allendalepharm Chapter 121 The Su Brothers
Chapter 121 The Su Brothers
Chapter 121 The Su Brothers
"You also think it's not the right time to send troops?" Hai Wenqing discerned Wang You's thoughts from his expression.
"The students believe this is indeed a good opportunity, but the current situation of the court does not support sending troops," Wang You said.
In fact, the Song Dynasty had two opportunities to destroy the Western Xia and the Liao Dynasty.
This is our chance to destroy Western Xia. We don't need to wipe them out in one battle, but we can capture a few important cities and limit their development.
Given the population of Western Xia, a large army could be deployed to force them to reinforce their borders, which would eventually wear them down.
If ten civilians support one soldier, that's considered militarism.
The Western Xia had a population of less than three million, but a military force of 500,000.
These 500,000 troops were almost all the able-bodied men of Western Xia.
The reason why the Western Xia was able to support so many soldiers was because its military system was somewhat similar to the Tang Dynasty's Fubing system.
In times of war, they are soldiers; in times of peace, they are farmers.
If the Song Dynasty were strong enough, it could simply deploy troops on the border, forcing the Western Xia to increase its military presence there, and eventually wear the Western Xia down.
The opportunity to destroy the Liao Dynasty came when the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty.
Historically, the Song Dynasty once joined forces with the Jin Dynasty to attack the Liao Dynasty. Ironically, although the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, the Song Dynasty failed to take the opportunity to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
This is indeed an opportunity, but with the heir apparent still undecided, the officials in the court are all focused on establishing a successor and have no time to pay attention to these matters.
Secondly, the national treasury was indeed short of funds and supplies, making it impossible to support military operations.
"What you're saying, I already know it."
Hai Wenqing sighed, "It's just that such an opportunity is rare. Even if the Song Dynasty has the strength to send troops later, it may not have such an opportunity again."
Although the national treasury was short of funds and provisions at the time, it could still manage to come up with some if it gritted its teeth.
"What you say is absolutely right, but ultimately this matter depends on the Emperor's decision," Wang You sighed.
If they wanted to fight, the Song Dynasty, with its vast territory, could certainly muster enough money and supplies to send troops.
However, the Emperor suffered a great loss at the hands of the Western Xia in the past, and now his son has died. He is overwhelmed with the issue of choosing an heir and has no mood to send troops to fight.
"Sigh, let's not talk about this anymore."
Hai Wenqing shook his head and said, "How long has it been since you last visited Shengyu?"
"The student hasn't been there for a month or so," Wang You said after thinking for a moment.
"You proposed the philosophy of mind, but you didn't take it seriously. You relied entirely on Sheng Yu. I saw him a couple of days ago, and he looked much thinner," Hai Wenqing said.
"The teacher is well aware of this; the student is merely offering a general direction. How could he possibly have the ability to perfect the philosophy of mind?"
Wang You said with a wry smile, "Every time I go, Professor Mei shows me the results and asks me to correct them. How could I dare to go then?"
A few years ago, under the pretext of pursuing his studies, he shared the core ideas of the philosophy of mind with Mei Yaochen.
Mei Yaochen listened with great praise and wanted to help Wang You perfect his philosophy of mind.
However, Wang You only had a superficial understanding of the philosophy of mind, knowing only its core ideas.
However, a school of thought cannot be complete without a core idea; it must also provide a deeper explanation of that idea.
Only in this way can more people understand and recognize it, and only then can it be promoted.
Take Buddhist thought for example; simply telling people to do good deeds won't get anyone to listen.
Thus, the cycle of cause and effect came into being, and Buddha and hell appeared.
That's right, the concept of hell was created by Buddhism and then absorbed and perfected by Taoism.
This entire system instills fear in people about doing evil, thereby encouraging them to do good.
The same applies to a school of thought; it is not merely about explaining a principle.
We also need to explain and present this principle in a way that makes it acceptable and recognized by everyone.
For the School of Mind to achieve this, it needs to gain the approval of scholars.
Perfecting the philosophy of mind is a complex and enormous task.
Wang You only knew the core idea and nothing else. Every time he went to Mei Yaochen, Mei would ask him all sorts of questions, and all the little he knew would be completely drained.
"You're giving away such a great achievement, but you're not wrong to do it." Hai Wenqing nodded with satisfaction.
If Wang You were to deeply participate in perfecting the philosophy of mind, he would likely become a saint on the spot once the philosophy of mind was widely promoted.
However, this was not good news for Wang You.
As the saying goes, one should judge by actions, not intentions; and if one judges by intentions, there are no saints.
A living saint is feared not only by those in power, but also by countless eyes.
Any mistake, no matter how small, will be magnified infinitely.
Although Hai Wenqing was a Confucian scholar, he was not the kind of pedantic Confucian.
He has also done a lot of research on Legalist thought.
In his view, some of the ideas of Confucianism may not be wrong, and the ideas of the various schools of thought also have their merits.
But why does no one question some of the ideas of the Confucian sages?
Ultimately, it comes down to the deep-seated Han Chinese belief in revering Heaven and honoring their ancestors.
But Wang You is not ancient; he is a person living in the present.
People naturally have higher moral expectations of it.
Simply put, sages have been continuously idealized in the minds of scholars.
Once Wang You becomes a sage, he will demand of himself the standards of a sage in his heart.
If Wang You did not participate, then he was merely the one who proposed this idea, while Mei Yaochen and those who perfected the philosophy of mind all deserve credit.
Even if one's philosophy of mind is accepted by scholars throughout the world, as the one who proposed it, one cannot be revered as a sage.
Wang You scratched his head sheepishly. It wasn't that he didn't want credit, but rather that he lacked the ability.
"Teacher, I'm off to school. Teacher Mei said it's almost finished. I wonder how it's progressing now?" Wang You changed the subject.
"The philosophy of mind is profound and complex; it is not so easy to perfect."
Hai Wenqing shook his head and said, "I have also read what Sheng Yu wrote, but it is not perfect enough."
However, it's sufficient for promoting the philosophy of mind. The rest will require generations of scholars to refine it.
Wang You frowned slightly. If that were the case, it would be somewhat contrary to what he had thought.
The so-called "improvement by generations of scholars" is mostly just scholars using this as a pretext to establish their own factions.
Take Neo-Confucianism as an example. Although it had developed to some extent before the Yuan Dynasty, it was still a relatively niche field.
When the Yuan Dynasty designated it as the most prominent school of thought, countless scholars began to study Neo-Confucianism.
Some of them used Neo-Confucianism as a framework, added their own interpretations, and were accepted by many scholars, thus becoming great Confucian scholars.
Neo-Confucianism was criticized by later generations, but Wang You did not think it was entirely worthless.
However, those so-called great Confucian scholars, in order to cater to the needs of those in power, have completely distorted the original meaning of Neo-Confucianism.
The emergence of Neo-Confucianism was also a significant turning point in the increasing feudalism of ancient society.
It was only after Neo-Confucianism became mainstream that women began to stay indoors and rarely venture out.
The core ideas of the School of Mind are good, but if it continues to develop in this way, it will most likely end up like it has in history.
It didn't take long for it to become a notorious stain.
After all, Neo-Confucianism emphasizes the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, which is very popular with those in power.
However, the philosophy of mind does not have this advantage.
However, Wang You's brows quickly relaxed. Even if the philosophy of mind becomes commonplace, it still needs time to gain popularity.
The emergence of a new idea will inevitably impact the old one.
In ancient times, for an idea to gain a foothold, it had to obtain the recognition and support of the imperial court.
The conservatives in the court would certainly not support this new idea.
After the spread of the School of Mind, anyone who supported the new school and wanted to gain support in the imperial court could only support the reforms.
For Wang You, his goal was achieved.
"My lord!"
Just then, Hai Wenqing's attendant entered, bowed, and said, "Vice Envoy Ouyang has arrived, along with the Su brothers and a man around thirty years old. They have already been led to the main hall."
"Why is Zizhan back?"
Hai Wenqing was somewhat surprised and said, "Ziqian, come with me to the main hall."
"Yes!" Wang You replied.
He was somewhat curious as to why the Su brothers had suddenly returned to the capital.
A few years ago, Su Shi and his two sons went to the capital to take the imperial examination. Su Xun had a prior relationship with Ouyang Xiu, so after arriving in the capital, he took his two sons to visit Ouyang Xiu and showed him the articles written by Su Shi and Su Zhe.
Ouyang Xiu greatly admired Su Shi's writings and invited his friends, including Hai Wenqing and Mei Yaochen, to appreciate them together.
It was around that time that Wang You went with Hai Wenqing and met the famous Three Sus.
After reading Su Shi's articles, Hai Wenqing and Mei Yaochen also praised them highly.
With the reputation of these individuals, Su Shi quickly became famous in Bianjing (Kaifeng).
Whenever an article was published, it would attract scholars and daughters of noble families in Bianjing to read and copy it, making paper scarce in Bianjing.
At that time, no one even talked about the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Chong. From princes and nobles to commoners, everyone had heard of Su Shi.
Later, during the imperial examination, Su Shi lived up to expectations and ranked second.
Although he only came in second, it was already quite remarkable that Su Shi was on the list of successful candidates in his first attempt at the imperial examinations, and ranked second at that.
It was even rumored that Su Shi's writing style during the imperial examination was very similar to that of Zeng Gong, a student of Ouyang Xiu.
Originally, Su Shi's article should have been ranked first, but Ouyang Xiu, as the chief examiner, mistakenly thought that the article was Zeng Gong's and was worried that people would question his favoritism, so he ranked it second.
He didn't know whether Wang You was real or fake, and he didn't dare to ask Ouyang Xiu about such a matter.
Even so, Ouyang Xiu was still guilty of cheating.
This approach may seem selfless, but it will still be questioned by some, since it is true that one should not avoid recommending relatives or friends.
Regardless, this made Su Shi even more famous.
However, Su Shi ultimately ranked only fourth in the palace examination.
Although it was still a successful candidate, the ranking was quite low.
After the imperial examinations ended, before he could be appointed to an official post, Su Shi's mother passed away, and the three of them had to return to their hometown for the funeral.
According to filial piety, Su Shi and Su Zhe were required to observe a 27-month mourning period for their mother.
At the beginning of last year, after the mourning period ended, the father and his two sons came to Beijing again.
Su Shi and Su Zhe were then granted official positions.
The two brothers ranked low in the imperial examination, one in the third rank and the other in the fourth.
Moreover, due to the mourning period, he also missed the opportunity to be appointed to an official position at that time.
Upon returning to the capital, they naturally didn't get any good jobs.
Both of them had already received their appointments and gone to serve as officials in local areas, but they returned to the capital at the same time after only a year, which is quite puzzling.
After all, given their official ranks, they wouldn't even be allowed to travel to the capital on official business.
Hai Wenqing led Wang You to the main hall and said with a smile, "Uncle Yong, what brings you here today?"
"Greetings, Vice Minister Hai!"
Su Shi, Su Zhe, and the middle-aged man quickly stood up to greet them.
Hai Wenqing nodded slightly in response.
"Why wouldn't you welcome me?"
Ouyang Xiu feigned displeasure and said, "If that's the case, then I'll be leaving."
"The younger generation is still here, what are you laughing about?"
Hai Wenqing pulled Ouyang Xiu to sit down, looked at Su Shi and the other two, and finally his gaze settled on the middle-aged man.
Ouyang Xiu introduced, "This is Wang Shao, a fellow student of Zizhan and his classmates. Like Zizhan and his classmates, he came to the capital to participate in the imperial examination."
"Wang Shao greets Vice Minister Hai." Wang Shao bowed respectfully.
"Um."
Hai Wenqing nodded slightly, stroked his beard and smiled, "The imperial examination that year was no simple matter. It was full of talented people. You stood out from the crowd, which shows that you are exceptionally talented. You must do well in this special examination."
"Thank you for your guidance, Vice Minister Hai. I will certainly prepare well," Wang Shao replied.
When Wang You heard Ouyang Xiu say that Wang Shao had come to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, he instantly understood why Su Shi and Su Zhe had come to Bianjing.
The special examinations were different from the regular examinations and were not part of the regular examinations. They were more like the prodigy examinations and were held according to the wishes of the officials.
There are two types of imperial examinations: one is for the court to temporarily select special talents.
This was a very targeted approach. For example, if the imperial court needed talent for water management but there were no suitable candidates, they would hold special examinations.
The other type was for officials, serving as a supplement to the imperial examination system.
The imperial examination system, which determined rankings in a single test, had some inherent flaws.
Although the questions were set by the government officials, some people were proficient while others were not.
Or some people might underperform for various reasons.
In order to ensure that no talented individuals are overlooked, the imperial court would occasionally hold special examinations.
Officials who wish to enter officialdom can apply to participate. If they perform well in the special examination, they will not only be promoted but also given other assignments.
It can be said that the imperial examination system was a very good way for officials to get promoted quickly.
The Su brothers were delayed for three years, while Wang Shao, although he had been in office for several years, had only been there a short time and his official position was not very high.
If all three of them can pass the special training program, it can save several years of time.
Wang You felt that the name Wang Shao was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
He wasn't very knowledgeable about Song Dynasty history; apart from a few emperors and famous ministers, he knew little about the others.
"Zichun is exceptionally learned and has remarkable insights into military strategy. If he performs well in this examination, I plan to keep him in the Privy Council," Ouyang Xiu said with a smile.
He stepped down from his post as Prefect of Kaifeng a few years ago and is now serving as Vice Minister of the Privy Council.
Few scholars understood military strategy, and only a few would specifically study it after entering officialdom.
Most intellectuals even disregarded this.
When Wang You heard that Wang Shao had extraordinary insights into military strategy, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally realized who this person was.
After Emperor Taizu passed away, Emperor Taizong launched a northern expedition immediately after pacifying the Northern Han.
Ultimately, they suffered a major defeat outside Youzhou City, and from then on, the territory of the Song Dynasty was basically fixed.
Later emperors not only failed to recover the lost territories, but also lost some land during the Treaty of Chanyuan and further during the Song-Xia War.
It can be said that the Song Dynasty not only failed to expand its territory, but also continued to shrink it.
The only large-scale expansion of the Song Dynasty's territory after Emperors Taizu and Taizong was achieved by Wang Shao leading his troops.
Wang Shao's life story is somewhat magical. He was born in the same year as Su Shi and was also the first person in history to be listed on the Dragon and Tiger List.
However, after passing the imperial examination and entering officialdom, he resigned after serving for a few years and went to travel in the Hehuang region.
He traveled extensively in the Hehuang region for many years, gaining a deep understanding of the local situation, and submitted a memorial entitled "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians".
After Emperor Shenzong adopted his suggestion, he was ordered to lead troops to conquer the Hehuang region, expanding the territory of the Song Dynasty by hundreds of miles and more than two thousand miles.