Zhang Xiaojie blinked his eyes and wondered: "What does the privy mean by this?" ”

"Actually, the reason has already been said. In the past, only three or four out of ten children in noble families could become adults. And now there are five or six ...... in the homes of ordinary people, "This is not only the credit of the pox method, but also because the health care system has also spread along with the pox method." In areas with high levels of medical care, it is common for several children to be safe and sound, "When a couple reaches their peak, four or five of their children can reach adulthood. “

Zhang Xiaojie groaned, "The privy means that in the long run, there will be more and more accounts in the world. Sooner or later, there will be so much that you can't feed yourself? ”

Occasionally, this happens in the steppe. When the population of the tribe is large, it must be defeated. If you don't go out of the land and grab the land, you will only starve to death by relying on the old pastures and water sources. However, some small tribes have increased in population, but they still can't fight the big tribes nearby, and they either move to places with abundant water and grass, or simply split up and let some of the tribes leave to fend for themselves.

However, it was only a small tribe, and in a country like Da Liao, there was no amount of uncultivated land and uncultivated grassland, so there was no problem in this regard at all.

"Ha Luha, the privy councillor is too much to worry about. The world is so big, no matter how many people can feed it! If there were, it would be hundreds of years later. The privy councillor is a great sage of the time, familiar with the scriptures and history, and should know how the Central Plains of the Dao has had peace for three to five hundred years! “

It is not surprising how many people die in a great chaos that changes the dynasty, and the land will definitely be empty.

"Not a few hundred years, but thirty or fifty years. Your country is thousands of miles long, no less than the Emperor and Song Dynasty, but the population is only a few roads of the Emperor and Song Dynasty, of course there is no need to worry. However, within the territory of the Emperor and Song Dynasty, there was not much land left suitable for cultivation. People always have to eat, but they don't care if the land is enough. Can you reason with your stomach and make people starve to death willingly? Han Gang Zhilu said that Zhang Xiaojie figured out this truth, "In order to feed the people, even the wild land must be annexed." Could it be that the Emperor Song Dynasty has opened up Jinghu Lake and pacified Nanjiao in recent years, just to show off the national prestige? ”

Zhang Xiaojie's smile gradually converged, and he listened to Han Gang's already sharp threat with a straight face.

"At that time, there was no pox method. Now it's only going to get a little worse. If you can't get more land to feed the increased population, a hundred years later, when the world mentions Han Gang, you will be a sinner who has caused chaos in the world. ”

If it weren't for the fact that the person who spoke was Han Gang, and he heard it with his own ears behind Han Gang, Zhang Qi would definitely think that it was a nonsense that a madman said when he was sick. It's just that what Han Gang revealed, with Zhang Ji's intelligence, it is easy to understand.

Fewer babies and young children are dying, and of course the population will increase dramatically. Now because the pox method has not been implemented for a long time, it is not obvious for a while, but in ten or twenty years, the number of births will be far greater than the number of deaths, and millions more mouths will be opened every year, which is equivalent to the need to increase the ration of tens of millions of stones. And to replenish this amount of food means millions of acres of land.

Born in Fujian, where eight mountains, one water and one field are divided, Zhang Kai has the most profound understanding of the results of the lack of fields since he was a child. In many parts of Fujian, countless newborns are drowned every year, and they don't do anything else just because they can't feed them. Even though it has been criticized by many people and has been repeatedly ordered by successive magistrates, it cannot be banned.

The rapid increase in the population is either due to more large-scale infant drowning or the abandonment of the pox method, which has slowed the population growth. From the point of view of Confucianism, this is absolutely unacceptable. So in order for the Great Song Dynasty to be able to survive for generations, it is necessary to find a way to accommodate the new population.

To get more mouths to eat, more land is needed. In the Central Plains, all the land that can be used is basically used, and the only way left is to enclose the lake to create fields, cut down forests to create fields, or open up land from the slopes of the mountains.

However, with the gradual expansion of the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, especially the annexation and development of the two roads of Hehuang and Jinghu in the northwest and Jiaozhou in the south, the Great Song court had another choice.

Zhang Xiaojie's eyes were cold. He had never expected that. Even after the peace agreement was reached, Han Gang's heart was still thinking about war.

And this is not Han Gang's attitude alone. Even if there is no Han Gang, no matter who is in power, just for the stability of the Great Song Dynasty, it is inevitable to adopt a policy of expanding outward, which is due to the situation.

However, his expression soon eased again, Han Gang would not say this for no reason, and there would be a turning point after that: "Is the privy council reminding Xiaojie that there will be a battle in Song Liao in the future?" The Privy Counsellor is truly a gentleman. “

"Xianggong should be the original intention of Han Gang's heartfelt words." Han Gang could see that Zhang Xiaojie could understand what he meant, "In fact, there is no need for Da Liao to be an enemy of the Emperor Song, and the Huang Song has no intention of being an enemy of Da Liao." This world realm is very large, far bigger than the world that is now called. ”

"In ancient times, the Yin and Yang family had the saying of big Kyushu and small Kyushu, and the privy council said this."

Zhang Xiaojie has read the "Historical Records" and knows that in the "Biography of Mencius Xunqing", there are words that "those who think that Confucianism is so-called China are eighty-one in the world", but this is not what the two sages of Confucianism said, but the Yin and Yang family Su Yan [also known as Zou Yan].

"All the sons of the hundred schools, although only Confucianism is the most upright, but the rest of the families must also have their own reasons, if it is completely false, how can it be spread? The so-called Kyushu, the land of China, is Dayu Fenchi County Shenzhou. 'Chixian Shenzhou has its own Kyushu, and the order of Yu is Kyushu. ''Outside China, such as Chixian Shenzhou, the so-called Kyushu is also''. In addition to this Kyushu, there are such Kyushu nine. ”

"Isn't that just over one percent of the world's size in China?"

"You and I can have one-fiftieth of each other combined."

"It's big enough." Zhang Xiaojie nodded, as if he agreed, but still disagreed in his heart.

Although the world is large, and there are countless countries and states, which one is rich in the Song Kingdom? Although the territory of Daliao is thousands of miles wide, it is mostly barren land, where can it be compared with the Central Plains. If you don't catch fat sheep, will you still catch mice with only bones to eat? On the other hand, in the eyes of the Song people, how can the miasma land in the south be compared to the homeland in the north? It was also fertile land that could feed tens of millions of people. The truth is the same.

Han Gang naturally knew that Zhang Xiaojie was insincere, and the thoughts in the hearts of the Liao people were originally very clear.

"I don't know what the public knows, but I don't know the way, and the degree of fertility and thinness of the land is not static. "Shangshu 61 Yu Gong" once commented on the land of Kyushu in the world, the best is Yongzhou, 'the field is only on the top', and the worst is Yangzhou, 'the field is only down', that is, today's Jiangnan. ”

"Shangshu" is the fundamental classic of Confucianism, Zhang Xiaojie has certainly read this scripture, and still remembers the content of "Yu Gong", he nodded, "The vicissitudes of life are nothing more than that." ”

Jiangnan is rich, and in the eyes of the north, it is only a little worse than Kaifeng, which is paved with gold. And the prosperity of Tokyo is supported by the taxes of Gangnam.

"Otherwise, there is the power of heaven and earth, and there is the power of man."

"Why does the Privy Council say that?"

"For thousands of years, the history of the Han family is endless, and I have never heard of the retreat of the sea in the south of the Yangtze River. However, Taibo moved south, and Yongjia Nandu was chiseled in history. Han Gang raised his hand and pointed to the south, "Hundreds of millions of Han people have turned the original miasma land into the current fertile land. So that Kaifeng diet depends on the supply of Jiangnan. ”

Zhang Xiaojie understood, but he didn't believe it: "From miasma to wealth, it took thousands of years." ”

"It takes thousands of years to go with the flow, and if you start from scratch, it will take decades. The land of Jiaozhou, the land of new services, is now Wangzhou with millions of stones. ”

The situation in Jiaozhou is very special, with the slave plantation economy as the mainstay, and the land endowment is calculated according to the mu, which is quite a lot, but the per capita tax is very small, as for the commercial tax, because Jiaozhou is almost only in and out, and the number of taxes on passing and living is only the level of ordinary military states. But it is impossible for Zhang Xiaojie to know this, and Han Gang will not explain.

Han Gang paused, folded his hands, and then said, "Han Gang has a sentence that wants to be passed on to Zhang Xianggong to your father, as the saying goes, people have no long-term concerns, but they must have near-term worries." After all, Shang's father's near-term worries are just a disease of ringworm, and with Shang's father's ability, it will definitely be solved soon. But the hidden worries in the future are not so simple. Think about your children and grandchildren, too. If it were possible, wouldn't it be better for you and my brotherly nations to join hands. ”

Zhang Xiaojie left, and Han Gang's words made him preoccupied. Da Liao doesn't have to worry about not having enough land for the time being, but the situation in the Song Kingdom is another matter.

Although Han Gang's words did not contain half a threat, they fundamentally illustrated the inevitability of the Song Kingdom's future expansion of territory. That's not an opponent that can be known through lobbyists, or through victories in a few wars. Once Song Liao fights for this, it is likely to be the result of endless death. At that time, in the face of the Southern Dynasty, which had a larger population and was more belligerent, what the Liao State had to consider was probably not to win, but to protect itself. If Song can turn his attention in other directions, it will not be a good thing for Da Liao. But that would require the cooperation of Jerry Yixin. Han Gang's words today should also mean this.

Zhang Qi's mood was also up and down.

Han Gang's words have actually announced his goal of governing in the future, and he also wants to expand his territory, rather than being introverted and self-controlled. But not because of great success, but for survival. If there is a choice, he will not fight with the Liao State for the land of clouds, so he will exhaust his national strength. Instead, it will expand the territory from places where there are more fields and are easy to start with, so as to feed more people of the Great Song Dynasty.

"The long-term vision of the privy is beyond our reach. Now that I think about it, it was. The population is growing day by day, and sooner or later the land will run out. For the sake of the Great Song Dynasty for thousands of years, it is helpless to expand the territory. Zhang Qi said from the bottom of his heart. It would be nice if Yelu Yixin could listen to it, lest he be always suspicious, and the northern border of the Great Song Dynasty would be a little easier, "Presumably, His Royal Highness Shangfu of the Liao Kingdom will also carefully consider the words of the privy council." ”

Han Gang shook his head, Zhang Qi seemed to understand, but he still didn't understand: "There is a saying that I don't know if I have heard it?" ”

"What's the saying?"

"When you see people, you talk about people, and when you see ghosts, you talk nonsense."

Zhang Qi was stunned when he heard this, put down the teacup in his hand, leaned forward and asked, "Is the privy talking about human words or ghost words today?" ”

"It's not ......" Han Gang shook his head, "I'm Gongye Chang!" [Note 1]

Note 1: Gongye Chang. Confucius's student and son-in-law, one of the seventy-two sages, is rumored to be able to speak with beasts, and is the most proficient in foreign languages among Confucius's disciples.