The Donglin Party was a political party in the late Ming Dynasty with Jiangnan scholar-officials as its core. It got its start when Gu Xiancheng lectured at Donglin Academy, hence its name.

At the beginning, the Donglin Party was just a small group of people who had failed in the political struggle who gathered together to give lectures and discuss politics. However, because these people had a relatively high reputation among scholars and liked to "separately lecture, they often satirized the government and judged people."

The impact was huge.

When the Donglin Party was established, it was the time when Wanli was at his craziest in sending mine supervisors to the world, and one of the slogans of the Donglin Party was "Abolish the mine supervisors and return the government to the Six Ministries."

The commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty was a joke. Not only was the tax rate extremely low, but tax evasion was serious. Even officials, with the slogan of not competing with the people for profit, did not collect commercial tax, or even left it alone.

Zhu Youxiao saw this example in later generations. He said that the magistrate of a certain place in the south of the Yangtze River simply threw a money box on the street, and then beat gongs and drums and said that everyone collects business taxes on their own volition.

I put money into it, and the result was predictable. In the end, I only received thirteen taels of silver.

In the Ming Dynasty, ordinary people could only farm, work as coolies, and sell vegetables and buy food. All big businesses were monopolized by the gentry and bureaucrats. They had official privileges and were hidden behind the civil servants. They belonged to the same class.

Under such circumstances, it is strange that those civil servants would manage business taxes.

Under such circumstances, not to mention the mining tax, almost no one paid it. It was all blatant mining, and except for management and profit sharing, everything went into the pockets of the local gentry themselves.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, the national commercial tax collection in one year was only 500,000 taels, and this was still the era of Zhang Juzheng, who was in power. Once Zhang Juzheng died, commercial taxes shrank immediately, and recently they have basically disappeared.

After the three major levies, the national treasury had no money. In desperation, after Wanli, mine supervisors were sent to collect taxes. They not only collected mining taxes, but also collected a series of commercial taxes such as salt taxes and tea taxes. However, who could mine and do business in the local area?

People? Big landowners and gentry and bureaucrats, it is surprising that they are happy, so the gentry and bureaucrats took a series of resistance and confrontation measures. Such measures were often seen in the notes of Ming Dynasty scholars, and they called this kind of confrontation just

, calling the emperor’s eunuchs to collect taxes evil and a coward.

Isn’t it a matter of course for the state to send people to collect commercial and mineral taxes? Those who resist taxes are breaking the law and should be arrested and sentenced. However, Shilin at the time believed that this was not the case. Collecting commercial taxes was competing with the people for profit. The emperor could not collect commercial taxes.

Otherwise, you are a bastard and a coward.

This was an extremely ridiculous idea in the eyes of later generations, but it was regarded as orthodox and taken for granted at the time. Based on this argument, they frantically resisted the mine supervisors assigned by the emperor, causing all kinds of troubles and death.

a lot of people.

Of course, this is not to clean up the land for eunuchs. Many of the mine supervisors sent by Wanli did commit heinous crimes. In order to line their own pockets, they used their power wantonly and plundered wealth. However, this is not a reason to boycott commercial tax. It is the executors who are at fault.

Not this system.

However, under the encouragement of scholars, public opinion is exactly the opposite. Do these scholars and great Confucians really not understand? No, the most fundamental reason is because of the interests involved.

If there is no business tax, the money earned from doing business is all your own, so why should you give a share to the emperor?

This principle is very simple, and all scholars understand it, but they just pretend to be confused and associate collecting business taxes with competing for profits from the people. Once the emperor has this intention, he will immediately raise this flag to stop it.

Under such circumstances, as soon as the slogan of the Donglin Party was put forward, it immediately attracted many people. Moreover, Gu Xiancheng, who founded the Donglin Party, was also an extremely smart man who controlled the world with a commoner. As a smart man, he

Naturally understand the power of public opinion.

There is a successful example of an emperor collecting business taxes to compete with the people. He also used his intelligence to manipulate public opinion.

Anyone who joins the Donglin Party is an upright person, those who join are all virtuous ministers, and those who do not join are all treacherous ministers. Those who are virtuous ministers will naturally join the Donglin Party, but those who are treacherous will not join.

Under such double control, under such concepts and propaganda, a large number of opposition officials, southeastern urban forces, and local wealthy families gathered under the banner of Donglin to strengthen the Donglin Party.

Wanli had a very thorough understanding of the Donglin Party, so he kept suppressing the Donglin Party when he was there, tacitly allowed the three parties to unite against Donglin, and finally eliminated them from the government.

It's a pity that after Wanli died and Zhu Changluo came to power, the Donglin Party gained the greatest political achievements and instantly resurrected and entered the government. Then with the death of Guangzong, the little emperor Tianqi ascended the throne and became ignorant after he ascended the throne. He drove away Fang Congzhe and became the ruling party.

.

Although the original Emperor Tianqi was not smart, he still had self-awareness. He knew that he was no match for the civil servants and knew how to release the eunuchs to fight against him. However, the later Chongzhen was simply a hot-blooded fool. After being fooled by the Donglin Party, he could not find Bei.

, after getting rid of Wei Zhongxian, no one was arranged to take over.

I don't know anything about government affairs. I just know how to increase land tax when I have no money. I even abolished the inn in order to save money. It's just stupid. This guy was fooled and didn't even know that there is such a thing as commercial tax.

thing.

That's why Chongzhen said in his will when he died, "I am not the king of a subjugated country, but all of my ministers are ministers of a subjugated country." Although Chongzhen did not say this clearly, his will said: "I am a cold and virtuous man, but I bow to God, and I am responsible for all my ministers."

Mistaken me. I died without a face to see my ancestors. I took off my crown and covered my face with my hair. I allowed thieves to divide me and did not hurt any of the people." But it has this meaning.

The party government of the Ming Dynasty began with the Donglin Party, and the demise of the Ming Dynasty also began with the Donglin Party.

Of course, this was the history before the protagonist came. After he became Zhu Youxiao, the history was completely different. The Donglin Party's plan did not succeed. Instead, it was labeled as a rebel against the party. The top core members were wiped out, and some of the people behind it were

Local forces were also uprooted.

However, although Donglin's name has been removed, its roots are still there, and it still has extensive influence in the Jiangnan region, and its forces are intertwined.

Although the Hong Pill case allowed Zhu Youxiao to arrest a group of Donglin Party members, it was only the core of the top management, and the middle and lower levels were hardly affected. After all, arrests must have evidence. Originally, he wanted to implicate them, but in the end

They had just started and arrested a few nobles, but the civil servants intervened to stop them.

At that time, Zhu Youxiao had just ascended the throne, and the Yulin army had not yet fully recruited soldiers. With the efforts of civilian officials, he naturally could not stand up to the brute force, so he ceased his activities.

Although the emperor calmed down, the undercurrent did not. Instead, it intensified, surging wildly on the bottom of the sea. The waves were turbulent. Once the opportunity came, it would be an overwhelming tsunami.

Jiangnan has always been the richest place in the feudal dynasty, and it was also a place with a heavy tax burden. One-third of the country's tax burden was collected from here. Generally speaking, the Jiangnan area was later divided into southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and northeastern Jiangxi.

A collective name for several places. It has abundant water conservancy, developed irrigation, and the people below are also wealthy.

When the people are rich, they have money to study. When there are more scholars, the competition in the imperial examination becomes fierce. Jiangnan has always been a dead group in the imperial examination. It would be appropriate for any scholar here to stand out in other provinces.

As more people become literate, public opinion will develop, and people will be more willing to spread gossip and discuss government affairs.

Before Li Sancai died, he brought out a will from the palace and the emperor's will. Then he committed suicide in the house, but those two things were taken to Jiangnan by some runaways.

The Donglin Party is a political party dominated by Jiangnan scholar-bureaucrats, and this is their home ground. Although these two things are hidden, the content above has spread. With the help of some people, it spread quickly, and even

Expand to the whole world.

Nanjing, ten miles away from Qinhuai, on a gorgeous flower boat with bright lights. Several Jiangnan scholars were drinking, and from time to time they would joke with the girls next to them, so they were very romantic and happy.

After all, they were scholars. After the drinking ceremony, their conversation unknowingly turned to the imperial examination.

"Do you know the changes in the imperial examination this year?" Zhang Pu, who was dressed in a green shirt and looked upright and sunny, said with a smile. He looked at the crowd with a smile on his face, waiting for them to speak. The fast horse from the Capital Rites Department had already set off, as

As a land of science and technology weightlifting, Jiangnan has long been aware of its changes. All he has done is read seeds, so he is naturally concerned about this aspect.

However, knowing this, Zhang Pu still asked aloud. Obviously his words were not that simple, and there must be deep meaning in them. Several people frowned and began to think.

"I know, I know." However, the youngest Chen Zhenhui was not so patient. He immediately said as soon as he heard the question, "The Ministry of Rites issued a document that this year there will be more places for candidates in each government, and the examination will be more open-minded.

There are several subjects such as Ming Jing, Ming Fa, Ming Suan, etc., and the content of the Ming Jing subject examination has also been changed, and the emperor redefined the content."

"Dingsheng knows so much." Xia Yunyi, who had already been selected as the candidate, touched Chen Zhenhui's head and said with a smile. He was old and the only candidate among the people, so he acted naturally and casually.

"Don't touch my head. I have grown up, I am literate, and I can take the imperial examination." Chen Zhenhui slapped the other person's hand away and said angrily.

He is only seventeen years old this year and has not yet been selected as a scholar. However, he has been very talented in literature since he was a child. He has already emerged in the scholar circles and has gained some fame. However, just because he is young and a little short, some older scholars always like to use a

He had an attitude of touching his son's head. Touching his head made him very annoyed.

"Yes, yes!" Xia Yunyi didn't take it seriously when his hand was knocked off. Instead, he said cheerfully, obviously not taking his words to heart.

"Okay, okay, stop making trouble, Yi Zhong, don't tease Dingsheng. We are all in the same camp, save some face." Yang Tingshu moderated, and after saying that, he turned to Zhang Pu and asked, "

Gandu asked, have you heard any rumors?"

"Yeah, don't be so pretentious, just tell me what you have to say." Zhang Cai, Zhang Pu's fellow villager and jointly known as "Lou Dong Er Zhang" with him, also asked with interest.
Chapter completed!