My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 47 An Unprecedented Situation (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but take it seriously. Ma Yu's analysis was very common in previous lives and could be found everywhere by searching on the Internet.

But in this era, it is epoch-making and unique, and it goes straight to the essence of the problem.

Only by mastering the rules can we formulate a suitable system.

At least you won't jump into a big pit knowing there is one ahead.

Ma Yu did not rush to answer this time. He knew that his analysis today might affect the future of China.

In particular, the analysis of the Song and Ming dynasties may directly affect the formulation of specific policies.

A small mistake can cause countless people to suffer.

Therefore, every sentence must be spoken with caution, and every knowledge point must be explained in detail and thoroughly.

I spent some time reviewing all the knowledge points in my mind and supplemented some of them.

After making sure there was nothing missing, he finally spoke:
"From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, over a period of more than a thousand years, China's productivity progressed very rapidly."

"The most important metric is steel production."

"The annual output increased from a few thousand to tens of thousands of catties to more than 500,000 catties during the Tang Dynasty."

Zhu Biao asked in confusion, "Why use iron production as the standard instead of grain?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked thoughtful, but he didn't say anything.

Ma Yu said: "Because the increase in grain production is the result of increased productivity, not the cause."

"Steel is an important factor in productivity growth, and arguably the most important factor at present."

"Iron has now become the most common and important raw material for production."

"From weapons and armor to farm tools, and even iron pots and nails, they can be found everywhere in our lives."

“Because it is everywhere in our lives, its importance is often overlooked.”

"If you think about what life would be like without iron, you'll understand its importance."

Zhu Biao suddenly understood and said, "So that's how it is. I understand."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly. He had a similar idea, but Ma Yu's explanation was more thorough.

Especially the first sentence, the increase in grain production is the result of increased productivity rather than the cause.

Although improving productivity will disrupt the existing system, it will also bring benefits.

The problem lies in whether the court can detect changes in production relations in a timely manner and adjust policies.

So, is it possible to prohibit the invention and promotion of new technologies?

difficult.

New technologies can bring benefits, and profit-seeking is human nature. It is impossible for the court to prohibit the generation and dissemination of new technologies.

Moreover, Ma Yu's criticism of the Legalists just now involuntarily came to mind.

I would rather live a 'good life' in poverty than a 'bad life' in wealth.

Everyone says that Confucianists are hypocrites, but Legalists are real villains who don’t even care about their reputation.

If he could really remain constant, he wouldn't mind being a villain.

But it is foolish to act like a villain even though you know it is impossible.

Ma Yu didn't know that just a simple explanation could cause Zhu Yuanzhang to think so much.

Seeing that Zhu Biao understood what he said, he continued:

“Because productivity increases, the wealth that individuals can create also increases.”

"We calculated earlier that during the Han and Tang dynasties, the grain produced by one person was enough to feed three to five people."

"When the total amount of goods becomes extremely abundant, it can feed a large number of people who are no longer engaged in production."

"These people don't need to participate in labor and can spend their time on what interests them."

“So, culture flourished during this period.”

"Astronomy, medicine, mathematics, etc. have all made great progress."

“Papermaking, gunpowder, printing, etc. were also invented during this period.”

"The emergence of these inventions has driven the rapid progress of Chinese civilization."

"Many people believe that the rise and fall of the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties was a repetitive cycle, and the world was caught in the law of dynastic cycles."

"It's as if we've been going around in circles, and everything that's happened in between is a repetition of the past."

"To say something like that shows that one's understanding of things is very shallow."

“Dynasties constantly rise and fall, but China’s productivity continues to improve, and the entire civilization reaches one peak after another.”

"So, how can we say that we are standing still, and how can we say that we are doing useless work?"

"The truth is, the times are developing in an upward spiral."

“It looks like it’s spinning in circles, but in fact its height changes every day.”

"The Chinese particularly like to record history."

"Whether what happened today is good or bad, it may not be clear to those who are in the situation today."

"But future generations, stepping outside the chess game, will surely be able to give the most pertinent evaluation."

"Whether it is truly for the country and the people, or is it just for the benefit of one family under the guise of family, country and the world, future generations will be able to see it clearly."

"So, whether you want to be remembered for eternity or be infamous for eternity depends entirely on how you do it. There is no room for deception."

Having said that, Ma Yu looked at Zhu Yuanzhang meaningfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face suddenly darkened again, and he said angrily: "Let's talk about business, why are you rambling on?"

Zhu Biao then realized that Ma Yu was once again finding new ways to slander his father.

That's called being speechless.

Queen Ma was both angry and amused. This kid really wouldn't miss any opportunity to catch crickets.

"Well, don't take it personally."

Ma Yu coughed dryly, and before Zhu Yuanzhang could explode, he quickly continued:

"Let's get down to business."

"With increased productivity, more land can be cultivated, more food can be produced, and a larger population can be fed."

"And the development of medicine has increased people's survival rate."

"Due to the combined effect of various factors, the population has also experienced explosive growth."

"During the Northern Song Dynasty, the population exceeded 100 million, and the population of the Southern Song Dynasty, a small corner of the country, reached over 80 million."

"The ratio of land to population is out of balance again, but this time there are more people than land."

"In the pre-Qin period, one person was equivalent to five plots of land. In the Han and Tang dynasties, one person was equivalent to one plot of land."

"But during the Song Dynasty, it became a situation where two or three people each had one piece of land."

"Although the Song Dynasty introduced improved Champa rice varieties and cultivated new rice varieties with higher yields."

"Coupled with technological innovations such as fertilizers, the yield per mu has increased significantly."

"But the increase in per-acre yield is far less than the rate of population growth."

"According to my elders, the per capita grain output in the Song Dynasty was only 800 kilograms, which is about 40% less than the 1,500 kilograms in the Tang Dynasty."

"So starting from the Song Dynasty, land officially surpassed people and became the most important means of production."

“Wealth is no longer measured by how many people one controls, but by how much land one owns.”

"This has led to unprecedentedly fierce land acquisition."

"This is the situation faced by the Song and Yuan dynasties, and even the Ming Dynasty: there are more people than land."

"Before the Tang Dynasty, the country only needed to develop agriculture to feed everyone and make the country prosperous."

"But it's no use now."

"If the weather is good, we can still make ends meet."

"Whenever there's a little bit of trouble, countless people won't have enough to eat."

"How will the imperial court cope with the increasing land annexation and feed such a large population?"

"It is the most important issue at the moment and the one that needs to be resolved most urgently."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Although we don't know how many people there are in the world now, I think the gap in land should not be too great."

Ma Yu said directly: "Although there is no exact number, the current total population of the world should be between 60 and 70 million."

"There's really no need to worry about the conflict between people and land right now. We can completely emulate the systems of the Han and Tang dynasties."

"But what about a hundred years from now?"

"According to the law of population growth, the population will likely exceed 100 million in 50 years, and even more so in 100 years."

"When the contradiction between population and land intensifies, the entire country will face problems."

"You wouldn't expect your descendants a hundred years from now to change the laws of your ancestors, would you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent. He knew too well the difficulty of carrying out reforms in the middle of a dynasty.

The key is that he is not the kind of person who leaves problems to his descendants.

Ma Yu said: "If one does not plan for eternity, he cannot plan for the present. When a monarch formulates laws and systems, he must have a long-term vision."

"There are some problems we really can't solve, but there are some problems that we can solve, and we can't leave them to future generations."

Zhu Yuanzhang still remained silent. He naturally understood this principle and agreed with it.

But is this the problem now?
The question is how to solve this problem.

Queen Ma tried to think about it but had no clue, but she did not embarrass herself and simply asked:
“How did the Song Dynasty deal with this problem?”

She didn't ask the Yuan Dynasty... because the Yuan Dynasty never cared about the lives of people in the world, they only knew how to collect taxes.

Zhu Yuanzhang also stopped thinking. Forget it, let's listen to his analysis of the Song Dynasty first.

Ma Yu nodded and said, "The rulers of the Song Dynasty were relatively clear-headed and understood the problems they had to face very early on."

"Targeted measures were taken at the beginning of the system's formulation."

"Let's not even talk about land. They simply gave up monitoring the land and allowed it to be traded freely."

"So the Song Dynasty was the period when land annexation was most serious."

"This is a foolish move. It can only serve as a negative example for the Ming Dynasty."

"Relatively speaking, their population management system is what we should learn from."

"The population management system of the Song Dynasty can be described in one word: lenient."

"Because there are so many people and so little land, it no longer makes sense to keep people confined to small villages and force them to work."

"Per capita grain production has decreased, and after paying taxes, the remaining grain is no longer enough to feed so many people."

"Furthermore, the Song Dynasty did not prohibit land annexation, which further caused a large number of farmers to lose their land."

"If we keep locking them up here, everyone will either starve to death or revolt."

"Furthermore, due to the population increase, if the previous population policy is maintained, the imperial court will have to invest more management costs."

"The ability of an individual to create wealth has declined, yet management costs have increased."

"From a management perspective, this is irrational."

"From a national perspective, this is also undesirable."

"So the Song Dynasty adopted an unprecedented relaxed management policy."

"They no longer force people to stay in one place, but allow them to move around based on their circumstances."

"For example, they allowed people who lost their land to become refugees and migrate to other places to make a living."

"They even allow migrants to gather around big cities and support their families by working and doing business."

"This was absolutely not allowed before the Song Dynasty."

At this point, Ma Yu suddenly remembered what he had said before: "Confucius and Mencius are the basis, Guan Yu and Xun Zi are the application."

I decided to think outside the box, so I said:
"I've said before that the Song Dynasty had a relatively low ceiling because it belittled the ideas of Guan and Xun."

"But because of the reverence for Confucius and Mencius, the minimum standard is the highest in all dynasties."

"You should still remember this, right?"

Zhu Biao nodded quickly and said, "Yes, you did say something like that before."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned again. Are you going to use Mencius to tease me again?

Ma Yu ignored his thoughts and continued:

"Now let me explain why the Song Dynasty had the highest minimum."

Zhu Biao suddenly became excited. He had studied this problem before, but he had never been able to figure it out.

Will we finally get a definite answer today?

Queen Ma also showed a curious expression, and she thought more.

She didn't think that Ma Yu would suddenly talk about something irrelevant.

Suddenly saying that the lower limit of the Song Dynasty was high is probably related to the population system.

This is even more worthy of their attention.

Because it is very likely that these words contain ideas for solving the problems facing the Ming Dynasty.

"Everyone knows that the Song Dynasty faced a situation of too many people and too little land."

"So, when it comes to solving this problem, there are roughly two paths to choose from."

"One of them is treating some people as if they were not human beings."

"For example, reducing the surplus people to slavery."

"The slaves' status is the same as that of cattle and horses. As long as they can stutter, it's fine."

"In this way, food consumption can be greatly reduced."

“Slaves had no social status and no legal protection.

"Rich people will definitely like it, and they will buy large numbers of slaves to use."

"By buying slaves, you have to solve their survival problems, which in turn reduces the burden on the country."

"The state could even encourage the killing of slaves. Every death means one less person to consume resources."

"You can also use war as an excuse to send slaves to the battlefield to die."

"There are so many ways to consume their lives anyway."

Zhu Biao could not help but retort: ​​"Wouldn't slaves rebel?" Ma Yu spread his hands and said: "Don't worry, the court only needs to ensure the interests of a certain group of people."

"For example, ensuring the interests of 20 million people and letting these 20 million people enslave the rest."

"If the slaves dare to rebel, these 20 million people will naturally help the court suppress it."

"And every slave rebellion brought bloodshed."

"It's also a good thing for the imperial court, as it can consume the excess population."

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "This is too cruel. It is not what a benevolent ruler should do."

Ma Yu laughed and said, "You can have this idea, isn't it the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius that tell you?"

Zhu Biao couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, it seemed to be true.

At this time, he finally understood the meaning of Confucius and Mencius's thoughts as a benchmark.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma also looked thoughtful.

Ma Yu paused for a moment and continued:

"The emperors of the Song Dynasty had the same idea. They felt that this was inhumane, so they adopted a completely different system."

"That is, a system that conforms to the Way of Benevolence."

"Instead of reducing human power, they empowered people and used laws to protect human rights."

"For example, slavery was formally abolished, and slaves were no longer the property of their masters, but were employed."

"If a master wants to employ a slave, he must sign an employment contract with him, and the contract is protected by law."

“Even though his status was that of a slave, he was still a subject of the state under the law and possessed all the rights granted by the law.”

"When the contract expires, you can become a free agent."

"Masters may not kill their slaves, nor may they trade slaves privately."

"Conflicts between masters and servants also need to be resolved by the authorities."

"The Song Dynasty also gave its people great freedom, and allowing migration was only part of it."

"In addition, people are allowed to change their occupations at will according to their actual circumstances."

"Except for businessmen not being allowed to become officials, everything else is unprecedentedly relaxed."

"Of course, in actual implementation, many systems are indeed difficult to implement."

"But at least legally, the Song Dynasty recognized the status of 'human beings' and acknowledged that human beings, as human beings, should enjoy basic human rights."

"Compared to previous dynasties, this is a groundbreaking progress."

Ma Yu, who was getting more and more excited, once again diverged his thoughts and said:
"According to statistics, the Song Dynasty saw the most peasant uprisings in history, and many people therefore say it had a very low bottom line."

"Little do people know that before the Song Dynasty, it wasn't that the people didn't want to rebel, but that they didn't have the opportunity."

"As mentioned earlier, from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, population control was extremely strict."

"They locked people in the village, sent a large number of officials to supervise them, and strictly prohibited the movement of people."

"In addition, in order to prevent people from forming groups, they would regularly split up people's families."

"If a family has many males, they will relocate some of them to villages dozens or hundreds of miles away."

"From then on, fathers and sons, and brothers, were separated, and they would never have the chance to see each other again in their lifetime."

"In a village of about a hundred households, there are at least seventeen or eighteen different surnames."

"These people have no blood ties, so it's difficult for them to band together to resist the imperial rule. Even if they suffer injustice, they can only bear it on their own."

"Why were rebellions before the Tang Dynasty always carried out under the guise of religion?"

"Because only religious people are qualified to travel around."

"They can travel from village to village in the name of missionary work."

"Then, using gods and Buddhas as a bond, we can unite people who were originally unrelated."

"The Song Dynasty completely relaxed controls on personal safety and no longer forced people to separate their families."

"Gradually, a clan power based on blood ties was formed, and each clan was like a village."

"The clan's cohesion is very strong. If they can't survive, they will unite and rebel."

"Furthermore, the Song Dynasty also gave the people the freedom to migrate, so those who wanted to rebel could more easily contact more people to rebel together."

"So, the reason why there were so many peasant rebellions during the Song Dynasty was not because he had low moral standards, but precisely because he gave the people more freedom."

"People before the Tang Dynasty had a good life. Didn't they want to rebel? It was just that they didn't have the opportunity."

Both Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma were a little confused. We didn't say that the Song Dynasty had a high lower limit. Why are you so excited?
Looking at the couple looking at each other in bewilderment, Ma Yu realized that his thoughts had wandered a bit too much, and quickly returned to the topic:

"There was another reason why there were so many peasant uprisings in the Song Dynasty: there were too many people and too little land."

"The Song Dynasty never achieved complete unification. Its land was smaller than during the Han and Tang dynasties, but its population was larger."

"It's already difficult to feed so many people just by farming."

"No matter what the Song Dynasty court did, it was difficult to ensure that everyone had enough to eat at the same time."

"Those who are hungry will naturally rebel."

Queen Ma nodded and thought:
"The Southern Song Dynasty was based in the south of the Yangtze River. At that time, Huguang was still a desolate and barren land. The only truly prosperous areas were the southern part of Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and Sichuan."

"How do they use this tiny piece of land to feed 80 million people?"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao also looked over. This was the core issue.

Ma Yu looked at them and sighed, "Actually, even if I didn't tell you, you should have figured it out."

"Crafts and commerce."

"The development of handicrafts requires a large amount of labor, and the last thing the Song Dynasty lacked was people."

"A large number of landless people have gathered around major cities, providing sufficient labor for urban development."

"They flocked to various industries, trying to survive while also promoting the development of the industry."

"The addition of so many people to the workforce has also stimulated productivity gains."

"The Song Dynasty's steel production peaked at nearly five million kilograms, ten times that of the Tang Dynasty."

"The rate of productivity growth during this period was also the fastest in all dynasties."

"Because if we move any slower, we won't be able to support so many people."

"The abundance of labor and more advanced productivity have promoted the prosperity of handicrafts."

"A large number of goods were produced, which stimulated the flourishing of commerce."

"Maritime trade, in particular, had become a pillar industry at that time."

"A large amount of goods were transported overseas via sea vessels, in exchange for shiploads of gold and silver."

"The imperial court gained a lot of money through maritime trade."

"With money in hand, we can maintain the functioning of the administrative system and purchase large quantities of food to provide relief to the victims."

“That’s why.”

"Despite its limited land and large population, the Southern Song Dynasty was able to maintain the operation of the entire system and did not perish due to failures in distribution."

Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma and Zhu Biao all nodded. Just as Ma Yu said, they had also thought of this.

However, his understanding of the rules behind it is not as clear and thorough as Ma Yu's.

For example, the combined effect of labor and productivity promoted the development of handicrafts, and the development of handicrafts stimulated the development of commerce.

The development of business, in turn, gives more people the opportunity to survive.

This is like a series of connected links, where everyone promotes each other.

It was only after Ma Yu explained it to them that they understood the truth.

Moreover, Ma Yu brought the topic back to the issue of distribution.

Let them understand from another perspective what the distribution end is.

Ma Yu continued with what he had just said, "Let's talk about the Yuan Dynasty."

"The Yuan Dynasty's inaction allowed the people to enter a state of barbaric growth, which in turn stimulated their enthusiasm to a certain extent."

"Because the Yuan court didn't intervene, many of the Song Dynasty's policies were continued among the people."

"For example, the development of handicrafts and commerce, and the development of areas like Huguang."

"It was the development of folk handicrafts that supported the prosperity of maritime trade during the Yuan Dynasty."

"The demise of the Yuan Dynasty was actually due to problems with distribution."

"Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, and the majority of people cannot survive."

"But unlike previous dynasties, the Yuan Dynasty gave up the distribution end itself."

"As barbarians, they have no sense of family, country, or the world, and are unwilling to shoulder their due responsibilities."

"They took the money, but instead of thinking about how to maintain the healthy operation of the system, they used it to enjoy themselves."

"In the end, they just robbed the rich too."

"Let both the rich and the common people have no way to survive, and let everyone stand up and rebel together."

"It can be said that the demise of the Yuan Dynasty was a case of asking for a hammer and getting it."

Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but nod and said: "The Yuan Dynasty failed because of its leniency."

Ma Yu shook his head and said, "I think they failed because of ignorance."

"Because they simply don't understand that a country is a system that needs to be maintained."

"If they had even a little awareness of this, they would never completely abandon the distribution side."

"Its stupidity is the worst in all dynasties."

Zhu Yuanzhang carefully reviewed the actions of the Yuan Dynasty and had to agree:
"Those barbarians, how could they understand the importance of the country?"

Zhu Biao interjected, "So, Dad's 'expelling the barbarians, restoring China, establishing laws and disciplines, and saving the people' is an act that complies with the will of Heaven and responds to the needs of the people.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased with his son's flattery and laughed loudly:

"Haha, Biaoer still understands us."

Ma Yu sneered, "I don't know who it is, but he considers himself a landlord and the people as tenants."

Zhu Yuanzhang's smile suddenly froze.

Although he never said such a thing, he didn't think he thought so.

But after listening to a few of Ma Yu's classes, I recalled my previous understanding of the country.

It seems that the emperor was really regarded as the landlord and the people as tenants.

Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.

Being exposed and ridiculed in front of others, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became furious:
"I am so angry, you little thief Ma Yu. If I don't beat you to death here today, I won't be called Zhu Yuanzhang."

As he said this, he stood up and began to roll up his sleeves.

Ma Yu said leisurely: "The situation facing the Ming Dynasty is even more complicated than that of the Song Dynasty..."

Having said this, he suddenly stopped.

Zhu Yuanzhang froze again, not knowing whether to fight or not, so he could only look at Empress Ma.

Queen Ma held her forehead and slapped the table, saying:

"You two, get out if you keep fighting."

Ma Yu knew when to stop and quickly sat up straight.

In fact, he knew very well that Zhu Yuanzhang was never an easy person to talk to.

He had angered him time and time again, but he was still alive. One reason was because of Empress Ma's protection, and the other was because of the knowledge in his head.

Another thing is that I'm used to it.

The first time you taunt him, he'll get really angry and want to kill.

The second time I wasn't as angry.

The third time... the fourth time...

Not only is he used to it, he also cooperates subconsciously.

But Ma Yu knew that everything should be done in moderation, and it was okay for him to get angry occasionally.

He can't really cross the line, otherwise no one can protect him.

On the other side, Zhu Yuanzhang said aggrievedly: "He is the one who always makes us angry, sister, you can't take sides."

Empress Ma was at a loss for words and tried to appease him, "Okay, okay, I'll punish him severely later and let you vent your anger."

"Hurry up and sit down and continue listening."

"The next thing is the situation that the Ming Dynasty is facing."

Zhu Yuanzhang then got off the donkey and sat back down, not forgetting to sternly criticize Ma Yu:

"For my sister's sake, I'll let you go today."

Ma Yu didn't tease him, but just shrugged and continued:

"In addition to the problems of too many people and too little land, the Ming Dynasty faced two more major challenges than the Song and Yuan dynasties."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly: "What are the two major problems? Don't scare us with alarmist rhetoric."

Just by looking at his attitude, Ma Yu knew that he had really listened to the analysis just now.

I actually felt relieved.

What he feared most was that Zhu Yuanzhang would turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, and eventually come up with an outdated system.

He originally lacked a macro-perception of the world and only saw the present, and then he formulated a set of targeted systems.

Before long, the system began to run into problems.

Later emperors did not dare to change the laws of their ancestors and could only make some amendments.

In the end, it is the people of the world who suffer.

I don’t think this situation will happen again in this life.

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(End of this chapter)