Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 126: Competing with Neo-Confucianism for influence, posting slogans and cartoons
Zhu Yuanzhang's residence.

In the afternoon of this day, just after Zhu Yuanzhang returned home from crying in Guo Zixing Lingtang, Xu Da handed several secret reports to Zhu Yuanzhang and said:

"Ascend!"

"According to reports from various inspection schools, in recent days, Zhang Mian, the magistrate of the state, and Song Chaoyong, who is in charge of the army, have been very close to each other. They often discuss things together while avoiding their servants."

"In addition, Hu Yuan's former Minister of Justice, Alu, in Guo Pingzhang's house, is a very bad person. He has been giving Guo Pingzhang and Zhang Zuocheng lectures on Neo-Confucianism and asking them to understand the people who killed the commander-in-chief."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help frowning and said: "I know, go and ask Mr. Zhang to come."

Soon.

Zhang Cheng arrived at Zhu Yuanzhang's place.

Zhu Yuanzhang informed Zhang Cheng of this matter and said, "Fortunately, Mr. Zhang, you asked us to set up more eyes. Otherwise, we would not have thought that they were secretly connecting and influencing each other so quickly."

Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang did not realize the importance of intelligence investigation at first. It was not until he was tricked several times in the process, especially Chen Yexian's time, that he realized the importance of intelligence investigation. After Yang Xian defected to him, Let Yang Xian and some of his adopted sons be inspected and secretly investigate the generals.

Zhang Cheng continued to say to Zhu Yuanzhang: "If these Neo-Confucian disciples are allowed to continue to be influenced like this, I am afraid that in the future they will still be like Hu Yuan, who only talks about loyalty to superiors, not responsibility to subordinates, and only talks about respect and inferiority. If we don’t talk about Huayi, what will be the consequences?”

"It's really disgusting."

Zhang Cheng said.

"We must hurry up and let the rebel brothers receive the correct education! We must let them become more mature in military struggle experience, and also more mature in political and ideological struggle experience. They cannot be led astray by people with ulterior motives to think that Neo-Confucianism is the right way. way."

After hearing this, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but nod his head and said: "Guo Pingzhang and Zhang Zuocheng are simple people. Although they are at odds with their superiors, they are not very different in their ideas and opinions! But if these two people really let these Neo-Confucian disciples continue to have such influence, I’m afraid that even if you are not an enemy, you will become an enemy in the future!”

"We may really feel that advocating Neo-Confucianism is the right thing to do! Because this will not only help our future descendants, no matter how weak they are, to successfully inherit our wealth because of the ethical principles set by Neo-Confucianism, but also allow peace to continue. Existing, at least for hundreds of years!”

"But now, we know that this is just a matter of course. What is really beneficial is that officials use the name of the court to bully and abuse the people. On the contrary, it is not conducive to the descendants of the ancestors, and it is not conducive to the people to live a stable life. It will make everyone from the emperor to the common people backward, ignorant, and self-righteous!"

Zhu Yuanzhang then nodded: "As you said, some backward and reactionary landlords and bureaucrats will still promote Neo-Confucianism in order to facilitate the bureaucrats to bully the people and abuse them. They only emphasize the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers and do not emphasize the responsibilities of the monarch and his ministers, especially their responsibilities to the people. Understanding the people in the sage's words only as people with official titles, this turns the people's foundation into the official's foundation."

Back to the topic.

"The consequence is that even if the superior becomes the emperor who dominates the world with Neo-Confucianism, he will have to pinch his nose and admit that his father is a bandit when compiling history, and he will even have to admit that he is a bandit!"

Zhang Cheng said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Your superiors, the struggle in the ideological field is very serious!"

After Zhu Yuanzhang said this, Zhang Cheng also echoed: "Yes, one generation can only do the things of one generation. If you want to solve all the worries of your descendants once and for all, and establish a law that can be used for a thousand years and be effective, it will only be counterproductive." Effect!"

"That's really disgusting."

Zhang Cheng said at this point: "There are many examples in history, and the superiors must also know about them."

"The Song Dynasty also used these rebel brothers. Once they became officials and came into contact with officials, there was no guarantee that they would not turn bad."

"If I hadn't read the books you gave me."

"But it's science!"

Speaking of it.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned after hearing this, then took a deep breath and said:

"He takes advantage of the selfish desires of those in power who want their power to be passed down to their descendants stably, forcing those in power to do disgusting things, and also forcing the entire country and nation to do disgusting things."

"As the saying goes, children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. We can't really believe in those false and empty words of Neo-Confucianism!"

"What is the hope for eternal peace? How can there be eternal peace in the world!"

“Only the peace that the current generation must work hard to present is the peace that must be realized quickly!”

"Selfish desires for personal power, wealth, and even for the power, wealth, and wealth of your children and grandchildren must be restrained. You cannot want the world to be your own, but also want others to starve to death without being able to rebel. That is not an ideal, it is a fantasy!"

"Yes, people just want comfort, and landlords are the same. They just want to be able to collect rent stably and live their lives. Naturally, they also imagine that the world will always be peaceful, and people can't rebel even if they starve to death."

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he smiled and said to Zhang Cheng: "Mr. Zhang, you are the same. Unless there are special circumstances, you are not willing to work an extra quarter of an hour every day beyond the rated workload."

Zhang Cheng said: "Everyone has different ideas. As a leader, you want to do more to make future generations more comfortable and enjoy it; but I think I can't do it all, lest others fail to realize it." opportunities for self-ambition, and then become lazy, that is to say, let the people below do what they should do, and let future generations do what they should do. If I do everything, then once I don’t Now, the world won’t be in chaos?”

"According to what you say, we shouldn't do everything ourselves?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhang Cheng nodded: "Of course, not letting others do something is also a disguised form of harming others."

"That seems to be the truth, but when we take a break, we feel sorry for ourselves, our father, and our parents who are starving to death. What should we do?"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but frown and asked Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng smiled and said: "I have been in this situation before. From my point of view, the main reason is that you were too poor before! If you are a little lazy, you will probably go hungry. Not only the upper class, but also the parents and ancestors of the upper class. To be precise, The people of our Han people in all dynasties have been too poor! If we relax even a little bit, we will go hungry. Therefore, the disease of diligence that dare not take a rest is engraved in our bones. It is not until a generation of wealth that we slowly learn to enjoy dignity."

"That's the truth!"

"The people are too poor, so no one dares to rest."

"After all, it is because the ideas of Datong Society were not put forward as soon as possible. As a result, all dynasties have not been committed to seeking wealth for the people. They only think that living in ravines without hunger is a prosperous age. As a result, the people are starving at the same time. While working hard and not daring to take a break, even if you become an official with great potential, you don’t dare to take a break, for fear of losing your power and starving. Even if you become an emperor, you don’t dare to take a break. If you take a break, you will be worried that your country will be destroyed.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and spoke.

Zhang Cheng echoed: "That's right, if you don't develop production and rationally distribute the world's wealth with the thought that everyone in the world seeks wealth, everyone will live like a human being. Even if you become a master, you will not be able to do it as long as you are still thinking about danger. If you dare to relax, you are just like an ox or a horse. You dare not relax, for fear of doing bad things if you relax." "We all understand this truth, but Guo Tianxu and others still don't understand it. They are still being instigated by people like Alu to accept Neo-Confucianism, and even think that We will definitely not be able to tolerate them."

Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Zhang Cheng said "hmm" and said: "So, we have to get this Alu away from Guo Tianxu as soon as possible, and at the same time strengthen the construction of the ideological field! At least, we must quickly ensure that all important positions in the Provincial Department of Education belong to Datong Society People, like Zhang Mian, who has been demoted from an official position, cannot be allowed to hold such an important position as Zhizhou before he joins the Datong Society!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Many people are not from Datong Society now, not only Zhang Mian, but also Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong."

"That's right!"

"The power of Datong Society is still relatively weak, and it must develop and grow quickly."

"But we must quickly seize power while growing and growing, and we must not let some landlords and bureaucrats who hold theoretical views infect our rebel brothers too quickly!"

Zhang Cheng said.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, put his hands on his hips and said, "Yes, the situation is urgent. It can be said that there is no need to delay. At least those who have participated in politics in Zhongshu Province and the governors of various states must unify their opinions!"

"What the superior said is that they can not be relatives or old friends with the superior, but they must be like-minded people."

"The centralization of power at the top should change from the traditional approach of discussing power distribution based on distance based on blood ties and emotions to one based on the degree of advocacy consciousness."

"What I mean is to hold another meeting within the Datong Society first to determine the main content to be done next and who is the main target of the struggle. People with ulterior motives can not instigate us in the Datong Society to be anxious. We are trying to exclude dissidents and prevent some radicals from our Datong Society from purging the inside before we have fully opened up the wisdom of the entire rebel army."

"Internally, we need to let our brothers understand who our real enemies and opponents are right now."

"First reach an internal consensus, and then according to the situation, fight for the targets that can be won and suppress the people who should be suppressed."

When Zhang Cheng said this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded solemnly: "That's exactly what it should be!"

then.

While Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou were waiting for news about Prince Xiao Ming and Yuan Ting's recruitment, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Cheng once again convened a meeting of Datong Society members in Chuzhou.

"Everyone, our enemy has never been Guo Tianxu or Zhang Tianyou!"

"Our real enemies are the reactionaries who ignore the differences between China and barbarians, ignore the responsibilities of the monarch, his subjects, and the people, and only emphasize the righteousness of the monarch and his subjects. They only want to be a master for themselves and their own family, and do not believe that everyone in the world can be rich and noble through struggle!"

"Therefore, eliminating Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou will make us look stupid and fall into the trap of the reactionaries among the landlords and bureaucrats."

"This is also the reason why the superior has never thought of using the current advantage to exclude Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou. It's not like what you said in private. The superior is the benevolence of a lady. The superior is unwilling to do anything for Guo Dashuai's sake. We didn't even pass the seventh grade before attacking the Guo family."

"We should all clearly realize that Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou are the people we want to win over, not the people we want to eliminate, but the people we really want to eliminate are the reactionaries who want to destroy our rebel army and ruin our ideal of Datong Society."

"And I personally believe that the main goal of such a struggle is to eliminate their general backstage - the Hu Yuan regime, so that they lose their faith!"

"Therefore, we must speed up our military growth, strengthen our political education, enlighten our people's wisdom, mobilize them, and do not give the backward and reactionary people time to disintegrate our rebel army."

"The murder of Marshal Guo is an example, and we should learn from it!"

"Because of this, the main way to seize power next is not to rectify Guo Tianxu or Zhang Tianyou, but to seize power from the reactionaries among the landlords and bureaucrats or prevent them from seizing power."

Zhang Cheng said this at the meeting.

Everyone seemed to understand and nodded.

In the recent period, due to the death of Guo Zixing and Zhu Yuanzhang becoming the prime minister, he has obviously become the strongest party. Therefore, many people in Zhu Yuanzhang's direct lineage are eager to fight for power and profit. They want Zhu Yuanzhang to eradicate people like Guo Zixing and Zhang Tianyou as soon as possible. , to help myself go up.

What's more, many people in Zhu Yuanzhang's direct lineage lived a very miserable life when Guo Zixing was still alive. Their positions were not promoted, and many were even squeezed out and had their power reduced.

Unfortunately, most of Guo Zixing's old subordinates are still in high positions. Therefore, many people in Zhu Yuanzhang's direct family are more eager to eradicate Guo Tianxu and others than Zhu Yuanzhang.

This sentiment also affected some of Zhu Yuanzhang's direct relatives who joined the Datong Society, and many people began to feel that getting rid of Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou was the top priority right now.

Now, Zhang Cheng's analysis made them understand.

Naturally, it can also be said that it was necessary for Zhang Cheng to ask Zhu Yuanzhang to hold such a meeting and let the people of Datong Society reach an agreement first.

After this meeting, Zhang Cheng asked Tao Qing, who had been trained in Zhouxue and replaced Shu Qingguo as the missionary doctor of Datong Society, to take charge of missionary work in Chuzhou.

Tao Qing took a group of missionary leaders and missionaries to start missionary work.

As a result, within a few days, a large number of public notice boards appeared in Chuzhou City, covered with slogans.

The walls of many public houses are also covered with slogans.

They all have slogans such as "Drive out the Tartars", "Restore China", "Rescue the people", etc. Many of them are easy-to-understand slogans such as "Down with the Tatar Emperor who is not recognized by the people", and there are also various easy-to-understand slogans. Comic newspaper.

Simultaneously.

A large number of "China News" began to appear in the city, and many missionaries read newspapers to the people in crowded places and explained the meaning behind these slogans and pictures.

Even, in order to attract the people to listen to the newspaper and learn about the cause of the rebels, the preachers specially held a lottery every half a minute after reading the newspaper, with prizes ranging from rice to cloth.

Although the prizes are not very generous, the people who have always been short of food and clothing are still willing to spend time to listen to the news after returning from busy farming.

"Why did so many rebellious slogans, pictures and newspapers appear so quickly? Were they printed in advance, or was there some new printing technique? Why did the craftsmen become so powerful even after they became thieves?!"

Here, Zhang Mian quickly noticed this phenomenon and couldn't help being surprised.

(End of this chapter)