A few days later, a small boat floated on the surface of Xuanwu Lake.
Chongzhen and Gao Hongtu, each with an oar, rowed the boat to the center of the lake.
Gao Hongtu looked around and saw nothing but white water. Except for their small boat, there was no other boat within a hundred steps.
A thought emerged uncontrollably from Gao Hongtu's mind.
If this Ye Bian boat were capsized at this time, would it be possible for the Holy One to drown?
While I was thinking about it, Chongzhen's voice suddenly sounded in my ears: "Mr. Gao Ge, are you hesitating whether you want to overturn this Ye Bian boat and sink it to the bottom of Xuanwu Lake with me?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Hongtu decisively gave up the idea.
Not to mention whether he is old and frail and has the ability to capsize the boat.
Even if the boat does capsize, he will probably drown himself.
If he really drowned like this, I'm afraid it would be difficult to pour the stolen water on Chongzhen's head.
After all, if Chongzhen really wanted to kill him, there would be no need to get a small boat and send him to the center of Xuanwu Lake.
With a slight snort, Gao Hongtu said: "How can I, an old minister who has received the favor of the country, do such an unethical thing? Besides, the Holy Master is young and powerful. Even if the boat really capsizes and falls into the water, he can easily swim to the shore."
Chongzhen said: "Speaking of youth and strength, Emperor Wuzong and my imperial brother were also in the prime of life. But why did the dragon control Bintian as soon as he fell into the water?"
Gao Hongtu said: "How did the old minister know about this?"
"No, Mr. Gao Ge, you know." Chongzhen shook his head and said, "I just don't admit it."
After saying this, Chongzhen said again: "Mr. Gaoge, the boat has arrived at the center of Xuanwu Lake at this time. There are only you and me, the monarch and my ministers, within a hundred steps, so you can talk openly about anything you want without any worries."
and cover up.”
The expression on Gao Hongtu's face really relaxed, because Chongzhen was right. Once here, there is no need to worry about the conversation between the two being transmitted to the ears of a third person, so there is really no need to be secretive anymore.
What's more, some words have been held in Gao Hongtu's heart for a long time, and he feels uncomfortable holding them back.
At that moment, Gao Hongtu snorted and said, "I wonder what your Majesty wants to talk to me about?"
"What are we talking about?" Chongzhen said with a smile, "Of course we are talking about life, ideals and ideas."
Gao Hongtu said: "Speaking of ideas, the Holy Emperor seems to be biased against eunuchs. He kills eunuchs at every turn and has no sympathy or trust. This incident is completely different from the previous emperors, but it is somewhat similar to Emperor Taizu Gao."
Chongzhen asked back: "Mr. Gaoge thinks I shouldn't kill Li Chengfang and Yuan Sheng?"
Gao Hongtu said: "Li Chengfang and Yuan Sheng instigated King Yong to have sex with prostitutes, so they naturally deserve to be killed."
"That means I no longer rely on eunuchs to compete with your civil servants, so Gao Ge Lao feels a little uncomfortable?" Chongzhen asked with a smile, "Is it because of this?"
Gao Hongtu snorted softly and asked: "So the Holy Spirit's philosophy is to make documents based on documents?"
"As expected of Mr. Gaoge." Chongzhen said with a smile, stroking his palms, "You can see through my intentions at a glance."
Gao Hongtu suddenly said: "Please forgive me for speaking bluntly, my Majesty's move is nothing more than putting out firewood."
After a pause, he continued: "Isn't the disaster caused by the Zhejiang Party, the Qi Party and the Chu Party enough to alert the Holy One?"
In the early years, Chongzhen supported the Zhejiang Party, and the Qi Party, Chu Party, and the Donglin Party fought against each other. In fact, they also used literature to make laws.
But the result was disastrous. Instead of achieving checks and balances, party strife led to political chaos.
Chongzhen said: "Let's not talk about whether my 'using culture to control the military' is enough to put out the fire. Let's first discuss whether the use of culture to control the military, which your Donglin Party strongly advocates, is good or bad."
Gao Hongtu said without hesitation: "Controlling military strength with culture is the foundation of strengthening the country, so it is naturally a good strategy."
"Because we, the civil servants, have read the books of saints and sages since childhood, admired principles and doctrines, and abided by the principles of rulers and ministers."
"But military ministers are mostly in the army, they are rude and overbearing and most of them are ambitious. They always want to tear up the soil and separate the kingdom."
"The Han Dynasty promoted the policy of equal emphasis on civil and military affairs, so that by the end of the Han Dynasty, all heroes came together. The Tang Dynasty also pursued the policy of equal emphasis on civil and military affairs. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, there was also the disaster of separatist vassal towns. Only the Song Dynasty implemented it after Taizu released his military power.
The national policy of using culture to control military power did not cause the disaster of the rise of heroes and the separatism of vassal towns until the fall of the Song Dynasty."
After a pause, Gao Hongtu continued: "It can be seen that using culture to control military strength is better than emphasizing both culture and military force."
"Really?" Chongzhen said, "Isn't that true? The Song Dynasty promoted the use of culture to control military force. In the end of the Song Dynasty, there was indeed no rise of heroes and separatism of vassal towns. However, the disasters of the Yi people were far worse than those of the Han and Tang Dynasties!"
"The great Han Dynasty was able to crush the surrounding barbarians until the day of its demise."
"Even until its demise, the Tang Dynasty maintained a certain military advantage over the surrounding barbarians."
"Only the Song Dynasty was suppressed and beaten by the Liao and Xixia from the beginning to the end, and was even destroyed by the Mongols in the end."
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "Since the Xuanzong Dynasty, the national policy implemented by the Ming Dynasty has also been to control military force with civility, but what is the final result? Oara and Tatar have always been our most serious concern in the northern frontier of the Ming Dynasty. During the Wanli period,
Even being suppressed and beaten by hundreds of thousands of slaves, doesn't Gaoge Lao feel embarrassed?"
Gao Hongtu frowned when he heard this and didn't know how to refute.
Chongzhen said quietly: "It is impossible to put an end to the internal separatism of vassal towns by emphasizing both civil and military forces. Although the internal separatism of vassal towns can be eliminated by using civil and military forces, the external barbarians lost the suppression of the Central Plains military ministers and took advantage of the situation to rise and form a crushing trend against the Central Plains dynasty.
The fall of the Yuan Dynasty to the Song Dynasty was a bloody lesson. Does Mr. Gaoge hope that the Ming Dynasty will repeat the same mistake?"
"Your Majesty's words are biased. The demise of the Song Dynasty and the decline of the Ming Dynasty were not caused by the use of culture to control military force, but the life cycle of a dynasty." Gao Hongtu said, "Just like a person, when he was young, he had
In the prime of life, there is bound to be old age, and then there is bound to be death, and the same is true for dynasties."
Chongzhen said: "What Gaoge Lao means is that the Ming Dynasty has entered its twilight years?"
Gao Hongtu nodded and said: "Since the collapse of rites and music in the Zhou Dynasty, the lifespan of a dynasty is generally between two hundred and three hundred years. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty by Taizu, the Ming Dynasty has lived for two hundred and seventy and seven years. It is true that it is in its twilight years.
"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Chongzhen said: "According to Mr. Gao Ge, the death of the Ming Dynasty is inevitable, so why do your Donglin Party still defend the Ming Dynasty? What is the purpose of doing this?
?”
Gao Hongtu solemnly said: "Of course it is for the Han family's clothes and Confucian ancestral temple."
"Then I understand, what you are protecting is not the Ming Dynasty, but the clothes and ancestral temples of the Han family." Chongzhen smiled and said, "In other words, for your Donglin Party or the civil servants, changing the court is actually nothing.
The emperor is even less of a problem, but the Han family's ancestral temple cannot be abolished."
"That's what it means." Gao Hongtu sighed and said, "But I don't actually want the Ming Dynasty to fall, because since ancient times, no one who has won the most upright country has come from my right side of the Ming Dynasty, including the veteran.
All Donglin Party members and even all civil servants are doing their best to continue our country, the Ming Dynasty."
"I also want to continue the Ming Dynasty, but why don't you allow me?"
Chongzhen's face darkened and he asked: "Are you really so sure that you can do better than me?"
Gao Hongtu said suddenly: "What's the use of a holy emperor doing well? Can you guarantee that the prince will also do well? Even if the prince can do well, how can you guarantee that the grandson will also do well?"
Chongzhen said: "Of course this is impossible, how can there be a heroic master for generations?"
Gao Hongtu: "Therefore, the emperor's rule is based on the arch, and the scholar-bureaucrats are actually in charge of the country. This is the only good strategy to ensure that the Han family's clothes and Confucian ancestral temples will last for a long time! Because the scope of the emperor's selection is too small, it is impossible to ensure that there will be British masters from generation to generation.
, but the cabinet ministers are selected from thousands of civil servants, and they are all talented people!"
On this point, Chongzhen actually admitted that the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty was indeed quite advanced.
Gao Hongtu's words really hit the mark. It is really difficult for emperors to have British masters from generation to generation, but cabinet ministers must be elites among civil servants, otherwise they would not be able to climb to high positions.
At this point, Gao Hongtu's political philosophy was ready to be exhaled - that is, the emperor bows his head and the cabinet governs the country.
To put it more bluntly, the emperor is worshiped as a mascot and the governance of the country is left to the cabinet of scholar-bureaucrats.
The so-called Han attire and the so-called Confucian ancestral temple are all just a pretense, and the essence of the government is the cabinet of scholar-bureaucrats.
If any emperor threatens the cabinet's power, kill the emperor. If the court threatens the cabinet's power, it is not impossible to change the court.
This is the ultimate pragmatist.
"Haha, Mr. Gao Ge finally spoke his mind."
Chongzhen laughed and said: "So the old man in the high cabinet just wants to get rid of me and then be quick?"
"Yes." Gao Hongtu did not shy away at this time, nodded and said, "Because Your Majesty, you want to imitate Emperor Yongle, because you want to destroy the hard-won cabinet of the Ming Dynasty."
The smile on Chongzhen's face disappeared and he said solemnly: "Then here comes the problem."
"The Song Dynasty was dominated by civil servants. The power of the scholar-bureaucrats was not insignificant. The emperors of the Song Dynasty were also a model of rule from the top, but why did they perish in the end?"
"After the fall of the Song Dynasty, were the Han family's clothes and Confucian ancestral temples preserved?"
"Also, I, the Ming Dynasty, have been in power with a cabinet since the Xuanzong Dynasty, but why has the country's power declined, and eventually even the capital was lost? If it weren't for me, Xuzhou would have been lost long ago, and maybe half of the south of the Yangtze River would have been lost."
"If the slaves of Jiancheng move southward, does Mr. Gaoge think he can still keep the Han family's clothes and Confucian ancestral temple?"
"Don't you think that the high cabinet ministers think that the barbarians who established slaves will adopt the cabinet of scholar-bureaucrats that you admire to govern the country?"
Gao Hongtu's brows suddenly knitted together, because Chongzhen's continuous questions stupefied him, making it difficult for him to answer for a while, and perhaps he would never be able to answer.
"Gao Hongtu, can't you answer it? Because you haven't seen the essence of the problem at all."
Chongzhen smiled and said: "The collapse of the Han and Tang Dynasties was not due to the equal emphasis on civil and military affairs. The decline of the Song and Ming Dynasties was not due to the use of civilized and military forces to control military affairs. These are not problems."
