Xiao Yu picked up the wine bowl and took a slow sip. The warm rice wine, shredded ginger, and plum blossoms were mixed together. A spicy yet sweet flavor filled his mouth, washing his taste buds...
Very enjoyable.
Putting down the wine bowl, Xiao Yu said slowly: "Let go...the imperial power is supreme. We can fight for it and beg for it, but how can we fight against the imperial power? Furthermore, nephew Dugu Xian, haven't you realized that the situation has already changed?"
Is it different?"
Dugu Wudu was stunned and asked: "The times are different... I wonder what the Duke of Song meant by this?"
"Since ancient times, both education and politics have been in the hands of the noble families. Those poor people are just ants and livestock that support the noble families. They live if they want to live and die if they want. How can they show any resistance at all?
room?"
Xiao Yu slowly sipped his wine and said.
Dugu Wudu nodded. Although these words were a bit arrogant and unpleasant to hear, they made perfect sense.
"Princes, generals, and prime ministers would rather have the seed." This kind of saying is certainly inspiring, but it is just nonsense...
If you count the royal families and princes since ancient times, which one is a commoner who jumped out of the cracks in the rocks? Even if you have the right time, right place, and the right people, you can be prosperous and prosperous for a while, but if you lack a strong foundation and strength, you will eventually be annihilated.
In troubled times...
Even the record in the classics that Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, was "born in a peasant family" is pure nonsense. The sentence in the classics that "he has a bold personality and does not like to study" reveals Liu Bang's family background. It is not to mention the era of the late Qin Dynasty, but now.
In the splendid Tang Dynasty, when the world was at peace, it was extremely difficult to study. It was not a matter of whether an ordinary peasant family liked reading. Even if you liked it, could you afford it and be good at it?
A noble family is like a master!
The rest are all like ants...
this is the truth.
Xiao Yu continued: "But now... it's different. The gradual popularization of movable type printing and the improvement of papermaking have greatly reduced the cost of reading. One day, everyone in the world can afford to read books, and everyone can write...
The holding of the imperial examination will allow countless scholars from poor families to become imperial officials in one fell swoop. The threshold for becoming an official has been infinitely lowered, as long as they study... Although the aristocratic families rule the world, no family is born to be an official.
The members of aristocratic families. When those poor people went through hardships and managed their business from generation to generation, countless aristocratic families naturally emerged. Things are rare and valuable, and when there are too many aristocratic families, they become worthless..."
Speaking of this, Xiao Yu's tone was filled with emotion and sadness.
After all, in his generation or in the not-too-distant future, he has already foreseen the decline and collapse of aristocratic families. This is really not a good feeling...
He was born in a noble family and benefited from a noble family, but he had to watch helplessly as the noble family fell and disappeared before his eyes. How could he be dissatisfied and frustrated?
"But this is the general trend! The sun rises and the moon sets, and the river flows eastward. It is an irresistible general trend! In the face of this general trend, those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish! The Xiao family is like this, the Dugu family is like this, and the royal family Li family is also like this.
So..."
Xiao Yu drank all the rice wine in the bowl in one breath, his eyes were bleak and deep...
Dugu Wudu was completely stunned.
I just came to ask you how to deal with the situation in front of you, but you talked to me about the general trend of the world... Even if what you said makes some sense, what does it have to do with the current situation?
After carefully considering Xiao Yu's words, Dugu Wu frowned and asked uncertainly: "What does Song Guogong mean... is he asking the Dugu family to draw a clear line between the entire Guanlong Group?"
Xiao Yu did not answer this question, but asked: "How does the Guanlong Group compare with the Five Surnames and Seven Sects?"
Dugu Wudu hesitated for a moment and sighed: "I'm afraid...it's not as good as that, right?"
What does "better than" mean?
It’s simply not as good as that!
A clan refers to a prominent family that has been an official for generations.
This title originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, such as Han, Zhao, Wei, etc. among the Six Ministers of the Jin Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the conquests and examinations became the means for scholar-bureaucrats to consolidate their political power. The nine-rank Zhongzheng system of the Wei and Jin Dynasties
The status was directly determined based on birth, resulting in the situation of "no Han clan in the upper class and no gentry in the lower class". The power group of the gentry greatly threatened the supreme imperial power, but everything has disadvantages and advantages. The Eastern Jin Dynasty relied on the support of the gentry to
Build it up…
When the aristocratic families developed into the Tang Dynasty, there were three main groups: the Guanlong aristocracy, the Shandong aristocratic family, and the Jiangnan gentry. The Shandong aristocratic families were both civilized and military, the Guanlong aristocrats basically specialized in martial arts, and the Jiangnan gentry specialized in literature. However, after
Above, there is something even more awesome, that is, the Five Surnames and Seven Sects...
After the founding of the Li Tang Dynasty, the Li family claimed to be the Li family of Longxi in order to whitewash themselves. However, the seven sects with five surnames did not like to see it. They believed that the Li family was just a broken family of the Li family in Zhao County...
Even the royal family wanted to marry these five surnames and seven sects, which shows how far-reaching and vast their influence is. Even though they were suppressed by His Majesty Li Er, the five surnames and seven sects representing the Zhengshuo of the Central Plains and the Chinese clothes are still the largest in this era.
exist.
Xiao Yu sighed: "In my opinion, even if someone is as powerful as the five surnames and seven sects, they will not be able to survive this torrent, and they will definitely fall into decline..."
Dugu Wudu was stunned.
Do you want to be so exaggerated?
After swallowing and spitting, Dugu Wudu whispered: "To say something disrespectful... Even if the dynasty changes... the heritage of the five surnames and seven sects will not be damaged, right?"
Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Central Plains has been devastated by wars and wars. The Hu tribe invaded the south and ravaged the Central Plains, and bandits arose in large numbers. However, the seven sects of the five surnames still survived stubbornly and tenaciously. Even if the emperor changed one after another,
Still standing?
This is already an existence that transcends dynasty changes, right...
Xiao Yu shook his head slightly and reached for the wine bottle.
This time, Duguwu didn't dare to wait for Xiao Yu to pour him wine. He quickly lifted the jug and filled a bowl for Xiao Yu.
"Do you think someone is a bit alarmist?" Xiao Yu asked while drinking wine and chewing cakes.
"This... is hard to accept at the moment."
Dugu Wudu's words were very tactful.
We admit that what you said is very reasonable. When education is popularized and a large number of people from poor families join the officialdom, the influence of aristocratic families will inevitably be damaged, but it is not as scary as what you said, right?
"You still can't see the changes in the Tang Dynasty..." Xiao Yu sighed and said patiently: "Why did it lead to the collapse of the clans? First of all, it came from the concentration of imperial power! In the past, the clans of the aristocratic families were scattered all over the country. The so-called
The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. No matter how wise a monarch is, it is impossible to extend his power to every inch of land under his rule. Those places far away from the imperial power will inevitably be less obedient. In order to restrict these aristocratic families, the imperial power must support some aristocratic families.
Gates and valves to check and balance... But what now? The cement made by Fang Jun has been used in road paving on a large scale. It mixes with rainwater and becomes hard when water dries out. It is indestructible! Wait until the roads paved with cement are spread all over the Tang Dynasty.
On every road, once a rebellion occurs anywhere, the thousands of troops of the Imperial Army of the Sixteenth Guards will be able to arrive in a matter of seconds... Who will follow and disobey?"
In a word - whether it is the popularization of education or the entry of poor people into official positions, it will greatly increase the concentration of imperial power.
As the imperial power becomes more concentrated, the soil for the aristocratic families to survive will be further compressed.
"So, give up those outdated ideas and ambitions. Times have changed, and those who understand the current affairs are heroes. I am not telling you to draw a clear line between you and the Guanlong Group, but I suggest you break away! Live a good life, recuperate, and educate the children of the clan.
In the future of the Tang Dynasty, all official positions will be filled by capable people, and the bonuses brought by the aristocratic families will be minimal. The so-called big waves wash out the sand, and only the gold is left after all the gravel is washed away. If you are incompetent, no one can help you..."
Xiao Yu said.
Does he mean well?
It really is.
Just good intentions?
of course not……
He deeply felt that the changes in the Tang Dynasty were changing with each passing day, and that the power structure was about to undergo a complete reshuffle. The Guanlong Group, the Jiangnan nobles, and the Shandong aristocratic families in the past would all suffer a violent baptism.
The breaking of the old pattern means the birth of a new pattern.
Xiao Yu has great foresight. He wants to take precautions before this new structure is born and win over enough allies for the Xiao family.
Facing the turbulent situation, if the family members want to continue to survive, they must change their way of living...