Li Deyu was a productive prime minister in the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, his seizure of power also earned him a lot of infamy from later generations.
But Zhang Yue remembered hearing more than once that Cai did resemble Li Deyu.
Huang Haoyi once told him that his elder brother Huang Haoqian and Cai Que grew up in the same hometown and were of the same age. When Cai Que was studying, he was so poor that he often went to Huang Haoqian's place for food. One day when the two of them went to have dinner, they happened to meet a man who saw Cai Que and said to him, "You look like Li Deyu, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty."
The man then said to Huang Haoqian who was standing aside: "He will help you when he gets rich in the future."
Another time when Cai Que was traveling with his classmates in Taixue, he happened to meet a Taoist priest. When the Taoist priest saw Cai Que, he stopped him and said, "You also look like Li Deyu." Cai Que heard this more than once and asked with a smile, "Will I also become prime minister?"
The Taoist said yes.
Cai Que asked again, would he be demoted to Lingnan and die of old age like Li Deyu?
The Taoist priest said so.
Cai Que fell silent.
Anyway, Cai's name is indeed similar to that of Li Deyu, and it is widely spread among the Imperial Academy. Zhang Yue also felt that the other party's ability and courage in acting were somewhat similar to the demeanor of a famous official like Li Deyu.
Speaking of the topic again, the emperor's promotion of Li Deyu was not without purpose.
In the Song Dynasty, the Du branch was put under the control of the three envoys to divide the power of the prime minister. However, the dispute between the prime minister and the three ministers has been going on for a long time.
Nowadays, the fiscal deficit of the Song Dynasty is a huge problem. Fan Zhen and Sima Guang both advocated placing the expenditure under the management of the prime minister to solve the current financial problem.
Therefore, officials asked this question.
Zhang Yue deeply felt that if the above is the problem faced by the country, the following is the real solution, from virtual to real.
The official's face looked a little pale, so he paused. After reading for a long time, he felt a little weak. He immediately ordered General Hu Su who was standing aside to ask Ce to finish reading.
Hu Su continued to ask the edict: "Preparations for storing up floods and droughts? How to guard the border? Wanfa has the name of Jiufu; Yueyu has the meaning of Wujun."
The Jiu Fu Yuan method was created by Taigong Wang. This is the Qian method.
Each of the following items is a matter of practical affairs. Of course, it can be answered from a pragmatic or pragmatic perspective.
Finally, Hu Su said: "Rich people strengthen the country, respect the king and the dynasty. Eliminate disasters to bring good fortune, and change the situation to be generous. These are urgent affairs in the past life, and they are the top priority today. The three officials, Zi and Dafu, are careful to tell the story, and do not mourn the harm in the future. "
The strategic questions for the Imperial Examination have been read out.
Zhang Yue, Su Shi, and Su Che all saluted and said, "I understand."
Zhao Zhen saw Hu Su nodded and smiled gently: "You guys answered it carefully."
After saying this, Zhao Zhen left the palace to rest.
The royal examination is different from other examinations. After the on-site examination, the examiner will examine the papers in the hall and finally judge the winner. That is to say, the results will be released as soon as the test is completed.
As for Han Qi, Zeng Gongliang, Ouyang Xiu and other officials from the two governments, they also resigned without saying anything after meeting with the officials.
Zhang Yue Ersu sat down in Chongzheng Hall.
This imperial examination requires candidates to write an essay of more than 3,000 words based on the answers to the questions asked by the officials. But this strategy is not easy to write.
Zhang Yue raised his head after sitting down and saw Hu Su, Sima Guang and other examiners standing on the left and right.
The examiner for the Jinshi examination is Sima Guang, and the examiner for the palace examination is Wang Anshi.
Previously, Wang Anshi was in the cabinet examination, and Sima Guang was in the imperial examination. Anyway, these two good friends are inseparable from each other.
Zhang Yue concentrated on the question. He first copied the policy questions on the answer sheet, and then started the answer sheet with the words "I am willing to confront the Japanese".
Zhang Yue was thinking about the topic while copying it, and so was Su Shi beside him. As for Su Che, he folded his arms and did not copy a single word. He was sitting in front of the case with his eyes closed as he composed an article.
But when he saw that Su Shi had finished copying the topic, he thought for a moment and then started writing. Zhang Yue felt a chill in his heart when he saw this. Su Shi was really quick in writing, and he didn't have any clue about it.
Su Shi had already written down his own policy with that peculiar pen-holding posture.
"I would like to say to you, I heard that when there is nothing in the world, the words of a high official are lighter than a feather; when there is something in the world, the words of an ordinary man are heavier than Mount Tai. It is not the wisdom that cannot do something but the understanding that does not notice. The situation of urgency is different."
"Fang Qi has nothing to do. Although Qi Huanzhi deeply trusts his ministers and Guan Zhongzhi deeply admires his lord, he shakes hands with Ding Ning and expresses deep sorrow about his death, but cannot go to his trivial three posts. Even if he has something to do and is in a hurry, "Although the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was mediocre, Cheng Yuanzhen was useful, and Liu and his wife were humble and sparse, yet they could be described in one word, and they would not be able to end the dynasty and get rid of their deep and heart disease."
"If you say something in a world without incident, it is enough to change something, but you will often suffer from disbelief. If you say something in a world with things, it is easy to believe it, but you will often be troubled by not being able to change it."
Su Shi's articles are like mercury pouring to the ground, and they also have an atmosphere that can be carried by the ocean. If others see it, they will definitely be in awe.
However, Zhang Yue still put his pen aside and thought about the title.
First of all, we must grasp a principle. Zhao Zhen criticized himself as useless when he was in Cewen, but as a minister, he must not criticize the emperor like this.
The leaders held a meeting to review and said that I had done something wrong in some places and asked for your advice in the future. The person on the side stood up and said, yes, there are one, two, or three things wrong with you, the leader, and I hope you will correct them more in the future.
I'm afraid such employees are...
Even if a virtuous and honest person speaks out and gives advice, one still has to grasp the right measures.
Half an hour had passed since Zhang Yue thought of this, but he saw that Su Zhe had already started writing.
Su Zhe first copied the topic, and then wrote down what I would like to say to you, I am not a sycophant. Your Majesty has listened to it, and advised your ministers in the court, so that you can use your stupidity to serve the great truth...
...His Majesty's ministers said: "I have inherited the great authority of my ancestors, and the late emperor was so powerful that I was ignorant and unreasonable." He also said: "Aspirations and diligence are far away, but governance is not advanced, and I work hard and sleep hard at night. This is the third era." These are His Majesty's worried words. "
"However, I say that Your Majesty has no fear. In the past, between Baoyuan and Qingli, the Western Qiang were in trouble. Your Majesty could not sit down day or night. At that time, everyone in the world said that Your Majesty was as worried and cautious as King Wen of Zhou Dynasty. . However, it has been twenty years since your Majesty abandoned your worries and did not think about it again after dismantling your troops from the west..."
Different from his brother Su Shi's plan, Su Che's plan made people take a breath of cold air.
However, such sharp remarks shocked people all over, and caused cold sweat to break out on their backs.
Now, after Su Shi and Su Che started writing, Zhang Yue still hasn't started writing. He really fell in last place in this imperial examination.
Zhang Yue was different from Su Shi and Su Che in that he could easily answer the 500-word pavilion examination, but for the 3,000-word imperial examination, he had to first think about the questions he planned to ask.
In his opinion, the best strategy for making science and technology in the past and present is the Three Strategies of Heaven and Man presented by Dong Zhongshu to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
He read this policy question several times.
At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also asked Dong Zhongshu for advice as sincerely as Renzong of the Song Dynasty does today. He said to Dong Zhongshu, "I want to hear the essence of the Tao to the extreme."
Zhang Yue thought, is it the emperor's problem that the Song Dynasty has fallen to this point?
No, to say the least, emperors, generals and ministers are not the decisive factor in history. Is it more about the system? Seems to be a step closer.
However, the system goes deeper and is determined by the country’s science, technology, and culture.
Whether the king is virtuous or not, the official family takes in more concubines and builds more palaces, which are Confucian ideas.
If the money is not enough, let the emperor save more. If the army cannot fight, let the emperor choose his generals carefully. If the officialdom is corrupt, choose a wise man as prime minister.
Such a policy statement is a first-class argument and should not be dismissed hastily.
It is easier to talk on paper than to criticize the system one-sidedly without exploring the reasons behind the system.
Therefore, we still discuss it from the perspective of the virtues of the highest person. This is the method that is least likely to go wrong.
That’s why Dong Zhongshu’s Three Strategies of Heaven and Man were praised.
Because his policy was not a contingency plan, but a summary of historical lessons to solve the current problems faced by the Han Dynasty.
But now that the official policy has brought Zhang Yue to the same position as Dong Zhongshu, what should he say?
Zhang Yue had already thought about the topic clearly and was the last one to write.
Chen Jin replied.
Your Majesty asks your ministers about the policy in court and asks for direct advice and suggestions. This is beyond the stupidity of the minister. I have spent ten years in Hanchuang. I have recorded history and recorded the history of ancient and modern times. I have studied the metabolism of human affairs, discussed the system that has been established since the three generations, and observed the fate of destiny. The people's hearts have long been attached to it.
What is the way of observing the sky and the way of holding on to the sky?
…
Zhang Yue discusses it in detail in the article.
What is the way of heaven?
Heaven and earth are unkind, and heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs.
To put it bluntly, everything will perish, from order to disorder. This is the law of entropy increase.
But human nature goes against entropy. To put it bluntly, it means living, from disorder to order. Disorder is nature, I don’t want to work, I want to lie down, but order is to survive. The stronger the person, country, and civilization, the more orderly they will be.
Therefore, if the country wants to revive, it is the way from disorder to order.
How to be organized? The first thing is that the banker must be strong.
Here Zhang Yue can first answer the official's question: "Emperor Xiaowen of the Han Dynasty respected Laozi and the world was prosperous." Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty used Confucianism and wasted his time at home. Is it not that there are disadvantages in governing the country, but that it is different in governing the world? '.
Why did Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty use Huang Lao to make the world stable? Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty used Confucianism and wasted it at home?
Without Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there might have been Huizong of the Han Dynasty.
Do the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty, Xixia and the Liao Kingdom of the Song Dynasty mean the same thing?
The Han Dynasty did not need so many soldiers and horses to defend the Xiongnu, and the peace was maintained here. If the Song Dynasty were to defend Xixia, the Liao Kingdom would be destroyed if the heavy troops on the border were withdrawn and the annual tribute was stopped.
So why didn’t the Song Dynasty learn from Emperor Wen of Han?
It is because the governance of the world is different, so the governance is different.
Zhang Yue wrote that Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty used Huang Lao to govern the country with generosity, so that the people's strength could be cultivated and the treasury could be enriched. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not purely use Confucianism, but adopted the way of kings and hegemons and governed the country strictly. Although the country was wasted at home, it controlled the country. Get the Huns and South Vietnam. The credit lies in Emperor Wen's lenient policy of resting with the people.
The Song Dynasty had the defeat of Gaolianghe, and the Han Dynasty also had the siege of Baideng, but why did one become stronger and the other decline?
Could the Song Dynasty learn from the Han Dynasty, first be lenient and rest with the people, and then use strict measures to violently invade the country, and finally defeat the Xixia and Liao Kingdoms?
no.
Zhang Yue's idea of this policy is still based on "strengthening the village".
Just like playing stocks, the banker only does two things, attracting funds and raising the stock price.
Acquire funds, increase the chips in hand, and become a strong banker, and only then can the stock price rise.
Whether this conclusion is correct or not is irrelevant.
But this is the title. If the entire article is centered around this title, there will be nothing wrong.
