Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3238: Farmers have long-term ambitions

Fei Qian deliberately held this "meeting" not at Pingyang Marquis Mansion, but at Shoushan Academy. Naturally, he had his considerations in mind. Although Pingyang Hou Mansion was Fei Qian's home court, the official atmosphere was too strong, while Shoushan Academy had some academic pioneer vibes from the very beginning.

Whether it is the study of scriptures that was launched first, or the attempt to compete in the imperial examination, it can be said that it is a typical example of a small boat that can easily turn around.

Fei Qian wanted to elaborate and expand new theories at this stage, and it was obvious that Shoushan Academy would be more suitable than Qinglong Temple. After all, Moriyama Academy will be purer. Although Qinglong Temple is larger, it is also because it is too large, there are more people mixed in, and the thoughts are more complicated and difficult to grasp.

Starting from the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period, because the system of the Zhou Dynasty had "collapsed", a hundred schools of thought contended. On the one hand, the purpose was to bring salt to the princes of their own country, and on the other hand, it was also to explore what direction the country should take after the Zhou system. Go up and walk.

And obviously, Qin won in the end.

The victory of the Qin State also led to the "Hundred Schools of Thought Contention" during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which eventually turned into the "Yi Ming". China's centralized unified system became a proven and powerful national system.

The subsequent Han and Tang dynasties implemented this national system line until the Tang Dynasty, when it expanded to the peak of the cold weapon era of the classical feudal dynasty.

Note that the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty was at its peak. It almost swept across the desert, shocked the frontiers, and massacred foreign countries in a matter of seconds. However, it was obviously due to technical limitations, inconvenient transportation, and the inability of the system to keep up. , the centralized system of power was forced to be changed into a system of local military government responsibility, and the extremely large Jiedu Mansion also made it possible from the middle and late Tang Dynasty to the Song and Ming Dynasties. The suppression of military generals by civilian officials became the only means to ensure the stability of imperial power, which eventually led to In the late Ming Dynasty, the immune system that was supposed to defend against foreign enemies completely became a breeding ground for bacterial invasion.

Similarly, it can also be clearly seen that since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the number of people conducting discussions involving national systems has actually been continuously shrinking, and the flourishing of a hundred schools of thought has ceased. The main reason is still that after the unification, Confucianism became the core school of thought, and Confucianism's suppressive power over other schools of thought was also demonstrated in academic circles.

Everything naturally has pros and cons.

Under the unified, centralized imperial power system and academic clan system of the feudal dynasty, the feudal dynasty in ancient China could be stable for hundreds of years after the founding of the country, but it was also because its system only represented the interests of a very small minority of the ruling class and ignored the grassroots. The demands of the people eventually led to the annihilation of successive feudal dynasties.

Of course, putting aside productivity and production relations and simply talking about castles in the air is obviously a hooliganism, but similarly, if you completely ignore the life and death of the grassroots people and only think about adjustments and reforms within the ruling class, the interests will be transferred, and the constitutional farce of the late Qing Dynasty will Just the best example.

China is not without smart people.

Just like Confucius, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, he was definitely the leading figure among hundreds of schools of thought. That tiankeng forehead that seemed to have been hit by God definitely shone with the light of wisdom that ordinary people could not match.

But what about a hundred years later?

What about a thousand years?

Did the ancients not understand this?

Obviously not.

But the question is, besides the "divine right of kings", what "magic weapon" do they have to maintain the "rationality" of their rule?

Naturally, they are gritting their teeth. It is absolutely impossible to admit that the untouchables are the foundation of the country. They can only blindly emphasize that the elite is the future of the country...

But if you want to break this shackles, a head-on dispute will obviously not work.

It can only be done imperceptibly, like boiling frogs in warm water.

"There is no better way to make money than to make money." There is no one in our country who is burdened by the population, for fear that people will not survive. 』

Fei Qian said slowly.

In this era, there is no need for such fertility.

In an era when the survival rate of infants and young children is extremely low, there is nothing more joyful than having a new baby.

"Those who made laws in the past must take into account the size of the population to make use of the country." The place from which people are born is the earth; the place from which the earth is given is people. Therefore, the former kings respected the basics and underestimated the weak; they focused on the big but ignored the small. Therefore, since there are many people, the country will be able to use it abundantly. 』

"This is not the case today. Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants will all suffer losses, and the people of the world will not be able to live in peace." As a result, people are displaced, and the number of people living there is decreasing, which means that the country is running out of resources. 』

"A benevolent person uses wealth to make a fortune, and an unkind person uses his body to make a fortune." The benevolent people make money for the people, while the unkind people plunder the people to make money. The national system cannot be careless. If the system is appropriate, people's livelihood will be stable. If it is not controlled properly, it will be as fierce as a tiger as Confucius said. 』

"The system of a husband's country cannot be achieved overnight. It is necessary to assess the situation and implement measures according to the customs." Therefore, the ancient sage kings were able to rejuvenate their country because they knew it. Make it conform to the way of heaven and earth and the hearts of the people, and then it can last for a long time. 』

“I believe that the best way to govern a country is to provide for the people. 』、

"The people are scholars, farmers, industry and merchants." Only by being impartial and impartial, neither heavy nor tilted, can it be like the four pillars of the sky, making the country stable and the eight wildernesses peaceful. 』

"Therefore, when the number of people is high, the ordinary affairs should be carried out in the right way; to divide the fields, to order tributes, to make crops and use them, to make food and salary, to set up field services, and to build the army. The country uses it to establish its laws, the family uses it to establish its rules, the five rituals are used to repair, and the nine punishments are used to measure the number of people! 』

"Do you think so?" 』

Fei Qian nodded and added, "This is the Shoushan Mingtang, where superiority and inferiority are judged by opinions. It has nothing to do with your rank or authority. You can speak freely, and you will never be guilty of any crime with your speech." 』

Discussions about population actually existed in every dynasty.

The Spring and Autumn Period mostly encouraged population growth.

Confucianism and the Huang family are all like this.

But there are also people with different concepts. For example, Shang Yang rationally saw the contradiction between population and land, emphasizing the contrast between people and land. Moreover, this guy also paid special attention to population surveys. He was the first person in history to organize a nationwide population survey. First person.

Then, based on Shang Yang's work, Han Feizi further regarded the contradiction between population and land as the source of "people's struggle", saying that "it is not too many for people to have five sons today, and there are five sons, and the father is not dead." Twenty-five grandchildren. Therefore, the people have few goods and wealth, work hard, and have little support. Therefore, the people fight, and although they are rewarded and punished multiple times, they are not immune to chaos. 』

Then Han Feizi only had opinions but no suggestions. He was worried about "people's strife" and said that "despite multiple rewards and punishments, chaos will not be avoided." However, on the other hand, he advocated using the legal system to stop "people's strife".

In the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu, the leader of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, stated that population was closely related to the theory of mutual growth and mutual support. Han Yu believes that people's material life is not self-sufficient, but depends on each other to support each other. If someone cannot use his own labor to provide needed products and services for others, he is of no benefit to society.

Based on this theoretical basis, Han Yu further divided the population from the original "four people" into "six people" according to their occupations, and believed that agriculture, industry, and business people supported each other and were needed by society. Then scholars are those who govern people, and it is only natural that they should be supported by others, and they are also people who are beneficial to society. The so-called monks and Taoists do not engage in economic activities such as agriculture, industry, and commerce, but need support from agriculture, industry, and commerce. They are essentially a surplus population...

From a certain perspective, has it been true that since the Tang Dynasty of Han Yu, there has been a sense of "elite" governance?

Do we bring salt to our class? Do we all need to have enough food? What’s the problem?

But if China really wants to be strong, can it rely on a single class?

Especially by the so-called "elite" class?

It's freezing cold, and the water is indeed too cold, but my scalp can still be cooled off. Is this a contradiction?

What is a "scholar"?

That is the transformation of "earth"!

Of course, there are not without "scholars" with outstanding vision. For example, Ma Duanlin in the Yuan Dynasty was the first person in Chinese history to clearly raise the issue of population quality and discuss its important economic significance. He said, "In ancient times, there were only a few people with a small household registration, but they were all intelligent people; in later generations, the population was large, but there were many lazy people." Jun is a human being. In the ancient times, if a person was a scholar, he would be good at Taoism and learning; if he was a farmer, he would be good at farming; if he was a soldier, he would be good at fighting. No matter where you put your money, you will be satisfied. Therefore, a country thousands of miles away, with thousands of families gathered together, can defend its country and its people for the rest of the world. The people make the country strong, and the people are few, the country is weak. The people are the people who support the establishment of the country at that time. 』

Although Ma Duanlin's words may not have been used to express the depression in his heart, they are also an important progress in the development of the Chinese population's thoughts. Quantity and quality are needed, otherwise those demented people who talk nonsense all day long are also important. No matter how many scholars there are, what good will they do?

Everyone in the audience, although they heard Fei Qian say that those who speak are not guilty, but when it is obvious that he wants to use this theory to rectify his name, it is obviously not a good idea to jump out and confront Fei Qian, so even if Fei Qian let everyone He spoke freely, but there was still silence.

Fei Qian looked at Zhong Jie.

Zhongjie coughed slightly, then raised his hands and said, "I have a hundred acres of land, and the produce is enough to feed ten people." Now there are five people, and the change of national policy is enough to support these five people. If the number of people increases by twenty, but the yield of the fields is only enough to feed fifteen, even if they have the talent to know the world, they will not be able to escape the suffering of famine, and they may even starve to death all over the country. Although there is the art of increasing the field, the increase of the art is limited, while the increase of the people is boundless. We are happy when the people increase, but the fields are not desirable. If the fields are not inherited, what can be done? 』

Fei Qian nodded, "What the Great Sacrificial Wine said is true." 』

"Looking at agriculture alone, the number of acres of land is limited, and the population of people is increasing. It is impossible to support the sudden increase in the number of people with limited acres of land." 』

"Since this question exists, it should be answered. 』

"Then, who can explain it? Fei Qian looked around and said with a gentle smile, "But Ling Nong can help himself?" The yield per mu is fixed, and the annual increase is calculated orally. Therefore, the people hide their lives and have their babies die young, so as not to have their mouths settled. 』

"Therefore, it is up to the scholars to solve the difficulties faced by farmers." Fei Qian said categorically, "But what about the people in Shandong today?" I only know tax service. 』

Taxation in the Han Dynasty was rough, and it can even be said that even in later generations, the taxation system was still unsatisfactory. It was originally supposed to be a tax for social regulation and use by the people, but what was the result? The richer the people, the more they evade taxes, while the poorer people are overwhelmed by the taxes passed on in every link.

For example, there is a blueberry tax, a marshmallow tax, a bread cut tax, a hot soup tax, a pumpkin carving tax...

As for other countries, well, ahem...

"In order to calculate taxes, there must be strict rules. The beetle officials have their hands up and down, and the country gentry cleverly seizes the people's fat. ” Fei Qian said, “If the land is not enough to support people, it is because the government is not enough to support the people.” Therefore, the people are full of resentment and the laws are difficult to implement. Those who look down upon those above are contemptuous; those who look upon those below are despicable."

"Therefore, the thieves in Shandong drive the people to death and reduce their reputations by fighting. This is the technique of exterminating households, just like the current disaster in Hedong." 』

"I often hear the so-called great righteousness, saying that the people are important, but if you treat them harshly, don't you treat them like grass? If the government loses its way, the people will be resentful and the country will no longer be a country. Therefore, a gentleman should focus on the basics, and the way will come when the basics are established." "Now if there is a thief who harms the people with harsh government, he will cut himself off from the emperor, the Han Dynasty, and the world! "That's right, Fei Qian doesn't want to use the old names such as "clear the emperor's side, save the people, and support the world" to fight wars, nor does he want his fight with Lao Cao to become a conspiracy between princes and princes, and become the so-called circle competition. In the early days of Fei Qian, it didn't matter if he shouted these slogans, because everyone shouted them at that time. If Fei Qian shouted a slogan about why he served, he might scare a lot of people on the spot... But now it's different. Obviously, Fei Qian needs to propose a completely different direction from Shandong's road, and he cannot use the righteousness that Shandong people shout. Even if he uses it reluctantly, it is meaningless.

Although everyone has reached a consensus that there is no righteous war in the Spring and Autumn Period, it cannot be said that knowing "no righteousness" means pretending to be "righteous".

As Fei Qian said, it is obviously wrong to simply point all the contradictions of the feudal dynasties to the land.

People and land are themselves a community that is intertwined.

Therefore, the population problem is not a single independent social problem, but a complex problem that integrates resources, environment, economic development, cultural traditions, etc.

Insufficient or overpopulated population will have adverse effects on the country and society.

A country should have an ideal population density and a moderate population size. This population size and population density are adapted to the country's land and natural resource endowment, the level of knowledge and technology application, the production capacity of industry and agriculture, and the ability of the people to support, and belong to a dynamic category.

Since it is a dynamic category, it naturally requires a suitable national system to regulate and intervene.

A rigid policy that always says it is the law of ancestors is obviously not a good thing.

Under this, the advantages and disadvantages of the national system and the differences in laws are reflected.

During the three or four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, didn’t the emperor and ministers know that there were problems with the government orders, taxes, laws, etc.?

Yes, but since the people have not yet reached the point of making a fuss, is there no need to amend the law? If it really doesn’t work, pull the three officials out to apologize, say Moses dug it open, and immediately Masien, isn’t it considered a matter?

Indeed, as long as the lower-class people can survive, they will never risk their lives to launch a peasant uprising. Therefore, the relative slow response of the ruling class is understandable. Anyway, as long as it has not reached the last step, the ruling class mostly thinks that they can continue to let the people suffer and endure.

But the fundamental development of China’s overall social development is driven by the vast majority of Chinese people, not determined by ambitious people. The so-called "times make heroes", the times are the public opinion, and the public opinion comes from the things and needs that the lowest level people desire most.

In other words, the living conditions of the lowest level people are the ultimate decision whether the whole society is stable. When the grassroots people have difficulty surviving, the whole country is naturally unstable and unsettled. This is why the capitalist countries in later generations immediately issue welfare coupons and similar related measures to the grassroots people once there is a problem.

This is the naturalness of human beings hidden under sociality.

After all, in the Chinese feudal dynasty, the population can be relatively simply divided into the grassroots and the ruling class.

When the population growth is suppressed by the environment, the grassroots are the first and most severely suppressed, while the ruling class is often not affected much because of its rich production and living materials. This makes the proportion of the tongzhi class in the total population rise suddenly, and the ruling class will try every means to increase taxes in order to maintain at least the previous living standards, and the tax burden of the grassroots will increase.

Since China has been shouting about people-oriented, benevolence, righteousness and morality since the Spring and Autumn Period, then at this moment, isn't it an opportunity to put these long-shouted "justice" into practice?

Even if Fei Qian knew in his heart that the shelf life of this "justice" could not be determined, it was better than nothing after all.

After Zhong Jie Linghu Hui and others asked and set off intentionally or unintentionally, Fei Qian also said the final conclusion...

"The four occupations of the people are the cornerstone of the country. Scholars establish themselves with diligent learning, farmers make a living by farming, craftsmen make tools with skills, and merchants get rich with currency. The four perform their duties, support each other, and help the prosperity of the Han Dynasty. '

"Scholars are the pillars of the country. Read books to understand the truth, cultivate oneself and manage the family, govern the country and bring peace to the world. Not only Confucian scholars of chapters and sentences, but also talents for practical use. Therefore, scholars must strive to learn, so as to prepare for the needs of the court and the country. '

"Farmers are the foundation of the country. Food is the heaven of man, and farmers are the foundation of food. Planting in spring and harvesting in autumn, weeding in summer and storing in winter, every grain is the product of hard work. Farmers work hard in the fields, so that the granaries are full and the people are at ease, and the country's fortune can last long. '

'The craftsman is the ingenuity of the country. The craftsman is ingenious and has exquisite skills. He forges iron into weapons, builds earth into cities, and builds boats and cars to facilitate transportation. The skills of the craftsman are not only for the convenience of people's livelihood, but also for the strength of the country. '

"Businessmen are the blood of the country." Jia is honest and fair. Business travel, goods circulation, and wealth gathering. The way of merchants can make everything in the four directions get their proper place, and it can also make the country rich and the blood flowing. 』

"Each of the four peoples has their own strengths and specialties. Times change, things change and stars change, and the four peoples should also change at any time and adapt to the situation. Therefore, the four peoples are divided into different responsibilities. There is no distinction between superior and inferior, nor superior or inferior. Recruit the talents of the children, develop the talents of the children, benefit the people with their positions, and prosper the country with their abilities. Therefore, those who become officials should draw on the strengths of the four people, understand the duties of the four people, use the control of the four people, and nourish the four people. Born to rejuvenate the country and benefit the people. 』

Everyone had different expressions, including those who were pleased, those who admired, those who were doubtful, and those who were hesitant. Similarly, there were also those who lowered their heads as if they did not want others to see their expressions.

Fei Qian paused, then continued:

"In the past, during the days of Yao, Shun, and Yutang, morality was evident and benevolent government prevailed. Those who serve in politics should establish themselves based on Taoism, govern the country with virtue, stick to their true intentions, and not be swayed by the world. Therefore, within the four seas, the weather is smooth, and all the people live and work in peace and contentment. 』

“Therefore, when in power, one should guard the mountain. Mountains are the seat of good nature and the foundation of heavenly principles. Those who hold this attitude can rectify themselves, transform people, stabilize the country, and bring peace to the people. 』

"Government should be the thoroughfare." The Qu is where the world comes and goes, and where the eight wastelands go. Those who hold this intention, wherever their heart goes, the Han Dynasty is the frontier, the natural chasm turns into a thoroughfare, and it is as steep as a flat river! 』

"Government should be conducted in a proper way. Those who follow the Tao will not be motivated by profit or be deceived by power. Those who uphold this Tao will be selfless, fair and upright, inherit the past and start the future, and create lasting achievements! 』

"However, there is a way to guard the mountain thoroughfare. It is not a day's work, nor is it the effort of one person." It takes everyone's encouragement and concerted efforts to achieve peace and harmony in the world. In this way, the states and counties will be at peace, the people will be happy, and one family will share the blessings of the Han Dynasty! 』

"There are thieves today who have lost their mountains, cut off their thoroughfares, and disrupted their roads!" Driving the people away is like dolphins and dogs, trapping the country is like child's play! There is no system to unify the four peoples internally, and there is no way to control the army and barbarians externally! He only knows that he greedily seizes the people's wealth, levies people's services, and occupies high positions to harm the country! This is the curse of the great man! 』

"Misfortunes and blessings all over the body are reflected in the hair, and eternal honors and honors are fought for in an instant!" It should be noted that there is a general outline of good and bad times, and a thousand years can be named! It’s time to defeat the traitors, eradicate the evil government, establish the Han system, establish the country, and pacify the world! 』

"Publish it throughout the sea, and the messengers will hear about it!" 』