Chapter 253: A New Chapter of Prosperity: Zhao Yu Meets Song Jiang

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Accompanying Tong Guan introduced these more than three hundred beautiful young women to Song Jiang, hoping Song Jiang would help transport them to present to Zhao Yu.

Song Jiang naturally did not refuse.

After carefully personally cross-referencing each of these more than three hundred beautiful young women against the roster and confirming their identities, Song Jiang took them northward…

By the way, seeing Accompanying Tong Guan's grand gesture, Song Jiang felt that presenting only three beauties to Zhao Yu was far too meager.

'Fortunately, the three beauties I'm presenting are not ordinary—otherwise, I'd be completely outshone by Minister Tong.'

But it must be said, this matter greatly affected Song Jiang, to the point that he resolved: from now on, whenever he had the chance, he would emulate Accompanying Tong Guan's actions—no, he must surpass Accompanying Tong Guan, because this was the only sure way to demonstrate loyalty to Zhao Yu and gain his favor.

After crossing the Yangtze River and arriving in the Huaijiang region, Song Jiang discovered that although no rebellions had occurred here, the policies of 'Equal Taxation for Scholars and Landowners' and 'Land Tax Merged into Landholding' had already been smoothly implemented.

Song Jiang heard that local officials, scholars, and landowners had all shown great enthusiasm in implementing the two new policies: lands they once refused to survey now competed to be measured, with not a single inch concealed; back taxes owed from years past were paid off even if they had to borrow money or sell houses and fields, strictly according to imperial regulations.

Moreover, these scholars and landowners seemed to have all become great benefactors: they generously donated large sums of money to lead repairs of dilapidated stone bridges and muddy roads, facilitating villagers' travel.

Not only that, many scholars and landowners voluntarily reduced or waived rent for poor tenant farmers; some even completely exempted widowed elders and orphaned mothers from all taxes.

In the fields, peasants were astonished to find that once-harsh scholars and landowners now spoke kindly to them, inquired about harvests and hardships, and if real difficulties arose, they usually offered help.

These scholars and landowners also established soup kitchens in village centers, where steaming rice porridge and grain buns were freely provided to hungry villagers every morning.

Last winter, these scholars and landowners even delivered cotton clothing, quilts, and firewood to peasants on the verge of freezing to death, enabling families lacking food and clothing to survive the bitter winter.

The local officials, too, had transformed from their former neglect, laziness, and arrogance into diligent governance; they actively gathered to discuss how to better implement the two new policies for the benefit of all, adjudicated cases fairly and impartially, and showed unprecedented concern for the people's suffering. They no longer indulged in banquets and music, but often ventured into the fields to personally inspect conditions, ensuring every measure of the new policies truly reached the people.

Clearly, having witnessed how the Jiangnan officials, scholars, and landowners—with far greater ancestral wealth—had been utterly destroyed, each family more miserable than the last, some millennia-old clans vanished entirely from history, these local officials, scholars, and landowners were truly terrified; they knew that if they did not show sense, they too would meet the same fate, and so they finally surrendered, tucked their tails between their legs, dared not resist the court anymore—not openly, nor secretly—and began appeasing the very peasants who might one day come to hold public trials at their homes.

Song Jiang also heard that this was not unique to Huaijiang; in other southern regions—Nanyang, Jinghu, even Shu—the officials, scholars, and landowners had all acted the same way; their once-fierce resistance to the two new policies had become their only lifeline.

Learning this, Song Jiang grew even more awed by Zhao Yu's wisdom, courage, and decisiveness.

In China's long historical river, reform has often been a vital force driving social progress, but every reform inevitably disturbs the 'cake' of entrenched interest groups.

As a result, these interest groups inevitably leverage the privileges granted by the old system to monopolize political, economic, and social resources, fiercely resisting any attempt to change the status quo.

Historical experience shows that unless these entrenched interest groups are effectively weakened or dismantled, reform rarely achieves substantive success.

Shang Yang's reforms are a classic example.

Shang Yang's reforms abolished the hereditary nobility system, breaking the tradition of aristocratic succession; implemented the commandery-county system, weakening local aristocrats' control over fiefs; and rewarded farming and weaving, undermining the economic foundation upon which the old nobility depended. These measures severely damaged the interests of Qin's old aristocracy, provoking fierce resistance from figures like Prince Qian. Though Shang Yang was eventually torn apart by chariots, his use of harsh laws to suppress the old nobility preserved the reforms' achievements, laying the foundation for Qin's rise.

After unifying the six states, Qin Shi Huang, despite opposition, enforced the commandery-county system, replacing the traditional feudal system. This reform directly stripped the old aristocracy of their fiefs and hereditary privileges, triggering strong backlash. Zhang Liang's assassination plot at Bolangsha, and uprisings led by descendants of old nobles like Xiang Yu, proved the old forces' resistance never ceased. Though Qin enforced reform through overwhelming military power, it failed to eradicate the old aristocracy entirely, and ultimately collapsed swiftly amid waves of rebellion.

Han Wu Di's 'Edict of Extended Grace' was essentially a stripping of power from the feudal lords, strengthening central authority and achieving reform success.

History has repeatedly proven that any attempt to advance reform without disturbing entrenched interests ultimately remains mere fantasy.

Zhao Yu ignited the conflict between the scholar-landowner class and the oppressed masses; though not particularly brilliant, it was ruthless and decisive. Zhao Yu showed no womanly mercy, but struck first without honor, using popular sentiment to kill off most scholar-landowners—especially the most stubborn Jiangnan ones—crippling the scholar-landowner group, killing the big to frighten the small, forcibly reshuffling the deck.

The remaining scholar-landowners, having witnessed all this, were like birds frightened by arrows, no longer daring to oppose the court, and now even feared the peasants they once bullied at will. They finally realized that resisting the court was like an egg against a stone, and they truly could not drive the people to rebellion—otherwise, the people would rise up and slaughter their entire families. Only by going along with the times, actively cooperating with the court's reforms, and leaving the people a path to survival could they preserve their family's interests and continue their generations of glory.

As a key participant in this matter, Song Jiang, overwhelmed with emotion, felt nothing but reverence for Zhao Yu.

And when Song Jiang's party crossed the Huaihe River and entered the Central Plains, they saw an entirely different scene.

Rivers and canals crisscrossed, nourishing this fertile land. Villagers smiled as they worked busily and orderly; though their clothing was simple, most now wore cotton garments, popular in recent years—warm, durable, and inexpensive. Children played at village entrances, elders rested in the shade chatting, a scene of harmony and peace, long past the shadow of war.

Song Jiang also noticed that the farmland here was not only meticulously cultivated but employed many novel technologies: some fields laid underground drains to prevent flooding; others installed automatic irrigation systems that adjusted water flow based on soil moisture, conserving water and increasing crop yields; and Ma Xiao Jiao's early inventions—the wooden ox and flowing horse irrigation carts, gear-linked rice pounders, water-powered stone mills, and numerous other practical advanced farming tools—were everywhere.

The application of these technologies undoubtedly greatly reduced farmers' labor intensity and increased grain yields.

This meant that the chaos in the Jiangnan region, once the Zhao Song Dynasty's granary, seemed to have little impact on the north.

Even more astonishing to Song Jiang was that not only were large factories scattered across the Central Plains, but small workshops had appeared in villages, producing intricate handicrafts too delicate or impractical for large factories, supplying diverse goods for the booming commerce.

All of this signaled the arrival of a new era.

When Song Jiang's party arrived at the Zhao Song Dynasty's capital, Dongjing Bianliang, they saw an even more prosperous scene.

Streets were neatly arranged in a grid pattern, breaking down the old ward-market restrictions and establishing street-front markets, transforming it into an international metropolis where all corners vied for trade and all nations converged. The city's streets were laid out like a chessboard, centered on four main thoroughfares running through the entire city.

The most important of these was the Imperial Street, stretching over ten li from the palace's Xuande Gate southward, passing through the Inner City's Zhu Que Gate, straight to the Outer City.

It was the main route used by Zhao Song emperors throughout history for ancestral worship, the southern altar ceremony, and royal excursions—the present-day central axis of Dongjing Bianliang.

As Song Jiang's party walked along the Imperial Street, entertainment venues were visible everywhere.

There were more than fifty large and small Goulan theaters alone, with Wazi, Lotus Pavilions, and Peony Pavilions densely clustered; Li Wazi, Yecha Pavilion, and Elephant Pavilion were the largest, each capable of holding thousands.

Performances in Wazi included Xiao Chang, Puchang, Zaju, glove puppets, string puppets, rope and acrobatic acts, ball-and-stick games, storytelling, short tales, instrumental music, dance, children's wrestling, shadow plays, insect and ant tricks, Gongdiao, riddle games, He Sheng, humorous talk, Zaju, Za Ban, fruit cries, and ghost impersonations—too numerous to count.

Wazi also featured medicine vendors, fortune-tellers, secondhand clothing sellers, gambling dens, food stalls, barbershops, paper paintings, and song contests.

In addition, new forms of entertainment appeared: viewing kaleidoscopes, listening to music boxes, watching shadow plays, and more.

More numerous than urban entertainment venues were wine houses.

The city contained seventy-two large 'Zheng Dian' taverns, and countless smaller 'Jiao Dian' establishments.

Each large Zheng Dian built a magnificent, silk-decorated gatehouse at its entrance to attract customers.

Along both sides of Ji Qiao Men Street stood large Zheng Dian, their embroidered banners and colorful pavilions fluttering, blocking out the sun and clouds.

Not to mention the vast array of goods inside the grand hotels—even the ubiquitous Jiao Dian offered abundant merchandise.

And the people on the Imperial Street—farmers, boatmen, merchants, small artisans, officials, scholars, Daoists, wandering monks, itinerant doctors, fortune-tellers—all walks of life were present.

One major difference from the Bianliang Song Jiang had known in earlier years was that now, many Arab and Persian figures could be seen here, including some Westerners with golden hair and blue eyes, and others with brown, tan, white, or even red hair.

Moreover, many foreigners operated inns in Bianliang.

Their establishments bore signs reading 'Hu Ji'—foreign women serving as staff, also performing songs and dances.

It gave a strong sense of 'Hu Ji like blooming flowers, smiling like spring breeze.'

Many Zhao Song men were drawn into these establishments by these foreign women, utterly unlike Chinese women, and spent fortunes within.

These foreigners were the product of Zhao Yu's vigorous promotion of maritime trade and its relocation to the north.

They primarily dealt in luxury goods: jewels, spices, rare items from various nations.

Moreover, with strong capital and business acumen, they also ventured into diverse profitable businesses: food, entertainment, horses, and more.

And means of transport once rare—human-pulled carts, wooden bicycles—were now common in Bianliang, and the city even had true bicycles: some with two wheels, others with three. The two-wheeled ones were mainly for personal travel; the three-wheeled ones served as premium transport. Additionally, some boats on the Bianliang River now used steam engines for power.

In addition, early industrial revolution technologies had become common in Dongjing Bianliang: solar cookers, new textile machines, steam-powered water pumps, steam rollers, steam printing presses, new papermaking machines, sulfuric acid production processes, soap manufacturing machinery, flour processing equipment, lathes, boring machines, coal gas lighting systems, and cast iron pipelines.

Song Jiang also noticed that Dongjing Bianliang now featured many fruits and vegetables he had never seen before.

Amazingly, it was only early March, yet these fresh vegetables and fruits were already for sale in Dongjing Bianliang.

Tributes poured in from all nations! National strength at its peak! Unprecedented prosperity!

If Song Jiang had to find a place comparable to present-day Dongjing Bianliang, there was only one: Chang'an at its zenith.

—That center of the world during the Tang Dynasty's golden age!

Moreover, Song Jiang was certain this was no fleeting illusion of prosperity, but the true beginning of the Great Song's golden age.

The sights along this journey had completely freed Song Jiang from his former narrow ambition of merely securing titles for his wife and descendants, and leaving his name in history.

A previously unknown passion and sense of mission surged within Song Jiang. He deeply realized he stood at the heart of a great era — a glorious age forged by Zhao Yu and countless virtuous and ambitious souls.

"I must become a wise minister of this golden age, like Li Jing!"

After delivering Shao Shi, Fang Baihua, Chen Miao Zhen, and the more than three hundred young maidens Accompanying Tong Guan had ordered him to bring back to the Ministry of Rites for palace assignment, Song Jiang immediately entered the palace to seek an audience with Zhao Yu, beginning their first meeting as ruler and minister…

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(End of Chapter)