Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 108 The Uncle Who Poisoned Me Only Laughed

Chapter 108 The Uncle Who Poisoned Me Only Laughed

Such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of those around.

Although the people around the tea stall did not approach, they could vaguely hear the argument and turned to look.

Zhao Kuangyin frowned, raised his hand and pressed down on Zhao Guangyi's shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "Tingyi, sit down!"

Zhao Guangyi gritted his teeth, but dared not disobey Zhao Kuangyin's wishes. He glared at Zhao Dezhao before sitting down angrily, his chest still heaving violently.

Zhao Kuangyin then looked at Zhao Dezhao, his tone somewhat reproachful: "Zhao'er, don't speak too sharply to your uncle. Your uncle is also doing this for the sake of the Song Dynasty; it's just a difference in opinion."

Zhao Dezhao bowed slightly, but his tone remained firm: "Your subject knows his mistake, but this concerns the survival of the Great Song Dynasty, so your subject dares not be ambiguous and can only speak frankly."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guangyi nearly lost his temper again, but Zhao Kuangyin then said to him, "Tingyi, Zhao'er is young and impetuous, and speaks without thinking. As his uncle, you should be more understanding."

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Zhao Guangyi clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and his expression suddenly calmed down. He even smiled gently: "Your Majesty is right. Zhao'er, please speak freely. I won't take it to heart."

Seeing Zhao Guangyi's appearance, Zhao Dezhao shuddered.

As the saying goes, a barking dog doesn't bite.

The uncle who poisoned her only ever laughed.

I still need to be careful.

However, Zhao Kuangyin trusted his younger brother completely, assuming he was truly at peace with the situation. He patted Zhao Guangyi on the shoulder with satisfaction, then looked at Zhao Dezhao and asked, "Zhao'er, you only pointed out the fault, but didn't mention a solution. Why don't you tell me?"

"Father, I am young and only have some rudimentary knowledge and limited understanding. I hope you will not take offense."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Dezhao revealed the reforms that Zhao Kuangyin had implemented in history: "In the short term, it is possible to establish three offices: the Palace Guard, the Infantry Guard, and the Cavalry Guard. These offices will be in charge of the daily training and organization of the Imperial Guards, and will only have the power to command troops, while the power to deploy troops will be in the hands of the Privy Council."

"The Privy Council can only exercise the power to mobilize troops with the emperor's order."

"Locally, military and political power could be separated, with administrative power centralized in the central government. Transport commissioners could be established to transfer all taxes from the regional military governors to the central government, except for a small amount for local expenses. The regional military governors would then lack the financial resources to support their armies."

"If you are still not at ease, you may rotate the highest-ranking local generals regularly, but do not change the soldiers, lest the new recruits do not know the old enemy and increase casualties."

Zhao Kuangyin listened quietly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

The measures proposed by Zhao Dezhao could indeed effectively solve the problem of "military generals monopolizing power and regional separatism," and some of his ideas even coincided with his own.

However, Zhao'er said that this was a short-term solution, but what about the long-term one?

Zhao Kuangyin turned his inquisitive gaze toward his son.

"Father, in the long run, this method still has drawbacks. The biggest problem is the separation of generals and soldiers; generals don't know their soldiers, and soldiers don't know their generals."

"When a new general takes office, he is unfamiliar with the combat strength of his soldiers and the enemy's tactics, making it difficult to quickly deploy defenses against the enemy. Over time, this will weaken the army's combat strength."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Kuangyin asked after a moment's thought.

"Perhaps—" Zhao Dezhao took a deep breath and tentatively said, "Perhaps, we can establish a military academy, add a martial arts subject, and have Father Emperor as the dean, with good generals serving as teachers. We can select people with outstanding military skills and malleable character to teach them carefully, and teach them literature and education while teaching them, and clarify the great righteousness between the ruler and his subjects."

"In this way, not only can the loyalty of these generals to the royal family be guaranteed, but the content of military training can also be standardized to ensure that the generals' military quality meets the standards, and there will be no situation where they are unfamiliar with the enemy army after taking office in the local area."

Upon hearing this, even Zhao Guangyi couldn't help but glance at Zhao Dezhao in surprise.

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes lit up!

It must be said that transplanting the methods of the Whampoa Military Academy to ancient times was truly epoch-making.

In his previous life, Zhao Dezhao was just an online novelist. Although he had some exposure to historical knowledge, frankly speaking, it was all theoretical and overly idealistic.

He's good at talking, but if you ask him to give specific instructions, he's afraid that if he does, people will laugh at him.

He also didn't think that his abilities in this area could surpass those of his father, who famously "released military power over a cup of wine."

Therefore, we can only rely on the wisdom of our predecessors.

However, while the plan to establish a military strategy academy is undoubtedly the best course of action, it is not advisable to implement it at this time.

With so many arrogant and fierce generals already emerging, what's the point of setting up a military strategy academy on top of that?

"As for the balance between civil and military affairs, I believe that both should be used and neither should be neglected."

Fearing that his father might overcorrect due to his fear of military generals, Zhao Dezhao quickly added some of his own thoughts: "In the past, Emperor Wu of Han established the country through military force, expanded the territory by thousands of miles, and achieved a reputation that has lasted for thousands of years."

"However, he was obsessed with military campaigns and neglected civil administration. Years of wars emptied the national treasury and displaced the people. If it weren't for his edict of repentance issued in his later years to win back the hearts of the people, the foundation of the Han Dynasty would have been shaken."

He paused, then continued, "Look at Emperor Taizong of Tang. After ascending the throne, he reduced taxes and promoted education, governing the country through culture. He even said, 'All the heroes of the world are now under my control.' Only then did the Zhenguan era of prosperity come about."

"At the same time, he used military force to secure the country and intimidate other nations, eventually leading to the arrival of all nations to pay tribute, and he was honored as the Heavenly Khan."

"It is evident that both military force and civil administration are indispensable to governing the country."

Upon hearing Zhao Dezhao cite the examples of Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Han, his reasoning was clear and his insights were pertinent, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but clap his hands and chuckle: "My son is absolutely right."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the uncle and nephew before him, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "I have decided to immediately restore the Imperial Academy, repair the academy, invite renowned scholars to give lectures, and cultivate talents."

"We will also allow private schools to be established among the people. In addition, three months later, the imperial examinations will be reopened to recruit talented people from all over the country to enrich the court."

After saying that, he looked intently at Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Guangyi and said in a deep voice, "This matter will be entirely handled by the two of you."

"Zhao'er is young and new to court life, so Tingyi needs to provide her with more guidance. As for Zhao'er, she should not be too ambitious and should learn from her third uncle. I hope that you two, uncle and nephew, will work together to accomplish this task."

Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Guangyi exchanged a glance. The former's gaze was calm, while the latter's smile remained unchanged. They both bowed and clasped their hands in greeting: "Yes, sir!"

Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin, relieved, finally smiled. The three chatted for a while longer, and as night deepened, Zhao Kuangyin allowed the two to return to their respective residences, while he himself returned to the palace.

After returning to the palace, Zhao Kuangyin dismissed his attendants and sat alone in his study, lost in thought.

Today's casual conversation with Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Guangyi reminded him of a question he had pondered when Chen Tuan came to Beijing.

That is—

With whom should the Song Dynasty share the empire?

With generals? With powerful families? With warlords? Or—

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Kuangyin raised his hand and summoned the eunuch Zhang Dejun, saying in a deep voice, "Zhang Dejun, leave the palace immediately and find the best craftsman in the capital. He must be highly skilled and have a tight tongue. Bring him to the palace secretly. I have a great use for him."

Zhang Dejun was taken aback, wondering what His Majesty wanted the craftsmen to do, but he dared not ask further and quickly bowed, replying, "This servant obeys the decree and will carry it out immediately!"