Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred and Thirty: Our dynasty is based on the north, emphasizing the north and despising the south!
"Ah! Our Ming Dynasty is based on farming and pacifying war, but sea trade is the source of trouble for the world?!..."
In the study room in the courtyard, Shi Wende was horrified when he heard these words. He could hardly sit on the half-chair on his butt. The reason for his shock was naturally not the statement itself that "farming and mulberry cultivation are the foundation, and sea trade is the disaster."
In fact, he had heard the mainstream scholarly argument that "agriculture was the foundation of the Shang Dynasty at the end of the Shang Dynasty" theory countless times, and he despised it. On the surface, these coastal gentry families "emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, and advocated education."
They annexed land behind their backs, built vast stretches of land, drove maritime merchants and pirates, and devoured the goods and money brought back by maritime trade, but they never showed any mercy!
But at this moment, the chief envoy of Zhejiang, the highest official in Zhejiang Province, how much weight does this sentence say to him, a maritime trader who had finally managed to get through to Juren?! Directly defining maritime trade as a "source of trouble",
What does this knocking and warning mean?!…
"Huh? Sicheng, is there anything you don't understand?..."
"Ah...students...students listened to the teachings of the feudal lord and suddenly felt enlightened!...The sage Zhu Zi once said...the most important thing for the people is to have a full stomach...the same is true for the country..."
Shi Wende stammered and said a few words about the "farm-based" argument he heard when he was arguing with someone. The chief envoy Wang Zhe glanced at the sweating Shi Wende and pointed with a smile.
"Sicheng, Zhu Xi's collection of annotations is the foundation for me to recruit scholars in the Ming Dynasty. We still have to learn from it...Zhu Xi's original words are 'the foundation of the people's life, sufficient food is the first, and the country's agriculture focuses on grains'."
The way to govern lies in 'agriculture' and 'stability'."
"The truth behind this is also Zhu Xi's theory of 'qi'. From the human principle that 'people are based on food' to the natural principle of 'the country is based on agriculture'! For the common people, trade is luxurious and flashy.
Recreation is just a last resort. As long as you practice abstinence and self-cultivation, you can restrain yourself. Only farming and mulberry cultivation, food and clothing, must be satisfied. Otherwise, the people will have no way to survive, and the country will be in turmoil..."
"Therefore, we follow the teachings of the saints and take charge of the government... The first thing we do is to 'encourage farmers'! Starting from February of every year, we visit all the prefectures and counties in the province, 'see the elders in person,' to supervise the children and work hard to cultivate the fields.
'. Like this time, I started my inspection in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, and have been inspecting it for more than two months. And Ningbo Port, where the municipal shipping department was opened, is the last stop of my inspection!..."
The seat of the Zhejiang Chief Envoy is naturally in the most important city of Hangzhou. The official residence of the Right Chief Envoy Wang Zhe is naturally also in Hangzhou.
Agricultural production in the Hangjiahu Plain has always been a top priority for the entire Zhejiang Province. It was also the most important indicator for official examinations in Zhejiang Province in the Ming Dynasty and must be supervised urgently. After this round of spring plowing supervision is completed, You Bu
Political Envoy Wang Zhe chose Ningbo Port, which was "open to trade," as the last stop of his inspection, and stayed here for a long time... After thinking about it, it is indeed somewhat meaningful.
Just like when Wang Zhe took office last year, he ordered his subordinates to set up a separate hospital in Ningbo Port, which was "opening ships to the Japanese", and often came to supervise. For this man who was born in Shanxi, northern China, he once served as a political participant in Shaanxi and worked on the border.
For those who had prepared against the "Northern Captives", they probably had already followed the experience of the North and regarded Ningbo as the biggest "unstable factor" in Zhejiang Province and the most unstable "border town".
"Ah! It's... what Fantai taught... Zhu Xi's teachings are profound, broad, and all-encompassing. As for the principles of 'Xingli' and 'Qi' in it, I still have to study it carefully... The things I don't understand are...
We must also seek help from such erudite masters as Fantai!…”
Shi Wende was smiling and flattering sincerely. He moved his butt forward and sat on the side. Zhu Xi's knowledge has always been the standard answer for the Ming Dynasty to open a subject and be equivalent to the "National Examination".
. But what are the truly difficult aspects in it that a maritime merchant like Shi Wende, without the guidance of a famous teacher or the inheritance of his family’s education, can understand?
This is not about consulting advanced generations. It is very difficult to learn something real about scientific examinations. The inheritance of each academy and master is based on the "Ben Jing" and has its own set of "annotations".
It's a different "Shu Zhu".
The chief examiner who reviews the examination paper can make a rough guess as long as he looks at the content of the article and sees "Zhu's ideas and thoughts", as well as the candidate's academic background and family background. This kind of "ideological" judgment can
It will become the most important reference for scientific examination admission!
Therefore, it is completely impossible for an ordinary poor family to become a Jinshi in the Ming Dynasty without becoming a famous teacher, without a family background, and relying solely on the Four Books and Five Classics.
"Ideology", that's the top of the list!…
As for Zhu Xi's "Xingli" and "Qili" studies, things are divided into material "qi" and "quality", and objective laws that are higher than matter, "li". With this set of cognitive tools,
Then study and explain all aspects of the problem, thus giving Confucianism a "big upgrade".
The most powerful thing about this "principle" is that it not only contains "objective laws" and "the unchanging parts of science", but also incorporates "human morality" and includes "the spiritually changing parts". In this way
, "reason" is all-encompassing and all-encompassing, almost like a religious decree, forming a very complete set of logic and system of things!
The so-called unity of "the way of heaven and the way of humanity" can be encompassed from personal "focus, sincerity, and self-cultivation" to social "ordering the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world." The "etiquette" of Confucianism has finally been completed.
It can penetrate into all aspects of society! The current etiquette clarifies all order from life to death. It is extremely powerful, enough to make all "monotheistic religions" feel ashamed and powerless...
"Well... Zhu Xi's knowledge is profound and profound. Sicheng, if you are really eager to learn, then the way to become a saint in the future may not only stop at lifting people up!... Of course, compared with Li Gong, my knowledge is also inferior.
I’m so ashamed of myself…”
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Hearing Shi Wende's "diligence in learning" statement, the chief envoy Wang Zhe raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and once again placed his hand on "Le Van Xi Public Collection"
.Unfortunately, what Shi Wende can't forget is the official statement that "sea trade is the source of trouble."
If the tone is set like this, how should the Shi family's maritime business be dealt with now? The maritime trade, which is making a lot of money every day, can't really let it go completely, right? And if it is let go, the Shi family has saved enough money to buy
If you have enough land, you can also gain the reputation of being a patron. Even if you don't have sea trade, you can still sit back and be a big landowner.
But how can the two to three hundred "sailors" raised at sea disperse obediently? These people have seen too much quick money, are used to swords and guns, and have no family to encumber them. If any trouble occurs, they will not be counted among them.
On their heads? You can't give all their heads to the officers and soldiers, right? It doesn't matter if the sailor loses his head, but if the officers and soldiers smell it and bite it, the Shi family will still have to peel off a layer of skin.
ah!…
Thinking of these dilemmas, Shi Wende felt really uneasy. He licked his dry lips, tried his best to smile, looked at Wang Zhe's face, and carefully asked for advice.
"Fantai...students...students have heard people say that maritime trade flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty, the people were rich, and taxes filled the treasury, so our Ming Dynasty can also follow suit...ah! These must be fallacies and heresies, but the world is so ignorant, how should I refute and give advice?
To make them wake up?..."
Hearing this, the chief envoy Wang Zhe took a deep look at Shi Wende. He lowered his eyelids, pondered for a moment, and said lightly.
"As for the evaluation of the people of Song Dynasty, I have long had a public opinion among the scholars of the Ming Dynasty. Sicheng, since you sincerely ask for advice, then I will give you a few pointers for the sake of your teacher Liu Gong..."
"First, the loss of land in the Song Dynasty caused trouble on the border. It only benefited from shipping ships and could not protect the border and defend the country. Secondly, the Song Dynasty used commercial ships for national purposes, and its internal affairs declined. The Jia people became increasingly arrogant, and the government could not last long.
Third, people in the Song Dynasty were extravagant with imported things, accustomed to their licentiousness and extravagance, and lost the elegance of the Central Plains..."
"And among these three points, the most important one is the first! The people of the Song Dynasty lost their land and settled in a corner, and gradually lost the northern and central plains! The Southern Song Dynasty, when maritime trade was the most prosperous, even established Lin'an as its capital, completely disregarding the life and death of the Han people who had fallen in the northern land!...
"
"This is the biggest difference between the two Song Dynasties and our Ming Dynasty! The two Song Dynasties first established their capitals in Bianliang in the Central Plains, and later in Lin'an in the south of the Yangtze River. Although commerce and trade were prosperous, it did not contribute to the state affairs and instead declined day by day. However, our emperor's capital in the Ming Dynasty was Shuntian Mansion.
The emperor guards the gates of the country. The Great Wall and the border fortresses, Liao, east, west, north and west are the top priorities of our emperor Ming's management!"
"However, the northern land is barren, the livelihood of the people is difficult, and the bandits are raging. I was born in Shanxi, and as long as I can remember, I have to prepare for the northern bandits every year. Wherever the bandits go, no humans or animals are left behind. In the 14th year of Zhengtong,
The Oara army invaded the south, and Yingzong led the northern expedition, which led to the Tumubao Incident!...Later, I served as the chief envoy of Shaanxi and participated in politics. I was in charge of the defense of the captives in Shaanxi, and I saw the captives in the northwest..."
"There are continuous wars in the north, and there are armies stationed on all sides, so it is difficult to provide food for oneself. The money, grain, cloth, and silk from the south of the Yangtze River must be transported to the frontier fortresses, so that they can have enough food and pay! Therefore, when our emperor formulated national policies, he not only considered
In the south of the Yangtze River, we should also consider the north of the river, the nine borders of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Liao, and the northern Zhili of the imperial capital! These two capitals and thirteen provinces are all integrated into the north and the south..."
"In order to balance the north and the south, Emperor Taizu not only stipulated heavy taxes in the south of the Yangtze River, but also created the 'Kai Zhong Law'... This is to use the money, food and cloth from the south of the Yangtze River to support border affairs in the north!..."
Speaking of this, the chief envoy Wang Zhe's eyes were deep. As a Jinshi who was born in the north, he ruled successively in the poorest Shaanxi and the richest Zhejiang. He knows better than anyone else that the wealth of the Ming Dynasty in the north and south is now.
How unbalanced it is! It can be said that Hangzhou, Zhejiang province produces more money, grain, cloth and silk than Shaanxi province.
But since Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty established Shuntian Prefecture as the capital, the Ming Dynasty has focused on the management of the northern border areas, with Northern Zhili as the "head", and Liaodong and Gansu and Shaanxi as the "arms". The positioning of the Jiangnan area is "
The logistics delivery place for grain and silk is, to put it mildly, a "butt".
This "butt" of transportation must listen to the "head", farm and weave obediently, and hand over money, grain, cloth and silk. Jiangnan should not have too much political power and status, let alone too many troops! Otherwise, it is necessary to seek power.
If you have power, money and food, and an army, then you can directly cultivate a second "head"! At that time, this second "head" will still be the "butt" who pays money and food.
?
If it is like Zheng He's voyages to the West, sea trade will be expanded. South Zhili will build thousands of ships and tens of thousands of naval forces, often going to sea on a large scale...not to mention the money and grain consumed in the south, and the amount of money transported to the northern frontier.
Impact. The economy and politics of the empire are completely out of balance. The south is more important than the north, and the top is more top-heavy... The political structure problems caused by this are huge! Is it necessary to move the capital from North Zhili back to South Zhili?
!…
Of course, although the scholar-bureaucrats, especially those in the north, knew these political considerations of the imbalance between the north and the south, they could not explain it so straightforwardly. At this moment, the chief envoy Wang Zhe spoke in a deep voice and gave a serious conclusion,
There is no room for doubt.
"As soon as sea trade opened up, the south of the Yangtze River became more prosperous, and the north became more and more desolate. And the south of the Yangtze River became richer, and the law of opening up the country became increasingly corrupt, and the food transported to the nine borders became less and less. If things go on like this, the border areas will inevitably have to wait for food and wages.
When the time comes, the border affairs will be ruined and even chaos will arise. At that time, how can Beizhili be stable?!..."
"This time, when I visited Zhejiang, I saw that many prefectures and counties had converted fertile fields from rice to mulberry, and the grain output was also decreasing. People are pursuing profit, regardless of the overall situation of the country, which really worries me!..."
"The people of the Song Dynasty took the south of the Yangtze River as their foundation and abandoned the north, so they opened up sea trade... But our dynasty took the north as its foundation. Once the sea trade in the south of the Yangtze River was opened, the people were cunning and seeking profit, and the Japanese pirates disturbed the sea, which would inevitably lead to endless disasters!!..."
