Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

“In particular, clerks colluded with gentry to conceal the land holdings of large families, while labeling barren slopes as fertile fields, thus burdening many ordinary people.”

Even small landlords with hundreds of acres of land were subjected to the arbitrary allocation of land by local officials.

"The people are full of complaints, and the conversion of poll tax to land tax is difficult to implement. I personally visited various counties and punished several powerful families!"

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "Excellent!"

Shen Hui loved to boast and talk big; he was the kind of person who would never stop talking unless he made something shocking.

Moreover, he is outspoken and dislikes following rules, especially when he is poor.

Before he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, the entire Shen family had already declined and was bound to be looked down upon by others.

Shen Hui would retaliate tenfold whenever he felt insulted, offending people everywhere since his youth.

But he was truly remarkable at governing local areas; during the Southern Song Dynasty, he was sent to Guangxi to engage in the tea-horse trade.

He could buy three thousand Dali horses a year, and none of his successors after his death could surpass that number (in the entire Southern Song Dynasty).

Moreover, he was able to pacify the barbarians; during his tenure as an official in Guangxi, the chieftains of various ethnic groups never rebelled.

The only downside is that this guy is fierce but cowardly; he gets scared and makes all sorts of stupid moves when war breaks out.

Zhao Yuan asked, "Does Shen Kuo have any descendants still alive?"

Shen Hui replied, "Both my eldest and second sons have passed away."

He has several grandchildren, all of whom live in Runzhou.

“Mengxi Garden has been sold off, and there are not many fields left. The family lives a hard life, relying on farming and reading.”

“The Shen and Zhu families occasionally send people to help them.”

"Which Zhu family?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Shen Hui replied, "The Zhu family of Huzhou. After the Yuanyou Party Prohibitions, no one from the Zhu family held an official position."

Shen Kuo's second daughter-in-law was none other than Zhu Yu's second sister—the same Zhu Yu that Li Bangyan visited in Hangzhou.

Shen Kuo's second wife, Zhang, not only beat and humiliated her husband, framed her stepson and drove him out of the house, but also abused her own son's wife.

Fearing something might happen to their daughter, the Zhu family took Zhu Shi (Shen Kuo's daughter-in-law) back to her parents' home more than ten years ago.

The young couple were only reunited after the wicked mother-in-law, Zhang, died.

Zhao Yuan asked, "Are there any of Shen Kuo's grandchildren who are skilled in astronomy and geography?"

Shen Hui shook his head: "No. But his great-grandchildren are still young, and some of them are quite clever."

Zhao Yuan said, "Then we'll choose a bright great-grandson and send him to the official school in Runzhou, and then recommend him all the way to the Imperial Academy."

Chapter 3380 Geography Museum

This is already a very preferential treatment for Shen Kuo's descendants, with tuition waived and direct admission to the Imperial Academy.

As long as the student's exam results are decent, they will definitely be given a minor official position.

If they achieve excellent results, then they will receive special attention and training.

Shen Hui said, "If Your Majesty wishes to search for extraordinary talents, Li Gongzhiyi's only son is worthy of being given important responsibilities."

Li Zhiyi is the one who wrote "I live at the head of the Yangtze River, you live at the tail of the Yangtze River," and he was a close friend of both Shen Kuo and Su Shi.

"His son must be quite old, right?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Shen Hui said, "He is only twenty-five years old, born when Lord Li was seventy-one."

Zhao Yuan really wanted to say "Awesome!"

Shen Hui said, "This gentleman is named Li Yaoguang, and he is proficient in mathematics."

"His fate was not good; he suffered the scorn of the villagers."

Li Zhiyi's first wife was Hu Shuxiu, a poet, mathematician, and inventor.

Her mathematical expertise was so profound that even Shen Kuo had to consult her.

In his later years, Li Zhiyi was falsely accused by Cai Jing, who wanted to put him to death.

Hu Shuxiu learned that an official in the capital had collected Fan Chunren's manuscripts, which could clear her husband's name.

So the old woman went to the capital in person to plead for the manuscript to be borrowed.

After being rejected, she bribed her servants with a large sum of money to find out where the manuscript was stored.

Then, like a female knight-errant, she sneaked into the official's home, stole the manuscript, and ran to the Donghua Gate to appeal to the emperor.

It caused a sensation in the court and among the people at the time, and the Empress Dowager brought her into the palace.

Li Zhiyi and Hu Shuxiu's children died one after another, and Hu Shuxiu died of grief.

Li Zhiyi, old and lonely, often went to the stream to daydream.

The courtesan Yang Shu admired his talent and would go to the stream to play the zither and sing whenever she had free time, expressing her feelings through lyrics and music.

It was true love. Despite societal obstacles, Li Zhiyi married a courtesan as his second wife.

However, some busybodies came forward to report that the courtesan Yang Shu had cheated on her husband and had a child, and that the child had deceived the court to fraudulently claim imperial favors.

With Cai Jing's intervention, not only was her privileges revoked, but the mother and son were also ordered to leave the Li family, forcibly separating the family of three.

Li Zhiyi, who is over seventy years old, was forced to live apart from his wife.

He felt that even death would mean never seeing each other again, so he wrote the poem: I live at the head of the Yangtze River, you live at the tail of the Yangtze River. Day after day I think of you, yet I cannot see you, though we both drink from the Yangtze River…

Shen Hui said, "Li Yaoguang has read extensively from the books in his family's collection, and he is particularly skilled in mathematics."

"However, he could not withstand the gossip and slander. The villagers hated him for being an illegitimate child, and his classmates often ridiculed him."

"This person is introverted and usually taciturn. He doesn't even take the imperial examinations and spends all his time studying."

"I passed by his house a few years ago and tested Li Yaoguang's knowledge."

"If he takes the imperial examination, he will surely pass and become a Jinshi."

"It's a pity indeed."

This was the first time Zhao Yuan had heard the complete version of the story.

If it were adapted into a play, it would surely be widely circulated.

Especially Hu Shuxiu, who was able to get Shen Kuo to come and ask her for advice on mathematics, was extremely rare for a woman in ancient times.

Moreover, despite her advanced age, in order to clear her husband's name, she personally sneaked into the home of a Beijing official to steal his manuscripts and withstood pressure from Cai Jing to save him.

Zhao Yuan planned to summon Li Yaoguang to the capital and personally test him.

If someone is truly taciturn yet highly knowledgeable, they can be kept by your side as a secretary.

The current secretary is Fu Zhirou, who has been with him for many years and is due to be transferred to a local post.

Shen Hui added, "There is also an old gentleman who is well-versed in the geography of the South, especially the geography of Lingnan."

"He was also familiar with overseas vassal states and taught himself modern astronomy, geography, mathematics, and physics."

“A friend wrote to me, saying that this gentleman is a professor at Phoenix Academy in Hangzhou.”

This is of course referring to Zhu Yu.

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "Bring them all to the capital."

Shen Hui remained silent, bowing his head to listen to the emperor's instructions.

Zhao Yuan said, "I'm afraid some people will be dissatisfied with appointing you as Grand Historian."

"The History of the Song Dynasty and other books have been compiled for several years. You should not interfere, otherwise you will surely incur the jealousy of others."

"The same applies to calendars. Your next task is to quickly allocate manpower and properly set up the geography museum."

"Then officials were dispatched to conduct on-site surveys in various provinces."

"According to the order!"

Shen Hui quickly bowed and accepted the order, saying, "I also have some knowledge of geography. I will definitely set up a geography museum within two months and come up with a set of surveying and mapping procedures."

Zhao Yuan said, "If we are short-handed, we can recruit from the Imperial Academy."

“Tell the students that as long as they perform well in surveying, they can be directly selected as geography museum staff.”

"In addition, there is a salary subsidy for on-site surveying."

"The more difficult and remote the place, the higher the salary and subsidies, and the more generous the compensation for those who die unexpectedly."

Shen Hui cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's kindness is truly appreciated; we will certainly do our utmost!"

"Go ahead," Zhao Yuan waved his hand.

Shen Hui bowed and took his leave, while Zhao Yuan lowered his head to read the military report.

Last winter, Zhao Yuan issued a military order for the border troops to move forward after the spring.

Today, many strategic passes and strongholds in the Yanshan Mountains are under the control of the Jin Dynasty.

Zhao Yuan's idea was to let the Ming army directly confront the enemy and build a fortified camp right under the noses of the Jin soldiers.

For example, if the Jin army occupied Xifengkou, the Ming army would build a fortified village outside Xifengkou.

Chapter 3381 The Great Wall

Firstly, it would make it difficult for the Jin army to invade and plunder at will, and secondly, it would force the Jin army to start the war ahead of schedule.

Along a large area at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains, many refugees gradually left the mountains to cultivate the land.

Because they were afraid of scaring away the fleeing people, the government had never taken action, but now they were required to register their households according to the village registration system.

They also established a baojia system (a system of mutual responsibility among local officials), and once they discovered any signs of Jin troops invading, they organized the newly settled people to fortify their homes and clear the fields.

There are two strategic passes south of the Yanshan Mountains: Gubeikou and Xifengkou (also known as Xifengkou).

After the snow melted in early spring this year, Yue Fei led his troops to approach the former, Wang Yan led his troops to approach the latter, and Li Bao was stationed in Yanjing to command all the armies.

Emperor Wu of Han built a city at Gubeikou. Later, as the battle lines shifted northward, the Han Dynasty built the Great Wall in the mountains further north.

The Great Wall was first built at Gubeikou during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Great Wall was continuously expanded and constructed. Because the area north of the Great Wall was inhabited by the Xi people, Gubeikou was also known as "Xi Pass".

The Khitans frequently raided the Later Liang dynasty, often moving south through Gubeikou.

Today, the Jin dynasty controls the dilapidated Sui and Tang Great Wall.

The Great Wall had many gaps, which allowed small groups of troops to pass through easily, but were not conducive to large-scale marches.

The Jin army was mainly stationed at the ruins of the Tang Dynasty's Shouzhuo City, which has been renovated and reinforced in the past two years. It is situated on high ground, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Yue Fei led 5,000 soldiers and conscripted 10,000 laborers to build a fortified city 25 li south of Gubeikou.

As long as this area is blocked, the Jin army will be unable to advance south on a large scale.

However, small groups of troops could still bypass them. Jin soldiers could form groups of several hundred men and traverse various low mountains to plunder the Miyun area.

Small numbers add up and several thousand can make it through, but they can't carry too much food. If they don't manage to grab food within half a month, they'll starve to death.

The laborers were all refugees from the mountains. They left the mountains with trepidation and farmed freely for three years.

The Ming government never collected taxes, nor did it force them to register as commoners. On the contrary, small merchants brought cloth and salt.

With the court showing such sincerity, the few scholars among the fleeing households gradually came to believe that the Ming Dynasty was a reliable force.

Therefore, when the government came to register households this year, these scholars actively cooperated.

The imperial court continued to extend goodwill by exempting newly registered fugitives from taxes for three years, and only collecting half of their taxes in the fourth and fifth years.

However, they had to help build the fortress, and the imperial court provided them with meals and a small amount of grain as wages during their labor.

The refugees were filled with fear and trepidation, so Yue Fei directly distributed grain ahead of schedule, which finally made these laborers completely believe in him.

They had endured too much war and famine, and would flee at the slightest sign of trouble.

You must show enough sincerity to gain their trust; they might even help defend the city if the Jin army comes to attack!

……

Gubeikou was a garrison town during the Tang Dynasty.