Chapter 53: On Reform

How do I see it?

If it were a few years earlier, Su Ze would probably have shouted slogans of national righteousness, refusing to show cowardice, and demanding that they fight the Khitans directly!

However, the present Su Ze could understand the thoughts of the appeasement faction led by Fan Zhongyan.

The Great Song could not afford to fight at this time.

Recalling the history he knew, Su Ze remembered that Fu Bi, serving as the accompanying envoy, reached a certain tacit understanding with the Liao envoy. Later, he went on a mission to Liao again and successfully signed a treaty. In the end, the Northern Song Dynasty neither ceded territory nor married off a princess, but instead secured peace at the cost of increased annual tributes.

Realistically speaking, this was already a quite impressive outcome.

Of course, Su Ze was not an unconditional defender of the Song Dynasty. As the most suffocating and aggrieved Central Plains dynasty, being threatened by the Liao and thus paying annual tributes was completely unimaginable during the Han and Tang dynasties.

Whether it was Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, or the young scholars present, they all shared an ideal of enriching the country and strengthening its military.

It was just that some people lived up to their ideals, while others got lost in the dyeing vat of power.

Still, he needed to make his stance known. Su Ze casually remarked:

"Jiefu brother cited the 'Discourse on the Six States' by Qin, but Su believes that using land to serve Qin is like trying to put out a fire by carrying firewood; as long as the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not go out."

"Well said!"

Hearing Su Ze's words, Yang Zhi was the first to applaud.

Zeng Gong, Han Jiang, Wang Gui, and Zeng Bu—who stood beside Zeng Gong—all looked at Su Ze with bright eyes.

Remembering when he used to read the *Discourse on the Six States* in his youth, Su Ze realized he had been just like them, feeling stirred and uplifted. No wonder Su Xun's essay had spread so widely.

Yet, upon closer reflection, the entire *Discourse on the Six States* offered no actual solution. In modern terms, it was merely an emotional outlet venting pent-up feelings.

Yang Zhi sighed:

"Not being able to take the imperial examination in the same cohort as Brother Su is truly a lifelong regret!"

*Who wants to take the imperial exams in the same cohort as you!*

Wang Anshi asked further: "Brother Su, how then can we wash away this border shame?"

Su Ze looked at Wang Anshi, suddenly realizing that since Wang Anshi had not yet entered officialdom, he probably had not yet conceived his specific ideas for reform.

However, since Wang Anshi asked, Su Ze did not hide his thoughts at all. He replied:

"Naturally, through reform!"

"Reform!"

Everyone wore expressions that said *as expected*.

***

Following the downfall of the conservative leader Lü Yijian, more and more officials began discussing the New Policies.

The contents of Fan Zhongyan's audience with the Emperor over a month ago had not been made public, but everyone guessed that Fan Zhongyan had petitioned the Emperor for reform.

Su Ze had brought down Lü Yijian with a single painting of *Along the River During the Qingming Festival*; no matter how one looked at it, he could not possibly share the same bed with the conservatives. He was bound to lean toward the reformist faction.

The young officials in the imperial court were basically all in favor of reform.

At this moment, Yang Zhi said loudly:

"Reform! It should have been reformed long ago!"

Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong, and Han Jiang nodded along. Seeing everyone nodding, Wang Gui followed suit and nodded as well.

Yang Zhi looked at Su Ze and asked:

"In your gentlemen's opinion, what is the most urgent task of reform?"

The primary task of reform?

Han Jiang, being the son of a high-ranking state minister, had some understanding of the court's predicament. He said:

"Han believes it should be expanding financial sources. The Emperor wishes to let the people recover and rest, but why does the common folk's life grow increasingly impoverished? To the point that whenever a famine strikes, the Emperor must use the inner treasury for disaster relief?"

"In my view, all the wealth of the realm has been pocketed by merchants! Those merchants violate the court's sumptuary laws by wearing luxurious garments, sparking a trend of extravagance among the people. That is why our Great Song has been reduced to such poverty!"

Wang Gui chimed in agreement, though he did not voice any independent opinion of his own.

Zeng Gong, however, said:

"I believe the current problem is the fatigue and weakness of the imperial army, coupled with unfavorable military operations in the north, making it impossible to recover the old territories of the Han and Tang. The foremost task must still be strengthening our military preparations and fighting capabilities."

Su Ze had not expected that Zeng Gong, renowned in later generations for his literary prowess, was actually a pro-war hawk.

Wang Anshi had clearly already contemplated the matter of reform. He continued:

"The primary task of reform is naturally to rectify people's minds. Marching into battle requires a righteous and recognized cause; without a theoretical foundation, how can one persuade the scholars of the realm to devote themselves to reform?"

Su Ze looked at Wang Anshi. *So this is the genesis of your compiling the New Meanings of the Three Scriptures?*

Su Ze sighed inwardly in admiration. True to being Wang Anshi, he understood in his twenties that a cause required first establishing programmatic slogans and forging ideological weapons. This insight surpassed even Fan Zhongyan, who was about to lead the Qingli Reforms.

In Su Ze's view, one of the reasons for the failure of the Qingli Reforms was the lack of a clear guiding program.

The gentlemen of the Qingli era were merely a group of ambitious ministers united under the common ideal of enriching the country and strengthening the military. Their political views differed, creating internal fractures.

Similarly, the New Policies possessed only specific policy slogans, yet lacked a unified ideological program.

Yang Zhi nodded, clearly agreeing with Wang Anshi's view.

***

At this point, everyone looked toward Su Ze. Su Ze said:

"Su believes it should be the cultivation of talents."

Su Ze glanced at Wang Anshi. Whether it was the Qingli Reforms or the later Wang Anshi Reforms, the primary reason for failure boiled down to people.

Because of poor personnel selection, the reforms collapsed.

During the Wang Anshi Reforms, due to excessive haste, numerous opportunists and careerists infiltrated the ranks. Some benevolent laws that might have originally benefited the people were twisted by officials chasing performance metrics and personal gains into cruel measures that harmed the populace.

Beyond that, the drafting and implementation of any decree required a vast number of talented individuals.

Reality was not a game; one could not simply click a button to change a nation's policies. All these structural shifts required people to execute them.

Su Ze stated:

"Only by valuing talent, enabling more people to understand the benefits and purpose of reform, and drawing more like-minded individuals to participate can reform be enduring. Only then will it avoid the fate of perishing along with the individuals who initiated it."

"Is there any law in this world that remains unchanged for a hundred years? When laws endure, corruption arises; one must adapt to the times. Today's new laws will become the ancestral laws of future generations. Without descendants who inherit the spirit of reform, this world will continue to sink into ruin."

Everyone pondered Su Ze's words, finding them profoundly reasonable.

Yang Zhi sighed:

"For an exceptional talent like Brother Su to be unable to enter officialdom through the exams is truly a pity for the Great Song."

Su Ze thought that the matter of his receiving official appointment through hereditary privilege could probably no longer be concealed. He simply confessed openly:

"Su has already received the Emperor's grace and was granted an official post through the patronage of my Uncle Zhang. I have already accepted an assignment at the Bureau of Shops and Residences."

Hearing that Su Ze had already obtained an official post through hereditary privilege and had even been assigned a duty, everyone was startled.

One had to realize that even top-tier imperial examination scholars like Wang Anshi had to wait honestly in the Selection Bureau, awaiting an appropriate vacant position before they could take office.

However, no one—not even Zeng Gong—showed any trace of jealousy. Instead, they all stepped forward to congratulate Su Ze.

After all, one could still take the imperial examinations even after receiving a hereditary appointment; Han Jiang present here had abundant experience in that regard.

At this moment, the well-informed Yang Zhi spoke up:

"Brother Su, have you heard about the case of the demonic monk that happened at the Bureau of Shops and Residences a few days ago?"