Chapter 734 Economic power is political power
“Of course they are castrated.” Feng Bao said quickly: “Those who have not been castrated and cannot leave the Nagasaki Governor’s Palace will be checked again when they arrive in the Ming Dynasty.”
"Then use it. Zhang Ang has done well. He confiscated the account, bought wine and meat, and added some food to the construction site. If the money is not enough, I will add another two hundred silver. The scribe Zhang Ang will not deal with it. By the way, What is the origin of Zhang Ang?" Zhu Yijun made a decision. Since he used a castrated eunuch, there is no problem.
"Juren was born. His parents were natives of Hangzhou Prefecture. They had children in old age. They were very old. They had not traveled far away so they had never been to Beijing for reference." Feng Bao quickly answered this question, as a connotation. Prime Minister, he must be able to answer His Majesty's questions at any time in order to be qualified as the Interior Minister. When the Chief of Ceremonies approved the red, Feng Bao had a comprehensive understanding of this matter.
"I know." Zhu Yijun paid attention to this person. He was a dedicated official.
Feng Bao said with a strange expression: "What Zhang Ang said is not false. Public money, public work, and procrastination all belong to money. This has become a mantra on some government factories, large-scale construction projects, and construction sites."
"Yes." Zhu Yijun believed that this matter was true. Local recruiters could not be beaten, scolded or urged. Yongding and Yongsheng woolen official factories also had problems with low efficiency, but Qingtai As soon as the policy came out, the problem was solved immediately. It was a branch of the Whip Law. The recruitment process had just begun. It was necessary to prevent recruitment from becoming the corvee of the past and to prevent recruitment from being inefficient.
The theory of contradiction has been used repeatedly since its emergence. In other words, the theory of contradiction in the Ming Dynasty is also a deformation of the golden mean. However, what makes Zhu Yijun feel a little helpless is that the two volumes of the theory of class, class and distribution , has never become as popular as the theory of contradiction. When courtiers discuss issues, they often avoid the narrative of class.
Zhu Yijun is good at grasping the key to the problem. In the case of Zhang Ang, he can be used after castration.
Wang Chonggu once succinctly summarized it in four sentences in "On the Self-cultivation of the Five-step Snake" in the knowledge of being an official: maintain sympathy and concern for the group; maintain vigilance and distance from the individual; strictly follow Systems and processes work; everything must leave traces everywhere.
I don’t want to read the thick book On Bureaucratic Self-cultivation, but if I just read these four sentences clearly, I won’t end up in a bleak end.
We must maintain sympathy and concern for the poor coolies, we must favor these vulnerable groups in policy, we must pay attention to their needs, we must see their life and death, and we must have empathy, but for individuals and specific problems, Maintaining vigilance and distance is also applicable in the case of Zhang Ang's corruption. Zhang Ang cried out for injustice, saying that he could actually take money from the big boss of Ming Dynasty, but he chose maritime merchants to get the job done.
Obviously the situation Zhang Ang encountered requires the introduction of some competition to ensure efficiency.
"Your Majesty, I think it is appropriate to stipulate that the number of Japanese slaves should also be limited. If the construction site is full of Japanese slaves, it will be the source of disaster. When the time comes to cause Japanese trouble, it will be a joke." Feng Bao put forward his own ideas.
Japanese slaves can be used, but they cannot be used without restraint. Ding Gong Da Jian is a key means of downward distribution by the Ming Dynasty. If it is used without restrictions, the Ming Dynasty will have to bear the final result.
Ding Gong Dajian distributed everything downwards, and ended up allocating it to the maritime merchants who were not short of money and had control of the means of production. Over time, the resentment in the hearts of the people will boil.
Zhu Yijun thought for a while and said: "What you said makes sense, but it is only 30% at most."
As for the use of Japanese slaves, if there are too many, it will be chaotic, and if there are too few, there will be no effect. Less than 30% is just right.
In Shen Shixing's memorial, he not only talked about the issue of Japanese slaves, he also talked about the issue of Ming Dynasty currency. Although Shen Shixing was still a governor, he was already checking and filling in the gaps in the Ming Dynasty's New Deal.
The Ming Dynasty used the money method, which was supplemented by the accounting currency of acceptance bills. The banknote method was not implemented in the Ming Dynasty, but Shen Shixing saw that the money method of the Ming Dynasty had problems, and there were big problems. .
"I still underestimated this Master Duanshui. Governor Shen is still very good." Zhu Yijun knocked on the table and said: "He said that the money system of the Ming Dynasty was a bimetallic system. Gold to silver is 1:16, but gold is not It circulates as currency, so gold is not the standard, but silver is the actual standard. Now that the Ming Dynasty has minted a large number of Wanli Tongbao, red copper has become another standard."
"The Ming Dynasty is now the actual standard. The copper and silver standard system in the Ming Dynasty was completely different from before. The Ming Dynasty had a ban on gold and silver in the ancestral law, that is, the people were not allowed to use gold and silver and could only use treasure notes. The treasure banknotes were anchored to copper coins, and the Ming Dynasty itself was a copper standard. However, with the ban on gold and silver during the Jingtai period, the fiscal, taxation, and monetary policies of the Ming Dynasty entered a stage of disordered development.
Nowadays, silver coins are printed and coins are minted in large quantities, resulting in an actual bimetallic system of copper and silver.
Feng Bao frowned and said: "Your Majesty, is there any problem with this? The Bureau of War printed small denominations of one dollar and one cent silver coins, but the people of the Ming Dynasty did not use them because they were very difficult to use. It is easy to lose. In addition to being inconvenient to use, silver coins of one cent or one cent are easy to have some corners cut off and are easily worn. Therefore, most Bingzhan Bureau silver coins weigh one tael. "
"This is a large amount of silver coins and a small amount of copper coins. I think it's okay. The people are also human beings. We can't let the people use money."
"Feng Daban, I ask you, one or two imperial systems How many Tongbao can be exchanged for silver coins?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.
"The official price is 700."
"Folk geometry?"
"It fluctuates between 750 and 800." Feng Bao bowed his head and said.
Zhu Yijun asked again: "Then should you keep the silver coins or the Tongbao?"
"Silver coins." Feng Bao thought for a moment and said, the silver coins seemed to be more valuable.
Zhu Yijun took out a silver coin and a handful of copper coins and said: "Yes, when the court forces one currency to be overvalued and another currency to be undervalued, the undervalued currency will flow out of the Ming Dynasty or due to hoarding, It will disappear due to collection and other reasons, and the overvalued currency will flow into the circulation area. "
"Obviously people will use Tongbao to exchange for silver coins at the Baoyuan Bureau, allowing more Tongbao to flow into it. In the market, the value of Tongbao is overestimated due to the exchange ratio stipulated by the court. Moreover, we Ming people like to save money. We don’t panic when our families have enough food. We have enough for emergencies every year.”
“But now. , the Ming Dynasty built a coin minting bureau in Nanya, with 120 furnaces and 6,000 craftsmen. The copper coins were increasing rapidly, but the number of silver coins was not growing as fast as copper coins. As long as the Nanya coin minting bureau started construction, our Ming Dynasty's silver coins It will be empty out of copper coins.”
Shen Shixing reminded the emperor not to just build furnaces. The proportion of silver and copper must have a floating exchange ratio, otherwise the court would actually lose money by casting copper coins.
"I understand, Governor Shen said that the listing price will change every day." Feng Bao said with some sudden realization: "And according to Governor Shen's estimate, one silver will be worth one Wanli Tongbao, and it will fluctuate up and down. It's reasonable."
Zhu Yijun nodded and said: "The victory of copper coins is not the victory of free market competition, but the result of the imperial court having the right to mint coins and forcing copper coins to be overvalued and silver coins to be undervalued. Price adjustment is the method and tool used by the imperial court to maintain economic stability. "
The method mentioned in the memorial by Shen Shixing is to dynamically adjust according to private prices to avoid a complete victory of one side under the copper and silver bimetallic system. At the same time, Let the exchange of copper and silver coins be maintained in a stable range, so that people do not have to rack their brains to calculate and maintain the stability of their lives.
This is an important means for the imperial court. A stable silver-to-copper ratio means a more stable economy.
Shen Shixing pointedly pointed out that there is a simpler way, destroy the copper furnace, no longer produce Wanli Tongbao, but change to a single silver standard, which will eliminate this problem. Just like Felipe of Taixi only issued silver coins, Taixi It is indeed possible to do this, but the only legal tender is silver coins, so there is a question to consider, what do the people use? Felipe didn't care about the lives of civilians, how could Ming not care about it?
In the memorial, Governor Songjiang's opinion was to increase the production of copper coins and increase the issuance of copper coins in large quantities so that the exchange ratio of copper coins and silver coins would more quickly approach the consistent ratio of one silver equal to one.
He has a better solution, the precious metals-only standard, but this solution is a bit contrary to the basic political proposition of putting the people first and strengthening the country. If he dares to encourage it so vigorously, don’t even think about it. After joining the cabinet, Zhu Yijun would rather use a mediocre person than him.
In this memorial, the most important content is not the Zhang Ang corruption case or the gold and silver bimetallism, but the discussion of the emerging bourgeoisie.
Class Theory Volume 1 Class points out: As long as a person exists, whether he is alive or not, he must belong to a certain class, whether he is aware of it or not; and the essence of class is economic status and social status, and class is never a It is a false and abstract concept, but an economic entity and a social entity.
Under these two premises, Shen Shixing believes that when a person or a group obtains sufficient economic status and social status, it will inevitably obtain the corresponding political status, and will definitely use its political status to obtain more Economic status and social status, i.e. political power equals economic power and vice versa.
“This Master Duanshui is now so bold that I am impressed.” Zhu Yijun said that he underestimated Shen Shixing, not because he underestimated Shen Shixing’s talent, but because he underestimated Shen Shixing’s courage. These words before, Mr. Zhang said that now Master Shen has become bolder, or that Shen Shixing has finally realized that as the ruling class, there are some issues that cannot be avoided and cannot be avoided.
But Shen Shixing also went from one extreme to the other.
In his memorial, he was very bold and straightforward, speaking directly from his heart, and fundamentally demonstrated an issue. Because the Ming Emperor lost his sufficient economic status, his political power shrank on a large scale, and his status was not actual. The supreme supremacy was the fundamental reason why the ruler was weak and the ministers were strong in the decades and centuries before the Ming Dynasty.
Political power is equal to economic power. After citing the example of the emperor, Shen Shixing believed that it was inevitable for the emerging bourgeoisie to gain political status.
As a force that transcends all classes, the imperial court must ensure a certain degree of fairness in this process, use violence to maintain the basic stability of the Ming Dynasty, and ensure that the old wealthy owners who have lost their power will not become a hindrance to social development. , We must also ensure that the new wealthy people who have gained power will not subvert the country and the country.
This is not a fantasy, but what is happening now during the implementation of the land return order in Zhejiang.
The old and old wealthy people who are unwilling to lose their land are trying every means to circumvent the court's decree to return the land, such as using long-term leases, threats and intimidation to regain the land, while the poor coolies who have obtained the land are working hard to defend it. When the imperial court handed over land, the imperial court needed to intervene with force when necessary to ensure that the policy of returning the land was implemented.
For the poor coolies, the only way for them to hold on to their land is clumsy and simple, and that is to have more children.
"Very good, Shen Shixing has completed the errand of returning the land in Zhejiang, and no one can find fault when he returns to the court and joins the cabinet." Zhu Yijun knocked on the table, and Zhu approved Shen Shixing's memorial. I agreed with several of his specific propositions and wrote hundreds of words discussing his political views.
Zhu Yijun gave these opinions to Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi, hoping that they would turn politics into a science that can be discussed. However, Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi actually failed to live up to the emperor's expectations. It was not that they were incompetent, but that they had no control. Power, so cannot discuss in depth, but their perspective is an important addition. As part of the ruling class, Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing were able to discuss in depth, and their views were the backbone and context.
In April of the 14th year of Wanli, Zhu Yijun received bad news while he was busy. Shaanxi Governor Shen Yiguan and Suiyuan Governor Pan Jixun wrote a memorial. This year, Shaanxi Northern, Suiyuan, Gansu There has been a severe drought in precipitation in the region. Precipitation has declined in various places. The places with the most serious decline in precipitation are 40% lower than last year, while in the best places, precipitation has dropped by 20%. It is expected that taxes will be paid in summer and autumn. There will be an extremely serious harvest failure.
“This is very dangerous. The wheat seedlings planted in spring will die without this little water. If the wheat seedlings are not filled with this little drizzle, they will be empty shells. In addition, the locust seedlings caused by drought will If the hatching is successful, the locust plague will definitely become the next catastrophe. It can be said that the lower the rainfall, the lower the food harvest will be. Suiyuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu will definitely be short of food this year. Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial and said immediately: "Summon the ministers to come to Tonghe Palace immediately."
This is a problem that must be faced seriously, without considering the manpower of water conservancy projects, ditches, dams, wells and so on. In this case, there is an exponential relationship between grain production reduction and precipitation reduction. The more precipitation decreases, the scale of production reduction will expand, even to the point of no harvest.
"Your Majesty, I think we should send Tiqi to personally inquire and confirm whether the news is true or false." Zhang Juzheng finished reading the memorial and said with a frown: "Some places report droughts every year, and the court needs to allocate grain and grass to relieve the victims every year, but this After a long period of relief work, the imperial censor discovered that it was pouring rain. "
"This kind of disaster is often caused by local officials and rural gentry draining the treasury. I feel that it is natural. Be more cautious."
"What the gentleman said is absolutely true. I will send Tiqi to Suiyuan to check, but judging from the memorials from various places, there will be no mistakes. Shen Guanyuan is a bit official, and Pan Jixun is loyal to the emperor and the country. , Pan Jixun really wants to use public affairs for personal gain, and will not go to a place like Suiyuan, where no one can shit." Zhu Yijun certainly knew that Pan Jixun might lie, but it is unlikely that Pan Jixun would lie.
Pan Jixun volunteered to go to a thankless place like Suiyuan. This place has strong folk customs, fierce conflicts, incomplete infrastructure, and even more serious land abandonment than in the hinterland. Pan Jixun volunteered to go to a thankless place like Suiyuan. It's just to control the Yellow River.
In the forty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign, a major case occurred in the Qing Dynasty that shocked the civil and military affairs of the Qing Dynasty. Wang Danwang lied about the disaster situation, and Shaanxi ground officials were unanimous in reporting the disaster situation. They reported severe drought for consecutive years.
As a result, when Agui and Governor Li Shiyao went to Shaanxi, they found that there was no drought at all. The most terrifying thing about this incident was that Wang Danwang had turned Shaanxi into a monolith.
"What your Majesty said makes sense." Zhang Juzheng was sufficiently wary of local officials. Personally, he tended to be true.
Wang Guoguang flipped through the memorial and said with a frown: "We need to urgently allocate some grain to Suiyuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu to prevent drought from turning into famine. Henan Changpingcang has 1.4 million shi of grain. , I think that half of it can be dispatched to Chang'an Prefecture and Gansu Prefecture. The capital's currently available grain reserves are 12 million shi, and half of them can be mobilized to be transported to Suiyuan through Chidao and sent to Shengzhou to Gansu. "
"In this way, 6.4 million shi will be stored in grain to cope with the situation. In Shaanxi, the drought will not spread into famine."
The imperial court has money and grain, and because of the conservative economic policy of the Ministry of Revenue, it is unwilling to owe In terms of debt, the court has a balance every year, not a deficit. Originally, the money and food were used on the Korean battlefield, but in the short term, North Korea will not be able to use it. The pledges from coastal areas are enough to support the Ming army for one and a half to two years.
Work-for-relief is the best way, but you must have enough food before you can do work-for-relief. Otherwise, how can you use work-for-relief when there are refugees everywhere in the famine?
All of this food is not transferred to Suiyuan and Shaanxi, but to Long in batches, depending on the severity of the disaster, to ensure the orderly launch of the disaster relief work.
Zhu Yijun said solemnly: "Governor Pan said in his memorial that he hoped that the imperial court would be exempted from Suiyuan and Shaanxi grain tax by seven points. I think that it should be based on the ancestral system and exempted by nine points in disaster years. This point is also He stayed in the local area and called on the virtuous and gentry landlords from all over the country to reduce rents. He told them the "Travel Notes of Baoding Prefecture". If rents are not reduced in disaster years, bandits will be everywhere and housebreaking and destruction will be common. "
Gansu Province. There is no land tax, and there is really too little land. In order to allow the local people to cultivate the land safely, the Ming Emperor waved his hand and permanently exempted Gansu from land tax. In the past few years, there has been some improvement in planting seeds. This drought has Come, everything is ruined, Zhu Yijun has no place to cry.
This is indeed an ancestral system. In the 19th year of Jiajing, Emperor Jiajing ordered Shaanxi to suffer annual disasters. Nine points were allocated to Shaanxi Province, and one point was used for personal use. It was not enough for shipment. Later, it was made a permanent system. It was not exempted entirely because of the tax collection. Locality is the real land, counties, and governance. If you don't collect any taxes, you will have endless troubles if you collect them in the future.
Pan Jixun felt that the imperial court could survive the drought crisis by exempting 70% of the land tax. He was not bragging to the emperor. In recent years, Shaanxi and Suiyuan have organized people to build ditches and dig deep wells, and they have achieved certain results. In Gansu, Therefore, it is necessary to develop breeding because the cost of watering is too expensive.
"Pan Jixun's greatest confidence is sweet potatoes." Zhang Juzheng read the memorial and glanced at the emperor. Sweet potatoes are not delicious and will cause gastric acidity if eaten too much. However, sweet potatoes are a food for famine relief. Pan Jixun mentioned in the memorial that this year because of During the drought, many fields were planted with sweet potatoes, which increased the people's tolerance for risks.
The emperor liked farming rather than doing his job. He trained agricultural officials and supported Baoqisi for fourteen years. Even Xu Zhenming was in Suiyuan and built fire chambers to raise seedlings in various places, which brought huge changes to the Ming Dynasty. .
"There is also water and fertilizer. The water and fertilizer from Shengzhou Coal Mine have been given to Suiyuan and Shaanxi. On behalf of all the people, I would like to thank the Xishan Coal Bureau for its contribution." Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Chonggu and emphasized the importance of fertilizer again. Xishan Coal Bureau freed up water and fertilizer, and Zhu Yijun once again solemnly thanked the leader of the Labor Party.
Old foxes like Wang Chonggu couldn't help but smile, and said quickly: "I am doing things according to orders, but I still have a little use."
"It's harder to let them reduce their rent than to kill them." Wan Shihe sighed and said helplessly: "People die for wealth and birds die for food. This disaster year is a good time for annexation. Not only does the court not allow them to annex, If we ask them to reduce their rent, they may be determined to disobey the imperial decree.”
Wang Chonggu said calmly: "If all the people are dead, who will give them land to farm? What is the use of them annexing those fields? If they refuse to reduce the rent, then kill them."
"Huh?" Wan Shihe sat upright suddenly, looked at Wang Chonggu and said: "Shaanxi is the territory of the Jin people. "
"I am the leader of the Labor Party. As for the leader of the Jin Party, that is all in the past." Wang Chonggu looked at Wan Shihe and said: "The Labor Party will definitely compete with these landlords for population. It is an inevitable contradiction. If they refuse to reduce the rent, they will be killed. If the court does not kill them, they will leave. The desperate people gathered in the mountains and forests to become thieves and bandits. When the time comes, the people will also kill them. "
"If you ask me, rather than letting the people take action, it would be better for the court to do it quickly. The people of the province took action, but they caused civil unrest and it was difficult to deal with it.”
Wang Chonggu believed that the court should use violence appropriately, instead of talking about the sage ruling the world with benevolence and morality every day. Many things are mutual. The less the court shows violence, some people will forget it as time goes by.
He himself is an example. After the imperial court showed violence, their Jin party immediately became honest.
“The imperial court waived nine points, called on the gentry from all over the country to reduce rents and pledge donations, transported grain and grass from the warehouses in Beijing and Henan to Long, and used work instead of relief to create water conservancy. I hope that both inside and outside the Ming Dynasty can work together to tide over the difficulties. "Zhu Yijun Zhu approved four policies to deal with the famine. The drought in Shaanxi is not just a year, but will continue forever. How to deal with it the court should make a plan to deal with it.
"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng and other assistant ministers said in unison.
"Starting tomorrow, I will go to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests to pray for the three sides of Shaanxi Province and build a province for seven days to seek shelter from heaven." Zhu Yijun made another decision. Building a province is a means to win over people's hearts. This political gesture showed that the emperor attached great importance to this matter. Of course, Zhu Yijun also hoped in his heart that God would give him a little face and rain, so that the people would not be displaced.
God didn't give him face, so Zhu Yijun led the people of Ming Dynasty to conquer the sky with their own strength.
Zhang Juzheng said solemnly: "Your Majesty, these natural disasters are not terrible in the past, but man-made disasters. I think it is appropriate to mobilize the capital camp to Long, not many, just one step camp to Shengzhou, there are Every time there is a camp, there is a knife, and the local officials are as careful as a stab on the back."
Without the actual threat of force, these bureaucrats in the Ming Dynasty were somewhat rigid, and the emperor was direct. Armed forces in Suiyuan can avoid man-made disasters caused by low administrative efficiency caused by rigidity, indifference, and carelessness.
Reformation first regulates officials, and the same is true for disaster relief.
"Just as Mr. Yi said." Zhu Yijun agreed very much with Zhang Juzheng's additional opinions. The threat of force is indeed essential.
Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and asked: "Uncle Zong, have the pensions for this loyal martyr been arranged? If someone dares to exterminate the family again, use punishment as punishment, and commit treason, uncles like Liu Chenxiao and Liu Chenming will eat it." He dared to stir up trouble with a humble scholar. I regret not killing him in the first place."
Wan Shihe immediately said: "Liu Chenxiao. My uncle has gone to Java with the humble scholar to provide for the loyalty and support. I personally went to ask, and there was nothing wrong. Moreover, now in the capital camp, the widows and orphans are called to the capital camp every year, and the governor of the governor's office asks if they have any grievances. They Their father is gone, and Daming Jingying is their support."
"Okay, okay." Zhu Yijun said with a smile.
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty went to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests to repair the province, and he would definitely go there for court meetings and military parades. The rest of the time, Zhu Yijun lived in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It is not as comfortable as Tonghe Palace, but it is better than the refugees sleeping in the open air. Tens of thousands times.
In these seven days, Zhu Yijun was not idle. He started writing and finished the third volume of Class Theory - Struggle, which he had been writing for several years.
Zhang Juzheng finished writing the second volume, but was still reluctant to start the third volume, so Zhu Yijun wrote it directly for him.
"Send it to Sanjing Factory for printing, and write your name on it." Zhu Yijun dried the ink, determined that the last page was what he wanted to say, and gave it to Feng Bao, asking him to print it and distribute it all over the world.
"Your Majesty, why don't you ask sir?" Feng Bao took the last article and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, sir, you are really not that bold."
Emperor of Ming Dynasty He is the number one rebel in the world!
The content of this third volume has established a basic fact, that is, the Ming Dynasty must perish.
Zhang Juzheng did not dare to say this outright. Feng Bao remembered that after the second volume was written, Zhang Juzheng burned it directly. He got four natural inferences: exploitation and class are unjust and violent. Struggle is just, the inevitability of violent struggle and the inevitability of dynasty reincarnation and redistribution of the means of production. These justice and inevitability ultimately point to the fourth corollary, the empire must perish.
The third volume of "Struggle" only states that the Ming Dynasty must perish.
Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter, to make the Ming Dynasty great again, it doesn't have to be the Ming Dynasty, it can be China."
"Your Majesty..." Feng Bao bowed his head again and gave no more advice. Instead, he followed the imperial edict. Feng Bao couldn't persuade him about this matter, so it was appropriate for Zhang Juzheng to persuade him.
(End of this chapter)