stonecrandall Chapter 122 Purpose
Chapter 122 Purpose
Chapter 122 Purpose
However, the fact that Wang Shao came to participate in the imperial examination shows that he still wanted to become an official.
Could it be that he resigned because he didn't do well in the imperial examination and was disheartened?
Or perhaps they couldn't bear the darkness of officialdom?
Wang You didn't know, but he knew that Wang Shao was indeed a talented person.
Although the brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe are famous, they are more famous for their literary achievements. The Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song only emerged in the Ming Dynasty.
In terms of their contributions while they were alive, the two of them combined couldn't compare to Wang Shao.
After exchanging pleasantries with Hai Wenqing for a while, Wang Anshi said, "It just so happens that Ziqian is here as well. Did your teacher tell you about the Western Xia?"
""
Wang You looked at Hai Wenqing, and seeing him nod slightly, he said, "The teacher said so."
"Then you younger generation, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Ouyang Xiu said with a smile.
Su Shi and Wang You, among others, remained silent upon hearing this.
"Ziyou, you speak first," Ouyang Xiu said to Su Zhe when no one spoke.
Upon hearing this, Su Zhe stood up, bowed, and said, "I believe that the heir apparent is of great importance to the nation and should be decided as soon as possible."
The internal strife in Western Xia was indeed an opportunity for the Song Dynasty, but with internal troubles unresolved, how could it have the energy to deal with external threats?
"Um."
Ouyang Xiu nodded slightly, said nothing, and looked at Su Shi, saying, "Zizhan, what do you say?"
"The students agree with their elder brother's words, but now is indeed a good opportunity, and it would be a pity to miss it."
Although the Xia ruler has regained power, the internal situation is currently chaotic, and Western Xia is bound to worry that the Song and Liao dynasties will send troops to invade the border.
In my opinion, the Xia ruler will definitely send envoys to the Song and Liao dynasties, firstly to make peace, and secondly to test the attitudes of both countries.
"When the Western Xia envoys arrive, the court can use the threat of not sending troops to force Western Xia to abandon its annual tribute," Su Shi said.
"Zichun, what do you think?" Ouyang Xiu asked Wang Shao.
"Both Ziyou and Zizhan have valid points; to repel external aggression, one must first secure internal stability. However, I believe that while the Song Dynasty does have some internal problems, they are not serious enough to preclude a military campaign."
Wang Shao said, "The Liao Kingdom just quelled the rebellion of Yelü Chongyuan last year, and there are still some hidden dangers within it that have not been resolved, so it cannot interfere with the Song Dynasty's military campaign."
The Xia king was only fourteen years old, yet he was able to eliminate powerful ministers, showing the potential of a great ruler.
Even if we cannot destroy Western Xia by sending troops now, we should at least weaken its strength as much as possible.
Otherwise, once the Xia ruler eliminates the rebellious ministers and stabilizes the internal situation, he will inevitably invade the border.
"Why are you so sure?" Ouyang Xiu asked.
While Su Shi and his brother were speaking, Ouyang Xiu didn't say much, but now he asked Wang Shao if he also supported sending troops.
Wang You wasn't sure if his guess was right, but he continued listening.
"Students not only enjoy studying military strategy books, but also love reading history books."
Wang Shao said, "Throughout history, wars have always been fought for two reasons: profit and survival."
"What is profit? What is survival?" Ouyang Xiu asked again.
"Benefit."
Wang Shao said, "Many emperors throughout history launched wars to demonstrate their military prowess. And sometimes, nomadic tribes invaded the borders simply because the Han people were wealthy, and their troops were only there to plunder."
As for survival, it can be divided into two types. For example, when nomadic peoples encounter natural disasters and are invaded by the Central Plains, this is one type of survival.
Another approach is to address threats proactively, as exemplified by Emperor Wu of Han's campaigns against the Xiongnu and Emperor Wen of Sui's conquest of Goguryeo. These were all ways of preemptively resolving potential threats.
That's right, it was Emperor Wen of Sui who campaigned against Goguryeo, not Emperor Yang of Sui.
Everyone knows that Emperor Yang of Sui launched three campaigns against Goguryeo, but few know that Emperor Wen of Sui had also sent 300,000 troops to conquer Goguryeo.
Goguryeo once allied with the Mo people to attack the Liaoxi region of the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Wen of Sui sent Prince Yang Liang of Han and General Wang Shiji to lead an army of 30 men by land and sea to conquer Goguryeo.
Due to muddy roads caused by the rainy season, insufficient food supplies, and an epidemic, the Sui army suffered heavy losses and eventually withdrew.
If the only purpose was to deal with Goguryeo's incursions, there was no need to send so many troops.
Emperor Wen of Sui dispatched an army of 300,000 men specifically to destroy Goguryeo.
Because Goguryeo at that time had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, which seriously threatened the stability of the Sui Dynasty's borders.
Wang You felt that Wang Shao's summary was very accurate, noting that in history, wars launched by emperors could be either proactive or reactive.
But whether it's active or passive, it can be divided into these two types.
One type is to display martial prowess; if successful, it's seen as expanding territory; if unsuccessful, it's seen as being overly ambitious.
Another approach is to eliminate potential risks in advance.
As the saying goes, "How can one allow others to snore beside one's bed?" If there is a powerful neighbor next to you, even if you don't eliminate them, you must weaken their strength.
Otherwise, when you are in a weak position, the other party will bite you.
However, he had doubts about whether Emperor Wu of Han's campaign against the Xiongnu was to resolve the threat or to demonstrate his military prowess.
The Xiongnu did frequently raid the borders in the early Han Dynasty, but they were also very powerful at that time.
By the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the Xiongnu were no longer as powerful. On the contrary, the Han Dynasty, after the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, was very strong, which deterred the Xiongnu from invading its borders.
Of course, from a long-term perspective, fighting the Xiongnu is also a good option, given the long-standing animosity between the two sides.
When you're weak, you have to back down; if you're strong and don't fight back, then you've wasted your strength.
However, Wang You felt that Emperor Wu of Han's subjective intention was still to demonstrate his military prowess.
There was no way around it; the previous two emperors were just too good at governing the country.
If he follows the old ways after ascending the throne, it will be difficult for him to shine.
There will be no remarkable records of it in future history books.
They could hardly achieve anything in civil administration, so they could only focus on military prowess.
Many people in later generations believed that Yang Guang and Li Shimin were very similar.
Apart from building the Grand Canal, it seems that Li Shimin did almost everything else that Yang Guang did.
Yang Guang successfully seized the throne and became the crown prince. Li Shimin, on the other hand, eliminated his own brothers and forced Li Yuan to bestow titles upon him.
Although their methods differed slightly, they both seized power as the second sons of the legitimate wife, and through less than honorable means.
Furthermore, both of them fought against Goguryeo, and neither of them won.
As for the claim that Yang Guang was lustful, in reality, Yang Guang had fewer concubines than Li Shimin.
Yang Guang was simply a weaker version of Li Shimin; he lacked the ability and messed things up.
But in Wang You's view, Yang Guang was not like a weaker version of Li Shimin, but rather a weaker version of Emperor Wu of Han.
Both of them had a father who was skilled at governing the world, and the father governed the world so well that they didn't have much room to maneuver.
The only option is to focus on martial arts.
Emperor Wu of Han succeeded, and the dazzling glory overshadowed all the messes he had made.
Yang Guang failed to achieve his goal, thus becoming a foolish and incompetent ruler who brought about the downfall of his country.
This is not an attempt to whitewash the situation; Emperor Wu of Han did indeed demonstrate exceptional political acumen.
But few people know that Yang Guang actually did the same things that Emperor Wu of Han did.
Emperor Wu of Han weakened the power of the prime minister by frequently changing prime ministers. Yang Guang, on the other hand, strengthened centralized power by establishing the Palace Secretariat, creating a system of checks and balances among the five departments.
Many people believe that Yang Guang was a tyrant, but they do not know that Yang Guang promulgated the "Daye Law", which expanded the format from 12 chapters to 18 chapters, reduced the punishment for joint liability, and deleted two crimes from the "Ten Abominations", reflecting the concept of leniency in punishment.
Emperor Wu of Han established the recommendation system, breaking the monopoly of aristocratic families on official positions and appointing many people from humble backgrounds to government posts.
Yang Guang, on the other hand, implemented the imperial examination system, breaking the monopoly of powerful clans.
Unfortunately, Yang Guang's three campaigns against Goguryeo all ended in failure, causing widespread public resentment.
However, these were merely contributing factors; the real reason for the Sui Dynasty's demise was its unstable foundation.
The Sui Dynasty was established through a coup, and it failed to resolve the conflict between the Xianbei nobles and Han gentry left over from the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Although Yang Jian unified the country, the Guanlong Group (Xianbei nobles) remained dissatisfied. Yang Guang suppressed the Guanlong nobles and promoted the gentry from the south, which intensified the internal strife.
Ultimately, the Xianbei nobleman Yuwen Huaji launched a coup, killing Yang Guang and directly leading to the downfall of the Sui Dynasty.
It can only be said that the two people are facing different situations, and if their roles were reversed, things might not be any better.
Therefore, Wang You felt that Emperor Wu of Han was somewhat mythologized and could not be considered one of the greatest emperors of all time.
If we were to rank the emperors of all dynasties in order of precedence, Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Taizong of Tang would be first and second, respectively.
It's difficult to compare their achievements, but Qin Shi Huang was the founder, which is something no one can match.
Emperor Wu of Han was capable, but if you really want to rank him, he wouldn't even make the top five.
But the bonus from destroying the Xiongnu was too great.
After listening, Ouyang Xiu didn't say anything more, but looked at Hai Wenqing and smiled, "What do you think?"
"Although the three people have different opinions, they each have their own reasons," Hai Wenqing said.
"yes."
Ouyang Xiu sighed and said solemnly, "I plan to submit another memorial tomorrow."
"Since Shutong is going to submit a memorial, then I will submit one as well," Hai Wenqing said.
"And so it ends," Ouyang Xiu said with a smile.
After chatting for a while, Ouyang Xiu took his leave.
Wang You and Hai Wenqing saw them off together.
Su Shi looked at Wang You and whispered, "Ziqian, how about I treat you tonight? Let's have a few drinks and catch up?"
"Since Brother Zizhan has invited me, I will certainly accept the invitation!" Wang You said with a smile.
After seeing Ouyang Xiu and his entourage off, Hai Wenqing led Wang You back to the study.
"What do you think about what just happened?" Hai Wenqing asked.
"The student believes that Vice Envoy Ouyang is trying to use his teacher's words to advise the Emperor," Wang You said.
At first, he thought that Ouyang Xiu brought Su Shi and the others here so that Hai Wenqing would mentor them.
Later I realized that it wasn't like that at all.
Ouyang Xiu held a higher official position than Hai Wenqing, and he had known and greatly admired Su Shi and Su Zhe for a long time.
Wang Shao was appreciated by Ouyang Xiu, who even intended to bring him into the Privy Council, so there was no need for Hai Wenqing to promote him.
Moreover, Ouyang Xiu never revealed any such intention from beginning to end. He simply asked the three of them to express their views on the situation in Western Xia, chatted for a while, and then took his leave.
This visit seemed more like a deliberate attempt to have the three of them relay those words to Hai Wenqing.
Wang You eventually came to the conclusion that Ouyang Xiu intended to use Hai Wenqing to convey these words to the Emperor.
More accurately, there are three options.
To summarize the three men's words, Su Zhe advocated for determining the crown prince as soon as possible to resolve the turmoil in the court caused by the selection of an heir.
Su Shi, on the other hand, advocated using non-military intervention as leverage to negotiate the cancellation of annual tribute payments to Western Xia.
Wang Shao advocated sending troops to attack Western Xia, taking advantage of the internal strife and instability in Western Xia to weaken its national strength as much as possible.
The three men's proposals can also be seen as the objectives of those in the court who advocated sending troops.
Ouyang Xiu wanted to use Hai Wenqing's words to convey to the Emperor that he should choose one of the three options.
Although it may seem somewhat threatening, it's nothing unusual for a civil official in the Song Dynasty to dare to point his finger at the emperor and curse him in court.
Of course, strictly speaking, this is not a threat, but more like telling the officials their bottom line.
As for why they sought out Hai Wenqing, it's not hard to guess.
Although the Hanlin Academy was the emperor's think tank, it did not mean that the emperor necessarily trusted the scholars in the Hanlin Academy.
Think tanks are think tanks, but whether the government uses them or not is another matter.
Hai Wenqing served in the Hanlin Academy for many years and was deeply trusted by the emperor. Even now that he is working in the Ministry of Rites, the emperor still frequently summons him to present his memorials.
Hai Wenqing nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's right."
"If the teacher is unwilling, why not just refuse?" Wang You asked, somewhat puzzled, noticing Hai Wenqing's reluctance.
Hai Wenqing smiled wryly and said, "It's not as easy as you think. You'll understand when you actually become an official in the future."
2
He knew Ouyang Xiu's purpose, but he had no choice but to get involved.
All officials, whether selfless or self-serving, need to band together.
This has nothing to do with forming cliques or privacy; it's necessary to do this in order to achieve one's ambitions.
Otherwise, with limited resources and power, even the best ideas will be difficult to sustain without the support of court officials.
Just like when Fan Zhongyan was accused of forming cliques, there's really no way to refute that.
Strictly speaking, Lord Fan did indeed engage in factionalism.
But if we don't do this, how can the new policies be successfully implemented with only a few people like Master Fan?
Even with the strong support of the emperor in the imperial court, they were powerless if the new policies were not implemented or were not fully implemented at the local level.
If he doesn't support Ouyang Xiu today, Ouyang Xiu won't support his views in the future either.
Small cliques within the imperial court are impossible to eliminate and will inevitably exist.
These words were too cruel for him to tell Wang You; only after Wang You became an official would he understand.
Wang You was curious, but seeing that Hai Wenqing was unwilling to say more, he didn't ask any further. Instead, he said, "Teacher, after the New Year, I will be seventeen years old and would like to formally serve in the Hanlin Academy."
Hai Wenqing pondered for a moment and said, "You have served in the Hanlin Academy for many years. Although you have never officially taken up a post, you have been on temporary assignment for quite some time."
If I were to officially take up the post, I would most likely be directly assigned to a post outside the capital.
"But the student has never officially served as a staff member," Wang You said.
If he were to be transferred to a local post, given his rank, he would likely be appointed as a county magistrate.
Many people have a misconception that a county magistrate is a low-ranking official.
Actually, that's not the case; the rank of a county magistrate also depends on the region.
In some large counties, the magistrate is a seventh-rank official, while in lesser counties, the magistrate is a seventh-rank official or a lower-ranking official.
The ninth rank refers to subordinate officials in the county government, such as county magistrates and registrars.
Of course, taking a local post is inevitable; otherwise, his future prospects will be limited.
However, Wang You is not yet married. He is serving as a county magistrate in a local area, and he will have to take a long leave of absence to get married in the future.
"Although you haven't officially taken up a position, you've visited quite a few times over the years."
You already understand the powers and regulations of the various government offices in the court. The positions of Hanlin Compiler and others are more about training and learning.
Since you already understand, there is naturally no need to learn it.
However, since you are not yet married, it would be best to get married before taking up a formal post. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome if you were sent to a local area.
Have your parents chosen a marriage partner for you?
Wang You replied, "It seems that my parents have already made arrangements. I'll go back and ask them."