"Sir, what conclusion did you come to in Zhongshu Province?" Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice.
Zhang Ximeng shook his head slightly, but this time Lao Zhu was stunned. He couldn't help laughing and said: "Can it be that with your sensitivity, sir, you still can't see the problem?"
Zhang Ximeng said helplessly: "The complexity of this matter is far from being clear at a glance. My lord invited the villagers over for dinner instead of letting them beat the drums. I'm afraid he just saw this, right?"
Lao Zhu frowned, Zhang Ximeng was really right, even hit the nail on the head.
If the Dengwen drum is beaten and the gong is beaten in person, Zhu Yuanzhang will come to the conclusion that the officials who committed the crime must be severely punished, and the common people will be rewarded if they do right, and they will also pay the price if they do wrong. There is no way to avoid it.
This was exactly what Zhang Ximeng informed Lao Zhu in advance after seeing the situation in the newspaper, so that Lao Zhu could make a rational decision and did not act in a hurry.
"Lord, we might as well break it down and see how many layers of conflicts are hidden in this matter." Zhang Ximeng suggested.
Lao Zhu nodded, "Sir, please speak."
Zhang Ximeng said: "First of all, this first level, needless to say, is the contradiction between population and land, floods and droughts after population reproduction. Huaixi is the land of Longxing, the population reproduces extremely fast, and disasters are frequent. Compared with other areas,
, even more fierce three-pointers."
"Indeed! This is what we are worried about. If something happens in Huaixi this year, it may happen in Huaidong next year, then Shandong, Jiangxi, and then Huguang Central Plains! We must be on guard, let alone take it lightly!" Lao Zhu was heartbroken.
It was Cai Ben who discovered this situation.
It's just that his intention is not here, but no matter what, it is wrong to talk nonsense because of people, and the phenomena observed by others are still correct.
"My lord, the matter has reached the second level, which is the distribution of finance and taxation. We originally set up tiered tax rates. Firstly, we wanted to collect more, and secondly, we suppressed large households and better distributed the land. But now it seems that it is indeed
There is not much extra land, so we must change it, and we can no longer take food from the people's bowls."
Lao Zhu nodded vigorously, "This is a good saying. When the people had it in their hands, it made sense for us to take more. But now that the people don't have it, if we want to take more, we will force the people to rebel."
Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord is right, but no one wants to lose what they have got... So Cai Ben originally suggested to my lord that in the prosperous age, there will be no land tax!"
"The intention is sinister! What a deceptive talk!" Lao Zhu said rudely: "Why don't you increase the land tax? It should be reduced, but you say it is not added. It is just playing tricks on the people! This kind of literati is the most insidious. It should be done seriously.
Cut into pieces by a thousand cuts!”
Two or three years later, when Lao Zhu mentioned it, he still gritted his teeth.
Zhang Ximeng concluded: "Lord, this second level is the local government office, the tax collectors and the people, which is the focus of the contradiction we see."
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered and said: "According to Sir, there is a third or fourth floor here?"
Zhang Ximeng said: "Indeed, the reform of land taxation has been talked about for so long, but why is it still disorganized and chaotic when it is implemented? First, the land tax is decentralized, but the land is not re-divided, and the benefits are obtained, but no work is done!
"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "This must be a problem with the tax department. Hu Weiyong is unreliable!"
Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord, even if Hu Weiyong is indeed sinister, why did Sun Yan and others turn a blind eye, or in other words, did they just go with the flow and make mistakes?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was startled and couldn't help but said: "Sir, Sun Yan is yours!"
Zhang Ximeng said sternly: "My lord, I don't have anyone private! Not even one!"
Lao Zhu nodded slightly, "We understand, sir, you are indeed fair!"
Zhang Ximeng sighed: "My lord, this is the important point I want to say. Although Sun Yan has been in the government for a period of time and served as a local chief envoy, he has a shallow foundation after all. He has some government affairs matters.
It’s unclear. But then again, there are many people around him. Are these people also unclear?”
"There is nothing more complicated about government affairs than this. One side has bad intentions, but the other side is really dedicated to the public good? From the formulation to the implementation of a government decree, there are too many links and layers in between. Who is responsible for the disaster?
, who deliberately turned a blind eye, or even encouraged the expansion... This matter is really not that easy to talk about."
"Take Wang Anshi's Green Crops Law for example. He tried it in local areas, and everyone applauded it and found it convenient. But when it was implemented nationwide, it immediately turned into a mess. Some people even distributed green crop money to people in the cities."
"Then what's the problem? Is it because Wang Anshi's decree has been expanded from local to national, and there is acclimatization, or is it because the old party is obstructing and restricting it? Or maybe Wang Anshi has sent out moles, and they are doing whatever they want and distorted it.
What does Wang Anshi mean?"
Zhu Yuanzhang listened silently, and his expression gradually became serious, because he discovered that what Zhang Ximeng was talking about was not just as simple as the matter in front of him. The information contained in it even touched the core and most difficult part of governing a country!
"Sir, could you please clarify who is right and who is wrong here?"
Zhang Ximeng shook his head, "If I could explain it clearly, I would have written it in the history of the Song Dynasty... In fact, even Wang Anshi didn't know the right and wrong of this matter, but one thing he knew was that as long as he backed down, the reform would be carried out
No. So this matter has become a battle between the old and the new, between support and opposition. Those who support me are right, and those who oppose me are wrong. Even the more reasonable the objection is, the more we must deal with you! Otherwise
If so, wouldn’t all my hard work be in vain?”
Su Shi!
This name flashed across Lao Zhu's mind instantly.
This is how this man fell into it. In an environment where there was no way to reason, he tried to reason, but he had the loudest voice and was the easiest to be taken advantage of.
At this point, it is impossible not to be targeted.
Lao Zhu couldn't help but admire in his heart, Mr. Zhang really has extraordinary skills, clearing away the fog and getting to the core.
In fact, compared to the Northern Song Dynasty, the battles in the late Ming Dynasty are more worth pondering.
In that messy situation, who is right and who is wrong?
According to historical records, some people once thought that Dong Lin was a gentleman and all the eunuchs were traitors who were disrupting the country.
But gradually, some people were unconvinced. Is Donglin's suggestion really beneficial to the country? How can Eunuch Wei's actions be more reasonable?
If Eunuch Wei had not died, maybe Ming Dynasty could have lived for a few more years!
But the problem does not end here... Even if Eunuch Wei is selfless, are the people gathered under Eunuch Wei good people?
They are capricious and greedy. Compared with the gentlemen of Donglin, how are they better?
Count on them to be able to turn the tide and save a dying dynasty?
I'm afraid it won't work!
And you guys make it clear, are they seeking wealth for the country or for themselves?
It seems that I really can't explain it clearly, and then if I look at it again, I will find that it is still a bunch of confusion.
When a dynasty is at its end, everyone is the one who steps on the accelerator.
If we have to say who can save the fate of the dynasty and turn things around, I'm afraid no one can tell.
"What you are talking about, sir, is just to avoid party strife, right? Once party strife breaks out and the court becomes chaotic, it's hard to tell what's right or wrong." Lao Zhu sighed: "This matter is indeed related to the life and death of the Ming Dynasty, but at the moment, it's just
Are you afraid it’s not that serious?”
Zhang Ximeng nodded repeatedly. Obviously, the Ming Dynasty was far from being able to tell right from wrong. Sun Yan, Hu Weiyong and others seemed to have signs of fighting, but they were not at the point where they would quarrel all day long and tear their faces.
extent.
But what Zhang Ximeng said is not without purpose. Because there are signs, it is uncertain when it will develop and grow.
And if their generation can handle it, they may not be able to handle it in the future.
Let’s explain our experience clearly so that we can learn from it for future generations!
"My lord, although it is not as serious as Zhao and Song, we cannot take it lightly. I think that the tax system and land reform are a mess. No matter which minister is taken down at this time, it may not be appropriate to attack which side.
, or in other words, it will allow some people to escape justice and escape!"
Lao Zhu was startled and understood what Zhang Ximeng meant. In the current situation, it is difficult to say that Hu Weiyong is completely bad, or that Sun Yan is just as incompetent?
It's hard to say who will dig a hole for whom among these two people, the people around them, or the rest of the court.
In this case, what Lao Zhu likes is to raise the butcher knife. We won’t guess at all. Let’s chop them all down first!
Kill a person, his head will roll, and his blood will flow like a river.
"My lord, my wish is not to arrest people for the time being. Instead, order the important officials in the court to go to the local area, communicate with the three departments, and implement the tasks of redistributing the fields and sorting out taxes. Huaixi is the first to have trouble, so I will let the chief assistant go down.
If he fails to do a good job, he will be dismissed directly!"
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he couldn't help but let out a low cry.
"Sir, you are so good at this!"
Indeed, Zhang Ximeng's move definitely exceeded the expectations of both parties.
Let’s put aside the issue of accountability for now and let you solve the problem first.
You can tell more by how they react.
When the time comes, it will be clear who is sincerely implementing the laws and who is perfunctory, prevaricating, and secretly opposing them. If we then take action to rectify the situation, we will get twice the result with half the effort.
The more Lao Zhu thought about it, the more it made sense. This was indeed much better than blindly killing people.
"Just do what you want! Sun Yan supervises Huaixi, Hu Weiyong supervises Huaidong, and Luo Furen supervises Zhejiang..."
Zhu Yuanzhang's decree was sent to Zhongshu Province, and almost instantly, the entire court was shaken.
There was no mass killing or mass arrests, but instead the important ministers were asked to supervise the local affairs personally... His Majesty's methods became increasingly unpredictable and completely unpredictable.
And just after this decree was conveyed, another news came to Yingtian that a Qianhu family had died. This person was the one who led the ships and soldiers in Chuzhou to prevent the people of Fengyang from crossing the river.
Yang Ji appeared and took the people to Yingtian. At the same time, he ordered thousands of households to stay behind closed doors to think about their mistakes and wait for treatment.
As a result, when people found him, he had already hanged himself from a beam.
Sun Yan received an order to supervise the affairs of Huaixi Province, and this matter fell under his control.
"Kill people and silence them! Who is preventing people from going to Beijing to complain? I want to get to the bottom of this matter! I will never tolerate it!"
Sun Yan was in a menacing manner, while Hu Weiyong looked solemn and said nothing. But on the other side, there was faint sweat seeping out of Wang Guangyang's temples.
This profit is still not easy to reap...
(End of chapter)
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