Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 189 The shock of the long speech

Lin Ping asked curiously: "Is the situation of the Dengzhou Navy bad?"

Li Dong shook his head and said: "The situation on the roster is very good. There are 103 ships and 15,000 soldiers."

Jia Lian heard the smell and raised his hand: "Wait, what do you mean, you didn't see these soldiers? You just saw the roster?"

Li Dong nodded: "Yes, the process of checking at the Ministry of War this time is to look at the roster. The doctor who led the team, except for checking the roster on the first day, spent the next three days at the banquet, and then came back ”

Jia Lian was speechless and asked: "Have you gone to Tianjin?"

Li Dong shook his head: "Tianjin is a port and the territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The garrison is in charge of the eunuch, the Royal Horse Supervisor, and the Ministry of War has no control over it. In addition, the eunuch in Tianjin has been replaced recently, and people from the Ministry of War have not been able to pass through Tianjin. Go ashore and spend the night on the boat.”

After hearing this, Jia Lian felt bad. The doctor who led the military team had all his skills focused on being an official. I am very sensitive to dangerous areas and do not get involved at all.

Qiu Shi'an and Xia Shouzhong, His Majesty's two loyal dogs, moved really fast. One held the Dragon Guard and the other controlled the Royal Horse Prison. They are both violent institutions, but their emphasis is different. The nature of the Yumajian is an army that can fight in the field, while the Longjian Lieutenant is more focused on intelligence. If there is really a fight, he will be in the position.

"Well, Tianjin is too important for the security of the capital. You should visit the fort at Dagukou."

When Jia Lian said this, Li Dong shook his head: "Tanggu is a fiefdom of King Dongping. It was approved by the Supreme Emperor, so the Ministry of War dare not go there. Speaking of which, being an official in Tanggu is very comfortable. You don't have to worry about anything. The annual money, grain, taxes and taxes When it's due, someone will collect it. From the Ministry of Civil Affairs, many local officials in Tanggu are very grateful."

Obviously, Li Dong's trip was not in vain. Although it was only a rough outline, it was enough for people to get a glimpse of the whole story.

The four princes of the southeast, northwest and northwest have small fiefdoms, but there are signs of warlordism. Once the central government is weak, these princes will be restless. It can be seen from this that during the reign of the Supreme Emperor, he was deeply constrained by his honors and nobility. No wonder he wanted to punish the big brother who took the lead in the Jia family.

"In Dengzhou, I secretly took a look at the naval dock. There were only a dozen or so small boats, but not a single warship. Maybe they had sailed out, but there were definitely not many. I went to look at the dock again, and there were some Two warships clearing barnacles from their bottoms."

Jia Lian took over: "That's what warships are like. The barnacles on the bottom of the ship must be cleaned regularly, otherwise the service life will be affected. According to the rules of one ship on duty outside, one ship just being repaired, and one ship in the dock, the large ships of the Dengzhou Navy are not larger than Six. By the way, how big is the boat? Flat bottom or pointed bottom?"

Li Dong looked at Jia Lian in surprise and said, "Brother Jia is very knowledgeable. He even understands this. I also followed him to Dengzhou this time and spent a lot of time getting to know him. The big ship has a flat bottom and is loaded with a thousand materials. In the early years, the warships that cost 2,000 materials were lost. Shipbuilding was too expensive, and the court had no money to allocate it. The pointed-bottomed boats were built by Westerners. I have not seen them in Dengzhou. No one from the Navy could tell me the difference between a bottom and a flat bottom."

Seeing this guy's narrow expression and teasing tone, Jia Lian couldn't help but scold him: "You've already asked, so of course I have to answer your questions. The ocean is very big, and pointed-bottomed boats have better resistance to wind and waves. The wind and waves offshore are not big, and the flat-bottomed boat is enough to cope with it. In the south of the Western Ocean, the situation in the Mediterranean is similar, but the Atlantic is windy and rough, and the structure of the sharp-bottomed boat is gradually formed. Another difference is that the sails are mainly hard sails. Mainly, soft sails are mostly used in the West.”

When it comes to sails, Jia Lian stops popularizing science. It's not that he can't explain it clearly, but that the other party can't understand it.

When Zheng Zhilong defeated the Dutch with a fire attack, he relied on the faster and more flexible sailboat. When a ship is on the sea, speed is the lifeblood. Once away from the offshore, the adaptability of flat-bottomed boats is greatly reduced and the risks are greatly increased.

When Zheng He made his voyages to the West, he always walked along the coastline. If he had crossed the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, there might not have been any voyages to the West. With the speed of development of Western maritime ships, even if we can still build large ships with two thousand materials, they will still be beaten against Western sailing strategic ships. If nothing else, I will burn you to death with all the firepower.

Britain, which started the first industrial revolution, is now unique in the world at sea. That is to say, my energy is too involved in other colonies, and I can't take care of this behemoth for the time being. I just do normal business.

Thinking of business, Jia Lian quickly asked Li Dong: "How is the sea trade over in Dengzhou?"

Li Dong looked solemn and said: "This is what I am most worried about. Dengzhou is not a port, but trade is extremely prosperous. The main destinations are North Korea and Liaodong. Walking around the street, many people speak Liaodong dialect. There are also awkward Shandong dialects. Ordinarily, these people should go to Tianjin..."

Jia Lian laughed out loud: "Be more confident and remove the word "suspicious". It is smuggling under the banner of offshore internal trade. And it may not only be North Korea, but also Japan. Japan has a rock and a silver mountain, and now we are digging The last trade boom is not many years away. Japan's products are poor, and the current mainstream currency is Ming Tongbao. Coupled with the massive influx of silver from the West, the purchasing power of Japan's silver has declined and will not last for many years. They are a bunch of vicious dogs that will bite people if they are so poor.”

Li Dong and Lin Ping were both dumbfounded. Is there something this guy doesn't know? The key point is that this is not nonsense, it is well-founded.

Seeing the dumbfounded looks of his two friends, Jia Lian couldn't help but secretly feel proud that this bit of knowledge was worthless in modern times, and it was only in this world that could shock outsiders.

"Brother Jia's family background, I admire him." Lin Ping said with emotion, he could only explain it by his family background.

Knowledge is very expensive in this era. Children from families like Lin Ping and Li Dong were exposed to the Four Books and Five Classics during their studies. Other knowledge cannot be accessed until they become officials. There are very few scholars like Jia Lian in this era.

"I can't talk about homeschooling. I just like reading and reading miscellaneous books. In my opinion, the Four Books and Five Classics are the most useless books. Whether it is "Mengxi Bi Tan" or "Tiangong Kaiwu", they are far more useful than "Tian Gong Kai Wu". "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius", it is a pity that the imperial court did not pay attention to it. Scholars monopolized knowledge and held on to the so-called classics. In essence, they were just for the sake of being a good person and serving the country and the people. Confucian classics did not have much effect. 2. You probably don’t know that Confucianism experienced many crises before the Song Dynasty.”

When it comes to Confucianism, these two are quite right. Their eyes are filled with fighting spirit. Who among these young people is not a bit competitive? "Oh, Brother Jia, you might as well talk about it carefully, I'll be humble and accept the lesson." Li Dong was eager to give it a try, and Lin Ping nodded in agreement.

Jia Lian looked at these two friends and decided to give them more strength: "During the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, Confucianism was strongly impacted by Buddhism. There is a poem saying that there were 480 temples in the Southern Dynasties, which can be seen. As for the Northern Dynasties, go to Shanxi to see Longmen. If you go to Dunhuang and look at the cave murals, you will know that Buddhism was at its peak at that time. If those bald donkeys hadn't gone too far and aroused the vigilance of those in power, and there were several acts of extermination of Buddhism, the development of Buddhism would have been hit. It's hard to say whether it will win or lose. In the Song Dynasty, Confucianism began to think about it, and a generation of elites mixed Buddhism and Taoism, and Neo-Confucianism was born. Zhu Yuanzhang, a country man, saw that Neo-Confucianism was useful, but he wanted to ban "Mencius" when he saw too much opposition. Gao, then began to delete "Mencius". Ideology must serve the rulers, otherwise there will be no room for survival. Think about the Spring and Autumn Period, when hundreds of schools of thought contended, why did Confucianism dominate in the end? Wasn't it Dong Zhongshu who proposed the unification? Admittedly, a unified theory alone is enough to make Dong Zhongshu’s greatness shine on future generations. As for Neo-Confucianism, there are many misunderstandings. Neo-Confucianism’s variant psychology is obscure and difficult to understand. It is just a loft in the sky.”

Li Dong and Lin Ping were stunned when they heard what they said. How crazy this person is. The key point is that he is so crazy.

"Brother Jia's words are just nonsense to confuse the public if you say them out loud." Li Dong reminded implicitly.

Jia Lian smiled and shook his head: "After I leave this door, I won't admit it. If you talk nonsense, I will sue you for slander."

Lin Ping smiled knowingly and said, "I didn't hear anything, but I don't mind continuing to listen to Brother Jia's lectures."

Jia Lian looked at Li Dong, who also had a curious look in his eyes, and his tendency to be a teacher had kicked in. Jia Lian continued: "Material determines consciousness, which is the basis of everything." There is a saying in "Guanzi" that the warehouse knows etiquette. This. Li means ideology, and Neo-Confucianism is the concrete expression of this dynasty’s ideology. To put it simply, who am I studying, where do I come from, and where do I go from here? "

Looking at the reactions of his two friends, Jia Lian continued to increase his intensity: "The most important thing for the country is to enshrine the people in the army. Understand that power is divided into divine power and worldly power. After the Jedi reach the sky, the two have completed the centralization of power. That's why Qin Shihuang will engrave on the jade seal If you receive orders from Heaven, you will live forever."

Li Dong couldn't stand hearing this anymore and quickly stood up and said: "Brother Jia, stop talking!"

Lin Ping didn't understand and asked in surprise: Why don't you continue? "

Jia Lian said quietly: "Besides, it can easily be regarded as treason, so don't say this in private in the future."

"Well, let's continue talking about Confucianism. It's safe to say this."

Jia Lian laughed loudly and said: "Yes, it's safe. The ability of Neo-Confucianism to become a prominent school is also determined by material. This dynasty is based on farming, which requires a large number of manpower to be tied to the land. Because productivity is not enough to bear the cost of manpower, the imperial power can only To the county level. In the Western Han Dynasty, the feudal kings were difficult to control. Dong Zhongshu proposed the theory of grand unification, which strengthened and consolidated the power of the central government. After the Han Dynasty alleviated the problems of the feudal kings, the local governments came to the door. The clan rose and reached its peak. This is what the king and Sima shared the world with. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the clan had been greatly weakened. Because of the cultural relationship, the clan still had the right to speak. For this reason, the imperial examination was intended to continue to weaken the clan. Strengthen the central government. There are policies at the top and countermeasures at the bottom. Various operations are carried out by the clans. In the late Tang Dynasty, the imperial examinations were actually controlled. But this was just the sunset of a riot that swept the country and the long-term war that followed. The Song Dynasty overcorrected, lacked force, and created a splendid culture. The Yuan Dynasty implemented the local tax system and accelerated the process of the Ming Dynasty. He was just a stitching monster, so he had no choice but to continue to use Confucianism, and also delineated the scope of the examination. As for this dynasty, I have nothing to say. "

When it comes to the last Jia Lian, let’s not talk about it at all. We can’t talk about it because there are too many taboos.

After listening to this long speech, the two of them were fascinated and could not calm down for a long time.

Li Dong said: "I have read some history books recently. It was found that the prosperous Tang Dynasty declined sharply due to the Anshi Rebellion. After struggling for hundreds of years, it has not regained its former appearance in the early Tang Dynasty. It is sad." Lin Ping did not read many history books, so he nodded and said: "I have heard that it will be true in the future. I want to read more history books. Is there any book I can borrow from Brother Jia?

Jia Lian laughed again after hearing this: "Knowledge has no meaning if it is not disseminated. You can borrow books at any time if you want. The prosperous Tang Dynasty that Brother Li mentioned just now actually misses the point. The military system of the early Tang Dynasty greatly saved money." With the annexation of land, the imperial military system deteriorated. The essence of the problem was the lack of productivity to support the vast territory of Tang Xuanzong. Tang Xuanzong decentralized finance and military power. It seems to be convenient for management, but it actually laid the foundation for disaster. Gao Xianzhi was stabbed in the back by the nine surnames of Zhaowu, and the central government was in decline. Only then did An Lushan have the courage to rebel. What are the nine surnames of Zhaowu? people?"

This question was out of line, and the two of them looked at each other, unable to answer.

"The nine surnames of Zhaowu are the Sogdians, a wandering people who make a living by doing business. The world is very big, and there is a similar people in the Western countries, the Jews. This people is not welcomed in the West either. This is a nation that will do anything for wealth." Jia Lian must emphasize this, lest the two friends don't know.

Everyone has read a lot about the Jews on the Internet. Let me emphasize here that they were the main force in transporting opium to the Qing Dynasty and the culprit in instigating the Opium War. Others have little to do with us. After all, those who are not of my race must have different minds!

"The world is so big and full of wonders." Lin Ping was filled with emotion after hearing this.

Jia Lian greeted the two of them with a smile and said, "The wine and food are all ready. We won't get drunk today."

During the dinner, Jia Lian asked Li Dong: "What are your plans after the period of observing the government? Are you going to try your best to be a commoner and a good scholar and enter the Hanlin Academy, or are you going to be promoted to an official position?" Li Dong smiled and asked: "Why, Brother Jia is a member of the civil service department. Minister?"

Jia Lian smiled nonchalantly and said: "There are people in the court who like to be officials. Don't always think about relying on yourself. If you have resources and don't look to outsiders, that's stupid." Li Dong pondered for a moment and said: "We will talk about it when the time comes. I haven't thought about it yet. Where is Brother Jia?”

"Me? I will definitely stay near the capital. I will have more money but less work and stay close to home. This is my highest pursuit as an official."

Li Dong and Lin Ping looked at each other and said in unison: "Shameless and depraved!"

(End of this chapter)