Mainly because of Zhang Anshi's unwarranted compliments, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Therefore, Zhu Di fell into silence, unconsciously chewing on Zhang Anshi's words.
The first one to react was the Grand Scholars of Wenyuan Pavilion who were accompanying him.
Although they heard it vaguely, they got the general idea.
So everyone looked at each other, and their hearts were shocked. Zhang Anshi, the rebellious general, had never left the capital.
As for the model camp, we haven’t seen any changes.
Could it be that those traitors suddenly repented?
But if you think about it carefully, as long as you are rebelling, you have already made the determination to sink the boat. You must know that the consequences of being captured are unbearable to anyone. Therefore, in the past dynasties, we have never seen a rebel surrender easily.
case.
In this case, how did the Chief Envoy of Fujian suppress the rebellion?
This rebellion was so huge in scale, how could it be possible that in just over a month, good news came?
This matter is so unbelievable that even the great scholars of Wenyuan Pavilion who now deeply recognize Zhang Anshi are already full of doubts.
So Xie Jin immediately asked: "Your Highness, what you just said, did you mean that the Fujian Chief Envoy and the rebels have been pacified?"
Zhang Anshi immediately said: "Of course!"
Zhu Di just woke up when the word "natural" came out. He looked at Zhang Anshi carefully and said in a deep voice: "It's been pacified?"
Zhang Anshi also knew what everyone was thinking, so he said: "Your Majesty, it has indeed been pacified. Tens of thousands of rebels have been wiped out, and all the stubborn traitors have been captured. As for the backbone of these rebels, they have now been bound.
, he can be escorted to Beijing at any time, and now the Chief Envoy of Fujian is in peace."
Zhu Di's eyes suddenly flashed with a glint, and then his body trembled and he said: "Did the local guard station calm it down?"
As soon as he said this, Zhu Di felt that he had made a mistake again.
The Ming Dynasty indeed arranged a lot of guard posts in the Fujian Chief Envoy Department. However, with the peace of the world, the combat effectiveness of the guard posts dropped greatly. What's more, most of the elites of the imperial court guarded Zhili and Beiping. The Fujian Chief Envoy Department was like this
In places where there is really no need to guard against foreign invaders.
This time, the rebellion was very sudden. Therefore, many guard posts suffered heavy losses under the sudden attack. It was possible to barely protect themselves, but there was no hope of quelling the rebellion.
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, this is all the work of the Postal Department."
Hu Guang: "..."
Zhu Di felt even more incredible.
Zhang Anshi glanced at the crowd and received several looks of disbelief at once, so he said: "Your Majesty, minister... Let's start from the beginning. Your Majesty, after the news of rebellion spread from various places, people inside and outside the court were just
Discussing the scale of the rebellion, the number of rebels, and the losses they caused, the soldiers and civilians were worried about whether the rebels would cause chaos in the world. Scholars in Shilin cited examples from the previous dynasty to use ancient metaphors.
Today, all the officials are tied up, even the great scholars are just worried about what consequences this rebel force will cause."
Zhang Anshi spoke eloquently. At this time, the monarchs and ministers had already endured their excitement for the sudden good news, and they all calmed down and listened very carefully.
What Zhang Anshi said is correct. Everyone has different thoughts.
only……
Zhu Di said: "What's wrong with this?"
Zhang Anshi said: "But at that time, I was wondering why the rebellion happened."
Zhu Di said without thinking: "This is not simple. Isn't it just to investigate the hidden people and make the powerful dissatisfied? I want to investigate thoroughly again. They have no way out and they have to take risks."
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty clearly found out the source of this rebellion at once. But... powerful and disobedient gentry are only a minority after all. So... I dare to ask Your Majesty, how could they cause such a big disturbance?
Where's the trouble coming?"
Zhu Di said: "They have been operating all over the world for hundreds of years. They have big trees and deep roots. If they really want to cause trouble and blackmail the people, wouldn't it be easy?"
Zhang Anshi said: "A group of well-intentioned rebels can coerce many people and cause such a big commotion. It can be seen that these people are really a thorn in the side of our Ming Dynasty."
"But Chen is thinking...it's not their fault."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the monarchs and ministers changed slightly.
Zhu Di's face was a little stiff, showing a bit of embarrassment.
However, Jie Jin and others could not help but be shocked that Zhang Anshi was so bold today and dared to say anything.
At this time, Zhang Anshi continued: "The question I am thinking about is why the common people are so easily coerced. Is it really just because... these powerful men and evil gentry can persuade them with just a few words? According to what I have said
You know, these powerful men and gentry are just domineering and domineering on weekdays. Although they occasionally show off and put on some gestures to benefit the village, in the final analysis, if they hadn't exploited the people in the village, how could there be a family like them?
Industry?"
Hu Guang became more serious at this time and said: "Maybe it's because of the ignorance of the people..."
"Mr. Hu, it's not because I, Zhang Anshi, am disrespectful to you, but speaking of it, Mr. Hu's knowledge is not as far as that of your son. Your son can even know something powerful and distinguish right from wrong, but why is Mr. Hu so confused?"
Hu Guang has always had a good temper, but after hearing these words, his expression suddenly changed.
Hu Guang is a person who has a clear understanding of himself, that is to say, he is not a stubborn person, so many times, if you say that he is not as good as someone, he may just smile slightly and say... That's right.
right.
After all, he had already recognized it, lay flat, and smashed it.
But if you say that he is not even as good as his own son, that is different. A father is not as good as a son. You have not said this yourself. You Zhang Anshi, an outsider, said this, don't you know that you are alienating the kindness between father and son?
Besides, what will this father do in the future? Will he be shameless?
Hu Guang was impatient, his eyes widened immediately, and he wanted to refute.
However, Zhu Di squinted his eyes and saw Hu Guang's thoughts, and said: "Listen to him and don't interrupt."
Hu Guangdun felt aggrieved, but he also knew the seriousness of the matter, so he could only say: "Yes, I obey the order."
Zhu Di said to Zhang Anshi: "Zhang Qing, is there anything wrong with what Hu Qing said? Looking at it now, the people are being coerced by others and are actually thieves. Isn't it stupid and ignorant?"
Zhang Anshi shook his head gently and said: "The problem is why the people are stupid!"
Zhu Di frowned slightly and didn't react for a while.
Zhang Anshi continued: "I have already told you all about the exploitation and oppression of the people by the gentry and powerful men. The evil deeds involved can even be described in countless words. I can have people collect hundreds of thousands of these bad things.
What I'm afraid of is that despite such oppression, in the end, the people are still being coerced. If it's just explained by stupidity, it certainly makes sense, but I think it's a lazy way, just for my own entertainment.
That’s all.”
Zhang Anshi paused for a moment, then continued: "But the reports I received from various post stations have something else to say."
Zhu Di did not expect that this inn could receive all kinds of feedback, so he said: "Come here."
Zhang Anshi said: "What was reported at the post station was that although the gentry and powerful people oppressed local states and counties, they also established order. Although these orders were very bad for ordinary people, they were better than those of the government and the court.
There are so many..."
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Di was a little confused.
Zhang Anshi said: "The imperial court is only in the temple, and they keep saying that they love the people as their own children, but what is the actual situation? The actual situation is that in their daily lives, the people can hardly see any government or imperial court. Your Majesty's
Measures to care for the people have always been reduced to a piece of paper. In one county, with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, the court only appointed a county magistrate, a county magistrate, an edict and a chief clerk. There were only a few
A parent official, using their hands, not only to govern the people, but even if there are many people under his rule, I'm afraid his eyes will be darkened."
"What's even more frightening is that the people don't know about the court and the government. Even if they know about it, the situation of the court and the government is controlled by the local powerful and gentry! On weekdays, there are things to do and there are no officials, but the court and the government
Only taxes and corvees will remind them of them. What’s even more ridiculous is that even when it comes to collecting grain and corvees, the government will ask gentry and powerful men to do it for them, and teach them to use it in the name of the court and the government to extort money and grain and recruit young men.”
Zhang Anshi sighed and said: "The things that the people hate the most, the court and the government bear a bad name, but the things that the people yearn for, the court and the government are missing!"
Having said this, he raised his head and glanced at Hu Guang, then continued to look at Zhu Di and said: "Just now Mr. Hu said that the people are stupid, but Your Majesty, the people are stupid. Isn't it brought about by the imperial court and the government? Academic officials appointed by the imperial court
, it is the scholars who are educated, and the scholars are precisely those who have their own wealth and can study. But there are countless people in the world who are illiterate, and no one cares about educating their children. Can the court take any measures?"
When Zhang Anshi said this, he seemed to pause deliberately, glanced at the changing faces of everyone, and then said: "Because of this, if we want to compare, the real situation is that compared to the gentry and powerful people,
As far as local bad governance is concerned, the imperial court and the government have even reached the point of non-existence. There are no governance measures at all, let alone good governance or bad governance. All the measures on governance and benefiting the people are in fact a piece of paper.
, For the common people, there is no court or government in the world. Compared with the gentry and powerful people who are right in front of them, although the gentry and powerful people are exploiting them, they would rather trust the latter."
After Zhu Di heard this, he was not furious, but his face looked rather pale!
To be honest, he looked a bit depressed and was speechless for a moment.
Jie Jin, Yang Rongren and others who were also listening carefully on the side also became silent at this time.
After a long time, Zhu Di finally found his own voice and sighed: "What Zhang Qing said is not unreasonable. Normally, he is indifferent and indifferent. When the situation has reached this point, it is his own fault."
Zhang Anshi said: "In this world, everything should be taken seriously. If you just blame the people's stupidity for anything, you can indeed solve the current problem with peace of mind. But if you really understand the crux of the problem and prescribe the right medicine, even if it is
It’s not too late to make amends.”
Zhu Di cheered up and said immediately: "Has Zhang Qing thought about how to prescribe the right medicine?"
Zhang Anshi thought for a while and said: "Since the people are stupid, we must teach them the truth and let them know that the court is not indifferent to them. Over the past few days, the Postal Department has used post stations and newsstands, and through many postmen and writers
Officials are not only responsible for delivering newspapers and letters, but they also go deep into the countryside by going from house to house, and finally have direct contact with the people."
After a pause, he continued: "In addition, the postmen and civil servants are all carefully selected by the Post Office. Most of them are scholars, some are ordinary scholars, and some come from various departments in Zhili.
In the school, they sent letters, but the people were illiterate, so they had to write letters for them. When they went deep into the countryside, there would inevitably be some motivated young people who were thirsty for knowledge, so they taught them some simple literacy skills.
The low-cost newspapers also opened the door to reading and writing, allowing many people to have real access to printed matter for the first time in their lives."
"Even if the postmen just give a few tips and teach some of the most commonly used words, I can barely read this newspaper. With these, I dare not say that it makes people wise, but at least... it is enough
Teach them to know what the world is like, and what the situation is like in Zhili, which is far away. In fact, these things may be just a trivial effort, and may not even be worth mentioning, but they have planted seeds one after another in this world.
.”
"So after the rebellion broke out, I immediately ordered the Postal Department to issue an order to inform the various post offices of the Fujian Chief Envoy and the Guangxi Chief Envoy to declare the imperial court's intention to counter the rebellion, and to raise volunteers in various places to put down the rebellion. After the order was issued, it turned out that
There were so many people who responded..."
When Zhang Anshi said this, he smiled, and couldn't help but look at Hu Guang teasingly, and then said: "Then does your Majesty think that these people are stupid? I don't think so, but as long as you understand the interests and harms, you can show your righteousness. , can win the trust of the people, there are countless righteous men in this world, who will lead the way for the king and then die..."
"Therefore, in just one month, the Chief Envoy of Fujian raised hundreds of thousands of rebel soldiers. Does your Majesty know who is the most willing to fight among them?"
During what Zhang Anshi said, Zhu Di's expression changed several times. When Zhang Anshi finally said it, Zhu Di suddenly realized it.
Although he still felt that it all happened too fast, and that those inns had such an effect, it was really beyond his imagination. But he still subconsciously asked: "Who is it?"
"Dan people." Zhang Anshi spit out these two words, and then said: "It is precisely the group that the imperial court and the government hate and ignore the most, and even regard them as a plague. But it happens that they are the ones who get the attention of the postmen at the post station. After that, he became the most desperate, and whenever he faced a battle, he would always rush to the front and fight to the death. He refused to retreat even after several fierce battles, which frightened the rebels."
Zhu Di was moved for a moment, and the admiration in his eyes was unmistakable.
He really didn't expect that the people who played the biggest role in this matter were actually the people who had never paid much attention to it before!
Not to mention other things, this bloody bravery alone is enough to make Zhu Di, who is about to conquer the world, look at him with suspicion.
Zhu Di pursed his lips and finally said: "It's so, is it... so?"
Zhang Anshi saw that Zhu Di was still full of doubts, so he said patiently: "The rebels were able to disintegrate quickly not only because of the rise of rebels, but also because many of the people who were coerced were gradually infiltrated by the rebels and knew the pros and cons, especially It was the spread of the New Deal that made them repent. As a result, their morale was lost. Whenever the rebels came into contact with them, they would not fight desperately and often fled. Because of this, tens of thousands of rebels were killed in an instant. Once everything is calmed down, the world will return to peace and stability."
Zhu Di nodded and sighed with emotion: "I understand. No wonder Zhang Qing has been holding back until now... It's not surprising."
Zhu Di immediately laughed. As anxious as he was before, he was in a good mood now. He said, "It's very good. We defeated the rebels without spending a single soldier. I want to reward these loyal ministers and righteous men."
Zhang Anshi immediately shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, you have rewarded them heavily. Although some people have obtained property, and some people have been promoted to nobility, but Your Majesty... these people are grateful for their kindness, but in ten years What about twenty years later? What if someone coerces the ignorant people again?"
Zhu Di was stunned and couldn't help but said: "There is something in Zhang Qing's words, so you might as well speak out."
Zhang Anshi said: "Now the volunteer soldiers are about to be disbanded and will return to their fields soon. However, what they are looking forward to is not necessarily just rewards, but to bathe in His Majesty's kindness. I hope that Your Majesty can treat them as you did to the gentry and scholars. Such people should be treated generously..."
After Zhu Di heard this, his expression became uncertain for a moment, and he fell into deep thought.
It can be said that the Ming Dynasty gave preferential treatment to scholars, but it is not false. In addition to being exempted from corvee service, being exempted from paying taxes on land, and not accepting official posts, etc., it also set up a large number of county schools, government schools, Guozixue, etc. all over the world. In fact, they were all aimed at
preferential treatment for these specific groups.
But there are only a few scholars after all, and this... the court gives preferential treatment. I think this is also the reason why Emperor Taizu Gao is willing to give preferential treatment.
It's just that there are thousands of people in this world... some preferential treatment is just a drop in the bucket.
Zhang Anshi seemed to have seen Zhu Di's thoughts. His face remained calm, and then he slowly took out a charter from his sleeve and said: "I am brave enough to draw up a charter. This charter is based on some of the new policies."
On this basis, I also ask for your Majesty’s advice on some of the measures that have been planned.”
Zhu Di came back to his senses, breathed out gently, and then became much calmer.
This is what Zhu Di admires most about Zhang Anshi.
Zhang Anshi likes to ask questions, but he can always come up with regulations to solve them.
And most of these regulations are often relatively reliable.