Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 227 Nan Fang committed a big taboo this time!

Tian Jing's eyes were dull.

It took me a long time to come back to my senses.

He raised his head and looked at Xia Zhibai, his face full of fatigue. He said in a vicissitudes voice: "Since you have such a clear view of the world, why did you come here? What's the point of what you proposed? Isn't the result already predetermined?"

Xia Zhibai nodded, then shook his head.

He stood tall, with a calm expression on his face, and said calmly: "That being said, there is always a competitive heart in people. I invented the steam engine. My original intention was to seek some benefits for the people of the world, not to turn it into a tool for local officials and gentry to oppress the local people."

"You and I are actually very inconspicuous in this political whirlpool."

"Even insignificant."

"However, from another perspective, this political turmoil is essentially a continuation of the 'Guo Huan case'. The essence of the 'Guo Huan case' is that the court is tightening its control over local financial resources, and the local governments will not submit. On the surface, the court can be said to have won a great victory, but in fact it is not the case."

“This fight is not over.”

"It was just a short break."

"What do you mean?" Tian Jing frowned, looking a little surprised.

The Guo Huan case is not over yet?
How can this be.

Wasn’t the case closed more than a year ago?
Moreover, the imperial court took advantage of this opportunity to plunder more than 20 million shi of grain from all over the country. Doesn't this count as a great victory? In Xia Zhibai's mind, to what extent should the imperial court achieve a great victory? Does it really mean that the whole country should be plundered thoroughly, including every household from officials to ordinary people?

Xia Zhibai sighed: "Are you surprised?"

"If you have been in the court before, or even held a position in the court, you can clearly sense the struggle between the local government and the court."

"In the Guo Huan case, everyone from the six ministries to the local wealthy merchants suffered a great disaster. Court officials were killed or dismissed, and most local people suffered financial disasters. But if you really look at the data released by the court, you will clearly find that outside the court, the only place that really suffered a 'disaster' was the north."

“The South has also suffered some injuries, but the root cause has not been touched at all.”

"The South did harvest a lot more grain, but the South had been peaceful for a longer time, had a higher grain output, and a more developed economy. It's understandable that they harvested more grain. But compared to the complete annihilation of provincial governors in Shandong, Shanxi, and Beijing in the North, how many provincial governors in the South were uprooted like this?"

"Do you really think your Majesty doesn't want to plow the whole thing?"

"Your Majesty has taken action."

"The result of just taking action was the riot in the South, which eventually turned into a nationwide riot."

"In order to quell the public grievances, Your Majesty had no choice but to kill the 'Criminal Judge Wu Yong' he appointed, and then the 'Guo Huan case' was quickly closed."

Tian Jing's expression changed slightly.

He had understood it completely.

Your Majesty is using Guo Huan's corruption to target local officials and gentry, thereby forcibly interfering with local financial resources.

There were many princes in the north and hundreds of thousands of military households. The provincial governments in the north had no power to resist and were purged completely by the imperial court. But when the imperial court extended its hand to the south, riots broke out immediately in the south. The riots then intensified and there was even a danger of spreading to the whole country.

After a period of stalemate, seeing that the situation was getting out of control, His Majesty finally chose to back down.

The matter was settled with Wu Yong's death.

In the end, His Majesty purged all the chief officials of the twelve provincial governments across the country. However, compared with the thorough purge in the north, the purge in the south basically only touched the surface and did not touch the local financial resources at all. In fact, His Majesty lost this game.

Under such circumstances, the imperial court approved Xia Zhibai's memorial to unify the northern salt market. There was a reason for all this.

As the saying goes, the lips are dead and the teeth are cold.

The imperial court has already taken thorough action against the northern salt market. Once the imperial court controls the northern salt market, given Your Majesty's strong power, it will inevitably extend its reach to the south. Moreover, when Xia Zhibai went north, he was not only in charge of the salt market, but also intervened in the iron smelting industry.

Salt and iron have always been major sources of income.

Therefore, the South immediately responded by directly "stealing" the steam engine drawings, building a salt factory in the South in advance, and then using the same old trick to incite local riots, putting pressure on the court, forcing the court to continue to make concessions, so that the southern grasslands would always be controlled by the South.

Tian Jing said with a look of shock: "By doing this, aren't you afraid that the Emperor will be furious and start a massacre?"

Xia Zhibai smiled and shook his head, "What's there to be afraid of?"

"All those who died were people like you, 'Deputy Tian Yun'. No matter how many people died, the South would not feel bad. Besides, the South's economy is already developed. The salt market is not the South's biggest source of income. The South's biggest source of income is still 'land'. But they still understand the principle of making progress step by step."

"Your Majesty is able to hold the throne because he controls millions of troops."

"Once the imperial court controls the financial resources of the South and completely solves the financial difficulties, Your Majesty will kill them like killing wild dogs, whether they are officials, merchants, or scholars. But it is precisely because the imperial court cannot control them now that it can allow them to stir up trouble in the local areas, provoke the imperial court again and again, and even force the imperial court to give in."

"The local government and the imperial court have been playing games all the time."

“We have both won and lost.”

"Whether the Ming Dynasty can last long depends on whether the imperial court can suppress the South. If the imperial court can suppress the South and collect taxes from the South, then the Ming Dynasty will always be stable. If one day the imperial court cannot collect taxes, then the Ming Dynasty will not be far from collapse."

Tian Jing's pupils shrank slightly and he didn't dare to respond.

He asked in a serious tone, "Then according to the Grand Secretary's opinion, how will this matter go?"

Xia Zhibai was silent. Ever since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it has been unable to control its financial resources.

Zhu Yuanzhang made several attempts, but all failed without exception.

Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang finally chose to compromise and turned a blind eye to these small actions of the South. As long as the court could collect money and the South could obey his orders, he just let it go.

Xia Zhibai said: "If the current situation continues, we will basically continue to compromise."

"The Guo Huan case has just ended, and the people have just calmed down. If there is another big uprising, it will have a huge impact on the stability of the Ming Dynasty."

"In order to quell the people's grievances and to calm people's hearts, Your Majesty will most likely choose to take another step back. At that time, all officials from the Salt Transport Bureau, as well as some local provincial government officials, will be executed to quell the people's grievances. This can also be regarded as an explanation from the South to Your Majesty and the world."

Tian Jing smiled bitterly.

Although he had already guessed it, he still felt a little annoyed when he was reminded of it again.

Tian Jing sighed and said, "I was wondering, how could this official be promoted so easily? It turns out that he was pushed out to die. But with the current emperor's strength, will he really compromise with the local authorities? Moreover, the people behind the scenes who stir up trouble in the South are basically in the open. Can your majesty really bear this anger?"

Xia Zhibai sneered: "What if you can bear it, what if you can't bear it?"

“That’s politics.”

“Politics is the art of compromise.”

"Last year, your Majesty concocted the 'Guo Huan case', but in the end, didn't your Majesty back down after local officials handed over more than 20 million dan of grain? As long as the benefits offered are great enough, even the emperor can compromise."

Tian Jing smiled bitterly.

Having said that, I still feel sad when I hear the news.

That's the emperor.

The supreme emperor.

Although he also knew that this was normal.

The emperor is also a human being, and he also needs to weigh the pros and cons of all parties. It is impossible for him to do whatever he wants. It is just that with the compromise of all parties, these newly appointed "officials" have undoubtedly become the biggest scapegoats, and they have even half a foot in the ground.

After decades of hard study, this is the end?
How sad and how sorrowful!

He even had nowhere to stretch.

He finally understood the tragedy of "If the king wants his subject to die, the subject must die". A feeling of powerlessness, sadness and misery suddenly filled his whole body, completely crushing his spirit. He slumped in the chair, his eyes blank for a long time.

Looking at Tian Jing's hopeless expression, Xia Zhibai also felt helpless.

All things are life, not a little bit.

But he doesn't believe in fate.

Xia Zhibai turned around and faced Tian Jing, saying slowly: "You don't have to be so disheartened. I've said before that this is under normal circumstances. If no action is taken, it will basically be a peace agreement between the court and the local government. By then, everything will be settled, but it's far from that time now."

"Just like you said."

"Your Majesty is extremely powerful today."

"Your Majesty will not allow others to bully you again and again. The South was too clever this time. They thought that by taking advantage of the aftermath of the Guo Huan case and stirring up the world again, they could force Your Majesty to back down. Little did they know that this has already touched the bottom line of Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty compromises for the sake of world stability."

"It is to secure the throne of the world."

"It was the best choice after weighing the interests at that time."

"But we must never let this become a handle for others to use against us."

"The last time we compromised, it was mainly because the South had provided enough food, which made Your Majesty feel that he would not be able to obtain more food if he continued to struggle, so he decided to stop while he was ahead. But this time, the South took the initiative and told Your Majesty something almost openly."

"It means the imperial court cannot interfere with the southern economy."

"Otherwise they'll make a scene."

"If they start making trouble, it will be difficult for the court to handle it."

"In the case of Guo Huan, this move is understandable. After all, your Majesty was too hasty at the time and wanted to seize all the financial resources at once. This would naturally cause dissatisfaction among the locals, so it was inevitable that some action would be taken."

“And this time is different.”

"This is the South taking the initiative to warn the imperial court, threatening the imperial court not to interfere with the financial resources of the South, otherwise they will continue to incite riots in the local area, forcing the imperial court to lose face completely, and even forcing chaos in the world."

"No emperor would tolerate such a provocation."

"The South is so arrogant even when your Majesty is ruling the country. When the emperor succeeds you in the future, won't the South be even more indifferent? If they ignore the court and even stop paying taxes, won't the Ming Dynasty still be asking for favors and accepting the South's wishes?"

"The South has committed a serious crime this time!"

(End of this chapter)