Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 12 About Confucian Scholars Coming to Invest
  "That's right!"

"The Book of Han says: Study the ancients well and seek truth from facts."

"If the ethical order implemented in the world today causes hard-working people to starve to death in a peaceful world, and causes the world to often go from chaos to chaos instead of long-term stability, isn't there something wrong with the ethical order itself?"

"For example, your cousin, your brother and your sister-in-law starved to death."

"It can't be possible. It's really because of your father-in-law's fault for your cousin's hard work and your sister-in-law's hard work, which ruined the way of heaven that you starved to death, right?"

After Zhang Cheng said that, he asked Zhu Yuanzhang who was fanning himself to cool off.

Because Zhang Cheng mentioned his family who had starved to death again, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression became very serious again, as if this was a point that he could easily be touched.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped fanning and stood in the noon sun, letting the sweat drip from his chin fall on the board.

"Is there something wrong with the ethical order itself?"

"But no one told me that there was something wrong with him, so we still thought it was because of the injustice of heaven!"

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang murmured.

After that.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhang Cheng like a child eager for knowledge, and asked: "Then what kind of ethical order can have no problems, so that the world can enjoy peace forever, so that hard-working people will not go hungry? die?!"

Zhang Cheng smiled bitterly, avoided Zhu Yuanzhang's expectant gaze, and said, "Well, I don't know what kind of ethical order can make the world long-lasting peace."

"After all, I don't know everything about the world."

"Please forgive me, superior."

Zhang Cheng really doesn't know.

Because he is just an ordinary person in the modern world.

Although he has gained a lot of knowledge in modern times, he still has not found the answer.

And Zhang Cheng didn't want to mislead Zhu Yuanzhang.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang will be the emperor in the future, and once he misleads Zhu Yuanzhang, he may harm many people, even many generations.

Therefore, Zhang Cheng had to be cautious.

But when Zhang Cheng saw Zhu Yuanzhang's disappointed look, he couldn't help but say again: "But my boss, I can be sure that as long as we seek truth from facts, we can find the ethical order that is most suitable for the present and the best for the long-term peace of the world."

"Furthermore, in fact, all ethical and religious orders may not be able to completely guarantee long-term peace and stability in the world. They can only guarantee long-lasting peace and stability for a period of time."

"It's not that the current ethical order has always been bad. For a period of time, it might have been suitable for long-term peace and order in the world."

After Zhang Cheng said this, Zhu Yuanzhang had already asked him: "What do you mean?"

"You think about it, the emperor and the ruling princes who admire this etiquette order do not think that they can make their country permanent and the world worry-free. Do they really want more people to be attracted by the establishment of this etiquette order? And starve to death?"

Zhang Cheng asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded after hearing this: "In other words, the ethical order that was suitable for the world to starve to death is no longer suitable for now?"

Zhang Cheng nodded in agreement and said: "Yes, running water does not rot the door hinges, nor does it cause beetles. The etiquette should be constantly changed in order to adapt to the changes in the world's people and things. If the superiors want to reduce the number of people in the world to starve to death, they must not only have the idea of ​​constantly correcting the etiquette." , and we must have the awareness to make corrections at any time, and cannot be lazy, hoping that one law and one system can be used for eternity."

"Do etiquette change all the time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang fell into deep thought again.

"In Mr. Zhang's opinion, what are the problems in today's ethical and religious order that are not suitable for today?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked again.

After Zhang Cheng heard this, he thought for a long time and then replied:

"In my humble opinion, the first inappropriate point is that today's ethical order in the world certainly requires the distinction between superior and inferior officials and civilians in the state, and the distinction between ethics at home, but it increasingly downplays the distinction between Chinese and barbarians in the world."

"So the Hu people have been able to completely steal our Han people!" "The superiors can look at the history books and find out that whenever the Hu people invade and take over one of our places in China, the Han people in that place will suffer an extra layer of suffering. More people will starve to death, because they will not only be exploited and exploited by their own corrupt officials, but also by the foreign barbarians."

"This is one of the reasons why only a hundred years after the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, the world's rituals collapsed, and the elders, brothers and sisters-in-law starved to death. Although they were very hard-working, the nobles they had to support were not only nobles of their own clan but also nobles. Hu people are nobles, so they are more likely to starve to death."

"You must know that the people of the Han, Tang and Song Dynasties would not have starved to death in large numbers and caused chaos in the world less than a hundred years after the founding of the country."

"That makes sense."

"The number of people taxing food and extracting rent has increased a lot, but they don't want to suffer any injustice, so they can only exploit the people even more, and even become more cruel because they can work together."

Zhu Yuanzhang also came from a lower class background and had traveled north and south for many years. He could still accept that national oppression would aggravate class oppression, so he agreed with Zhang Cheng.

"Secondly, although this ethical order has further strengthened the difference in status between the noble and the humble, it has weakened the difference in responsibilities between the noble and the humble. The people suffered, and most officials did not know how to provide compensation or develop industry. Even the emperor was only happy."

"Therefore, the new etiquette order cannot only give the nobles the power and exclude the humble. It cannot only allow the humble to have responsibilities and exclude the nobles from the responsibilities. Even the emperor should also have the responsibility to study hard and protect the people. The people should have basic rights."

After Zhang Cheng said this, Zhu Yuanzhang had no objection and just thought attentively.

Although Zhang Cheng said that the order of etiquette should give certain rights to the humble, that is, the common people who are inferior in etiquette and law, which is unprecedented in this era, Zhu Yuanzhang is indeed not very averse to adding some rights to the villagers.

Because in history, he was very radical and took the initiative to give rights to the villagers. Not only did he give the people the power to collect taxes and remit taxes, he also allowed the people to have judicial autonomy, and even gave the people the power to arrest officials.

Who made Zhu Yuanzhang trust the common people more than the officials?

In fact, this is also related to the Yuan Dynasty itself.

Although the Yuan Dynasty oppressed the Han people very cruelly, it was not very ideologically restrictive and did not pay much attention to the maintenance of ethical order, not to mention the transfer of imperial power to the countryside.

Therefore, in the rural society where Zhu Yuanzhang lived since childhood, there was no strict ideological control by the Yuan court. As a result, many people at the bottom were not educated enough in Neo-Confucianism and did not have a deep understanding of the ethical order. Many of them no longer even read books. They only accepted the simple values ​​of mutual help in rural autonomous society.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in the lower class, did not fully believe in the order of etiquette at first. It was only after he read books and was influenced by Confucian scholars that he began to believe that the order of etiquette was more and more important. He even believed that the Yuan Dynasty was important when he first took the throne. The failure lies in the etiquette being too lenient.

However, in his later years, he discovered that many powerful officials were unwilling to abide by the etiquette order, and he began to doubt the etiquette order again. Only then did he realize that the failure of the Yuan Dynasty was not only that the etiquette was too lax, but also related to problems with the etiquette itself, and he began to give the people Power, hoping to rely on the elderly villagers to supervise the bureaucrats, is tantamount to betraying the ethical order that they have always wanted to strengthen.

In short, Zhu Yuanzhang in history has always had changes in his thinking. It can be said that his methods were ruthless and cruel, but it cannot be said that he was politically conservative and refused new things.

He often became radical and even some later generations who advocated increasing the power of the villagers could not accept it.

But now, Zhang Cheng's words have opened up new ideas for him, causing him to have doubts about ethics in advance, and he has to think again.

But Zhu Yuanzhang did not choose to immediately agree and support Zhang Cheng's point of view, because after all, it was Zhang Cheng who said this alone, while other Confucian scholars told him that the world was in bad shape because the Yuan court did not educate enough and was too lenient in the control of etiquette.

Zhu Yuanzhang is not someone who just follows what others say. He needs to digest it and make his own decisions based on actual experience.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang did not slap his forehead and say that Zhang Cheng gave him enlightenment. He only said after a while: "Mr. Zhang, please don't tell others about today's conversation."

Zhang Cheng nodded.

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang asked again: "Do you really think that many Confucian scholars will take the initiative to join us, and there will be soon? Do they really not value the order of ethics and education? If we propose to change the ethics and education, will it really happen? Are there any Confucian scholars willing to join us?"

"Of course not!"

"If they really valued it, the world would not be like this."

"I wouldn't say that the current ethical order is out of date."

Zhang Cheng replied.

At this time, Xu Da came over: "Come on!"

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly turned to look at Xu Da and asked, "What's the matter?"

Xu Daze handed Zhu Yuanzhang a post saying: "Li Shanchang, a Confucian scholar from Dingyuan, came to vote and said he was willing to donate three thousand shi of food and labor for the army."

Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed after hearing this, but he couldn't help being shocked and looked at Zhang Cheng.

"There are indeed Confucian scholars who are willing to take the initiative to join us!"

(End of this chapter)