zhaofu, Wang Renzhan, and others lamented in their hearts, none of them felt that the reward was excessive.

With two great achievements—suppressing rebellion and destroying a country—who dares to make any objections?

If anyone dared to raise objections to these two great achievements, the tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, eagerly awaiting their rewards, would devour them alive.

If the commander-in-chief's achievements are disregarded, how can we guarantee that the soldiers' achievements will be treated fairly?

Furthermore, Zhao Kuangyin's bestowal of titles and rewards did not deviate from the "precedent of the Five Dynasties".

To ensure the survival of the dynasty in the future, the emperors of the five dynasties all liked to give their crown princes a lot of power.

However, none of the five previous crown princes were able to retain their positions.

Compared to the ministers who were slowly coming to their senses, the envoys from various countries were still in shock.

Due to their limited experience, the envoys from various countries may not have thought as deeply as the ministers. However, after hearing the imperial edict of bestowal of honors, a sense of astonishment arose in the hearts of all the envoys:
"A crown prince resembling the Heavenly Khan has appeared in the Central Plains!"

When this exclamation arose in their minds, the heads of the envoys from various countries twitched in surprise.

Zhao Kuangyin knew that his bestowal of honors would cause a great shock to everyone in the hall, so he gave them time to react.

After seeing that most of the people had reacted, Zhao Kuangyin then shouted loudly:

"Prince Jin!"

At Zhao Kuangyin's shout, Zhao Dexiu, dressed in royal robes, stepped forward with great excitement.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu appeared, he instantly became the focus of everyone in the hall.

In the eyes of everyone in the hall, Zhao Dexiu was radiant at this moment!
Zhao Dexiu stopped at the foot of the steps and replied in a clear voice:
"Chen is here!"

As Zhao Kuangyin gazed at the figure below the steps, his expression softened further.

The turmoil at Chenqiao Post Station is still fresh in our minds, yet this child is now able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the nation without any doubt.

Zhao Kuangyin slightly raised his hand, and Wang Ji'en, who was beside the throne, hurriedly brought over a jade plate.

On the jade plate were the prince's seal and golden crown, crafted by skilled artisans and named by Zhao Kuangyin.

Then Zhao Kuangyin got up and walked down the steps, with Wang Ji'en following closely behind.

"The seal of the Prince of Jin is as heavy as Mount Tai."

Today you receive this imperial seal; you must always keep the people in mind and not fail to live up to the weight of this seal.

A moment later, Zhao Kuangyin arrived in front of Zhao Dexiu, and his words carried a touch of fatherly affection.

When Zhao Kuangyin arrived, Zhao Dexiu had already bowed down.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire hall, Zhao Kuangyin personally took the golden crown from the tray and placed it on Zhao Dexiu's head.

Then Zhao Dexiu took the jade plate from Zhao Kuangyin.

The heavy jade plate, bearing numerous imperial seals, was filled with cheers as Zhao Dexiu bowed to Zhao Kuangyin to accept his command.

At the signal of the official in charge of ceremonies, the imperial guards outside the palace were chanting in unison, "Long live the Prince of Jin!"

The thunderous roar of the tiger-like warriors surged into the hall like the sound of war drums, making it impossible for the officials inside to remain seated.

Chancellor Fan Zhi and Wang Pu stepped forward first, bowed, and said:
"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations! Your Highness, Prince Jin, we offer our congratulations!"

Led by Fan Zhi and Wang Pu, the officials rose and bowed in unison, their purple and crimson robes billowing like waves, creating a magnificent sight.

Some time has passed since that New Year's Day banquet.

The officials did not take a break this year.

In the Wansui Hall, Zhao Kuangyin's gaze fell on Zhao Dexiu.

"Prince Jin, what do you think?"

Zhao Kuangyin inquired about how to resettle the displaced people outside the city.

According to previous statistics, there are currently 200,000 displaced people outside Kaifeng.

Of the 200,000 refugees, few were young and strong; most were the elderly, the weak, women, and children.

Although Zhao Dexiu brought a large amount of grain from Hunan, relieving the urgent needs of the capital region, preparation is key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure.

Sitting idly by will surely lead to the depletion of our resources; we must find ways to help the displaced people become self-reliant.

When Zhao Kuangyin asked him, Zhao Dexiu stood up and replied:

"I believe that we should follow the system of the previous dynasty and grant land to displaced people."

The emergence of displaced people stemmed from the continuous warfare that caused many people to lose their land.

Having lost their means of livelihood, ordinary people can only become refugees, wandering around in search of a slim chance of survival.

Therefore, in order to eradicate the problem of displaced people, it is natural to "grant land".

Zhao Kuangyin nodded in agreement with Zhao Dexiu's suggestion.

Seeing that Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat interested, Zhao Dexiu continued:

"After decades of chaos and turmoil in the Central Plains, there are large areas of uncultivated land."

The Central Plains are a fertile land, so the reason for the food shortage lies precisely here.

Since the Central Plains are filled with abandoned farmland and have a large number of displaced people, if the government could guide these displaced people to cultivate the wasteland, not only would the food shortage in the Central Plains be resolved, but the unrest caused by the displaced people could also be eradicated.

The predecessors of the migrants were basically farmers from various places.

Although the refugees are mostly elderly, weak, women and children, they are not good at fighting, but they are excellent at reclaiming wasteland.

After Zhao Dexiu finished speaking, Zhao Kuangyin became even more interested.

Zhao Kuangyin was not unaware that if he could get the displaced people to cultivate the wasteland in the Central Plains, it would be a win-win situation.

But to achieve this, two foundations are required.

The first fundamental point is that the government needs to remeasure the land in the Central Plains.

The second fundamental point is that the government must accurately record all the information about the displaced people.

At first glance, the second point may seem more difficult, but it is not.

For ordinary people in ancient times, land was their lifeblood.

As long as the government expresses any intention to reallocate land to displaced people, every displaced person will cooperate fully with the government's registration process.

If the displaced people cooperate, and experienced officials from the Ministry of Revenue are dispatched to carry out the task, this matter will inevitably take time and effort, but it will eventually be accomplished.

The first point is truly difficult to grasp.

Just because wasteland is uncultivated does not mean it is ownerless.

The prolonged wars caused great damage to local order, and many local powerful figures disappeared from the world during the wars.

But local powerful figures are like leeks; once one batch is eliminated, another batch appears.

Currently, the most powerful local forces in the land are the military governors of the subordinate prefectures and their cronies.

What is a branch prefecture?

During the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, regional military governors or defense commissioners often controlled their own territories and concurrently governed several prefectures, which were known as "branch prefectures".

Once a place becomes an independent kingdom under a military governor, the land within that place becomes the private property of the military governor and his cronies.

What's even more hateful is that, due to the war, a large number of people fled to the south. After losing their cultivated land, the local powerful families preferred to leave the land barren rather than hand it over to the state.

This creates a very strange situation.

Even if the central government is willing to restore production, and even if abandoned land and displaced people coexist in a state, local production simply cannot be restored.

Since the hall was filled with trusted confidants, Zhao Kuangyin looked at Zhao Dexiu and asked:

"Does the Prince of Jin think it's time to 'abolish the administration of the subordinate prefectures'?"

To break the local tyrants' monopoly on land, we must first sever their right to monopolize the land.

Faced with Zhao Kuangyin's question, Zhao Dexiu, feeling the weight of the crown on his head, firmly replied:
"The Central Military Power is at its peak; the time has come!"

(End of this chapter)