New Shun 1730

This question seems simple, but it is actually a very difficult question to answer at this time.

If it is abstracted, it may be abstracted into the tram problem of later generations. But obviously, Liu Yu asked this question, not wanting to get such an abstract answer, or talking about morality, or making empty words.

And Liu Yu did not ask about the Yellow River issue. Because the Yellow River issue is actually easy to get a consistent conclusion.

He is not even asking whether the more specific practice of rewriting the economic structure after the abolition of the canal is worth it.

He is talking about profit.

In fact, he is talking about justice.

Only with justice can we distinguish right from wrong and make choices.

Justice, or a kind of classics, can include interest considerations. Maybe there is a kind of classics that only consider economic factors.

Justice is a yardstick.

Liu Yu certainly knows the answer.

But this question is still a very difficult problem to answer in such a place and among these officials.

After waiting for a long time, it was the governor of Shandong who broke the silence and said with a smile: "The Duke's question is actually easy to answer."

"Take Shandong as an example. The economic gap between the east and the west has existed since ancient times."

"At the beginning, Taigong Wang was granted the title of Duke of Qi. With the profits from fish and salt, it surpassed Lu in a few years. So the east was rich and the west was poor."

"When the canal was opened, people in Jining called it Little Suzhou and Linqing called it Little Yangzhou. At that time, the west was rich and the east was poor."

"Now, it has reversed again. The meaning of the east being rich and the west being poor has become more and more obvious in recent years. This is especially true after the canal was abandoned and the Jiaoji was opened to traffic."

"The question asked by the Duke actually contains a mystery."

Liu Yu smiled faintly and asked: "What is the mystery? ”

The Jiedushi of Shandong and all the officials said: "This mystery is clear at once. The key to this mystery lies in what the Duke said about national wealth. The wealth of a country is not gold or silver, but the sum of grain, oil, cloth, wood, and utensils produced by labor. ”

"The mystery left by the Duke is that now the west is rich and the east is poor, and the east is rich and the west is poor. Is it simply to transfer the original wealth in the west to the east? Originally there were 3 wealth, 2 in the west and 1 in the east. Now, has 3 changed to 4 or 5? Or, 3 is still 3, but originally there were 2 in the west and 1 in the east, but now there are 1 in the west and 2 in the east?"

When he said this, the officials who had already tasted the taste nodded repeatedly. And some officials who had not yet reacted also suddenly realized it.

This view is of course progressive in this era. Because Dashun is a feudal dynasty after all, if you can really uphold this view, it is also progressive, although it may go astray and make mistakes in the future.

In this era of great change, how should we view the problems of developed regions and emerging classes?

In Liu Yu's opinion, this can be simply divided into three issues, rather than lumping them together.

One is that the old feudal system, cultural ethics, etc. have hindered the development of productivity, and capitalism must break these old things.

One is that the emerging capitalist system has its own, inherent, and cyclical problems. For example, a wave of crises every ten years.

Another is that the emerging capitalist system has fallen into the feudalism of the time, and it has hindered the development of productivity and must perish.

This is related to the second question, but it is definitely not a problem.

Just like the historical cycle of feudal dynasties, is it its own, inherent, and cyclical problem? But productivity is not enough to take the next step?

Or, since the end of the dynasty caused by the first land annexation, its superstructure has been unable to adapt to the development of productivity and must be completely destroyed?

And this problem, after being adapted, can actually be used for Dashun at this time.

What kind of problem is the Dashun Dynasty facing now?

If we just change the canal to sea transportation, do we need to smash everything old? Even if we build railways, do we need to smash everything old?

This may not be the case.

It does not affect Dashun's construction of the Yellow River, railways, sea transportation, and abandonment of canal transportation.

But other things...

Just like the problem mentioned by the Shandong Jiedushi at this time, from 3 to 4, 5, 6, has it reached the time to limit the increase of everything old in Dashun?

This may be the case.

Liu Yu's so-called problems that may be encountered by emerging classes and developed regions should not be simply treated as one problem, but should be divided into three parts for discussion.

In fact, the subtext is: Dashun, a feudal dynasty, is also qualified to talk about the second and third problems? How can you Dashun be qualified to encounter the second and third problems?

Dashun is now qualified to talk about the emerging capitalist system, its own, inherent, and cyclical problems. For example, a wave of crises every ten years or so?

Do you think Dashun is qualified to talk about the emerging capitalist system now? It has fallen into the feudalism of the time. It has hindered the development of productivity and must perish?

Since Dashun is not qualified to talk about the second and third questions at this time.

Then, if only the first question is left, this matter can be very roughly simplified to one question: evaluate only by productivity.

It is not to say that the emerging class is good or all good.

Rather, Dashun is far from being qualified to talk about the second and third questions at this time.

In this case, it is not a problem to simplify this issue directly to the question of 3 becoming 4, 5, 6.

Liu Yu raised this question now, of course, for a purpose.

Dashun can accomplish some things through reform.

These things include but are not limited to abolishing the canal, promoting shipping, colonization, reclamation, foreign wars, plundering the market, building railways, digging mineral deposits, and even not hindering the use of steam engines - the well salt area has long been playing with thousands of people, and the wells can be dug more than a thousand meters deep. Dashun itself does not reject such things.

However, Dashun cannot accomplish some things through reform.

There are so many things that cannot be accomplished through reform, and there is no need to list them one by one.

Liu Yu raised this question now, just stuck at this point in time.

At this point in time, Liu Yu believed that most of the things that Dashun could accomplish through reform had been completed; and the rest, Dashun could not accomplish through reform.

So, why are the changes in these years right?

This is what Liu Yu wants to guide.

Why is it right?

There can be many reasons.

Or in other words, there can be many "jingyi".

For example, the treasury revenue has increased, so it is right.

For example, the water transport reduced the burden on the people, so it was right.

For example, the wars fought in the south and the north actually rivaled the Han and Tang dynasties in terms of military prowess, so it was right.

And so on, and so on...

Why is it right? There can be many kinds of "right".

But Liu Yu wanted to establish a kind of "right" - that is, the total national wealth has increased, so it is right.

He was taking the "scripture" power.

Moreover, under the subtle influence and the advocacy of various books and pamphlets, judging from the answer of the Shandong Jiedushi, in fact, at least in the first-developed and emerging regions, he had actually taken it.

Because the total national wealth has increased, the changes in recent years are right.

Then, conversely, if the changes are to be correct, the total national wealth must increase.

This is the yardstick of "right" and "wrong".

At least, for the feudal dynasty of Dashun, this "yardstick" is definitely no problem.

And once this yardstick is established, naturally someone will take this yardstick and do something.

It can be reformed.

Reforms can be made.

However, once reforms and reforms are no longer feasible, it is not surprising that someone will stand up and rebel, and use the purpose or slogan of increasing the total national wealth, and the Dashun Dynasty has hindered the increase of the total national wealth.

The dream of self-cultivating farmers has always been that the tiller has his own land.

Then, the tiller has his own land is the goal.

However, in fact, this should be used as a means, not an end.

Only when a group of people stand up and understand that the tiller has his own land is a means, not an end, and the goal is to increase the total national wealth, and the tiller has his own land can be used as a means to achieve this goal, the Dashun uprising can be regarded as truly getting rid of the limitations of peasant uprisings.

This includes Liu Yu's attitude towards some Confucianists in Dashun: some means of Zhouli can be means, but never the goal; it is correct that equal distribution of land is the most benevolent government in the world, but the most benevolent government in the world cannot be the ultimate goal, but only a means to the ultimate goal.

Retro is wrong.

It may not be right to reform the system by relying on the past, but if the purpose is clear, it is not impossible to reform the system by relying on the past.

Liu Yu chose this time to blow the wind, and the timing was just right.

The reforms in Dashun over the years have been very effective. Once the Yellow River channel is completed, everyone will say that the reforms in these years are correct.

But why is it correct?

No one has ever taken this banner, and Liu Yu has been quietly taking this banner from the beginning.

After holding it for a long time, many people have subtly accepted this banner.

And a reinforced cognition has been formed: because the total national wealth has increased, it is correct. And things like treasury revenue and labor reduction are just a corner of this banner, not all.

Otherwise, is it correct as long as the treasury revenue increases?

Even, is it correct as long as the labor is reduced? Just learn from the Mongols and don’t repair the Yellow River at all, don’t care about the Yellow River, and do whatever you want. The labor of the people, at least the labor of the people on both sides of the Yellow River in the simple river repair is reduced, so is this correct?

As for the rest of the righteousness… at least with the righteousness that Dashun had at this time or had been determined before, basically, it can be regarded that the reforms of Dashun in the past few decades were completely wrong, and they were wrong at the level of refugees.

The emperor is old, and what the emperor needs is someone to sing praises for his wisdom and bravery. The reforms he supports are correct and in line with the righteousness.

After death, Yuan knows that everything is empty. What the emperor cares more about now is his reputation after death.

Expanding territory is of course a merit for the emperor, but this kind of merit is "one-sided" in the eyes of the emperor after all, and there is no way to describe him. Moreover, if we only talk about expanding territory, many emperors who regarded this as a merit actually did not have a very good reputation.

At this time, Liu Yu took out this righteousness, and it was the first time that he officially reached out to the "superstructure" field, instead of digging the economic foundation with his head down.

Of course, this righteousness was brought out in a flattering way. The emperor obviously would not realize the fishhook hidden in Liu Yu's plan, because the fishhook was hidden very deeply. Once the bait is swallowed, it is very close to some special pamphlets derived from this "righteousness". Before those pamphlets came out, they were of course harmless and even praised; but without this "scripture", some subsequent pamphlets could not obtain justice.

And this is the real essence of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations": first determine the righteousness, the goal is to enrich the country and benefit the people; then from this righteousness, derive how to enrich the country and benefit the people.

From the perspective of combat and politics, the invisible hand is not the most essential part of "The Wealth of Nations" in this era when the bourgeoisie hopes to seize power. It is the righteousness with the goal of enriching the country and benefiting the people. Enriching the country and benefiting the people means increasing national wealth, and then deriving what exactly is national wealth and how labor creates wealth.

Only by first recognizing that righteousness and reaching a consensus to recognize it as correct, will everything that follows make sense.

It is possible that there will be huge disagreements, revisions, or even oppositions on how to do it later.

But its purpose, or at least the great righteousness it expresses, has never changed: enriching the country and benefiting the people.

Here, the country, or the regime, is abstracted into an entity "with the purpose of increasing the total national wealth".

Because enriching the country and benefiting the people is right, it is the purpose, the ultimate goal. In other words, it is the purpose of the existence of the country and the regime.

So, morality, heaven, restoration, Zhou Li, the kingdom of God, the king, etc., all come to the back.

Whoever obstructs, do it, it is reasonable to do it. If the landlord obstructs, do the landlord; if the noble obstructs, do the noble; if the priest obstructs, do the priest; if the king obstructs, do the king.