The other ministers were also suddenly shocked when they heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words.
There was gossip in the palace a few days ago that the emperor's grandson was cured by Hu Weiyong's son, but I didn't expect it to be true.
It seems that Hu Weiyong is not simple, and Hu Weiyong’s son is even more not simple!
He is very capable at a young age, he is a talent!
After Zhu Yuanzhang finished reprimanding Li Shanchang, he motioned to Hu Changan to explain his thoughts.
Hu Changan was not polite and spoke directly: "Now everyone knows that the central government's management of local governments is still relatively weak."
"In order to reduce management costs, the central administrative power only extends to the county level."
"As for the township level, it is often controlled by the local gentry, which gives the powerful landlords a lot of room for favoritism."
"The grassroots people thought that instead of sending people to supervise the people from the top down, why not just let the people report the status of their cultivated land on their own?"
"The imperial court can compile a booklet for every 100 households, which will record in detail the population and land conditions of these 100 households."
"These 100 households can be organized into an A for every ten households, and a head A will be selected from the A to be responsible for summarizing and reporting the population and land conditions of these ten households."
"Every ten heads will be assigned a mile long, responsible for compiling the book, and then reporting directly to the county government."
"The booklet is updated every ten years in order to monitor the increase or decrease in population and land in real time."
"If anyone conceals a report, the government can directly impose severe penalties on the person who conceals the report."
Hu Changan wanted to continue speaking, but an angry voice suddenly interrupted Hu Changan's speech.
The person who spoke was an old man with white beard and hair, Liu Zhongzhi, the Minister of Rites: "Mr. Hu, your words are too naive."
"Most of the common people are rough people who cannot read a single word. They can't even write their own names. How can they understand the orders of the imperial court? Let them report the status of their cultivated land on their own. If it turns into a mess, who will be responsible?
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As soon as Liu Zhongzhi finished speaking, he received the approval of all the ministers.
The Ming Dynasty was no better than modern times, and the literacy rate was really pitifully low.
Even in cities, on average only one or two out of ten people are literate.
Not to mention in rural areas, it would be nice to have a few people in a village who can help with writing.
If you are unlucky, you may have to go to a neighboring village to ask someone to write a letter.
Letting these illiterate people, who cannot read a single Chinese character, report the status of their cultivated land by themselves, wouldn't it be a big joke in the world?
Some of the mean ministers even covered their mouths and started laughing.
Mr. Hu is here to discuss matters. It's really his luck that a blind cat bumped into a dead rat.
No, the secret is revealed. He can even say such childish words.
But Hu Changan didn't take it seriously. He didn't even change his facial expression and calmly followed Liu Zhongzhi's words: "Master Liu, what you said is wrong."
"It is true that ordinary people are illiterate, but their intelligence is normal. With a little guidance, they may not be unable to handle things on their own."
"Many great figures in history were born in poverty, but they still achieved remarkable achievements, right?"
"Take Kuang Heng of the Han Dynasty as an example. When he was a child, his family was so poor that he couldn't even afford candles. His parents were both illiterate farmers. But in the end, he still relied on his own efforts to become the prime minister of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty step by step?"
"According to Mr. Liu, the common people are all stupid and unteachable, so how come batch after batch of geniuses emerge among the common people?"
After Liu Zhongzhi heard this, he was speechless and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Liu Zhongzhi came from an official family and received orthodox Confucian education since he was a child. He really looked down on illiterate peasants and did not believe that they could accomplish anything.
However, after hearing what Hu Changan said, Liu Zhongzhi felt a little shaken in his heart.
Yes, most of the good students in schools today come from poor families. Their parents cannot read a single word, but they are still better at reading than children from official families.
Those children from aristocratic families, on the contrary, were born in sorrow and died in happiness. They were not motivated and indulged in drinking and having fun all day long.
Perhaps with a little guidance, these ordinary people can really complete the tasks of the court?
After listening to Hu Changan's words, other ministers also realized something and began to seriously think about the feasibility of Hu Changan's words.
However, the most shocking thing among them is undoubtedly the current emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, who is sitting on the dragon throne.
Hu Changan's words truly touched Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.
As the leader of the peasant uprising, Zhu Yuanzhang believed in the power of the people more than anyone else.
Although these lovely people don't know a single word, with a little guidance, they can burst out endless energy and accomplish one big thing after another.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang himself came from a little cowherd boy to where he is today step by step.
Zhu Yuanzhang fully believed that as long as it was properly guided, it would be feasible to let the people report their cultivated land on their own!
Seeing that everyone was silent, Hu Changan continued to clear his throat and said: "Besides, if the people don't know what to do, don't they still have the government?"
"The government can issue a series of rules and make them into a booklet, instructing them in detail on what to do."
"As long as ordinary people strictly follow this series of rules, they will never make mistakes."
"Moreover, the government can also send people to the countryside regularly to inspect and inspect the population and cultivated land reported by the people."
"If any false reports or concealment of reports are found, severe punishment will be imposed directly."
After hearing this, everyone nodded immediately.
Yes, why didn't they think of this series of tricks before?
This set of tricks that combine both strength and softness can be said to have perfectly completed the task of measuring land under the existing conditions.
In this way, not only can we obtain authentic and dynamic population data, but it can also improve the court's control over the grassroots, disintegrate the power of the gentry originally entrenched in the local areas, and avoid high management costs. It is really a clever plan that can achieve multiple goals with one stone.
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At the same time, this also opened up an opportunity for the people to redress their grievances directly to the government.
As long as there is something maliciously exploiting the people, the people themselves can organize themselves, report it at all levels, from the head of Jia to the head of the village, and then to the county government, and directly redress their grievances to the court.
In this way, I am afraid that the crazy exploitation of the people by local gentry in the late Yuan Dynasty will never happen again!
The more people tasted it, the more they felt that this move was exquisite. Even Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, who were sitting at the top, nodded frequently with satisfaction.
However, just when everyone was praising each other, an inappropriate voice poured cold water on Hu Changan: "Mr. Hu, although your method sounds reasonable, you can guarantee that it will definitely not work after it is implemented.
Will it shake the foundation of Ming Dynasty?"
The person who spoke was none other than Wu Lin, the Minister of Civil Affairs. This chapter has been completed!