Once people get busy, time will pass quickly, and it will be April before you know it.
The Taoist reform is progressing very smoothly. When the benefits are obvious, more and more Taoist temples choose to join in.
"It's so smooth because we built up the momentum. In fact, most people are just outsiders. They will follow whoever is strong." Chen Jingke said excitedly:
"With the addition of Maoshan Sect, Loudao Temple, Chongxuan Sect and Jingyun Temple, it has directly affected a large number of people."
"Yeah." Li Shimin said neither salty nor blandly.
Chen Jingke understood instantly and immediately said: "Of course, everything is the result of His Majesty. Any innovation must be completed with the support of the hero. Without your support, the innovation would not be so smooth."
"What I am most fortunate about is that I can meet a wise monarch like you who is so talented and daring to carry out drastic reforms. Otherwise, no matter how powerful I am, I will be unable to do anything."
"Pfft!!!" Changsun Wugou laughed out loud.
Li Shimin's expression, how should I put it, was uncomfortable anyway. He wanted to laugh but couldn't, and wanted to be angry but didn't know how to be angry. Finally he said angrily:
"If you are so flattering, go back and practice hard, and don't show it to embarrass yourself."
"Haha..." Changsun Wugou smiled even more happily.
Chen Jingke smiled "hehe" and said, "This is a compliment from the bottom of my heart. Who wouldn't want to meet..."
Li Shimin said: "Shut up and talk about business."
"Um..." Chen Jingke couldn't help but ask himself, is my level of flattery really that bad? But everything I said was obviously a compliment.
However, it seems that the horse's leg was really hit. Let's forget it and continue talking about the business: "The reason why the innovation is going so smoothly is that the right to speak is crucial."
"Printing played a vital role. We printed a large number of innovative books and spread them all over the country. Anyone who can read and read can see them."
"Relying on these books, we have occupied the entire public opinion market and gained the right to speak, creating a situation in which the reformists have achieved a complete victory."
"Those outsiders were influenced by public opinion and chose to join the reformists. What we have to admit is that outsiders always make up the majority, and whoever they support will win."
Li Shimin showed a thoughtful expression, and so did Changsun Wugu. Both of them were people with ten minds, and it was easy to think of politics from this.
But then Chen Jingke made it clear to them directly: "The public opinion market is there. If you don't occupy it, others will. And once someone gets the upper hand, they can take the lead everywhere."
"Why do the gentry remain standing? Because they have the right to speak. The court's decrees must be issued after considering whether they will touch their interests in advance."
Li Shimin's face darkened. Although the situation in the Zhenguan Dynasty was not very serious, the situation of the gentry constraining the imperial court did exist.
Once the imperial court showed signs of weakness, descendants of the gentry would immediately flood the court and directly interfere in the country's major policies.
Chen Jingke continued to add insult to injury: "Your Majesty, have you ever thought about why peasant uprisings occurred, and why the royal court's tax revenue became less and less at the end of the dynasty?"
"Although we cannot attribute all the responsibility to the gentry, they are indeed an important factor. They controlled the government, annexed land and wealth, and left the poor with no place to stand."
"The common people became tenant slaves of the gentry, and their allegiance was no longer to the imperial court but to the gentry. The population directly controlled by the imperial court decreased, and it was unable to collect taxes and soldiers."
"But the gentry can avoid paying taxes through various means. This is actually the same for all powerful people...The result is that the poor get poorer and the rich get richer."
"In times of disaster, the court can only increase taxes on the registered people, but these people are already poor and cannot afford to eat. Where will the money come from to pay the taxes? Either they sell themselves as slaves to the nobles, or they sell their sons and daughters."
"The final result is that the government forces the people to rebel... The court wants to suppress the rebellion, but what should it do if it has no money? Increase taxes. And raising taxes will cause more people to rebel, and eventually the country will perish."
"And what about the nobles? For them, it's just a new emperor. They still enjoy the glory and wealth. This is why they dare to despise the imperial power."
"If the imperial court wants long-term peace and stability, it must crack down on the nobles and nobles and distribute more land to the people."
"Only when there are more yeoman farmers directly under the control of the imperial court can we collect enough taxes and recruit enough soldiers."
Li Shimin looked serious, nodded slowly and said, "Continue."
Chen Jingke knew that he was tempted and said: "But the court cannot suppress blindly. It must have a strategy, otherwise it will only have the opposite effect. Political struggle is nothing more than pulling one faction to fight another, and the court playing the middle to get the advantage of the fishermen."
"The power of the Tang Dynasty was divided into two groups, one was the cultural gentry group headed by the Shandong gentry, and the other was the Guanlong military aristocrat group headed by the Guanlong descendants."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows. This statement was very novel, but very insightful. If divided according to this standard, the situation in Datang suddenly became clear.
"It is no secret that our Tang Dynasty was founded by the Guanlong military aristocratic group. This is the foundation of the Tang Dynasty."
"So the Guanlong military noble group is naturally your Majesty's ally. If you want to attack the nobles, you must rely on Guanlong's power."
Li Shimin's face looked a little unnatural, but he did not refute it. The Li family was indeed from the Guanlong military aristocratic group.
"On this point, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was quite stupid. He actually wanted to attack the nobles and the Guanlong army at the same time."
"What's even more stupid is that the targets he attacked first were not unrelated nobles, but the nobles of the Guanlong Army who were his allies."
"The result was that Guan Long no longer supported him, and the nobles also regarded him as a fool. Eventually, the country was ruined and the family was destroyed."
"His Majesty did a very good job at this point. He stabilized Guan Longjungui, but at the same time restricted them."
"I think what your Majesty should do next is to use Guanlong Jungui to launch an attack on the nobles. Use the group to fight the group, and you will be a fisherman."
"Perhaps we can also weaken the power of the two major groups at the same time, and finally complete the centralization of power and dictatorship."
The face of the eldest grandson Wugou changed and he scolded: "Children, don't talk nonsense. You are fighting against a fisherman. This is not what a gentleman should do."
Li Shimin waved his hand to signal her not to worry, and said, "This should be the plan that the elders of your family thought of, right?"
Chen Jingke said curiously: "How do you know it wasn't me who thought of it?"
This is indeed the analysis of some big guys in the past life. He just used it as a doctrine, but he didn't expect it to be exposed directly.
Li Shimin glanced at him and said calmly: "With your intelligence, you would never have thought of this in your life."
"Uh..." Chen Jingke said awkwardly.
Seeing that he was not angry, Changsun Wugou also let go of his worries.
Li Shimin was really angry at first, but when he heard that the two groups had benefited from the confrontation and Qian Gang was arbitrary, he immediately lost his anger and became very interested in this strategy.