The end of the Great Court Meeting on Yuan Day in the fourth year of Daye does not mean that officials can rest. At least the officials of the Ministry of Rites, Honglu Temple, Weiwei Temple, and Henan Prefecture do not have holidays; Soldiers have heavier tasks on their shoulders and are busier than usual. Even the left servant Yang Da and the right servant Gao Jiong of Shangshu Province lived in the official offices of Shangshu Province day and night, always preparing for possible accidents.
As the Prime Minister of the Council, the Secretary of the Order, the Minister of Military Inspection, and the General of the Left and Right Guards in the central government, Yang Ji can be said to have military and political power in one body; however, after the year, he became the most leisurely and unrestrained person in the court. This is not because Yang Guang neglected him, let alone not giving him real power, but because Yang Jileng regarded many important positions as idle officials. Even if he occasionally showed up in the palace or Shangshu Province, it was exciting and moved the listener. , but he remained motionless in the end.
This kind of leisurely life made even Yang Guang jealous and jealous; under the influence of Yang Ji, he sometimes felt that the emperor was the most miserable and tiring position in the world, and he even wanted to abdicate.
The throne would definitely not be relinquished, and he could not control the talented but too lazy Yang Ji, so Yang Guang squeezed his fat son and left all the miscellaneous affairs to the fat son. Yang Zhao had been struggling for years and years, but he had lost some of the meat that he couldn't lose no matter how much he lost weight.
When he saw that this method of losing weight was far more effective than fasting and taking medicine, Yang Guang was surprised and happy, and then increased the workload and asked Yang Zhao to handle more and more complex matters.
Although Yang Guang was always called a slacker, Yang Ji felt that he was very busy, which was actually the case. He mainly spends his time visiting relatives. In the past, celebrating the New Year in Zhangye was not so troublesome, but in the capital, it was different.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the royal family holds a big gathering in the palace. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the family went to my uncle Dugukai’s house to pay New Year greetings, and spent the whole day together with my grandma, uncle, and second uncle’s family. Accompany Xiao Ying to the Xiao family on the fourth day of the lunar month, accompany Liu Rumei to the Liu family on the fifth day of the lunar month, and accompany Pei Shuying to the Pei family on the sixth day of the lunar month.
On the seventh day of the lunar month, it was Yang Ji's turn to entertain relatives and friends. Whether the guests came or not was their own business, but the place had to be set. Yang Guang's family and the various princes' and princesses' mansions are members of his own family, so there is no need to write a post, just a notification is enough. So they all came together as hosts to help entertain the guests.
As for the guests, I don’t know whether it was because Yang Jiguan was a big official or because he was popular. All the relatives and friends, important officials and subordinates in the court who received the post basically brought their families with them; there were also kings and envoys from foreign countries who heard about the banquet at Prince Wei’s Mansion. Guests can also come to visit us one after another to pay New Year greetings.
At the time of Shenshi, the guests left one after another, leaving behind tables, bowls and chopsticks, and the smell of wine and meat.
Yang Ji didn't drink much, and there was no need for him to prepare for today's banquet, but he felt that hosting a guest would be more tiring than fighting a bloody battle. He didn't know why he was so tired, but he was. When the last group of guests said their goodbyes and left, they slumped down on the chairs and didn't even want to move.
His wives, servants, and maids were full of energy. Although they were tired, everyone was happy. They felt that there were so many guests coming to pay New Year greetings, and even the emperor, queen, prince and princess came to help with the banquet. Being a guest is actually a glory that no one can reach.
After the guests have left, Yang Guang, Yang Xiu, Yang Zhao, Yang Jian, Yang Zhiji, Yang Lun, Yang Jing, Yang Xiong, Yang Da, Yang Qing, Yang Tan, Yang Meng, Princess Leping, Princess Lanling, Princess Xiangguo, and Princess Guangping , Princess Nanyang and the others did not leave. They stayed in the palace together to chat.
The number of members of the royal family is not large, but everyone goes their separate ways, and it is difficult to get together like this. In addition, they will soon be sent to various places to serve, so everyone cherishes the relatively short time to get together during the New Year.
When women get together, they talk about family affairs, and there seems to be endless things to talk about, but it is easy to get off topic, and they probably don’t even know what it is afterward.
The children are undoubtedly the happiest. They have so many partners at once, happily having snowball fights in the snow, and bursts of happy laughter can be heard from time to time.
Adult men drank tea in a semi-enclosed pavilion in the front hall.
After Yang Zhiji introduced the changes in Yangzhou in recent years, he said with emotion: "I thought Yangzhou had a good foundation and was far richer and more prosperous than other states, but unexpectedly, the taxes paid last year were not as high as Liangzhou."
The Sui Dynasty had a very enlightened system in terms of grain taxation. The court did not force the people to pay how much grain they had to pay, but levied it according to the harvest and in a certain proportion. Therefore, the quality of the people's harvest was directly related to the amount of grain paid. States such as the North China Plain, Huanghuai Plain, Chengdu Plain, Dongting Lake Plain, Poyang Lake Plain, middle and lower Yellow River Plains, and middle and lower Yangtze River Plains are not only important grain-producing areas with fertile land and convenient irrigation, but also densely populated areas. There are many people farming, so naturally there will be more money and grain turned in.
Liangzhou is remote, there is not much land suitable for farming, and the climate is not very good. Compared with places with a large population, it is naturally much inferior. Moreover, the imperial court has supported Liangzhou for many years, and it was not until the year before last that the profit and loss were even. It was also because of this that Liangzhou was People have ignored Liangzhou. It was not until last year that taxes were paid to the imperial court. However, this payment turned out to be the best in the world; followed by Yangzhou with nearly 30 counties, third was Jingzhou, fourth was Yuzhou, followed by Jizhou, Yongzhou, Yizhou, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Yanzhou, Jiaozhou, Youzhou, Xuzhou and Qingzhou.
"The agricultural tax in Liangzhou is not high, and what you pay is not grain. It is mainly the money to pay the self-business tax, and it also includes rent, taxes, and transfers. However, Liangzhou implements the tax system of one person per mu, so one time It's all done properly, and it's not as troublesome as other places. If other states also count various incomes, Liangzhou will definitely not be ranked so high." Yang Ji said something fair.
"But it's quite amazing!" Yang Zhiji said.
"It's indeed something remarkable." Yang Guang smiled slightly and said with some nostalgia: "I have a deep memory of the culture of Jiangnan, and I don't know if it has developed over the years. I really want to see it."
Yang Ji said without hesitation: "I dreamed of Jiangnan, and the expedition to Liao was also accidental. But the color is still there, and we can only leave this year..."
Yang Guang was stunned for a moment, then said to Yang Ji with a smile: "You have never been to Jiangnan, but you yearn for it so much. You can go there anytime, why are you so sad?"
"Just talking!" Yang Ji glanced at Yang Guang's head and added in his heart, "It's a good head, who should kill it?"
After talking about family affairs for a while, Yang Guang expressed his recent thoughts: "Literature and martial arts are indispensable. To promote talents in the imperial court, there are martial arts examinations and imperial examinations. However, in terms of cultivating talents, literature and education have schools at all levels, but martial arts does not. I plan to set up a school specifically to train military attachés and generals, what do you think?"
Yang Guang understood that the army was the most special existence. If the army could not be controlled, the world of the Sui Dynasty would still be unstable. Most of the generals at all levels in various places came from aristocratic families and peripheral forces. As long as their heads gave orders, those generals would most likely disobey the emperor's orders. Although he wanted to replace these people, he did not have so many loyal and capable generals on hand.
Although when the soldiers from various places were on duty at the central government, in order to test the combat effectiveness of the soldiers and the ability of the generals to command the troops, the imperial court would often drag them into unfamiliar environments to conduct military exercises. The opposing sides were composed of one or several military palaces. The specific matters of the exercise are taken care of by the Sixteenth Guards, with the Ministry of War assisting. In addition, the emperor would inspect battalions one by one, instilling loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, explaining tactics and methods, etc. Therefore, the permanent troops and the garrison stations stationed in Beijing from various places were like a junior version of a military academy, but the people were still the same. It's useless no matter how much you say.
Therefore, he believed that the best way to make the army loyal to him and to the country was to establish formal military academies like running schools, train generals himself, and then continuously supply talents to the army and gradually get rid of dependence on aristocratic families. , in this way, the existing general officer system can be changed from bottom to top.
In fact, Liangzhou University also has a formal martial arts academy. Yang Ji naturally understood the benefits. When he heard what Yang Guang said, he said: "This matter has great potential. The professors are old and disabled retired generals. The generals are Although they are old and disabled, the tactics and survival skills they learned from the battlefield will not age or be injured. Once the students get the lifelong gains of the generals and use them in the army in the future, then I will The overall level of the Sui army will definitely be transformed."
The rest of the people were very excited after hearing this. If even the fire chief, corps commander, and brigade commander in the army were people who were proficient in military tactics and tactics and could read and write, what kind of army would it be?
The gray-haired Yang Xiong had a different view. He pondered for a long time and said: "This is indeed feasible, but everything has advantages and disadvantages."
"Brother, tell me what you think." Yang Guang looked at Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong said: "Behind every military coup in the past dynasties, there are figures from aristocratic families, and the penetration of military families into the army has almost become instinctive. Even if the officers who come out of the officer academy are not descendants of aristocratic families, they can be those with outstanding achievements. , will inevitably be noticed and won over by the family members, and in the end, it will allow the family members to receive more foreign aid and gain greater momentum."
However, Yang Ji did not agree with Yang Xiong's idea of "giving up eating because of choking". He said: "If a military academy is established to train officers, and the emperor himself serves as the priest, then all the students in the academy will be the disciples of the emperor, and they will have the emperor as their backing." , his loyalty to the imperial court must exceed that of others."
He gave a solution, and then said: "In order to be promoted faster and get a better position, some officers from poor families cannot withstand the temptation of power, fame, and money from aristocratic families, so they will invest in aristocratic families. In the embrace of the people. But as long as there are more people, there will always be some people who will keep their original aspirations."
"Even if one out of ten people is unswervingly determined, that would be far better than now. And since the nine people who surrendered to the 'enemy' did it for power, fame, and money, their loyalty to the various clans is obviously not as good as that of the clan clans. The children are stable and high-ranking. As long as the emperor and the court remain prosperous, they can still be brought back with justice and power and let them serve the country.
Yang Guang was deeply convinced by Yang Ji's words. In fact, no matter whether they were from a military family or a noble family, their family studies were like schools for cultivating talents. Faced with these talents, the emperors of the past dynasties actually did not want to use them, lest the military and political power would eventually be taken away by the major aristocratic families. However, in view of their serious shortage of talent reserves, and their ability to reserve talents was not as good as that of the children of aristocratic families who received higher education, the emperors of the past dynasties had no choice but to use them. No, in the end we can only drink poison to quench our thirst, work as a scheming agent, and watch helplessly as the various powerful men use these talents to control military affairs and create great troubles.
However, as long as all civil and military academies are established and provide the court with a large number of talents from poor backgrounds, the emperor's dependence on aristocratic families will be reduced, and a large number of poor people entering the officialdom and the army will dilute the aristocratic families.
Of course, this is a long-term process that will take decades. During this period, not only must huge resources be invested, but also struggles must be fought against family members and major factions. But for the long-term peace and stability of the Great Sui Dynasty, someone must take the initiative and do it. Otherwise, from generation to generation, the power of the Great Sui Dynasty will be concentrated in the hands of certain forces. Whether the Great Sui Dynasty exists or not is determined by the words of the other party.
Furthermore, the Sui Dynasty had already turned against the aristocratic families and major forces as early as the late emperor's period, and this is no less true. What's more important is that the imperial power is now very concentrated and has demonstrated unparalleled power, while the power of the aristocratic families is far weaker than before. Faced with such a great opportunity, if it is missed in vain, it will be more constrained in the future. ,Harder.
Thinking of this, Yang Guang made the final decision: "No improvement can be achieved overnight, and bumps and bumps are inevitable, but someone must do it, and they cannot stop doing it just because of the current difficulties. Otherwise, the world will just fall into the past. in the cycle!”
What was the previous cycle? That is, the Song Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Qi Dynasty replaced the Song Dynasty, the Liang Dynasty replaced the Qi Dynasty, the Chen Dynasty replaced the Chen Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty replaced the Western Wei Dynasty, and the Sui Dynasty replaced the Northern Zhou Dynasty. These cycles and mutual replacements are basically related to military coups.
"The establishment of the Great Sui Military Academy has been decided. We will discuss this matter one by one after the festival." After Yang Guang finished speaking, he asked: "I will personally serve as a wine worshipper. Occasionally, I will take the time to go to the academy to meet with the students and encourage them. People's hearts, but after all, I am the king of a country. I am very busy every day and have no feet on the ground, so I have to leave daily affairs to other people. And this person in charge must be one of our own people and must not be reduced to If it falls into the hands of others, otherwise, it will really be used as a wedding dress for others."
After a pause, he asked everyone: "Who do you think is more suitable to be the deputy wine minister?"
In the matter of the appointment of the Imperial Academy's sacrificial wine, Su Wei did not hesitate to use dishonorable means to make his son a master of literati in the world, and finally angered Yang Guang, which ended miserably; therefore, this deputy priest was related to military power. Although the wine is extremely rich, it is more difficult to swallow than the imperial wine. Most people cannot eat it, let alone fight for it. When Yang Guang finished speaking, his eyes all looked at Yang Ji.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm very busy. At least when it comes to the withdrawal of the military government, I can't get away." Yang Ji found a reason for himself and recommended to Yang Guang: "I think Brother Ande Wang He is the best candidate. Although he is the prime minister and Jingzhao Yin, Jingzhao has nothing major to do now, so he can take care of it first."
Yang Guang also believed that Yang Xiong was the best candidate. After hearing this, he nodded and said to Yang Xiong: "Very good. Brother Wang will make a complete plan as soon as possible and we will discuss it in court after the festival."
"Here!" Yang Xiong responded, cupping his fists.
