Chapter 1089: Return

Wang Yan's reforms were all-encompassing; whether officials, commoners, or the powerful families stuck in the middle wielding local authority, all had to change, all had to transform.

To suppress unrest and prevent mindless people from risking their lives, the only method was harsh penalties and strict laws, killing one to warn a hundred.

By the same logic, killing a hundred warns ten thousand, killing ten thousand warns a million. As long as those bold enough to jump out were killed ruthlessly, as long as batches of people were ruthlessly executed in various regions, the rest would lack the courage to cause further trouble and would work and live obediently.

Moreover, opposite the harsh penalties and strict laws lay greatly favorable conditions: a situation where working and living well meant life would get better and better. This was not the final days of a collapsing dynasty, where the more ruthlessly one killed, the more fierce the resistance became.

Wang Yan first ruled the central court by law, cleaning up civil and military officials of all ranks within Bianjing, unifying opinion at the highest central level. Afterwards, taking the Northwest, Hangzhou, and Kaifu Prefecture as three centers, he radiated outward in all directions.

A total of three hundred thousand troops were drawn from the Western and Northern Armies, leaving only one hundred thousand soldiers to suppress the various tribes.

Now that Western Xia and the Khitan had been defeated, the foreign tribes were no longer a threat; a small force was sufficient. Furthermore, to avoid unexpected situations, Wang Yan once again rectified the officials governing the foreign tribes, purging the atmosphere once more to prevent these officials from excessively oppressing and exploiting the foreign tribes, causing alienation and eventual armed resistance.

In addition to these three hundred thousand troops, Wang Yan also deployed one hundred thousand soldiers from the imperial guards permanently stationed in the capital, and adding the regional armies yet to be organized and trained elsewhere, the total reached five hundred thousand grand armies.

They were dispersed across various node cities and key positions within the realm of Da Song, providing mutual support. The troops required no specialized logistical supply, for they were scattered into units of at most a thousand men, with some places having only a hundred or so. Logistics were easily resolved by simply eating locally, after all, this operation was about digging up old cases and targeting landlords.

This time, Wang Yan prepared neither to forgive nor to leave any way out. If, before he took office during Fan Zhongyan's administration, the commercial tax had been smoothly increased and land surveys and population checks had proceeded without major discrepancies, he would not have made such a massive move. As long as taxes were paid according to regulations and his decrees regarding the common people were followed, there would have been no issue.

But unfortunately, they were not sensible enough, and thus not lucky enough.

This time, Wang Yan no longer planned merely to survey the land; he acted even more ruthlessly, intending to reclaim all land as state-owned. Although the saying goes, "Under heaven, all land belongs to the king," clearly this was just talk; the king was not that powerful, for his will could not penetrate to the grassroots level of the land. But what Wang Yan was doing now was truly making all land belong to the king; this king of his was quite capable.

All problems currently facing Da Song could be solved once the land issue was resolved.

For instance, the problem of hidden households: once the landlords were dealt with, checking the population was merely follow-up work. Even if paid to hide, they would not hide, because land was truly distributed, and the land tax was further reduced; the current policy was merely one part in fifteen, while the head tax was abolished, corvée labor eliminated, and work done through paid hiring.

For instance, regarding the issue of commercial taxes: those who dared to collude from top to bottom in opposition were industries operated by people with deep roots; those running small shops just to survive basically lacked the ability to resist, so whatever the government said went, they even had to pay more, living quite hard, not much better than the farming populace. Now that these entrenched figures were dealt with, their commercial tax revenue naturally posed no problem.

For instance, the issues of local official corruption and collusion, or local ruffians hired to commit violence: the principle was the same. Once the powerful families in the local areas were overturned, what case could not be uncovered? Even if nothing could be uncovered, could charges not be fabricated? At this time, there was no opportunity to distinguish who was good and who was bad; there was only distinguishing stance. As long as one stood in opposition to Prime Minister Wang's reforms, they would be dealt with.

For instance, the issue of monopoly goods like salt, iron, tea, and wine: all those with qualifications were great families, and now they too were uprooted completely, rendering any schemes or tricks useless.

With the grand armies in hand and the hearts of the people inclined, the Jiangshan of Da Song was truly like a painting, left for Wang Yan to paint over as he pleased. Whatever he wanted to do, he could do; this was the true portrayal of his power.

Although such fierce anti-landlord actions would cause significant impacts on Da Song's commerce and trade, these were merely issues of operation; production was unaffected, and sales channels were unaffected.

Perhaps all capable people had been eliminated, leaving insufficient numbers, but that mattered little. Wang Yan opened government-run commercial firms for direct official transport. Simultaneously, he provided loans to merchants unaffected by the purge, allowing them to expand their industries and take over the commercial legacies of those great families. Although there was inevitably some Kong Chuang Qi, there was no major problem, constituting a very smooth transition.

Of course, this too had its problems; during execution, grassroots officials would still engage in corruption and collusion. Furthermore, the newly cultivated forces, even if no longer landlords, were various forms of commercial capital, which were equally predatory.

But wanting everything to be government-run was impossible. After all, the means of production were far from being "extremely abundant," and the government was not yet capable of managing everything.

Wang Yan thoroughly swept away everything within the realm of Da Song, reforming everything from the organizational structure of the government to various aspects of social production and life, a process that took six years.

Moreover, during these six years, he defeated Dali, subdued the various barbarian tribes of Lingnan, and marched into Jiaozhi. Simultaneously, he forced Tibet to submit as a vassal and caused the Uyghurs to pledge allegiance.

This demonstrated Wang Yan's powerful personal ability; the world was a single chessboard, with every aspect under his control. The external wars did not affect internal reforms, and the internal reforms did not hinder the war effort.

On the contrary, the two mutually promoted each other; after all, without internal reform and without confiscating homes and loving the people, Da Song could not sustain the consumption of fighting on four fronts.

During these six years, crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes had been promoted across more than half the realm, doubling grain output. Furthermore, he had thoroughly implemented paper currency.

In fact, paper currency had long ceased to be limited to the Northwest and foreign tribes; with the prosperity of commerce and the money banks he established everywhere, circulation had already been realized, and even some commoners held paper money, laying the foundation for comprehensive implementation.

There was another extremely important matter: in the imperial examination held the year Wang Yan ascended to power, his "New Learning" became the exam topic. In the following years, New Learning directly became the mainstream. Six years later, New Learning had become the supreme ideology guiding national development and individual livelihood. Concepts such as pragmatism and seeking truth had already taken deep root in the people's hearts.

In short, under his hand, Da Song was no longer the familiar Da Song; it felt strange to everyone. Six years seemed like six hundred years had passed. That vigorous vitality, that unspoken strength, brought joy, yet also caused worry.

It was just that Wang Yan still felt it was not enough, while others felt it was more than enough, so much so that it could not be any more sufficient.

In the beginning, Zhao Shu had strongly supported Wang Yan's reforms, but as the reforms gradually deepened and national strength grew increasingly powerful, exceeding original expectations, Zhao Shu became somewhat content.

Most importantly, by that time Wang Yan's prestige was already at its zenith; numerous positions in both military and political spheres had been filled by people installed by Wang Yan. Zhao Shu resisted but could not hold out; all those people were brought down by Wang Yan due to various illegal behaviors.

How were these illegal acts determined? Wang Yan gathered a group of people to redefine the laws clause by clause.

Of course, the laws were not excessively harsh, but if one wanted to find fault with someone, even a dog's head could be accused of growing dragon horns, let alone when actual mistakes were caught and solid evidence was used to bring them down.

At that time, Zhao Shu wanted to hit the brakes, but he discovered that Wang Yan had imperceptibly controlled the court situation; old ministers were squeezed out, close aides dared not approach, and everyone remained silent without voicing opposition, effectively making it Wang Yan's Yiyantang. Among the common people, Wang Yan's prestige was terrifyingly high.

Go out and walk around casually; in ten households, all ten displayed Wang Yan's longevity tablets.

Zhao Shu did not understand what kidnapping meant; he did not realize that when everyone worshipped Wang Yan, even those who did not wish to worship had no choice. Whoever did not worship was a heretic. Neighbors would ostracize them, and even some grassroots officials who extremely worshipped Wang Yan would deal with them.

Wang Yan had, in fact, driven the entire consciousness of Da Song toward some extremism. But this extremism was good for Wang Yan's needs; with everyone pulling in the same direction, people just farmed, produced, and lived, step by step increasing output value, pushing Da Song to new peaks.

But Zhao Shu became afraid; his headache attacks became more severe. He began making small moves openly and secretly, wanting to organize a force capable of stripping Wang Yan of his authority in one sweep.

Thus, it continued until the first snow of the ninth year of Zhiping (1074 AD) fell. The court compiled various data from the beginning of the year through the autumn harvest: grain output, tax revenue, and the production growth of various goods, all surpassing the previous year, plunging everyone once again into jubilation.

The elderly Ouyang Xiu and Bao Zheng, at noon, invited Wang Yan for a small drink to appreciate the snow.

The location was nothing special, right atop the outer city walls of Bianjing. Snowflakes covered Bianjing City; viewing the scenery inside and outside the city from the walls offered a unique flavor.

There was a pavilion on the city walls; inside the pavilion, charcoal fires burned on all four sides. On this snow day without howling winds, the temperature inside the pavilion was raised significantly. The seventy-five-year-old Bao Zheng and the sixty-seven-year-old Ouyang Xiu were both wrapped in thick fur coats.

Bao Zheng's physical constitution had been in straight-line decline over the past two years; his heart was not well. But Old Bao was a man of perseverance; in recent years, he cultivated his mind and nature. Mainly, after Wang Yan took power, Old Bao had no opponents; the person he scolded most was Wang Yan, and Wang Yan always accepted the scolding. Thus, he was still mobile, able to eat and drink, and in good spirits.

Ouyang Xiu was far stronger. Although he was Prime Minister, all power lay in Wang Yan's hands, so he basically had no work to do; his main activities were studying literature, compiling history, and occasionally overseeing education. Every year's imperial examination was hosted by Ouyang Xiu. Plus, his age was considerably less, so it was natural that his condition was better than Old Bao's.

Wang Yan, already forty-four, still deserved to be called handsome and spirited; because he did not look old, he still appeared to be in his twenties. For this reason, he had deliberately grown out his original short beard, keeping a goatee to make himself look more mature.

Wang Yan wore a large coat, tending to the pot of canned tea on the brazier between the three of them; this tea had higher calories and more flavor, making the two old gentlemen more comfortable.

"Lord Bao, Teacher, why insist on coming here today? Would it not be better to stay home with the underfloor heating burning?" Wang Yan poured tea for the two, took a sip himself, and asked with a smile.

Bao Zheng put down his teacup, let out a comfortable long sigh, and smiled: "With these old bones of ours, while we can still move, should we not walk around outside more? How many more times can it get cold?"

Ouyang Xiu nodded repeatedly: "These words make sense; there are not many good times left. Calculating carefully, it has been twelve years since Comrade Comrade Xiwen passed away. The older one gets, the more one feels that time flows like a river..."

"The waves behind the Yangtze drive on those before; a new generation replaces the old; this is heavenly principle. Teacher need not sorrow; your student is already one of the old now; nowadays belong to the young." Wang Yan poured tea for the two, serving them.

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Ouyang Xiu exchanged a glance with Old Bao and said: "Currently, our Da Song is at the height of its power; even the strength of Han and Tang falls far short. The New Laws have succeeded; the nation is wealthy and the people strong, all industries flourishing; looking around the four wilds, there are no rivals. The ambitions you and I discussed back in Yangzhou have now all been realized. Since Xu Xu Ziyan understands the principle of the new replacing the old, why not retire after achieving success? History shines brightly; Xu Xu Ziyan's achievements are unprecedented in the past and unmatched in the future; it is already enough."

"I haven't seen His Majesty for quite some time..."

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Old Bao understood the meaning. He was an honest man and spoke honestly: "You are right, Xu Xu Ziyan; it is indeed His Majesty who sent us two to persuade you. Retiring after achieving success is exactly the right time. You know clearly what fate befell those who reformed and innovated in ancient times. His Majesty is benevolent and righteous; he will certainly not make things difficult for you. Besides, nowadays you are sealed to the point where no further title can be given, standing at the peak of subjecthood; what more do you want? Do you have intentions of rebellion?"

"Your student is not someone who clings to power and refuses to leave; I simply wish to preserve the results of the reform. If your student resigns as Prime Minister today, everything from the past will surge back tomorrow. Within five years, the situation will be exactly as it was during the Qingli era. Everyone thinks it is already enough, but in reality, it is far from enough. The Da Song of today is cast from your student's blood and heart; how can I bear to let it all flow away?"

"Can you possibly control things for hundreds of years? The New Laws have already extended Da Song's life by two hundred years; this is an unparalleled achievement." Ouyang Xiu interjected. Both he and Bao Zheng tried to persuade Wang Yan to voluntarily relinquish power.

"Your student cannot control things for hundreds of years, but your student can use several decades to infiltrate the rules into the hearts of our Da Song people. I dare not say much, but I can at least guarantee that at any time, foreign tribes will not disturb our Central Plains. Internal chaos is inevitable, but the four barbarians will not dare to have treacherous thoughts, and the common people will be able to eat and use better.

Teacher, Lord Bao, let your student speak a truth. When your student implemented the New Laws, it was never for the sake of the Zhao family alone, but for the myriad common people of our Zhonghua. Nowadays, with your student administering the government, no one dares to treat the common people as less than human, bullying and trampling them at will; the common people have dignity, and the goal is to let them live better. Currently, the common people still cannot eat meat; the next step is for your student to increase investment in animal husbandry. One day, I will ensure that all common people of Da Song can eat meat.

Lord Bao says His Majesty is benevolent and righteous; your student will tentatively agree. However, no matter how benevolent and righteous, there is absolutely no reason for your student to remain alive. It would merely be a temporary appeasement, soft-confined at home; after a couple of years, I would be beaten to death. Then, with some excuse fabricated, your student would be recorded in history as having died of illness..."

Wang Yan shook his head with a chuckle, his hands never stopping as he continued pouring tea for the two of them.

Many things cannot be done simply because one wishes them to be so; ever since Wang Yan became Prime Minister and began implementing his new laws, there has been no turning back, for he is no ordinary minister limited by narrow horizons whose reforms would remain within existing constraints.

He is different; his reforms leap forward by many years beyond their time, with some systems even mirroring those of the modern era; what restricts development is productive capacity and the flow of information; apart from not seizing imperial power, his reform is nearly thorough, and his centralization is equally complete, inevitably making him intolerable to imperial authority.

Yet imperial power cannot be seized, for someone must ultimately lead everything, the issue being merely one of limitations; even if he initiated a parliamentary system, the result would be the same, eventually producing a ruthless figure, and if none emerged, the situation would be even worse, with everyone engaged in endless factional strife and internal consumption that weakens their own strength.

As for establishing a constitution, that is even more impossible; even after the Great Qing fell, Puyi still had loyal subjects who kowtowed to him, let alone in the current era where the Great Song has stood for a hundred years and loyal ministers are far more numerous.

Even if a constitution were established, how would the governing Prime Minister be chosen? If it were not a descendant of his, Wang Yan's family would surely suffer disaster and the fruits of reform would certainly be destroyed; the arbitrariness and corruption of upper-level power, even if only a tiny fraction, would become an immense chasm at the grassroots level; most terrifying of all, limited by stance, selfishness, and narrow horizons, those in power might not be corrupt and might act from what they believe is a better perspective, yet the results could be fatal.

This does not even mention the counterattack by an imperial power constrained by a constitution, nor ambitious prime ministers aspiring to become emperor.

Weighing the pros and cons of all these possible outcomes, the best solution is for his old Wang family to become emperor, for to hand over imperial power voluntarily, to actively abandon the force that protects one's own safety, to willingly be kept like livestock without knowing when one might be purged to death, is the act of a fool.

If the old Wang family becomes emperor, the fruits of reform may still not last forever and may still collapse, but it can be guaranteed that for a very long time, Wang Mou's descendants will not be slaughtered like pigs or used as political achievements to boast about; even if opponents try to block major changes by claiming ancestral rules cannot be violated, they will not casually reverse the wheel of history.

After hearing Wang Yan's words, both Ouyang Xiu and Bao Zheng fell silent.

They knew Wang Yan spoke the truth, and they knew the Great Song would be better off with Wang Yan as emperor, yet they had struggled their entire lives for the Great Song...

"Drink tea," Wang Yan said, still chuckling gently, his warmth and generosity giving people a sense of peace.

"Surely it will not come to this," Bao Zheng sighed.

"It will not, it will not..." Ouyang Xiu also sighed.

"Lord Bao, Teacher, this student once said: to establish a heart for heaven and earth, to secure destiny for the people, to continue the lost teachings of past sages, and to bring eternal peace to all generations; yet I never said I would sacrifice my life for the Zhao family alone; if he can tolerate me, then I am a loyal minister of the Great Song, but if he seeks to kill me, I will not sit waiting for death; the initiative lies with the Ruler, depending on how he acts, and for now, I am still the Prime Minister of the Great Song!

However, rest assured, this student will not recklessly create bloodshed; after all, this student has served the Great Song for twenty-five years and surely cannot be so heartless and unjust; moreover, this student shares a bond with the Ruler, but he did not heed my advice and still became emperor."

Wang Yan shook his head, looking somewhat melancholy, and smiled, saying, "Back in the northwest years ago, the Great Song could still tolerate this student, but now there is no retreat left, and this student is compelled by circumstances; surely I cannot just wait to die; Lord Bao, do not glare at this student, save your strength; if the Ruler makes a move, then Lord Bao should live a few more years to see clearly how this student becomes emperor; Teacher, you too, do not dwell on this; the Great Song has not perished, only the Zhao family has.

Blind loyalty is the most undesirable thing; if it were foreign invaders, then swearing death rather than submitting would be right, but in a situation like this student's, it has not reached that point; at this age, what is there left that one cannot see through? To be angry with this student is truly not worth it; you can scold this student later, there is plenty of time.

In recent days, just rest well at home; the fact that the Ruler sent you two to persuade this student suggests he has already made preparations; life or death will be decided within these two days."

Having said this, he listened no further to anything else the two had to say, waved his hand, and ordered men to support them as they left, escorting them back to their respective residences.

He remained alone on the city wall, drinking tea and roasting dried beef to eat.

He thought of nothing else, truly and simply enjoying the snowy scenery.

He had long ceased striving for the moment, long become unmoved by the eight winds; time had made him powerful, and it had also made him composed...

Wang Yan had overestimated Zhao Shu's patience; less than an hour after Old Bao and Ouyang Xiu returned, just as dusk was falling, someone came to the city ramparts to transmit an edict stating that Zhao Shu wished to discuss with him the response to the snow disaster.

This was a good excuse, for today's snowfall was indeed very heavy.

Although there were established precedents for such disasters, specific arrangements still required the upper leadership to first set the tone and prepare contingency plans, so that when disaster reports arrived from various regions in the form of Zou Zhang, problems could be resolved immediately; this Emperor Zhao Shu, with the people in his heart, was flawless in this regard.

Wang Yan drained his tea in one gulp, stood up, untied the fur coat draped over him, and wearing only his purple official robe, picked up the winged hat placed aside and placed it squarely upon his head.

"Whoosh... Wuuu..."

Signal arrows shot up into the sky from the tower, their shrill sounds piercing far into the distance; immediately, more signal arrows responded in kind.

Wang Yan paid no heed; he descended from the tower, did not take a carriage, but walked with hands behind his back through the wind and snow, each step compressing the soft snow with a crunching sound; some people walking on the street recognized him, grinned, greeted him warmly, and wished him a long life of a hundred years.

Thus, step by step, he walked toward the imperial palace.

At some point, the people on the streets grew fewer and fewer, and squadrons of iron-armored soldiers appeared on the roads, silent.

Bianjing City was vast; Wang Yan walked for a long time before reaching the palace gates, which now stood wide open, with nothing but silent soldiers stationed outside.

Wang Yan strolled casually through the palace gates; the situation inside was no better than outside, with at least over a thousand soldiers gathered; in the distance, clusters of torches could be seen moving rapidly, and occasionally shouts could be heard.

His steps did not halt as he continued inward; he smiled and nodded at the soldiers beside him, giving them a sense of reassurance; from time to time, he would call out some of their names and offer a casual word of encouragement.

Thus, step by step, he walked to the outside of the Chongzheng Hall, whose doors stood wide open.

He stamped his feet to shake off the snow covering his body, and only then walked inside.

This was a familiar place; it was here that Wang Yan took his palace examination, here that he entered officialdom, and here that he attended many grand court assemblies.

But today, there was only one person here.

Zhao Shu sat on the dragon throne, holding a precious sword in one hand and rubbing his head with the other, looking distraught and staring fixedly at Wang Yan as he stepped slowly down to the base of the imperial dais.

Wang Yan still wore a smile; he stopped, clasped his hands, and bowed in salute.

"This subject greets Your Majesty; why is Your Majesty committing treason?"

Seeing Wang Yan's smiling expression, Zhao Shu rubbed his head, knowing that Wang Yan was teasing him.

He asked perplexedly, "Since when did this begin?"

Wang Yan understood that Zhao Shu was asking when he had begun arranging for those military generals, whom he had promised various benefits to win over, to refrain from killing him.

"Since the day Your Majesty ascended the throne, letting them keep Your Majesty company to relieve your boredom."

This was somewhat like killing a person and destroying their spirit...

"Heh..." Zhao Shu gave a bitter smile, then suddenly hurled the sword in his hand outward, shouting, "Rebellious minister and traitorous subject! Rebellious minister and traitorous subject! Wang Yan, you have harbored rebellious intentions all along, betraying our Great Song..."

Wang Yan did not move at all, watching the sword crash to the ground not far before him; Zhao Shu's accusations from the dragon throne remained unfinished, for overwhelmed by rage and suffering an unbearable headache, he had already fainted.

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile: "I said long ago that Your Majesty was unfit to be emperor; it shortens one's life; someone, escort His Majesty back to rest."

Several soldiers entered from outside the hall, stepped forward, and carried the unconscious Zhao Shu away.

Wang Yan turned and walked back to the entrance of Chongzheng Hall; as he stepped out, the wind and snow battered his body, swirling the hem of his official robe up and down.

With hands behind his back, he stepped forward gradually, looking down at the dense crowd below.

Finally, a soldier shouted out.

"Long live our Emperor!"

"Long live our Emperor!"

"Long live our Emperor!"

Wang Yan chuckled softly...

Under the flickering light of the torches, snowflashes flashed by with extreme speed; if one entered the microscopic world, perhaps on the prism-shaped snowflakes would be reflected nothing but ambition...

The snow grew heavier still...