Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1208 Westernization Movement Thinking
The so-called emperor’s thinking of the Westernization Movement is very simple in essence:
That is, feudal leaders and some bureaucrats believed and realized that advanced weapons and technologies could effectively strengthen feudal rule.

Things like railways coexist with imperial power, which is actually not against harmony at all.Because the two thousand miles of water transportation of the Grand Canal existed before, and it did not violate peace at all.

For a feudal emperor, they could take advantage of the severe social conflicts in the interior before rebelling against their superiors.

Once the ass sits on the dragon chair, in essence, the severe social conflicts and land conflicts in the mainland are actually like a negative asset for the royal family.

In other words, it was the force most likely to threaten his chair.

Including the capital consortia that have risen in Songsu these years, large salt farms, etc., in the eyes of the emperor, what is this?What is enough for a jailer, can it compare to the peasant uprising in the interior?

The internal contradictions have actually become so large that almost all resources must be used to alleviate existing contradictions.So the stagnation of society is a kind of necessity.

Including Liu Yu, no one above the Dashun court has the ability to continue to maintain the old society, and continue to calm down and ease the many contradictions of the old era.

The difference is that the emperor hopes to introduce advanced weapons and technology, rely on external funds and wealth, and continue to suppress many contradictions in the old era.

And Liu Yu's thinking is that I smashed the old society itself, so wouldn't the contradictions of the old society disappear?I can't alleviate the contradictions in the old society, so if I just kill the old society, won't it be over?Of course there are contradictions in the new society, but they are new and need to be resolved with new methods to promote social progress, no problem.

If we have to talk about the essence, the current thinking of the emperor is actually not much different from the thinking of relying on external imperialist forces to survive in the late Qing Dynasty.

It is to introduce a force that did not exist in the traditional world before to suppress internal contradictions and strengthen the rule more effectively.

There is not much difference in essence, but the difference is that this "power that did not exist in the traditional world before" is in the hands of the Dashun court, and this power can be strengthened through external expansion.

The advantage is that the Westernization School in the late Qing Dynasty realized that advanced weapons and technologies could effectively strengthen feudal rule, and they also knew that these needed the benefits of business and industry.

On the other hand, imperialism has no external market; internally, because of various treaties, the internal market has been liberalized.Therefore, each of their "profits of industry and commerce" is actually intensifying the contradictions of the old era-for the old society of internal small-scale peasant economy, it is irrelevant whether the cotton cloth is produced by Nantong Textile Mill or Manchester Textile Mill. difference.There must be a market for the benefits of industry and commerce, and the external market cannot be seized. We can only engage in the internal market together with imperialism.

However, Emperor Dashun considered this issue after his last tour to the south of Songsu, so he was worried about the intensification of old internal conflicts in Songsu and other pioneering areas.

This is also the reason why Emperor Dashun supported external expansion. Once the capital is transferred, there will be a huge internal market next to it. If you don’t let him eat, then you have to find food and blood for him outside.

Because Emperor Dashun chose the path of "relying on 'external' forces to strengthen feudal rule", then this "external" force must be strong.And to be strong, you have to keep looking for blood food for him, otherwise he will eat it.

Although the emperor may not have been able to realize all of this theoretically, he still chose such a path with his cunning and sophisticated sense of the ruling class.

In fact, what the emperor wanted to educate the prince can be summed up as "remember that you are the emperor".

Don't use the same set of thinking that Dashun will be in India to engage in the inland, become the "emperor" of Songsu Capital, and turn the inland into a colony.You can't handle a big uprising on that scale.

Also, don't use the experience of the old era to loosen up Jiangsu, Northeast, Southeast Asia and foreign trade.In the end, there was a situation where all the people were in charge of the government, and the money for hanging hair could not be collected, and all resources were used to maintain the stability of the old era, and nothing could be done.

At a time when most of the fiscal revenue needs to be used to quell and alleviate old conflicts, building railways cannot be accomplished by relying on the old ruling methods alone.

In short, no money, no resources, and limited finances have to be spent on the contradictions of the old age.

Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was able to build the Grand Canal, but he could only build one, and it would blow up when it was finished.

Dashun can build railways, and it seems that he should be able to build more than one, because he can get money, materials, food, cloth, etc. from outside.

From the emperor's point of view, the emergence and rapid development of railway and sea transportation made sense for even and equal losses.

Balanced, average output...【National grain prices are basically stable and unified, national salt prices are basically stable and unified, grain prices in Gansu and Suzhou are basically the same, and prices of fast-transported grain in various places are still stable after the catastrophe], this In itself, it is the highest realization of equalization and equal loss under the feudal society.

Which feudal dynasty can do this, 400 years, is definitely not a big problem.

In addition, the railway can realize the emperor's vision of cutting the world vertically and horizontally, so that the peasant uprising can only be trapped in one province.

This idea itself is the highest manifestation of the Westernization Movement thinking that feudal leaders and some bureaucrats believed and realized that advanced weapons and technology could effectively strengthen feudal rule.

And this question is a little more detailed, that is, whether the new system centered on Songsu, including the Northeast, Nanyang, North Korea, Japan, and India, Europe and the United States, can afford the taxes, resources, and food provided. An elite field force of 20 to 30 people can quickly maneuver through railways and seas to complete fire-fighting suppression; can it afford to support a group of meritorious ministers relying on all these incomes, and ensure an army completely entrusted to the imperial power? Rather than a talent group in domestic land?
Obviously, now it seems that not only can it be done, but it can be done.

As for the comprehensive reform of the interior, the emperor's heart is like a mirror.If you can't change it, you can't change it, let's make do with it, and it will be easy to follow the direction of Wang Mang's New Deal.

The emperor not only hoped that the prince would be a successful king, but also told the prince to do things to the end, not to give up halfway, and to have his own opinions.

This is not contradictory in itself.

On the one hand, even if you are a successful king now, it is not the same as before. You have to keep doing things and do many unprecedented things, otherwise you will not be successful.

On the other hand, if the crown prince is really stubborn and more courageous than himself, and really wants to carry out reforms like Wang Mang's reform of the system, equalization of land and granting land... then death is death, and it is impossible to climb out of the coffin after death Come out and say this is not okay.

Now that you have done it, then do it to the end, don't be reckless at the beginning, and be cowardly later.

If the brain is really pumped and the choice is made, then for the uprising, resistance or something, [-] will kill [-], and whoever opposes it will be exiled to the Yukon Valley to raise dogs with the gold diggers.

Don't do it halfway and then give up, it's better not to do it.

The emperor also knew that he might not be able to explain it clearly to the prince in a short while.But I can probably understand a little bit after teaching.

And most importantly, the connotation of being a "transcendent arbiter" is something that can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words.

The prince looked at the picture the emperor drew for him, frowned and thought for a while, and finally understood somewhat what his father meant.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly: "It's nothing if you can't see through these things for a while. Although the people from the East Palace also went to Songsu, South Sichuan and other places, their vision is finally worse. But He is a long history and a governor, but I am afraid that there will be no sages like Guan Zhong and Le Yi."

"You can keep this matter in your heart. But you might as well ask Duke Xingguo about these matters."

"What he said, you have to listen to the reason, not just listen to it. Know the reason, what he said may not be what you said."

"In a few days, the matter of this road will be settled. At that time, you will learn from it all the way."

"For a king, it is not necessary to know how to pave roads and how to repair roads."

"However, to build this road, people's response, land acquisition and relocation, coordination of iron factories, businesses along the way, and the influence of the people...you still have to listen, see, and see more about these things."

"When you ask Duke Xingguo for advice, you might as well ask him about the impact of this road construction. Remember what I said, and listen to what is happening, not necessarily what is happening."

The prince quickly said yes, thinking that Duke Xingguo had always kept a distance from him, neither approaching nor alienating.

Father asked me to ask him about the matter here. Does he mean that he should be responsible for the road construction?

So the prince said: "Father, Duke Xingguo has returned to Beijing from Songsu and is busy with the affairs of the Wuding River. My son thinks that the matter of the Wuding River is a proof of Duke Xingguo's means. He can kill three birds with one stone. If you can listen to Duke Xingguo's advice more, you will surely have something to do." benefit."

"If the railway track that runs through the Central Plains is built, if the Duke of Xingguo comes to do it, it will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."

The emperor didn't think so, and smiled lightly: "Why should he do this matter? Kill a chicken with a sledgehammer. This matter is different from the Wuding River matter. The smallest thing is the Wuding River matter. The rest of the Beijing West The coal in the capital, the immigrants on the banks of the Heilongjiang River, and the establishment of government offices for railway construction, these are the big things.”

"Everything is ready, when it's time to build the road, how can there be any need for him to do such things?"

"As I said, the attitude of the people during the road construction process, compensation for relocation, land replacement, communication and coordination, etc., this is what I want you to learn more about and know about folk fireworks."

"I told you to ask Duke Xingguo for advice, not for these things."

However, the emperor didn't say any more that a child should not be taught, and after he finished speaking, he asked the prince to step down.

…………

Two days later.

The crown prince hosted a banquet and specially invited Liu Yu with great fanfare, which was a signal that the emperor asked him to invite him.

After a brief courtesy, the prince started talking about the topic of "Where to build the first railway".

Since the emperor meant to let the crown prince understand things such as the need to migrate people along the way and level the cemetery, the crown prince did not ask about it.

This road itself is an extension of the Indian problem. If Dashun does not attack India to engage in commercial capital and plunder the accumulated capital, it is basically impossible to repair such a huge project that seems a bit magical at this time in a short period of time.

After collecting taxes and building roads, Liu Yu of course supported it.

However, Liu Yu didn't think that this road would have a huge impact on Dashun.

Since this road itself is an extension of India's problems, the impact of the transformation of agricultural crops is basically certain, and it is impossible.

(End of this chapter)