I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1057 The drums of war from Yuyang shook the earth, instantly shattering thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.
Four thousand five hundred elite troops is really a lot; in fact, Zhu Yijun brought a bit too many people.

According to Qi Jiguang, it would be more than enough for His Majesty to lead 800 elite cavalry south to Songjiang Prefecture.

Eight hundred men is the maximum number of men a general can directly command. Any more than that, and he would have to rely on others to command them. When a general has eight hundred fully armed elite soldiers, he can prepare to raise an army to contend for the world.

Eight hundred men were enough for Xiang Yu to break through the encirclement. In the Battle of Gaixia, Liu Bang surrounded Xiang Yu with 300,000 men, but Xiang Yu led eight hundred men to break through the encirclement.

Eight hundred men allowed Huo Qubing to roam freely among the Xiongnu. Huo Qubing joined the army at the age of eighteen, leading eight hundred men from Wei Qing. They marched hundreds of miles, beheading two thousand twenty-eight Xiongnu, as well as the prime minister and the head of the household. They also beheaded the Chanyu's grandfather, Xingji Ruohou Chan, captured the Chanyu's uncle alive, and were enfeoffed as the Marquis of Champion.

Zhu Yijun's military talent was indeed not high, but he was more than capable of commanding 4,500 men, whether it was breaking out of the siege or defending the palace.

To stage a palace coup, three things need to be secured: the armory, the city gates, and the central government.

These are all lessons learned from Sima Yi's coup d'état. When Sima Yi staged his coup, he controlled the Sima Gate, the Luoyang Armory, and the Yongning Palace; when Li Shimin staged his coup, he controlled the Xuanwu Gate, the Armory, and the Taiji Palace.

These three elements have withstood the test of time many times throughout history; lacking any one of them renders everything meaningless. The armory is essential for weapons and armor; the city gates are crucial to prevent the guards from launching counterattacks; and controlling the central government is paramount. Most importantly, the emperor's edicts must not leave the palace, for once they do, loyalists will appear.

Those who pledged allegiance to the emperor may have been genuinely loyal, or they may have been using the banner of loyalty to seek their own power. But once the emperor's edict left the palace, it meant the coup had failed and the coup had turned into a power struggle.

As long as Your Majesty guards the Huangpu River Palace, your safety can be fully guaranteed.

In a stable dynasty, killing an emperor with an heir through a coup is by no means a simple matter.

Chen Lin still dreamed of bringing glory to his ancestors and that his title of Marquis of Shouli was truly deserved. He didn't want to be remembered with infamy. Launching a mutiny in the Ming Dynasty would only bring him condemnation and nothing more than the lessons of history.

The Ming Dynasty had a palace coup, namely the coup of the Gate launched by Emperor Yingzong in the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, which was carried out by Shi Heng.

Shi Heng was awarded the title of Duke of Zhongguo for his outstanding contribution to the restoration, but just three years later, he was executed by Emperor Yingzong of Ming for treason.

Emperor Yingzong had no choice but to kill Shi Heng. If the title of Duke of Zhongguo were to be passed down, it would leave a way for anyone to be granted the title of Duke. Not to mention, Zhu Jianshen, the emperor's own son who had been dethroned, would have a good chance to gather a group of military generals and stage another coup.

Emperor Yingzong of Ming could only punish Shi Heng with treason and execute him, thus blocking this path.

Shi Heng was a formidable warrior. In October of the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, he defeated Esen, who had invaded the region. He even ambushed Esen at Qingfengdian, inflicting heavy losses on the Oirat people. Shi Heng was so skilled in battle that the northern barbarians feared him and called him King Shi.

In the end, however, history judged Shi Heng as having fox-like ears.

Cunning, opportunistic, and scheming individuals.

Under the emperor's decree, the Huangpu River, which had been sealed off, began to bustle again. Rows of cargo boats, one after another, like centipedes, carrying full loads of goods, crawled across the river as if they were crawling, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Several steam tugboats would be interspersed along the way. When the pressure was released, billowing steam would emerge, and the melodious sound of the steam whistles would resound throughout the entire river and reach the Tonghe Palace.

Zhu Changchao, the second prince of the Ming Dynasty, suffered from repeated tonsillitis and fever, and was on the verge of death several times. When he was nine years old, his condition worsened. Chen Shigong, as a last resort, removed Zhu Changchao's tonsils, pulling him back from the brink of death.

From then on, Zhu Changchao followed his father to learn martial arts and strengthen his physique, and also began to study medicine under the tutelage of Fan Wuqi.

Zhu Changchao felt that his father was like a child, because his father liked to stand at the highest point of Wenhua Tower, the Huangpu River Palace, and look at the cargo ships on the river. He could look at them for half an hour without getting tired of it.

"Mother, what is Father looking at?" Zhu Changchao asked Empress Wang. What exactly was his father looking at? Last time when he stayed in Songjiang Prefecture, he looked at it every day, and this time when he came, he still looked at it every day.

“Look at the peace and prosperity of the country.” Wang Yaozhuo thought for a moment and said in a low voice, “It means that there is no war in the country and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is an affirmation of your father’s hard work.”

Zhu Yijun's eyes darted around, his expression turned serious, and he adopted the demeanor of an emperor. He patted Zhu Changchao's head and nodded, saying, "Songjiang Prefecture is changing rapidly, and the Ming Dynasty is also developing vigorously. Indeed, I see peace and prosperity in the country."

Wang Yaozhu suppressed a laugh. In fact, she knew that Zhu Changchao was right; his father's behavior was indeed like that of a child.

Zhu Yijun wasn't really that profound; this was his way of relaxing. He was simply looking at the grain transport boats without any other thoughts. He couldn't see this kind of scene in the capital.

He liked these strange and mechanical objects, as evidenced by the fact that the side hall of the Wenhua Hall was filled with figurines and models.

"Father and Mother are teasing me again!" Zhu Changchao wasn't stupid; he could tell from his father and mother's expressions that his father was just teasing him.

Ran Huiniang stood aside. She had long since given up on those messy thoughts and fully understood Empress Dowager Li's intentions. Empress Dowager Li had no intention of helping her ascend to the throne; she only wanted her to compete with Empress Wang to make Empress Wang more obedient.

Clearly, it was a complete failure.

A basic fact: Empress Dowager Li, who rose to power through palace intrigue, would never allow her own son's harem to truly descend into chaos, and would never support her ascension to the throne.

Even Ran Huiniang had to admit that compared to her own tendency to spoil her children, Empress Wang was truly remarkable in educating them.

Zhu Changchao was actually very disobedient, but in front of Empress Wang, he was as obedient as a quail.

"The General will arrive in three days." Zhu Yijun stayed in the palace and waited for twelve days. Qi Jiguang had led 27,000 troops from the Beijing Garrison, including six infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, and one artillery battalion, to Yangzhou Prefecture. In three days, they would be able to set up camp in Songjiang Prefecture.

Once the army arrived, Zhu Yijun officially began his stay in Songjiang Prefecture for the year, and this period was considered Zhu Yijun's vacation time.

Zhu Yijun had been waiting for some unexpected event to happen, such as a rebellion, an attack on the palace, or a fire at the palace, but he waited for twelve days without any such event. The last chance was before Qi Jiguang's army arrived.

Zhu Yijun hoped that something would happen during these three days to facilitate the implementation of his decrees.

But these three days were peaceful and uneventful. Even after Qi Jiguang's troops crossed the Huangpu River Bridge, nothing happened.

It looks like an opportunity, but it could also be His Majesty fishing for those ambitious people who are hiding underwater and lying in wait.

Ambitious people are ambitious, but they're not stupid. It's a well-known fact that emperors are difficult to kill, so it's better to wait. As for what they're waiting for, ambitious people are actually waiting for emperors to neglect their duties.

When the emperor neglects his duties, more opportunities arise; when the emperor is so diligent, everything he does is in vain.

After Qi Jiguang led the remaining troops of the Beijing Garrison to the capital, Zhu Yijun began to frequently meet with court officials and handle various government affairs.

The most important matter during the emperor's stay was to implement the Single Whip Law in the six prefectures of Yingtian, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, Changzhou, and Suzhou.

The Single Whip Law was piloted in Songjiang Prefecture for a full eleven years. Only after the Ming Dynasty fully summarized the experience and lessons learned did it reinstate the Single Whip Law in these six prefectures.

These six prefectures were the ones that had completed the land return policy. In addition to the silver damming and the initial completion of the transformation into a commodity economy, the most important condition for the implementation of the Single Whip Law was that the land return order was carried out.

Without changing the relations of production, the Single Whip Law could not be implemented.

Zhu Yijun summoned cabinet ministers Zhang Xueyan and Hou Yuzhao, Minister of War Liang Menglong, Governor of Songjiang Li Le, Governor of Yingtian Wang Xiyuan, and other officials. He also summoned Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng and General Qi Jiguang to the temporary palace to discuss the implementation of the Single Whip Law.

Zhu Yijun gestured for the officials to take their seats before speaking with a serious expression: "The Single Whip Law has been in effect for sixty-four years since Gui E first proposed it in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign. Back then, Gui E proposed the Single Whip Law in his 'Examination of the People', which was opposed by Yang Yiqing and others. In the end, Gui E retired and the matter was hastily concluded."

"Over the past sixty-four years, the Ming Dynasty has tried several times. In the ninth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, I issued an edict to try to implement the Single Whip Law in places such as the Southern Prefecture. However, the step was a bit too big, and I had to withdraw the order and only implement it in Songjiang Prefecture."

"After sixty-four years of failure and eleven years of trial implementation, we have finally figured out the conditions for implementing the Single Whip Law. The six prefectures have met the conditions. Starting from the date the imperial edict arrives, the Single Whip Law will be implemented in the six prefectures."

Zhu Yijun briefly reviewed the history of the Single Whip Law: sixty-four years filled with failures, eleven years of trial implementation, stumbling and faltering, but in the end, enough experience was gained to make it feasible to implement.

"The Single Whip Law is not only about domestic affairs, but also about foreign affairs." Zhang Juzheng took a sip of tea and said with deep emotion, "In the ninth year of Wanli's reign, I thought too simply and overlooked the impact of the inflow of silver on the Single Whip Law. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has finally stabilized the inflow of silver through means such as conquering Japan, establishing overseas governor-general offices, and the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance."

The Ming Dynasty could not produce silver on its own. The existing silver reserves were insufficient to meet the needs of trade and the internal circulation of silver. As a result, the implementation of the Single Whip Law was affected by the inflow of overseas silver. This was a point that Zhang Juzheng overlooked and made a wrong decision.

Fortunately, His Majesty is not a person who cares too much about saving face. Seeing that things were not going to work out, he withdrew his order a few months later, and the decree was not truly implemented.

“The resistance is significant,” Zhang Xueyan said succinctly.

Local fiscal revenue was concentrated on land tax. Due to the tax reduction caused by the celestial change, the focus shifted to labor service. The core of the Single Whip Law was to compile all land tax, labor service and other miscellaneous levies of various prefectures and counties into one law, collect them in silver, calculate the amount based on the mu (unit of land area), and pay silver for labor service.

The implementation of the Single Whip Law meant blocking the possibility of increasing local revenue through forced labor, and local resistance was the main source of resistance.

The power struggle between the imperial court and local authorities, and the conflict between the central government and local governments, has lasted for thousands of years and cannot be implemented by a single decree or imperial edict.

The current situation of the Ming Dynasty court has resulted in a situation where the central government is more important than the local government, meaning that the central government's tax revenue is far greater than that of the local governments.

The emphasis on internal affairs over external ones greatly amplified the authority of the imperial court, which was key to the success of the Wanli Reforms. However, this imbalance would gradually lead to a loss of trust between the court and the people, and once that happened, the Ming Dynasty's financial system would completely collapse.

The Ming Dynasty was vast, stretching from the continuous permafrost and expansive grasslands in the north to the majestic Kunlun Mountains and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west, and from the boundless ocean and endless islands in the east. Surrounded by deserts, plateaus, mountains, and seas, the Ming Dynasty was home to all sorts of people.

With such a vast territory and numerous people, a strong and powerful unified court is essential.

However, excessive centralization of power is not advisable; otherwise, the counties will be poorly governed, and the country will be in turmoil.

If we compare China's long history to an ancient tree, then the relationship between the imperial court and local authorities has generally been one of two things throughout history.

The first scenario is a situation where the central government is weak while local authorities are strong, exceeding the power of the central government. In this case, local authorities may at least disobey the central government's orders, or at worst overthrow the entire regime, as happened at the end of the Han Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty.

Powerful warlords carved up the land, shattering the Han dynasty; the setting sun casts its last rays upon the imperial tombs.

Another scenario is a situation where the central government is strong while local authorities are weak, with the central government having far greater power than the local governments. In this case, local authorities have no initiative, which can lead to slow economic and social development and increased exploitation, or even make it difficult to effectively resist foreign invasion, as was the case during the Song Dynasty.

The drums of war from Yuyang shook the earth, and in an instant, they shattered the mountains and rivers for thousands of miles.

Neither the powerful regional regime nor the drums of war in Yuyang were the purpose of His Majesty's implementation of the Single Whip Law. In particular, the complete lack of local initiative and vitality, coupled with the continuous transfer of costs downwards, made it impossible to maintain the excellent situation of the new policy.

The Ming Dynasty's policy of prioritizing internal affairs over external ones reflects a shift from a weak central government with strong regional powers to a strong central government with weak regional powers, encompassing military, political, economic, and cultural aspects.

The question of decentralization versus centralization has been a major issue that every dynasty in China has had to carefully address since the country's inception.

In peacetime, the most difficult thing to manage is the implementation of the fiscal and tax system.

The Single Whip Law was able to succeed in Songjiang Prefecture because Songjiang Prefecture only developed after the Ming Dynasty opened up the sea. It could even be regarded as a secondary capital or an integral part of the capital, which made it possible to promote the law.

However, once the scope of the Six Prefectures is reached, the court will face significant resistance in vigorously promoting the Single Whip Law. "Your Majesty," Hou Yu Zhao told the Emperor, "to implement the Single Whip Law, we must carefully consider three issues: centralization versus deregulation, order versus vitality, and stability versus development." He emphasized the need for thorough consideration before acting on the Single Whip Law.

Centralization, order, and stability are one approach; indulgence, vitality, and development are another.

These are different routes; you really can't have them all.

For the imperial system of prefectures and counties, there is no doubt that the extremely conservative Ming Dynasty should choose the first route: the centralized route.

Because the main economic model is based on small-scale peasant economy and does not emphasize activating social and economic vitality, as an emperor, one should be more concerned about foreign invasion and the imbalance of power among various classes within the country, and be more inclined to the side of order.

However, the Ming Dynasty is special in that the Wanli Reforms catalyzed the transformation of the commodity economy. The five Maritime Trade Offices and the six prefectures have already begun to possess the characteristics of a commodity economy, which requires stimulating social and economic vitality.

After careful consideration, Zhu Yijun asked, "Why have I come to Songjiang Prefecture?"

"In the more than twenty years since the Wanli Reforms, the economy in the south has been booming and developing too rapidly. The rapid changes and excessive vitality have led to signs of a breakdown in order. That is why I am staying in Songjiang Prefecture. I need to maintain a balance between strictness and leniency. We cannot continue to be so indulgent."

This tightening of control over the south began when Wang Qian started to rectify school discipline. From that moment on, the court clearly realized that it could no longer ignore the situation; if it continued, the collapse of social order and the decline of morality would be inevitable, so it had to tighten its grip.

The implementation of the Single Whip Law in the Southern Court is also part of the tightening of policies.

Politics must always be about striking a balance; being too lenient or too strict is counterproductive. As emperor, Zhu Yijun believed that tightening the Single Whip Law was absolutely necessary.

"Then let's give it a try." Hou Yu Zhao saw that His Majesty had thought things through carefully and knew that this was a decision made after careful consideration, so he chose to obey the imperial decree.

Even Qi Jiguang, who was sitting to the side, glanced at Hou Yuzhao. After the brief audience, Qi Jiguang realized that Hou Yuzhao was different from other ministers. Other ministers were always making plans and scheming.

Hou Yu Zhao is different. He does things first and then thinks about other things. He solves problems little by little in the process of doing things. This is very evident in his two books, "Turning Over" and "Deep Turning Over".

Hou Yu Zhao rarely told the emperor what plans he wanted to make. A minister like him could only be most effective when he encountered a wise ruler. When he encountered a foolish ruler, without instructions, although he was not a headless fly, his efficiency would drop a lot.

He was somewhat like the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty's capital garrison, obeying orders without question; the clearer the instructions, the faster they would act.

"What does the Grand Minister of Finance think?" Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Xueyan, the Minister of Finance.

Zhang Xueyan shook his head and said, "I believe it will be a success soon, because before this, many prefectures had sent officials to Songjiang Prefecture to purchase imported grain and pay land taxes. The implementation of the Single Whip Law in these six prefectures is mainly a power struggle between the court and the local governments."

The struggle for power is the simplest aspect of the Single Whip Law.

Without a foundation for governance, forcing governance will inevitably fail.

The lack of a foundation for governance is what makes the finance minister Zhang Xueyan feel most troubled. A skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice; without rice, even the best cooking skills are wasted.

With a solid foundation for governance, the rice bins are full, the vegetables and meat are all prepared, and the court is full of excellent cooks.

The seasoning is simple; there's no way His Majesty would eat undercooked rice.

The Zhejiang policy of returning land to its original state was like a half-cooked bowl of rice; in the end, it was Hou Yuzhao, the cook, who cooked it perfectly and served it to His Majesty.

Zhang Juzheng once said at a lecture in the first year of the Wanli reign that the most frightening thing when implementing policies is inconsistency. Sometimes, even if you know you are wrong, you can still get to the other side by continuing down a path and constantly changing your direction.

What's worrisome is indecisiveness, constant back and forth, endless cycles of change, all that's wasted on the people.

"Then let's implement it." Zhu Yijun looked at the ministers, and seeing that they had no objections, he took out the imperial edict that had been written earlier and stamped it.

Zhang Juzheng kept his eyes closed and focused on his inner thoughts. He only glanced at Zhang Xueyan and said nothing more, continuing to rest with his eyes closed.

Zhang Xueyan's words were loaded with meaning. He said it was just a power struggle, but what he really meant was that if His Majesty didn't win, then he should ask the Old Ancestor of Xishan for help.

In the power struggle, Zhang Juzheng never lost a single time from entering office to retiring. Even Gao Gong, Yang Bo, and Wang Chonggu combined were no match for Zhang Juzheng. When things got really out of hand, they would bring out Zhang Juzheng to engage in power struggles, which was his specialty.

Zhang Juzheng, being an experienced and shrewd man, naturally understood Zhang Xueyan's words. If His Majesty truly couldn't win, he could intervene. However, Zhang Juzheng believed that His Majesty could win because His Majesty was the referee and could act unscrupulously. If all else failed, he could accuse His Majesty of treason.

Winning is definitely possible; the only difference is whether the victory is dignified.

"The Governors of Guangdong and Guangxi, Liu Jiwen, and the Prefect of Guangzhou, Wan Wenqing, reported that the four major families of Annam have agreed to conduct a joint inspection in Guangzhou Prefecture on June 16th." Zhu Yijun said with a solemn expression, "Liu Jiwen judged that the four major families were only pretending to agree in order to delay and discuss countermeasures."

"If they come, that's fine. If they don't, the court should prepare the necessary supplies for the attack on Annam."

Zhang Xueyan immediately perked up and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes! Your Majesty, the provisions, military equipment, pay, and rewards for the war are all ready."

"The Guangzhou treasury has 11 million shi of grain (both new and old), 4.5 million arrows, gunpowder that can be transported from Songjiang Prefecture, 12 million taels of silver in military pay and national treasury funds available for withdrawal, and 18 million taels of silver in the old treasury."

"So many?" Zhu Yijun was taken aback.

He was completely unaware that the Ministry of Revenue had secretly stockpiled so much grain and arrows in Guangzhou. Gunpowder was plentiful, and the Imperial Gunpowder Bureau in the capital had nearly a million tons of gunpowder in reserve. In particular, after purchasing saltpeter from Bangladesh, the Ming Dynasty had a serious overproduction of gunpowder.

The Ministry of Revenue was actually a proponent of war!

Zhang Xueyan said with a smile, "They are all imported grains. Ninety percent of the grain in the Guangzhou government granary is Champa rice and Red River rice."

Since Liu Jiwen and Wan Wenqing submitted a memorial proposing the establishment of a Western merchant alliance, the Ministry of Revenue has begun storing grain in Guangzhou Prefecture. It would be too slow and too expensive to transport grain and supplies across the country during a war.

Liu Jiwen judged that the four major families were using delaying tactics. If that was indeed the case, then the four major families were using delaying tactics. If they really came, the Nanyang Fleet would sink their ships at sea, dress them in pirate clothes, and say that they hadn't come. Then the campaign against the disobedient could begin.

The four major families are well aware of this, so they will definitely not come.

This was clearly a case of a banquet that had no good purpose. This was also the reason why Yang Yinglong refused to go to Chongqing Prefecture for the joint investigation five times. Once he arrived in Chongqing Prefecture, his life and death would be in the hands of the imperial court. The local generals and governors would definitely use his head to claim credit.

"Then I am relieved." Zhu Yijun nodded repeatedly, affirming the Ministry of Revenue's foresight.

When a country is strong, it is easy to devise a plan; when it is weak and chaotic, it is difficult to implement even the best plans.

After the officials left, Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang and said, "General Qi, who do you think should be the commander-in-chief for the campaign against Annam? Why don't you go there yourself?"

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "I am old and going there would only be to compete for credit. Luo Shangzhi will return to the court in June this year. Chen Lin will take over the seal of the General Who Conquers the South, and Luo Shangzhi will be the General Who Conquers the South and serve as the vanguard. Liu Jiwen will also be sent to oversee military affairs. In this way, I believe that even if we do not win this battle, we will not lose it."

The result was neither victory nor defeat; all they managed to acquire was Da Nang, a port that the Ming Dynasty was determined to possess.

As for the Annamese, the Ming Dynasty did not particularly like these barbarians becoming Ming citizens, because of historical lessons.

In the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, Ye Zongliu and Deng Maoqi's uprising plunged the entire southeast into chaos, with a million followers joining their cause.

The reason for the civil unrest was largely due to Song Zhang, the then Fujian Provincial Governor. Song Zhang demanded winter livestock, reaching into the last handful of rice in the people's rice bins, which drove the people into rebellion.

This Song Zhang was a person from Jiaozhi.

During the Yongle reign, in order to complete the pacification of Jiaozhi (Vietnam), a group of Jiaozhi people were employed. However, these Jiaozhi people performed poorly, but no one was willing to speak out. It was not until Song Zhang forced the people of Fujian to rebel that the court dismissed the few remaining Jiaozhi people.

At that time, this group of people from Jiaozhi (Vietnam) went around saying: "Thang Long is no less than Ying Tian (Imperial City)."

This means that Thang Long (the capital of Jiaozhi, now Hanoi) was in no way inferior to Yingtianfu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Many scholars believed this, but those who had visited Thang Long shook their heads at this claim.

Not to mention Yingtian Prefecture, even Shenglong City is far inferior to the county towns in the hinterland.

To paraphrase Huang Fu, the former governor of Jiaozhi: "This dog from Jiaozhi has never been to the city; he's just spouting nonsense."

Whether Annam would be brought under Ming rule after the conquest depended on the outcome of the battle, but the Ming Dynasty's Western merchant alliance wanted Da Nang, which was the main objective of this campaign.

Qi Jiguang recommended Chen Lin and Luo Shangzhi. After returning to the Ming Dynasty, Luo Shangzhi went to the South Seas Navy to serve as the commander-in-chief, which could effectively prevent the restoration of Annam from happening again.

"Then let's do as Commander Qi says." Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment. In military affairs, Qi Jiguang's opinions carried great weight, so there must be a reason why he made such a suggestion.

"There's a discussion at Luming Pavilion in Songjiang Prefecture today. Would you and Commander Qi be interested in attending?" Zhu Yijun mentioned his itinerary for the day. He planned to attend a discussion himself, and there must be a reason for him to go, as the topic was quite interesting.

The topic is: to incorporate feudalism into the county system.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng sat up straight and said, "What do you mean? Could it be that you saw the success of Liu Shunzhi in Xuzhou Prefecture and think that this method is feasible, so you want to establish feudalism in the prefectures and counties?"

Local officials must always face a contradiction: the contradiction between handling affairs and maintaining order.

Just like Liu Shunzhi faced with the choice of whether to open the sluice gates to release water and protect the canal transport or the people's livelihood, Liu Shunzhi chose to protect the people's livelihood, and eventually gained the emperor's appreciation and served as the prefect of Xuzhou for a long time.

If one thinks that Liu Shunzhi's experience can be extended to other areas, and even that feudalism should be implemented in various prefectures and counties, with county, prefectural, and county officials being hereditary and without replacement, Zhang Juzheng would see this as a pipe dream that ignores the bigger picture.

In the entire Ming Dynasty, only Xuzhou Prefecture was such an example.

The root cause of the corruption in local administration lies in the depravity of the prefectures and counties, where clerks and officials hide in dens, passing the profession down from father to son, and from brother to brother.

Zhang Juzheng repeatedly mentioned the feudalization of local power.

The complete bloodline succession of local power led to a complex web of local forces, who controlled local finances, education, the judiciary, and other affairs through kinship, marriage, godparenthood, fellow townsmen, colleagues, and classmates. No matter what officials appointed by the imperial court did, they had to consider the opinions of these local forces.

If this were to truly embody feudalism within the prefectures and counties, it would be a misfortune for the nation.

"It's just a casual discussion, shall we go and listen?" Zhu Yijun stood up and extended a sincere invitation. The discussion was a debate and would not interfere with policy. Zhu Yijun would go to watch the spectacle and see what the Ming Dynasty officials were discussing.

"Let's go together," Qi Jiguang said cheerfully. He had nothing better to do than fish every day, and he was tired of it. He thought it better to see what new tricks these scholars had come up with.

"Then let's go together." Zhang Juzheng also wanted to see what these Jiangnan literati had to say.

(End of this chapter)