I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1077 The underlying nature of the Japanese is inferiority complex.

In the Ming Dynasty's foreign relations, the emperor was the most ruthless towards Japan, without exception. This was not the Ming emperor displaying his tyranny, but rather his way of giving an explanation to the people and responding to the Japanese pirate raids during the Jiajing era.

Xiong Tingbi clearly continued this style, and this battle plan, full of arrogance, was Xiong Tingbi's plan to reduce the number of Edogawa samurai.

Zhu Yijun had no idea how Xiong Tingbi had persuaded these samurai to their deaths. Such a crazy plan—didn't the Japanese samurai know to oppose it? Didn't the Hojo clan's father and son, Ujinao, object to their surrender to the Ming Dynasty?

Because he was thousands of miles away, in his reply to Xiong Tingbi, he only told him to be careful and that if he really couldn't continue, he could just return to the Ming Dynasty, which could start over many times.

In November, Edogawa is like a beautiful painting.

Looking into the distance, the vast Guandong Plain resembles a golden ocean. Fallen leaves sway gently in the autumn wind, reflecting the blood-red sunset on the horizon. In the distance, the mountains are dark green, the forests are dyed in layers of color, the maple leaves are like fire, and the pines and cypresses are evergreen. Countless colors are like splashes of ink, outlining this picture called peace and harmony.

The Edo River, like a silver ribbon, meanders through this landscape and stretches into the distance.

Right where the Edogawa River flows into the sea, the magnificent Edo Castle stands on the banks of the surging river. The castle is still unfinished; only the castle tower in the center of the castle has been completed.

The vermilion pillars of the pavilion contrast with the white walls, making it particularly eye-catching in the colors of late autumn and early winter. Layer upon layer, with upturned eaves and corners, the green tiles on the roof gleam in the setting sun.

The windows of the castle tower are like a pair of deep eyes, overlooking the entire castle and the surrounding mountains and rivers, while Xiong Tingbi stands on the highest floor, looking down over the entire Edo Castle.

The city was bustling with people, including samurai dressed in their uniforms, busy merchants, and ordinary people hurrying by. Fishermen carrying loads were selling freshly made fish balls everywhere.

"Before Governor Xiong arrived here, this place was just a wasteland. The conflict between warriors and farmers never ceased. Even the river water was so turbid and foul-smelling, mixed with too much of the people's blood and flesh. The land was abandoned, and wild beasts in the mountains attacked the villages, while the warriors who were supposed to protect the villages indulged in debauchery in the arcades."

"After Governor Xiong arrived with the heavenly soldiers, everything began to change. The people had their own surnames, villages were gradually forming, and even earthen walls about three zhang high were built to protect their children and homes. The villagers were organized and used their farm tools to kill the murderous beasts and repel the bandits and warriors who came to plunder."

"Your Excellency Governor Kuma, as the daimyo who has protected this land for generations, on behalf of all the people here, I once again sincerely thank you for your kindness and mercy. We have built this insignificant castle tower for you to express our gratitude." Hojo Ujimasa knelt on the ground and said very respectfully.

Today is the day the castle tower is completed. Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi used prisoners of war from Odawara Castle to complete the construction of the castle tower. It is not insignificant; it is the castle tower with the highest standard in the entire country of Japan.

Xiong Tingbi came to inspect the goods, and remained silent throughout the entire process.

For Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi, Xiong Tingbi was someone they couldn't understand, because Xiong Tingbi was extremely contradictory.

On the one hand, he possessed a strong physique and martial prowess comparable to a fierce general; on the other hand, he also had the refined and easygoing nature of a Confucian scholar—a contradictory aura, a contradictory person.

"The prosperity of Edogawa today is all thanks to Governor Xiong's management. I believe that before long, the whole of Japan will be shrouded in your benevolence and compassion!" Yuan Zhi also knelt on the ground, bowing his head obsequiously as he spoke.

Xiong Tingbi remained silent for a long time. This silence left Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi feeling somewhat bewildered and uneasy. Could it be that Xiong Tingbi was not satisfied with the construction of the castle tower?
It was still not grand enough or exquisite enough, which disappointed Governor Xiong!
"Your salary is my emolument, your movement is my residence, all are the people's blood and sweat." Xiong Tingbi finally spoke, and his words stunned Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi.

It's not that they don't speak Chinese well. Japanese nobles and daimyo all learn to speak Chinese and use classical Chinese, so of course they know what this means.

"Please punish us, Your Excellency!" Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi were completely panicked. Had it come to the point of discarding them after they had served their purpose? This was their subconscious reaction.

Upon seeing the expressions on these two men's faces, Xiong Tingbi knew what they were thinking. He shook his head and said, "Initially, I was strongly opposed to the construction of the Edo Castle. I am not a daimyo of Japan. According to the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty, I should have built a governor's mansion, not a castle."

"The castle tower is far more expensive than the governor's mansion. The cost of timber, stone, and labor could have created countless fertile fields if those resources had been used for land reclamation."

“I want to tell you that our salaries and our food, clothing, shelter and transportation are all provided by the people. You must always remember this, as they are all the people’s hard-earned money.”

"Get up."

In the end, the castle tower was built, mainly for the sake of symbolizing rule. If it hadn't been built, the Japanese wouldn't have known that this land had changed hands.

"Thank you for your guidance!" Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi were completely bewildered, but they still stood up.

Xiong Tingbi felt like he was talking to a brick wall. Talking to these Japanese ruling class about loving the people, taking responsibility, and being accountable was completely pointless. What he took for granted was something these powerful people simply couldn't understand.

When they couldn't understand, they thought Xiong Tingbi was trying to make things difficult for them. Of course, they didn't have the environment to understand the meaning of his words.

Having spent more than six years in Japan, Xiong Tingbi has gained a deep understanding of the Japanese people, whose underlying nature is one of inferiority.

The Japanese have always sought to anchor themselves to the 'other,' much like the geographical situation of Japan, an isolated island overseas, which needs the mainland to define its outline and the boundaries of its civilization.

This constant dependence on others fostered a sense of inferiority among the Japanese.

They called the area west of Kyoto Chang'an and the area east Luoyang, and referred to the arrival of daimyo in the capital as "going to Luoyang." All their culture, economy, technology, and everything else came from imports from the Central Plains. This secondary and derivative civilization created this deep-seated inferiority complex.

Similarly, this inferiority complex also stems from the anxiety of survival.

The Japanese did not practice intensive farming and lacked sufficient agricultural tools. The samurai, who should have been responsible for defense, were always plundering the poor and laborers. The anxiety of survival taught the Japanese to be submissive and resigned, and the final result was self-degradation.

Their underlying inferiority complex keeps these Japanese people in a state of constant bewilderment, confusion, and anxiety. They yearn for a more stable life and attribute all tragedies to Japan's limited land, frequent earthquakes, and constant storms, considering them natural disasters rather than man-made ones.

Simply attributing misfortune to natural disasters, the Japanese harbored unrealistic fantasies about the mainland. Their entry into Tang China was a consensus built upon this sense of inferiority.

Ordinary Japanese people did not understand the changes in the Central Plains dynasties. They referred to the Central Plains as the Tang Dynasty, as if entering the Tang Dynasty would solve all their problems and make everything better.

A careful analysis of the birth of the Pure Land sect and its widespread popularity in Japan reveals that the essence of the Pure Land sect was to enter the Tang Dynasty.

The birth of the Bliss Sect was a retreat into Tang China following a failed military offensive.

The desire to belittle oneself, to belittle oneself, and to become a slave or servant in order to ascend to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and go to the Ming Dynasty is the cultural foundation upon which the Pure Land religion is widely popular.

Their deep-seated inferiority complex leads to their submissiveness, making them afraid to resist and rarely resist. It is even more difficult for them to reach a consensus on loving the people. Order is established through struggle, while fairness comes from the struggle of resistance.

There is no fairness without resistance, and no order without struggle.

The uprising led by several daimyo and the peasants was not a rebellion of the poor and laborers, because at this time, the Japanese did not have surnames at all, and the word "common people" had nothing to do with most of them.

You can tell just from their names. Their names are all sorts of strange ones, and their surnames are even more varied. These names and surnames, like the Japanese themselves, are like weeds, sprouting in spring and withering in summer. No one cares whether they are alive or not, and no one cares whether they have ever been here.

This inferiority complex has led to a fundamental fact: Japan needs an "other" to interfere in its production, daily life, military, and politics, and only in this way can they feel more at ease.

To put it more bluntly, for the Japanese to live with a clear conscience, they need a living father to keep them in check.

As a Ming Dynasty citizen, Xiong Tingbi would not have been able to understand the various aspects of Japan if he hadn't lived there for a long time.

To understand everything about Japan and explain its problems, one can start by looking at the inferiority complex inherent in the Japanese people, and the spiritual distortion that arises from this inferiority complex. This will make it very easy to understand.

"How are the preparations going with my order for the samurai in the city to split into three groups and attack Tokugawa Ieyasu?" Xiong Tingbi put aside his thoughts and asked about his order.

Yuan Zheng said loudly, "Everything is ready. Everyone is on high alert, waiting only for your command! Let Japan be shrouded in your benevolence and mercy!"

Xiong Tingbi didn't need to persuade Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi, nor did he need to persuade these warriors. He only needed to give the order. Your Majesty, you've overcomplicated things.

If we're talking about madness, the strategy devised by Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi—first entering Korea, then entering the Ming Dynasty—was even more insane.

Yet 150,000 warriors still followed this insane strategy and invaded Korea.

Xiong Tingbi's three-pronged attack was aimed at the prosperity of the Kanto Plain and the arrival of a new era for Japan. Under such circumstances, his plan was not considered crazy.

These samurai were the biggest destabilizing factor in Edogawa.

They wantonly humiliated the poor people in the city, and even killed people at will in the beginning, so much so that people from the countryside dared not enter the city.

These warriors would plunder the people who had already completed the land redistribution when they left the city; this plunder was retaliatory in nature.

These warriors didn't even dare to complain about Xiong Tingbi, who presided over the land redistribution. Instead, they turned their weapons on the people who had been redistributed land and changed their surnames, believing that these people had stolen their land and were extremely vicious.

These samurai were the result of violence spiraling out of control. Japan had no way to restrain these samurai because every daimyo needed to rely on samurai to carry out their conquests.

"Between Mori Terumoto and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who do you think will win?" Xiong Tingbi asked.

Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi exchanged a glance before Yuan Zheng spoke, "No matter who wins or loses, they will not be a match for the Governor-General in the end! I think Mori Terumoto is slightly stronger, both in the navy and the army."

Yuan Zhi pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "I think it's Tokugawa Ieyasu, because Tokugawa Ieyasu is more dangerous. He is too patient and extremely insidious. He is like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, and he never uses any means necessary to do things. The bad guys always have the last laugh."

Tokugawa Ieyasu's nickname was "Old Fox," which was already a compliment. The daimyo of Japan always believed that Oda Nobunaga died because of Tokugawa Ieyasu's conspiracy, even though Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were allies.

Tokugawa Ieyasu also had another nickname: the Sima Yi of Japan.

Xiong Tingbi nodded and said, "I also think it was Tokugawa Ieyasu. I dealt with Mori Terumoto at the Iwami Ginzan. He tried to take back the Iwami Ginzan many times, but when he found that he couldn't, he chose to negotiate with me. After the negotiation, he asked for the remains of the fallen samurai."

Mori Terumoto's demand for the remains of the fallen samurai was something Xiong Tingbi hadn't expected. Having fought countless battles with the Japanese, this was the first time a daimyo had demanded the remains, proving that in Mori Terumoto's eyes, these samurai were people, not tools, which was already quite remarkable.

In the chaotic situation of war in Japan, the bad guys are indeed more likely to have the last laugh.

Mori Terumoto had another major problem: he wasn't very good at fighting, meaning he lacked military talent. As a result, he could only rely on his clan heads. However, the prevailing culture of gekokujo (subordinates overthrowing superiors) in Japan made it impossible for Mori Terumoto to fully trust these clan heads.

This distrust is extremely fatal on the battlefield. Whether Mori Terumoto or Tokugawa Ieyasu wins, it will be three to five years from now. The struggle between the two groups will not end so quickly. After three to five years, neither of them will have the ability to threaten the Kanto Plain.

Having completed the partial return of land to the Kanto Plain, Xiong Tingbi is now considered a daimyo with a million koku of rice, according to the Japanese rice-to-water conversion, and his power has risen to the top tier.

The meticulous agricultural practices, along with the farming tools and seeds from the Ming Dynasty, brought new life to this fertile land filled with volcanic ash.

Xiong Tingbi lacks time. He only needs three to five years to convert the output of these fields into a formidable fighting force. Meanwhile, due to internal strife, Japan is unlikely to launch a major offensive against the Kanto Plain within three to five years.

The three-pronged offensive strategy—conquests to the north, south, and west—had only one objective: to eliminate the unstable samurai groups and maintain rule.

When the time came to act, Xiong Tingbi never hesitated.

"Military Garrison Stations." Xiong Tingbi began to implement the second phase of the order, establishing military garrison stations on the Guandong Plain. The purpose of equal land distribution was to allow warriors to enter the city, not to harm farmers in the countryside.

Military garrisons and outposts were the best way to manage the Japanese.

The resilience and effectiveness of the military garrison system have long been proven by time in the Ming Dynasty.

However, there are still many difficulties in implementing this decree in Japan. First of all, it is difficult to establish Confucian schools in the military garrisons. Japan lacks enough scholars. Of course, for the newly established military garrisons, there is no need for so many Confucian schools.

The initial military settlements and garrisons were mainly for farming and self-sufficiency in food.

This is also why the samurai had to be eliminated; they ate far too much and also loved to drink alcohol.

Xiong Tingbi began to implement the military garrison system throughout the Guandong Plain. This policy was quite complex. The initial concept was similar to the military farm system, which mainly involved building roads and bridges first, and then dispatching elite soldiers from the Beijing Garrison to manage the towns, reclaim wasteland, cultivate land, and manage the output of the land.

These matters were complicated, and as Xiong Tingbi explained them, Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi became somewhat confused.

"Fine, just do as I say." Xiong Tingbi abandoned explaining the underlying principles and instead adopted a directive approach.

He wanted to explain those principles, but Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi really couldn't understand them.

For example, he talked about the storage and management of granaries, which involved the difference between civilian transport of tax grain and official delivery of tax grain.

Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi proposed: Wouldn't it solve the problem if the people simply transported the grain they needed to pay to Edo Castle? If they couldn't pay on time, then immediately sending samurai to suppress them would be the correct approach.

For example, he said that based on military construction in military settlements and garrisons, anti-corruption was necessary. The army was the only real thing in the process of establishing order. When the army quelled the rebellion, the country and the country stabilized, production began to recover, a general consensus was recognized, morality began to emerge, and an order based on morality gradually became sound.

If the military, this ballast stone, changes its nature, the entire order will go astray. Conversely, if the military remains unchanged, no matter how chaotic the order becomes, it will not stray from the correct direction and will not lose its way.

Such a simple and easy-to-understand principle, yet Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi expressed their doubts: checking the army's accounts, are they out of their minds?
When reasoning failed, Xiong Tingbi stopped trying, and directive administration became his habit.

Xiong Tingbi gave up the idea of ​​education. He understood a principle very early on: do not try to change anyone's ideas, because they are the sum of their past.

The problem in Japan is actually very simple. In Japan, everyone is self-centered and has their own faction. Very few people have ambitions, and only a very few can be considered to have the poor, the laborers, and the common people in their hearts.

To put it more bluntly, the ruling class and the meat-eaters in Japan are almost all beasts, worse than pigs and dogs.

For example, Oda Nobunaga had three public officials and seven commoners. Oda Nobunaga only collected 30% of the land tax. In Japan, where it was common to have eight or nine public officials, Oda Nobunaga's three public officials meant that he had the people and all the common people in his heart.

"We take our leave." Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi obeyed the order. Sometimes they couldn't understand why Xiong Tingbi talked to them so much. He could have just told them what to do.

They are very self-aware. If they don't understand, they won't mention it. Even if they do understand, they will overthink it and end up distorting Xiong Tingbi's policies, making the current directives and policies worse.

"Wait a moment." Xiong Tingbi turned around, looked at the two of them and said, "From now on, don't call me Your Excellency, just call me Governor."

The "Your Excellency" they used was a respectful title, but it was more like a title similar to "Lord of the Capital" or "Lord of the Capital" or "Lord of the Capital." Xiong Tingbi was a Ming Dynasty official, and his main purpose in Japan was to gain experience. His official position was Governor-General of Edo, not Lord of the Capital.

"Yes." Yuan Zheng and Yuan Zhi bowed their heads again to accept the order. This was the contradiction in Xiong Tingbi. As a military general, he was always meticulous about etiquette. Every time the two of them knelt, Xiong Tingbi would step aside and tell them that they were kneeling to His Majesty, not him, Xiong Tingbi.

A man emerged from the shadows: Chen Tiande, a naval commander of the Ming Dynasty. After completing eight battles in the Eastern Expedition, he stayed at Iwami Silver Mine and became Xiong Tingbi's assistant.

"His Majesty has sent a letter." Chen Tiande, the head of the Japanese intelligence system, handed the letter from the coastal defense inspector to Xiong Tingbi.

After reading the letter, Xiong Tingbi smiled gently. His Majesty doesn't seem to care much about Japan. He cares about Japanese silver and Japanese slaves, but he doesn't care whether Japan lives or dies. This indifference makes Japan even more unfortunate.

In his letter, His Majesty mainly talked about what was happening in the capital. He said that his serious illness had caused a lot of trouble for the Ming Dynasty, both inside and outside. Even Shen Shixing almost became a treacherous minister who plotted to harm His Majesty. He also inquired about Xiong Tingbi's recent situation and repeatedly told him that if things couldn't continue, he should return to the Ming Dynasty.

Xiong Tingbi had no interest in becoming a peerless king in Japan; to do so would be self-degrading, self-abasement, and turning him into a barbarian.

If I'm going to do it, I'll be a five-star emperor!
Chen Tiande never doubted that Xiong Tingbi would betray the Ming Dynasty; after all, he was the Xiong Da that His Majesty spoke of.

"News has come from Kyoto that Tokugawa Ieyasu informed all the daimyo that Torii Mototada's actions were his own doing. Tokugawa Ieyasu did not issue an order to kill Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but he gave Torii Mototada a grand funeral and allowed Torii Mototada's son to inherit the title of daimyo, increasing his stipend by 50,000 koku." Chen Tiande told Xiong Tingbi a rather contradictory piece of information.

While Tokugawa Ieyasu denied killing Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he treated Torii Mototada's descendants, who were responsible for the murder, with great favor. Doesn't this tell everyone that he was the one who did it?
“Tokugawa Ieyasu is not a fool. He wants to unite those loyal to his daimyo. Once the conflict with Mori Terumoto is resolved, the situation will be completely different.” Xiong Tingbi understood why Tokugawa Ieyasu acted this way.

The infighting between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his direct subordinates, heirs, and adopted son, Toyotomi Hidetsugu, gave Tokugawa Ieyasu an opportunity. Tokugawa Ieyasu was very astute in seizing the moment and acted immediately.

If Tokugawa Ieyasu were to humiliate Torii Mototada's descendants, he would first turn against his own men, and Mori Terumoto would win without a fight.

"I plan to launch a surprise attack on Kyoto." Xiong Tingbi stood in front of the huge Japanese geomantic map in the castle tower and pointed to the location of the Ming Dynasty's Osaka Bay Garrison Command. He carefully assessed the situation and concluded that Tokugawa Ieyasu and Mori Terumoto were bound to fight. Mori Terumoto was certain to lose, while Tokugawa Ieyasu would win a great victory.

Therefore, by combining their forces and launching a surprise attack on Kyoto, Xiong Tingbi delivered a fatal blow to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tokugawa Ieyasu could win, but not so easily. The Ming Dynasty did not want to see a united Japanese shogunate.

The Japanese shogunate, filled with disagreements, assassinations, struggles, and grudges, was exactly what the Ming Dynasty wanted to see. Only in this way could they maximize the extraction of Japanese silver into the Ming and force Japanese slaves to work as laborers in plantations in Southeast Asia, which was in line with the Ming Dynasty's overall direction of destroying Japan.

"Isn't this too risky?" Chen Tiande said with a solemn expression. "If the surprise attack succeeds, it will naturally cripple Tokugawa Ieyasu. When these daimyo see Tokugawa Ieyasu weakened, their ambitions will naturally grow wildly. However, Governor Xiong should not go in person. I will take 1,500 elite soldiers to Osaka."

"Of course I'll go!" Xiong Tingbi glanced at Chen Tiande, shook his head and said, "His Majesty sent me to Japan precisely to gain complete control of the situation there."

“No, His Majesty sent Governor Xiong here to gain experience, not to control the situation in Japan,” Chen Tiande shook his head, denying Xiong Tingbi’s words.

The emperor never gave Xiong Tingbi any specific tasks, but everyone knew how much imperial favor Xiong Tingbi enjoyed.

“You’re right.” Xiong Tingbi choked for a moment. Chen Tiande was right. His Majesty’s letter to him also told him to run away if he could. He really could not go.

"I still want to go." After careful consideration, Xiong Tingbi made his decision. He solemnly said, "I am deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace and have no way to repay it."

"Yes." Chen Tiande accepted the order. Xiong Tingbi was the governor-general, and he had made the decision. Chen Tiande could only obey. Moreover, Chen Tiande was well aware of Xiong Tingbi's military talent. The Japanese pirates could not hold him back. This trip was somewhat dangerous, but not too dangerous.

Chen Tiande will remain in Edo Castle to prevent any unrest in Edo.

The Ming Dynasty will only have this opportunity to wage war once the two factions start fighting each other.

"List of goods imported from Shandong this time." Chen Tiande began discussing domestic affairs with Xiong Tingbi.

The global trade fleet departing from Matsue Prefecture stopped at Edo Port for the first time. The entire city of Edo was on high alert, as this was crucial to whether Edo Castle could join the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance.

The stopover went very smoothly. After resupplying, the fleet headed towards the Kingdom of Gold Mountain. At the end of October, a group of merchant ships that departed from the Maritime Trade Office in Mizhou, Shandong, successfully arrived at Edo Castle.

The list of goods that Chen Tiande held in his hand contained items that Edo Castle urgently needed.

"So many? I can't afford them." Xiong Tingbi looked at the dazzling list of goods and said somewhat speechlessly.

“You can owe it for now,” Chen Tiande said with a sigh. “Shandong Governor Song Yingchang said that His Majesty has issued an imperial edict saying that Governor Xiong can ask His Majesty for the money he owes.”

This was a direct manifestation of His Majesty's favor. Xiong Tingbi's development in Edogawa was guaranteed by His Majesty. If Xiong Tingbi could not repay his debts, he could ask His Majesty for them.

"Thank you for your boundless imperial favor." Xiong Tingbi once again sincerely bowed to the capital from afar. Others did not know why he had such imperial favor, and he himself was not very clear about it either.

From the first time he met His Majesty, His Majesty called him Xiong Da and made him a disciple of Zhang Juzheng, giving him ten taels of silver a year to support his studies and martial arts training at the Martial Arts Academy. He studied military strategy and martial arts under the tutelage of Qi Jiguang and Ma Fang.

He did not take advantage of His Majesty's favor to act recklessly, but instead acted with even greater caution to repay His Majesty's boundless grace.

"The sheer variety of goods on this list is a testament to Shandong's rapid development in recent years, which is truly surprising." Xiong Tingbi discerned something else from the goods list: Shandong's goods were not only diverse but also of superior quality, indicating that Shandong's workshops were also expanding.

Cotton cloth is a specialty of Songjiang Prefecture, but Shandong cotton cloth is just as good in terms of both quality and price.

Over the years, Shandong has formed two powerful economic cores: Jinan Prefecture and Mizhou Maritime Trade Office. Under the leadership of these two cores, Shandong has become the leading economic powerhouse in northern China.

Xiong Tingbi was somewhat surprised. The Wanli Reform was in full swing, and Shandong, the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, was actually very conservative, the most conservative place in the Ming Dynasty. However, Shandong still seized the opportunity of the Wanli Reform and flourished in the process of reform.

“Perhaps sometimes, conservatism is also a form of progress,” Chen Tiande said after some thought.

Conservatism does not mean the inability to develop. Compared to Songjiang Prefecture, which was immersed in a sea of ​​silver, Shandong's development speed is in no way inferior, and it is not even at risk of being alienated by money.

(End of this chapter)