This time the rain finally brought a bit of spring flavor and was no longer so cold and biting.
The ice in the upper reaches of the river has also begun to loosen. If you walk along the river, you will hear the thrilling crunching sounds from the ice from time to time.
The whole world seems to be gradually breaking away from the cold winter, but winter is still holding on to the little braid of spring.
Just like those in Shandong are not willing to face their failure.
Conspirators, plotting in the shadows.
Under the sun, all things will grow.
And when the river melts, the land that still has no winner will eventually return to the field of Shura fighting.
Feizhen has been able to deal with all this calmly.
After checking the warehouse where grain and grass were stored, he remounted his horse and headed for the military camp.
Next to him is Wei Du. Although Wei Du recovered from serious injuries and his strength has declined slightly, he is still qualified as Feizhen's guard. With his huge body and thick armor, as long as he goes to Feizhen
Standing in front of him, with a shield as tall as a person, it was like a movable steel wall.
But no amount of protection can replace Feizhen's growth.
Fei Zhen was riding on horseback, thinking back on the information he had collected over the past period of time.
Spring is the season when all things grow, and Fei Zhen seems to have grown up a bit. Her eyebrows are slightly opened, and she no longer looks like a child before, and the armor on her body can also be held up a little. Of course, in front of outsiders,
, Feizhen also got used to no longer giggling like a child. This helped to establish Feizhen's serious behavior and increase his dignity.
But when facing familiar people, Feizhen would still grin and show her eight big teeth...
However, in the past two days, Feizhen rarely smiled, and even occasionally appeared in a trance.
Information about Chang'an Sanfu's changes has actually been sent to Feizhen these past few days.
Pang Tong didn't say anything directly, but rather let Feizhen see and think for herself.
Among the news sent from various places in Chang'an Sanfu, what makes Fei Zhen feel sad the most is that there are still so many spies and so many opponents...
Is Chang'an Sanfu's life bad?
Or is there something wrong with the political system in Guanzhong?
Feizhen's father once told him that whether a political system is good or bad depends not on whether the officials in the officialdom say it is good or bad, but on whether the poorest people have enough to eat.
But now...
It is obvious that the people are eating better than before, but why do some officials and some members of the Qing Dynasty think that the system is not good?
When Feizhen returned to the military camp and asked Pang Tong this question, Pang Tong laughed and looked at Feizhen, "Young master, do you really want to know?"
Fei Zhen bowed her head and said, "Ask Uncle Shi for advice."
Pang Tong thought for a moment, nodded, and put the bamboo slips on hand aside, "Well, it's about time... What do you think the government of officials is about?"
"It's natural talent!" Feizhen replied without thinking, "Select talents, use talents, and make the best use of talents!"
Pang Tong nodded, then shook his head, "This is to control, not to rule."
"Ah?" Feizhen was stunned for a moment.
Are these two different?
"Control means establishing laws. Governance means curbing evil and promoting good." Pang Tong wrote these two words in the air with his finger.
Feizhen suddenly thought, "Then what about the rule of officials?"
Pang Tong smiled, felt inside his sleeves, took out a few coins, and put them on the table, saying, "This is the rule of officials."
"This..." Feizhen frowned.
Fat uncle, are you kidding me?
Pang Tong was still smiling, and then he stretched out three fingers, "My lord, this is one of the three ways to establish a state!"
"Oh?" Feizhen's eyes widened, "Why don't I know about this? Three methods? Those three methods? This is one of them? Isn't this money? Money is one of them?"
Pang Tong nodded and said: "If you talk about Confucian classics, my lord doesn't know much about it... Haha, don't look at me like this. I'm serious. If your lord came here in person, I would say the same thing! However, my lord can master the economics."
The words are integrated and understood, but the master of Confucian classics in the world cannot... The reason why Zhou was defeated was the princes. Confucius cried about rituals and music, but he didn't realize that it had nothing to do with rituals and music, but money. If the princes did not have money, they would not be able to support the officials.
How could the Zhou Dynasty be defeated by its soldiers?"
Feizhen took a breath, "So, the key to managing officials...is salary?"
"Almost, but not entirely." Pang Tong nodded and said, "Looking for the method from history, you will know that the old way has been overturned. If the ancient method is used as the current method, wouldn't it be that rotten food is the delicacy? There are Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty who think that
It is shameful to talk about money, but you don't know that the way of money is the law of the world. If you don't use it, you will be like running wildly through the busy city with a sharp knife, hurting others and yourself."
In fact, this was true not only in the Han Dynasty, but also for most scholars in the subsequent feudal dynasties.
When these Confucian scholars in ancient China talked about money, it was as if they had endured great humiliation...
As a result, in modern times, we were slapped unconscious by foreigners, and then made a 180-degree turn. We often looked at the Western economy, regarded Western financial theory as the norm, and dismissed ancient Chinese history.
In fact, the evolution of the Chinese dynasty was inseparable from the exploration of the economic and financial system and the reform of the official salary system...
China is actually a country that matured earlier than any other country in the world.
In order to maintain China's territory, China took the lead in entering the era of centralization. Before the invention of this system, it was almost impossible for humans to establish a unified country within a territory of millions of square kilometers.
In order to make people hundreds of miles away obey orders and act in unison, in ancient times, Yanhuang thought of a way, which was fusion. They fused antlers, fish scales, horse faces, and parts of other tribes.
Together, they created the image of the dragon and became the background of China's political system.
On the basis of Yanhuang, the Zhou Dynasty laid a foundation with blood as the cornerstone of the system.
The Qin and Han Dynasties learned from the lessons of the Zhou Dynasty, divided the princes again into counties, and established a rudimentary centralized state system.
The most important means for the central government to control bureaucracy is finance.
Except for the central government, other agencies have no authority to collect taxes or pay salaries to officials.
In this way, officials have become the ruling tools supported by the central government, and the central government firmly controls the people through its bureaucratic network.
However, centralization has a big problem.
As the regime continues, the bureaucracy will become larger and larger as the stability maintenance system of the entire empire.
The unlimited expansion of the bureaucracy made China's small-scale peasant economy gradually unable to support itself.
In the early days of the dynasty and in times of peace, the size of the bureaucracy was still relatively small, and formal agricultural taxes could be used to support it. However, once it entered a state of war, or in the late dynasty, the bureaucracy expanded too large, and formal taxes alone would not help.
.
At this time, the Chinese dynasty will develop various means other than formal taxation to seize wealth from the people and further worsen the conflicts between them. Therefore, it is not wrong to say that it is a land conflict, because this is indeed the ancient Chinese small peasant economic system.
The disadvantages below.
"In the early Han Dynasty, when the emperors succeeded to the throne, they encountered the remaining disasters caused by the separatism of the princes and the fluctuation of the taxation of the young government." Pang Tong said slowly, "Therefore, there are wise kings who use the method of cultivating life and nourishing the body, and gradually weaken the financial strategy.
The power of vassal towns then became the prototype of unification. Emperor Xiaowu wanted to carry out national wars with the Xiongnu, but his money was insufficient, so he established a monopoly on salt and iron and the exclusive right to mint coins.
"What about salt and iron..." Feizhen nodded, "I know this..."
Pang Tong laughed.
Feizhen immediately realized that something was wrong and quickly changed her words, "I... I know a little bit about this..."
Pang Tong nodded.
If Emperor Qin was the founder of the centralized legal system, then Wu of Han Dynasty was the founder of the centralized financial system. Together with the Emperor of Tang, then the three carriages of classical centralization were complete.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's central financial power system influenced the development and changes of subsequent Chinese dynasties for thousands of years in many aspects.
Because military expenditures were too extensive, the cost of a war in the Han Dynasty could reach dozens of times the salary of central officials, which made those bureaucrats shed tears from the corners of their mouths...
Many bureaucrats and officials are not unreliable because they do not understand the so-called teachings of Confucian classics, nor do they know that those who chant to the enemy cannot stop the sword. But the problem is so much small money! If the emperor agrees to change the main method of war
If they become talkative, can't these small sums of money be used to improve the quality of life of the bureaucrats?
As for losing the foreign war, it will lead to the destruction of the country...
What does it have to do with the bureaucrats?
Confucius could serve as an official in several countries and travel around the world to give lectures. Why couldn't they?
Imitate the sages!
Make money, not shabby!
Agricultural taxes alone could not meet the expenses of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's war. For this reason, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty tried almost all possible ways to raise funds, from selling officials and titles, to issuing depreciated currency, to strengthening commercial taxes, etc., but none of them could meet the huge financial expenditure.
.In the end, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty chose to monopolize natural resources and opened a salt and iron monopoly.
It can be said that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established the earliest state-owned enterprise in China...
Big Beard said that state-owned enterprises would not exist until Starism. In fact, China had already started to follow this path in the Han Dynasty, but it was pushed back by some people.
The actions of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty changed the role of the Han Dynasty court from simply collecting taxes to participating in the actual operation of the people's livelihood economy. This also brought about changes in the bureaucratic system and destroyed the original small government model.
Therefore, after the Han Dynasty, if we wanted to fight, we had to collect more taxes; if we wanted to collect more taxes, we had to establish state-owned enterprises and financial monopolies, which would inevitably affect the development of the fragile Chinese economy; and the Chinese economy blindly extended its hands to agriculture.
, which in turn led to the poverty of farmers and stagnant development, which in turn affected the stability of the court and the state, thus causing the collapse of the dynasty.
"The same is true for Emperor Xiaoling..." Pang Tong said slowly, "I thought that once the money arrived, I would be invincible and invincible... Haha, but little did I know that the money was just fat meat. After eating it for a year, I would be invincible."
It’s a year...』
Feizhen somewhat understood, but still asked in confusion: "Uncle Shi, I still don't understand, what is the connection between this... the rule of officials, and this money..."
Pang Tong laughed and said, "Don't you understand this? Do you think that the governance of officials is just to determine the salary of officials?"
Feizhen exclaimed, "Isn't it?"
"No." Pang Tong said, "The country pays taxes to all the people, but pays salaries to the officials. Why? Is it for the loyalty of the emperor and the justice of the world?"
"Of course it's for..." Feizhen started to ponder in the middle of her sentence.
If it is said that it is for the loyalty of the emperor, this is obviously wrong.
At least in the Han Ling Emperor's dynasty, the young emperor Liu Bian and the current emperor Liu Xie cannot be seen...
How many people can actually make a vow?
The imperial court gave so much salary to the three princes, nine ministers, and hundreds of civil and military officials. What was the result?
The family and country were humiliated, the frontiers were lost, and the emperor was humiliated, but the officials were still happy and at ease.
It turns out that the big man, with his high salary and generous salary, kept these bureaucrats just to keep a bunch of white-eyed wolves?
So, officials are serving the common good of the world?
Isn't this more of a joke?
Facing Fei Zhen's confused eyes, Pang Tong nodded and said: "The original principle is indeed for the public of the world...but, haha...Young Master also understands, so he retreats to the next best thing, and controls the world with salary. Officials must not show favoritism."
It is also."
"Using salary for personal gain?" Fei Zhen's eyes widened. This was the first time he heard Pang Tong say this. "Among the supervisory officials, don't they have... Wensi and Zhiyin Supervisors? And Dali Temple...
…』
Pang Tong laughed, waved his hand and said, "Master, have you ever heard of... the cruel official Zhang Du?"
"Zhang Tang and Du Zhou?" Fei Zhen asked.
Pang Tong nodded, "There are no more cruel officials in the Han Dynasty than this, so what? Let me ask you, sir, is it because the investigation is not strict? It's not that the punishment is not severe? It's not that the killing is not widespread? But corruption cannot be eradicated!"
"This..." Feizhen couldn't answer.
When Du Zhou was a court lieutenant, he launched a vigorous anti-corruption campaign. The arrests of county guards and officials above Jiuqing had a salary of more than 2,000 dan. If later generations make a comparison, it can be understood that there are no less than a hundred people at the provincial and ministerial levels and above.
Every year, no less than a thousand cases are submitted for trial by local governments.
A major case may often involve hundreds of people, while a small case may involve dozens of people.
In order to verify the case, the investigators traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles back and forth.
When there were those who refused to accept the trial, the jailers used severe torture to extract confessions to settle the case. In the end, many officials fled immediately as soon as they heard that they were involved in a lawsuit to avoid falling into the hands of Du Zhou.
Some cases have been delayed for more than ten years and have not been concluded, and there are more than 100,000 people in prison...
This is Du Zhou. Before he became an official, he only had one horse as his property. After he became an official, he became extremely rich and died a good death.
In the anti-corruption project presided over by Du Zhou, the confiscated property was counted in hundreds of millions, the slaves were counted in thousands or tens of thousands, and the confiscated land amounted to several hundred hectares in large counties and hundreds of hectares in small counties. In fact, the money collected could have been used for development.
It was used for economic purposes, but after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty obtained it, it became a waste of war expenses and the high-end museums and courtyards of Shanglinyuan.
Feizhen listened and was silent in thought.
Pang Tong was not in a hurry. He picked up the bamboo slips and started reading.
The rain outside the window gradually became heavier.
The spring rain pattered down, falling on every corner of the courtyard.
In the drizzle, the carved beams and painted buildings in the cloister look more simple and profound, as if they are lightly covered by the quicksand of time. On the path paved with bluestone slabs, the rainwater slowly gathers into a small stream of water, flowing slowly along the mottled texture.
Then it soaked into the soil.
The flowers, plants and trees in the courtyard become more and more vibrant under the nourishment of spring rain.
The water drops on the leaves are crystal clear, hovering from time to time, and then quietly leaping down from the leaves and falling into the embrace of the earth.
The mountains in the distance are looming in the rain, like a faint ink painting...
Feizhen looked up at the spring rain and seemed to have some feelings. She muttered, "The rain is falling... the water is gurgling..."
Pang Tong glanced at Fei Zhen and smiled slightly.
As a carefully trained second generation, Feizhen received a lot of attention and had to bear more responsibilities.
It doesn't matter if other people's young men fly like eagles and horses, but Feizhen can't do that. He must understand these things.
Pang Tong La Fei Zhen came to Zuo Fengyi not only to assist Fei Qian, but also to train Fei Zhen.
On the one hand, it can quickly deploy troops to respond to Cao Cao's actions, and on the other hand, it can also create an opportunity for Fei Zhen to grow.
See some blood, and preferably blood from Fei Zhen herself...
Pang Tong secretly thought to himself, now that the Cao thief can't wait any longer, he can only try his best, so of course he must use up all his methods!
Wei Duan jumped out this time, which surprised Pang Tong.
Pang Tong thought Xun You needed to make some more moves to force Wei Duan out of the turtle shell...
It's good now. It's justifiable and can allow Fei Zhen to gain some merits. It will also help Fei Qian to have a more stable and intelligent successor in the future when he takes a further step...
Pang Tong was thinking in his mind and pinched his chin.
I was thinking that after this fight, I should take a good supplement...
On the other side, after a while, Feizhen suddenly clapped her hands and said, "I understand! Running water does not corrupt the household hinge, nor does it cause beetles! Money is like running water, and official positions are like household hinges! The wealth from the world should flow back to the place where the world is! No household hinge is allowed.
Your duty should operate like a machine and a door! If there is anyone who intercepts the flow of water to enrich himself, he should be eliminated! If there is someone who is not working well and violates the rules, he should replace him!"
"What Father has created is the law of money and water! Just like this spring rain, it moistens all things! It is impartial and unbiased, neither increasing nor decreasing! Towers, pavilions, flowers, grass and trees are all regarded as the same!"
"The salary of an official should be enough to support his family without any worries. He should respect his position and distinguish mediocre talents. He should encourage him to advance, just like military merit! If the salary is too high, he will be an official.
If laziness arises, secondly, the people will be resentful. If the salary is very light, the officials will lack food and clothing, have no intention of doing things, and are prone to cunning and greed... As expected! The matter of salary is the most important thing in finance! The way of balance is like the rain from the sky.
If there is too much, there will be waterlogging; if there is too little, there will be drought. Only by being impartial can all things grow!"
Pang Tong nodded in approval, then smiled and said: "If there are officials, their salary is only a hundred dan, but their family wealth is tens of millions... What do you think, young master?"
"Death!" Fei Zhen said firmly.
Pang Tong put his palms together and said: "Good! Now is the time for the spring rain! You must know that this rain moistens things silently, and also has thunder and stings!"
