Hearing that Governor Wei wanted to answer questions, the surrounding scholars gathered around him.
And by inviting friends and companions, the news spreads further and further.
When it reached Leitang Academy, it was already the governor of Wei who wanted to give lectures here!
Wei Liangchen chose a small mound, and the scholars sat on the ground with him as the center. Row after row, circle after circle, people crowded and sat in turn, forming many irregular concentric circles.
Not long after, the Hong family's children also came over after hearing the news and continued to sit on the outermost edge to listen to the lecture.
Even the head of the Hong clan and clan elders came.
Wei Liangchen stood on the mound, waited quietly for a long time, and finally asked: "Has anyone read "On Feudalism" by Liu Hedong? Those who have read it, please raise your right hand."
This is a relatively uncommon article, but dozens of people raised their hands.
Wei Liangchen asked again: "Who can recite "On Feudalism"?"
With all arms down, no one can recite.
If you don't take the imperial examination, why do you need to memorize this stuff? Spending time reading it several times is already the limit.
Wei Liangchen was already prepared. He took out a piece of paper and said to Zhang Liangyou who was sitting in front of him: "You come and recite."
"yes!"
Zhang Liangyou stood up, took over the article, and read aloud: "Is there no beginning for heaven and earth? I don't know it. Is there a beginning for human beings? I don't know it. But which one is close? He said: There is a beginning for closeness.
Who knows it? It came from feudalism..."
The main idea of the article is as follows:
Does nature have an initial stage? I don’t know. Does human beings have an initial stage? I don’t know either. I think there should be.
In ancient times, human beings coexisted with all things. There were thorns and hordes of wild beasts, and they drank blood while eating hair.
Humans do not have the sharp teeth and claws like wild beasts, nor do they have feathers to withstand the severe cold. Humans can only rely on external objects to survive. However, resources are limited, which leads to fights. If you want to mediate disputes and calm down fights, you must distinguish right from wrong.
Wise men lead.
Gradually, there were rulers, criminal laws, and government decrees.
The more people gathered together, the more they formed groups, and there were groups outside the groups. The scale of the battles between each other became larger, so armies and wars emerged.
At this time, a more prestigious sage must lead, and the leaders of each ethnic group will listen to him.
Such wise men are the princes, and their territory is the country of Fang.
But the princes made the scale of the war larger, and more prestigious sages were needed to lead it.
The emperor is born!
The following content is to elaborate on the feudal system. It also discusses why the feudal system was replaced by the system of prefectures and counties, and believes that the feudal system was based on the private interests of the country, while the Qin Dynasty created the system of prefectures and counties where the world was for the public.
Liu Zongyuan also said that these changes are not the intentions of saints, but the natural evolution of the general trend.
After Zhang Liangyou finished reciting the article, Wei Liangchen said: "Your Majesty generally agrees with Liu Zongyuan's views, and has also made modifications and additions."
"There are many barbarian tribes in the southwest and northeast. They eat raw hair, drink blood, and cultivate by slashing and burning because they have not been educated. Their lives are much the same as in ancient China."
"Man fought with wild beasts and learned to make bows, arrows and spears. Man fought with nature and learned to make fire to keep warm, to wear clothes to keep out the cold, to build water conservancy, and to cultivate and breed."
"As the number of people increased, it was necessary to have leaders. Otherwise, it would be difficult to quell internal disputes or resist foreign invasion. So there were tribal leaders, and many tribes had big leaders. The two emperors of Yan and Huang, as well as Chi You, were the leaders at that time
Big boss!"
"The great leaders fought against each other and merged with foreign tribes, and then we had China. Then there were Xia, Shang and Zhou!"
"The Zhou Dynasty split the land and divided the territory, and the feudal princes governed the country. Many princes were located in barbarian lands, and they conquered and civilized the barbarians. The eastern barbarians, the western Rong, the southern barbarians and the northern Di were all assimilated into the Xia."
"The princes gradually became more powerful and prosperous, and the power of the Emperor of Zhou fell away, and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period emerged..."
This kind of basic knowledge hundreds of years later was still very new and unique at this time, and most people present listened attentively.
Wei Liangchen raised his hands to the north and said: "The Holy Emperor today knows everything about the creation of heaven and earth. These were all taught by the Emperor at the Sutra Banquet Conference. In all dynasties, it was the Confucians who lectured to the emperors. But in our Ming Dynasty, it was the emperor who lectured to the Confucians.
.”
Suddenly, Wei Liangchen pointed to a scholar next to him: "If Emperors Yan and Huang annexed the Chiyou tribe, will Chiyou be honest and obedient?"
"No." Na Shizi replied.
Wei Liangchen asked again: "How was the Chiyou tribe annexed?"
The scholar said: "Conquest."
"Yes, conquest," Wei Liangchen said, "Whether it is the Yanhuang annexation of Chiyou, or the princes assimilating the barbarians, they must first rely on force to conquer. Defeat the aliens and subdue the aliens. Then educate them and turn the barbarians into
Zhu Xia. So at first there was only one corner of China, but now it covers the whole world."
Wei Liangchen pointed to another scholar: "What do you rely on to win a war?"
The scholar replied: "There are wise ministers who plan strategies, and there are fierce generals who charge into battle."
Wei Liangchen shook his head: "All of these are necessary, but the more important thing is money and food. Only with money and food can we support the soldiers of the three armies and build sophisticated soldiers and armor. In the former Song Dynasty, why did Tong Guan's expedition to Liao fail? Because he lacked money and food.
.If the soldiers are not paid enough, how can they have any morale? Even the troops are dispatched in a hurry, and the soldiers and armor are not fully prepared."
"So where does the money and food come from?" Wei Liangchen asked another scholar.
The scholar said: "It comes from taxes."
"Yes, taxes," Wei Liangchen said, "His Majesty once told the ministers that during the Yan and Huang Dynasties, hundreds of industries were first established, and even wooden farm tools were used. Copper was scarce and could only be used to make ritual utensils, and farming could not be used.
The harvest was very small. At that time, we could not collect too many taxes, nor could we support many troops. They were all out-of-work tribal nobles, leading a group of Chinese people who still needed to farm to fight the war."
"Later, bronze became more popular and could be used as agricultural tools, and farming methods became more mature. More and more food was harvested, and more and more armies could be supported. As a result, more and more Fangbo princes emerged,
The Emperor of Zhou was able to rule the world."
"Later, iron tools were developed. With farm tools made of iron, harder soil could be cultivated."
"Ten, twenty, or thirty people use copper farm tools to cultivate a good field. This is the well field system."
"If a family of three or five can cultivate a good field using iron farm tools, then there is no need for the well-field system. The same population can cultivate more land. If the princes have enough money and food, then the extra population can be recruited
Fighting. This is the Warring States Period!"
The scholars were stunned when they heard this.
The previous historical knowledge only made their eyes brighter. After all, Liu Zongyuan had similar views.
But now it is unheard of to use copper, iron, farming, and taxation to explain the evolution of Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties since ancient times.
While the three views have been strongly impacted, it seems to make sense after careful consideration.
Wei Liangchen continued: "Qin destroyed the six kingdoms, and with Qin Shihuang's cruelty, why did Liu Zongyuan say that he created the world as a public institution? Because the Zhou Dynasty was feudal at all levels, from princes to officials, everyone was private, and the emperor of Zhou could not collect money, food, or taxes.
Once a natural disaster occurs somewhere, other princes will not help, and the Emperor of Zhou will not be able to provide money or food for relief."
"The Qin Dynasty implemented a system of prefectures and counties, and Qin Shihuang could uniformly levy money and food. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and although it initially divided the prefectures and states, how could the general trend last long? In the end, the feudal kings were exterminated. Emperors Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty unified levies and levies, and then the war was launched
Great Han Tianwei."
"The princes are gone, but there are powerful families. Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, large families migrated and settled in mausoleums."
"The aristocratic families became increasingly uncontrollable. They annexed land, hid the population, and evaded taxes and servitude. The country had no money and food to collect, and the people had no place to stand. This led to the chaos in the late Han Dynasty."
"In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, aristocratic families even became powerful families. They built forts, controlled the population, connected the fields, and served as prime ministers for many generations. They controlled the government, just like a country within a country."
"In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the land equalization system was used to establish the country. The five surnames and Qiwang took the lead in annexing land. The land equalization system was destroyed, and the renting system collapsed. The imperial court could not support the army, so Jiedushi was appointed, which triggered the Anshi Rebellion. This disaster continued into the Five Dynasties and the former Song Dynasty.
Although they were unified, they could never regain Yanyun."
"Where did the redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses come from in the Song Dynasty?"
"Redundant officials are the source of overflowing favor. A prime minister can favor a few descendants, and a magistrate can favor a few descendants. A duke can favor a few descendants, and a county prince can favor a few descendants. Even
On the emperor’s birthday, the magistrate sent his son to the capital to celebrate his birthday. This son can also be an official with kindness!”
"Are the redundant troops because of the need to fight? The imperial court imposed increasing taxes, numerous annexations by large families, and more and more refugees. They could only continue to recruit refugees as Xiang troops, and in the end there were millions of soldiers in the country's army!"
"From Duke Fan Wenzheng, to Duke Wang Jing, and even the treacherous minister Cai Jing. Why do you always have to change the law?"
"Just two words: money and food!"
"Some scholars asked me why the Ming Dynasty suppressed Yimen? Let's take the Chen family of Yimen in Jiangzhou as an example."
"They built academies and medical halls so that everyone in the tribe can afford to study and get medical treatment. In years of natural disasters, they also provide relief to the countryside, so that even people with foreign surnames can survive. This is indeed commendable and worthy of the name of Yimen.
.But where do they get the money? Where do they get the food?”
"They used their wealth to annex land and turn fellow villagers and foreigners into customers. They themselves were exempted from corvee. They even hid the population of the land, making it difficult for the government to collect taxes."
"In order to pay taxes, local officials could only levy additional taxes on other local people. This caused more farmers to go bankrupt and sell their land, and the Chen family in Jiangzhou took the opportunity to annex. It made it more difficult for the government to collect taxes, and local people with foreign surnames were taxed more heavily!"
"The Chen family was split up in the former Song Dynasty, and they only had 47 properties in five counties. But just a hundred years later, their properties had returned to more than 200. How did these properties come from? They relied on harming the public, enriching private interests, and suppressing foreign surnames."
"If all the big families in the world practice Yimen, how will the imperial court collect taxes? How heavy will the taxes be for the remaining small households and people?"
"When the time comes, if there is another Fang La and another Zhong Xiang, how can the court still have the money and food to send troops to suppress it? I am afraid that the troubled times of the Five Dynasties will return again!"
"Now, do you understand why the imperial court wants to suppress Yimen?"
This question was raised by Zhang Liangyou. He stood up and bowed straightly: "Thank you sir for your teaching. I already know the truth."
One after another, hundreds of students stood up and bowed to Wei Liangchen.
Some of the remaining people do not agree with this theory. Especially when it comes to historical explanations, they believe that the troubled times of the Han and Tang Dynasties were not caused by the annexation of land, but because of the troubles of foolish kings and treacherous ministers.
There were also some who didn't respond simply because they were sitting too far away and couldn't hear clearly what Wei Liangchen was talking about...
Wei Liangchen said: "Your Majesty has written this theory into the "On History" and is handing it over to scholars from the Hanlin Academy for polishing. It is very likely that policy topics will be tested in the imperial examination in the future!"