Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

After Wang Jing's incident, Xiaoling's lengthy worship service to Lao Zhu finally ended when the sun was almost in the middle of his head.

However, this is far from the end of all processes today.

The officials had to continue walking from Purple Mountain back to the imperial palace in Nanjing City with hungry stomachs.

Those with higher rank and older age will have their own emperors send eunuchs to reward them with some food and food boxes, and those with lower ranks, if they are experienced, will naturally hide some steamed buns and the like in their sleeves and arms. If they have not experienced this, In such a situation, one can only look at plum blossoms to quench thirst.

Looking at plum blossoms really quenches thirst. There are large plum groves on both sides of the road from Purple Mountain to Nanjing City, and May is the time when the plums are first ripe. However, the purpose of everyone's trip is not to eat plums.

Of course, even if Chen Ying now patrols back and forth with the censor in charge of discipline, there are still many officials who cannot bear the torture of hunger and thirst and secretly pick a few plums and stuff them into their mouths.

"Look at that man! What is he holding in his hand?"

"It seems to be plums... No wonder I smelled it just now. Oh, why didn't I think of it?"

"There are so many things that you didn't expect. You told me to bring food but you didn't, and you still called me stupid. Who is more stupid than the other?"

As the officials walked further and further away, the surrounding atmosphere became increasingly weird.

Not far from the roadside, there was a group of Japanese businessmen selling rice balls and miso soup set meals.

But Chen Ying and his group of censors didn't know what the news was, so they bought it themselves and started eating it without any regrets about breaking the law.

The set meal is similar to bamboo tube rice, but there is a layer of rice balls on top and a can of hot soup on the bottom.

Seeing that the people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate were enjoying the food, a group of exhausted officials came closer, only to see a small apricot-colored flag hanging on the stall, with a price of one hundred cents clearly marked.

"A few rice balls and a can of soup sell for a hundred cents? Why don't you go and grab it!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he was stopped by another civil servant next to him: "Hey, I'll buy it if you don't want it, just wait a little longer."

All the censors in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who were responsible for observing moral conduct, bought it. Seeing that nothing happened, they followed suit.

However, soon, someone else stood up: "Can this thing fill a person's stomach?"

"I asked you, can you calm down for a while?"

Fatty, who is a stall owner himself, is helpless. Although it is said that due to the lack of food, the dishes made in Japan are very monotonous, and famous foods such as tempura have not yet appeared. Some people say that Japanese farmers eat a bowl of rice. It's not an exaggeration to eat a plum, but for a businessman as big as Fei Fu, he wouldn't have bothered to come here to sell lunch boxes if it hadn't been for the instructions of the imperial master of the Ming Dynasty.

The fat man raised his head and shouted in Chinese to everyone: "It's not easy for us either. If you think it's expensive, you don't have to spend a hundred coins to buy it. There aren't many copies left."

There were still a majority of officials who wanted to buy. When the stall owner mentioned that there were not many portions left, everyone felt even more hungry. They quickly urged the stall owner to put out the remaining portions, and they all dug into their pockets to express their willingness to pay a hundred cash.

Seeing that everyone agreed to pay one hundred coins, Fei Fu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered people to bring the remaining set meals to the table and sell them one by one.

"What does this mean?"

Zhu Di was sitting on his horse, chewing a piece of cooking cake, and asked Jiang Xinghuo.

He has been fighting for half his life, and has spent a lot of time crawling on ice and lying in snow. During times of crisis, a battle often lasted for a whole day before returning to camp. Who on the battlefield allows you to take a breath before fighting when you are tired, and eat when you are hungry? ?

So Zhu Di didn't pay much attention to these. He ate the white-flour pancakes happily, and the same was true for Zhu Gaoxu next to him, but Zhu Gaoxu only took one bite of the pancakes as big as his fist.

Jiang Xinghuo swallowed the food in his hand slowly, and then replied: "Of course I want to let all officials know what it is like to do business in the Ming Dynasty."

Later, Zhu Gaosui led several people on horseback to Fei Fu.

"Guan Ye."

Fatty nodded and bowed.

"Do you have city registration?" Zhu Gaosui asked coldly, riding on a tall horse.

The so-called market registration, in the words of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, is industrial and commercial registration. In the Ming Dynasty, all businessmen must first register with the local government. Only after approval can they have this thing. If not, they are illegally operating vagrants.

What will be the consequences if a homeless person operating illegally is caught by the government?

According to Lao Zhu's oral edict, "If there is anyone who does not work in farming, who only does business but does not work, who does not register in the market, and who refuses to obey discipline, he is a vagrant. He will be arrested, sent to the frontier and sent to the army, or he will be killed."

Of course, Lao Zhu is not a fool. Although he wants to build Ming Dynasty into a large rural area, there must be merchants in the countryside to be responsible for transactions. Otherwise, how can the places where there are no cattle, seeds, sickles, and hoes exchange supplies? And who will sell the excess grain produced? Therefore, although Lao Zhu emphasized agriculture and suppressed business, he was only "suppressing business" and not "eliminating business". He did not want to drive away all businessmen.

The essence of Lao Zhu's policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business was actually to control the number of businessmen by suppressing the status of businessmen and using government "city registration" and other means, and to control the income of small and medium-sized businessmen through high and exorbitant taxes, making business a This is a matter full of risks and extremely unstable returns, so that farmers and people in Weisuo will not aspire to become businessmen, so that farmers and people in Weisuo will not leave the land, and in this way, Ming Dynasty can have a stable tax base and sources of troops.

In other words, "If you encourage farming, agriculture will be respected, and those who abandon the original and pursue the inferior will not be allowed to do so. Taxation can be equalized and the state can use it adequately." This sentence was Lao Zhu's intention. He had witnessed the prosperity of commerce in the Song Dynasty. Later, the people advocated commerce but no one wanted to farm. At the same time, the combat effectiveness of the army was extremely poor. There was even a strange phenomenon of "receiving a reward before the battle and shooting a round of arrows to be worthy of the official." It was believed that commerce led to the country's tax base. The source of troops was unstable, so the old method of the Song Dynasty was not used, but a new method was introduced.

Of course, after more than thirty years of practice, facts have proven that Lao Zhu’s new method is not so reliable.

Because as the aftermath of the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty ended and the people lived in peace, the development of trade was almost inevitable over time. Exchange of what is needed is the essence of the group. It was for this reason in ancient times that the human race gradually It expanded and formed a tribal alliance. Nowadays, the roads are smooth and information exchange is convenient. It is impossible to rely on the "Da Ming Law" to restrain it, so no one can stop the development of business.

And now that Jiang Xinghuo asked Fei Fu to act in such a drama, it was naturally a warm-up for the next plan.

Feifu and several Japanese businessmen looked at each other and could only answer honestly: "No."

"Oh, you can choose one of two options: exile in the army or death with a stick on the spot. Make your choice."

"They are just selling rice balls on the roadside, why is this so?"

At this time, the civil servants who had just eaten the rice balls sold by Feifu couldn't sit still. Although they were a bit expensive, the quality was good. They were delicious and full. They couldn't watch others being beaten to death when they were full. Bar? So they all spoke.

Zhu Gaosui turned around on his horse and replied seriously:

"My grandfather stipulated this."

"this"

The civil servants looked at each other.

Zhu Gaosui changed the topic: "But since the adults have begged you, you don't have to choose one of these two. Just pay a fine and let you go."

Before the businessman could say anything, the person next to Zhu Gaosui calculated the accounts skillfully.

"First of all, let's calculate the money that should be paid. There are four horses, and the carriage and horse tax is 3,200 cents. It seems that he has evaded the tax. That tax, gate tax, and customs duty. I mean, I have to pay 7 cents in arrears. One hundred and sixty yuan; there is fish in the soup, so you have to pay the fish tax; there is vinegar in the rice balls, you have to pay the wine vinegar water; there is also the landing tax."

"Including the fine, the total is fifteen thousand yuan. Fifteen thousand yuan, please bring it."

The fat man and a few businessmen scraped together, but they didn't have so much money in their pockets. At any rate, they mortgaged another horse and managed to escape in embarrassment.

The civil servants didn't like it, but no one went up to pay the fine for him. Some people just complained in a low voice: "Just now, I thought it was easy for this businessman to make money, but now it seems that it is all in vain. ”

At this time, Song Li passed by and said lightly:

"In ancient times, when a country was in charge of the country, it was necessary for commerce and agriculture to communicate with each other. If merchants were not able to communicate with commerce, it would be a disease for agriculture; if farmers were not able to use their resources to finance commerce, then commerce would be ill. Therefore, the power of merchants and farmers is often weighed. . However, as for the disease, there is no cure."

This means that agriculture produces materials, while commerce exchanges materials. If there is no commercial exchange, agriculture will be sick. If there is no agriculture and everyone engages in commerce, agriculture will be sick. Therefore, agriculture and commerce must be balanced. And who is sick now?

The short story that just happened made the answer all too obvious.

The civil servants who were watching were a little thoughtful. Of course, what they were thinking about was not how this drama would be for businessmen, but what impact it would have on their own interests.

At present, Wang Jing is afraid that he will fall, and the reform faction is so powerful. The Imperial Master has just talked about business in the third question and answer of "Three Questions and Three Answers", and now this scene is happening again. The meaning is naturally self-evident. .

So now that the reform has entered a new stage, how to stand in line with the change of the "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business" policy is obviously a question worth pondering.

——————

Royal Palace, Huagai Hall.

After going through a series of tedious ceremonies, the ceremony, which had been prepared for more than a month, finally came to the final stage.

That is to say, the posthumous title was given again and the "Records of Emperor Taizu Gao" was re-presented.

Well, in fact, Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen had already carried out this set of rituals for his beloved imperial grandfather, but he didn't bother the ministers to complete the worship of Xiaoling in one day and the two things now are not because Zhu Yunwen is better-hearted than Zhu Di. But after Lao Zhu died, he first carried out a burial ceremony, and then compiled the "Records".

Yesterday, three members of the Ministry of Rites and the Minister of Honglu Temple had already set up an overflow proposal in Fengtian Hall, but now they are just following the script.

The Jinyiwei set up Lu Bujia, and the Jiaofang Department set up "Zhonghe Shao Le" and "Da Le". There should be no less.

Zhu Di changed his body into a crown, came to the Huagai Hall, and sat on the dragon chair as a puppet.

Then Zhuo Jing, the Minister of Rites, served as the official of Ping Yi and stood in the east of Danbi.

After the ministers of Honglu Temple came in and started the performance, the deacons saluted and all the civil and military officials paid tribute. After the five bows were completed, the performance was invited to be promoted to the palace.

The conductor took the lead, and the Jiaofang Secretary played music. Then he took his place in order according to the civil and military officials. Cao Guogong Li Jinglong stood first. As the supervisor, he would later have to send the president Xie Jin in charge of the repair. "Records of Emperor Taizu Gao" was presented to him.

Zhuo Jing read the thing in his hand in a cadence.

"Emperors with holy virtues and magical powers must be honored with the title of emblem, recommended to heaven, and published on jade slips to make it clear to the world. Therefore, the three emperors are called Rixi and Xuan, and the two emperors are called Yao and Shun, and they are called Yu. The names of Tang, Wen, and Wu are all attributed to meritorious deeds, and this is a classic that will never change."

"Emperor Taizu Gao has meritorious deeds in the universe, radiates brilliance in the sun and moon, and the prosperity of the emperor cannot be increased. At the advanced age, he visits the emperor's house, and is mourned by thousands of people. His longing and longing are not forgotten. The ministers and other officials follow the classics and follow the law. It is appropriate for Emperor Taizu Gao to follow the law. Zunyi said: Taizu's holy spirit Wenwu Qinming initiated the good fortune and succeeded in unifying the heavens, the great Xiaogao Emperor; the Xiaocigao Queen Yizunyi said: the filial piety, kindness, constitution, benevolence, kindness and virtue inherited the heavens and obeyed the Shenggao Queen."

This was all decided in advance, and Zhu Di naturally had no objections, so Li Jinglong took the officials and paid four more bows. After the ceremony, Zhu Di personally held the Yiyi in his hand and handed it over to the Hanlin Academy for writing a book and conferring a posthumous title. The ceremony is over.

Then Li Jinglong presented the "Records of Emperor Taizu Gao", and the emperor gave rewards to those who participated in the compilation.

Zhu Di was very generous this time. He did not award rewards based on the edition of "Records" compiled by Emperor Jianwen, but directly based on the standards for the next higher edition of "History of the Yuan Dynasty" plus an additional level.

For the Confucian scholars responsible for editing, this was a very satisfying thing, because the "Records" had been revised a long time ago, and they only needed to make deletions and modifications according to the Jianwen version. Some people did not touch a few strokes at all, and The rewards received were two levels richer than those of the previous editors.

"The supervisor, Cao Guogong, Li Jinglong, and the deputy supervisor, Zhong Zhongbo Rujun (the earl is a super-grade, and his grade is higher than the second-grade minister, so he only cares about the title), are rewarded with a hundred taels of silver, six colored coins, and a gold-woven gauze dress. , a pair of pommel horses.”

"The president's official, Hanlin, read Jie Jin and was rewarded with eighty taels of silver, five colorful coins, a gold-woven gauze dress, and a pair of pommel horses."

". Write down the reputation of supervisors, students, and Confucian scholars each with ten taels of silver, thirty ingots of banknotes, and one colorful coin."

So far, it can be regarded as sending Lao Zhu away with his second pleasure.

Since it was a serious court meeting, the customary saying "If you have something to report, leave the court if there is nothing to do."

In this harmonious and cheerful atmosphere, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. No one would look for trouble at this time. Wang Jing was already lying on the bed, who would want to go up and cause trouble?

But just as he was halfway relieved, someone suddenly stood out from the crowd, and it was Huang Fu, Minister of the Ministry of Industry.

"I have this memorial."

Zhu Di nodded and said: "It's accurate, Huang Shangshu just has to say it."

After Huang Fu responded, he read out the memorial that he had already drafted.

""Records of Emperor Taizu Gao" contains: The way to manage finances must not come before farming; the way to serve the country is to have enough food. All expenses for the military and state come from the people. If they are not able to use their land as much as possible, what will be the use of the country's resources? What does it depend on? Farmers are the first priority of governance and the foundation of a country."

"Everyone talks about farming and mulberry as the foundation of food and clothing, but abandoning the foundation and pursuing the inferiority, few can save the shortcomings. In the days of the previous kings, there were people who cultivated crops in the fields, and women who lived with silkworms in every house. There was no danger of floods and droughts, and no hunger or cold. The road is opened, wonderful skills are created, and then the mulberry industry is abandoned. A farmer works while a hundred families are waiting for food, a woman weaves and a hundred husbands wait for her, if you want people to be free from poverty, will you get it?"

"In the time of the ancient sages and kings, there were four kinds of people: scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, all of whom specialized in their own professions. Therefore, there were no vagrants in the country, and people settled down and settled down to govern Yongyong. Farmers worked hard to cultivate acres, scholars believed in benevolence and righteousness, and merchants used common knowledge No, engineering skills are specialized in arts and crafts. Therefore, everyone wants to make a living. As the saying goes, 'if people have constant income, they have a constant mind'. Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants each have their own business, so there is nothing wrong with it. This is the ancient wisdom."

"I heard that your Majesty wants to establish a maritime ban and conduct trade for the sake of financial gain. This is inappropriate for the sake of the country. I hope your Majesty will think deeply about it."

After Huang Fu finished speaking, the entire Huagai Hall began to become quiet, leaving only the occasional rising and falling breathing.

Zhu Di frowned, picked up the "Records" that was still warm on the dragon table, sneered, and asked, "Did Huang Shangshu mean that I violated the ancestral system of Emperor Taizu Gao?"

"The law has no past or present, only the time."

When these words came out of Huang Fu's mouth, the ministers felt a little strange.

"I have no such intention."

Huang Fu quickly denied it, and then said respectfully: "I think that now that the country is experiencing war, it is the time to rest with the people and encourage Conongsang. This 'time' is no different from the situation when Hongwu founded the country. Since The 'time' is the same, so the 'dharma' should not be easier."

Yes, Huang Fu is a version update, iterating on new play styles and working on new tracks.

He did not insist that "the laws of the ancestors are immutable", but followed Jiang Xinghuo's theory and admitted that the "laws" could be changed, but it had to be done according to the "time".

So now after four years of peace, the entire north and even Jianghuai have been destroyed. Is it no different from the situation when Hongwu founded the country?

At this time, Zhu Di didn't know what to say, and he really didn't understand, so he looked at Jiang Xinghuo.

The old monk took leave today and didn't know what he was busy with. Only Jiang Xinghuo could explain it now.

Jiang Xinghuo stepped out of the queue, cupped his hands and said:

"I invite the court to debate, and I hope your Majesty will agree."

Court debate, also known as "court debate", is a public debate in the court to distinguish right from wrong. It is a quarrel mode that was invented only a few hundred years ago in the Iron-blooded Song Dynasty.

It existed in the Northern Song Dynasty at the beginning, but at that time, Gaolianghe Cha Shen still felt that "if the court debates, he may lose his ability to govern" (from "Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian·The Second Year of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty"), so it was often only related to Only at critical moments regarding the country's future path would the emperor be willing to preside over court debates, such as the [Yanhe Hall Court Debate] between Sima Guang and Wang Anshi.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, according to Li Xinchuan's "Records of the Years Since Jianyan: June of the First Year of Jianyan", Wanyan Gou's small court often quarreled over the main warlord and the emperor, so there was "different opinions in governing". If you want to, please argue with the court." Once this trend started, the court of the Southern Song Dynasty could not stop it. The ruling (prime ministers) would argue with the court every now and then, and they would not give up until they had a row.

Of course, the ministers are all students of history, and they naturally know about the [Salt and Iron Conference] and the [Yanhe Palace Debate]. Now they are seeing another debate about the future economic path. This is going to be the Ming Dynasty version, of course. Let’s wait and see.

"allow."

Zhu Di said simply and neatly, then leaned on the dragon chair and watched the two people compete.

The officials also watched with interest, but at this time, they still felt that what Huang Fu said was quite reasonable, and Jiang Xinghuo probably couldn't refute Huang Fu in the same way as Wang Jing.

After all, Huang Fudu has admitted that the "law" will change with the "time", but the question now is that the "time" is the same, is it necessary for the "law" to change? If it changes, then Jiang Xinghuo will slap himself in the face.

Since the court debate was allowed, Jiang Xinghuo would naturally not be polite and stood opposite Huang Fu and said.

"Huang Shangshu believes that 'time' is the same, but he only knows one but not the other."

Huang Fugong cupped his hands and said, "I would like to hear the details."

"After the founding of the Hongwu Kingdom, Emperor Taizu Gao certainly regarded agriculture as the foundation of the country. He once said: 'The one who rules the world cannot live without the people for a day, and the one who feeds the people cannot live without food for a day. The food depends on agriculture.' This is because At that time, due to the war in the late Yuan Dynasty, the national finance was unsustainable and extremely empty, and even had to ask businessmen to help pay (the Jiang family of Huizhou merchants encountered at the previous auction, the previous generation head Jiang Yuan helped pay Zhu Yuanzhang one hundred thousand taels of silver), and It was also precisely because of the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty that roads were cut off, and the industry and commerce accumulated since the Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed by the war. Therefore, when Hongwu founded the country, commercial taxes could not be used as the main source of national finance like the two Song Dynasties. , so Emperor Taizu Gao turned his attention to agricultural taxes."

“The reason why we choose to rebuild agriculture instead of rebuilding commerce is because agriculture can produce food, and food is the basis for a stable society. Commerce is valuable only when there is an abundance of food and other materials. Without food and other materials, commercial exchanges are difficult. It is meaningless. I, Emperor Gao, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, was wise and powerful, so I could naturally see this, so I chose to rebuild agriculture when Hongwu founded the country, and the national finance mainly focused on collecting agricultural taxes."

"Similarly, since we want to rebuild agriculture and collect agricultural taxes, we must have enough young and middle-aged laborers to work stably in the fields. So how many people did the Ming Dynasty have at that time? How many young and middle-aged laborers were there?"

The answer to this question is, I don't know.

Yes, I just don’t know. Even the "Records" in Zhu Di’s case did not record it, because when the Ming Dynasty was founded, there was no official census. Only two censuses were conducted in the fourteenth year of Hongwu and the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu. Demographics,data respectively.

In the 14th year of Hongwu: there were 10,654,362 households in the country, with a total population of 59.87 million.

In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu: there were 10,652,870 households in the country, with a total population of 60.54 million.

There seems to be little difference in the data between the two censuses, but there is a big statement in it, that is, the number of household registrations of the Thirteen Chief Envoys has been "descending in the south and rising in the north". From the 14th year of Hongwu to In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, the population in the south, except Sichuan, dropped by 12.83%, while the population in the north increased significantly, with an increase of 9.87%.

And it was precisely because of the Hongwu Dynasty's immigration and land reclamation that Zhu Di had the capital to fight against the Jianwen court. Otherwise, according to the situation in the north at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, no one was farming and no one was serving as soldiers. How could he use it to provide peace?

But although we don’t know what the total population of the Ming Dynasty was in the early years of Hongwu, what is certain is that the numbers are certainly not optimistic.

Not only is the total population very low, but the young and middle-aged labor force has also been sharply reduced due to the long-term war.

Jiang Xinghuo sighed: "General Xu Da marched north, from Huaidian to Shandong. The journey of thousands of miles was deserted. At that time, there was a lot of arable land in the world, but there were only a few people to cultivate it, and there were only so many people in the world. , scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, if there are more people going to any one profession, there will be fewer people in other professions. So according to the situation at this time, how should we make a law?"

"Scholars are the seeds of reading. Scholars are needed to govern the country. Moreover, the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties relied on swords and weapons to rule the world, so they fell apart in less than a hundred years. The Ming Dynasty could not repeat the same mistakes and had to revive the rule of law and etiquette. Then instead of prohibiting people from studying, And workers must be encouraged; as for workers, everything from sickles and hoes to weapons and armor must be made by craftsmen, which cannot be completely restricted. We can only lower their social status to allow more people to engage in agriculture. At the same time, This group of people are fixed to do the work, so that we can maintain the production and manufacturing of utensils necessary for the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, in order to get everyone in the world to farm, the 'law' of Emperor Taizu and Gao was naturally to emphasize agriculture and suppress business. Only by using state means to control the population engaged in business can we allow those engaged in agriculture to The population reaches the maximum, so that the Ming Dynasty can collect the most agricultural taxes for national finance."

Jiang Xinghuo paused and then asked again: "Then I would like to ask Huang Shangshu, today's Ming Dynasty is the same as the founding of Hongwu, with the population declining due to war, but is the situation really no different?"

When all the officials heard this, they couldn't help but fall into deep thinking.

Of course there is a difference!

First, the population is completely different.

Although there is no census conducted in the first year of Yongle, no matter what, there must be a total population of 60 million, which is much larger than when Hongwu founded the country.

And this means that the actual situation faced by Ming Dynasty does not require the state to pass a decree to allow more than 95% of the total population to become farmers.

Second, the scope of the war’s impact has changed.

When Hongwu founded the country, after a long period of nationwide war, there was no place in the world that was not affected by it, from Mobei to Yunnan.

Although the scope of influence of the Battle of Jingnan was large, the fighting area was fixed, that is, Yanyun, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Jianghuai. In other words, the three southern armies of Xuzhou/Zhending/Dezhou Although troops, food and personnel were sent to other places in the area connecting the main camp to Peiping, they did not directly become a war zone after all.

The population and economy of other non-belligerent areas have not been greatly affected, which means that the entire country's financial recovery is much faster than when Hongwu founded the country.

Seeing that Huang Fu remained silent, Jiang Xinghuo said, "There is a word called marginal effect."

"For a person who needs four steamed buns to be full, eating the first steamed bun can directly relieve his hunger, so its marginal utility is the largest; by the time he eats the second steamed bun, he will already be a little full. ; By the time he ate the third steamed bun, he was already half full, and the marginal effect began to diminish at this time; and by the time he ate the fourth steamed bun, he was eighty-nine percent full, almost in a state where he could eat it or not, so the marginal effect The effect is the smallest. Then when you eat the fifth one, the steamed bun may have a negative effect and make people vomit it directly."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said: "This truth is easy to understand. I think everyone can understand it. If you don't understand it, you should understand it when you go home and eat a few steamed buns. Then such a simple truth can be changed to the national finance. Don’t you understand the input of agricultural population and the output of agricultural food?”

"so."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Huang Fu and said: "On the surface, the Ming Dynasty experienced four years of peace. When Hongwu founded the country, the so-called 'times' were population decline and economic decline. But this time, that time, the 'times' of both They are not exactly the same. Today, the Ming Dynasty in the first year of Yongle not only has a much larger population than the Ming Dynasty in the first year of Hongwu, but the area affected by war is also much smaller. Under this situation, it is really necessary for the Ming Dynasty to implement strict Will the maritime ban and the policy of favoring agriculture and suppressing commerce allow the entire population to accumulate on the land?”

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty again and asked: "Most of you gentlemen should have land at home. Even if they don't, they should have been to the countryside. Look at the place now, let alone how far away it is. Speaking of Southern Zhili, which field is not cultivated intensively by a family? When Hongwu founded the country, it was also in Southern Zhili. Do you still have the situation where one person cultivates dozens of acres of land?"

All the officials were speechless. This was a fact and there was nothing to argue with.

The current situation in the Ming Dynasty, as Zhu Di and Jiang Xinghuo saw during their respective trips to the south of the Yangtze River, is that a large number of farmers are piled on the land, but each person's output is decreasing year by year. This is the so-called "diminishing marginal effect."

"So, Daming is now eating his fifth or even sixth steamed bun!"

Zhu Di sat on the dragon chair and looked at the scene in front of him, and understood what Jiang Xinghuo meant.

Huang Fu pondered for a moment and had to admit that what Jiang Xinghuo said did make sense. Whether it was presenting data or reasoning, the Ming Dynasty in the first year of Yongle and the first year of Hongwu looked very similar on the surface, but they were completely different on the inside. of.

But Huang Fu will naturally not admit defeat. He is indeed opposed to commercial trade, believing that it will destroy the foundation of the country, and his attitude is also a common view in the DPRK and China.

So Huang Fu said: "Agriculture and commerce are either one or the other. Even though the number of people engaged in agriculture at this time is close to the maximum and the benefits are not high, if the 'law' changes because of this, the situation will be greatly expanded." Between foreign maritime trade and domestic commerce, in order to pursue profits, a large number of people will be involved in commercial activities just like the Song Dynasty. As a result, the population engaged in agriculture will suddenly decrease sharply, and in the long run it will damage the foundation of the country. If the damage is caused, no one will be willing to go back to farming. Just now, Imperial Master has said that food depends on agriculture. For the imperial court, the key is not to pursue the benefits of liberalizing trade, but to consider the future generations."

Well, it’s good to think about the future generations. In the end, the “three wages” still have to be scraped from the land. However, this statement obviously cannot be said, after all, it cannot be confirmed.

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment and replied: "The so-called either/or is that agriculture is the basis. This statement is certainly true, but it is only true when the economy cannot satisfy it. Just like a person who has been hungry for a long time, naturally You can only eat food that you chew slowly, and you cannot eat big fish or big meat. But once the economy develops, either/or no longer holds true. On the contrary, it is suitable for both."

"As the saying goes, if you want material resources to be unyielding, it is better to save taxes and raise funds to support farmers and finance business; if you want people to be able to use it without hardship, it is better to lightly close the market and benefit farmers to benefit business. Eliminate overflows instead of focusing on taxation, and save leakage expenses. If we do not exploit the sources of profit and suffer from misfortune and lead to scarcity, we should plan for the long term in order to establish the foundation of the country, and if we are rich, we will be strong."

The meaning of this passage is that if you want the people's power not to be exhausted, you must collect less taxes. Only with an agricultural foundation can you have the conditions to carry out business. If you want the people's expenses to be sufficient, then you must reduce business taxes, and business As agriculture develops, agriculture will also develop. If we only think about "reducing expenditures" but not "increasing revenue," the country's financial situation will not improve.

Huang Fu shook his head and just said: "In ancient times, businessmen traded goods without hesitation, and workers were solid without being fake. Therefore, a gentleman plows crops and fishes, which is actually the same thing. However, businessmen often deceive, while workers use disguises and scolds, and their inner thoughts are revealed. But if one's heart is not depressed, he will be bullied by the weak and obey the weak. A businessman calculates the contribution of cultivating mulberry trees and the cost of property. It is like selling an item for a hundred times its price, and picking up ten thousand bells of millet with one bow."

"The so-called overseas traders are just that their husbands are fond of rare things, they wear obscene clothes, and they value things from far away places, so they can use their goods and wealth. Emperor Taizu and Emperor Gao rewarded envoys from all over the world generously. Although it was extravagant, it could show our The Ming Dynasty was majestic and rich, but the king did not treasure and use it to save his people, and he did not love exotic goods to enrich his country. The way of economy lies in being economical and focusing on the basics, focusing on agriculture and restraining merchants, rather than the court taking the lead in doing business for merchants."

At this point, neither of them can convince the other, because they both hold their own opinions, and both of them sound reasonable.

In fact, the views of the two men are basically the same as those of Sang Hongyang and Xianliang Literary during the Western Han Dynasty [Salt and Iron Conference]. Jiang Xinghuo believed that "mercantilism" was needed. Well, this is of course related to "industrialism". "Revolution" supporting national concept.

But Huang Fu insisted on the traditional view of "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business", and because this view has a history of thousands of years, the arguments are extremely sufficient, so sufficient that it is as big as the vast ocean, and you can fish out countless predecessors View.

In this case, it is almost impossible to simply defeat the opponent.

The officials looked at the National Master and the Minister of Industry who were holding different opinions, and they were more than a little upset.

Not only is my heart pounding, but my stomach is pounding as well.

You know, the [Salt and Iron Conference] lasted for more than half a year, and during the [Yanhe Palace Debate], Sima Guang and Wang Anshi also had a long quarrel. If the quarrel lasted until dark, they would not be hungry. fainted?

Jiang Xinghuo saw that he could not defeat the opponent by relying on the traditional method of citing scriptures, so he changed the topic back.

"Emperor Taizu Gao emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, but he did not emphasize agriculture and exclude commerce. The "Records" written about Emperor Taizu Gao's views on business. There are many veterans of the Hongwu Dynasty. Think of what Emperor Taizu Gao said. Words cannot be false."

The transformation of policies naturally requires reference to the original policies. Jiang Xinghuo recalled: "The 'ancients' mentioned by Huang Shangshu are indeed true. "Historical Records" once recorded that during the Qin Dynasty, businessmen and criminals were listed together. It was the thirtieth year of Qin Shihuang. In the third year of the imperial edict, the imperial edict was issued: all the dead people, sons-in-laws, and Jia people were sent to seize Luliang land, including Guilin, Mingjun, and Nanhai, and banished them to the garrison. The "Book of Han" once recorded that in the Han Dynasty, except for merchants, merchants were not allowed to ride in the car. , Outside of being an official, merchants with market registration and their family members were not allowed to purchase land, and those who dared to violate the law were thrown into the field; and "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" also recorded that businessmen in the Sui and Tang Dynasties were not allowed to enter the officialdom, but Emperor Taizu Gao Have you ever treated business with the same extreme contempt as the so-called 'ancients'? If you look into it carefully, it's not the case!"

"Concerning Huang Shangshu's 'ancient', Emperor Taizu Gao made it clear: In the old Han Dynasty, merchants' skills were not as good as clothes and horses. I have been reviewing it for a long time, but what is the original intention of the Han emperor? "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: 'Come and get a hundred craftsmen.' The ancients also said that there is a market in the middle, which is indispensable. What's more, merchants and merchants are all common people, but they are despised. I don't know the intentions of the Han monarch."

"As for commerce, Emperor Taizu Gao once said: People who come from far away care about political affairs. Prospering a country is more valuable than making money. Only when the benefits of moving are endless can the financial supply be sufficient."

Jiang Xinghuo gave an example: "For example, in May of the fifth year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu Gao issued an edict to the world: In ancient times, neighbors helped each other and rescued each other in times of need. Nowadays, in the cities and villages of prefectures, counties, and villages, there may be people who are frozen and unable to survive by themselves. Households borrowed money and grain to support them, and industry, commerce, and agriculture were all left to their own devices. As soon as there was enough to support them, they would repay them. For example, Taizu Emperor Gao once said: If there are any things that benefit the military and the people, there should be officials, wise men in the field, and ambitious men. The skills of simple farmers and merchants are all worthy of mention, and no one can stop them.”

"It can be seen from this that the so-called ranking of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce in the mind of Emperor Taizu Gao was only the degree of importance to the country at that time, rather than the fundamental difference as in previous generations. But now the times have changed, and the form is different. , how can we continue to insist on the so-called 'emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business'? All the common people in the world are His Majesty's innocent sons!"

"The so-called sea ban is the order issued by Emperor Taizu Gao to the Ministry of Household Affairs: strict prohibition on transportation to foreign countries. Today, the ignorant people in Guangdong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian often use foreign transportation to trade goods for private trade, so they prohibit it."

"The reason why Emperor Taizu Gao implemented the maritime ban policy was actually because the people were forced to trade privately with foreigners, and this foreigner was referring to the Japanese pirates that were raging along the coast. Now and tomorrow, free trade will be the solution to Japanese pirates. The root of the problem.”

"Thus Jiang believes that the so-called maritime ban and the so-called emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce are because when Hongwu founded the country, the Ming Dynasty had already decided to use the guard system as the main fiscal revenue object. The Ming Dynasty could carry out a certain degree of work, especially the needs of soldiers. If food is self-sufficient, then private agricultural production will naturally no longer be the main supplier of the army. In other words, as the economy recovers, business can no longer be suppressed. "

"In this way, since the conditions are relatively perfect and there is no need for the people to try their best to meet military needs, and the national finance has basically reached saturation in terms of agricultural taxes, why bother to suppress business and let the people pile on the land to hinder the prosperity of the people and the strength of the country? What? Jiang believes that since the conditions of the maritime ban and the emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce have changed, they should be changed. In this way, walking on two legs is much better than jumping on one leg. The extreme mercantilism of the Song Dynasty It is certainly undesirable to be light on agriculture, but it is also undesirable to put too much emphasis on agriculture and suppress business at present.”