Xiao Xun then understood that Fang Xuanling was trying to beat him.
But what he didn't understand was that the Qinghe Fang family was also a prominent family with a noble family status. Now it was suddenly elevated because of two generations of powerful officials, Fang Xuanling and his son. As a vested interest in the "family politics", the children of the family only needed to get
You can become an official by recommendation, keep your family name from generation to generation, enjoy the sound of bells and pans, and enjoy luxurious meals. Why do you rebel against yourself?
If the "family politics" suddenly collapses, and no one in the family except the legitimate son can be granted an official position, and those who want to enter the official career will have to pass the extremely cruel imperial examination... This will be a disaster for all the powerful families in the world.
His Fang family is also involved, so why bother cutting off his own foundation?
…
Seeing that he was silent and pale, Fang Xuanling naturally knew what he was thinking, so he stopped, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said softly: "The rich and powerful families control the way up, and the people at the bottom have no hope of becoming officials.
Officials had no hope of being promoted based on their merits, and after a long period of time, classes were formed. Opposition emerged between classes due to competition for interests. From then on, the government was in constant turmoil. The country never had peace. It suffered from internal strife day after day, and finally collapsed."
The word "class" has been around since ancient times. Jia Yi once mentioned in the book "New Book·Class" that "if there is no one with the rank of emperor, the height of the hall is almost no more than a foot. The emperor is like the hall, the ministers are like the emperor, and the common people are like the emperor."
Like the land, this is how it was created."
Xiao Xun is also a scholar and knows the great meaning of this word, but he becomes more and more puzzled: "Since humans were born to live in groups, due to the amount of wisdom, strength, will, etc., they are naturally divided into upper and lower places, unless people in the world age and die.
If we don’t communicate with each other, otherwise the class will always exist. Today, all our noble families will collapse, but tomorrow’s class will not disappear. What’s the use of suppressing the noble families?”
He has always believed that the national policy of suppressing the clans started by His Majesty Li Er is because the clans are now too powerful and wantonly interfering with the state affairs. Especially the clans in Shandong, Jiangnan and other places are so powerful that they almost monopolize the local area. Officials are not allowed to go to the countryside. The empire
Although China is nominally unified, and although the monarch is nominally the co-ruler of the world, in reality he is ostracized by the powerful clans.
Suppressing the clans and strengthening the imperial power is what it should be, so this is a struggle between the clans and the imperial power.
Although he couldn't accept it as the representative of the family, it was understandable that the same would happen if he was replaced as the emperor.
Therefore, whether it was the Guanlong Mutiny before or the current support for the King of Jin to fight for the throne, there was essentially no difference. It was all members of the aristocratic family who hoped to single-handedly enter the center and seize the power to govern the country, thus ensuring the interests of the aristocratic family.
But Fang Xuanling mentioned "class"... As long as people's lifestyle is still to live in groups, "class" will always exist. Today, the Jiangnan gentry will be destroyed, tomorrow the Shandong family will rise, and the Guanlong clan may flourish again in the future...
…What’s the point of being so busy?
Fang Xuanling shook his head and laughed, holding Xiao Xun's arm and continuing to move forward in the salt fields. There was a small boat moored on the coast in the distance, lowering the hanging board, waiting to take the two of them back.
Walking slowly, his voice became clearer: "Mr. Nanhai has misunderstood. What we are doing is not to break the class so that it no longer exists. How can the class be broken? Moreover, the existence of class drives progress and pursuit. It is people's pursuit.
The motivation to yearn for a better life is good, but due to the existence of clan politics, the upward path of the class has been completely blocked. The people at the bottom have no hope of improving their class and live in low status all their lives, like pigs and dogs.
, from generation to generation... This will naturally form resentment and cause social unrest. As long as the clan politics are broken and the path for advancement is smoothed, even the people at the lowest level can improve their class through their own efforts. This is the long-term way for the country."
The three-pronged approach of imperial power, prime ministerial power, and imperial examinations can cure the stubborn class problems.
How can the prosperity of a family and the common people in the world be as prosperous as the common people in the world? Today, the clans and clans are self-proclaimed and control the official career path. In the future, the country will decline, the mountains and rivers will be broken, and all the clans and clans will become sinners who will be reviled for centuries in history.
Moreover, even if clan politics no longer exists, the legacy of the clan is still there, so we can’t kill all the clan’s children, right? With their rich heritage, money, and hundreds of years of monopoly on education, they have been at the top of the political ladder for a long time.
There will still be children from wealthy families, and there will always be one or two children from poor families who have outstanding talents and amazing talents, but they can only be rare.
Only by giving people at the bottom the hope of advancement can we resolve their grievances and promote social harmony...
Xiao Xun said no more, but asked: "What does Xuan Ling want the Lanling Xiao family to do?"
Fang Xuanling spoke frankly and did not beat around the bush: "The Xiao family of Lanling is the leader of the Jiangnan gentry. As long as they can express their support for the crown prince's ascension to the throne, obey the central government's jurisdiction, promote the government and county schools in various parts of the Yangtze River, and improve the imperial examination system, it will inevitably lead to
Looking at the scenery from the south of the Yangtze River, its prestige remains intact."
As he spoke, he said earnestly: "The Fang family and the Xiao family are in-laws. They should advance and retreat as one, and share weal and woe. But now they have different ideas, which has led to wars and conflicts. Countless people in the world laugh at our ignorance. If
If you can change your mind and condemn King Jin's treasonous act, not only will the Xiao family's interests not be damaged, but the Fang family will compensate."
Xiao Xun was silent, this is like giving a sweet date to a stick. As the prince's minions, the Fang family needs to have a stable ally in Jiangnan to completely eliminate the possibility of other Jiangnan nobles acting in secret. At the same time, they will play a more important role in politics.
, provide more compensation and concessions in both economic aspects.
In other words, the prince threw a bone, causing the Xiao family to betray the entire Jiangnan gentry and become the prince's lackeys...
It is conceivable that once he agrees, the Lanling Xiao family can certainly get huge compensation, but from now on, they can be regarded as secluded from the Jiangnan gentry.
But can he refuse to agree?
The prince wanted to control the south of the Yangtze River and make the whole south of the Yangtze River completely subordinate to the central government and become the real territory of the Tang Dynasty. The first thing he had to do was to "kill the chickens to scare the monkeys" and single out a family clan as a model to be severely punished in order to achieve deterrence.
The purpose of group ethics.
As long as he refuses now, there is no doubt that the Lanling Xiao family will become the first "chicken" to be slaughtered. Hundreds of years of ancestral foundation will be overturned in one fell swoop, and the descendants of the clan will be scattered everywhere, and they will never be able to stand up again...
This was like putting a knife to his neck and forcing him to submit.
But who allowed the nearly 100,000 private troops raised by various Jiangnan families to be attacked by the navy at a time when their ambitions were full, and the decision was made in one battle?
After being silent for a long time, Xiao Xun sighed and said: "This matter is so big that I can't settle it with just one word. I need to go back and communicate with Shi Wen to discuss it. I also need to consult the clan for their opinions. Otherwise, even if I agree now, things will happen again."
, but it’s not beautiful.”
Fang Xuanling said happily: "That's how it should be."
When it comes to the family's route, future, or even life and death, the whole family must discuss and unify opinions.
The two boarded the boat moored on the shore. The sails of the boat were raised and the boat quickly left the shore. The pieces of salt fields in front of them changed from large to small, and finally turned into an endless expanse of white, with piles of salt grains standing among them.
It's like a snowy world.
Xiao Xun stood by the side of the ship. What he saw in his eyes was not salt, but piles of money.
With such financial support, the central government's treasury is full. Externally, it can attack barbarians and expand territory at will. Internally, it can strengthen the central jurisdiction. All parties in civil affairs will successively introduce a series of policies to combat clan politics and force the imperial examination system.
Promote it to every county and every mountain village.
The foundation of the aristocratic family is already on the verge of collapse. If we try to save it, we can only block it and go against the trend...
After thinking about it, he said to Fang Xuanling: "Whether to support the prince still needs to be discussed and decided by the clan, but I can assure you here that the private armies that were previously defeated by the navy and are now scattered around will be punished by each family.
Restriction will not poison the countryside and cause turmoil in the south of the Yangtze River."
The clan does not want a turbulent Jiangnan. In this regard, the interests of the central government are consistent, so it is better to sell one.
Fang Xuanling did not accept this trick and said with a smile: "That's not necessary. These private armies are unorganized and will disperse sooner or later. Unless they get the support of certain clans, they can cause harm to one party. But by then, the central government will
They will definitely be happy, because that means that the share of sea trade will be freed up, and everyone can share the profits, wouldn't everyone be happy?"
Xiao Xun was speechless.
This is to tell him clearly that whoever dares to continue to support the private army behind his back will have his sea trade license completely confiscated and will no longer be eligible for sea trade from now on... Chi Guoguo's threat, but the effect will definitely be very good.
.
Today, sea trade has become the largest source of wealth for most of the Jiangnan gentry, but this source is tightly controlled by Huating Town and the Navy. The reason why the Jiangnan gentry assists the King of Jin in fighting for the throne may not be without hope.
Thoughts on abolishing Huating Town in the future.
After all, gold, silver, money, and silk were flowing in like sea water, but they were robbed by the center. It made anyone feel so painful that it was difficult to breathe... But now that it was completely defeated, naturally all thoughts were completely defeated, and they could only rely on the navy and let it be manipulated.
I turned my head and looked at the setting sun slowly setting over the sea and sky. Thousands of afterglows poured on the sea, dyeing the sky and sea water red.
I feel desolate and desolate in my heart. Perhaps within a few generations, the once illustrious family that could build a country and destroy it will become a relic of the past, drifting away in the wind...
Since Cao Wei's "Nine Ranks Zhongzheng System", the former aristocratic families have finally achieved a legal monopoly in politics. For hundreds of years, the aristocratic families have controlled all the resources in China, and the people at the bottom can only be enslaved and exploited like dolphins and dogs.
Generation after generation, endless. However, now, the death knell of sectarian politics is still ringing. Under the mighty trend, bucking the trend can only be a mantis's arm as a chariot, a mayfly shaking the tree, and there is no way to make a comeback.
And their generation is the sinners of the family.