Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 74 Three Questions to Hongwu! (Subscribe)
"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xia Zhibai bowed respectfully, then took a deep breath and slowly spoke out his thoughts.

He looked solemn and determined, and said in a deep voice: "I would like to ask your Majesty what kind of Ming Dynasty you want to build."

"Is it the Ming Dynasty, which was more prosperous than the Tang and Song dynasties, or is it the world that only wants to stay in China and live in peace in a corner?"

Zhu Biao trembled slightly, and finally couldn't help but speak: "Xia Zhibai, that's enough!"

This is not even a question.

This is clearly forcing the father to express his position.

As the crown prince, he could never sit idly by and allow Xia Zhibai to suffer.

This undermines the royal dignity.

Xia Zhibai said solemnly: "Your Highness, it is not enough, because this concerns the governance direction of the Ming Dynasty for a long time."

"It affects the whole world."

"If the imperial court does not have the determination to make progress, the governance of the country will only become more like that of the Song Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty aims to be like the Han and Tang Dynasties, its current level is not enough."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back.

The governance was better than that of Tang and Song dynasties, far surpassing that of Han and Tang dynasties.

This is not the first time Xia Zhibai has mentioned it.

However, he never took this view seriously. What about the Han and Tang dynasties? They had long since disappeared into the mist of history.

They are all losers.

What he wanted to create was a country that would last for thousands of years.

It is far superior to the Han and Tang Dynasties!

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The Ming Dynasty we have established will certainly be far superior to all previous dynasties."

Xia Zhibai nodded.

He continued, "Second question, Your Majesty, what kind of ministers do you want?"

"Is he a minister who only caters to his superiors, has no ideas of his own, and is only concerned with power and selfishness? Or is he a minister who worries about the world before he worries about himself, and is happy after the world is happy, and is wholeheartedly for the public good?"

One word fell.

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, the ministers beside him could no longer sit still.

Li Shanchang said angrily: "How outrageous."

"The officials of the Ming Dynasty are all loyal to Your Majesty, never have second thoughts, and are dedicated to the public good. How can we allow you to smear and slander us?"

"Your Majesty, this man is trying to sow discord between the monarch and his subjects with evil intentions. I ask Your Majesty to sentence Xia Zhibai to death."

"I second the proposal."

"..."

Xia Zhibai chuckled, glanced at the excited ministers with contempt, and said seriously: "Perhaps all of you ministers are upright and loyal ministers."

"But loyalty is not enough to rule the world."

"The potatoes I gave to Your Majesty earlier actually have certain defects. As the number of plantings increases, the yield will continue to decrease."

"I have thought of some solutions privately."

"It just didn't work well, but I later figured out a solution, which is to trust the wisdom and ability of the people at the bottom."

"Food production is related to the livelihood of the grassroots people. For this aspect, the grassroots people are much more concerned and nervous than other people in the world."

"So before coming to Yingtian Prefecture, I gave a lot of potatoes to the people of Kaifeng Prefecture and informed them of the problems."

"I believe they will find a solution."

"And this is not something that the courtiers can solve."

"During this period, Shouzhou and Chuzhou suffered from severe floods, causing many deaths and injuries. The root cause was actually a breach in a river embankment between the two states."

“And this is actually a dereliction of duty by officials!”

Zhao Mao said coldly: "Natural disasters cannot be stopped by human power. We, the officials of the imperial court, have tried our best to provide assistance during this period. How can we say that we have failed in our duty?"

"absurd!"

Xia Zhibai nodded.

He did not deny that the court was actively providing disaster relief.

But is this what the people want?

No.

What the people want is that natural disasters do not affect their normal lives as much as possible, and what they want is for the court to have stronger prevention capabilities.

But the Ming Dynasty did not do this.

Xia Zhibai said: "Since the Yuan Dynasty took control of the Central Plains, disasters have occurred frequently throughout the country, which has a great impact on farmland. If there are continuous droughts or floods, based on historical circumstances, it will only make the government more exhausted, and the government will suffer more and more losses."

"It is no longer possible to meet the needs of the world with the old governance methods. Even the most perfect system cannot withstand the disasters that have occurred over the years."

“Something has to change.”

"Change from saving to curing!"

Before Xia Zhibai could finish his words, he was immediately refuted by Li Shanchang.

Li Shanchang said, "What nonsense! Our Ming Dynasty destroyed the Yuan Dynasty and was established. This is in accordance with the will of heaven. Our national fortune is flourishing. How could it be like the Yuan Dynasty?"

"You are clearly cursing the Ming Dynasty."

Xia Zhibai looked at Li Shanchang and also got angry. He said coldly: "Do you dare to be responsible for what you said?"

"What if there are constant natural disasters in the world?"

"Do you know how many people will die, how many people will be displaced, and how many families will be destroyed because of your attitude?"

Li Shanchang's face changed slightly, and he said with gloomy eyes: "Natural disasters are sent by heaven, how can they be avoided by human beings? But with the concerted efforts of the emperor and his ministers in the Ming Dynasty, the impact of natural disasters has been decreasing again and again."

"How can you be so alarmist?" "I don't believe that the Ming Dynasty will suffer such a disaster."

"Is this how the ministers of the Ming Dynasty treat state affairs? They talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality, and then pray to God?" Xia Zhibai said.

With his eyes like torches, he stared closely at Li Shanchang, Zhao Mao and other civil officials, and said in a cold voice: "As ministers of the Ming Dynasty, you always hold on to the idea of ​​luck, hoping that God will not send down disasters and will not treat the Ming Dynasty like this."

"But even if there is only a one in ten thousand or one in a hundred thousand chance, as a minister of the Ming Dynasty, we need to be vigilant."

“To avoid it.”

"This is what you should do in this position."

"You only have luck in your heart and talk a lot of big talk. When you really need to practice benevolence and righteousness, you are just pretending to be benevolent and righteous."

"They say a lot of empty words and nonsense, without any practical spirit. When the people are in great distress, they start to complain that God is blind or that the people are sinful and God is punishing them."

"Any of you can dare to accuse."

"I was the only one left out."

"But you are the ones with the biggest problem."

"As an official of the Ming Dynasty, you have no sense of responsibility, let alone any thoughts for the benefit of the people. All you think about is fighting for power and getting things done perfunctorily. You are so hesitant and hesitant. All the books written by sages are useless to you."

"Being an official is not for being domineering."

"How can such officials, who have no real responsibility or ambition, live up to the expectations of the world and the trust of the people?"

"Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there have been so many disasters in the world."

"Ministers have been replaced wave after wave, the system has been changed and improved again and again, but have there been fewer disasters in the world? Have fewer people died in natural disasters?"

"No."

“Because this is not just a natural disaster.”

"It's more of a man-made disaster, and more of the inaction of officials at all levels of the court."

"Perhaps it seems to you that you have done everything. You have provided disaster relief, rescued the people, and done everything you could and should do."

"Who am I to blame you?"

"But pat your chest and ask yourself, do you really have the heart to nip it in the bud? Do you really want to take precautions in advance? Do you really try your best to avoid and reduce the impact of natural disasters?"

"You are so arrogant!"

“You could have done more for the world.”

"All you are doing now, apart from praying to God, is hoping for the best and believing that natural disasters are unavoidable. You can only do your best."

“But this is not what the people expect of you.”

"What the people want is for you to make long-term plans for the world, to prevent all possible disasters in the world in advance, and to minimize the possible losses."

"And how did you do it?"

"Let the local people fend for themselves, and wait until natural disasters strike before starting to plan and solve them. Why can't we take precautions in advance and reduce the casualties of droughts and floods that could have caused hundreds of thousands of casualties to tens of thousands or even fewer?"

"Why can't we find ways to build stronger levees and canals, or directly divert rivers, so that local people will suffer less from natural disasters?"

"You really can't imagine it?"

"no!"

"You want to do it, and you can even do it, but you don't want to do it because it doesn't bring you much practical benefit."

"They say they are dedicated to the public good."

"But your public spirit is all focused on the court, not even a little bit on the people's hearts, nor on the world."

"As subjects, you are incompetent!"

"Although I have different opinions on your majesty's way of employing people, I have always acknowledged that the sea is indeed open to all, and many people with humble backgrounds can still enter the court."

"It's just that Yingtian Prefecture is too prosperous, which has confused the eyes and hearts of the ministers and made you all immersed in it physically and mentally."

"Officials do not serve the people, have no heart for the people, and have no concern for the people. They always only think about solving problems after they arise."

"Is this really a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty?"

Xia Zhibai sneered and stared coldly at the entire audience, without any intention of restraining himself.

He continued, "Now that the Ming Dynasty is prosperous and people are excited, they can still travel back and forth. If one day, disasters occur in the southeast, northwest, and northeast, how will the court rescue them and how will it rescue them?"

"Can it be saved?"

"The books of sages teach great principles. Why do you only use these great principles on others but never on yourselves?"

"Don't you think this is too hypocritical?"

"In today's world, the more you read the books of sages, the more hypocritical you feel. The conscience and integrity of the ancients are long gone."

"The world has changed."

"In the past hundred years or so, scholars have become more and more inclined to seek profit and avoid harm, and there are fewer people with lofty ideals who are dedicated to serving the public and the country."

"If we continue to use the old governance methods, it will only go in the opposite direction and become increasingly ineffective. This is what I want to know about my second question."

"What kind of ministers does the Ming Dynasty need?"

"Should we continue to use the current system of sagely morality, or should we establish a new system of officials that is based on pragmatism?"

Xia Zhibai spoke out his true feelings.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were uncertain. He glanced back and forth at Xia Zhibai, Li Shanchang and others, thinking secretly.

He doesn't like either.

What he wanted more were pragmatic officials based on the moral system of sages, but judging from the imperial examinations and the recommendations of court officials.

It’s similar to what Xia Zhibai said.

Embarrassing to use.

Xia Zhibai's words also made many people fall into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)