T-Scroll Chapter 116 Can Zhang Juzheng follow the path? (Third update, please vote for me!)
It’s just that this third step seems to be a little far away now. It seems a bit too bold to say it rashly, and it is even too ambitious, so it needs to be considered.
Seeing Feng Ziying silently holding the cup, Guan Yingzhen did not press her.
When the strategy of opening up the sea was brought up, this person must have had some calculations, but later on, more and more content was added, which probably exceeded Feng Ziying's expectations.
It is estimated that many things were slowly spread out, only to find that a piece was missing here and a piece was missing there. They were slowly filled in and filled up, so that they could support a policy outline that could be regarded as the largest since Emperor Yonglong ascended the throne.
However, in Feng Ziying's view, this is not a policy outline at all. It is purely an emergency countermeasure. The first was to solve the counter-insurgency and land restoration strategies in Western Xinjiang, and the second was to solve the nine-border strategy, especially the Liaodong strategy.
Security, and then finally connected sea trade with debt and taxation, forming such a four-dimensional landscape.
The imperial court of this era basically had no decent strategy for governing the country, let alone the purposeful strategy of modern national governance, which consisted of collecting information - investigating and researching - putting forward administrative opinions - concrete implementation - comparison and feedback - revision and improvement
——It is basically impossible to summarize this kind of governance method, or it is more like a simple inertial action. Some steps meet some of the links, but in fact there is no real initiative to take measures to fundamentally solve the problem.
.
Basically, it adopts emergency management and follows the previous system. If there are difficult problems, we will find ways to solve them. If there are no special problems, we will make do with it. It is more like a small country with few people and a rule of inaction, but a country as vast as Zhou Dynasty has a vast territory.
How could a vast empire thousands of miles away be solved by inaction?
"Master, well, if you make such a request, if the disciple shirks the blame or talks about you, it may seem disrespectful to you. But in the past two years, the disciple has been to Western Xinjiang, Jiangnan, and also in the Hanlin Academy
I have had a lot of contacts, and even communicated with the cabinet ministers and many colleagues in the six ministries. I do have some ideas, and I hope to incorporate some of them into the strategy for opening up the sea."
Feng Ziying sorted out her thoughts. Guan Yingzhen was a more realistic person, which was somewhat different from Qi Yongtai who was slightly idealistic and honest, and Qiao Yingjia who was realistic and slightly philistine. He paid attention to both the heart and the traces.
"Before answering your question, can I ask you a few questions first?" Feng Ziying said suddenly.
After Guan Yingzhen was startled, he smiled to himself, "Well, isn't it right for a student to ask a teacher? But when Ziying said this, it must be some difficult or difficult question to answer. Well, a teacher knows everything he knows.
, or let’s just answer from the teacher’s point of view.”
"What do the officials think of the current situation in Da Zhou?"
Guan Yingzhen had expected Feng Ziying's question and answered calmly: "It can't be said that it is in danger, it can also be said that it is difficult to move forward."
Seeing that Feng Ziying was a little disapproving, Guan Yingzhen knew that the other party thought he was too optimistic, but he still insisted on his own point of view. The foundation of Dazhou was still there. Even though there were many problems, they were not out of control.
Feng Ziying continued to ask: "What do the officials think are the main dangers?"
Guan Yingzhen did not hesitate, "The external Jurchen threat to Jianzhou is increasing day by day, and the Tatars are still powerful. Although it is not obvious now, but once they regain their breath or meet the master of one or two bears and tigers, they will become a powerful force in the Zhou Dynasty."
There are many dangers, but these are not the most dangerous, including the Great Zhou crisis."
"Oh?" Feng Ziying's face was calm.
"The imperial court's financial resources were depleted, but the food and salary for the Nine Borders were increasing day by day. The land annexation in various places became more and more obvious, and the people's taxes became increasingly heavy. This led to many common people to join the gentry, and the wealthy gentry hid the land and population. This in turn caused the imperial court's income to decrease day by day. In addition,
The population is increasing and the weather in the North has been mostly bad in the past twenty years, with constant floods and droughts. If there are one or two major disasters and the court's inability to provide relief, it may lead to great chaos..."
Guan Yingzhen paused and said, "The Ningxia rebellion, if not handled well by the imperial court, would probably lead to an uncontrollable disaster. But even so, holes have been dug and must be filled. If not, the imperial court will not open the door."
Hai borrowed money to seek change.”
"Master, are there any more?"
Guan Yingzhen hesitated for a moment, "The relationship between the Supreme Emperor and Prince Yi Zhong and the Emperor is complicated and confusing, which is also a hidden worry."
He didn’t say much, but Feng Ziying understood it instantly.
"Then what is the main cause of these situations?" Feng Ziying asked again.
This question is somewhat difficult to answer.
Guan Yingzhen did not avoid it, and he did not intend to avoid it in front of his own disciple.
Now that you have become an official, you will inevitably encounter these things. If you don't even dare to face them directly, why do you talk about doing anything?
"For many reasons, the weather conditions in the North have been really bad in the past twenty years. There have been droughts for almost seven years in ten years. The people have been exhausted, while foreign enemies have continued to expand, such as the Jurchens, and the Japanese Rebellion of Renchen has also brought a great burden to the court.
, Well, there is another reason. In the later period of his reign, the Supreme Emperor neglected government affairs and was excessively extravagant, which directly led to the mediocrity of the officials in the court and the corruption,..."
This official dared to say that Feng Ziying admired him more.
"Population growth has also brought about some problems. In some places, there are more people but less land, such as Fujian..., and the yield of rice and wheat per acre has not increased significantly since the Ming Dynasty, which also forces people to find more ways to make a living..."
That's almost it. Feng Ziying's perception of Guan Yingzhen has deepened. She can sense the long-term impact of unfavorable weather conditions, see the pressure brought by population growth, and dare to speak out about the consequences of the neglectful and barbaric government in the middle and late periods of Emperor Yuanxi.
The harm done is enough to show that Guan Yingzhen has the level of a qualified official.
"Master, what you said is what I have learned through observation, but I think the key lies in two points: the tax revenue of the imperial court is decreasing instead of increasing, and the people are facing increasing conflicts, and the pressure on border defense is increasing day by day.
The contradiction between the increase in food and wages and the increasingly depleted fiscal revenue of the imperial court is actually a problem if analyzed carefully. The population of the people is increasing, but the food, cloth and other basic needs of life to meet the needs of the people are increasing.
Weakness, once there are natural disasters, rebellions, wars and other influences, it will immediately detonate and break the string that is already very tight."
Guan Yingzhen took a deep breath, "Do you think opening the sea can solve these problems?"
"It cannot fundamentally solve it, but it can alleviate it, or buy us some time to find a solution, or in other words, to solve the problem we just mentioned, multiple strategies are needed. Not one method or strategy can completely solve it.
." Feng Ziying shook her head.
"Oh?" Guan Yingzhen raised his eyebrows.
"For example, opening up the sea can expand maritime trade, increase the court's tax revenue, relieve the pressure on the treasury, and at the same time open up Denglai-Korea-Ezo-Haixi, the Barbarian Jurchen trade route, support Haixi, and the Barbarian Jurchen raid Jianzhou
The Jurchen rear can reduce the pressure on our frontal battlefield in Liaodong and buy us time. The expansion of the east side and even the Ezo land can, to a certain extent, reduce the pressure on refugees in areas that have suffered natural disasters for a long time..."
Guan Yingzhen interrupted Feng Ziying, "Ziying, you are talking about winning time, so I would like to ask, what can we do to win time? How can we change the increasingly difficult situation now?"
Guan Yingzhen got to the point when he asked.
Feng Ziying always said that time is gained. If time is gained, what can be done and how can we improve the predicament?
The situation is getting worse and worse. Even if the Jianzhou Jurchen offensive can be suppressed through Haixi, the barbarian Jurchen harassment, or even peace with the Mongolian left wing, what can it do?
It is still difficult for ordinary people to make a living. If there is any natural or man-made disaster, they may be in dire straits. And if monsters like the White Lotus Sect fan the flames, there may be another rebellion.
"What the officials want to ask is how to solve the growing tax needs of the imperial court and the increasingly difficult and difficult living conditions of the people. Well, a large part of it is the contradiction between the increasing taxes, right?" Feng Ziying said calmly.
Feng Ziying also hit the nail on the head. In fact, this problem has been explained too much in online forums in previous lives. In the final analysis, it is a problem encountered in the development of productivity and production relations.
According to the traditional theory, it is the reincarnation of dynasties, natural disasters, plagues, and wars, which will reduce the population sharply, and then the winner will be king, and the new dynasty will continue; or it will be the reform of the productive production system, expansion of overseas cultivation and accumulation.
Combined approaches to alleviate domestic conflicts.
Of course no one is willing to take the former option, but is the latter feasible in Dazhou?
In the previous life, Zhang Juzheng's reforms also failed in the middle way, which extended the life of the Ming Dynasty for decades, but can the Zhou Dynasty do it now?
I'm afraid it's not enough to just clear the land. You have to go through Yongzheng's method of dividing land into acres, which may be able to relieve the pressure. But having said that, taking this path may on the one hand intensify conflicts at the upper level, and on the other hand, it will not allow the direction that could have been taken.
Are the changes in productivity and production relations where capitalism is budding interrupted and delayed? Or is there an improvement path that combines the two organically?
Feng Ziying felt that if she wanted to follow Zhang Juzheng's path, she might not be able to do it without twenty years of time to build up her career.
But can Da Zhou survive twenty years?
Without the continuation of reforms like that of Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty in the previous life, the rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens seems to be more fierce than in the previous life, but the Little Glacier comes more frequently, and Feng Ziying is really not sure whether she can survive it.
So even if you can't do it now, you still have to point out a way to the people you can influence and encourage them to try it first. Maybe in the future, you can stand on the shoulders of giants and add strength to pick up a fallen peach?
It's a beautiful thought, but Feng Ziying knows very well that she probably has a lot to do.
"Master, I have two ideas. It depends on what time and what you think should be done." After Feng Ziying thought through it, he told her calmly.
