Although Gao Xian was pragmatic and had strong high-level influence, after all, his actual political status was not high enough. Speaking generally, it was possible to influence the emperor's thinking, but it was more difficult to handle or even control certain things in detail.
The private military industry was founded by Gao Gong, laying the foundation for the weapons and equipment of the Ming army to be far superior to the same period in history; "Yi Yi Lu Shu" not only borrowed Gao Gong's hand, but also borrowed Guo Pu's return to the dynasty.
It was finally completed in the "Guo Pu Era", which freed the Ming Dynasty from its first big burden and strengthened the post system. The subsequent Battle of Monan and the Battle of Northwest actually all contributed to this incident.
The only major national-level event he has accomplished single-handedly is the restructuring of the Beijing camp, and although the matter has been completed, it is still in the "consolidation period" and is not as unbreakable as the military industry and the post station.
And now, taking advantage of the limelight of being promoted to Minister of Household Affairs, Gao Pragmatic not only planned to take the opportunity to consolidate the results of Beijing's restructuring, but also planned to shake up the Ming Dynasty's financial system because he was finally in charge of one party.
Of course, he does not dare to touch the basic financial system easily for the time being. For example, if he were asked to directly transform the Ming Dynasty into the Song Dynasty, he would definitely not dare to do so. It would be unrealistic and unnecessary.
If the core doesn't dare to move for the time being, then let's try it out first and find a direction that has a "mass base" and that others don't dare to move lightly.
For example: fully recognizing the reasonable social status of businessmen, but at the same time requiring businessmen to assume their social responsibilities.
The reason why this matter is said to have a "mass base" is not a joke. Farmers in this era actually know that businessmen are "more powerful" than them, especially big businessmen.
The reason is very simple. Big businessmen are not only rich, but they must also have some background in the officialdom. These backgrounds may have cultivated scholars and officials in their families, and they may have invested in certain officials - this is the previous article.
I’ve already mentioned it, so I won’t say much.
In short, anyone who can be called a big businessman must have a government background behind him. Super wealthy businessmen invest in central ministers, big wealthy businessmen invest in governors and governors, small and medium-sized powerful people invest in prefectural officials and county officials, and even the less fortunate ones will invest in prefectural and county officials.
——Although civil servants are not even considered officials, there are many positions that are almost equivalent to the deputy county level in later generations in terms of actual power.
What about ordinary farmers? Sorry, most of them can't even enter the county government office, and they don't want to or dare to go in.
Businessmen are only divided into big and small, but farmers are not. The "big farmers" are another class, the landlord class. They do not regard themselves as farmers.
Therefore, in the eyes of farmers, even if a businessman is a wandering salesman carrying a pole or pushing a wheelbarrow, he is better than them, at least he is well-informed - this kind of thinking can be found in many rural areas in the early days of liberation.
Therefore, it was not easy for the merchant class in ancient China. On the one hand, they were despised by some people in person, and on the other hand, they were secretly envied by some people. The "certain people" here sometimes overlap.
But in any case, the status of businessmen among the people is not actually very low. This is for sure. Their "low status" is mainly in front of the court and court officials.
However, this situation is not static. In fact, during the two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, this situation has been constantly changing, and the general trend is that merchants are gradually being welcomed by the court - for Gao Pragmatic, this level is still relatively small. It is far from enough, but the trend must still be affirmed.
Even in the original history, the status of merchants has been significantly improved since the completion of Anda's tribute.
Why? Because since then, the Ming Dynasty has opened up trade on almost all borders (probably except Chahar). Wei Yuan, a thinker in the late Qing Dynasty, commented in "Shengwu Ji" that this peace policy "opened two hundred years for this dynasty." Peace (because the Qing Dynasty continued the border trade in northern Xinjiang)."
The policy of opening up border trade was a very important turning point in the Ming Dynasty's international policy, and it was also an important business opportunity for Shanxi merchants.
From then on, Shanxi merchants gradually entered the grain industry, tea industry, cotton industry, livestock trading and other industries, and became the most important and economically active border trade operators in the Ming Dynasty. Xie Zhaozhe, a famous scholar in the Ming Dynasty, "Wuzazu" says: "Those who rule the roost among wealthy families are Xin'an in the south of the Yangtze River, and Shanyou in the north of the Yangtze River." In other words, among the richest merchant gangs in the Ming Dynasty, Hui merchants were the richest in the south, and Shanxi merchants were the richest in the north. .(Note: Many businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang went to join or cooperate with Huizhou businessmen.)
In fact, after Jiajing, the stipulations of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang when he founded the country: "common people's houses, no more than three rooms and five racks" had long been forgotten by the people of the time. Huizhou merchants such as salt merchants and others "prosperous palaces, beautiful clothes, "Eating extravagantly and having daughters from Zhao", these wealthy businessmen's passion for pursuing wealth was far higher than that of any other dynasty.
It's good to have money, but it's more unpleasant every time they go to meet an official - you have to change out of these fancy clothes, put on coarse clothes to visit, and be humble and obedient. Even if you are the official's " "Finance Master", sometimes it can only be like this.
Is there any way to change it? It cannot be said that there is not. For example, if you are very rich, but you are really not good at studying, then you can find a way to donate to become a prison student - that is, as a student of the Imperial College.
It is not certain how valuable this status is. After all, it is equivalent to "Student in the Imperial College", not even "currently studying", but "Has studied". But the Imperial College does not matter whether you graduate or not, because it is only prepared for the imperial examination. The school is just of a relatively high standard.
So by analogy, the donated supervisory students are actually like the "Guozijian Correspondence Class" - you have read it, and only God knows whether you have learned anything famous.
But don't worry, "having read" the Imperial College is a very powerful thing, because the political status of the Imperial College students is basically analogous to that of the Imperial College students. With the title of "Graduate Imperial College students", you are no longer someone who is looked down upon everywhere. A businessman with a bad reputation is equivalent to a scholar.
This chapter is not over yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! However, that’s it. The social status that a businessman can “obtain” basically ends at the supervisory level. If you go up to that level, you will have to study and take exams. If you pass the imperial examination and pass the imperial examination, or become a Jinshi, your political status will be at the pinnacle of "analogous student membership".
If this position were only at the county or prefectural level, it might be okay: you could sit in the county government office, and there would be a place for you to stand in the prefectural government office. But if it went up higher, it would be embarrassing, and it would be your turn to kneel down.
You still have to kneel.
In today's Ming Dynasty, due to the dominance of the Practical School that has lasted for nearly twenty years, the status of merchants is even higher than in the original history.
This is not surprising. In his early years, Gao Gong wrote a book specifically about "the difference between justice and benefit." As Gao Gong continued to be in power, the reform of the Practical School continued to advance. The impact of this view on the people and even the official government was immeasurable.
Moreover, Gao Pragmatic himself also set an example: literature is the number one scholar, businessman is the richest man.
Although it is limited to the "ancestral law", each department under his name has clansmen, and the servants act as white gloves, but doesn't anyone in the world know that he is the real boss of Jinghua?
And what kind of existence is Jinghua? It’s not about scale, but social contribution: Jinghua’s various industries in the Ming Dynasty paid 1.73 million taels of various taxes last year, of which the central government was finally able to receive
The total income was 590,000 taels, which was close to one-tenth of the total income of the household department in the Ming Dynasty.
With such a huge social contribution, you say Gao Pragmatic, a "businessman", is a bad guy?
This is true at the civilian level, and the official level has also changed. Needless to say, the Shi school has always advocated improving the status of businessmen; the Xin school is actually consistent with the Shi school on this point - in fact, there are more big businessmen behind the officials of the Xin school
!
From the perspective of court officials, those who have the greatest influence, such as Qiu Jun, Wang Shouren, Wang Tingxiang, Gao Gong and others, all support improving the status of businessmen. The foundations of various theories have been laid and completed, and they are just about to finally come true. Gao Pragmatism is not a matter of thin air.
Let's play this game.
Here’s a question: Since so many big guys support improving the status of businessmen, why hasn’t it been done yet?
The answer is not complicated: social status must be linked to social contribution, and only then can the court or the emperor accept it.
You just want to improve your status, but I, the emperor, have not seen any benefit from the court. Why should I agree to it? Do you think it is cost-free for me to help you reform this thing? I have to consider whether the die-hards will push back and change the ancestors.
The "legitimacy" shaken by the system, and other aspects must be taken into consideration.
You just talk and I'll do it for you. Which side of your face is so beautiful?
However, the problem is that it gets stuck here, because before the emergence of high pragmatism, almost no businessman was willing to take on any "social responsibility."
Or in other words, today's businessmen feel that they have already shouldered a lot of social responsibilities.
What? You don’t even want to pay taxes, what kind of bullshit responsibility do you have to bear?
There is really a bit of a misunderstanding here.
In Gao’s pragmatic view of social responsibility, tax payment is almost the most basic one, because taxation is in principle “taken from the people and used for the people.” However, the problem is that this view is not the same as the mainstream view of the Ming Dynasty today.
Does not match.
The mainstream view is: the world belongs to the emperor, so the people of the world contribute money to the emperor.
Not to mention that the public thinks so, in fact, even many officials see it this way, which is terrible.
All the people in the world support your family, and we are all the ruled class and the ones who suffer, so of course the less we pay, the better!
If this issue is to be developed and comprehensively reformed, the emperor must restrict the financial power of the Ministry of Revenue, because only if the emperor cannot use the money of the Ministry of Revenue for personal use (such as rewarding King Lu), people in the world will not feel that this money
It's all up to the emperor personally, but Gao Pragmatic obviously can't handle this yet.
However, we cannot always expect the emperor to compromise on this matter first, otherwise it will not be solved until today is delayed, tomorrow is delayed, and tomorrow is delayed until the end of time.
Our power is limited, so we should deal with the merchants first.
Why do businessmen not pay much tax but still think they have assumed social responsibility?
This is because they often do "good deeds" of building roads and bridges for the sake of their reputation in their hometown, and they also donate money for disaster relief like Gao Pragmatic did back then. This is what businessmen often do, and what they think
I am actually the main reason for assuming social responsibility.
In addition, for example, when the Japanese pirates were very active in those years, many businessmen would donate silver (or be forced to donate) to strengthen local defense.
In addition, there are various things. Whether it is construction or defense that needs to be carried out in the local area, businessmen will be summoned to "pay donations" and "pledge donations" at every turn. Whether the businessmen are sincere or fake, there is not much to face the local officials.
If you have the confidence to say no, then...don't you assume social responsibility?
But Gao Pragmatic believes that this kind of "responsibility" is very distorted, and as far as the court is concerned, this thing is completely uncontrollable!
Historically, Emperor Chongzhen himself was so poor that his dragon robes had to be patched, and the concubines and concubines in the harem had almost run out of jewelry donations. How much silver did the merchants in the capital donate? Yes, but not much. Even the officials in the capital were even more ruthless: I am an upright official.
Ah, I don’t have any money to donate!
Then when Li Zicheng came, he immediately found out that the amount exceeded 20 million taels.
Gao's pragmatic point of view is very simple. Your money is legal income. No matter how much you have, it doesn't matter. The court should not take advantage of your money, but you have to pay the taxes you should pay. As for making donations and so on, you have the will and the will to do so.
Of course it is good to contribute this effort; on the other hand, if you refuse to donate, there is actually nothing wrong with it, and you cannot engage in moral binding.
(The following anti-theft paragraph has been updated and can be read normally. I was originally told to wait for half an hour, but I was sleepy...)
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But this matter is not easy to handle. Although there are many merchants that Gao Pragmatism can influence, generally speaking, they are mainly northern merchants. In addition to Jinghua itself, the core is the Shanxi merchant gang.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! On the Shanxi merchant side, Gao Pragmatic is quite confident that he can be persuaded. The reason is not only that Jinghua has actually become the leading overlord of the northern shopping malls, but also a very crucial reason
The reason is that both Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei are still alive.
Although Wang Chonggu has retired from office, he is in good health and will not die until next year. Although Zhang Siwei is in poor health, the world has changed and Li Shizhen has been paying attention to him. It seems that he is not in danger of his life for the time being.
The improvement of the status of Shanxi merchants was originally due to the wave of Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei. After their death, Shanxi merchants lost control. Later, they developed to the point where they dared to do any business, and eventually became one of the important gravediggers of the Ming Dynasty.
However, not to mention the high pragmatic guidance now, and both Wang and Zhang are still alive, the Shanxi merchants have not lost control and are completely within the manageable range.
Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei were not only leaders of Shanxi merchants, but also leaders of the Shanxi Party. It was impossible for them to only consider commercial issues. Gao Pragmatic was confident to convince them.
The logic is not difficult: before you two were born, although your family was rich, did it have any status? Don’t you want to change this phenomenon?
Think about it, Gao Pragmatic's mother was born in the Zhang family of Puzhou, a wealthy family in the North. She was good-looking and also studied at home. It can be said that her personal conditions were almost perfect in all aspects, but in fact she married into the Gao family.
At that time, the Gao family was not very satisfied with her at first.
Why? You were born as a merchant, and it would be a great honor to marry into the Gao family - even if Gao Cai was just a student at that time, it would be a great honor to marry into the Gao family!
If the status of businessmen could be improved and they would no longer be regarded as lowly people, how could Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei refuse?
However, this northern businessman is easy to deal with, but the southern businessman is not so easy to deal with...
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