Chapter 276: Chapter 276

"Although, but... wait, hasn't the Northern Song Dynasty's establishment been relatively recent?" the system asked doubtfully.

"Yes, it hasn't been that long."

"But A-Tong, do you know what makes the Great Song Dynasty most distinctly different from other dynasties?"

Flipping through the book in her hands, An Ning's eyes unconsciously grew more serious: "The difference is that it's one of the few dynasties that didn't undergo social resource redistribution and reorganization. Even when our founding emperor took over, he inherited a complete court system."

No peasant uprisings, no foreign invasions—just an armed coup. One could say the original social strata experienced virtually no disruption.

Looking throughout history, why do social contradictions become increasingly acute as a dynasty progresses? The fundamental reason lies in the pyramid-like concentration of social resources among the upper classes, completely depriving the common people of survival capital. In ancient times, this was most evident in land resources.

Yet the Song Dynasty, due to its excessive favoritism toward scholar-officials, became one of the few dynasties in history that didn't suppress land annexation. Coupled with the increasingly powerful scholar clans and the landlord class behind them, one could imagine how severely the survival resources of the common people would be squeezed in the long run.

One could say all the inherent flaws of this dynasty were planted from its very founding. At least in An Ning's view, whether it was later commercial development or excessive military expansion, they were merely derivatives of this fundamental issue.

"A-Tong, do you know how many troops the Great Song military currently has altogether?" An Ning asked idly, propping her chin.

But the next second, it heard its host casually drop a few words: "Already exceeded one million..."

"Cough cough, what, what did you say? One... one million?"

Holy crap, the legendary million-strong army is this pathetic? The system was utterly shocked. Remembering the few instances its host mentioned where larger forces were defeated by smaller ones, the system's mouth twitched.

After a long while, it finally managed to squeeze out a few words: "So is this what they call 'one weak soldier makes a weak unit, one weak general makes a weak army'?"

Continuing to flip through the materials in her hands, An Ning's expression remained unchanged, though inwardly she disagreed. But honestly, attributing all these failures solely to generals would be too unfair. Looking throughout the entire Great Song, were there truly no capable military commanders?

The answer was actually yes, there were. Even the so-called "emphasizing civil over military" approach and the "soldiers not knowing their generals, generals not knowing their soldiers" situation caused by excessive power dispersion were only part of the problem.

The Great Song, especially during the Northern Song period: in terms of troop numbers—over a million strong; in terms of equipment—70% of the Song's annual revenue went to military maintenance. Song's scientific and technological development was also advanced, with excellent metallurgy and crossbow technology.

Even considering limited general authority and capability, the military's weakness to this extent, in An Ning's view, ultimately came down to the source: the "people."

Not to mention other issues, the Great Song already had significant problems with just its "recruitment sources." What was the main source of this dynasty's military? The answer: refugees—landless, homeless refugees, even including local ruffians, bandits, criminals, with the elderly, weak, and disabled making up the majority.

However, in An Ning's perspective, this was less a military and more like the court providing a shelter for socially unstable elements, simply to avoid social unrest.

For example, during the Song Dynasty, there were over 400 large and small peasant uprisings. Where did these people ultimately end up? The answer: still in this unfortunate military!

Regardless of the quality of troops formed from such recruitment sources, what kind of status did these ruffians, bandits, and refugees have in the eyes of scholar-officials, or even ordinary common people? You look down on me, yet expect me to defend the country? What kind of logic is that? When truly critical moments arrive, choosing between defending the homeland and saving one's own life—is that really a difficult choice?

Closing the booklet filled with dense seal script, An Ning couldn't help but sigh: "They all say one weak soldier makes a weak unit, one weak general makes a weak army. But tell me, facing such a bunch of weak soldiers, how much capability could even the most brilliant general display?"

Ah this, so tragic. It couldn't help but sympathize with these military officers. Not only were they constantly suppressed by civil officials, but when training troops, just glancing at their unfortunate soldiers would be enough to cause a heart attack!

"Oh, so host, even though you clearly care about military affairs, you still chose the Ministry of Revenue first this time?"

Exactly, An Ning nodded. At any time, a country's military, politics, and economy are fundamentally interconnected. Trying to focus on just one aspect while ignoring the others—no matter how much effort put in—simply cannot solve the root problems.

The refugee troubles caused by large-scale land annexation led to mixed and excessive military recruitment, which increased the national treasury burden. This in turn led to more miscellaneous taxes on the common people, further burdening ordinary citizens, which again caused an increase in refugees who couldn't survive, further dragging down finances.

Many clear-eyed officials in the court recognized this vicious cycle. Other political maneuvers and schemes were ultimately minor matters! Getting to the root of things—this was the fundamental reason why truly insightful people in the court rarely opposed her participation in governance.

Not to mention other things, expanding production resources was what she excelled at most...

As for others, An Ning snorted lightly. With power and benefits at stake, even if they couldn't stand a woman taking the stage, what could they do? Did they really think these court ministers had much backbone?

Heh, if they had strong principles, throughout history there wouldn't have been so many who practically groveled before eunuchs and foreign tribes! Compared to these, what was she, just a woman?

Lying on the soft large bed, An Ning comfortably closed her eyes.

The reality proved exactly so. Contrary to everyone's expectations, the princess's participation in governance—something almost absurd in contemporary times—proceeded remarkably smoothly amid the silence of the official and various court ministers.

The next morning during court assembly, the ministers witnessed a woman in a cobalt-blue palace brocade robe appear in the court. While clearly dressed in unmistakably feminine attire, her every movement carried an indescribable nobility and natural grace.

What astonished everyone was that despite this being her first court appearance, the woman before them carried herself as if she had done this thousands of times before. Along the way, she could even naturally greet familiar officials with composed demeanor.

With just one glance, the assembled ministers hurriedly averted their eyes, not daring to look too closely.

But what truly made jaws drop came during the subsequent court session. Although everyone knew this woman—both before and now—possessed considerable skill to stand here, only when directly facing her did they realize her eloquence and her ability to always hit the mark, pinpointing core issues with every word. When facing subtle challenges from certain ministers, her counterattacks were nothing short of brilliant, effortlessly reducing several elder ministers to shame and fury.

The ministers: "......"

Several officials who had intended to watch the spectacle and play peacemakers instantly shut their mouths. Honestly, Her Highness and the official really aren't alike!

Paying no mind to these old fogies' silent complaints, as a newcomer An Ning had considerable official business to familiarize herself with, though nothing excessively complex. After some understanding, An Ning quickly established her procedures.

While her subordinates were busy to the point of hair loss, An Ning even had leisure to enjoy tea.

Just that day, having finished handling documents, before An Ning could even leave the office, a person appeared before her: "I apologize for disturbing Your Highness, but regarding the previous matter of northern mountainous lands, this official still has many questions I wish to consult with you about!"