Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 274: Alas, the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor, are we also dead and gone? [Please subscribe]

As Zhu Yuanzhang expected, the video began to play.

The video begins with a Qin official dressed in black walking into the hall holding several bamboo slips, followed by various fragmented shots of the Qin Dynasty.

At the same time, a man's voice was heard explaining.

"A famous librarian once wrote a poem that began, 'I urge you to stop cursing Qin Shi Huang; the burning pit incident requires discussion.' This touches upon a key issue in Chinese history: the evaluation of the Qin Dynasty's Legalist system."

"This librarian summarized the Chinese system in a few highly condensed words: 'The Qin Dynasty's political and legal system will be followed for all dynasties.'"

"But in fact, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, the implementation of the Qin system took hundreds of years of exploration, and it was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of Han that it was truly implemented."

"At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang summarized the experience of building the Han Dynasty in the court and conducted a political survey among his troops. He posed his own political test question: Why was I, Liu Bang, able to conquer the world?"

"He even thoughtfully provided guidance for answering the question. He asked: Why did the Xiang family lose the world? Gao Qi and Wang Ling understood the emperor's intention and were the first to raise their hands..."

The video explains the establishment of the Han Dynasty and points out that due to various reasons, Liu Bang had to compromise with all parties in the early Han Dynasty and adopt a parallel system of counties and kingdoms to establish a country that was half feudal and half county, which laid many hidden dangers for the Han Dynasty.

If the kings of different surnames rebelled later, the old Liu Bang had to go out to fight again to suppress them.

For example, the interference of the Lu family's relatives in politics, and the Rebellion of the Seven States caused by the Liu family's princes during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, etc.

"Finally, in terms of ideology, the imperial relatives sided with local forces, jointly upholding the 'Huang-Lao school of thought.' Besides being about alchemy and medicinal preparation, Huang-Lao was also about conspiracy. Using it as a guide, the imperial relatives and local princes easily perpetrated evil."

"During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the emperor was unable to truly rule the country, a fact the young Liu Che could not accept. As soon as he came to power, he proposed changing the Han Dynasty's guiding principles and changing its flag."

"He was slapped in the face by Empress Dowager Dou, a believer in Huang-Lao philosophy. Empress Dowager Dou was very politically sensitive. When she saw that things were not going well, she eliminated Liu Che's right-hand men and those around him to eliminate his idea of ​​changing the guiding ideology of the country."

"Liu Che did not lose heart after encountering setbacks. He knew that his youth was his advantage. So he waited until Empress Dowager Dou died and he truly took power, then he let go and made a big move..."

Most of the content described in the latter part of the video is what people like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, who have read the history of the Han Dynasty, know.

For example, Emperor Wu of Han took advantage of the "Tian Fen Wedding Banquet Incident" to recruit a large number of cruel officials represented by Zhang Tang to rectify the Han court.

However, what surprised Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao and others was that the video actually praised Zhang Tang, a notorious cruel official in history books.

"Zhang Tang was not well-regarded in historical books of all dynasties. They said he read people's expressions and followed Emperor Wu's orders blindly. He made groundless accusations and used torture to interrogate people, leading to many wrongful convictions."

"But in reality, Zhang Tang was a capable official. He first used Empress Chen's witchcraft case to eliminate the remaining followers of Empress Dowager Dou, paving the way for Emperor Wu of Han's upcoming new policies."

"Afterwards, Zhang Tang was appointed Minister of Justice, one of the Nine Ministers, but he continued his campaign. When the King of Huainan and the King of Hengshan rebelled, implicating many nobles and powerful families, Zhang Tang insisted on wiping them out, capturing or executing thousands of those implicated."

"Zhang Tang also suggested imposing a 'capital tax' on the wealthy and resolutely cracking down on tax evasion. Reports would be rewarded, and upon verification, half of the confiscated property would be given as a reward to the whistleblower."

"He also supported the economic reforms of financial expert Sang Hongyang and championed state-run policies such as the 'salt and iron monopoly,' which laid the foundation for the rise of the Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu."

"Zhang Tang also participated in formulating the 'Six Questions' for evaluating officials. The first criterion for accountability was 'empowering powerful clans and wealthy individuals, exceeding land and property regulations, relying on the strong to bully the weak, and using the majority to oppress the minority.'"

"There is no doubt that he chose to stand with the vulnerable groups..."

After hearing the explanation about Zhang Tang in the video, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao and others were even more surprised. They did not expect that in the eyes of later generations, Zhang Tang was actually a good and capable official.

"Unfortunately, Zhang Tang offended so many people throughout his life that he eventually fell foul of Emperor Wu and committed suicide to prove his innocence. After his death, only 500 gold coins were found in his home, all of which were rewards from Emperor Wu."

"When Emperor Wu was old, not only did his important officials wither away, but he also had no successor - because the witchcraft scandal implicated his son and grandson."

"When he was already old, he issued the Luntai Sinner's Edict, which summarized his life and expressed his infinite regret."

"Whether Emperor Wu of Han became senile and confused in his later years is still debated, but the fact that no one inherited his political line is indisputable."

"Because not long after Emperor Wu's death, the court convened the famous 'Salt and Iron Conference', which launched a major debate on the future direction of the Han Dynasty."

"One representative of the meeting was Sang Hongyang, the Imperial Censor and Minister of Regent appointed by Emperor Wu, and the other representative was Huo Guang, the Grand General and Grand Marshal."

"Sang Hongyang came from a merchant family and was a financial expert guided by Legalist thought. He worked alongside Emperor Wu for decades and firmly supported the policies left by the emperor, including the centralization of power and the crackdown on powerful individuals."

"Huo Guang was born into a powerful family and was a rather sinister person. He did not appear on the scene, but instead asked Prime Minister Tian Qianqiu to gather a group of people, namely, virtuous and talented scholars..."

Although Zhu Xi, Zhu Biao and others had read the history of the Han Dynasty, they still listened attentively at this time, because the video interpreted history from a completely different perspective, giving them a new perspective on the people and events of the Western Han Dynasty.

For example, the Salt and Iron Conference, on the surface, was the court convening the Confucian and Legalist schools to evaluate various policies during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, to see which ones needed to be corrected or abolished and which ones could be retained.

The core of the discussion was the monopoly policies on salt, iron, and wine.

The result of this great debate was a crushing defeat for the Legalist school represented by Sang Hongyang. Of Emperor Wu's many policies, with the exception of a few such as the salt and iron monopolies, all others were either revised or abolished under the pretext of "allowing the people to rest and recuperate."

For example, salt and iron monopolies were only retained in some areas, while systems such as equal distribution and liquor monopoly were abolished.

According to the video, although the fiscal policy of Emperor Wu's reign, which was mainly based on government-run businesses, showed various drawbacks in the later years of Emperor Wu's reign due to various reasons, it was also extremely effective in suppressing the power of the powerful, landlords, and big businessmen.

The reason the Han Dynasty abolished these policies through the Salt and Iron Conference after Emperor Wu's death was due to the efforts of the powerful, landlords, and large merchants. After breaking free from the policy suppression during Emperor Wu's reign, the power of the powerful, landlords, and large merchants (the three were often integrated) began to expand rapidly.

So after Emperor Zhao of Han, the Western Han Dynasty came to an end in just a few years due to land annexation and the rise of powerful local tyrants, and even the emperor was deposed by the local tyrants.

After talking about the events of the Western Han Dynasty, the video came to an end and the narrator gave a summary.

"Hundreds of dynasties followed the Qin system, yet the Qin dynasty perished after only two generations. Great rulers, both ancient and modern, are Confucianists on the outside and Legalists on the inside. However, their rises and falls are equally volatile, and ultimately they cannot escape the cyclical fate of the ruler's demise and the regime's demise. Confucianism, on the other hand, has endured for hundreds of generations."

"Because Legalist politics is very distrustful of the bureaucratic system, they believe that over time, these people will become vested interests and will definitely betray their original intentions. Therefore, not only are officials strictly monitored and punished, but they also do many things personally."

"However, this kind of strongman politics, on the one hand, requires the emperor to work hard day and night, diligently handle government affairs, and prevent the ministers from becoming dictatorial; on the other hand, it also requires the emperor to have great wisdom, great courage, and firm political ideals. Even if there are thousands of people against him, I will go forward!"

"The problem is, this kind of political literacy is difficult to cultivate. A strongman's political line can't be inherited. Once the sage dies, the government and the people will quickly reach a consensus and return the country to Confucianism."

"The bureaucrats and gentry 'restored order'; the emperor was merely an agent, while they were the actual rulers of the country."

"Once these people actually took control of the country, corruption quickly became rampant. Officials enriched themselves lavishly, powerful individuals seized land, and the people became displaced. Even the largest empires would crumble and perish. Then a new dynasty would begin, and the cycle would repeat itself!"

"This was true of the Han Dynasty, the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties—most of the great rulers throughout history have challenged this historical cycle, some lightly, some heavily, but confined to their time, no one has been able to break it..."

The video ended here, but Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao and others were mostly frowning and thinking, and did not say anything for a while.

After several breaths, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and said, "Biao'er, Liu Kuan, Xiongying, follow me to the side hall."

The others were surprised to hear this.

I thought to myself: Are we going to the side hall before even watching the movie? What important matter are we discussing?
People like Zhu Tan, who think they are smart, feel particularly sad and resentful when seeing this.

Liu Kuan followed Old Zhu to the side hall, where he heard Old Zhu ask, "When you were explaining Ming history before, you said that after Yunwen ascended the throne, he abolished many of the policies we left behind, and even after the fourth prince ascended the throne, they were unable to restore them."

"So, is it just like what's said in the video, that the regime will cease to exist when the person dies?"

Liu Kuan thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I can't say the regime completely died with the death of the leader, but it was half dead. The Hongwu era was when the Ming Dynasty's laws were at their strictest, and it was also when the control over the grassroots of the country was the most solid."

"For example, the 'Great Edict' you promulgated this year will be supplemented three times in the future due to the increasingly serious problems of official corruption and abuse of power, the annexation of land by powerful individuals, and the evasion of grain taxes in the middle and late Hongwu period. It will eventually be compiled into the 'Imperial Edict'."

"However, after your passing, the court discussed the matter and concluded that the punishment in the Great Edict was too severe, so it was shelved and no longer used."

"Zhu Di ascended the throne after the Jingnan Rebellion, but in order to win over the gentry and officials, he naturally did not make much use of the Great Edict."

"As for how many policies from the Hongwu period were abolished besides the Great Edict and the Princely Policies, I am not sure."

Although history has changed a lot, Zhu Yuanzhang still promulgated the "Great Edict" this year, and it was made more detailed and comprehensive than in history, and the degree of punishment was much lighter.

But he spent even more effort on this "Great Edict".

When he heard that the "Great Edict" was abolished after his death, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

He really wanted to call Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Di over and give them a good spanking.

But Zhu Yunwen was still young, and it was unknown whether he would become Emperor Jianwen; Zhu Di was on Tsushima Island, not in the capital.

Old Zhu can't beat these two people.

He then looked at Zhu Biao and asked sternly, "Biao'er, after I leave, will you abolish the policies I left behind?"

The atmosphere was so tense that Liu Kuan and Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but sweat.

Zhu Biao smiled helplessly and said, "Father, you should know that times have changed. Some policies really can't be used forever. Changes must be made."

"However, I will definitely be vigilant against corruption among officials and annexation by powerful individuals. I will never allow the imperial power to be divided among the gentry and powerful individuals as shown in the video just now."

Old Zhu was not satisfied with what he heard, but he also knew that Zhu Biao was right, so he hummed: "I hope you can do what you say!"

Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Liu Kuan and asked, "I remember you said before that expanding the territory of the Ming Dynasty can ease land annexation; and developing science, technology, and industry can completely resolve the contradiction between population and land."

"So, does the Ming Dynasty have a chance to escape that historical cycle?"

Liu Kuan had also anticipated this question from Zhu Yuanzhang.

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot give a definitive answer to this question. The contradiction between population and land is the primary contradiction in an agricultural society. If the Ming Dynasty were to become an industrial society, this problem would indeed be completely resolved."

"But since Your Majesty has watched so many videos from later times, you must understand that new problems will arise in industrial society."

　First update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)