Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Wen Huanzhang nodded: "Okay."

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, there were no strict regulations on who should be in charge of crimes committed by members of the imperial family or clan, but it certainly wasn't the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

The Imperial Clan Court's authority was limited to managing the imperial clan's records, genealogies, maps, and registers; bestowing and approving names for members of the imperial clan; and repairing and performing rituals at ancestral temples and mausoleums.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, the education of the imperial family was still managed—but there was no power to judge or punish them!

Around the time of Emperor Renzong of Song, the number of members of the imperial family and clan was excessive.

The small Zongzheng Temple was difficult to manage, so a larger Zongzheng Division was added.

The Grand Master of Imperial Clan Affairs constantly seized power, effectively sidelining the Imperial Clan Court.

They also gained the power to mediate disputes and accept lawsuits, but the final judgment on how members of the imperial family should be punished for breaking the law had to be made by the emperor.

In addition, the censors also had the power to supervise the imperial clan, serving as an auxiliary force.

Chapter 3942 How to Deal with Royal Relatives

The emperor and his ministers began to discuss the management of the imperial clan.

The results of the discussion are as follows:

First, the structure of the Grand Court of Imperial Clan Affairs of the Northern Song Dynasty was largely restored, but the name was still the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

Secondly, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs only oversaw the imperial family, clan members, and relatives within five degrees of kinship of the emperor.

Third, members of the imperial clan and relatives outside the five degrees of mourning must have their household registration changed to civilian registration and be subject to the administration of the local government where their household registration is located.

This avoids the problem of the imperial family growing too large and the finances becoming unsustainable.

Correspondingly, these members of the imperial clan and relatives who were converted to civilian status were not restricted from taking the imperial examinations to become officials, and those who were truly capable could even become prime ministers.

However, in practice, such a person would likely be feared by the emperor and his ministers, making it unlikely that they would become prime minister.

Fourth, for members of the royal family and imperial clan within five degrees of kinship, ordinary cases were handled by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, while criminal cases were handled by the Three Judicial Offices.

The three judicial departments certainly wouldn't dare to make a judgment; they would most likely report to the emperor for a decision.

The first Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was Chen Ao, Zhao Yan's husband.

This practice of changing a person's status to that of a commoner after five degrees of kinship with the emperor may seem ruthless, but the actual practice in the Song Dynasty was even more ruthless.

The management of the imperial clan in the Song Dynasty can be roughly divided into two stages, with Emperor Shenzong as the dividing line.

In the first stage, the imperial family was kept under strict guard, treated like pigs in the palace, and eunuchs were sent to supervise them at all times.

In the second phase, the royal family had too many pigs, making it very difficult to manage their finances.

As a result, they were no longer placed under centralized surveillance and were forced to live in distant relatives of the imperial clan. Some even had to rent houses to live in, and some lived in poverty even more than ordinary people.

They were poor and restricted by their royal status, so they simply committed all sorts of evil deeds and even became hangers-on hooligans.

In the Song Dynasty, only a few royal families could inherit titles, and these royal families were becoming increasingly rare.

The emperor's own sons could be granted the title of king, but his grandsons would simply be denied that title.

Members of the imperial family with close blood ties were given honorary official titles.

Promotions are based on years of service, and most people can be promoted to Jiedushi (a nominal position) when they get old.

As a result, more and more members of the imperial family held nominal positions and received salaries, becoming part of the redundant officials in the Song Dynasty.

Members of the royal family with distant bloodlines would do anything to get an honorary position, and those with exceptional luck might even manage to secure a substantive post.

The plan that Wen Huanzhang and Zhao Yuan discussed seemed cold and ruthless, but compared to the Song Dynasty's imperial clan system, it was actually beneficial to the national finances and the imperial clan members who were not closely related by blood.

After discussing the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, Wen Huanzhang said, "You can't just raise adult princes like pigs after they've been granted the title of king, can you?"

A normal emperor would certainly be happy to raise princes who are not the crown prince like pigs.

Zhao Yuan said, "Give them a salary according to their rank. As long as they don't live too extravagantly, don't keep too many servants at home, and have a house granted by the court, they will definitely have no problem living a leisurely life."

"You can also find something to do based on your own interests, without being strictly monitored like in the Northern Song Dynasty."

"But unless the emperor permits it, the prince's descendants within three generations are absolutely forbidden from taking the imperial examinations or becoming officials!"

"It seems the only options are to engage in literary and artistic creation, or to conduct academic research and technological inventions," Wen Huanzhang said.

"By the way, speaking of technological inventions, how's your steam engine project coming along?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Wen Huanzhang said, "The experimental model has been improved to the third generation. More than ten steam engines have been put into production in mines, mints, and ironworks, and their shortcomings have been gradually improved through practical application."

"We even developed a steam train, and I laid a section of railway track in Wangchuan Valley."

Chapter 3943 Automation

"However, the train's efficiency is low, and its speed and carrying capacity are seriously insufficient, so further improvements are needed."

Zhao Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Steam trains already?"

“Steam spinning machines and looms are also being improved, mainly targeting cotton yarn and cotton cloth,” Wen Huanzhang said. “Even if they are built, would you dare to put them into the civilian market now?”

Zhao Yuan shook his head: "I definitely wouldn't dare."

Previously, cotton planting was encouraged, but now it's being restricted!

Because cotton farming is more profitable, many farmers have voluntarily switched to growing cotton.

Five years ago, the imperial court had no choice but to issue a decree to increase the land tax on cotton fields, which greatly dampened farmers' enthusiasm for planting cotton.

Why limit the number of cotton fields?

First, the north has suffered from drought for years, resulting in insufficient grain production. We cannot allow cotton to continue taking away fertile land.

Second, now it is "When Suzhou and Huzhou are prosperous, the whole country is well-fed," not "When Hubei and Hunan are prosperous, the whole country is well-fed."

Hunan and Hubei are both sparsely populated areas, and since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, they have been encouraging immigration and land reclamation.

In just a few years, the number of newly adult people has been increasing, but the Dongting Lake Plain is still not fully developed.

Without the grain guarantee from Hunan and Hubei, if Shandong, Huainan, and Jiangnan blindly increase cotton acreage,

Moreover, we've been facing several years of severe drought in the north—what about food security?

Once steam spinning machines and looms were put into production, cotton fabric output increased and cotton fabric costs decreased.

More and more farmers will switch to growing cotton, and even if the imperial court imposes heavy taxes on cotton fields, it won't stop them!

The British Industrial Revolution disregarded the lives of farmers.

Even disregarding the lives of farmers, the British government cried out that it could not withstand the influx of countless displaced farmers into London.

Therefore, a Briton without a stable job could be exiled to Australia even for petty theft in London.

Britain, being a small country with a small population, could naturally do things this way.

Why don't you try doing this in China?

A peasant uprising could happen in a heartbeat.

The problem Zhao Yuan is facing now is not the steam engine.

Instead, they weathered the natural disasters of the Little Ice Age and gradually brought down food prices.

Then continue developing Hunan and Hubei, and then annex and digest Annam, using Annam's grain to support Guangdong and Fujian.

Next, restrictions on cotton fields in Shandong and Jiangnan were lifted, allowing cotton production to increase according to market demand.

While the model of developing overseas colonies and obtaining cotton from India was feasible, it was not without its challenges.

However, it is impossible to curb the disorderly increase in domestic cotton fields until the cost of navigation decreases further.

Merchants and farmers only act based on immediate interests!

What? Using chemical fertilizers to increase agricultural output?

By the time Zhao Yuan traveled through time, it was already the 21st century, and only a dozen or so countries in the world could produce their own fertilizers.

Chemical fertilizers are a product of the Industrial Revolution, not a prerequisite for it.

The first chemical fertilizer in history appeared around the time of the Opium War.

The solution to the problem of large-scale fertilizer production was found in the two years before the Xinhai Revolution.

It took more than half a century from the emergence of chemical fertilizers in the laboratory to their large-scale production.

If Wen Huanzhang could produce fertilizer on a large scale, with that level of technology, the Ming Dynasty would have been able to drop bombs from airplanes long ago!

Reaching out to heat the small stove, Wen Huanzhang asked, "What are you planning to do next?"

Chapter 3944 Years of Natural Disasters

“We will swallow up Dali,” Zhao Yuan said, “but we will have to wait until we have enough food. Last year’s war against the Western Xia consumed too much grain, and years of natural disasters have left us with very little grain stored.”

"If the weather is favorable for two or three years, we will have enough grain to conquer Dali."

"We can certainly fight now, but we can't solve the food problem for the immigrants after the war."

Wen Huanzhang said, "Guangxi, southern Sichuan, western Hunan, and Guizhou have been sending exiled criminals and immigrants to cultivate the land."

"If we continue like this for ten years, and the border population is replenished, then attacking Dali will be a natural outcome."

Why rush to finish it in a few years?

“Copper mines,” Zhao Yuan explained, “the outflow of copper coins was too severe, while silver imports increased, forcing me to change the copper standard to the silver standard.”

"Previously, the price of silver was pegged to the price of copper; now, the price of copper is pegged to the price of silver."

"There are many copper mines in Yunnan, but can they solve the copper shortage problem?"

Wen Huanzhang only had a superficial understanding of this.

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "In the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, 95% of China's copper production came from Yunnan."

"Yunnan copper and Jianghuai salt were the two major sources of revenue in the mid-Qing Dynasty."

Wen Huanzhang asked, "Have any copper mines been discovered in Yunnan yet?"

Zhao Yuan said, "It's definitely not fully explored yet, but what's already being mined is enough."

"According to the news brought back by the merchants, the Dali Kingdom cast over a thousand Buddha statues of various sizes in bronze in one go three years ago!"

"The Dali Kingdom was really rich," Wen Huanzhang exclaimed in admiration.

Even as early as the Nanzhao Kingdom period, there was a giant bronze bell weighing over 100,000 jin, which is still a national treasure of Dali today!

It's easy to imagine that there was no shortage of copper there.

The reason for the fall of the Dali Kingdom: copper production!

……

After chatting for a while, Wen Huanzhang stood up: "I want to show you something."

"What is that?" Zhao Yuan asked curiously as he followed.

Wen Huanzhang said with a smile, "I guarantee you'll be shocked when you see it."

It was the dead of winter, with wind and snow raging.

The emperor and his minister rode in a carriage to Dongkuo City.

There was a small courtyard there, which used to hide BMWs. Wen Huanzhang also led craftsmen there to make inventions.

Although Wen Huanzhang moved away several years ago, the small courtyard has remained.

"Gah!"

The courtyard gate opened, and several young people came to greet them.

One was the son of Wen Huanzhang and Wen Xiaomei, named Wen Wenzhu, who was given the title of King of Min.

One is Yu Ang, a top craftsman who stood out from many apprentice craftsmen.

One was Zhang Congdao, who had spent ten years studying at the Imperial Academy and was well-versed in astronomy, geography, the Four Books and Six Classics, mathematics, and physics.

The courtyard gate was closed, and the house door was opened.

On the table in the center of the main room, there was an object about one foot tall.

Zhao Yuan glanced at the wires next to the object, suppressing his excitement, and asked, "Batteries?"