Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 233 I also understand human nature! (Only one update today)
Li Shanchang suddenly looked at Xia Zhibai with an unfriendly expression.

Given his status and position in the court, in the past whenever he spoke, except for Zhu Yuanzhang, other ministers had to look at his face, and few dared to object. But today, Xia Zhibai dared to question in public.

This made Li Shanchang feel insulted.

Li Shanchang looked at Xia Zhibai coldly and said in a cold voice: "The court is discussing important matters, and you have no right to comment on them?"

"And do you think that I, the Grand Master, don't have as clear a view of the world as you do?"

Xia Zhibai was neither humble nor arrogant. He bowed to Li Shanchang, showing all courtesy, and said calmly: "How can the affairs of state be ranked according to seniority? If the world judges by age and seniority, then the people standing in the court to discuss politics right now should not be the ministers, but the oldest elders in the world."

"But they are not the ones in the court right now."

"Because the country is not governed by age."

"As for the reality."

"Besides."

"Governing a country depends on the actual situation, not on the quick words."

"Since the Grand Master thinks that what I said is wrong, then I will naturally present my arguments to prove that what I said is true."

"It's also better than what the Grand Master proposed."

"In the opinion of the Grand Tutor and other ministers, the situation in the south should not be a big deal and should be stopped as soon as possible. But I don't think so. Everything has a cause and an effect. If we deal with it so hastily, it will only delay the conflict."

"Now that the Ming Dynasty has just been established, there is a lot of work to be done. It is time for all the officials to work hard to govern the country, and they should also be determined to face all difficulties and obstacles."

"Resolving conflicts should be the primary responsibility of officials."

"Things in the South cannot be dealt with perfunctorily."

"It should be dealt with more seriously!"

Xia Zhibai did not give in at all and argued with reason.

Li Shanchang waved his sleeves and snorted coldly, "Then I want to see what else you are doing?!"

Xia Zhibai smiled and said slowly: "Those who do not plan for eternity are not qualified to plan for the moment; those who do not plan for the overall situation are not qualified to plan for a region."

“The same is true for governing a country.”

"Especially as officials of the imperial court, we should take the world as our responsibility and aim for the long-term stability of the world."

"What the Grand Master just said can indeed stop the dispute to a great extent."

“But it didn’t solve the real problem.”

"Because in the end, it is the court that pays for it. The court allocates money and food to maintain the livelihood of these cooks. However, people are greedy. These cooks will become more lazy and have no intention of making a living if they see that they can get money and food from the court without working."

"Is the tax grain of the Ming Dynasty used to support lazy people?"

"If not."

"In the next one or two years, will the imperial court be able to arrange enough work for these cooks, or allocate enough land to them?"

"I'm afraid I can't do it."

"That basically means that in order to maintain stability, the imperial court can only continue to support them, or the imperial court can only lend them grain. But these people have no jobs, and it won't be long before they have to sell their houses, children and daughters to pay off their debts. How did our Ming Dynasty fall to this point?"

"Otherwise the court should be a little more ruthless."

"Clear the population directly."

"killed!"

"But the world has just recovered from the war, and livelihoods have been decimated. Killing so many people will make recovery even more difficult."

“People are a very important resource.”

“Even without looking at the detailed accounts, it’s easy to see.”

"The stove owner will become a problem for Ming Dynasty."

"In order to prevent the fire from becoming a disaster after a long delay, it must be dealt with at the very beginning."

"Because now is the best time to solve it."

"The imperial court has been moving people from the south to the north. Does that mean that moving these cooks to the north is in line with the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty?"

Li Shanchang's eyes darkened.

Xia Zhibai added: "Most of the farmland in the south is owned by someone else. Even if it can be distributed to these households, how much can they get? In the north, it can even reach 10 mu of land per family. Even if the yield in the north is not as high as that in the south, this amount of land can still bring considerable rent to the court."

"Why wouldn't the court do that?"

"also."

“Your Majesty has always been committed to bridging the north and south.”

"If southerners move north, wouldn't that speed up the integration of the north and the south?"

"The north is vast, but it has been a mixture of Han and Hu people for many years. Although there are many Han people, they do not form an overwhelming advantage. Who can guarantee that these Mongols, Jurchens, and Semites will not suddenly turn against us in the future?"

"The right way is to use the Han to control the barbarians."

"But how much can be achieved by relying solely on the Han people in the north? If the Han people in the north are not strengthened, it will take a long time for the court to truly control the barbarians with the Han people. Wouldn't this increase the instability in the north?"

"Many people in the north are already loyal to the Northern Yuan Dynasty. How can the imperial court just give it a try?"

"So in my opinion, whether it is a political account, an economic account, or a strategic account, moving the stove households north is the best option."

"In addition, I also agree with Deputy Tian Yun's idea."

"The Salt Transport Bureau used to be mainly responsible for 'production and sales'."

"But now, 'production and sales' have gradually fallen into the hands of 'salt factories', and the Salt Transport Bureau has only played the role of collecting taxes, which has greatly reduced the functions of the Salt Transport Bureau. Therefore, as an official agency appointed by the court, it should take back the stolen 'powers' and seize the right to know and control 'production and sales'."

"Then, under the overall planning of the salt transport offices in various places, the goal of unifying the salt administration of the Ming Dynasty will be achieved."

"If there is a shortage of salt in the south, the north can provide timely assistance. If there is a shortage of salt in the north, the south can also provide quick assistance. If there is an accident somewhere, other salt transport offices can also order the salt factories in their jurisdiction to increase production and supply other places as soon as possible."

"This will be of great help in ensuring the salt supply of the Ming Dynasty."

"As for the Grand Master's doubts about setting up a large factory."

"That makes even less sense."

"Because the bigger the scale, the higher the output, and the lower the cost."

"The bigger the salt factory, the greater the initial investment, but at the same time, the later expenses will be less and less. In the future, whether it is transportation or production, the cost will be lower than that of a small salt factory. Therefore, the bigger the factory, the more money it makes."

"I run a salt factory, so I should have a say in this."

Hearing Xia Zhibai's words, Li Shanchang's face turned dark.

He raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, trying to see some clues from his face, but with just one glance, Li Shanchang secretly thought it was not good, because Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously moved by Xia Zhibai's words. Thinking of this, Li Shanchang couldn't help but continue: "You are only calculating small accounts."

"When it comes down to it, it may not be that good."

"The local area is already in turmoil. If the imperial court sends people to announce that they will be relocated to the north, do you think they will calm down or make more trouble? Now they are only targeting the salt factory, but they may take action against the government later."

"Have you really thought about the pros and cons?"

“Besides, it’s not that easy to relocate people.”

"You have considered many aspects, and it makes sense from the court's perspective."

"But you overlooked a very important factor."

"human nature!"

“It’s hard to move away from one’s hometown.”

"This is a natural problem for China."

"They have a place to stay in the south now, but if they go to the north, they will have nothing. What's more, if something happens on the way, will these families be able to afford food and drink?"

"You are so idealistic." Xia Zhibai nodded.

He had to admit this.

It has always been difficult to get people to migrate in China.

There is a lot of work to be done.

He looked at Li Shanchang and said in a deep voice: "What the Grand Master said is very true. I have also considered this point. I don't know how long the unrest in the south has been going on, nor how long these households have been tightening their belts and tightening their belts, let alone how much money and grain they have at home."

"But I also know human nature."

"The Grand Master believes that these cooks have ties to the south and will not move north."

"But I am sure that if we wait for more than half a month, or a little over a month, these cooks in the south will be homeless. This is also because of human nature. Now that they are in trouble, the local gentry, merchants, and even officials will not help them in times of need, but will only add insult to injury and take over their houses at very low prices and with very little food."

"The cooks lost their livelihoods and wanted to support their families, so they were bound to be taken advantage of."

“This is also human nature!”

"so."

"The Grand Master is overthinking."

"They don't have that much property in the South."

"The little bit of hometown feeling they had has long since disappeared under these layers of oppression and the coercion and inducement of the government. The longer this turmoil lasts, the more disappointed they will be. This cannot be healed overnight."

"As the Art of War says: The army of mourning will always win."

"The cooks in the south are gradually becoming 'pitiable soldiers'!"

A hint of annoyance flashed across Li Shanchang's eyes.

He also didn't expect that Xia Zhibai would be so difficult to deal with.

The key point is that it makes a lot of sense.

Xia Zhibai bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "As for the Grand Master's concern that persuasion will not work, I am willing to take the initiative to ask Your Majesty for permission to go south to persuade the salt farmers to agree to go north. However, I sincerely believe that the salt policy of the Ming Dynasty should be thoroughly reformed."

"Otherwise this chaos will continue."

"The Ming Dynasty is a unified dynasty, and there can be no second opinion on the issue."

"Your Majesty, please give me a clear warning."

At this time.

Tian Jing also said loudly: "Your Majesty, please understand."

He had already given it his all.

There is no turning back this time.

There is only one way to go, and since you have already spoken, there is no room for maneuver. Even if you want to turn back, no one will tolerate it. In this case, why bother yourself with suffering? As a scholar, although he is a little impatient and timid, he still has blood in his bones.

He knows what is right and what is wrong.

The only voices in the hall were Xia Zhibai and Tian Jing's.

The rest of the ministers remained silent.

They looked at each other, all in bewilderment.

The direction of this court meeting was completely beyond their expectations. Tian Jing's sudden attack and Xia Zhibai's confrontation all indicated that changes were taking place in the court. Moreover, they had been in the officialdom for so long, how could they really be completely ignorant of what was going on in secret?
Because of this.

They are even more reluctant to get involved.

Tang He lowered his eyebrows, glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang who remained expressionless, and frowned slightly.

he knows.

Zhu Yuanzhang was persuaded.

Moreover, he and Zhu Yuanzhang had known each other since childhood and knew Zhu Yuanzhang's temper very well. If Li Shanchang had not come forward, Zhu Yuanzhang might have hesitated for a while, but once Li Shanchang spoke, it was destined that Zhu Yuanzhang would no longer listen, because Zhu Yuanzhang was a very powerful emperor and he would not allow others to coerce him.

There had been unrest in the south before because of the Guo Huan case.

Now they come again. If Zhu Yuanzhang retreats again, wouldn’t people think that Zhu Yuanzhang is afraid?

This was something Zhu Yuanzhang could never agree to.

as predicted.

After a moment of dead silence in the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his sleeves and shouted angrily: "Enough, our Fengtian Hall is for discussing state affairs, not for you to quarrel in front of us. Since you both have your own reasons, I will give you a chance."

"After the court session, each of you will submit a memorial with your own opinions."

"We will read it word by word when the time comes."

"Retreat!"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not make a direct decision.

As an emperor, he cannot make a decision so easily, especially when he has to express his opinion as soon as his ministers open their mouths. This will make the ministers think that the emperor has no opinions of his own, which is a big taboo for a monarch.

Zhu Yuanzhang would never allow such a thing to happen.

When they heard Zhu Yuanzhang speak, all the officials breathed a sigh of relief.

The atmosphere in the hall was too depressing at that time, making it hard for people to breathe. Now that they heard Zhu Yuanzhang speak, they felt as if the stone pressing on their hearts was lifted at once, and they felt a lot more relaxed.

All the officials hurriedly said, "Farewell, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands behind his back, slowly walked down the platform and left the Fengtian Hall.

After Zhu Yuanzhang left, the other ministers looked at Xia Zhibai and Tian Jing with complicated expressions in their eyes, and then left the hall one after another.

Xia Zhibai didn't stop either.

It is not easy to completely reform the salt policy.

The interest groups are too big and they won’t give up willingly.

He had to explain the pros and cons clearly, at least to convince Zhu Yuanzhang that changing the salt policy was imperative and not something that could be delayed. As the saying goes, "the first push is the best, the second is weaker and the third is exhausted." If he did not get direct affirmation, given Tian Jing's temperament, he would probably not be able to hold on.

By then, you will be able to fight against all the ministers in the court alone, and even eloquence will not be enough.

soon.

Most of the officials in the hall left.

Tian Jing was still standing in the hall. His legs were numb and he couldn't move at all.

Wei Heng came over with an angry look on his face and shouted angrily, "Tian Jing, what do you mean? What did we say before? We submitted a petition together, why did you make your own decision? And what you said is completely different from what we discussed at that time."

"If you want to die, don't let us get involved!"

Wei Heng's face was filled with shock and anger.

He is really afraid.

Tian Jing's words were so hurtful.

How dare Tian Jing to question the founding hero and the current prime minister?
Tian Jing shook his head, his face pale, and looked at Wei Heng and the others, trembling, "Do you think I want to? But I have no choice. Not only do I have no choice, you also have no choice. Have you really not seen it yet?"

"The problem this time is not the salt policy, but the internal strife in the court!"

"We are just other people's pawns!"

"But I want to live!"

"So I can only be a lone minister of the Ming Dynasty."

　I was distracted by Black Myth and couldn't concentrate on writing.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)