I'm really not doing business

Chapter 788: Thunder, Rain and Dew Are All Your Grace
The memorials of the Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang and Zhang Xueyan detailed the reasons why collective farms such as the Yingzhuang Fa failed.

There have been many similar collective farms in history, such as the military farming system during the Han Dynasty.

Military farming is the use of military soldiers and conscripted landless refugees to carry out collective production. The earliest was Emperor Wu of Han who established military farming in the Western Regions. Later, Cao Cao established military farming in Xuchang. In order to strengthen the army and ensure adequate food, military farming officials were established.

It was not until the end of the Cao Wei Dynasty that Sima Yan announced the abolition of military farming and dismissed all military farming officials.

The Han Dynasty’s military farms, the Tang Dynasty’s Zhechongfu, and the Ming Dynasty’s military garrisons were all similar to conscripting landless farmers to engage in collective production, but the ultimate result was that they could not achieve stability.

The Ministry of Revenue summarized the attempts at agricultural collectivization throughout the ages and finally came to the conclusion that agricultural collectivization production was inevitable, and the disintegration of agricultural collectivization production was also inevitable.

Family-based agricultural operations cannot afford the huge labor investment required for land reclamation, reservoir construction, irrigation, water conservancy, roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, so collective agricultural production has become a necessity.

This is a matter of banding together for warmth. Only by uniting closely together can we get these tasks done.

For example, Suiyuan and Liaodong today both have the characteristics of agricultural collectivization to varying degrees.

As large-scale infrastructure construction was completed, collective production fell into the dilemma of five large tiled houses. The five large tiled houses had been built, and it was time to distribute the benefits. You wanted to live in the main house, but I didn't want to live in the side house.

At this time, conflicts surrounding distribution continue to arise.

Just as the three leaders of the people worried, some lazy thugs who do not work and are idle all day long and like to form gangs will gather together and encroach on public interests. They will not only eat without working, but also rely on the lawlessness and ferocity of their small gangs to eat, take and occupy more.

The problem of unfair distribution will become more and more serious over time, and eventually, concentrated agricultural production will inevitably turn into private plots for military farm officials, soldiers of the Zhechoufu, and captains of military garrisons.

Since the Hongwu period, the Ming Dynasty's military garrison system had begun to collapse, except in the border areas. Only in the border areas where there were still extremely strong military threats and military missions could this agricultural collective production system operate stably.

The group of small farmers themselves do not support collective production, because the biggest wish of most small farmers is to own the land to till it, and collective production may harm their interests.

After all, the construction of these public infrastructures requires a large amount of money, and their daily maintenance also requires a large amount of money, and these expenses need to be paid from the income of the camp.

On the other hand, agricultural production has its own natural limitations, with limited output, limited and very slow growth. Without sufficient incremental distribution, it is ultimately like building a temple in a snail shell, and all hard work will be in vain.

The Ministry of Revenue believed that the Yingzhuang system, like the centralized agricultural production that had been explored and attempted in the past, was bound to disintegrate.

The Ming Dynasty’s overseas plantations were different. These plantations were also a form of concentrated agricultural production, but they were mainly slavery plantations and did not need to consider downward distribution too much. Without the various contradictions surrounding distribution, they could naturally prosper.

Regarding the issue of lazy ruffians, which concerned the people, the Ministry of Revenue suggested sending them to the Yuanxu Islands to reclaim wasteland.

The reason why lazy thugs can be lazy and idle is that they have a lazy environment and can form gangs to bully good people.

When you arrive at a pioneering area like the Yuanxu Islands, you can't be lazy even if you want to. In a pioneering area, forming gangs is conducive to the stability of the pioneering area.

Admittedly, the problem cannot be cured fundamentally, but the conflict can be eased. We only need to rectify a part of it, making an example of them, and the rest will settle down.

Let's start with the three counties of Ningdu, Ruijin and Ninghua. Since the turmoil has started, these places are the easiest places for the court to reach out to, and also the best time to do so.

Wang Guoguang reminded His Majesty that even the compromised Yingzhuang Law would still encounter resistance in its implementation. Jiangxi is full of academies, and it is easy to imagine what kind of trouble these students and former officials will cause.

When necessary, the court should use some unconventional means to ensure the implementation of government orders.

The means used by the Ministry of Justice to reduce the judicial privileges of gentry were much more harsh.

The Ministry of Justice directly reduced the judicial and tax privileges of all scholars and juren, and even imposed stricter restrictions, requiring local nobles and gentry to abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. If local nobles and gentry violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty, their crimes would be increased by three levels.

The purpose of increasing the punishment is to eliminate the gentry class in a targeted manner.

There are two reasons why the Ministry of Justice did this. One is that to correct a wrong, one must go too far. If one does not go too far, then the wrong cannot be corrected.
Another reason was to partially replace the gentry class with the artisan class and make it the local ruling class.

Wang Chonggu himself was a member of the Labour Party. He realized that the class of craftsmen could replace the old class of local gentry in all aspects, especially with the emergence of the three-level schools for craftsmen.

In March, the government factory released a group of craftsmen. After returning to their hometowns, these craftsmen built paper mills, brick kilns, coal kilns, blacksmith shops, silk reeling workshops, hemp workshops, chicken farms, pens, etc. in the villages.

Moreover, craftsmen from all over the country would gather at the fair regularly to meet each other and discuss their situations. If you have bricks and I have tiles, we could complement each other.

A new rural economy is taking shape steadily.

Craftsmen can work with villagers to build rural workshops.

There was even an iron foundry in Liugouying on the banks of the Qingshui River in Yanqing Prefecture. It had more than 20 craftsmen who specialized in producing various cast iron parts for the government factory, which provided a livelihood for Liugouying.

In order to transport these parts, the iron foundry chose to build a road, and Liugouying itself is very close to the road.

A new Ming Dynasty economy, with the Chidao as the main artery, official roads and post roads as branch arteries, and rural roads as capillaries, is taking shape in places where there are Chidao.

Wang Chonggu was really ruthless in protecting the interests of the Labor Party.

"The cabinet will discuss this in detail in the next chapter. Sir, you have not posted any floating votes." Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial from Wang Chonggu in front of him and chose to send it to the cabinet for further discussion.

Wang Chonggu's memorial did not have any cabinet votes, which means that Wang Chonggu violated the procedure for submitting memorials and submitted the memorial himself.

Obviously, Wang Chonggu did not get the approval of the cabinet.

"How is my dodo doing?" Zhu Yijun asked about the overseas invasive species, the dodo.

Feng Bao said helplessly: "The dodo is a bit stupid, a bit like the stupid roe deer in Liaodong, curious about everything. A few of them died and have been transferred to the dissection hospital for autopsy."

"It only lays one egg at a time, which takes a long time to hatch. It will take time to breed it on a large scale."

"But the dodo can produce more than one kilogram of down a year, which is about twice that of a goose."

The larger dodo has the advantage of more down, and it is not picky about food, it eats everything. The advantage in down is a commodity advantage, and it is worth breeding on a large scale.

Like geese and ducks, dodos lay one egg at a time. Feng Bao meant that there are too few dodos now and the expansion of the species is slow. It will take at least a few years before they can be bred on a large scale and form an industry.

"Your Majesty, this padded jacket is made of dodo down. Its thermal insulation ability is comparable to goose down." Feng Bao asked the eunuch to bring a padded jacket and presented it to the emperor.

Down has the strongest ability to keep warm. That is to say, when boiled water is kept warm by dodo down, the temperature only drops by 3 degrees in half an hour, thus passing the heat preservation test.

Daming is developing thermal insulation bedding with high-end fabrics and fillings mainly made of velvet to increase profits in the agricultural and animal husbandry industries.

This process is extremely difficult, but as long as it is done, it will be a top luxury product that is no less than silk, and will also have the profits that a top luxury product should have.

This time when Sanniang came to the capital to deliver wool, she also specially gave the emperor a cashmere sweater. The sweater had an extremely delicate feel and was made of 100% white cashmere.

The goats are Hetao goats, and the cashmere from this kind of goats is top-quality cashmere in the world.

The cashmere is collected layer by layer using a comb with very dense teeth. An adult goat will produce only one to half a pound of cashmere a year.

The most difficult part of this process is to separate the down and wool and increase the purity and content of the down. The higher the down content, the better the thermal insulation effect and the finer the feel.

Sanniang gave the emperor a gift in the hope that His Majesty would praise it. In this way, if the emperor said it was good after using it, it would help to open up sales and promote the development of technology.

The grassland has benefited a lot from the process of kingship. In the past, if the wool was not refined, the felt would have a strong smell and would be worthless.

Now, due to the rapid development of the woolen industry, the economic value of raising one sheep on the grassland is equal to two in the past.

The people of the grassland owe your Majesty a favor, the favor of giving them life and keeping them alive.

Zhu Yijun looked at the exquisitely made jacket in front of him and said with a smile, "This is a very good thing. Let Xu Jue bring it to you when he goes to the Quan Chu Guild Hall."

"I obey the order." Feng Bao obeyed the leader's order.

Feng Bao sent Xu Jue to the Quan Chu Guild Hall to hand over the dodo down jacket to Zhang Juzheng, but Xu Jue did not leave because his purpose of coming was to discuss matters in Wenchang Pavilion.

The Wenchang Pavilion of the Quan Chu Guild Hall was Zhang Juzheng's study. When some important matters required a small meeting, it became a meeting hall.

Only after the ministers had reached a basic consensus in private would they go to the Wenhua Hall and argue out a final result in front of the emperor.

In the past, Wan Shihe would represent the emperor to attend such small meetings. Now Shen Li can take on this responsibility, but this time Shen Li also wanted to quarrel, so Xu Jue had to come over as a witness.

When Xu Jue arrived, Wang Chonggu who came to "challenge" had not arrived yet, but Shen Li and Wang Guoguang had already arrived.

Soon, Wang Chonggu brought the Minister of Works Wang Daokun and the Minister of War Zeng Shengwu to the Quan Chu Guild Hall. It was obvious that the three had reached a consensus.

The Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue opposed Wang Chonggu's plan to completely abolish the preferential treatment for the gentry;

The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works agreed that Wang Chonggu was overcorrecting. As soon as Wang Chonggu arrived, the atmosphere immediately became tense.

"Wang Ci Fu has made quite a big scene. When he came to me, he was aggressive and full of anger." Zhang Juzheng gestured for the three to sit down and said with a smile.

Wang Chonggu waved his sleeves and said aggressively: "Yuanfu, I have done what your majesty asked me to do, I have drafted the memorial, and I have taken the blame. Yuanfu has always boasted that he is loyal and dedicated, and that he has done what he knows is impossible. As long as he is alive, he will not give up his ambition to revive the Ming Dynasty."

"Why, are you scared now?"

"It's me who's being scolded, not you, Zhang Juzheng. Why are you stopping me?"

Wang Chonggu launched a general attack on the local gentry, which should have been something Zhang Juzheng would be happy to see, but Zhang Juzheng disagreed and refused to write a floating ticket.

That's why he came to challenge the master today.

"Don't be too hasty." Zhang Juzheng replied immediately.

Wang Chonggu said angrily: "Humph! I think you are afraid that I, Wang Chonggu, will take away the credit for your reform! You are so powerful, just use your means to drive me away and take the credit!"

"Isn't Wang Cifu just saying this in anger?" Zhang Juzheng was somewhat helpless. The older Wang Chonggu got, the more unreasonable he became, and he became a little impatient. "Prime Minister, calm down, Cifu, calm down too. Peace is the most important thing in everything. Besides, a Prime Minister and a Cifu quarreling like this is not good for the country. We are all for the good of the country. Let me say a few words." Shen Li smiled and smoothed things over.

After following Wan Shihe for so many years, Shen Li didn't learn much else, but he learned all these polite words.

The trouble with this matter is this: Are you doing this for the good of the country? Am I not doing this for the good of the country?

You, Zhang Juzheng, are noble, you, Zhang Juzheng, care about the world? You, Zhang Juzheng, are the only loyal, good, and capable minister? We are all working for Your Majesty, for the sake of the world's interests, why should we listen to you!

This is the most troublesome thing. If someone were to seek personal gain, it would be much simpler.

Shen Li sat up straight and said with a serious face: "First of all, I must emphasize the current situation. The local gentry, who are similar to officials but different from officials, similar to the people but above the people, have actually become an obstacle to the development of productivity and an obstacle to the change of production relations."

"The Deputy Prime Minister must go too far to correct a wrong, and he wants to completely replace the local gentry with craftsmen. But Deputy Prime Minister, are there really so many craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty, and are these craftsmen really willing to return to their hometowns and replace the local gentry?"

"Isn't it a bit too hasty to call for the killing of local gentry in such a hurry?"

"Similarly, isn't it a bit too cautious that Yuanfu directly and completely denied Wang Cifu's memorial? I think Wang Cifu is too eager for success, but isn't it a bit one-sided to deny the whole thing?"

"You two, it is most important to discuss it carefully and come up with a practical solution."

The job of the Ministry of Rites is to ensure fighting without destruction and harmony without differences. This is the most important legacy that Wan Shihe left to the Ministry of Rites.

Even if Wan Shihe was gone, Shen Li did not plan to change. He would follow the path and reach the other side. Wan Shihe was able to have a good end and was treated with great courtesy by His Majesty.

Craftsmen did not want to leave the government-owned factories because their children could enjoy a better education in them. For this reason alone, the craftsmen were unwilling to return home.

Only a few craftsmen chose to return to their hometowns, and more craftsmen were still concentrated in places where industries were concentrated, such as around the Xishan Coal Bureau and the Woolen Official Factory.

This is the main reason why Wang Ci Fu's memorial was opposed, but not by so many people.

"The craftsmen will definitely not be willing to return to the village. Most of those who return are already local gentry." Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said, "Wang Cifu comes from a powerful and wealthy family and knows nothing about life in the village. It is unrealistic for craftsmen to replace local gentry."

"Indeed, no matter how you look at it, it seems good to let the craftsmen return to their families and start businesses in their hometowns, but the craftsmen are reluctant to go back."

Zhang Juzheng was scolded by Wang Shizhen, saying that he had not even washed himself clean from the dirt, yet he ran to the Wenhua Hall to give orders. Zhang Juzheng did not live a very moral life, but rather a rather mercenary one.

Wang Chonggu’s idea was good, but it revealed a key point, that is, most of the craftsmen, even if they could not stay in the government-owned factories, could become bosses in private workshops.

The examples Wang Chonggu saw, such as the foundry in Liugouying, were indeed very successful, but the founder of that workshop owned 4,700 hectares of land.

"What do you mean I know nothing about village life! A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!" Wang Chonggu stood up suddenly and shouted angrily.

"Calm down, calm down." Shen Li hurriedly stood up to persuade them to stop fighting. Even Zeng Shengwu and Wang Daokun, who were brought by Wang Chonggu, pulled Wang Chonggu along. The first and second ministers of the Ming Empire started fighting. It was really a big joke.

Luo Sigong stood beside Zhang Juzheng. The emperor's order was very clear: whoever harmed the prime minister would be killed, no matter who it was.

Zhang Juzheng signaled to Luo Sigong not to be nervous, as he was younger and could still run away if he couldn't win. After all, Wang Chonggu was a Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty and would not take action.

You still have to save face.

Wang Chonggu was very angry!
As the second prime minister of the empire, Zhang Juzheng's words implied that Wang Chonggu was too naive in politics. Wang Chonggu was always on duty at the Xishan Coal Bureau and the woolen cloth official factory, and he claimed that he could talk about anything with the craftsmen.

Zhang Juzheng's accusation was to deny all of Wang Chonggu's contributions since the Wanli Reform.

Zhang Juzheng waited for a while until everyone was quiet, then he said, "In the village, life is very hard."

"We didn't dare light the lamps at home because lamp oil was expensive. We had many baskets hanging in the house and put food, drinks and daily necessities in them for fear that they would be stolen by mice."

"When the children in the village see a snake, they don't hide at first. Instead, they try to catch it after seeing it clearly, because doctors passing by will collect them. As for being bitten, if they die, they die."

"When it rains or snows, the roads are blocked. We can't get in or out. We can't buy anything, especially salt. We have to walk more than 40 miles to carry the salt back."

"I remember when I was a kid, some women in the village would catch toads, puncture their poison cells, squeeze out the thick stuff, boil it in a pot, and use it to treat their children. Then the children would die, and very few would survive."

"When I was six years old, my father had not yet passed the imperial examination, our family was poor, and my grandfather had offended the King of Liao. At that time, I lived in my old house in my hometown. I saw with my own eyes that the adults in the neighborhood cried and drowned their young children in a basin because there was a drought that year and they could not afford to feed them."

"As many children died, they were dumped on the hillside behind the mountain. I forgot what the hillside was originally called, but later people called it the Hill of Dead Old Children."

"The ruffians and lazy people in the village would even climb over the wall to other people's homes at night, rape, kill and rob. At that time, the mountains were full of bandits. If the bandits came down the mountain to rob, there would be few survivors in the whole village."

"Human life is worthless. The poorer the place, the less valuable human life is. The poorer the place, the more ignorant, closed, and cannibalistic it becomes."

"When I was in school, I felt that my study was a sin against my parents. They didn't have much money to pay tuition, and every time I went to school to get money from my parents, I felt that I was burdening them."

"Many of the craftsmen in the government factories are refugees. They escaped because they couldn't survive. Do you think they will go back? If they are released and reunited with their relatives, do they have any relatives? Are those relatives who want to eat them really relatives?"

The three leaders of the people, Wan Qianchang, Lian Yuanhou and Zheng Sanwan, were not excited after hearing the Yingzhuang Law. Instead, they felt that returning the land to the fields was a good idea, but it was really impossible to do it. They were also the first to talk about the problem of lazy hooligans. Lazy hooligans were the ultimate result and manifestation of rural ignorance, closedness and lawlessness.

"I've never heard of it." The veins on Wang Chonggu's forehead jumped, and he realized that some of his meat-eaters were wishful thinking. His family had been doing business for generations and was very rich, so he really didn't understand these things.

"Of course, no one wants to expose their scars and bloody wounds to others." Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "Me too."

In order to convince Wang Chonggu, Zhang Juzheng revealed the scar of his poor background to Wang Chonggu.

Zhang Juzheng sat up straight and said, "Whether your majesty is violent or cruel, it doesn't matter. As long as your majesty keeps thinking about it and wants to let the poor people have more food, your majesty is wise. Even if you can't overcome the difficulties, you are still wise."

Zhang Juzheng's words are really bold! Does Your Majesty have no heart for the people and can be disloyal?
Zhang Juzheng dared to say this because he really believed in the emperor, because the emperor was better at farming than the ministers. The promotion of Baoqisi to Agricultural College was something His Majesty had done himself, and he had never lost his enthusiasm for fifteen years.

Your Majesty, likes to raise animals just like Emperor Wuzong. The difference is that Your Majesty pays more attention to poultry rather than wild beasts, mainly to increase the diversity of people's tables.

Your Majesty likes the dodo bird and the pigs, sheep and horses imported from overseas. Crop breeding is breeding, and poultry and livestock breeding is also breeding.

Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes and said, "It may seem good to replace the local gentry with craftsmen, but it is difficult to do. Therefore, I insist that the judicial and tax preferential treatment of some local gentry should not be completely abolished."

"After all, your majesty and the court also need a scapegoat."

"Yuan Fu, wait a moment!" Wang Chonggu was horrified, stretched out his hand, and said in horror: "What do you think your majesty needs?"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Chonggu and said with certainty: "Scapegoat, it can't be that everything is your Majesty's fault."

"The anger in the hearts of the common people needs to be vented, and these local sages and gentry will chop it down to appease the public anger when necessary."

The ministers present gasped!
Zhang Juzheng was so determined to prevent the abolition of the judicial and tax preferential treatment for local gentry, and it was for this purpose! It was completely to pave the way for the emperor's stable rule.

After Zhang Juzheng became the Prime Minister, all his efforts were motivated by working towards this goal.

"Since the Wanli Reform, things have changed with each passing day. Some people are very rich, while others are still very poor. As a human being, what worries us most is not the lack of wealth but the inequality of wealth. The contradictions are increasing and becoming more complicated."

"The Ming Dynasty is against the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is also torn apart. Lending them their heads will just help bridge the contradictions."

"If the conflict gets serious, just kill some people. When the people see that someone is dead, it can be considered as a way to vent their anger."

Zhang Juzheng continued, "I am against abolishing the judicial and tax preferential treatment for local gentry, but I agree that Wang Ci Fu should be given a third level of punishment, given preferential treatment, and take responsibility. This is reasonable."

"The Tax Inspection Office has already set up its stall. It looks like they are inspecting taxes, and of course they are really inspecting taxes, but these tax inspectors are your Majesty's eyes and ears. If there is trouble somewhere, they can tell your Majesty what happened. The three phases of verification will facilitate your Majesty's judgment."

If the local officials can get all the civil and military censors, tax inspectors and imperial guards under control and turn each local area into a one-man show with no room for interference and no loopholes, they can immediately lead troops to quell the rebellion. This is no longer within the scope of correction by administrative power.

What to say depends on the occasion. Wenhua Hall and Wenyuan Pavilion are both public property of the country. These words must not be spoken under any circumstances.

But in the Wenchang Pavilion of the Quan Chu Guild Hall, there was no problem. Zhang Juzheng made his reasons for opposition and his thoughts very clear.

Wang Chonggu thought for a while and said, "Prime Minister, we just had a disagreement on official business. It's normal to have a quarrel. We are all serving Your Majesty and for the revival of the country. Official business is official business, but we have to make it clear that we can't have personal grudges because of official business, right?"

"Yes, I spoke a little loudly just now. Isn't it because I am old and hard of hearing?"

Is Zhang Juzheng cruel? Wang Chonggu thinks not. Zhang Juzheng is not cruel, he is simply ruthless!

He is ruthless and will not give up until he achieves his goal. He is ruthless and will do anything to maintain the rule of the country.

Zhang Juzheng's life's achievements, honors and disgraces are all pinned on the emperor. After he is gone, Your Majesty must not lose.

"No problem, no problem. Then, how about this? Not cancelling the preferential treatment, but just increasing the crime by three levels?" Zhang Juzheng looked around and asked.

If you obey the law and don't make mistakes, you will still be a local celebrity and will still receive the treatment you deserve. But if you refuse to obey the law and cause trouble, you will be beheaded.

"Thunder, rain and dew are all grace from the king!" Wang Chonggu said immediately: "I have no objection."

Wang Chonggu had completely understood that Zhang Juzheng wanted to use the narrative of gratitude to completely consolidate the imperial power and adopt the narrative of gratitude to reshape the authority of the imperial power.

Although it was still unable to resist the inevitable trend of the Ming Dynasty's demise, it was enough. Being able to maintain prosperity for decades or even hundreds of years was already a blessing from our ancestors.

Just as humans cannot live forever, no dynasty can last forever.

"The Northern Pacification Office's Tax Inspection Office has transferred the first accounting prisoner to the Dongjiaominxiang Prison today. It is worth noting that he is an accountant who graduated from the Polytechnic Institute." Wang Guoguang talked about the situation in the Dongjiaominxiang Prison.

Wang Daokun, who was usually very silent, said in confusion: "Grand Tutor, didn't the plan for the Dongjiaominxiang Prison just come out? The Ministry of Industry hasn't even issued the blueprints yet, and there's already a criminal?"

"A little too fast."

"The Ministry of Revenue is short of an accountant. We can just use them for now. Are we going to let them run away?" Wang Guoguang said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)