Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1423 Yan Fangxing

This question may seem simple, but it is actually quite difficult to answer at this time.

If it is abstracted, it may be abstracted into the tram problem of later generations.But obviously, when Liu Yu asked this question, he didn't want to get such an abstract answer, or talk about morality and make false statements.

And Liu Yu didn't ask Huang He any questions.Because of the Yellow River problem, it is actually easy to come to a consistent conclusion.

It's not even asking whether it is worthwhile to rewrite the economic structure after asking more specifically about the abandoned canal.

He is talking about profits.

In fact, he was talking about righteousness.

Only when there is righteousness can we distinguish between right and wrong, and judge between right and wrong.

In other words, a kind of scriptures, which can include the consideration of interests, maybe there is a kind of scriptures that only consider economic factors.

Righteousness is a kind of ruler.

Of course Liu Yu knew the answer.

But this question is still an extremely difficult problem to answer in this kind of place and these officials.

After waiting for a long time, the Shandong Jiedu envoy broke the silence first, and said with a smile: "The question of the Duke 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, the Grand Duke hoped to be entrusted to Qi, and with the benefits of fish and salt, he surpassed Lu in a few years. So the east was rich and the west was poor."

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

"Now, it's reversed again, and the meaning of the East's rich and the West's poverty has become more and more obvious in recent years. This is especially true after the canal was abandoned and Jiaoji was opened to traffic."

"The question asked by the Duke is actually a hidden mystery."

Liu Yu smiled lightly and asked, "What's the mystery?"

The Shandong Jiedu envoy said to all the officials: "This mystery is easy to understand. The key to this mystery lies in what the Duke of the State said about national wealth. The wealth of a country is neither gold nor silver, but the grain, oil, cloth, and wood produced by labor. , device and so on.”

"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 that the wealth from the west is transferred to the east? It was originally a wealth of 3, but there are 2 in the west. There is 1 in the east, now 3 has changed to 4, 5? Or, 3 is still 3, but the original west 2 east 1, now west 1 east 2?"

When he said this, the officials, who had already felt a little smug, immediately nodded.And other officials who hadn't reacted, also suddenly realized.

This view, in this day and age, is certainly progressive.Because Dashun is a feudal dynasty after all, if we can really uphold this point of view, it can be regarded as progress, although it may go further in the future, and it may go astray and make mistakes.

In this era of imminent great changes, what should we think about the problems of the pioneering regions and emerging classes?
In Liu Yu's opinion, at this time, it can be simply divided into three problems, instead of grouping the problems into one.

One is that the old feudal system, cultural morality, etc. have hindered the development of productive forces, and capitalism wants to smash these old things.

One is the emerging capitalist system, its own, inherent, cyclical problems.For example, there are waves of crises every ten years.

There is another kind, that is, the emerging capitalist system at this time has been reduced to feudalism at this time. It has hindered the development of productive forces and must perish.

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

Just like the historical cycle of feudal dynasties, is it its own, inherent, and cyclical problem?But not productive enough to take the next step?
Or, since the end of the dynasty cycle caused by the first land annexation, its superstructure has been unable to adapt to the development of productive forces and must be completely destroyed?
And this problem, after applying it, can actually be used in Dashun at this time.

What kind of problem is the Dashun Dynasty facing now?
If you just change the canal to sea, do you have to smash everything up?Even to repair the railway, is it necessary to smash everything that is old?

This, I'm afraid not necessarily.

Now it does not affect Dashun to build the Yellow River, build railways, change sea transportation, waste water transportation, etc.

but something else...

Just like the question that Shandong Jiedushi said at this time, the change from 3 to 4, 5, and 6, is it time to limit the increase of everything in Dashun?

This, I'm afraid it is.

Liu Yu's so-called problems that the emerging classes and pioneering areas may encounter should not be simply treated as one problem, but should be divided into three parts for discussion.

In fact, the subtext is: You, Dashun of the feudal dynasty, are also worthy of talking about the second and third questions?How can you, Dashun, be qualified to meet the second and third questions?

You, Dashun, are now also worthy of talking about the emerging capitalist system, its own, inherent, and cyclical problems.For example, a wave of crises every ten years?

Ni Dashun is now worthy of talking about the emerging capitalist system, which has been reduced to feudalism at this time. It has hindered the development of productive forces and must perish?
Since, Dashun is not qualified to discuss the second and third questions at this time.

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

This does not mean that the emerging class is good or that everything is good.

Rather, Dashun's current state is far from being qualified to talk about the second and third questions.

That being the case, it is not a problem to directly simplify this problem to the problem of changing 3 to 4, 5, and 6.

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

Dashun can achieve some things through reform.

These things include but are not limited to abandoned canals, sea transportation, colonization, reclamation, foreign wars, plundering markets, railway repairs, mining deposits, and even the use of steam engines. In the large factory, the wells can be drilled to a depth of more than a thousand meters. Dashun itself does not reject this kind of thing.

However, it is impossible for Dashun to achieve something through reform.

There are too many things that cannot be achieved through reform, and there is no need to list them all.

Liu Yu raised this question now because he was stuck at this point in time.

At this point in time, Liu Yu believes that most of the things that Dashun can accomplish through reforms have already been completed; and the rest, Dashun cannot accomplish through reforms.

So, why are the changes in these years right?

This is what Liu Yu wants to guide.

Why is it right?

The reasons can be many.

In other words, there can be many "classic meanings".

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

For example, the burden on the people caused by water transportation has been reduced, so it is correct.

For example, during the Southern Expedition and the Northern War, martial arts were even more prosperous than those of the Han and Tang Dynasties, so it was correct.

Etc., etc……

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

But Liu Yu hopes to establish a kind of "right"—that is, the sum of national wealth has increased, so it is right.

He is taking the "book" right.

Moreover, under the subtle influence and advocacy of various books and pamphlets, judging from the answers of Shandong Jiedushi, in fact, at least in the pioneering areas and emerging areas, he has actually obtained it.

The changes over the years are justified because the aggregate national wealth has increased.

Then, in turn, it means that if the reform is to be correct, the sum of national wealth must increase.

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

At least, for the feudal dynasty of Dashun, this "ruler" must be no problem.

And once this ruler is erected, someone will take this ruler and do something.

Can be reformed.

Changes can be made.

However, once there is no way to reform and reform, it is not unexpected for someone to stand up and rebel with the purpose or slogan of increasing the total national wealth, and that the Dashun Dynasty has hindered the increase of the total national wealth.

For a long time, the dream of self-cultivating farmers has been that the tiller has his own land.

Then, the tiller has a field, which is the goal.

But, really, this should be a means, not an end.

Only when a group of people stand up and understand that land to the tiller is a means rather than an end, the purpose is to increase the sum of national wealth, and land to the tiller can be used as a means to achieve this goal, the Dashun uprising will be considered Really get rid of the limitations of the peasant uprising.

Including Liu Yu's attitude towards some retro Confucianism in Dashun, the same is true: Some means of Zhouli can be means, but they must not be the end; An end, but only a means to an end.

Retro, is wrong.

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

Liu Yu chose this timing to come to blow a haircut, and the timing was just right.

Dashun's reforms in these years have achieved excellent results. Once the Yellow River channel is completed, everyone will have to say that the reforms in these years are correct.

But why is it correct?
This, no one has ever held this big banner, and Liu Yu has been quietly holding this big banner from the very beginning.

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

And a reinforced cognition is formed: because the sum of national wealth has increased, it is true.And such things as treasury revenue and labor reduction are just a corner of this big banner, not the whole thing.

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 Meng Yuan, don't build the Yellow River at all, don't care about the Yellow River, whatever you like, the labor of the people, at least the labor of the people on both sides of the Yellow River when they simply repair the river, is reduced, so is this correct?
As for the rest of the righteousness... at least the righteousness that Dashun has at this time, or that must have been determined before, basically, it can be regarded as the reform of Dashun in the past few decades, which is completely wrong, and it is at the level of the refugee map Big mistake.

The emperor is old, what the emperor needs is someone to praise his brilliance and prowess, and the changes he supports are correct and in line with righteousness.

When you die, you will know that everything is empty. What the emperor cares more about now is the name behind him.

Expansion of territory, of course, is meritorious service for the emperor, but this kind of merit, in the eyes of the emperor, is "one-sided" after all, and there is no way to describe him.And only talking about the expansion of the territory, many emperors who have made great achievements in this regard, the reputation is actually not very good.

At this time, Liu Yu came up with this righteousness, and it was the first time that he formally reached out to the field of "superstructure", instead of digging the economic foundation.

Of course, this righteousness was brought out in a flattering way.Obviously, the emperor would not be aware of the fishhook hidden inside Liu Yu, because the fishhook was hidden very deep.Once you swallow this bait, you will be very close to some special booklets derived from this "great righteousness".Before those pamphlets came out, it was of course innocuous, even eulogizing; but without this "scripture," some of the subsequent pamphlets could not have done justice.

And this is the real essence of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations": first define the big meaning, the goal is to enrich the country and its people;

From the point of view of combat and politics, the invisible hand is not the essence of "The Wealth of Nations" in this era when the bourgeoisie hopes to seize power.It is the righteousness of the purpose of enriching the country and enriching the people. Enriching the country and enriching the people is to increase the national wealth, and then lead to what is national wealth and labor to create wealth.

Only by acknowledging the great righteousness first and reaching a consensus to recognize it as correct, then everything that follows will be meaningful.

Perhaps, there will be huge differences, revisions, and even opposition on how to do it later.

But its purpose, or at least the stated righteousness, has never changed: to enrich the country and enrich the people.

Here, the country, or in other words, the political power, is abstracted into an entity "for the purpose of increasing the sum of national wealth".

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

Therefore, morality, the kingdom of heaven, ancient times, rituals of the week, the kingdom of God, kings, etc., all come back.

Anyone who hinders them will do it, and what they do is justified.If the landlord hinders, be the landlord; if the nobleman hinders, be the nobleman; if the priest hinders, be the priest; if the king hinders, be the king.

(End of this chapter)