Established a thousand-year family from the end of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 132 Salt and Iron Conference ([-])

"Without commerce, ordinary people would not be able to buy farm tools, and if they could not buy farm tools, they would not be able to farm. Without handicrafts, there would be no weaving, and no one would weave, and the people would have no clothes to wear. The state operates salt and iron and these industries to make The common people communicate with each other, making daily life more convenient.”

Sang Hongyang refuted the virtuous literature.

But such rebuttals are obviously ineffective. After all, it is not only the government that can operate industries. Sang Hongyang only explained why the government operates these industries, but did not explain clearly why the government monopolizes these industries.

Therefore, virtuous literature have refuted.

"In ancient times, Yao, Shun and Yu didn't manage industrial and commercial industries, but the common people lived affluently and carefree."

"Now the imperial court is engaged in industry and commerce, but there are millions of refugees in the Kanto region. I have never heard of millions of refugees in ancient times."

After the virtuous writers had finished speaking, Wang Hongyin also added: "It's all because the country makes money by operating industry and commerce, which corrupts the social atmosphere. If the imperial court abandons these industries and wholeheartedly improves its own morality, then the people all over the world will follow suit, and the people will follow suit. After improving morality together, the world will be stable and prosperous, this is the foundation of governing the country."

"But now, the country is trying to find ways to run industry and commerce to earn money, but it doesn't improve its own morality, and doesn't educate the people. Isn't this just throwing everything at the bottom?"

"The people in ancient times were simple and kind, and there was light in their eyes. It was because the sages taught by example and influenced the people with their own virtues. Today, people are chasing power and wealth. There is no light in their eyes. It is all because of state management. caused by industry and commerce."

"There is an idiom called "remedial after a dead sheep." As long as the country immediately abandons all industries, abandons all mountains, lakes, rivers, minerals and salt fields, and allows the people to freely obtain these, then there is still time for everything, and there is still a chance to save the social atmosphere."

"Otherwise, everything will be regrettable!"

Wang Hongyin speaks earnestly, and feels sad for people nowadays who are greedy for money and profit. In his words, he yearns for the era of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors in ancient times, as if people in that era were simple, kind, civilized, harmonious and friendly.

"That's right, the common people have not been well educated, and this is all because the state is engaged in industry and commerce."

"The country should give up these industries immediately, so that the world can be stable and the people can be rich."

Virtuous literature have echoed.

Without waiting for Sang Hongyang to refute, Wang Hongyin continued to chase and beat: "There are so many fertile fields in the world, but the people have no food to eat; there are so many mountains and forests in the world, but the people have no meat to eat; there are so many Gema in the world, but the people have no food to eat in winter." Frozen to death."

"It's all because the state monopolizes industry and commerce, but it wants to produce goods that the people don't need to make money. If the state abandons industry and commerce and returns everything to the people, then the people themselves will get things like food from the mountains and rivers. necessities, then the people will not starve to death, and the world will be stable and prosperous.”

"The legend says: 'If the princes are interested in profit, the officials will be despised; if the officials are despised, the scholars will be greedy; if the officials are greedy, the common people will steal. .”

Wang Hongyin’s last sentence is actually saying that the upper beam is not upright and the lower beam is crooked. Because the imperial court runs industry and commerce to make money, the common people are led badly by the imperial court, and they also go to make money. In the end, everyone goes to make money, and no one improves their morality. If so, the whole world will be ruined.

After he finished speaking, all the scholars were full of admiration, and were very happy that there was such an eloquent person in their camp.

"What's that man's name?"

"Wang Hongyin, from Liaonan County, Liaodong County."

"Liaonan County? Why haven't you heard of it before?"

"A few years ago, the imperial court reduced Tashi County to a township and Pingguo County to a township, and then the two counties were merged into one county, which is Liaonan County."

"It's time to make friends."

After listening to Wang Hongyin's words, the scholars all thought that Wang Hongyin was high-spirited and upright, so they wanted to make friends with him.

Faced with the fierce export of virtuous literature, Sang Hongyang retorted: "The imperial court operates industry and commerce, and implements salt and iron official operations, not just for making money, but also for the sake of the people. During the harvest, the common people have too much food, so the court needs to purchase grain. To prevent the common people's grain from rotting and moldy, and when the harvest fails, the court needs to sell the previously purchased grain to prevent the common people from starving to death. It is nonsense to say that the imperial court takes the lead in making money and corrupting the social atmosphere."

As soon as this remark came out, the virtuous literature once again retorted: "The food that the people have worked so hard to grow is bought by the government at a low price. When there is a shortage of food, the government sells the food at a high price to make money. Isn't it just to make money and ruin the atmosphere? I don't see it. Where did Zhunping go?"

"Not only that, but also the officials who are responsible for equalization and loss take the opportunity to become corrupt and lead the simple and kind people to the evil path of greed for money and profit."

"In order to complete the task of the imperial court, the officials forced the people to sell their grain and cloth at a low price. Some profiteers colluded with these officials and took the opportunity to buy the grain and cloth sold by the people at a low price. They killed corrupt officials and profiteers, but they didn’t see how the equal-lose policy benefits the country and the people.”

This statement is indeed true. The court’s leveling and average loss is indeed for the purpose of making money, and the officials in charge of the leveling and average loss are indeed corrupt, causing the people to have to sell their goods at low prices.

Anyway, at this stage, no matter how Sang Hongyang explained how good the imperial court's policy was, the virtuous literature just said how corrupt the officials related to this policy were.

The two parties had an in-depth and friendly exchange where you said yours and I said mine.

Faced with virtuous literature who refuted with facts, Sang Hongyang was also thinking about how to refute it back.

After thinking for a long time, he said: "The imperial court's equalization and loss are naturally for the people. When there was a famine in Hebei, the imperial court transported the grain bought from Henan to Hebei to relieve the victims. The food was transported to Henan to relieve the victims.”

"The same is true for things like cloth, farm tools, and salt."

However, as soon as Sang Hongyang finished speaking, the virtuous writers continued to focus on corruption.

Virtuous literature retorted:

"Less than half of the grain transported from Hebei to Henan was actually transported to the disaster area, and most of it was filled by corrupt officials."

"The food grown by the common people is bought at a low price under the pretext of helping the disaster victims, and then the grain is corrupted by corrupt officials. Is this also called for the common people?"

"That's right. Does corruption count as serving the country and the people?"

Virtuous literature has always grasped the fatal point of corruption of court officials to refute.

Debate is like this, it doesn't have to be so reasonable, just grasp the enemy's Achilles' heel and hit it hard.

When the virtuous writers refuted Sang Hongyang, Wang Hongyin also added to them: "And Doctor Sang mentioned farm tools before, I think this is also a big problem."

"The agricultural tools made by the government are of poor quality, but the common people have no chance to choose. In the past, when the government did not have a monopoly on iron smelting, the common people could buy better quality agricultural tools produced in other places when they encountered bad iron agricultural tools. But now, The government unified the production of agricultural tools, and the common people lost the opportunity to choose better quality agricultural tools."

"I think that the iron smelting industry should be liberalized and the people should be allowed to run their own iron smelting workshops. In this way, when people encounter poor-quality agricultural tools, they can freely choose better-quality agricultural tools produced by others."

"The common people have better-quality agricultural tools, and they can save time and effort when farming. This is the real benefit to the country and the people!"

(End of this chapter)