Wang Gang openly opposed Liang Emperor's suggestion of farming, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly became depressing.
The great eunuch Gao Zhan's eyes flashed, he took a step back slightly, letting everyone else in the hall exit, and he left silently.
Princess Nihuang stood there a little embarrassed, neither leaving nor staying.
"Father, the troops stationed in the fields are harming the country and the people. If you insist on going your own way, I, Liang, will be in danger of destroying the country in less than ten years." Wang Gang said to Emperor Liang in a neither humble nor arrogant tone.
Emperor Liang was so angry that his nose was crooked. If Princess Nihuang hadn't been there, he would have given his son a big mouth.
"I want to hear what the harm of farming is." Emperor Liang laughed angrily and said: "The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty can't see the problem, but you are the only one who has the ability?"
Wang Gang said calmly: "There are four harms to farming. First, sending soldiers back to their hometowns to farm will weaken the strength of the army. Once the war is urgent, it will take time to recall the soldiers, and it is easy for the enemy to take advantage of the loopholes."
Emperor Liang said disdainfully: "Of course I know that it takes time to mobilize troops, so I will only release some of my soldiers to farm. Most of them will stay in place to guard against enemy attacks. As long as we can hold on for a period of time, the imperial court can mobilize troops to support us."
Wang Gang shook his head and said: "On the battlefield, the soldiers are fierce and dangerous. Which general can guarantee that he can defend until reinforcements arrive!"
Emperor Liang was speechless for a moment, while Princess Nihuang nodded secretly.
Wang Gang continued: "Second, when soldiers are stationed in the fields, they have to do farm work and train throughout the year, which consumes too much physical strength of the soldiers. If they go to the battlefield again, it is difficult to ensure their combat effectiveness."
Emperor Liang's face slowly darkened, but he said nothing more.
Wang Gang said again: "Third, does all the harvest of the wasteland reclaimed by the army belong to the court or the army? How much can an individual soldier occupy?"
Emperor Liang said: "Of course the harvest belongs to the imperial court, and the army and soldiers receive monthly rations."
Wang Gang sighed and said: "In this case, the soldiers will not be motivated to farm. They will only be passive and slow down the work, and the harvest cannot be guaranteed at all."
Emperor Liang frowned and said, "What about the soldiers' harvest?"
"If that's the case, who would be willing to fight, wouldn't they rush to farm?"
Emperor Liang said angrily: "This won't work, and that won't work either. The harvest will be distributed to the local garrison, which will be uniformly deployed by the army and used as military rations!"
Wang Gang glanced at Princess Nihuang, looking like he was hesitant to speak.
Emperor Liang said proudly: "Why don't you speak?"
Wang Gang said calmly: "This is the fourth disadvantage of farming. If the local garrison has soldiers and food, why does it need the court?"
Emperor Liang's breath froze and he couldn't help but look at Princess Nihuang.
Princess Nihuang was so frightened by the sight of the father and son.
"Your Majesty, I am a little tired after a long journey on the boat." Princess Nihuang said knowingly.
Emperor Liang smiled and said: "Okay, I will ask Gao Zhan to take you to rest in person, and I will give you a banquet tomorrow to cleanse yourself."
Princess Nihuang resigned, and the smile on Emperor Liang's face immediately faded.
"Guizi, do you know why I want to implement military settlements!" Emperor Liang said angrily to Wang Gang.
Wang Gang saw that Emperor Liang had been persuaded by him and understood the harm of farming, but he was just unconvinced.
"My father wanted to control the border troops and prevent them from threatening the central court," Wang Gang said.
Emperor Liang snorted coldly: "You can clearly understand why you still oppose me."
Wang Gang fearlessly said: "Because the disadvantages of practicing farming outweigh the benefits, my sons and ministers spoke out to advise me."
Emperor Liang softened his tone and said: "The farming is only a temporary measure. It can be canceled in due course when the imperial court takes control of everything."
"Father, have you ever thought about it? Our country, Daliang, is in a place of four wars. We have Dayu and Dayan in the north, Chu is waiting for an opportunity in the south, Ye Qin in the west, and Donghai in the east. Why can we still dominate?
Central Plains?" Wang Gang asked rhetorically.
"Are you testing your father?" Emperor Liang said angrily.
"I don't dare." Wang Gang said neither humble nor arrogantly: "From my perspective, the reason why our country, Daliang, is able to occupy the most fertile land in the Central Plains is all because of the border officers who protect the territory and the people and are willing to die for the imperial court."
Emperor Liang agreed: "Of course I know the difficulties of the soldiers, but who knows the difficulties of the imperial court!"
Wang Gang said: "If farming is implemented at the border, the soldiers will make a profit, who will die in service?"
Emperor Liang was speechless.
Wang Gang continued: "The reason why the imperial court can control the frontier generals now is, first, because the border army's food and grass are allocated by the imperial court, and as long as the food and grass are controlled, the army can be controlled. Second, the soldiers are supported by the imperial court, so that they have no worries.
Daliang adopts a recruitment system, and each household sends one person to serve as a soldier. The burden on the common people is not too heavy. If a soldier dies in battle, he will be given a certain amount of compensation. This is the reason why the soldier died in service."
Emperor Liang slowly calmed down.
"But the burden on the imperial court to support so many soldiers is too heavy." Emperor Liang sighed: "Since last year, the imperial court has been unable to make ends meet. This year, the harvest in Jiangnan is poor, and I don't know how to survive."
Wang Gang said: "This is not a problem of the army, but a problem of taxation. Disarmament of troops and farming is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. Not only will it not solve the problem, it will also shake the foundation of the country."
Emperor Liang looked at his son in front of him slightly, intending to take the exam: "Then tell me, what is the problem with the imperial taxation?"
Wang Gang said directly: "Enclosure!"
Emperor Liang's face straightened, he didn't expect Wang Gang to really know.
The rise and fall of a dynasty is actually not that complicated. The fundamental reason is social chaos and the inability to solve social problems.
?Except for extremely special cases where powerful external military forces directly led to the demise of dynasties, the demise of most dynasties was caused by internal causes and factors.
For an agricultural dynasty with low productivity, land is fundamental.
At the beginning of the founding of the Liang Dynasty, a large amount of unclaimed land was harvested. Taizu distributed the land to meritorious ministers and promised never to impose taxes.
If there is still a large amount of land left, it will be distributed to the people for cultivation, and the court will collect a certain tax every year.
Later, Taizu wanted to win over the world's scholars and stipulated that scholars did not need to perform military service or pay taxes, and the gentry began to rise.
Originally, there was no problem with this system. After all, there were only a few scholars and aristocrats.
But the common people lack awareness of worries and like to have children, especially sons, when they have money, but the land in their hands is limited.
As the population increases, the land will not increase. There are only so many resources, and problems will arise over time.
What's more, agriculture depends on many external factors. It's fine when the season is good, but if there is a small disaster and the grain is not harvested, the taxes that should be paid cannot be less.
What to do if you have no money? You can only sell land. Once the land is sold, sell it to people.
As time went by, the privileged class used their power to acquire land from ordinary people, either explicitly or covertly, without paying taxes, resulting in serious wealth polarization. This was the enclosure of noble land.
The land in the hands of the common people was decreasing, but the land that the nobles did not pay taxes was increasing, the national tax revenue was getting smaller and smaller, and internal conflicts were piling up until the generation of Emperor Liang.
Emperor Liang now faces many problems, and the border army is only an insignificant one.
"Gui Zi, tell me how to solve the court's problems!" Emperor Liang asked the question to Wang Gang.
Wang Gang said, "I can't solve it for you. The only person who can solve it is Emperor Liang."
Emperor Liang's eyes shot out a dangerous cold light: "You want to sit in my seat!"
