The next day, Zhao Xu left the palace early in the morning, left the city, and came to the horse farm west of the city.

The Minister of War Xu General, and the Doctor of the Ministry of War, accompanied Zong Ze, who was the leader of Hu Wei's army.

Walking in the horse farm, it was full of the smell of stinking. Zhao Xu stood in front of a manger, touching the red horse in front of him, listening to Xu Jiang's words.

"Official family,"

Xu Jiang stood beside Zhao Xu and said, "Some of the powers and duties of Taipu Temple, the Qunmusi Department and the Department of the Driving Department have been incorporated into the Ministry of Revenue, and the twelve horse prisons in the north and south are being abolished. The 'Master Protection Law' and 'House Horse Law' do have many disadvantages. I have tried my best to prevent the new law from being included..."

Zhao Xu listened quietly and was thinking.

Ma Zheng of the Song Dynasty was a mess. He gradually declined since the reign of Emperor Taizong. By the time of Emperor Zhenzong, he could no longer afford to support him because of his huge expenses.

During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the previous dynasty, Ma Zheng consumed nearly five million chunks in a year!

The court was not able to make ends meet, so how could such a big deal be supported?

Therefore, Wang Anshi's "Master Protection Law" can be said to be a last resort. However, even if the court did not support it and pushed it to the people, as the implementation below changed, it became a tool for gentry to exploit the people, and in a short time it became a bad policy.

This has become a ready-made target for the "old party" to attack the "new party".

"At present, the horse government basically falls on the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War plans to build two horse farms, no longer push them to the people, no longer set up many horse prisons, which will only waste the court's financial resources..." Xu Jiang continued.

Zhao Xu touched for a while, and listened for a long time, his face was calm, but his tone was very firm: "I support you not to revive the 'Master Protection Law' and other things. There are still many problems with horse politics now. The first is the organization and efficiency of the organization. I have incorporated these institutions into the Ministry of War in hope that the Ministry of War can change the previous people and work together to raise horses. In the past, raising a horse of 500 stag, I don't want this to continue, and money should be used on the blade."

"Secondly, Kaifeng City is not suitable for raising horses, but there are still good places in Jingdong and Jingdong. The Ministry of War will choose. The horse farm is for raising horses. No one is allowed to intervene. The court will provide many conveniences and reduce restrictions. Within five years, I will want at least 50,000 good horses. As for horse breeds, if the Ministry of War is not strong enough, I will let Mr. Zhang do it. It is not difficult for Xia and Liao to go."

"Third, the court will launch a new horse government as soon as possible. It must act in accordance with the horse government, form a complete structure, and manage efficiently and effectively, especially the supervision and acceptance of money, grain, and horses entering and leaving. It must be sufficient, fine and reasonable."

"fourth,……"

General Xu listened carefully, remembered, and then began to talk about his ideas and the detailed plans of the Ministry of War.

Zhao Xu nodded secretly as he heard this. Xu Jiang was a person who could do things and had a relatively thorough consideration in all aspects.

Zhao Xu looked up and looked again. There were already many horses in the horse farm. Some people were training. They turned around and walked along the road. They said, "The most disadvantage of our Song Dynasty, Liao and Xia is the cavalry. Cavalry is the most important force, even a decisive force in the war. In my plan, our Song Dynasty must have at least 300,000 war horses, and at least 200,000 cavalry. According to the national strength of our Song Dynasty, we can fully afford it! Not to mention the recovery of Western Xia and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, I must get it back!"

Zhao Xu not only wants sixteen states, but also wants to attack Huanglong!

Of course, these words cannot be said, otherwise it may scare all the civil and military officials today.

General Xu knew that Zhao Xu had always had great ambitions and always responded.

Zong Ze is becoming more and more handsome, with a tough face, a firm temperament, and a taciturn wordless.

Zhao Xu walked and looked at the horses, feeling a little relieved.

These horses are not good in his eyes, at most they are ‘medium’. However, the horse government of the Song Dynasty has been abolished for a long time, so it is already good to have this in a short period of time. He cannot ask too much, and put too much pressure on him.

After talking for a while, Zhao Xu turned to Zong Ze and said, "In this exercise, in addition to testing the army's actual combat capabilities, it also supports the north. If there is a war, how can Kaifeng support it, how long will it take, how much support it will be, etc. Our Song army has been exhausted for a long time, and very few can fight. You are the first army to be trained since I took power, and you cannot lose face."

Zong Ze raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, the Tiger Fear Army will never fall into the prestige of the official family!"

Seeing Zong Ze's voice full of energy, Zhao Xu nodded and smiled, saying, "No, I'm half relieved if the Qing family has such confidence."

General Xu smiled and said, "Officials, I have carefully looked at the appearance of Hu Wei's army. It is indeed very different from the past. The military style is strong and the momentum is magnificent. I believe it is worth fighting!"

Zhao Xu smiled more and said, "That's good. I really can't leave here, otherwise I really want to see you with my own eyes."

Zong Ze was silent, with a tall figure and a straight demeanor.

Zhao Xu was at a loss and said, "I believe you should have seen other purposes too. First, to intimidate bandits from all walks of life in the north, second, to intimidate some ill-hearted people, and third, to firmly resolve to reform. You know these, you can weigh them yourself. I have seen the plans of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War. It is very good and must be strictly implemented. We must not only test the army, but also not disturb the people. Our army in the Song Dynasty is to protect the country and the people, and it is a dignified army of the emperor, not an official thief!"

"I understand." Zong Ze said in a deep voice.

General Xu was secretly aware of his strict implementation of military law, and his heart became more firm.

...

Zhao Xu stayed in the horse farm for a long time, then went to military weapons to inspect and put forward some opinions on some weapons. In the evening, he turned around and left Kaifeng Prefecture and headed to his first stop, Yongqiu County.

Along the way, Zhao Xu walked very slowly, observing the fields, crops, irrigation, livestock, tax payment, farmers' survival, etc.

At night, Zhao Xu settled down at a station that had been prepared long ago.

Sitting at the table, he picked up his pen and wrote the record seriously:

‘The breeding of the horse farm requires caution. I don’t understand it very much, so I have to leave it to the horse farm for research and experiment. The situation of the horse farm is unsatisfactory and needs to be gradually promoted, striving to form a system in five years to quantify the output of war horses…’

‘Weapons still have a lot of room for improvement, such as swords, armor, arrows, etc. I have seen some in "Dream Creek Bitan" and have some ideas. When the research institution of the Imperial Academy is established, I can quietly unfold the science and technology tree and make leapfrog developments in some things...’

‘The land owned by farmers is very small. At present, two or three out of ten, and most of them are poor fields. The crops are not growing well, only about one-third of the per mu of later generations. Irrigation and oxen are poor, and the taxes are relatively heavy. Most farmers are tenants of the gentry class, and their lives are better than farmers. This should be the reason why farmers are willing to be tenants...’

'The peasants are willing to be tenants. They are afraid of reform because they have no guarantees and may become tenants again in the future. Then they will be worse than death. This is a warning to the court, to me, to strengthen the attack on the illegal gentry, to inspire the people, and to prepare for the land...the support of the people must be obtained!'

'The plan of the Political Affairs Hall and the Six Ministry has just begun and has not had any impact or major impact. The conflict in the Kaifeng Prefecture Pilot Project is not only a conflict between the two parties of the "new and old", but is basically determined by interests. The gentry class will not give up vested interests. If the court wants to redistribute, it needs stronger strength. It must be firm, persistent, and make plans for ten years!'

These are what Zhao Xu saw and felt. After returning, he had to sort out and take action.

Early the next morning, Zhao Xu set off and arrived in Yongqiu County at noon.

Zhao Xu did not enter the city, so he walked specifically near the fields.

Zhao Xu got off the carriage and took a group of people to walk in the dry river, observing crops and interlaced ridge fields.

Before Zhao Xu had walked for a long time, he saw that not far away, suddenly, a large group of people gathered on both sides of the field and quickly confronted each other.

On one side, there was obviously an official, while on the other side, there were people wearing some ragged clothes.

"Get out of here, I'm Tong Sheng, try touching me, it's not as good as you!"

Zhao Xu was just curious when he heard a loud shout full of energy and a little old.
Chapter completed!