Chapter 1183 Warm wine and talk about the world
Xiao Yu picked up the wine bowl and took a slow sip. The warm rice wine was mixed with shredded ginger and plum blossoms. A spicy yet sweet taste 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, we can ask for it, but how can we fight against the imperial power? Besides, 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 means?"
"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 from ancient times, which one is a commoner who jumped out from 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 strong foundation and strength, you will eventually be annihilated in the troubled times...
Even the record in the classics that Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, was "born in a peasant family" is pure nonsense. The sentence "He has a bold personality and does not like reading" in the classics reveals Liu Bang's family background. Not to mention the era of the late Qin Dynasty, even in the splendid Tang Dynasty, where the world is prosperous, it is even more difficult to study. , it is not a matter of whether ordinary farmers like to read or not. Even if you like it, can you afford it and be good at it?
A noble family is like a master!
The rest are all like ants...
This is reality.
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 enable countless scholars from poor families to become imperial officials in one fell swoop, and the threshold for becoming an official will no longer exist. The limit is lowered, just study... Although the aristocratic families rule the world, no family is born into a noble family. When those poor people go through hardships and manage from generation to generation, countless aristocratic families will naturally emerge. . Things are valuable when they are rare. When there are too many people, 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, the moon sets, and the river flows eastward. It is an irreversible 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 desolate and deep...
Dugu Wudu was 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 for 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 "not as good as" 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 first originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, such as the Han family, Zhao family, Wei family, etc. among the six ministers of the Jin Dynasty. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, conquests and inspections became means for scholar-bureaucrats to consolidate their political power. The nine-rank Zhongzheng system in the Wei and Jin Dynasties directly determined status based on birth, resulting in a situation where "there are no Han clans in the upper ranks and no noble clans in the lower ranks." The power group of the gentry has greatly threatened the supreme imperial power, but everything has disadvantages and advantages. The Eastern Jin Dynasty was established with the support of the gentry...
The aristocratic families developed into the Tang Dynasty, and there were three main groups: Guanlong nobles, Shandong aristocratic families, and Jiangnan gentry. Shandong aristocratic families were both civilized and martial, the Guanlong nobles basically specialized in martial arts, and the Jiangnan gentry specialized in literature. However, above this, 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 that represent the Zhengshuo of the Central Plains and the clothes of China are still the largest in this era. exist.
Xiao Yu sighed: "In my opinion, even if it is as powerful as the five surnames and seven sects, it will not be able to survive this torrent, and it will definitely fall into decline..."
< br>
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...
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 wine bottle and filled Xiao Yu's bowl.
"Do you think someone is a bit alarmist?" Xiao Yu asked, 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. With the popularization of education and the large number of poor people joining 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 families? First of all, it came from the concentration of imperial power! In the past, the families 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 noble families, the imperial power must Some aristocratic families must be supported to check and balance... But now? The cement created by Fang Jun has been used in road paving on a large scale. When rainwater mixes, it becomes hard when water dries, making it indestructible! On every road throughout the Tang Dynasty, once a rebellion occurs anywhere, thousands of troops from the Imperial Army of the Sixteenth Guards will be able to arrive at any time... 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 and more concentrated, the environment for the aristocratic families to survive will be further compressed.
"So, give up those inappropriate ideas and ambitions. Times have changed, and those who understand the current affairs are heroes. I am not asking 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. No one can help it."< br>
Xiao Yu said.
Does he mean well?
It's true.
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. In the past, the Guanlong Group, the Jiangnan gentry, and the Shandong aristocratic families 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 aristocratic family wants to continue to survive, they must change their way of life... (End of this chapter)